- The newsletter of IBTM with Douglas Jacoby
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- Verbal Cyanide / Soul Sleep? / Q&A / She memorized the entire book of Job—in Hebrew! / Extraordinary Claims?
Verbal Cyanide / Soul Sleep? / Q&A / She memorized the entire book of Job—in Hebrew! / Extraordinary Claims?
Douglas Jacoby
May 31, 2026
 Temple of Zeus  Greek supper following evening church |  The Acropolis  Sunrise  Greek flag, 1822 |  The Temple of Hephaestus  With Theo & Maria (church leaders) |
Καλησπέρα! Good evening from Athens (Greece, not Georgia). I must specify, since there are over 60 places in the world named after Athens. Is that not a pointer to the import of this ancient city-state, with its architecture, art, philosophy, and so many other things the Greeks are known for?
I’m en route to the Antioch Seminar (some 1100 km away), during which we will (literally) trace the route of Saul and Barnabas on the First Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14). This event occurs every even year. Perhaps you will join us in 2028?
In the meantime, I’m in Athens, looking up at the Parthenon, a Greek temple—atop the Acropolis—in honor of Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom and war, among other things. (Parthénos is the Greek word for virgin—hence the Parthenon.) Indeed, the Greeks have long looked for wisdom (1 Cor 1:22). Think Socrates, Plato, Aristotle.
Speaking of wisdom… As many of you know, the motto of our website is “Think about faith.” I appreciate a brother from New Jersey who agrees, though with a corollary: “If you don't learn to think for yourself, someone else will do it for you.” How true! Yet on the one hand, we need others to teach us—and that requires humility. On the other hand, we are called to learn on our own—and that requires diligence (Heb 5:11-14).
My prayer is that our bulletins stimulate and nudge us in that direction. Thank you for reading it, and special thanks to our financial supporters, who make this ministry possible.
She Memorized the Book of Job—in Hebrew!
from Tyndale House
| appreciation for one of Scripture's most compelling books. Enjoy listening! |
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?
by Greg Koukl, Stand to Reason (Rapid Fire, 5/1/2026)
This guideline was popularized by the late astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan. A version of this view was also shared by empiricist philosopher David Hume. The dictum is repeated frequently by skeptics to summarily disqualify foundational claims of Christianity—specifically, belief in the God of the Bible and the miracles recorded in the text, especially Jesus’ miraculous resurrection.
The chief flaw here is that no clarity is given to what “extraordinary” in either sense—claims or evidence—actually means.
Sagan was a naturalist whose self-professed agnosticism bordered on functional atheism. For him, empirical science was the final measure of truth, and the question of God was the kind of question naturalistic methods couldn’t directly assess, ergo his intractable skepticism on the issue. KEEP READING
Precisely Nothing
by Roland Earnst
From Does God Exist? Q1 2026. Used with permission from John Clayton of DoesGodExist.org.
What is “precisely nothing”? Theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss used that phrase in the preface of his 2012 New York Times best-selling book titled A Universe from Nothing. Krauss, at that time, was a professor at Arizona State University and head of the Origins Project there. He later lost that position due to “moral failure,” and he is now an anti-theist blogger. An anti-theist is more than just an atheist; he does not believe in God but also actively opposes faith in a Creator. Like other anti-theists, he believes that faith in God is not only wrong but also harmful to society. CONTINUE READING
Question & Answer
We continue to add to the bank of Q&As—which in a few years should reach 2000. Here are most of the latest.
Q 1757—What is the Ascension—and why is it significant?
The bodily return of Christ to heaven is mentioned in a number of New Testament passages (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50–53; John 20:17; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 3:16—and alluded to in a few others. This crucial event takes place on the Mount of Olives, near (though not in) Bethany (Acts 1:12; Luke 24:50).
Only now does Jesus return to heaven, whence he came (John 3:13). This must take place in order for him to accede to the throne (Acts 2:30) and give the Spirit (2:33). See John 7:39. So unless he had ascended, we would not have the Spirit dwelling in our hearts. READ THE FULL ANSWER
Where did Jesus heal Legion, the demoniac? Was it in Gerasa, Gadara, or Gergesa? The gospels seem to give different locations. Are these maybe just different names for the same place?
Actually these are three separate places. While I don’t doubt that the original manuscripts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were correct, some later copyists, perhaps unfamiliar with the geography, were confused. READ THE FULL ANSWER
Q 1759—The wrath of God was satisfied?
There is a song I really, like. It is Stuart Townend’s “In Christ Alone.” But one verse troubles me—where the lyrics include the line “The wrath of God was satisfied.” Was the Father actually angry at the Son?
I confess that my sentiments are the same. I love the song—every verse—except for that one line, which unpleasantly reminds me of the famous Jonathan Edwards sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741). READ THE FULL ANSWER
Q 1760—Soul sleep? Are the dead conscious, or not?
Do our souls sleep between death and the return of Christ?
In the New Testament, sleep is frequently used as a metaphor for death Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Cor 7:39; 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thess 4:13, 14, 15; 2 Pet 3:4. A similar thought may be found in Ps 17:15 and Dan 12:2.
There are several reasons not to take sleep as literal unconsciousness, or oblivion. READ THE FULL ANSWER
Verbal Cyanide |  The tongue has awesome potential for harm, as the forest fire analogy suggests. As the story goes, on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, poor Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over the lantern as she was being milked, starting the Great Chicago Fire. That disaster blackened three and one-half miles of the city, destroying over | 17,000 buildings before it was checked by gunpowder explosions on the south line of the fire. The fire lasted two days and cost over 250 lives. |
Personal Notes
It’s been a great month for Christian fellowship and meeting new people, both in our new congregation and in the neighborhood. In the neighborhood I’ve been asked to lead a (women’s) group Bible study, and with church, to lead a summer “connect group.” I’m doing it on The Second Mountain, the excellent David Brooks book. | The Atlanta Braves front office men’s Bible study is going swimmingly. Our next mini-series will be on salvation (the Sinner’s Prayer, baptism, and more). Prayers appreciated. |