20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 24)

Cremation does not threaten resurrection or salvation

Anonymous questioner facing financial hardship asks if cremation prevents resurrection or constitutes sin. A nearby pastor told the questioner that cremation is pagan and only burial is biblical.

Dust-to-dust theology supports cremation being theologically neutral

Mike grounds the cremation discussion in Genesis and the nature of death as returning to dust.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: death by fire carries no threat to eternal future

Mike uses Daniel as a typological support that fire or destruction of the body does not threaten resurrection.

Burial symbolism matters even though cremation is permissible

Mike affirms cremation is acceptable but argues for the value of burial symbolism and honoring the dead.

Visualizing God in prayer — dangers of anthropomorphism, suggestion to visualize light

Marty Moxie asks how to see God when praying since the mind naturally wants to picture a person.

Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 — typological connection to Christ, not the Holy Spirit

Steven Rivers asks whether Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 could be the Holy Spirit and whether Hebrew/Greek pronouns clarify the gender.

Romans 11:25-32 — partial hardening of Israel, fullness of the Gentiles, and end-times caution

Trevor T asks about Romans 11:25-32 and whether the rising number of Messianic Jews in Israel signals prophetic fulfillment.

New Christians' obligation to evangelize and defend faith — know your limits

Stephanie, a new Christian and former LDS member, is being actively challenged by LDS family and friends on the Trinity and other doctrines. She asks whether new Christians are obligated to defend and evangelize.

God's timelessness and sequential thought — divine omniscience outside time

Jason and Alana ask how a timeless God could have sequential thoughts, especially the decision to create time.

Non-negotiable Christian doctrines — essentials vs. secondary issues

DJ Diner asks what doctrines Christians should plant their flag on and never back down from.

Exposing works of darkness (Ephesians 5:8-14) — when to involve church vs. police

Michael Francisco has a family member claiming to be Christian who sells food with vulgar messages and is supplying alcohol to minors through her business.

Paradise in Paul's vision, the thief on the cross, and Lazarus — same place?

David's Kinion Memoirs asks whether paradise in Paul's third-heaven vision, Jesus's promise to the thief, and the Lazarus/Abraham account are the same place.

How can God love the world and also hate sinners? Psalm 5:5 and Proverbs 6:16-19

Fly Serve Disciples asks how God can love the whole world (John 3:16) while Psalm 5:5 says God hates evildoers.

Wife more spiritually mature than husband — encouragement over competition

Lil Mik Nick asks for advice when a wife is more spiritually mature than her husband who has admitted it.

Unconfessed sin at death — positional vs. conditional righteousness; in Christ theology

Popham asks if a born-again Christian who dies suddenly with an unconfessed momentary sin (not a lifestyle) goes to hell.

Where are we judged — earth, heaven, or in between? Eschatological timeline

Damon Brook asks where humans are located during the final judgment.

Saints rising from tombs after the crucifixion (Matthew 27) — who were they?

James and Lindsey ask about the people coming out of tombs after Jesus's resurrection in Matthew 27 — did they continue living or ascend?

Getting close to God and overcoming demonic oppression — prerequisites and warnings

Professor of Everything asks for advice on getting close to God and overcoming demons and oppression.

Knowing God's will for major decisions — acting without certainty

Simply Put asks how to know if God is guiding him and his wife to move to remote Alaska for missions.

Matthew 10:23 — 'before the Son of Man comes' refers to Christ's first-coming arrival, not the Second Coming

Kelly Book asks about Matthew 10:23 and why Mark's parallel account does not include the phrase 'before the Son of Man comes.'

Covert narcissism and Proverbs 16:5 — misunderstanding grace; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Giant Mushroom Tree is being diagnosed with covert narcissistic personality disorder and fears Proverbs 16:5 means they are unsavable.

Hardened heart and repentance — how to break callousness and return to closeness with God

Final question: someone says their heart has become hard through continued rebellion, they no longer feel sorry, and they miss living close to Christ.