Deborah_

Mormonism is radically different from true Christianity. Don't go that way. But otherwise this issue is similar to any other kind of guidance. Often we're faced with two or more good options. There may be many churches in your area offering solid Bible teaching and good fellowship (both of which you need, especially early in your Christian walk). So which do you choose? God may not mind which you go to. So if you don't sense any specific guidance, start by committing yourself to the one that's easiest to get to, and give it at least 6 months trial.

Many Christians have no choice but to live with unbelievers, if they're members of the family. I don't think that's what Paul is thinking of in 2 Corinthians 6. What he's warning against is "partnerships" - marriages, business ventures, and so on. It's the same with employment - most of us have to work for and/or with unbelievers. A purely Christian workplace is a luxury. I would say that's a "no" to owning a second home. Fortunately we've never been rich enough to be tempted in that direction!

I would say, first of all check with Scripture. If any of the options go against God's will as revealed there, then they're off limits. It can be harder when all your choices are equally "Christian" - like where to live. Prayer is vital. Sometimes God has a clear plan for you to follow, in which case He will make to known to you. But sometimes He seems not to mind. The counsel of other Christians can be helpful - but they may have their own agenda. 7 years ago, after I retired, we decided to move from England to Wales, but had no particular place in mind. We sold our house in just 2 days, which was encouraging, but finding a house in Wales turned out to be much harder. God gave us no direction. So we just put in an offer for a house we liked, and if we didn't get it we kept on looking. On the third attempt we succeeded. So I assume that this is where God wants us to be - and certainly a lot of things have "worked out" neatly since we moved here.

In terms of bare salvation, the answer to the question is "No". But there's a lot more to Christianity than just getting saved. According to Jesus, the hallmark of being a Christian is love for other Christians (John 13:34,35). How are you going to love them if you never meet them or get to know them? And how can they love you? It's also hard to serve God effectively on your own. God gives us all gifts - but they are meant to be used in harmony with the gifts of other people. We're part of a Family, a Body, and a Temple. The community is as important as the individual. I know that there are many people who for one reason or another are unable to join a church. But all too often this question is used as an excuse for surrendering to the spirit of the age - individualism.

Not really. We already know what amino acids each group of three nucleotides codes for. We already know the amino acid sequences for thousands of proteins. So it's not difficult to recognise chimp haemoglobin or earthworm digestive enzymes or whatever.

But then 144,000 is a symbolic number - it means all of us, the exact total is immaterial.

The Chinese scholar analogy is inappropriate. The genome isn't random letters, and many genes are fully sequenced and well studied. Take haemoglobin, for example - a fundamental protein found in all vertebrates with only minor differences between one species and another. Multiply that several thousand times for all the other proteins that govern basic life processes common to all species, (such as digestion, regulation of blood sugar level, oxygen transport, kidney function, etc, etc) It's not surprising that we have a lot of DNA in common with other apes - in fact, it's to be expected, given that our physical bodies work in pretty much the same way. But it's wrong to say that we're "98% chimp" - more accurate to say that both humans and chimps are 100% mammals, but we didn't need genetics to tell us that! NB A difference doesn't have to be large in order to be significant.

Context helps. In the previous verses (verse 11,12), Jesus tells Nicodemus that we can only testify to something of which we have first-hand experience. Most of us can only speak with authority of earthly things, but Jesus can also speak with authority of heavenly things. Elijah (and Enoch also) were taken into heaven at the end of their lives, but Jesus is in a totally different category because He came from heaven.

No, and it may be that because Israel has returned without repenting, the times of thee Gentiles are being extended. God is very patient...

That's what it says

The passage in Jeremiah that I quoted (Jeremiah 18:1-10)

In my experience, most modern translations put John 5:4 in a footnote.

Jacob, David etc are not included in that group because they were saved by faith.

Even though God tells Jeremiah that in certain circumstances it may not in fact happen after all?

1) God "permitted" a lot of things (e.g. divorce) because of "the hardness of our hearts" 2) All our revered Biblical characters were sinners, and sometimes their sins are spelled out in great detail without comment. We're called to copy their faith, but not necessarily their behaviour. When Jesus was asked a question on the general area of marriage, He answered by pointing to the relationship between Adam and Eve. This was God's original plan: one man plus one woman. This is what Christians aim for (whatever the rest of the world may be doing).

