I have attempted to look this up online, but I cannot find the answer.  Why do the years in the Bible go from high to low rather than from low to high? Example:  740 BC - 681 BC rather than 681 BC - 740 BC.  Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,
Can’t Count On It

Dear Can’t Count On It,

BC time is calculated by counting up because it is counting up towards the time when Christ walked the earth.  BC stands for “before Christ”, and using this dating method, time is counted backwards from the approximate birth of Christ.  For example, 650 BC would mean “650 years before Jesus”.  Consequently, the numbers get smaller as you get closer to Jesus’ birth.

     Where was God during the Holocaust?  Why do we teach our children to pray and tell them prayers will be answered when thousands of children prayed every day during this horrible time without an answer?

Sincerely,
Aghast

Dear Aghast,

When God created the universe, He made everything good (Gen 1:31).  The world didn’t have disease, thorns, suffering, and all the other problems we see today.  Originally, Adam and Eve lived in the perfect paradise of the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:8).  It is only after Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden because of their sin that all the problems we see today began. All suffering is caused by mankind and sin.

When God made the world, He made it to be good – it was sin that destroyed that perfect vision.  All wickedness and evil brings pain to God and grieves Him and He will only endure it for so long.  In Noah’s day, God saw all the violence that was in the world and it made Him deeply sad (Gen 6:5-6).  God gives mankind the freedom to make our own choices, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pain Him to see the evil upon this earth.  God tells us that the only reason He endures it is because He is longsuffering and desiring to give as many people as possible the chance to repent and turn to Him (2 Pet 3:9).

Do you believe the world will end on Dec. 12, 2012?

Sincerely,
Mark Your Calendar?

Dear Mark Your Calendar,

Feel free to do your shopping for the holidays in 2012; the world isn’t likely to be destroyed on Dec. 21, 2012.  For those of our readers unfamiliar with the 2012 doomsday schtick… we will take a moment to explain this New Age teaching.  The idea that the world is going to be destroyed or transformed on December 21^st (some say 23^rd), 2012 is based off of the Mayan Long Count calendar.  The Mayan Long Count calendar is a non-repeating calendar that was used in Mesoamerica during the height of the Mayan civilization, and because it is a non-repeating calendar (unlike the Roman calendar which repeats every 365 days), it eventually runs out of days.  The last day on the Mayan Long Count calendar is December 21^st, 2012.  Therefore, some folks are expecting a cataclysmic change to the world order on that day.

Now that we’ve explained what it is, let’s explain what it isn’t.  It isn’t right.  We here at AYP are pretty sure that if God was going to hide the date of the end of the world in a conspiracy-theory fashion, He probably wouldn’t hide it in the calendar of a blood-drinking, child-sacrificing, snake-worshipping heathen culture.  But, hey, maybe that’s just us… (insert friendly chuckle here)

As you mentioned, God promises that He will return like a thief in the night (1 Thess 5:2).  If there is one day this year that you can be guaranteed Jesus won’t return – it is Dec. 21^st, 2012.

Should I vote for Mitt Romney (a Mormon) for president?

Sincerely,
Chad

Dear Chad,

We won’t tell you who to vote for or who not to vote for… that just simply goes beyond the Scriptures and into the realm of opinion.  Politics have always intermingled with religion because many political issues (such as abortion, homosexuality, etc.) have moral implications, but religion is not the same as politics.  Jesus’ attitude toward the government was that we should pay our taxes (Lk 20:25), obey the laws (Rom 13:1), pray for the rulers, and hope for a quiet life (1 Tim 2:1-2).  Politics are a big deal in this country (especially during such volatile political times), but Christianity transcends such earthly disputes and battles.  Stand by God’s Word in all issues, and you will always be fine.

Currently, I am not attending a church.  I stay in my Bible and study The Word as much as possible.  I love learning about the Lord and am excited about my journey with Him for the rest of my life!  My question is: are there other ways to tithe my money other than giving to a church?  I listen to a Christian radio station daily and would love to send an offering, but from what I have been told, this is not tithing.  What about giving to the Salvation Army or another Christian organization?  Please help!

Sincerely,
A Generous Heart

Dear A Generous Heart,

It is a common misconception that studying our Bible at home is a replacement for attending services.  Heb 10:24-25 states that forsaking the assembly is a sin and that without the church, we won’t be the kind of people that we ought to be because the church provokes us to love and good works.  It is an admirable thing that you want to give, and it is an admirable thing that you faithfully study your Bible.  Now is a great time to fulfill even more commands by finding a faithful church and doing what every New Testament Christian did – become an active member.  We’d be happy to help you find a congregation in your area that is faithful to the Word in every way.  If we can help, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.