Question:
What is the difference between soul and spirit?

Answer:
We cannot distinguish between our soul and spirit for they make up our person. Only by the Scriptures do we know that God has divided “asunder the soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12). Body, soul, and spirit were created by God in Genesis chapter 1. In verse 1 God created matter, “the heaven and the earth,” which is where our bodies come from. In verse 21 God created “every living creature [soul] that moveth.” In verses 26 and 27 God created man in His “image” and “likeness.” God created a spirit for man like Himself for “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24).

Angels are merely spirit beings. Plants only have bodies. Animals and everything that moves have bodies and souls, but man has a body, soul, and spirit and thus He is the “image” (Genesis 1:27) or representative of the Triune God–God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Unlike the soul of an animal, God “breathed into [man’s] nostrils the breath of life and he became a “living [never-dying] soul” (Genesis 2:7). Christians living today have a second Spirit in their bodies, the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).
Jesus was a real man when He walked on this earth for He had a “body…prepared” for Him (Hebrews 10:5), and since He rose from the dead He has a body fit for glory (Philippians 3:21). In the Garden of Gethsemane He said His “soul [was] exceeding sorrowful” (Matthew 26:38). Before He died He cried with a loud voice: “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit, and having said thus, He gave up the ghost [spirit]” (Luke 23:46). And at the same time He was and ever will be the second Person of the Godhead, God the Son.”The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The spirit is the intelligence and seat of God-consciousness, the soul is the seat of the emotions (love, hate, etc.), and the body is the seat of the five senses (seeing, smelling, etc.).

Question:
In Ephesians 4:8-10, what does it mean that Christ descended “into the lower parts of earth?”

Answer:
“The lower parts of the earth” refers to His depths of suffering. Christ speaks in Psalm 40:2 of being taken out of “an horrible pit.”

There is not a place between glory and the cross that Christ has not occupied and conquered and has the remedy for us:
“Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel” (Isaiah 44:23).
He gives gifts that we may also conquer in whatever place we are in as Ephesians 4:8-16 says: “Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended” — what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Question:
Where in the Bible proves that animals do not go to heaven when they die? I have been taught that they do not, based on Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Answer:
Animals were created by God (Genesis 1:29, 30) and were brought under the burden of sin by God (Genesis 3:14-19; Romans 8:18-25). They were taken into the ark with Noah (Genesis 6:19-22) and were identified as sources of food for man (Genesis 9:2-5). Yet, despite the curse on animals, God is still attentive to their suffering (Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 12:6, 7; Romans 8:18-25). Animals have been used by God in man’s instruction (Numbers 22:28-33) and for the punishment of man’s sin (1 Kings 13:24-28; Daniel 6:24-27).

The use of animals in sacrifice was introduced by God (Genesis 3:21) and endorsed as an act of man (Genesis 4:4). With the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, animal sacrifices are unnecessary for our eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-15). In a future day, the curse of sin will be removed from animals, and animal and man will live in harmony (Isaiah 11:6-8; 65:25).
The similarities between the spirit of man and the spirit of the beast are provided by the Spirit in the testimony of Solomon’s wisdom (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20). The difference between these spirits is demonstrated in verse 21 where the spirit of man returns to God (see also Ecclesiastes 12:7) and the spirit of the beast returns with the dust to the earth. In his conclusion, Solomon, through the Spirit, states that judgment of every secret thing, whether it be good or evil, will befall the spirit of man (Ecclesiastes

12:13, 14; also compare Deuteronomy 24:16).

Question:
In John 20:17, 27, the risen Lord tells Mary not to touch Him for he had not yet ascended to His Father, but He invites Thomas to touch Him in verse 27. What is the difference?

Answer:
In verse 17 where the Lord is talking to Mary, the Greek word translated “touch” means not to “hold” or keep. In verse 27 He doesn’t use that word: “Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Mary must realize she could not keep Him here for He would “ascend” to His Father, and He did this forty days after He rose from the dead (Acts 1:3, 9-11).Thomas, however, needed to believe that Christ was risen from the dead, for he had said: “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

Question:
Where in the Bible proves that animals do not go to heaven when they die? I have been taught that they do not, based on Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Answer:
As far as I know, there are no clear and definite Scriptures which prove dogmatically that animals do not go to heaven when they die. (Psalm 49:20 says that when animals die they no longer exist: “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.”—Ed.)

But I do believe that we can infer that they do not go to heaven based upon two things: (1) The silence of Scripture as to the state of animals after death; and (2) the teaching of Scripture as to who does go to heaven after death.
(1) There cannot be found one passage of Scripture which would indicate that animals go to heaven after death. In Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20 we read of how their bodies, along with the bodies of men, are “of the dust,” and that they “all turn to dust again.” But we will look in vain for one Scripture which would indicate that the soul of an animal (animals do have souls–see Genesis 1:24, 25 JND version) lives on after death. And when Scripture speaks of the resurrection of bodies from the dust, we hear nothing about the bodies of animals being raised. Now surely if God had destined that animals would be in heaven, one would think He would have spoken of it somewhere in His Word.
(2) Scripture has much to say about those who are to occupy heaven. We have not the time, nor the space, to cover this, but suffice it to say that MAN, not ANIMALS, is the object of God’s purposes regarding heaven. It is obvious from the creation account in Genesis chapter one that Man is the crown of God’s creation. It was given to Adam to be the Head of all creation, thus all things, including the beasts of the earth, were put under his dominion (Genesis 1:26).
His creation was unique, as is evidenced by the Scripture you refer to in your question (Genesis 2:7). This Scripture, along with the verses which tell us that “God created man in His own image,” teach us that man has a link with God that animals do not have. And then we have Scripture revealing to us that God formed something special in man which He did not form in animals, namely, a “spirit” (see Zechariah 12:1). We know that “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24), and it goes on to say in that verse that “they that worship Him must worship Him in SPIRIT and in truth.” In other words, one must possess a “spirit” in order to render intelligent worship to God.
It cannot be proven from Scripture that animals have a spirit, thus they cannot worship Him. The many passages in Scripture which speak of men in heaven, also teach us that man’s chief occupation in heaven will be the worship of God (see Revelation 5:6-14; 19:1-7). Other points could be made on this subject, but perhaps enough has been said to show us that God did not create animals with a view to living in heaven with Him. They have not the capacity to know God (being void of a spirit), and thus they cannot worship Him, which, as we have seen, will be the primary activity of redeemed sinners in heaven.

Question:
Where did Jesus’ soul and spirit go after He died before He was resurrected?

Answer:
Luke 23:43, 46. Jesus told the thief on the cross he would be with Him “in paradise,” and Jesus committed His spirit to His Father when He died. Acts 2:27-31 shows that Christ’s soul was in the condition of “hades,” which means “unseen,” but His soul and spirit were in the place called “paradise” with His Father.

Question:
In about three and a half weeks my first class reunion will take place. I was excited to see my Christian friends from high school and how they are faring, but I don’t think I will be going. The reunion will be at a Jaycees dining hall—beer will be served at a bar in the rear of the building. I think I might get in touch with some of my former classmates (the Christian ones) outside of the reunion though. I can only think of a verse or two to give in answer to my not going. The one with the most impact is 1 Corinthians 15:33. Did you go to your class reunion? Can you add any more verses to 1 Corinthians 15:33?

Answer:
There are times when you can frequent a place (such as a restaurant) where liquor is served and not feel “out of place,” but I tend to agree with you when it comes to a class reunion. I did not attend my reunion for the same reason.

A verse that really spoke to me was 1 Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” One has said on this verse, “Every appearance or visible form of evil is to be avoided by the Christian.” Surely the tendency at a class reunion where liquor is involved is to evolve (as the night progresses) into such a form. See also Ephesians 5:1-13.

Question:
What was the lesson God wanted to teach Job?

Answer:
Job prided himself in his knowledge, and in his righteous life. After using Satan to teach Job his frailty, God asked him, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:4).

Job finally saw how small he was in comparison to God, and he told Him, “I uttered that I understood not…I have heard of Thee…but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:1-6). Job confessed that he had merely heard of God but now he saw Him in all His power and glory, and now he understood things he didn’t before.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear of ghosts (demons) does not come from God. Satan has already been defeated on the cross (Hebrews 2:14, 15). If we are saved, Satan can no longer take us to hell, though he is trying his best to make us miserable, but he flees when we are trusting and enjoying Christ.“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Question:
After coming home from meeting today I found out work had called–they were short-handed and needed help. Normally, I would head on in to help out, but today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Had to think about this one for a while—should I go in and help or stay at home? For the afternoon meeting we covered part of 1 John 3 and I remembered verse 17, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion for him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” While it is not exactly in context it made me think I should go help. On the other hand, “Thou shalt keep the Sabbath holy” made me think I should stay. While we are not under law, to go into work might set a precedent and I likely would be asked to work on Sunday again. Also, to go in might make it seem like a day not set apart—common.

