Life after Death:

Nov. 2005 Hello, I was just wondering. . . . will we see and know our loved ones in heaven, will we be aware of the life we lived while on earth? I was just wondering because I hear a lot of people say when some one in their family dies that they will see them again someday. However I don't know if this is in the Bible. Hi; Thanks for your question, it’s an interesting one. Often times we become so used to hearing something that we sort of take it for granted. It’s good to go back to the Bible and check to make certain it’s really true. I think we will know our loved ones in heaven and I believe we will be aware of the lives we lived on earth. There are several passages in the Bible that support this. Here are four quick examples: 1. When Saul had the witch of Endor call Samuel back from the dead, Samuel was recognized by Saul: 1 Sam 28:14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. 2. When David’s child died, David stated that he would one day go to that child and would see him again: 2 Sam 12:22-23 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 3. On the mount of transfiguration, when Moses and Elijah came to Jesus, the disciples knew who they were: Mark 9:3-5 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 4. Jesus told of two men that died, a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. You should read the whole passage, it’s very interesting. The rich man went to hell and was begging Abraham to send Lazarus to give him some water. So, after death we will know those that we knew in life and also we will be aware of the lives we lived. Luke 16:20-31 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. I hope that helps answer your question.

  Emotional Healing:

Oct. 2005 Hello: Emotional Healing? Why do Christians have a problem believing that God cares for our emotions? Thank you for the opportunity to ask a question. Though I know from the Lord and also with various references in the Bible that a person can be broken through life's trials and abuses, I find very little Scripture to support God's position in the healing of our broken soul. I also have recovered from severe abuse and the Lord began to show me my area of need within my human soul. Though I had Christ as Savior and Lord, I also needed restoration. I have had many people try to refute the concept of Multiple Personality Disorder as being totally demonic in nature. However, my life experiences shows otherwise. It was the Holy Spirit that prompted me to accept that I was a multiple and also to allow the Lord to heal me totally and completely from my childhood horrors, which was a process of growth rather than an immediate deliverance. I am now whole and a minister. I find it difficult at times defending the work of Christ in my life and the lives of others who are on the same healing journey. Now that I minister to other shattered souls, many people criticize the idea that brokenness of the human soul is just a bunch of psychological paganism rather than a sincere work of the Holy Spirit to RESTORE OUR SOULS, according to Psalm 23. If God does not care about the human soul, then why does He care enough to tell us that we need restoration? My question is: Can you list other Scriptures that support the need for healing of the human soul outside of the salvation conversion? Many people think that when we receive Christ we have received and are totally completed in Him without the need of inner healing at all. I know only one other Scripture in the New Testament that tells us we are to "renew our mind" to the Word of God. Thus, we begin to purge our old ways of thinking with how Christ thinks toward us. Thank you for your time. Hello; Thank you for your question. You are right, God wants us to have a sound mind and clear thoughts. Our relationship with God should be intellectual as well as emotional and spiritual. 2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Phil 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 2 Cor 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; Your question was, are there other verses (besides Psalm 23) that talk of God restoring our soul. I believe there are many but here are a few for you to consider: Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 2 Cor 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: The above verses talk of restoration, renewal and I don’t believe they are talking about the salvation experience. In Psalm 51 David is speaking and asking to have a right spirit renewed in him. This is not a salvation experience because just a couple of verses later he asked God to “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” In 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians, Paul is addressing believers; people who are already saved. It seems to me that in the area of mental illness, the one thing that is lacking is PEACE (something we all need). 1 Cor 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 2 Cor 13”11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I hope these verses will be a help to you. God Bless.

  Last Days:

Oct. 2005 Hello I want to ask you about present days . Are we in last days . How many time it will takes to second coming of CHRIST, and what Is next ,what most happen on this planet. Is some large comet will fall on earth like the bible said. Thank you Hello; You asked if we are in the last days, I believe we are. However, it should be noted that all through history, clear back to the early church, people have believed that their generation is the one that will see Jesus’ return. The point is that no one except the Father, knows when Jesus will return. And we are told to be watching and always ready: Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. As for what is next for this planet, I believe the next event on God’s schedule is the Rapture (bodily removal of all believers in Jesus, prior to the outpouring of God’s wrath on earth). If you would like to look at the Bible verses that speak of this event, go to What Does the Bible Say About the ...Rapture. After the Rapture, the earth will go through seven years called the Great Tribulation. During this time, God will pour out his wrath on mankind. There will be many horrible events during those seven years. To read the scriptures pertaining to this time, go to What Does the Bible Say About the ...Tribulation. There is one judgment that God pours out onto the earth that sounds similar to what you described (comet hitting the earth). It can be found in Revelation 8:10-11. It is the third in a series of seven angels that blow their trumpets to herald in different events. The third angle blows his trumpet and a great star falls to earth. Here is the verse: Rev 8:10-11 There fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. However, this is not next on the agenda. As I stated above, there will be the rapture, the there will be several other judgments before the star falls from heaven. You will need to go back to scripture and look it over closely. I couldn’t possibly answer your question fully in this brief format. But, I hope this helps.

