Satan the Devil stalks true Christians. (1 Pet. 5:8) His intention is not necessarily to slay them, as some serial killer slaughters their victims. Rather, Satan’s main purpose is to capture his victims alive and use the persons as he sees fit. American Muslim young adults who are converts to Islam also is about one-quarter (23%), a much smaller share of current Christians (6%) are converted. In other words, Christianity as a whole loses more people than it gains from religious switching. In the 21 years from 1996 to 2017, there were 4,128,632 baptisms for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
OTTC HOSEA 14:2: Is “bulls” (MT) or “fruit” (LXX; 14:3) the original reading of the Hebrew text?
The MT has the reading “bulls” (פָרִים; farim) in verse 2 of chapter 14. On the other hand, the LXX: Greek Septuagint reads “fruit” (καρπὸν; fruit) in verse 2 of chapter 14. The Septuagint continues to be very much important today and is used by textual scholars to help uncover copyists’ errors that might have crept into the Hebrew manuscripts either intentionally or unintentionally. ...
NTTC LUKE 8:43: “who [spent all her living on physicians] and could not be healed by anyone”
The longer reading is also suggestive of the synoptic parallel in Mark 5:26, which means that it is very much likely that a scribe condensed the words of Mark. The expanded reading ["spent all her living on physicians"] is supported by א A C L W Θ Ξ Ψ f1, 33 Maj. While the longer reading is found in the Nestle-Alans text, it is ...
DEEP BIBLE STUDY Does Not Always Equal Spiritual Maturity But a LACK THEREOF Does Equal Spiritual Immaturity
One of the most often stated half-truths that we learn early on in our Christian walk is that deep Bible knowledge does not necessarily equal spiritual maturity. However, that is only half of the truth. The other half of that truth is that a lack of deeper knowledge does equal spiritual immaturity. The often quoted... Continue Reading →
How Can Christian Apologists Effectively Witness to Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Apologists Exposing False Prophecies of Watchtower Organization Jehovah's Witnesses 1878, 1914, 1918, 1925, and 1975 Is it best to spend much time trying to expose historical problems or is there a better way. Most Christian apologists are pretty much on par with the history they present about Jehovah's Witnesses, but I would offer them some... Continue Reading →
OTTC GENESIS 9:10: Is the second “all the beasts of the earth” the original reading of the Hebrew text?
The BHS/MT has the reading “to all the beasts of the earth” in verse 10 of chapter 9. On the other hand, the Greek Septuagint (LXX) does not include “to all the beasts of the earth” in verse 10 of chapter 9. The verbal repetition in the Hebrew test is obviously for emphasis. The Septuagint continues to be very much important today and is used by textual scholars to help uncover copyists’ errors ...
EN-GEDI SCROLL: Scientists Can Finally Read One of the Oldest Biblical Texts Ever Discovered
En-geʹdi is the name of a city and the surrounding wilderness in the territory of Judah. (Jos 15:62; 1Sa 24:1) The En-Gedi Scroll is an ancient and fragile Hebrew parchment found in 1970 at Ein Gedi, Israel. It has...
CHOOSING THE BEST BIBLE TRANSLATION JUST GOT EASIER!
If you are going to make an informed choice in your translation, you need to consider the following translations. What type of Bible translations are there? What are the strengths and weaknesses in the different translations available today? Why is using a translation because of family tradition or length of time the translation has been in use not really the best choice? Why should we be very cautious when reading and studying some Bible translations? ... Continue Reading →
NTTC MATTHEW 5:25: “and the judge to the officer” Or “and the judge hand you over to the officer”
Those who favor the Byzantine, Majority Text and the Textus Receptus may try to argue that the repetition could have been original and then the Alexandrian copyists removed it from the manuscripts for the sake of brevity and simplicity, which is Characteristic of the Alexandrian text type ...
OTTC GENESIS 5:22, 24: “pleased God” or “walked with God”
The BHS/MT has the reading “walked with God” in both verse 22 and 24 of chapter 5. On the other hand, we have a variant in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) that reads “Enoch was pleasing to God” in both verse 22 and 24 of chapter 5. The metaphor “walked with God” would have been deemed ...