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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202302S
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00:03 male announcer: It is the best selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted, and its 00:09 words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, should 00:13 always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate and practical 00:24 answers to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:33 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:44 Now, here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:54 Back in 1922, after a minor slip and a fall at work, an Iowa man 01:00 started hiccuping and he didn't stop for 68 years. 01:06 Over the weeks, months, and years, Charles Osborne 01:08 tried everything to get rid of his pesky condition. 01:12 He traveled cross-country to visit doctors and even resorted 01:15 to hormone therapy but it seemed that nothing could cure 01:18 his chronic hiccups. 01:20 Not wanting an experimental surgery, Osborne eventually 01:23 learned to hiccup quietly and live 01:26 with his annoying condition. 01:28 He did marry and had a job and had a family. 01:31 But one day in 1990, after 68 years of non-stop hiccups, when 01:37 Osborne was 96 years old, his hiccups mysteriously stopped. 01:43 His last months of life were thankfully hiccup-free. 01:46 Osborne's condition also earned him a place in the Guinness Book 01:49 of World Records and an interview with Johnny Carson on 01:52 the "Tonight Show." 01:54 It's estimated that between the ages of 29 and 96, Osborne 01:58 hiccuped 430 million times, and doctors never did figure out 02:04 precisely what caused his lifelong affliction. 02:08 You know, Pastor Ross, that's what you would call a mystery, 02:11 a conundrum, an enigma. 02:13 Where did his hiccups come from and where did they go? 02:16 They just stopped after 68 years. 02:19 And the Bible talks about, oh, I think 22 times it uses 02:23 the word "mystery." 02:25 There are some mysteries. 02:26 You know, you've got the mystery of godliness and then the Bible 02:29 tells us in, what, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, about 02:32 the mystery of iniquity. 02:34 People want to know, "Where did sin come from?" 02:36 Jean Ross: That's right. 02:38 One of the questions that we often have is, "If God is a God 02:40 of love and He's all-powerful, why do we live in a world where 02:43 there is sin and suffering and death?" 02:46 Well, the Bible gives us the answer. 02:49 However, there is that element of mystery. 02:52 The Bible speaks about the mystery of iniquity, that 02:55 self-centeredness that arose in the heart of a beautiful angel, 02:59 Lucifer, in heaven and, you know, we do have a study guide 03:02 that talks about this. 03:03 This is an important subject. 03:05 People often wonder, "If God is good, 03:07 why is there bad in the world? 03:09 Did God create a devil?" 03:11 That's one of the questions people have. 03:12 Well, we have a study guide, part of the Amazing Facts Study 03:14 Guide series, and it talks about the origin of evil and we'll 03:19 send this lesson for free. 03:20 It's called, "Did God Create a Devil?" 03:22 You might be surprised when you read and study this. 03:25 We'll send it to anyone here in the United States and Canada. 03:28 All you need to do is call the number, 800-835-6747, and you 03:33 can ask for the study guide. 03:35 It's called, "Did God Create a Devil?" 03:37 And if you have a cell phone, you can also just dial #250 and 03:42 say, "Bible Answers Live," and ask for the study guide, 03:45 "Did God Create a Devil?" 03:47 We'll be happy to send you a digital copy 03:49 or through the mail. 03:51 And if you're outside of North America, you can just go to the 03:53 Amazing Facts website, just amazingfacts.org. 03:57 And Pastor Doug, it's probably a good time for us to greet our 03:59 friends who are watching and listening across the country and 04:02 in other places through the Internet, around the world. 04:05 I know our program is rebroadcast on a number of 04:07 different television networks as well, so we'd like to greet 04:11 our friends listening. 04:12 And if you'd like to see what's happening here, this is live 04:15 this evening, you can just simply go to the Doug Batchelor 04:18 Facebook page or the Amazing Facts Facebook page. 04:21 We're also live on YouTube, and you can call in 04:25 with your Bible question. 04:27 The number here to the studio is 800-463-7297. 04:32 That's 800-463-7297, and you'll be able to get 04:36 your Bible question on the air this evening. 04:40 Well, before we go to the phone lines, let's start 04:41 with a word of prayer. 04:43 Dear Father, we thank You that we have this time where we can 04:45 just open up Your Word and study. 04:47 And Lord, we know the Bible is Your book so we do pray for the 04:49 Holy Spirit to guide us, be with our friends who are listening 04:52 wherever they might be, and lead us into a clearer understanding 04:55 of the teachings of the Bible, in Jesus's name, amen. 04:59 Doug: Amen. 05:00 Jean: Well, Pastor Doug, our first caller this evening, we're 05:02 going to get right to it. 05:04 We've got Gary listening in Illinois. 05:06 Gary, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:09 Gary: Well, my question is: "'There are four angels standing 05:12 at the four corners of the earth, holding back the winds 05:15 that would harm the earth, and until the servants of God 05:20 are sealed in their foreheads.' 05:22 So what does 'to be sealed' mean? 05:25 And how does that play up against the thought that Jesus 05:29 did it all; if I have to do one thing to secure my salvation, 05:33 I'm saying that Jesus's Crucifixion wasn't good enough?" 05:37 Doug: Okay, well, let's actually deal with the last part 05:39 of your question first: the idea that because we need to do 05:44 something means that Jesus's sacrifice wasn't adequate. 05:49 Let me just see if I can explain it this way. 05:51 If somebody writes a check to pay 100% of your million-dollar 05:56 debt, and yet the bank still repossesses your home and puts 06:00 you in jail, and you say, "But I thought he paid everything." 06:03 And they say, "Well, you never took the check to the bank." 06:06 So there is something that everybody needs to do. 06:09 We need to reach out and take the gift that He's offered. 06:13 So there is something that needs to be done. 06:16 It doesn't mean that Jesus's sacrifice if inadequate. 06:18 We must respond to that sacrifice. 06:21 So when it says that we must receive the seal of God, 06:24 we must be born again. 06:25 Jesus said, "Unless you are born of the water and the Spirit, 06:29 you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." 06:31 You look in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, it says: "IN HIM YOU 06:35 ALSO TRUSTED, AFTER YOU HEARD THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE GOSPEL OF 06:39 YOUR SALVATION; IN WHOM YOU ALSO HAVE BELIEVED, YOU WERE SEALED 06:42 WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE," 06:45 so there's the word "seal." 06:46 Read again in Ephesians 4, verse 30: "DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY 06:50 SPIRIT OF GOD, BY WHOM YOU ARE SEALED FOR THE DAY 06:53 OF REDEMPTION." 06:55 Now we just read there in Revelation chapter 7, at least 06:56 that's what you were quoting, Gary, about people must receive 07:00 the seal of God if they're going to survive these plagues 07:03 and this wind of strife. 07:05 But there's something deeper than just the Holy Spirit. 07:08 Now what I mean by that is why does it say "in the forehead"? 07:12 If you look in the Old Testament, it says that God's 07:15 people--and this is Deuteronomy chapter 5, is where you have the 07:19 Ten Commandments repeated, chapter 6, is where Moses said, 07:23 "These words that I command you today shall be in your heart, 07:26 they shall be in your hand, they shall be between your eyes." 07:29 So one way that we know that we have the Holy Spirit is by the 07:31 fruits of the Spirit. 