Bible Thinker

~Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: ~ 0:00 Introduction 1. 0:12 Do you agree with any of the 5 points of Calvinism? And what is the one “point” you see as the hardest to reconcile? 2. 16:17 Jesus cast out many demon-possessed people on Earth. With the explosion of the human population and religions, one would think this phenomenon would be more prevalent today, but it’s not. Any insight? 3. 18:31 What's your response to the idea that Isaiah was written by multiple authors? 4. 20:06 Do you believe that God is a matchmaker for Christian couples? The idea of waiting on “the one” whom God has chosen as your spouse? Some pastors say this is a waste of time, or unrealistic. 5. 24:49 Is it biblically o.k. for a trinitarian Christian to marry a Oneness Christian? 6. 25:41 In constructing a biblical theology, where do we start? How do we construct a biblical method for doing theology? 7. 28:00 Any advice for a Christian who lives with parents that are always swearing, drinking, and watching vulgar things? When

Why is this verse missing from the ESV translation? Why does it have brackets in the NASB? Here's a summary of the reasons why this verse may not be original and how I think we should think about it. This is the shortest video in the whole Mark series so far and I'm just tossing it out there in the middle of a bunch of other content but I thought it was worth taking some time to discuss. Here's the playlist to my three videos on manuscript issues and translations of the Bible (which I mentioned in the vid) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WclIZwBFhq0&list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuzJhPtmrgqpVoXhjvqiIjW Here's the entire Mark series playlist. I am absolutely LOVING this series and hope it blesses you tremendously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c7jWg60N_0&list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

This was an "in your face" moment between Jesus and the leaders of the Jews. But what strikes me the most isn't just Jesus' rebuke of the leaders, or how cleverly He does it (so that they cannot charge Him with a crime), or how Jesus integrates Isaiah 5 into this parable of the vineyard. What strikes me the most is how they could be totally aware of the failures of their forefathers and totally blind to those same issues when they were to be found in themselves. God help us to see our lives clearly, for we can all be just like they were. This is part 45 of a verse by verse study through the Gospel of Mark. See the WHOLE Gospel of Mark playlist here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF My website https://BibleThinker.org

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 Introduction 1. 0:17 Do we go directly to be with God when we die? Will we see Him immediately, or is there some type of "soul sleep" that happens? 2. 8:29 What do you think about pages like "Memes for Jesus"? Is it ok to make jokes about Bible stories or situations? 3. 11:29 Premil, Amil, or Postmil - which view is the most correct? 4. 13:37 Recently, many people have been uploading videos of their "prophetic dreams," with many implying that the rapture will be within the next couple of months...What do you make of these dreams? 5. 17:52 How do you answer a friend that says that "spiritualism" (all new age stuff, tarot, yoga, manifesting) needs to be rescued from the New Age & that spiritualism is pure and is what Jesus practiced? 6. 23:08 We are proud that the NT is based on eyewitness accounts, but how could the Gospel writers have known what Jesus said and did while He was alone, like in the desert or the garden of Gethsemane? 7. 26:20 Does the Bible supp

It seems eerie to me how similar the claims that Roman Catholicism makes are to the claims that the Pharisees and Sanhedrin were making in the time of Christ. The Pharisees claimed to have and oral tradition that wasn't written down but was handed down through an elder-succession from Sinai to Jesus' time (which was simply not historically true). They claimed that this tradition was equal in authority to the written word. They claimed that they had a special right to interpret that Bible and felt more authority than they really possessed. They thought they were sitting in Moses' seat and carrying the continuation of his authority in their own role. Well, all of these points are alive and present in the claims of the Roman Catholic Magisterium. They claim to have an oral tradition that wasn't written down but is equal in authority to the New Testament (which is simply not historically true). They claim to have special right to interpret the Bible. They claim to have special authority over God's people due to a