Here is the question: what should a believer do when confronted with this dilemma?

Now this is what I did do. Before picking up the phone I asked the Lord to have them not need me, otherwise I would go help. They ended up having enough workers, and so, did not need me.

Answer:
It should surely be our desire to be at every gathering of the local assembly, regardless of the day of the week on which we are gathered. Therefore it is good to be careful about making commitments that might hinder us from doing so.

But what are we to do when we are not so gathered? As you said, we are not under law. Not only are we not under the law which came by Moses, but we are not to impose regulations upon ourselves of a law-like character (the “principle” of law). “Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1). We should seek, therefore, to be “led of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18) so that, “Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Question:
How do we know that Satan only has power allowed by God?

Answer:
Read Job 1:8-12 and 2:3-6. God pointed Job out to Satan and then only allowed him to do certain things to Job. “Greater is He [Spirit of God] that is in you [Christian] than he [Satan] that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Question:
I am not in a position to turn on and off or switch the station to that which would please God. So what can I do, just sit there and listen to it? Should I say something about it, or leave it in the hands of Satan?

Answer:
I assume that this question, involves your place of employment. You mentioned not being in a position to turn it off or change the station, but you ask if you should say something about it.

Perhaps the Lord would have you to speak to the person in charge about your dislike for the content of what you hear. I would suggest that you pray earnestly for His mind as to this, and if you feel that He would have you to approach your employer, may the Lord give you real humility and meekness in doing so.
You would not want to give the impression that you are “holier than thou,” thus you will need humility. And if your employer’s response is not what you want, you will need the meekness of Christ. Meekness is “not taking offense,” and it really means that we accept everything, good and bad, from the Hand of God. The Lord Jesus said of Himself, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and He said this right after experiencing being rejected by the nation of Israel. He did not take offense at this, but could look up to His Father in thanksgiving, accepting this as His will for Him at that time (See Matthew 11:20-26).

Question:
What are ghosts?

Answer:
A ghost is a spirit. Ghosts have been known to have power to lift tables, etc., but the spirit beings that do such things cannot be human spirits who have died because they are either “with Christ” or in the “place of torment.”

But God has created “an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22) which are spirit beings, and they “minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation” (Hebrew 1:14).

There are also a large company of fallen angels who fell when Satan wanted to be “like the most High.” The Bible calls these fallen angels “demons” who have power to make people fall into a fire (Matthew 17:15), and other harmful things, but they cannot touch a believer because on the cross of Calvary Christ “through death” destroyed “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and [delivered] them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrew 2:14, 15).

Question:
Even though I am very careful about swearing, how can I stop it when I hear it all of the time at work, and then find myself saying it in public?

Answer:
In our Lord’s high priestly prayer to the Father in John chapter 17, He prayed these words, “I have given them Thy Word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I PRAY NOT THAT THOU SHOULDEST TAKE THEM OUT OF THE WORLD, BUT THAT THOU SHOULDEST KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. AND FOR THEIR SAKES I SANCTIFY MYSELF, THAT THEY ALSO MIGHT BE SANCTIFIED THROUGH THE TRUTH.”

I commend these words of our blessed Lord to you for your meditation because I believe the answer to your dilemma lies in the truth of these words. When the Lord prayed these words, He knew that He was going back to the Father and that He would be leaving His own in a world that was contrary to God. He knew that they were rubbing shoulders every day with those who hated them and who were characterized as evil.
But He prayed that they would be kept from the evil. He knew that this could only be accomplished through the Word (verse 17) and by His being sanctified (verse 19). I believe He meant that the believer can only escape the evil that is in the world (in your case, swearing) by being occupied with God’s Word (verse 17) and with Christ in the glory.
When Jesus said He would, for their sakes, sanctify Himself, He referred to the fact that He would “SET Himself APART” (sanctify means to be “set apart”) in the glory to be the Object for the believer while he travels through this defiling world. It is only as our hearts are taken up with Christ, through the Word, that we will be kept from all the evil that is in the world.
To illustrate further what I mean, allow me to speak of a personal experience. I worked for 10 years in a factory where I was constantly exposed to swearing. I hated it and when I could (on work breaks) I left the room. But most of the time I had to endure it. By the grace of God, I would meditate on Scripture and this replaced the “gutter talk” of my co-workers with holy thoughts from God. It was at times like these that the word of the Psalmist came home to my heart, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). At times, I still felt defiled at the end of the day (though I had not engaged in swearing) from what I had heard, so I would go home and study Scripture to cleanse my mind of anything that I had not let go (see Psalm 119:9). This is, I believe, what the symbolic act of feet-washing is all about (see John 13:1-8). We must allow the Saviour, through the washing of the water by the Word (see Ephesians 5:26), to cleanse us from any defilement we may have picked up by traveling through this wicked world. May the Lord bless these thoughts to you and give you the grace to overcome swearing by the power of His Word.

Question:
Is hades different from the Lake of Fire?

Answer:
Yes, hades is different than the Lake of Fire. Hades is a condition of the soul out of the body; it is not a place. But the Lake of Fire is the place “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41) where the unsaved will be for all eternity. No one is in gehenna or the Lake of Fire yet.

After the battle of Armageddon, when Christ comes to set up His kingdom, the “beast” and the “false prophet” will become the first occupants of the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20). At the end of the thousand year reign of Christ over the earth, they will still be there and will continue there to be tormented “day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
It is most important that you “believe” on Christ and know that you “have,” right now, “everlasting life” (John 3:16). Christ did not come to condemn the world but that the world might be saved (John 3:17). When we are saved we become a “new creation in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). Why we become a new creation in Christ and have God’s righteousness is because God made Christ to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 we find four different conditions:
1. Verse 1 speaks of our physical body as “OUR EARTHLY HOUSE.”
2. Verse 2, “OUR HOUSE WHICH IS FROM HEAVEN,” is the new spiritual body we’ll have in heaven, suited for our spirits.
3. Verse 3 tells that the unsaved, when they die, will be unclothed, but on the day of judgment will be found “NAKED.” They don’t have the covering of Christ’s righteousness.4. Verse 4 relates that “UNCLOTHED” refers to the time between physical death and the resurrection of our bodies when Christ comes. Our spirit and soul are unclothed when the body dies because they are without a body. When people talk about looking forward to getting out of the miseries of this world, Paul says that would be desiring to be “unclothed” or getting out of the body. Paul says he desires not to be unclothed (separated from the body), but CLOTHED with our new spiritual body which is from heaven. Philippians 3:21 tells us that when Christ comes, the body we now have will be “changed” or transformed into a body like the body Christ has since He rose from the dead. He walked through closed doors with that body (John 20:19).

Question:
Today as we serve God we don’t sacrifice animals and we don’t do a lot like the Bible times and I know drinking beer, wine, liquor is wrong so my question is: why during communion do the brethren drink wine? Because I think that if people think it’s all right to drink during the service or meeting then if Christians can drink so can I. That would be then leading people to sin. Why not just drink grape juice? (Also Catholics do this.)

Answer:
The reason for confusion brought out in this question is that the Bible does not say that it is wrong to use wine, etc., but it most certainly does condemn the abuse of it. “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

We use wine because it was given us by our Lord as a symbol of the new covenant in His blood. The cup symbolizes that cup which Jesus spoke of in the garden, “O my Father, if it be possible, [remove] let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). When the Father gave the cup to Jesus it was a cup of sorrows; this cup given to us is called a “cup of blessing” (1 Corinthians 10:16).
As the cup of blessing He used wine to express that blessing, since the Word refers to wine as “that maketh glad the heart of man” (Psalm 104:15). Wine is referred to in Revelation 6:6 where it describes oil and wine as things possessed by the rich. “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” As wine speaks of our redemption through Christ’s blood and oil speaks of the Holy Spirit, who is richer than we? The wine then speaks to us of earthly joy.

Question:
Is hell worse than hades for a believer? Or are they the same?

Answer:

Hades is a Greek word that means “unseen.” It is not a place, but is a condition of the soul without the body—just as death is the condition of the body. The soul of every person whose body is dead is in the condition of hades which is the same as the Hebrew word sheol. The Lord was in the condition of hades after He died until He rose from the dead (Acts 2:27).

Hell, however, is a “place” of torment. The Greek word translated hell is “geenna,” sometimes called “gehenna,” which is the place unbelievers will be tormented in for all eternity. The Lord said: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [geenna]” (Matthew 10:28).

Question:
In the Bible it says of Samson and I kind of think there weren’t barbers back in the Bible times. So, my question is: Is it wrong for a man to have long hair?

Answer:
I’ll try to attempt to answer the question about long hair. A couple of years ago I got asked that same question about long hair. I found a verse in 1 Corinthians 11:14 that says, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”

There is also a quote, unquote Christian image that the world expects from Christians, and if we don’t live up to that image, it may affect our testimony in their eyes. It was referred to Samson’s long hair in the question. Samson was a Nazarite. A Nazarite was a person chosen of God. They had many commandments to live by, one of which was the commandment that they were never to cut their hair. So that is why Samson had the long hair, and if you can recall that when Samson got his hair cut, he lost all of his strength.