07:33 There's obedience in the life. 07:35 You read in Isaiah chapter 8 and it says, "Bind up the testimony, 07:38 seal the law among My disciples." 07:42 So in the law of God is a seal of God, and it shows that we've 07:45 got the fruits of the Spirit. 07:47 We have a whole lesson that talks about the seal of God 07:49 we could send to Gary or anyone that wants to know what that is. 07:52 Jean: That's right. 07:54 It's part of our Amazing Facts Study Guide series and you can 07:56 just call and ask for this study guide called "The Seal of God." 08:00 We'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. 08:03 The number again is 800-835-6747 and you know, Pastor Doug, it's 08:08 interesting in the book of Revelation, not only do you have 08:10 the righteous sealed, not only do they have something 08:13 symbolically on their forehead, but you also have those who are 08:15 lost, the wicked. 08:17 They also marked, they get the mark of the beast. 08:19 So at the end of time, everyone is divided up into two groups: 08:22 those with the seal of God, obedience to God's commandments, 08:25 or the mark of the beast, obedience 08:29 to the beast's commandment. 08:30 We want to be amongst those who have the seal 08:32 of God in the last days. 08:33 Thank you for your call, Gary. 08:34 Next caller that we have is Junith, listening in Nevada. 08:37 Junith, welcome to the program. 08:40 Junith: Hello, can you hear me, Pastor Ross? 08:42 Doug: We do. Junith: Hello, good evening. 08:44 Okay, great, wonderful. Thanks for taking my call again. 08:48 My question is related to Matthew chapter 5, verse 48, 08:53 that we're perfect in the eyes of God. 08:56 My question is: We are still in the midst of the great 08:59 controversy between Christ and Satan, and "once saved will not 09:03 always be saved" is a daily sanctification process 09:08 in a personal relationship with Jesus. 09:10 So what would you recommend biblical, 09:15 I would say, to stop to give, 09:20 to give us a warning sign and a good-luck sign that we are not 09:25 maintaining perfection in the eyes of God. 09:27 What will be your input as to Biblical promises 09:33 that will maintain our spiritual purification daily? 09:37 Thank you for your answer. 09:39 Doug: Yes, well, when Jesus says here in Matthew chapter 09:43 5:48: "Therefore be perfect just as your Father in heaven is 09:46 perfect," He talks about in the previous verses--so always read 09:50 something in its context. 09:52 In the previous verses He talks about loving your brother. 09:55 When Jesus quotes that same verse in the Gospel of Luke He 09:59 says, "BE THEREFORE MERCIFUL, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN 10:03 IS MERCIFUL." 10:04 And so God wants us to have a perfect love 10:06 and a perfect mercy. 10:08 And we are called to holiness. 10:11 Don't misunderstand. 10:13 The Bible says: "Blessed are the pure in heart. 10:14 They'll see God." 10:16 But as soon as we accept Christ, He then gives us a new heart and 10:20 this is the new covenant, and we begin to think differently. 10:24 Instead of being--and it may not all happen in one day. 10:26 It's called sanctification. 10:28 But instead of being motivated by selfishness and sin, now we 10:33 start being motivated by love and a desire to please God. 10:38 And so there's a change that happens in the heart. 10:41 Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments," and so as 10:44 we get to know Him better, we fall in love with God. 10:48 As we love Him better, we obey Him better. 10:50 And Jesus said that "He that has begun a good work in us 10:54 will perform it. 10:56 He is the author and the finisher of our faith." 10:58 So if we keep dying to self, we take up our cross daily and 11:01 follow Him, we die to self and we follow Jesus, we're being 11:05 transformed into His image. 11:06 Jean: That's right. 11:07 You know, we do have a study guide that talks about, 11:09 actually, one of our books talks about it. 11:11 It's called "Three Steps to Heaven." 11:12 Talks about these different aspects of trusting in God and 11:15 experiencing that deliverance, that cleansing, 11:18 that only comes from the Spirit. 11:20 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 11:22 The number is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the book. 11:26 It's called "Three Steps to Heaven," and we'll be happy to 11:28 send that for free to anyone in the US and in Canada. 11:31 If you like, you can dial #250 on your phone and say, "Bible 11:36 Answers Live," and then ask for the book, "Three Steps to 11:39 Heaven," and you can also receive it that way. 11:42 Thank you for your call, Junith. 11:43 If you have a Bible question, just another reminder, friends, 11:45 our phone lines are open. 11:47 It's 800-463-7297. 11:51 800-GOD-SAYS, that's 800-463-7297. 11:57 Next caller that we have is Jimmy listening in Texas. 11:59 Jimmy, welcome to the program. 12:02 Jimmy: Yes, sir. 12:03 Thank you, hello, and--pastors. 12:06 Jean: Thanks for calling. 12:09 Jimmy: My question is, I think this is the truth, 12:13 I'm not really sure. 12:15 Christ comes back after the seven last plagues, but it's 12:21 also written that He comes as a thief in the night. 12:23 Does that occur after the seven last plagues or during it? 12:28 Doug: Well, let's read it here. 12:30 If you look in Revelation chapter 16 and you go to verse 12:33 17, it says: "Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl," 12:38 these are the bowls filled with the plagues, so the seventh 12:40 angel is the seventh plague. 12:42 "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a 12:45 loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the 12:47 throne, saying, 'It is done!' 12:50 And there were noises and thunderings 12:52 and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, 12:55 such a mighty and a great earthquake as has not occurred 12:57 since men were on the earth. 12:59 Now that great city was divided in three parts, 13:02 and the cities of the nations fell. 13:04 And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup 13:09 of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 13:11 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 13:15 And a great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone 13:18 about the weight of a talent. 13:20 And men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since 13:23 that plague was exceedingly great." 13:26 So it's understood this great earthquake and hail are 13:29 mentioned other places with the Second Coming of Christ, that 13:32 the seventh plague is really the end for the world, as every 13:37 island fled away, the cities are destroyed. 13:40 You can read in Revel--I'm sorry, in Jeremiah chapter 4, 13:42 it talks about the cities are broken down by the presence of 13:45 the Lord and through His fierce anger. 13:48 So when you read that He's coming like a thief it just 13:52 means that it's going to surprise people when these 13:55 plagues begin to fall. 13:57 People are going to just be blindsided by it all. 14:01 So, yeah, I think it's--since no one knows the day or the hour, 14:05 it's going to surprise people. 14:06 Jean: Let me just read that verse, Pastor Doug, 14:08 because it's interesting. 14:09 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10, it says: "But the day of the 14:12 Lord will come as a thief in the night," and there you have it, 14:15 but it says, "in which the heavens will pass away with a 14:18 great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; 14:21 and the earth and the works thereof will be burnt up." 14:25 So, there you have Jesus coming as a thief in the night, but 14:27 when He comes, it talks about the heavens passing away and the 14:31 earth melting with fervent heat, so there's nothing secret about 14:34 the coming of Jesus. 