  Abortion:

Oct. 2005 Is a person responsible for an abortion if they are not married and did what they could to stop it ? But the Mother insisted anyway because the child was underage of eighteen? Is the Man responsible? Thank you for your question. Your email makes me very sad. When we engage in sin, the end result is always sad: James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Of course the man is responsible for his own sin of fornication (sex outside of marriage) but the question is whether or not he is responsible for the death of the child. If you look at the verse above, it is telling us that when we give way to sin, death is the result. In this case it’s the death of the innocent child. If there had not been fornication, there wouldn’t have been a child and there wouldn’t have been a death. Sin brings death. That is a fact that we would sometimes like to forget but it’s still true. Sin brings forth death. Sin brings forth death…that’s a fact. But fortunately, Jesus overcame sin and death. Therefore, if you turn to Jesus and ask him to forgive you, He certainly will: 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We do not have to carry around the burden of our sin, Jesus will carry that for us. I am extremely thankful for that fact. When I think of the huge debt of sin that Jesus took from me, I am continually amazed (Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound). He has forgiven me, and he will forgive you also if you call out to Him.

  Garments:

Oct. 2005 In Rev. 16:15 I am asking the question. People should not be nude when they sleep? And watch for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. People should wear some type of garment or keep something ready? Thank you Allen Dear Allen; Thank you for your question, it’s an interesting one. First lets look at the verse in question: Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. At first reading, it would appear that the verse is telling us to keep garments ready for the coming of the Lord. But, if you look at the verse in content, you find that this is not talking about Jesus’ return to earth. This verse is between the sixth and seventh vial judgment during the Great Tribulation. So it would seem more likely that the passage is talking about something else. In that paragraph (verses 12 through 16) John is telling us about the unclean spirits that go forth and call the kings of the earth to the battle of Armageddon. Stuck in the middle of that is this verse about the clothing or garments. Clearly it’s a warning. Often, in the Bible, garments are talked about in a figurative way and we are told to keep our garments clean (Rev 3:4). I believe that is the meaning of this verse. However, if you want to take it literally, then the meaning would be that those that are alive at that time (between the 6th and 7th vial judgments during the Great Tribulation) should keep clothes handy because the battle of Armageddon could happen anytime without warning. It would not be addressing believers that are alive today because I believe the Bible is clear that believers will be removed from the earth before the Great Tribulation (see the Bible verses at What Does the Bible Say About ...Rapture.) I hope that helps answer your question.

  Homosexuals:

Oct. 2005 Thank You . Your web site has greatly helped me. My church, UCC, has decreed that they will alow Homosexuals to marry. I can not accept this ruling. The church says that they must keep up with the "times". Now I must trust God to show me the way to a new church. God bless You, Keep up Gods work, Susan

  Women Ministers:

Oct. 2005 H ello, I think your web sight is a blessing it is the first time I have read it, I have a question about what Scripture says about women being called to be ministers or pastors, it seems it depends on whom you believe it seems one passage says one thing and one another, it seems someone must be wrong and what if you felt you were called to be a minister and you went forth and God didn’t intend women to be ministers or pastors, I would not want to do anything that God did not indorse but if you question the Word than you would have to question your calling. God bless you and your ministry Thank you for viewing the web site and thank you for your kind words. There are several scripture verses that deal with this issue and I have them listed on the What Does the Bible Say About...Women Ministers page. If you click on the link, it should take you right to that page. You are right that many people disagree on this topic, but I think the Bible is abundantly clear: 1 Tim 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. If the Bible is the Word of God…and God says that he will suffer not a woman to teach or have authority over men…then why would God call women to be pastors? I think the answer is that He doesn’t call them to be pastors. This is not a very popular stand to take, but I don’t have to answer to anyone but God and I’ll stick with what the Word of God says.