Stars in Our Crown:

Mar. 2004 does the bible mention stars in our crowns.?? i have been doing a study at my church on the crowns we will receive and found to be 5, but does the Bible mention the fact will be get stars in our crowns. thank you for you help I didn't find any place in the Bible that says we will have stars in our crowns. There are mention of jewels, but not stars. The only place I found anything that comes close is the description of the woman in Revelation 12. She is the representation of Israel and the twelve stars are the twelve tribes of Israel. Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: Hope that helps with your study. God Bless.

  Unfaithfulness Before Marriage:

Mar. 2004 Is there anything in the bible regarding the relationship between two persons engaged to be married. I was asked what the bible say about a person who married someone thinking they were a virgin. After they have been married a while the spouse confesses that they had been fornicating during the time they were engaged. Are the same rules as for divorce on grounds of adultery applied in this case? In Bible times the engagement was just as binding as the marriage and the couple were considered man and wife once they were engaged even though the marriage was not consummated until after the wedding. So, I suppose that a person could make the case that the rules for divorce would be the same. However, Jesus made it clear that from the beginning God intended that marriage be permanent. Two people becoming one flesh: Mat 19:4-6 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Mat 19:7-9 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. Marriage is supposed to be permanent. If we are looking for an escape clause, we can always find something that can justify it in our own minds and perhaps even from a Biblical point of view. But, the fact is that if we think of our marriage as a picture of Christ (the bridegroom) and the church (the bride), then we will do all we can to preserve our marriages. There is nothing that is unforgivable if we try to overcome the "hardness of our hearts." Every time we get hurt, it would be easy to become hard hearted toward the person that hurt us. This is a human reaction. But as Christians we are called to overcome the flesh (our humanness) and take on the attributes of Jesus. Rom 7:18, 25, 8:1 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.... I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. ... There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. If our marriage is to be a picture of Christ and the church, then we need to ask ourselves, how much sin did Jesus forgive me of? If Jesus can forgive me, then how hard hearted it would be for me not to forgive my spouse. Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

  Recognizing Other Believers:

Mar. 2004 How can we tell if someone is a believer or from God? How do we decipher when someone claims to be? His by Grace Alone! Henry Dear Henry; The fact is that there will always be people that claim to be believers but in truth are not. And some people are very good at fooling us. Look at Judas, he was with the other 11 disciples for 3 years performing all the same miracles that they did, and they did not know the condition of his heart. But Jesus did. The Bible tells us that only God can see the true condition of the heart. However, there are plenty of verses that tell us the signs we will recognize in a true believer. Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Mat 12:34-35 ... for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Mat 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Mat 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. John 14:15, 23-24 If ye love me, keep my commandments. ...If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. There is quite a bit on this topic in the book of First John: 1 John 1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 2:4-5 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 1 John 2:9-10 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. I hope this helps.

  Cursing of the Fig Tree:

Mar. 2004 Divine plenary Verbal Inspiration” of scriptures? Have you noticed there are two accounts in the bible of Jesus cursing the fig tree and when Jesus drove the money changers out. In one account Jesus drove the money changers out and then cursed the fig tree the next day. (Matthew 21:10-22). And in the other account he cursed the fig tree first and then drove them money changers out the same day (Mark 11:11-26). Now most fundamental Christians believe in “Divine plenary Verbal Inspiration” of scriptures. "Plenary" means full and complete, "ALL scripture" (2 Timothy 3:16). that is all scripture that can be called "scripture", critically careful to include minute details. "Verbal" means that the very words of the scripture were given to the writers, and not just the ideas they convey. The writers were not left to choose the words. At the same time God did not destroy or ignore their different personalities. The writings of Paul may differ in style from the writings of John or James. However the Almighty God who created the heavens and the earth with the words of his mouth gave his words through men, using their individual personalities and traits without changing the doctrine or the truth that these are the very words that proceedeth out of his mouth. So if the scriptures have no error and are Divine plenary Verbal Inspired why is there two different account of cursing of the fig tree which was not bearing fruit because it was not its season and driving out the money changers? I do believe that the scriptures are without errors, and that God divinely inspired the men that put the words to paper. However, I think you misstated the beliefs of most fundamental Christians. You say that we believe that the writers "were not left to choose the words." I don't believe this is the case at all. The gospels are all distinctly different in the style and yet they all tell the same story from a different perspective. That doesn't make one account wrong and the other right, and it doesn't mean that there are errors to scripture. I wonder if you have ever known someone that tells an account of an event, or a story of some kind, and in the midst of the story will interject bits and pieces of facts that are not in strict chronological order. Many times, people will throw in tidbits that are from events prior to, or future to the part of the story that they are currently telling. Matthew does this on a number of occasions. Often in the book of Matthew, we get little bits of information in the flow of the story that are "asides," a sort of "by the way..." There are many examples of this in Matthew but I'll just mention one. Look at the following account of the death of Jesus: Mat 27:51-53 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection , and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Notice that Matthew is giving an account of Jesus' death on the cross. This event is at an exact, pinpoint in time. However, he throws into the account an event that takes place three days later; the resurrection of many saints "after his resurrection." Then Matthew goes on to tell the rest of the account of Jesus' burial. Do you see that his style of writing is to throw in facts that are not strictly in the order of time? Now go back to the account of the fig tree. Notice in verse 19 that Matthew gives the account of the fig tree being cursed by Jesus and in the very same verse he is telling us that the tree withered and dried up. Matthew is giving the account in a "lump sum" in one verse, while Mark is telling it in more detail, over several verses. This doesn't make one correct and the other in error. And this doesn't mean that God didn't divinely inspire the words that were written. What would be the point of having four accounts of the life of Jesus if they were all exactly alike? We would only need one account. But we have four accounts and each gospel account adds details about the events of Jesus' life that the others do not include, giving us a fuller picture of what really happened.

