This is a very famous verse precisely because it appears to contradict Paul’s other teaching on death, sleep in the dust, and a future resurrection at the return of Christ. 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 […]
Is it okay to pray for the dead?
Prayers for the souls of the dead to go to a better spirit world (“heaven” rather than “hell”) are a universal feature of almost all world religions. They are also common in the popular Christianity – derived from medieval Christanity – that believes in immortal souls. However, in the Bible the dead are dead, so […]
What is the difference between Sheol/Hades and Gehenna?
A nice easy question. Sheol in Hebrew (translated ‘Hades’ in Greek New Testament) is simply the grave where “the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) and Gehenna? Well the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom (Ge Ben-Hinnom, ‘Gehenna’ in the Greek New Testament) is a valley just outside the South East wall of Jerusalem. Today it […]
Is the kingdom of God only future or present also?
Most of the references to the kingdom of God in the Bible are future. However there are references to the kingdom, in some sense, existing now. Colossians 1:13, the two present tense beatitudes “theirs IS the kingdom” (Matt 5:3, 10), and John’s present tense statement “in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that ARE in Jesus” (Rev […]
Which mountain was the mount of transfiguration?
Which mountain is not named. Tabor, Hermon and Nebo have all been proposed. This question probably doesn’t affect the content of the “vision” (Jesus calls it an ‘orama’ in Greek) but here is case for Nebo. Harry Whittaker Studies in the Gospels 105. Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36)* http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/haw/sitg/sitgb08.html
What is the so-called Testament of Solomon?
The Testament of Solomon is Jewish Greek text dating to some time 50-250 CE, which collects various Jewish legends and myths about King Solomon into a compendium of demon lore. It is relevant to the New Testament as it gives one benchmark to the state of belief about sickness and demons current both among the […]
What are the three generations of sin in James 1:15?
This imagery of three generations is a play on the different Greek verbs used in James 1:15 James 1 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and […]
Where in the Bible does the infant Jesus make a clay bird and breathe life into it?
This is not from the Bible, this is a Christian legend of the 3rd Century found in the spurious infancy gospels, alongside legends about Jesus speaking as a baby. The legend was also current among Arab Christians in the Arabian peninsula by the time of Mohammad and consequently was included in the Quran 5:110.
What is Abaddon?
Abbadon is a Hebrew word meaning ‘destruction’ , from the Hebrew verb ‘destroy’ or ‘perish’. It occurs 5 times in the Hebrew Old Testament : Job 26:6 , 28:22, 31:12, Psalms 88:12, Proverbs 15:11, 27:20. In Job 26:6 and Proverbs 15:11 it is another word for Sheol, the pit or the grave . Job 26:6 […]
How could the seventy elders of Israel see God on a sapphire pavement? (Exodus 24:10)
The appearance of God above the sapphire, or lapis lazuli, pavement is what is known as a theophany. God appearing. And yet the Bible also tells us that no man can see God and live, and that no man has seen God, so what the seventy saw was some kind of representation of God, but […]