Deuteronomy 18:10–22—How can false prophets be distinguished from true prophets?

Problem: The Bible contains many prophecies which it calls upon us to believe because they come from God. However, the Bible also acknowledges the existence of false prophets (Matt. 7:15). Indeed, many religions and cults claim to have prophets. Hence, the Bible exhorts believers to “test” those who claim to be prophets (1 John 4:1–3). But what is the difference between a false prophet and a true prophet of God?

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty

Deuteronomy 15:4—How can this passage say there would be no poor among them when 15:11 says the poor will always be in the land?

Problem: According to Deuteronomy 15:4, God promises that there will not be any poor among the people. However, 15:11 clearly states, “For the poor will never cease from the land.” How can one passage say there would be no poor among the people while another says that the poor will never cease from the land?

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty

Deuteronomy 14:26—How can this passage permit the use of strong drink when other passages condemn its consumption?

Problem: According to Deuteronomy 14:26, God permitted the purchase of wine or strong drink for conducting a feast before the Lord. However, Leviticus 10:8–9 forbids the use of strong drink by the priests, and passages like Proverbs 20:1, 23:29–35, and 31:4–5 seem to forbid the use of strong drink by all. How can this passage permit the use of strong drink when these other passages clearly condemn its use?

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty

The Church Fathers: A Door to Rome

Many people have walked into the Roman Catholic Church through the broad door of the “church fathers,” and this is a loud warning today when there is a widespread attraction to the “church fathers” within evangelicalism.

The Catholic apologetic ministries use the “church fathers” to prove that Rome’s doctrines go back to the earliest centuries. In the book Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic, David Currie continually uses the church fathers to support his position. He says, “The other group of authors whom Evangelicals should read … is the early Fathers of the Church” (p. 4).

The contemplative prayer movement is built on this same weak foundation. The late Robert Webber, a Wheaton College professor who was one of the chief proponents of this back to the “church fathers” movement, said:

“The early Fathers can bring us back to what is common and help us get behind our various traditions … Here is where our unity lies. … evangelicals need to go beyond talk about the unity of the church to experience it through an attitude of acceptance of the whole church and an entrance into dialogue with the Orthodox, Catholic, and other Protestant bodies” (Ancient-Future Faith, 1999, p. 89).

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Deuteronomy 11:25—Isn’t this a false prophecy?

Problem: Moses told the children of Israel that “No man shall be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.” But this seems clearly false both in the short view and in the long run. Even under Joshua, Israel lost some battles (Josh 7:4). And in the long run, they were overrun by the Assyrians (2 Kings 16:9) and the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:22).

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty