I greatly appreciate your responses to the question asked of you. I was raised Catholic, and know that the Catholic church claims Jesus made Peter the first pope. I know the passage they refer to as their proof of this, but can find no basis for believing that to be the correct interpretation of this passage. How would you respond to this claim?

You’ve written that the old testament saints were saved if they died believing that God would fulfill His promise to send the Redeemer (Genesis 12:3). Although they never saw Him, their faith saved them. Perfect, I got it. But you’ve oft times also written that the Holy Spirit deals differently with the church than any other group of people. I believe that too. Therefore OT saints (like post-rapture believers will) had to remain faithful in order to keep their salvation because they are not sealed with the Holy Spirit like church age people are. But doesn’t this imply a works-based salvation rather than a faith-based one? If their faith in the coming Messiah saved them, they shouldn’t have to “work” to keep that salvation.

My friend asked me to write and ask you this question. Is smoking a sin? And is overeating a sin? She is presently trying to quit smoking and she is over indulging in food. She knows that she is eating a lot more than she needs, but was wondering if it is a sin?

My question is about the significance of the temple to Jesus and the disciples. If Jesus said that the Jews had turned his Father’s house into a “house of merchandise” why do we see Jesus going there throughout the gospels. Also, in Acts 3 we see Peter and John going there obviously for the evening sacrifice and prayer. What reason would they have for going there now that Jesus was their final sacrifice?

I agree with you on the age of accountability concept but what about a person who’s an adult and hasn’t accepted Jesus in faith gets into an accident and suffers an acquired brain injury and is no longer intellectually competent? What do you think God’s word says about this? I know of no clear position in scripture.

Thank you for your sharing your knowledge of the Word. My question is on Judges 2 in the KJV it says an angel ( small a ) of the Lord and in the ( NKJV) it says the Angel of the Lord. Is there any significant difference here and which is the most accurate?

Thank you for your insight! Your website has been a blessing to me for a long time. There’s something I do not understand. In my heart, I believe heaven and earth are eternal. Am I wrong? What did Jesus mean in Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33 when He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” It is also mentioned in 2 Peter 3:10.

While reading your 7 Things book I came across this statement. “For 2600 years, with the exception of one 33 year period, God will have been absent from the planet leaving man to fend for himself.” How did you arrive at the 2600 year figure? What about the other 3400 years since the Creation? Hasn’t the Holy Spirit always been here?

Your response to the man who asked about the salvation of one who has never heard of Jesus begs the question.

You wrote that God puts an awareness of “His eternal power and Godhead” in the mind and heart of all His creation, which I believe.

But that is not the same as the, can we say, “technical” aspect that salvation comes only through belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, whose blood pays the penalty for our sins, which I also believe.

Thus, a wild man of Borneo may know of God and, after his fashion, worship Him as Creator, but still not know, having never heard, that God came to earth in the person of Jesus, lived a perfect life, and shed his blood that all who believe this and come to him will be saved.

How can he know “without a teacher?”

That, I think, is the man’s question, and mine as well. Will the “wild man” who believes in God, but who never heard of Jesus and who, thus, is unable to come to Him, be damned?

In ‘When is Satan’s expulsion’ you reply: Thousands of years after Adam and Eve had their encounter with Satan, he can be seen in Heaven contesting with God over the righteousness of Job (Job 1:6-7). I thought that Job was one of the very earliest books to be written so I would like a clarification on ‘thousands of years after’.