Question:
When are the unsaved judged?

Answer:
They will be judged at the end of time when eternity has begun. The apostle John said “I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them” when they will be assigned their punishment in the Lake of Fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:11-15) according to their works (Luke 12:47, 48).

The Lord warns of the horrible torment that will be the portion of all those in the Lake of Fire, where there will be weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth forever (Matthew 13:50, 24:51, etc), “to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13).
The saved will not come into judgment (John 5:24), for Christ bore the punishment for them (1 Peter 3:18), but their works will be judged, when Christ takes them home at the rapture, so He can reward them (Revelation 22:12, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

Question:
Is there a place where non-christians go before hell?

Answer:
So far as we know the scriptures do not tell us the name of the place where unbelievers are after they die. But before they are cast into the Lake of Fire they will have a fair trial at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15).

There is no one in the Lake of Fire yet, and the first two occupants will be two men, “the beast and the false prophet,” who will be cast in when the Lord sets up His kingdom. They will be there one thousand years before Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20, 20:10).
Those who die today without Christ are in torment (see Luke 16:19-23). The Greek word translated “hell” in this passage is not “gehenna” which is the Lake of Fire, but “hades” which means “unseen.” Hades is not a place, but it is a condition of the soul and spirit.
When the Lord died He was in the condition of hades (Acts 2:27), but He was in the place called “paradise” (Luke 23:43). Death is the condition of the body without the soul

and hades is the condition of the soul without the body.
When the believer dies he departs to be “with Christ” (Philippians 1:23), but when the unbeliever dies he is in torment (Luke 16:23).

Question:
Does fasting have its place in today’s times?

Answer:
The Lord not only taught His disciples to fast, but how to, and how not to fast as well. “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou…appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:16-18). Fasting is a sincere secret commitment between the individual and his heavenly Father to deny self in order to bring honor to Him.

The fast the Lord has chosen is not the ritual of denying ourselves things, but denying ourselves (denying our wills) in order to bring honor to Him and blessing to others. The fast “that I have chosen” is not “to spread sackcloth and ashes under him,” but “to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free…to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house…” (Isaiah 58:5-7). The Lord denied His will every moment of His life, as He said in His prayer just before going to the cross: “Not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42).
When Daniel was burdened to know the Lord’s mind, he approached God “by prayer and supplications, with fasting” (Daniel 9:3), and the Lord showed him what is going to happen in the future. Difficult problems can only be solved by prayer and fasting as the Lord told His disciples regarding casting out a demon. “This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). Let us like Ezra– “Fast…that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance” (Ezra 8:21).There are great extremes among so-called Christians today as to fasting. Many make fasting of food compulsory, and have attached a superstitious merit to it, while others have altogether neglected the uniting of fasting with prayer. But fasting should have it’s place, on occasion, in our lives, and self-denial must have its place in our lives if we are going to be pleasing to the Lord. Be careful, however, if you do not eat for a time, not to harm your body, for if you are saved “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost…therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). May the Lord’s love draw our hearts to deny ourselves every moment of our lives, and SEEK ONLY TO PLEASE HIM WHO HAS THE VERY BEST FOR THOSE WHO LEAVE THE CHOICE WITH HIM.

Question:
What does the last phrase “work out your own salvation” in Philippians 2:12 mean?

Answer:
From Philippians 2:13 we learn that if we are saved, God has already worked in us: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” But the words: “work out your own salvation” in the precious verse shows that God wants us since we are saved to work out (or show) what He has already done in us.

The Greek word translated “work out” in this verse means “to cultivate.” Verses 14 and 15 tell us how we should act, and “shine as lights in the world.” Then in verse 16 we are told how to speak for Christ, so we should first act as Christ would act, before we speak for Christ.

Question:
On Sunday morning after we break bread, why is the bread and cup of wine covered? I’ve heard a few different reasons like, “Way back when they had Iowa conference in tents, they had trouble with flies. So they covered the bread.” If that was why, why do we continue to do that today? I don’t know about you, but in St. Cloud, MN we don’t have too many flies.

Answer:

I don’t know the answer to that. It could be just a tradition that is done in certain assemblies. We don’t do it in Bedford. Maybe we never had problems with flies, I don’t know. I can’t find anywhere in the Bible where it says to do it.

Some people may think, “What’s the big deal?” I guess it doesn’t become a big deal until little traditions like that become so fixed in our minds that we think they are Scriptural, and must be done. Some other traditions that I’ve see are: having an opening before a gospel meeting; singing only 3 songs during that opening; having Sunday school before the Remembrance meeting (or the other way around); having the Sunday school and Remembrance meeting Sunday morning rather than Sunday afternoon or evening; passing the collection basket right after the wine is passed or waiting until the meeting is over; putting the collection basket on the table with the bread and wine or putting it somewhere else.

