I don't know, I asked them to think about questions or something they don't understand or something they want to learn more about and they can just ask you. So I think a lot of them did prepare some questions. We might have many, I didn't, I was scared like they just... I don't know where we should start. Maybe, Oshima, should we start on the side? Do you have a question for Dr. Nakamura? What are you planning to do in the future? In the future? Traveling together. Yeah, maybe you think it's good. Yeah, I think I think When you answer, maybe she should translate what you're saying, right? So I'd love to hear all of them all the way around and then go back. Then we can back, so maybe one each. We'll try and be concise and answer it. So I can think about it. There might be the same thing more than once. That might even pop up. Okay, so I have a question for you about the gospel. So I'm learning to share the gospel, and here in Japan it's so hard to share the gospel, so it's unbelievable, because most of the Japanese people have not a good image of religion. So when you share the testimony and gospel to the unbelievers, especially the foreigners, for me, what do I cherish to share the gospel? That's a very good question. foreign okay um oh no no i'm gonna hear all of them Also, I'm going to pick the ones that are easy and we're not doing the hard ones. So there's so many places in the Bible where you can get mixed up. The rapture or the second coming of Christ. I kind of deal with some of those. So I watched your YouTube videos and they were so wonderful. You know, I didn't know that, you know, books, all the books in the Bible were not in, you know, chronicle order. And so I just wonder who decided the order and who decided which books, you know, should be in the Bible. How was it canonized? Yeah, I think so. I don't know how to say it in Japanese, but very good. Oh, we should also remind me of your names. Shuma, right? Barbara. Barbara. Tom. Tom. Shuma. Yuriko. Y-U-R-I-K-O. Yuriko. And then, the name of Shumi. Oh, I know you. I'm up to names with the questions. Do you have a question? So I have a set of questions, but just one question. So just one question? Okay. How many questions? Just one important question. There's a lot of translation in Bible translations, but some translations are so different from each other. Some just lean to the original text, some just follow the original, and some doctrines, some theological biases are so different. But what kind of translation is good for non-native English speaking, but also keep the accuracy, the economical, the less stereo bias? Which kind of translation suits for these people? Or just new believers, just non-Christian believers? I just want to know. Very good. Did you know that snakes use head to legs? But later then, because they opened a gap in China, there's an animal called dragon. But no one has it in true form. It is only known to look like snake. After reading the Bible, I think it's my idea, in combination of the Devil. Devil. What do you think? Can you repeat? I'm trying to understand. Can I repeat? So, sure, the deodorant serpent used to have legs, but they lost them because they offended a god. In China, there's an animal called a dragon, just long, in Chinese. But no one has seen its true form. It is only known to look like a snake, a serpent. After reading the Bible, I think it might be an incarnation of the devil. What do you think about that? These are really good questions. Did you catch what she's saying? Several things here. The snake originally had legs. But because it turned against God, it lost its legs. But in China, there is a dragon called Long. What does that have to do with anything? Is it a form of satan? I originally was moved here by South Korea. And I, like, in that movie, a guy who is doing, you know, the bad thing, you know, involving the human trafficking, is singing, like, the gospel, like, and the person also, like, singing the gospel, like, na, na, na, na, na, na. So in the movie, the character in the movie was doing the wrong thing, but still singing a worship song. Sometimes people can't understand what is right and wrong, and they believe in God. And also, another question is like, in the movie, there are children in this harsh situation. And like, sometimes they're, I believe that someday the God will save them. Sometimes I feel like humans need power. It's too strong. I don't know. It's peaceful. Do you think that a peaceful environment is hard to come by for a strong, evil force? Yes, I think so. I think that a peaceful environment is hard to come by for a strong, evil force. Oh, I feel like by watching those movies, I kind of see that the human power is more powerful than, you know, like God. God is allowing, well, it almost seems like evil has more power, and humans also got to have evil power, and no one is controlling, almost. What do you think about that? in real life, not just movies. But the whole power of evil and why God allows it, do you get all that honey? Yes. I have a question too. Johan. Say Johan. read the Bible, you'll see, of course, that there's logic involved, right? Like, logically, it makes sense in the way you should behave and do things. You know, the Bible says we should be mischievous dogs and sly serpents, and the Proverbs says, you know, the wise man sees something coming and he changes his direction. So there's like this wisdom that we apply to life that you find in the Bible. And then you read Luke chapter six