BIBLE WATCH

People who do not want to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ will always find a reason not to. They asked, "why did Jesus appear to only a few people after resurrection and not to everyone? Why did He not appear to everyone at the temple in order to desolve all doubts. Well, the Bible recorded that after Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to many people including Mary Magdalene, various other women, two disciples (whose names were not given), the 11 apostles and over 500 people at the same time. His appearance to these over 500 people may have been at the temple as expected by these unbelivers though the Bible did not record that.  (John 20:11-16 KJV) But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have ...

Every day, Christians in their hundreds of millions make the sign of the Cross and think they are performing an act of faith pleasing to God. But is that really what we are doing? I had heard and read about the true origins of the Cross, and in 2019, I travelled to Ethiopia to celebrate Meskel, which is a celebration of the discovery of the true Cross in Ethiopian orthodox Christianity. I am a truth seeker, and I wanted to get to the truth no matter whose religious feathers are ruffled. I was told that if I wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the Cross, then Israel and Ethiopia were not the best starting point. I was directed to Egypt, and off I went. I engaged the services of a licensed ancient Egyptian historian and we began investigating. And that was when I discovered the Ankh. So, how does the Ankh concern Christ and the Cross? The Ankh is an ancient Egyptian mystical symbol used to represent life. It is most commonly seen being held by Ancient Egyptian gods and was ...

Most of us are very familiar with the story in Matthew chapter 16 where Jesus said that Simon, who was one of His disciples, is Peter (which means rock). The question is, why did Jesus call him Rock? (Matthew 16:18 KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  (Matthew 16:18 NLT) Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Before we answer the question, it is of note that there are many Believers and non Believers alike, who do not accept Peter as the Rock. They usually twist the above verse and play on words from the Greek translation such as: (Matthew 16:18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art PETROS , and upon this PETRA I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  They say that what Jesus called Simon was " Petros " which refers ...

I recently had a chat with a friend on a topic, "why did God rest on the seventh day? He said, "people say God created the world and rested on the 7th day, does it mean that God gets tired? Does He need a rest? Are there days He does not work? What if you are in a dire situation and prayed to Him on a day He is resting, will He answer?" My response to my friend was that God's rest as stated in the Bible does not have anything to do with being tired. God does not get tired or weary. (Isaiah 40:28 KJV) Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. (John 5:17 NLT) But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I." The Hebrew word translated as " rested " in many Versions of the Bible in Genesis 2:2 is " Shâbath (Shavat) ". However, a more accurate translation of " Shavat " is ...

For many weeks I have been studying Jesus statement in John 4:24. I dwelt on this verse because I believe that the understanding of the verse is key to the fulfilment of God's desire; for Jesus said, God seeks true worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The question is, have we been fulfilling this God's desire? What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth? (John 4:23-24 ESV) But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. ” In the above verses, Jesus first said, "the hour is coming and is now here". In other words, the type of worship He told the Samaritan Woman has not been practiced by anyone prior to that hour. This new method of worship is what the Father seeks from then onwards. Jesus thereafter said, God is spirit. By this is meant that God cannot be...

The story of Jesus and the rich young ruler can be found in Mark chapter 10, Matthew chapter 19 and Luke chapter 18. In the story, a rich man approached Jesus and said to him, “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” In His response Jesus asked, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one-God.”? (Luke 18:18-19 WEB) A certain ruler asked him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus asked him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one-God.   Critics of Jesus’ claims to divinity often use the above statements of Jesus as their evidence that Jesus is not God. They say that Jesus denied being God here by refusing the title ‘good’ as it is something reserved solely for God.  The Unbelievers should notice that Jesus never said, “Don’t call me good,” or anything to that effect. Rather, He asked the young man a question, "Why do you call me good?" He was simply trying to get the man to think about what he...

In the story of Jesus and the rich young ruler, Jesus directed him to go sell all he has and give to the poor and thereafter come and follow Him. Is this directive of Jesus specifically to the rich man or is it applicable to all Christians? Let us read the Mark's account of this story? (Mark 10:17-21 KJV) And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up...

What is reincarnation? Is reincarnation a Christian belief? Does the Bible teach reincarnation? Are there evidences in the Bible to support reincarnation? Several people (including many Christians) believe in reincarnation. However, the Bible does not teach reincarnation, rather it teaches resurrection from the dead. What is the difference? In reincarnation (or transmigration), the body dies and returns (i.e comes back to life again) in a different body to live on earth again. Depending on your deeds in the previous life or lives, the new body is entirely different from that of the previous life. For instance, a man could get reincarnated as a woman or an animal or a stone. On the other hand, in resurrection of the dead, the body that dies is the exact body that is raised. For the resurrection that will occur in the last day, the body is made new in the sense that it is perfected and no longer subject to frailty and death, but it is still the same body. In reincarnation, the previous m...

“What is truth?” Pilate asked.  (John 18:38 KJV) Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.  Many people still ask the same question today and there have been many different answers provided by scholars and teachers of the Word. However, some of these answers are not in context with the discussion between Jesus and Pilate in John 18. More so, Jesus said He is the Truth. In what context did He say He is the Truth? (John 14:6 KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.   Let's start by studying the discussion in John 18: (John 18:33-38 ESV) So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests ha...

This is a question that many people tend to avoid for fear of offending some other people. For a Christian however, the Bible clearly provides the right answer to the question. Therefore, there should not be further search for answers or anymore debate on it. The answer can be found in the following verses: (Leviticus 18:22 NLT) “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin. (Romans 1:27 NLT) "And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT) "Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards...

In the book of Mark chapter 8 verse 31, Jesus described His mission to His disciples which involves being killed/ crucified. (Mark 8:31 KJV) And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. However, in the book of Matthew, Mark and Luke, He made statements which seem to suggest that He is unwilling to fulfill this mission.  (Matthew 26:39 KJV) And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  (Mark 14:36 KJV) And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (Luke 22:42 KJV) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Some critics of Jesus' mission have jump...

Jesus said in John 6:53, that unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. This statement annoyed many of His disciples who consequently decided not to follow him again for they said that it will be difficult for anyone to accept such statement.  (John 6:53-58 KJV) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.  (John 6:60 KJV) Many therefore o...

Watch this wonderful video about the Church in China. You will be blessed.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ came not only by water, but by water and blood. What does this statement mean? (1 John 5:6 KJV) This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. The secret to understanding this scripture is in the context. John used many verses in his 1st epistle to affirm that Jesus Christ came in the flesh (i.e. in real human body) and to counter the teachings and belief of some in those days that Jesus never came in the flesh. (1 John 1:1-2 NIV) That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched --this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. (1 John 4:1-2 NLT) Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claim...