Question

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

Answer

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!
Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every
Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished..

Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant,  "I'm finished.."

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........

The folded napkin meant,
"I'm coming back!"

AND SO HE SHALL....

Question

There are a few contradictions in the four Gospels, Please explain.

Answer

Every time any historical record is given, the information given is selected by the author according to the purpose of the writing.

The biblical records of conversations are true and they are completely what God wanted them to report. But they are not a complete record of everything that was said at the time. This is not required or desired (people think the Bible is long now). The Holy Spirit chose the words to be recorded according to their importance to the purpose of the text at that point. Each gospel is telling the story of the life and work of Christ, but each is approaching His life from different perspectives. If two of the gospels record the same event, they are not required to tell all the same details of that event. John stated concerning the works of Christ that "if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written" (John 21:25). The Holy Spirit chose the most appropriate details of each scene according to the purpose of that gospel at that point.

However, this does not mean that the record is in any way false. At almost any event, the words spoken would have been many times the words actually recorded in the text of the gospels. The longest recorded sermon of Jesus is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Yet, it would take only about 15-20 minutes to speak. But we see Jesus speaking to the multitudes for entire days (this is why He fed the 5,000). What he said greatly exceeded what was recorded of His sayings. What is recorded in the gospels is carefully selected for its God-given purpose.

This can explain why comparisons of the sayings of Christ do not always perfectly match. One gospel may have 25 words of His speech, while another may have 39 words of the same speech. However, He may have spoken 800 or more words at the time. The authors, by the direction of the Spirit, have simply chosen the words that best tell the story from their perspective. What may seem like a contradiction is not. The authors have just chosen different words from the same speech.

One example of these so-called contradictions is found in the sign that Pilate put over the head of Jesus at His crucifixion. Consider the following accounts:

• Matthew 27:37 THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS
• Mark 15:26 THE KING OF THE JEWS
• Luke 23:38 THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS
• John 19:19 JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS

Many have pointed to this as a certain contradiction in the Bible. But I believe the sign probably said: "THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS." Check it out. This includes all the elements found in all four gospels. Every account is true, but none had the complete wording. This is not error. If you were the companion of a blind man and he asked you what you saw at any given point, would you be dishonest if you did not tell him everything you could see at that point in time? Of course not. In fact, so many things come into the range of our eyes, that this would be practically impossible. Before you could get to everything in the range of your eyes, the scene would have changed.

Now consider if the blind man asked four different people at the same time and in the same place to tell him what they saw. Would they tell him the same things? No, of course not. They would all see according to their own perspective. However, what if this blind man were able to record each of the four accounts and study them over a period of time? Would he understand more or less because of four accounts of the same scene. I think we would agree that his understanding would be increased. Not only that, he would know more than the sum of adding the four accounts together, for by comparing the records, he would learn things that were not specifically stated by any of the reporters. This is the effect that the study of the four gospels can have on our understanding of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Question

Dancing - Is It Right Or Wrong?
What does it say about dancing in the bible? My daughter attends a Christian dance school and I was wondering if this is appropriate?

Answer

I am indeed against dancing in the modern sense of the practice. However, that does not mean I am against you. My conviction comes from putting together several biblical precepts and applying as best as I can to my life. Let me see if I can explain.

First, let's look at the good things about dancing. It is good exercise. It helps develop coordination. It works as a socializing tool (that is, it helps kids get to know each other and learn to react to one another). These are all good and dancing certainly provides them.

But now, let's look at the negatives about dancing. Dancing encourages seductive movements before the eyes of others. Our daughters are taught to wiggle in various ways in front of the boys. Also, most forms encourage physical contact between the sexes to varying degrees. The world would laugh at our concern over this, but as a parent I believe you can understand the dangers of encouraging this. Dancing also prepares the young for the greater "adventures" of the night club and other entertainment forms. In 1 Thessalonians 5:22, we are told, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." Dancing is often associated with evil in this world.

Traditionally, Spirutual christians have opposed worldly activities such as dancing for the reasons given above and more. But today, even most spiritual people have fallen away from these convictions. Neither you nor your daughter are evil because she goes to dancing school. However, I hope you will pray and seek the will of the Lord in this. Go to the Lord and tell Him that you are willing to do whatever He wants, ask Him to reveal His will to you in this, expect an answer, and then obey Him. I am sure that He will help you with this decision if you will be submissive to Him.

One final comment: The benefits that I admitted can come from dancing in the earlier paragraph can also be gotten in other ways without the problems. Families and children who love the Lord and practice strong convictions do not have to be miserable. We found that out with our own children. I believe that they had a very happy and exciting childhood and so can yours.

Question

What is the proper way to pray to God and ask Him to help your financial situation?

Answer

Certainly it is right and proper to ask God's help for financial needs. However, we need to understand that financial problems come from two kinds of causes: external and internal. By external causes, I mean those things that happen outside our own ability to control them. These include sickness, loss of a job (most of the time), and other troubles that come upon us. By internal causes, I refer to causes brought on by our own actions and decisions. This may come by buying extensively on credit, not paying our debts, spending money on pleasures instead of needs, or just being discontent with the basics and determining to have more than God has given to us.