from verse 27 that says, but I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. Which makes sense, I totally agree, right? To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them back. And just as you want me to do to you, do also to them likewise. So for me, understand the principle we should love, and love your enemies, pray for them, even those that spitefully use you. And I had in the past somebody that, you know, I had like nice movies, like DVDs, and I lent it to him, and he took, and I later he wanted more, and like never gave it back, and I saw like, this is gonna happen, and I felt like he was abusing actually me. But in a sense, when I read this, it feels like even though you can know this guy's gonna abuse you, you should still give. and continually give, and I feel like almost in the world we'll recognize, well, some of them might feel convicted and say, well, this guy just loves me and gives and I'm gonna change. Most of them will say, well, I can, this fool, I'm gonna abuse him and I can take all these things. So how do I apply this part of scripture practically in my life? What does it mean to really love like this and how does it practically mean for me to do in that kind of situation when somebody wants to abuse me? I hope this isn't in shorthand. It's messy though. I borrowed DVDs from a friend a long time ago. He never returned them, but he wanted me to borrow them again, so I did. He never came back. Oh, me. Because I already tried to answer your question. I have some questions, but maybe when you studied about, well, I I stand on the teaching of dispensationalism. So rapture comes, we see Jesus in the air, and seven years tribulation, and then Jesus comes, and all the saints with Jesus coming to judge on this earth, and millennium happens, and then we'll spend eternity with God in the new heaven and earth. That's my belief. But there was one question from the person whom I teaching said, well, I understood that, you know, later in our lives, we're going to spend eternity with God, but are there going to be any like symbol like the tree of good knowledge, you know, of the knowledge? Because people might repeat the same thing again, and then we might go back to the fall again. So when I was asked, I was like, hmm, are there anything, well, maybe the Bible might be silent about it, but is there anything that still God asks us to do? Please will, I mean, to do things, and are we really able to obey God forever? So that's my question. We might sing again, right? So that means we might have to do it again, or no? Yeah, anyway, so the two in large, I guess. Hands. The Bible says they will work forever in the light of God. They will never again be intercepted. Because of course Satan is bound, like in the Bible, he's totally judged. in hell forever so first of all they will be nobody tempted also those on heaven were those that committed themselves to god that's saved and they that's almost like the past now I think it was Sakura-chan when we were doing the Manabikai. For example, in my opinion, there is the present, there is the earthquake, there is the 7-year drought, there is the earthquake of Jesus, there is the millennial kingdom, and there is a new heaven and a new earth. I live with Jesus in that new heaven and new earth. I don't know if it was Sakura-chan, but in the learning session, she said, wait a minute. I'm going to spend time with God, but if I do something that I shouldn't do again, will I go back to the way I was? I thought that was a good question. At that time, I said that I would never do such a thing again in heaven, because there is no sorrow, no pain, no fear. But when I thought about it, I realized that Satan was gone. So she wants to know, have you committed sins before you were a Christian? And then, that many church people will not forgive you for that. It's kind of like the blind person. So how can she forgive those church people that they don't realize, I mean, they even know that she wasn't saved when she committed a sin. Now she's saved and they still are judging her for that. How does she forgive them for that? And also, how does she forgive herself? You get that, honey? Okay, well we only have an hour now. Yeah, sorry about that. You know, with all of these, there's really amazing... Honey, I'm backing up on my chair. When I answer questions, I tip back, and Bonnie said I shouldn't do that. Like, yep, like Herukos, she's hitting on a systematic theology point of doctrine, glorification. And glorification means that we are unable to sin when we... When we enter into heaven, we're changed and transformed and there's no longer flesh. You see, you have to, I always illustrate it this way. This is why Satan fell. This is Lucifer, the greatest created being God ever made. Now watch. When God does not hold you, you fall. Think about that. See, only God is self-sufficient, needs nothing. Only God is holy. We are not, we are unable to keep from sin. Every Satan, everyone, unless we're held. And it says that in You know in Jude now unto him that is able to keep you from falling see that's one of God's attributes. He holds us so So that's systematic theology But I'll come back to that. Let's start with the gospel And that's why people ask the origin of evil this is the origin of evil and The whole universe. But he's going to glorify it and stop the reign of evil. That's why I don't think there are many worlds and many civilizations. You know, people think that, that there are other earths and