A: We discussed in a previous Q&A that Satan cannot influence us when we sleep, and we explained in a recent sermon that there are several areas of conduct, which Satan is unable to perform. Apart from his inability to influence us when we sleep, we showed that he cannot materialize in bodily form; that he cannot heal or create; and that he cannot do anything against God’s Will. We also explained that he has no power over us and that he must flee from us when we resist him and submit to God.

The question arises whether Satan and his demons are capable of reading our minds, and whether they can know what we think. Most Christian commentaries and articles take the position that they are unable to do so. However, when focusing on Christianity, as far as we can tell, an obscure sect in the Middle Ages, the “decretists,” seemed to have been the first ones to teach that demons cannot read our minds. It does not appear that this question was seriously addressed within Christianity prior to that time.

Continue reading "Does Satan Know Our Thoughts, and Can He Read Our Minds?"

The Bible has nothing to say specifically about smoking, as during biblical times it was unknown. Let us quote briefly (and selectively) from the website healthliteracy.worlded.org which has this to say about the history of tobacco:

“Tobacco has a long history in the Americas. The Mayan Indians of Mexico carved drawings in stone showing tobacco use. These drawings date back to somewhere between 600 to 900 A.D. Tobacco was grown by American Indians before the Europeans came from England, Spain, France, and Italy to North America.

“Tobacco was the first crop grown for money in North America.  In 1612 the settlers of the first American colony in Jamestown, Virginia grew tobacco as a cash crop. It was their main source of money. Other cash crops were corn, cotton, wheat, sugar, and soya beans.  By the 1800’s, many people had begun using small amounts of tobacco. Some chewed it. Others smoked it occasionally in a pipe, or they hand-rolled a cigarette or cigar. On the average, people smoked about 40 cigarettes a year. The first commercial cigarettes were made in 1865 by Washington Duke on his 300-acre farm in Raleigh, North Carolina. His hand-rolled cigarettes were sold to soldiers at the end of the Civil War.

Continue reading "Should a Christian Smoke?"

In a previous Q&A on wrath, we discussed the wrath of man which is actually the wrath of Satan. We also alluded to the fact that there is godly wrath or righteous indignation, but cautioned that even justified wrath ought to be short-lived as, due to Satan’s influence, even our righteous anger may become unrighteous.

In this Q&A, we will focus on godly wrath or righteous indignation and show the reason for such emotion.

God is slow to anger (Psalm 103:8). His anger only lasts for a moment (Psalm 30:5). Rather, He is merciful (same verse); ready to pardon and abundant in kindness (Nehemiah 9:17). He is full of compassion (Psalm 145:8) and He relents from doing harm (Joel 2:13; also compare Jonah 4:2 and Nahum 1:3).

At the same time, we do read about God’s wrath; and much can be found about it in the book of Revelation.

During the very last days, just prior to Christ’s return, people will say to the mountains and rocks: “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne [God the Father] and from the wrath of the Lamb (Jesus Christ)! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:16-17). Later, holy angels will say to God the Father, the Lord God Almighty: “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come… [that You] should destroy those who destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18).

Continue reading "Can You Explain What the Bible Says About Wrath? (Part 2)"

When God, through His Spirit, moved His servants to record their experiences into text, it wasn’t divided up into the form we use today. The original transcripts, as inspired by God, were written down and formed into books and subsequently divided into paragraphs by early Jews. The chapters and verses we are familiar with today came much later in the history of the Bible.

Chapters, as we have them now, didn’t appear in the biblical text until the beginning of the 13th century. Stephen Langton, an archbishop of Canterbury, was credited as first dividing the Bible into chapters. “The custom of referring to chapters when quoting from the Scriptures was rare before the twelfth century… Uniformity was introduced amid such chaotic conditions by the Paris scholars, notably, as it appears, by Stephen Langton… His system, which is substantially the one in use today, was adopted in the earliest printed editions of the Vulgate” (Metzgers, Early Versions of the New Testament). Others tried different means of dividing up the Bible this way, but his method stuck and is in use today.

Continue reading "Has the Bible Always Been Divided Into Chapters and Verses Like It Is Today?"

John 20:23 is the specific verse in question:

“‘If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

This statement by Jesus firmly establishes the fact that the Church of God is to be administered, but only in the context of God’s laws. Note in verse 21, Jesus states, “‘…As the Father has sent Me, I also send you’” (compare John 17:18). Of Himself, Jesus emphatically stated that His role was to fulfill the Father’s Will:

“‘I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me’” (John 5:30; compare John 5:19; 6:38; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10).

Likewise, the Church is to act in accordance with the Will of God. Jesus said that only he “‘who does the will of My Father in heaven’” would enter God’s Kingdom (Matthew 7:21). Paul emphasized that Christians must live “doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6). He prayed that the brethren might “be filled with the knowledge of His (God’s) will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9). Both Peter (1 Peter 4:2) and John (1 John 2:17) taught that we must do the Will of God.

Continue reading "I Am Having Trouble Understanding John 20:20-23: Did Jesus Give the Apostles and the Church the Power to Forgive Sin?"

In this Q&A, we will focus on the kind of wrath which is ungodly and which we must not have. In the next installment, we will continue to discuss a different kind of wrath or indignation which is righteous and godly.

To begin with, we need to understand that this world is Satan’s world. Satan is the ruler and the god of this world (John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4; compare Ephesians 6:12)–the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). He has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9), and the whole world is in his power and lies under his sway (1 John 5:19).

Satan is God’s adversary. He is a spirit being and invisible to the human eye, but he is very real. He is an exceedingly angry being, full of wrath and contempt for God and for all of mankind. He has influenced every human being from birth; and even though God’s creation of man was very good (Genesis 1:31), man became very wicked under Satan’s influence, and “every intent of the thought of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

Continue reading "Can You Explain What the Bible Says About Wrath?"

Here are the verses in question:

“(Ephesians 4:11) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

“(Verse 12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

“(Verse 13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

“(Verse 14)  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

“(Verse 15)  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

Continue reading "Could You Explain More Fully Ephesians 4:11-16?"

In a previous Q&A, the question about whether Satan can influence us when we are asleep was answered.  It was proved that God would not allow His people to be subjected to such a situation.

And so, the next question to ask may be: “Where do our dreams come from?”

On the website: https://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/dreams/facts-about-dreams/what-are-dreams we read about the process of dreaming:

“What Is a Dream, Anyway?

“A dream is a collection of images and ideas that occur involuntarily during certain periods of repose. When you first drift off, your heart rate slows, your temperature drops, and your brain is busy processing the day’s events. During this initial sleep stage, dreams are made up of flashes of thoughts and images from your waking life: what you ate for lunch, a phone call you made during the day, the movie you watched before bed. You rarely remember these dreams unless you wake up during them.

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Here is the verse: “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

This misunderstood verse has been repeatedly quoted to prove that people “go to heaven” when they die. But is that really what happens? Does the Bible state anywhere that heaven is the reward of the saved? Is anyone—especially the righteous who have died—in heaven with God and Jesus Christ right now?

Let’s consider some facts—unmistakable statements from the Word of God which prove that no person has ascended to heaven except Jesus Christ. That includes the apostle Paul, who died almost two millennia ago!

Following His resurrection (which was to spirit life), it is recorded that Jesus was taken to heaven—to be with God:

Continue reading "Please Explain 2 Corinthians 5:8"

Do we realize that the Bible actually commands us to be thankful? Shouldn’t this be a voluntary action? What does God think about this subject and what has He inspired to be written down in His Holy Word? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 states “… give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (New International Version).

Why would God have inspired Paul to write this? In this fifth chapter, Paul is exhorting the Thessalonian brethren to continue living in a Godly manner. He is spelling out for them the things that they should keep in mind and practice in their Christian walk. One of the most challenging things to do is to remain thankful in every situation we encounter.

But how can we get into this state of mind?

Continue reading "Why Are We Commanded to Be Thankful?"