  Healing - Anointing with Oil:

Mar. 2004 I enjoyed some of your commentary. What are your credentials for giving out this information? I have a question about healing services in the church. What is the history of this practice? And the practice of being anointed with oil at such services, what kind of oil is necessary, what does the fragrance of the oil have to do with the healing? Thanks for any info. Lois Dear Lois; Thank you for viewing the web site, I'm glad you enjoy it. You asked about my credentials, I don't have any. I'm not a pastor or professor. I'm just a Christian that loves to study God's Word and discuss it. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. Concerning the practice of anointing the sick with oil. The practice comes mainly from the following passage in James: James 5:14-16 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The type of oil and the fragrance is irrelevant. It's not the oil that has the power to heal, the power is from God, not the oil. Jesus healed many, many people and I don't recall one instance where he used oil. Since the power is from God, then whether or not the person is healed is dependent on the Will of God. You can anoint someone with oil (you can immerse them in a vat of it) but if it's not part of God's plan that they are healed, then it will do you no good. I have a BIG gripe with the majority of pastors/preachers/TV evangelists that claim to have healing powers. When a person comes to them and is not healed, the usual excuse is that the sick person must have unconfessed sin in their life, or they didn't have enough faith. So, on top of being ill, now that person has to deal with some apparent defect in their relationship with God. When in fact, it may be that it just wasn't part of God's plan that they be healed at that time (and possibly ever). I have learned that sometimes, there is something that God wants us to learn, and sometimes, illness is the path we have to go down to learn that lesson. There are many good sincere Christians that have claimed to have been healed from a variety of illnesses. But frankly, I have never seen any evidence of it. J. Vernon McGee (well respected pastor who loved the Lord) offered a large cash reward for anyone that could show documentation of a legitimate miraculous healing. Until the day he died, no one ever claimed the reward. His contention was that God used super natural healing in the days of the apostles, as a sign to validate their authority. And that it is not part of God's plan at this point in time. I don't know if I would go that far. I'm sure that there are folks that God has moved on their behalf and healed (even today). But I don't think it's happened in all these big healing services that are held. Most of the services that you will see on TV are all a show (a very profitable show for the ones holding the services). And as I said earlier, it's destructive to people's spiritual health. The individual churches that are holding services and claiming to heal folks (not the big TV ones), if people are really and truly being healed, then praise God. He's the one that should have all the glory. But frankly, I've not seen that to be true. That's how I see the issue of healing services. I'm sure there are many that would disagree with me. God Bless

  Jesus the Only Way:

Mar. 2004 Hey, My young son has ask me if believing in Jesus is the only way to heaven..What happened to people before Jesus died on the cross? Thanks, Charlie Dear Charlie; Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection paid for our sins. Jesus bought our salvation with his blood. He said: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.John 14:6 Jesus' death happened at a certain point in time in human history. He only had to do this one time: Rom 6:9-10 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. So, we (those that live after Jesus) look back through time, with faith, to His sacrifice. Those that lived before Jesus looked forward through time, with faith to His sacrifice. They were told by God that they had a Redeemer, an Advocate with the Father. Hebrews chapter 11 gives an outline of Old Testament saints that trusted in God, obeyed Him and it was counted as righteousness. This chapter talks about Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Moses, and many others. Here's what verse 13 says about their salvation: Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. You see, faith is the key here: Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In Old Testament times (and actually clear back to the Garden of Eden), God implemented a sacrificial offering that was a symbol or picture of the offering that Jesus would make. We are told in the Bible that sin brings forth death (James 1:15), that life is contained in the blood (Lev 17:11) and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.(Heb 9:22). So the offerings of the people in Old Testament times were a symbol, by faith, of what the Savior would do. But he would only have to do it once: Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. These might be difficult concepts for a very young child to understand (not sure that I understand completely). But, this is what the Bible says on the subject. Sure hope this helps you explain things to your son. God Bless.

  End of the World:

Mar. 2004 I have a question, I was told that in the Bible, it mentioned the world ending by locus (big grasshoppers, insects!) ... Is that true? Thank You for your time, Jenay Dear Jenay; No, it is not true that the world ends due to locus. The Bible does mention locus, but they are not the 'cause' of the end of the world. In the last days, God will pour out his wrath on those that have refused his offer of grace and salvation, and there will be a time of destruction such that has never been seen on earth before. The Bible calls this time "The Great Tribulation." The good news is that this period of time will only last seven years. The bad news is that during this seven year period, over half of the world's population will be destroyed. During the Tribulation, the Bible tells us that one of the plagues will be swarms of locus: Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. Rev 9:4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Rev 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. Verses seven through eleven go on to describe the locus if you care to read that. Please notice that those that have the seal of God are not harmed by the locus. Concerning the end of the world, the Bible tells us that the world will be destroyed by fire: 2 Pet 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. God will then restore this earth without the taint that sin has brought into it: Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; All of these events sound very scary. But the fact is that God will preserve his chosen. Trusting in Jesus and the salvation he has bought for you, takes away the fear that the "end of the world" talk brings. If you haven't accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation, and would like to have me explain that to you, please email me, I would be happy to explain it further.