Queensland Mailbox Bible Club
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Questions asked by our students
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Do you have a question about the Bible or what it contains?
We encourage our students to write and ask questions. Listed below are some of their more frequently asked questions, and the answers we sent to them.
If you have a question, which is not answered below, please click here to email us your question, and if we can answer it, we will.
Questions --
Please read this answer very carefully for it answers the important question of "How simple it is to take the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour and have everlasting life". Then you will be saved because you will not be going to hell with all the unbelievers.
You must first know that you are a sinner and have done wrong things that God doesn't want people to do. In the Bible we read in Romans chapter 3 verse 23,
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
You must be truly sorry for doing these sins, so sorry that you want to never do them again. Then you must believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose to life again, so that He can offer us the gift of eternal life. Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says,
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
John chapter 1 verse 12 says that if we receive the Lord Jesus, we have the power to become sons or children of God. To receive Him means to ask Him into your life to be your own personal Saviour.
1 John chapter 1 verse 9 says,
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Other verses tell us to repent or completely change our mind about sin and turn around and go God's way, instead of our own way. We must confess our sins in personal, private prayer to God.
Another good thing to know is that no one can get to heaven by doing good things, like helping people, going to church, reading their Bible, or even doing these lessons. These are all good and helpful to us and others and we must still do good things because we love God and want to obey Him, but they can't give us eternal life. Eternal life is a free gift offered to us from God and like any gift you can't earn it, but all you have to do is accept it, then it is yours. Also, it is important to realise that once you are saved, you can not lose your salvation. The gift of eternal life can never be taken away from you.
Here is the sort of prayer you might like to pray, if you realise that all the above things are true and wish to change your whole life and accept the gift of eternal life. Please do not pray this prayer unless you really mean it. Here it is,
"Lord Jesus, I do love you and thank you for dying on the cross for me. I am sorry for sinning and doing many things that you do not want me to do. Please forgive me and come into my life and help me to live the way you want me to. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life. Amen."
You do not have to pray this exact prayer. Remember that prayer is just talking to God. Tell Him exactly what you are thinking. He knows what you are thinking anyway, so it's no good thinking we can trick God.
If you do take the Lord Jesus to be your own personal Saviour and Lord, please write and tell us. We would love to know, and if we can help you with any problems you have, please feel free to write to us.
The Bible tells us that everyone sins and falls short of God's glory and His wonderful standards. This is because we still have a sinful nature in us. God will forgive all your sins if you confess them to Him. Satan tries to convince us that we are too bad to be forgiven.
If you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour but are having problems, still doing wrong things then there are some ways to help you overcome Satan's temptations. Everyone who is saved needs to realise that once the Lord has saved us from going to hell, we are saved forever, and nothing can separate us from the love of God, even the sins that we commit after we are saved. These sins are still a problem to us because they break the fellowship, or close relationship that we have with God.
You must, first, ask the Lord Jesus to be Lord or Boss of your life and let Him take control and be determined to live the way He wants you to, not the way you feel like living or you will fail again and again. It is most important for you to talk to the Lord Jesus in prayer each morning, or any time you are tempted, and ask Him to lead and help you to do that which is right before God in every thing you do and say.
If you are not sure if you have the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour and Lord of your life, please write to us and tell us that you are not sure.
Make sure that you have a special time each day when you can talk to the Lord Jesus in prayer and read the Bible. This is the most important time in a Christian's day. Most Christians call it their "Quiet time", a time spent alone with God, with no distractions. First thing in the morning is a very good time to have this, as soon as you wake up, because it sets you up for the day ahead. Ask the Lord to help you to live for Him during the day, and to give you the strength to say "NO!" to any temptations that you may face. The Bible tells us in James chapter 4 verse 7,
"Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Before you read His Word, the Holy Bible, ask Him to show you the meaning of what you are reading.
It is important to obey God, but you cannot obey God unless you know what He wants you to do. You can only find out God's will for your life by reading the Bible each day.
Of course, it is very important to avoid people or places or situations that may cause you to fall into temptation. Especially, when you know that you have sinned before because of them.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 we are told,
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
If we are tempted, God will make it possible to avoid sinning and do something else, so we do not have to serve Satan any more, and cannot make the excuse that Satan made me do it, because God provides a way of escape.
