BIBLE WATCH

It was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 that a virgin will give birth to a child and the child will be named Immanuel, meaning "God with us".  (Isaiah 7:14 KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Matthew in narrating the birth of Jesus stated that the prophesy in Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled by the birth of Jesus. ( Matthew 1:21-23 KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. However, it seems the child was not named Immanuel but Jesus. Is this a contradiction? Why is Jesus named Jesus and not Immanuel as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14?  Some non C...

Some Christians often quote the bible phrase " God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live into him " as proof that people never really die, but rather their "soul" continues to live on after death. We will take a closer look at the entire story in context in the book of Luke chapter 20 verses 27 to 38 to have a better understanding of the phrase and it's meaning: (Luke 20:27-36 KJV) Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died ...

In my previous post, I explained what it means to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. You can read the post  here . Jesus stated in Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:28-29 that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. The question is why wouldn't blasphemy against the Holy Spirit be forgiven considering that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind and is willing to forgive anyone that truly repents and believes in Him. (Matthew 12:31 KJV) Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  (Mark 3:28-29 KJV) Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:  The main reason why this sin cannot be forgiven is because the "non-forgiveness" is linked to ...

The phrase “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” is found in Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-29 and Luke 12:10. (Matthew 12:31-32 KJV) Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.  (Mark 3:28-29 KJV) Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:  (Luke 12:10 KJV) And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.  The word translated blasp...

Jesus instructed his disciples in Matthew 28:19 ( in what many Christians refer to as the Great Commission ) to "make disciples of all nations". Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,....................and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Most Christians consider this instruction as simply a command to win "New Converts" to the Church of Jesus. In as much as winning new converts, leading people to Christ and evangelizing the whole world are part of the instruction, it still goes beyond that. The phrase " make disciples " comes from the Greek verb μαθητεύσατε (mathēteusate); from the noun mathetes which means to enrol as scholar/ pupil. The Greek verb is the same as that which is rendered "instructed" or "well trained" in Matthew 13:52 , "Therefore," He said, "remember that every Scrib...

Genesis 6:1-4 has had different interpretations. Some believe that the term "sons of God" used in the passage means the sons of Seth, others say they are just humans while others believe they are angels. However, there are more facts to believe that these "sons of God" are angelic or spiritual beings and here are some of those facts: It would not have been necessary for the bible to emphasize that women (either godly or ungodly) had children if the “sons of God” were ordinary men but having children with angels was something to make special mention. The giants, the Nephilim, that existed in those days (Genesis 6:4) are as a result of the union between the angels and humans. The fact that giants were mentioned points to some type of extraordinary explanation as to their existence. If the giants were not the offspring of these two groups then why is it injected here in the text? The best answer seems to be that the giants were the offspring of this union. The te...

The Christian God as described by our Lord Jesus Christ is a God of love. For instance, Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45: Mat 5:44-45 (KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  What many people have asked is how this God of love permitted (and even directed) mass killings in the Old Testament as recorded in the following verses: Deut 20:16-17 (KJV) But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Josh 6:...

Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees in Matthew 12:2 why his disciples did what they considered as unlawful on a sabbath day. Remember his disciples were plucking corn on a Sabbath day because they were hungry. (Matthew 12:2 KJV) But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. Our Lord Jesus responded to their question by showing that the principle of the action of his disciples was sanctioned in the Scriptures to which they implicitly appealed.  He first called their attention to the prophet, David, whom they would not accuse of sacrilege and Sabbath-breaking because he acted in a case of urgent need; which shows that holy things are of secondary importance compared with the benefit of God's people.  (Matthew 12:3-4 KJV) But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did ...

Many Preachers wrongly teach that Romans 12:2 is telling us that there are three different kinds of God's Will namely Good Will, Acceptable Will, and Perfect Will. They take the three adjectives - good, acceptable, and perfect to indicate increasing proximity to God's perfect will. However, a proper study of the bible indicates that the verse is not saying that some times that God wills are good (but not acceptable to Him), other times are acceptable to Him (but not good) and other times are perfect to Him (but are not good or acceptable). This would have been contrary to other scriptures for we know that God will not command/ accept imperfection. His goal for us is perfection. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48 , “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”. Reading Romans 12:2 using King James Version (KJV) of the bible is somewhat misleading. This is where many of the Preachers got the wrong interpretation. ( Romans 12:2 KJV ) And be not conform...

Genesis 6:6 is one of those difficult verses in the bible of which different bible commentators have varied interpretations. The verse seems to suggest that God regretted His action of creating man on earth. But how can one attribute regret to the All-Knowing God?  Genesis 6:6 (ESV) And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  Genesis 6:6 (KJV) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  Genesis 6:6 (NASB) The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  The Hebrew word translated as “ regretted ” or " repented"  or " sorry"  in the above verse is yin'nā'hem , from the root word nacham . The word is exclusively about emotions: a feeling of pain, sadness, or unhappiness. The word does not imply that God feels He has made a mistake, or that He wishes to have done differently .  However, this wo...

The term “Man of God” was used in the bible in reference to 13 individuals who were mostly known to be prophets. It means God’s spokesman; one who mediates between God and man and even representatives, of Christ, who is the one true and only Mediator between God and man.  The term was applied to Moses, Samuel, David, Shemaiah, Elijah, Elisha, and other prophets, and to Timothy in the New Testament. It was equally used in Judges 13:6, 8 in reference to angel Gabriel whom Manoah and the wife called a Man of God.  Their usage of the term in these verses is considered appropriate seeing that the name Gabriel means “Man of God”, “Strong [or Mighty] Man of God”, “the Power of God” or “Strength of God” and he is also God’s spokesman. If you like our blog, kindly share your views, suggestions, and comments. Like our Facebook page  @BibleWatch , follow us on Twitter  @bible_watch  and click the  Subscribe button  above.

Many people are often unsure what sin is in the New Testament. The lack of clarity is because there are certain life events/ actions that do not have direct examples in the Bible for which they can reference to. For instance, someone that gave to charity might be committing a sin if his sole purpose is to post the action on social media. In such circumstances, how do you determine if your actions are sinful or not. In the New Testament, there are two key parameters for judging sin. The first one is love, the second one is faith. We will begin by taking a close look at these two parameters. Firstly, let’s read Romans Chapter 13 verse 8: (Romans 13:8-10 KJV) Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandments, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namel...

Often, when I speak on healing and prosperity, people will ask me about Job. They'll question me, "If healing and prosperity belongs to us, why did Job suffer sickness and poverty?" That is a good question, and it deserves to be answered. First of all, the book of Job was written as a play. Nevertheless, this is not a work of fiction. Job really existed. Ezekiel 14:14 lists Job as a real righteous man who once lived long ago. In this play called Job, we find eight characters: God, Satan, Job, Job's wife, Job's three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) and finally a young man named Elihu. The play begins with the narrator telling the story about Job and describing him as the greatest man among all the people of the East. His integrity was world-renowned. He was so upright in the way he lived that even God bragged on Job. He told Satan to take note of Job's outstanding life.   Job 1:8  Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my ser...