Question:

65.7—Why do bad things happen to little kids—like abuse, molestation, etc.? If little kids are born innocent, why do these life-altering things happen?

65.7—This question has troubled many, and has caused some to blame God, but Abraham asked the question “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25), and the answer is that God is righteous, just, and fair in all His dealings. He is “A just God and a Saviour” (Isaiah 45:21).  

Why bad things happen to little kids is because of sin and Satan. “By one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Therefore children are not born innocent, but are born sinners. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). We are sinners by nature and by practice. “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14,15).

Adam sinned when he chose to obey Satan instead of God, and Satan continues to control people with idols—an idol being anything not directed by God and that brings homage to Satan. “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1 Corinthians 10:20).

Satan is behind harm done to children for he is the destroyer. Children were offered to an idol called Molech by those who knew not God long before the days of King Solomon who built “an high place…in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon” (1 Kings 11:7).  Many years later, King Josiah finally put a stop to parents making their son or daughter “pass through the fire to Molech” (2 Kings 23:10). Those who are so cruel as to harm helpless children today are “without natural affection” like the worshippers of Molech, which is one of the signs that we are living in the “last days” (2 Timothy 3:1,3).

Question:

65.6—Why are there so many churches/denominations that believe different interpretations of the Bible? We’re all worshipping the same God, and using the same Book—the Bible is so straightforward—we should all have the same beliefs on issues such as salvation. We all belong to the church of Christ. All the different denominations seem foolish!

65.6—One reason there are different denominations or gatherings of the Lord’s people is that people interpret the Bible differently. The Bible is indeed straightforward and we should all have the same beliefs, but there are many reasons for the different interpretations. I will list three of them:

1) There are different interpretations of the Bible because what God is telling us in the Bible cannot be understood by human reasoning. “As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God…which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:9,10,13).

God “reveals” His mind through faith for, “Through faith we understand” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith accepts the “words” that God says in the Bible as true and the Spirit of God uses those “words” to “guide…into all truth” (John 16:13).

2) There are different interpretations of the Bible because God holds the key to opening up His treasures of truth, which is not merely information but is a message for us to obey. Jesus promised:  “If any man will do [God’s] will, he shall know of the doctrine” (John 7:17). Not only must a person want to know God’s will, but must want to do His will, whatever that may be, for God to reveal it.

3) Another reason there are many interpretations is because there are many translations of the Bible today, and some say different things. It is absolutely essential if we are going to know what God is telling us in the Bible that we use a “verbal translation” of the Holy Scriptures, which is a translation of the Hebrew and Greek words to English. Paraphrases are nice to read, but they are a translation of phrases instead of the inspired “words” God gave in the manuscripts. The translation of whole phrases allows human reason to interpret the passage, which can but hinder the Interpreter God has provided, even the Spirit of God who indwells him, from revealing God’s mind so he can “know all things” (1 John 2:20).

It is a dishonor to Christ and therefore foolish indeed, as is stated in the question, to not gather as He plainly instructs His people to gather, which He says is “unto My name” (Matthew 18:20). Gathering unto His name includes owning (by obeying His Word) that Christ is Head of His body, the church. This also includes seeking to represent no other body than “the one body” of believers (1 Corinthians 10:16,17) to which the Lord adds every person when he is saved (Acts 2:47). In view of soon being with our Saviour in eternity, may God work in each of us both the desire and ability to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13).

Question:

65.5—Do the people who believed in Christ, but died before His crucifixion go to heaven or live on the new earth?

65.5—As indicated in the previous question those who believed in Christ before Christ died are part of the heavenly company (see Revelation 21:12,14). At least some of those who lived before the cross had the assurance from God’s Word that they would go to heaven. We are told that Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” He along with Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and thus they “declared plainly” that they desired “a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:10,13,14,16).

Question:

65.2—Where in Revelation (if ever) does it tell when the rapture takes place? Also, where are some other Scriptures that tell us the rapture will happen before the tribulation?

65.2—Concerning when the rapture will take place, Revelation 3:10 adds to the thoughts already mentioned.  I believe this verse talks about the Tribulation since it says that this hour of temptation will come on all the world.  There are terrible problems in many areas of the world, but the Tribulation will affect the entire world.  The Church is being addressed in Revelation 3 and so I take it as a promise that the Church will be spared going through the Tribulation.  This would necessitate being taken out of the world since the Tribulation will come on all the world, which would indicate the rapture of believers as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17.  What love we, the Bride of Christ (the Church), are shown by our Lord in sparing us the terrible suffering of the Tribulation! 

