Question: I am stuggling to explain to my friend that Jesus is God because of the
verse found on Colossians 1:15-16.  She states that the verse proves that
Jesus was created by God therefore he can not be God because God has no
beginning.  can you please help me  with an explanation to this verse?
Thank you and God bless.
Answer: When Christ is called the “firstborn” (Hebrews 1:6, Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15, Revelation 1:5), the term does not refer to a point of time, rather, it emphasizes importance or priority (Hebrews 12:23; Genesis 48:14, 18, 20). In Hebrew culture, the firstborn received the family privileges. So Jesus is the firstborn among men. He won back all the privileges man had lost (Romans 5:14-19). He became the new Adam, the new “firstborn” or head of the human race.
Also, the word “beginning” in some cases means “chief,” denoting more than a created being but the “chief” of creation. (See Strong’s Concordance—#746.)
For example:
The President is Commander in Chief of the armed forces, yet this does not lower his rank as President of the United States and make him an enlisted soldier.

Question: “When Jesus came down, and was born as a human being, unto Mary and Joseph,
and gave up His omnipotence, was this forever, or, when He was raised from
the tomb, and returned to the Father, did He regain His omnipotence?”

Answer: Yes, Jesus did regain His omnipotence or “almighty” power after He was raised from the tomb. He was reinstated with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Revelation 4:8). The word “omnipotent” is “pantokrator” in the Greek and is translated “Almighty” in most Bible translations (see Revelation 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:15; 21:22). It is specifically applied to Christ in the book of Revelation as the following verse indicates. 

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:7-8).

This previous verse says that the Lord is “almighty” or omnipotent (pantokrator) and that He is the Alpha and Omega. The following verses show that Jesus is Alpha and Omega and therefore the Lord being spoken of in the previous verses:

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle” (Revelation 1:10-13).

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:12-16).

Question: “Why does there seem to be such discrepancy about hell? Most denominations seem to believe that there is everlasting or lasting torment in hell. The Seventh Day Adventist Church does not seem to hold this belief. My understanding is that hell or torment is two-fold. One is that it is the separation from God; the second seems to be that those who are separated will be thrown into the lake of fire and destroyed. Hell accordingly does not last forever, only as long as the person lives. Please help clarify what hell is and how to explain the Seventh Day Adventist position, including scripture that supports this! Thank you!”
Answer:
Heavenly Fire
Many preachers hold differing views on this subject of hell. In fact, the biblical teaching on hell is fast becoming one of the most debated issues in Christendom today. For many years, even centuries, hellfire has been used as a motivating persuasive by various religious groups to get or keep converts. Some pastors still argue that the doctrine of eternal hellfire keeps people in the church. In years past, the great majority of pastors had their hellfire-and-brimstone sermon. It went something like this:
“God is not fooling around here. If you’ve heard the message, you had better accept it. If not, you will be tormented forever in hell, a place so hot that it would turn the hottest fires on earth today into icicles. If you don’t repent and believe in Jesus Christ, that’s where you’ll be for all eternity.”
A sample of this type of emphasis is seen in the following statement:
“The smoke of their torment shall ascend up forever in the sight of the blessed…before their eyes…This display of Divine character and glory will be in favor of the redeemed, and most entertaining, and the highest pleasure to those who love God…Should the eternal torment, and fires be extinguished, it would in a great measure put an end to the happiness and glory of the blessed” (Samuel Hopkins, pp. 457, 458).
Well, what do you think of the taste of fire and brimstone? Does the Bible really teach that the redeemed will take pleasure in the torment of the wicked? Consider this verse:
 “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 18:32, NAS).
Why would a God of love burn sinners in hell for an eternity? Even the world’s most evil men, responsible for the death of millions of people, were never this cruel. Considering what is at stake here, the following admonishment to diligently study the Word of God is very appropriate:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Let’s begin our study by allowing the Bible to answer some basic questions about hell.
 
Question Number 1:
When does hell occur?
Jesus Himself gives us a clear answer on this first question in the parable of the sower:
“Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn’” (Matthew 13:24-30).
Now, as soon as Jesus is finished sharing this parable with the people, His disciples  came to Him privately inquiring as to its meaning. In answer to their interest Christ elaborates on the story:
“Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and His disciples came unto Him, saying, ‘Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said unto them, ‘He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world’” (Matthew 13:36-40).
There is the answer and in perfect harmony with what we have already studied about the state of the dead. The burning of hellfire takes place at the end of the world. Here’s another text from the book of 2 Peter:
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Peter 2:9).
The unjust, the lost, are reserved until the day of punishment. Very clear! God knows how to do this, as we have learned. All the dead, whether lost or saved, rest in the grave. This is what the Bible teaches. This is what Christ taught:
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29).
 
Question Number 2:
Where is hell located?
We can go right to Revelation 14 for this answer:
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb’” (Revelation 14:9-10).
Where is hell located? As far as this verse teaches, it is in the very presence of the Lamb. This is what the Bible teaches. The torment of the lost, (yes there is torment), is not in some far off, under-the-earth fire prison. It is actually in the very presence of God and the Lamb. Hell is in God’s presence and it will actually take place right here on this earth:
“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).
This earth right here is where hellfire is to take place. This may be a surprise to some, but it is the clear teaching of the Bible. Look at another text:
“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9).
The wicked surround the holy city as it comes to rest upon this earth (see Revelation 21:1-2). Then fire comes down from heaven on this earth and devours the wicked.
 
Question Number 3:
What is the penalty for sin?
The Bible teaches that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The gift of God is eternal life, but the wages of sin is death—not eternal suffering, not eternal anything, but death. It is simple enough for a child to understand—death is the wages of sin. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
As we have studied, Christ died that none would have to taste this second death, eternal death. Everlasting death, eternal death is death that lasts forever. There is no life in this death, not even a semblance of life.
 
Question Number 4:
How complete is the destruction of the wicked?
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46).
Notice the text says, “Everlasting punishment” not “everlasting punishing.” There is a difference. It is the punishment that lasts forever, not the punishing. The lost are not being punished, that is, tormented, forever. They are punished once with an everlasting punishment, a punishment that is permanent. Then they perish and they are no more:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
The lost will perish. They will not be given everlasting life in any kind of form.
“Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
The punishment is everlasting destruction, that is, a destruction that is permanent. It is not everlasting torment.
One of the clearest illustrations concerning hellfire is found in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah, because the Bible uses the same expression, “eternal fire,” to describe their destruction:
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7).
The Old Testament account also parallels the account we have read in the book of Revelation concerning the destruction of the lost:
“Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24).
We could ask,Are these cities still burning today? If suffering the eternal fire of heaven means that the lost will burn for all eternity, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah would be burning to this day, for they suffered “eternal fire” as an example of what the lost will suffer. Yet notice what the Bible says happened to Sodom and Gomorrah:
“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6).
In the light of this, consider what the Bible says will happen to the lost:
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1).
“And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 4:3).
“But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away” (Psalm 37:20, NKJV).
“And they shall be as though they had not been” (Obadiah 1:16).
These verses are very clear and meaningful. They do not reveal a God of vengeance, but one of compassion. The wicked do not suffer torment for countless ages. Yes, they do taste the wages of sin, but then they cease to exist.
This fire is everlasting in its effect, not in its duration. It brings the lost and Lucifer to ashes.
“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee” (Ezekiel 28:17-18).
The fire of hell brings Lucifer to ashes; it brings his angels to ashes; it brings the lost to ashes. It brings everlasting death. As Christ explains, it destroys the soul and the body.
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
 
Question Number 5:
What about the term, “forever and ever?” The Bible says, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:11).
What does this expression mean in the context of all this Bible evidence?
The use of this expression in other places in the Bible can help us to find harmony with its use here.
In Exodus 21:6, for example, a servant was to serve his master “for ever.” Of course that could only mean as long as the servant was alive. Once the servant died he could no longer serve his master.
In 1 Samuel 1:22, Hannah purposed to present her son to the Lord that he would abide there “for ever.” Again this was understood to mean “…as long as he [Samuel] liveth (1 Samuel 1:28).”
Jonah also used this same expression when speaking of his experience in the belly of a fish.
“I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God (Jonah 2:6).
Yet Jonah was not in the belly of the whale for an indefinite space of time, though it must have seemed that way. “Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17).
Any negative experience, especially when we are uncomfortable, can seem like an eternity. In fact, we use the same type of terminology today:
“This is taking forever.”
“Where were you? I’ve been waiting forever!”
“When will we get there, we’ve been driving forever.”
 
