John MacArthur's Questions and Answers

*Subject*	*Questions*
Damascus Road	I was wondering if you could help me with two verses I have been having a problem with exegesis on, it would be Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9, it's Saul when he’s on the road to Damascus, where it says, “and they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of Him that spoke to me.”
Dancing	What is the right Christian stand on dancing?
Dating	What about dating? Is it normal or abnormal?
Day of the Lord [01]	"I want to ask you a question about the term the "Day of the Lord?"
Day of the Lord [02]	"I have always been along the lines of a 'Pre-Trib' Rapture, and I got into chapter 2 there, and some things seem to contradict themselves. If you could just comment on what the 'Apostasy' is, and what 'The Day of the Lord' is?"
Deacons	"What does it mean when it says 'deacons must be the husband of one wife?'"
Death [01]	Both Moses and Enoch--one went with a body and one without a body, they both went to heaven or went to be with God. What’s the difference?
Death [02]	In the Bible, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and then in Hebrews 9:27 I saw that it says, “And in as much as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment”….how can we explain that because Lazarus was dead, but then had been raised from the dead, so that would mean that he would have to die a second time?
Death [03]	Death is referred to in the Bible as an enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26). If it is an enemy, how is it that it results in "...being present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord."). How can we say that death is an enemy if it means that we are present with the Lord? How is it an enemy?
Death [04]	I have heard that after death, those who have not believed will be given a last chance--is this so?
Death [05]	I’m a rather young Christian and I’m confused about one thing. When we die, do we go directly to be with Christ or is there a waiting period? And the reason I’m asking is because I know in Philippians 1:21-23 it says “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh this will mean fruitful labor for me and I do not know which to choose.” Then it goes on to say “But I am hard pressed from both directions having the desire to depart and be with Christ for that is very much better.” I’m just confused if he means when he departs he will then go to be with Christ?
Death [06]	In James 1:15, it says: “When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.” I’ve heard three different versions of that particular one. Is that a lifestyle type of death or is that a physical death? I know it’s not a spiritual, but is it a physical?
Death [07]	What do you believe about people who die and come back to life? What do you think about that?
Death [08]	My question relates to death—I’m finding I’m going to more funerals that weddings these days. And because I’m a nurse, I see a lot of death. And I would like to know what the Bible says about the state of awareness of a believer from absent from the body until the Rapture as far as things on the earth, things in heaven. I’m thinking of Luke 16:22 about the beggar being carried by the angels, and about a passage that I can’t find called—says “the dead know not any thing.” Would you expound on that please?
Death [09]	I was wondering if you can give a biblical perspective on how far does a physician go in prolonging a patient’s life given all the technology available today?
Death [10]	A medical ethics question. As a nurse working in an Intensive Care Unit, what would my responsibility be as a Christian if I disagreed with the decision, say to not resuscitate the patient that I thought was viable because there were brain damaged or whatever. I've had to deal with that a couple of time and I’m real torn?
Death of Christ [01]	My question is concerning the death of Christ. I know that the word-faith people are teaching a very erroneous teaching on the death of Christ and His going to hell and being born again, and so forth. But, it seems like some sound teachers are denying the spiritual death of Christ, to kind of dispute what the word-faith people are saying. I’d like you, if you would, to answer the question: Did Christ die spiritually on the cross? And, what are some of the scriptural texts in regard to that?
Death of Christ [02]	Did God die on the cross, or just the humanness of Christ die, and if no, then what was the purpose of the incarnation?
Deity of Christ [01]	We witness, my husband and I, to a neighbor, who is Jewish and he comes from Israel. We have been getting together with him and the last time, he brought out his Hebrew Old Testament and my husband was reading with him through prophecies, and he would read it in English and the guy would read it in Hebrew, and they came to the 110^th Psalm, the first verse, “The Lord said unto my lord… and so on…and he says that word my is not there in the Hebrew at all. And the word Lord is not adonay or yahweh or anything like that but it’s adoni, which is just like saying sir or it’s an address that you can say to anybody.
Deity of Christ [02]	Where does it say in scripture that Jesus Christ is God?
Deity of Christ [03]	I have a friend who worships Christ and loves Christ and accepts Him as the Son of God. But the minister of the church he attends has never taught him about the deity of Christ, and he [my friend] does not believe Christ is God. Is my friend a Christian?
Deity of Christ [04]	While Jesus was teaching, did He ever call on His powers of deity?
Deity of Christ [05]	A friend of mine in Discipleship Evangelism was witnessing to a man who claimed to be a Christian. But he used Mark 10:18 to prove his point that Jesus was not God while on earth. And I was just wondering what my friend could say to this man?
Demons [01]	"To what extent do you believe that cases of epilepsy and lunacy, today, are due to demon possession, and would it be possible to cure these illnesses by casting out these demons through exorcism?"
Demons [02]	A friend was saying that he feels that he needs to deliver people from demons. I told him that I didn’t really agree with him because I feel that, it’s a case of sin and the flesh and everything and I didn’t agree that demons could be inside of a Christian, living inside of a Christian, if the Holy Spirit was there. I don’t know, but is this something that you’ve come across?
Demons [03]	What do you think about people today casting out demons? Was that only for the Apostolic era? Can Christians do that today?
Demons [04]	Matthew 12:27, and it says, they were accusing him, like you said, of having the power of Satan, and its says “If I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out, consequently they shall be your judges.” I was wondering about, how they shall be your judges?
Demons [05]	Are all demons "ex" or fallen angels? So in other words, all demons were angels at one time?
Depravity	In Romans 1:28, it says, "God gave them over to depraved minds..."I thought we were born utterly depraved. Who is the "them" and when did this happen?
