Hi Jack, I wrote to you a while back but did not receive a reply, so I would like to resubmit my question. In all of your years of studying the bible, have you ever found in scripture where God told a man to take a second wife for any reason? Do you believe that it was ever God’s idea for polygamy to take place or man’s idea and God allowed it because of man’s lustfulness?

These verses concern me. I can’t keep his commands all the time. Try as I might I just can’t. But it says “this is how we know we are in Him” in regards to keeping his commands. I love The Lord Jesus, but if I can’t keep his commands I’m a liar? I don’t want to be that at all. Do these verses mean, that if I don’t keep his commands that I’m really not saved or never was. I want to live a life for Christ but I’m not perfect and I don’t keep His commands 100% of the time. This verse makes me feel like I have to do works or I’m not saved if I don’t live as Christ lived. I’d really appreciate your help on these verses. It’s really getting to me.

My husband says he believes in God and that Jesus is the son of God and died on the cross for us, but he also says that he doesn’t believe in everything the Bible says.

He believes that through translation and embellishing of stories over time that the Bible isn’t accurate in everything it says.

Do you have any suggestions on how to handle this? Thank you so very much for this web site. There was a time when I felt so very low and just didn’t want to go on when God led me to this site. It has helped explain so much to me and gave me back my passion for following God and living again. Words cannot express the thanks I feel about it.

Under the Old Covenant, there was “divine retribution.” Under the New Covenant there is “reaping what we sow. ” How do these two terms differ? How does grace factor in the equation?

My twenty-two year old daughter was saved and baptized when she was seven or eight, but she didn’t continue to go to church as she got older. She asks questions about the Bible and recently asked how we know that our belief is the right one. After all, other faiths are just as adamant that theirs is the only way to heaven. I am so troubled that she might not understand her salvation or really have salvation.

With all the talk lately about the tribulation and the rapture, especially that according to some views we are already halfway through the “week”, I was wondering if you could provide a timeline. Do the final judgements in Revelation take place throughout the final week or just the last 3 and 1/2 years? Can a case be made that one or more of the seals have been opened? In my view the Church will be gone before any judgments start. What do you think?

Once again, thank you for your continued words of wisdom.  My question is regarding the sentence before each letter to the seven churches; “To the Angel of the Church, write.”  Who is the Angel of the Church; is it an angel, a pastor, preacher, etc.”  My understanding is these letters were to be read aloud to the church body.  I don’t believe an angel would be standing in the church reading the letters, so I don’t understand who is the angel?  I do so appreciate reading on your site daily for answers to questions and your wonderful articles.

In light of recent developments in the Mid East, do you believe the build up in Syria is setting the stage for Ezekiel 38 or is this something unrelated. One thing that’s perplexing is that seeing that Persia will become part of the coalition how will Israel ever be dwelling at peace and unguarded so long as a sworn enemy like Iran remains a viable threat? Is this some sort of oxymoron or is there a logical explanation? What do you think?

You say we are saved by what we believe and not by how we behave. I really would like to believe that but I also know that I made a profession of faith, went to a Bible teaching church, read my Bible every day, prayed, and thought I was living the life as a Christian but fell in to gross sin for a number of years then while still living in sin had a catastrophic event happen that left me no where else to go but flat on my face crying out to Jesus to save me and forgive me. I believe I was a false convert otherwise I would not have lived those years in a life of habitual sin. Isn’t that what this scripture teaches? I am confused.

Will raptured Saints rule and reign with Jesus physically on earth during the millennium? Revelation and Zechariah both describe Jesus’ 2nd coming when He comes with His army “clothed in fine linen, white and clean”, which are the clothes given to Jesus’ bride in Revelation 19. To me this means that we are with Jesus when He comes back to reign on earth.