Q: Why are there so many different denominations?

A: The fact that there are such a large number of denominations is a very unfortunate problem. There are several factors into the cause, but here is the main reason there are so many denominations.

Christians were heavily persecuted during the early years of the church from the apostles' time to about 315 AD. About that time, the Roman Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, and a few years later, another Roman Emperor made Christianity mandatory throughout the Roman Empire. Some people might expect this to have been a positive development for the cause of Christianity, but actually it was disastrous. Any knowledgeable Christian is well aware that no one can make anyone else become a Christian. It is impossible to force anyone to believe something in their heart. Only God can open hearts. So instead of making Christians out of everyone in the Roman Empire, the decree from the emperor simply resulted in all of the religions in the empire mixing together as one and calling themselves "Christian". Those who followed Christianity, those who followed Judaism, and those who followed any one of the many different Pagan religions were now suddenly all in the same assembly. Even though the church was said to be "Christian", only a minority of the members actually were Christians. Most of the church members were of some other religion the day before, but were now calling themselves "Christians". The doctrines of these many religions were combined, resulting in a "church" whose doctrine was part Christian, part Jewish, and part Pagan. This was the origin of the Catholic Church.

As one might expect, a church that is a blend of multiple religions would not have doctrine consistent with the Bible, despite having a state mandated Christian label. Those who looked to the Bible for guidance quickly found that the church was not in line with the scriptures. To fix this problem, the clergy declared that only they could interpret the scriptures and that the church members should stop reading the Bible. The Bible became contraband and during the dark ages from about 500 AD to about 1500 AD, the public was not permitted to have access to the Bible. Only the clergy could look upon the Word of God. They then dispensed only tiny morsels to the masses, often twisting the meaning for their own financial or political gain. By the time the reformation began, virtually all Biblical truth had been lost or distorted. Finally around 1500-1600 AD, the reformers began to get Bibles back into the hands of the common man. Right away, people began to protest against some of the Catholic doctrines and tried to reconstruct the proper church doctrines which had been lost more than one thousand years before. Of course this was very difficult because they had been steeped in all manner of heresies for centuries. Different groups had varying degrees of success, correcting some areas of doctrine while failing to correct others. Some false doctrines were changed into new, different false doctrines. Despite all the doctrinal corrections that the many denominations made, not one of the hundreds of denominations or sects ever made it back to the pure doctrine of the early church. Perhaps I should not use the word "pure", since we can see from Galatians 3 and 1 Corinthians 5 that errant doctrine was creeping into some local churches even at that early date. There is a quote that I have heard many times, and I am not sure who first said it: "The only problem with the protestants is that they did not protest enough." Therefore, we must be diligent in studying God's Word to know His true will, rather than relying upon any denomination to tell us.

Q: If a Christian commits suicide, do they lose their salvation?

A: No. Salvation cannot be lost. (See What Happened to Us When We Believed the Gospel?.) It is quite possible however for a lost person to think they have salvation, but be incorrect. Many think they are saved by being a good person, by attending a church, or by being baptized. But without believing the gospel, they are still lost. If such a person were to die by suicide or any other means, they would go into eternal torment.

One is saved by believing the gospel of grace: That Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died as the sacrifice for our sins on the cross, and was buried, and rose bodily from the dead on the third day. One's deeds are not involved salvation. Salvation is a gift from God by His grace, through faith plus nothing. (See Roman Road to Salvation.)

Suicide is indeed a great sin, for which a believer may lose certain rewards in heaven, but not his or her salvation. Every believer has been purchased by the precious shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). Therefore our lives are not truly our own lives to take. Rather, our lives belong to Jesus Christ. We should therefore live for Him while we are in these mortal bodies, and let Him decide when to take what is His and bring us home. God will take what is His when He is ready. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

Suicide is never a good thing. For a Christian, it is a sin. For a lost person, it only takes them to a place that is worse.

Q: When will the dividing of the sheep and the goats, recorded in Matthew 25:31-46, take place, before or after the thousand year kingdom?

A: Verse 31 begins with "When the Son of man shall come in his glory ...." So we know this will occur at the end of the seven year tribulation and right before the thousand year kingdom begins. Verse 34 also shows that this will occur at the beginning of the kingdom. The Son of man will tell the sheep, "... Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you ...."

Many people accidentally confuse Matthew 25:31-46 with the great white throne judgment, recorded in Revelation 20:11-15, which will happen after the thousand year kingdom. But the sheep and goats will all be living people on earth at the time of the dividing of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46. But the great white throne judgment in Revelation 20 will be the judgment of all of the lost people of all time. Thus, in the great white throne judgment, there will be no division to be made, since all those who will be present will be lost.

Q: How did Manasseh and Ephraim become two of the twelve tribes of Israel? They were not sons of Jacob, but later they are mentioned as tribes.