There's no reason why there shouldn't be both a physical return (which has of course already happened) and a spiritual one. The physical return hasn't in fact put an end to 'the times of the Gentiles', because the Gospel is still being preached to them. But it can still be an essential step in the process of restoration, and a signal that the times of the Gentiles are nearing their end. There may be a parallel here with the return of the exiles from Babylon in the 6th century BC. There were many prophecies linking this return with an outpouring of God's blessing - but it never happened at the time, and there was 500 years of waiting before Jesus' birth. Prophecy seems to be flexible in its fulfilment (see Jeremiah 18:1-10).

I think this is the main difference: You believe that Israel's return is a physical one, in 1967. I believe that it's a spiritual return which is yet to happen (Romans 11:25,26).

That's because there are two sides to the argument. As in many life situations, there are conflicting principles in operation and no straightforward answer as to what 'should' be done. On the one hand, Vashti is supposed to obey her husband (who is, after all, the emperor) in all matters. Her disobedience made the most powerful man on earth look weak. On the other hand, women and men were strictly segregated in ancient Persian culture. For Vashti to be paraded in all-male company (as if she was just one more item in the emperor's treasury) would have violated a deep-seated taboo and shamed her for the rest of her life. If there's a moral lesson to be learned here, it's this: DON'T ever put your partner in such a difficult and embarrassing position by making unreasonable demands of them.

Revelation 22:6-21 We have now arrived at New Jerusalem, where “we will all live happily ever after.” There’s nothing more to add; we now know all that we need to know to sustain us on our journey. Some prophetic revelations were not for immediate consumption, but were recorded for future generations for whom they would be relevant (see Daniel 12:4). But Revelation doesn’t fall into that category (verse 10); it is for us and for now, because the last days have arrived! Even now, we are by our choices and our actions determining our final destiny. But once we arrive at the gates of New Jerusalem, our choice becomes final. From that point, we will continue along the trajectory we have established - either to eternal glory inside the city, or to eternal shame outside it. So shall we be dreading Christ’s return, or looking forward to it? Jesus is the Judge to whom all will have to give account - the Creator of space and time, the Eternal One (Isaiah 48:12). At His command all things began, and by His command all things will be wound up and brought to their conclusion. But the overall message of Revelation is one of hope. The whole human race was barred from Paradise because of Adam’s rebellion (Genesis 3:24). But now the way has been re-opened! The only difference between the sinners who are ‘inside’ and the sinners who are ‘outside’ is that the former have been forgiven, and are accounted righteous through Christ’s death. Those who have spurned this offer and are determined to cling to their sinful ways will be excluded forever. Cut off from God’s presence and from the tree of life, they will die (though, like Adam, not necessarily immediately). The choice is ours! The invitation to join in is issued, through the Church, to the whole world. Anyone and everyone can come and share these blessings! No-one will be forced to come against their will; and no-one will be turned away. The only entry requirement is desire; the only disqualification is pride. Eternal life can be ours - if we want it. Revelation ends with a solemn warning for anyone who dares tamper with its message. This applies only to the book of Revelation; but it’s probably no accident that it also comes at the end of the whole Bible. God has nothing more to say; and so the canon of Scripture is closed. All we have to do now is wait for Jesus to return - which could be at any time. So let us, by God’s grace, repent now; tomorrow may be too late.

