Frequent Questions

Many thanks to Bruce "Bishop" Whitlatch for his authorship of this page:

Why is there so much violence and murder in the world?

Why is there an increase in school murders like Columbine and Virginia Tech? After God (Elohim – plural noun or The Triunity Godhead) created from nothing the heavens, earth, light, vegetation, sun, moon, stars, sea creatures, birds, land creatures, mankind, He said:  “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good…” (Genesis 1:31) “Very good”?  How could this be possible when we observe the curse of violence, death, disease, sickness, suffering, bloodshed, wars, pain, poisonous plants and insects and suffering in the world today.  This earth is nothing but one huge graveyard, so how could a loving God call that “very good”? 

Now before you start blaming God for this mess we are in today, let’s get the record straight.  It was a perfect world and “very good” at the beginning but something happened in paradise.  Adam rebelled, disobeyed, sinned against God and fell from this perfect relationship with God in the Garden.  As a result of this Fall, a partial curse from God came upon all mankind because genetically we were all in Adam at his point of rebellion. God’s curse included an immediate spiritual death (separation) from God as well as a slow physical death.  This curse included a depraved sin nature inherited by all mankind from Adam. This fallen, evil sin nature potentially can produce violence, rage, murders and every type of sin known to mankind in the world today.  (See Genesis 3 & 4). 

I am surprised that there is not more violence and murders in our schools as well as through out the world today.  And there would be more violence, were it not for the Grace of God in choosing to restrain evil and saving some people from out of the human race for heaven and a new restored world. If you had an interview with a shooter, after he just murdered innocent young people at any school, he would tell you that what he did was not wrong.  He was simply obeying his worldview and feelings.  Let’s say that all of his life he had been taught that there is no God to be accountable to after he is dead.  That there are no right or wrong moral choices to be responsible for since when you are dead your dead.  The shooter may have been taught that we all evolved from molecules to mankind from some biological soup and so you can do anything you feel like.  He may have been taught that we are just animals that have evolved from some lower form of life over millions of years.  He may have been taught that life is not special and has no value since there is no God.  So, anyone can decide right or wrong for him or herself because there is no absolute authority like God of the Bible to answer to.

This anti-God, atheistic philosophy causes one to think in a mold and worldview of hopelessness with no purpose.  Today, students are taught that through millions of years of death, disease and suffering mankind evolved to our present state.  There would be no way a student could look at all this death, disease and suffering and see a God of love.  Only when the individual sees that humanistic and atheistic evolution, as a philosophy is a lie, will they possibly begin to think that there is a creator who owns and loves us.   This is especially true when they understand the price that God paid in love with the shed blood on the cross of His Son Jesus Christ in order to pay the sin penalty of the world.  The authority for this worldview is the Bible. 

What is meant by the word “Types” or Typology in the Old Testament?

In a nutshell, a type is something in the Old Testament that symbolizes or foreshadows something in the New Testament.  A type can be a person, place, object or event.  The Torah or the first five books of the Bible includes several people who serve as symbolic or typological previews of the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah. For example, Adam as the first man is the first type of the Messiah in the Bible.  The Apostle Paul says that Adam is a “type of Him who was to come” (Romans 5:14).  In this instance, the type is one of contrast rather than one of similarity.  By one act of disobedience and rebellion (sin) in the Garden of Eden, the first Adam brought universal death, suffering and sin into the world. However, by one act of obedience on Calvary’s Cross the Lord Jesus Christ purchased our salvation and brought universal blessing upon the world (Romans 5:19). Paul repeats his theme of contrasting types in I Corinthians 15:45-47, where he juxtaposes or places side by side “the first Adam” (in the Garden of Eden) with “the last Adam”, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Another compelling type of Messiah in the writings of Moses is Abel, Cain’s younger brother.  Abel’s acceptable offering of a blood sacrifice (Genesis 4:4) refers indirectly to Jesus’ acceptable offering of himself as an atoning blood sacrifice (Hebrews 12:24, 1 John 1:7). The mysterious Melchizedek (King of Righteousness) was also a prototype of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Like Jesus, Melchizedek was both a king and a priest and he was characterized by righteousness and peace (cf. Genesis 14:18-20, Hebrews 6:20, 7:1-2, Revelation 19:16). His priestly status and function are evident from two facts:  He blessed Abraham and Abraham paid tithes to him of all the spoils he had taken in war (Genesis 14:18-20). So what was true of Melchizedek historically was magnified in Jesus Christ the Messiah spiritually.           

One of the most remarkable types of the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah in the Old Testament is Joseph the firstborn son of Jacob by his second wife Rachel.  A few of the many striking parallels between Joseph and Jesus Christ may be summarized as follows:  Both are objects of special love by their fathers (Genesis 37:3, Matthew 3:17,John 3:35); Both are hated by their brothers (Genesis 37:4, John 15:24-25); Both are innocent of the charges against them (Genesis 40:15, John 1:47); Both are nonetheless conspired against by their enemies and sold for silver (Genesis 37:28, Matthew 26:14-15); Both are wrongfully condemned (Genesis 39:11-20, Matthew 27:19, 24); and, Both are raised from humiliation to glory in the power and plan of Almighty God the Father (Genesis 50:20, Hebrews 12:2). 

Since the Bible is never wrong, then why does Job 9:6 say that the earth is supported by “pillars”?  Was job influenced by the same ancient mythology about the earth being supported by Atlas or some other creature? 

The earth does indeed have supporting structures or foundations.  The mantle supports the outer layer, the crust.  A molten core in turn supports the mantle.  It’s the shifting of the tectonic plates in the earth’s lithosphere (the crust and upper mantle) that causes phenomena like volcanoes and earthquakes (the “shaking” to which Job refers).

So Job’s use of the term “pillars” is simply a metaphor or likeness for these supporting geologic structures.  This makes sense even in the understanding of modern scientific knowledge.  Job’s statement is more about the structure of the stratified earth than it is about our planet’s position in space. 

If you have any lingering doubts about Job’s understanding of cosmology, check this out: “He (God) stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” Job 26:7Editors Note:  Speaking of Cosmology,  all those folks who thought the earth was flat didn't read Isaiah 40:22: "[It is] He that sitteth upon the circle [sphere] of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof [are] as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in

:"Why is the teaching about the Resurrection so important? 
It is very important!  The truth of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most basic tenets of the Christian faith.  Remember what Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles said,

“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” (I Corinthians 15:14)  
If the Resurrection did not really take place and is just a myth we Christians are in big trouble.  That would mean that the Bible or God’s Word is not true and the apostles were liars, our faith is a waste of time, we’re still lost in our sins, the dead in Christ have perished.  Also, we would be the most pitiful people on the face of the earth in that there is no hope for any us beyond the grave.             
Fortunately there is much Biblical evidence that covers the period between the Resurrection of Christ and His Ascension into heaven.  The tomb was empty and even the enemies of Jesus admitted that fact.  Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene who told the disciples the glorious news of His coming back from the grave. He appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as well as to Peter.  Later in the evening the risen Lord appeared to ten of the disciples but Thomas was absent at that time. One week later he appeared to the eleven disciples and Thomas saw the Lord and believed.  Jesus showed the disciples His hands and His side so that they could see by the wounds He did not have another body but the same body.  He was dead but now He is alive forevermore.            

He later appeared to seven of the disciples after they had gone fishing.  Jesus also appeared to over five hundred believers at one time.  The Apostle Paul tells us that the risen Lord Jesus appeared to the Lord’s half brother James.  The tenth and final appearance by the Risen Lord was forty days after His resurrection when He appeared unto the eleven apostles. He gave them their final instructions and charge before He ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is perhaps the best-attested historical event of ancient times.                

In addition to all of this, the Apostle Paul states: “And last of all, He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time,” (I Corinthians 15:8).  Paul received the revelation contained in his epistles by the glorified, risen Christ Jesus who taught Paul directly the message of the Mystery-Grace Gospel from heaven.             

