Deborah_

That was because they were determined to move abroad, and there are enormous practical, logistical and financial issues with providing long-term security in those circumstances. It was thoroughly discussed at the time they broke away last year. Also, people forget that being a British "royal" isn't just hereditary entitlement. It's a job. They get paid. They get perks ('extras', like security). If Harry resigns from the job (which is effectively what he did), he can't keep on getting the pay and the perks.

UK terminology and set-up. We can't refer ourselves directly to an ophthalmologist here, but I'm tested for glaucoma every time I visit the optician. I'm not sure that "optician" and "optometrist" are equivalent.

Ephesians 3:14-19 Here is the apostle Paul, praying for all “the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1): that we might go ever deeper into our experience and understanding of God: “I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Note that in order to explain “all the fullness of God”, it is not enough to talk merely of “God”; we need to know Him as Father (v15), Son (v17) and Holy Spirit (v16). God is Triune! Christians know God as ”Father” - not because we are projecting an image or concept of fatherhood into the heavens, but because He is by His very nature a God of relationship, and the spiritual fountainhead of all human family relationships. He is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3); and because He has adopted us as His children (Ephesians 1:5), He is our Father too! And so we stand to inherit all “His glorious riches” (Ephesians 1:18). But the only way to know God as Father is to confess His Son as Lord (John 14:6). To “invite Christ into your life” is the very beginning of the Christian life - but only the beginning! He must take up permanent residence in our hearts, in the very centre of our being, the “driver’s seat” of our lives. And we must understand that He is not a guest (not even an honoured guest) but the Master. He must be in charge! God loves us; but it is Christ who brings that love to us and actualises it in our experience. His love for us is where we begin our journey, the motivation for our pilgrimage; it is the soil in which our faith grows. But we don’t leave love behind as we mature in our faith; instead, we move deeper into it and discover that Christ’s love has no limits! For it is wide enough to embrace every tribe and nation on this teeming planet, long enough to encompass all eternity (from past to future), deep enough to support the lowest sinner and high enough to lift us to the dizzying heights of the heavenly places. We can’t learn about the love of Christ from a textbook or course, but only through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is He who brings God’s tremendous power and inexhaustible riches right into the core of our being, where they can transform us. It is through His Spirit that Christ dwells in us; it is through the Spirit that we have fellowship with both the Father and the Son. And we are also bound by the Spirit into fellowship with other believers. For just as the one God is a ‘community’ of three, so His Church is a community, rich in diversity but all sharing the same family likeness. It is not good for us to be alone; we are made for one another, and we need each other. There are many good reasons to belong to a local church, but one of them is that it enables us to get to know God better! For God is so great, so beyond human comprehension, that no single individual can either experience His fullness or express it in their own life. Only within the fellowship of His holy people can we begin to get a handle on what it means to be loved by Him.

Most floaters are harmless and many gradually disappear. "Warning signs"that it might be serious include deterioration of vision and flashing lights in your eye. If in doubt, get your eye checked by an optician.

The word "covenant" has a broader meaning than just the covenants made by God with His people. It could be (and was) used for any legal agreement between two unequal parties. So, in context, the NIV is probably right to translate it as "treaty". It would probably be referring to the treaty that Hezekiah made with Egypt (which Egypt failed to honour - see Isaiah 36:6).

This is my personal opinion: I believe that the Holy Spirit still gives gifts of healing and miracles today. However, a lot of what claims to be "Spirit-led" is actually phoney. In most cases, I don't think that the people involved are deliberately setting out to deceive; but they are so desperate to see the gifts manifested that they end up faking them. Where in Scripture do we see the apostles advertising "healing services"? They did heal people - but those healings were usually "by-products" of their evangelistic ministry (e.g. Acts 14:8,9). But these days we plan healing services - and then expect the Holy Spirit to turn up and "perform" at our bidding. Is it surprising that He often doesn't oblige?