Revelation 21:9-22:21 The centrepiece of the new creation is the Bride! John is taken to the top of a mountain, to ‘view the land’ from afar, as Moses did (see Deuteronomy 34:1-4) — and what he sees takes his breath away. For New Jerusalem and the Church are one and the same; the city isn’t so much the place where we shall live, as the community that we are! And whereas the Church now is weak, blemished and scruffy, John sees her as she will be: dazzlingly glorious, and humming with life. Indeed, we wouldn’t recognise ourselves; the Church as pictured here is no longer shabby and sinful, but shining with the glory of God Himself! (see Revelation 4:3) The city has a high wall for demarcation and for security, and many gates, for access. And there will be no more false teachers; the city rests firmly on the foundation of the true Gospel preached by the apostles (Ephesians 2:19,20). New Jerusalem is vast and spacious - but don’t get bogged down in the measurements, because all of them are (significantly) multiples of 12. It is God’s people in their totality, old Israel and new Israel, combined together and brought to perfection. In shape, it’s a perfect cube – a new Most Holy Place, the dwelling-place of God Himself, no longer a ‘no-go’ area but somewhere where God’s people can live, unafraid, in His presence. As befits the city of the great King, she is made of the most beautiful and costly materials imaginable, and is very colourful! Every surface is adorned with precious stones, like those borne on the high priest’s breastpiece (see Exodus 28:17-21). And thus she surpasses even Solomon’s Jerusalem (see I Kings 10:27) in beauty and splendour! The focal point of Old Jerusalem was the Temple, where God ‘lived’. But there will be no temple in New Jerusalem because the entire city is the holy dwelling-place of God, and is filled with His glory. No longer will we be flickering lampstands (Revelation 1:20); the glory of God’s presence in our midst will be so bright that the sun itself will become superfluous! The inhabitants of the city will be a vast, teeming, multiethnic crowd. Like the Queen of Sheba (see I Kings 10:1,2), a never-ending stream of people from all over the world will beat a path to its gates in order to proclaim their allegiance to the Lamb. In a very real sense, New Jerusalem will be the centre of the earth! (Micah 4:1) And God will keep ‘open house’; no-one will be turned away. (Isaiah 60:11) There will never be any need to lock the gates, because darkness (signifying ignorance and godlessness) will have been banished! Instead, New Jerusalem will incorporate the very best of human culture and invention (Revelation 21:26) - everything that is truly excellent, and everything that reflects the beauty, truth and love of God. Nothing that is of real and lasting value will be lost. The only thing missing will be sin! Access will be restricted to those who are known to God and are registered citizens of His Kingdom (Psalm 87:5,6). And so New Jerusalem will be a truly pure and holy city (Isaiah 52:1). What will life in New Jerusalem be like? The prophet Ezekiel had been given a vision of God’s life-giving Spirit flowing out from His presence like a river to renew the world (see Ezekiel 47:1-12). This is the river that John sees flowing through the city, making it a place where every need is satisfied, so that its inhabitants lack nothing. The city is a new Eden, a source of life and healing for the whole world - because all will have permanent access to the tree of life. Our own attempts to re-create a paradise on earth were doomed to failure (see Genesis 3:17-19). But when God has undone the curse that made all human endeavour ultimately futile (Ecclesiastes 12:8), the human race can flourish as He originally intended. We need not fear monotony; there will be plenty for us to do! In the present age, God’s full glory has always been veiled (see Exodus 33:20). To be able to behold His face is something that His people have always yearned for (Psalm 17:15); and in New Jerusalem, that longing will finally be satisfied (I John 3:2). Each one of us will be acknowledged by God as His own - which is the ultimate blessing. And what we have believed and accepted in faith, we shall finally experience in reality. We shall worship God, and reign with Him over the new creation, in everlasting day and overwhelming glory.

Thankyou. There are so many different interpretations of Revelation! The "symbolic" interpretation is one that's common in the UK but rarely gets a mention on forums. I'm just trying to redress the balance. The conflicts are rarely addressed to me, so I feel able to ignore them. We may all turn out to be partly right, in the end.

The parable of the talents isn't about wealth creation. In your Bible quote you missed out the preceding verse, which gives vital context: it's about the Kingdom of God. We are to be proactive and productive in furthering the interests of our King Jesus.

