The BIG Picture (Q&A)

The idea that Lucifer might be in partnership with God is a misunderstanding of the biblical record. Scripture consistently presents Lucifer, often identified with Satan, not as a co-worker with God but as His adversary. The testimony of the Word shows that Lucifer’s relationship to God is one of rebellion, opposition, and ultimate defeat. Lucifer’s fall is described in Isa.14:12-15, where his prideful ambition to exalt himself above the throne of God led to his downfall. This passage makes clear that his desire was not to serve alongside God but to usurp His authority. Far from partnership, this is outright rebellion. The New Testament confirms this posture: 1Pet.5:8 calls him “your adversary the devil,” portraying him as one who seeks to devour rather than cooperate with the purposes of God. It is true that Satan’s activity is sometimes permitted within the boundaries of God’s sovereignty. Job.1:12 illustrates this, where Satan could only act within limits set by God. Yet allowance i...

Question from Social Media: When Jesus declared, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). Did he, "exalt himself over everything that is called God so that he sets himself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God" (2Thessalonians2:4)? Answer: When Jesus declared, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt.28:18), He was not exalting Himself in rebellion. His authority was given by the Father. Scripture confirms this: “As thou hast given him power over all flesh” (John 17:2), and “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him” (Phil.2:9). Christ’s exaltation is the Father’s act, rooted in His obedience unto death (Phil.2:8). He is the rightful Lord, seated at the right hand of God (Heb.1:3), and in Him “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col.2:9). By contrast, 2Thess.2:4 describes “that man of sin…who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God.” His authority is self-claimed,...

This is a detailed answer to a deep topic, but here goes… Idolatry in Scripture is more than the bowing down to carved images or the rituals of pagan worship. It begins the very moment the heart, the mind, or the will turns from the true and living God to another object of trust, devotion, or authority. The Lord set the boundary clearly: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exod.20:3). He added further clarity: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them” (Exod.20:4–5). These commands remind us that idolatry is not only external—it is the inward shift of allegiance away from God Himself. The Psalms describe idolatry as misplaced trust: “They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them” (Ps.115:8). Paul explains that it is rooted in an exchange of truth for a lie: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Rom.1:25). Thus, idolatry...

QUESTION: Gal.4:10 — Paul telling the Galatians not to observe days and events etc. There are some in the Mid-Acts Grace circles that intimate that we should not celebrate our birthdays, as neither Jesus nor Paul did. What is your take on this? MY REPLY: Paul writes to the Galatians: “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain” (Gal.4:10–11). The context of this passage is critical. Paul is not addressing personal celebrations such as birthdays or anniversaries. His concern is that the Galatians were returning to religious observances tied to the Mosaic law and pagan calendars — feast days, sabbaths, ritual cycles, and annual observances that were being treated as necessary for righteousness . In doing so, they were undermining the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work . The issue here is legalism , not personal joy or cultural custom. Some within Mid-Acts circles argue that because Jesus and Paul did not cele...

QUESTION on Social Media: Why does Jesus Christ claim to be "the truth and the life" (John 14:6) and then, "sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)? My ANSWER: When Jesus declares in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” He is revealing Himself as the exclusive source of salvation, the full revelation of God, and the only path to the Father. This statement belongs to the present age of grace, where God openly invites all people to come to Him through Christ. It reflects God’s heart that none should perish but that all should come to repentance, and it shows that the gospel is a genuine, universal offer of truth and life to anyone who will receive it. In contrast, the “powerful delusion” described in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 does not apply to believers today, nor to those who are sincerely seeking truth. Paul is speaking propheticall...

QUESTION: Who decides what is morally right—God or people (like: Thomas Aquinas)—and why do Christians sometimes disagree about what is moral, especially when reading passages like Judges 11? ANSWER: When people ask whether morality is defined by man or by God, they often assume that morality is a universal system that applies the same way in every age, covenant, and dispensation. But Scripture shows something far more precise. God Himself defines what is right, but He does so within the framework of His revealed will for each people and each program. What was moral for Israel under the law is not the same as what governs the Body of Christ under grace. This is why trying to force all morality into one timeless category leads to confusion, disagreement, and contradictions. The word “moral” simply refers to what is right or wrong according to a standard. The real question is not what the word means, but whose standard applies. Thomas Aquinas and other theologians tried to build universa...

QUESTION: I see nothing in the Old Testament that foreshadows Jesus. This foreshadowing idea is just a teaching made up by men; it is not biblical. As a believer, can you provide Scriptures that demonstrate I'm mistaken? ANSWER: The claim that Jesus is absent from the Old Testament is not only mistaken, it is directly contradicted by Scripture itself. Jesus declared, “Search the scriptures…they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39), and Paul affirmed that the law was “a shadow of good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1). The Old Testament is not a random collection of ancient stories; it is a divinely woven tapestry where Christ is foreshadowed in events, institutions, and lives long before He came to fulfil the law and the prophets. These shadows are not inventions of men, but God’s own testimony pointing forward to His Son. When we look carefully, we see Christ everywhere in the Old Testament. The beloved son rejected, the lamb slain, the priest interceding, the king reigning—all ...