When is Passover?

Question: When is Passover? Answer: “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover” (Leviticus 23:5). While the answer is straight forward, mapping this day to our calendar is more challenging because Israel used lunar months. As a result, most years had 12 months but periodically they had a leap-month…

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Were all Levitical Priests left-handed?

Question: Is it true that all Levite Priest were left-handed? If so, why? Answer: In Israel, left-handedness was rare enough that it received mention at times. Ehud was left-handed (Judges 3:15). This allowed Ehud to smuggle in a sword to assassinate King Eglon by strapping the sword to his right thigh (the guards only thought…

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Could masters under the Old Testament law beat or kill their slaves?

Question: I know what the Scriptures teach about how we Christians today are to treat our fellow man and that it is a serious sin to murder, that being so, Is it true that during the Old Testament age the slave masters had the right to severely beat or to even kill their slaves? Answer: The slave laws…

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Who were the judges and kings of Israel?

Question: What were the names of the kings of Israel? How many judges were there that ruled over Israel? Answer: The judges of Israel were: Othniel Ehud Shamgar Deborah Gideon Abimelech (Not a true judge. He was merely a corrupt ruler during the period of the Judges. Judges 9:22) Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson…

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Why did God command circumcision?

Question: Why did God command Abraham to cut off the foreskin? Answer: Many of the commands that God gave man early on appeared to be meaningless at the time it was given. Only later did God reveal the meaning of the practice. As an example, God commanded that the Israelites offer up incense during the…

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Exploring the Nature of God in the Old Testament

Text: Deuteronomy 6:1-6   I.          The nature of God is admittedly both a large subject and a difficult one              A.         Large because the God who holds the universe in his hand would be greater than mortal man bound to a single world – Isaiah 40:12-17              B.         Difficult because all we know of God is what God has chosen…

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How long were the priests’ breeches?

Question: In one of your articles, you mentioned that Exodus 28:42 means from the waist to and including the thighs. What is your source for this interpretation? Answer: “And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs” (Exodus 28:42). This verse was discussed in the…

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Since Jesus said to keep the commandments, shouldn’t we keep the Sabbath?

Question: Christ was asked in the Bible, “Lord, what must I do to enter the kingdom of Heaven?” Christ replied, “keep the commandments” and named a few of them. Since keeping the Sabbath was one of them, shouldn’t we keep the Sabbath today? Answer: You are referring to the question asked by the rich young…

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How important is the Sabbath day?

Question: How important is the Sabbath day (Saturday)? Is it something that we have to do? Thanks for the help. Answer: Ever since the covenant changed with the death of Jesus, the observance of the Sabbath has ceased to be a requirement. The law brought down from Mt. Sinai by Moses, which included the laws…

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Abraham wasn’t baptized, so why should we need it?

Question: In Romans chapter 4 it talks about Abraham being saved by belief.  “For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).   Did they baptize in the Old Testament?  Nowhere that I have read.  Now you might say that baptism wasn’t required in Old Testament days,…

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Did the apostle Paul keep the laws found in the Torah?

Question: Did the apostle Paul keep the laws found in the Torah? If so, why do people reject them today? Answer: “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might…

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Was the Sermon on the Mount Nailed to the Cross?

by Terry W. Benton There has not been a more fundamental question about how to rightly divide the word of truth and how to apply the scriptures than this one. At first, you might think this question is preposterous, but bear with me. There are brethren lurking in churches today who would affirm that Jesus’…

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Observing the Sabbath

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The first mention of the Sabbath day appears in Exodus 16. It is true that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world in six days. However, in the nearly 3,000-year record which was given in Genesis, there is no mention of mankind observing a Sabbath day. In fact,…

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Do Jews and Christians both follow the teachings of the Old Testament?

Question: Do Jews and Christians both follow the teachings of the Old Testament? Answer: The Old Testament was given solely to the nation of Israel. “And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be…

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Were only the sacrificial ordinances abolished from the Law?

Question: It is my understanding that the law remains, and only the sacrificial ordinances were abolished because Christ shed his blood for us once and for all. Answer: The difficulty in declaring that only a portion of the Mosaical Law was ended by Christ is in determining where to draw the line. One of the…

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Is the covenant different from the Law?

Question: I have just read your article on the Old Testament versus the New Testament. I find two major difficulties in your argument: You confuse a covenant with the Law. This is a major mistake. The Law is God’s legislation for all of creation. It was given to the children of Israel for their instruction.…

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Why We Don’t Follow the Old Testament

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Our Bibles are composed of two major parts, an Old Testament and a New Testament. Why were these names selected? A testament is a will or a covenant. We still use the word today when we speak of a person’s “last will and testament.” These names indicate that the Bible is…

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The “Jesus Came To Israel Only” Argument

by Terry W. Benton The Argument Stated: “MMLJ — before the cross — was taught only to the Jews of Israel.” I keep seeing the argument expressed that Jesus spoke only to the lost sheep of Israel, or only to Israel. The conclusion drawn from that fact is that “therefore” whatever He said to Israel…

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Why We Don’t Follow The Old Testament

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 7:1-6   I.         Our Bibles are composed of two major parts: an Old Testament and a New Testament             A.        Why are they called “testaments”?                         1.         A testament is a legal document declaring a person’s wishes.                         2.         Thus, calling the Bible a testament is to say these are the commands (the legal requirements) that…

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