Deborah_

No Not that I know of There is no longer 'one' true church; whether we like it or not, we are split into groups that are called denominations (whether we agree with that term or not). Everyone who is a member of God's Kingdom is also a member of one of these sub-groups (even if it calls itself "non-denominational", or even if they are a "denomination of one" i.e. a lone Christian who doesn't belong to any church). What does this question mean? If you're asking, "Is God's Kingdom divided into denominations?" the answer is "No." But if you're effectively asking, "Are different denominations to be found in God's Kingdom?" then the answer is "Yes."

The one is a foretaste of the other (II Peter 2:6), so it makes no difference. Since Rahab's faith is held up as an example of the faith that saves us from eternal judgement (James 2:25), then they must be equivalent.

The judgement of God

Unfortunately it isn't quite as simple as that. Whether meta means 'after' or 'with' depends on the case of the noun that follows it. If it means 'after', the noun is in the accusative case. If it means 'with', the noun is in the genitive case. They aren't interchangeable! And 'ten thlipsin' (the tribulation) is accusative. So I'm afraid it has to mean "after the tribulation."

That is standard teaching, of course - so how do you explain the salvation of Rahab's family being promised to them (in Judges 2) before they had any opportunity to exercise faith and, indeed, regardless of it? I don't know how this tension should be resolved, but I find it intriguing.

Interesting question - especially when you bear in mind that Noah's wife and children were saved from the Flood by his faith (theirs is never mentioned), and that not just Rahab but all of her family who took shelter in her house were saved when Jericho was destroyed (Judges 2:17-19, 6:22,23). Maybe in certain circumstances faith can be a bit like magnetism: if you put a magnet into a box of pins, not just the pins touching the magnet but also any pins touching them can be drawn out by the magnetism (but this effect quickly wears off as you get further away from direct contact with the magnet). It certainly isn't something that can be taken for granted: Lot's sons-in-law could have been saved along with his daughters, but chose to stay in Sodom (Genesis 19:12-14).

I voted for the first option in the first question, but actually none of them fitted my experience. I hadn't heard "the gospel" at all when I became a Christian. It was only about 6 months later that I did hear a clear presentation of it - wanted to become a Christian and realised that I already was!

Look at this verse in context. Jesus is teaching us not to be anxious about where our next meal is going to come from. Birds work for their food - they have to forage, might have to fly a long way in search of it. We have to work for ours as well! Their are still some hunter-gatherer communities in the world who live in the same way as the wild birds. But most of us live in a situation where food is normally obtained with money, which means that we have to acquire the money somehow. But the principle is the same: Don't be anxious about it!

There was no manna falling down in Jesus' time either. God can answer our prayers for 'bread' in many ways, depending on our situation - such as by giving a subsistence farmer rain, or by giving an unemployed person a job. "Remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." (Deuteronomy 8:18)

All of the above, but also try to persuade him to read the Bible. This will be easier if you have read (or are prepared to read) the Qur'an. (Fair's fair - why should he read your holy book if you haven't read his?) Reading the Qur'an won't hurt you if you are strong in your faith; it's nowhere near as good as the Bible!

It's OK to be "non-denominational", but if you are not meeting other believers regularly for fellowship somewhere than your Christian journey will be much harder than it needs to be. Becoming a Christian makes you part of a family. We weren't meant to be alone! Being on your own doesn't make you free from influence; it just makes you susceptible to all kinds of non-Christian influences. Baptism is not necessary for salvation, but it is nevertheless very important because of what it symbolises. It's a declaration to the world (and to the spiritual powers in the heavenly realms) that you belong to Christ and are a citizen of His Kingdom. If you deliberately choose not to be baptised, what message does that give? It is also disobedience to a clear command of Jesus. No wonder you feel as though you are drifting through life... So I would say that your baptism is long overdue - and since it has to be done by a church, you will have to surrender some of your individualism (which will also be good for you).

Why is this a problem? Before the Big Bang theory, most scientists believed that the universe had always existed, and that it had no beginning - in direct contradiction to the Bible, which teaches that the universe did begin at some point, because God created it out of nothing. Now most people agree that the universe did have a beginning - a rare example of science coming into agreement with Scripture! (Although it's called the "Big Bang", that's just a popular name that has stuck. Scientists don't really think there was a cosmic explosion).

When I was a teenager, I was told that in order to get into university, you needed to have an IQ of at least 120 (i.e. well above average). But that was 50 years ago - and university education has changed since then! The UK Government wants at least 50% of young adults to go to university, which means an IQ of 100 would now be sufficient here (at least for some courses). "University" now covers a much broader range of education than it used to, so a lot depends on what type of course you want to do. But I would have thought that someone with a below-average IQ is likely to find any academic course a bit of a struggle. So why do you want to go to university? Are there no other options that might suit you better? Have you achieved the necessary grades in your school subjects? If you have, then the IQ test result probably doesn't mean much. If you haven't, then university probably isn't for you. If you go and then find yourself out of your depth, you won't be happy.

There is virtually no overlap between Biblical 'leprosy' and the disease that we now call leprosy (Hansen's disease). They are completely different things. The description in Leviticus 13 is not of Hansen's disease - in fact, as far as I know it doesn't tally with any known dermatological condition today. But the stigma is very similar, which is probably why they came to share the same name.

