Brian Elliott - God’s good news was always bad news to me. All it seemed to do was remind me that some day I was going to die and leave this world to meet God. It constantly reminded me I was going to hell. (more)

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Crossword Puzzle Maker

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 Shawn St. Clair

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Except Ye Repent

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Jim Batterton

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 Sketches of Jewish Social Life

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Can a Christian commit suicide?  

It is possible for a believer to commit suicide.  But it is not necessary, regardless of the reasons for contemplating suicide.

First of all, if you are suffering from symptoms of depression, you should seek a doctor's help.  Clinical depression is treatable with medication, good nutrition and counseling.  In regards to your spiritual struggles, there are two Bible verses that can help a Christian put emotional pain in perspective.

First, God says he always provides a way of escape or endurance for trials in life.  

1 Corinthians 10:13" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Second, Pain and suffering is part of the maturing process that God give us.  One good scriptural example of maturing through suffering is mentioned by Paul…

2 Corinthians 12:7-10" TARGET="_blank">2 Corinthians 12:7-10  So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  (8)  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  (9)  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  (10)  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You can take comfort in your current sufferings from this verse in several ways:

1)    We don't know what Paul's trial was.  This "thorn in the flesh" is deliberately unknown to us.  Perhaps you can relate better to Paul with your sufferings in this way.
2)    Prayer is not immediately answered in the way we expect.  Paul knew what he wanted.  He prayed three times with great passion. He had to live with his chronic problem.
3)    God's grace to deal with a problem is a greater blessing than the removal of the problem.  Paul learned to trust God, preventing him from becoming proud of who he was in himself.

Your emotional pain that you suffer right now can be used to learn dependence on God.  Use this struggle as an opportunity to grow through pain.

You may also be asking the question:

If a Christian commits suicide, will he / she still go to heaven? 

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Are angels always men or are there women angels too?

Angels are neither male nor female since they are spirit beings.  They don't need a body like a human does (Colossians 1:16)." TARGET="_blank">Colossians 1:16). However, they can and do appear to us in human form.  Although not common, there are some examples of angel appearances to people in the Bible.  These are all in the form of men.  Abraham thought he was entertaining three men visitors in his tent in Genesis 18:1-20." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 18:1-20.  Angels appeared to Lot in Genesis 19:1-20." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 19:1-20.  Lot thought they were two men until they started to perform great acts of un-human power.  Zechariah 5:9" TARGET="_blank">Zechariah 5:9 mentions two women, but not clearly identified as angels. 

Mark 16:5" TARGET="_blank">Mark 16:5 shows us a young man at the tomb of Christ who was actually an angel.  At the ascension of Christ in Acts 1:10" TARGET="_blank">Acts 1:10 , two men dressed in white appeared to the disciples to tell them that Jesus would return in the same glorious manner some day. These are presumed to be angels sent with a divine message. 

Angels always appear as full-grown adults.  Cherubs are not sweet, valentine card infants with wings.  They are six-winged creatures who guard the throne of Christ (Isaiah 6:1-6)." TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 6:1-6).  John, Isaiah and others who were in the presence of angels, typically reacted in fear and reverence.  

Most references to angels in the Bible say nothing about wings, and in passages like Genesis 18-19," TARGET="_blank">Genesis 18-19, it is certain that no wings were visible.

Shad David Sluiter

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What jobs do angels do?

The Bible says that angels serve Christians.

Hebrews 1:13-14" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 1:13-14  And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?  (14)  Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

But specifically, what are some of the jobs that angels perform?

They protect God's people from physical harm

Psalms 91:9-13" TARGET="_blank">Psalms 91:9-13  Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place-- the Most High, who is my refuge--  (10)  no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.  (11)  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  (12)  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.  (13)  You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

This beautiful psalm tells us that God has assigned the angels the job of physically following and carefully watching over the Lord's people.  Perhaps the psalmist was writing about an upcoming battle as one of "the evils" that could befall him.  But the terrors of evil are not specifically mentioned, leaving the interpretation open to a great variety of situations where God's protection is needed.  Nothing can harm a believer without God permitting it to occur in his sovereign control over all things.  When things occur that we put into "Category Bad", God uses these mishaps for our good (Romans 8:28-29)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 8:28-29).

Recall the angels that were working to protect Elisha and his servant…

2 Kings 6:15-17" TARGET="_blank">2 Kings 6:15-17  When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"  (16)  He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  (17)  Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The Lord has assigned angels to watch over his children as well.  He doesn't say that there is a one-to-one relationship with each believer having exactly one guardian angel, but rather that, in general, the angels are always attentive to the needs and cries of God's children.

Matthew 18:10" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 18:10  "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Peter was rescued by an angel from prison (Acts 5:19)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 5:19).  Daniel was preserved from physical harm in the Lion's Den by an angel (Daniel 6:22)." TARGET="_blank">Daniel 6:22).  Hagar was given food when near death (Genesis 21:17-20)." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 21:17-20).

Angels also carry messages from God

Paul was comforted by an angel on the night before his shipwreck (Acts 27:23-24)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 27:23-24).  An angel directed Joseph to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-20)." TARGET="_blank">Matthew 2:13-20).  Daniel and John each received their revelations from angels that come to us today in the Book of Daniel and The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Angels carry believers to heaven

Luke 16:22" TARGET="_blank">Luke 16:22 says that Lazarus, the beggar, was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The angels will gather God's elect from the four corners of the earth when Christ returns to set up his kingdom (Matthew 24:31)." TARGET="_blank">Matthew 24:31).

