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Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

Q&A: Is biblical numerology nonsense? Distinction between symbolic numbers and predictive numerological systems

Question from Jessie Swanger.

hermeneutics numerology biblical symbolism

Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

Q&A: 666 and the mark of the beast — why any name can be made to equal 666 using flexible math; and why barcodes and microchips are not the mark

Question from 'Bible History Science' about whether 666 is itself numerological.

Revelation 13 mark of the beast numerology 666 mark of the beast Revelation 13

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Relationships area: evaluate whether you are fulfilling your calling — not whether others are fulfilling theirs

Elaboration on the 'relationships' area within Tip 4.

calling personal responsibility accountability

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Responsibilities area: the question is whether you are 'just getting by' or actively pursuing Christ in each area

Elaboration on the 'responsibilities' area within Tip 4.

responsibility pursuing Christ spiritual growth

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Q&A: Jesus's swords passage — 'have a sword but don't use it' and the principle of Christian self-defense

Live chat question from Ryan White about Luke 22:35-38 and Luke 22:49-51 / John 18:10-11.

Luke 22:36-38 Luke 22:49-51 John 18:10-11 Luke 22:36-38 Luke 22:49-51 John 18:10-11

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Q&A: Scientology is not Christian — it is a dangerous, money-driven cult involving alien mythology

Live chat question from 'Pac-Man' about Scientology.

comparative religion Scientology cult

Mike Winger idea 2018-01-24

Q&A: Many Mormons don't know their own doctrine until their mission trip, where they encounter informed Christians and discover the differences for the first time.

Viewer question: 'Why do so many Mormons consider themselves Christians even though their doctrine seems completely different? Are they not aware of the obvious differences?'

Q&A: Is biblical numerology nonsense? Distinction between symbolic numbers and predictive numerological systems

Q&A: 666 and the mark of the beast — why any name can be made to equal 666 using flexible math; and why barcodes and microchips are not the mark

Relationships area: evaluate whether you are fulfilling your calling — not whether others are fulfilling theirs

Responsibilities area: the question is whether you are 'just getting by' or actively pursuing Christ in each area

Q&A: Jesus's swords passage — 'have a sword but don't use it' and the principle of Christian self-defense

Q&A: Scientology is not Christian — it is a dangerous, money-driven cult involving alien mythology

Q&A: Many Mormons don't know their own doctrine until their mission trip, where they encounter informed Christians and discover the differences for the first time.

Q&A (off-topic): Divorced woman who was cheated on and physically abused asks if remarrying would be adultery after her ex-husband has now married his fifth wife.

Q&A: Most Mormons are not convinced by intellectual arguments — they are committed emotionally through 'testimony,' an emotionally validated belief experience.

Strategy for reaching Mormons: question the reliability of the 'burning in the bosom' as a source of truth, then lead them toward evidence-based epistemology.

The core obstacle in reaching Mormons is emotional commitment, not intellectual disagreement — the question 'Would you leave if it were false?' is the key diagnostic.

Christian cults always remove salvation by grace — Mike attributes this pattern to demonic influence, citing the book of Galatians.

Philosophical Q&A: Why is infinite regression of gods illogical but an infinite God is not? — because infinite regression refers to an infinite series of events, not to God's nature.

Q&A: The LDS church is already beginning to change its doctrine — prioritizing organizational health over theological integrity, which started with polygamy and race issues.

Practical advice for engaging Mormons: don't mock, don't assume what they know, ask what they believe rather than lecturing them about their own doctrine.

Using scripture against scripture is bad methodology — it appears to create contradictions and 'the atheist wins'

The key question: does James use 'justified' in the theological sense or the dictionary sense?

Greek 'ophelos' — 'what good is it' means what benefit or advantage; James is asking about the salvific utility of dead faith

James 2:17 — 'faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead' — the quality of faith is in question, not the quantity of works

Challenge to Catholics: Romans 11:6 — grace and works are diametrically opposed; if works, grace is no longer grace

Q&A: apparitions of the Virgin Mary — Mike is skeptical; Catholic Marian devotion (shrines, altars) seems pagan and non-biblical

Q&A: can someone have saving faith yet commit murder? — Mike argues sin is not binary; Jesus elevated even hatred and lust to the level of murder and adultery

Q&A: Does faith necessarily produce works, or are works only the way the world sees faith? James 2 is about justification in the eyes of men, not God

Q&A: Non-Christian friends interested in understanding worldview — all worldviews must be consistent and accurate

Q&A: 1 Corinthians 13:2 — 'if I have all faith but no love I am nothing' — is this faith + love = salvation?

1 Corinthians 3:14-15: rewards or loss, not purgatorial suffering — salvation is never in question

Q&A: Do we 'soul sleep' or go directly to heaven at death?

Q&A — Why didn't God make the Bible's message so clear that everyone interprets it the same way?

Q&A — Why didn't God send each country a Bible in their own language to prevent mistranslation?

Q&A — Adventist tactic of using Luther's early writings endorsing purgatory to discredit Protestantism

Q&A — New bodies and the New Earth: souls wait, bodies come later at the resurrection

Q&A — King James Version: not the best available today due to language change and manuscript discoveries

Q&A — N.T. Wright's phrase 'life after life after death': Mike doesn't know it well enough to comment

Q&A — If purgatory exists, did Jesus still need to die? Catholic distinction: eternal vs. temporal consequences

Q&A — Why did none of the resurrected dead (Lazarus, etc.) speak about the afterlife?

Barker's 'problem of history': miracles cannot be established from historical evidence — same Humean presupposition as Ehrman

Response to question about Flat Earth claims from a biblical perspective — Mike is still working through material before addressing it

'Easy believism' — intellectual assent alone does not save; genuine faith produces transformation and works

The word 'apostle' has two meanings in Scripture: one who walked with Jesus, and the broader sense of a sent-out missionary

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 is the earliest resurrection record — within five years of the crucifixion and agreed upon by over 90% of scholars

Why unbelievers reject the resurrection: sin, pride, bias, desires — caution against over-generalizing

The Episcopal Church's spiritual resurrection view contradicts the Jewish meaning of 'resurrection' — N.T. Wright and the physical risen Lord

1 Chronicles 20 or 23 — translation differences between NKJV, ESV, and NASB: Mike defers to post-livestream comment response

Which Gospel was written first — Mike defers to scholarly consensus and warns of the 'house of cards' nature of Gospel dating arguments

Question from 'Pine Creek Doug': do you accept the scholarly consensus that six of Paul's letters are forgeries? — Mike does not accept this

The resurrection as the seal of approval on all Christian claims — it validates God's love, Jesus's atoning sacrifice, and the truth of the gospel

Mike answers 'no' when asked whether any factual claim in the Gospels probably didn't occur

Multiple attestation as a confidence-builder: single-source claims generally receive lower historical confidence

Parallel accounts of ascension or resurrection in other ancient figures would not lower Mike's confidence in Jesus's resurrection because of the evidential asymmetry

Skeptics in the chat (Cam and Doug) have not actually engaged the five historical facts — they have only built a case for doubt

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