God?

GOD?

DONNA M. YOUNG

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

The Same God? 19

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? 103

Why Does God Allow Suffering? 119

Why Must I Forgive? 141

Does God Still Perform Healings and Other Miracles? 147

How About Tongues? Are They Real? Should We Speak in Tongues? 153

Is Satan Real and Are There Actual Places Called Hell and Heaven? 165

Why Would a Loving God Condemn People to Hell? 171

Who Created God? 175

Is God an Uncaring Egomaniac? 185

How Can You Possibly Believe in a 6 Day Creation Scenario? What About Evolution? 191

Do You Believe We Are Facing an Impending Climate Catastrophe? What is Our Duty, as Christians, to the Earth God has Given Us for a Habitation? 209

Does God Get Mad When We are Angry With Him, Or When We Doubt Him? 219

Should Christians be Involved in Politics? 239

What Does God Think About Abortion? 253

How Does God Feel About Homosexuality? 275

How Many Genders Did God Create? 297

What About Marriage. Does God Care Who We Marry? 309

What is the Unpardonable Sin? 313

Is the Bible True and Reliable? 321

What is My Purpose? 369

Why am I Here? 383

7 Prophesies Which Must be Fulfilled Before the Coming of Christ 385

Introduction

We are indeed living in perilous times, just look around. Pandemics shutting down our world economy. Riots, looting and violence razing towns and cities across our country, abortion on demand killing our precious unborn, new euthanasia proponents springing up in positions of power and natural disasters wreaking havoc on the land.

Blatant hatred and division seem to be the theme of the day, often promoted by those who would destroy our society for their own political profit, or monetary gain. I’m sure the Father weeps. He yearns for us to trust Him and give ourselves wholly to Him. He created one race, ‘humanity’. And just as He desires that we would each come to know Jesus as Savior, He also desires emphatically for us to love one another as He loves us, unconditionally, not dependent on the color of our skin, our political differences, our place of origin, or indeed, even our religion.

Political correctness has twisted our ability to see straight. People are literally scared to death to speak the truth for fear of being called racist, homophobic, xenophobic and the like. Honesty, in many cases, has taken a back seat to other’s opinions of us. What a sad commentary on the state of our country and our world.

I have heard many people comment that they see the book of Revelation playing out before their eyes and I would tend to agree that it certainly looks as if the end is near. Though none of us knows the exact day or time when Jesus will return, we do know that multitudes of end time prophecies contained in the Word of God have already been fulfilled. Around fifty years ago we were told by bible experts that there were seven remaining biblical prophecies that must be accomplished before His coming. Some of which, in this modern age, have already come to pass and some which seem poised to be fulfilled. I have included these seven prophesies to which I refer later in the book for you to examine.

I am thrilled about the prospect of the Lord’s return. Eternity with Jesus will be an indescribable blessing. How do I know this is unquestionably my own destiny? Because He told me in His Word that to achieve that end, I must believe He is the Son of God and that He died to save me from my sin. I understand that I must confess my sin, believe on Him and invite Him into my life to be my Savior and Lord. Indeed, I have, I do, and I have with great joy. What a wonderful gift.

I will grant that there are issues of concern, especially in these tumultuous days. Even more so for those who have yet to invite Jesus into their hearts. For this reason, I sincerely recommend to those who do not know Christ as Lord and Savior that you take this opportunity to welcome Him into your life with open arms. For there is nowhere He would rather be than in the hearts of His beloved children.

For those who are already Christians, this scenario of end times is not nearly as frightening a concept, nor should it be, as it is for those who do not know our Messiah in a personal way. From where does our confidence arise? Our confidence is in the Lord. He is still God; He is still on the throne and those of us who know His Word also know that we can safely depend on Him for our present situations and ultimately for our eternity.

In our ministry my husband, Pastor Marty, and I are faced with questions every day from non-believers, but we are also confronted by many inquiries that come from confused believers. In this book, God?, I intend to address some of the most common questions we’ve encountered throughout the years. Using pertinent scriptures, we will get to the bottom of those biblically important issues and hopefully help those who are questioning, with answers that will bring them closer to a sense of peace in a perilous time.

If you are not Christian, you might think my answers trite. I sincerely hope not. I do this work with the most loving of intents and purposes. God doesn’t want anyone lost and neither do I. You might think these answers not solid enough to alter your existing mindset, especially if your thought is based on worldly thinking. However, my evidence comes by way of a Christian perspective and a Christian world view. From there will I make my stand. A stand that I sincerely hope will win your heart for Jesus.

As a Christian, I believe the Bible to be the inerrant, infallible Word of God and the ultimate answer to every single question encountered by man. So, obviously, my proof will be found in His Word, the Bible. There are a great many answers in this invaluable resource if we will only seek them out.

My objective in penning God? is to enrich and not to tear down. I seek merely to enlighten in a culture that seems hell bent on pulling people as far away from salvation in Christ as possible. And sadly, from recent PEW polls, it is working. According to a poll from 2019, as compared with their 2018 and 2015 polls, Christianity is in rapid decline. Fewer Americans identify as Christians and even fewer relate that they attend church on any kind of regular basis. Such a sad statement is a land which was founded in Christian, Judeo values.

I am certainly not out to disparage another’s culture, religion, or thought process. Though, as a Christian, I would certainly love to see every person on earth come to realize the peace which can only come from knowing Jesus.

