Greetings, brother; I am currently in a legal situation.  I would like some Scriptures to help me through this situation.

Sincerely,
Court Date

Dear Court Date,

Since we don’t know the specifics of your situation, we will point you toward the best legal advice the world has ever given and leave it at that.  In Matt 5:25-26, Jesus said that the best way to handle legal disputes is out of court.  This isn’t always possible, but if you can find compromise and agreement with your adversary before you stand before a judge, that is the best option.

In Gen 38:7, it says that Er was very wicked, and God put him to death.  My question is: what did he do that was so bad that God came down Himself to kill Er personally?  And how did God kill him?  Most of the time it says how (i.e. pillar of salt, flood, or the ground swallowing up the Israelites)… but nothing about Er.  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Cause Of Death

Dear Cause Of Death,

Gen 38:7 is a general statement about Er’s character and the consequences of being wicked.  The Bible never tells us specifically what Er did that made him so wicked.  There are lots of details that the Bible leaves out.  In Jhn 21:25, the apostle John says that he didn’t write down every detail of Christ’s life, just the ones important for us.  It is the same way with Er.  God didn’t deem it important for us to know the details of Er’s sins, just that he was wicked.

The same principle applies to the statement that God “slew Er”.  The Bible doesn’t tell us how God did it.  He may have personally done it, but God may also have used angels (like with Assyria – 2 Chr 32:21), He might have used natural circumstances (like with Jehoram – 2 Chr 21:18-19), or God might have used other men to do His bidding (like when He sent the Chaldeans to attack Judah – Hab 1:6).  The point is, Er died because God made it happen – the specifics are left out.

     I've heard many stories of people dying, going to heaven, and coming back only to tell their story or write a book, etc.  I know the Hebrew writer said we are to die once, but also, I may be understanding this wrong, but didn't Paul say in 2 Cor 12 that he couldn't even speak of the things he saw?  If not, please help me understand this "to heaven and back" stuff and if Scripture tells us if this is possible.

Sincerely,
Feet On The Ground

Dear Feet On The Ground,

We have absolutely no idea why people have “near-death experiences”, but it isn’t heaven they are seeing.  It is a clinical reality that people resuscitated from near death do, on occasion, report having experienced something.  Here is what the Bible tells us (two of which you have already mentioned):

1. Like you said, Heb. 9:27 makes it clear that we only die once.  People who are “clinically” dead and then resuscitated have not actually died… they just got so close to death that modern medical tools and procedures couldn’t register that they still had life in them.  When people actually die, they don’t come back to tell us about it.
2. The apostle Paul, who did visit Paradise, made it clear that God didn’t want the details of his experience related to all mankind (2 Cor 12:4).
3. Lastly, Jas 2:26 says that when our spirit leaves our body, that is when we die.  As we have already stated, once you die, there is no coming back.  The entire argument for near-death experiences is that the person’s spirit leaves their body and then comes back.  The Bible makes it clear that when your spirit leaves your body, you are dead, and there is no coming back.

The people who have these experiences probably sincerely believe them and believe they went to heaven.  Whatever it was that they experienced (hallucination, effects of extreme shock, etc.), near-death experiences aren’t a window into heaven.

      I have a question about playing video games and video game violence.  When I am playing video games (like first person shooter games), if I know that it is just a game, that the violence is not really happening, and if I only intend to have fun, not vent anger and enjoy killing people, and if I only play a few hours, not wasting away my whole life doing it, and if I am avoiding games that are known to be deliberate in trying to influence Satanism… would it be a sin to play them?  If one is biblically knowledgeable enough that the video games do not corrupt him or cause him to fall away from God, is it a sin to play video games?

Sincerely,
Game Face

Dear Game Face,

Playing video games is like many other forms of recreation – it is not inherently wrong, but it certainly can become wrong if abused.  War video games come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are ridiculously bloody and violent, others only moderately so.  It isn’t wrong for a Christian to enjoy playing battle-type games any more than it is wrong for boys to play “cops and robbers” in the backyard.  The key to the whole thing is wisdom.  It takes wisdom to decide when a video game has “crossed the line” into dark and disturbing realms.  Video games like Grand Theft Auto (which portrays prostitution, theft, domestic violence, etc.) certainly qualify to be labeled as sinful, but not all video games are of that character.  The key is to make sure that you aren’t filling your mind with evil or dwelling upon ungodliness.  God wants us to contemplate pure things (Php 4:8) and set our minds on heavenly, godly things (Col 3:2).  Examine yourself and your habits to see whether that is the case for you (1 Cor 11:29-31).

     In the parable of the sower, some were  sown on the rocky place.  They received it with joy, but after a while, they fell back.  Why?

Sincerely,
On The Rocks

Dear On The Rocks,

Many times, the burdens that we face when we first begin to obey God are the very hardest.  In the parable of the sower, Jesus compared it to seed falling upon different types of soil.  The seed is the Word of God, and we are the soil.  Sometimes people are rocky soil, and the Word can’t take root because we can’t handle the trials of temptation.  Sometimes the soil is full of thorns, and the Word gets choked out by the cares and riches of this life.  Sometimes the seed falls beside the road, and the devil snatches the Word from our hearts before we even have a chance to grow.  And sometimes, the soil is rich and fertile, and the Word takes root and grows into a mighty plant (Lk 8:11-15).

The rocky soil that you are asking about represents that type of person that gets easily excited at the blessings of Christianity but doesn’t have the deep conviction that is needed when trials come.  Christ certainly brings blessings into our life, but the Bible also says that we must be prepared to take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him (Lk 9:23).  The apostle Paul said that all Christians will face trials and tribulations (Acts 14:22).  The Bible way of life brings great joy, but it also comes with great changes and struggles.  Without a deep-seated faith, someone won’t have what it takes to weather those storms of life.