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Fighting the Fight XXIII

[posted 2/1/25]

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Question #1:

Dear Bob,

In the 12/31/2022 email postings you gave the explanation below. This summary was much appreciated and helpful! Does your website have additional, searchable summary explanations of other difficult to understand Biblical passages? I have disciplined myself to read some of your exhaustive works at Ichthys.com. I do appreciate the detail, but there are times that a short, to-the-point explanation would be helpful.

Growing in Christ, and want to keep growing,

Response #1:

The answer is "yes and no". Ichthys is a very large site and difficult to navigate for new users, even though I have done a lot of work on trying to make it more accessible.

If you're trying to find info on a given passage you could, 1) look at the translation index since I sometimes comment extensively on passages I've translated myself (they'll be in an appropriate context in any case); 2) check the subject index for the theme/idea that relates to the passage you're interested in; *3) there is also a PDF spreadsheet for places passages are treated, one for the OT and two for the NT, one for the gospels and Acts then one for the rest of the NT (courtesy of Peter V.); 4) you can Google search Ichthys (see the instructions for that). If all else fails, you can email me and I'd be happy to point you to anything you may have overlooked.

Wishing you a great 2023!

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #2:

-Dear Bob-

Wow, what a treasure trove of Biblical study aids! This exactly what I was hoping for! It is apparent that a great deal of time and effort went into getting all the cross-references and hyperlinks to properly work. Thank you for your exhaustive efforts. I do appreciate all you personally do to “drill down” to the original Biblical message and intent, as much as possible. Makes me wonder how much more Biblical insight expositors from the pre-computer/internet era could have discovered with these modern tools.

I will continue to “dig deep” into the scriptures. Thank you for your willingness to share the resources of ichthys.com.

Still learning and growing,

Response #2:

Thanks!

Question #3:

My big question is about the Book of James. Right in the beginning of the Book of James, The Path translates as follows: “But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter being double-minded and unstable. . .” I raised the issue in our session about doubting. In earlier discussions, my priest has talked about doubt being functional, sometimes the way to firm up faith. . . She said doubt is not the opposite of faith. (Fear is, she said.) In one of my Bibles, it says “he that wavers” and then later: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” In another Bible, it says “. . .being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

___ suggested that doubt may be an inexact translation and urged us to bring in other translations. To me, being ‘double-minded’ is very different from being an ardent ‘doubter’!

In any event, I don’t think doubting is necessarily being unfaithful. . .

So with all your knowledge of languages and Bibles, what is meant by James in this very evocative passage?

Also, my niece is having some serious health issues right now. Would you consider praying for her? (She’s really a lovely young woman, and I don’t like to see her suffering so much.)

My best,

Response #3:

As to "doubt", the word in James 1:6 is the middle voice of the verb dia-krino, a word which in the active voice simplex form (i.e., no "dia-") means "to judge". "Doubt" is not a bad translation; "second guessing" or "hesitating" (to fully believe) would give the idea here. As to doubt, it depends what one or more particularly WHOM a person is doubting. Our Lord reproached Peter for losing his confidence in walking on the water – AFTER Peter had asked Him to be able to do so. The application here is that if we are praying to the Lord, we need to believe that He does hear us, that He CAN do what we are asking, and that in His love and mercy He is not going to let us down. Otherwise, we're just going through some religious ritual like the pagans do. But our God is real – and He really DOES hear us and help us.

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:6 NIV

As the Peter example above and plenty of other examples from great believers in the Bible show clearly, no one is perfect on this score. If we were, we would be able to move mountains – literally. Scripture very often gives us the "Christian job description" as something we need to shoot for and strive for, as in first John where we are told that "Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him" (1Jn.3:6 NKJV). But earlier John had allowed that we are forgiven when we confess our sins (1Jn.1:9), that if we say we don't sin we are making God out to be a liar (1Jn.1:10), and that Jesus advocates for us when we do sin (1Jn.2:1).

So on the one hand we are not perfect; on the other hand we need to be perfect. This is not a call to any sort of "comfortable Christianity" but a clarion cry to get cracking in our growth so as to be persons of deep faith and trust in the Lord, not "doubters".

I read the James passage in a similar way. Clearly, those to whom he was writing were falling short. This statement is a prod to put out some effort in spiritual growth so as to fall "less short". When we pray, we ought to be aware of whom it is we are praying to, and have confidence in His love and ability to answer our prayers, His willingness to do so, and the certainty of Him answering – even if not necessarily always at the time and place and in the precise way in which WE would prefer.

I do promise to pray for your niece.

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #4:

Hi Mr. Luginbill,

I apologize for writing again so quickly. Long story short, I have been struggling with health issues for a year and a half. I have had to restrict my diet and lately, I started having problems with lots of food I ate. I found out today I am mildly sensitive to most meat - I should still be able to have fish and turkey. I have to not eat any of that for a month and then add food in again.

Do you think this is a test from the Lord? I feel tested. I feel attacked mentally and tested physically. Or do you think I am being disciplined?

Sometimes I still feel like I might not be saved. I have thoughts I don't want, and I wish they would stop - that's why I feel attacked mentally. But then I also think, "if I wasn't saved, I couldn't understand some of the things I do from your lessons, cause the Holy Spirit empowers all that (unbelievers can only understand salvation until they get saved, then the rest of the truth comes afterward, correct?) And I remember what you told me the very first time about someone who has rejected Jesus without any thought of repentance wouldn't care about Him or salvation. I think I care. But if I am afraid, have I truly trusted Jesus? I have to tell myself to rest in Jesus, and I never do. I just try and hope and wrestle on. Part of me wonders if the thoughts thing is an attack, cause I am not strong there. Never have been, even as a child I let myself dwell on things that weren't good.

Sorry to write again.

Response #4:

No worries, my friend.

If you just robbed a bank last week and are determined not to give back the money, then we could safely assume that you are being disciplined to get you to change your attitude and your behavior.

But if we are talking about some common sin you feel guilty about from the distant past, then you are NOT being disciplined for that. Our Father is a loving and just heavenly Father. He disciplines us for our good in every way (Heb.12:1ff.). Our human fathers were not perfect, even the best of them. But what would we think of a father, whose son threw a temper tantrum at age six which maybe resulted in missing an airplane flight, who then waited until his son's twelfth birthday then canceled his party, burned his presents in the backyard, and grounded him for a year, saying, "Remember that time you cost us that flight? This is discipline for that!!!" Surely we would consider him insane and unjust. Unjust, because the punishment doesn't fit the crime, was not speedily given, and did not take into account the nature of a six year old. Insane, because the whole point of disciplining our children whom we love is NOT to exact revenge but to lovingly teach them to do right. For that to happen, discipline has to be appropriate AND timely. But the devil is very good at using guilt to try and cause us to misinterpret the "bad" things that happen to us. If he can get us looking backwards instead of forwards, his job is at least half done.

Suffering is a part of the Christian life (see, e.g., Peter #34: A Christian Code of Conduct). And while unbelievers only know pain, we believers can know joy in the face of suffering because we know that the Lord 1) always provides comfort and encouragement in our trials and tribulations (Jn.16:33; 2Cor.1:3-7; 1Pet.4:14); 2) always grants us deliverance and relief (Ps.9:9-10; 9:18; 1Cor.10:13; 2Cor.4:8-9); and 3) always makes it possible for us to have the proper attitude of peace in these times (Is.26:3; 30:15; Heb.4:9-11; 1Pet.1:6-7).

As we grow, we learn to trust the Lord more and more and to realize that even "bad things" are being worked together for good for us who love the Lord (Rom.8:28). We are only concerned with pleasing the Lord, so if things are "going wrong", while we are not expected to enjoy that, we can absolutely be confident that, if we are not mixed up in some chronic sin or heading in a wrong direction at the moment but instead are attempting to grow and move forward, then whatever negative is happening is not our fault, is known to the Lord, and will redound to His glory . . . IF we handle the test in the right way, trusting Him to bring us through and not doubting that He will. He will give us victory. He ALWAYS does for those who wait on his deliverance.

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!
Psalm 27:14 NKJV

He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31 NKJV

No one is perfect in the technique of resting in the Lord (see the link); and certainly not in the early going of spiritual growth. Instead of worrying about your spiritual status, the best policy is instead to double down on spiritual growth, making it a point to grow in the Word daily through Bible study (Ichthys), Bible reading, prayer, and focusing more and more on applying the truth you have learned and believed. If you do that, even when "the chips are down", then you will find that all such doubts eventually disappear altogether.

I am praying for you. Please do feel free to write me any time.

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #5:

Doc, you say "Occam's Razor" isn't actually a good way of finding out truth about things at all...How do we know then? If the simplest answer in reality isn't usually the right one, how do we make out the truth in the jumbled stew of unlikely possibilities? I get you're only saying that because it can be used to justify God not existing, but it makes trying to find out things via logic like I do (I'm not doing this for spiritual things of course, only the Spirit can reveal those) near impossible if not outright...

Response #5:

I'm not much on "logic" . . . if its illogical. I'm much bigger on common sense, especially if it is "spiritual common sense", that is, using the truth we've learned and applying that truth with the help of the Holy Spirit. Everything supernatural is illogical to materialists. So there are too many moving parts to use a theory like this one objectively and have it yield results. Besides, if God has told us something in His Word, it is true, regardless of logic. If we try to force spiritual things into a logical paradigm we will risk distorting the truth because the truth is the truth regardless of our human constructs or limited understanding.

Common sense "gets" that – especially spiritual common sense. In apologetic terms, if we can use logical constructs to convince people of the truth we already know to be true, that might be a useful application, but getting truth in the first place from a logical process is questionable. We have the Bible and the Spirit for a reason. Anyone and everyone can understand the truth through the system of dispensing it that the Lord has given us for this age: teachers in the Spirit learning from the Bible and teaching the truth to others in the Spirit (link). You don't have to be a genius for that – you just have to be humble enough to accept God's way of doing things and persevere:

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.
1st Corinthians 1:25-29 NKJV

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #6:

So...in response to your last email I feel like I asked something like this before but I would like to clarify more. I asked if the truth is contradictory...but what I really meant, and this ties into your last email, is the truth logically consistent or not? I understand people's logic can often be wrong, but that's in my experience because of emotional bias, at least most of the time, the other times seem to be because they don't see the full picture of the facts. I'll be humble and admit that I too often become biased in my reasoning because of my emotions, which can be very strong when I'm upset in any way. What I'm saying is I hope I misunderstood your last email when you said "God's Word is truth, regardless of logic". I took it at first to mean that the truth that the Spirit teaches us isn't necessarily logically consistent...believe me I was NOT happy to realize this whole ministry might be a sham because the teacher puts their beliefs over reason. Like I said before, this place is kind of my last bastion of hope at this point. I guess there's always Bible Academy, but I've followed this ministry for over a year and a half now and know how close knit you two are, and what if Omo says the same thing? My sinful nature may want to be free from the restrictions of the Bible when it comes to what I like doing, but I know ut never really makes me happy at all, and my heart cries out for a relationship with God...I don't know if I can keep on living if all my time searching for the truth, going through so many ministries and their "truth" to find the real one is for naught...

Response #6:

I think we've had this conversation before . . . a couple of times.

Let's not be theoretical about this. Tell me a teaching of Ichthys you find to be "illogical" and we can talk about that. Not much worse than being theoretical about theoretical logical constructs designed for application in the material world then applied to the spiritual realm. That makes my head hurt. Better to take actual cases.

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #7:

*sigh* Your email that I responded to made me feel betrayed...like I was being duped into following some lunatic who willfully clings to cognitive dissonance because he would rather believe what was supposedly revealed to him, even though it contradicts clear reality...but who am I kidding, I NEED Ichthys, even if these things turn out to be true, how else will I fix my problems, both morally and in my life, if I don't have some Christian system to believe in? And all the others I've seen have so many flaws in them...I don't know what to say man, my despairing diatribes have told you enough already...

Response #7:

No worries.

The way I have built Ichthys is for it to be focused on making all the teaching very straightforward so that no one ever has to "guess my interpretation", and then to back up every teaching with explanations and with scripture. I'm always willing to explain individual points, principles and interpretations of verses – just as long as these inquiries are genuine questions and not merely from debaters who have no interest in actually learning.

So the only "system" at Ichthys is "what does the Bible say" and not just in one place but in every place.

Theological constructs are often just as bad as logical constructs and much damage has been done to the reception of the truth by both. It's a lot easier to develop a system of logic or theology and then apply it cookie-cutter like to the whole Bible: all problems solved! Except that this ends in gross error over and over again. It's a lot harder and a lot more time consuming to dig out the truth one principle at a time, one verse at a time, one book at a time, comparing each and every one to the totality of what scripture says everywhere. That is what I have been trying to do. IMHO, the results speak for themselves. I think that the more time you spend reading these materials, the more you will see the truth of all that.

Keeping you in my prayers, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #8:

This is just a shortened version of the last 3 emails. This CAN probably work with math and other purely empirical things like the hobby I mentioned...spiritual matters as always require help from the Spirit. The thing I'm talking about is basically a "proper use of Occam's Razor", which I believe at that point it comes to likely be plain common sense when it comes to non spiritual matters, where if there's not a testable alternative theory, I'm talking any other theory would require assumptions and data we literally as far as humanly possible cannot know to be true, even after massive amounts of work we get no lead whatsoever, it's typically best to just throw in the towel and use the one we got. I'm asking your opinion on this because I and I think most people do this all the time without thinking. Is this just as bad as the dreaded "Occam's Razor"?

Response #8:

I don't have any problem with using logic or data or common sense . . . for any secular or worldly thing. My problem is with assuming this use of reason can account for spiritual matters. It cannot. According to materialistic reasoning God cannot even exist. So how can materialists bereft of the Spirit ever hope to understand His book?

But there is a spiritual dimension to things, a fact which every human being is given to know early on in life (see the link). "Science" now rejects this universal spiritual common sense and makes a collective ass out of itself in so doing. You can't quantify the Bible so you can't understand it with quantitative methodology. Using logic for other things is fine. But God gives us a simple way to learn spiritual truth: obedience to the Holy Spirit and the system of edification the Lord has provided for us (link).

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #9:

Hi Dr L,

How are you doing?

I finished the Ancient History book finally, and will start on the Church history one. And I am over halfway on the Greek textual criticism book. It is odd when I read it, to think that even into the 20th century there were lots and lots of unexamined manuscripts. It would have made me think at that time, well how do you know if you have the right text if there is still so much material. But they have looked at it all now, right? Are they still finding more?

When I see the news I tell myself, 'I used to think I should study evolution closer to have an answer at least in my mind to its supposed challenges to the Bible, but look at the scientific community now, they will destroy themselves before I get to that point.' (The gender thing, the vaccine thing, and that kind of stuff). I have read very briefly about evolution science and I note that it is pure theory- untestable because you can't go back and check that all the assumptions about the physical environment were so thousands of years ago. And there are no records to tell us, unlike with historical manuscripts and documents. But if I believe text criticism scholars on manuscript dating, I should learn more. The other issue is that the evolution group is constantly changing (they would say updating) their story, and so even if I learned it in one time, wait a while and it will be different. But I don't think the story of manuscript dating has changed all that much, right?

I feel like I relate to Anna the Prophetess. Because she doesn't seem to have had a family, and spent her time praying. I think that is good and useful for some people who don't have the conventional path to follow.

Anyway, happy Friday Eve,

Response #9:

Doing well here – hope the same is true for you, my friend.

On mss., there are a good many Byzantine era mss. which are all related to the same late family tradition. In the last twenty years or so there has been a lot of work done in collating them, comparing readings and the like. Since they are all late and far inferior to the earlier mss. we have (like Aleph, A, B and C), there isn't much profit, IMHO, to spending one's life on these things, but some people are doing that (especially "King James Onlyists" who prefer them because KJV's "Textus Receptus" was based on one of these; link). Put it this way, would you rather have four F-35's when you're going to war or 1,000 WWI Spads?

Your comments on evolution and on Carbon-14 testing are right on the mark. Here are some Ichthys links for these issues:

The Problem of Science and the Bible (in SR 5)

Hodge and Darwin (in CT 2A)

Science and the Bible I

Science and the Bible II

Science and the Bible III

Darwinism is evolving

Hope you have a nice weekend!

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #10:

Hi Dr L,

If you could just clarify real quick: are you saying that those manuscripts that the scholars didn't get to until later are mostly later manuscripts? Because that does make more sense to me. And I agree with you that it wouldn't be the best use of the average believer's time.

I think I will stop with Greek text crit after this book, and focus on the Bible, Bible study, Greek, and a bit of history.

[omitted]

Respectfully,

Response #10:

That's correct. We all prioritize work (or should), leaving unessential tasks until the essential ones are completed (that is essentially what's going on here in the case of scholars who recognize the inestimably greater value of the earlier mss. as opposed to the Byzantine era ones).

You are important to Jesus Christ, very much so. There's no better identity than that. And the more you devote yourself to being close to Him, the better for that relationship which is beyond all others in this very temporary world.

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #11:

Hi Dr Luginbill,

Thanks for all your help.

1) Real quick, I was reading that apparently even in Origen's time there was a lot of textual variants. Do you have any thoughts/knowledge on how that affects how we see the early manuscripts that survived?

2) And is there a book that has the basics of hermeneutics (like an overview of the common hermeneutics interpreters have used). Ok I obviously am not familiar with the terminology, but hopefully you understand what I am asking lol.

Please take care of yourself

Response #11:

1) That is a speculation since we don't know a lot about what mss. e.g. Origen (or any of the Greek fathers) had access to; and a generalization (what is "a lot"?). Also, when I give a rough quote or paraphrase of a verse in an email response, it doesn't mean that there is variation in the text I'm referring to. Similarly, a "quotation" in Origen who wrote in Greek is not necessarily one that he checked against a ms. and for that reason alone might not reflect a variation. So I wouldn't worry about this point, whoever wrote it.

2) Yes there are books on Christian hermeneutics but none I could recommend. To use a generalization myself, they tend to be dead-faith hyper scholastic or over-simplified evangelical biased (both are wrong about a great many things). Plus, there is a lot which such scholars haven't figured out about how to interpret prophecy and that of necessity clouds their understanding of the text (and adversely affects their text-critical judgment).

Here's a link at Ichthys which will give some background on that: in CT 1: "Hermeneutic Issues".
In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #12:

Praise God, thank you for sharing the Word of God with us. Family is doing well, not trial-less, but well.

Response #12:

My pleasure!

Question #13:

Happy Thanksgiving Brother Bob, hope you are well.

Thanks for sharing Bible resources. I realize that you have probably received many emails over the years asking Bible questions. Thanks so much for your patience and kindness in sharing your insight and the Scriptures. I was wondering if there is a link to questions you have answered, and if it is organized by topic?

Love in Christ,

Response #13:

You're most welcome.

To answer your question, there is a huge volume of email postings going back many years now. Here is the link to the list of them which starts with the most recent and goes back to the beginning (Previous Postings). As you will see, they are arranged mostly according to themes, such as the "Baptism: Water and Spirit" series (link to the latest one). But since there are somewhere around 20 plus Q/A's per posting, and since many topics are more general (e.g., "Old Testament Interpretation"), it can be a challenge to find something specific in this great mass of material.

Two helps there are the Translation Index (where translations original to this ministry may be found) and the Subject Index (which will guide you not to every place where a subject is covered but to most of the more important and detailed treatments). It's also possible to search the site via Google (more effective for searching the email postings than the larger pieces since Google-bot does not work its way through more than about twenty pages or so of text files).

If you are ever looking for something specific, I'd be happy to try and point you in the right direction.

Happy Thanksgiving to you too, my friend!

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #14:

Thank you for that well thought out, moderated, and well spoken response. I have been praying to the Lord to help me if I am slipping of the path and I believe He will. I have told you I struggle with what is the Holy Spirit and what is something else, so I don't know what I can make with that. But I am praying.

This may seem random, but for a long time I have thought I was really blessed to get the education I did (though I wish I had done more with it at the time). There is a new depth to life when you learn so much books and literature and history and culture. One small thing you might say is that you can see how to speak or write well, and how to see through honeyed words and arguments. There is just a lot missed from what I can see with some people who just scoff at that kind of thing. Though to be honest, I do wonder about the downsides of reading too much fiction.

[omitted]

Please take care of yourself. Thank you for always being patient and helping me.

Response #14:

I certainly agree with you about education – and especially an education in Classics. There is a reason why for well over two millennia in the west this was the only sort of education that mattered. Not that people who had it were perfect, but as you mention, being conversant with the great minds of the past gives a person more "critical thinking" ability than half a dozen college courses ostensibly devoted to that subject.

Fiction is fiction. It can be mostly benign, or it can be quite evil in intent. We are bombarded by this stuff everywhere in our entertainment-driven culture, so having some background knowledge and the ability to see through all lies emotionally as well as analytically is a real plus. Spiritual growth lends us spiritual common sense in this area as well as in all others.

Wishing you a good week ahead!

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #15:

If we both have the same thing in mind by "classical education" that does entail a lot of fiction.

I am still working on Greek, but I confess that I feel I am going really slow. I mean I spend enough time on it (1 hour or a little more on weekdays and usually the weekend off), but I feel like after a couple years, I should be reading it much easier. May I ask how long it took you to read it pretty easily?

[omitted]

Response #15:

I certainly agree with you about education – and especially an education in Classics. There is a reason why for well over two millennia in the west this was the only sort of education that mattered. Not that people who had it were perfect, but as you mention, being conversant with the great minds of the past gives a person more "critical thinking" ability than half a dozen college courses ostensibly devoted to that subject.

Fiction is fiction. It can be mostly benign, or it can be quite evil in intent. We are bombarded by this stuff everywhere in our entertainment-driven culture, so having some background knowledge and the ability to see through all lies emotionally as well as analytically is a real plus. Spiritual growth lends us spiritual common sense in this area as well as in all others.

Wishing you a good week ahead!

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #16:

Hello Dr. Luginbill,

We had a discussion in Bible class this morning concerning the Apostle Matthias. My thinking is that the decision to choose Matthias to replace Judas was incorrect. The basis for my opinion is that so little is known about him and he is never mentioned again in Scripture. Also, the fact that Paul came after Matthias, which would make Paul the 13th Apostle.

Although the procedure that Peter followed in Acts 1:15-26 indicates that Matthias was a reasonable choice from their point of view, it’s not clear from reading the passage that the Lord actually prompted the disciples to fill the vacancy in their ranks. On the contrary, by looking back it seems obvious that Paul was God’s choice to replace Judas.

Matthias was never mentioned again by any of the disciples, and none of them raised any objections when Paul described himself as an Apostle chosen by God. Except for Philippians, Thessalonians and Philemon, Paul’s letters began with him introducing himself this way. The number 13 is associated in Scripture with rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, and revolution.

I would agree with the above statements, but I would like to have your expert opinion on this.

Thanks always for your great advise.

Blessings to you always,

Your friend,

Response #16:

I agree with you on this point absolutely! In fact, I have taught this for a long time. There are other indications as well to doubt the legitimacy of Matthias "appointment", such as the fact that they drew lots – a procedure which was only valid under the Law and never used or recommended elsewhere in the NT; and such as the way Luke is given to describe the results, literally, "he was voted down (i.e., condemned) along with the other eleven apostles", i.e., for this incorrect procedure. No versions translate it this way, but this is what the Greek says (even Strong's has this as one of the meanings).

Here's a couple of links to where I discuss this:

Matthias and the Numbering of the Twelve Apostles

Peter #2 appendix

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #17:

Dear Teacher

I have been trying to figure out why growing in understanding of the truth has not yet turned into victory over terrible gross sin. __ was in tears about a bad habit of "talking out of turn" or something like that and being rather mean in speech. I said that not to despair but should focus on spiritual growth since growing understanding in the truth will ultimately solve that problem. I'm confident that that is true, but I also wondered whether I'm missing something about the mechanics of the whole thing since, while I think I have learned the whole system of truth, I'm persuaded struggling with gross sin is a mark of spiritual immaturity.

Today, therefore, I decided to really think about it (I believe it was the Lord who turned my mind to it). I spent quite some time talking myself through some of the Scriptures that came to my mind and then reading PE #16 and then the latter part of PE #17. I came to a conclusion that I want to run by you.

It seems to me that the Bible provides the solution to sin in the statement "walk in the Spirit and you will not satisfy the desires of the flesh." This seems to me to mean that "virtue (or spiritual) thinking", as you called it, or "biblical thinking," as I unwittingly came to call it too is the way to grow in sanctification in time.

The mechanics of this is that as we learn to think about the specifics of our lives in a biblical/spiritual/virtuous way, we will begin to conduct ourselves in ways that are pleasing to God in those things. What this means is that instead of merely attempting to exert our free will to stop ourselves from doing things as if willpower is all that is needed -- a tack that ultimately fails from exertion because of exhaustion -- we need to learn to think the right way about the specific matter. For example, in the matter of sexual immorality, it is true that faith in the Lord tells us to trust Him when He says that we should flee sexual immorality, and hope in Him tells us to look forward to the promises He has given us of better things, and love tells us that God is worthy of our obedience and pleasing Him with our bodies and that our fellow believers are encouraged by our conduct, but how do we break the hold upon us?

So, when you say that the Holy Spirit works with the truth in our hearts, it would mean that the deeper and more specified the truth is in our hearts, the more we find ourselves empowered by the Spirit to deal with the specifics.

Just believing what God's position is on these things is enough to put us in the position to take advantage of the Spirit's power. Until we believe God's position on the specific issues, it will be a legal problem to our minds: a matter of what we should or shouldn't do. That makes the matter a frustrating one. A change of heart about it, on the other hand, makes it more a matter of skill. Once understanding dawns, then it is a matter of dexterity in using the power of the Spirit as it wells up inside us.

For me, it may be too soon to be sure that I have figured it out, but I feel that I can testify that I had a feeling of calm from just working all that out. It may be nothing or it could be the beginning of a permanent change.

From where I stand, it is not that there will be no more fight. Rather, it is that the doctrine of war changes on the specifics. Instead of fighting from a position of defeat (such as Rom.8:7-8 seem to me to indicate), we can begin to fight from a position of victory. That is, rather than worrying about losing because you are approaching things from the perspective of why you shouldn't sin, now you are concerned with how to maneuver because you are dealing with how to beat the temptation. When you worry about sinning, you start to make accommodations for inevitable failure or else you start to blind yourself to failure. When you stop worrying about it, you sort of stop "thinking" about it. Again, it's probably too soon, but I think that the calm is really a sense of confidence that you have something solid to stand on when the fight breaks out again, so you don't feel worried or stressed thinking about the next fight because even a win in the past is probably a fluke and you'll lose the next one for sure.

That's it, Sir. What do you think about all that?

Your student in Jesus

Response #17:

Good stuff, my friend!

I would add that it really is all a matter of faith, by which I mean the decision to believe and follow through on that belief. That is where we all fall down from time to time. We have all denied ourselves (repented unto salvation); we have all picked up our crosses (believed in Jesus); but following Him is often hit and miss. There is much resistance.

Spiritual growth is indeed the solution, but spiritual growth is not just knowledge – it is knowledge truly believed in the Spirit. And if we truly have committed to the truth of anything, going against that is going against the Spirit – and it is obvious to us when we do so.

The Spirit is God. Nothing is impossible for Him. If we really do trust Him to help us, He helps us. But if we are operating on doubt or neglect of Him and the truth of which He is reminding us, then we are not "walking in the Spirit". These are absolute things, but also subtle things . . . at least until we reach a certain point of maturity when deceiving ourselves becomes ever more difficult. We have to keep deciding to do what is right over and over again – until life is over. Our Lord did this too. Only He never decided anything but to respond to the Spirit in the right way. And He is our example.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:19-20 NKJV

If we decide to trust absolutely, then absolutely nothing is impossible, and especially not gaining victory over sin.

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #18:

Thank you, Sir.

I had a problem not merely of believing but also of not knowing. I never knew until yesterday that the things I had read and reread so many times also meant what I came to see them to mean yesterday. I didn't really know any other way to think of sin besides the legal way. If I was not thinking about it in terms of what you should and shouldn't do and why, it wasn't obvious to me how I should be thinking about it without trapping myself in legalism.

Another amazing thing is that this is a strategy that works across the board. So, on any other problem of sanctification that I have, I know that what I need to do is question what I believe on the matter and bring it into alignment with the Scriptures and then hold the course. In other words, no need to take the legal approach anymore. The question is not should I? or should I not? or why should I? or why should I not? It is "what do I believe about this that is causing me to stumble? And what does the Bible say about it that I'm missing?"

Your student in Jesus

Response #18:

It is indeed a facet of spiritual growth to begin to see things from a more strategic perspective. Or, put another way, to understand what this is all about and have that larger view in mind most if not all of the time: keeping the cross ever in our hearts (rather than around our necks as is the practice of some). Remembering the conflict in which we are involved, getting to know just how "big" God is and carrying that perspective into all our thinking, looking to our reward and not to the here and now, etc., etc. is the method. I do hasten to add, however, that we also can't abandon the smaller "nuts and bolts" truths. All genuine, biblical perspectives are important. As we grow, we get to know better and better "the breadth and length and height and depth" of all of God's truth (Eph.3:18). And we start to see our Lord in all we do at all times.

By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
Hebrews 11:27 NKJV

Knowing on a deep level, the level of actually believing in our heart that we know is true, "epignosis-knowing", is a huge advantage. But we still have to choose and act through much opposition as long as we are down here.

Keeping you in my daily prayers, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #19:

Hello Prof. Bob!

How are you doing? We're chugging along. I wonder if you're going to get some piping emails regarding the current email topics (submission, women being deceived). I've said a prayer for your readers to be receptive to these matters - may we glorify the Lord!

Before I forget, how do you prefer to be addressed? Even my Mom has heard of Prof. Bob, but perhaps that isn't a preferred name.

I've been studying to better understand the area of application regarding medical treatment and interventions. Overall, I have peace, but have been confused by a few points.

1) Our bodies being "temples" of the Holy Spirit; what does that mean?
2) If we ought to approach physical "brokenness" similarly to the rest of life
3) What does having doubts in Romans 14:23 mean?

1) It doesn't seem "natural" to take medicine given that we have been entrusted with these mortal vessels. That said, riding in cars and eating modern fruit is probably not too natural either.

Seeing such care and detail that went into the Tabernacle and Temple, instinctively my assumption is that we need to go to painstaking efforts to physically be "as God intended".

That said, these are some verses and considerations I'm taking into account:
- Mark 7:15, ESV: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
- Although we are "fearfully and wonderfully made", sin has compromised our physical bodies
- Ephesians 2:14-22 inclines me to believe that the Lord has somehow enabled those who believe in Him to be fitting temples through HIS righteousness
- This "temple" reference is largely a collective reference to the body of Christ
- There are seemingly positive or neutral references to doctors and medicine in the Bible

I don't want to displease or dishonor the Lord in receiving medical treatment, nor do I want to potentially miss a means the Lord may use to avoid a shortened or particularly uncomfortable lifespan.

2) If we have diseased, ill or otherwise quite incompetent bodies, is it correct to assume we shouldn't just roll over, but soldier on and manage best we can to find solutions to stay alive and/or functioning?

(All that assumes submitting to the Lord with gratitude, not obsessing, acknowledging His sovereignty over solutions and the number of our days)

I don't want to "fight" against the mortal body I've been given, but it also seems failure to be perseverant could be its own failing.

3) Romans 14:23 stumps me, especially if both sides present doubts - "staying or going"; I think I could intellectually see a potential issue with anything if I tried.

Life seems full of situations where we may not always 100% be sure if what we're doing is correct, but we discern best we can based on Biblical truth, trust the Lord in faith, and -ideally- go on peacefully abiding in the Lord.

Have a blessed weekend in the Lord and thank you for bearing with our historically slow responses. We read, appreciate and often discuss what you send, but are new to this whole "teacher we never met in real life" thing as well as how to do these things "together but separately".

Response #19:

No firestorm yet! But of course readers of Ichthys have heard teaching on these things before (cf. Peter #35; link).

To answer your questions:

1) The Holy Spirit indwells us (link). And wherever God is dwelling is a temple. So this is literally true of individual believers but also of all believers on earth as a group: we collectively are the only "temple of God" presently existing on planet earth (1Pet.2:5). It is true that this point is often abused by legalistic individuals to want to say that "since your BODY is a temple, you ought not to drink diet cola (e.g.)". That is ridiculous. Our physical bodies are assets in the fight we are fighting, so it makes sense to take care of them reasonably so as to be better in that fight for our Lord (we would want to do that anyway in our own self interest, it seems to me). But using this truth to advance non-biblical agendas (like trying to get people to stop smoking) is an abuse of scripture and legalistic in the extreme.

2) Accessing medical care – or any technology – is, for the most part, a matter of application, not of strict commands from scripture. A word processing program can be used to write a Bible study or a stick-up note to facilitate robbing a bank, e.g. Technology is, for the most part, neither good nor bad intrinsically. How we choose as Christians to use it is the issue. There is no need to drive a horse and buggy instead of a car – as if there were anything spiritual in that. Forcing believers to do the former is legalism. Telling someone not to get the Covid vaccine because it is "a sin against God" would be silly if it weren't downright evil. Not getting a Covid shot because of health concerns is reasonable enough. Believers who choose to get one and believers who choose not to based on purely practical concerns can't be accused in either case of doing something wrong. It's the other way around: injecting a spiritual dimension as a matter of principle into such matters of application is what is wrong (and that is the whole point of what Paul is saying in Romans 14:1ff.). There is clearly, as is the case with all matters of applying the truth to life, a "sweet spot" somewhere between engaging in every possible medical intervention and therapy in a frantic and fearful fashion on the one hand, and refusing all medical care whatsoever on the other. Paul was accompanied by a physician; he relied on the Lord first and foremost but also made use of what the Lord provided. That is the "rule of thumb"; applying it to any given circumstance correctly requires us to lean on the Spirit with the spiritual common sense we have developed through spiritual growth.

3) It is the definition of application situations that we aren't 100% sure – so that we have to trust the Lord as we make the best possible decision we can. Since if that is the case, we're not going to be in the wrong either way as long as we are trusting the Lord (Rom.14:23) – unless we are blind to some absolute principle which we are overlooking in arrogance or ignorance. That is rarely the case with medicine for mature believers. Assisted suicide, e.g., would be something about which I would say 100% wrong; mostly everything else (there are clearly a few other clearly questionable things like "gender surgery", e.g.) would be a matter of making our best choice possible, listening to the Spirit and applying the truth we have stored in our hearts. Do I or do I not get physical therapy for this problem joint? On the one hand, it could help; on the other hand, I'm living with it OK and XYZ might also improve it. I would have a hard time saying there was any great spiritual import in deciding something like that one way or another.

Also, in terms of Romans 14:1ff., here we have a case of somewhat more mature believers "knowing better": they are technically right, but of making the mistake of offending less mature believers who haven't grown to the point of understanding certain things as of yet. So if I smoke (I do not smoke), it would behoove me not to make a point of puffing around some immature believer I know is going to hit me with that "temple of the Holy Spirit" verse. I'd just be aggravating him/her, and that is not right, even if smoking is not biblically wrong (it's not good for one's health, obviously, but then neither is the chocolate chip cheese cake I'm planning to have for dessert tonight).

Keeping you and your family in my prayers, my friend!

In Jesus,

Bob L.

Question #20:

Robert, at the heart of everything for me is this: Why am I repentant? Because I know that God is the only source of true joy and satisfaction in this life/world and I know that seeking that satisfaction in other things/ways when I was struggling in unease with being barraged with unwanted thoughts and the joyless existence in that and then repenting from the sin because of guilt and fear of having disobeyed God so badly like that and going through that repeatedly in cycles.

None of this is an excuse for what I did it's just the reality of patters of sin that took me far from the Lord and then desiring Him and repentance and turning from it to end up back in it in again in cycles. I can definitely see why God after so many times and so much sin would not want to hear me/my repentance any more (Proverbs 1:28-30). I will live with the misery of this before I will ever return to sin again. I just pray that the Lord, the Holy Spirit would help me to know that God is still listening, still there for me. But that isn't something I can will to happen just by choosing to believe it.

I am repenting because I have known that joy and satisfaction in the Lord and NOT because of what I'm currently going through right now. I am desiring repentance because I am sorry to God for sinning against Him that way when He has always been there for me since I can remember when I was small and has helped me through the darkest times of my life.

He has been good to me and the greatest source of comfort and more than anything I want HIM, not stuff from Him. I don't want to live my life without God in it and don't want to spend eternity without Him.

Sure, I desperately want Him to help me with __'s problem and my job loss problem, but those are not the reason why. I do love and thank Him and want Him more than anything and I don't ever want or intend to go near any of those sins or any particular sin again.

I am afraid that my repentance is not of the type God will accept. I can't tell. I really can't tell. You yourself said there comes a point where true repentance is not possible anymore. And I know you have to believe what scripture says but I also believe you should be broken over your sin where you weep over it. The Holy Spirit has not gifted me with that so I can't tell if I have worldly grief or Godly grief. Maybe because I've returned to these patterns so many times, the Spirit will no longer grant me true repentance.

If He does not then I can't be forgiven no matter how much I pray to be. I can't tell, and I can't just assume. I know what I've been counseled (by spiritual believers like yourself) and I know what I've read and I know that God never rejects true repentance, but I can't tell or be sure that He considers mine to be of the 'true' or 'acceptable' type.

Any insight and help would be greatly appreciated as always. I really need to settle this once and for all in order to move forward. Because if God has turned His ear from me (Proverbs 1:28-30), there is no moving forward for me I suppose. It has to be real, not just something I choose to decide is reality.

I must really exhaust you and after all this time, frustrate you. I can't imagine how I've frustrated or even angered the Lord. I'm sorry for that.

Your friend,

Response #20:

Apologies for the slight delay. Your email came in after closing things down last night, and it was a long, busy day at work today.

The first thing to note is that you seem to have a dangerously warped and incorrect view of repentance. I will give you the gist here, but I strongly counsel you (as I have been doing for years) to read into Ichthys on this and all other biblical topics (link for this one: in BB 3B: Hamartiology, section V.1, "Repentance, Confession, and Forgiveness"). Free will is the highest gift given to mankind as a whole: the image of God. We all have a right to choose where we spend eternity, either submitting to God and His truth so as to be saved through Jesus Christ or rejecting Him, His authority, His truth, and creating a truth of our own (which means, actually, choosing to believe one of the devil's many lies instead). Repentance is a change of mind. Not an emotional reaction, not an orgy of self-flagellation, not crying and weeping and moaning and groaning. Not that any of us feel good about getting disciplined by the Lord; not that any of us don't feel regret about our sins and failure. In fact, it is good and proper to see sin for what it is, a rebellion against God and His authority: all sin is lawlessness (1Jn.3:4), i.e., a rejection of God's commandments (cf. 1Jn.2:4).

Repentance is deciding. Repentance is choice. Repentance, true repentance – which is what you seem to me to have – is a solid decision to change. That is what the word means in Greek: "change of mind". Not a flippant or irresolute change of mind, but a genuine turn, as when the prodigal son came back from his "far country". After that change, we confess. It's no good to confess if we don't really mean to change. We have to mean it at the time we confess, and that requires a genuine prior change of mind.

Understand. God is not impressed by our crying or moping. Very important: we are not "paying off God" by distressing ourselves. That is a vicious and an RC concept that needs to be completely spit out. God does not gain by us abusing ourselves, physically or emotionally. If we are hurting, He knows that – and He knows why. Better we should rejoice like David at His forgiveness of us even as we are hurting (Ps.32:1ff.; 51:1ff.). Better we should be confident of His forgiveness. He says He forgives us (1Jn.1:9). What does it say about our faith if we don't believe it, if we don't believe Him?

We have all sinned (1Jn.1:10; cf. Rom.3:23). What you are suffering at the moment in terms of tribulation in your life seems to me – admittedly a distant observer – is way out of proportion to any discipline for the long past and already confessed and repented of failures that are still troubling you. It sounds to me more like maturity testing: testing to see if you are willing to trust the Lord and push forward with spiritual growth in spite of the opposition. When such trials come, it is a natural human thing to look backward and blame ourselves on account of past failings. But that is not how our gracious and merciful Savior deals with us. Like the perfect Father He is, our heavenly Father disciplines us like the sons and daughters we are, in a timely way, in a merciful way, with the goal of our correction and proper growth in mind, NOT delighting in our suffering – any more that we would when we see our children distressed by the necessary discipline we sometimes have to mete out (Heb.12:3-11).

So this backward looking flaw is a tic we all have to get over (Phil.3:13). We all have to let the past go, and deal with the present as it is. We need to learn to be joyful in the midst of tribulation – or at least to be at peace with it as much as possible – and by all means NOT let it stop or stymie our spiritual growth. That is exactly what the devil is trying to achieve. But we are not unaware of his schemes (2Cor.2:11).

God IS listening to you, my friend. You need to listen better to Him.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
Psalm 103:8-13 NIV

"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

My advice to you is to 1) accept that you have been forgiven; 2) determine to be a man of faith and not of doubt (Jas.1:6); 3) double down on your commitment to spiritual growth. If you do these things, the trials you are going through can not only be a time of special closeness to the Lord but one of great spiritual victory as well.

Do feel free to write me back about this (keep in mind that tomorrow is posting day and that it may be Sunday late before I can reply).

Keeping you in my prayers for all these things, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.


P.S.:  If you haven't noticed or already done so, please check out the list of wonderful ministry offerings on the Special Topics page, including Jordan Bomberger's new Bible teaching website: Bible Driven, Mike Ceja's new YouTube channel, "Everything is Fine", John Jackson's Hub pages (anyone with questions about the "church-visible" will find this helpful), the Expanded Index to Old Testament translations at Ichthys, Foundational Principles, by Odii Ariwodo, "The Peter series", Video presentations by Steven Tammen based on the SR series, and Steven's group studies of BB 6A (see also Steven's new website: BibleDocs).


*Special Prayer Request

  • For Olanna (2 and 1/2 years), for complete healing from pneumonia, possibly malaria.  She is in hospital and just received an NG tube for feeding [update 1/25/25: at last report Olanna was doing much better; thanks for your prayers!].

  • For our friend: for her family's salvation and for her husband to find a new job.
  • For Brian, for help navigating a "bad boss" situation, and for finding a new, better job.
  • Please pray for Emma's family's health and for their salvation. Her mother has severe stomach problems (test results came back but doctors unsure and she is still very ill.) that are affecting her eating and weight. Her father's diabetes has worsened and her sister now has an overactive thyroid along with severe peri-menopausal symptoms. Please pray for their deliverance and their ultimate deliverance which is saving faith.  [12/8/24] Update: Emma's mother is now very ill and on antibiotics. Please pray for her swift healing [12/31/24]
  • Please pray for Teresa and her two sons to be delivered from an violent ex-husband. Please also pray this leads to their salvation. [12/8/24]
  • For our friend John who will be undergoing surgery for aortic aneurysms soon. [12/1/24]
  • For Henry's wife, Diane, who recently had a stroke: "Her right arm/hand especially needs healing.  It is nearly completely disabled today, although there are signs of slow improvement" [9/22/24].
  • For Chris and Lisa, for health and healing and for deliverance [9/22/24]; also for Chris, for health concerns (memory and fatigue), and for blessing on his job.

  • *Please pray for Kaeli, who is experiencing serious numbness and heaviness in her arms and legs; please pray for a correct diagnosis and swift healing [7/27/24] Update 8/8/24: situation getting worse; doctors unable to diagnosis the problem(s); update: 10/22/24: Kaeli is doing much better! (but please continue to pray).
  • Please pray for the Bowman family: the husband Nakia is battling heart issues, his wife, Raquel, battling breast cancer, and her father a tumor in the brain [7/21/24].
  • Please pray for J.D., recently diagnosed with colon cancer and looking at chemo, radiation and surgery.  Please pray for wisdom in therapy decision-making and for healing. [6/29/24]

  • For our friend Yuhanna, just diagnosed with idiopathic optic neuritis and potentially chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  Our friend's eyesight is recovering.  Please pray for full recovery and for healing of his blood disease.  *[Update: two rounds of chemo have apparently stopped the deterioration; please pray that further therapy will remove the cancer that infiltrated his eye; 7/12/24; Please also pray for his son Jaden to find full time employment, for his daughter Kaiya to find an accounting internship, and for his son Jakai for success and advancement in his current position]

  • Please pray for our friend's newborn grandson who was born with two clubfeet.  If surgery is necessary (the family will find out soon), he will require a four to five year medical plan for correction. [Update:  he will need surgery on both feet the end of the month; continued prayer appreciated: 5/19/24]

  • For Gary, for recovery from bone marrow cancer and nerve damage from chemo and numerous blood and platelet transfusions [1/14/24].

  • For Belinda, for help and healing with memory issues [12/31/23].

  • For guidance and courage for Aleah, whose violent father is trying to gain custody of her siblings.

  • For Steve, who has grade 4 lung and pancreatic cancer; the disease has responded to chemo but please keep our brother in your prayers.

  • For Tricia, for comfort in bereavement and for help in overcoming her sense of loss and emptiness.

  • For Anna, for healing and victory in this health test [update 11/3/24: health is much better; thanks for the prayers!].

  • For Sawyer, a young teenager who professes to want to be saved but says "God hasn’t dealt with him yet". Please pray for him to get the victory and assurance.

  • For our friend Leigh's father, a veteran with serious lung problems, for a correct diagnosis and successful treatment.

  • [12/10/23] For Bob and Debbie, for healing / coping with ongoing health issues.  For more spiritual growth and insight to get through our several tests and trials, and if/when called, be able to help others to grow more in the faith of the truth.  For the salvation of unsaved family members and friends.  For recovery / healing for family members and friends who are suffering from mental and physical illnesses, and for victory in overcoming spiritual battles.  For deliverance of family members who are entrapped in legalism and cultic false teaching ministries. [praise here for Debbie's successful surgery and treatment].

  • For our friend's son who is struggling with severe OCD and crippling anxiety.

  • For Walter and for his son Joshua who is struggling with "gender dysphoria" and is considering transitioning; *please also pray for Walter himself: he just lost his job [update 5/24: success in landing a new job; please pray for all to go well].

  • For Michael, for his health and for his livelihood in providing for his family, and for his efforts in leading his family to the truth of the Word. [our friend is currently unemployed and his business is out of operation, so please pray for him for restoration of livelihood; *update 10/1/22 from Michael: "I have lost my livelihood. Please pray for me!"; update 2/2/24: situation improving: thanks for the prayers!]

  • *For Joe, for recovery from a stroke on the right side of the brain.  Joe is presently being tube-fed and also has a urinary tract infection *[Praise here! "[Joe is out of hospital and] is working on getting stronger, walking and writing; he drove their vehicle two times a short distance on the private road that they live on; the doctor told him that only 12% of people have a stroke on the right side, and most of the people don't survive.  God heard all our prayers."].

  • [12/25/24] Please pray for Angel who has basal cell carcinoma requiring many weeks of radiation therapy for her eyes.

  • Please pray for Curtis Omo's wife Amy. She went to the emergency a few weeks ago and now has learned she needs at least two operations. [update: Amy had her first operation; recovery was very difficult at first but change of meds helped; please keep them in prayer].

  • *For Femi whose legal issues are about to come to a head, for his deliverance and for his healing from diabetes and heart problems *[update 8/31/22: our friend is in distress due to insufficient funds to pay necessary legal bills; please pray for his encouragement and rescue from this terrible situation].

  • For Walter's wife Kim, for a good report on her recent biopsy [praise! benign report!].

  • Mark and René Perkins' efforts in evangelism in Tahiti ( Evanelia).

  • For Mike and his family, for encouragement and help under pressure, and that he not lose his Medecaid.

  • For Carol, for deliverance from debilitating physical and mental disability, for spiritual growth and progress.

  • For Angel's father, for quick recovery from a debilitating hip injury, and for his mental and emotional encouragement.

  • [11/17/24] Please pray for Emma, for her spiritual growth and ministry and gaining employment for material provision to support it. Please pray for a benign report for her biopsy and a successful operation. Praise here! Perimenopausal symptoms are now improving though please continue to pray. Prayer needed for her unsaved family members and for the salvation of her close friend Barry.

  • For Matthias, for the deliverance of his children abducted overseas by his estranged wife.

  • For my friend Carmen who suffered a broken left arm (both bones, compound fracture of the ulna) and a broken back (two vertebrae fractured) [Carmen is out of her cast and brace and making progress; thank you for the prayers!]; for her boy Josh's recovery from alcoholism and for encouragement for him to turn to the Lord for help [update 5/24: Josh has passed away; please pray for the family's comfort; and please pray for their son Jake's salvation].
  • For Leigh's sister, for protection in and swift deliverance from a very dangerous domestic situation. Please also pray for her friend Michelle's healing from cancer [update: Michelle, had a successful transplant in October and she's doing very well].

  • For Tony, for healing from aggressive glaucoma.

  • [1/7/24] For Dawn's comfort on the recent loss of her daughter Daphne from chronic Lyme disease.  Please also pray for her granddaughter Fiona's salvation.

  • For Jamie, for encouragement and support under pressure, and guidance in future ministry plans.

  • For Sylvia, for her strength and energy is supporting her grandchildren and great grandchild whose parents are unbelievers, and for her help in leading them all to the Lord.

  • For Carrie, recently diagnosed with cancer. She has three daughters. The family has already been through a lot, having lost their husband/father to cancer a few years ago. They are believers.

  • For Andrea's continuing progress in spiritual growth, for her daughter Juanita's salvation.

  • For Anna's brother who is in failing health, that he might be led to the Lord.

  • For Ashley, for recovery of her health from a difficult to diagnose and serious condition [worsening with shortness of breath and tremors]; and for the salvation of her mother and her brother.

  • For Gill's sister, "for her continued recovery, as well as to demonstrate to the family the power of prayer and faith in Christ".

  • For our brother Abishai, for the restoration of his livelihood and reconciliation with family.  Please also pray for our brother's efforts to prepare for ministry.

  • For our friend Gaurav, for encouragement, health, and material deliverance. [n.b., Gaurav was the first one on this list years ago; he writes that he is still "hanging in" and staying faithful to the Lord, but he and his family are in greater material need than ever; please remember them in your prayers]; *please also pray for his health and his mother's health (she recently became blind in one eye from an infection and diabetes complications, neither of which have resolved as yet).
  • For Abby for success and blessing in her new efforts in ministry, and for her cousin Danny's health. Please also pray for her health, strength and perseverance in stressful and challenging circumstances; please also pray for her mother's health.
  • For the empowerment of our friend Curt's ministry.

  • For our friend John's family's deliverance from cult influence [praise for some good news here: one saved, but some members are still entrapped; prayers for deliverance and salvation appreciated; 9/20/24]. Please also pray for John's health and that of his wife as well.

  • For our friend Steve for strength, protection, providence and deliverance - more needful now than ever.
  • For the healing from MS, blessing, encouragement and vindication of our brother, Nihal.  Please also protect him and his family and church family from the recent troubles in Sri Lanka [update: MS weakening nervous system but our brother stays strong in his faith; 9/5/24).
  • For our friend Mike's encouragement and God's blessing on his livelihood to provide for his family.
  • For Helen's healing from cancer and for her comfort in the loss of her family members.
  • For Clyde's encouragement and deliverance in severe testing.
  • For Judah, for healing from brain trauma and other consequence of serious auto accidents.

  • For the salvation of Tom and his family.

  • For deliverance for John's friend from the JW heresy.
  • For our friend Anna and her family's comfort in the loss of her daughter, and for the comfort, encouragement and salvation of her two grandchildren.
  • For our friend Sheila's healing from the effects of a chronic condition.
  • For Leigh, for protection and deliverance from a dangerous neighbor, and for help in restoring her home and home situation [update 3/23: delivered!  Thanks all for your prayers!].

  • [1/13/24] For Becca's mother, for healing from cancer, serious liver disease (requiring transplant which is not possible without recovery from the former), lung problems, and chronic pain (Update: she is on the list for transplant; please pray for a successful one ASAP); update: 5/12/24: transplant successful! Mom is recuperating.

  • For the salvation of John's two unbelieving sons.
  • For Charles' two granddaughters for their salvation and spiritual growth.
  • *For Cary, for deliverance in persecution on the job for sticking up for the Lord and for the truth (special harassment for a Christian teacher in a state school where Mormons are in charge).
  • For Amber's continued spiritual growth and encouragement, and for her healing.  Please also pray for the salvation of her grandmother.
  • For Kamil, a new believer, who has been unjustly accused because of his family's political activities.
  • For the spiritual growth and encouragement of Max and his family.
  • For Lucille, for complete recovery from "long Covid", along with lung and heart problems related thereto.

  • More E-mails:       Complete archive of previous emails:  Ichthys' Emails

    Eschatology Issues CXXXVIII

    Believers in the World XVI

    Eschatology Issues CXXXVII

    Fighting the Fight XXII

    Eschatology Issues CXXXVI

    Believers in the World XV

    Christology Questions XIV

    Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church III

    Sin, Guilt, and Salvation VIII

    Eschatology Issues CXXXV

    Eschatology Issues CXXXIV

    Payer Questions VII

    Confronting False Groups and False Teaching VII

    Confronting False Groups and False Teaching VI

    Eschatology Issues CXXXIII

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief X

    Eschatology Issues CXXXII

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XXI

    Sin, Guilt, and Salvation VII

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ XX

    Eschatology Issues CXXXI

    Fighting the Fight XXI

    Believers in the World XIV

    Eschatology Issues CXXX

    Eschatology Issues CXXIX

    Eschatology Issues CXXVIII

    New Testament Interpretation XI

    Finding a Church – or Something Better? III

    Eschatology Issues CXXVII

    Biblical Anthropology XI

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XX

    Eschatology Issues CXXVI

    New Testament Interpretation X

    Eschatology Issues CXXV

    Sin, Guilt, and Salvation VI

    Eschatology Issues CXXIV

    Church History IV

    Eschatology Issues CXXIII

    The Local Church and Personal Ministry VI

    Cults and Christianity XVI

    Believers in the World XIII

    Eschatology Issues CXXII

    Eschatology Issues CXXI

    The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions VII

    Gospel Questions XVIII

    Baptism: Water and Spirit XII

    Culture and Christianity XXVI

    Eschatology Issues CXX

    Eschatology Issues CXIX

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief IX

    Eschatology Issues CXVIII

    Marriage and the Bible XIII

    Christology Questions XIII

    Eschatology Issues CXVII

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ XIX

    Eschatology Issues CXVI

    Old Testament Interpretation XXI

    Eschatology Issues CXV

    The Battlefield Within III

    Eschatology Issues CXIV

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief VIII

    Eschatology Issues CXIII

    Eschatology Issues CXII

    Biblical Interpretation XVI

    Fighting the Fight XX

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XIX

    Believers in the World XII

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ XVIII

    Marriage and the Bible XII

    Eschatology Issues CXI

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XVIII

    Fighting the Fight XIX

    Culture and Christianity XXV

    Fighting the Fight XVIII

    Eschatology Issues CX

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations XIII

    Legalism, Past and Present VI

    Sin, Guilt and Salvation V

    Eschatology Issues CIX

    Eschatology Issues CVIII

    Sin, Faith and Suffering IV

    Fighting the Fight XVII

    Marriage and the Bible XI

    Legalism, Past and Present V

    Eschatology Issues CVII

    Sin, Guilt, and Salvation IV

    Culture and Christianity XXIV

    Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation VII

    Cults and Christianity XV

    Cults and Christianity XIV

    Eschatology Issues CVI

    Mutual encouragement in Christ XVI

    Prayer Questions VI

    Eschatology Issues CV

    Marriage and the Bible X

    Fighting the Fight XVI

    Eschatology Issues CIV

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ XV

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XVII

    Sin, Guilt, and Salvation III

    Eschatology Issues CIII

    Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers VII

    Church: The Biblical Ideal versus the Contemporary Reality IV

    Old Testament Interpretation XX

    Eschatology Issues CII

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ XIV

    Baptism: Water and Spirit XI

    Biblical Anthropology X

    Eschatology Issues CI

    The Local Church and Personal Ministry V

    Spiritual Warfare VIII

    Eschatology Issues C (100)

    Sin, Faith and Suffering III

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XVI

    Eschatology Issues XCIX

    Eschatology Issues XCVIII

    Eschatology Issues XCVII

    Eschatology Issues XCVI

    Old Testament Interpretation XIX

    Eschatology Issues XCV

    Eschatology Issues XCIV

    Old Testament Interpretation XVIII

    Mutual encouragement in Christ XIII

    Eschatology Issues XCIII

    Eschatology Issues XCII

    Christology Questions XII

    Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation VI

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XV

    Eschatology Issues XCI

    Christology Questions XI

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations XII

    Eschatology Issues XC

    Biblical Interpretation XV

    Eschatology Issues LXXXIX

    Eschatology Issues LXXXVIII

    Eschatology Issues LXXXVII

    Eschatology Issues LXXXVI

    Fighting the Fight XV

    Eschatology Issues LXXXV

    Fighting the Fight XIV

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XIV

    Eschatology Issues LXXXIV

    Biblical Anthropology IX

    Eschatology Issues LXXXIII

    Prayer Questions V

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XIII

    Cults and Christianity XIII

    Eschatology Issues LXXXII

    Culture and Christianity XXIII

    Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading VII

    Eschatology Issues LXXXI

    Church: The Biblical Ideal versus the Contemporary Reality III

    Angelic Issues X

    Biblical Interpretation XIV

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ XII

    Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading VI

    Eschatology Issues LXXX

    Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading V

    Eschatology Issues LXXIX

    Eschatology Issues LXXVIII

    Eschatology Issues LXXVII

    Eschatology Issues LXXVI

    Eschatology Issues LXXV

    Eschatology Issues LXXIV

    Eschatology Issues LXXIII

    Fighting the Fight XIII

    Marriage and the Bible IX

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XII

    Eschatology Issues LXXII

    Eschatology Issues LXXI

    Eschatology Issues LXX

    Eschatology Issues LXIX

    Church History III

    Gospel Questions XVII

    Eschatology Issues LXVIII

    Eschatology Issues LXVII

    Baptism: Water and Spirit X

    Eschatology Issues LXVI

    Eschatology Issues LXV

    Old Testament Interpretation XVII

    Eschatology Issues LXIV

    Eschatology Issues LXIII

    Gospel Questions XVI

    Eschatology Issues LXII

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ XI

    Eschatology Issues LXI

    Biblical Interpretation XIII

    Eschatology Issues LX

    Eschatology Issues LIX

    Eschatology Issues LVIII

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ X

    Eschatology Issues LVII

    Eschatology Issues LVI

    Eschatology Issues LV

    Confronting False Groups and False Teaching V

    Eschatology Issues LIV

    Eschatology Issues LIII

    Sin, Faith and Suffering II

    Eschatology Issues LII

    Eschatology Issues LI

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry XI

    Eschatology Issues XXXXX

    Christian Perspectives on Disease and Death

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ IX

    Eschatology Issues XLIX

    Culture and Christianity XXII

    Eschatology Issues XLVIII

    Eschatology Issues XLVII

    Eschatology Issues XLVI

    Eschatology Issues XLV

    Culture and Christianity XXI

    Eschatology Issues XLIV

    Theology Questions IV

    Eschatology Issues XLIII

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ VIII

    Eschatology Issues XLII

    Isaiah Questions

    Eschatology Issues XLI

    Eschatology Issues XL

    Eschatology Issues XXXIX

    Eschatology Issues XXXVIII

    Eschatology Issues XXXVII

    Eschatology Issues XXXVI

    Confronting False Groups and False Teaching IV

    Eschatology Issues XXXV

    Eschatology Issues XXXIV

    Eschatology Issues XXXIII

    Eschatology Issues XXXII

    Eschatology Issues XXXI

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry X

    Eschatology Issues XXX

    Eschatology Issues XXIX

    Old Testament Interpretation XVI

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief VII

    New Testament Interpretation IX

    Fighting the Fight XII

    Eschatology Issues XXVIII

    Spiritual Warfare VII

    Believers in the World XI

    Revelation Questions II

    Believers in the World X

    Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation V

    Biblical Interpretation XII

    Old Testament Interpretation XV

    Gospel Questions XV

    Fighting the Fight XI

    Apologetics and Legalism II

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry IX

    Gospel Questions XIV

    The 'Rapture' and other Eschatological Issues

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry VIII

    Marriage and the Bible VIII

    Believers in the World IX

    Biblical Interpretation XI

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief VI

    Cults and Christianity XII

    Eschatology Issues XXVII

    Theological Questions III

    New Testament Interpretation VIII

    Eschatology Issues XXVI

    Old Testament Interpretation XIV

    Politics versus Spiritual Growth IV

    Old Testament Interpretation XIII

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief V

    Biblical Interpretation X

    Fighting the Fight X

    Politics versus Spiritual Growth III

    Baptism: Water and Spirit IX

    Biblical Anthropology VIII

    Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation IV

    Genesis Questions IV

    Fighting the Fight IX

    Eschatology Issues XXV

    Angelic Issues IX

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry VII

    Legalism, Past, Present and Future IV

    New Testament Interpretation VII

    Eschatology Issues XXIV: the 'Rapture' et al.

    Believers in the World VIII: Coping with Family

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief IV

    Believers in the World VII

    Culture and Christianity XX

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations XI

    Cults and Christianity XI

    Spiritual Gifts and False Teaching

    Angelic Issues VIII

    Christology Questions X

    Believers in the World VI

    Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers VI

    Atheism and Evangelism

    New Testament Interpretation VI

    Old Testament Interpretation XII

    Fighting the Fight VIII

    Spiritual Warfare VI

    Sin, Faith and Suffering

    Prayer, Vows and Confession

    Eschatology Issues XXIII

    Apologetics, Ministry and False Teaching

    Culture and Christianity XIX

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry VI

    Church: The Biblical Ideal versus the Contemporary Reality II

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief III

    Fighting the Fight VII

    The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions VI

    Interpretation, Application, Exegesis and Ministry

    Biblical Anthropology VII

    Baptism: Water and Spirit VIII

    Text and Canon

    New Testament Interpretation V

    Grace versus Law II

    Apathy, Atheism, Cults and False Teaching

    All about Ichthys III

    The Battlefield Within II: Combating anger, fear, blaming God, blaming others

    Salvation Questions III

    Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation III

    Eschatology Issues XXII

    Cults and Christianity X

    Cults and Christianity IX

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry V

    Fighting the Fight VI

    Marriage and the Bible VII

    Culture and Christianity XVIII: Substance Use and Abuse, Tithing, Politics and Environmentalism, Friendship, Self-Defense, and Work

    Paul the Apostle: Aspects of his Life and Ministry II

    Old Testament Interpretation XI

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ VII

    The Transitional Era of the Book of Acts and its Unique Spiritual Gifts

    Old Testament Interpretation X

    Marriage and the Bible VI

    The pre-Trib 'Rapture': so called 'imminence' and other false proofs refuted

    Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth III

    Eschatology Issues XXI

    Eschatology Issues XX

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations X

    Legalism, Past and Present III: Sabbath observance, tithing, dietary regulations and other issues

    Believers in the World V: Ministering, Mutually Encouraging, and Coping with Family, Politics, and Health

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief II

    Old Testament Interpretation IX

    Christology Questions IX: Christ and His Church

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ VI: Perseverance

    Science and the Bible III

    Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation II

    Eschatology Issues XIX

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry IV

    Bible Interpretation IX

    Marriage and the Bible V

    Gospel Questions XIII

    Biblical Anthropology VI

    Cults and Christianity VIII

    Fighting the Fight V: Dispatches from the Laodicean 'Front' II

    Old Testament Interpretation VIII

    Eschatology Issues XVIII

    Spiritual Growth III

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry III

    Sin, Guilt, and Salvation II

    New Testament Interpretation IV

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations IX

    Peace, Reconciliation and Salvation

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ V: Soldiers of the Cross

    Baptism: Water and Spirit VII

    Faith, Forgiveness, Salvation

    Cults and Christianity VII

    Old Testament Interpretation VII

    Sin, Guilt, and Salvation

    Eschatology Issues XVII

    Dangers of the Pre-Trib Rapture False Teaching

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations VIII

    The Infinity, Magnitude, Glory, Providence and Plan of God

    Eschatology Issues XVI

    Gospel Questions XII

    The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God IV

    Nephilim, Antichrist, the False Prophet and the Mark of the Beast

    Angelic Issues VII

    Prayer Questions II

    The Trinity and Messianic Legalism II

    Annihilationism, Universalism, Hell and Judgment II

    Atheism and Apologetics II

    Politics versus Spiritual Growth II

    Culture and Christianity XVII: Humor, Self-Defense, Pacifism and War

    Culture and Christianity XVI: Alcohol, Money and Dietary Issues

    Dreams, Visions, Miracles, Exorcism, Tongues, and False Prophets

    Calvinism, Catholicism and Ichthys

    Apologetics, Legalism, Cults and Philosophy

    The Law, Legalism, and Rome

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ IV

    Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers V

    Faith and Free Will in Trial and Testing

    Free Will and God's WILL in Salvation

    Jobs, Money, Finances and Giving: What does the Bible say?

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry II

    Eschatology Issues XV

    Dealing with Sin and Guilt

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ III

    Preparing for Tribulation II

    It is Better on the Other Side

    Family Matters

    Christology Questions VIII: The Deity, Humanity and Life of Christ

    The Lives of the Apostles and the Writing of the New Testament II

    Biblical People and Places: Eve, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Hagar, Esau, Joseph and more

    Biblical Anthropology V: Body, Spirit and 'Soul', Present and Future

    Satan, Antichrist, the False Prophet and the Mark of the Beast

    The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions V

    Prophets, Prophecy, and False Prophets

    Christology Questions VII: The Life and Spiritual Death of Christ and Holy Communion

    The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God III

    Culture and Christianity XV: The Bible vs. some Sensitive Social and Political Issues

    Christology Questions VI: Christophany, Deity and the Spiritual Death of Christ

    Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth II

    Spiritual Warfare V

    Cults and Christianity VI

    Fighting the Fight IV: Dispatches from the Laodicean 'Front'

    Eschatology Issues XIV

    The Gift of Tongues: Part 3

    The Resurrection Body and our Eternal Future II

    Gospel Questions XI

    Blindness, Disease and Healing

    Ministry and Preparation for Ministry

    Should I go to seminary or not?

    Atheism and Apologetics

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations VII

    Church History II

    Salvation Questions II

    Culture and Christianity XIV

    Encouragement, Spiritual Testing and Spiritual Growth

    Judaism and Legalism in the church-visible

    Bible Interpretation VIII

    Apostasy, Sin and Salvation

    Confronting False Groups and False Teaching III

    Eschatology Issues XIII: Time of the Tribulation and the Resurrection, Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast

    Salvation Questions

    Theological Questions II

    The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions IV

    Old Testament Interpretation VI

    More Questions on the Book of Hebrews: Melchizedek, Esau, and the 'Impossibility' of Being Restored

    Believers in the World IV: Making Godly Choices vs. Following Man-Made Rules

    Guilt, Sin and Victory through Spiritual Growth

    Confronting False Groups and False Teaching II

    Cults and Christianity V

    Politics versus Spiritual Growth

    Christian Struggle, Perseverance and Deliverance

    The Bible and the Natural World

    Sin, Fear and Forgiveness

    An Extended Conversation on the 'Unpardonable' Sin

    Eternal Realities: Real Heaven, Real Hell

    Eschatology Issues XII: Babylon, Armageddon, Israel, 2026

    Ministers, Ministry, and Preparation for Ministry

    Evangelism in Principle and Practice II

    Gospel Questions X: Glory, John the baptist, the hidden talent, the Kingdom of God

    Old Testament Interpretation V: The Flight to Egypt, the Virgin Birth, Jonathan's Choice, Tyre in Prophecy

    Matthew Questions, verse by verse

    Marriage and the Bible IV

    Politics and Political Action on the Eve of the Tribulation

    Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading IV

    Spiritual Growth II

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ II

    Baptism: Water and Spirit VI

    Science and the Bible II

    Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers IV

    Culture and Christianity XIII: College, Dating, Marriage and Friendship

    Eschatology Issues XI: Trumpets, the Millennium, the Time of the Tribulation and the Resurrection.

    Sin according to the Bible: Hamartiology II

    Bible Interpretation VII

    Salvation and Sin

    Bible Interpretation VI

    Eschatology Issues X: Strong delusion, blood moons, 2026, imminence, apostasy & the mark of the beast

    Angelic Issues VI: Cherubs, Guardians, Elders and 'gods'

    Sin according to the Bible: Hamartiology I

    Bible Chronology, Aramaic and Interpretation

    Christians and Mental Illness

    Culture and Christianity XII

    Prayer Questions

    The Trinity and Messianic Legalism

    Anger, Anthropopathism, Eternity and Divine Motives

    Unbelievers, Free Will, and the Plan of God II

    Christology Questions V: the Baptism, Temptation and Spiritual Death of Christ

    The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God II

    Believers in the World III: Prosperity Gospel, Tithing, Cults and Legalism

    Gospel Questions IX

    Faith, Hope and Love: Virtue in Spiritual Warfare

    Trinity Questions II

    Some Sensitive Topics IV

    Finding a Church - or Something Better? II

    New Testament Interpretation III

    Faith vs. History, Archaeology, Philosophy

    Believers in the World II: Confronting False Groups and False Teaching

    The 144,000 and the Two Witnesses of the Tribulation

    Biblical Anthropology IV: Soul and Spirit, Image and Likeness, Book of Life, Life at Birth, Accountability and Infant Salvation.

    Spiritual Growth

    Predestination, Free Will and False Teaching

    Christophany and the Trinity

    Love, Marriage, and Divorce: Marriage and the Bible III

    Interpreting Dreams and Analyzing Prophetic Claims

    Culture and Christianity XI: Lying, Suicide, Tattoos, Investing, Drugs, Music, Family, Dating, Politics

    Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading III

    Eschatology Issues IX: Amillennialism, Trumpets, and the Seven Days

    Spiritual Warfare IV: Demons, Demonic Influences and Satanic Methodology

    Satan's Fall from Grace

    Atheism and Gnosticism: Denying the Truth about God

    Sin, Salvation and Forgiveness: Claiming the Mental and Spiritual High-Ground

    Struggling with Salvation . . . and Relatives

    Legalism, Past and Present II

    Ministry and the Ichthys Ministry II

     All about Ichthys II: Mutual Encouragement in the Lord

    The Book of Job and Christian Suffering

    Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers III: Creationism, Neanderthals, Fossil Record

    Christology Questions IV: Jesus' Birth, Baptism, Early Life, and Kenosis

    Third Party Testimony III: Near Death Experiences, Revelations and Tongues

    Third Party Testimony II: Charismatic Claims of Visions, Dreams and Prophecy

    Third Party Testimony I: We Believe God and His Word - Not People

    God Heals - in His way (not our way)

    Sanctification, Separation and Restraint

    Finding a Church - or Something Better?

    Culture and Christianity X:  Military Service, College, Politics, and Race Relations

    Contemporary Churches and Women Preachers

    Culture and Christianity IX: Politics, Tithing, Music, Crucifixes, Alcohol, and Gambling

    Marriage and the Bible II

    Biblical Anthropology III: Soul versus Spirit, "Soul Sleep", and the Interim Body

    New Testament Interpretation II: Who is equal? Grace in vain. Unequally yoked.

    Aspects of the Crucifixion II: Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?

    Aspects of the Crucifixion I: Carrying the cross, trials and rooster crow.

    Salvation Lost and Found

    The Canon: Content, Chronology, and Criticism

    Spiritual Warfare III: Peter's 'Angel', Saul's Death, and Strange Events

    Old Testament Interpretation IV: Gehazi's Leprosy, Tyre's Destruction, and Immanuel

    Nephilim, Fallen Angels, and Genesis 6

    Gospel Questions VIII

    Sin, Atonement and Forgiveness II

    Sin, Atonement and Forgiveness I

    Annihilationism, Universalism, Hell and Judgment

    When is the Rapture?

    Noah, the Flood, and the Nature of Animals

    The Tribulation: Timing of, Preparation for, and Conditions in

    Eschatology Issues VIII: Revelation, Tribulation and Judgment

    Antichrist: the Mark, the Number, and the Identification of the Beast

    Satan's Revolt and the Tribulation to Come

    Old Testament Interpretation III: The Name 'Jacob', the Mark of Cain, Jeshrun.

    Old Testament Interpretation II: Urim and Thummim, the Bronze Serpent, the Ark.

    Being Saved: Security, Apostasy, and the Sin unto Death

    Fighting the Fight III: False Teaching, Local Churches, and the Truth

    Fighting the Fight II: Struggling with Sin, Doubt, and Severe Testing

    Fighting the Fight I: Accountability, Faith, Sin, Forgiveness, and Reward

    Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church II

    Dispensations, Covenants, Israel and the Church I

    Witnessing: Cults and Christianity II

    Witnessing: Cults and Christianity I

    Ministry and the Ichthys Ministry

    Biblical Interpretation V

    Baptism: Water and Spirit V

    Spiritual Growth, Church-Searching and "Discipling"

    Unbelievers, Free Will, and the Plan of God

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations VI

    Baptism: Water and Spirit IV

    Paganism, Idolatry, Mythology and the Occult

    The Lives of the Apostles and the Writing of the New Testament

    The Essence of God and Deity of Christ

    Parables and their Interpretation

    The Meaning and Purpose of True Christian Assembly

    Marriage and the Bible

    Spiritual 'ups' and 'downs'

    1st John: Text and Interpretation

    Eschatology Issues VII

    Perseverance in the latter days of Laodicea

    Babylon USA?

    Baptism: Water and Spirit III

    Prayer: the Persistence, Purpose and Power of.

    Paul the Apostle: Aspects of his Life and Ministry

    Gospel Questions VII: The Wedding at Cana et al.

    Israel, 'Lost Tribes' and the Star of David

    Israel and Antichrist in Eschatology

    Explaining and Defending the Trinity and the Person of Christ II

    The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions III

    Culture and Christianity VIII

    The Geography of Heaven, Hades and 'Hell'.

    Eschatology Issues VI

    Bible Interpretation IV

    Legalism, Past and Present

    The Resurrection Body and our Eternal Future.

    Christ the First-Born, High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek.

    Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading II

    Bible Versions, Bible Translation, and Bible Reading

    Hermeneutics, Typology, Christophany, Theophany and Anthropopathism.

    No, Hebrews does not teach that you lost your salvation.

    Gospel Questions VI: the Long Ending of Mark et al.

    Judas and the Betrayal of Christ

    Doubting Salvation and Questions of Sin

    The 144,000: God's Seal vs. the Mark of the Beast

    Atheism: Putting Truth to Death

    War in Heaven II

    The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions II

    War in Heaven

    The Holy Spirit: Pneumatology Questions I

    The Law, Love, Faith-Rest and Messianism

    Paul and the Law

    Genesis Questions III

    Sin and Salvation, Confession and Forgiveness

    Have I Lost My Salvation? (III)

    The Battlefield Within: Fighting the inner spiritual Struggle.

    Putting Christ in Christmas: Loving Jesus, the Star and the Magi, Wonderful Counselor.

    Old Testament Interpretation: Moses and Zipporah, David's disastrous Census, the Destruction of the Midianites, et al.

    Healing, Miracles, and Dreams: Sorting the Wheat from the Chaff by biblical Means

    153 Fish: Explaining some Difficult New Testament Passages

    Kenosis: Our Lord's Self-Limitation during the 1st Advent

    Biblical Anthropology II: 'Soul sleep', & dichotomy vs. trichotomy

    Biblical Anthropology I: The Nature of Human Beings and Human Life according to the Bible.

    Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers II.

    Culture and Christianity VII: Jury Duty, Witnessing, Biometry, Military Service et al.

    Culture and Christianity VI: Halloween, Holidays, Aliens, and Christian Applications.

    Angelic Issues V: Michael, the Angel of the Lord, Christophany, demons, cherubs, and Satan's revolt.

    Angelic Issues IV:  Satan's Revolt in the Plan of God.

    New Testament Interpretation: Melchizedek, 'Forsake not Assembly', 'Women Remain Silent', Water-Baptism, Tongues, Prophecy, Intervention of Departed Believers.

    Lost my salvation II?

    All about Ichthys: Mutual Encouragement in the Lord. 

    Genesis Questions.

    Fallen Angels, Demons, Nephilim, and the Devil's Methodology.

    End Times Interpretation II.

    Salvation, the Gospel, and Unbelief.

    The Bible and the Canon: The Inspired Word of God.

    End Times Interpretation.

    Grace versus Law.

    Communion and the Spiritual Death of Christ.

    Sinlessness and 1st John.

    Israelology, Anti-Semitism, the Remnant, Gentiles, Lost Tribes, Jewish Myths.

    "Soul Sleep" versus our true Heavenly State.

    Christology Questions III: The Angel of the Lord, the Lamb Slain, monogenes.

    Angelic Issues III: Demons, Satan, Elders, Female Angels and Guardians.

    Against Universalism III: Unbelievers in the Plan of God.

    Waters Above, the Firmament, and the Genesis Gap.

    Marriage "Matters".

    In Need of Guidance and Encouragement.

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations V.

    Servants, Slaves, Disciples, and Ministers.

    Baptism: Water and Spirit II.

    Bible Interpretation III: David's Anointing, Stephen versus Genesis, Triplets, This People, and more.

    Evangelism in Principle and Practice.

    Scripture versus Personal Experience.

    Calvinism, Covenants and Catholicism.

    Culture and Christianity V: Temporal Authority vs. Biblical Application.

    False Doctrine of Absolute Eternal Security III.

    The Dangers of Messianic Legalism IV: Unclean and Impure?

    Things to Come III: The Wrath of God and the Fate of the Beast's Army.

    God Works All Things Together for Good.

    The 7 Trumpets, the 7 Kings, Nephilim, Antichrist and Revived Rome.

    The Coming Tribulation and the Kingdom of God.

    Sin, Confession and Forgiveness.

    Mutual Encouragement in Christ.

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations IV.

    Culture and Christianity IV: Doing one's job as 'unto the Lord', the peril's of 'heroic medicine', Christian perspectives on legalizing marijuana, when lying is not a sin, and when life begins.

    Eschatology Issues V: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons".

    Ichthys and Contemporary Christianity.

    Gospel Questions V: Help my Unbelief, Respecting our Enemies, etc.

    The Two Witnesses of the Tribulation: Moses and Elijah.

    The Apostles, the Jerusalem Council, and Legalism then and now.

    Aspects of the Christian Walk: Gambling, Lying, Christmas, Judging, Worrying, et al.

    No Rapture

    Believers in the World: Using our Free Will to Respond to the Lord

    Christology Questions II: The Serpent Lifted and the Cross, Jesus' Infallibility, Destroy this Temple, the Sign Spoken Against, His Glorification, the Spirit's Anointing, and the Necessity for His Humanity.

    Paul's Jerusalem Error, Worshiping Truly, the Priesthood of the Believer, and Peter's Vision of the Impure Food

    Christian Trials and Testing

    Gospel Questions IV: The Prophet, the rich man in Hades, Peter's wife, the 'eleven' and the 'twelve' apostles, 'the world could not contain' (Jn.21:25), and progressive revelation.

    Eschatology Issues IV: Israeli politics, 'This Generation', Signs of the Times, the Beast presently alive?, 'Flee Babylon', Preparing for the Tribulation, and 'was, is not, will be'.

    John's Water-Baptism versus the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

    Eschatology Issues III: Over-focusing on Revelation, the Seven Churches, Enoch versus Elijah, and the Symbolism of the Menorah

    The Purpose of Chronicles, Cyrus the Persian, the Chronology of the Exodus Plagues, Qumran and Isaiah, Nebuchadnezzar's Madness, and Jeremiah 31:22, "A Woman will Embrace a Man".

    Aaron and the Golden Calf, Mount Zion, Moses and Zipporah, the high priest's attire, and the ark of the covenant.

    Aspects of the Genesis Curse on Animals, the Tree of Knowing Good and Evil, Jacob Wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, and Kainam.

    The City of David, the Star of David, Solomon's Wisdom, and the Song of Solomon.

    The Israelites at Kadesh and 'not entering the Land of Promise'.

    Genesis Gap: Questions and Answers.

    Sin and Spiritual Transformation.

    Cults and Christianity IV

    Cults and Christianity III

    Cults and Christianity II

    Cults and Christianity.

    One Baptism: the True Meaning of Peter's Words at Acts 2:38.

    Apostasy and the Sin unto Death, the Conscience and Sanctification.

    The Plan of God and Individual Salvation (excerpt from BB 4B)

    In Your Anger, do not Sin:  Ephesians 4:26 and the Sin Nature

    Bible Interpretation II: Easter, Abiathar, the Hyssop-Blood Cross, Baal, the Scarlet Thread, Names of God, Adiaphoria, and Mezentius.