I Kings 22 Ahab, the apostate king of Israel, wanted to go to war. He had made an alliance with Jehoshaphat king of Judah, who was therefore obliged to support him. Jehoshaphat did however remind him that, because both Israel and Judah were God’s people, they should not wage war without God’s guidance. Ahab was not in the habit of consulting God before making decisions, but 400 prophets duly appeared. These were not prophets of Baal but (nominally, at least) prophets of Yahweh. But the source of inspiration for their prophesying was dubious (they did not use Yahweh’s name but the generic title ‘Lord’) (verse 6), and their message sounded too conveniently like what Ahab wanted to hear. Jehoshaphat’s suspicions were aroused, and he asked for a second opinion. But there was only one other prophet that Ahab could consult: Micaiah. The 400 prophets then realised that they had to raise their game, so they began claiming to speak in Yahweh’s name and even acting out their message (verses 10-12). Meanwhile, Micaiah was being advised to fall in line with them and tell the king what he wanted to hear (verse 13). When the ‘experts’ all agree, it takes great courage to disturb the harmony! But consensus is not necessarily the same as truth. To live prophetically means to be tuned in to the Spirit - and, if necessary, to speak out against the majority view. Micaiah’s initial words agreed with those of the other prophets; but in some way he made it obvious that he didn’t really mean what he was saying. When Ahab insisted that he wanted to hear the truth, Micaiah declared in no uncertain terms that the attack would fail and that Ahab would be killed. But Ahab’s response to this prophecy was to dismiss it as the product of personal animosity (verse 18)! But Micaiah had not finished. Ahab and Jehoshaphat were sitting in state (verse 10) and making plans; but Yahweh, Israel’s true King, was sitting in state in the heavenly places (verse 19) - and it is His plans that are put into effect. He had decreed that Ahab should die in battle, and He had decided to bring that about by means of a false prophecy. “The LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you.” (verse 23) Christians naturally struggle with this statement. Does the God of truth really set out to deceive anyone? But part of His judgement on sinful human beings is to give us what we want. Ahab had surrounded himself with flattering advisers and tame yes-men; he wasn’t really interested in hearing the truth (he punished Micaiah for speaking it!), only in getting his own way. And in the end, he had been given both the truth and the falsehood; which message would he choose to believe? In the end, Ahab tried to hedge his bets: he went into battle, but in disguise, while persuading Jehoshaphat to set himself up as a decoy! But this attempt to frustrate God’s declared will was a complete failure. Despite all his precautions, he was wounded by a ‘chance’ arrow; and because he was determined to stay upright in his chariot (in order to watch the progress of the battle), he slowly bled to death. Can we defy God’s will? If we are determined to go our own way, He will let us; but we can escape neither the consequences of our decisions nor the fulfilment of His word.

Thankyou for your input, but I have more confidence in the real scientists. This regime hasn't actually been proven - it hasn't stood up to rigorous research. And I'd prefer to reduce my chances of catching Covid in the first place rather than rely on treating it afterwards.

Since the UK has one of the highest (if not the highest) death rates per head of population from Covid-19, I'm not embarrassed by the fact that we are one of the first countries to get moving with vaccination. There is an unevenness in the rollout, globally and even within the UK (some areas of the country are making faster progress than others). To some extent that's inevitable, but since we will eventually have a surplus of doses I'm hoping that we will give some away to other countries (and the Government has indicated that this will happen). My main reason for posting is to encourage those people who do have the opportunity, to get vaccinated. There is so much fear being generated on the Internet for no good reason.

I've just had my first dose of Covid vaccine!

In the context of death and inheritance, your "estate" simply means everything you own at the moment when you die. It doesn't have to include a house or flat, it might be just the clothes you are wearing! Everyone should make a will - it makes life so much easier for the relations who have to sort your affairs out. It may be different in the USA, but in this country it's possible to buy a DIY will-making kit and do your own, very cheaply (although it's better to have it checked by a lawyer).

To answer your second question first: Jesus is God, and the Father is God, but Jesus is not the Father. This is the conundrum that leads to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. The Jews have always believed that there is just one God, and anyone in the first century who stood up and said, "I am God" would have been put to death for blasphemy. So Jesus never said He was God as plainly as that during His ministry, but instead kept dropping hints and using words that could have a double meaning. "Son of Man" was one of these terms. It crops up in several places in the Old Testament. Usually it's another way of saying "human being" - but there is one important passage, in the book of Daniel, where "one like a son of man" is described as entering the presence of God, being made Ruler over all the world, and being worshipped by people of all nations - which implies that he is himself divine (Daniel 7:13,14). Jesus makes reference to this during His trial (Matthew 26:62-66) - implying that He is God - and is immediately condemned to death for blasphemy.

