Browsed by
Author: BibleAuthenticity

Should Christians Fight In Wars?

Should Christians Fight In Wars?

Comments 0 Comment

“The weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ”—2 Corinthians 10:4,5 NRSV

According to the Bible, Christians are to engage in “warfare,” but not with “human” weapons.” They are fighting with “divine power” to “destroy arguments ” and ‘obstacles . . . against the knowledge of God,’ not people. read more

What Caused the Three Hour Darkness at Jesus’ Execution? – An Eclipse?

What Caused the Three Hour Darkness at Jesus’ Execution? – An Eclipse?

Comments 1 comment
A Total Eclipse of the Sun. Dramatic Solar Eclipse illustration.

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour”—Matthew 27:45 ESV

“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour”—Mark 15:33 ESV

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour”—Luke 23:44 ESV 

Starting right in the middle of the day, when the sunlight is the very brightest, from about noontime until about 3 PM, on the day Jesus was executed, a mysterious darkness covered “the whole land” (Greek, “ge”), meaning Jerusalem and the surrounding area of Judea. Three extra-Biblical ancient historians, Thallus, Phlegon, and Africanus, also mentioned this three hour period of darkness in their writings read more

Do the Gospels Contradict About When the Earthquake Occurred & the Stone Moved?

Do the Gospels Contradict About When the Earthquake Occurred & the Stone Moved?

Comments 34 comments

“I am struck by a certain consistency among otherwise independent witnesses in placing Mary Magdalene both at the cross and at the tomb on the third day. If this is not a historical datum but something that a Christian storyteller made up and then passed along to others, how is it that this specific bit of information has found its way into accounts that otherwise did not make use of one another? . . . all of our early gospels–not just John and Mark (with Matthew and Luke as well) but also the Gospel of Peter, which appears to be independent of all of them–indicate that it was Mary Magdalen who discovered Jesus’ empty tomb. How did all of these independent accounts happen to name exactly the same person in this role? It seems hard to believe that this just happened by way of a fluke of storytelling. It seems much more likely that, at least with the traditions involving the empty tomb, we are dealing with something actually rooted in history”—Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, p 226, by Bart Ehrman  read more

Is the Trinity in the Book of Isaiah?

Is the Trinity in the Book of Isaiah?

Comments 22 comments

“A cornerstone belief of the Christian faith, the doctrine of the Trinity . . . What is the doctrine of the Trinity? . . . There is only one God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three eternal, coequal Persons where each Person is independently conscious and self-directing but never acting independently of one another and always manifesting the same character attributes and the same nature. Where in the Bible is the Trinity taught? . . . It is taught in 25 of the 27 books of the New Testament and in 13 of the 39 books of the Old Testament”—“Does the Book of Isaiah Teach the Trinity?”, Reasons to Believe (RTB) blogsite, by Hugh Ross, July 20, 2020 read more

When, and by Whom, Was the Book of Isaiah Written?

When, and by Whom, Was the Book of Isaiah Written?

Comments 0 Comment

“The vision which Isaiah, son of Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah”—Isaiah 1:1 NAB

Until about the last 250 years, the book of Isaiah was generally accepted by Christians as being written entirely by the prophet Isaiah in the latter part of the 8th century BCE. Nowadays, however, many “scholars” think the book was written by various writers over the course of several centuries, citing factors such as differences in subject matter, style, theology, vocabulary, and the viewpoint that predictive prophesy is impossible. The real reason for this is, however, that they don’t think predictive prophecy is possible. While there are a variety of views about the writership of Isaiah, critics often claim that chapters 40-66 were not written by “Isaiah, son of Amos.” However, careful examination of the book reveals that chapters 36-39 are a historical interlude that concludes the first section of the book, chapters 1-35, and introduces the last section, chapters 40-66. This reveals the unity of the entire book.  read more

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Comments 112 comments

Some people, even preachers, say that everything that happens in the world – good, bad, or otherwise – is the will of God. Is it?

“I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they suffer no pain; their bodies are healthy and sleek. They are free of the burdens of life; they are not afflicted like others” (Psalm 73:3-5 NAB). The realities of this life often just don’t seem to make any sense, even as they didn’t to Bible writer Asaph 3,000 years ago. The opposite of what common sense would tell us is what often happens. Why? read more

Are God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit a Trinity? – 2 Corinthians

Are God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit a Trinity? – 2 Corinthians

Comments 1 comment

“The Trinity is one of the most important teachings of the Christian faith. It defines God’s very essence and describes how he relates to us”—The Forgotten Trinity, back cover

Since Second Corinthians was written over twenty years after the start of Christianity, we would expect to see at least some evidence of such an important doctrine as the Trinity in the Letter’s 13 chapters, if it is a true Christian doctrine. Let’s examine scriptures from this book which tell us something about God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit. read more

Why Using 10 or More Bibles May Be Better Than Knowing Biblical Greek

Why Using 10 or More Bibles May Be Better Than Knowing Biblical Greek

Comments 1 comment

(Note: The same principles expressed in this article apply to knowing Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic, as well.)

“Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding”—Proverbs 4:7 NIV

“By studying Biblical Greek, you can gain a deeper understanding of the original text and the cultural context in which it was written”—Quora, February 6, 2023

Some Bible teachers and preachers are big on the idea that knowing Biblical Greek (Koine’) is important, even vital, in getting the best understanding of the Bible. While this may have a lot to do with their ego, we must grant that some are very sincere in holding and promoting this belief. It is certainly fine for anyone who has the inclination, the time, the resources and the opportunity to do so, to learn Biblical Greek. It is a good thing that some have become scholars in Biblical Greek, and have been active in Bible translation and written Biblical commentaries. But it takes many years of intensive study to become proficient in Biblical Greek. read more

Is Jesus Christ God, or Part of a Trinity, in Philemon?

Is Jesus Christ God, or Part of a Trinity, in Philemon?

Comments 1 comment

“For love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you–I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus”—Philemon 1:9 ESV 

In this short New Testament book of only 25 verses, Jesus Christ is specifically mentioned eight times, God two times, and the holy Spirit is not mentioned at all. In such a brief letter, only so much can be discussed, of course, so the holy Spirit’s omission is not surprising. This is especially so when we consider that the letter’s subject matter is not primarily doctrinal, but, instead, focuses on the relationship of the wealthy Christian Philemon with his runaway slave Onesimus, whom the apostle Paul in Rome has recently converted to Christianity, and is sending him back to Philemon in Colossae with this letter, appealing to Philemon to do the right thing (1:10-21). read more

Invitation to Comment/”Leave a Reply” About Articles on this Website

Invitation to Comment/”Leave a Reply” About Articles on this Website

Comments 0 Comment

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence”—1 Peter 3:15 NAB

After each article on this website, there is a place to “Leave a Reply.” We invite all sincere readers who feel inclined to do so, even if you disagree with something in the article.

This website is a place where issues related to the Bible can be openly and sincerely discussed with reason and good attitudes, but is not a place for such things as advertisements, promotions, hostility, bad language or profanity, personal attacks, debate just for the sport of it, etc.  read more

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy