Question:

Could you answer a couple questions about Zechariah? Is chapter 2:8-9 referring to Jesus' sacrifice for all sin? Also, is chapter 6:11-13 referring to Joshua as a Jesus-figure? After all, isn't Jesus' real name in Hebrew Yeshua, which is a variant of Joshua? Is it a coincidence that it says his "name" is the Branch? If not, this is an amazingly accurate prophecy and I'm surprised I've never heard about it before.  On the other hand, 12:10-13:3 starts off seeming like a prophecy about Jesus but ends rather contrary to what Jesus taught. So I don't really know what to make of it. Also, I have trouble connecting 11:7-14 to the betrayal of Judas as is done in Matthew 27:9.  I have a lot of questions about Zechariah and I'd like to understand it better. Is there any resources you could offer me?

Question:

I have a question about reports in recent years (in technical, and in consumer oriented publications) of proteins, hemoglobin, collagen and various soft-tissue samples being found in various dinosaur fossils.  Are these kinds of compounds able to survive for millions of years within a fossil? It seems counter-intuitive. I have long been satisfied the Earth and universe are quite old, but I'm not a geologist, nor biochemist, and am puzzled how these kinds of finds fit with millions of years?   Thank you for any clarity if you have time.   References:   1. Smithsonian Mag, May 2006, Helen Fields, "Dinosaur Shocker", about RBCs and soft tissue, proteins in T.Rex fossils.   2. Schweitzer & Wittmeyer, "Soft-tissue preservation from Cretaceous to present", proceedings from the Royal Society B, 2007, p183-197.  3.  Nielsen-Marsch, "Biomolecules in fossil remains", in The Biochemist, June 2002, p12-14.

Question:

In Matthew 2:23 it is written that Joseph was told in a dream to go to Galilee and live in the town of Nazareth just as the prophets said that he will be called a Nazarene. I have heard that this is clear evidence of an error in the New Testament. Can you give any OT reference to this as my Bible does not have footnotes regarding this reference? 

Question:

Why is the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of John and at the end of the synoptics?  What were John's motivations for placing it earlier?  How do you harmonize the different gospel accounts amidst editing and audience?   I'm taking a class that is picking the gospels apart and I would like a good resource to help me see how they come together.

Question:  

What do gravitational waves teach us about creation?

Question:

What is freemasonry and what should the Christian response to this organization be?

Question:

I have a question about Isaiah 59:1-2.  I have heard it taught that the last words of verse 2, "your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear", means that when people who are not Christians pray, their prayers are not heard, even if they are sincerely religious.  I always found this view strange and wondered what is your opinion on it.

 

Editor's note: Due to the large number of questions, the answers are interspersed among the different questions.  The questions are in italics.

Question:

I am trying to share the Gospel message to a Muslim, and I need help in responding to his email.
Here is his response:  

Question:

God is, in principle, against human sacrifice: the religious ritual killing of innocents to appease God, or any gods, for that matter. So it would be likewise true that God is, in principle, against anyone’s ever *thinking* that God is ever in favor of such sacrifice. So, if God caused Abraham to think that God wanted for Abraham to sacrifice, then the question arises: What was the principle according to which God was operating in Gen 22?   Assuming that, given the above words, you understand the gist of my question, what would you say is the answer to the philosophical problem? Does Genesis 22:18 (God praised Abraham for obeying God's voice) constitute an answer to the problem? I notice that Hebrews 11:17-19 only tells us of Abraham's point of view. But what is God's point of view? Is the text of Genesis 22 the whole story, or merely Abraham's own account?

Question:

Why do most scientist reject the possibility of God`s existence?  Why do they embrace evolution?