The Bible says very little about this person; in fact, he is only mentioned in one verse, John 19:34: …one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. So, we know that he was a Roman soldier (cp. John 18:31; 19:1-2,34), but that’s the only […]
What did Jesus look like?
The Bible tells us that Jesus is a Jew. The genealogies in Mat. 1 and Luke 3 show Jesus’ Jewish ancestry, which is neatly summed up in the first verse of the New Testament: Mat. 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. David and Abraham […]
What does “speaking in tongues” mean?
‘Speaking in tongues’ is a term generally used today for glossalalia, a practice in Pentecostal churches. Glossalalia is not a real language but strings of broken phonemes of languages known, or at least heard by, the speaker. In the New Testament ‘tongues’ (Greek glossai) is simply the normal Greek word for languages. In most incidents […]
Is Muhammad predicted in the Bible?
No, Muhammad is not mentioned or predicted in the Bible. Some Muslims quote Deut. 18:15-18 and say it refers to Muhammad; here Moses, says: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— … And the Lord said to […]
What did Thomas mean when he said to Jesus “My Lord and my God”? (John 20:28)
Did Thomas call Jesus his God? John 20:24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my […]
What does it mean that Jesus “emptied himself”? (Phil.2:6-9)
See additional answer at : Does Philippians 2:5-11 mean that Jesus had the nature of God? The phrase “emptied himself” is an alternative rendering for the phrase in bold below: Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did […]
What is the Apocrypha?
The Apocrypha is a collection of old writings, written before the New Testament, that are not part of the Bible (the canon of Scripture), although some of them claim to be part of the Old Testament, and some denominations (e.g. the Roman Catholic Church) count some of them as part of the canon. There are […]
Why did God send a lying spirit? (1 Kings 22:22)
The Bible teaches that God does not lie (Heb.6:18), so how is this possible: 1 Kings 22:20 and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I […]
Why do OT and NT teachings on demons appear to differ?
See also What is the difference between “unclean spirit” and “demon”? Why does OT and NT teaching on demons appear to differ? It is undeniable that there is a difference between the way the Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) describe illness and disability: Exodus 4:11 Then the Lord said to [Moses], “Who has […]
What is the difference between “unclean spirit” and “demon”?
New Testament In the NT there is no substantial difference. Sometimes “unclean spirit” and “demon” occur in the same account, or in parallel accounts between the synoptic Gospel writers: Luke 8:29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept […]