Is it correct to tell someone their loved one went to heaven?

Question from Lianne:

I have been wondering lately is it biblically wrong or correct to tell someone that has lost a loved one that they have went to heaven or to a better place? And if you can, can you please back your answer up with scripture? I have been saying this but I am wondering if we should be saying this. The reason I say that is because we really do not know where our loved ones are going after they pass on or do we? I mean we can believe that they are going to heaven, but we do not know for sure, do we?

Answer from Pastor Bob:

Lianne, when speaking to a person who has lost a loved one, you always want to be encouraging and comforting, but you do not want to say something that is beyond what scripture says.
The key to answering your question is: do you know that your friend's loved one has given a clear testimony of having trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?
Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that we are confident that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and in 1 John 5:13 that if you believe in the Son of God (Jesus), then "you may know that you have eternal life." Paul himself speaks with confidence about going to heaven when he dies (Philippians 1:21-23), and he talks to Christians about going to be with the Lord, using the plural "we" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. So if you know that your friend's loved one has trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, then yes, it is very appropriate to say that the person has gone to heaven.
But what if you are uncertain whether or not your friend's loved one was a believer? Maybe you have not heard, or their testimony was unclear. In that case, I would suggest that you focus on the hope that we have in Christ, without being specific about the individual who is deceased. In other words, you can say, "What a comfort it is to know that when we believe in Christ, we will see one another again in heaven."
Finally, if you are fairly certain that the deceased was not a believer, you may want to say something like, "I'll be praying for God to give you comfort during your time of loss," and if the grieving person is also an unbeliever, you can ask for an opportunity to share the hope that you have in Christ and how they can know that they can go to heaven.

What is the "third heaven?"

Question from Danny:
I read in 2 Corinthians 12:2 that a man was "caught up into the third heaven." What does that mean?

Answer from Pastor Bob:
Apparently Paul was speaking about a vision he himself had, and "third heaven" was an expression for being in the presence of God in heaven itself (first heaven would refer the atmosphere, second heaven would refer to the planets and stars, and third heaven would be God's presence.) Verse four says he "was caught up into paradise." Since paradise and heaven are one and the same, we can gather that "third heaven" means the same thing that we would normally call heaven.
Some religious groups teach that there are three different heavens, and that some people go to one heaven and some to another, but that is a misunderstanding of the expression in this passage.

How much should I tithe?

Question from Jennifer:

Bob... I am reading a book on tithing. I haven't been doing close to enough to what God asks. I am determined to tithe and gift. I realized a lot about ...giving when you don't make anything. My question is most people get paid a paycheck. I get paid and then I turn around and pay rent on my booth and supplies used. Do I give first fruits of what I earned before I pay my booth rent, etc. or after the booth rent?

Answer from Pastor Bob:

Jennifer, that is a question many people ask. Many wonder if they should tithe on their gross income or their net income, which is a question similar to the one you are asking. Many would point out that Exodus 23:19 and other passages teach that we give our firstfruits to the Lord. Some would say that applies to the gross, meaning we tithe first, before taxes or before expenses. Whether or not it applies to the gross, I definitely think it means that we should set aside our tithe before paying any other bills.
Now to answer your specific question: I think you have to decide in your own heart what is right. Second Corinthians 9:7 (HCSB) says, "Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver."
God owns it all, and everything we have belongs to Him. But more than our money, He wants our hearts. It says in 2 Corinthians 8:5 that the churches in Macedonia gave first of themselves and then gave their offering.
If you resent God because you had to give the gross, then you cannot be a cheerful giver, and you should tithe the net. But if you feeling guilty for tithing the net, then you need to the tithe the gross. It all belongs to God, but we need to give it cheerfully.

Will animals be in heaven?

Question from Nick:
What happens to animals during the rapture and will they also be killed during the 7 bowls of judgment and the seals and etc.?

Answer from Pastor Bob:

Nick, I'm not sure, but the Bible talks about heaven being a wonderful place with all of the good things on earth there, only better, and Isaiah talks about how great heaven is and describes it as "the wolf lying down with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6) and talks like animals could be there.