    Spiritual Warfare II

    Culture and Christianity III

    Have I Lost my Salvation?

    On the Firing Line: Encouragement in Christian Trials

    Eschatology and the Old Testament

    Prayer and our Walk with Jesus.

    Issues of Canonicity II: Aramaic, Enoch, KJV, and the Pastorals

    Bible Vocabulary and Bible Word Studies

    Satan, his Demons, and the Gnostics

    Antichrist: Alive and Well and Living on Planet Earth?

    The Nature of Angels

    Our Eternal Future: Life after Death for Believers in Jesus Christ

    Giants and Nephilim, Sumerian Myths, and Sea Monsters

    Dreams and Visions II

    The Golden Rule

    The Divinity of Jesus Christ

    Free-Will Faith and the Will of God

    Some Sensitive Topics III

    The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy: explaining James 4:5.

    Faith: What is it?

    The Seven-Fold Spirit of God.

    Free-Will Faith in the Plan of God.

    Putting the Word of God First.

    Free-Will Faith.

    The False Doctrine of "Soul Sleep" II.

    The False Doctrine of Absolute Eternal Security II.

    The Plan of God

    The Dangers of Messianic Legalism III

    The Dangers of Messianic Legalism II

    The Dangers of Messianic Legalism.

    The Gift of Tongues: Part 2

    The Gift of Tongues: Part 1

    Mega-Churches, Emergent Christianity, Spirituality and Materialism.

    Epignosis, Christian Epistemology, and Spiritual Growth.

    Jephthah's Daughter, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.

    Christian Unity and Divisiveness.

    Death, Martyrdom and Resurrection.

    Blessing, Cursing, and Prayer.

    Freedom and Responsibility.

    Fighting the Good Fight of Faith.

    Only-Begotten, Mother-of-God, On-this-Rock: English-only Interpretation is Dangerous.

    The Greek Text of the New Testament and some Issues of Textual Criticism.

    What does the name 'Christian' mean?

    Some Jewish Issues.

    Christians Beware: Internet Frauds and the Need for Spiritual Discernment (part 2).

    Christians Beware: Internet Frauds and the Need for Spiritual Discernment.

    Sin and Forgiveness.

    Spring Special: The Millennial Regathering and Purging of Israel.

    Life Begins at Birth.

    Culture and Christianity II

    Culture and Christianity I

    The Saved and the Unsaved

    Last Things and Last Judgments

    The Local Church and Personal Ministry IV

    The Local Church and Personal Ministry III

    The Local Church and Personal Ministry II

    The Local Church and Personal Ministry I

    More on Antichrist and his Kingdom

    Antichrist and Babylon

    Prophecy Questions.

    Theological Questions

    Heavenly Things.

    Dysfunctional Churches.

    Some Sensitive Topics II.

    Christmas Special: The Judgment and Reward of the Church.

    What is God's Will?

    Apologetics

    Thanksgiving Leftovers.

    Combating Legalism VI

    Combating Legalism V

    Combating Legalism IV

    Combating Legalism III

    Combating Legalism II

    Combating Legalism I

    Aspects of the False Doctrine of Institutional Security

    Chronological Order of the Books of the Bible II

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations III

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations II

    Biblical Languages, Texts and Translations I

    Gospel Questions III: Least in the kingdom, Millstones, Pennies, Pebbles, Babes, Rhaka, Tallits, and the Crown of Thorns.

    Gospel Questions II: Jesus' Turning Water to Wine, Sweating Blood, Walking on Water, Washing the Disciples' Feet, and the Promise of Freedom."

    Things to Come II: Genesis Rapture, Daniel's Weeks, Seven Kings, Signs of the Apocalypse, Tribulational Suffering, Seven Seals, the Bride of Christ, and Mystery Babylon.

    Things to Come: The Half Hour, the 144,000, the Book of Life, Rewards, the Beast's Kingdom, the Great Apostasy, and the so-called 'Partial Rapture'.

    Satan and the Existence of Evil.

    The Holy Spirit: Blasphemy against, Restraining Ministry, and Gender.

    Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Growth

    Christian Love, the Golden Rule, Christian Military Service and Self-Defense.

    Issues of Canonicity: Apocrypha, Enoch, and Inspiration.

    Church: The Biblical Ideal versus the Contemporary Reality.

    Numbers, Letters, and the Mark of the Beast.

    Gospel Questions I: Jesus' Life, the Gospels and Cherubs, and who Wrote Matthew.

    More Questions about Genesis.

    Naaman, Nero, Nineveh, and Senacharib.

    The False Doctrine of Absolute Eternal Security.

    Choosing Hell: Questions about Salvation and the Love of God.

    The Chronology of the End.

    The Route of the Israelites in Crossing the Red Sea.

    Some Issues of Transmission, Translation, and Transliteration: The Camel and the Needle, etc.

    Aspects of the Life of Christ: Jesus' siblings, the man born blind, et al.

    Jesus is God and man.

    Jesus is God.

    Redemption, the Blood of Christ, Christ our Passover, and The Passion of the Christ.

    Eschatology Issues II: Angelic bodies, heaven and hell, Satan and the Nephilim, etc.

    The Book of Job and Biblical Interpretation.

    Some Questions about Eternity.

    Who Controls our Thoughts and Emotions?

    The Day of the Lord.

    Sleep as a Euphemism for Death.

    Literal Hell.

    Christ's Preaching to the Spirits in Hell (1Pet.3:18-20), & Michael's Rebuke of Satan (2Pet.2:10-11 ).

    Recovering from Sin.

    The Timing of the Resurrection.

    Dispensations, the Church, the Rapture, and the Destruction of the Universe.

    Christianity versus Contemporary Kitsch.

    Purpose Driven Life, Oprah's New Age Religion, et al.

    Lot, Esau, and Cain: Learning through Negative Examples.

    Against Universalism II: Only Believers are Saved.

    Against Universalism I: Free Will and the Image of God.

    Courage in the Fight.

    Demon Influences.

    Sabbath Questions.

    The Seven Edens and the Eden of Adam and Eve.

    Opposition to the Genesis Gap from the Creation Research Institute et al.

    Mary 'Full of Grace'?

    Changing the Name of God?

    The Beast:  Some Questions about Antichrist.

    The Book of Revelation:  Some Questions.

    Red Hot or Lukewarm? Bible Teaching versus Sermonizing.

    The Last Judgment and the Great White Throne.

    Baptism:  Water and Spirit.

    Spiritual  Marathons.

    Christology:  Some Questions on the Life of Christ.

    Regarding Ichthys.

    Train up a Child in the Way he should Go.

    War, History, and Politics.

    Unbelief and its Consequences.

    Dreams and Visions.

    Explaining and Defending the Trinity and the Person of Christ.

    Free Will and Faith under Pressure.

    Angelic Issues II.

    Science and the Bible.

    Bible Interpretation I:  Academics, Versions et al.

    Faith in the Word of God: the Basis of all True Worship.

    Aspects of the Resurrection II.

    Faith and Encouragement in the midst of Fiery Trials.

    Some Sensitive Topics.

    Jethro, Amenhotep, Iraq, the Catacombs, and the KJV.

    Eschatology Issues: The Fig Tree, Ezekiel 38, Joel 3, and the Trumpets.

    Christ the Rock, the Rooster's Crow, and the Cross.

    Applying Faith II: Production, Forgiveness, Circumcision, Truth over People.

    Applying Faith: Eating, Drinking, and Vacation.

    The Tree of Life, Communion, and the Virgin Birth.

    Grammar Questions.

    Can Prayer Be Offered From Heaven? & Some Genesis Questions.

    Walking the Path of Faith through the Light of the Word of God.

    Salvation on the battlefield, truth revealed to infants, and damnation.

    Preparing for Tribulation.

    Divine Sovereignty and Divine Judgment.

    God's Free Gift of Salvation.

    Should Christians wear Jewelry?

    The Lord's Prayer.

    The Events Surrounding the Birth of Christ.

    Cremation or Burial?

    Zechariah, Demon Possession, Marriage, Spiritual Experiences, and Bible Prophecy.

    No Grounds for Divorce?

    The Shape of the Universe, Hominids, and the Genesis Gap.

    Taking Personal Responsibility: Interest, Bankruptcy, Gambling, and Employment.

    The Seven Churches, the Judgment Seat of Christ,  and other issues in Eschatology.

    The Canonicity of the book of Hebrews.

    Great White Throne, the Last Judgment, and the Outer Darkness.

    Political Action versus Biblical Christianity.

    Study Tools and Methodologies.

    Covenants.

    The Gospel and the Kingdom of God.

    Pursuing a Deeper Relationship with Jesus and Christian Epistemology.

    The Origin and the Danger of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture Theory.

    The Divinity of the Spirit and the Percentage of those who are Saved.

    Should Christians ever consider getting a lawyer?

    Pastoral Authority, Popes, Pat Robertson, and Pelagianism.

    Some Questions on Church Polity.

    Apostles and Evangelism

    Luther, Arminius, Calvin, Kant, Ironside, Tutu and Thieme.

    Angelic Issues.

    Transmutation, Resuscitation, and Resurrection.

    Is the Soul a tertium quid?

    More on the Documentary Hypothesis and More on the Rapture.

    Enoch's Walk with God and Some Questions in the Gospels.

    The Influence of the Renaissance and Rationalism on the Church and Cutting off Arms in Malachi 2:3.

    Sabbath Observance.

    1st John 5:20 & Romans 6:23.

    Eschatology Questions.

    Baptism and Following Jesus.

    Where is Armageddon?

    Assurance of Salvation.

    The Cross, Sin, and the Devil in God's Plan.

    More on: Spiritual Gifts; Hats & Hair; the Age of Accountability.

    Daniel 9:25 and Daniel 11:30.

    Who will populate earth during the Millennium?  and  Asking for Wisdom: James 1:5.

    Was Judas Saved?, The Gospel of Judas, and Issues of Canonicity.

    Is 'My Son' Israel or Jesus in Hosea 11:1?  &  How do you Prove Sin to Someone?

    Did Matthew Write his Gospel in Hebrew?

    Christian Crowns, Pagan Names, and the Time of the Cock-Crow.

    Child-like Faith, Mark vs. Matthew, the Mahdi, and 'Who was with God in the Beginning?

    True Orthodoxy and False Creeds.

    Foot-washing, Bitter Herbs, Baptism, and Borrowed Faith.

    All Things Charismatic.

    Friday versus Thursday Crucifixion.

    Jesus' Cursing of the Fig Tree, Apostasy, and 'Feng Shui'.

    The Genesis Serpent, Using "it" to refer to the baby Jesus, and more on Tattoos.

    Combating Gnosticism.

    Resisting the Devil.

    Why did Jesus choose John over James to take care of His mother Mary?

    Antichrist's 'desire of women' in Daniel 11:37 et al.

    Do recent catastrophes have a divine origin?

    Does God really want us to be sick and poor?  Revisiting the prosperity gospel.

    Why did our Lord Jesus arise from the tribe of Judah?

    What will our relationship be in heaven with children who died young?

    The baptism of the Holy Spirit as distinct from speaking in tongues.

    The Grammar behind the Genesis Gap.

    The Great White Throne Judgment.

    Moses and Zipporah.

    The Victory of Faith.

    Does God's choice of us eliminate our free will?

    Why does God allow bad things to happen?

    The Bible as "divine", roof prayer, and tattoos.

    Character in Hebrews 1:3, et al.

    Exorcism, et al.

    "Are the children of unbelievers lost if they die before receiving Christ?"

    How not to get "left behind".

    "Is baptism necessary for salvation?"

    "The nature of life after death."

    "The personality of the Holy Spirit."

    "The dragon of Revelation 12 and the talking idol of Revelation 13."

    "Bound by Satan in Luke 13:16, language and the Tower of Babel, Daniel's 70th week, and the number 12."

    "Infirmities and Diseases in Matthew 8:17"

    "The Leftover Baskets of Bread and Fish in John 6."

    "Waiting for the Ascension" and "Amos 4:11".

    Why was Canaan cursed?

    Should Christians have a competitive attitude?

    John "leapt for joy" in the womb - or did he?

    Satanic Influence in Video Games and Television.

    Moving Mountains:  Matthew 21:21

    Not a hair shall be lost? Luke 21:16 versus Luke 21:18.

    The reign of antichrist:  7 years or 3 and 1/2 years?

    The Trinity in Scripture.

    The Ark of the Covenant.

    "Doubts about the Nephilim in Genesis 6" and "Ezekiel 9:4 and the Mark of the Beast"

    "Word Counts in the Bible", "Him whom they Pierced (Rev.1:7)", and "Necromancy".

    "Waiting for a Savior" and "The Direction East in the Bible"

    Transubstantiation.

    Is there a purgatory according to the Bible?

    Your desire shall be for your husband: Genesis 3:16.

    Have I committed the unforgivable sin?

    Is the local church meant to be a patriarchy?

    Why doesn't the Bible mention all of the prophets of the children of Israel?

    The True "Victorious Life".

    Tohu in Genesis 1:2 and the Cause of the Darkness.

    Why Doesn't God Prevent All Children from Dying?

    Why were Christians being regarded as "evil-doers" in 1st Peter 2:12?

    The Scofield Reference Bible.

    Phylacteries and the Mark of the Beast, and "What about Joseph?"

    Feeling desperate and alone.

    Is Tithing net or gross?

    Assembly of the local church, and Jesus' use of "I AM" from Exodus 3:14 in John 8:58

    The "burden of the Lord" in Jeremiah 23:32-40, and judgment for idle words in Matthew 12:36-37.

    The importance of spiritual resiliency.

    Does God use disease to discipline us?

    Recovering from Cult Exposure.

    Variability in Christian Testing and Personal Tribulation.