It is imperative for anyone to be saved, that they must not only believe that Jesus Christ died while shedding His blood to pay for our sin penalty, but they must also believe that He arose again from the dead.  How could Jesus have remained in the tomb “three days and three nights” if He was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday?             

There is much debate over this question and some say that we should commemorate “Good Wednesday” and not “Good Friday” because the math does not work out for a “Good Friday”.  The Jews consider Sundown as the beginning of another day and so from Sundown to Sundown was considered one day. By using this calculation in doing the math of Sundown to Sundown, “Good Wednesday” seems to make more sense.  In other words, Wednesday Sundown to Thursday Sundown would be one day and one night.  Thursday Sundown to Friday Sundown would be two days and two nights.  Friday Sundown to Saturday Sundown would be three days and three nights.  Jesus Christ would have come out of the tomb sometime after Sundown Saturday and that would be Sunday. 

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40)      However, before we start feeling good about our mathematical calculations, we better consult a set of Jewish commentaries that is called the Babylonian Talmud. This Talmud states that, “the portion of a day is as the whole of it”. In other words, in the Jewish mindset, any part of a day was considered as a “complete day”.  Therefore, Jesus was put in the tomb before Sundown Friday. From a Jewish mindset that would be part of Friday or one day.  All of Saturday would be two days and any part of Sunday would be three days.  So, from a Jewish point of view, Jesus Christ was in the tomb for “three days and three nights”.

As a Christian in the Body of Christ today, why do I need to know anything about Israel’s Jewish Passover? I am not Jewish I am a Gentile!
I suspect that a more pertinent question behind this question is why some professing Christians are so intent on trying to divorce the Christian faith from its Jewish roots and Judaism.  For example The Passover should have meaning to you today personally as a Christian. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles in the Body of Christ said, “…For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:7). In much the same way that the ancient Israelites were saved from death when they, by faith, smeared the blood of a unblemished lamb on their doorposts, we are saved from spiritual death, the penalty of sin and God’s wrath, when the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is applied, by faith, to our hearts (1 Peter 1:19).  The story of the Passover, has reminded innumerable generations of believers in a personal way that God cares about those who believe and trust Him.            

Now I would like to ask you a question.  When did you see yourself as a sinner needing to be saved and you applied, by faith, the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ to the “doorpost” of your heart?  Did you thank Jesus Christ for shedding His blood on the Cross in order to pay for your sins and making you ready for heaven to meet God?  If the answer is yes to these questions, then Jesus Christ is your personal Passover, Lord and Savior.  To get to know Him more intimately read the Gospel of John clear through no matter how long it takes. 

What is the Jewish Passover and why is it observed today?         
Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew) is the time of year when Jewish people commemorate the deliverance of their Israelite ancestors from Egypt almost 3,500 years ago.  The name itself comes from the “passing over” of the Children of Israel when the Lord saw the obedience by the blood painted on their doorposts (Exodus 12:12-13). Each Passover Seder is a retelling of this timeless story.  The word “Seder” means “order”, referring to the sequence of events in the annual family Passover observance.  Everything is done in order as outlined in the Haggadah and revolves around four cups of wine or grape juice, two cups before the meal and two cups after.  This tradition of the four Passover cups is based on four divine “I wills” mentioned in Exodus 6 and each cup represents a component of the Passover story.  In verses 6-7, “I am the LORD” is making these promises.  The LORD (all caps in English) signifies the Hebrew name Yahweh or Jehovah (Hebrew, yod-hey-vav-hey).  This is God’s covenant Name and it means, “to be” or “the One Who Is”.  Technically, the verb is in the future tense (“I will be”), so the idea is that God transcends and is outside of time.               

