There are lots of reasons — all of which add together — that give Christians confidence that what they believe is true. For example, the Bible contains prophecies which predicted events in world history before they happened: this is often cited as a reason for trusting the Bible, and its teaching, over against other religious teachings.1 […]
Paul went up to the third tier of Heaven which was not located on the earth: does this show that the saved go to heaven when they die?
No. Whatever happened to Paul when he was ‘caught up to the third heaven’ (2 Cor. 12:2) happened to him when he was alive, not dead, so it is no indication of what happens to people when they die. For more on the third heaven, see the answers to: ‘What is the third heaven? (2 […]
Why was Simon’s name changed to Peter?
Simon’s name was changed to Peter (Mat. 16:18) because Jesus wanted to highlight the important role Peter would have in the early church. Peter means ‘rock’, so when Jesus said ‘on this rock I will build my church’ (Mat. 16:18) he was using a pun to refer to Peter’s role as one of the strong, […]
Could the coming great deception be the return of fallen angels or nephilim disguised as grey aliens/UFOs?
Nope. Quite apart from anything else, there is too much wild speculation in this suggestion for it to be a valid interpretation of a Biblical passage. It might not be quite so interesting to some as fallen angels, nephilim, aliens and UFOs, but the ‘deception’ warned about in the New Testament is to do with […]
Where is “Abraham’s bosom” located? (the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16)
Abraham’s lap “Bosom” is a King James Bible term which meant something akin to ‘lap’ in Shakespeare-era English. Being “in someone’s bosom” is a picture of being embraced by them. An example is found in John 13:23, where the disciple whom Jesus loved is “leaning on Jesus’ bosom” in the KJV. The term “Abraham’s bosom” […]
Who are the “us” and “we” referred to in Acts 20:5-6?
The “us” an “we” in Acts 20:5-6 refer to the author of Acts (i.e., Luke) and Paul (also see Acts 16:10–17; 20:5–15; 21:1–18; 27:1– 28).
Can you tell me what “shaddai” means?
Even though El Shaddai is generally translated God Almighty, shaddai is from the same root as “breast,” with reference to nurturing. This title occurs significantly in Genesis referring to God’s development of Abraham’s descendants. Exod. 6:4 affirms this: “I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name yhwh I did […]
If the kingdom is on earth, what does “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3) refer to?
The expression “kingdom of heaven” is equivalent to the expression “kingdom of God”, which is used in the parallel account in Luke (cf. Luke 6:20). The word “heaven” in the expression “kingdom of heaven” does not refer to the location of the kingdom, but the authority of the kingdom. The expression “kingdom of heaven” is […]
Does “people of Israel” and “Hebrew slaves” mean the same thing?
Yes, more or less. The expression “people of Israel” refers to the nation descended from Jacob (also called “Israel”). The word “Hebrew” has a wider usage. For example, Abram is described as a “Hebrew” (Gen 14:13). It is sometimes suggested that “Hebrew” derives from the name “Eber”, who was an ancestor of Abram (Gen 11:16) […]
What is a New Testament example of God sending or condoning a lie?
A New Testament example of God sending a strong delusion – 2 Thessalonian 2:9-12: The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, (10) and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be […]