I’m sure there are many other traditions that different assemblies do. There are probably good reasons why each assembly does things the way they do. I think we need to be cautious about becoming hard and fast with things like these that are not spelled out in Scripture for us. We need to be careful to diligently practice what is spelled out for us and be open to the exercises of others regarding what is not spelled out.

It is important to realize that in Matthew 18:17-20, the Lord has given each assembly the authority to judge matters that regard that assembly. That is: each assembly which “are gathered” by the Spirit of God according to His word, to represent the “one body” of Christ of all believers, “unto” (or in worship of) “My [His] name.” The Lord has called us to “walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love; using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, as ye have been also called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:1-4).

The Scriptures give plain instructions to the assembly about how to deal with sin, and through waiting upon the Lord the Spirit of God uses the principles in the Scriptures to guide. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16). How blessed we are that the Lord has so graciously given His Word in the Bible to guide each assembly with each situation it is called to face. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Question:
How does Hebrews 6:4-6 fit in with a person away from the Lord?

Answer:
This passage is talking about the same people as in Hebrews 10:26, who have a “knowledge” of the truth but have not believed in Christ. They have merely “tasted” heavenly things.

The Greek word translated “partakers” in Hebrews 6:4 is a limited external partnership. Many go to church and are baptized, but yet are not saved. But if they “fall away,” which means they turn away and do not receive Christ, they cannot be saved because there is no other “sacrifice for sin” (Hebrews 10:26).
This is seen in Mark 4:1-20: the parable of the sower. Only one of four types of ground bear fruit. One can be a partaker of the things of the Holy Spirit without actually being a partaker of the Holy Spirit, as an inward and full partnership.
If a person repeatedly rejects Christ, he cannot be saved!! John 3:16 shows the wonderful truth of “eternal life” to all who believe. We should not underestimate the power of prayer in seeking to draw souls, whether saved or unsaved, to Christ through our lives and lips.

Question:
About guys wearing earrings—some of my friends who do so, use Exodus 21:6 and Deuteronomy 15:17 as verses to support their actions. So, should guys be wearing earrings?

Answer:

First of all, we’d like to make a few comments on the verses used to “support their actions”. In both Deuteronomy 15:17 and Exodus 21:6, they are talking about what should be done with a servant when they want to remain with their masters and families. We’re kinda hard-pressed to come up with any sort of analogy to tie those verses in with why it’s all right to wear an earring.

Instead, how about looking at Deuteronomy 22:5? “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment for all that do so are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.” We truly believe that this verse refers to all aspects of both dress and manner. As far back as we can remember, earrings are accepted as part of a woman’s attire. Consider if you will, the fact that men are in most cases not even allowed to wear them to work (‘cept pirates in certain high seas applications). Why do you suppose this is? I don’t know about other areas, but in Chicago, 95% of men who wear earrings are either gay, gang bangers, or drug dealers. Hardly the kind of people a Christian should want to be associated with.

Question:
If a person is away from the Lord, should we completely ignore him or her?

Answer:
We should not be close to someone who claims to be a Christian, but doesn’t act like one. Though we have to be in close contact with the Lord: “spiritual” (Galatians 6:1), if He is going to use us to help others. Restoration is the Lord’s work: “He restoreth my soul” (Psalm 23:3), and if a person is truly saved and gets away from the Lord, He will bring him back (see Philippians 1:6).

Question:
Are Biblical references to lifting one’s hands while singing or praying literal?

Answer:
I don’t see why not. In fact, it seems that people in Biblical days were a lot less dignified and restrained than we are nowadays. I’m sure that they really shouted and danced and played music (2 Samuel 6:5) before the Lord. Michal’s contemptuous words to David when he had danced before the Lord make this clear. David responded, “And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight” (2 Samuel 6:22).
As John White writes in Daring to Draw Near, “We are not made in the image of a Stuffed Shirt.”
People have not always been so afraid to stand out in public. Conformity is a modern disease that Satan uses to keep people from thinking or standing up for what is right. (Of course, let’s remember that the twin modern disease is individuality for its own sake.)
In Ephesians 4 we see that God wants us to be individuals in a community and in the assembly.  

In a community: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind . . . And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another” (Ephesians  4:17, 24-25).

In the assembly: Eph 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. . . . And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:7, 11-12).
Perhaps Satan is using conformity to keep believers from enjoying their liberty in Christ. The point of 1 Timothy 2:8 is that we should exercise godly liberty:  “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”Yes, these passages are figurative, but they are also literal. Physically lifting up our hands is a tangible way of offering our praise and services to God, just as eating the communion bread is a tangible reminder of our acceptance of the Living Bread.

Question:
Are there any guidelines for bringing a Christian back to the Lord, or should we just pray?

