The Words of Agur 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out. 2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. 3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the […]
The census and Quirinius (Luke 2:2)
This is about a supposed historical inaccuracy in Luke. There are various solutions to this supposed problem but we’ll cite here the conclusion of a paper in 1984. V. CONCLUSION Many censuses were taken in the Roman empire during the time of Augustus, and there is no reason why Herod might not have been asked […]
How can Exodus 6:3 say “by my name YHWH I was not known” when Genesis uses the name YHWH around 140 times?
Context in Exodus 6 – God Promises Deliverance 6:1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 2 God spoke to Moses and said […]
What is the Holy Spirit?
This is one of those questions that could require a very long or a very short answer. Here we’re going to go with a very short answer. The Old Testament – God’s spirit God’s spirit is God’s breath or power. For which the adjective ‘holy’ is usually redundant and not used. The adjective ‘holy’ is […]
“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” Joel 2:32 cited in Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13
The original passage reads “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” (Joel 2:32) Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 […]
Why does Paul say “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” if he doesn’t believe that souls go to heaven? (Philippians 1:23)
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