What about unquenchable fire?
Some of the verses we’ve looked at, as well as other Bible verses seem to indicate that the fires of hell will never be quenched.
First, we should consider that there are many unquenchable fires in our modern times. These are fires that burn so hot that they cannot be put out. The Bible uses this terminology in the same way. The city of Jerusalem is an example. The prophet Jeremiah was told to warn rebellious Israel of coming judgment by fire:
“But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched” (Jeremiah 17:27).
This judgment did come upon the city, but Jerusalem is not burning to this day. The fire was unquenchable until its work was done. So it is with hell fire. It burns until there is nothing left to burn.
The Bible is clear that the wicked will eventually perish (see Psalm 21:9; 37:10, 20; 62:3). This earth will be the place of that fire:
“Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” (2 Peter 3:12).
Following this event there will be a new heaven and a new earth:
“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, NKJV).
Another reason we know that hell is not an eternally burning abyss is because the book of Revelation says:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; And there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4, NKJV).
 
Some difficult texts:
Yes, there are some verses in the Bible that confuse people on this subject. It is always important to consider the weight of evidence, allowing difficult Bible texts to be understood in the light of the big picture. The first text we want to look at is from the gospels. Here Jesus says:
“And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:47-48).
Jesus is referring to the principle of hell. While hell is future, it is also real. And its destruction is complete. Christ’s words remind us of this fact. They were meaningful to His listeners because they spoke of a place of burning very similar to that outside the city walls of Jerusalem. It was here, in Gehenna, that a continual fire burned the rubbish of the city and even the dead bodies of criminals. Between the flames of the Gehenna garbage pit and the worms thriving along its edges, everything thrown into it was completely consumed. This was the point Christ was making concerning hell. It is an experience of complete destruction.
Another section of Scripture, misunderstood by many, is found in Luke 16:19-31. Here we find the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. There are four important points to consider when looking at this parable.
1.     It is a parable. (A parable cannot be taken literally, but speaks in story form; i.e. heaven is not literally in Abraham’s bosom.)
2.     The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is teaching a point of truth.
3.     While it does teach a day of fiery judgment for the lost, nowhere in the story does it say that the rich man would burn forever.
4.     This parable is rich with vital lessons:
• Riches are not necessarily a sign of God’s favor.
• Poverty is not necessarily a sign of God’s displeasure.
• After death there is no second chance.
• Those who reject the plain teaching of the Scriptures will not be convinced by miracles.
 
The clear teaching of the Bible is that there is no life of any kind aside from Jesus Christ. If we do not have Him, we have no eternal life in any form, interpretation, or degree–we perish.
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11-12).
 
Continual Reformation
Many prominent theologians today are reconsidering the idea of eternal punishment and the immortal soul. One article in U.S. News and World Report quoted a theologian by the name of Dr. Hughes.
 
“Hughs argues that the traditional belief in unending punishment is linked to the erroneous belief in the ‘innate immortality’ of the soul—a belief, he says, that is based more on Plato than on the Bible. ‘The immortality of which the Christian is assured is not inherent in himself or in his soul but is bestowed by God,’ says Hughs” (U.S. News & World Report, January 31, 2000).
 
Another well-known evangelical theologian by the name of John Stott has also done some rethinking on the Bible teaching of hellfire. When interviewed by Christianity Today, Stott was asked about this change and the impact it was having on his reputation among evangelicals.
 
“You have fallen afoul of some evangelicals. Some of your reflections on the nature of eternal punishment were considered uncongenial to orthodoxy by some people.”
“In Evangelical Essentials, I described as ‘tentative’ my suggestion that ‘eternal punishment’ may mean the ultimate annihilation of the wicked rather than their eternal conscious torment…”
“The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalismis not the uncritical repetition of old traditions but the willingness to submit every tradition, however ancient, to fresh biblical scrutiny and, if necessary, reform” (John Stott, Christianity Today, January 8, 1996).
In fact, the entire Church of England, of which Stott is a member, has changed its position on the teaching of hellfire:
“A Church of England commission has rejected the idea of hell as a place of fire, pitchforks, and screams of unending agony, describing it instead as annihilation for all those who reject the love of God…”mending agony describing it instead of annihilation for all those who reject the love.”
“Rejecting the medieval vision of the underworld, the report said belief in everlasting punishment has steadily faded. “Hell is not eternal torment, but it is the final and irrevocable choosing of that “which is opposed to God so completely and absolutely that the only end is total non-being” (Spokesman Review, January 18, 1996).

Summary:                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The loss of any one soul brings indescribable sorrow to the heart of God. It is not the lost who suffer for all eternity; rather it is the heart of God. He is the Creator of all. In His heart will be an empty spot throughout eternity for all those who choose the wages of sin. God has a place in His heart for you. Won’t you choose to fill that place and bring joy to the heart of Him, Who has given everything for you?

 Question:  Could you please explain 1 John 3:9? It states, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” (NKJV). Do we take this passage literally?

 Answer:  This is a very important question from a verse that has troubled many sincere believers. One of the principles of biblical interpretation that will help us properly interpret this text is to understand the context in which it is written. The context in the first part of this letter (chapters one and two), gives us some clear indications as to the believer’s relationship to sin:

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Here we find that sin is to be acknowledged and confessed by the believer. The purpose being that we would not have “fellowship” with sin or “walk” (as a way of life) in sin but rather that we would have fellowship with the Father and walk in the light of His love (1 John 1:5-7).

When we take this context into consideration, we have some clearer insight into what John meant in 1 John 3:9:

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

It does not mean that we have no sin, for in that case we would self deceived. It does not mean that we have not sinned, for in that case we would be making Him a liar. It does not mean that it’s impossible for us to sin, for John says, “If” we sin we have an Advocate, meaning that it is possible that we can sin. What it does mean is that when we are born of God we no longer live a life of sin. We walk in the light and not in darkness. We have fellowship with the Father and not with the sinfulness of the world. We cannot keep living a life of sin because we are now born of God. Praise God!

Question:  “I have been studying the prophecies of Daniel 8 & 9. I do not understand Daniel 9:26 ‘and after threescore and two weeks shall the Messiah be cut off.’ Isn’t that at the end of the 69th week where Christ was cut off in the middle of the 70th week?”

Answer:  There is an easy way to understand this if we break the prophecy into four sections:

7 weeks, 3 score and two weeks = starting from 457 B.C. to Jesus being anointed with Holy Spirit

7 weeks = starting from 457 B.C. taking us to the time when Jerusalem was rebuilt by Nehemiah

3 score and 2 weeks = starting from after Jerusalem was rebuilt to Jesus anointed with Holy Spirit

1 week = starting from after Jesus was anointed to when the covenant was confirmed/end of 70 week time line (34 A.D.)

Daniel 9:25 lumps 7 weeks and 3 score and 2 weeks together. For a total of 483 weeks from 457 B.C. to the anointing of Jesus with the Holy Spirit (27 A.D.)

Daniel 9:26 begins after the 7 weeks, therefore it only speaks of the 3 score and 2 weeks to Messiah (anointing of Jesus by the Holy Spirit). In other words, verse 26 is taking us from after the rebuilding of Jerusalem to Messiah (3 score and 2 weeks).

Question: “What is your position on the rapture of the church?”

Answer: Our position is based on what the Bible teaches. The word rapture comes from the phrase “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In that context, the Bible teaches that the church will be raptured at the second coming of Jesus Christ along with all believers whether dead in Christ or alive at His appearing. This rapture will come at a time that will catch the world by surprise–like a thief in the night  (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3) and bring sudden destruction upon all who are not in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

 
We believe the second coming of Christ will be a loud, bright, every-eye-will-see-Him, literal, ending history-as-we-know-it event (Matthew 24:26-31; Revelation 1:7; Acts 1:11; 2 Peter 3:10).

Question:   ”I have heard recently, and I don’t recall from where, that the Bride of Christ is the 144,000, but I’ve read in the Great Controversy, pages 426 & 427, that the Bride is the City of God. Please clarify if possible. Thanks.”

Answer: I believe both of these thoughts are correct and harmonize. Truth often does that (faith and works; mercy and justice). The bride of Christ is the New Jerusalem and the 144,000. They are connected. The New Jerusalem includes the redeemed/144,000 (Revelation 21:9-17). That appears to be the reason why the city has twelve gates with the names of the twelve tribes over each gate. Ephesians 2:19-22 also indicates as does 1 Peter 2:5 that the redeemed are spiritual stones making up a building of whom Christ is the chief cornerstone. Hebrews 3:6 calls the redeemed “God’s house.”

Question: ” I have a simple but difficult question. I know Jesus said in John 6:44 that “no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” So my question is, are we saved before baptism or after baptism?”  

Answer: Salvation is a gift given freely to everyone in Christ Jesus. Many who do not know Jesus by name will be saved. Many who could not be baptized biblically will be saved (like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43)). Baptism, and every other act of obedience to God’s Word, is the fruit of salvation (Colossians 1). It is proof that we do believe, but it is not the means of salvation. Salvation is a reality before baptism. It is a fact the moment we take Christ as our personal Savior. 

Answer: Melchizedek—A Pattern of Christ

“For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually” (Hebrews 7:1-3, KJV).

