Editorial Staff

Question: Jesus' death and resurrection lifted the veil between human beings and God the Father (Matthew 27:51; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16). Since we now have direct contact with the Father, unlike the ancients who only knew the God of the Old Testament—Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4)—why do we need to pray to Jesus? In fact, should we be praying to Christ at all, since He came to reveal the Father (John 14:7)?

Question: If God is all-powerful, why does He allow Satan to be the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

Answer: Scripture makes it clear that the devil—Satan—is currently in charge of planet Earth. Even Jesus Christ Himself, shortly before His arrest and crucifixion, acknowledged Satan's authority: "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30).

Question: In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said: "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Does this mean that individual Christians can decide for themselves when and where they can worship on the annual Holy Days and the weekly Sabbath?

Question: I keep reading in your magazine about Jesus Christ's soon-coming Millennial rule on the earth. If God knows that our world is in such a mess, and He knows that only He can make it better, why would he wait thousands of years and allow so much suffering in the meantime? A truly loving God would not wait, would He?

Question: I understand that it is not polite to use "curse words," since many people consider them vulgar and offensive. But why do some people object to such seemingly inoffensive outbursts as "gosh" or "gee" or "Jiminy Cricket"? Surely these are preferable to the harsh and vulgar words some would use in their stead. Am I mistaken?