Upon reading Revelation 13:1-3, verse 1 states the beast has “seven heads and ten crowns”. Verse 3 says that “one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Is this “wounded to death” head an actual man’s head? I mean, how can this “beast” not look ghastly?? Seven heads? It’s like something from a sci-fi movie! Verse 2 explains that in more detail. This is a picture of the Anti-Christ, yes? If so, how can he look like this and be ever-so desirable to the nations? It sounds like he looks hideous.

Re: The Restrainer = Holy Spirit resident in the Church. The question centered on who was being restrained. My small group leader didn’t feel that 2 Thess 2:7 was necessarily talking about the restraining of evil. He asked the question – How much restraining is the Church really doing anyway? – Not so much. Seems a bit egotistical to believe that we as the Church are having that much effect on Evil. His thought was that it was the Lord’s Wrath that was being restrained. That it couldn’t fall until the Church was taken out.

This seems to match scripturally. The event that allowed the Lord’s Wrath to fall in Sodom/Gomorrah and other “wrath” events in the Bible was a separation of the righteous from the unrighteous. The Lord’s Wrath is restrained until that separation occurs. How does this square with your thoughts?

Is receiving the Holy Spirit the same as being baptized with the Holy Spirt? If not, please explain the difference.

I recently read an article about the new Left Behind movie that has sparked quite a debate amongst Christians. I am a Bible believing Christian who knows we are living in the last days and I’ve always thought the pre-trib rapture made the most sense according to scripture. However, after reading so many comments on this link I feel a bit confused. There were so many people claiming to be Christians but said there was no such thing as the rapture and that it has no Biblical standing. I know the Bible doesn’t actually use the word rapture but I was stunned to see how many don’t believe in this event. It makes me feel like maybe I missed something or I am just hanging onto the hope of escaping the wrath of God here on earth when it happens. How is it that Christians can have such a wide scope of beliefs that don’t match up with each others but we all claim to get them from the same place, the Bible?

When the Lord showed Thomas his wounds to prove that He had risen from the dead, He said “Because you have seen me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:24-29). As I understand, this is why The Church has such a special relationship with God, we believe by faith alone. It is clear that the disciples started the Church. But, since it seems, that at least of part of the disciples’ faith is due to the fact that they had seen the Lord, his miracles, and his resurrection, does that mean that they (or anyone who saw Jesus during his ministry) are not part of the Church?

Reading through the book of James again, I am in full agreement that not many should become teachers. Regarding the “stricter judgement”, will that judgement come from man or God? If from God, how and when will He administer stricter judgement as compared to the rest of the saints?

My question is on faith. I know someone who is terminally ill and dying. She has great faith in the Lord. In a recent conversation she said, “Can you imagine meeting Jesus? How wonderful it will be”. There was such excitement in her spirit. I have great respect and admiration for her faith and the relationship she has with Him. She has said that her faith is a simple one. She trusts her life to God. In many of our conversations over the years she has shared her faith and the faithfulness of the Lord in her life. How do you reach that kind of faith?

I would like to know the meaning of the man as head of household, and should a wife do whatever the husband tells her if he’s not faithful to God, drinks obsessively, has integrity issues, and squanders money?

I was studying the judgments of the end times for the purpose of warning some friends I care about what awaits them if they continue to put off salvation. I’d like your opinion on something. While the fact is no one knows for sure it seems to me that the 7 thunders are an unrevealed series of judgments, probably worse than the trumpet judgments, but not as severe as the bowl judgments. I say this because of the number of thunders and the location of the thunders in the book. What’s your opinion?

My husband was watching an end-times TV show where the commentator said the anti-Christ will be killed and then resurrect himself during the Tribulation. The idea will be he can show himself to have great power and win the masses to his side. I have never heard of the anti-Christ dying during the Tribulation, have you? Is this Biblical?