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When I was younger I served in the Canadian military for a number of years and have always supported Canada’s military missions. It has been about 10 years since I came to Christ and ever since then I have been wondering if His statement on living by the sword is directed towards those who make their living in the armed forces. My pastor and many of my born-again friends espouse the idea of pacifism to such a level that it makes me wonder if I’m missing something. Are they correct in their belief that Jesus was a complete pacifist and that this is the idea He had always tried to teach us?

I was reading your study on Abraham and Isaac and you say (regarding the covenant that God made with Abraham) that it “required no behavioral standards to remain in force.” Can you elaborate on that, or explain it another way. I’m not quite sure what that means. Thanks

I was having a conversation with a bible study teacher from my church. When I said “covered by the blood” he said that I was not “theologically correct.” I was confused and he went on to explain to me that there is no blood to be covered by. Then he said the blood of Jesus was spilled and it is no more. It was a sacrifice before God and we are right with God because of it but we are not covered by it. Now, I believe that we are right with God only by accepting what Jesus did on the cross as payment for our sins and He purchased our salvation. My question is what about the scriptures that talk about His blood cleansing us?

I would appreciate your perspective on Jesus not knowing the day or hour of His second coming. It is my understanding that when Jesus became a Man he had to separate his divine nature from his human nature. Does this mean that when He was on earth His divine, infinite knowledge was not available to Him?

There are a number of well-known, widely respected, men (and a few women), pastors of huge congregations whose teachings cover everything from how to be happy and prosperous to the address where we can send our contributions. When so much of what they hold forth as “Gospel Truth” is neither Gospel nor Truth, why does God tolerate their dissemination of lies that often lead many into eternity without Christ? Why is He not more vigorous and assertive in the defense of sound doctrine?

I have often heard Christian teachers and preachers who seem to be very knowledgeable about scripture refer to the elect in various scripture passages as Christians and then sometimes as Jewish believers. Since starting to study prophecy years ago, I have always believed that the elect referred to the Jewish believers such as in Matthew 24:22 where the distress during the Great Tribulation was to be cut short for the sake of the elect. Prophetically speaking, it can be confusing if the word elect refers to one group in some of scripture and a different group in another. Is there any place in scripture that the word elect refers to Christians?

I was reading Exodus 3 where Moses was confronted with the burning bush. It says that an angel of the Lord appeared to him. My question is about the angel of the Lord that has appeared multiple times in the Bible. Do you know if this angel of the Lord is a separate being from God himself? Or is this just a means of physically appearing to man?

I enjoy your website and appreciate your knowledge of God’s word. My question concerns the true born again experience. Most church messages I’ve heard call people to the altar to confess Jesus as their Savior, but never truly prepare the convert for the broken and contrite surrender necessary for the completion of their salvation. Do you agree that our Western Christian culture has watered down the message, leaving many who believe that they are born again deceived?

I was reading this morning and in John 5:41 it says “I do not receive glory from people.” I think I understand the context of why He was saying this but it raised the question to me, what is Glory? I hear so many people saying “Give glory to God” or “Glory be to Jesus” And the Bible is filled with the word “glory” but what is it from a Spiritual and Scriptural definition?

Regarding the Straight Gate. Is it possible that the merciful and omnipotent God will allow a person to want to believe and be saved; pray with the intent to believe and be saved, want to repent and be forgiven, ask for faith to believe and be saved, but still fail to find that gate?

I’ve read several of your articles that address “works based faith” and 100% agree with all of them. But I know a believer who really does believe in Jesus and what He did at the Cross, yet still thinks he “has to do more” to make himself “worthy”. When we talk about it He says things like, ” A true saved soul, child of God, will do His will no matter what and work harder every day to prove himself worthy to our Lord and Savior” and “I do believe that I can show God more & more every day that I am worthy of His love.”

Re: ‘Are you sure about OSAS?‘ As Eve was being tempted by Satan into eating the fruit, he was getting her to think about how it was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, would make one wise. She was thinking about all these things BEFORE she ate of it. If she had walked away, or if Adam had stopped her, she would not have eaten of the fruit. And that’s what God had forbidden them: ‘but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat.’ Gen 2:16. It wasn’t forbidden to think about it, but to do it. I accept that Jesus was teaching about changing our hearts when He spoke against even anger. Yet, anger is justifiable many times. Jesus was angry at the Pharisees but He didn’t kill any of them.

The bible tells us that 1/3 of the angels got kicked out of heaven. I have heard that there are 7 types of angels, thus the 7 spirits of god. Can you tell me out of the 7 types of angels which type fell from heaven or was it a combination of all 7 types ?

How does your position on Sunday worship follow the words by Jesus in Matt 5: 17-19? “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

In reading your posts on Daniel chapter 9 about the 483 years till Jesus’ Crucifixion. How did the Persian Priests know what year to look for the star as the sign of Jesus birth?