If you do fall for Satan's temptations again and are truly sorry for it, then confess it to the Lord and ask Him to forgive you. He will forgive you and restore your relationship with God.
We also believe that doing our lessons would be a great blessing to you. You will learn more about how to live your daily life as a victorious, strong Christian.
If we keep on confessing our sins in private prayer, God will forgive our sins. 1 John chapter 1 includes these verses,
(8) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
(9) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
(10) "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
It is important to remember that once you have asked God for forgiveness, God expects you not to go and do this sin again ( having sex before you are married ). You see, God has created marriage for His glory and for your blessing, and we all need God's blessing in our married life or we face great troubles.
Now here is a very important thing.
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, that means if you are a Christian, you must make sure that any boyfriend you have IS a Christian also. God strongly warns us about having close friendship or fellowship with unbelievers when He says these words to us. They come from 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 14 - 18,
(14) "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
(15) And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
(16) And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
(17) Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."
(18) "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."
If you want a good, happy time with a boyfriend, and later your husband in marriage, you must pray about the person now. Make sure that he is a Christian. Wait until the Lord leads you to the one He wants you to have.
You should not have sex with anybody until you marry them. If you do, this sin is called fornication. Fornication, apart from being a serious sin, could lead to you having AIDS or syphilis or gonorrhea which are sexually transmitted diseases, or you might become pregnant. We have had many members who have had so many problems in their life because they did not trust the Lord and wait until marriage. A boy who truly loves you will not ask for your body first.
God wants you to have a good husband, so if you leave the choice up to Him, and pray about it, and wait for Him to show you the right one, you will have a happy life. If you rush ahead and have anyone that is available you might spoil your life with the wrong person even if they seem nice. If you marry a boy who is not a Christian you will end up in a miserable marriage, and probably a divorce.
A good way to know if a person is a Christian is to ask them when and how they accepted the Lord Jesus into their hearts as their own personal Saviour. Another way is to ask them to read the Bible and pray with you. Another way is to listen to their talk about the Lord Jesus. Another way is to see if they love to go to church to worship and fellowship and witness with other Christians.
While your waiting on the Lord, especially in your teens, we hope that you play some sport, read some good books, do whatever you can to help your parents and your family members. Have a number of friends that you can move around with, both boys and girls, rather than settle down to just one friend and miss out on good times with a whole group of young people together. You should only have a boyfriend if your parents agree.
Now the important thing is this. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, that means if you are a Christian, you must make sure that any girlfriend you have IS a Christian also. God strongly warns us about having close friendship or fellowship with unbelievers when he says these words to us. They come from 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 14 -18,
(14) "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? and what communion has light with darkness?"
(15) "And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?"
(16) "And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
(17) "Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."
(18) "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."
If you want a good, happy time with a girlfriend, and later your wife in marriage, you must pray about the person now. Make sure that this person is a Christian. Wait until the Lord leads you to the one He wants you to have.
You should not have sex with anybody until you marry them. If you do this sin is called fornication, and it could lead to you having AIDS or syphilis or gonorrhea which are sexually transmitted diseases, or your girlfriend might become pregnant. We have had many members who have had so many problems in their lives because they did not trust the Lord and wait until marriage.
God wants you to have a good wife. If you leave the choice up to Him, and pray about it, and wait for Him to show you the right one, you will have a happy life. If you rush ahead and have anyone that is available you might spoil your life with the wrong person, even if she seems nice. If you marry a girl who is not a Christian you will end up in a miserable marriage, and probably a divorce.
A good way to know if a person is a Christian is to ask them when and how they accepted the Lord Jesus into their hearts as their own personal Saviour. Another way is to ask them to read the Bible and pray with you. Another way is to listen to their talk about the Lord Jesus. Another way is to see if they love to go to church to worship and fellowship and witness with other Christians.
While your waiting on the Lord, especially in your teens, we hope that you play some sport, read some good books, do whatever you can to help your parents and your family members. Have a number of friends that you can move around with, both boys and girls, rather than settle down to just one friend and miss out on good times with a whole group of young people together. You should only have a girlfriend if your parents agree.
Here are two important verses from God's Word for you,
In John chapter 16 verse 33 the Lord Jesus said,
"These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
And in Hebrews chapter 13 verses 5 and 6 we read that God Himself has said,
"I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what can man do to me?"
