In Rev. 13:9 we read, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Another prophecy teacher quoted this scripture as evidence that the church will be raptured before the tribulation. He said that “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” appears 7 times in the book of Rev. The only time it appears without “what the Spirit says to the churches” is in Rev. 13:9. Is this omission evidence that the church is already gone?

Re: Rev. 5:6, you wrote in a previous column, “Although John’s description is symbolic, many scholars believe John saw Jesus in physical form still bearing the scars of His crucifixion and that’s the way He looks today.” So, if our Lord still carries the scars of crucifixion, and we are supposed to become like Him, will we carry those scars also? Will his body become perfect at some point? I’ve never heard that mentioned, and can’t find anything to support it after years of Bible study.

Could humans other than Noah and his family have been on the ark and preserved through the Great Flood. Some believe that Cain’s line was preserved and many of his descendants live in our modern world today. They base this on Genesis 6:19 where Noah was commanded to bring two of all flesh into the ark. Could this not imply that other humans were brought aboard the Ark along with Noah and his family?

Re. Paradise or Heaven? After reading your answer regarding 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 I did some research. All the translations I have looked up show “paradise” as the English translation. Are Heaven and Paradise the same, or different?

Thank you for such a great site! Since Isaac Newton has predicted the world’s end in 2060, do you think it may be possible that the Rapture may not come till around that time? I say this because of two things. One, Brother Newton was a genius and instead of a generation being 40 to 70 years, it may actually be 120 years. Moses had three 40 year periods… Egypt, Midian period and wandering in the desert. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark and then God closed the door. The Rapture of the saints is a type of door closing also, which is based on that very last person being saved and only God knows the number. However, we don’t know the time or date for the Rapture, so can it be that a generation is a 120 years. From 1948, 120 years, minus 7 will be very close to 2060. This is only a thought and I hope I am wrong. We should always be a watchman on the wall.

When Christ our Lord died and rose again through the power of the Holy Spirit, did He take all the dead in Him that were waiting in Paradise to Heaven or are they still waiting in paradise for the Day of the Lord (Rapture)? I ask this because in 2 Cor. 12:2-4 Paul spoke about a man going to Paradise. Who was the man and why did he go to Paradise if there’s no one there?

Ezk 14:15, 21 speaks of wild animals being used (I assume) as a judgment against Israel. I have also read somewhere that in the end times the Covenant between God and wild animals will be rescinded. Is this true? If so, what does it mean? I know we can expect events such as earthquakes, violent storms, etc, but it seems as though nature is doing some strange things with more animal attacks too. What can we expect in this regard?

I have a question for you that was brought up during a study I had with my brother last night. We were reviewing Matthew 24. The “big” verse obviously, that a lot of your interpretations of the end times are structured around is the “This generation shall not pass away…” verse in 24:34. Here is the question. Upon further review in the Greek and several commentaries, there seems to be a contingent who believe that the more accurate translation should be “race” or “nation”. Was Jesus referring simply to the enduring longevity of the Jewish nation and people even until the end of the age and beyond?

I just read your comments on II Thes. 2. You made mention of the “restrainer” being the church, and the Rapture would be what would remove the restrainer. I have a note in the margin of my KJV bible that some scholars believe the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, but most believe it is the Roman Empire. If we consider that the USA grew out of the Roman Empire( Brittain) and in many ways has been a restraining force in the world as a superpower ( God blessing our Christian nation) couldn’t America be the restrainer due to our large (true) Christian population ?

Scriptures are clear that those dead in Christ will rise first, then those then alive will follow to meet the Lord in the heavens. 1 Thess. 4:16-18. However, the issue of children under the ‘age of accountability’ seems vague at best. It is my witness that the Lord takes these babes with him as well because His love extends to the heavens and his truth to the clouds. Ps 57:10, 108:4. While He is surely just, His judgment is covered by His mercy, thus the ‘Mercy Seat’ rather than the ‘Justice Seat’.