A: Jacob, who God renamed "Israel" in Genesis 32:28, had twelve sons, but only eleven would receive an inheritance of land in Israel. The descendants of Levi, one of Jacob's twelve sons, would be the priests, and God was their inheritance. But God had 12 portions of land, so He gave two portions to Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, giving each of Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, their own portion of the inheritance. Jacob accepted Joseph's two sons as though they were his own in Genesis 48:5.

Q: How will Christians be able to be happy in heaven, while knowing some of their loved ones are suffering in hell?

A: I quite often feel happy right here on earth, even though I know that vast numbers of the dead are in flames of torment right now. If I can feel happiness here today, I will most certainly be happy when I receive my immortal body and get to spend all eternity with my Lord.

Besides, I know that God is just. He is the one in the position to make the judgments on people's eternal destinies, not me. He had made it quite clear in the Bible what He intends to do on this issue. I trust His judgments to be correct and right. We may have some things that we wonder about in this present life, but I suspect it will all be made clear to us one day. In any case, we should trust our just God to do that which is just.

Q: In 1 Corinthians 14:22, does "prophesying" mean teaching? That is, preaching the word so everybody can understand?

A: No. When someone is preaching or teaching, they are explaining the Word of God so that everyone can understand. At least that's what they are supposed to be doing. But "prophesying" is speaking forth a message that came directly from God, not through the Bible. The Old Testament prophets, the apostles, and certain other early Christians prophesied from time to time, but now that we have all of God's Word for us in the Bible, there is no gift of prophecy today. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 says, "... whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect (the complete Word of God) is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." Therefore, anyone that claims to be a prophet today either does not know what the word "prophet" really means, or they are actually a false prophet.

Q: How do we know that the Bible is the true Word of God?

A: God has provided a great deal of evidence within the Bible to prove that it is His Word. There are many prophesies foretold in the Bible that have already been fulfilled and many more for which we can see the fulfillment being set up. Only God could have predicted these events hundreds and even thousands of years in advance. The Bible was written over a period of about 1500 years by about 40 different men. Yet, it's continuity and unity of message shows that there was but one Author. The Old Testament provides many types or shadows of Jesus Christ who would come much later. There would have been no purpose for these types and shadows if the Messiah were not truly to come and fulfill them. I have been very brief here and will refer you to the articles on this web site, Fulfilled Prophecies and Other Evidence that the Bible is the Word of God and Evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, which provide ample scriptural detail of the evidence God that has provided in His Word.

Q: How could anyone look at all of God's beautiful and majestic creation and still believe that there is no God?

A: They can't. Now I know that some readers may being thinking, "What about atheists? Atheists do not believe in God." But actually, that is backwards. The truth is, "God does not believe in atheists." He basically says so in Romans 1:19-20, "... that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse ...." So we all know that the eternally powerful God exists, simply by seeing all of the things that He has created. This passage continues in Romans 1:21-22, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools ...." Later in this same passage, verse 32 says that they rebel even though they are "knowing the judgment of God". There are many people who refuse to honor the One they know to be God as God. But there really is no such thing as an atheist. There are only people who claim to be.

Psalms 19:1-4, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. ...."

Q: Does Isaiah 53 have the "gospel" in it, showing that Jesus Christ would die for our sins?

A: Saying that the gospel is in Isaiah 53 would be anticipating revelation. Today, we have the Bible to teach us what God revealed to our Apostle Paul in the 37-67 AD time frame, but we would be mistaken if we were to read it into a passage which God revealed to Isaiah around 712 BC. Isaiah 53 does not contain that much information. First of all, Isaiah 53 says nothing about Christ's resurrection from the dead, which is a required component of our gospel.

Also, before our Lord Jesus Christ revealed it to Paul, the other apostles did not know that Jesus Christ's crucifixion was the sacrifice for our sins. The twelve apostles never mention Jesus Christ's blood or sacrifice or propitiation in the entire book of Acts, nor do they recognize Jesus Christ's death as the payment for the remission of sin. Our gospel by which we are saved was a mystery revealed by our Lord Jesus Christ to Paul. It was not known by any man, not even the twelve apostles or Satan himself (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).

I do believe however that God speaks some things in vailed language in the old testament which may refer to things that were mysteries. For example, compare Acts 15:14-18 with Amos 9:11-12. Knowing what we now know from Paul's teaching, we can see things in the passages which could not have been perceived by the Israelites back in the old testament.

I believe Isaiah 53 is speaking in vailed language of Jesus Christ and even has our gospel in mind. But the passage does not say it is talking about Jesus Christ. It doesn't even directly say it is talking about the Messiah at all. I understand that many Jews today believe Isaiah 53 speaks metaphorically of the nation of Israel as if the nation were a person. They are missing the boat, of course. But we must try to understand how someone under the law of Moses, who had not heard Paul's teaching, would see this passage.