Revelation 20:11-21:8 After the battle of Armageddon, human history will be wound up with the Last Judgement (Revelation 20:11-15). When the Judge takes His seat, His presence will be so terrifying that nothing in this creation will be able to cope with it! The universe will collapse into nothingness, and the only Reality left will be God. Then the entire human race will come face to face with Him - and with the eternal consequences of the way we have lived our lives (Hebrews 9:27). No-one will be exempt from this final accounting. The lost, the long-forgotten, the unnoticed and the unknown, and even those whose bodies were completely destroyed - all will be brought before the Throne. (II Corinthians 5:10) God knows - and remembers - every thought, word and deed; every secret will be exposed and judged. And so His judgement will be totally comprehensive and absolutely fair. No-one will have grounds for appeal! Because all have sinned, all will deserve condemnation; only those whose names are in God’s Book of Life will be spared from destruction. And when all evil has been removed from God’s presence, Death itself will be put to death (I Corinthians 15:26). Hell will engulf all those who have taken the devil’s side; but those who are known to God will live for ever. When there is no more death, the world as we know it really will have come to an end. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…” (Revelation 21:1) Like the other sections of the book, the sixth vision ends with a glimpse of the world to come - but this time the curtain is drawn back a little further and we can see something of the new creation. ‘New’ means ‘renewed’, not ‘brand new’; there will be a degree of continuity between the world we know and the world to come. However, there will also be many profound differences. To the Jews, the sea was a hostile environment, chaotic and violent, constantly threatening to overflow the land - and it was where the Beast came from. (see Revelation 13:1) But in the new world, all such threats will have vanished completely. But John’s eyes are quickly drawn to the most important (and most wonderful) feature of the new earth. There will no longer be any distinction between heaven and earth, because earth will finally become what it was originally meant to be: the dwelling-place of God! This is our final destination, the place prepared for us: a city where we will truly be at home (Hebrews 11:13,16). The presence of God will be close as never before - the reality of which Solomon’s temple was just a symbol (see I Kings 8:13). And Death - the shadow that currently blights the whole of human existence - will be abolished! Here at last there will be complete healing of body and mind, with even the bitterest of memories erased. The life that we have now is life in the “Shadowlands”; in comparison, the life to come will be life in full, glorious technicolour! And this is the continuation of a process of renewal that begins in each of us at our conversion (II Corinthians 5:17) . For God the Creator is also the Re-creator. He is the Source of life, and it is ours for the taking; all we have to do is acknowledge our need. “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6) Although the invitation is free, its acceptance will involve costly struggle; for the world will do its utmost to prevent us from claiming our inheritance. If we persevere right to the end, our reward is certain (Romans 8:17). But if we don’t love and fear God enough to remain loyal to the end, we may lose it all. For the one thing that will not feature in the new earth is sin in all its many forms - and so there will be no room there for unrepentant sinners. Those who refuse to bow the knee to their Creator will discover that the independence they demand is destruction in Hell…

Revelation 19:11-20:10 We now know (if we’ve been paying attention) that world history is an ongoing conflict between good and evil. But how and when will it end? It will end when the rightful King comes to claim His Kingdom (Revelation 19:11-21). This all-conquering King is none other than Jesus; yet it is Jesus as we have never seen Him before!. There’s blood on His robe - but the battle hasn’t yet begun, so it must be His own blood (shed in sacrifice). He’s accompanied by an escort, a veritable army - yet they are unarmed, and are probably not angels, but saints (I Thessalonians 4:14). Truth is His only weapon (see Isaiah 49:2) - but it will strike terror into the hearts of sinners, and all resistance will crumble before Him. The outcome of this final great battle, the battle of Armageddon, is a foregone conclusion, and yet the followers of the Beast will refuse to surrender; like the inhabitants of Canaan (see Joshua 11:1-6), they believe that together they have the power to resist Christ’s “invasion”, and so they will fight to the bitter end. But the battle ends with the capture and execution of Satan’s agents, the two beasts - and this time the Beast will never come back! As for their vast army, it ends up as nothing more than bird food! The next section (Revelation 20:1-10) concerns what happens to the devil and the saints. When Jesus was raised from the dead, Satan was bound and his activities were seriously curtailed (Matthew 12:29). This is what enables the Church to evangelise the nations. But it’s not all over yet, because Satan hasn’t been rendered totally powerless. Like an imprisoned Mafia boss, he’s alive and kicking, and still at work through his agents (especially the two beasts), disrupting and hindering the progress of the Gospel. But because he’s under restraint, evil is prevented from completely taking over the world. Meanwhile, those who have suffered and died for their faith in Jesus are not lost. “The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives bny believing in Me will never die.” (John 11:25,26) We still have to undergo physical death; but although our bodies will decompose, our spirits will go on living with Christ! Unbelievers, however, have nothing to look forward to after death; they won’t be resurrected until the final judgement. And what awaits them after that is the ‘second death’ (from which there will be no return). But one day (a day determined by God) Satan will re-emerge to wreak havoc on the earth one last time. At his instigation, the whole world will rise up in a sustained and co-ordinated campaign against God and His people. But despite its ferocity and intensity, this final rebellion will be short-lived. The people of God (who represent Him on earth) will come under attack, and the enemy will seem on the point of obliterating us - but they’re the ones who will be destroyed, when God intervenes. And that will mark the end of Satan’s ambitions; he will suffer the punishment that he deserves. Along with the two beasts, he will suffer eternal conscious torment in Hell. (NB In keeping with a generally symbolic interpretation of Revelation, the millennium is also assumed to be symbolic. I'm aware that other views are strongly held by many people, and all of them have their pros and cons.)

I think we shall just have to disagree.