Here’s a follow up question concerning your answer to “Who Lives In The Mansions?” Do you think the ‘church age’ saints that have already died are already in this New Jerusalem or are they just in what we normally call heaven and will go to the New Jerusalem at the time of the rapture at the same time the raptured saints do?

I recently heard that the stones on the breastplate that the priest wore, were taken out, and cast down, much in the way (for those who practice it) chicken bones are thrown down, to see what God wanted them to do. I was told, “that is the only way they heard from God”. Personally, I don’t believe this. I have never read anywhere in God’s word of the Priest throwing down the stones out of the breast plate. Surely, if God can speak to Moses, and Abraham, He could speak to those High Priests too, couldn’t He,

We have a short family Bible study every night. We rotate the opening prayer each night between my children so that they learn that they are speaking to a real God and not a figure like Santa Claus. They are attentive, ask questions, and when I go over chapters we studied weeks before they remember what we have studied. My question concerns James 3:1. Am I held to a stricter judgment because we have Bible study as a family and I am teaching my children, or is James speaking of a formal teaching role within the Body of Christ?

The Bible says, “In my Fathers house are many mansions.” Who lives or will live in those mansions?

I have a question about something that was thrown into the middle of the conversation between Jesus and the centurion in Matthew chapter 8. In 8:11 and 12, Jesus goes from marveling at the faith of the centurion to telling His followers about people eating with Abraham Isaac and Jacob (the Jewish people) in the Kingdom of Heaven but those that already live there (the children of the Kingdom) will be tossed out. Is this referring to the angelic realm? I’m really confused.

Do you think the rapture happens as the dragon is cast out of heaven? I wouldn’t want to be around when he is cast down and confined and angry. It’s interesting that Jesus comes with the archangel but it doesn’t say with a great host of angels. Perhaps the angels are kicking butt and clearing the rebel angles out and getting things ready for us. When Jesus said He saw Satan fall like a lightening bolt, how does that fit in to the war in heaven when He is confined to earth?

We were under the belief that the Church will dwell in the New Jerusalem, with Jesus, as Kings and Priests. Your answer to the question “Where will the Lord Reign”, seems to contradict our belief, unless we are misunderstanding something. Can you please help us understand this issue?

It seems to me that Jesus gave up his divinity when He became a man. He was still God and man but in order to pay the price to redeem us he had to do it as a sinless man. I don’t believe he ever used His divine power to do any of the works that He had done, but that He operated only in faith. Otherwise Satan could have said he (God) was operating illegally in the Earth.

I was wondering your thoughts on God testing us. I’ve only heard this taught one time, Deuteronomy 8:2 says that God tests us in order to know what is in our heart, whether or not we will keep his commands. If taken literally, or at least the way I take it, the LORD brings things across my path to see how I will respond… Will I chose to act in faith on his word, or be in fear. Will I choose to obey or not and so on and so forth. Is this correct? If so it would give a different outlook on “problems” we encounter on a day to day basis.

I have been following where you are saying that the “Church” is the “bride” of Yeshua. But isn’t the church supposed to be pure, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish as Ephes, 5:25-27 says? In my experience the Church is anything but pure, and many don’t even seem to care. Are we not supposed to be working on ourselves? I am in a Messianic bible study where they teach us that the Lord could not bring a Church like this to himself. What do you think?