What is the origin of the maypole dance and should Christian parents allow their 5th grader to participate in such a ritual that supposedly has its roots in Paganism?

I thank you for your ministry which I read every day; you have explained so much that I didn’t understand. Part of this week’s lesson was “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Tim. 5:8)” What does God expect from a parent of an adult child who has never worked nor actively looked for a job but chooses to live on assistance? I feel as if I’m enabling her desire not to work if I give her money. Does providing for her child (which I do) fulfill God’s expectation?

3 years ago we were giving nearly 20% of our gross income to our local church and numerous Christian ministries. Then I lost my job of 20 years. Today, I have had 5 jobs in the past 3 years, all changes due to the economy and layoffs. I have been looking for work for nearly a year, but we are still able to tithe about 16% of my weekly unemployment check. During this time God has graciously provided for all of our needs; our home, food, clothing and good health. But I am having a hard time squaring this experience with “the more generous we are to those in need the more God will give us to share” What am I not getting?

Since Mary’s cousin Elizabeth and her husband were both Levites, isn’t it likely that Mary was also related to the tribe of Levi on her mother’s side? Jesus is both King and High Priest (after the order of Melchizedek), but I have wondered about this and wanted to know your thoughts. Somehow I feel that the Lord would not leave out a single detail in his incarnation. Thank you. I find your lessons of great comfort and help.

I understand the Pentecostal movement greatly relies on 1 Cor 13:10 referring to the Second Coming so that they don’t have to deal with the whole context of verses 8 – 13. That being the fact that the whole Word of God is now with us, complete and full and thus there is no longer a need for partial revelation through tongues, prophesies, and knowledge. Since the gender in the Greek of “perfect” in vs 10 in neuter, seems like Paul is referring to God’s complete Word rather than His Son at His second coming. What do you think the Lord is saying in these verses?

I was thinking about the various feasts of Israel and how amazing God’s timetable is concerning the rebirth of the nation and of Jerusalem; how the calculation of the dates coincided so perfectly with the prophecies in the Old Testament. Then I was thinking about the date of the rebirth of Israel–May 14, 1948. I wondered if there was any correspondence to any of the feasts back in 1948. I found an article that said that if you don’t add the extra leap month for that year, the rebirth of the nation actually lands on the eve of Shavuot!

My question is will the 144000 Jewish evangelists be preaching throughout the world or will they be confined to Jerusalem?

I have a few questions about Daniel 12. The one prophecy that seems to create more confusion than clarity among our group is the 75 day period between the end of the great tribulation to the 1335th day. As you know 1260 days equals 42 months or 3-1/2 years, the last time period on the great tribulation. From Daniel 12:11-12 there seems to be 30 days missing. 1290-1260 = 30 days. Then there’s a 45 day period between the end of the 1290 days to the 1335 days. Can you help us understand this?

I have a question about the 7 years of weapons-burning mentioned in Ezekiel 39:9. On 1/3/12 you said that you believe these 7 years will take place during Daniel’s 70th Week. Aren’t the Jewish people fleeing for their lives in the second half of the 70th Week? When will they have the time to finish burning up those weapons?

I firmly believe in Jesus Christ, and that he died for my sins. I know that only through my faith in Him will I experience true happiness in Eternal Life. That being said, I also fear even the thought of hell. My question is: Is it a good thing to fear hell? Could this possibly be a sign of my Faith? Or am I worrying too much about condemnation? “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1)