How do you understand the relationship between the law and grace?

We are told that at the rapture Jesus will descend with a shout and a trumpet, but most teachers say the world will be confused and wonder what has happened. They use the word “secret.” I can’t reconcile the two ideas. Does Scripture say the Rapture will be secret? Surely, the sudden disappearance of millions cannot be kept secret. If the Rapture will be secret, what about the shout and the trumpet? That should get everybody’s attention.

Re: Are All Our Sins Covered?. This believer may not understand the difference between salvation and temporal fellowship. 1 John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. As you have taught in other articles, this restores us to fellowship with God in the here and now. So, yes, we should be aware our our sins and quickly confess them to God. When we are in fellowship we can do nothing wrong and when we are out of fellowship we can do nothing right. Have I understood you correctly?

What are your thoughts pertaining to the ice age? When and how did it happen? They have supposedly found mammoths and other animals frozen solid with food in their mouths. I have read and heard this probably happened at the onset of the world wide flood.

I recently watched a TV documentary on Islam. They said that Abraham started that religion through his son Ishmael. From where do they get that? Is there anything in the Bible stating or implying it?

One of the challenges I face when sharing the lord with others and quite frankly for myself as well is the suffering of children. We all have experienced instances where defenseless children for what ever reason through sickness or tragedy have lost their lives. I know that these things will seem small in comparison to the next life but that doesn’t explain why a merciful God would need this suffering from someone not old enough to know what sin is.

My question concerns crowns and the meaning of the term. I know the Bible mentions a crown of rejoicing, a crown of righteousness, a crown of life, etc., but are these literal crowns to be eventually awarded the believer, or are they metaphors for something else? The old hymn says “Crown Him with many crowns” so maybe Christ is the only one worthy to be crowned? Thank you and God bless your ministry.

Man’s nature is that of a sinner. It is inescapable until glorification. Following the justification / sanctification / glorification model I think the Bible is clear on the requirements of salvation and the future state of the believer after death or rapture. It seems that sanctification is where we struggle. How is a Christian to live? If man is sinful should we struggle to escape sin and risk legalism or simply “be” and ask for forgiveness.

First of all I would like to thank you for your site; it’s a rich source of wisdom. I agree with all your view and interpretations. However there is one which I believe needs more clarification.

I read an article concerning the debate over the earth’s age. In it (the author) makes many points which dismiss the possibility of the earth being 6000 years old. He then concludes that the gap theory could be the answer.

However I don’t agree. Almost all of the ‘facts’ he states require at least one of the following to exist between verses 1 and 2 in the bible; death to exist, land to be on the formless earth, vegetation to exist, people to exist and the speed of light to be constant.

However, (to be brief) there was no land for meteors to impact, or for volcanic explosions to erupt from. There was no sea coral slowly growing before God made plants.

My question is; how can we explain all these apparent ‘facts’ as they clearly do not have a place in the gap theory and neither do the fit in our biblical history. Please help me with this because if I was questioned on this matter I really don’t know how I could respond.

What a time to be alive and studying the Word of God!!

Could you explain what is meant in Deut. 30:4 by the phrase, outer most parts of heaven, would this be heaven but away from God?