Who was Melchizedek? There have been many speculations about him, but one thing is sure—we don’t know. When we come across something in the Bible that is not clear, it is likely because it is not vital for us to know. This is the case with Melchizedek. His identity is not the focus of his inclusion in the book of Hebrews. It is the priesthood of Melchizedek that is important and that is clearly outlined in the context of this chapter. One reason why Melchizedek is important is because he, as a priest, represented Jesus. (Additionally, he was the king of Salem which represents Christ as King of kings. In these two things he is a pattern of Christ.)

“Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises” (Hebrews 7:4-6, KJV).

This is where Christ’s priesthood is identified. He was not of the tribe of Levi, the chosen tribe for the priesthood. Christ’s priesthood is before Levi was even chosen to be priest. We find that Christ’s priesthood is patterned about Melchizedek, the one to who even Abraham paid tithe. And because the Levites came from Abraham, then in Abraham the Levites paid tithe to Melchizedek. Because Melchizedek was the first priest and Abraham first paid tithe to him, Melchizedek is the greater priesthood. We should take note that Melchizedek blessed Abraham. What does the Scripture say about this blessing?

“And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better” (Hebrews 7:7).

Here again we see the “something better” theme that runs through the entire book of Hebrews. Once again it is something vitally better. The priesthood of Melchizedek is without beginning and without end. This is something substantially better because Melchizedek is a pattern of Christ. The conclusion then is that Christ offers us a better priesthood than Levi.

Question: “Worship, as far as I am concerned, should bring spiritual refreshing and draw you closer to God. Also, we should worship God with dances like king David did in the Psalms. How can we get that spiritual refreshment in our worship if we are not allowed to dance?”

Answer: “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40, NKJV).

“By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1, NKJV).

“Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp” (Psalm 149:3, NKJV).

“Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!” (Psalm 150:4, NKJV).

“Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, ‘Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.’ So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. ‘O Baal, answer us!’ they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.’ So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:25-29, NIV).

“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And Aaron said to them, ‘Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.’ Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount” (Exodus 32:1-7, 19, NKJV, KJV).

“Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry [dance]’” (1 Corinthians 10:5-7, NIV).

“You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jesus, speaking in John 4:22-24, NKJV).

“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32, NKJV).

According to Jesus, spirit and truth are both essential in the worship of God. In order to achieve proper worship of God, we need both the Spirit of God and the truth of God. The Spirit is not something we can conjure up or manufacture through our worship styles. Christianity is not like a heathen religion–trying to force God’s Spirit to respond by our actions. We cannot dance and leap as the Baal worshippers at Carmel in order to conjure up the Spirit of God. The Bible indicates that God’s Spirit is present in worship when we obey the truth of God’s Word.

Having said that, I would like to answer this question in three ways:

1) What the Bible says about dance in worship

2) What the Bible says against dance in worship

3) What the Bible says about how to worship

First let’s examine the evidence for dance in worship. It is clear that there are some verses that seem to indicate that dance is acceptable in the worship of God. It should be noted, however, that these verses are authored by David who also danced before the Lord. One of the principle methods of arriving at Christian practice is to allow “two or three witnesses,” that is biblical authors, to confirm doctrine. It has been difficult for any church to do this based on lack of clear evidence for dance in worship from more than one source. In addition, David danced before the Lord alone ( 2 Samuel 6:16). There is no evidence that others joined him, making his dance even less of an example for a congregation in worship. (Yes, there are a couple other examples of dance among God’s people in the Bible, but these were in victory celebration, not worship, and done by the women only (Exodus 15:20; 1 Samuel 18:6).

The evidence against dance in worship is more abundant. We find two witnesses in Moses and Elijah that indicate that dance was something used by those who worshipped God falsely. Both at Sinai and on Carmel the professed followers of God set a bad example of worship style by dancing. This brought severe consequences from God and a warning from Paul in the New Testament not to follow their example (1 Corinthians 10:5-7).

Finally, let’s consider the evidence for proper worship. If we take a biblical approach to this question, we can see that God has given us abundant evidence of when to worship Him, that is, on the Sabbath day. Compare the small amount of biblical evidence we have for dance with the ample biblical evidence we have for worshipping God on the Sabbath day. We can see clearly that dance in worship is a distraction to the more important issue of the day God blessed and sanctified for worship (Genesis 2:1-3; Revelation 14:7). God never says He blessed and sanctified dance for worship. In addition, God has promised His Spirit to those who obey Him. In the end, dance in worship is a side issue to distract us from worshipping God in spirit and truth. Dance in worship has led God’s people to idolatry, confusion, and apostasy. Let’s make sure we follow the clear teaching of God’s Word, and we will then have the promise of His Spirit. And when we have the Spirit we have true spiritual refreshing.