Problem: Daniel 1:21 asserts that Daniel “continued until the first year of King Cyrus.” But Daniel 10:1 says that Daniel was still there until the “third year of Cyrus king of Persia.”
10
Nov
2018
10
Nov
2018
Daniel 5:31—How can the Book of Daniel be inspired if it makes reference to a man that modern scholarship says never existed?
Problem: According to Daniel 5:31, the kingdom of Belshazzar fell to the invading armies, and Darius the Mede took over as king. However, modern scholars have rejected the historical accuracy of the Book of Daniel. They argue that there never was a Darius the Mede, since there is no mention of such a person in ancient documents. Is this an error in Daniel’s historical account?
10
Nov
2018
Daniel 5:1—How can Daniel say the last king of Babylon was Belshazzar when history records that it was Nabonidus?
Problem: Daniel 5 records the downfall of Babylon and identifies the king of Babylon as Belshazzar. However, neither Babylonian nor Greek historians record the existence of any such person. In fact, ancient historians report that Nabonidus was the last king of the Babylonian empire. Is Daniel’s record in error? Continue reading →
07
Nov
2018
Daniel 2:2—Why does Daniel refer to the Chaldeans as a group of wise men here when he refers to them as an ethnic group in 5:30?
Problem: When Daniel refers to those whom Nebuchadnezzar summoned to interpret his dream, he identifies these as magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans. Each of these is a group of wise men who functioned as advisors to Nebuchadnezzar. However, in 5:30 Daniel refers to the Chaldeans as an ethnic group when he refers to Belshazzar as king of the Chaldeans.
07
Nov
2018
Daniel 1:1b—Is the date given here of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion in contradiction to the date given in Jeremiah 46:2?
Problem: The Book of Daniel begins with the dating of the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim of Judah. However, in Jeremiah 46:2, the date of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion is given as during the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim of Judah. Which is correct?
07
Nov
2018
Daniel 1:1a—Wasn’t the Book of Daniel actually written after about 170 b.c.?
Problem: Daniel contains an incredible amount of detail concerning the kingdoms of the Gentiles from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, from about 605 b.c., down to the Roman empire which began to exercise dominance as early as 241 b.c. and, under the Roman general Pompey, took over the Promised Land in 63 b.c. However, conservative scholars have maintained that Daniel wrote in the 6th century b.c. How could Daniel have given such historically accurate details of events in the future?
03
Nov
2018
John 20:22–23—Does this passage support the Roman Catholic view that priests have the power to forgive sins?
Problem: Roman Catholics claim that Jesus gave His disciples the power to forgive sins and that this power has been passed on to Roman Catholic priests down through the centuries. Does this text support their position?
03
Nov
2018
John 20:22—Was the Holy Spirit given to the disciples before Pentecost?
Problem: In Acts, the apostles are told to wait until Pentecost before they receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4–8; cf. 2:1–2). Yet even before His crucifixion Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Didn’t they receive the Holy Spirit at this point and not later at Pentecost?
03
Nov
2018
John 20:19—How could Jesus walk through a closed door with a physical body?
Problem: It is inferred by some critics that, since the resurrected Christ could appear in a room with closed doors (John 20:19), this proves that His body must have dematerialized to do so, showing that His resurrection body was not essentially or continuously material. However, many other Scriptures indicate that Jesus’ resurrection body was literal “flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39) that could eat physical food and even had the crucifixion scars in it (Luke 24:40–43).
29
Oct
2018
John 20:17—If Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father, how could He have committed His Spirit to the Father?
Problem: Jesus said here “I have not yet ascended to My Father.” But earlier on the cross He said, “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46). If He was already with the Father, then why did He say that He had not yet ascended to Him?