Some might think passages like verse 11, "... he shall bear their iniquities ..." would have revealed the mystery of how Christ became sin for us. But in other places, God speaks of bearing Israel's sin in the context of being patient and putting up with it (a totally different meaning). For another example, recall also how the unbelieving Caiaphas prophesied how Jesus must die for the people (John 18:13-14). Of course Jesus did, and the words of Caiaphas were correct. But Caiaphas was thinking the death of Jesus would just appease the wrath of the Romans. He had no clue that Christ would be carrying our sins away.

Today, we know Isaiah 53 is talking about Jesus Christ, but the Israelites living at that time could not have known. It's not that we are any smarter than they were. God has just revealed more information to us. We know Isaiah 53 is referring in vailed language to Christ dying for the remission of our sins, but there is no way that any old testament Israelite could have understood that.

To really understand what could have been known from any old testament passage, we must not anticipate revelation. We must not assume that what we know from Paul's teaching, was known by the people of Israel who heard that old testament teaching hundreds of years prior to Paul. We must always consider the possibility that such an old testament passage is really talking about something in the old testament program. We should not be so quick to try to apply it to our dispensation of grace.

Q: Has the Church replaced Israel, and will all the prophecies about Israel really be fulfilled in the Church?

A: No. That is a very common misunderstanding which is taught by many denominations. But God's prophecies about Israel really do refer to Israel, the biological descendants of Jacob. When Israel as a nation rejected their Messiah (Jesus Christ) who had risen from the dead, God started a totally new ministry to the Gentiles which still continues today. God will still fulfill all that He promised to Israel, but many of the fulfillments have been delayed until this grace dispensation ends, and the law/kingdom dispensation resumes at the beginning of the tribulation. I recommend reading the short article God Will Yet Choose Israel. This present grace dispensation (or Church age) is not the subject of old testament prophecy. The Church age was a mystery (secret) until God called Paul for his special ministry to the Gentiles in Acts chapter 9.

The article Israel's Kingdom Gospel and Our Grace Gospel explains the differences between the old and new programs. The Church is not Israel. The mixing of these two separate programs has probably caused more people to misunderstand the Bible than anything else. But the scriptures discussed in this article can make this clear for those who give it careful consideration.

Q: In 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul refers to the rapture occurring at the "last trump". Was Paul referring to the seventh trumpet in the book of Revelation? And if so, would that mean that the rapture is at the end of the tribulation?

A: The answer to both questions is "No". Paul wrote the epistle of 1 Corinthians several years before John wrote the book of Revelation. So the Corinthians could not have known there would have been seven trumpets in the tribulation. It would not be logical for Paul to try to explain the rapture to the Corinthians using terms from a scriptural concept which had not yet been revealed. So the "last trump" which Paul mentioned is not any one of the seven trumpets blown by the seven angels in the book of Revelation. Instead, it is the last trump of this age of grace, "the trump of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). All of Paul's epistles are to Christians in this age of grace, but the book of Revelation is about the tribulation, when the Law of Moses will be reinstated. We must differentiate between Law and Grace. For a detailed study on why we know the rapture is before the tribulation, see For Views of End Times Prophecy.

Besides, the seventh trumpet in Revelation will not occur at the end of the tribulation anyway. The first six trumpets occur in the first half of the tribulation (Revelation 8-9), and the seventh trumpet will be sounded at mid-tribulation (Revelation 11:15). The seventh trumpet will then be followed by the three and a half years of great tribulation clearly stated in Revelation 12:6, "a thousand two hundred and threescore days" and in Revelation 13:5, "forty and two months".

Q: Is there a difference between salvation and rewards?

A: Yes. Salvation is a free gift, but rewards are earned by works. Salvation is a present possession of those who believe the gospel, but rewards are to be received in the future.

In 1 Corinthians 3:14, Paul teaches how to properly build upon the foundation which he had laid, "If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward." In a moment, we will delve into this passage in more detail, but for now, let's look at the word "reward". The word translated "reward" is the Greek word "misthos". It occurs 29 times in the Bible, and is translated "reward" 24 times, "hire" 3 times, and "wages" twice. It is wages paid for work. That is, the results of one's labor.

Here are some of the occurrences of "misthos" in Paul's letters:

Romans 4:4 "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt."

1 Corinthians 3:8 "... every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour."

1 Corinthians 3:14 "If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward."

1 Corinthians 9:17 "For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward ...."

1 Timothy 5:18 "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward."

From these verses it is clear that "misthos" (rewards) refers to something which one earns by working. However, salvation is a free gift as these verses show.