stuff. This was so bad. Sin was so bad. We don't realize how bad sin is. God would not, and re-crucify Christ, You know what I mean? This is the only time he let it happen and shows us how bad it is. So your question has two parts, one sharing the gospel with the pagan, and the other sharing the gospel. So what I would suggest, because when I started out in seminary at Bible college, I realized that, you know, there's the campus crusade way of sharing the gospel, then there's the, you know, I mean, it was like, You had to pray this prayer and all this. So I went through all four Gospels and the Book of Acts and found every time the Gospel was presented. You know what the first thing I found is? It's never the same twice. Nowhere. There's no one way that they shared the Gospel. If you look at how Jesus in the Gospels explained how to be saved. And then, really interesting, the book of Acts has 22 different gospel presentations. And, you know, the first one is in Acts 2.38, repent and let everyone of you be baptized. That's one gospel presentation, and that is a big, that's a conundrum. Repent and be baptized. you know, that's where all the cult or the, the sex of Christendom come from. But what I did is I found every gospel presentation, looked at the common elements. And then, then I went to Acts 17, because that specifically is pagans, with no, you know, like Japanese. We were listening in a department store to, they were playing Christmas music. It wasn't Christmas music. It was Christmas time music, but it wasn't Christmas. They didn't even know what Christmas was. You know what I mean? So, but now Japan does. I mean, Japan is, understands historic, you know, stuff. But how do you present the gospel? So Paul started differently. on Mars Hill, you know, with the Athenians. He starts them with Creator, then the Redeemer, then the Judge. So it is different. When you share the Gospel with a pagan, he did a different order of sharing the Gospel. So for you, I would become a master of the Gospel presentations. It takes, to read the Gospels, takes about six hours. And so I read all the Gospels for six hours with my pen and marked, I have it right here in my Bible, that's the 15th Gospel presentation in Acts. And I actually marked all of them and found what they covered. It's a fascinating study and that gives you freedom to not think you have to share it one way. But the way I share the gospel, I use the Roman's Road. Y'all have heard the Roman's Road? Because it's in the Bible, in order, and I, in every class, I have them mark the Roman's Road, and it's a way to get people to read the Bible. I actually turn my Bible around, and I say, what does it say there? and they say, you want me to? And a lot of them have never read the Bible in their life. And they go, I go, yeah, right there. And they say, you've written that really makes them amazed that you write in your holy book. They go, what does that say? And it's amazing when someone reads the Bible out loud, the power of the word of God, how it works. So, your question was, what share in the gospel? In theology, there's a division where they've divided up the charigma, it's the core of the gospel, from the book of Acts, looking at the sermons. But even that, they never shared the same thing, even in that. And so I think it's, the important thing is faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Instead of me telling a lot of stories, I get them to read, especially the Romans wrote, to establish what is sin, who is a sinner, how do we, because japanese people know they sin or they don't they don't think this yeah i don't know i think sin is like a criminal Of course, but they don't think so. They think their wrongdoing is not that big a deal, right? Well, the sin for us to say is like, well, the Bible said you're a sinner. We feel like, or you're a criminal. And they said, no, I have done anything wrong like those people. So we have to tell them about the definition. So it's the law being convicted by the law of God. But your question was what to share in the gospel. And the most important thing is If someone won't admit they're a sinner, I don't continue. I don't try and convince them if they're not convicted. See, salvation God does. I don't do it. I'm just, I share it, but he does it. If they're not convicted of their sin, they can't be saved. Yes, ma'am. Always. We just write in the beginning of our Bible, Romans 3.10, so you're always ready. And then when you go to Romans 3.10, then we write the next verse to explain the gospel, so that it's very clear, so you have a chain to go to yourself, one thing. The other thing is, in addition to showing them the word of God, your testimony of what God has done in your life is very powerful. So we need to indicate using a Bible. Yes, and you need to include in your testimony scripture not focused on you but focused on what God did. And John always has encouraged everyone in our church to practice writing your testimony so you include the parts of the Bible and to be able to give a one-minute testimony so you can tell your testimony in one minute and you are ready if you're on the bus or in the grocery store you're ready to when someone says like a girl said to me this week what is your secret she said that to me in English and It was an opportunity to say, in one minute, my secret is Jesus has forgiven me of my sins. Period. Or more. But a testimony where you're brief. And I usually tell them that I am the worst sinner that I know of