Thank you for the reply, but I still think there was something wrong with Cain’s question, because Cain DID know where Abel was, because Cain had killed him. So his question must have been inherently evil because he replied to God in a question to mask his knowledge of where Abel was. If he had not been lying he would/could have said, “I don’t know” and not add the question about “am I my brother’s keeper”. Cain was lying so the question was designed to distance himself from the truth, which is lying and evil. 

Jenny

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Hi Jenny.

I think we will agree if I explain myself more carefully.

If Cain had been righteous and was wondering one day about God’s order, he might have asked God in innocent prayer, “Am I my brother’s keeper, or is he my keeper?”  So, you see, there would be no sin in that question.  That is what I meant when I said that there was nothing wrong with the question itself.  The wrong was in Cain’s heart, who was using an otherwise be an innocent question to hide the fact that he had sinned.  ALL the wrong was in Cain; none of it was in the question he asked.  And the wrong that was in Cain’s heart is what transformed the question into a lie.  As I understood your reply, that is what you were saying, too.

Thanks again for the response.  I hope what I am saying is clearer now.

Pastor John 

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Hi John,

I have a question that has come to mind several times.  In 2Peter 3:9, Peter tells us, “The Lord of the promise is not slow, as some think of slowness, but waits patiently for us, not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”  Do you think that all those years that God was patience in heaven with the sin that was in heaven that He may have been giving Satan and other creatures time to repent? 

Randell

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I don’t think so, Randell.  I believe that scripture from Peter applies only to humans.  Satan and his angels had seen the face of God and had been in His very presence many times, and probably were condemned eternally the moment they sinned.  As Jesus said, “To whom much is given, much shall be required.”  Much had been gven to them, and what was required of them, they failed to render to God.

A good example of this is Moses.  God would not allow him to lead Israel into the promised land of Canaan just because Moses struck a rock when God had told him just to speak to it (Num. 20:1–13).  That seems like a heavy price to pay for what would normally be a minor offense, but much had been given to Moses, and so, much obedience was required of him.

That is how I see it.  What do you think?

Pastor John

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Re: Genesis 4:

8. And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9. And Jehovah said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?”  And he said, “I don’t know.  Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Hi Pastor John,

I’m wondering about last night’s reading,* on the bottom of the first page where it says, “There was nothing inherently with Cain’s question.”  Would it be more accurate to say, “On the face of it there was nothing inherently wrong with Cain’s question”? … because there was something wrong with his question. 

Jenny

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Hi Jenny.

I disagree.  There was nothing at all wrong with Cain’s question; that is the very reason Cain asked it.  There was something wrong with Cain, however, and he was using an otherwise innocent question to hide his guilt.  If the question had been inherently evil, Cain would not have asked it because an evil question would have given him away.

I hope that helps.

Pastor John

*Father and Son Reading 28 PDF

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Hi Pastor John,

Referring back to Aunt Barbara’s question about when the old covenant believers will receive the Holy Ghost, there was a discussion a few weeks back about two excerpts in the Bible where it alluded to us doing animal sacrifices again during the thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth.  We all agreed that the timing didn’t make sense for doing this again, but I cannot find the verses that were being discussed.

I was wondering if we’re all going to experience each other’s covenants together at some point.

Wendy

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The verses about ceremonial worship during the Millennial Reign are all in the prophets, and they are still puzzling to me.  I cannot answer your question because of that.  I will say, though, that (1) I cannot fathom why we would revert to ceremonial worship after Jesus returns and (2) my inability to fathom it is irrelevant; God does what He does no matter what we poor humans think.

Thank you for the question.  I wish I could give you a better answer.

Pastor John

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Pastor John,

Galatians 4 says this:

25. This Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds to present-day Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
26. But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all,

What is the difference between the Jerusalem in verse 25 and the Jerusalem in verse 26?

Verse 25: “present-day Jerusalem, for she is in slavery”

Verse 26: “but the Jerusalem above is free”?

Michelle

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Hi Michelle.

I am glad you are not just reading the Bible, but are also thinking about what you are reading.

In Paul’s day, the “present-day Jerusalem” was the city of Jerusalem in the land of Israel.  That Jerusalem and those who belonged to her were still in bondage because they were still under the law and were required to keep it.  On the other hand, the Jerusalem that was “above” and free is the New Jerusalem (Rev. 3:12; 21:2) that belongs to “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16), that is, to the people who have received the holy Ghost and have been circumcised in their hearts, not their bodies (Rom. 2:28–29).

We who have been baptized into the body of Christ are “free” from the law (Rom. 7:4) so that we may live and worship in the newness of eternal life (Rom. 6:4).  Our beautiful Jerusalem, with its gates of pearl and its streets laid with transparent gold, is still to come; nevertheless, it is our home.

I hope that helps explain the difference.  Thanks for the question!

Pastor John 

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