Problem: Joel declares that God will “sit to judge all the surrounding nations.” But, elsewhere the Bible says God “stands to judge the people” (Isa. 3:13). Which is true? Continue reading →
27
Mar
2020
26
Mar
2020
Joel 3:6—How could Joel mention the Greeks if his book was written before the 4th century b.c.?
Problem: According to many scholars, Joel was written in the 9th century b.c. However, the Greek reference in Joel 3:6 indicates that the earliest the book could have been written is the late 4th century b.c.
25
Mar
2020
Joel 2:28-32 – Does Peter misquote Joel 2:28-32?
Problem: While Joel 2:28-32 does predict the pouring out of God’s Spirit (v.17), it also predicts, “And I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come” (v.19-20). Amillennial interpreters argue that Peter is spiritualizing this OT passage. If the apostles believed that these OT prophecies should be interpreted in a spiritualized sense, then this would give us an allegorical hermeneutic for interpreting the OT. Is this the case?
24
Mar
2020
Hosea 11:1 – How could Matthew quote Hosea as a “fulfillment” of Jesus, when Hosea was referring to the nation of Israel?
Problem: Hosea 11:1 reads: “When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.” However, Matthew quotes this passage as though Jesus was the fulfillment. Critics argue that Matthew was pulling this passage out of its context. Had Matthew bothered to read the beginning of the verse, he would have seen that this was about the nation of Israel—not the Messiah. Thus in his article “Matthew Twists the Scriptures,” critical scholar S.V. McCasland writes, “The interpretation of Hosea 11:1 not only illustrates how early Christians found a meaning entirely foreign to the original; it may also show how incidents in the story of Jesus have been inferred from the OT… [This] indicates how desperately early Christians searched the Scriptures to find proof for the things happening among them.”[1] Is this the case?
23
Mar
2020
Was Jesus anti-Jewish?
Some Jewish investigators of Jesus assume that Jesus wasn’t very Jewish, and Christianity is an anti-Jewish religion. But nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus was as Jewish as they come. In fact, the NT explains that Jesus:
23
Mar
2020
Hosea 8:13—How can this verse say that Ephraim will return to Egypt when 11:5 says that Ephraim will not return there?
22
Mar
2020
Hosea 6:6—Do the prophets disavow the sacrificial system of Moses?
Problem: Moses commanded the use of sacrifices in the worship of the Lord, saying, “And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord” (Ex. 29:18). However, the later prophets seemed to repeatedly repudiate the sacrificial system. Hosea quotes the Lord, saying, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6). David confessed to God, “You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering” (Ps. 51:16). God declared through Jeremiah, “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet to Me” (Jer. 6:20).
21
Mar
2020
Daniel 8 The Little Horn and the Small Horn
We have already made an argument that Daniel 2, 7, and 8 predicts the four world empires (Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome). Also, we argued earlier that the “little horn” of chapter 7 is the Antichrist. However, in chapter 8, we run into a similar figure called the “small horn.” Who is this person? Should we think the little horn is the same figure as the small horn?
21
Mar
2020
Daniel 7 Who is the “Little Horn”?
We have already made an argument that Daniel 2, 7, and 8 predicts the four world empires (Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome). With this as our foundation, we should look again at chapter 7 to identify Daniel’s main character in the fourth empire: Rome. In Daniel 7, we read about a figure called the “little horn”:
21
Mar
2020
Hosea 3:4-5 Does this passage predict the modern regathering of Israel?
Problem: Does this predict the modern regathering of Israel?
20
Mar
2020
Hosea 1:2—How could a holy God who condemns harlotry command Hosea to marry a harlot?
Problem: God commanded Hosea to “take yourself a wife of harlotry.” However, according to Exodus 20:14, adultery is a sin; and according to 1 Corinthians 6:15–18, to have sexual relations with a harlot is immoral (cf. Lev. 19:29). How could a holy God command Hosea to take a harlot as his wife?
19
Mar
2020
Daniel 5:31 – Who is Darius the Mede?
CLAIM: Critics argue that Daniel made a gross historical error here. On their view, Daniel believed that Darius was the one to conquer Babylon, rather than the Persian king Cyrus. Of course, Darius I ruled the Medo-Persian Empire from 522-486 BC, so he could not be the man mentioned here in 539 BC.
Continue reading →
18
Mar
2020
Daniel. 4:33 Is it reasonable to believe that Nebuchadnezzar went mentally insane like an animal?
Problem: Daniel records that Nebuchadnezzar suffered from boanthropy (i.e. believing that you are an animal). Is this plausible? If this is the case, then why don’t extrabiblical sources record such an extravagant event?
17
Mar
2020
Daniel 3:25 Who is the fourth man in the fire? Was it Jesus? Or an angel?
Problem: Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace and said, “I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (Dan. 3:25) Who is this fourth person in the fiery furnace?
16
Mar
2020
Daniel 3 Where was Daniel during the episode of the fiery furnace?
Problem: Daniel is always seen with his three friends, but he isn’t mentioned here. Why not?
Continue reading →