I have several thoughts on this.  First, it may be the first time a question in this blog is longer than the answer!  Secondly, it appears to me that you aren’t really asking a question, but rather trying to ‘hijack’ my blog to express your own opinion.  However, just in case I’m mistaken and your interest represents a sincere desire to walk in truth, I’ll give you my thoughts:

1.  Why settle on “Jehovah” as THE name?  After all (in case you’re not aware), the Hebrew texts certainly didn’t include any vowels, and probably the best any scholar can do with God’s name is “YHWH”.  The vowels added are strictly man’s attempt to make sense of the Hebrew.  And even IF Jehovah or Yahweh is the correct name, that would ONLY apply to English speakers, since God’s Name would have a different translation in Spanish or Swahili or French or, well, you get my point.  So while your intent may be well-intentioned, it is simply NOT possible for us to choose one name and require all believers to use it exclusively.

2.  More importantly, the Scripture does recommend one name to us – and it’s not Jehovah – notice Philippians 2:9-11 and Acts 4:12, as both are quite clear that one name is Jesus!

3.  Finally, I think it’s sad that so many believers seem to be drawn toward ‘fringe’ beliefs or ‘non-issue issues’ instead of majoring on the settled truths of Scripture.  I guess I’ll take my place with the man who said,  “it’s NOT the passages in Scripture I don’t understand that bother me, it’s the ones I do understand!” For sure, it’s better to be doers than hearers only!

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Great questions, from an admittedly difficult passage.  Here’s my understanding:

First, when it comes to any difficult or confusing verse in Scripture, always remember: “context, context, context”!  I’ve heard a lot of strange ideas from this passage, but in my humble opinion, the key to understanding it is found in the passage itself.

After consulting several translations, I chose the NKJV above because it seems to clarify best.  Notice that verse 18 says Jesus was made alive by “the Spirit” (obviously referring to the Holy Spirit). Then verse 19 gives us a major key to understanding the passage – “by whom” – i.e., it was by the Holy Spirit that he preached to imprisoned spirits. Verse 20 then gives us the time frame this preaching took place: in Noah’s day, while the ark was being built!

So, in putting all of that together, I don’t see this passage saying ANYTHING about what happened to Jesus after He died or as being a reference to Him preaching in hell.  Rather, I see this passage teaching us that while the ark was under construction, Noah was warning the people about God’s judgment, and the Spirit of Christ was working through him to try to reach those people.  I think the “imprisoned” reference is a figurative, poetic way to say that God had assigned this period of time that He would deal with them through the Holy Spirit.  Genesis 6:3 tells us that God would not always strive with man by His Spirit – but that man would have a limited time to respond to Him (generally, 120 years). 2Pet. 2:5 and Hebrews 11:7 both speak of the important role that Noah played in warning people of the coming judgment.

Now, IF this passage is about Jesus going into hell after his death (as Acts 2:31 and Rev. 1:18 and Eph 4:7-9 indicate) I can tell you for certain that He did NOT preach to people in hell to give them a “second chance” after death, for that would violate Hebrews 9:27 as well as numerous other verses.  The Jewish understanding of “hades” prior to the Resurrection of Christ is that it was the place of departed spirits and was divided in two compartments, one for the wicked and one for the righteous, which they called, “Abraham’s bosom”.

If Jesus went to hell after his death, during the three days His body was in the grave, it would have been only to visit the righteous dead and announce to them the good news of His death, and then take them with Him at His resurrection.

Everyone in the Old Testament looked “ahead” to the death of Christ in order to be saved; everyone in the New Covenant looks “back” to the death of Christ in order to be saved.  The passages I have cited above certainly ‘fit’ with that interpretation.  But it is not possible that He preached to someone after their death and they were able to be saved.

I think sometimes the problem is with us preachers who take poetic license in a sermon and describe Jesus going to hell and demanding of Satan, “give me the keys”.  It’s dramatic, and it’ll preach, but I’m not really sure we can prove that encounter ever happened in Scripture.

What I DO know is that Jesus IS victorious over death, hell and the grave – and that all those who put their trust in Him will have everlasting life!

Hope that helps!  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Well, I can try.  It’s a good question, since as you point out, some believers seem to have strong opinions about their diet.  First, I’m guessing that you refer to the KJV of the text rather than the NLT quoted above.  So from a Bible interpretation view, the passage obviously refers to any foods we eat, not just meat.

I think the real issue is whether people are making their dietary choices because of a supposed commandment in Scripture (such as this passage) OR if they’re making choices based on their own preferences (whether those are health concerns or taste preferences).

If someone chooses to abstain from ANY foods because of their health concerns or personal preferences, that’s fine – probably all of us should be a little more diligent in regards to eating right.  But for anyone to abstain from any food because they think the Bible forbids it – well, based on the text you cited and others, they are just sadly mistaken.  According to 1Tim. 4:1-5, Rom. 14:20-22, Heb. 9:8-12, and Rom. 14:17, we simply are not under the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament law any longer.