In the end each of us must discover that which will give us an unquestionable peace. For my mind, that peace comes only from The Lord Jesus Christ, my God and my Savior.

My answers to the following questions are not based on, or derived from, my own opinions. Though I will admit that were I to be questioned on these upcoming subjects I would always agree with God’s determinations. I would rather stand with the Lord and be judged by man, than stand with man and be judged by the Lord. Instead, each carefully researched answer is based on information gleaned from the Bible and other easily accessible resources. So, if you disagree with the sometimes controversial answers you see in these pages, I might suggest you take it up with the Lord.

I have decided to answer unapologetically all the questions posed, since these answers are available to everyone, by reading God’s Word, and should need no apology from me or anyone else.

As we delve into the Bible and the holy books of other world religions and denominations, comparing them with the Word of Jehovah God, looking for the answers to our burning questions and seeking the ultimate truth where it may be found, let us strive to know and then share that Truth with every creature.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

The Same God?

The scripture which opens this chapter is probably one of the most recognizable and beloved scriptures in all of Christendom and likely one of the most often encountered in the world at large. Yet, of all the questions we hear in daily ministry, one of the most common is: #Does any of it really matter? We’re all praying to the same god anyway, aren’t we?

In studying the major religions and Christian denominations of the world we have done our fair share of research on the subject and I would have to say that the short answer to that question is, no. No, we are not all praying to the same God ‘as He defines Himself and our path to Him’, in His own Holy Word. However, the long answer will require some pertinent information about many different religions and denominations. For that reason, I will be offering sub-chapters on each religion and denomination, to show the differences in what these religions and denominations believe about who our Christian God is, in comparison to the gods of other belief systems.

Additionally, I will show you what the gods, who represent each brand of spirituality, expect, offer and espouse. Most of all, we will search out God’s ultimate and final Word, concerning salvation. This should, ultimately, make for a less confusing answer to this very important question.

In developing appropriate answers, I have done exhaustive research into the holy books and websites of other religions and denominations. I have also sought out devoted members of these various religions and denominations, some of whom spoke to me freely and some who were a bit more guarded. Then I realized it might be informative to also tap into the knowledge of some local religious leaders, from faiths other than Christianity.

Both the Muslim Imam and the Jewish Rabbi I spoke with vehemently declared that there is indeed only one god. Allah, or Jehovah, respectively. I was informed that we are certainly all praying to the same god. That is, if we (as Christians) will only denounce the very idea that our God has a son. Because, in both cases, their god has no son. The problem with this answer lays in the fact that the centrality of Christianity is based upon the fact that our Christian God does have a Son, Jesus, the very Name of God that has been revealed to us in Holy Scripture. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. To denounce that fact would make us, well, un-Christian.

So, why is it then that so many believe we are praying to the same god? I believe it is a notion promulgated by those in our midst (primarily globalists), who for many years have been nudging our nation toward the idea of a one world government, a one world religion and ultimately a godless, communist or socialist society. Those sources have been trying desperately to remove Jesus from the equation for a very long time. From our schools, the town square, our government buildings and our entertainment sources. Those same forces who push for a one world order, a one world government and a one world currency (a cashless society) would like to see us praying to one god, even if that god is a false one, because it would be much easier to eliminate the idea of God altogether, if we lump Him in with all the other false idols of the world.

This very thing has been accomplished in every communist and socialist society in the world. By first forcing the one true God out, ultimately channeling the masses into a government instituted ‘religion’ of sorts and then telling them what they must think and believe. Once their so-called religion is no longer one of a personal nature with the One True God it is much easier to extinguish what remains of their faith all together.

Yes, the very thing that distinguishes Christianity from every other religion is the claim that God does indeed have a Son. A perfect Son who came to earth as a man, suffered and died on a cross for our sins, my sins and yours, rose from the grave on the third day to overcome that sin and who sits at the right hand of God the Father in heaven as our mediator with the Father.

Christianity is the only religion on earth that claims a Savior who paid a debt He didn’t owe, so that we might have the gift of salvation, freely given, for any who would just believe on Him. The only religion where the seeker does not sacrifice anything at all, not a single thing, except his arrogant, self-centered belief that he can somehow be good enough to attain eternity with the Father entirely on his own. I am continually amazed at this faith we follow, where love plus nothing else saves.

You see, if those who seek our submission and ultimately our destruction, can dissuade us from the righteous path of following Christ, by making Him unimportant and unnecessary, then a one world religion and ultimately that one world order is more easily within their grasp.

If we are Christian, Jesus Christ is the very core of our Christian belief. Without the Son of God there is no Christianity. Without Him being God’s greatest gift to us there is no salvation. Yet, in Islam for instance, I was able to find at least twenty-one separate surahs (verses) in the Quran that say God has no son, along with the warning that to assert that He does have a son is blasphemy and that we should desist from this claim for our own good. So, here we go. Let’s discover the core beliefs of these major religions and denominations, so that we might determine the facts for ourselves.

A reminder: These answers are not derived from my own personal opinions, but from the Holy Bible, the Holy Books of the religions and denominations in question and in many cases, the websites linked to those religions and denominations.

Islam

Muslims believe that Jesus lived and was indeed the son of Mary. A fact that would be difficult to escape due to the overwhelming proof of a historical Jesus. However, Mohammad claims He was no