I have a nagging feeling all the time about my salvation. I read that salvation is from faith in Jesus Christ alone not works. But I get conflicting answers when I read things people say on different Bible sites. For example, some say when you’re saved you should spread the gospel to everyone you meet. I sometimes talk to people about what I believe but not everyone I meet. I am afraid people will think I am weird and won’t like me. Is that normal to a believer? And if I don’t share the gospel am I still saved?

In 1 Kings 8:9 it says there was nothing in the ark save the two tablets of stone. Then in Hebrews 9:4 it says Aaron’s rod and the golden pot of manna are also in it. I would like to know why they are not mentioned in Kings. Is it spiritual somehow? Aaron’s rod and the pot of manna are mentioned in Exodus and Numbers as being in the ark. So again why were they not mentioned ? I am doing a study on 1 Kings 8 and would appreciate your input.

John 6:29 says, “The work of God is to believe in the One He has sent.” As a child of 10 or 12, I used to ask God to make me more like Jesus, but I never specifically asked Him to “save” me. Even so, was my belief sufficient to save me during those childhood years? Can one be saved before reaching an age of accountability and knowledge of the concept of sin and its eternal consequences? Is it enough to believe, even if one never specifically asks for salvation?

In my past I did something at this couples house that I felt bad about. I felt it on my heart to confess to my leader and I did. I had confessed to the Lord before that and prayed for forgiveness. Then I felt it on my heart to confess my sin to the couple. When I called the wife and said I had a sin to confess to her she stopped me and said, “You don’t have to do this.” She told me I didn’t have to tell her, that I was already forgiven, and that I need only confess to it God, walk away from it and not mention it again. What is the biblical role of confessing sin? I look at Proverbs 28:13 and it seems that I am supposed to confess my sins even to other people that I have wronged. What is your take on the whole confessing to other people?

I have thought long and hard about the ‘predestination’ argument and I think that ‘pre’ meaning before, and ‘destination’ meaning ‘the end of the journey’ simply tells us that those of us He foreknew would reach our destination, previously prepared for us. Does this fit with the Greek of which I know nothing?

Absent a “professional” explanation, I have always thought that the dispute over the body of Moses and the reason God secretly buried it was to prevent a subsequent apotheosis of Moses and his burial place becoming a shrine of towering importance to rival even the Temple in the minds of the people. What, in your thinking, was the reason for the dispute?

A Bible teacher whom I respect greatly wrote an article concerning our judgment for sins after we die as Christians. My whole Christian life I have been painfully aware of my sins. The only hope I have is the knowledge that all my sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. I have been looking forward to the Rapture when all the things of this life will be no more and we will be free from this burden of sin.

But according to the Bible teacher this won’t happen. As soon as we die or are raptured we will face God’s judgment and and have to answer for every sinful thought and deed we ever had. I am almost in tears thinking of the shame I will feel. Now the rapture doesn’t seem like something we can look forward to but is something to dread. How can we encourage each other about the rapture if there’s a big judgment coming right after it?

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other night and she asked me what you have to do and what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I tried explaining to her that you repent of your sins, ask the Lord for forgiveness, and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I also said that once you are (filled with the Holy Spirit) you will feel conviction when you have done something wrong because the Holy spirit within you will grieve. Then she asked how do you know conviction from guilt? Can you please explain these things to me in a way that I can explain to her without confusing her more? Thank you so much.

Your website is wonderful and I believe Holy Spirit led! You have helped me tremendously with 2 other questions I had and I have another one today that is weighing on my mind. I know we must forgive others. I have worked hard and work hard daily to forgive others as I am so graciously and wonderfully forgiven by Jesus Christ my GOD.

What is bothering me though is forgiving on behalf of others. For instance one circumstance I am having difficulty with is forgiving a step-mother who is divorcing my Dad and being very selfish and greedy about it in my humble opinion. Another instance is forgiving my father-in-law who we recently found out molested at least 2 of our nieces.

My guilt about not forgiving and the anger I feel in these situations is driving me to seek the counsel of someone like you who may be able to shed some light on how Jesus wants us to handle the situation.

I would like scripture to back up your answer; if you have an answer or some guidance for me. If you feel led to help me with my questions I would be very grateful. Of course I know to pray for all parties and I know how to say I forgive; but I don’t know how to REALLY forgive or if the Lord even expects me to. Can you help?

My question concerns your “End Times According to Ezekiel Part 2“:

” ‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’ ” (Ezekiel 37:24-28) You clearly state in the study that these verses describe the circumstances that will exist during the Millennium. Would you please clarify the last sentence a bit more. The use of the word “forever” at least implies that the discribed circumstance might extend past the end of the Millennium into eternity. I don’t believe that is the case and that “forever” in this case may have some limitation.