Are we to accept the Bible account of the miracles that were performed in olden times? Why are not miracles performed in our day?

This is an age of miracles, with messages being flashed thousands of miles through space, and under the seas, and around the globe. 

Marvelous discoveries and wonderful inventions are being made almost daily. Some of the achievements of our times almost eclipse those of former days, even the miracles of which we read in the Scriptures. As a matter of fact, miracles are transpiring all about us continually. 

The reproduction of living organism, either animal or vegetable, is beyond our comprehension, as well as beyond our power–hence miraculous. We can see the exercise of life principle, but can neither understand it nor produce it. Two seeds are planted side by side; the conditions, air, water, and soil are alike; they grow we cannot tell how, nor can the wisest philosopher explain this miracle.

 These seeds develop characteristics that are exactly opposite, though the conditions were the same. The Creator who formed all of the marvels that we see about us in the material world, would surely be able to perform the miracles narrated in the Bible, and therefore, we need have no doubts as to their authenticity.

On which dates does the Bible tells us to celebrate Christmas and Resurrection (Easter)?

Christmas and Easter are both Christian traditions that attempt to focus on Jesus. The Christmas holiday is the fixed date of December 25. The Easter holiday is the tradition of placing Jesus’ resurrection on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. But neither tradition is Biblical.

Easter’s origin was most likely a polytheistic celebration ushering in the goddess of spring, Eastre, with a pagan festival. Easter evolved into the tradition of celebrating Christ’s resurrection. Christ’s true resurrection was on a Sunday three days after the Jewish Passover (see below).

Christmas evolved into the tradition of celebrating the birth of the Son of God. This, too, has a pagan origin that likely originated from the celebration of the winter solstice and of Saturn (the god of sowing and the return of the Sun). There is no direct Bible date given for Jesus’ birth. We can approximate his birth day as some time in the fall (September or October?).

The only Biblical celebration that Christians were instructed to follow (which is coincidently close to Easter) is the memorial of Jesus’ death. The Memorial was to replace the Jewish Passover. Jesus instituted this remembrance in Luke 22:19, “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” The Apostle Paul further confirms this new memorial feast in 1 Corinthians 5:7,8, “…For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast…” The implication is that since the Passover was an annual celebration, this Memorial is the new yearly celebration.

The yearly Jewish Passover commemorates the Israelites’ release from Egyptian bondage. The Jewish people were to kill a lamb (picturing Jesus’ death) and sprinkle its blood on the door posts of their house. The blood was a sign to the death angel to pass over that house. Thus their firstborn were spared death, while the firstborn of all the Egyptians were slain. The Passover date is specified in Exodus 12:6 as the 14th day after the first new moon following the spring equinox.

Even after knowing the origins of these traditions, I still appreciate that the world thinks about Jesus on these occasions. Christmas and Easter may not be Biblical holy days but it is always wonderful to remember Jesus’ birth and death.

False prophets and false Messiahs will appear performing great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:24). What does that mean?

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24

There have been many false prophets and false christs who have stated they were the mouthpieces of Jesus. As Jesus foretold, “…many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ’…”

The Pope is himself one of these false prophets. The following is a quote from Pope Leo XIII in the Encyclical Letter of June 20, 1894, page 304: “We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” No man holds the place of God! That is a false claim.

But who are “the very elect” mentioned at the end of verse 24? The elect are believers who faithfully obey God and develop the fruits of the spirit. Not all who profess Jesus will be faithful, only a little flock. 2 Peter 1:10, “…brethren (saved believers in Christ)give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail.” As the Apostle Paul writes, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” 1 Corinthians 9:27. 

Just before Christ establishes His kingdom on earth, deceptions will increase. Some believe that God may allow materialization of the fallen angels (imprisoned in the Earth's atmosphere after the Flood). This possibility is speculative. These demons may be able to create signs and wonders so impressive, that were it not for God’s power, they could even deceive the last members of the church on earth.

To summarize, the last members of the body of Christ are allowed to go through sifting experiences, but if they stay close to His word, they will discern these manifestations as lying wonders coming from the adversary, Satan.

Is Easter a pagan holiday? Should Christians celebrate it?

Yes, Easter has pagan roots. The Saxon fertility goddess, Ēostre or Ostara, was celebrated at a festival in the springtime, around the time of the Passover.  As pagans came into the church and converted to Christianity, Church leaders saw no problem permitting customs from this pagan holiday that aligned with the Christian holiday to be included in the customs that were observed.  Easter bunnies – a pagan fertility symbol — and Easter baskets are not found in the Bible. 

A second problem linked to the Passover observance was that until the fourth century, the church strictly followed the Jewish calendar for the date of the Memorial of Jesus's death (antitypical Passover) AND for the Week of Unleavened Bread that followed.  This was the holiest season of the year.  We learn this from the History of Eusebius.  However, in the fourth centurythe church decided it had the authority to change the calculation for the date from the Passover method (Exodus 12:1). The idea was to change the date so that the remembrance of the crucifixion would ALWAYS be on a Friday and the remembrance of the Resurrection would ALWAYS fall on a Sunday.  

