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I’m confused at times with the meaning of the word “if”. Several places in the Old Testament God promises Israel that He will bless them “if” they follow the commands He gave them (i.e., Deut. 7:12). However in the New Testament the word “if” sometimes is used to mean “since”. I think I read in one of your postings that the Greek word for “if” is “eige”. The reason I need this sorted out is some are using the word “if” not in the “since” translation but as being a conditional “if” to try and prove we can lose our salvation. Can you help?

Actually it says in the Bible if we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven. Jesus spoke this in Matthew just after Lords Prayer. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Mat 6:14-15) Your post Do I have to forgive him? says it doesn’t matter if you do or not.

I was recently part of a large argument in our family. A family member continually lies and uses me as a scapegoat, but my mother in law says I am required to forgive.

I know this person is lying because I was there. Since he does not have a repentant heart, do I still need to forgive him? I don’t want to allow Satan to play divide and conquer with us, but I also don’t feel I can forgive when there is no repentance.

I have realized that I have trusted too much in my feelings and my thoughts instead of the word of God, however learning to rely solely on God’s word is difficult, what advice can you give regarding that? How can I learn to trust in what is written in the Bible and not what I feel or what thoughts pop up in my mind?

I know the Bible says not to store treasures for yourself here on earth but to store your treasures in heaven. I believe the Bible entirely and try to follow Gods word. However, I do believe God gave us a little thing called common since. With the increase of natural disasters and the threat of terrorism, I have started putting a supply of food and water away. Not because I don’t trust God to take care of me and my family, because he has all this time, but because he has given us warnings as to how evil the world is and will become. Do you think I am being foolish for storing or do you think it is a wise idea just in case something like a natural disaster were to occur?

The Bible says that those who have been given more than others (on earth) are expected to do more with their resources. I understand this to mean physical assets like money. But does it mean psychological things too? For example, if someone loves to be around people, does that mean they have “more” than someone who’s shy and scared to be around others? Would that then excuse the shy person from not witnessing because God knows how hard it is for them?

Was the Last Supper a Passover Seder? The gospels are somewhat confusing to me concerning this. Matthew , Mark , and Luke seem to indicate that it was. But the gospel of John indicates that Christ was betrayed and crucified before the Passover Seder. Is there a conflict between the Gospel accounts?

I have a question maybe you might have some insight to. In Genesis 22 when God tested Abraham (vs 1-2) God was the one who came to Abraham and asked him to go to Moriah and sacrifice his son. However when it came time to spare his son, an Angel of the Lord (vs 11-12) came. Why do you think an Angel came rather than the Lord himself? Abraham could have not listened to the Angel because God’s authority is obviously greater.

When confiding to a Christian friend recently, I mentioned my fears about a loved one contemplating suicide. I told her that the worst thing is that he would be damned. She told me that if he is a believer (he is), then God has forgiven all his sins: past, present, and future. Yet, other Christians have told me the opposite re suicide. They say suicide is not trusting in God anymore, taking yourself and God out of the intolerable situation you’re in.

This brought me to think about Judas. He seemed to be very grieved about what he did to our Lord, he threw away the money, and then hung himself. If Judas prayed that he was sorry about what he did, and that he couldn’t physically go on anymore after realizing the enormity of his actions, and then hung himself. Would he be forgiven and go to heaven?

I wonder what you might think the reason is that the Lord has tarried for so long. I know that God sees time differently than we do and that He is long suffering and patient. During the last two thousand years each generation has had earnest students of the Word who have believed His coming was imminent. There have been countless “badboys” who were seen as potential Anti-Christs. As these seasons of expectation have come and gone it has left many discouraged and reluctant to continue to hope for a future date of fulfillment.

I have a two part question. During the Sunday School class I teach, I had a person state that there will be unsaved individuals living on the New Heaven and New Earth based on Rev 22:14,15. I feel that the “outside the gates” refers to the Lake of Fire” I also explained to this individual that Satan will be permanently in the Lake of Fire and thus being the author of sin, who would tempt mankind to sin? Was this answer correct? My second question relating to this is: would it be possible for man to sin without the presence of Satan and his demons, for example could Adam have sinned if Satan had not fallen?

