Was Saul chosen by God, by the people, or by casting a lot? 1 Samuel 8:19; 9:17; 10:20-21, 24
1 Samuel 8:19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No! they said. We want a king over us." 1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, "This is the man I spoke to…
KJV-Only, Error of Errors: The 1611 KJV Preface Disagrees with KJO
I appreciate your concern. I grew up with the KJV Bible, and in numerous ways I still enjoy the way it reads, especially its poetic style. I memorized it when I was first saved and I still quote it…
Life of an Eagle
The emailed story below is not factual!!! Please be sure to read the entire answer - the second part of the answer tells the "rest of the story" First, IIIM did not send the email entitled, "Life of…
Fearful to fall into the hands of the living God? - 2 Samuel 24:14
2 Samuel 24:14 David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." Hebrews 10:31 It is a dreadful…
Why was the Bible Written?
We do believe that all the biblical books were written for specific purposes other than maintaining a historical record, and there are many reasons that we believe this. First, some books actually…
Introduction to the Prophetic Books
Introduction to the Prophetic Books Arrangement of Books The books of Isaiah through Malachi (with the exceptions of Lamentations and Daniel) correspond to the section of the Hebrew canon known as…
Colossians 2:11-12 and Baptism
Colossians 2:11-12 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in…
What About Hebrews 11:3?
Let me begin by saying that your question has been pondered by many a Bible scholar, theologian, and scientist too. While some may disagree, here are some of my personal thoughts and those of a few…
Calvinism and Acts 7:51?
Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Reformed theology biblically teaches that people can and do…
Introduction to the Historical Books
Introduction to the Historical Books Introduction The arrangement of the English Bible is based on the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament). In this arrangement, Joshua through Esther…
Ezra and Nehemiah discrepancies
I have an undergraduate degree in accounting. I enjoy math. While in law enforcement, I became a Certified Fraud Examiner. When conducting an audit everything was supposed to add up correctly, but…
Overview of the Book of Obadiah
Overview of the Book of Obadiah Author: The prophet Obadiah. Purpose: To encourage Judahites facing trouble from Edom to hope in divine justice and for eventual victory over all enemies. Date: c. 586…
Literal Interpretation
Preliminary Issues First, I'm afraid I will have to mix my answers with theology in order that my responses to specific examples will make sense. You clearly approach the Bible from a particular set…
Overview of the Book of Malachi
Overview of the Book of Malachi Author: The prophet Malachi. Purpose: To call the discouraged community living in the Promised Land after the exile to renewed faith by announcing the coming judgment…
Overview of the Book of Ezra
Overviews of the Books of Ezra & Nehemiah Note: The Overviews for Ezra and Nehemiah are identical. Author: The author is unknown. Purpose: To encourage those who returned to the Promised Land to…
Annihilationism Error: Hebrew Word Definition Charts
Some "teachers" are twisting, turning, and torturing many words in the Hebrew and Greek language and stating that they mean "total annihilation or nothingness" - "ceasing to even exist," as they…
Overview of the Book of Nehemiah
Overviews of the Books of Ezra & Nehemiah Note: The Overviews for Ezra and Nehemiah are identical. Author: The author is unknown. Purpose: To encourage those who returned to the Promised Land to…
Overview of the Book of Haggai
Overview of the Book of Haggai Author: The prophet Haggai. Purpose: To encourage the reconstruction of the Temple in hopes of bringing great blessings to Israel after the exile. Date: 520 B.C.…
Christ in the Old Testament
This is a work in progress (no section is complete) The possibility of one man fulfilling only 8 OT prophecies is one in 10^17. That is a 10 with 17 zeroes after it! Imagine the state of Texas…
Overview of the Book of Zechariah
Overview of the Book of Zechariah Author: The prophet Zechariah. Purpose: To encourage belief in Zechariah's predictions not only of trials, but also of the great blessings for Jerusalem when the…
Introduction to the Pentateuch
Introduction to the Pentateuch Introduction The first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) are usually designated "the Law" or "the Pentateuch" (Greek…
In what language was the Bible originally written?
Thanks for your question. The Bible was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21) and originally written and even spoken in Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.…
Andy Stanley and the Ten Commandments
Andy Stanley's teaching is a misinterpretation of Scripture. It misunderstands the relationship between law and grace and the eternal cohesiveness of the covenant(s). Though they will fail at times…
Unequally Yoked
The Bible teaches in various ways that believers are not to marry unbelievers. In the Old Testament, Israelites were prohibited from marrying non-Israelites who did not convert to the religion of…