Most of what we know about Amos is in the first verse of the book that bears his name: The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of […]
Was music required or allowed in the temple?
The full question was At one time no instruments were allowed to play in the temple or the inner court…when were the instruments allowed back in the temple? I cannot find any record of instruments not being allowed to be played in the temple, except that it was sometimes closed, or in disuse, or even […]
Who split Judah and Israel?
There are two answers, depending on how you look at it. In human terms, Rehoboam and Jeroboam share the responsibility. Rehoboam was foolish, and Jeroboam was ambitious. Rehoboam became king of the 12 tribes of Israel when his father (Solomon) died in about 931BC. But he was quickly challenged by Jeroboam who became king of […]
Is there a similar Bible verse to Quran 6:68?
An English translation of Quran 6:68 is “And when thou seest those who meddle with Our revelations, withdraw from them until they meddle with another topic. And if the devil cause thee to forget, sit not, after the remembrance, with the congregation of wrong-doers” I’m not sure I follow all the logic of this passage. […]
Would God use a child being born out of adultery as punishment for your sin and not forgive you?
No A child being born as a consequence of adultery is rather a natural course of events. It might also be a punishment, but it’s probably pretty much a self-inflicted one in the first case. As for never receiving forgiveness, the Bible nowhere says that adultery cannot be forgiven. In fact, no less than David […]
Where did Philip die?
There are two Philips, the apostle (Acts 1:13) and one of the seven (Acts 6:5). It appears that the second Philip settled in Caesarea: But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:40) and: On the next day […]
What does “bear much fruit” mean (John 15:5,8)?
The Bible often uses trees and plants as analogies for humans (e.g. Ps. 1:1-3; Jer. 17:7-8). The fruit a tree or plant produces are like the attitudes and behaviour a person produces (e.g. Mat. 7:15-20; Luke 3:8). So, in John 15 Jesus is saying that his disciples should produce attitudes and behaviour in keeping with […]
Does “you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:17) mean “dying you shall die”?
This is a misunderstanding of a grammatical structure in Hebrew, and other semitic languages, called the infinitive absolute. The verb is repeated to mean “surely”, “certainly”. The Infinitive Absolute occurs most frequently in immediate connexion with the finite verb of the same stem, in order in various ways to define more accurately or to strengthen […]
Is cremation wrong?
No, cremation is not wrong. The Bible does not give instructions about what to do with a body after someone has died. When someone dies they eventually decompose and turn to dust (just as God said would happen — Gen. 3:19. Also see Ps. 104:29; Eccles. 3:20; 12:7). Cremation simply speeds this process up. At […]
What does the Bible say about suicide?
God has given us life and asks us to use it in serving him (John 10:10; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). We are to honour God with our body (1 Cor 6:20), so it would be wrong to destroy the gift God has given us. The Bible records seven suicides: