Posts by tomcastor

The scripture* tells us that after Jesus returns, heaven and earth will pass away.[1] Then, the Lord* Jesus* will make everything new.[2] He will replace heaven and earth with a new heaven and a new earth. Isaiah* says that the new heaven and new earth will go on and on and the people there will…

Jesus* rose from the dead and then went up into heaven in his new body.[1] When Jesus returns to the earth, he will come in the same body that he had when he went away.[2] When he returns, he will come to raise the dead and to judge the world.[3]   After Jesus raises all…

All people have a body and a soul. God made both the soul and the body, so both the body and the soul are good. But the body and soul are not eternal* like God is. They only live as long as God decides to give them life. A body may die. But the scriptures*…

After Jesus* rose from death, more than 500 hundred people saw him. He appeared to all of the disciples* and spent time with them. He taught them many things from the Old Testament* that they had not understood before. He also told them to go into all the world and tell the gospel* story to…

For many years and in many places, Christians* have used the words of the Lord’s* Prayer to help them pray. In some places, people add a short sentence at the end of the prayer. ‘For yours is the kingdom* and the power and the glory* for ever and ever. Amen.*’ Jesus did not say these…

This part of the Lord’s* Prayer reminds us that our world is a broken place. Things go wrong that can make trouble for us. These troubles can sometimes come from the outside of us. We can become sick. People may decide to hurt us or do things to make our lives difficult. Storms and floods…

Christians* say this part of the Lord’s* Prayer in different ways in different parts of the world. Some say the prayer with the word ‘sins.’ Some use the word ‘trespasses.’ Some say ‘debts.’ That is because the Scripture* speaks of sin in many ways. Sin is breaking the law. Sin is falling short of what…

The first three requests in the Lord’s* Prayer are about God. We are to honor* God’s name, wait for God’s kingdom*, and submit* to God’s will. These are the things that Jesus* wants us to pray about first. With the fourth request, we turn to God and ask that he provide for our daily needs.…

The scriptures* speak of God’s will in several ways. In some places, God’s will is what God has decided will happen. This part of God’s will is mostly hidden from us. We do not know what God has in mind until after it happens. The story of Joseph* in the Old Testament* is an example…

In the Scriptures*, the disciples* wrote about the kingdom. Mark* and Luke* speak about the ‘kingdom of God’. Matthew* uses the phrase ‘the kingdom of heaven’.* They seem to be speaking of the same thing. The Gospels* tell us that Jesus talked about the kingdom all the time.   But what did Jesus mean when…