in the whole world. I am. And they all go, no, not you. I go, See, they have to realize we're convicted of sin, and then they go, well, maybe I've done something bad. But the Holy Spirit has to convict them. But I would become an expert. You really, before you can really share the gospel, you should see how Jesus did it. And it's different in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each one is the description Jesus gave, like he said, out of you will flow rivers of life-giving water. Only he can do that, and it's the Holy Spirit. So if you spend the six hours to do the Gospels, and then another hour and a half to do Acts, you will become an expert on sharing the Gospel. And then you mark Romans and you can send him out. He'll be the gospel missionary. So now what did you add? Was that close to what you ask about your question? Yeah. Okay. I have a question about how to spread the word about Fukui. There is a tract that the Campus Crusade has put out, but basically, according to the teacher, there are 22 different ways to spread the word about Fukui. For example, there are 38 different ways to spread the word about the work of Shito. But I think the best way for Japanese people is the 17th chapter of Ashi-to-no-Hataraki. How should we convey it? As Paolo said, let's start with the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, and then the creator, It's called the Romance Way. In Japanese, it's called the Road to Rome. Romans 3, 10, 6, 23, 5, 8, 10, 9, 10. That's the Romance Way. And the teacher uses that way of teaching. But when he teaches, he doesn't just teach. He opens up the Bible and points it out to the other person and makes them read what's written on it. That's because there are people who haven't read the Bible. If I were to tell you what a sin is, or if I were to tell you what a sinner is, I wouldn't explain any more than that. Because the Holy Spirit is the one who works for that person. And if you don't know what a sin is, let's make it clear what a sin is. Like I said before, like in the Law of Attraction, I say things like, do you ever lie or steal? But the method I use is, basically, I am a sinner among sinners. I am a sinner among sinners. I am a very bad person. That's all. That was good. Thank you. Amazing. Okay. Our rapture versus second coming. The first thing, eschatology. There's almost never been an agreement on eschatology. Since the apostolic times, there's been many different views. But if you look at Paul, Jesus, and the actual scriptures, the early church had a definite conviction Jesus was coming at any moment. They really believed that. Jesus' very first epistle to a church, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, so to the church in Thessalonica, he wrote two letters. is more about eschatology than almost any other book in the Bible. So the future and the rapture and the second coming were very important. They're not nowadays. Almost all denominations, I mean, the Presbyterians don't even believe, you know, in the idea of any of what we would call prophecy. The Lutherans don't. Calvin would not preach through Revelation. Luther would not touch Revelation. I mean, so the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Episcopalians, the Presbyterians, And the Baptist have so many views. I mean, so I stick with the scripture. And what I would say, if there was a new believer, I would show them what Jesus said in Matthew or in Luke 24 and Acts 1. So let me go back to Luke 24. Jesus is going to heaven. The last four verses, Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed them. And as he, verse 51, while he was parted for them, he was carried up into heaven. So the very last time the disciples saw Jesus, he had his hands out like this. And he was rising in the air and he was putting his hands out to them and was saying, blessings. That's why the Jewish, you know, Jewish homes, when they have the Shabbat meal, the Friday night meal, did you know the father of every family stands behind each of his children, puts his hands on their shoulders, and says a blessing over them. Every Friday dinner, and their home Every Jewish family meets for Shabbat, every Jewish family, all over the world. And the father puts his hands on their shoulders and blesses them. So they understood this, that Jesus was leaving and he's actually blessing, saying words of blessing to every one of his disciples. And it says while he's doing it, he's going like that. So now Acts chapter one, it says verse nine, when he spoke these things while he watched, he was taken up in a cloud and received. So it's the very same event. Acts 1.9 is the very same event as we saw in Luke 24. And they watched him and two men, verse 10, stood by them, angels, and said, why are you gazing up into heaven? Verse 11. This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven. Now, what do your Bibles say? You got your finger on it there. What does it say? The end of verse 11. Yeah, Acts 1.11. This is the stone which was sent and known for your builders, which has become the head of the corner. 111. Yeah, 111. Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. 