Romans 5:16-17 "And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast."

So we see a clear distinction between salvation, which is a gift, and rewards, for which one labors.

Returning to Paul's teaching about how to build upon the foundation, 1 Corinthians 3:8-11 says, "... every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is the foundation of the house, and Paul is the "wise masterbuilder" who laid the foundation.

We are saved by faith in what Jesus Christ did for us. Afterwards, we build upon the foundation with our works. Continuing on 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says, "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

If our works are in accordance with the will of God, they are the gold, the silver, and the precious stones, which will not be hurt when tested by fire. Thus we will receive eternal rewards for these works. But works which are not in accordance with the will of God, are the wood, the hay, and the stubble, which will be devoured when they are tested by fire. For these works, there will be no reward. In verse 15, all of the man's works are burned up, but the foundation, Jesus Christ, remains. Thus "he himself shall be saved" even though his labor merited no rewards. That is because salvation is given, not earned. Works play no role in salvation whatsoever. So 1 Corinthians 3:8-15 reaffirms that eternal life is a free gift of God.

Q: What is the difference between the terms "Hebrews", "Israelites", and "Jews"?

A: All of these terms are dependent upon ancestry, rather than upon where anyone lives. An "Israelite" is any biological descendant of Jacob. Jacob was renamed "Israel" by God in Genesis 32:28. "And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." Jacob was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel whom he blessed in Genesis 49:1-28. Thus, the nation of Israel is often called "the children of Israel" in the Bible text, because they are the descendants of the man, "Israel".

The term "Hebrews" is almost identical to "Israelites", but it slightly broader, because it includes the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in addition to all of the descendants of Jacob. We know this because Abraham was referred to as "Abram the Hebrew" in Genesis 14:13. Therefore all Israelites are also Hebrews.

In explaining the term "Jews", it is beneficial to understand some of Israel's national history. After the reign of King Solomon over all the tribes of Israel around 1000 BC, the kingdom was split into two kingdoms as recorded in 1 Kings 12:1-24. The southern two tribes of Judah and Benjamin comprised the kingdom of Judah. The northern ten tribes continued to be called the kingdom of Israel. Because of the split, there are some occasions where the term "Israel" is used only in reference to the ten northern tribes instead of all twelve. But usually, the term "Israel" refers to all twelve tribes, depending upon the context.

About 300 years after the split of the kingdom, in 712 BC, the Assyrians attacked the northern kingdom and took the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel captive (2 Kings 17:6). The earliest occurrence of the word "Jews" in the Bible is in 2 Kings 16:6, near the time that Israel was carried away. The term "Jews" refers to those of the kingdom of Judah, and their descendants. About one hundred years later, in 606 BC, the Babylonians took the kingdom of Judah captive and carried them away to Babylon (2 Kings 24-25). Seventy years later, the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon (Daniel 5) and released the Jews. However, most of the Jews chose to remain in Babylon, and only a small remnant (Ezra 2:64) of about 42,000 returned to the land of Israel.

Paul said in Acts 21:39, "... I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus (which was not in the land of Israel) ...." He also said in 2 Corinthians 11:22, "Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I ...." So all Jews are also Israelites and Hebrews regardless of whether or not they live in the land of Israel.

As for the northern ten tribes of Israel, the Bible does not record them returning from the Assyrian captivity. Even though their whereabouts may be unknown to men, God still knows where they are and will use them during tribulation, just like the two tribes of the southern kingdom (Revelation 7:1-8). But during the first century when the New Testament was written, the vast majority of the Israelites referred to in scriptures were from the two southern tribes. Thus, they are called "the Jews". But even though "Jews" refers primarily to those of Judah and Benjamin, the term is probably not intended to exclude other Israelites who were living among them such as Hanna from the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36) or Barnabas from the tribe of Levi (Acts 4:36).

In Acts 26:2-7, Paul defended himself before King Agrippa saying, "... I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews." Notice here that Paul seems to be implying that "our twelve tribes" are of the Jews, which would seem to support the idea that the term "Jews" had taken on a broader meaning by the first century, where it no longer meant exclusively the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

Q: Is the following philosophy consistent with Bible teaching? This philosophy states that our only connection with God is in the present moment. But Satan wants us to have regrets over the past or anxiety about the future, so that our minds will be taken off of the present moment and away from God. If we practice letting go of the past and future and focus on the present moment, then contentment and understanding will replace those regretful and anxious feelings.

A: The scriptures would certainly agree that for Christians, regrets and anxiety are unprofitable, as verses I will mention below will show. However, the Bible does not equate the past with regret or the future with anxiety. Regrets about the past and anxiety about the future are indictments of regrets and anxiety, not indictments of the past and the future.