0:00 Introduction 1. 0:12 Are Christians supposed to "tithe"? 2. 10:17 To what extent should Christians protect and retaliate? Should we do what we can to stop others from abusing others? 3. 16:14 Someone wants to disciple me, and is asking for payment, citing Luke 8:1-3, Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:8 & 5: 18, Acts 2: 42, and 2 Samuel 23:8-17. Is being discipled similar to going to school, that you'd need to pay for it? 4. 19:20 Hebrews 10: 26-27 seems to teach a non-merciful judgment for those who reject the Gospel but know its truth, does this mean mercy will be shown to those who haven't heard? 5. 23:36 I grew up Lutheran but lately I’ve had doubts about how biblical Lutheran doctrine is. Would you consider covering it sometime? God bless you ministry, you’ve been a huge blessing! 6. 25:07 Should we repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness of sins we commit in our dreams? 7. 26:09 What is your practical advice for young man in small local church with growing call to do the ministry of the Word? It's a c

This, right here, is probably the most powerful "name-it-and-claim-it" verse in the Bible. Mark 11:23–24 (NASB95) “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Honestly, I really struggled in prep for this study. At first I found myself wanting to just make sure that this passage wasn't used for the kind of stuff Kenneth Copeland teaches. But I sensed that, in my desire to avoid a particular interpretation, I might be blinding myself to what the passage is saying. So, I took a different approach, one that I try to always take but one that was particularly difficult for me to do this time around. I took myself out of the debate over "name-it-and-claim-it" teaching in the 21st century and instead sought to thoroughly understand h

Every Friday at 1pm PT! 0:00 Introduction 1. 0:04 Must we speak in tongues in order to be saved? 2. 11:39 Does Scripture authorize only one cup during the Lord's Supper? How should we face different government regulations of Eucharist? (E.g. forbidden one cup drinking.) 3. 14:35 What are your thoughts on the book of 1 Enoch? 4. 17:36 A friend just told me he doesn't believe that the Bible is historically accurate (ex. The Exodus, flood). Any advice on resources to help him? 5. 21:26 Can you please explain the parable about using your talents, and how we can be sure about what our gifts are? 6. 25:44 What are your thoughts on the Lutheran Church? Is the liturgy/tradition a hindrance to the Gospel and true repentance, or is there any value in it? 7. 28:59 How do you understand 1 Thess. 5: 23? Is Paul saying that every person has a distinct spirit, soul, and body, or just that everyone has a material and immaterial nature? Also, how are spirit & soul different? 8. 31:41 People often use Proverbs 18: 21 to s

I was interviewed by Rachelle and Carder on the Anything But Quiet Time Podcast. We talked about a variety of issues and I think the one consistent theme that might apply to this whole interview is having more wisdom in how we handle theology, apologetics and evangelism. Anyhow, I hope you'll find some personal benefit in it! Here is Rachelle and Carder's podcast but you can also find it on whatever pod catcher you have https://hopeondemand.com/podcasts#/anything-but-quiet-time

Dr. Tim Stratton presents his case that free will is evidence for God. Tim has spent a good deal of time refining this argument in his PhD studies and we're going to get an accessible breakdown of how it works. Now, Tim doesn't normally have an eye patch but since he didn't send me over a better photo I'm punishing him... and really, I just thought it was funny. I hope this breakdown of the "free will argument against naturalism" will be not only personally enlightening and convincing to you but will become another tool in your own intellectual toolbox of ways to help others see the truth of Jesus Christ. Here's Tim's web site and specifically an article on the problem of evil and how he answers it. Tim has TONS of free articles you may be interested on his site in addition to this one. https://freethinkingministries.com/3-circles-all-the-problems-of-evil/ Another article from Tim on "unjustified suffering" https://freethinkingministries.com/a-thought-experiment-vs-unjustified-evil-suffering/ Tim's YouTube

