I recently heard a pastor respond to a question about the generation mentioned in Matthew 24. He stated the generation Jesus was referring to was the one that would see the tribulation, and it would not pass away until the 2nd coming. My understanding is the generation are the ones who have seen Israel become a nation. Could you please help me with this?

I’ve been watching a pastor on TV who is obviously post-trib and goes so far to claim we have been in the Tribulation for several years. I have no quarrel with his teaching since I feel he is on target with his basic tenets of OSAS and it doesn’t bother me about “pre” or “post”. However, I note in John 6:37-40 that Christ says He will raise us up on the last day. Doesn’t that sound like “post-trib” to you?

Concerning Israel and America, many people consider both to be “chosen” of God. But with Israel, God did the choosing. Wasn’t America’s designation as a “chosen” nation man’s request, or statement, to God? Have we just been kidding ourselves?

In light of the failed peace agreement in Syria, do you think a possible invasion by outside forces might happen soon? And if so, do you think it may trigger a bigger regional conflict, especially with Israel? I was wondering how else the situation might resolve itself, especially since Assad doesn’t look like he’s going to back down.

I lead a small group of high school freshmen boys. We recently studied faith vs works. One provides eternal life, the other determines the way you experience heaven. Am I on track here and can you provide guidance as I now tackle their obvious follow up question of “what will the judgment be about and will people experience heaven differently based on said judgement.”

I’ve noticed a lot of people lately who believe that the death of Jesus just “covers them” without their having to accept being a sinner with the need for salvation. The whole “God is love” thing and “God won’t really punish anyone” is a common point of view lately. It seems many more people than I imagined think that salvation is a blanket policy that everyone qualifies for by default. Could you address this issue in more depth?

Do you think that Jerusalem will be captured by the Gentiles (Arabs in our case) during the Tribulation? Zachariah and Joel seem to make that claim. Is that correct? If so, how do you reconcile the claim that Jews will never be dispersed from their land. I understand that being captured and being dispersed are different things, but nevertheless, Jerusalem is a pretty big deal to give up.

What is the origin of the maypole dance and should Christian parents allow their 5th grader to participate in such a ritual that supposedly has its roots in Paganism?

I understand the Pentecostal movement greatly relies on 1 Cor 13:10 referring to the Second Coming so that they don’t have to deal with the whole context of verses 8 – 13. That being the fact that the whole Word of God is now with us, complete and full and thus there is no longer a need for partial revelation through tongues, prophesies, and knowledge. Since the gender in the Greek of “perfect” in vs 10 in neuter, seems like Paul is referring to God’s complete Word rather than His Son at His second coming. What do you think the Lord is saying in these verses?

I was thinking about the various feasts of Israel and how amazing God’s timetable is concerning the rebirth of the nation and of Jerusalem; how the calculation of the dates coincided so perfectly with the prophecies in the Old Testament. Then I was thinking about the date of the rebirth of Israel–May 14, 1948. I wondered if there was any correspondence to any of the feasts back in 1948. I found an article that said that if you don’t add the extra leap month for that year, the rebirth of the nation actually lands on the eve of Shavuot!