Tuesday 24 August 2010

If God knew that Satan would turn bad, why did he create him?

Wow, that is an awesome question! The truth is that no one knows why God does certain things. When God initially created Satan, Satan’s name was Lucifer and he was an archangel. In fact, he was the equivalent of God’s second-in-command. Lucifer was the most beautiful angel and he was given a lot of power. His job was to take care of God’s glory.

But, then Lucifer became prideful and thought he could do the job just as well as God could do it. So he tried to take over heaven. The problem was: Lucifer was a created being created by God! He only had the power and authority God gave him. God, on the other hand, has always been here and always will be here and He is all-powerful, all-knowing and ever-present. There was no way Lucifer could win.

I suppose God could have just destroyed Lucifer right then and there but, instead, he cast him down and, sadly, also threw one-third of the angels out of heaven that decided to align themselves with him. And ever since that time, Satan has been corrupting this earth and God’s people through sin.

God has allowed Satan to live and roam the Earth and let bad things to happen And, for the record, let me just say that God could take Satan out anytime that He chooses, if he wanted to, but that God has a greater unstoppable plan in store for us. In fact, I know God can take Satan out because, eventually, God does get rid of Satan by throwing him in the Lake of Fire.

The real question is why didn’t God do it yesterday or why doesn’t God just do it now??? I mean, if God had gotten rid of Satan yesterday, I wouldn’t be tempted the way I am today, right? The best way to get rid of temptation, it seems to me, is to get rid of the Great Tempter, right??? So, why doesn’t God do that?

Well, the Bible does not directly answer that question. But, here is a truth we do know: God sent His one and only Son to us and it is through His death on the cross that you are saved! And when you put your love, faith and trust in Jesus despite Satan’s lies, tricks and temptations, Jesus’ glory will shine through you and you will be able to overcome anything! “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Sunday 22 August 2010

Why didn’t Paul and Silas run away when the earthquake opens the jail doors?

Wow, what an awesome question! So, the passage you are referring to is in the Book of Acts, Chapter 16. Paul and Silas are in prison because they are preaching about Jesus and going against Roman customs. Not only are they in prison but they are in an inner jail and their feet are in stocks so that they can’t run away.

Then the earthquake happens and the guard, who was told to watch them carefully, saw that the jail doors were open and the chains came loose! He was about to kill himself when Paul said, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here.”

So, why didn’t Paul run when he had the chance? Because he trusted Jesus and knew that God had another purpose for him. Look what happens immediately after the guard realizes Paul and Silas are still there. He rushes into the cell, sees that the prisoners were free and could have escaped and then falls to his knees before Paul and Silas. Then he takes them outside and asks how to become saved!

In the end, the jailer and his whole family become saved and believe in Jesus. God knew that the jailer and his family would be saved. If Paul had run, the jailer would have never known Jesus. God had a plan and Paul trusted God.

Thursday 19 August 2010

Will the world end in 2012?

Wow, what an awesome question! So, I think I know where you came up with that 2012 number. There are a lot of people who study numbers and number patterns and then come up with these formulas to “predict” events. In fact, there are many people who try and do this with the Bible. Somehow, based on this numerical formula theory, someone came up with 2012 as the year that the world is going to end.

But, here’s the truth: no one knows when the world is going to end. In fact, even Jesus says in Matthew 24:36-42:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

The one thing I do know is that every Biblical prophecy that needed to be fulfilled prior to the second coming of Jesus has been fulfilled. That’s another reason so many people are thinking the end is soon. The key is that we need to be ready for that day, whenever it is.

That means that we should have a relationship with Jesus and have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. We need to choose to follow Jesus’ ways and confess our sins and accept His gift of salvation. Then, we’ll be ready and not have to worry about when the world will end.

Saturday 7 August 2010

How could the Bible get out if John was on an island?

That is an awesome question! While it is true that John, one of Jesus’ original disciples, was exiled on the Island of Patmos for a time in his life, we also know that he was eventually released and that he most likely ended up in Ephesus where he died.

It was while he was on Patmos, as a prisoner in a penal colony, that John wrote down on a scroll of the things he “saw and heard” when the Lord came to him in a vision. Those writings later became the Book of Revelation. John starts the Book of Revelation with an assurance too:

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:1-3)

Now, remember also that the Holy Bible is a series of historical accounts written by several different authors. They were accounts inspired by the Word of God but men actually wrote the various books. John was just one of those authors. All of his writings are in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul also wrote many of the New Testament books. The Old Testament has many different authors, some of them unknown.

It was a group of early church leaders that assembled all of these different accounts of God’s word in what we call the Holy Bible.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

I heard something about God setting up a kingdom on earth … but we go to heaven! Revelation is confusing!!!

