Many scholars teach that the Olivet Discourse was written for the Church, but you say the focus is on Israel. If you’re right why does the Olivet Discourse even appear in Mark and Luke when these two Gospels are mainly Gentile in their focus? Please explain.

Thanks again for this opportunity to ask a good bible teacher a question. Is there a difference between the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit?

Example: Act 8:17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,

If they are one in the same, why did they have to lay hands on to recieve one time, and only had to believe another time.

Thank you very much for your time and God bless you even more.

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?

Paul placed a lot of emphasis on the need for the old man/flesh/carnal man/self to be crucified. What is your take on this, knowing that whatever you yield your members to, his servant ye are, and more over shall we continue to sin because we are under grace?

A question that was asked of me and I would like to hear your opinion. I attend a United Methodist Church that preaches the Word and salvation. But it has a few quirks that do not set well with me. About 5 years ago our Pastor took on the practice of offering Ashes during the Ash Wednesday service. I asked him about it and also asked where in scripture it says to do this and he told me it was a sign of being a repentant Christian in a round about way and that there where no scriptural references to it. But he did point to the old testament practice of ash and sack cloth when repenting.

I was saved in a non denominational church. And have only been with this Methodist church for about 10 years. So I had never been exposed to this practice before. And I have refused to take the Ashes because I equate this with non believers that do it for show. What do you think of this practice of giving ashes?

Because my sister is a non-believer, and accordingly will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, my question is will she know WHY she’s in Hell and understand that had she just accepted Christ as her personal savior she would be in Heaven? And because she’s a good, kind, generous, and giving person, will her punishment be less than say someone who murders or molests children? I continue to pray daily for her salvation because I know what’s coming.

This question deals with Is.43:10. If you do a quick read of Is.43:10 it almost sounds as if God himself was formed. This can’t be, can it? Wouldn’t that negate his being eternal, past and present? Appreciate your thoughts.

There are so many versions of the bible out, NKJ, NIV, etc to name just a few, and then there is the Catholic Bible with the Apocrypha. How do we know that we have the right books in the bible? Maybe that’s why there are cults out there that state that the bible has been changed and by man. Could you explain why certain books are in our bible and why there are certain books that were not accepted and why is it that the Catholics have additional books that the Protestant world doesn’t? Are those “missing books” not the word of God?

I have thoroughly enjoyed your series on The End Times According to Isaiah. Each week I print the next part off and study carefully. We are also studying the Book of Isaiah in my Sunday School class. But we have differences in opinion. Some in my class think that Isaiah was prophesying in the 700’s BC to events which later occurred between the 600’s BC up to the beginning of the first century AD. They have difficulty applying Isaiah to “end time events” soon to come. How can I reconcile Isaiah’s prophecies to both Israel’s times of trouble before Jesus’ birth and also to upcoming “end time events?” Is there scripture to support God’s prophetic judgments through prophecy to equally apply to past history and the future?

The Bible says that if we are saved then we will show good works. So what are good works? Is it not sinning, or is it helping an old lady across the road? And if it is helping an old lady across the road well, I’m going to say that unsaved people do that!!