Every Friday at 1pm PT! Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 Introduction & Cat Cam! 1. 0:16 How should we correctly interpret "by His stripes we are healed" in Isaiah 53:5? Has physical healing for today been purchased through the atonement? 2. 11:22 Can you explain why Old Testament sacrifices and offerings were "seasoned with salt"? Is there a spiritual/messianic picture or element involved in that? 3. 13:49 We are told to have a large amount of faith, but Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. So what does that mean, in terms of faith? 4. 16:10 Is it biblical to sign a marriage contract before you marry someone? 5. 17:39 If you've had an abortion in the past, is it hypocritical to stand against it now, and would it be hypocritical to have a baby afterwards or think that you deserve to have a child afterwards? 6. 23:07 What does the Bible teach about masturbation? Is that act permissible for a follower of Christ? 7. 29:20 Do you share the opinion that we shouldn'

Time Stamp Map 0:00 Introduction 1. 6:24 How did you initially find out about the WMSCOG, and what caused you to recognize the need for their teachings to be refuted? 2. 11:40 What are some of the books and other resources you used to delve into your research of this cult, and how did the difficulty of obtaining certain resources impact your studies? 3. 15:15 Overview of the origin & history of the WMSCOG, and their current teachings 4. 23:55 How does the WMSCOG's modalistic view of God allow them to elevate the position of key leaders in their organization? 5. 26:25 Does the WMSCOG believe there is a distinction between "Christ" and "Jesus"? 6. 27:23 How does the WMSCOG respond to the biblical truth that "the fullness of deity dwells bodily" in Christ (Colossians 2:9), and in all cults, how does their tendency to take verses of Scripture out of context affect their ability to spread false teaching? 7. 32:16 (Overview of the WMSCOG's current teachings *continued*) 8. 36:01 About AhnSahngHong's book, "The

0:00 Introduction 1. 6:23 We Are All Atheists 2. 24:46 Religion Only Exists Through Indoctrination 3. 44:42 Atheism Is Instinctual 4. 48:06 Religion Is Desperation 5. 1:00:58 The Problem of Evil An atheist offers what he sees as the best arguments against God. I admit ahead of time that this is mostly low hanging fruit. But I also would say that this sort of atheist reasoning is so prevalent that it needs to be addressed. That being said, this stuff is pretty bad. I want to offer a breakdown of this atheist's article which is perhaps a pretty serious commentary on some of the problems in pop-atheism. All in all there are 4 really bad arguments and 1 really tough one. I'll try to get to all of them but when I did this for my small group yesterday I was only able to get to the first four. We'll see how it goes. This video is in lieu of the Mark series which will pick up in TWO weeks. Link and more links to stuff you probably want to see The original article I'm responding to is here https://owlcation.com/hu

Every Friday at 1pm PT! Time Stamps! 0:00 Introduction 1. 0:33 Since Jesus flipped over tables in the temple, does that give people an excuse to have violent protests today? 2. 9:59 I've been dealing with doubts lately, and it never seems to be the cause of any intellectual problem - It feels like an attack. How would you handle this? 3. 12:39 We can see in the Bible that we are to care for the orphan, widow, etc. and uplift those whom society shuns. Should this play out differently in the life of a believer than it does currently in the world (e.g. many people, especially in my young student circles see political action/ideals like socialism or communism as the way forward in this)? Basically, do you think there’s a difference between biblical justice and modern social justice? 4. 22:00 Any suggestions of Christian resources/ministries for women struggling with pornography? Why does the church focus more on men with this sin? 5. 24:09 What are your thoughts on the Enneagram and its origins? Some research sta

Jesus isn't "acting like Jesus" here. He does a number of things that simply don't fit our modern pacified version of Jesus. And that's a good thing. I don't want to fall into the pacified version of Jesus that our culture likes but I also don't want to act like Jesus' radical and aggressive actions of cursing the fig tree and kicking people and animals out of the temple while flipping tables is somehow an excuse for me to overstep my own authority and act sinfully in my own anger just because I think I am in the right. But, there's more to this passage than just finding the balance of how we can apply Jesus' extreme actions. We need to see the theological message of the passage as well as apply it into our lives by seriously evaluating our own status as the "temple of the Holy Spirit" and restoring the purpose of prayer and relationship with God in our lives. Craig Evan's article, which had a lot of interesting historical insights into this passage. "Jesus' Action in the Temple: Cleansing or Portent of Des