I believe that 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 also show that the rapture will occur before the Tribulation.  The Antichrist is described in verses 3, 4, 8, 9, and 10.  These verses correspond to the revelation of the Antichrist in Revelation 13:11-17.  2 Thessalonians 2:7, 8 shows that the Antichrist will not be revealed until the One is taken away who hinders iniquity.  Remembering from Romans 3:12 that “there is none that doeth good,” then the One who hinders iniquity in this world must be the Holy Spirit who indwells believers (Ephesians 1:13).  No human being is holy in himself and therefore would not be able to stop iniquity, but the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer is holy and is capable of hindering iniquity.  The Holy Spirit will be taken out of the earth at the rapture when those He indwells are taken to heaven.  It is only then that the Wicked, Lawless, Antichrist will be revealed to deceive those who had already rejected the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).   

Question:

65.5—Do the people who believed in Christ, but died before His crucifixion go to heaven or live on the new earth?

65.1—With the background of the answer to Question 65.4, I would suggest that the answer to Question 65.1 is found in Revelation 4:4,10,11 and 5:8-14.  In these verses we see that the 24 elders (all believers to this point in time) are very active worshipping the Lamb.  What an occupation this will be for us, praising and worshipping our beloved Savior.  Chapters 4 and 5 precede the description of the Tribulation in chapters 6-19, but I would suggest that our worship of the Lord Jesus in heaven will not stop when the Tribulation is occurring on Earth. 

Question:

65.4—Who are the “24 Elders” mentioned in Revelation 4:4?

Answer:

65.4—I believe the twenty-four elders symbolize believers from all ages (the Church as well as all those who were saved before Christ died on the cross).  [Ed. – Old Testament saints are represented by the 12 tribes of Israel and the New Testament saints by the 12 apostles of the Lamb.] I think this is true because Revelation 5:8, 9 show us that the 24 elders are redeemed.  Who are redeemed? Certainly Old Testament and New Testament believers have both been redeemed.  Hebrews 11 gives many examples of Old Testament believers and 1 Peter 1:18, 19 tells us that we have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ.”  Although I do not know of any verse that directly says that the 24 elders are representative of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles, this may be true and would symbolize those that were saved before Christ died as well as those saved after He died, until the rapture of the Church.  

Question:

65.1—What are we (the church) doing in heaven during the tribulation

 period?

65.1—Revelation 6-19 describes the events of the Tribulation and we do not read of the Church in those chapters. I think this shows that the Church is not on Earth during the Tribulation because the Tribulation is happening on Earth (Revelation 6:4) and the Church is not mentioned. The history of the Church is given in Revelation 2 and 3, and then in Revelation 4:1, “A door was opened in heaven” and a voice says, “Come up hither.” This call, I believe, indicates the rapture of the Church to heaven, since chapters 4 and 5 describe the activities of all believers in heaven and the Church is never again mentioned in Revelation as being on Earth.

Question:

65.3—Are there any people that can be saved during the tribulation and if so, where do they go when they die, to heaven or the new earth?    

65.3—No one will be saved during the tribulation who heard how to be saved and did not receive Christ as their Saviour before the rapture. We are told that “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (see 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 11, 12).

Those who have never heard the gospel before the rapture can be saved during the tribulation period in the same way anyone is saved through all ages, through “the blood of the Lamb.” Some who are saved during the seven year tribulation period will not die and others will give their lives for Christ.

There will be 144,000 of the children of Israel and a great multitude of all nations who will be sealed from being hurt during the tribulation and will come “out of the great tribulation” and will serve God “day and night,” showing that they will be here on earth during the thousand year reign of Christ and on the New Earth through eternity (see Revelation 7 and 21:1).  

There will also be those saved during the tribulation period who will be “slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held” during the first three and a half years of the tribulation, and they will not be raised “until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:9-11).  During the second half of the tribulation period, the head of the revived Roman Empire, “the beast out of the sea,” will “make war with the saints, and to overcome them” (Revelation 13:7). Both of these groups of martyrs are mentioned in Revelation 20:4: “I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”