Monthly Archives: December 2006

I was wondering about the signs of the zodiac. I know that in Deuteronomy 18 it says divination is a sin. Are the zodiac signs connected with divination? Yes, they… Read More

In light of James 5:14 are church members often prayed over by the elders and anointed with oil? Or is this only have to do with confessing sins? Please help… Read More

What did Jesus mean by “forceful men “in Matthew 11:12? I’ve heard this passage a lot in lessons on leadership. Also why do some Bibles say “violent men” in Matthew… Read More

Offhand can you recall any reference to angels in either testament being female? I recall angels having male names and being referred to as male. My big question: the Bible… Read More

I’ve talked to many people who say that you cannot be sure of your salvation. They say that only God knows and we’ll just have to see at the end…. Read More

How can we be certain about the side notes in some Bible versions? Can we trust the side notes as much as we trust the scriptures they represent? Are they… Read More

The tomb of Paul was discovered just outside the old city walls of Rome, in the area of the Church of St Paul Outside the Walls. Excavation of the grave… Read More

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who… Read More

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to… Read More

26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a… Read More

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth… Read More

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. 57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son…. Read More

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while… Read More

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. 22 When… Read More

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew… Read More

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar — when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and… Read More

21 When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily… Read More

1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the… Read More

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him…. Read More

31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his message… Read More

1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding round him and listening to the word of God, 2 he saw at the… Read More

17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And… Read More

33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 34 Jesus answered, “Can… Read More

1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick some ears of corn, rub them in their hands and eat the grain. 2 Some… Read More

17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea,… Read More

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will… Read More

1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and… Read More

36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who… Read More

1 After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also… Read More

26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the… Read More

1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to… Read More

28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the… Read More

49 “Master,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” 50 “Do not… Read More

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He… Read More

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in… Read More

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his… Read More

37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus… Read More

1 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your… Read More

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and… Read More

1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that… Read More

1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering… Read More

1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering round to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners, and… Read More

1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, `What is this… Read More

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus,… Read More

1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better… Read More

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a… Read More

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted… Read More

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he… Read More

1 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders,… Read More

1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins…. Read More

1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get… Read More

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not… Read More

1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes… Read More

Recently, a struggling brother pointed out to me the fact that in Joshua 15:21-32, a discrepancy in the Bible seems to occur between the number of villages mentioned (36), and… Read More

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear… Read More

1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the… Read More

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw… Read More

What are the beliefs of Freemasonry? Please see the acticle by David Brown, Freemasonry and Discipleship. A former Mason, David gives us a history and overview of the teachings of… Read More

Jesus seems to equivocate in Luke 21. How can his followers be executed and protected from death at the same time? That doesn’t make sense. Let’s look closely at the… Read More

Two of my friends, Christians, decided to marry in a different way than we practice in our churches: i.e. without a person, an evangelist or a preacher, who marry them…. Read More

In Luke 22:44 Luke records that Jesus sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. I have read a medical account of the crucifixion in a particular Christian… Read More

I have been discussing the authority of the pope within the Roman Catholic church. My friend said that in Matthew 16 the Greek distinguished between the words Peter and rock…. Read More

There are approximately two billion children (persons under 18) in the world. However, since Santa does not visit children of Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist (except maybe in Japan) religions,… Read More

I have often heard people today call their spiritual leaders "prophets." I don’t completely understand the role of prophets in the New Testament. However, in the Old Testament, I thought… Read More

In Acts 2:5 "every nation under heaven" is a figure of speech and does not literally mean that Jews from all over the earth arrived at Pentecost. Could not a… Read More

What is the best way to get a good understanding of the literary forms of the Bible? Think of the Bible as a library. The books are all quite different,… Read More