Bible Questions Blog

The Book of Revelation

8/31/2025

Introduction. For far too many people, the book of Revelation has become an exciting book where those with a good imagination can run wild through its visions and revelations. Because most of the visions in Revelation have no inspired guidance to find their meaning, some feel free to add a meaning that makes sense to them or best fits their circumstances. They don’t realize the danger of this.

We need to remember that sometimes God wants us to have enough information to give us comfort, fear or excitement regarding the future, but not enough to see it clearly. If this is God’s will, then we must be content to know what He wants us to know and patiently wait until He reveals it more fully. This manifests our trust in God.

A clear example of this is the gospel of Jesus Christ as it was prophesied in the Old Testament. Many of those prophecies were vague and incomplete. There was no way to understand them without adding something. But God did not want them to do that. The NT Scriptures are “the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began.” It is “the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God” and “has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:26-27). Through the prophets, God revealed only what He wanted known. Prophecies were intentionally left vague because God wanted it to remain hidden. All things are done in His time and purpose. Until Jesus came, there was no way to interpret these figurative prophecies.

This is exactly what occurred when God sent Nebuchadnezzar a dream. God gave him enough information to intrigue him, but without the interpretation, it was impossible to understand. He knew if he told his magicians, they would make up a convincing interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar did not want what they imagined, he wanted the true meaning. If God had not revealed to Daniel both the dream and its true interpretation, it would never be known.

If we can understand these two things, we are prepared to speak scripturally about the book of Revelation. It is evident when reading the book that there are many visions and few explanations. God clearly did not want us to know everything about them. They deal with things as they exist in heaven and their interventions on earth. Jesus revealed to John exactly what He wanted us to know. If He did not give clear descriptions, we must trust Him and leave it for Him to reveal to us later. Those who are tempted to add their own ideas are no better than Nebuchadnezzar’s magicians. They too would take his vision and make of it what they would.

Created in God's Image and Likeness

8/1/2025

Introduction. When God created the heavens and the earth, He made man “in His image and according to His likeness.” (Gen. 1:27-28) This was done flawlessly and perfectly. Until sin entered the world, those living in heaven and those on earth (Adam and Eve) were in harmony. God’s attributes, perfectly reflected in man’s eternal soul, allowed God’s light to shine within them. Man thought as God thought, lived as God lived, and every decision was in complete harmony with God’s will. The love of God and His righteous care and concern that others be treated fairly, which had existed for all eternity in heaven, was perfectly formed in the souls of Adam and Eve.

Sin changed all that. Man’s character and demeanor became selfish, self-centered and ultimately, evil. Decisions were made based only on the benefit to self with little to no consideration to the harm it would cause others. Since “love does no harm to a neighbor,” once sin entered the world, man’s ability to love as God loves vanished. Selfishly using others for their own desires, regardless of the damage done, would be became the norm. “God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.” (Ecc. 7:29)

God gives few details of the rapid descent of man into corruption, but Cain’s choices clearly reveal how quickly and terribly sin corrupted man’s heart. Cain had no care or concern for God’s feelings. He selfishly refused to hear how God wanted to be worshiped. When God rejected Cain’s “selfish worship,” instead of remorse and godly sorrow at his rejection, he became bitterly angry at God for refusing him on his terms. Later, when Abel as God’s prophet sought to reason with him, Cain was the first to persecute and kill a prophet (Lk. 11:49-51). It only took one generation for man to move from the image of God to a complete lack of respect for God and for Abel’s life.

You Have Come to Mount Zion

7/6/2025

Introduction. The church, planned in eternity to reveal God’s manifold wisdom, is far more complex than what can be seen on this earth. It is like the tip of an iceberg. The true greatness and complexity of the church can only be seen by those who live in heaven (Eph. 3:9-11). For example, while Moses and Israel saw only a tabernacle of earthly materials made from the pattern God gave, those in heaven saw it as a “copy and shadow of heavenly things.” There was so much more that could only be revealed when Jesus became the “Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” Jesus was destined to be a “High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” (Heb. 8:2-5; 9:11, 24).

The Holy Spirit chose another “copy and shadow” to help us see even more. He used God bringing Israel to Mount Sinai to make a covenant with them. As recorded in Ex. 19, God began with “thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain.” That was followed by “a very loud sound of the trumpet” that caused them to tremble. Next, “Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” Finally, the “blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder”, and God spoke the ten commandments to them. Forty years later, Moses reminded them: “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice.” (Deut. 5). As Heb. 12:21 records, “so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I am exceedingly afraid and trembling’” But, why did the Holy Spirit choose to reveal these things to us?