The Queensland Mailbox Bible Club is strictly non - denominational in outreach. The teaching in our lessons is accepted by the main denominations. The lessons teach all the important Bible truths that God wants everyone to know, so He can fully bless them.
The members of the Q.M.B.C. Management Committee are all in fellowship in various Christian Brethren Assemblys in Queensland.
Queensland Mailbox Bible Club was started in 1978 for Australian families. Since then the Bible Club has grown incredibly, and now the lessons are being sent to many thousands of children and adults, all over the world.
There are 5 of us that work full time in our Brisbane office and another 30 people who come in and do voluntary work whenever they can. They come from different denominations. At no time do we try to persuade our students to leave one church to join another.
The lessons are also sent out free of any charges or membership fees. Q.M.B.C. is funded only by freewill donations from students and families who have been helped and blessed by our lessons, and by many Christian friends from many church fellowships.
We are very pleased that through the giving of Christians, God enables us to print and post out our Bible Club lessons with His wonderful Good News to many thousands of our Bible Club members. We use all of the money we receive in this way and so we are sorry, but we are not able to send the money you asked for.
We have ten courses of lessons from A - K, with a total of 134 lessons. You will receive our Diploma at the end of all the lessons, but before that, after you complete each course, we will send you a very nice certificate. You will receive your first certificate after you have finished your A8 and C7 lessons. You can show these to your family and friends. Many people put their certificates up on a wall in their house so that everyone can see that they have completed our courses.
You could also take them to any job interview, as it could be a help to show that you have completed our correspondence Bible courses. Many Employers look for a person who is a true Christian, as they wish to give the position to a person who is honest, trustworthy, and responsible. It would be good to read in your own Bible in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 5 to 8, and in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verse 10.
Our certificates might not help you get employment, because our courses are to assist you in your living and growing in the Lord Jesus, and that God will be glorified in your daily life. We are not training you for any special job. We are teaching you how to live for the Lord Jesus.
We also have some other little awards, like bookmarks, that you will receive as you go through the courses.
However, there is a gift greater than any gift that we could give you and you can receive this gift, not from us, but from God. Our lessons teach how you can accept the gift of eternal life from God, which was made possible because of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The lessons also teach other things about God that He wants everyone to know, because He loves us all and wants to fully bless us.
We hope that by the time you have finished all our lessons that you will have learnt enough of God's ways to go on and study your Bible in your own time. With the encouragement of your local church, we trust that you will grow in your Christian faith and serve the Lord through your whole life.
We are sorry that we are unable to arrange a pen pal for you because we are so busy sending out God's Good News to thousands of other members just like you. We trust you will understand.
From what you said it seems to us that you are already a Christian. If you have believed in Jesus at some time in the past, your name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and no one is going to remove it. In John chapter 6 verse 37 Jesus said,
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."
You may be like the prodigal son that we read about in Luke chapter 15. He went far away, but he was still his father's son and the father waited, looking with love for the return of his prodigal son. If you are away from the Lord, then He is like the father in the story and He waits with open arms for you to return to Him.
Make sure that you have a special time each day when you can talk to the Lord Jesus in prayer and read the Bible. This is the most important time in a Christian's day. Most Christians call it their "Quiet time", a time spent alone with God, with no distractions. First thing in the morning is a very good time to have this, as soon as you wake up, because it sets you up for the day ahead.
Ask the Lord to help you to live for Him during the day. Thank Him for His wonderful love for you. Thank Him for being with you. Thank Him for giving you the understanding to know how you can help other people in loving ways. Thank Him for the strength to do what you should for other people each day. Thank Him for helping you to say "NO!" to any temptations that you may face. The Bible tells us in James chapter 4 verse 7,
"Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Before you read His Word, the Holy Bible, ask Him to show you the meaning of what you are reading. It is important to obey God, but you cannot obey God unless you know what He wants you to do. You can only find out God's will for your life by reading the Bible each day.
Please continue to do all of our courses and you will learn more about how to live your daily life as a victorious, strong Christian.
Paul, inspired by God, wrote a letter to some Christians, and after explaining all the wonderful things God has done for us, said,
"I beseech ( or beg ) you therefore, brethren, ( brothers ) by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed ( completely changed ) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." ( Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2. )
God wants us to give our whole lives into His hands, and for us to be His servants forever. As the verse says, "which is your reasonable service". It is only fair, after all that God has done for us, to give ourselves back to God.