While we cannot support this change, any memorial of our Lord’s resurrection will always be precious to His people. To those who correctly appreciate the matter, every Sunday is an “Easter” Sunday, because every Sunday commemorates our Lord’s resurrection. 

During New Testament times, the early church would meet together on Sunday. Acts 20:7, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them…” It would only be natural to rehearse and celebrate the miraculous events of that Sunday when the disciples found Jesus’s tomb to be empty. Thus, the first day of the week became a traditional time for Christians to worship God.

However, the one celebration which Jesus did establish and command His followers to keep was one that commemorated His death. Jesus instituted a memorial of His imminent death right after He and His disciples kept the Passover feast (see Matthew 26:26-28). The Apostle Paul further explained in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” Jesus’s sacrifice as the antitypical passover lamb helps us to understand when and how frequently we are to drink the cup and eat the unleavened bread commemorating His death. Just as the typical Passover was celebrated yearly on the 14th. of Nissan, so Christians are to commemorate our Lord’s death as the antitypical passover Lamb on the 14th. of Nissan after sunset.

Did Mary the mother of Jesus die? And why do Catholics pray to and through Mary?

Mary certainly died. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “…in Adam all die…” Since Mary was part of the Adamic race, she did die. The last mention of her in the Bible does confirm that she continued as a believer with other Christians in the early church.   Acts 1:14, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”

The worship of Mary by Catholics began in the early 400’s.  They see her as a pathway to Jesus, a sympathetic listener and giver of graces. In their strictest doctrine, Mary is not seen as a deity but as a “Queen of Heaven” to bring petitions to God and Jesus. Sadly, this is not in agreement with what the Bible teaches. We are instructed that the only correct way to pray to God is through Jesus.  John 14:6, “…no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” 1 Timothy 2:5, “…one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

It should be noted that although Catholic doctrine does not give Mary God-like status, many Catholic traditions and individuals do pray to her and look for miracles through Mary.  Might not this be considered a form of idol worship? God tells us in  Leviticus 26:1, “Ye shall make you no idols nor graven images, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.” In the New Testament, we are told to keep away from idols:  1 John 5:21, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

We, sinners, know we are guilty, and it scares us to come before the Holy God of the Universe. This is a correct feeling. That’s why God provided a Savior for us. Jesus loved us so much that He died for us. We don’t need Mary to intercede for us with our wonderful Savior! So, let’s follow the Bible’s instructions and pray to God through the merit of Jesus Christ. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13 (NASB)

Babylon is located in Iraq in Old Testament. In the New Testament, where is the "mystery, Babylon" in Revelation 17-5?

The name written on the forehead of the woman riding the scarlet colored beast did not represent a location nor did it refer to literal Babylon located in Iraq in ancient times.  Rather it was part of a title,  “MYSTERY: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”. The title symbolically identified the woman.

All of Revelation is filled with signs, symbols, and pictures from the vision the Apostle John received on the isle of Patmos. These visions were delivered to him by Our Lord Jesus, Himself.  Given the symbolic nature of the book, you can see the Revelation 17vision does not refer to a literal woman riding a scarlet colored beast, nor was her head literally inscribed with a title, nor was that Babylon a literal city.  The woman is a symbol.

Where else in the Scriptures do we find a woman as a symbol?  In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins given by our Lord in Matthew 25. Here the true bride of Christ is represented as the wise virgins who go out to meet the bridegroom.  They represent the pure church, the true church. In the opposite sense, the woman in Revelation 17:5 represents a false and evil church as shown by her description. She was arrayed in purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls.  Does this remind you of any church you may know that displays various forms of wealth in both person and ritual?  In her hand was a golden cup full of the abominations and filthiness of her fornication.  Who was she fornicating with?  Rev 17:1,2 says that she was a prostitute and had committed fornication with the “kings of the earth!”  Since the time of our Lord’s first advent, has there been a church which has made strong alliances with the kings of the earth, the earthly governments throughout history?

Why does her title include the name, Babylon?  Smith’s Bible Dictionary tells us that Babylon is the Greek form of Babel.  You may recall the account of the tower of Babel in the Old Testament where God confused the language of the people so that they could not complete the construction of the tower.  Indeed, the name Babylon means the same as its real reference, that is, confusion.   

This false church system carries in her hand, a cup that was once filled with truth, but now is contaminated with a wide array of confusing doctrines. Those doctrines are designed to intoxicate those who drink it.  As error was spread, ambition replaced the spirit of humility and loyalty to God and she desired the conditions that would give her greater power and influence in the world.  Revelation 18 describes in detail the destruction of this false system. 

Where are we told in the Bible to confess our sins to God and not to a priest?