18 you have not come to the mountain that may be touched ... But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, (Heb. 12:18-24)

Scriptures and Logic

5/31/2025

Introduction. Many colleges offer a course called “Logic” to help students learn the principles of inference and deduction. They define logic as “the science of reasoning, ... called inferring... The reasoning process may be thought of as beginning with input (premises, data, etc.) and producing output (conclusions).” These principles are fundamental to not only science, but most disciplines. When all facts (input) are gathered, inferences and deductions drawn from them will always be true. Doctors are trained in logical deduction to create a diagnosis. Lawyers use logical inferences and analysis to create their defense. Detectives use logical inferences and deductions to find the guilty. In this article we will explore how Christians must also use logic, inferences and deduction to find the truth.

The Sadducees needed a course in deduction. They had formed a conclusion based on faulty and incomplete data. Using a single scripture (Deut. 25:5-6), they had made an inference and drawn a conclusion. Wanting each tribe to remain intact, God had made a law that when a man died childless, his brother should take her as his wife and raise up a child for his dead brother, “that his name be not blotted out of Israel.” Using this law, they created a hypothetical situation where a woman ended up with seven husbands from among the brothers. They reasoned that since a woman could not have seven husbands after the resurrection, there was no resurrection (Mk. 12:18-27). They thought they could entrap Jesus with this reasoning and conclusion.

Jesus destroyed their conclusion by showing them true logic. He began by rebuking them for their ignorance of Scripture. First, He revealed that in the resurrection, everyone raised will be like angels and marriage will cease. This made their conclusion false and wrong. Second, He used the passage about Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3. When God told Moses “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” He was also revealing they were still alive. Since God can’t be “the God of the dead but of the living,” there was no dispute. As recorded in Genesis, their deaths centuries earlier only ended their earthly life. A new life awaited them and had begun. This unassailable logic amazed the multitudes and put them to silence. He then rebuked them again: “You are therefore greatly mistaken.” Jesus could have inferred the same thing from Enoch being taken (Heb. 11:5)

Sour Grapes

5/2/2025

“The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge.” (Ezek. 18:2)

Introduction. After God tried everything to lead them to repentance (Jer. 25), a small remnant of Judah was taken captive in Babylon. Rather than take responsibility and change their behavior, they had created the proverb noted above to put the full blame on their parents. God had promised forgiveness and restoration from captivity through repentance (Deut. 30), but this proverb was a major hindrance for any desire to repent. In their minds, since they didn’t eat the “sour grapes” they refused to take responsibility for their own sins. But until they repented, they could not be saved.

The sentiment of Israel’s “sour grapes” still reverberates today. Instead of taking responsibility for their choices, multitudes today prefer to be a victim, taking no responsibility for their own actions and having no desire to change. Although heredity and environment do play a role in our weaknesses and temptations, guilt can only be imputed by our own choices and removing that guilt through repentance can also only be done by our choices. “It’s not my fault”, “I’m only human”, and blaming others is the new “sour grapes” proverb today.

Infant baptism is a clear sign many still believe their guilt was incurred from Adam’s sin. Augustine (354 – 430 A.D.) is recognized as the father of the doctrine of original sin. As a youth, he had chosen to follow a path of sinful pleasure. Instead of accepting “he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption” (Gal. 6:8) and seeking to root out the corruption his choices created, Augustine blamed Adam. Essentially he claimed his wickedness was not his fault. Blaming Adam allowed him to feel more comfortable in sin. He resurrected the proverb of “sour grapes.” It became, Adam ate “sour grapes” when he sinned in the garden and all of Adam’s children, including Augustine, are born with their “teeth set on edge.”

Truth Shall Make You Free

4/1/2025

Introduction. Given a clear choice between believing a lie or holding fast to the truth, everyone would choose truth. Truth leads to success, to being right and to a life with no regrets. Deception leads to being cheated, being wrong and having great regret. Thus as we face complex choices, wisdom demands we seek for what is true and factual in order to have a good outcome. When making a large purchase like a car, a home, or investments for retirement we research to be certain it is not “too good to be true”. It is heart breaking to hear of people who were cheated out of their life savings because of deception and lies.

Jesus strongly warned against deception. Spiritual cons and scams will cheat many out of their eternal life: “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,” and “in their greed will exploit you with deceptive words.” Paul warned “let no one cheat you of your reward” and “beware lest anyone cheat you.” (2Pet. 2:1-3; Col. 2:8, 18). Jesus revealed that those who make excuses for these things will fail to change the outcome: “I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Mt. 7:21-23).

Think of it! Multitudes who expect to receive eternal life will instead find only rejection. Thinking they are serving Jesus their entire lives, they have been exploited in greed and cheated out of their reward. Imagine the wailing and anguish that will be heard. If we don’t want to be among them, we must heed Jesus’ warning. Only the narrow gate and the few who enter it will navigate the difficult way to eternal life. (Mt. 7:13-14). It is also sad to watch those who expend great effort watching over their retirement savings in tumultuous times, giving little to no thought about Jesus’ warnings (Mt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:13-21).

Are Christians under the Law of Moses?

