...We Answer

Not every answer might comply with everybody's way of seeing things. Then I kindly ask you to hold it with Paul, who said in 1 Corinthians 13 that we now see in part. All of us answering here, stick to the basic faith statements as defined in the Apostle's Creed, yet further to that we know that there are also Biblical topics not related to salvation itself, that different people understand and see differently. So please keep this in mind in case you "stumble" over a certain answer - we would like you to be blessed by the challenge of different aspects!

Answer Set 11

Question: Explain to me Ezekiel 18:32 please?

Answer from Polly: God has always given more than one warning and opportunity to His people to repent, obey, change their evil ways and return to Him so that all might have eternal life. This is the life He speaks of in 'repent and live' (Ezekiel 18:32). God has always wanted and still wants all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), demanding a reverent fear of the One who can destroy both soul and body (Matthew 10:28). As God explains in Ezekiel 18:23, He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather He is pleased when they repent.

Question: We read the four gospels on the teachings of Christ. Christ teachings covered many topics to all people. With having to go through all that (topics) Christ taught on, what did Christ teach only his disciples (example how to pray or when they were not able to cast out the demons out of the child). What was taught exclusively to the 12 that were to be his disciples and the 70 that were sent out. WHAT DID JESUS TEACH THE TEACHERS?

Answer from Polly: (All Scripture references in these answers are in Matthew).

All of Jesus' teachings were to the disciples. That is why they were chosen; to 'go and make disciples of all nations' (Matthew 28:18-20). We do not know for sure if ONLY the disciples were present when Jesus was speaking to them but Scripture insinuated this in the calling of the disciples (3:18-22); on the mountainside (chapters 5 through 7); crossing the sea (8:18, 23-27, 9:1); John's disciples (9:14-17); names the 12 and gives instructions (10:1-42); in the grain-fields until the Pharisees showed up (12:1); walk on water (14:22-33); instructions on feeding the 4000 (15:32); Peter's confession (16:13-20); predicts His own death (16:21-28); the Transfiguration (17:1-13); boy with demon (17:19-23); who is the greatest (18:1-14); brother who sins against you (18:15-20); just Peter (18:21-35); Peter again (19:23-30); parable of the workers (20:1-16); again predicts death (20:17-19); just the 10 (20:24-28); just the 2 (21:1-6); fig tree (21:18-22); the next few chapters (21 through 23) is Jesus in the temple, speaking to the crowd and the teachers of the Law; disciples again (24:1-25:46); Lord's Supper (26:17-30); Gethsemane (26:36-46); The Risen Christ (28:16-20).

Question: Examples of Perfect Love displayed in the bible?

Answer from Polly: Perfect love can be described with one word. God! (1 John 4:8)! Because of God's great act of love, believers ought to love one another, but most miss the mark of perfection (1 John 4:10-11). Those born of God are enabled to love Him and keep His commandments by faith, again missing the mark on occasions (1 John 5:1-5), because love is an essential defining characteristic of God. The love that the believer shows is 'perfect love'; God's love which has reached perfection, or goal (this will only be reached in Heaven), in loving others (1 John 4:17-18). Believers show God's love by concrete acts of service which meet real human need, just as Jesus showed God's love by laying down His life for them (1 John 3:16-17, Galatians 5:14, 1 Corinthians 13, Romans 5:5, Galatians 5:22, Romans 8:1-9).

SECULAR HUMAN RELATIONS in the Bible (that may have appeared perfect but was only human and had faults) include: Genesis 29:18-20, 22:2, 44:20, Proverbs 13:24, 1 Samuel 18:1-4, 20:17, 2 Samuel 1:26, Ruth 4:15.

Because the human heart is easily drawn away from a commitment to God then it also is easily drawn away from perfect love. Through faith and obedience to God the believer is enabled to love with the love of God (agape love) through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Question: Zechariah 14:21 read that '...all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them...'. I take it that we are talking about the Millennium rule. If so, who is making sacrifices and why if Christ was the final sacrifice?

Answer from Polly: We will compare the Millennial Reign to the Communion or Lord's Supper that we partake of today (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). Jesus tells us to 'do this in remembrance of me'. The Millennial Reign sin offering does not atone for sin but rather acknowledges (in remembrance) that the sinner needs forgiveness or to accept the forgiveness Jesus offered on the Cross. The earth will be full (gradually re-populated) with mortal, sin natured men in the Millennium, that will have the chance to repent and come to Christ (most will not have been born when Christ comes into the Millennium). The Millennium sacrifice ritual is like the Leviticus worship in the Old Testament; however Leviticus was exclusively Jews (Gentiles were not active participants) and in the Millennium the whole of the population will worship the King (Zechariah 2:10-12, 9:9, Isaiah 56:6-8). The atonement has been secured but the benefits of the atonement are gradually restored during the Millennium and ALL will come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

Question: In the book of Isaiah 44, is it speaking about salvation, to a nation? and what is God saying to Cyrus?

Answer from Polly: God is speaking to Israel through Isaiah and is speaking more of repentance and revival in 44:3-5. He will pour out His Holy Spirit (32:15) on Israel's descendants. This will occur when the people have returned, in belief, to the land (Ezekiel 36:24-27, Joel 2:25-29) just after the Messiah's second coming to establish the Millennium. When the Millennial Kingdom is established on earth salvation, like a great harvest, will spring up and people everywhere will know the Lord (Isaiah 44:3-5, Habakkuk 2:14).

God is not speaking to Cyrus but rather predicting more than 150 years in advance that a man named Cyrus would release the Jewish exiles. Cyrus allowed the exiles to go back and rebuild the capital city Jerusalem (45:13) and the temple (2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4). Cyrus enjoyed a special relationship with God and was honored by God but he was not a believer.

Question: Why did King Josiah spread the ashes of the wooden idols on the graves of the common people?

Answer from Polly: The 'graves of the common people' was the common burying place of the city; most likely where the less fortunate would have been buried as opposed to the 'tombs' where the high-classed people would be. No real significance should be attached to the grave itself but to the ceremonial uncleanness that by law, was contracted by the touch of a grave. In casting the ashes here Josiah was declaring them most impure and none could touch them without making themselves unclean. Continue to read and find that Josiah also carried dead men's bones to the places where the idols had been standing (2 Kings 23:14-16). By 'mixing and matching' the dust of the images with the dead and the bones of the dead with the ruins of the places they had worshiped idols, the people were kept from defiling themselves in both places. Dead men and dead gods (idols) were much alike as they could not speak or answer (Psalm 115:4-8) and belonged together.