CHRISTLIKE GOSPEL OUTREACH

  The timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today. The three primary views are pre-tribulational (the rapture occurs before the tribulation), mid-tribulational (the rapture occurs at or near the mid-point of the tribulation), and post-tribulational (the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation). A fourth view, commonly known as pre-wrath, is a slight modification of the mid-tribulational position. First, it is important to recognize the purpose of the tribulation. According to  Daniel 9:27 , there is a seventieth "seven" (seven years) that is still yet to come. Daniel's entire prophecy of the seventy sevens ( Daniel 9:20-27 ) is speaking of the nation of Israel. It is a time period in which God focuses His attention especially on Israel. The seventieth seven, the tribulation, must also be a time when God deals specifically with Israel. While this does not necessarily indica...

Modern birth control methods were unknown in Bible times, and the Bible is, therefore, silent on the matter. The Bible does have quite a lot to say about children, however. The Bible presents children as a gift from God ( Genesis 4:1 ;  Genesis 33:5 ), a heritage from the Lord ( Psalm 127:3-5 ), a blessing from God ( Luke 1:42 ), and a crown to the aged ( Proverbs 17:6 ). God sometimes blesses barren women with children ( Psalm 113:9 ;  Genesis 21:1-3 ;  25:21-22 ;  30:1-2 ;  1 Samuel 1:6-8 ;  Luke 1:7 ,  24-25 ). God forms children in the womb ( Psalm 139:13-16 ). God knows children before their birth ( Jeremiah 1:5 ;  Galatians 1:15 ). The closest that Scripture comes to condemning birth control is Genesis chapter 38, the account of Judah's sons Er and Onan. Er married a woman named Tamar, but he was wicked and the Lord put him to death, leaving Tamar with no husband or children. Tamar was given in marriage to Er's brother, Onan, in accordance w...

  What should Christian parents do if they have a prodigal son (or daughter)? There is inherent in the story of the prodigal son ( Luke 15:11-32 ) several principles that believing parents can use to react to and deal with children who walk contrary to the way in which the parents have raised them. Parents need to remember that once their children have reached adulthood, they are no longer under the authority of their parents. In the story of the prodigal son, the younger son takes his inheritance and goes into a far country and wastes it. In the case of a child who is not a born-again believer, this is just doing what comes naturally. In the case of a child who at one time made a clear profession of faith in Christ, we call this child a "prodigal." The meaning of this word is "a person who has spent his resources wastefully," a good description of a child who leaves home and wastes the spiritual inheritance that his parents have invested in him. All the years of nu...

  Why is God a jealous God? It is important to understand how the word "jealous" is used. Its use in Exodus 20:5 to describe God is different from how it is used to describe the sin of jealousy (Galatians 5:20). When we use the word "jealous," we use it in the sense of being envious of someone who has something we do not have. A person might be jealous or envious of another person because he or she has a nice car or home (possessions). Or a person might be jealous or envious of another person because of some ability or skill that other person has (such as athletic ability). Another example would be that one person might be jealous or envious of another because of his or her beauty. In Exodus 20:5, it is not that God is jealous or envious because someone has something He wants or needs. Exodus 20:4-5 says, "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to the...