Having said that, I will say that my understanding of the Old Testament restrictions is that they were given by God for the health of His people.  Personally, I don’t think pork or shrimp is the best choice of foods for me to enjoy maximum health – but I don’t personally make that a “law” for myself or anyone else (in fact, I ate ham this week at a church luncheon where it was the only meat offered).

Finally, in spite of everything I’ve said above, if someone has a weak conscience and cannot eat in faith, then by all means, obey Romans 14:2-3, 23.

Hope this helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor? Please submit your question below – although I’m taking a 2-week vacation, I will answer your questions again on July 16.

I would only add or clarify that

Good question about a much-needed subject.

First, you are right that fear has a way of drawing negativity to us and becoming a “self-fulfilled prophecy”.  That’s because fear is the opposite of faith. So just as faith attracts blessing from God, fear attracts the attention of the enemy by creating an open door into our life.

However, it is my personal opinion that you CAN say anything to God, since he invited us to do so in 1 Peter 5:7.  By telling Him of your fears in prayer, you can receive His assurance and reaffirm your trust in Him (Psalm 56:3).  My only caution is to make sure that once you ‘cast your fear upon Him’ that you leave it there. In other words, don’t give your fears to God in prayer and then pick them up again when you quit praying!  Leave your fears in His hands.

Hope this helped.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Interesting question….and one I’ve never been asked before (love that; makes me think!)

There are a few things about Benjamin that make him (and his descendants) special:

• he was the last son born to Rachel, whom Jacob especially loved, so he became a favorite son (Genesis 35:16-18; Genesis 42:38)
• Jacob prophesied of their ferocity & courage in battle (Genesis 49:27)
• Moses gave them a special benediction (Deuteronomy 32:12)
• his descendants were known for their ability & marksmanship (Judges 3:15; 20:16; 1Chronicles 8:40; 1Chronicles 12:2)
• Benjamin (along with Judah) remained loyal to David’s family when the 10 tribes revolted. (1Kings 12:21; 2Chronicles 11:1)
• finally, the city of Jerusalem lies within the territory assigned to the tribe of Benjamin (Jeremiah 6:1)

The erection of the Temple on Benjamitic ground is explained in several ways in Jewish tradition. Some said that Benjamin was privileged to have the Shekinah dwell in his territory because all the other tribes (that is, fathers of the tribes) had taken part in the selling of Joseph. For God said: “If they—the Israelites—build me a Temple in some other place and seek my mercy, I can show them as little mercy as they showed their brother Joseph.” Another tradition gave this reason: Because Benjamin did not bow down before Esau as did his brothers and his father (Gen. 33:3-7), nor before Joseph (Gen. 42:6), his territory was reserved for the worship of God.

As I read Paul’s description of himself again (Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5), I’d say he was proud of his heritage – and my guess is that it had to do with all of those facts above, but probably especially the last two listed.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

That’s not a corny question at all – it’s VERY often asked and can become a point of concern for some even coming to faith in Christ.

Having said that, let me quickly add that I do not consider myself an expert in this area – it’s not one that I have studied extensively or majored in at all.  BUT, there are a number of born-again scientists who have done their research, and I can recommend that you read their writings: Henry Morris is one that I especially recommend.

Meanwhile, here is an article addressing your question online and here’s another good one, while this is a good website for all such questions.

Finally, let me just say that I believe dinosaurs were a part of God’s creation in the Genesis account, so they would have lived during the lifetime of Adam and Eve (and other characters in Genesis) – most likely perishing in the Flood.

Hope that helps!

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

I’m probably walking where angels fear to trod, since this whole doctrine of predestination has been debated in Christian circles for hundreds of years, and certainly won’t be resolved by my blog

Nonetheless, I want to try to clear up the confusion about God seeing individuals will make bad choices, so He predestines it to be so.  I don’t really believe that is accurate, and I’m sorry if my previous answers left that impression. There is a difference in foreknowledge and predestination.  God knows the end from the beginning, so He does know the choices that any of us will eventually make – but that does not mean He wills it to be so.

In the example I used of Judas – it is true that God had ordained that one of Messiah’s close followers would betray Him, but it certainly is not to be implied that Judas had to be the one.  My understanding of Scripture is that Judas had a free will to choose, and if he had chosen differently, then another of Jesus’ disciples would have been the one to betray the Lord.

As simply as I can say it, God does predestine certain events – but He always gives individuals a free choice.  It is predestined that He will have a Church, a Bride – but it’s left to each of us to choose whether we will receive Him into our lives and be a part of that Church.

Hope that helps!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Frankly, I’m not surprised that last week’s Q&A brought some confusion.  The teachings of predestination versus free will have been debated among Christians for the past 1500 years or more, and there’s a reason for that – namely, that there are verses in Scripture that can certainly be interpreted to lend support to each view.

Our job, admittedly sometimes difficult, is to consider the ‘whole’ of Scripture and let Scripture interpret Scripture, rather than basing a doctrine or conclusion on one isolated passage of Scripture.