Answer:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 gives guidelines: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” – We don’t have to figure this out in our own wisdom. There is power from above to help us come back to the Lord.

Galatians 6:1 tells us to “restore” such a one using meekness and love to help him come back to the Lord. Matthew 18:15-18 is instruction given to the assembly but can be applied to anyone who is a brother who is sinning. If we are aware that a friend is living in sin, we should go to him. He might turn on you, but this is where the meekness comes into the picture. If he does not listen to you and stop his sinful ways we cannot have happy fellowship with him—1 Corinthians 5:9-11.

Question:
What does it mean that “we have crucified the flesh” (Galatians 5:24)?

Answer:
God says that the believer was “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). This is a fact that we cannot feel or experience, but it is our standing before God because He has identified us with Christ.

“We have crucified the flesh,” is our state before God which should correspond to our standing. Since God says the flesh is crucified, we should reckon (or count) ourselves “to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God…and yield [ourselves] to God” (Romans 6:11, 13).
Since “we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). We should live by the power of the Spirit according to the position (or standing) we have in Christ. If we live in (are controlled by) the Spirit through the Word, the flesh in us is set aside—it is not the ruling factor.
If we live in the Spirit we will have “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them….See then that ye walk circumspectly [carefully], not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:11, 15-18).

Question:
What does: “Sin, when it is finished” in James 1:15 mean?

Answer:
The word “finished” in this verse means full-grown, fully completed. Joshua 7:20-25 is an example of this. If we sin, we have to cover up that sin with a sin, and so on. But we have a choice after each sin to confess and stop.

If we keep sinning then sin will be “fully completed” by death. For the unsaved it means the second death in the Lake of Fire.

Question:
What does 1 John 3:6 mean? “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not.”

Answer:
The epistle of First John deals with absolutes. You either are saved or not saved. You either walk in darkness or walk in the light (1 John 1:6, 7). You either commit [practice as a way of life] sin or you do not (1 John 3:8).

The correct translation of 1 John 3:9 is: “Whoever has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because his seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God” (JND). He has a nature, “seed” that cannot sin. The believer’s new, “divine” nature (2 Peter 1:4) cannot sin. But we also have an old nature that is capable of sinning. Peter had a new nature, but he denied Christ; but he realized and repented of his sin and did not continue in it. Judas continued in his sin even though Jesus gave him every opportunity to stop, because he did not have a new nature.

Question:
Did the fruit on the tree of knowledge of good and evil actually give them the knowledge of good and evil?

Answer:
God asked Adam: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Genesis 3:11).

It was the act of disobedience that gave them the knowledge of good and evil. Eve gained the knowledge that Satan promised her but she found out that it was a horrible knowledge. Satan tempted Eve with the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). And it only took one temptation for Eve in the Garden of Eden to fall, but Jesus didn’t fall after being tempted with these same temptations for forty days without food in the wilderness. James 1:13-15 says that God is not responsible for the fall of man, but that man is.

Question:
Who are the twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:10 who cast their crowns before the throne?

Answer:
They represent the Old and New Testament saints (Matthew 19:28). We will get these crowns as a result of having our works being judged (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). The Lord alone is worthy to receive these rewards for He gave us the strength to do what is honoring to Him!

There is only one thing that will keep us from the temptations of this world and that is seeing the Lord Jesus by faith. Matthew 14:22-33 is a story that illustrates this. Jesus is now on the mountaintop of glory making intercession for us. We are in this world, tossed about with the storms of trouble.
The Lord appears and says, “It is I, be not afraid.”
Peter had doubt it was Jesus but he asked, “If it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.”
Jesus said, “Come.” Peter wanted to be where the Lord was; his heart was with the Lord. If our heart is right we will obey the Lord and go to Him like Peter. So Peter walked on the water because his attraction was Jesus! He left his friends, left all for Jesus. It was only when he had his eyes off of the Lord Jesus that he began to sink. But when he cried out, “Lord save me!” the Lord immediately saved him. SO KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!!

Question:
How do we have evil today if God is perfect? How did sin come about?

Answer:
God made us so that we could make choices. In Isaiah 45:7 we are told that God created evil, but the Hebrew word “RA” used in this verse means “calamity;” never sin.

God is supreme and He will have the top place! “The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Proverbs 16:4). Without the wicked opposing Him we wouldn’t know His great power.
In Genesis 3:6-19, Adam and Eve made a choice to sin. God didn’t force them to do this sin. The serpent had to have sin in him to even be able to tempt Eve. Sin is anything against God.
God could have made man without the capability to sin, but He didn’t. He could have made us like robots or puppets, but would He then get the satisfaction from us wanting to please Him? Is God really loving if we don’t have a choice? We can’t fault God for sin; man made the choice to sin.