God created us and so we should serve Him, but we sinned against God and He then sent the Lord Jesus Christ to die for those sins we had committed, to make it possible for us to be saved and go to heaven to be with Him. We were doomed to go to hell, but now we have the privilege of serving a loving God who always wants the best for us.
The answer is they will, like the thief on the cross, go to heaven.
The repentant thief on the cross was a forgiven sinner, but he was not baptised, and Jesus told him in Luke chapter 23 verse 43,
"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
To be saved from going to hell, and to go to heaven instead, we must each admit that we are sinners, and then, first of all, believe in the Lord Jesus, and then receive Him into our hearts in personal private prayer. John chapter 1 verse 12 says,
"as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name."
And you probably know the verse, John chapter 3 verse 16,
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
And Romans 10:13 says,
"For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."
1 John chapter 5 verses 11 and 12 say,
"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
None of these verses speak a word about baptism. However a Christian should be baptised as an act of loving obedience to the Lord Jesus, who gave His life for us. Ephesians 2:8 tells us,
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God"
This shows us that no good work, not even baptism, saves us, just the grace of God. The Lord commanded His servants in Matthew 28:19,
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
So we can see from this that it is the Lord's will for us to be baptised. Also we are told in 1 Peter 3:21,
"There is also an antitype which now saves us; baptism ( not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God ), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
It seems from this verse that if we want a good conscience before God, we should be baptised.
To immerse means to put right under the water. The word baptise means "to immerse". That is why John needed "much water" for his baptisms. John 3:23 says,
"Now John also was baptising in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptised."
And it is also why John baptised in the river Jordan. Matthew 3:6 says,
"and were baptised by him in the Jordan."
And when Jesus was baptised He went into the water where John was. Matthew 3:16 says,
"When He had been baptised, Jesus came up immediately from the water"
And when Philip baptised the Ethiopian man they went "down into the water" to do it. Acts 8:38 says,
"both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptised him."
Another reason for complete immersion for baptism is that baptism pictures us taking our place with the Lord Jesus in His death, and burial and His resurrection. Romans 6:4 says,
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
As we go right under the water we are identifying with the the Lord Jesus, who went into death and was buried. As we come up out of the water, we are being identified with the Lord Jesus in His resurrection, and showing our desire to live a new and Godly life from then onwards.
Your question about why God allowed sin has been a puzzle to many people. In the Bible there is a verse that talks about the "mystery of iniquity ( or lawlessness )" ( 2 Thessalonians 2:7 ). It is a mystery.
The answer is that God wanted man to have a free will, and man was created in God's image, capable of choice, and so God placed the trial in the Garden of Eden, and man failed the test.
From this matter of giving us a free will, you can perhaps see why God allowed sin in the first place.
It was probably like that with Satan. In Ezekiel chapter 28 verse 14 we believe that Satan is described as,
"the anointed cherub who covers"
And in verse 15 God says to Satan,
"You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity ( sin ) was found in you."
And in verse 17 God says,
"I cast you to the ground."
The Lord Jesus created Principalities and Powers: Colossians 1:16 says,
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."
Satan was apparently created and anointed for a position of great authority as one of the cherubim, perhaps over God's creation as Ezekiel 28:13 and 14 possibly suggest. Satan fell through pride as Isaiah 14:12 - 14 shows. His "I wills" of Isaiah 14:13 mark his fall into sin.
1 John 3:8 tells us that the Lord Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.
"He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
In Isaiah chapter 14 it says to Satan, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, ( Satan ) son of the morning!" In verses 13 and 14 you see where Satan five times uses the words "I will". Satan tried to set himself up as God. "I will be like the Most High" he said. But God says in verse 15, "You shall be brought down to...the lowest depths of the Pit." All of this may well have been before God created the world.
By His death and resurrection The Lord Jesus triumphed over Principalities and Powers: Colossians 2:15 says,
"Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."
Satan was cast out of heaven as Luke 10:18 says. And he makes earth and air the scene of his tireless activity as Ephesians 2:2, and 1 Peter 5:8 show us.