111. Which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come. in that manner as they have seen him go into heaven. So how did they see him go into heaven? What we read in Luke 24. What was he doing? What was the last thing Jesus did? Blessing. Words were coming out of his mouth. Take, take up from you. Yeah, but it was only believers. Did you ever think of that? Who saw Jesus after he rose from the dead? Not one single unsaved person saw him. Not one. Did you ever think of that? No unbeliever saw Jesus after the resurrection. He only appeared to his own. And then he left them, blessing them. And what is the angel who has proper eschatology? Angels believe the truth, the true angels, you will see him come just like he left. So there seems to be a return of Christ for believers, and Paul wrote all about it, and a return of Christ for unbelievers, and Paul wrote all about that too. What does 2 Thessalonians, now remember this is Paul's very first church, Second Thessalonians, chapter one, verse seven and eight. Whoever gets it can read it. Second Thessalonians one, seven and eight. Chapter one of Second Thessalonians, verse seven and eight. And to you who are troubled, rest with us. when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God. and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the second coming of Christ for unsaved people. And what does he do? He incinerates. He burns. In flaming fire. It's like a flamethrower coming down and burning him up. And I mean, it's horrible. But what did the angel say? The same way you saw him going to heaven, he's coming for you. So then the last verse, so this is how I answer. You know John 14, right? I go and prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I'm gonna come and receive you unto myself. It's so comforting and loving. So that's why there's a controversy. The Methodists, Presbyterians, Reformed Baptists, Lutherans, you know what I mean, Episcopalians, they just believe in the second coming of the judgment. And that's true. He is coming that way. They cannot understand this blessing and coming and rescuing and the hope of the believers. So what I do is, eschatology you shouldn't be dogmatic because wonderful believers are on both sides. Wonderful. Martin Luther is a wonderful believer even though he was wrong about so many things. He would think the same of me. So not be dogmatic. Always listen to their view how they got to it. so inquired to it. But I always take him back to saying, when the disciples heard Jesus, they were convinced it was a comforting hope that he was coming to rescue them. And when they listened to Paul, they were convinced. The book of 1 Thessalonians, every chapter ends with Jesus coming to get them at any moment. So they really believe that. So I don't think it's because John Darby thought of it in 1830 in England. That's what the people say. They say that rapture belief isn't around until 1830. No, it's actually in Acts 1 and John 14 and 1st Thessalonians. But it's not a doctrine that determines salvation. And so that's why rapture, second coming, they're so distinctly different if you look at what happens, the fire and the coming and blessing. But I won't break fellowship over it. See, that's what is happening nowadays. People are so adamant about their prophecy views. It's not clear in the Bible. It's not, there are no charts. You know what I mean? But if you study the Bible, it becomes very clear. There's a great difference between the rapture, by the way, that word isn't in the Bible, right? It's a Latin word that comes from the Vulgate. And it's translating a Greek word, which the Greek word is harpazo. And it actually, the Greek word means a harpoon. It's actually to get something and pull it out, like you drop something in the fire and you go like that and pull it out. You know, you stick it and pull it out. That's what the rapture is. It's actually a pulling, snatching out. So the doctrine is in the Bible, the word isn't. But I wouldn't fight and divide over it, you know. Some people are unreasonable. Okay, Bonnie's question. Oh. foreign foreign Japanese interpretation For example, in Luke 24, chapter 50, verse 51, Jesus is praying for a monkey to be blessed. In 1 Thessalonians 9, verse 11, there is a scene where Jesus is placed in heaven. What I want you to remember here is that when Jesus was resurrected, only Christians saw him. But according to 2 Thessalonians 1, 7 and 8, it says that Jesus will come to this earth again. But if you look closely at the Bible, it says that he will come for the unbelievers. foreign foreign What does the Bible say? If you look closely at the Bible, it says that Christians are saved from disasters and tribulations. In Greek, in the Latin Bible, it doesn't say rapture, but typhoon. What does that mean? It means to take out what is burning in the fire. So, for Christians, an air siren is like being taken out of a disaster. So, when Jesus is angry, for Christians, it's a blessing. And I could, after listening to what Haruko said, I could say so much more. Did you ever think that Enoch and, you know, I mean the whole the flood and that Enoch was taken out before the family of Noah was taken through like the Jews and the world was destroyed. I mean, there's so many pictures of of the rapture. But okay, Tom, what a good question. Who decided the order of the books? Who decided which books should be in the Bible? That's a very good question. in Luke, and by the way, whenever you have questions, you should always in your mind have a portion of scripture that is your beginning point. You know, I've done question answers for decades, and you know what's so interesting? It's the same questions. I've heard the same questions 50 times, slightly different, And all of them have a key point where they're answered in the Bible. And really, it's good for you all.