Answer by John Mackay There are several issues here that must be thought through: How do we know when words are symbolic? For example: one generation said: “That was great!” The next gen said: “That was wicked!”, which then became: “This is epic!” Did they mean the same thing? What clues tell us one word […]
The original question was: Why do people say Moses is the author of Genesis when the book doesn’t even mention his name? Answer by John Mackay Moses is certainly mentioned in four of the first five books in the Old Testament i.e. Exodus Leviticus Numbers and Deuteronomy. Since his death and burial are recorded in […]
The original question was: Why do people say Moses is the author of Genesis when the book doesn’t even mention his name? Answer by John Mackay and John Osgood In Genesis 11:1-2 we read; ‘And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from […]
Answer by John Mackay The word Maundy is an English devolution of the old Latin word ‘mandate’. It’s connection with the Thursday before Easter is found in John 13:31 onwards where we read that at the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that “A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; […]
Answer By John Mackay The background to this question is: Recently I ran a teachers’ conference in a large school. One teacher asked: “There are many Christians who believe in millions of years, so how do we incorporate this into our Christian schooling?” When challenged that a Christian should be more interested in what the […]
The original question was: I read on the BioLogos website that Noah’s flood was only a local event, and is really a theological story. I have also heard the claim that the Flood was a local event from other sources, including those who claim to be evangelical Christians. Why do you claim it was world-wide? […]
The original question was: In Genesis 7 God first refers to the high hills being covered, and then to the mountains being covered. Do high hills and mountains have the same meaning in this context? Answer by John Mackay The King James Version of Genesis 7:19-20 reads: Verse 19: And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon […]
GOD’S NAME? Why do some people pronounce God’s name as Yahweh and others say Jehovah? Answer by John Mackay In a nutshell, it has to do with three things: 1) Y do we have J? i.e. what is the history of the letter J in the English language. 2) The Jews fear of pronouncing God’s […]
Answer by John Mackay Jesus is among the few so called founders of a religion – who never left any books, biographies or personal memoirs behind. Not during His earthly lifetime, anyway. He was on this earth as a human for approximately 33 years, from his birth to his crucifixion and resurrection and for some […]
The original question was: In Matthew 12:40 Jesus states “Just as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a whale, so should the son of man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth” (NKJV) Yet the church says Jesus was buried on a Friday and rose […]