14:36 So when Christ comes as a thief it's not the manner of Christ's 14:38 coming, but it's the unexpectedness. 14:41 He comes and catches the majority of the world 14:43 by surprise. 14:45 Doug: Right, and this is right at the conclusion of the 14:47 seven last plagues. 14:49 Jean: You know, we do have a study guide talking about the 14:51 Second Coming and it's called, "Anything But Secret!" 14:54 It's actually one of our books, and we'll be happy to send this 14:56 to anyone who calls and asks. 14:58 Again, that number is 800-835-6747 and you can ask 15:02 for the book. 15:04 It's called "Anything But Secret," and we'll be happy to 15:05 send it to anyone. 15:07 Dial #250 on your phone and just say, "Bible Answers Live," and 15:11 you can receive the book that way as well. 15:13 Next caller that we have is Brittany listening in Jamaica. 15:16 Brittany, welcome to the program. 15:19 Brittany: Hi, Pastor Doug, hi, Pastor Ross. 15:21 Doug: Evening. 15:23 Brittany: Hi, I just wanted to ask: "HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF GOD 15:26 IS CALLING YOU TO EVANGELISM?" 15:30 Doug: Well, if you read in Matthew chapter 28, Jesus said 15:33 to His disciples, "ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME. 15:37 GO THEREFORE, AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM IN THE 15:40 NAME OF THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT." 15:43 Teaching--He's telling us to go and teach and make disciples. 15:47 And so that invitation to make disciples, using our various 15:50 spiritual gifts, was not just for the apostles, but I think 15:55 every believer, to some extent, is supposed 15:58 to be sharing their faith. 16:00 Now, whether you're called to full-time evangelism or not, I 16:04 don't know. 16:05 I think that a lot of people have the gifts or certain gifts 16:07 that can be used in evangelism, and they maybe just need some 16:11 training or discipling. 16:13 Amazing Facts actually has a program called AFCOE and it's 16:17 the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism where we teach men 16:20 and women how to do--what are some of the different aspects of 16:23 evangelism? 16:25 Jean: There are different parts to evangelism. 16:26 You've got what we think of: the evangelist standing in front of 16:28 a group of people and they're preaching the Bible. 16:31 But there's also parts of evangelism that we don't always 16:33 think of. 16:35 One is Bible work where somebody's actually doing Bible 16:37 studies, one-on-one, or maybe in somebody's home in a group. 16:41 That's an important part of evangelism. 16:44 There's something else we call literature evangelism where 16:47 people are actually going out and they're using material 16:50 and they're sharing it with other people. 16:52 That way, the people can read and come to an understanding 16:54 of truth. 16:55 So there are different ways in which we can let our light shine 16:58 and we want to say, "Lord, what are the gifts? 17:00 What are the talents that You've given me? 17:02 How can I use those for the furtherance of Your kingdom?" 17:05 Now it might involve preaching. 17:06 Others have the gift of music and they can use their music 17:08 to glorify God and bring people a knowledge of the truth. 17:12 So, each person has got different gifts and we want to 17:15 use those gifts the best way we can. 17:17 Doug: Yeah, if people want to know more about the Amazing 17:19 Facts Evangelism training, and we've got, what, thousands of 17:22 graduates around the world now, you can simply go to AFCOE, 17:27 A-F-C-O-E, afcoe.org, and I think they can even do a lot of 17:33 it online. 17:34 Jean: That's right. 17:35 We have several of the classes available online and, again, 17:37 just go to the Amazing Facts website or AFCOE, you can--if 17:41 you can't remember AFCOE, just go to Amazing Facts and you can 17:43 click on the training link and you can get all the information 17:46 about our evangelism training program that we have. 17:49 Doug: Now, Brittany, real quick. 17:50 Let me just give you more of a direct answer to your question. 17:52 You're saying, "How do I know if He's calling me?" 17:54 You tell the Lord, say, "Lord, I am willing to go," and watch and 17:58 see if He opens the doors. 17:59 If you're willing to go and do something more full-time, say, 18:03 "Lord, if this is Your will, open the doors." 18:06 In the meantime, do what lies closest to hand with, you know, 18:10 all your might. 18:11 Be faithful in whatever your current work is. 18:13 Say, "Lord, open the doors." 18:14 He's done it for me several times and that's one way I knew. 18:17 Jean: Okay, next caller that we have is Jesus, 18:20 listening in Florida. 18:21 Jesus, welcome to the program. 18:24 Jesus: Hello, how are you guys doing tonight? 18:26 Doug: Great, thank you for calling. 18:29 And your question? 18:31 Jesus: Thank you for taking my question. 18:32 Yes, okay, so, in Acts chapter 2, verse 13, it talks about new 18:38 wine, specifically in the context of people mocking those 18:43 who were in the Upper Room that had received the Holy Spirit. 18:46 And I'm assuming that it's insinuating that they're drunk. 18:51 Now, I've always heard the context that new wine symbolizes 18:55 unfermented wine, right? 18:56 Like the first miracle of Jesus as well when He talks 19:01 about it later. 19:03 I'm wondering does that conflict with that idea? 19:07 Like, how are we supposed to understand that? 19:09 Doug: Yeah, well, when the--let me just, for our 19:12 friends that are listening: when the Holy Spirit was poured out 19:14 on the apostles there in Acts chapter 2 and they began to 19:17 preach with power and they were speaking in other languages to 19:21 the people present so, you know, I think it mentions 16 different 19:25 language groups there by the time you get to verse 12. 19:31 And so it sounded like babbling to some that were listening, and 19:36 so some of the Jews were mocking and they said, "Oh, they're full 19:39 of new wine," and the word "new wine" there, new wine is clearly 19:41 not fermented, but people would stumble around sometimes and 19:46 they'd say, "Oh, I thought it was new wine." 19:48 And they'd be drinking. 19:50 They'd be drinking old wine and then they'd say, "Oh, no, but 19:52 I thought it was new wine." 19:53 So that was sort of like a cop-out, and they're mocking the 19:56 disciples, saying, "Oh, they're full of new wine." 19:59 But no, new wine doesn't get you drunk. 20:02 So they were just using this as sarcasm, I guess you would say. 20:05 Jean: Yeah, there's also something else interesting. 20:07 In the Greek there. 20:08 If you look up the word "new wine," it can also be translated 20:11 as sweet wine. 20:12 Now, the Passover, or Pentecost rather, occurred somewhere 20:16 around June but you'd have the harvest of the grapes not until 20:20 August, so what they would do is they would somehow try and 20:24 concentrate this juice and then they'd add water and they could 20:28 use it as grape juice. 20:31 It would be sweet, and so you could use the word "sweet wine" 20:34 instead of new wine, 'cause new wine is the juice that comes 20:37 fresh from the grapes. 20:39 And you didn't have that all year round. 20:41 That was something that was at the harvest. 20:43 So, yeah, there's another word you could use. 20:45 Doug: If you're drinking juice out of a grape, unless 20:47 they're very old grapes, it is not fermented. 20:49 Jean: That's right, yeah, it's fresh. 20:51 Doug: You know, we do have a book and you may have some 20:53 questions about this, Jesus, and it's called 20:56 "Alcohol and the Christian." 20:58 We can send you or anyone who wants to know "What does the 21:00 Bible say about alcohol?" 21:02 We can send you a free copy. 21:04 Jean: The number to call is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for 21:08 the book. 21:09 It's called "Alcohol and the Christian." 