Question:
Where do we go when we die? “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Answer:
Read 2 Corinthians 5:8. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present [at home] with the Lord.” There is no lapse of time; the moment the body of a Christian dies, he (soul and spirit) leaves the body, and immediately is home with the Lord.

What about the unsaved? They are in torment (Luke 16:19-31). The spirit world is very different from what we know. They either suffer torment or enjoy comfort. They can talk together and see one another, but a great chasm keeps the saved and unsaved from ever being together after death (v. 26). Our eternal destiny is decided in this life by whether we accept or reject Christ as our Saviour. There is no way anyone can get to heaven if they do not accept God’s Word (verse 31).

Question:
Why do the brethren believe that they should not have to vote?

Answer:
In Jesus’ prayer for intercession for His followers (John 17), it is clear that His people are in the world but not to be of the world. It is similarly clear that Christians cannot befriend the world (John 15:18, 19; 17:14, 15; 1 John 3:13), but rather are hated by it. Christians are warned not to love the world (1 John 2:15-17), and are reminded that they are to be crucified to the world (Galatians 6:14) and to “set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth” (Colossians 3:1-4).

The Lord God provides numerous examples in Scripture of His selection of the world’s leaders. For example, God raised up Pharaoh as Egypt’s leader (Exodus 9:16; Romans 9:17) for a divine purpose. God’s hand is clear in the appointment of Israel’s judges (Judges 2:16-19) and in His choice of the nations that would later serve to destroy Judah (Ezekiel 23:22-26). King Nebuchadnezzar was clearly instructed by God that all dominion was of God (Daniel 4:3-32; 5:21).
The world’s leaders are appointed by God, in His time period, in order to fulfill His prophecy. We are to be in subjection to governing authorities, who we are told are established, not by voting, but are ordained of God (Romans 13:1, 2). At the present time, we are in the dispensation of God’s grace to all peoples and look forward to the fulfillment of His prophecies concerning Israel and the world. Although prophetic time periods of the future can be identified in many ways, we do not decide the world’s leaders and cannot predict the time of onset of future periods (Acts 1:6,7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10).Characteristics of Christian testimony are directed towards God’s people and people of the world (Romans 12-15:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-28; 2 Timothy 4:15). Some individuals may feel that voting or participation in the world’s system may serve to improve the world’s condition. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4) and must be avoided. It would appear that efforts to help the world should be directed, through excellence of Christian testimony, towards saving the world’s souls, one at a time (Luke 15:3-10, James 5:19, 20; 1 Peter 3:12-16).

Question:
What is a ghost? Is it a soul that didn’t go up or down?

Answer:
A ghost is another word for “spirit.” God is a Spirit, and the third Person of the Godhead is the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. God made man with not only a body and a soul like the animals, but he made him in God’s own image so man also has a spirit (Genesis 1:27).

Regarding the second part of the question: Human souls or spirits do not wander but go to a definite place when their bodies die. When a person’s body dies his soul and spirit either go to be “with Christ” in “paradise” (Philippians 1:23; Luke 23:43), or to “the place of torment” (Luke 16:28).

Question:
As we live in this world we want this place to live up to God’s standards and we all should want to help make this place in God’s image. So my question is why do the brethren believe that they should not have to vote? We should want a president that has the most qualities that we think best suit what God would want for this world.

Answer:
The question has to do with voting, but before we address that issue we need to discuss the inquirer’s premise, which is, “We want this place to live up to God’s standards and we all should want to help make this place in God’s image.” I don’t believe this premise is based on Scripture.