So I'm not sure, but I think if is likely that animals will be in heaven, but they will not hurt anybody.

Where does the Bible says Jesus is God?

Question from Douglas:
I need your help. I was asked...where in the Bible does it say God and Jesus are the same person?...

Answer from Pastor Bob:
John 1:1 says "the Word" is God and verse 17 of that chapter makes it clear its talking about Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:9 says that the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily in Christ.
When Doubting Thomas saw the hands and feet of the Risen Christ, he called Jesus "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28) and in the next verse, Jesus blessed him for making the statement.
Some people make a big issue about how Jesus was the "Son" of God, as if somehow it made Jesus' nature less divine to be God's Son. Nothing could be further from the truth. They point to John 14:28, where Jesus says "the Father is greater than I." But that only means that Jesus follows the leadership of His father, just as an earthly son would listen to the counsel of his earthly father. It does not mean Jesus is any less divine. That's why Jesus could also say "The Father and I are one" (John 10:30). Perhaps the most important verse is John 5:18, which proves that the Jews themselves understood that when Jesus called Himself the Son of God, he was "making Himself equal with God."

To mourn or not to mourn?

Question from Lianne:
Can you tell me anywhere in scripture that it says we are not suppose to mourn? I would really appreciate your help with this.

Answer from Pastor Bob:
Nehemiah 8:9 says that the day was a holy day of celebration, and thus the people were told, "Do not mourn" on that day. The people wept because they were grieved over their sin when they heard the words of the law.

Did Daniel's dream refer to America?

Question from Wade:
I was reading the Book of Daniel and I was reflecting on Daniel 2:31-35. In prophecy there is no mention of America when it comes to great kingdoms. Is it possible the feet of the statue in Daniel's dream represents the old Roman kingdom (iron) and American being the clay?

Answer from Pastor Bob:
Most interpreters see the statue as Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon at the time of Daniel. According to Daniel 2:36-40, this refers to kingdoms that come after Babylon, which historically would be Babylon, then the Medo-Persian Empire, then the Greek Empire. The fourth kingdom would refer to the Roman Empire.
I do not think that the prophecy was a direct reference to America. However, Daniel's prophecy shows how kingdoms will rise and fall according to God's direction, and that is an important point for every nation to remember, including the United States of America. No nation or kingdom is greater than the kingdom of God.

Bible commentaries online

Question from Jan:
I have been looking at some Bible commentaries online. I would like to know which one you would recommend. I looked at Matthew Henry, John Wesley, and John Darby.

Answer from Pastor Bob:
Those are all Bible-believing writers. My personal favorite is Matthew Henry. You can find these and other free Bible commentaries online at http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/

Before we were Christians, was our "father" Satan?

Question from Bryan:

Is it okay to say that our father before we were Christians was Satan? Is that biblically correct?

Answer from Pastor Bob:

I hadn't thought of it that way, but yes, I guess you could say that, since Jesus told the Pharisees they were of their father, the devil (John 8:44).

Who is 666?

Many people ask me about the meaning of Revelation 13:18:
"This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."

Since the second century, people have proposed all kinds of theories for a name that would whose letters would spell 666, from Nero Caesar to Hitler.

Revelation 13:18 calls for wisdom and insight to calculate the number of the beast: 666. All of the speculation that it adds up to a name misses the point. The Revelation never uses numbers to stand for letters. It always uses numbers as symbols for other things. For example, we have seen that 3 stands for God, 4 stands for the earth, 7 is perfection, and 12 stands for God’s people. Revelation often uses an imperfect number 3 ½, because it is half of 7. In Revelation 13:18, we have another imperfect number: 6. The number 6 is imperfect because it falls one short of 7, the perfect number. Notice that 666 is called a “man’s number,” not God’s number. And remember that the number 3 stands for God, because of the Trinity. So 777 would stand for Godly perfection. Thus the simplest explanation is that 666 stands for ungodly evil imitation of God. It could mean a specific future false prophet or Antichrist, but it can apply to anybody who puts himself and his ideas ahead of Jesus Christ. After all, since Satan does not know when Jesus will come back, he must always have antichrists and false prophets in waiting.