Questions and Answers
In the first two parts of this series, we began to discuss the concept taught by the Roman Catholic Church that the “immortal souls” of departed ones may be in hell or purgatory, and that “indulgences” or prayers for the dead can allegedly remove, partially (“plenary”) or completely (“in full”), punishment for sin, so that their souls can be freed from purgatory or even hell to go to heaven. In order to answer the question regarding indulgences, we reviewed, among other questions, related issues such as the fact that we do not have an immortal soul; and that we neither go to heaven (where we, as immortal saints in heaven, could allegedly receive prayers from the living and intervene on their behalf), nor do we go to hell or purgatory when we die. Some, however, confuse the concept of the “immortal soul”—which does NOT exist—with Scriptures talking about the spirit in man—which does exist–claiming that, regardless as to whether one refers to the soul or the spirit in man, it would be helpful to pray to God in respect to that “spirit” in man which allegedly does not “cease to exist” when the person dies. In this instalment, we will therefore explain… In the first part of this series, we began to discuss the concept taught by the Roman Catholic Church that “indulgences” can allegedly remove, partially (“plenary”) or completely (“in full”), punishment for sin. We referred to an article that we published in our Update #936, dated August 7, 2020. A recent article by “Crux”, dated October 23, 2020, is worth mentioning in this regard. It has the headline, “Vatican extends time to obtain full indulgences for souls in purgatory,” and continues to read, in part: “Plenary or full indulgences traditionally obtained during the first week of November for the souls of the faithful in purgatory can now be gained throughout the entire month of November, the Vatican said. Also, those who are ill or homebound and would not be able to physically visit a church or cemetery in the prescribed timeframe still will be able to receive a plenary indulgence when meeting certain conditions… “The new provisions were made after a number of bishops asked for guidance as to how the faithful could perform the works required for receiving a plenary indulgence given the ongoing pandemic and restrictions in many parts of the world limiting the number of people who can gather in… You must be referring to the Vatican News report on August 2nd 2020 which we quoted in our weekly Update No. 936, dated August 7, 2020. It read, under the headline, “The Pardon of Assisi”: “Pope Francis invited everyone to receive the ‘Pardon of Assisi’, which can be obtained from the evening of 1 August until midnight on 2 August… ‘It is a plenary indulgence that may be received by partaking of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist and visiting a parish or Franciscan church, reciting the Creed, the Lord’s prayer and praying for the Pope and his intentions,’ the Pope pointed out. He recalled that the indulgence can even be obtained for a deceased person… “The ‘Pardon of Assisi’ dates back to 1216, when Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and angels appeared before St. Francis. The apparition took place in the tiny Portiuncula, the chapel Francis had built in the Italian town of Assisi. When Jesus asked him [what] he desired for the salvation of souls, St. Francis asked for God to grant a plenary indulgence for all those who enter the chapel. The indulgence was later extended to anyone who visits a parish or Franciscan church on 1… Knowing that human pride is a characteristic that Christians need to monitor closely and remove, how are we to respond when we receive a compliment? Should Christians reject all compliments from others? Is it possible to accept compliments from others without conceding to human pride? Is it possible to receive another’s compliment with complete joy, rather than mere acquiescence? As a foundation in answering this question, we need to begin with an understanding of why human pride (correctly understood) is condemned. Citing from our Q&A asking, “Is Pride Always Condemned in the Bible? Part 1”, “God condemns human pride, which is opposed to God and which is unwilling to submit to Him. God despises those who wallow in haughtiness and who boast in their self-confidence and self-conceit. Such an attitude prevents a person from loving and obeying God with all of one’s heart and from loving his neighbor as oneself.” This kind of pride is a human attribute, influenced by Satan, that elevates self above God and diminishes the glory of God. Pride became the downfall of Lucifer, who believed he was greater than God. It should be no surprise that Satan broadcasts a message that convinces the carnal man that… In 1 Kings 8:65-66 we read: “At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven more days—fourteen days. On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.” On the face of it, it speaks of “seven days and seven more days—fourteen days” and on “the eighth day he sent the people away.” How do we reconcile this—first it seemingly speaks of 14 days, and then it reverts back to the eighth day at the end of 14 days? Some might see it as a contradiction, but if it was, the Bible would not be reliable and as we know, the Word of God is perfect, fitting together like a completed jigsaw puzzle and there is no contradiction here. We read the following in the Benson Commentary: “Before the temple, as in God’s presence. Seven days and seven days — Seven for the dedication of the temple,… Some have used this Scripture to say that there is no strong leadership in the church(es) of God as a whole at this time. This is an interesting approach to take as it leaves no room for the leadership of Jesus Christ. Many Scriptures point out that Christ is the Head of the Church and that He places people in positions of leadership as He sees fit. 1 Corinthians 12:28-29 clearly states that God ordains the leadership where He wants and as He sees fit. While there are many splinters of the church(es) of God, very few prove to be holding fast, or boldly proclaiming the Gospel into all the world (Please read our free