Through my studies in soteriology I have reached some confusion regarding the atonement of Christ. When the Bible says to believe in Christ, does that include understanding/believing the significance of Jesus’ blood; what about the exact happenings of Jesus sacrifice onward, like if it was on a cross, and if He went to heaven to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat in Heaven, etc. It seems like there are so many add-ons and technicalities to ‘believe in Jesus.’ The way to salvation is something that we just can’t afford to get wrong- and yet, it seems so easy to make some kind of mistake that could end up sending one to Hell.

In Ephesians 1:5 Paul writes, “Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Now I understand that every time we see predestined in the scriptures, it is talking about foreknowing. So, this means God knew us before we were born and knew how we would respond to His plan of salvation. I understand that God did not create us to accept, nor did He create some not to accept, He just knew who would accept. My question is, knowing who would accept and who wouldn’t, why did he create those that He knew wouldn’t?

I was reading in the gospel of Luke this morning and have a question for you. In Luke 13:4 Jesus speaks of the tower of Siloam falling and killing 18 people. I had never heard of that before. Can you elaborate on this subject for me if you have time?

I have a question about confessing our sins. Since the Bible says that anything that is not of faith is sin, it would seem that we sin oftentimes without even realizing that we’re sinning. And it would seem that we’re in sin more than we’re out of sin. With that in mind, we’d have to spend almost every waking moment confessing our sins in order to be back in fellowship with God on a continual basis. Do you think God really wants us to spend that much time confessing sins?

I have noticed over the years when I spread the Good News of Jesus, using Bible Prophecy, that non-Christians are many times more ready to accept what I say about the End Times, the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus than true believers are. Many believers just pooh-pooh anything to do with Bible Prophecy and say, “It’s not for us to know.” or “No one knows the day or hour.” It is so frustrating to talk to them that I almost get gleeful knowing that there is a better reward in Heaven, for those of us who await the Lord’s return with great hope, than for them. Am I wrong to feel that way?

I read in your article where Paul cautions us not to associate with believers who live sinful lives. I have a dear friend whose family is not living a Godly life (in my opinion) but she’s a new believer. Her children ask me questions all the time about God and the rapture and Hell as does she. She truly believes what I tell her and professes Christ to everyone, but she has not left her worldly behaviors behind, even though I’ve talked to her about it. So, my question is am I sinning by associating with her?

I’ve been reading a lot about spiritual warfare. I’ve encountered something that I can’t make head or tails of and wanted to see what you think about it. Have you ever heard of a spirit called python? I’ve been looking at some other resources and have found out that it is also related to divination, and is also known as necromancer. My pastor had a dream where he encountered a spirit with the same name. I just wanted to know what you thought and what you may have found in the bible concerning this, thanks.

In reading one of your Bible studies I noticed you refer to the Day of the Lord as 3 1/2 years. Does this mean the tribulation period is 3 1/2 years not 7? As McGee says you have to put the cookies on the bottom shelf for some of us.

In Rev. 13:9 we read, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Another prophecy teacher quoted this scripture as evidence that the church will be raptured before the tribulation. He said that “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” appears 7 times in the book of Rev. The only time it appears without “what the Spirit says to the churches” is in Rev. 13:9. Is this omission evidence that the church is already gone?

Re: Rev. 5:6, you wrote in a previous column, “Although John’s description is symbolic, many scholars believe John saw Jesus in physical form still bearing the scars of His crucifixion and that’s the way He looks today.” So, if our Lord still carries the scars of crucifixion, and we are supposed to become like Him, will we carry those scars also? Will his body become perfect at some point? I’ve never heard that mentioned, and can’t find anything to support it after years of Bible study.