Why when Jesus told demons to come out of a man did the demons ask Jesus to allow them to go into swine?  And why did Jesus allow them to?  Jesus cast demons out of people, but they still went into someone else.

Sincerely,
Perplexed For The Pigs

Dear Perplexed For The Pigs,

Demon possession ended not long after the days of Christ because when Jesus cast demons out, they were cast out for good.  Jesus made it clear that one of His jobs was to bind the devil and take His strength away by casting out his demons (Matt 12:28-29).  When Jesus’ disciples had come back from their evangelism trips and related to Him that they had cast out many demons, Jesus told them that they were defeating Satan by getting rid of Satan’s demonic minions (Lk 10:17-18).  When Jesus and His disciples cast out demons, they did it permanently (Lk 8:30-33 – the demons’ request makes sense because it gave them one last chance to possess something) and bound Satan by their acts.  We no longer have to deal with such overt attacks by the devil because he has been bound by Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 20:2).  Demon possession no longer exists; the devil must use subtler methods to deceive us now.

Someone told me that they knew a young man that was once gay and had aids, but God made him not gay anymore and made the aids go away.  I believe that he turned straight, but can God really make aids/HIV go away?  If so, why not other people?

Sincerely,
Perplexed

Dear Perplexed,

God can do anything, but He also says that He often lets us suffer the consequences of our choices as an example.  No one is forced to lead an actively homosexual lifestyle – we always have a choice.  If this young man chose to stop living a homosexual lifestyle, good for him… he is doing what the Bible says.
We can’t speak to this particular situation, but we can say this: homosexuality comes with consequences – including a much greater possibility of getting HIV.  Jude 1:7 says that Sodom & Gomorrah suffered the consequences of homosexuality, and Rom 1:27-28 says that all cultures that turn to homosexuality and away from the Bible will face consequences for those decisions.  The consequence of sin is one of many reasons to try and stop sinning.

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

     I have a friend whose husband recently asked her for a divorce.  She prayed that they would be reconciled, but he insisted on divorce.  Then she prayed that God would provide her the evidence that he cheated so that when they are divorced, she can remarry.  She now has evidence that he cheated, but I’m worried that doesn’t give her the right to remarry.  Isn't the put-away party never allowed to remarry unless the spouse dies?

Sincerely,
Friendly Concern

Dear Friendly Concern,

Your question is an important one and is one that many Christians wrestle with because of the high divorce rate in American society.  Adultery is wrong, and every divorce is caused because of sin.  God hates divorce (Mal 2:16), and His desire has always been for men and women to remain married for a lifetime (Matt 19:4-6), but it isn’t as simple as saying the put-away party can’t remarry – that isn’t biblically accurate.

Because of the complexities of this issue and because every circumstance is unique, we recommend that people with questions on this subject listen to the sermon series “Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage”, compare the sermons to Scripture, and then faithfully examine themselves to see whether they are living as God intended (Php 2:12).