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First of all, the midwives may have told the truth. It may have been that the Hebrew women, fearing the king’s commandment, did not call for the midwives in a timely way. Second, one is not obligated to disclose everything one knows. Withholding information is not necessarily a falsehood (cf. Luk...
What does this puzzling passage mean? As with any troubling or difficult passage, we must first understand the context to better grasp what the author means. Proverbs 31 begins as follows: “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him” (v. 1). What did the king’s mother teach hi...
We must be very careful about trying to use Old Testament passages as proof-texts for what we may or may not practice in the Christian age. It is a fundamental aspect of Bible doctrine that the Mosaic system was abrogated by the death of Christ (Ephesians 2:14ff; Colossians 2:14ff). The law of Mo...
Life-and-death issues are among the most difficult decisions we may ever have to make. This is a question many are facing, especially as medical treatments and technology can extend life beyond what the body can sustain on its own. Since the Bible does not provide specific answers to many questio...
Before we obey the gospel, we are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). But the question is, to what does this refer: the physical body or a spiritual condition? It refers, of course, to our spiritual condition. The passages cited in the question (Rom. 6:3-8; Col. 2:11-12) discuss the spiritual life we can hav...
Let us first address whether or not the content of Job is historically authentic. First, Job reads like history. It tells of events that happened to a man named Job. He lived in the land of Uz. It details his family, his life, and his suffering. It also conveys his friends’ interest in his suffer...
The Samaritans accepted only the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) as Scripture, yet they confidently anticipated the Messiah. In the Temple court, Peter preached: ““Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me; to him shall ye he...
There are those known as “conditionalists” who argue for the eventual annihilation of the wicked. The gentleman asking this question does not appear to be in this category, but he repeats a charge familiar to their theology. Conditionalists frequently suggest that Bible students believing in the ...
There are two views concerning the meaning of the phrase "new heavens and new earth." Since they represent opposing viewpoints, one of them must be false. The phrase indicates that heaven could be a new, literal, physical Earth or simply a figurative way of referring to heaven itself. The Premill...
Though the Genesis narrative gives no explicit reason why God rejected Cain's offering, the cumulative evidence suggests that Cain's transgression was more than simply offering an inferior gift. Abel's Gift Was More Excellent While the adjective pleion (rendered "more excellent") basically means ...
As is often the case, our Bible questions touch on some important fundamental issues: • What actually constitutes marriage in God's eyes? • What role does civil authority play? Let's examine what Scripture reveals. What Makes a Marriage Valid Before God? God's foundational design for marriage can...
The term “Jehovah,” appearing in the American Standard Version (1901), takes the place of “LORD” (all caps) in the King James Translation, as well as in most modern versions. It derives from four Hebrew consonants, called the Tetragrammaton, a term that signifies a four-letter word. This expressi...
One of the most difficult tasks for the Bible student is attempting to discuss the attributes of God with great precision. The divine qualities are so infinite, and our minds so finite, that we scarcely can fathom the Creator's marvelous features. In attempting to accommodate our limited scope of...
Let’s address these questions one at a time. What Is the First Beast Coming Up from the Sea in Revelation 13? As I noted in my book, Revelation: Christ’s Final Message of Hope, the first beast in Revelation 13, emerging from the “sea,” is widely regarded as a symbol of pagan Rome’s civil power. B...
There are several factors to consider when responding to this excellent question. Reflect upon the following: Salvation is wonderfully described in the New Testament as a free gift. This terminology is used to emphasize that God is under no compulsion to offer it. Man, by his choice, has rebelled...
The King James Version is an old and respected translation of the Holy Scriptures. We have a very high regard for this popular version. Its translators attempted to reproduce the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek original text into the English tongue in a faithful way. In evaluating any version, however...
Our modern word “coast” means “land alongside the sea; seashore.” However, in the seventeenth century, when the King James Version of the Bible was translated (from which the above translations were taken), the term “coasts” signified “the frontier or borderland of a country.” That English term h...
Certainly. Your question is very thoughtful. The following points, I believe, will help put this issue in focus: First, the Bible does not attempt to conceal the foibles of the great people that adorn its pages. Abraham, Isaac, Moses, and David were normal human beings. They sinned like all other...
Whenever a command of Jehovah appears frivolous or unreasonable, we need to study the matter more closely. The Lord always does what is right (Genesis 18:25), regardless of how the situation might appear from our limited vantage point. First, we should define the term. To "hock" or "hamstring" a ...
Because the Scriptures do not mention the Gideons, I cannot give you an answer based on explicit Biblical testimony. However, I can cite some principles that should help you reach a decision on this matter. Who Are the Gideons? The Gideons International association is an organized group of busine...