For new Christians who may not yet understand some key Biblical teachings, simply blocking out the past and future may help bring a feeling of peace, but it is not on a secure foundation. Real peace comes from learning about God's eternal plan and the security it brings. Also, for lost secular unbelievers, restricting one's thoughts to the present is more logical (at least to them). After all, for one who does not believe, the Godless past only holds evolution and random chance, and the future holds sickness, death, and decay. Thus it seems logical to him that the present moment is all he has, and his brief existence in this life is the closest thing to peace he will ever know.

But as Christians, we know that God knew us and chose us in the ancient past (if not in eternity past) before He even created this world. Ephesians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world ...." And we will live forever in the very presence of God. Today we are to live for Him and do His will. But we have His love and blessing for all time, from eternity past to eternity future.

Regrets over the past? It is only natural for us as humans to regret past sins or mistakes or regret bad things that have happened to us. But when we look at things from a spiritual, Biblical perspective, regrets quickly wither into nothing. One major key to this is that God has forgiven us of all our sins (Colossians 2:13 & 3:13). So why should I beat myself up about them, when God has wiped the slate clean? Also, who could have had more regrets than our Apostle Paul? He was a persecutor of Christians with a bitter hatred (Acts 9:1-2), and even gave his voice to have Christians put to death (Acts 26:10). But once he was saved, Paul accounted all of his prior life as "dung" (Philippians 3:8) and moved on teaching, evangelizing, and doing the will of God.

Anxiety about the future? Philippians 4:6 says, "Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." In Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus told Israel, "... take no thought (be not anxious), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ... for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." We can look forward to the rapture, the hope of church. 1 Thessalonians 2:19 says, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" Later in that same epistle, Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." So the future should not be a source of anxiety for us, but a source of comfort.

There is much to learn in God's Word in the lessons of past events and much to look forward to in the glorious future that God has for us and all of His people from all dispensations. God created the world in the past and gave the life of His Son for our sins and raised Him from the dead. In the future, He will raise us from the dead (or translate us at the rapture) and will bring in His kingdom. Even the prayer that Jesus taught the apostles included a plea for God to bring in His future Kingdom which had been repeatedly promised in the past.

So in summary, the proper way to avoid regrets and anxiety is not to avoid thinking of the past and future. Instead we are to look at things from the Christian perspective, realizing that we are forgiven of all our sins and that we are eternally secure in Jesus Christ. Then regrets and anxiety have no home.

Q: Is there only one gospel?

A: The Greek word "euaggelion" is translated as "gospel" in the Bible and means "good news" or "glad tidings".

There is only one true gospel of salvation for us in this present dispensation (referred to by many as the "Church Age"). It has been this way for over 1900 years now, and will be until the rapture of the church.

However, we must also realize that this present grace dispensation does not encompass all of history and all of the future. The dispensation of grace had a beginning and will have an end. The other dispensations, including those before and after this one have had and will have other gospels.

In this present dispensation of grace, there is only one gospel for us. That is the gospel of grace: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, freely gave His life as the perfect sacrifice to pay for all of our sins, and He was crucified, buried, and then rose bodily from the dead on the third day. See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 4:24-25, and 1 Thessalonians 4:14.

There are other gospels being preached all over the world today, but those other gospels are false, perverted gospels. In Paul's letters to the mostly Gentile churches, Romans-Philemon, he writes to believers in this present grace dispensation. Paul warned against following other gospels. In Galatians 1:6-9 he wrote, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

The Greek word here translated as "accursed" is "anathema". It means to be cursed or doomed. So in the strongest terms, Paul is denouncing anyone that preaches any other gospel to us.

Now let us look very closely at what Paul said so that we do not misunderstand. Did he pronounce anathema on anyone who ever preached any other gospel to anyone? Many people misinterpret it that way. But no, he said, "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Did Moses preach a gospel to us? No. Did Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry preach a gospel to us? No. Did John the Baptist or the twelve apostles of the circumcision ever preach a gospel to us? No. They all preached to the nation of Israel under the dispensation of the law of Moses, not to us who are under the dispensation of grace. Paul's statement of anathema is not applicable to Moses, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, or the twelve apostles. But it is not because they did not preach another gospel. They did. The statement does not apply to them because they did not preach another gospel to us, Christians in this dispensation of grace.

Occasionally I will hear someone say something like, "Everyone who has ever been saved, in both the old and new testaments, was saved by the gospel of grace. The only difference is that those who lived before the cross looked forward to the Christ's crucifixion, and Christians today look back to it." Well that sounds kind of cute, but it makes no sense at all. No one can believe a gospel that they have not heard. The twelve apostles had no idea that Jesus Christ was going to be killed at all, much less die as the sacrifice for all of our sins (Luke 18:31-34 and Matthew 16:21-22). And after His crucifixion, they had no idea that Christ would rise from the dead until after it had happened (John 20:9). So very clearly, they did not believe our gospel, that Christ would be crucified for our sins and rise from the dead. They couldn't have. It was a secret that had been hidden from them by God. They believed the gospel of the kingdom, simply that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God (Matthew 16:16 and John 11:27). And if they did not know our gospel of grace after having spent three years with Christ, then certainly no one else before that time knew it.