Certainly, God is ready to help us in every need we have. But His help may take different forms for different situations. Some of the ways in which He may help us are as follows:

1.He may increase our income or give us an unexpected gift. This is what people usually want when they ask for financial help. However, this is not always God's choice. Unfortunately, people sometimes ask to win a lottery or some other large amount of money. This is certainly wrong. This comes from greed and the Bible warns of "the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof" (Proverbs 1:19).
2.He may decrease our need for money. Many people do not realize that this is a more powerful way of getting out of debt than an increase in income. The Bible teaches that "the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7). God may change your need for as much money in certain areas.
3.However, God often uses a third way to help us when we seek His help in financial matters. He gives us direction on how we can better deal with our financial problems. This means that when you pray for financial help, you are also asking God for His wisdom and indicating that you are willing to submit to His leadership in this area. Without this submission, you may find that your prayers do not go very far. However, when you submit to the direction God gives, you will often find that He will also help you by increasing your income or lessening your outgo. He wants to see if you are willing to obey Him.
So, I encourage you to ask for God's help and be submissive to His leadership. May the Lord richly bless you in every way.

 Question       

       Is smoking cigarettes a sin and if so why is it so hard for me to quit?

 Answer

Smoking is an addiction (as proven by your inability to quit). As you also know, it is a habit that is harmful to the body God has given you and in which His spirit dwells. "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1Corinthians 6:20). Certainly, we cannot glorify God with cigarettes. Paul also states, "all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (1Corinthians 6:12). He means that though there is no law that says he cannot do something, there can still be reasons that it is wrong and one of those reasons is when a habit brings us under its power. That is, if I cannot quit, it becomes an addiction and that addiction is a sin. Clearly, smoking is a sin.
That does not mean that it is easy to quit and,  I know how hard bad habits can be to quit. Since the addiction is also a chemical addiction to some degree, this makes it even harder to quit. Yet, God has all power and is able to give us the victory over such habits. I know a person who was smoking a couple of packs of cigarettes a day.  He went to the altar one evening at the end of the church service. I found out later that he had given up his smoking. I remember him gaining some weight at that point, but to my knowledge he never smoked another cigarette. You must remember that God is able.
You must keep taking it to the Lord. When you fail, look at the circumstances of your failure and see what else needs to be changed about your habits and heart. God may use your struggles as an important training ground for you life in a broader way. Just remember, He is able and willing. We fail because of lack of trust in Him or lack of obedience to Him, not because He is lacking in any way. May the Lord give you full victory in your quest to serve Him.

 Question

Explain "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

Answer

Several verses give this general teaching:

Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Matthew 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Matthew 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Mark 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
 
1 Corinthians 6:16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

First phrase: When a man and a woman get married, they are to form a separate family unit. The man is to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. A new family is to be formed that is distinct from either of the families the two came from. By the way, the man is not told to join to his wife's family but to join his wife. I do not think this verse teaches against ever having living arrangements in the same house. This is much more common in some cultures than in others. Many times, it is a financial necessity. However, some form of separation must be made and a separate place to live is probably the best arrangement. When the in-laws are too much a part of the new marriage, they often weaken the new family and the new relationship that is to form.

Second phrase: These two, husband and wife, become one flesh. 1 Corinthians 6:16 teaches us that adultery breaks this union of one flesh. Therefore, the Bible is referring to the physical union of husband and wife in marriage. Neither the wife or the husband is to have full mastery over their own bodies because they are now one. 1 Corinthians 7:4 states, "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife." They are no longer simply two different people with two different bodies. They belong to each other in a very literal way.

Question

The Bible tells us about an "evil eye". What is it and how can we protect ourselves?
 

Answer

The Bible tells about an evil eye in many places eg. Mark 7:22(KJV).It mainly comes out of jelousy.But God's people will naturally have a protection.Proverbs 26:2 says "As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come"Surely  there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel:..When you feel that you are confronted by people having jelousy and evil eye, you specially pray for a protection.The Holy spirit will enable to discern and guide you.Be not affraid.

Question:

My cousin has a doubt in the bible and I don't know how to answer him.I hope you can help me.

Was there a concept of Heaven and Hell in the old Testement? Was there Salvation for any body?

Answer:

Bible is The Book  and it is one book. You can never seperate into two books.You can never find old testement saying one thing and the new testement saying different thing.The old testement is a reflection of the new testement and the new testement is an explanation of the old testement. What the commandments and sacrifices of animals cannot give the Blood of Jesus can accomplish in full.Try to understand the truth and don't divide the bible into two books

Ans: First of all , you should have a strong desire to seek Him early (Prov 8-17 KJV) and the ask the Lord to wake you up early. Then in the morning respond to His call and obey. It will become a practice by His assistance. It is always possible for you to get up early on all days if you have a desire and put your trust.

Ans: Colossians 3:20 says, Children obey your parents in all things; for this is well pleasing unto the lord. Talking to the opposite gender, one has to be very careful. The bible says in Proverbs 10-19 when words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Ans: Bible is always right

Ans: If you cannot bless them, please do not mind them.
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing
Whether it is good or evil (Eccl 12:14) Once you tastes this in your life you will start blessing those who curse you.