    Is there any value to the Apocrypha?

    The Communion Ceremony outside of the local church.

    The Christian Walk, the End, and Tattoos.

    Should Christians honor Sunday as the new Sabbath?

    Chronological order of the books of the Bible.

    Doubt, light, missed opportunities et al.

    Addicted to Sin.

    Corporate prayer in Matthew 18:19:  "when two agree on earth".

    What does the Bible say about humor?

    The value of cumulative prayer.

    Our Heavenly, Pre-Resurrection, Interim State.

    How could a loving God order the destruction of the Canaanites?

    Should Christians observe the Torah?

    Church Polity and three other passages.

    Walking with Jesus.

    Tongues: does 'no man' understand?

    The few saved, the door in heaven, visions of heavenly realities, and Christmas.

    Spiritual Warfare.

    Christian suffering and spiritual maturity.

    Aliens, antichrist, and eschatology.

    Does exceptionally sinful behavior indicate that a Christian has lost salvation?

    Should Christians celebrate Jewish festivals?

    The Deaths of the 12 Disciples / Apostles of Christ.

    Categories of Sin in Psalm 19.

    Some brief answers on a variety of topics.

    Pastoral Support, Pastoral Preparation, and the Purpose of Assembly.

    Eternal Rewards.

    Encouragement, Isaiah 6:11-13, and the Hope of Repentance.

    Questioning the Genesis Gap.

    Dinosaurs, the Nephilim, Noah, et al.

    How much should we pay our pastor?

    More about Women Preachers.

    Is it wrong for me to celebrate Easter?

    The Remnant in Isaiah 6:13.

    The Big Distinction.

    The Day of the Lord in 2nd Peter 3:10.

    The Day of the Lord.

    Church History.

    The Sealing of the Holy Spirit.

    Visions of Angels: Colossians 2:18.

    Waiting on God's timing:  patience in testing.

    "Your Throne, O God":  Psalm 45:6.

    Moses striking the Rock.

    Procreation and Creation.

    What is meant by the phrase "the Lord's footstool"?

    1st Peter 3:3-5

    A conversation about divorce and remarriage.

    Faith in the midst of the fiery trial.

    Hebrews 10:26 again, and two other notes on Arthur Pink and the Greek word diakonos.

    What is the correct translation of Isaiah 59:19?

    Is the star of Acts 7:43 the star of David?

    Some questions about Nimrod and Christmas trees, Tongues, and Healing

    Is Jesus the only One ever to restore sight?

    What happens to people who were born and died prior to the birth of Christ?

    Which is better, the King James Version or the New King James Version?

    What is the minimum necessary to be saved?

    How can we know whose interpretation of the Bible is right (Part 2)?

    How can we know whose interpretation of the Bible is right (Part 1)?

    Psalm 22:1, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

    The "Mind of Christ" in 1st Corinthians 2:16

    Simeon and Simon, and the two crows of the rooster

    Ichthys, saints, and the Last Adam

    Does Hebrews 10:26 teach loss of salvation?

    Eternal security: where does one draw the line?

    Who are Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39?

    How did John the baptist come to doubt Jesus?

    Is Jesus literally seated on the throne at God's right hand?

    Are the Celts the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?

    Whatever happened to the "Genesis Gap"?

    "The baptism which now saves you":  1st Peter 3:21.

    Hebrew Language Study Tools.

    What type of healing is being discussed in Isaiah 53:5?

    The Origin of the Four Seasons

    2nd Peter 3:5: Doubting the Tribulation

    Tent-making and Galatians 6:6

    A Question about Ichthys books

    Biblical Metaphors and Symbolism

    Faith and the Pre-Tribulational "Rapture".

    Faith Healing.

    Bible translation and John 8:58.

    Melchizedek and the high priesthood of Christ:  two questions et alia.

    In need of encouragement.

    The centurion and the Syro-Phoenician woman.

    Who is the Meshiach?

    A Sadducean Question

    What is "heaven" like according to Christian teachings?

    Acts 20:28: Whose Blood?

    1st Corinthians 11:  Hats or Hair?

    Confession of Sin, Fellowship, and the Filling of the Holy Spirit.

    A Miscellany of Questions and Answers (Nineveh, the beast, tongues, demons, Sadam, etc.)

    Some Greek Questions in the Gospels (John 1:3; 2:19; 8:58; Luke 23:43)

    Is Man trichotomous, and does that mean that salvation is three-tiered?

    Questioning the Trinity

    The blood of Christ

    Christ knocking at the door in Revelation 3:20

    The futility of memory without God and eternal life.

    The meaning of Jesus' words, "I am" in John 8:58

    What does the Bible say about Heaven and Hell?

    Peace in 1st Corinthians 14:33

    Salvation and Church Affiliation.

    Several questions on the book of Hebrews.

    Does the Bible prohibit women from preaching or teaching in the Church?

    Should Christian leaders refrain from drinking in public?

    How to use the Bible translations at Ichthys.

    The Worship of Jesus:  a proof of His divinity?

    An Extended Conversation about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

    Is water baptism required for Christians today?

    Are health and wealth a part of the gospel?

    Will those in Hades be able to see Christ's return?

    Feelings of Guilt about Remarriage.

    Who are the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?

    What does "the Word was with God" mean in John 1:1-2?

    Three questions on three verses in Isaiah (Is.21:4; 28:10, & 66:24).

    How important is education for a pastor?

    Does Hebrews 10:26-35 ("deliberate sinning" etc.) mean that a believer can lose his or her salvation?

    Availability and use of Ichthys materials: several questions.

    Is there any difference between demons and fallen angels?

    Confronting atheism.

    Two questions about Judas Iscariot.

    Three Questions about Tattoos and Salvation.

    The Hebrew word for 'one' (`echadh) and the uniqueness of God.

    Did the witch of Endor really conjure up the spirit of Samuel?

    A Question about the "Waters Above".

    Why did God the Father wait so long to send Jesus into the world?

    How does being "slain in the Spirit" relate to being baptized in the Spirit?

    How do you prove the existence of God?

    Where does the Bible teach that Jesus is God?

    Is it ever Justifiable to Tell a Lie (part 2)?

    Seeing double in Matthew.

    Mary, Joseph, and Nazareth.

    Is the Westminster Catechism a Good Reference Tool?

    What does it mean "the spirit returns to God" in Ecclesiastes 12:7?

    Is there any Connection between biblical Gemstones and Moral Characteristics?

    Are Miraculous Gifts Operational Today?

    Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (Christophany: Gen.3:8).

    Can those in organizations which teach "salvation by works" be saved?

    Is "helpmeet" a wrong translation in Genesis 2:20?

    Our will and God's WILL.

    Cast thy Bread upon the Waters:  What do the seven and eight portions in Ecclesiastes 11:2 mean?

    Was Cain Satan's literal "seed"?

    The Demon Possessed Girl in Acts 16:16.

    The "Sin unto Death" in 1st John 5:16.

    Is death just a natural part of human life?

    Communion and the Blood of Christ.

    What does it mean in 1st Corinthians 7:14, "the unbelieving husband is sanctified"?

    The Re-institution of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Millennium.

    Secular Documentation for the Exodus.

    The false doctrine of "soul sleep".

    The Author of Hebrews and Jesus' Perfect Completion of His Mission.

    The Trinity in Isaiah 63:10-15.

    How old was Jesus at the time of His crucifixion and resurrection?

    Five Smooth Stones: 1st Samuel 17:40

    How can we know the Bible is true?

    The name "Jesus".

    Habakkuk's Prosperity Prayer: Habakkuk 3:17-19.

    Jeremiah 31:22: "A Woman shall Compass a Man".

    The New International Version of the Bible and some issues in Bible translation.

    Is "the Prophet" of Deuteronomy 18:18 Muhammad?

    The One True God and the Trinity in the Old Testament.

    Are those in Hebrews 6:4 who "crucify the Son of God afresh" lost?

    Are New Bible Translations Part of a Conspiracy?

    What exactly is the "red heifer prophecy", and how does it relate to the events of the end times?

    Where did the waters of Genesis 1 go?

    Interpreting Revelation

    Sin, Baptism, and the Book of Revelation

    Tithing and the Book of Life

    The Dangers of the Prosperity Gospel.

    English and the Tower of Babel.

    The "Seven Thunders" of Revelation 10:3-4

    The fate of the unrighteous dead in Isaiah 66:24

    Who are the "sons of the kingdom" in Matthew 18:11-12?

    Why does Judah get greater honor than Jerusalem in Zechariah 12:7?

    Are there Female Angels?

    Longevity in the Millennium.

    How is the date of Easter computed?

    What is the meaning of the 1290 days versus the 1335 days in Daniel 12?

    What Church era are we now in?

    The mark of the beast.

    Christophany in the Exodus.

    Can you explain "help my unbelief!" in Mark 9:24?

    What does it mean to "overcome" in Revelation chapters 2 and 3?

    Are women required to wear veils or hats in church?

    Is the world about to come to an end?

    Does the Bible ever describe the earth as being round?

    Pre-, mid-, or post-Tribulation rapture?

    Pearls before swine.

    Recognizing the Messiah.

    The gift of healing.

    The origin and fate of the "giants" in Genesis chapter six.

    Christian suffering - Christian encouragement.

    Is speaking in tongues biblical?

    Is speaking in tongues a sin?

    Can you recommend a good commentary on the book of Romans?

    Aspects of the resurrection.

    The recipients of Peter's epistles.

    Pre- or Post-Tribulation "rapture"?

    The lives of the prophets.

    The old prophet who lied.

    Animal sacrifice in the millennium.

    Is it ever justifiable to lie?

    Who wrote the King James version?

    The meaning of the divine name יהוה.

    The so-called "documentary hypothesis".

    The relationship between the books of Kings and Chronicles.

    David's disastrous census of Israel.

    Aspects of the Unseen Angelic Warfare and 666, the Mark of the Beast.

    The 200 million strong demon army of Revelation 9:13.

    Deliverance through Childbearing in 1st Timothy 2:15?

    Some questions about the Tribulation.

    More on divorce and remarriage.

    Divorce and remarriage.

    The antecedents of ICHTHYS.

    What does it mean to "remember the Sabbath and keep it holy"?

    The manner of the apostle Peter's death.

    Wasn't Matthias the thirteenth apostle?

    Forward progress necessary for salvation and spiritual growth.

    The "seven days" of human history.

    1st John 1:9 and confessing sin.

    ICHTHYS and the role of traditional Christianity.

    Can you recommend a good survey for the Old and New Testaments?

    Where can I find more information on the "Genesis gap"?

    Is Church membership an issue in salvation?

    Can you recommend a church?

    Are these materials available for purchase as books?

    A bit of autobiography.

    What is your opinion of the Abingdon one-volume Bible Commentary?

    What is the significance of the number "20" in the Bible?

    The 144,000 of Revelation chapters 7 and 14.

    What is your view on predestination?

    Who is "true Israel"?

    The chronology of the date 2026.

    Does baptism play a role in being born again?

    Why does the devil have access to God while man cannot stand in His presence?

    The structure of the book of Revelation.

    What is your view of the rapture?

    What is meant by the "10 days" of Revelation 2:10?

    Dragons in the Bible?

    Are there apostles in the Church today?

    What is the meaning of the word "chosen" in the Bible.

    The Passover.

    What are the most common Bible names?

    What is the biblical significance of the number forty?

    What does the Bible have to say about witchcraft?

    How can I protect myself from false teaching?

    Didn't the devil know he couldn't defeat God?

    Are the Masons wrong according to the Bible?

    Six Questions.

    Can the faith of "backsliders" be restored?

    Are there biblical origins to mythology?

    What does the phrase "sides of the pit" mean in Isaiah 14:15?

    Can prayer be offered in the name of the Son?

    Election and John 6:37?

    Is it valid to celebrate Christmas?

    Can you give me some information on divine names in the Bible?

    What is the significance of name changes in the Bible?

    Is faith a "gift of God"?

    Is there a "gospel of Thomas"?

    Is the nature of Man dichotomous or trichotomous?

    Will the temple be rebuilt in Jerusalem?

    Does the Bible teach a literal Millennium?

    What does the word "good" mean in Genesis?

    Who are "the dead" who "rise first" in 1st Thessalonians 4?

    Are the Greek tenses in John 7:34 correctly translated?

    Is the devil "mad" to oppose God?

    Does the Bible require supporting the pastor financially?

    How can Jesus be a man and God at the same time?

    How did people atone for intentional sin in Old Testament times?

    What is the symbolism of the Lamb of God in Revelation?

    Can you recommend some word study tools for Bible study?

    Can people who commit suicide be saved?

    Are tattoos biblical?

    Is it "ichthys" or "ichthus"?

    What is the difference between wisdom and discernment?

    Marriage of Believers and Unbelievers.

    Is hearing believing in John 6:35?

    How certain a date is 2026?

    Is Paul describing himself in Romans chapter seven?

    Is tithing required for salvation?

    What is the evidence for the "rapture"?

    Is there any validity to the "prosperity gospel"?

    Who are the "Nephilim" in Genesis chapter six?

    Church attendance.

    Is there a literal "devil"?

    What does the Bible have to say about reincarnation?

    What is the unpardonable sin?

    Believing the Bible for Spiritual Growth.

    Why was the New Testament written in Greek?

    What about those who have never heard of Christ?

    What about elders and deacons?

    Eternal Security and "sinless perfection".

    Eternal Security and "salvation by works".

    Does the Bible teach ex nihilo creation?

    When did Jesus first know He was God's Son?

    Are there prophets today?

    Despairing of life.

    How important is baptism?

    How could Christ have been three days and nights in the grave?

    Do Muslims worship the One true God?

    What can I do about spiritual fainting?

     


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