Search — Theology Explorer

Genesis flood apologetics Inspiring Philosophy Genesis flood

Global flood traditions across disconnected cultures support the historicity of a major flood event

Q&A question from Lindsay Pinkert about helping a friend who doubts biblical historical accuracy (flood and Exodus)

Exodus historicity apologetics archaeology Exodus historicity

Dr. Titus Kennedy's archaeological research supports the historicity of the Exodus

Recommended resource for the Exodus historicity discussion

Exodus historicity Exodus dating archaeology historical reliability of Scripture Exodus historicity

Scholarly assumption of a late Exodus date (~1100 BC) obscures available evidence; biblical date (~1400 BC) has stronger support

Explaining why Exodus evidence has been underappreciated

Exodus 7 Satan Exodus 7 Pharaoh's magicians

Exodus 7: Pharaoh's magicians reproduced some of Moses's signs — two possible explanations: sleight of hand or demonic power

Q&A from Garrett De Jong about how the magicians duplicated the signs

Exodus 7 Exodus 7 Pharaoh's magicians demonic power

Pharaoh's magicians' inferior reproductions reveal lesser power than Moses — turning fresh water to blood instead of reversing the Nile

Evidence that the magicians operated with limited power

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Moses going up and down Sinai — theological meaning vs. comedic treatment

Illustrating the danger of humor that replaces theological depth

Exodus Moses typology Exodus

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-17

Divine hardening in John's Gospel as a challenge to Calvinist Total Depravity

Mike argues divine hardening is inconsistent with Total Depravity.

Exodus Gospel of John Calvinism Exodus

Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

Does intercourse constitute marriage? — No; vows before witnesses and God define marriage

Mike reads an email asking whether sleeping with someone makes you married.

1 Corinthians 6:16 Deuteronomy 22:28-29 Exodus 22:16 marriage one flesh sexual ethics

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Biblical basis for rights to life, liberty, and property

Question asking for verses that imply life, liberty, and property are inalienable rights.

1 Kings 21 Genesis 4 Exodus 20 theocracy 1 Kings 21 right to life

Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

Prayer is powerful precisely because God's will can be conditionally contingent on prayer — he may desire to do something but not do it if we do not pray; Moses' intercession for Israel is the paradigmatic example.

Answering the secondary question: what is the point of praying if it is already God's will?

Exodus 32 — Moses Intercession Prayer Divine Sovereignty and Human Free Will Moses — Intercession

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q11: Most notable OT leader — Moses

Response to question on biblical leadership study

Exodus David Moses Abraham

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

God's hardening of hearts: temporary, judgment-related, not arbitrary — non-Calvinist reading

Continuing Q15 — part about those God hardens, blasphemers, and people in hell

Romans 9 Exodus 4-14 Calvinism free will Romans 9

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Images are not inherently wrong — the biblical prohibition is against images used for worship, not images per se

Question from Jesper about whether Christians can have icons in the home.

Romans 1 Exodus 20:4-5 Romans 1 Idolatry Graven images

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Old Testament slavery laws contained extensive humanitarian protections radically superior to surrounding cultures and incompatible with chattel slavery

Continued answer on Leviticus 25 and slavery.

Leviticus 25:44-46 Deuteronomy slavery laws Exodus redemption as theological grounding for humane treatment Leviticus 25:44-46 Slavery in the Old Testament Deuteronomy slavery laws

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

The theological basis for freeing fellow Israelites: God redeemed Israel from Egypt, so they cannot hold one another in permanent slavery

Explaining the theological rationale behind Israelite-specific slave laws.

Exodus redemption narrative Leviticus 25:42 Slavery in the Old Testament Exodus redemption narrative Leviticus 25:42

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

False signs and wonders: miracles do not authenticate a religion; Satan has real but limited supernatural power

Question from 'spazzy jazzy' about a Japanese friend who believes a false religion because of a miraculous healing her mother received.

Exodus 7 Mark 13:22 discernment evangelism Exodus 7

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Preaching with a stutter: accept your limitations, resist performing, and trust God to use you or redirect you

Question from Hudson Hancock, who preaches with a stutter and finds it discouraging.

Jeremiah Exodus 4:10 Jeremiah 1:6 Paul Moses Jeremiah

Exodus 4:24 Moses Exodus 4:24 Circumcision

Background to Exodus 4:24 — circumcision as covenant sign and Moses's failure to circumcise his son.

Question from Dave Baran about why God sought to kill Moses in Exodus 4:24 and what Zipporah meant by "bloody husband."

Exodus 4:24 Moses Exodus 4:24 Circumcision

Exodus 4:24 interpreted: God's threat on Moses's life is a warning to leaders who are hypocrites — faithful in ministry but unfaithful in personal obedience.

Interpretation of why God sought to kill Moses before he led Israel out of Egypt.

Exodus 4:24 Exodus 4:24 Sanctification Leadership accountability

Application from Exodus 4:24: ministry success does not substitute for personal sanctification; leaders must take heed to themselves.

Personal application of the Exodus 4:24 passage for ministry leaders.

Exodus 12:12 Exodus 12:12 Ten Plagues of Egypt Egyptian gods

The gods of Egypt in Exodus 12:12: the plagues systematically judge the deified forces Egypt worshipped, demonstrating Israel's God controls all creation.

Question from Essoptron about the identity of the "gods of Egypt" in Exodus 12:12.

1 Corinthians 10:20 Idolatry Ra 1 Corinthians 10:20

1 Corinthians 10:20 — behind idols are demons: demons impersonate gods but do not possess the actual powers attributed to those gods.