Scripture does not state that God expects this world to live up to His standards or to be in His image. On the contrary, Scripture is quite clear and emphatic that the world as a whole is:
(1) Under Satan’s power and influence—see Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19, JND version;
(2) In a state of enmity against God—see Romans 8:7; Colossians 1:21;
(3) In bondage to sin—see John 8:34; Romans 3:9; Ephesians 2:3; and
(4) Under God’s judgment (though He has not executed it yet)—John 12:31; John 3:18, 36.
To expect the world of unbelievers to “live up to God’s standards” is wishful thinking, for they have neither the desire to do so (Romans 8:7), nor the power (see again the verses under #3 above).
Only the one who has been born-again loves God’s will and wishes to please Him (Romans 7:22; John 14:21,23; 1 John 2:29; 3:9,22; 5:18). And only the true child of God has the power to do His will (see Romans 8:2-4, 9-14; Galatians 5:16-23). Thus, God is not expecting the world to live up to His standards. Instead, He is saving people out of this world and making them His testimony to His saving grace so that others will “flee from the wrath to come” by taking shelter under the blood of Christ.
Now for a word or two about voting: If we really see the true condition of the world (please look up the Scriptures cited above concerning the world’s state as God sees it), we will forget the notion that we can change it so that it is a place which honors God by living up to His standards.
Even if we had a godly Christian president, and he was able to get the laws passed through legislature which would be in keeping with God’s will, this WOULD NOT change the heart of man which is enmity against God. Our purpose here is not to try to change the world, but rather to preach the gospel of God’s grace so that needy sinners will respond to God’s love by trusting the Saviour for the salvation of their souls. Then they will be born-again and will be able to, as stated above, please God by keeping His Word through the power of the Holy Spirit.
But Scripture is plain that the world at large will not respond to God’s grace (Matthew 7:13, 14) and that eventually God’s judgment will fall upon it (Acts 17:31; Jude 14, 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:4-9). Knowing these things should cause us to seek to win as many as possible to the Saviour and to avoid the politics of the world. See also 2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 3:20; 2 Timothy 2:3, 4 for reasons not to concern ourselves with politics.
May we be content to follow the example of our blessed Lord Who never tried to change the world by becoming politically active, but ministered the Word of God to men with the view to their being born-again through the Word.While on trial before Pilate, “Jesus answered [him], ‘My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence’” (John 18:36).

Question:

Was Luke there when Jesus was on the mount with Moses and Elijah? No! How did He know what to write?

Answer:
He was inspired of God as to what he wrote. “Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, JND translation). “For prophecy was not ever uttered by the will of man, but holy men of God spake under the power of the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, JND translation).

Luke 1:1-4 tells us that Luke heard from eyewitnesses what happened, “That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.”

Question:
Were there dinosaurs?

Answer:
Scripture is silent concerning dinosaurs. The Bible provides two possibly related supernatural creatures. They are the dragon Hebrew word: tanniym and leviathan: livyathan. These terms are used to signify great land or sea monsters. In the New American Standard translation, the dragon is called a jackal. In Strong’s concordance, the term tanniym is used to signify a marine or sea monster; i.e., sea serpent or jackal with synonyms dragon, sea monster, serpent, and whale. In Strong’s, the term livyathan is derived from the word meaning wreathed animal, i.e., a serpent or some other large sea monster. The livyathan is associated with the sea (Job 41:1-34, Psalm 74:12-17, Psalm 104:25-27 and is identified as a “piercing serpent” or “crooked serpent” (Isaiah 27:1). The tanniym is identified as a beast of the desert (Isaiah 34:8-15; Isaiah 35:7).

Scientists assume that dinosaurs were living creatures and speculate concerning the cause of their sudden disappearance. Some biblical scholars similarly speculate that dinosaurs could have existed in the original creation and might have been destroyed when Satan was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18) which resulted in the earth becoming “without form and void” (Genesis 1:2).If dinosaurs actually lived in the time frame identified by scientists, the Lord God may have demonstrated His omnipotent power by the sudden termination of their life form. Sudden acts are a mark of the handiwork of God and are meant to draw the attention of man to supernatural phenomena (Isaiah 48:3-8).

Question:
How can we keep from looking for man’s approval?

Answer:
Read 2 Timothy 2:1-6.

1. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Realize His grace–His love we do not deserve, and derive strength from our relationship with God which is by His grace alone!

2. Whatever we know from the Word pass on to others. When you give it away you really keep it for yourself, and it becomes more precious to you. We’re saved and remain here to be a witness to others.