21:10 You can also dial #250 on your phone and say, "Bible Answers 21:14 Live" or "Amazing Facts," and ask for that book, "The 21:17 Christian and Alcohol." 21:20 Next caller that we have is Richard listening in Canada. 21:22 Richard, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 21:26 Richard: Hello. Doug: Hi. 21:30 Richard: I have a question and it revolves around something 21:36 Jesus said in Matthew 23, verses 8 through 10. 21:44 Is it appropriate for Christians to call each other or accept 21:54 to be called by each other by honorific 21:57 titles, like pastor, bishop? 22:01 Or is that--or should we refer to each other by our names, 22:07 whatever position we may hold? 22:10 Doug: Yeah, well, it's not wrong to address a person 22:15 by an appropriate title. 22:18 If you're going to see your doctor, you know, his name might 22:22 be Robert, you don't necessarily need to say, "Hey, Bob." 22:25 You know, there, I think people are due certain respect based 22:29 on offices. 22:30 I know if you're in the military and you've got a sergeant and 22:32 you call him "Buddy," well, you might end up getting thrown 22:34 in the brig. 22:36 So it's appropriate to call people by certain respectful 22:39 titles, but when it comes to the church, Jesus said, "Call no man 22:42 Father for you have one Father." 22:45 So there's at least one term there and then, you know, Pastor 22:48 Ross and I, people say, "Should we call you 'Reverend,' 22:51 should we call you 'Father'?" 22:52 And we say, "No, the Bible says holy and reverend, meaning 22:56 revered, is His name." 22:58 And so we don't use the word "Reverend," but the word 23:01 "Minister" or "Title" is also a descriptive word and there's 23:04 nothing wrong with using a descriptive word. 23:06 If you say a person is wearing a gray suit, it doesn't mean 23:10 that you're giving them any kind of undue honor. 23:14 It's just a descriptive term. 23:16 So, to call a person by their descriptive profession in 23:20 saying, "Pastor Doug," or "Pastor Jean," 23:22 nothing wrong with that. 23:23 We just don't want to take--the reverence belongs to God and we 23:27 have, really, one Father. 23:29 We should not be giving a man that title; God is our Father. 23:35 Does that make sense, Richard? 23:39 Richard: It does, but He also talks about Rabbi and Master. 23:47 Those were also honorific titles that were used 23:51 when He was telling His disciples. 23:53 Doug: Yeah, and I think Jesus is talking more specifically 23:55 about the teachers and the scribes and they loved 23:59 the titles, they loved the greetings. 24:02 They loved the best seats. 24:04 They wanted the honor of men. 24:06 And if a person wants to be a pastor or a minister so that 24:10 they can get a title, well, that's certainly 24:13 the wrong reason. 24:14 But I think it's important to use some terms of respect, you 24:18 know, with our kids. 24:20 When we--when your children are young and they're talking to 24:22 other adults, it's good for them to call Mr. Brown or Mr. Smith, 24:26 we don't have our kids talk to another adult when they're young 24:29 and say, "Hey, Stanley." 24:31 It just doesn't sound right. 24:33 Used to be, you know, you'd address them with more respect. 24:36 And so there's nothing wrong with terms of respect, but we 24:39 shouldn't be craving titles for prestige. 24:43 Jean: You know, I just add a little bit to that, Pastor, 24:44 that, you know, in our church it's interesting. 24:46 We have a weekly bulletin. 24:48 We put together the different positions connected 24:51 with our service. 24:53 And in our bulletin, we don't put titles. 24:56 We don't say "Dr. So-and-so," or "Pastor So-and-so." 24:59 Now, in the back of the bulletin, it mentions who the 25:00 pastors are in the church, but when it comes to the church and 25:03 it comes to worshiping, it is valuable for someone that might 25:06 be visiting to know who the leader of the church is, 25:09 who's the pastor of the church. 25:10 There's nothing wrong with that. 25:11 But as we interact with each other, you know, we try to 25:14 minimize the titles that would sort of--in God's eyes, 25:19 we're all brothers and sisters in Christ. 25:22 And sometimes, the term "Brother So-and-so" you'll hear in the 25:24 church, or "Sister So-and-so," more so than you'll hear a title 25:28 like "Doctor" or some other person. 25:30 Doug: Good question. 25:32 Jean: All right, thank you for your call. 25:33 Next caller that we have is Nel listening in California. 25:38 Nel, welcome. 25:40 Nel: Hi, thank you so much, Pastors. 25:43 My question is in regard to investing. 25:46 I'm a little bit new at it but I know that some of the-- 25:51 somethings like that, if you invest in, like, a--I'm using 25:55 the wrong term, but in a composite manner, some of those 25:58 might contain things that we may not necessarily believe in. 26:02 Like, you might invest in a alcohol company or something 26:05 like that and so if you're doing that, is it a problem 26:11 or do we have to, like, seek different--something else, 26:15 separately seek things to invest in? 26:16 Doug: Right, that's a great question. 26:18 So if you're a Christian and you're going to invest and it is 26:19 appropriate to invest. 26:21 Jesus talked about the unfaithful steward that just 26:24 buried the money and Jesus said, "You could have at least 26:26 put it in the bank." 26:28 Now, when you put your money in a bank, the banks invest 26:32 your money. 26:33 They might invest it in some companies that, you know, 26:37 you might not support. 26:38 It might be in entertainment or an alcohol or tobacco company. 26:40 Usually, that's not all of it, but that might be 26:43 in the bouquet. 26:44 You can't always control what your bank's going to do but, on 26:47 a personal level, stock advisors and financial advisors do tell 26:52 Christians and just anybody with some morals, they might say, 26:55 "I want to invest in a mutual fund that doesn't have the sin 26:59 companies," and sometimes they'll use a term like that. 27:01 It's not investing in, you know, the alcohol or the tobacco or 27:05 some of these other dubious companies. 27:08 People can choose to invest in a sector of just technology or 27:13 something, or medicine or whatever. 27:15 So I think as Christians, you need to be careful not to try to 27:18 exploit companies or make money off companies 27:21 that have--are morally questionable. 27:25 That's a good thing for you to ask. 27:27 You may not always be able to control what your bank does with 27:29 the money. 27:31 That's a different issue, but just like when you go to the 27:33 supermarket and you buy your oranges, they may also sell 27:36 alcohol, but you don't buy the alcohol. 27:38 Hey, we'll be back with more questions, friends. 27:40 Don't go anywhere. 27:41 ♪♪♪ 27:44 announcer: Stay tuned. 27:45 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:51 female: Life's a curious thing. 27:53 I mean, just when things seem under control, wham, you're hit 27:57 with something new: your marriage, your job, your health. 28:02 You could look to the stars, but they don't have the answers. 28:06 But this does: the Prophecy Study Bible by Amazing Facts. 28:10 Its 27 personal study guides lead you on 28:13 a life-changing journey. 28:14 announcer: Get yours today by calling 800-538-7275 28:19 or visit AFBOOKSTORE.COM. 28:21 ♪♪♪ 28:31 ♪♪♪ 28:40 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live" where 28:42 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His 28:46 plan to save you. 28:48 So what are you waiting for? 28:50 Get practical answers about the good book 28:52 for a better life today. 