Probably the biggest key to the Romans 9 passage, according to all the scholars I consulted, is that the quote in verse about loving Jacob and hating Esau is actually a reference to Malachi 1:1-3, which is clearly written about nations and not individuals! God loves all individuals, but HE has blessed some nations and brought judgement on other nations – in this case, the Edomites, who descended from Esau.

In fact, I think you’d be pretty safe (in my view) of saying that verses which seem to support predestination are speaking in terms of groups, such as a nation (as here) or the Church collectively; whereas verses that support the idea of free will or free choice have to do with individuals.  In other words, it IS predestined that God will have a Church – His Bride, who will spend all eternity enjoying His fellowship in heaven.  But whether you or I or anyone else will be a part of that Church is determined by our choice to receive Jesus into our lives.  Another example would be that it was predestined (and prophesied here and here) that Messiah would be betrayed by one of his own disciples; but Judas still had a free will to choose, and if he had chosen differently, someone else would have been the betrayer.

As to the issue of God ‘hardening’ someone’s heart (such as what is written about Pharaoh), the truth of Scripture seems to be that God “allows” a person’s heart to be hardened because of the choices they make.  As someone else said, “the same sun that melts the ice also hardens the clay”.

I’ll be the first to admit that this whole subject of predestination can be difficult and confusing, but I hope this has helped a bit.  Whew!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Interesting questions, all.

I think the best answer to this question (which is not directly addressed in Scripture, as best as I can tell) is: “what makes you think God was not against their lies and deception, or that they were not held accountable for their lies?”

I do know that Jacob certainly paid for his deceiving ways – when his father-in-law cheated him, not once, but numerous times – giving him the ‘wrong’ daughter as his wife, changing his wages ten times, etc.  So I’m just not sure that any of us could say that they didn’t pay for their wrongs, or that God accepted their lying.

I also know that God is entirely capable of fulfilling His plan without our interference.  In my understanding of Scripture, since God had determined before they were even born that Esau would serve his younger brother, HE would have orchestrated events to bring that to pass even without the conniving and scheming and deception implemented by Rebekah and Jacob.  (Read Romans 9:10-20 for an interesting New Testament commentary on that OT story.)  I should probably add that if that passage in Romans ‘bothers’ you, keep in mind that Hebrews 12:16 makes it clear that Esau was both immoral and godless.

The bottom-line, I think, is that we can’t always know how God rewards or judges someone for their actions – even David struggled in Psalm 73 with the thought that the wicked could get by with anything and still prosper, while he was trying to please God for seemingly no advantage – until verse 17 when he went into God’s house and finally understood the destiny of the wicked.  It’s a valuable lesson for all of us – that while it may sometimes “appear” that someone is getting by with evil, or that God isn’t judging them for their wrongs, the truth is that HE is a righteous judge, and we can trust Him to do what is right ultimately.

I hope that helps.  Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Such a great question.  Like you, I’ve heard all those comments, and I know good people who’ve bought in to that error, and thus miss out on God’s promised blessings.  Here are a few New Testament Scriptures regarding tithing:

• Matthew 23:23 – notice that our Lord Jesus Himself said about tithing, we “ought” to do.  That’s a strong word – tithing is something we are morally obligated (ought) to do!
• 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 – here is the New Testament pattern (Paul was teaching all the churches to do this) – their giving was to be done “in proportion” to what they had received.  That means they were to give a set percentage of their income.  What would that percentage be?  Obviously, the entire Old Testament had prescribed 10%, so there was no need for Paul to repeat that information again – they already knew that!
• Hebrews 7:7-15 – please note that Paul speaks of tithing in the present tense (‘we pay tithes’) which means tithing was still being practiced in the New Testament Church and his argument is that Melchizidek never died, so he’s still receiving tithes.  (Since Melchizidek is a type of Jesus, you could say that Jesus is receiving our tithes!)

Matthew 5:17-22, 27-48 addresses that whole argument better than anything.  Whoever says that we are not under the law anymore obviously doesn’t understand – Jesus didn’t come to destroy or contradict the law; He came to fulfill it!

Would any Christian today commit murder and then say, “well, I’m not under the law anymore, so it’s ok for me to kill someone.” NO!  Would any believer commit adultery and then say when confronted, “I’m not under the law, so I don’t have to live by that commandment anymore” - Of course not.

In fact, as you notice in those verses from the Sermon on the Mount, while the law of Moses had imposed several requirements on God’s people, Jesus emphatically added more – instead of “don’t kill”, in the New Testament, it’s “don’t hate”; instead of “don’t commit adultery”, in the New Testament, it’s “don’t look with lust”; in other words, in this New Testament time of grace (remember grace and truth came by Jesus Christ – John 1:17), Christians do more than the minimal requirements of the Law.

When people tell me that they’re not under the Law and don’t have to tithe, I say, “oh, so you give more than 10% out of love for what God has done by His grace”!

The real issue behind those objections and arguments is a lack of trust in God’s Word and/or a stronghold of mammon.  I don’t have time in this post to develop that further, but the truth is, we don’t tithe to the Lord because we have to, we tithe our income to the Lord because we want to honor Him for what He’s done for us! (Prov. 3:9-10; Exodus 13)

Hope that helps.  Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?