Now another passage that is frequently misunderstood is Galatians 3:6-9, "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."

Here we see that the good news that was proclaimed by God to Abraham was, "In thee shall all nations be blessed." Many people have been told that this means that our gospel of grace was preached to Abraham. Well let's see. Did it say how all the nations would become blessed? Did it say there would be a Messiah that would die for the sins of mankind? Did it say that He would then rise from the dead? No, no, and no, not even close. It just said, "In thee shall all nations be blessed." That is the good news that Abraham believed. It was not the gospel of grace.

For further study on this topic, see the article Israel's Kingdom Gospel and Our Grace Gospel.

Q: When was the book of Revelation written?

A: The book of Revelation probably was written sometime in the years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in 70 AD. Traditionally, the Apostle John's writing of the book of Revelation has been dated around 96 AD, 26 years after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. However, in my research on this topic, I have found very little evidence to support the traditional date of 96 AD for the book of Revelation or the late date for the Apostle John's other writings which are supposed by many to have been written well after 70 AD.

Now I want to be clear that I believe in the pre-millennial second coming of Jesus Christ and the pre-tribulational rapture of all true Christians. I say this because so many of those who believe that the book of Revelation was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, also subscribe to the errors of allegorical or figurative interpretation of scripture, such as preterist, amillennial, or post-millennial beliefs. The events of the war between the Jews and the Romans (66-70 AD) and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD were not the fulfillment of the events described in the book of Revelation. The seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls of wrath, and the abomination of desolation are all yet to take place in the future tribulation, which will be the fulfillment of Daniel's 70th week (Daniel 9:24-27). The Bible must be interpreted literally to be properly understood, except in passages which clearly state that they are symbolic or that they are parables. The end times prophecies clearly show the plagues of the tribulation to be on a global scale. To say that the war of 66-70 AD was the fulfillment of all (or almost all) of the Biblical end times prophecies would be like saying that a guppie is a whale.

The incorrect dating of the writing of the book of Revelation around 96 AD has prompted some to assume that the doctrine given to the seven churches in chapters 2-3 of Revelation was written to believers in this present dispensation of grace. But actually, it was written to Israel as doctrine for the kingdom dispensation, which God put into abeyance in 70 AD when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and which God will reinstate when the tribulation begins after the rapture of the church.

This is why the doctrine presented to the seven churches of Revelation looks so different from the doctrine in Paul's epistles of Romans-Philemon. This is also why the Revelation passages contain far more Old Testament references and are more focused on works than Paul's writings.

Much more detail on the evidence regarding when the book of Revelation was written is available in the article The Seven Churches of Revelation. This article examines scriptural evidence regarding when Revelation may have been written, as well as external accounts of Irenaeus (140-202 AD), Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD), and Papias (60-130 AD) dealing with the dating of Revelation. This research shows that the evidence for dating the book of Revelation around 96 AD is far too weak to allow it to influence, much less dominate, one's theological perspective on the book of Revelation.

Q: Should Christians tell potential believers to, "Ask Jesus into your heart."?

A: In Romans 1:16 Paul wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ...." To be saved, we must believe the gospel. The word "gospel" means "good news". But before we can believe the good news, we have to know what it is.

Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel ... that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures ...." This is the gospel which we must believe in order to be saved.

But far to often, well meaning Christians substitute popular cliches or trite expressions in place of the gospel message. One of the most popular such cliches is, "Ask Jesus into your heart." Or how many times have you heard, "Make Jesus your Lord and personal Savior."? Another such phrase is, "Say yes to Jesus today."

Such cliches are powerless to save anybody. Only the gospel is the "power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ...."

Q: When did Job live?

A: The Bible does not tell us exactly when Job lived, but it does give us several clues that help us narrow it down. As we go through some of the chronology information below, readers may find it helpful to cross-reference the Old Testament Timeline article.

The fact that the book of Job mentions rain many times (Job 5:10, 20:23, etc) tells us that Job lived after the great flood of Noah's time. It did not rain prior to that flood (Genesis 2:5-6, 7:11-12, 9:13). The earth was watered by a mist that came up from the ground due to the high pressure of water under the earth surface. So that would mean that Job was born some time after about 2300 BC.