28:57 announcer: This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 29:00 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 29:02 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 29:06 and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:09 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 29:11 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 29:16 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 29:22 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 29:28 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends. 29:29 For those who tuned in somewhere along the way, this is a live 29:33 international interactive Bible study and 29:35 we encourage you to participate. 29:37 We've got some lines open, Pastor Ross. 29:39 If people want to call in, all they've got to do is call that 29:41 toll-free number, 800-463-7297, and we're streaming 29:48 on Facebook right now. 29:50 They can watch the program. 29:52 It's the Doug Batchelor Facebook page or the Amazing Facts 29:55 Facebook page. 29:56 It's on YouTube, Amazing Facts YouTube. 29:59 We're airing, I think live, on AFTV and rebroadcast on other 30:02 stations, but you've got a Bible question, now's the time. 30:06 Pick up the phone, give us a call. 30:08 We've got some room left for the second half of the program. 30:10 We'd love to hear from you. 30:11 My name is Doug Batchelor. 30:13 Jean: And my name is Jean Ross, and also, friends, if you 30:15 can't call in, maybe you're listening to a rebroadcast of 30:19 this program, and you'd like to ask a question, you can all do 30:22 so by sending an email and I'll give you the address. 30:25 It's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 30:29 Just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 30:32 But right now, we are live so if you'd like to call in and ask 30:36 your question: 800-463-7297. 30:42 We're going to go to Bob listening in Washington. 30:44 Bob, welcome to the program. 30:47 Bob: Hey, gentlemen, thank you, brothers, Doug and Jean. 30:50 My question is: 30:56 When the latter rain comes and the 144,000 are 31:01 spreading the 3 angels' messages, the other Christians 31:05 on the planet that are not part of, or counted part of the 31:09 144,000, will they be doing the same thing? 31:14 Doug: Yeah, well, I think, as we near the end of time, every 31:16 believer is engaged in sharing the good news. 31:21 I think the key to understanding who the 144,000 are can be found 31:26 in Acts chapter 2. 31:28 In Acts chapter 2 we know that they were--the first thing that 31:31 happens, actually, in Acts chapter 1 is they do a head 31:34 count and they say, "You know, we are short one apostle." 31:38 There were 12. 31:40 Jesus wanted 12, even though there were not 12 tribes of 31:42 Israel left 'cause they'd been scattered. 31:44 He said, "We need 12 apostles." 31:46 And Judas had killed himself, so Peter said, 31:48 "Let's pick a replacement." 31:50 I trust he was led by the Spirit. 31:53 They cast lots, they pick a replacement. 31:55 As soon as they got back to the number 12, the Holy Spirit was 31:59 poured out and there's a great revival. 32:01 Now, the Holy Spirit did not just fall on the 12 apostles 32:06 in the Upper Room. 32:07 It says there were 120 in the Upper Room. 32:09 See, it's 10 times more than just the 12. 32:11 The ones who receive the special filling in the last days 32:16 are not just the 144,000. 32:18 The 144,000 are very much like last-day apostles. 32:22 They have a special work to do, a special calling, and--but 32:26 they're not the only ones saved. 32:29 There's a great multitude that were saved from the preaching of 32:32 the apostles and the disciples in the Upper Room. 32:34 And they were baptized at Pentecost. 32:36 In the last days, the Holy Spirit is going to fall on 32:39 thousands, way beyond just the 144,000, and I think there'll be 32:45 a revival that will sweep the world as it did in the first 32:48 centuries with Christianity. 32:51 And we have a book talks about the subject. 32:53 Jean: That's right. 32:54 It's called "Who Are the 144,000?" 32:56 and we'll be happy to send this to you, Bob, or anyone wanting 32:58 to learn more about that. 33:01 Just before we give the number again, Pastor Doug, just to add 33:03 to that a little bit, you know, he asked about the latter rain. 33:06 There might be some folks who were wondering, "Well, what is 33:08 it talking about, the 'latter rain'?" 33:10 Doug: Yeah, well, in Bible times, they had what they called 33:14 the former rain and the latter rain connected with the harvest. 33:17 They were an agricultural society. 33:20 And they always prayed especially that there'd be this 33:22 good rain that would sprout the seed and then just before the 33:28 harvest, there would be another rain that would help it to plump 33:31 up before the harvest. 33:33 And in the same way, Jesus scattered the seed of the gospel 33:37 with His 3½ years of ministry. 33:40 Then the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost and you had, 33:43 like, the former rain. 33:45 Before Christ comes to harvest and He pictures Himself 33:48 coming with a sickle in His hand, in Revelation 33:51 the harvest is a symbol. 33:53 There'll be the latter rain of the Holy Spirit to prepare 33:56 the crop of souls. 33:58 So He uses that farming terminology in connection 34:02 with the Second Coming. 34:03 Jean: Okay, the book that we mentioned, it's called 34:05 "Who Will Sing the Song? 34:06 Understanding the 144,000," and that is for free. 34:09 We'll send it to anyone in the US or in Canada. 34:12 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for 34:16 the book, "Who Will Sing the Song? 34:19 Understanding the 144,000." 34:21 Or you can just dial #250 on your phone and say, "Bible 34:25 Answers Live," and then ask for the book about the 144,000. 34:30 Next caller that we have is Kim and he's listening from Iowa. 34:33 Kim, welcome to the program. 34:35 Kim: Thank you. Doug: Oh, Kim is a she. 34:38 Sorry, Kim, there's a couple of different names out there. 34:39 Kim: You're okay. No worries. 34:42 I have a question. 34:43 I had this discussion with a lady that I work with. 34:45 It's 1 Timothy chapter 4, verses 4 and 5, and about unclean 34:52 and clean meats to be eaten, not to be eaten. 34:55 But she claims that the Scripture negates everything. 34:59 Doug: Well, let's read this for our friends 35:01 that are listening. 35:02 If you look in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and I'll read 4 and 5, it 35:05 says: "FOR EVERY CREATURE OF GOD IS GOOD, AND NOTHING TO BE--IS 35:09 TO BE REFUSED, IF IT'S RECEIVED WITH THANKSGIVING: FOR IT IS 35:12 SANCTIFIED BY THE WORD OF GOD AND PRAYER." 35:15 Now, you need to go back to verse 3, really, where He says 35:19 there'll be this, you know, fallen power in the last days 35:22 that will command people not to marry, all right, 35:25 that's a clue right there. 35:27 There's going to be a religious movement that will tell its 35:29 priests they can't marry. 35:32 Ten seconds, you've got to figure out the answer to that. 35:34 And then it says they'll command people to abstain from foods 35:38 that the Bible says can be eaten because they're sanctified 35:41 by the Word of God. 35:42 Well, they say, like, you can or can't eat fish on a certain day, 35:45 and clean or unclean. 35:47 And so, this is talking about a particular movement 35:50 in the last days. 35:52 Now, when Paul says, "For every creature of God is good, and 35:55 nothing to be refused," there was a big debate in the church 35:59 in Paul's day where the Christians were being told by 36:04 the Jewish believers--these are believers in Christ but they're 36:06 coming from a Jewish background, that they couldn't eat any meat 36:11 that was sold in the Roman-Greek marketplaces because it had been 36:15 offered to idols before it was sacrificed. 36:18 And they said, "You will be participating in idolatry even 36:22 if you buy that chicken that's hanging there in the meat market 36:25 because before they slaughtered the chicken, they did it in 36:27 front of a little idol to some god. 36:30 Well, Paul said, "The idol's nothing if you don't--if that 36:33 doesn't bother your conscience, don't do it. 36:35 If it does bother your conscience, well, just eat 36:37 vegetables and don't eat the meat. 36:39 If it bothers your brother, don't do it." 36:41 There's a big debate in the New Testament about can you eat 36:44 things that were offered to idols? 