How many wise men were there?

Sincerely,
Abacus

Dear Abacus,

All the Scriptures ever tell us is that there were wise men... that’s plural (Matt 2:1).  We don’t know whether there were two wise men or two hundred wise men.  The fact that they brought three types of gifts (gold, myrrh, and frankincense – Matt 2:11) does not necessarily mean that there were three men.  Nativity scenes across the globe have spread the false picture that there were three wise men who visited Jesus when He was a baby in a manger… but that isn’t what the Bible says.

In fact, the Scriptures seem to point toward the idea of a multitude of wise men that came from the East.  When the wise men came to Jerusalem, they were a highly noticeable entourage – significant enough for Herod, the king, to notice them (Matt 2:1-3).  The Scriptures also show that the wise men didn’t visit Jesus when He was in the manger!  By the time they got there (as much as two years later – Matt 2:16), Joseph and Mary were staying in a permanent dwelling (Matt 2:11).  It just goes to show that popular religious culture is no substitute for what the Bible says.

Who was Jesus?

Sincerely,
Profiler

Dear Profiler,

Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (Jhn 3:16).  Jesus is Deity, He has always been (Jhn 1:1-3), and all things were created by Him and for Him (Col 1:16).  Jesus is the living embodiment of God’s Word, and when He lived on this earth, He was tempted just like us but committed no sin (Heb 4:15).  Jesus lived a perfect life and then voluntarily died (Jhn 10:17-18), so we might have life.  Every single human has sinned (Rom 3:23), and our sin is deserving of eternal death and separation from God (Rom 6:23).  Jesus paid that price for us by shedding His blood on our behalf (Col 1:20).  When He was crucified on the cross, His death gave us life (Col 2:13-14).

I always get confused when I think about heaven.  We’re there forever, right?  Well, forever is a really long time.  Wouldn't you get bored after awhile?  I mean, forever is such a long, long, long time.  Do you stay up there for a while, then come back to Earth, then go up again?  I'm so confused. :(

Sincerely,
Afraid Of Boredom

Dear Afraid Of Boredom,

It is hard for us to fathom how we could enjoy anything for eternity, but we must remember that heaven is designed by God, not man.  Another thing to consider is that heaven isn’t just about what you are doing but who you are with.  When we envision heaven as an amusement park with lots of fun things to do, it is easy to see how we would eventually get tired of the attractions.  However, one of the most important aspects of heaven is who will be there.  God’s presence will light heaven (Rev 21:23), the angels will be there (Lk 16:22), and all of the faithful will be reunited.  When you are with those you love, everything is enjoyable, and there is no end to the joy that can be had.  We get bored with stuff, but good people are a constant blessing.

We've been described by several in our group as a "blue collar” church.  We have many adults in attendance who don't read well.

Can a church teach reading, English, history, philosophy, Greek, or anything else necessary to understand deeper Bible concepts?

Sincerely,
Well-Read

Dear Well-Read,

Every command that you find in the Bible has specific and general qualities to it.  For example, when God told Noah to build the ark, He told Noah to use a specific kind of wood (gopher wood – Gen 6:14) and build the ark to specific dimensions (Gen 6:15-16), but He left the details of how to cut, fasten, and construct the ark up to Noah.  It would have been wrong for Noah to use oak or birch, and it would have been wrong for Noah to change the dimensions of the ark, but aside from that, Noah had freedom to use his own wisdom in the engineering of the ark.  The things that God was specific on, Noah had to be specific on to… but the things God was general about, Noah had freedom to decide for himself.

Now that brings us to your question.  The church has the authority to do whatever is necessary to teach and preach the Word (Acts 15:35) – the specific quality of that command is that the church must forward people’s understanding of God’s Word.  However, as any good teacher knows, you have to start teaching your students from where they are.  The church shouldn’t become a secular academic institution, but if providing someone with a better understanding of world history, Bible times and culture, language, etc. helps to further their grasp of Bible concepts, it is perfectly permissible.  God left the command to teach and preach as a general command for a reason; the specifics of teaching are left up to the Bible teachers.

When my grandpa passed away, we believe he came back here on earth temporarily for two reasons:

 

1. Right when he died, my uncle said nothing about it to his wife or kids; he was planning on telling them later, but Ellie (four at the time, I think) ran up to him and said that Grandpa died!  She sounded happy because she didn't know what it meant.  My uncle asked how she knew, and she replied, “Grandpa told me!” and skipped away. My uncle asked his wife if she told Ellie, and she said, “No.”
2. At his funeral, my older cousin, Maddie, was walking with Ellie, and Ellie said, “Ooh, angel!” and Maddie asked, “Oh, you want to see the angel?” as she led her over to the angel statue. “No, over there!”  Ellie jerked away from her and pointed to midair where there was nothing.

Do you think that was my grandpa coming back to pay her a visit?  If so, why her?  Grandpa was a very great Catholic, and their whole family is as well.  Thank you.

 

Sincerely,
Grandchild

Dear Grandchild,

Your experience is fascinating, and we can’t explain to you exactly why Ellie said what she did, but we can ease your mind that it wasn’t your grandfather returning from the dead.  Luke 16:1-31 tells us what happens to both the faithful and the wicked when they die.  Jesus told His disciples about the death of two men: Lazarus (a faithful man) and a wicked, rich man.  When they died, Lazarus was immediately escorted by angels to Paradise (Lk 16:22), and the rich man immediately awoke in torment (Lk 16:23).  An important detail is that the rich man was told that neither he nor Lazarus could return to earth to visit the living (Lk 16:27-31).  Once we die, we go to face God and await the judgment (Heb 9:27).  Which is why it is so important that we prepare ourselves by becoming christians (read “Five Steps To Salvation” for details) and becoming active members of His church (read “Finding The Church” for how to find a faithful congregation).