The fact that Job lived in the land of Uz (Job 1:1), and not in the region of Babylon (such as Shinar or Ur) tells us that he lived after the scattering of the people from the tower of Babel. Prior to that time, all of the people of the world lived together as one people in that geographical area (Genesis 11:1-4). It is possible that Job was born before the tower of Babel, but the events described in the book of Job clearly must have occurred after the tower of Babel, about 2150 BC.

The fact that Israel is not mentioned, and that there is no hint of the law of Moses in the book of Job, suggest that Job was not an Israelite, and that the events in the book of Job happened prior to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt in about 1500 BC. The fact that Job makes animal sacrifices himself (Job 1:5) rather than taking them to a priest also suggests that he lived prior to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.

Job 42:16 tells us that Job lived another 140 years after all the main events of the book had taken place. Being that he was already a wealthy man (Job 1:3) with grown children (Job 1:4) when the events of the book began, it seems very likely that Job's full life span was well over 200 years. The ages given in the geneology in chapter 11 of Genesis show that during the 2200 BC to 1500 BC time frame, life spans decreased dramatically. Terah, Abraham's father who died at the age of 205 years (Genesis 11:32), was the last person recorded as having lived for more than 200 years. Abraham and Isaac lived 175 years (Genesis 25:7) and 180 years (Genesis 35:28) respectively, and life spans dropped off from there in the generations that followed. So it seems likely that Job lived no later than the time of Abraham, and probably a little before, most likely during the 2200 BC to 1900 BC time frame.

Q: Is there a difference between "LORD" and "Lord" in the scriptures?

A: Yes. When "the LORD" appears in all capital letters in the Old Testament of the King James translation of the Bible, it is almost always the Hebrew word "Jehovah", God's proper name. Jehovah means "the existing one". The KJV translators did not spell out the name Jehovah, but replaced it with "the LORD" 99.86% of the more than 6000 times that it occurs in the Old Testament. This translation may give some readers the impression that God almost always refers to Himself by the title, "the LORD", when actually, He usually refers to Himself as "Jehovah". In every case that I know of, "the LORD" in the Bible refers to God's proper name. This term is not used in the Greek portion of scriptures commonly referred to as the "New Testament".

In the scriptures, the title, "Lord", not in all caps, may or may not be referring to God. Readers should look at the context of how it is used. In the new testament, the Greek word is "kurios", which means "master" or "the one to whom the speaker belongs". "Lord" is used as a title of honor and respect. It usually refers to Jesus in the new testament but not always. For example, Festus calls King Agrippa "lord" (kurios) in Acts 25:26. 1 Peter 3:6 tells how Sarah called Abraham "lord" (kurios). In these verses, the translators left "lord" in lower case.

In the old testament, the Hebrew word "adonay" is used at a title of deep respect and translated "Lord". It usually refers to God, but readers should take care to examine the context because it may not always be a reference to God. Also, the Hebrew word "adown" is often used at a title of deep respect and translated "Lord" as in Genesis 23:6 where the children of Heth called Abraham "lord" or in Genesis 18:12 where Sara called Abraham "lord". Often, "adown" is translated as "master" instead of "lord". It usually refers to a man in a position of respect, but may occasionally be used in reference to God.

Q: How did I meet Les Feldick?

A: In the years leading up to meeting Les Feldick in 1995, my wife, Beth, and I had studied the Word of God quite a bit, and the Lord had blessed us with an understanding of many of the basic dispensational truths. We understood that Christ's earthly ministry was to the Jews, but we still thought that this present dispensation of grace began with a flip of a switch at Pentecost in Acts 2. Then Beth found Les Feldick's TV program when Les was teaching in the book of Acts. After we listened with great interest for a few weeks, she called up to order one of Les's books. She placed the order with Iris, Les's wife, who asked, "Where are you honey?" That's how we found out that Les taught a class weekly at a school near us. The first night that we attended in the fall of 1995, Les was teaching the book of Ephesians to a class of about sixty. In that very first class, we heard Les say that the gospel that Peter was preaching in the early chapters of the book of Acts was not the gospel of grace that Paul later preached. We drove home asking each other, "How could that be?" We immediately started writing down questions. We had to get further explanation of this. We then mailed a letter to Les asking what the differences were between Peter's gospel and the grace gospel. At the next week's class, we brought a friend and his wife with us. We were so surprised when, at the beginning of class, Les broke from his verse-by-verse teaching of Ephesians and spent the whole two hours of the class expounding in detail on the questions we had sent to him. All four of us were convinced! We spoke the next day and agreed this was certainly new to us all, but it was no heresy. Les had shown how it was backed up by the scriptures all the way. We immediately began studying to learn as much on this topic as we could. At the next week's class, Les taught another two hours on the same topic, providing more detail and scriptural backing. This understanding of the dispensational change in Acts from law to grace is so valuable, not only because it provides a clear view of the gospel of our salvation, but also because it helps clear up so many other questions that confuse and divide believers who do not understand this dispensational change. The article, Israel's Kingdom Gospel and Our Grace Gospel, provides details on the differences between the two gospels and the two dispensations. Les Feldick's Bible study web site is at www.lesfeldick.org.