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another." (Romans 13:8) We have a moral obligation to pay off all debts as soon as we reasonably can. I don't think it makes much difference whether it's owed to an individual or to a bank; the money isn't really ours, and we shouldn't hold onto it longer than we need to. But the key word is "reasonable". As you point out, things like unemployment, sickness and Covid restrictions can make it impossible to repay debts as soon as we would like. And people die with unpaid debts all the time (a young person might take out a mortgage and the next day be hit by a bus). It's no big deal, morally; the money owed gets repaid out of your estate (so effectively the debt is passed on to your inheritors).

The Qur'an also states categorically that Jesus did NOT die on the cross. If that were really "the final word from God", then we have no forgiveness of our sins and there's no point in being a Christian. So you really can't be Christian and Muslim at the same time. You have to choose between them.

Like the wind, the Holy Spirit is invisible and unpredictable. We can’t dictate the time, place and manner of His manifestations. Yet He has powerful effects on the lives of ordinary people - effects that can be readily observed.

As we all know, there were originally twelve apostles. That select group of men became known as "The Twelve" and continued to be known as "The Twelve", even when there were only eleven of them. It's like the "twelve tribes" of Israel. Jacob (aka Israel) originally had twelve sons. But Joseph's descendants split into two distinct tribes, making thirteen. And even after the Exile, when only two tribes were left, people still talked about "the twelve tribes" as an idiom for "the whole nation of Israel". (e.g. James 1:1) Because there were actually thirteen, when the tribes are listed in Revelation 7, one name has to be left out in order to make it a list of twelve. Similarly, when the new Jerusalem is described as having twelve gates (one for each tribe) and twelve foundations (one for each apostle), this is a poetic way of saying "all" the tribes and "all" the apostles - the exact names are not important, because it is a collective concept. Christ did appear to Simon/Peter separately first (see Luke 24:34) - probably because he needed extra reassurance. But when He "appeared to the Twelve" a few hours later (Luke 24:36-43) it is generally assumed that Peter was present (as were several other people as well, including the couple who had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus). So I think that Paul is including Peter in the Twelve in I Corinthians 15:5.

It's not a new virus altogether, but a variant of the common one (which is itself a variant of the original one that started off in China). In the UK, we're very much aware of it. Because it's more infectious, it's harder to control with the usual methods of social distancing, and despite our best efforts, the number of cases has been increasing rapidly. So we're having to endure even stricter lockdown measures for a while. It's been found in many other countries, and is bound to reach the USA soon even if it hasn't already. So keep washing your hands and wear y0ur masks, folks!

I've never heard if this before and I suspect that it's fictional. If it were true, surely the Gospel writers would have mentioned it? All they do talk about is the tearing of the Temple curtain.

That's an odd argument to hear from a believer - it's the one regularly trotted out by atheists to discredit the gospels (which we know were not written until several decades after Jesus' death). Modern people underestimate the power and accuracy of oral tradition in non-literate cultures. It isn't at all like Chinese Whispers. Take just one story. It's told and re-told by the same speaker many times over, in a set fashion. It's heard by many people (not just one) who repeat it to each other as well as to the next generation. Everyone knows it off by heart and no deviation is permitted. Think of nursery rhymes (which have been passed down over generations of mostly illiterate people) to get the idea. Incidentally, the first mention of writing in the Bible is in Exodus 17. This fits with what we know of the development of writing in that part of the world: the alphabet was invented by the Canaanites and Phoenicians. And Moses authored the first books of the Bible to be written.

We all learned the names of dozens (if not hundreds) of animals long before we learned to write. We all carry a vocabulary of thousands of words in our heads, without needing to write them down in order to memorise them. And even today there are many languages that do not have any written form. Even in Hebrew, the names of the animals today will probably be different to the ones Adam used. This is because all languages evolve over time, and Hebrew is no exception.

