Did Adam and Eve have children before the Fall?
Thanks for your question. I'll offer several reasons why I believe Adam and Eve didn’t have any pre-Fall children. First, the Bible teaches that Adam and Eve were the very first humans God made. All…
Did man eat meat before the Fall and the Flood?
The Bible does not specifically answer this question. However, let's briefly examine some of the arguments. The first argument assumes there was no death at all before the Fall. From this follows…
Did it rain before Noah's Flood?
Thanks for your question. The Scripture does not specifically answer this question. There are good theologians on both sides of the issue. Some scholar's state there was rain before the Flood, others…
Who Wrote the Second Set of the Ten Commandments? Exodus 34:27-28 and Deuteronomy 10:1-4
Exodus 34:27-28 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." Moses was there with the Lord forty days and…
Abram and Moses Dates of Birth
We don't know the dates of Abram or Moses with certainty, but we have a good idea of approximate dates. Most likely, the Exodus occurred around 1447 BC. Moses was 80 years old at the time, so he…
Who purchased Joseph, the Ishmaelites or the Midianites?
Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites , who took him to Egypt. Genesis…
What are the 613 commandments in the Law?
Thanks for your question. As to the number of the commandments, though other counts vary as to the exact number, 613 is the generally accepted and cited sum. The negative commandments are 365 in…
Homosexuality or Inhospitality? - Genesis 19:5
Genesis 19:5 (KJV) And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. Genesis 19:8 (NIV) Look, I have two…
Young Earth vs. Old Earth
Appropriately, the "young earth" view holds that the world is only thousands of years old, whereas the "old earth" view holds that it is probably millions of years old. The difference between the two…
Why did the Ark require pitch?
Genesis 6:14 Make yourself an ark [ tebah ] of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch [ kopher ]. Exodus 2:3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a…
Moses - a Type of Christ?
A. W. Pink in his book, Gleanings in Genesis lists some similarities between Moses and Christ. He says: 1. His nationality. Moses was an Israelite (Ex. 2:1, 2). So, according to the flesh, was…
Is Genesis 1:28 a blessing or command?
Genesis 1:28 is both a blessing and a command. Along with the surrounding verses in Genesis 1, it explains the purpose for which man was created, and the obligations that man has because of that…
Bible and Racial Issues
Everyone who is now living is descended from Noah and his wife, through Noah's three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth (Gen. 10:32). But there is no indication anywhere in the Bible that Ham was any darker…
430 Years - Galatians 3:17
Galatians 3:17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. Paul is not in error. There…
More Historical Inaccuracies In The Bible
The question of historical accuracy is sometimes a complicated one, and there are many reasons why each instance deserves to be treated on its own merit. Nonetheless, I'll try to provide you with…
Was Levi Cursed or Blessed?
Genesis 49:5-7 Simeon and Levi are brothers - their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and…
Genesis 4:26 Began vs. Profane
Genesis 4:26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD. First, I believe the more correct interpretation of Genesis 4:26 would be to use the…
Will God Destroy the World?
Genesis 8:21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from…
Can you explain the Aaronic Blessing?
The Aaronic Blessing is in Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you…
West Wing Hermeneutics
This e-mail that has been around for a couple of years at least is a clever and winsome attack on Dr. Laura, on Christianity, and on Judaism. It succeeds as an attack because it is very funny and…
Sin had not reached its full measure?
Thanks for your question. God sovereignly times the arrival of his divine judgment with the fullness of the sin(s) to be judged. God is not quick tempered; he is patient, even with the wicked (Rom…
What is the antediluvian period?
Antediluvian means “before the flood.” It refers to the entire period before the flood recorded in Genesis 6-8. The saints who lived before Noah’s time are called antediluvian patriarchs. These are…
Law and Grace
It's tempting, as we look at the Ten Commandments, to see, oh, more laws . You know, God in the Old Testament gives his people a lot of laws. But as we look deeper, as we look closer at a lot of…
Overview of the Book of Leviticus
Overview of the Book of Leviticus Author: The author is Moses. Purpose: To guide the Israelites in the ways of holiness, so they would be set apart from the world and receive blessings instead of…