The concept of confession of sin to a priest is nowhere taught in either the Old or New Testaments. In fact, the New Testament teaches that all true believers are priests. 1 Peter 2:9-10 describes believers as a “holy priesthood” and a “royal priesthood,” “a people belonging to God.” In the Old Covenant, the Jewish nation could only approach God through its priests who offered sacrifices to God for the forgiveness of sins of the entire nation of Israel. This practice is no longer necessary because of Jesus’ one time all-encompassing sacrifice, which fulfilled the Law, thus granting Christians direct access to God for forgiveness of individual sins through Jesus Christ. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

The New Testament teaches that the organization of Christ’s church would have elders, deacons (1 Timothy 3), overseers (Titus 1:6-9), and pastors (Ephesians 4:11).  There is never any mention of priests. Believers are told to confess their sins to God (1 John 1:9) and God is faithful and just to forgive sins as they are confessed to him. Although James 5:16 speaks of confessing trespasses to one another, this confession is in no way linked with God’s forgiveness of the trespass.

The Roman Catholic Church bases its practice of confession to a priest primarily on John 20:23, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Because Jesus gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins, Catholics claim that that authority was passed on to their successors, i.e., the bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Church. There are several problems with this interpretation. First, John 20:23 nowhere mentions confession of sin. Second, the scripture nowhere promises, or even hints, that the authority to forgive sins would be passed on to the successors of the apostles. Jesus’ promise was specifically directed to the apostles. Lastly, the New Testament nowhere states that the apostles would even have successors to their apostolic authority.

Therefore, should we confess our sins directly to God or do we need to confess them to a priest? We are to confess our sins to God.  He has the power to forgive us. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) A priest does not have the power or authority to forgive sins. No man living on earth in this day and age has that authority. This fact does not negate the need we have as individuals to confess our sins openly to other believers. That practice is encouraged in James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Although God hears the prayers of the righteous, a righteous individual has no power to eradicate the sin of another. However, and most importantly, we Christians are admonished to always forgive others for transgressions against us. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

Why were women asked not to preach in church?

The questioner may have the following scriptures in mind when asking this question.

1 Timothy 2:11-13 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. (KJV)

1 Corinthians 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. (KJV)

There are many brilliant women among the Lord’s people, well studied in scripture, and quite able to present, so why would there be a prohibition on women being permitted “to teach” in the church? We do find a clear hierarchal order laid out for us in the Bible. One instance of this can be found in the following text.

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (KJV)

This represents a top down order of authority, God, Jesus, man, woman. The fact that many women would be quite capable to be teachers, yet not permitted to teach, must indicate that there is another lesson that God wishes us learn. These lessons would include; obedience, submissiveness, and humility. These are basic principles that every Christian must learn. (Even Jesus was so proven.

Hebrews 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. (NAS) While Jesus was always obedient, the test he faced was to maintain perfect obedience under suffering.)

Respecting this order of authority must have been so important for us to learn that God decided to exemplify it in this manner, in the everyday activities of life. This should serve as a constant reminder for Jesus disciples, that God is above all, and we are all under Jesus as our head.

In the case of the Corinthian church the circumstances may have been somewhat unique. This was a church that needed some strong restraints placed over them due to the social setting and typical behaviors that they were accustomed to. That said, if we look at the words “to speak” from 1Corinthian 14:34 we find the following definition.

Strong’s Dictionary on "to speak" #2980  laleo (lal-eh'-o); can have the meaning of “an extended or random harangue.” So Paul is not saying a woman cannot say a word, but rather that the women in Corinth must not take a leading role over the men. Why? Again this would be disruptive to the order of authority that God has established in His creative wisdom.

One final point that should be noted. While there are established hierarchal roles in our earthly lives, the high calling to be members of “the Christ” carries forward no such roles in the resurrection. In other words, once we have finished our earthly life as male or female, if we are found faithful in our walk, and are raised to be with Jesus, there will be no such gender distinctions that carry over from this life.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (KJV)

This is teaching us that any that are “called of God” can “run the race for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Observing these Biblical principles is one of the many ways that we can exercise obedience to God.

“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man.” (`Isa. 4:1`.) What is the meaning of this Scripture?

In the symbolisms of the Scriptures a "woman" represents a church. Just as the Church of Christ is said to be the "Bride, the Lamb's Wife." The false churches or anti-Christian religious systems are symbolized as wicked women. (`Rev. 17:5`.) The number seven is always representative of fullness, or completion, in the expressions of the Bible. Therefore, we have the picture before our minds of a time when the full number, or all of the churches (in this case the false churches) would be seeking to be called by the name of the "one man"–Christ–in order that their reproach might be taken away. These churches, which in reality are worldly organizations, as they are filled with a worldly spirit, and supported by worldly individuals, are being reproached more and more because of their worldliness; and recognizing this, they are strenuously claiming to be "Christian Churches." The "seven Women" are taking hold of the "One Man," but He does not recognize them, as He has but the one Bride, the true Church.