Question:
What does Luke 11:15-28 mean?

Answer:
If a “strong man” tries to clean up his own life in his own strength, he only opens himself up for more evil. “And the last state of that man is worse than the first” (verse 26). Let us “hear the Word of God, and keep it” (verse 28), and thus have victory in our lives.

There are three aspects regarding seeing Jesus.
(1) In John 12:20-27 we have the first step if we are going to see Jesus. The Lord tells the Greeks that wanted to see Him that they must first see Him as dying on the cross for them (verse 24). Until we see that He died for our sins, we will never see Him.
(2) After we see Him as our Saviour, “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor” (Hebrews 2:9-11). We see Him by faith in His Word in the glory.
(3) In the coming day when we are in heaven, “We shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). So the believer sees Jesus in the past, present, and future. Past—When we were saved we saw Him dying on the cross for us. Present—We see Him through faith in His Word in heavenly places making intercession for us. Future—We shall see Him in the glory in the soon coming day, “as He is.”

Question:
Why do we consider TV as relaxation, when the Bible says that the things of the Lord are relaxation?

Answer:
Everything the Lord gives is “to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17), but much on TV is not from the Lord. Exercise of our bodies “profiteth,” though only for a short time (1 Timothy 4:8). The Lord wants us seek to please Him in everything we do. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him” (Colossians 3:17). If I can’t do something to His glory, I shouldn’t do it. The question is not “What’s wrong with this?” But “What’s good in this?” “Will this please the Lord?”

Question:
Is secular music wrong? What about television?

Answer:
1 Corinthians 6:12; Psalm 101:3; Philippians 4:8, 9; 1 Corinthians 10:31. Whatever we do, do all to the glory of God. If we have a conviction based on the Word not to do something, we shouldn’t do it. We are left here to be witnesses for Christ, and to honor Him in all we do. Let’s enjoy Christ’s things, yield to Christ, and not yield to the things of the world. The pleasures of Christ serve as relaxation (Psalm 16:11).

Question:
How can you determine what brings glory to God? What if it is a question of doing homework or going to meetings? It seems bad if we don’t do homework, go to meeting, and maybe fail the class. On the other hand, if we don’t go to meeting, do homework, don’t get spiritual food, this seems bad also.

Answer:
You have to be before the Lord each time these situations come up. Ask the Lord to help you manage your time well. “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). Get the best bargain for your time because we are living in days that would deprive us of the best.

Question:
Does fasting have its place in today’s times?

Answer:
Yes, I would say that fasting definitely has a place for the believer today.
The word “fast” means “the voluntary abstinence from food,” and it is used in the New Testament, in one form or another, 30 times. Although it had become a common practice among Jews, there are many Scriptures which teach that it was to be continued by Christians.
For example, in the gospel of Matthew Jesus was approached by some disciples of John and they asked Him why His disciples did not fast, to which He replied, “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, WHEN THE BRIDEGROOM SHALL BE TAKEN FROM THEM, AND THEN SHALL THEY FAST” (Matthew 9:14, 15). Jesus was referring to the time when He would ascend to heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand. So then, ever since His ascension, when the bridegroom was taken from them, believers in Him (His bride, the church) were to fast.
We see various instances of Christian believers fasting in the book of Acts and in 1st and 2nd Corinthians (see Acts 13:2, 3; 14:23; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27); and in each case (except those cited in 2 Corinthians) it is accompanied by prayer. It would seem that through fasting and prayer the will of God could be more easily discerned.

We see no evidence from Scripture that these practices were to be discontinued. And if we consider again the words of our Lord Jesus from Matthew 9:14, 15, can we not infer from them that fasting should, at times, make up a part of the Christian’s life until the Bridegroom returns? I believe we can, and should. May the Lord Jesus give each of us to be exercised about this truth, and may He then give us the grace to act on it as the occasion would call for it.

P.S. I should add that fasting for the Jews was a COMMAND, for they were under LAW, but for the believer in this day of GRACE, fasting is a PRIVILEGE. The Lord Jesus illustrated this difference between LAW and GRACE in the next two verses (Matthew 9:16, 17), the “new cloth” and the “new wine” symbolizing the principles of GRACE; the “old garment” and the “old bottles” symbolizing the principles of THE LAW. He was teaching us not to try to mix the two together.

Question:
What about Hindus, etc. who have been taught all their lives that there are many gods?

Answer:
Abraham was an idolater, but he believed God and by faith he saw Jesus as his Saviour (John 8:56-58). Missionaries have found some in heathen lands who believe in the one true God. This matter of “What about the heathen?” is God’s department, and, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). Our responsibility is: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Question:
What happens to people who haven’t heard the gospel and die?

Answer:
Romans 1:20 tells us that even God’s message in creation makes man without excuse. But He is longsuffering not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4).