Is it true that when Jesus comes back and we go with Him, we will no longer be married to our spouses?  I just found the love of my life.  I believe Jesus is coming soon; can you help with this question?

Sincerely,
In Love

Dear In Love,

We won’t be married in heaven, but we will be closer to our loved ones than we can even imagine.  Jesus says in Matt 22:30 that there will be no marriage in heaven.  However, in heaven, there will be no sorrow, no death, no sin, and no pain (Rev 21:3-4).  Heaven will be full of the most healthy and fulfilling relationships that mankind is capable of having.  Just make sure you and your spouse both put God first, so you can see each other there!

(This is a follow-up to “Finding The Narrow Gate”)

I have to disagree with you on the narrow gate subject.  You wrote:

“God says that everyone has the opportunity and freedom to choose Him – regardless of what background we come from.  The very universe screams of the nature of God, so all are without excuse (Rom 1:20).

There are tribes out there who either do not know of Jesus or believe in a different god.  Some of these tribes are small, isolated, little communities.  The children are brought up believing what the parents tell them to believe; the cycle continues, and they all go to hell.

Jesus says: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE, prepared for the devil and his angels…” (Matthew 25:41).  If I do not accept Jesus, I will burn in hell for all eternity because God’s justice demands it. You say God is trying to keep us from hell by accepting Him when He CLEARLY has the power to just cast us into non-existence.  With God, all things are possible.  It seems like He is trying to scare us into loving Him… kind of like a parent spanks their child to get them to obey.  He is the one who chose to send the wicked, disobedient, and nonbelievers to hell.  Was it not God’s idea for this?  He’s not doing anything to stop it, even if He does not approve of it.  Apparently, He does approve of it because He’s not changing it when He has the power to do so.

Sincerely,
Justice League

Dear Justice League,

When we begin to talk about hell and the judgment of God, we must be very careful to not speak about what we don’t understand.  Why God chose to create hell along with heaven is like trying to comprehend the length of infinity… only God knows.  We must be very careful to not overstep our bounds and make the mistake of speaking about things too wonderful for us (Job 42:1-3).  God is just (Rev 16:7), and we may not understand why He created hell, but we can know that He made the right decision.

I have a question referring to the time when tribulation falls upon the earth.  What if someone who is going through tribulation recognizes  the Lord’s existence and repents for his sins, and truly accepts Jesus, but is  knocked out or drugged to where he becomes unaware of his surroundings and has no say or right to what happens to his body, and receives the mark of the beast?  He awakens to realize he has received an unforgivable mark and will go to hell.  Would God prevent something like this from happening, or could the person repent for this if he had no choice?  If the Antichrist was smart, wouldn’t he force or drug (a drug that physically prevents you from making decisions such as a sedative, not deception) mankind to give them the mark without consent?

Sincerely,
Tattoo Terror

Dear Tattoo Terror,

The teaching that there will be a specific Antichrist that will take over the world at a future date is an erroneous doctrine that has confused many.  The Bible specifically says that anyone who deceives and mocks Christ is an antichrist (2 Jn 1:7).  The apostle John mentions that there are many antichrists (1 Jn 2:18).  The word ‘antichrist’ simply means ‘against Christ’.  Anyone who stands up in opposition to the teachings of Jesus is an antichrist.

The ‘mark of the beast’ is a reference to Rev 13:17.  There are two things that we need to keep in mind whenever we discuss the book of Revelation.  First, it is a symbolic book (John says he will be writing in ‘signs’ – Rev 1:1); many of today’s false doctrines have been created by treating symbolic language as literal.  Second, the book of Revelation prophesies of events that were to “shortly come to pass” (Rev 1:1) and events that were “at hand” (Rev 1:3).  The book of Revelation isn’t dealing with a future tribulation for the church – but the suffering that christians of the first century were about to endure at the hands of their countrymen.  If you would like a full understanding of the book of Revelation – listen to our class series on the topic.

The end result is that you need not fear the mark of the beast, nor is that mark a literal insignia upon people’s flesh.  We always have a choice, and no one will ever accidently be condemned to hell.

I am a committed christian, and I accept Christ as my Savior, but I don’t understand some of the things God does to people who do not believe, and I believe this is holding me back from truly feeling Him in my heart.  These are some of the things I do not understand: there are truly great people out there who do not know Christ or do not believe.  Those who are brought up believing something else are innocent, for they have no choice. To them, it is like someone trying to convert you to Buddhism; you would not convert because you were brought up believing something else, and the consequence is to burn in hell for all eternity.  The human mind can’t even conceive of eternity; that’s the most horrifying thing I can imagine. God is like our father, but could you send your son to burn in hell, even if you could do something about it?  Please help me understand this; my faith most likely depends on this.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Voice For The Lost

Dear Voice For The Lost,

There are several things to consider when wrestling with the issue of the lost going to hell.  The first thing to remember is that God doesn’t send people to hell – we choose to go there.  Sin is a choice made by responsible adults (see the story of the first sin in Gen 3:1-7).  When we sin, we die (Rom 6:23).  God didn’t make us spiritually dead; He created us with spiritual life (Gen 2:7).  God originally wanted all mankind to live eternally with Him in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:8)… we are the ones who chose to break that perfect pattern.