Cup #1: The Cup Of Sanctification (Kos Hakiddush).  The word kiddush is related to the word kadesh that means “holy” or “set apart”.  The purpose of the Cup of Sanctification is to consecrate the entire Passover observance for the glory of God and for the blessing of His people.  The Egyptians treated the Israelites like beasts of burden.  In desperation, the Children of Israel cried out to God for deliverance.  God heard the cries of His people and remembered the promises He had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) and came to their rescue.  The story is sanctified with the first cup “I will bring you out…” Exodus 6:6.             

Cup #2:  The Cup of Plagues (Kos Hamakot).  The leader of the Passover Seder dips his finger into the cup ten times.  Each time, he lets a drop of wine fall onto the Seder plate.  Each drop represents one the ten plagues:  blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the slaying of the firstborn respectively.  The ten plagues represented ten false gods of Egypt.  The plague of darkness, for instance, was directed at Amon Ra, the Egyptian sun god.  God wanted His people to know that their deliverance would require blood, sweat and tears.  They would be leaving their familiar surroundings and entering a desolate and hostile wilderness.  The Egyptians, too, would endure horrible suffering and loss.  When the dust settled, the Israelites would be free at last.  “I will rid you out of their bondage…” Exodus 6:6.             

Cup #3:  The Cup of Redemption (Kos Hayyeshuah).  The third cup is raised after the Seder meal, following the eating of the afikoman and everyone partakes.  The Hebrew word Yeshuah conveys the idea of saving or rescuing. Moses employed this word when he and the Children of Israel stood vulnerable and out in the open at the brink of the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army bearing down on them from the West.             

The Bible tells us, “And Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation (Yeshuah, Hebrew) of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today.  For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (Exodus 14:13).  The word for salvation here means rescue or deliverance.  To apply this to the Body of Christ today, the Lord Jesus the Messiah (HaAdon Yeshua HaMashiach) was born to rescue us from the destructive power of our sin nature as well as the eternal consequences due to our sins.  So, this third cup is the cup of Yeshuah when Jesus Christ told His disciples that the wine in this cup represented His blood that was about to be shed for them.  This Cup is a cup of rescue or redemption and it reminds us that we are saved by the shed blood of the Lamb of God (John 1:29).             

Cup #4:  The Cup of Praise (Kos Hahallel).  The fourth cup commemorates the words of the Lord to Israel when He said; “I will take you to me for a people” (Exodus 6:7).  The word translated “take” here is used numerous times in the Torah to describe a wedding or when a man “takes” a wife to himself (Genesis 19:14).  It’s an interesting concept in this context because it means that God in love has taken the initiative to take possession of His people and wants an intimate relationship with them. What an amazing thought!  No wonder this is known as the Cup of Praise!             

During this time of reflection on the fourth cup in the Seder, the family’s attention is turned to yet another cup on the table.  The host (usually the father) fills it with wine, but no one drinks from it.  It is known as the Cup of Elijah because it is reserved, symbolically, for the Prophet who will come as the forerunner of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).  There is also the empty chair at the table known as “Elijah’s Chair”.  The Cup of Praise, therefore, also reminds us that our Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth someday. He will rule as King of Kings from the throne of David in Jerusalem for a thousand years. Of course, before that, as the Head, Jesus will return in the air to snatch the believers in the Body of Christ off this earth to heaven to be with Him for eternity. When the organism of the Church of this age known as the Body of Christ is snatched away the Great Tribulation period will begin as well as the rule of the Anti-Christ.                

At the close of the Seder, the father pronounces a benediction and the family sings a traditional chorus.  In the New Testament account of the Last Seder, we read, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30).

 

Inspiration doesn't mean that the Biblical writer just felt enthusiastic, like the composer of "The Star-Spangled Banner". The Greek word for inspiration "Theopneustos" literally means "God-breathed."  Because Scripture in the original form was breathed out by God it is true and inerrant. 

 

Biblical inspiration may be defined as God's superintending of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities and writing styles they composed and recorded His revelation to humankind.  They did this without error in the words of the original autographs.  In other words, the original documents of the Bible were written by men, who though permitted to exercise their own personalities and literary talents, wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  The result of this control was a perfect and errorless recording of the exact message God desired to give to man. 