Dietary Laws [01]	Did Jesus violate the dietary laws in the Old Testament when it says in Mark 7:19, the last clause, "Thus he declared all foods clean." Is that a violation of the dietary laws?
Dietary Laws [02]	Is there a blessing if we adhere to Old Testament dietary and medical laws or were they only for Israel?
Discernment	What is biblical discernment and why is it important?
Dinosaurs	Is there any room for dinosaurs in the Bible?
Discipline [01]	I have a question on Matthew 18:15-17 that has to do with confronting another brother. There are three steps that are outlined in those passages [four steps actually--the final one being putting them out]. The first, go to your brother in private and try to win him over; the second, if he won't listen to you take two or three witnesses so that every word my be established; the third, if he won't listen to you in a group go to the church and tell them, and if he won't listen to the church, then you are to treat him as a Gentile or a tax-gatherer. How do we treat Gentiles or tax-gatherers?
Discipline [02]	Does God "punish" the redeemed people? This is a question I just found out yesterday. . . .it amazed me, because my Bible Study leader said, "That He does not punish redeemed people." I always thought that He did. The Bible says, "To whom the Lord loves he scourges and chastises."
Discipline [03]	I have a question and that is in rebuking a brother and going to him in love if he is in sin or having problems, and trying to help him out of his problems, and he is stubborn or just doesn't...he's not seeking help nor wants any, what is the responsibility of myself for someone else at that point?
Discipline [04]	What should be our attitude and action toward brethren who walk consistently disobedient to God’s Word, such as legalists, compromisers, the worldly, or the deceived?
Discipline [05]	There is certainly a lot of confusion about personal accountability in church discipline, in the church today, and I am facing a little of that confusion. I'm studying 1 Peter 4:8, and it says, "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because 'love covers a multitude of sins.'" Now, I know that's just one verse; I don't want to take anything out of context, so that may not have anything to do with personal accountability with church discipline, but if it does, how should that affect our obedience to God's plan of personal accountability in the Church?
Discipline [06]	Would you agree that when a brother is caught in sin, God’s divine plan and purpose for protection and reconciliation for the brother is to confront him personally and if necessary bring him two or three witnesses, and any additional witnesses up to that point in any personalized way if perfectly unauthorized council?
Discipline [07]	If there is no more condemnation to those in Christ, does God still punish believers?
Discipline [08]	I’d like to ask a question from 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” I want to know in what way could we defile the temple of God to the point of God’s destroying that temple or that body? You mean God would take that particular person home early, I mean just take the person’s life away? If they didn’t repent of a sin?
Dispensationalism [01]	What is Dispensationalism? And what is your position, from Scripture, on the subject?
Dispensationalism [02]	I was wondering if you could articulate for me your own personal theology? I know that you came from a dispensational background, and I was wondering if you could talk about, kind of like, the history of your studying the Bible and being confronted with covenant theology, and how you’ve sort of come to the conclusions you’ve come to, and when that happened?
Dispensationalism [03]	Could you define biblical Dispensationalism and contrast that with (if there’s any contrast to be made)…with popular dispensationalism?
Dispensationalism [04]	I am concern about Dispensationalism, I have been listening to Charles Swindoll, yourself and Dave Hawking, I really enjoy their ministry. And they all preach the pre-tribulation rapture, and I can buy that. I think it’s great. And then I hear some other respected men in the Lord say, "Well that is a dispensational point of view," and they imply that that is something that has taken place within the last hundred years or so within the church. I just like to hear a little from you.
Dispensationalism [05]	What is dispensationalism?
Dispensationalism [06]	In your message, you had referenced several times—this “transdispensationalized” idea, and who are its proponents? And does this kind of inclusivism mean that someone has abandoned the gospel?
Divining Rods	What does the Bible say about divining rods?
Divorce [01]	In Malachi, chapter two, verse eleven, it talks about the people of Judah who have divorced the wife of their youth and have married the daughters of a foreign god. And it goes on into verse fifteen where it says that the people who have done this--not one of them have had any remnant of the Holy Spirit. What I was wondering, how does this carry over into the New Testament, as far as a person who claims to be a born-again Christian, if they were to do something like this--is this saying that they were never really saved to begin with?
Divorce [02]	What's your view of divorce and remarriage?
Divorce [03]	Is it true that Christians and non-Christians have the same rate of divorce?
Divorce [04]	What is the Bible’s standard of divorce?
Divorce [05]	A brother and sister in Christ, here in our church, apparently, have separated, divorced, and remarried--against the instruction of the Scripture, against the instruction of other brothers and sisters, against the instruction of the church. It ended in them being separated from our fellowship. The question then, "When, if at all, can they be restored to fellowship and how? Is it always sin for a divorced person to remarry? What about a person who was divorced and so forth before they became a believer?
Doctrine [01]	How can we determine what doctrines are essential and what are they?
Doctrine [02]	What should be our attitude toward those who have convictions about infant baptism and healing, etc.?
Doctrine [03]	Why is there much division over doctrine among Christian leaders with the same Holy Spirit and the same available knowledge?
Doctrine [04]	Concerning last week's teaching on the illumination of the Spirit of the scriptures, how do we understand that so many spirit-filled and studious men come up with so many different doctrines?
Doctrines of Grace 1/14/06	I pursue a ministry of expository preaching, verse by verse, through the Scripture. When, how, how not to systematically preach through the doctrines of grace—I’m wondering what your progression of thought has become on that and what you might prescribe to the rest of us.
Dominion Theology	What is Dominion Theology?
Doubt	I heard you say once is that even if we believe not or a believer believes not, He [Jesus] still is faithful; He can’t deny himself, He’s already put himself in motion. How does that happen?
Dreams	Today, how are we, as Christians, to view dreams and astrology?
Drinking	Should Christians Drink Wine Coolers?

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