3. Endure hardships as a “good” soldier of Jesus Christ.

4. A man that wars, does not entangle himself with the affairs of this life. Be separate!

5. We’re in the world, but we’re not of it. Two very important words: Please  Him!

“Approved of God” means that we have passed the test, and He sees that we seek to please Him and not ourselves!
Read Hebrews 12:6-11. God disciplines or trains those He loves. If we are saved He will train us in the way He wants us to go, because we are His children. Discipline may hurt, but it won’t harm us because it is for our good. Verse 7 tells us that “if [we] endure” God’s dealings with us, we benefit from this discipline. Verse 11 says that no training seems good at the time, but if we are “exercised” or seek to learn from His training–realizing that God has a purpose in it–we will enjoy the peaceable fruit of righteousness in our lives. Don’t ask, “Lord, why did you do this to me?”, but “Lord, what do you want me to learn?” Everything that happens is to make us more like Himself. Only when we give all to Christ can we be filled with Christ.
Read Mark 10:17-22. The rich young ruler had many good qualities: (1) He was in earnest—he ran, (2) He was reverent—he kneeled, (3) He was inquiring—he asked, but he was looking for the wrong thing: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” No one can do anything to inherit something—someone must die for us to inherit, and no one can inherit eternal life for it is a gift of God (Romans 6:23). Jesus tested him to see what he thought of Himself by saying, “Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is God,” but he didn’t believe Jesus is God. The Lord observed him and loved him although he was on the wrong track. He said to him: “One thing thou lackest” (actually–eternal life). Christ told him to give up everything, but he went away grieved for he had much. He thought more of earth (the world) than heaven (Christ). “Take up the cross” speaks of death to our wills, which will make us to be hated by the world, but it is the only path of real joy for the Christian.
Read Luke 9:23,24. If we are going to follow Jesus we must tell our heavenly Father like He said: “Not my will but Thine be done.” We must say “no” to our wills “daily” to follow Him. Adam disobeyed God to please his wife. Dare to be a Daniel. Dare to stand alone—and we may have to if we choose to live for Christ. But we are not alone for the Lord is with us!Read Luke 9:28-36. Christ, in constant dependence on His Father, went into a mountain and His garment glistened. Moses and Elias (Elijah) appear talking with Jesus about His death which He would “accomplish.” The greatest work ever done was accomplished by Christ on Calvary and all heaven was talking about it before it happened, and will continue to speak of it throughout eternity to come. Peter, James, and John fall asleep—shows how we can become insensitive and miss what is right in front of us. Peter says make three tabernacles. He put Moses and Elijah on the same level as Jesus, not realizing what he said. The voice from heaven speaks: “This is my beloved Son: hear Him,” and Jesus was alone with them. The Father will not tolerate for us to have anyone but His Son as our object, nor for us to listen to anyone but Him.

Question:
I don’t understand the last part of 1 John 5:16: “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Answer:
Don Johnson (Sr.) answered: “I don’t either. But I knew a man who realized he was going to die and he told some who came to see him not to pray for his recovery because the Lord was taking him home because of his sin. The sin unto death would be like when a mother says to her child: ‘You, will have to come into the house now because you will not obey me outside.'”

Verse 17 shows that we should pray for restoration unless the one who has sinned tells us not to. “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.” “And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (verse 15). We should not hesitate to avail ourselves of prayer.
Four ways God answers prayer:

1. No, not yet.

2. No, I love you too much.

3. Yes, I thought you’d never ask.

4. Yes, and here’s more.
Some use Matthew 8:17 to justify faith-healing of a Christian today, saying that Christ “took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” on the cross. But the verse does not say He bore them on the cross. Looking at the context (verses 14-18) we see that He bore their sicknesses as a burden during His lifetime on earth when he healed the people. Christ did bear our “sins” on the cross. “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). But the Spirit of God uses a different Greek word translated “bare” in 1 Peter 2:24 than in Matthew 8:17. The word “bare” in 1 Peter 2:24 means to “take away,” but in Matthew 8:17 “bare” means “to have sympathy with.”
The man was blind in John 9:2, 3: “that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” Had he not been blind God’s power could not have been seen, in giving him eyesight.
Trials we go through are so we can realize the Lord’s comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-5), and so the Lord can use us to comfort others “by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”A good verse to memorize is 1 John 5:20. “AND WE KNOW THAT THE SON OF GOD IS COME, AND HATH GIVEN US AN UNDERSTANDING, THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM THAT IS TRUE, AND WE ARE IN HIM THAT IS TRUE, EVEN IN HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. THIS IS THE TRUE GOD, AND ETERNAL LIFE.”

Question:
Second Timothy 3:16, 17 tells us that “All Scripture is [God-breathed]” which means there can be no contradictions for God cannot lie; and it is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work.”

What is a man/woman of God? Or what would be manifested if we were men and women of God?

Answer:
–We would be focused on Christ.
–We would read His Word and live our life for Him.

–We would have an earnest desire to live for Him.

–We would realize that our life is for Him, not ourselves.

–We would look in His Word to find out how to live our life.

–We would be willing to be corrected and instructed in the way to go.

–We would be throughly furnished to be used by Him.