Follow-up on the Exodus 12:12 question — are there actual spiritual entities behind the Egyptian gods?

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Q18: Can Christians feel God's presence, or is it just emotion responding to truth? Both are possible — Spirit-generated emotion and ordinary human emotion are both real

Viewer Amelia asks whether feeling God's presence is genuine or just the mind responding emotionally to biblical truth.

Romans 8 Exodus 34 Moses Romans 8 Holy Spirit

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

Progressive Christianity misrepresents Jesus by reshaping him into the image of current culture; Winger previews a critique of Brandon Robertson's "Jesus was a racist" video.

Closing remarks previewing upcoming content.

Exodus historical evidence discernment Inspiring Philosophy progressive Christianity

Mike Winger idea 2021-04-23

Taking the Lord's name in vain: biblical command is broad and applies beyond formal oaths to casual, empty use of God's name.

Q1 from Tanya in South Africa: is it wrong to watch movies that use phrases like "Oh my God" or "JC" even if the viewer is not personally using God's name in vain?

Exodus 20:7 third commandment taking God's name in vain Exodus 20:7

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-12

Are the gods of other religions real? Three views: false polytheism, Heiserian divine council, and Pauline demonic identification

Q6 from Loretta Taylor: Numbers 33:3-4 says Yahweh executed judgments on Egypt's gods — does this mean gods like Allah and Zeus are real?

1 Corinthians 10:19-20 Numbers 33:3-4 Exodus plagues Michael Heiser elohim 1 Corinthians 10:19-20

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-12

Free will does not mean freedom from consequences — the golden calf judgment illustrates this

Q15 from Jill Sworzel-Stix: If God gives us free will to worship him, why did he have Moses command the Levites to kill 3,000 people who chose not to (Exodus 32:28)?

Exodus 32 Moses Aaron covenant

Mike Winger idea 2021-04-30

Psalm 82 gods (elohim) most likely refers to earthly rulers ironically addressed as divine beings, not literal supernatural deities.

Question 10 from RaHR17 about who the gods in Psalm 82 are; engages Michael Heiser's divine council worldview.

1 Samuel 28 John 10 Psalm 82 Michael Heiser 1 Samuel 28 John 10

Mike Winger idea 2020-03-11

"Water under the earth" (Psalm 136:6, Exodus 20:4) = the ocean. Exodus 20:4 prohibits idols of things in heaven, on earth, or in the water under the earth — if this isn't the ocean, then the idol prohibition doesn't cover fish/sea creatures. Psalm 24:2: "founded upon the seas, established upon the rivers" — earth (dry land) is simply above water level.

Water under the earth — the ocean

Exodus 20:4 Psalm 24:1-2 Psalm 136:6 water under the earth Exodus 20:4 Psalm 24:1-2

Mike Winger idea 2020-04-08

Research shows 60-90% of kids from Christian homes walk away from faith. Parents often have a false sense of security because their kids aren't currently questioning. But kids absorb worldview from culture, not just church. The Bible calls parents to disciple kids — what that requires changes as the cultural environment changes.

Why parents need apologetics — the youth exodus

parenting parenting kids apologetics

1 Corinthians 5:7 Passover Passover Passover as prophecy

Mike presents 24-26 ways Passover was prophetically fulfilled by Jesus. Passover is a typological prophecy — not direct prediction/fulfillment but symbolic correspondence between OT events and Christ's work. 1 Corinthians 5:7: "Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed." Jesus chose to die during Passover week — his timing was deliberate.

Introduction — Passover as prophetic type

Exodus 12 Hebrews 9:12-14 Hebrews 10:1-14 wrath of God substitutionary atonement wrath of God

Points 1-2: (1) A sacrificial lamb — Jesus is the lamb offered for us (Hebrews 9:12-14, 10:1-14). OT sacrifices were shadows; Jesus is the reality. He offered himself ONCE vs yearly repetition. (2) Purpose: avoiding punishment for sin — Passover was explicitly a judgment (Exodus 12:12). Israel needed the lamb too because they were also guilty of idolatry (Ezekiel 20:7). The cross saves us from God's wrath.

Points 1-2 — sacrificial lamb and dealing with sin

Psalm 118 Passover Passover triumphal entry

Points 6-7: (6) Lamb was one year old (prime of life) — Jesus began ministry at 30, the age of full maturity for priestly/sacrificial service. (7) Lamb selected on 10th of Nisan — Jesus entered Jerusalem on the same day (Triumphal Entry, Palm Sunday). The crowd cried "Hosanna" (Psalm 118) = "save us" — presenting himself as the Messianic King. He was then "inspected" for 4 days through questioning by religious leaders, found faultless.

Points 6-7 — age, selection date, triumphal entry

John 1:12 Mark 8:31 Colossians 1:15 firstborn John 1:12 children of God

Points 8-12: (8) Lamb substituted for the firstborn — Jesus is God's firstborn/only-begotten (John 3:16, Col 1:15, Heb 1:6). (9) No bones broken — Exodus 12:46, fulfilled in John 19:33-36 when soldiers didn't break Jesus's legs. (10) Offered for the household/family — Jesus creates a new family of God (John 1:12). (11) Lamb had to be slain/die — the death was required, not optional; Jesus said he MUST be killed (Mark 8:31). (12) Had to be at Jerusalem — Deuteronomy 16:5-6; Jesus crucified in Jerusalem.

Points 8-12 — firstborn, bones, household, death, location