God says that everyone has the opportunity and freedom to choose Him – regardless of what background we come from.  The very universe screams of the nature of God, so all are without excuse (Rom 1:20).  We all have a responsibility to seek out God, and He promises that all those who seek Him will find Him (Matt 7:7, Matt 5:6).  God never condemned us to hell; we did it to ourselves.  God has offered a payment for our souls through His Son Jesus Christ’s blood (Jhn 3:16).  Jesus is a road back to God (Jhn 14:6), a road we don’t deserve (Rom 5:8).  All of us have rebelled against God (Rom 3:23), and God in His infinite mercy gives us a second chance.

When we start thinking in terms of “God opening the way to heaven through His love” instead of “God condemning almost everyone to hell”, then we begin to get a proper picture of the way God views eternity.

I have a sensitive question that has a lot of varying answers, but I came across this site and decided to ask yet another religious and spiritual person.  Please try to answer as honestly as you can.

I had a cousin a little while back who committed suicide.  She was young (only 16) and not outwardly depressed or upset.  She left a long note for her mother, apologizing and trying to explain herself.  She was scared of what her future would hold, and her decision came with a lot of conscious struggle.  She left us all behind, confused and worried for her.  What would happen to someone like her in the afterlife? I know that God has the final say, but is suicide a sin?

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
The girl in question wasn’t an overly religious person (didn’t attend church regularly), but she did believe in God, Jesus, and the afterlife.  She prayed every morning and often claimed to have a “connection” with God when she needed Him.  Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,
Sad Cousin

Dear Sad Cousin,

Suicide is a painful topic, and we are so sorry for your loss.  There are two things to consider when looking at what God says about a sixteen-year-old committing suicide.

1. Is suicide a sin?
2. How accountable does God hold someone of that age for their actions?

Question one is fairly straightforward – suicide is a sin.  Suicide is a form of murder, and murder is wrong (1 Jn 3:15).  What is so scary about suicide is that it is a form of murder that allows no opportunity for repentance (Heb 9:27).  The final judgment belongs to God (Heb 12:23), but it would be a very perilous thing to face God with your own blood on your hands.

Question number two is a lot trickier.  Children are not held accountable for their choices in the same way that adults are.  King David’s son died at infancy, and David knew that his son was in heaven (2 Sam 12:23).  Children are given as examples of godliness (Lk 18:17).  Paul uses the immaturity of children as an example (1 Cor 13:11).  At some point, children transition to being adults, and they become accountable for their own behavior… but that happens at different times for different kids.  Everyone understands that a five-year-old is a child and that a twenty-five-year-old is an adult; it is the ages in between that get fuzzier.  Sixteen is an age that sits squarely in the gray area.  Only God, who knows our hearts (Lk 16:15), could properly judge where your cousin’s maturity level was.  If she was still considered a child in the eyes of God, she will be in heaven – God doesn’t make mistakes; He will properly decide.  May God give you comfort in your time of grief for the loss of your loved one.

CAN ANYONE PLEASE ANSWER ME THIS: Is there a pre-tribulation rapture?  Before the seven years of tribulation???  I would highly appreciate if you could e-mail me and also post it on here for everyone else.  God bless.

Sincerely,
Rapt Attention

Dear Rapt Attention,

The word ‘rapture’ means ‘caught up’ in Latin.  The term ‘rapture’ is used to describe an event that many think will take place right before the days of tribulation in Revelation.  The problem with this theory is that it is wrong.  There will be a time when all christians will be caught up into the air to be with Christ – the end of time (1 Thess 4:14-18).  The book of Revelation doesn’t describe events in the future; it describes events in the past.  The book of Revelation deals with problems that the church was to “shortly” see come to pass (Rev 1:1).

Furthermore, the tribulation taught by many denominations is based off of a misinterpretation of Matthew chapter twenty-four.  Matt 24 is dealing with the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Jewish temple that would happen in 70 AD.  If we carefully pay attention to the context, Jesus is talking about the Jewish temple’s destruction, not a worldwide trial thousands of years in the future (Matt 24:1-2).  Jesus specifically said that the tribulation would occur within that generation’s lifetime (Matt 24:34).

There will be a day when all the faithful are caught up to meet Christ in the heavens.  The day He returns (Acts 1:11), all mankind will be judged at the same time (Jhn 5:28-29).  In that great day (Jude 1:6), the whole world will be burned up with fire (2 Pet 3:10-12).  There will be no post-tribulation, pre-tribulation, semi-tribulation, etc.; there will only be the great Day of Judgment (2 Pet 3:7, 1 Jn 4:17).