I’m reading the Old Testament for the first time and I’m currently in Numbers. Through the Mosaic covenant, God sounds more like a megalomaniacal, power-crazed dictator or tyrant who commands respect and will kill anyone at whim for the slightest disloyalty or disobedience- more along the lines of a mafia boss. This personality and leadership style is very different than the Jesus of New Testament who didn’t kill anyone, didn’t turn anyone into pillars of salt. He didn’t say, Peter, you will deny me 3 times and afterward, I will kill you for being disloyal. He forgave everyone who was meek and humble and taught love, peace, and forgiveness. I guess I grew up as a child of the 70s believing God was more like a 60s hippy pacifist “peace and love man”. If Jesus says if you know me you know my father, then why such a contrast in personalities between God of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament?

I see no God in my life. He says to Love Him. How about showing us His Love. I am sick & tired of living. I have suffered my mental illness and many other physical and mental issues all my life and what for? I am in a marriage where my conditions make life for my wife hell and I do not want to continue on this way. We have prayed for years and so have others for Divine Intervention in our marriage and in my life and as of today which is our 24th marriage Anniversary, I am just worn out trying to love an unlovable God. All I see in this world is the destruction of man, body & soul. God is nowhere to be found. Why does the Bible say one thing and yet it does nothing what it says God will do? Why should I go on living in an ungodly World and a God who does hear the screams of prayer toward Him? No one seems to be able to answer my questions and I am tired of waiting on God to deliver me from my anger, fears and etc. You would think that after 30 years as a Christian he would answer me, but alas he does not.

In studying the the subject of the trinity I came across I John 5:7. I have been told that this text is not in the Septuagint, the oldest Greek version of the Bible. If this verse is not in the Septuagint does that mean it is not inspired by God? How would one know if it is in the original?

I have a quick question about the BEMA judgment. I believe the BEMA is a judgment of works, not of salvation, that occurs shortly after the rapture and takes place in heaven for christians only? My question is, will there be regret in heaven? Will christians who did not do much for the Lord on earth be regretful in heaven after the BEMA? If so, wouldn’t that allow sorrow to persist in heaven and worse throughout eternity? At the same time, I see passages like Revelation 21:4 that say there will be no more sorrow. How does this work?

My husband had a business partner for 6 years and that partner embezzled money etc. then pushed him out of the company. We know the bible says not to take your brother to court. If it boils down to if he’s a Christian or not, that is questionable because he holds to a works-based belief.

In Matt. 8:28-34 Jesus cast a number of demons out of 2 men in into a herd of pigs who then plunged into the Sea of Galilee. Mark and Luke both say there was only one man and locate the event in a different place.

Is this the same event, a contradiction, or just a different aspect from the Gospel writers being told? Are Gergesenes and Gadarenes the same? Did Luke focus on the one man and the details about him rather than two men like Matthew and Mark do?

I happened to run across a web site where a man is stating that the ‘last trumpet’ is at the end of the Tribulation and that a man in the 1800’s called John Nelson Darby changed the timing of the Rapture to before the Tribulation but before that it was believed it would happen at the end of the Tribulation. I may not be explaining what this man said very well but I think I got the general gist of it. You’ve probably heard of this man and what he believes. Please could you explain why he is wrong.

Where in the world are our rabbis? I am amazed at the information I was never given in a church building. I have learned more in the past three years online (and doing other research) about the symbolism, and the prophecies, and just the basic social implications of the stories in the Bible than I ever got at a church in all my 41 years. It’s like comparing watery Kool-Aid to the best wine ever made. Why, why, why didn’t anyone ever teach me any of this stuff? I’ve been starving for this information all my life and didn’t even know it was there—I just figured there was too much mystery in the Bible for me to ever really understand much of it. The information you provide is one of the invaluable sources I have come to trust and rely upon–I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you.

I have been told there are 3 tithes mentioned in the Old Testament(one being the 10% that many Christians practice). Would you please explain what the other 2 are and do they have relevance today?

I have a question about something I just read on a well known prophecy website. The commentator was not addressing this subject specifically, but stated that:

“Prior to the death of Christ on the cross, it was only necessary that man believe in Who Jesus said He was. Proof of this revelation is evidenced through the testimony of Peter and the testimony of the thief on the cross. (See Mark 8:29 and Luke 23:42)

Now I do not know how exactly he meant this, but it makes it appear that the gospel Jesus preached in John 3:16 and John 6:29 changed after the cross. He could not be referring to Old Testament saints because of his scripture references. If this were to be true then we would have problems in dealing with difficult passages regarding salvation that occur after the gospels. Can you address this?