36:47 And Paul said, "Well, if you're not offering it to an idol and 36:50 you're just buying it in the market, then don't ask any 36:52 questions for conscience sake." 36:54 It's something like today, my wife and I love going 36:57 to a Thai restaurant. 36:59 One of the Thai restaurants we go to, it's got, like, a statue 37:01 of Buddha in there when you walk in. 37:04 Well, that doesn't bother me. 37:05 I'm not going to worship Buddha, and I don't feel like God thinks 37:07 I'm worshiping Buddha by eating there. 37:10 Someone--if I went with a brother and sister and they 37:12 said, "Oh Doug, we can't eat here, there's a statue of Buddha 37:14 at the entrance." 37:15 I'd say, "All right, well, let's go somewhere else." 37:17 So there was this kind of debate. 37:19 It had nothing to do with the clean meats so much as things 37:24 sacrificed to idols. 37:26 Paul is saying, "Every creature of God is good, and nothing to 37:30 be refused if it's received with thanksgiving." 37:32 He's talking about, "For it is sanctified by the Word of God." 37:36 There are some animals that the Word of God says you can eat. 37:39 They're called clean animals. 37:41 And there are some you cannot eat; they're called unclean. 37:44 It's called an abomination. 37:46 God is not saying that you just pray over anything 37:49 and it becomes clean. 37:50 It's really absurd to think that you tell your children, "I don't 37:54 care what you eat for breakfast; just make sure 37:56 you pray over it." 37:57 No, you know that there's nutritional value and you're 37:59 going to reap what you sow. 38:01 So we have a study guide that we can share and she can give this 38:06 to her friend. 38:07 Jean: The study guide is called "God's Free Health Plan," 38:10 and we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 38:12 The number is 800-835-6747. 38:15 Ask for the study guide, "God's Free Health Plan," or dial #250 38:20 on your smartphone and say, "Bible Answers Live," 38:22 and ask for that study guide, "God's Free Health Plan." 38:26 Next caller that we have--thank you, Kim. 38:28 Next caller that we have is Carlos listening in Florida. 38:30 Carlos, welcome to the program. 38:34 Carlos: How are you doing, Pastors? 38:35 Doug: Doing great. Thanks for calling. 38:40 Carlos: So, my question is I'm watching a Joe Crews 38:46 on--sermon here on Sabbath, and so this is in regards to Sabbath 38:55 if it should be kept, because Christians today should keep 38:58 Sabbath or not. 39:00 And he came to a verse that was--he's reading out something 39:07 that Billy Graham wrote and it came to Romans 10:8 through 10, 39:14 but he didn't really read the verse. 39:16 He just kind of kept--I don't think he read the verse, 39:18 anyways. 39:20 I was looking for what the verse in the Bible as he was talking, 39:25 but I couldn't tell if he was really talking--it didn't seem 39:27 like he was speaking Scripture. 39:28 How does that Romans 8 through 10--Romans 10:8 through 10 39:34 relate to keeping of the Sabbath or keeping of the laws? 39:39 Doug: All right, well, first of all, you're talking 39:41 about--and I don't mean to jump in but you're talking about a 39:45 Scripture reference that is given during a sermon 39:47 that you were watching. 39:49 Is that correct? 39:50 Carlos: Yes, sir. Doug: All right. 39:52 It is entirely possible, I've done it before, that he 39:53 misquoted the reference or quoted the wrong reference in 39:56 the wrong place. 39:57 So I'll read this for our friends. 39:59 I'm not sure--that could be the problem, but let me read what it 40:02 says here in Romans chapter 10, I think you said, verse 8 40:06 through 10, and it said: "BUT WHAT DOES IT SAY? 40:10 'THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, AND IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART' 40:13 (THAT IS, THE WORD OF FAITH WHICH WE PREACH): 40:15 THAT IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THE LORD JESUS AND 40:18 IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM 40:20 THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. 40:22 FOR WITH THE HEART ONE BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND WITH THE 40:24 MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION." 40:27 Now that is a powerful verse that is often used in a person 40:32 accepting Christ and receiving forgiveness 40:34 and righteousness by faith. 40:36 I don't know that I would use that connected with the Sabbath. 40:41 Jean: I think maybe what--and Carlos, if we understand what 40:44 the argument is, I think some people say, "Well, this verse 40:47 says you just need to confess with your mouth and believe in 40:50 your heart, and that's all you have to do. 40:52 You don't have to keep the law. 40:54 You don't have to worry about that. 40:55 Doug: Yeah, but Billy Graham believes you should 40:57 keep the law too. 40:58 Jean: Yeah, which is interesting. 41:00 Carlos: I had a feeling--I had a feeling he was on the 41:02 wrong--made a mistake on the Scripture there, but what he was 41:05 saying was something along the lines of "What should we do now 41:08 that we're living through faith? 41:10 Does it mean that we should just continue to sin or-- 41:13 Doug: That would be Romans chapter 6, "Shall we continue in 41:17 sin that grace might abound, God forbid." 41:22 That, you know what, it's--he may have quoted--it's Romans 41:24 chapter--well, there's two places. 41:25 You've got Romans chapter 6 and you've got Romans chapter 7 41:29 talks about that. 41:30 Let me see, Romans 6, verse 1: "WHAT THEN SHALL WE SAY? 41:33 SHALL WE CONTINUE IN SIN THAT GRACE MAY ABOUND? 41:35 GOD FORBID. 41:37 CERTAINLY NOT! 41:38 HOW SHALL WE WHO ARE DEAD TO SIN," MEANING LAWLESSNESS, 41:41 "LIVE ANY LONGER IN IT?" 41:43 And-- 41:44 Carlos: Amen, that's the one I was looking for. 41:45 Doug: Yeah, so it may mean--he may have meant 41:47 to quote that one. 41:48 I don't know-- 41:49 Of course, I don't know what sermon you're listening to, 41:51 but can you-- 41:52 Carlos: Do you know the series I'm looking at? 41:54 Doug: No, I get--Joe Crews has preached thousands of 41:57 sermons so don't quiz me on that. 42:00 I have no idea which one you're listening to. 42:03 Jean: Hopefully that helps, Carlos. 42:04 Carlos: -- you said about the Sabbath and, yes, 42:06 this has helped a lot, actually. 42:08 Doug: All right, good. 42:09 Carlos: So that was Romans 6, right? 42:10 Doug: Yeah, Romans 6, verse 1, and there's another one in 42:12 Romans 6 too. 42:14 Well, he says, you know, "He that is--he that is dead is 42:18 freed from sin, but," let me see here. 42:24 Yeah, "Do not let sin reign anymore. 42:25 You read all of Romans 6. 42:27 You'll--the whole thing is-- 42:29 Jean: It's all there, yeah. 42:30 Doug: Hey, thanks, Carlos. You know what? 42:32 I would offer Carlos that book, "Does God's Grace 42:34 Blot Out the Law?" 42:35 Jean: It's an excellent book. 42:37 Doug: Because he quotes that there. 42:38 Jean: Again, it's called, "Does God's Grace Blot 42:39 Out the Law?" the number is 800-835-- 42:41 Doug: And that is by Joe Crews. 42:43 Jean: --6747, written by Joe Crews. 42:45 We'll send that to anyone who calls and asks. 42:47 You can also dial #250, say "Bible Answers Live," and ask 42:50 for the book, "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" 42:54 Next caller that we have is Cami, listening from California. 42:56 Cami, welcome to the program. 42:59 Cami: Hello, Pastors. Good evening. 43:01 Thank you for taking my call. 43:02 Doug: Yes. 43:04 Cami: So my question this evening is dealing with the 43:06 story about Saul and the witch of Endor in 1 Samuel chapter 28. 43:14 And we get down to the 15th verse, it says: "And Samuel said 43:19 to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?" 