After the creation of man he entered into the serpent and, beguiling Eve by his subtlety, he secured the downfall of Adam, and through him, of the whole human race. ( See Romans 5:12 - 14. )
The Covenant God made with Adam in Genesis 3:15 promised the ultimate defeat of Satan through the "seed of the woman" who is the Lord Jesus. Then began Satan's long warfare against the work of God on behalf of humanity, which warfare still continues.
The present world system which is organised upon force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and sinful pleasure, is his work and was the bribe which he offered to Christ in Matthew 4:8 - 9.
Sometimes Satan comes to us in an open obvious way and we know what to avoid, as when your friends may want you to get drunk with them. 1 Peter 5:8 says,
"your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
At other times, Satan is much more devious and subtle, and can appear in a religious guise as 2 Corinthians 11:14 says,
"And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light."
You need to study God's Word so that you can tell the difference between truth and error.
But it is good to know that 1 John chapter 4 verse 4 says,
"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
James chapter 4 verse 7 says,
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2 Satan is called,
"the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience."
God has allowed Satan to remain until the Lord Jesus came to defeat him, as Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 tells us,
"inasmuch as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,"
Satan rules the kingdom of darkness which we fight against. This evil kingdom is described in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 where it says that we fight,
"against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
The present world system which is organised upon force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and sinful pleasure, is his work and was the bribe which he offered to Christ in Matthew 4:8 - 9.
John 14:30 and 16:11 show us that Satan is the prince of this world system, and 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us he is the god of this world. Ephesians 2:2 calls him the "prince of the power of the air" and as such he is at the head of a vast host of demons. To Satan, under God, was committed upon earth the power of death as Hebrews 2:14 tells us.
Satan has been cast out of heaven which was his proper place and his "first estate" ( Jude verse 6 ). However he still has access to God as the "accuser of the brethren" ( Revelation 12:10 ).
Satan is given a certain power of sifting or testing believers who are self confident and carnal or fleshly. This is shown in Job 1:6 - 11 and Luke 22:31 - 32 and 1 Corinthians 5:5 and 1 Timothy 1:20. But his power is strictly only as God allows, and is limited, and the believers sifted in this way are kept in faith through the advocacy or intercessory prayer of the Lord Jesus himself as Luke 22:31 - 32 and 1 John 2:1 shows.
Sometimes Satan comes to us in an open obvious way and we know what to avoid, as when your friends may want you to get drunk with them. 1 Peter 5:8 says,
"your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
At other times Satan is much more devious and subtle, and can appear in a religious guise as 2 Corinthians 11:14 says,
"And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light."
You need to study God's Word so that you can tell the difference between truth and error. Satan can even have false teachers in churches. 1 Timothy 4:1 says,
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons".
But it is good to know that 1 John chapter 4 verse 4 says,
"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. "
And James chapter 4 verse 7 says,
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
We are unable to say that Satan can read your thoughts.
Satan is not all powerful and all knowing like the Lord Jesus is. However Satan is certainly able to put evil thoughts and temptations into your mind.
Remember when the Lord Jesus rebuked Peter by saying "get behind me Satan". Peter must have had a big surprise when the Lord Jesus spoke like that, but obviously the Lord Jesus knew that the thought did not come from Peter, but from Satan.
Matthew 16:21 - 23 says,
"From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You! But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
In Acts 5:3 we read,
"But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?"
And you may remember when Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus in John 13:27 we read,
"Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, What you do, do quickly."
In Revelation chapter 20 verses 2 and 3 we are told of a thousand years when Christ shall reign, and the devil will be cast into a bottomless pit. After that, verse 7 tells us, he is to be loosed for a little time. Then in verse 10 we are told that he will be cast into the lake of fire for ever.
At the beginning of the Great Tribulation, Satan's privilege of access to God will be taken away and you should read about this in Revelation 12:7 - 12.
At the return of Christ in glory Satan will be bound for 1000 years ( Revelation 20:2 ), and after that he will be "loosed for a little season" ( Revelation 20:3 and 7 - 8 ) and will become the head of a final effort to overthrow the Kingdom of God. He will be defeated in this, and will then be cast into the lake of fire which is to be his final doom. The idea that he reigns like a king in hell is not Biblical. He is the prince of this world system but will be tormented in the lake of fire.