I've been a Christian for over 40 years, but I can count the number of times that God has spoken to me "directly" on my fingers. Most of His communication with us is through the Bible. You could think of the information there as our "standing orders". That's why it's so important to keep reading it. He also speaks to us through sermons, and through other Christians. This is why He puts us in fellowships/churches - He wants us to realise that we need each other. And through situations and opportunities. Not all of His communication is verbal. There are of course occasions when we hear Him speaking directly to us, or when we have visions and dreams. I've had just one vision in 40+ years! But you can't - you mustn't - use these experiences as a measure of your spirituality, your value or your usefulness to God. If anything, I think it's related more to your personality and your individuality. One problem for people who get lots of these experiences is that it tends to make them proud - that's probably why God rations them.

You have to remember that the book of Judges covers a decadent period in Israel's history. Some pretty awful things went on (see the last five chapters of the book), and most people had very hazy ideas about God's requirements. Jephthah, for example, wanted to honour the living God - but he went about it as if Yahweh had been a god like Baal, needing to be 'bribed' with an extravagant vow. His vow was foolish in the extreme, with tragic consequences. Because the one thing that he did get right (although in context, it doesn't make the situation any better, but worse) is that vows must be kept, whatever the cost (Numbers 30:1,2). And so his story is recorded as a warning to us.

There is no indication of the length of time that elapsed between the end of the Flood and the incident under discussion. It could well have been several decades.

Noah’s behaviour was a disgrace to his position (as head of the human family), but his son Ham committed a worse sin by publicising his father’s loss of dignity. Some things are better left unseen and unreported! In contrast, Shem and Japheth upheld their father’s honour, showing him due filial respect even at a time when he did not deserve it. Noah punished his youngest son Ham by cursing Ham’s youngest son Canaan, while giving all the descendants of Shem and Japheth a blessing. (In ancient times, people were much more aware than we are of what we would call “family solidarity”; they expected their own behaviour to have consequences for their descendants as well as for themselves.) Shem received the family priesthood, while Japheth was promised the eldest son’s ‘double portion’ of territory. The incident illustrates how moral values vary between generations and cultures. Today we have very little respect for either age or rank: Ham would have made a video of his discovery that would probably go viral, the media would applaud him for exposing his father’s inadequacies, and there would be demands for Noah’s resignation from his position of leadership! But God upheld Noah’s authority and endorsed his pronouncements. Why are some nations so much more prosperous than others? Why, for example, are Europeans (on the whole) richer than Africans? Why does the nation of Israel still exist, while the Edomites, Moabites and Babylonians have disappeared? It’s not that any one nation is innately superior to any other. Rather, the answer is to be found in a patchwork of geographical factors and historical events. Natural resources, climate, decisions made by distant ancestors, wars and plagues… and God’s overruling (Acts 17:26). Noah’s oracle is a case in point. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see how God worked both blessing and curse into later history. Like father, like son: the Canaanites became notorious for their sexual perversions (which included drunken orgies), and eventually they lost their homeland to the Israelites (Leviticus 18:24,25). And the blessings on Shem and Japheth? Japheth’s lands (Europe and Western Asia) have turned out to be more extensive and more economically prosperous than Shem’s (the Middle East). However, it is through the Semites (and specifically the descendants of Abraham) that the world has received its spiritual enlightenment. But don’t get the idea that our destinies (whether national or individual) are pre-determined by God and cannot be altered. History is not pre-planned in such minute detail! Blessings can be forfeited through complacency. Curses can be overcome through faith (e.g. I Chronicles 4:9,10). Thus it was that a Canaanite woman even managed to find her way into the genealogy of Jesus… (Matthew 1:5)

About 40 years ago, when my husband and I were engaged, we spent New Year with my parents (who lived in a semi-detached house). On New Years Eve they went out to visit friends, leaving us in the house. It wasn't long before we overheard the next door neighbours (who were having a party) talking about a Ouija board. Not long afterwards, we heard them asking the 'standard' question, "Is there anybody there?" At that point we decided to start praying against it. For the next 20-30 minutes we prayed in the name of Jesus and sang Christian songs, just the other side of the shared wall from them. Then we heard them singing, "Why are we waiting?" We had managed to prevent it from working.