3/1/2025

Introduction. The relationship between the Old Covenant (Law of Moses) and the New (Gospel of Jesus Christ) became controversial soon after Gentiles were invited into the kingdom of God (Acts 10). All Gentile nations had been excluded from the covenant given on Mount Sinai. Yet, some of Jesus’ disciples believed Gentile converts must become Jewish proselytes. “Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed” said it is “necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” The Holy Spirit inspired Peter, Paul and Barnabas and James to reveal the truth. Under His direction a letter went out to the Gentile churches: “We gave no such commandment.” Their conclusion: Gentiles had no obligation to keep the Law. (Acts 15).

But this did not stop the problem. Paul encountered zealous Jews everywhere. After he preached the gospel, started a church and moved to the next opportunity, they would enter and seek to convince new converts among the Gentiles that they needed circumcision and to keep the Law to be saved. When they came to Galatia, they were successful in convincing many Gentiles as seen in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

This gave the Holy Spirit the opportunity to reveal the truth. Those who chose to add the Law to the gospel only created a “different gospel, which is not another; but some there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Gal. 1:6-7) This strong language revealed the grave danger of adding anything from the Law to the gospel. Those preaching a gospel modified with the Law of Moses had not only perverted the gospel, but also became “accursed” of God. (Gal. 1:8-9).

The Image of God

2/1/2025

Introduction. As we consider the multitude of inventions created in the last few centuries, God’s words to Adam and Eve take on a greater significance: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion ... over all the earth ... and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:26-28). We should stand in awe of the great potential these words revealed. As we have subdued energy like electricity, natural gas, petroleum and nuclear power, we have seen dominion like never before. We now rule over communication, speaking to and even seeing anyone, anywhere in the world with the touch of a button. We have dominion over hot and cold (freezer/microwave/central heat and air), over light and darkness (light from incandescent to LED), over distance (cars, planes and rockets), over pain and disease (surgeries/medications), and over information (TV’s, computers).

What an amazing God we serve! He planned all this and made it possible. He created the basis for these things and gave us both the intellect and the capacity to create them. This is a fundamental part of being in His image and likeness and the foundation of all dominion. As we subdued energy, we also explored all of the elements God created for our use. Think of the amazing things we have done with minerals, metals, plastics, silicon and glass. The includes the chemicals we have used to create life-saving drugs and the research that has enhanced our lives in multitudes of ways.

Many of the things we imagine today we will create and use tomorrow. Living in such an amazing time and witnessing all that God has made possible should create an awe and reverence we can hardly express. What David saw with only his eyes can now be witnessed with powerful telescopes. We are small in the vastness of our universe which expands ever further with each new telescope we create. Yet in this creation, God made us supreme with all things under our feet.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet (Ps. 8:3-6)

Cremation’s Rise in Popularity

12/31/2024

Introduction. Since the 1960's, attitudes toward cremation in the United States have changed drastically. In 1960, cremation made up about 3.5% of all funerals in the US. This year (2024) it has increased to 61% and is projected to be over 80% by 2045. In Nevada, Oregon and Washington, cremation is over 80% of all funerals. That is an amazing change in attitude over a very short time.

Reasons cited are lower costs, less impact on the environment, and a movement away from religion. Religion doesn’t appear to be a true reason though, since the Catholic church removed its prohibition against cremation in 1963, although they still demand the ashes be buried. The general view of most “religious people” in America is that this is a personal decision left to each family to decide. So a movement away from religion may only be wishful thinking.

What do the Scriptures actually say? There are strong feelings and opinions, but what has God revealed about His feelings and His will toward this practice? Does the custom of burial and thus our feelings about it arise from a “manner of life handed down from your fathers” or is it a tradition which came from Scripture? Should Christians oppose, preach against, or discourage cremation? Should they be told to accept it and even begin practicing it? The key to this discussion hinges on the body at death. Since God defined and explained it at the very beginning, we must start there.

The Ten Promises

12/2/2024

Introduction. Some people view Christianity and the Bible as a collection of restrictive “Thou shalt” and “Thou shalt not” commands. Unfortunately, that too often reflects a somewhat prideful or even rebellious attitude of “I know what’s best for me.” or “I don’t need anyone telling me what to do!”

But what if we viewed these commands from the perspective of a loving, creator God who wants what is best for us, like any concerned parent would? For example, what if the Ten Commandments in the Law of Moses (Ex. 20) were the kindest, most protective and caring thing God could tell the Israelites? How might that change our attitude toward New Testament commands for us and the loving God who wants us to obey Him for our own good?

Background. When God spoke the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel (Ex. 20:22; Deut. 4:36; Neh. 9:13), they had left captivity in the land of Egypt and miraculously crossed the Red Sea only a few months prior (Ex.10:1). And yet they had already lost patience and trust in Moses (and by implication God), accusing him with misleading and mistreating them (Ex. 15:24; 16:2-3, 19-20, 27-28; 17:3,7). In that setting, here’s what God told them…

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Alan Hitchen