The answer to this question is found in Matthew chapter 24 verse 36 which you should read in your own Bible. Jesus says,
"But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
And in verse 42 He says,
"Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord is coming."
This means that we should really be making sure that we are living right, so that we will not be ashamed before the Lord at His coming. See 1 John 2:28 which says,
"And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. "
You should also read in your own Bible 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 3 to 15. Parts of these verses say,
"with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ......... Therefore,....what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...."
These words are from verses 8, 9,10,11, and 12. Read these lovely words also - Hebrews 10:37,
"For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry."
First of all, you receive the gift of all your sins forgiven, and then the gift of eternal life with the Lord Jesus in heaven. You also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to help you day by day.
When you get to heaven there will be rewards given to those who have been faithful in their love for the Lord, and in their service for Him down here. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read these words,
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
The Bible also tells us about four kinds of crowns that we can earn. Here they are, 1Thessalonians 2:19,
"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?"
If we win others to the Lord Jesus while we are down here we will earn this special crown of rejoicing. Philippians 4:1 speaks of this same crown.
"Therefore, my beloved and longed for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved."
Then 2 Timothy 4:8 says,
"Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
Do you love the appearing of the Lord Jesus? Are you looking forward to His Coming? If so, you too will earn this crown of righteousness.
James 1:12 says,
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
Do you overcome temptations day by day? Then, if so, the Lord will one day also give you the crown of life.
1 Peter 5:4 says,
"and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."
Do you care for others in a Sunday School class, or in any other way like a shepherd with your sheep? If so, you are earning this crown of glory as well.
It was on the first day of the week that the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and ever since then Christians have met, and worshipped their risen Lord on the first day of the week.
After the Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week, which is Sunday, the Christians met on that day to celebrate His resurrection together.
The Jewish Sabbath is from 6pm Friday until 6pm Saturday. Saturday is the Sabbath because it is the last day of the week. Sunday is the first day of the week.
The Christian church gathers on a Sunday.
Here we will give you some of the scriptural teaching for this day on which Christians are called to worship our risen Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the church.
I would like you to read this very carefully and then talk to the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and ask Him to lead you in the way that He wants you to live your Christian life, and also lead you into the church fellowship with other Christians where He wants you to worship and serve Him.
The Commandment in regard to the Sabbath Day is in your Bible in Exodus chapter 20 verses 8 to 11, and in Exodus chapter 31 verses 12 to 17.
In chapter 31 in verses 13, 16, and 17 you can see that this Commandment was given to the Children of Israel, as God said it would be a sign between Him and the Nation of Israel forever. God commanded the Children of Israel to keep the Sabbath Day and do no work in it. The Jewish Sabbath Day is from 6pm Friday evening until 6pm Saturday evening.
The Church is not the Nation of Israel.
After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus He sent His Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and commenced building His Church from that time.
The Church meets on the first day of the week celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. God has shown us that He accepted the sacrifice of His Beloved Son for us when He raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave.
It would be good for you to read all of John's Gospel chapter 20 and also 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 to 19.
After His resurrection we find that the Lord Jesus only appeared to His disciples on the first day of the week, and we find that the Apostles met to worship the Lord Jesus and keep the communion feast, the breaking of bread and the drinking of the wine, only on the first day of the week. You can see this in Acts chapter 20 verses 6 and 7, also in 1st Corinthians chapter 16 verses 1 and 2.
This last reference is about the giving of tithes and gifts for the service of the Lord, and here again it is mentioned that the people came together on the first day of the week, not the Sabbath.
Also in the Holy Scriptures we find that the first day of the week is called "The Lord's Day" because that is the day the Lord Jesus rose from the grave. We read in Revelation chapter 1 in verses 9 and 10 that the Apostle John says that he was "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day". He did not say that he was in the Spirit on the Sabbath Day.
So it is clear that the Nation of Israel is to keep the Sabbath Day, but the Christian Church is to meet together to worship the Lord Jesus on the first day of the week which is Sunday in our calendar.
It is false teaching which says that Christians must be Sabbath keepers today.
Ever since the Lord Jesus rose from the dead Christians have been meeting to worship Him on the first day of the week, which is Sunday.
The Christian's Sabbath of rest is not the 7th day of the week, but ALL DAY EVERY DAY. You see, when we have the Lord Jesus with us, we can have true rest of soul and spirit in Him all the time, because we know that the things that happen to us are all under His control, and are all for our good.
