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.

When Christ our Lord died and rose again through the power of the Holy Spirit, did He take all the dead in Him that were waiting in Paradise to Heaven or are they still waiting in paradise for the Day of the Lord (Rapture)? I ask this because in 2 Cor. 12:2-4 Paul spoke about a man going to Paradise. Who was the man and why did he go to Paradise if there’s no one there?

I have been wondering what we can know, Biblically speaking, about the number of the days of our individual lives. Is it a predetermined number that we cannot alter by lifestyle or by choices we make (i.e. engaging in extreme or hazardous sports)? I have looked at Psalm 139, Job 14:5, Proverbs 3:1-2, Proverbs 9:11, Eccl. 7:15, etc. It might be reasonable to think that some choices we make (i.e. dietary, exercise, flossing, to name a few) could improve the quality of our life, but does anything under our control increase the number of days we are given?

Recently, I’ve received letters from a church saying that The Holy Spirit had directed them to mail me. I regularly receive letters claiming Spirit led instruction. It says that if I’m obedient, God will pour out great blessings for me. God has blessed me richly and I’ve been a faithful tither for several years. If it is instruction from the Holy Spirit, I want to be obedient. I’m not sure it is. I don’t want to be taken advantage of, but want to do the right thing. Am I missing something?

Could you please explain Matt. 16:28 to me. Isn’t Jesus speaking to the disciples when he says “some of you standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom”? Is that the Second Coming after the Great Tribulation or is that ‘coming in His Kingdom’ something else?

Somewhere in the Book of Jeremiah , God tells Jeremiah to purchase a plot of land and seal the deed in a clay pot and bury it. From my calculations this plot of land is in Anathoth, which is just north of present day Jerusalem. Could this be the deed for the plot where the new temple will be built? And isn’t this pot somehow reserved to be found in our time?

Though I was raised in a “Christian” home, my father was abusive during my entire childhood. I would see him in church, raising his hands in worship and praying for others, since he was a deacon in the church, then he would then beat me and my siblings in between services. I always prayed to God to change my daddy, but He never did.

As an adult woman, I have had anger and bitterness towards God, though I have several times gone to HIM for a relationship. I don’t think I have ever felt God- A few weeks ago, I finally submitted and have been daily worshiping and praying, for I don’t simply want God in my life but want Him to be the CENTER of my life. Reading “The Shack” by William Young was so amazing and I felt like that book was written to reach a place in my heart I had closed off since Childhood. However, I am personally being challenged- my partner has been hiding his prescription drug use and alcohol use from me. He has begun a spiral towards hell and all I can do is pray. BUT my question to you is this.

I feel as if my life and those of people I love are all subjected to others FREE WILL. God CAN intervene but will never force, or stop evil from happening. So again, I am at mercy of others. When does God come into the picture? I hope I am making this clear enough for you. Even though I have known of a God my entire life, I am only now getting to KNOW GOD. To have this challenge with Michael so soon into my new faith has been hard. I lost a dear friend to suicide August 14th of this year. Michael has the same voices in the basement, telling him that he is no good and has nothing to offer. When will God ever intervene? I read somewhere in the Bible that God can change the hearts of people. Please if you can, explain. I try to remain strong and loving towards God now.

Re: Sabbath In The Millennium

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened. The prince is to enter from the outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the gatepost. The priests are to sacrifice his burnt offering and his fellowship offerings. He is to worship at the threshold of the gateway and then go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. On the Sabbaths and New Moons the people of the land are to worship in the presence of the LORD at the entrance to that gateway.” Ezekiel 46:1-3

Will you please provide a discussion of what this Scripture means? What is going on? Who does what? Who is the “prince” (with a lower case “p”)? Who is “he” that is “to worship”?