Every Friday at 1pm PT! Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 Introduction 1. 0:16 Do 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3-4 prohibit jewelry (wedding bands, necklaces, etc.)? 2. 9:16 In Matthew 21:1-8, there is a donkey and a colt (2 animals). Does this have something to do with Jews and Gentiles? 3. 11:30 Can a person who struggles with addiction be born again? Can you be saved, but not enter the Kingdom of God? (John 3:3) 4. 14:39 How do I pray for a believer who isn't truly walking in line with Christ, and not showing evidence of any growth or transformation in their life due to habitual sin and lack of intimacy with God? 5. 18:23 When you ask God for wisdom, how do you expect a reply? How do you hear from God? Does He send thoughts? 6. 22:27 My church is having an indoor wedding tomorrow, despite the local government's current mandate prohibiting indoor ceremonies. Is this in accordance with God's Word? (Romans 13, 1 Peter 2: 13) 7. 27:25 Shouldn't Christians practicing polygamy have the same moral o

This question is NOT just a hypothetical. Missionaries in Africa asked me to answer this and I don't think it's application will be limited to them for too long. It seems to me that the moral slip-slide of our culture is heading toward a time when more and more of us will be confronted with the topic of polygamy. This is one of my final videos in the series I have done on divorce and remarriage. Here's the playlist with all those videos. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHtBvJzugPJp9P5X1T-hA91j

OH MAN! I forgot to mention a really cool historical insight we get from the Mishnah! Apparently, Jews were expected to enter Jerusalem on foot when travelling there for Passover. This means that when Jesus entered on a donkey it would have stood out as particularly odd and unique. This give us another reason to see the profound and deliberate proclamation to be the Messianic King. I meant to share that during the study to help those who might think, "so what, lots of people ride donkeys into Jerusalem". This was obviously a lot more than just a donkey ride. Sometimes it's the passages we find the most familiar that we have the most new stuff to learn from. This will be a careful study of the "Triumphal Entry", or "Palm Sunday" where we intend to get a deeper understanding of the passage and hopefully a greater appreciation for how strategically ironic the whole thing is. Mark 1:1-11 is probably the most ironic passage in the book, in my opinion. Here's my study on 24 ways Jesus fulfilled Passover. https

Every Friday at 1pm PT! Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 Introduction 1. 0:47 Since there is no marriage in Heaven, are married couples going to be strangers in Heaven? 2. 5:11 If I’m not mistaken, you hold the view of conditional election, prevenient grace, and total depravity (though maybe not to the extent of the Calvinist). ​My question is, if Christ dies for all people and all sins, why does a sinner have to overcome the sin of unbelief on their own? 3. 8:38 A friend, at age 12, signed his soul over (in a blood pact) to Satan, in an at-home ceremony. He was a kid, but he now feels that he cannot be saved. Please comment on this deal with the Devil. 4. 10:01 What are your thoughts on Proverbs 16:4? Does that passage suggest that God created (perhaps predestined) the unsaved for judgment or condemnation? 5. 13:40 You inspire me to study my Bible verse-by-verse, but I don't know where to start! I was wondering what study resources you use or would recommend for someone not familiar with the

Expand for time stamps. I'm almost done with all my videos on this topic and boy is my brain tired! Seriously though, this study has been very rewarding personally and the feedback I have received from many of you, saying that this teaching series has really impacted your lives in positive ways, has been the absolute highlight. 0:00 quick stuff 0:48 Was Jesus really just talking about Herod when he mentioned divorce? 7:47 Does the OT prove that remarriage after divorce was normally allowed? 11:44 Does Deuteronomy 24 teach that 2nd marriages are invalid? 16:57 Deut 24 forbids remarrying a former spouse. Is that binding on us today? This is the playlist with all my videos on the topic of divorce and remarriage. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHtBvJzugPJp9P5X1T-hA91j