Many Christians loosely call Sunday the Sabbath, but it is not. To understand our true Christian Sabbath of rest more fully, please carefully read from Hebrews chapter 3 verse 7 right down to chapter 4 verse 16.
The commandments given in the Old Testament to the Jewish people no longer apply to Christians. The law was given to us to show us how bad we are.
You will not find any repeat of these laws in the New Testament. You can read in Acts 10:9 -16 and Romans 14:2 - 3 what God says about the subject. Also, in Mark 7:14 - 20 Jesus explains that eating cannot make you unclean, but that which comes out of man in the evil things we do. We read in Colossians 2:16,
"Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days."
If you wish to read the commandments that the Lord gave to the Israelites, you will find these in Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy chapter 14.
Christians are allowed to eat these meats as long as they have not been offered to idols, and, as long as we do not offend another brother Christian by doing so. You should carefully read Romans chapter 14 verses 14 to 23.
However, if you do eat any of these animals, it is important to see that they are not carrying disease, because they are scavengers ( animals who eat garbage and / or dead meat ). Also, make sure the meat is cooked properly, because people can become very sick, and even die from these meats when they are only half cooked.
We think you may enjoy reading 1 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 to 5. It tells us that,
"in the latter times some will depart from the faith, ....commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving......for every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
There are two answers to this question of Original Sin.
One is about the actual sin which Adam and Eve committed. That was the first, or original sin. The other is the fact that we inherit sin from our original sinful parents, and so we were sinners at birth.
The actual sin which Adam and Eve committed is found in Genesis chapter 3 verse 1 to 24. I hope that you will read these verses in your own Bible. Verse 6 tells you that Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( chapter 2 verse 17 ). They believed the devil. They doubted God, and they disobeyed God. This was the original sin.
Then we too are BORN in sin. We have original sin in our nature. Adam and Eve's sin was passed on to the whole human race. Please read these verses in your own Bible. Psalm 51 verse 5 says,
"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me."
Romans chapter 5 verse 12 says,
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
and Romans chapter 3 verse 23 says,
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
The fact that no child has to be taught to be deceitful, or lying, or selfish, or envious, or angry, or covetous, or Godless, but that these things are natural to all, proves that all are born in sin.
Of course the wonderful thing is that Jesus saves us from our sin so that we can be clean and go to heaven with him.
We see from the Bible teaching that each one of us, by nature, has the natural ability to turn our backs on God and rebel against Him. Out of this rebellion comes the sins we commit against God and other people.
Just like an inherited defect is passed on by parents to children, in the case of sin it is passed on to all generations from Adam. It is not a question of coming in to judgment because of Adam's sin, it is just the fact that we have the capacity to sin as soon as we are born, and, indeed, each person in the world does so, for the Bible declares that,
"all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
The reason why we need to teach this Bible truth is to show people that God has, in His love, met our greatest need and provided His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. All who receive Jesus as their Saviour and Lord will not come into the judgment of God for the sins that they have committed, but will receive forgiveness, and the great gift of everlasting life with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in heaven.
What God's Word teaches us is that everyone is born with a sinful nature, but this does not mean that a little baby is able to choose to commit a sin against God.
When he is grown he will have to choose between good and evil and this is when the big question of a person being accountable for his own sins, begins.
God tells us in the Bible that every little baby belongs to God, because He has created each baby for His glory and so if a baby or a little child dies they go straight to heaven.
It would be good for you to read in your own Bible in Matthew's Gospel chapter 18 verse 10 which says,
"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."
And Matthew 19:14 says that Jesus said,
"Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
And in the Old Testament when David's baby died, he knew that the baby went straight to heaven. Read about this in 2 Samuel chapter 12 verse 18 - 23.
And Jonah chapter 4 and verses 10 -11 teaches us that the age of innocence is not knowing "the right hand from the left" and for this reason God wanted to spare the city of Nineveh, because the people were just like babies, not knowing their right hand from their left.
So we learn from this that God who knows the future always has an important, wise reason, when He takes a little one to Himself in Heaven, and you can be sure that God wants to bless the whole family if the adults will turn to God and love, worship, and obey Him. For God wants the whole family to be together with Him in Heaven.