Q: How can Jesus be King, since there was a curse placed upon King Jeconiah and his descendants?

A: King Jeconiah (also called Coniah or Jehoiachin), was the son of Jehoiakim, King of Judah. In his days, the Babylonians, ruled by Nebuchadnezzar, carried Judah into captivity. God cursed Jeconiah saying "... no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." (Jeremiah 22:30). Jeconiah was one of the fore-fathers of Joseph, husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.

So some may then ask, "How can Jesus ever reign over an earthly kingdom when God had pronounced such a curse upon Jeconiah?"

The key is that Jesus is the biological seed of King David, but not of King Jeconiah. Therefore God's unconditional promises to David apply to Jesus, but the curse of Jeconiah does not. Matthew 1:1 refers to Jesus as "the son of David, the son of Abraham". This is followed by the biological line from Abraham to Joseph in which most of the King's of Judah are recorded. "Abraham begat Isaac; Isaac begat...David begat Solomon; Solomon begat...Josias begat Jechonias...Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." (Matthew 1:2-16). Note that it is not said that Joseph begat Jesus, for we all know that Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18, 25). Thus there is not a biological link from Jesus to Joseph.

So then one may ask, "If Jesus is not decended from Jechoniah, how then can Jesus be the son of David?"

Though Jesus is legal heir to the throne of David through Joseph, Jesus' biological claim to David's throne is through Mary, also a decendant of David. Luke 3:23-38 gives the line from Jesus back to Adam. This line goes from David through his son Nathan, full-brother of Solomon. This line does not pass through Solomon, Jehoachin, or the other kings. Jesus is said to be "the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli..." This genology separates totally from the one in Matthew and does not rejoin the line until all the way back to David. The only logical answer is that this is the geneology of Mary, since Joseph, son (-in-law) of Heli cannot have two biological fathers. The word "son" in scripture is sometimes used to denote a relationship other than that of a direct biological son, such as a grandson or son-in law. In 1 Samuel 24:16, "... Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David?...." David had married Saul's daughter, as was the case with Joseph and Heli. It is truly amazing how intricately God's Word is woven together!

Finally, one might ask, "Okay, then if the line from David to the Messiah passed through Nathan (Solomon's brother), then what about God's promise to Solomon?"

It is important in the interpretation of scripture to realize the difference between an unconditional promise of God and a conditional promise of God. Unconditional promises of God come true, sooner or later, 100% of the time. Conditional promises are typically either "if-then statements" or "if-and-only-if statements". God told David through Nathan, the prophet, (not to be confused with Nathan, son of David and Bathsheba) "... thine house and thine Kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." (2 Sam 7:16). This is as certain as any statement ever made, since God said it, and no conditions were given.

Compare this to the promises made to Solomon, "If thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked ... and wilt keep my statutes ... then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever...but if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes ... but go and serve other gods ..." (1 Kings 9:4-6). Later we read "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the lord his God, as was the heart of David his father." (1 Kings 11:4). Since Solomon failed to satisfy the "if", God did not fulfill the "then".

Q: Does the Bible forbid dancing?

A: In different places in scripture, dancing is at times associated with good and at times with evil, and in other places, it is mentioned in neither a good nor evil context.

Not only is dancing not forbidden, Israel was even encouraged to dance in praise of the Lord. Psalms 149:1-4, "Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation."

Likewise Psalms 150:1-4 says, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary ... Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs."

Psalms 30:10-12, "Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever."

When the armies of pharoah were destroyed at the crossing of the Red Sea, Exodus 15:20-21 says, "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."

King David danced before the LORD as the ark of the covenant was being brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-16).

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven ... a time to mourn, and a time to dance ...."

Jeremiah 31:3-4 says, "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry." Then a little further down in verses 13-14, "Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD."

Dancing is also mentioned in the celebration of the return of the lost son in Luke 15:25.

As for dancing associated with evil, dancing is mentioned in worship of an idol in Exodus 32:19 and leading up to the beheading of John the Baptist in Matthew 14:6 and Mark 6:22.

Other Bible references to dancing include Judges 11:34, 21:21-23, 1 Samuel 18:6, Lamentations 5:15, Matthew 11:17, and Luke 7:32.

Much of the modern preaching against dancing is likely in reaction to the vulgarity that is common and has been prolific in recent decades. Of course, dancing in a manner intended to be provocative would be inappropriate outside of marriage. However, as shown by many passages above, saying that all dancing is sinful does not line up with what the Bible says.