Why did Jesus ask God why He forsook Him?

Sincerely,
Left Scratching My Head

Dear Left Scratching My Head,

Christ spoke those words with His dying breaths, hanging upon a cross (Mk 15:34).  Jesus was on that cross for our sins (1 Cor 15:3).  When Jesus hung upon the cross, He carried the weight of all the sins of mankind upon His shoulders (1 Pet 2:24).  As our innocent Savior carried that unimaginable weight upon His shoulders, He bore the blackness of our sins and the separation from God that sin brings with it (Hab 1:13).  As Jesus gasped for air, He was separated from His Father for our sakes.  That is why He said what He did.

Are the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ the same?

Sincerely,
Drawing Borders

Dear Drawing Borders,

Those two kingdoms are synonymous.  Eph 5:5 states that the kingdom belongs to both Christ and God, and Rev 11:15 points out that the kingdom belongs to the Father and to His Christ.

I have heard many interpretations and predictions on what it is thought the mark of the beast will be.  One of those thoughts is a microchip placed in your hand.  Would it be wrong to implant my dogs with microchips?  This seems to be the most effective way of keeping up with them and preventing them from getting lost, but is it wrong?

Sincerely,
Devoted Dog Breeder

Dear Devoted Dog Breeder,

The verse you are referring to is Rev 14:9.  However, take comfort – it isn’t referring to your pups.  The book of Revelation is dealing with the struggle between christians and the idolatrous nation of Rome; therefore, it can’t be referring to modern microchipping, no matter what the televangelists and pop-culture preachers say.

It is important to remember that the book of Revelation is a book written with symbolic and figurative language (Rev 1:1).  It is a vision the apostle John received on the island of Patmos that uses apocalyptic dream-like visions to teach on a real-life subject that was “soon to come to pass” and “at hand” (Rev 1:1 and Rev 1:3).  Considering John wrote the book somewhere between 65 A.D. and 100 A.D. – we are about two thousand years too late for the vision to specifically apply to us.  Today, you need to obey the Gospel in order to be in God’s light (1 Jn 1:5-6).  We recommend that you read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”, so that you can feel confident about what will save your soul.  There is more to it than simply asking Jesus into your life, but it has nothing to do with unmarked hands or microchipping.

What's “be all things to all men to save some” mean?

Sincerely,
Quote Questioner

Dear Quote Questioner,

The verses you are referring to are 1 Cor 9:19-22.  Paul is explaining that when he preaches the gospel, he does whatever it takes (except sin – 1 Cor 9:21) to reach out to people, so they may be saved.  Paul molded his personality and behavior to match the cultures and traditions of the people he was preaching to.  If someone needed empathy, he provided it.  If someone was a debater, Paul was blunt and persuasive.  He listened when he needed to and spoke when appropriate.  He talked differently to Jews than Gentiles because their habits and attitudes were different.  Paul used wisdom in his preaching because saving souls is important enough that it is worth doing whatever it takes to get the message across (1 Cor 9:23).

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, when Paul said, “god of this world”, is he referring to Satan?  Also, who is the morning star?  Jesus or the devil?

Sincerely,
Name Tamer

Dear Name Tamer,

The ‘god of this world’ referred to in 2 Cor 4:4 is the devil.  The devil seeks to make us subservient to him by enslaving us to the cares and the lusts of this world (1 Jn 2:16).  He deceives people into blindly following their earthly desires and becoming ensnared to sin (Pr 29:6).  When we are completely enthralled with worldly living, there is no room in our hearts for the gospel to shine.

As for the title ‘morning star’ – Jesus is given that title in Rev 22:16.  He is the Bright and Morning Star sent by God to shine His light in a dying world (Jhn 1:9-10).