11
votes
Accepted
Has the lengthened day of Joshua 10 been modeled in a simulation to show how this could have occurred?
The short answer is that, no, despite a persistent urban legend that NASA modeled this on one of their early computer systems, the reality is that such a simulation is impossible. According to Dr. ...
- 7,624
8
votes
Accepted
In Acts 2:6, was the miracle in the speaking or the hearing at Pentecost?
The important and critical verse is Acts 2:6 in this passage of v1 - 13.
Acts 2:6 - And when this sound happened, the assembled multitude was
bewildered because they were hearing them speaking, ...
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7
votes
Accepted
Who/what is the source of the power behind the miracles, signs and wonders in Matthew 7:22?
The Bible teaches that one can prophesy by God's Spirit without being sanctified by that same spirit.
Consider the following Biblical examples of this:
Balaam -- He wanted to curse God's people in ...
- 5,992
6
votes
John 9: Did the blind man know scripture?
The setting here is long before the invention of the printing press. The scriptures were hand copied, thus ordinary people would not have been able to own a copy of the scriptures. However, in ancient ...
- 198
5
votes
In the gospels, why does Jesus sometimes tell the people not to tell anyone after he has performed a miracle?
There are a variety of reasons why each gospel author may have chosen to implement what has come to be called the "messianic secret" (Messiasgeheimnis) theme (based on Wrede's watershed work).1 Most ...
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5
votes
Isaiah 38:21 - The Cake of Figs: Medicinal or Miraculous?
The Cake of Figs: Medicinal or Miraculous?
The Cake of figs can be translated differently, but it would seem to indicate that a fig poultice was applied to the wound.
For Isaiah had said, Let them ...
- 856
4
votes
In the gospels, why does Jesus sometimes tell the people not to tell anyone after he has performed a miracle?
Intro
As noted by the OP, there are a number of these passage in the Gospel accounts. Collectively, this phenomenon is know as the "Messianic Secret" in academic literature. A number of ...
- 4,191
4
votes
Accepted
Could the crowd have provided the extra bread and fish in the account of Jesus feeding the thousands?
This is not possible, unless (in the first feast, feeding the five thousand) the disciples made a foolish assumption:
Mark 6:36: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and ...
- 12.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Isaiah 38:21 - The Cake of Figs: Medicinal or Miraculous?
My understanding is that this action by the prophet is a kind of "sign act" to symbolize spiritual healing and atonement through the past deeds of rightous/holy Israelites. You could liken ...
- 1,578
4
votes
What relationship is there between lack of faith ("unbelief") and miracles ("mighty works") according to Matthew 13:58?
The other side of this same coin is what Jesus often said in other places. Recall that "belief", "faith" and "trust" all translate the same Greek noun - pistis, best ...
- 91.3k
3
votes
Was the shunammite woman sarcastic or ungrateful in 2 kings 4?
The background to this event is interesting The woman is described as a wealthy married woman in the village of Shunem. She had no child. This woman got permission from her husband to set up a guest ...
- 8,602
3
votes
Matthew 12:39: Why "there shall no sign, but the sign of the prophet Jonas"?
Being a Hebrew speaker I’d say that there’s a difference between “miracles” and “signs”.
Miracles are acts of the supernatural intervening in the natural.
Signs are indicative acts that proof one’s ...
- 31
3
votes
Matt 15:33 - Are the Disciples really this dense? What explains their inability to integrate the lesson from the recent feeding of the 5000?
Failing to put two and two together, to come up with the right answer, is not necessarily a matter of being dense. It is more like a case of not realising the need to do that. Had they compared the ...
- 19.9k
3
votes
Can 1 Cor 13:8-10 be used as to prove that radical Continuationism is necessarily true?
Your question is, "Does responsible exegesis of the bolded text (taking into account the larger context of the text, Paul's allusions to the OT, etc.) necessarily proves the radical ...