How far can we see? Say (for the sake of the argument) 20 million light years. The visible universe would then be a sphere with a radius of 20 million light years, centred on the earth - because the earth is where we are observing from. If our telescopes were located on the planet Mars, the apparent centre of the universe would be Mars. Where the actual centre of the universe is, is anyone's guess - and I don't think it matters in the least.

In Biblical times virtually all marriages were "arranged". 'Dating' is a relatively modern idea, so as far as I know there is nothing in the Bible about it.

The price of my daily newspaper went up from £1.80 to £2.00 a couple of months ago. The corner shop cashier is still trying to charge me the lower price - and every time I have to point out that it's gone up!

v8 It is truly amazing is that Jesus gave His life to rescue those who were neither righteous nor good - those, in fact, who were the very opposite, and who deserved to die. From this, we deduce that God’s love is much greater in magnitude and dependability than even the heights of human love. How, then, can we doubt the reality and immensity of His love for us? Christ’s death is the firmest possible basis for our assurance! v9,10 Yet there is still more to come! One day, God’s wrath will be poured out in full on this sinful world - which means that our salvation is not yet complete. Justification is only the first step. But we need have no worries, for the rest will surely follow! If Jesus loved us enough to die for us when we were His enemies, why should He love us any the less now that we belong to Him? And since He has done so much to remove our sins and make us righteous, how can He fail to complete our salvation at the end of time? We therefore look forward to Jesus’ return not with apprehension but in eager anticipation. (I Thessalonians 5:9) God’s wrath against sinners will not touch those who belong to Christ. Because Jesus is alive, we share in His life now and will share in His resurrection on the Last Day. v11 For our final deliverance, as for our justification, we are completely dependent on God’s grace. And so our confidence is not self-confidence, but a humble recognition that our salvation is entirely God’s doing, from beginning to end - and we will therefore not be disappointed. As we contemplate all that God has done for us through His Son (justification, reconciliation, and absolute security for the life to come), we can only rejoice - not in our own achievements or privileges, but in our wonderful and amazing God!

You will only know if Zoloft will work for you if you try it. Why not discuss it with your doctor/psychiatrist and agree to take it for a trial period (this needs to be long enough for any beneficial effect to show).

If your girlfriend wants children and you don't, either one of you gives way to the other or you split up. It's a rather major life decision! Mind you, even couples who don't want children sometimes end up having them (it happened to friends of mine - after about 6 years of marriage their contraception failed and the wife got pregnant. After having one child, they thought they might as well go on and have another, so they ended up with two!) There are very few things more important than raising children... what do you have in mind? And does your girlfriend know about this plan, and is she in agreement with it? White/black is an issue in some places but not in others. In the UK it wouldn't raise any eyebrows, but in the USA I understand there's still a lot of prejudice against mixed-race couples. I've no idea about either Israel or Russia. I'm not aware of any issues for mixed-race children other than racism itself. Certainly no medical problems associated with being mixed race (and if anything, as has already been pointed out, a lower risk of certain genetic illnesses). I have to confess that I'm not too keen on other people's children either. But it didn't stop me wanting to have my own - I originally hoped to have three, but in the end only had one successful pregnancy. (Which goes to show that this is one area of life where our plans don't necessarily work out) But be assured that your own children are much more lovable.

These days most churches have websites. Have a look - they will probably include some photos of the main service, so you'll be able to see how most people are dressed. One reason for belonging to a church is that you learn to rub along with people who irritate you in one way or another - just as they have to rub along with you. So what if you can't sing? That's probably true of half the people in an average congregation. But when everyone is singing together, those who can't sing get carried along by those who can. You won't be expected to do any solos! You probably could "just" do Bible study, but you'd only be getting half the experience. How do you define a "good" church? Does it really have to be "good", or would "OK" do? All churches have strengths and weaknesses, so it really depends on what aspects are most important to you. Again, research the websites to narrow down your choice. But do go somewhere! Even if you just sneak in and sit in the back row. I'm not a particularly social person myself, but that makes it all the more important to join a church, rather than avoiding it.

When I found I had cancer two years ago, there was no doubt in my mind which kind of treatment to go for. I'm still alive now because of surgery and chemotherapy.

"All" seems too strong a term - I've never heard of three of them, despite having read several commentaries on Revelation. (The "spirit of Antichrist" is mentioned in I John) So please explain - I'm familiar with the word "Messiah", but who or what is the "Second Coming Messiah"? And what is the difference between the "Beast" and the "Beast Spirit"?

Wrong. Only people who have had chicken pox can get shingles (it's a reactivation of the virus). And yet all those wards full of people being ventilated in iron lungs (some of whom were on ventilation for the rest of their lives) have disappeared. So what happened?

If it was a Mormon baptism, then I've no idea what they can or can't do. I understand that they believe baptism is essential for salvation, which might explain why your friend is so worried. But even if it can be revoked in their eyes, they can't take away her salvation in such a manner. The position of 'normal' churches is that you can only be baptised once, and that it cannot be revoked. However, I'm not sure that a Mormon baptism would be recognised as a valid baptism by mainstream churches. You'd have to ask your vicar - but if it isn't regarded as valid, she can be baptised in the Anglican church and put the Mormons behind her.