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Are keeping the Old Testament Feasts Necessary?

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 ❓ Question: I have a friend who keeps insisting that it is necessary for me to keep the Old Testament feasts of the Jews. They also keep the Saturday Sabbath. It is said that the early church kept the Sabbath, Gentiles and Jews together. Many times we read that Paul wanted to return to Jerusalem to keep the feasts. In the Millenium, Zechariah 14 verses 16-21 says that any nation that does not keep the Feast of Tabernacles will be punished and not receive rain. If all these things are merely meanings and symbols, why does the Lord then re-institute them at the end of time? ✅Answer: Several seminar ministries make a point of offering a large sum of money for one verse in the New Testament stating that Sunday worship was exchanged for the Sabbath. They might as well offer the same sum of money for one verse proving that Gentile believers are required to keep the Sabbath and Jewish feasts. Both positions are equally secure. In contrast, during what some have called the first church co...
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Why Do So Many Reject God's Gospel?

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  Why do so many reject the greatest gift anyone could ever receive? Why would anyone refuse a gift so amazing that Paul called it "indescribable" (2 Cor.  9:15 )? This free gift of God's grace is offered to everyone, yet very few ever receive it. What causes people to reject the everlasting glory of eternal life with Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom  6:23 )? From a human perspective this makes absolutely no sense, but from a divine perspective, the answers are all found in God's Word.   Spiritual Blindness The apostle Paul wrote: "the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4). Unbelievers are spiritually blind with a veil covering their heart. The only way the veil of blindness can be removed is by turning to the Lord (2 Cor.  3:16 ). Until then, they are excluded from the life of God and remain darkened in their ...
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Supposed Contradictions of the Resurrection Account?

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 ❓Question: The resurrection of Jesus is the very foundation of Christianity, yet those who wrote the gospels seem to be in conflict even on this most important subject! Matthew says an angel came down from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary approached and were frightened. The angel told them not to be afraid, and invited them into the tomb to see where Jesus had lain (Matthew 28:1–6). • In contrast, Mark says that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome did not see the angel until they entered the tomb. The angel then pointed to where Jesus had lain (16:1–6). • In further contradiction, Luke says the women entered the tomb, and, as they looked for the body of Jesus, suddenly two angels appeared to them (Luke 24:1–4). Note also that Mark says his angel was sitting when he addressed the women, whereas Luke states that his two angels were standing (Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). • One account says the women saw Jesus and then went t...
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Are Spiritual Experiences Valid for the Christian Faith?

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 ❓ Question: Is the certainty of the Christian faith confined to the fulfillment of prophecy as demonstrated in verifiable facts of history, archaeology, and science, or is there a spiritual confirmation as well? What about spiritual experiences? Isn’t there an inward assurance of the Holy Spirit? ✅Answer: “Faith cometh by hearing . . . the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). On the one hand, the Word of God stands on its own and needs no outside confirmation, for it is “quick [living] and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword . . . a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). On the other hand, God has given us outside confirmation so that the Word of God proves itself to us in two ways: by the convicting and convincing power of the Holy Spirit, who inspires and speaks to our hearts through His Word, and by the confirmation available to us from outside verification through archaeology, history, and science. When all are in full agreement, we have an unsh...
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Who Make Up the Jews (Israel) that are Saved at the End of the Tribulation?

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  During the time of the end, a subset of the Jews in Judea flee to the wilderness, whereas others do not (the 144,000 of   Revelation 7:4 +   and Jews of the diaspora). At the point of her flight, she no longer represents all of national Israel for there will be numerous groups of Jews at the time of the end: Jews protected in the wilderness, where God continues the work of purging  idolatry from their midst ( Hos. 2:14-17 ;  Eze. 20:33-38 ). The 144,000 Jews protected by God’s  seal, probably engaged in the work of worldwide evangelism ( Rev. 7 + , 14 + ). Jews in the diaspora who come to faith during this time who are unable to reach the wilderness with the woman. Jews in the diaspora who receive the  Antichrist  and  his mark ( John 5:43 ). The  rest of her offspring  speaks of all Jews who did not flee to the wilderness—both believing and unbelieving. The phrase is further restricted to the offspring  who keep the commandm...
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Is the Need for Self-Esteem & Self-Love taught in the Bible?

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 ❓Question (composite of several): You say that the need for self-esteem and self-love are not taught in the Bible but that we naturally esteem and love ourselves too much. Yet Jesus Christ said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” How can we obey that command if we hate ourselves? Yes, I’ve heard people sincerely say, “I hate myself!” Dr. Dobson and other Christian psychologists aren’t the only ones who emphasize the need to acquire a positive self-worth, self-esteem, self-love, and self-image. Many preachers teach the same, such as Josh McDowell, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, and others. Who are you to disagree with them? ✅ Answer: Any Berean comparing such teaching with God’s Word will find that it doesn’t pass the test. For example, Philippians 2:3 says, “…in lowliness of mind let each esteem other[s] better than themselves.” Romans 12:3 warns us not to think of ourselves “more highly than [we] ought to think.” Nowhere does the Bible warn us against thinking too poorly of ours...
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Is uncovering hidden memories the KEY to emotional and spiritual well-being?

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 In keeping with the Freudian foundation of all “inner healing,” Fred and Florence Littauer’s book, Freeing Your Mind from Memories that Bind, presents the thesis that uncovering hidden memories is the key to emotional and spiritual well-being . They suggest that any “memory gaps” from child hood indicate one has probably been abused (and very likely, sexually). By that definition we’ve all been abused. Most of us can’t remember each house we’ve lived in, each school attended, every teacher and class mate, every family vacation when we were children. To teach, as the Littauers do, that these “memory gaps” indicate periods of abuse that have been covered up by the mind is contrary to common sense and is without scientific verification or biblical support. The Littauers, like so many others in this field, base their approach upon the so-called four temperaments. This long-discredited personality theory evolved from the ancient Greek belief that the physical realm was composed of four...
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