Is it possible that all of us praying Christians are “holding up” the rapture? I don’t know any born-again believers who aren’t praying for someone. As much as I want out of here, I’m praying it isn’t until my family comes into the kingdom as I’m sure everyone else is praying also. After all Abraham bargained with God for Lot.

In Luke 21:28 Jesus tells us when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

My question is how can we define nigh, did Jesus mean nigh in God’s perspective of nigh? Should we conclude that God’s nigh is the same as we interpret nigh? Is it possible that when Jesus says nigh he can mean a period of ten years or more, twenty years? I know we can not know for certain, but I would appreciate your insight on this.

Question: concerning the centurion of Matt. 8. Roman soldiers were disliked by Jews because of the oppression they suffered under Roman law, as I understand, yet the officer (centurion) in the Roman army searched out for Jesus ‘the teacher’ as he wanted his servant healed. Where in the world did the centurion get his faith as he said to Jesus “Just say the word from where you are and my servant will be healed?” (Matthew 8:8)

Somebody asked me a question and I didn’t know what to answer, I hope you can help me out. We were talking about 1 Thessalonians 5. In verse 6, referring to the 2nd. Coming, Paul includes himself in the verse like he is going to be waiting for the Lord also. But doesn’t he suppose that he and the church will be in the presence of God by then? I get the impression that Paul or any other writer in the Bible talk as if they will be on earth at the second coming.

Genesis 1:3 says, “Let there be light” but Genesis 1:14 says, “Let there be lights in the sky.” What is the difference between these lights?

I’ve noticed several places where people are saying the Lord’s 3.5 year ministry fulfilled the first half of Daniel’s 70th Week and therefore there’s only the second half left to be fulfilled. Can this be true?

Some unbelievers point to the God of the Old Testament as a harsh God, even calling for the total destruction of men, women, children, and even their livestock (Deut. chapter 7). They ask me, “What’s the difference in this and Muslims who call for the destruction of all those “infidels” who won’t convert?” To them, it seems one is as bad as another. They ask, “Where is the love of God in that?”

I know there is a difference between how God acted under the Old Covenant and how He shows us how to act through Jesus Christ under the New Covenant. How do I explain the difference to an unbeliever in a way they can understand?

In partial answer to the question Why Is Satan Still Free? You said: “If there was no evil in the world we would not have free will. We could only do and be good. Because of Satan we can love God and live in a manner that’s pleasing to Him by choice. This makes our love meaningful to Him. Otherwise we’d just be mindless robots.”

What are the implications of the above statements for our lives after the Rapture? Are we going to be mindless robots or will there be evil so that we can have free will? If there is evil what would keep us from falling again?

As I understand it the Book of Life will contain the names of every person who ever lived, except those whose names were blotted out for denying Jesus. Whereas, the Lamb’s Book of Life contains the list of all who truly accept Jesus as their savior, and whose names will never be erased. One prophecy teacher states, “When God opens this book (of life) at the Great White Throne Judgment, the only names left in it will be the names of those who have believed in Christ as Savior and Lord. That’s why the name of the book is changed from the “Book of Life” to the “Lamb’s Book of Life.” I never thought of it in this light. Will the Book of Life literally be changed into the Lamb’s Book of Life, or will there still be two separate books?

Note, Oct 2015: This is one of my very favorite articles Jack has written. And it means something new to me now. I thank the God of all comfort, for the words I have received from those of you who have also lost a spouse/partner/best friend (for Jack was all three,

I think I have committed the unforgivable sin by rejecting the Holy Spirit’s grace. Something happened to me in 2008 and I didn’t know what it was. Now, I think I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit not knowing that it was it. I only realized that I might have committed it because I dreamed of hell already. I dreamed that I was in a car and was looking for a way out then two huge walls blocked my way and there was only one way out and it was pitch pitch black.

I think I denied Christ because I wasn’t ready to follow him at that time but now I’m regretting what I did, but I think its too late for me. I pretended that I didn’t know the Holy Spirit because I wasn’t ready to surrender myself, I wasn’t aware that I am committing the unforgivable sin. Please be honest and tell me, I am preparing myself for the worst.

I was wondering why Jesus cried when He arrived at Lazarus’ tomb? I know Lazarus was a good friend and Jesus loved him, but Jesus knew He was going to bring Lazarus back to life and He would see Lazarus in a few minutes. So why was Jesus so sad?