booklet on how to find the true Church ( How to Find the True Church of God ). As with many parts of the Bible, we must look before and ahead of a particular passage to get the full picture of what a Scripture is saying, as well as looking at the meaning and tying in other Scriptures. This chapter in Ezekiel is highlighting the sins of “Jerusalem.” The sins listed here are varied and wide-ranging, and God says He is very displeased. In verse… As the question suggests, the underlying motivation is one of fear. We have recently published several Q&As on the topic of fear, but in this time of ongoing panic, paranoia and propaganda with the goal of causing people to become afraid and fearful, we need to bring out biblical principles and clear promises from God, assuring us that fear of the future is not inevitable for Christians. We are going to focus in this Q&A on the many Scriptures which deal with fear of future events—with anxiety as to what our future may bring and what may “happen” to us if we were to act in obedience to God’s commands. Specifically, and in answering the question raised in this Q&A, we will address concerns of those who may not personally want to attend weekly Sabbath services or assemblies during the annual Holy Days and especially the Feast of Tabernacles, for fear that they might get sick of the coronavirus or of another contagious disease if they did… and especially in those countries or US states without mandatory social distancing measures or mask-wearing mandates. Would it be permitted in God’s eyes to just stay home and not assemble with God’s people? Would this kind… Some of the next major events that have to happen prior to or at the beginning of the Great Tribulation are the building of a temple in Jerusalem, the rise of the beast power in Europe and the rise of the false prophet, as well as the continued downfall of the USA, the UK, Canada and other English-speaking nations and the constant and increasing deterioration of the relationship between the USA and their allies. In regard to the temple being built either before or at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, how is that currently possible when the Dome of the Rock and/or the al-Aqsa mosque are sitting on the very spot where the temple needs to be built? Some claim that this could never happen; therefore, the third temple would not be built. Let’s look at some possibilities in regard to having the site available for building a temple there. 1- The Arab world might consider relocating the al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock to another site, since historically, it can be proven that the Dome of the Rock was built sometime after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. According to Google, the Dome of the Rock was built… In previous articles, we explained that and why the Jewish establishment and the numerous Jewish sects and fractions were at odds with Jesus, when He was here on earth, and that the Jews are still waiting for the coming of the Messiah, as they reject Jesus as the Messiah. In this article, we will point out that nominal or professing Christians are likewise guilty of rejecting the true Jesus of the Bible, albeit for different reasons than the Jews, even though they may not realize this. This article is a fitting conclusion of our series, as true Christians are spiritual Jews and Israelites (Romans 2:28-29; Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 6:16; John 4:22-24), while nominal Christians are not spiritual Jews in the eyes of God, but rather belong to those “Jews” who are rejecting Jesus (Revelation 2:9; 3:9). There are many concepts nominal Christianity believes in, which we could quote, all being in contradiction to the clear teachings of the Bible. It has been said that virtually everything which the Bible teaches has been rejected or distorted by traditional Christianity. In this article, we will be concentrating on some major discrepancies showing that traditional or orthodox professing Christians do in fact reject Jesus Christ as… We previously looked at the fact that Judaism has been, and is still looking for, a human being to fulfil the role of the “mashaich” who they expect will bring about the millennial prophecies we read in many books in the Old Testament. Let us continue to look at the website www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm where we read further, as follows: “When Will the Mashiach Come? “There are a wide variety of opinions on the subject of when the mashiach will come. Some of Judaism’s greatest minds have cursed those who try to predict the time of the mashiach’s coming, because errors in such predictions could cause people to lose faith in the messianic idea or in Judaism itself. This actually happened in the 17th century, when Shabbatai Tzvi claimed to be the mashiach. When Tzvi converted to Islam under threat of death, many Jews converted with him. Nevertheless, this prohibition has not stopped anyone from speculating about the time when the mashiach will come. “Although some scholars believed that G-d has set aside a specific date for the coming of the mashiach, most authority suggests that the conduct of mankind will determine the time of the mashiach’s coming.” We want to interject here that this concept does include elements…The Pope has recently spoken about indulgences. How do you understand this? (Part 3)
The Pope has recently spoken about indulgences. How do you understand this? (Part 2)
The Pope has recently spoken about indulgences. How do you understand this? (Part 1)
How are we to receive compliments and praise?
Is there a contradiction between 1 Kings 8:65 and 1 Kings 8:66?
What does it mean in Ezekiel 22:30 where it says that no man was found to stand in the gap?
In light of the coronavirus pandemic and the possibility of getting sick when attending church services in person, wouldn’t it be better to stay home and just listen in via the Internet?
What are some of the next major events that have to happen prior to or just at the beginning of the Great Tribulation?
Does nominal Christianity reject Jesus Christ?
As the Jews rejected Jesus Christ, are they still waiting for a Messiah? – Part 4
