Ask Father Paul ...

Answers to your questions about life, religion and the Bible

Father Paul: I have a good friend who dabbles in the occult. He says he sees nothing wrong with this. Does the Bible say anything about the occult?

— Franklin

It sure does. It’s great that your friend is interested in supernatural/spiritual things, but the source of occult practices is Satan (The Deceiver) ... NOT the God of the Bible. Things like Ouija boards, tarot cards, casting spells from “roots,” channeling, witchcraft, black magic and the like ... things some people call “harmless fun,” are all condemned by God in the Bible which calls them, “an abomination unto the Lord,” (Deut. 18: 9 - 12). Some translations of this passage say, “detestable to the Lord.”

All these and other occult practices are associated with paganism which counterfeits genuine spirituality which is based on the one true and holy God ... Jehovah. Many good, well-meaning people have been sucked into the occult while searching for genuine spirituality. The New Testament also warns us about the occult, (Gal. 5: 20; Acts 13: 5 - 12). Invite your friend to a Bible believing church where he can hear the truth.

Father Paul....Will we be able to get married in heaven?

— Jill

No, sorry. Jesus himself answers this question in Matthew 22. He is being questioned by some religious leaders who are trying to “trap” him. They ask him a hypothetical question in which a woman is widowed, then (according to the custom) marries her dead husband’s next oldest brother, who then dies, whereupon she marries the next oldest brother, etc., etc., until she marries the last remaining brother, and he also dies. They ask, “In heaven, whose wife will she be?”

Jesus answers them in verses 29 and 30, “Your mistake is that you do not know the scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. In I Corinthians 2: 9 the Apostle Paul quotes a passage from Isaiah 64 where it says, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared in heaven for those who love him.” I know it is hard to grasp, but heaven is going to be such a wondrous and satisfying place that thoughts of spouses, children even, jobs, houses and the like will be just a distant memory.

Father Paul: A friend told me that Jesus had brothers and sisters. Is that true?

— No Name

Yes,according to the Bible, he did. In Matthew 13 some critics of Jesus from his home town say, “Isn’t this (Jesus) the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brother’s names James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all of his sisters here with us? Where did this man get all these things, (his power)?” And they took offense at him.

Mary was indeed a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. All of his brothers and sisters were born later.

The fact that Mary had other children later in no way detracts from her standing in God’s kingdom.

Have a question? Send it to paulmassey@earthlink.net