Shad David Sluiter

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It is not good to stereotype all Jews or all Muslims as being hateful or even distrustful.  It is also important to note that not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arabs.  There are Arab Christian minorities that still live in the middle eastern countries.  There is, however, a long history of conflict, terrorism, war and bloodshed between the Muslims and the Jews.  Why is that? Does the Bible give us any insights?

The Beginning of the Family

The roots of the Arabs and the Jews can be traced back to their father Abraham.  Abraham had a son, Ishmael, through his slave-wife Hagar.  Later, he had his second son, Isaac, through his wife Sarah.  Isaac, the son promised by God became the father of Jacob, later renamed Israel, and then Isaac became the grandfather of 12 sons of Israel who are the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel.  Ishmael left home and became the father of the Ishmaelites, who are the Arab peoples.  

Genesis 16:1-16" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 16:1-16 and Genesis 21:1-21" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 21:1-21 tell the story of how these two groups began.  Since Sarah was not successful in getting pregnant, she offered Hagar to Abraham to become his concubine.  The seeds of conflict were sown in the fact that Abraham had two women.  The desire of God was never that a man would have more than one spouse.  Genesis 2" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 2 and Jesus words in Matthew 19:4-5" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 19:4-5 tell us that the pattern of marriage is found in Adam and Eve – one man and one woman.

Before the birth of Ishmael, the Angel of the Lord said

“He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen."  (Genesis 16:11)." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 16:11).

Islam

Islam was founded in 610 A.D. by conquest and subjugation of infidel religions.  Many Arabs are of the Muslim faith.  Jews, as well as other faiths, who refuse to submit to Allah, can be and should be destroyed, according to Islam.

The Qur’an teaches that Ishmael, not Isaac, was born as the son of promise.  It also teaches that God tested Abraham by asking him to offer Ishmael, not Isaace, as the Bible says, as a sacrifice. Teaching that Ishmael was the chosen son of promise, the Arabs become God’s chosen people.  The rise of Islam has increased this conflict between the two groups who both claim to be God’s people.

Modern Conflict

The Jews occupied the land of Israel since the time of Moses to the time of Christ.  In AD 70, the Roman army put down a rebellion and obliterated most of the Jews living in Israel, scattering the survivors to all parts of the Empire.  In 1948, the Jewish homeland was established as a new country on this piece of ground.  However in the middle of the 20th Century, Palestine was occupied by Arabs. The formation of the Nation of Israel has united Arabs of many countries in a common hatred of the Zionists who established Israel as a country on land they believe was stolen from them.  Conflict has simmered, and sometimes erupted into open war over the question of who owns the land. 

The original story in full...

Here is the Bible’s story about the origins of Abraham’s two nations…

Genesis 16:1-16" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 16:1-16  Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.  (2)  And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.  (3)  So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.  (4)  And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.  (5)  And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!"  (6)  But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.  (7)  The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.  (8)  And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai."  (9)  The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her."  (10)  The angel of the LORD also said to her, "I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude."  (11)  And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction.  (12)  He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen."  (13)  So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me."  (14)  Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.  (15)  And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.  (16)  Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

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An evangelist is a person who is dedicated to the work of teaching and preaching the gospel message.  That is, he is teaching how that Jesus' death and resurrection is God's answer for your sins.

The word "evangelist" comes from the greek word for "gospel" or "good news".  An evangelist is the messanger of good news.

The word is mentioned two placed in the New Testament.  

Acts 21:8" TARGET="_blank">Acts 21:8  And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

2 Timothy 4:5" TARGET="_blank">2 Timothy 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

1 Peter 3:15" TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 3:15  but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

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Will there be more people in Heaven or in Hell?

Excellent question, and I will give you a hedged answer because the Bible doesn’t say for sure in so many words.  

What we do know is that of the people who live out their lives on earth a decidedly small number will “seek” and “find” God’s salvation.   Here is what Jesus said:  “Enter ye in at the strait[narrow] gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:   Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 7:13-14)   

The reality is that finding life and ending up in heaven takes focus, effort, and purpose.   By default people will end up in hell if they are never saved by God, for that is where the curse of sin inherited from Adam will take us once we are old enough to understand we are sinners and then refuse to repent.  The good news is that God has made a way for us to escape through the blood of Jesus.  Once we have found salvation, we are rescued forever from Hell.  This is actually much better than what Adam and Eve originally had, being created on their way to heaven but with the ability to fall off that way and die spiritually.  But it does take earnest effort in this life to make sure we find and enter the right Door, which is Christ (John 10:9)." TARGET="_blank">John 10:9).

So that would leave us with “more people in hell than heaven”.

But this does not consider the reality of the huge number of infants that die, before or after they are born.  Yes, a person is a person from the moment of conception.  These will come into heaven by virtue of not having had the chance to sin, nor need to repent, protected by Jesus’ blood.  This group would also include those who grow up but whose brains never developed enough for them to be able to distinguish between good and evil.  They will all be there.  

So, especially with the modern outrage of abortion, I would switch the answer to “more people in heaven than hell”.  Only God knows for sure, but this would be a blessed fulfillment of the reality that the Lord Jesus “in all things <will> have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18)" TARGET="_blank">Colossians 1:18)  In the end He wins by every measure.

Alfred Corduan

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