In this insightful conversation, Jim Osman introduces Rob Pryor as the newest staff member leading the biblical counseling ministry at Kootenai Community Church. Rob shares his salvation testimony, theological journey, and passion for discipleship through the biblical counseling ministry. He also explains his ACBC certification, the philosophy of biblical counseling, and his plans to equip others in the church to counsel from Scripture. Rob's story highlights God’s providence and the importance of training counselors grounded in God’s Word.

Questions from this session include:

1. How and when did the Lord save you?
2. Did you grow up in a Christian home?
3. Are you charismatic?
4. What were your early theological and spiritual influences?
5. Where did you experience biblical counseling for the first time?
6. What is your wife’s name and how did you meet?
7. How many children do you have and what are they doing now?
8. What churches have you been involved with over the years?
9. Why did you decide to pursue seminary training?
10. Why did you choose Talbot School of Theology?
11. What led you from Oregon to Illinois?
12. How did you end up coming to Kootenai Community Church?
13. Are you currently enrolled in another program?
14. What is biblical counseling?
15. What does ACBC certification involve?
16. How is biblical counseling different from secular or Christian-integrated counseling models?
17. What kind of counseling do you do? (e.g., marriage, financial, individual)
18. Is this counseling available to the public or just church members?
19. What are your hobbies and non-ministry interests?
20. What five books (besides the Bible) have most influenced and shaped you?
21. What book are you currently reading?
22. What book are you planning to read next?
23. How do you distinguish or balance between evangelism and helping with soul issues?
24. Who are your personal faith heroes?

Pastor Jim Osman tackled many theological and eschatological topics during this engaging question-and-answer session. He first addressed the meaning of Jude 6–7, explaining the domain of angels and their judgment, and clarified his view that angels did not cohabitate with humans. He provided thoughtful answers on Genesis 6’s “sons of God,” the identity of the Levites in the future temple, and the nature of sacrifices during the Tribulation. Additional topics included the experience of time and glorified bodies in the Millennium, sleep and seasons in the new creation, the purpose of the Millennial Kingdom, the fate of infants in heaven, and the possible roles of believers in judging angels. The discussion highlighted Osman’s pre-tribulational, dispensational perspective and a commitment to biblically grounded answers.

Questions Asked

1. In Jude 6, what habitation did the angels leave, and where did they go?
2. In Jude 7, who are the “they” that committed the same sin as Sodom and Gomorrah?
3. What about the view that fallen angels cohabited with humans (Nephilim)?
4. Who are the “sons of God” in Genesis 6?
5. In Job 1, who are the “sons of God” who came before the Lord?
6. What sacrifices will occur in the future temple during the Tribulation?
7. Who are the Levites today, and how will they be identified for temple service?
8. What will time be like for us in the Millennium in glorified bodies?
9. Will we need to sleep in a glorified body?
10. Why is there a Millennial Kingdom—why not move straight to the new heavens and earth?
11. If heaven is perfect, why would God bring anything from this corrupted creation?
12. What kind of body will we have in the new creation—is it the same as now?
13. Did Adam and Eve have glorified bodies before the fall?
14. Will the new creation have seasons or cycles (like falling leaves)?
15. Will there be marriage or procreation in the eternal state?
16. Will we judge angels, and what does that mean?
17. What happens to infants who die? How will they exist in the eternal state?

In this Q&A session, Jim Osman addresses the tension between God’s justice and mercy, reconciling how God delights in executing justice (Ezekiel 18:30-32, 33:11) yet takes no pleasure in the wicked’s death, using a personal analogy of disciplining his granddaughter to illustrate that God rejoices in righteousness, not suffering. He explores divine sovereignty and human responsibility, affirming God’s desire for repentance while securing salvation for the elect. He defends a limited atonement—Christ dying specifically for the elect’s sins, not universally—highlighting the Trinity’s unified purpose. Jim also tackles practical questions, speculating that babies in heaven may be made whole or raised in the New Creation, cautioning against AI’s deceptive potential and heretical music like Bethel’s, and offering discernment principles for books and observances like Lent, blending doctrinal depth with actionable wisdom for believers.

List of Questions:

1. How do you reconcile the statement that God delights in executing justice with the teaching of Scripture that God does not delight in the death of the wicked?
2. Any other questions regarding that [God’s justice and mercy]?
3. What state will babies who die be in during the Millennial Kingdom or the eternal state in the new heavens and new earth?
4. Do you know of a Scripture passage that specifically addresses the state of babies in heaven?
5. Is heaven a place of time, given the reference to a tree bearing different fruit every month in the New Creation?
6. Could artificial intelligence be the mark of the beast because of the technology’s capabilities?
7. Why don’t we sing songs written by people who apostatize or heretics, yet our church holds some teachings of Martin Luther, who later had issues with anti-Semitism?
8. Why don’t we sing those songs [by heretical groups] even though we disagree with some of their teachings?
9. Where do you think the line is in personally listening to Bethel music at home?
10. What principles do you apply to reading books—not just for yourself but keeping them in your library, buying them, recommending them wholeheartedly, or recommending them with caution?
11. What is the difference between celebrating observances like Lent and Advent and other cultural or religious observances?
12. What is the difference between those who say Christ died only for the sins of the elect, and yet people prior to their salvation are under the wrath of God, though their sins have been laid upon Christ?
13. Were you asking a question specifically about the difference between the sufficiency of the atonement and the application of the atonement?
14. How do we decide which church we should attend apart from just basing their teachings on the Word of God?