–We would not ashamed.
He who is approved of God is a “man of God.”
Second Timothy 2:15 says that the “man of God” is a “workman,” more correctly translated “craftsman,” one skilled in his trade—not merely a common laborer. The word “approved” means one proved as a result of testing. To be approved of God, we should expect to be tested. God is going to try us to see if we really truly believe and are sincere. Malachi 3:3 shows God testing us for His approval. “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” The Lord purifies us just as gold and silver are purified. As the metal is heated, He skims off the dross and when He sees the reflection of His face in the metal He turns off the fire. So the Lord uses trials to get rid of self and make us to be like Jesus.

Question:
Read 1 John 5:16. What is the sin unto death?

Answer:
Ananias and Sapphira sinned “a sin unto death” when they lied to the Holy Ghost by giving the impression they gave all the money when keeping part of it, and they died (Acts 5:1-5).

There was fornication and other sins in the assembly at Corinth (1 Corinthians 5:1-3), and “many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [die]” (1 Corinthians 11:30). It is important that each believer examines himself before eating of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:28). But not all sickness and death is God’s judgment for sin in our lives. We are not told what sin fits into the category of a “sin unto death,” and we could not say that another person has sinned a sin unto death, but there is a condition of heart which is unto death, and God knows what that condition is. It would be a sin which a believer commits that his testimony would be ruined; he would only be a hindrance to the testimony for Christ, and God could not trust him in this world any longer.

Question:
Mark 3:29. What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

Answer:
Read Mark 3:22-30. When Christ was on this earth He did His miracles and works by the power of the Spirit of God. But when the scribes said He did them by the power of Satan this was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and it was a sin that could not be pardoned. This sin could not be literally committed today because Jesus is not here doing miracles, unless a person believed that Christ did His miracles by Satan’s power.

The only sin God cannot pardon is the sin of not trusting His Son.

Question:
In Hebrews 7:4-10 it shows that a tithe is 10%. We are told in 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 to give money to the Lord each Sunday, as He has prospered us. What exactly does “as God hath prospered him” mean? Is 10% a guideline for us? Is it 10% of our gross income or income after taxes? Or should we throw the 10% idea out the window and give totally as we are led by the Spirit?

Answer:
First of all, the verses mentioned in Hebrews 7 are speaking of the priesthood of Christ, and they have no bearing on the subject of our giving to the Lord.
In addition to 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 which Phil mentioned, I can think of two other portions of Scripture where this subject is found. They are 2 Corinthians 8:9-15 and chapter 9. In none of these Scriptures do we read of a tithe, or ten percent, being either an obligation or a guideline for believers today.
But in the Old Testament God obligated the nation of Israel to a tithe. Leviticus 27:30-33 is one among other Scriptures where we see this. The purpose of the tithe is seen in Numbers 18:21-24 and other similar Scriptures. I do not know of any Scripture that shows anyone else being obligated to the tithe.
Believers today, then, should be guided in their giving by the New Testament Scriptures mentioned above. If we speak only of the offerings taken in the assemblies, it should be done on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2). It should be done out of a willing heart to further the work of the Lord.
Prayer in giving is very important. The Lord will guide us as to what amount we should give, if we ask. It is very important that all our financial obligations be satisfied before we give. It is also very important that we do not obligate ourselves so heavily that we have little or nothing left for the Lord. In today’s materialistic world this is easy to do. But, “he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
But God has prospered us, has He not? What does this mean? Aren’t there many of us who have more than we need? Couldn’t we return the overabundance to Him and then even give Him some more and really make a sacrifice? “He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). (The sowing and reaping in both cases is spiritual and not material.)
In addition to the offerings in the assembly, we can make personal gifts to those in need and to other areas of the Lord’s work. We need much wisdom here. We need to be sure the personal need is real. We don’t want to support dissolute living. In other areas of the Lord’s work, we want to be sure we are supporting the LORD’S work. Would it be the LORD’S work if the truth of Scripture is not taught and obeyed? Perhaps even more wisdom is needed here.
In all of this I see no percentage guideline from God’s Word. What I see is giving as the Lord leads according to the means He has provided. And I also see the Lord providing the opportunity for us the givers to be His instruments of blessing. Have you ever thought that this might be the reason why the Lord has blessed us with the abundance that we have? Remember the sowing and the reaping in 2 Corinthians 9. And, finally, such giving glorifies God when it is done in such a way that only the recipient and the Lord know about our gifts.There is much more that could be said about giving, but perhaps this much will answer the question.