43:24 et cetera, et cetera. 43:26 And so I'm wondering is why does the Word of God say that it was 43:30 Samuel when we know that it wasn't? 43:36 Doug: Well, I think it's just saying through the perspective 43:39 of those that were present that day, this apparition, this 43:42 spirit, said, who she says is, you know, Samuel, says, 43:46 "Why did you disturb me?" 43:48 Now, later, we read that they are the spirits of devils 43:53 working miracles and Satan--then you can read in 2 Corinthians 43:57 chapter 11: "Satan himself can be transformed 44:01 into an angel of light." 44:04 So, if the devil and his angels can transform their selves and 44:07 to create illusions and they're the spirits of devils working 44:11 miracles, and then you can also read in Kings, it talks about 44:14 lying spirits where Micaiah the prophet came before Ahab. 44:18 They said, "There are lying spirits." 44:20 So I think it's pretty--and you've got that other verse 44:23 where it says--consulting a medium. 44:26 Jean: Yeah, 1 Chronicles chapter 10, verse 13, it says: 44:28 "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness in which he 44:31 committed against the Lord because he did not keep the Word 44:34 of the Lord and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 44:38 So, you know, there it is: a familiar spirit is another term 44:42 that's sometimes used. 44:44 Doug: So I know when you read it, they're just, you know, 44:47 they're saying that this thing, obviously, looked and sounded 44:49 like Samuel or it was impersonating Samuel so that's 44:52 the name that was given to it, but it wasn't really Samuel. 44:57 And I'm looking, it was at Isaiah chapter 8, verse--yeah, 45:03 Isaiah 8:19: "AND WHEN THEY SAY TO YOU, 'SEEK THOSE WHO ARE 45:08 MEDIUMS,'" a medium, supposedly, connects you with the dead 45:10 world, the spirit world. 45:12 "'SEEK THOSE WHO ARE MEDIUMS AND WIZARDS, WHO WHISPER AND 45:15 MUTTER,' SHOULD NOT A PEOPLE SEEK THEIR GOD? 45:18 SHOULD THEY SEEK THE DEAD ON BEHALF OF THE LIVING?" 45:21 And then you read where Solomon says, "The living know they'll 45:24 die, but the dead know nothing." 45:27 So, and then, obviously, does the devil have the ability to 45:30 resurrect dead saints? 45:32 No, only Jesus has. 45:34 He's got the keys of life and death and the Resurrection, so 45:36 by all other counts, it's what you would call the preponderance 45:42 of evidence: this was a satanic impersonator. 45:49 Cami: Right. Doug: Does that make sense? 45:52 Cami: I know that in--it does, and I just wanted to say 45:54 too, before I go, that in verse 14, it says: "And Saul perceived 46:01 that it was Samuel and he stooped with his face to the 46:06 ground and bowed himself." 46:08 And so, realizing that the so-called Samuel did not 46:13 immediately correct him and say, you know, "Don't bow to me. 46:17 You should only bow to the Lord," as an angel would do, we 46:22 know too that that couldn't have been Samuel. 46:26 Doug: Yeah, and you know, when we go--they weren't 46:29 supposed to consult witches because what's happening is 46:31 you're going on enchanted ground. 46:33 You're going on the devil's ground, and then we're wide open 46:36 to deception and that's what happened to Saul. 46:39 And because he went to that witch, and he believed the 46:42 message of the evil spirit, he did get discouraged 46:46 the next day. 46:48 He had no courage to lead his men into battle. 46:50 They lost miserably and he killed himself, committed 46:53 suicide, like Judas. 46:55 So that was a lying spirit. 46:57 We have a whole lesson that talks about the witch of Endor. 46:59 Jean: That's right. 47:00 And you're thinking about the lesson-- 47:02 Doug: In Historicals. Jean: Oh, in Historicals? 47:04 Doug: It's called, yeah, "The Witch of Endor." 47:05 Jean: That's right. 47:07 Now that's available online if you go to the Amazing Facts 47:08 website and just look up the study guide. 47:10 It's called "The Witch of Endor," and it actually goes 47:13 into more detail on the subject. 47:15 Next caller that we have is Linda 47:16 listening in South Carolina. 47:18 Linda, welcome to the program. 47:21 Linda: Hello, guys. How are you? 47:23 Doug: Doing wonderful. Thank you for calling. 47:26 Linda: I have a question about the destruction of 47:30 Jerusalem and the temple. 47:33 What did it signify and what is the sign for us again? 47:37 Is it the drying up of the Euphrates Rivers? 47:41 Doug: All right, that's--you've asked 47:43 the big question. 47:44 First of all, what did it signify, the destruction 47:46 of the temple? 47:48 Well, God instructed the children of Israel to build the 47:51 temple originally, because it's where they learned 47:54 the plan of salvation. 47:56 They had the tabernacle in the wilderness. 47:58 That was a mobile temple that they first built. 48:01 Then David gathered material, and Solomon built a beautiful 48:04 temple that was the biggest and the best of the three. 48:08 Then that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and then they 48:11 came back in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. 48:13 They rebuilt the third temple. 48:15 It was later refurbished by Herod the Great. 48:18 Jesus said, because they did not accept Him, He said, 48:22 "Your house is left unto you desolate. 48:24 There would not be left one stone upon another." 48:27 Christ said, "Destroy this temple made with hands," 48:28 speaking of His body, "and I'll make one without hands," 48:31 the church. 48:32 So when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn, 48:36 signifying the whole purpose for the earthly temple, 48:39 pointing to Jesus the Lamb of God, was fulfilled. 48:42 And so there is no need to sacrifice lambs anymore because 48:45 Christ is now the real Lamb of God that all that pointed to. 48:49 But they continued with their sacrifices, even after Jesus 48:51 ascended to heaven. 48:53 That temple was destroyed in 70 AD and it's never going to be 48:59 rebuilt again. 49:00 Now the temple is the church. 49:02 The Bible says, "What? 49:03 Don't you know that ye are the temple of God?" 49:06 Christ built a temple and you and I are that temple. 49:10 Peter says, "We are living stones in the temple of God." 49:13 Well, that's actually in Ephesians. 49:15 So, that's what's indicated by the temple 49:19 being destroyed back then. 49:21 The emphasis now in the New Testament is not on the physical 49:23 temple because that kind of takes you to the 49:25 old sacrificial system. 49:27 The emphasis now is on Christ and the church, and Christ is 49:31 ministering before the real temple of God in heaven. 49:35 He is our high priest, and that's in Hebrews chapter 8 and 49:38 9, if I'm not mistaken. 49:41 So, now you asked about the angels and the River Euphrates. 49:45 That's connected with the sixth plague. 49:48 Jean: Were you referring to the drying up of the River 49:49 Euphrates? 49:51 Linda: Yes, is that a symbol for us to leave the cities and 50:00 getting ready for the Coming of the Lord? 50:03 Doug: Well, the physical drying up of the River 50:05 Euphrates, I think, is interesting, but it's not the 50:08 final fulfillment of the sixth plague. 50:12 The sixth plague, well, boy, I'm looking at the clock and 50:16 thinking, "I don't know if I got time to go into--" When the city 50:18 of Babylon fell, back in the days of Daniel, the children of 50:24 Israel were captive in Babylon, they dried up 50:27 the Euphrates River. 50:28 The Persians dried up the Euphrates River, Babylon fell, 50:31 and the Cyrus, the Persian general, let them go back to the 50:35 Promised Land. 50:36 When it says Euphrates is going to dry up, it's talking about 50:40 Babylon falling, ancient spiritual Babylon falling, God's 50:44 people will go to the spiritual Canaan, Promised Land. 50:48 So it is interesting that the literal Euphrates is drying. 50:51 Of course, many rivers in the world are drying right now, just 50:53 because of droughts and war. 50:57 But that--there are signs when we should flee to the cities. 