So, let’s talk about God setting up His kingdom on earth .... Okay, so this is another very difficult and often debated part of the Bible. I mean, what exactly does John mean when he says that in Revelation 21:1?!?!

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” (Revelation 21:1)

Here’s what that means, and this gets a little confusing because the Book of Revelation was written in Greek. In Greek, the term “new earth” is kainos gae, which is primarily means a different kind than the present earth. Our English-speaking ears hears second earth and second heaven, which makes it sound like an earth and heaven created subsequent to the first one. But, John is making a distinction between two radically different orders of things based on “this age” and “the age to come.”

The current earth and heaven belong to this present evil age, where sin exists. But, this present heaven and earth are temporary and destined to perish. But, the new heaven and earth, on the other hand, belong to the age to come and are, therefore, eternal. They will never perish (have I confused you yet?).

Let me try and explain it this way: when we physically die our bodies are destined to perish. BUT, because of Jesus’ bodily resurrection, one day we will also be raised imperishable in glorified bodies. And just as our bodies will be raised without the loss of our personal identities (we’re going to know each other) the new heaven and earth will be completely re-created while maintaining some continuity to present heaven and earth. In the easiest way to explain this as possible, although the new heaven and earth will be completely recreated with every trace of human sin purged from them, the new heaven and earth will be recognizable in the same way as our resurrected bodies will be.

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Why does God reach out to us?

That is a great question! Many Biblical scholars do studies on why God does certain things and I think sometimes they try so hard to find an answer that makes sense that they miss the big picture! The truth is that God reaches out to us because He loves us.

If you look at the entire Holy Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament, it tells of God’s unending love for us and how He has constantly looked to have a relationship with us. From the time of Adam and Eve, when God had a perfect relationship with them (until they sinned), God has wanted to have a relationship with us. Why? Because He loves us!

Don’t believe me? How about this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son and whoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save it through Him.” (John 3:16-17) Or this: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

The Bible tells so many stories and there are so many examples where God rescues His people, despite their sins. You see, we are the ones who push God away not the other way around. God loves us unconditionally. We’re the ones who put conditions on the relationship not Him.

God is and forever will be there for you. The only way He won’t be able to help you is if you turn away from Him. But, He is always there, waiting patiently for you to come to Him. And the best part is: when you come to Him, He will run to meet you! He won’t make you wait. He loves you that much!!!

Monday 2 August 2010

Do we get a second chance if we are left behind?

In the book Left Behind for Kids, it talks about kids who were left behind and then come to Christ. In church we learned there would be no more chances. I’m confused!

Wowee! This is an awesome question! It is also a very difficult question to answer because of the various theological debates that have been going on for centuries concerning the end times. That is a very fancy way to say that Bible scholars have argued for a long time over the interpretation of the Book of Revelation and other prophetic books of the Bible regarding the end times.

So, I am going to answer your question based on the Left Behind for Kids premise. The authors of that series, Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, are respected Christian scholars and authors. In fact, Dr. LaHaye is a nationally recognized speaker on Bible prophesy. He is also a minister and has written 45 books on a bunch of Biblical subjects, including Bible prophesy. So, while their books are fictionalized (made-up) accounts, they have written their stories on their interpretation of the Holy Bible.

The Left Behind series authors, for both the kid and the adult versions, base their stories on the “pre-tribulation rapture” theory. That basically means that the authors believe that Jesus will “take away” his people before the Tribulation period. Some Christian scholars believe there is a mid-tribulation rapture, some believe there is a post-tribulation rapture and some believe there is no such thing as the rapture. I won’t get into who is right or wrong but let’s assume the authors interpretation is correct and there is a pre-Tribulation rapture (by the way, on an interesting side note, you won’t find the word “rapture” anywhere in the Holy Bible).

So, that means that before all the bad stuff happens involving the anti-Christ, Jesus will take away all the people, including kids, that are saved and who believe in Him. That doesn’t mean that those people who are “left behind” are doomed though. According to the authors’ interpretation of Scripture, those people who are not taken during the rapture still get a second chance to come to Christ although life is supposed to get a lot tougher during that period of time.

Scripture also supports the belief that you can be saved anytime before Christ’s second coming. If you look in Matthew 24, up to the point when Christ returns, those who are “left behind” can be saved. Once He returns, though, it’s too late. That’s why we are all warned by Jesus when He says:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. “ (Matthew 24:36-44)

Don’t ever forget that we have a God of “second chances.” He loves you and does not want you to perish. But, you have to be truly repentant (sorry) and believe that Jesus is who He says He is.

“Yet to all who received Him, to all who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)