In my reading and after talking to several people I know, I’m wondering about Heaven…as everyone does now and then. My question is: Who goes there when they die? or does anyone?

I ask because the bible has a lot of mention of people “sleeping for a time” until the judgement in Revelation.

It seems that maybe we die and sleep until the judgment, then perhaps wind up in our “prepared place” after the 1000 years of Christ’s reign on earth or something to that effect. But to add to my confusion, Christ says on the cross that the criminal next to him will be with Him in paradise that very day. Christ also says a lot about who will enter His kingdom…and it’s a lot more than faith alone, in Jesus’ words. Can you help me figure this out?

Thank you for your willingness to teach all of us through your articles and by answering questions that arise as we study the Bible.

My son is a recent convert and has presented me with many questions while studying the Bible. A recent one concerns various passages he has read that can be interpreted to mean that Elijah could come to prepare the way for the second coming of our Lord. He is reading the New Testament as well as Revelations. Is there anyway that you can shed light on his question? He is certain that another will come to ready the world for the rapture.

I am confused as to who Elijah really is. I know Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament and also that John the Baptist was said to be Elijah. Does the word Elijah have a different meanings throughout the Bible?

Can you tell me what the Hebrew alphabet has to do at the beginning of every 8th verse of Psalm 119? Surely there is a reason for this and I never noticed it till just the other day. How can we miss so many things in the Word? I am 77 years old and know so little. Thank God for Bible teachers like you. I will look for your answer. Thank you and God richly bless you.

Could you shed any light on the meaning of the number 40 as it is utilized many times in the Bible?

Appreciate your help.

Who do you think was the Pharaoh during Joseph’s time? Could it be Ahkenaten? He belived in only one God, a sun god, and then when he died the Egyptians erased all evidence of him. Just curious because the Pharaoh believed what Joseph told him about his dreams, and I assume he knew Joseph was a Hebrew who believed in only one God.

Please interpret this passage, as you believe what Paul is saying regarding the Gentiles? “Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols even as ye were led”. (This is from 1 Cor. 12:2 in the KJV)

Does this mean Gentiles are now Jews? Or, Does this mean the Gentiles are now believers in Jesus Christ, having become “Born Again”, yet remain Gentiles?

I read your answer to Besetting Sin. I thought that when we are born-again, we are a new creation with new desires. So if they keep on living in sin (like pornography and homosexual relationship), then they’re desires didn’t really change. Passages about good trees must bear good fruit because good trees cannot bear bad fruit jumps to my mind. I’m not saying that we won’t sin, it’s just that we wouldn’t dive into sin or live in sin (like in a homosexual relationship). So if someone does behave like that, isn’t it justified to question his salvation in the first place? I do believe in eternal security, it’s just the question of whether or not they were saved in the first place.

Where in the word can I find all sin is the same in GODS eyes?

I want information about John 12:24. How can I explain what the kernel of wheat represents for a Sunday School lesson I’m preparing on that topic?

How come I can hear what God is saying to me and know when I need to do something, but often I cannot act on it. I can’t seem to get my body under control. I understand that its not my works but my belief, which is that I’m redeemed by Jesus and what he did, it just really frustrates me.