51:00 I've got a book called "Heading for the Hills." 51:03 It's called "The Beginner's Guide to Country Living." 51:05 I talk about what is the sign to flee to the cities. 51:08 You may want to go to Amazing Facts and pick that up. 51:10 Jean: Just go to the Amazing Facts website, just 51:12 AmazingFacts.org, or .com, and type in the name of the book? 51:17 Doug: Called "Heading for the Hills." 51:18 Jean: "Heading for the Hills," and you'll be able 51:20 to learn more about how you can get that book. 51:21 Next caller that we have is Bessie, listening in Wisconsin. 51:24 Bessie, welcome to the program. 51:26 Bessie: Hello. Doug: Hi, Bessie. 51:29 Bessie: Thanks for taking my call. 51:32 I've been working on an article that I was writing and I read 51:40 John 13, verses 34 and 35, and it's talking about the idea of 51:49 loving one another, and the way that it says it, it says it 51:55 twice and I am wondering, it's talking--if it's meaning to say 52:02 to love one another the way that Christ--" 52:07 Doug: Yes. 52:09 Yeah, well, of course, Jesus does want us 52:11 to love one another. 52:13 He said, "By this all men will know you are My disciples by 52:16 your love for one another." 52:18 And you know, Paul says, "Love is the fulfilling of the law. 52:23 If we love our neighbor, we keep those commandments between 52:26 ourselves and our fellow man." 52:28 And yeah, there's no question that that 52:31 is the Great Commandment. 52:33 John, in his first letter, he says, "Beloved, let us love one 52:38 another, for love is of God and everyone who loves 52:40 is born of God. 52:42 He that does not love knows not God, for God is love." 52:47 And so, this was the central theme of the apostle John 52:51 as he highlighted Jesus's teaching on the quintessence 52:56 of Christianity is love. 52:59 And the best way for us to show our love for God 53:01 is by loving each other. 53:03 In the Great Judgment, Jesus is going to say, 53:06 "I was hungry and you fed Me. 53:07 I was thirsty and you gave Me drink." 53:09 And the believers are going, "When did we do these 53:11 things for You?" 53:13 And He says, "Inasmuch as you did it for the least of these, 53:15 you did it for Me." 53:17 So that's the big testing criteria for if our hearts 53:20 are changed. 53:21 Do we love each other? Thank you very much, Bessie. 53:23 And Pastor Ross, we've got 1 minute and 42 left. 53:27 You think we can do something? 53:29 Jean: Yeah, let's go to Barbara in Florida. 53:31 Barbara, welcome to the program. 53:32 We have about a minute and a half. 53:35 Barbara: Hello, good afternoon or good evening, Pastors. 53:37 Doug: Evening. 53:39 Barbara: I just have a question in Revelation 21, also 53:42 in Philippians 3:21, it talks about we having a new body, 53:48 like, a glorious body like Jesus Christ. 53:51 So I'm wondering, since we won't have flesh and blood anymore, we 53:55 want--we will be immortal, so are we not going to be able to 54:01 eat anymore, shower, brush our teeth, get hungry, 54:06 stuff like that? 54:07 Doug: Well, let's talk about that. 54:09 It's Jesus when He rose from the dead, He ate in front of the 54:11 disciples, even though He had a glorified body. 54:14 He said, "Touch Me, feel Me. 54:16 A spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see that I have." 54:20 It tells us in the New Earth we will plant vineyards and eat the 54:24 fruit of them. 54:25 And we will eat from the tree of life. 54:27 So we are definitely going to be real and eating. 54:31 God is not taking away our physical side. 54:33 He is adding a spiritual dimension, so the physical is 54:37 not taken away; the spiritual is added. 54:39 We will still have bodies like Adam and Eve had bodies. 54:42 But we'll be able to see God and talk to angels, and dwell in 54:46 that spirit realm along with the three dimensions we have now. 54:50 So yes, you'll be doing real things. 54:52 Hey, listening friends, we are going to sign off here 54:54 in a moment. 54:55 We do this in two phases. 54:57 We say farewell to our friends listening on satellite radio. 54:59 They're on a different clock. 55:01 But stay tuned, the rest of you, we're coming back for some 55:03 rapid-fire Internet Bible questions in just a moment. 55:06 ♪♪♪ 55:10 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:13 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:17 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:21 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:26 Jean: Hello, friends. 55:28 Welcome back to "Bible Answers Live." 55:29 And we're going to take some of the email questions 55:31 that you have sent in. 55:33 If you'd like to email us your Bible question, the email 55:36 address is just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:41 So Pastor Doug, question number one: "WERE ANIMALS REPRODUCING 55:45 IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN? 55:46 There had to be more than two sheep or goats for God to make 55:49 clothing for the fallen couple." 55:51 And this is coming from Joseph. 55:53 Doug: Yeah, well, you know, as soon as God made Adam and 55:56 Eve, He told them to be fruitful and multiply and I'm sure the 55:59 other creatures were being fruitful and multiplying. 56:03 We don't know how long it was from the time that God made Adam 56:06 and Eve until they sinned, but keep in mind, sheep, the 56:11 gestation period is not as long as it is for humans. 56:14 So it's very likely that there were already some flocks and 56:19 they had multiplied at that point. 56:21 Jean: Okay, next question that we have. 56:24 Harrison is asking, "WHY DOES THE BIBLE SEEM SO HARD TO 56:25 UNDERSTAND?" 56:28 Doug: Well, you know, it depends 56:30 on where you're coming from. 56:32 For me, it was very hard because I did not grow up with a 56:35 Christian home and biblical context and background. 56:38 I think it's easier for those raised in Christian families, 56:41 that grow up hearing the Bible and hearing the stories and 56:43 hearing preachers explain it. 56:45 For me, when I started reading the Bible and I think the first 56:48 one was, like, King James, no less, I struggled. 56:51 But, like learning any new language, there's a certain 56:55 language so to speak in the way the Bible is written. 56:57 As I read it, I understood more and more. 56:59 Now, it's fairly easy for me to, you know, know what the basic 57:03 context of the Bible is. 57:05 I'd say keep reading, and you will understand it. 57:08 And it's just wonderful, because even those who study the Bible 57:11 for, you know, their whole lives, continue to find more and 57:15 more, it gets deeper and deeper. 57:17 The treasures are fathomless in the Bible. 57:21 Jean: Our next caller is asking, "DO YOU THINK GOD HAS A 57:23 SENSE OF HUMOR?" 57:24 That's from Gala. 57:25 Doug: You know, virtually every emotion that humans have, 57:28 we inherited from God because we're made in His image. 57:31 So people can feel anger. 57:33 The Bible says God has anger. 57:35 People can feel love. 57:36 We learned that from God. 57:38 People can have jealousy. 57:40 God says, "I am a jealous God." 57:42 People laugh. 57:44 The Bible actually says God laughs. 57:46 And I think that the reason that we find certain things ironic or 57:50 humorous is because we've learned that. 57:54 That's something that we're wired from. 57:55 Now, every emotion that God has, He has those emotions perfectly. 58:00 We often corrupt those things, you know? 58:02 We could have wrong wrath, wrong jealousy, and wrong humor. 58:05 God does all things well. 58:07 Hey, listening friends, it's been a delight. 58:08 We look forward to studying His Word with you again next week. 58:11 Check out amazingfacts.org, keep us on the air, and we'll study 58:15 with you again next week. 58:18 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate 58:21 answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2024-07-11