 

The writers of the Scripture were not mere writing machines.  God did not use them like keys on a computer keyboard to mechanically reproduce His message.  Nor did He dictate the words page by page.  The biblical evidence makes it clear that each writer had a style of his own.  Isaiah had a powerful literary style; Jeremiah had a melancholy tone; Luke's style had medical overtones ; John was very simple in his approach while Paul being brilliant and well educated had his own style. The Holy Spirit infallibly worked through each of these writers, through their individual styles to communicate His information to humankind.  The central passage on Biblical Inspiration is 2 Timothy 3:16: 

"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, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

 

    In his second letter, Peter provides a key insight regarding the human-divine interchange in the process of inspiration.  The verse informs us that "prophecy (or Scripture) never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).  The phrase "carried along" in this verse literally means "forcefully borne along."

 

    Even though human beings were used in the process of writing down God's Word, they were all literally "borne along" by the Holy Spirit.  The human wills of the these authors were not the originators of God's message.  God did not permit the will of sinful, evil human beings to misdirect or erroneously record His message or word pictures He wished to convey to mankind.

Instead, God moved and the prophet or scripture writer mouthed as well as wrote these great truths.  God revealed and man recorded His Words.

 

    It is interesting that the Greek word for "carried along" in 2 Peter 1:21 is the same as that word found in Acts 27:15-17.  In this passage the experienced sailors could not navigate the ship because the wind was so strong.  The ship was being driven, directed and carried along by the wind.  This is similar to the Spirit's driving, directing and carrying the human authors of the Bible as He wished.  The word is a strong one, indicating the Holy Spirit's complete superintendence and management of these human authors.  Yet, just as the sailors were active on the ship (though the wind, not the sailors ultimately controlled the ship's movement), so these human authors were active in writing as the Holy Spirit directed. 
 

Why did God allow four Gospel accountants into the Bible that that seem to have contradictions?

First of all, there are differences but not genuine contradictions between the Messianic, Jewish Kingdom Gospel accounts. Also, it is important to keep in mind that inspiration and inerrancy are, strictly speaking, ascribed only to the original autographs of Scripture. I believe that the copies we have of the original autographs are extremely accurate. Theologians have been very careful to say that the Scriptures in their original autographs properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything they teach.

If all four Gospel accounts were the same critics would be screaming "collusion" and fraud to high heaven. One should not assume that a partial account in a gospel is a faulty account. For example in Matthew 27:5 we are told that Judas died by hanging himself. However, in Acts 1:18 we are told that Judas burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. Both of these are only partial accounts and neither account gives the full picture. But taken together we can easily reconstruct how Judas died. He hanged himself and later the rope loosened. Judas fell to the rocks below causing his intestines to gush out. As one probes into alleged "so called" contradictions one consistently sees that they are all explainable when you compare Scripture with Scripture in proper context.

Editors Comment: We are told to "rightly divide" the things that differ in the Word (2Tim 2:15; Php 1:10, etc.), but ultimately it is the Word the divides us! (Heb 4:12)

Does the creation account in Genesis chapter one contradict the creation account in Genesis chapter two?
First of all we need to understand that Genesis chapter one gives the order of creation that was done in chronological 24 hour days: one, two, three, four, five and six.  However, Genesis chapter two is not meant to be a chronology.  It is intended to provide the details of day six especially the creation of man and woman.  Chapter two is setting the scene for what happens in Genesis chapter three.  Therefore, these accounts and chapters are not contradictory but complementary. 

For example in Genesis 1:17 it states that God made male and female.  In Genesis two we are given the details as to how God did this.  He did this by taking dust and making the man and making a woman from his side. 

Jesus Christ quoted from both of these passages in Matthew 19 when giving the foundation for the doctrine of marriage.  So He certainly didn't believe that they were contradictory.  The answers from Genesis tell us that Genesis chapter two is just a bit more detailed account of portions of Genesis chapter one.