I’ve heard people say the book of James was written for the Jews. If so, how do we appropriate the verses on healing such as James 5:14-15 for ourselves, being gentiles? And if it’s not for the Church, why is it in the Bible?

My dad’s pastor says that Isaiah 53:4-5 do not apply to the Church because the “we” in those verses refers to Israel. Isn’t the word of God for us all to appropriate and apply no matter who it was written to at the time?

My question regards Satan’s release after his chaining in Revelation 20:2. Does the Bible say how long it takes before he is thrown into the lake of fire? How long does it take to persuade people to rise up against The Lord ? It seems hard to think that after years of peace people would not be happy. Will people still be born with free will even after the final war?

My daughter and I were discussing salvation and I told her that I always worry about all those who have never accepted Christ prior to dying suddenly in a horrible event. My daughter then came back with–well you never know in those last few seconds maybe they did. My question is, can a person actually be saved if their “come to Jesus” meeting comes only seconds or minutes before they die?

A verse in Isaiah says “of the increase of His government….there shall be no end”. I heard a preacher say this is basically about Jesus via the Holy Spirit dealing with us, and I just can’t agree with that interpretation. I have always thought it meant what it says. In other words, after our Lord Jesus has ruled during the Millenium, it won’t be over. His Kingdom will always be increasing, throughout eternity. Am I wrong?

It is clear that acceptance of Jesus as our Savior is the only prerequisite for eternal salvation. All believers are ‘equally saved’ and there is no degree of salvation. Is it not true however, that there are rewards (crowns) in heaven based on works, with the right motivation of serving Christ and giving Him the glory of course? Could it be then, that there could also be less or more severe punishments in eternal damnation?

How do you know if you’re being called into a life of ministry ? I understand that we are all called to be a light in the world and let the Holy Spirit shine through us as we go about our daily lives. However, there are those (like you for instance) who somehow come to a place in their lives where it’s obvious that the Lord wants them to minister to others in a more “official” capacity. I have been struggling with this more and more lately, which makes me think, “Is the fact that I’m struggling, a sign that I’m being called?” I have not received a clear and undeniable “word from the Lord” that I am aware of… it’s more of a thought that just seems to hang around but never really leaves.

I have seen a couple different versions of the Ten Commandments. Can you explain the difference between the Catholic and Lutheran versions and others and if there was any misguided reasoning for the change?

You are contradicting 25 centuries of Jewish thought on the issue of the lost tribes. The Jews have claimed throughout the centuries that they only represent two tribes. Christians claim that the Jews represent all 12 tribes. Jews on the other hand have never claimed this.

I know there is no mention of body parts donation in the Bible. Is it spiritually acceptable for a christian to donate his body parts or is it a personal decision? Does God Bless such donations?