- 19.9k
3
votes
Disciples' hard hearts in Mark 6:52 meant Jesus is unrecognized as Christ (instead of a Prophet like Elisha) for a greater miracle than 2 Kings 4:43?
Thank you for the question: Why were Jesus' disciples hard-hearted in Mark 6:52 for supposing Jesus' 5-Loaves for 5,000 men was equally miraculous and divinely Authoritative as Elisha's 20-Loaves for ...
- 680
3
votes
Are signs, wonders and miracles evidence of an authentic divine calling or not?
The true miracles that were performed in the first century AD, and in earlier times throughout the record of the OT were the proof to the people that the word / message the prophets & disciples ...
- 9,680
3
votes
Is it not odd that Abraham would use the sister-wife exploit (Gen 20:2) when Sarah was 90?
This is a fascinating question and I am not sure what the answer is, although I do have a theory.
At this point in the text, we have recently been told that Sarah was a post-menopausal 90-year-old ...
- 948
3
votes
Accepted
Where did the feeding of the 5000 occur?
BETHSAIDA (Βηθσαϊδά, Bēthsaida, בֵּית צַיְדָה, beith tsaydah; “house of fishing”). A fishing village located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The hometown of the disciples Philip, Andrew, ...
- 19.3k
3
votes
What relationship is there between lack of faith ("unbelief") and miracles ("mighty works") according to Matthew 13:58?
I think that your examples of rephrasing the main question might trail off topic, and I wouldn't ponder them myself. So, I'll focus on an answer to your main question in the title.
Once the main ...
- 19.9k
3
votes
Accepted
In John 9:10 why didn't the blind man make the connection between his healing,Jesus and Son of Man?
This man born blind never actually saw the one curing his blindness, Jesus. Sight was not restored to him until after he'd carried out Jesus' instruction, to go to the Pool of Siloam to wash off the ...
- 19.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Moses' birth story, divine oversight or another trick? Exodus 2
There was nothing miraculous about Moses' birth. His mother conceived in the usual fashion. The only comment about Moses is made in Ex 2:2 -
and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw ...
- 91.3k
3
votes
Why are there 2 variants of "feeding of the multitude" in Mark and Matthew?
They are two separate events. If you read carefully, you will see that the feeding of the 5,000 occurs on the Israel side of Lake Galilee--because it was after this that Jesus crossed the lake with ...
- 4,687
3
votes
Why are there 2 variants of "feeding of the multitude" in Mark and Matthew?
The two mass feeding events are definitely different events as shown below:
Characteristic
Event 1
Event 2
References
Matt 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-43, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-15
Matt 15:29-39, Mark 8:1-...
- 91.3k
3
votes
Is there a pun in Matthew 9:30?
It is true that the frequent Greek verb ὁράω (I see) is used (as in English) in several senses:
seeing with one's eyes
perceiving with the mind either spiritually or physically
warning to ensure ...
- 91.3k
2
votes
Why Were there 12 Baskets of Leftovers when feeding 5000?
The gospel of Matthew has a lot of interesting things to say about bread. Its first mention is when the devil tempts Jesus in Matthew 4, commanding the stones to become bread. Jesus refuses to do a ...
- 798
2
votes
Matthew 12:39: Why "there shall no sign, but the sign of the prophet Jonas"?
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus twice tells his opponents that there will be no sign except that of Jonas (Jonah), using very similar words in each case:
Matthew 12:38-40: Then certain of the scribes and ...
- 12.5k
2
votes
Matthew 12:39: Why "there shall no sign, but the sign of the prophet Jonas"?
In the Gospel narratives, Jesus never performed signs simply for the sake of performing signs. He never acceded to a request "I would see a sign from you." All the miracles attributed to him were ...
- 194
2
votes
What does "My hour" mean in John 2:4?
I think if we interpret My hour to mean not simply the time for Jesus to do miracles, but rather the time for Him to reveal His power, there is not so great a contradiction.
There is nothing in the ...
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