20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 22)

Opening announcement about Ravi Zacharias scandal — video promises a detailed Monday response

Mike opens the Q&A livestream by noting he woke up at 4:20 AM thinking about the Ravi Zacharias report. He announces a dedicated video on Monday at 1 PM to address the scandal in depth.

Q1: Why does Revelation not mention the destruction of Jerusalem if written around 70 AD?

Viewer Doug Bush asks why John would ignore such a major prophetic fulfillment as the destruction of Jerusalem if Revelation was written around 70 AD, as preterists claim.

John wrote Revelation as a vision, not personal reflection — explains silence on Temple destruction; late dating supported by majority of scholars

Mike responds to why Revelation does not mention the Temple destruction.

Q2: Do we have free will? Mike asserts strong yes — biblically, intuitively, and philosophically supported

Viewer Lace Buck Corny asks about free will, sovereignty, and whether punishment is just if we lack free will.

Free will is biblically assumed throughout Scripture — humans are treated as responsible agents making real choices

Continuing the free will answer, Mike argues that the assumption of free choice and moral responsibility permeates the entire biblical narrative.

Free will and divine sovereignty are compatible — sovereignty means ultimate control, not micromanagement of every choice

Mike addresses how free will coexists with divine sovereignty.

Without free will, punishment is morally problematic but stopping evil agents still makes sense

Mike addresses the hypothetical: if no free will, is punishment just?

Q3: Is it wrong for a Christian to enjoy New Age music? Genre itself is not inherently sinful; lyrics and spiritual content matter

Viewer Linda Caswell asks whether listening to relaxing New Age piano music is wrong for a conservative Christian.

Q4: Christian advice on overcoming the fear of death — Hebrews 2:15 says Jesus came to deliver us from that bondage

Viewer Letty Fernet asks for Christian counsel on anxiety about death.

Belief in Christ's resurrection transforms the believer's relationship to death — to die is to pass into God's presence

Mike continues his counsel on fear of death, drawing on the resurrection and Paul's teaching.

1 John 4:18 — perfect love casts out fear; fear of punishment stems from insufficient awareness of God's love

Mike addresses the secondary fear connected to death — fear of divine judgment and punishment.

1 John 3:20-21 — God is greater than our condemning heart; confidence before God is the mature Christian posture

Mike continues the fear-of-death answer, noting many Christians are condemned not by actual rebellion but by vague fear.

Q5: How to view false Trump prophecies — identified as wrong, traced to pride, competitive prophetic culture, and spiritual dysfunction

Viewer Crystal Peck asks about Christians who falsely prophesied Trump's 2020 electoral victory.

Christians must stop following those who prophesied falsely about 2020; those prophets should repent and abandon their prophetic status

Mike gives practical counsel on what to do in response to the false prophecies.

Q6: In a futurist view, which country best represents Babylon? Possibly Rome, a future world government, or Iraq

Viewer Randy Loxley asks Mike's thoughts on a modern-day Babylon in futurist eschatology.

Q7: Advice for a young adult starting a theology ministry platform without formal training

Viewer Nathan Johnson asks how to start a ministry platform similar to Mike's without seminary training.

Q8: Is God present in hell? Yes in omniscience but not in felt/manifest presence — Psalm 139 explored

Viewer Angela Juarez asks whether an omnipresent God is also present in hell.

Q9: Why did Paul permit Timothy to drink wine (1 Tim 5:23) if Timothy was under a Nazirite vow? Mike doubts Timothy was under such a vow

Viewer 'Christian Metal Head' asks about the apparent tension between Paul's instruction to drink wine and the Nazirite vow restrictions.

Drinking alcohol is not inherently sinful; drunkenness is sinful — attempts to argue 1 Tim 5:23 wine is non-alcoholic are dismissed

Mike closes the wine/vow question by addressing broader debates about alcohol in Christianity.

Q10: Galatians 4:27 — who is 'the desolate one'? Mike leans toward not forcing the Hagar/Sarah identification; Paul draws on Isaiah 54:1

Viewer Zoe Abundant asks whether the 'desolate one' in Galatians 4:27 refers to Sarah or Hagar.

Q11: Who can perform baptism? Scripture gives no explicit rule but establishes community precedent; a parent can baptize a child

Viewer 'Skirt Bobcat' asks who is authorized to perform baptism and whether a parent can baptize their children.

Q12: Are big-name Calvinists arrogant and unloving? Mike pushes back on the generalization while acknowledging a real temptation within Calvinism

Viewer Steve Carruthers claims big-name Calvinists in general are arrogant and unloving and asks if this disqualifies them.

Q13: Should I stop using an isogetical devotional that groups unrelated passages under a common daily theme?

Viewer Justin asks whether to stop using a one-year Bible plan that groups OT, NT, Psalms, and Proverbs daily under one artificial unifying theme.

Q14: Is the authority Jesus gave the 12 and 70 disciples different from spiritual gifts? Mike distinguishes pre-Pentecost authority from post-Pentecost Spirit-enabled gifts

Viewer Silas Bourner asks whether the authority Jesus granted the Twelve and Seventy to heal and cast out demons is different from spiritual gifts.

Q15: Matthew 11:22-24 — If Sodom would have repented at Jesus's miracles, why didn't Jesus go to Sodom? Christians need not have an answer to every question

Viewer Lawrence H asks why Jesus did not perform miracles in Sodom to prevent its destruction, given Jesus's statement in Matthew 11.

God's timing for the Incarnation was strategically optimal — Jesus came when manuscript distribution, roads, and population growth maximized gospel spread

Mike continues the Matthew 11 answer by addressing why Jesus did not go to Sodom in the past.

Q16: Is consulting and making decisions cooperatively with your wife permissible? Absolutely yes — the husband's headship is not about excluding his wife's input

Viewer Joel Parks asks whether Mike's past characterization of 'knucklehead' husbands means cooperative decision-making with a wife is wrong.

Q17: Is a spouse a covenant breaker for agreeing to an unwanted divorce? Mike defers to his detailed divorce/remarriage video and urges fighting for the marriage

Viewer Chantel Robinson's spouse is divorcing him against his will; he wants to know if agreeing makes him a covenant breaker.

Q18: Can Christians feel God's presence, or is it just emotion responding to truth? Both are possible — Spirit-generated emotion and ordinary human emotion are both real

Viewer Amelia asks whether feeling God's presence is genuine or just the mind responding emotionally to biblical truth.

Galatians 5 fruit of the Spirit — desires to love, worship, and serve are Spirit-generated; Christians are slow to credit the Spirit working in them for good

Mike appends an observation about the Spirit while wrapping up the presence question.

Q19: Advice for spiritual apathy — do not be apathetic about your apathy; obey whether or not you feel it

Viewer Hugh Seeger asks for advice on struggling with spiritual apathy.

Q20: Do we need to feel bad for sin when we repent, or is knowing it is wrong enough? Feeling is healthy but not required — emotions are the caboose of the train

Viewer Joel Larson asks whether genuine repentance requires feeling bad about sin, noting his ex-girlfriend does not feel bad about their shared sexual sin.

Closing: Ravi Zacharias scandal — no excuse to defend him; faith rests in Christ not in people; wheat and tares are expected

Mike closes the livestream by returning to the Ravi Zacharias announcement.