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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202317S
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00:02 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 00:12 mysterious, should 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 00:33 in this broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:43 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts 00:46 International, Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:49 Doug Batchelor: Hello friends, would 00:51 you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:54 In February 2014, a Northern California couple out walking 00:58 their dog on their country property east of Sacramento, 01:01 they stumbled across a modern-day pot of gold. 01:05 Actually they found several pots of gold buried 01:08 in the shadow of an old oak tree. 01:11 The couple, who had chosen to remain anonymous, found eight 01:14 tin cans containing 1,427 gold coins dating between 1847 and 01:21 1894, virtually all of them in mint condition. 01:25 Although the face value of the gold pieces only adds up to 01:28 about $27,000, some of the coins are so rare and well preserved, 01:33 coin experts expect they could fetch easily up to $1 million. 01:38 It's believed whoever owned the property 150 years ago buried 01:42 the coins as a kind of primitive safety deposit box, and probably 01:46 died taking the secret with them. 01:48 This once in a lifetime horde that could easily fetch 01:52 $10 million is believed to be the most valuable 01:55 buried treasure ever found in the United States. 01:58 You know, Pastor Ross, the Bible also tells about a 02:01 man who found buried treasure in a field. 02:04 Jean Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug, after hearing that 02:06 fact, you want to go get a shovel and start digging 02:08 around in your yard, you never know. 02:10 We're not far from where this story actually 02:12 took place here in northern California. 02:13 We wonder what else is out there? 02:15 Doug: That's right, and matter of fact, today 02:16 our family just went kayaking down the 02:18 American River with our granddaughter, Lilly. 02:20 Hello, Lilly, and our son. 02:21 And we went right through the country where 02:24 they found that gold and the guide said, 02:26 you know, they're panning out there right now. 02:29 We saw people panning for gold because they 02:30 keep finding gold in the American River. 02:33 And the story I referenced is in Matthew 13 verse 44, and it 02:39 says, "Again the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure 02:42 hidden in a field which a man found and hid; 02:46 And for joy of it, he goes and he sells 02:48 all that he has and buys the field." 02:52 So, Jesus pictures the story. 02:53 You know, back then, poor people used to lease land for farming. 02:57 And while he's out plowing this land, it's not his land, but 03:00 he's doing something, and he finds this treasure. 03:02 People didn't have banks, they buried their treasure back then. 03:05 And then you realize, he's an honest man. 03:09 It says he hid it again, he covers it up, 03:11 and he goes, and he negotiates to buy the field, 03:13 but it's going to cost him everything. 03:15 But he knows what it's worth, so he sells everything. 03:18 And Jesus uses that as an analogy or 03:21 parable to explain that the kingdom of 03:24 heaven and eternal life is worth everything. 03:28 What could be worth more? 03:29 Jean: You know, we have a book that talks about this. 03:31 It's called "The Riches of His Grace." 03:34 It's the greatest treasure that anyone can 03:35 ever find, is the truth as it is in Jesus. 03:38 And we'll send this to you for free. 03:40 All you have to do is call the number, 800-835-6747. 03:44 That is our resource phone line and ask for the book. 03:46 It's called "The Riches of His Grace." 03:48 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and just say "Bible 03:52 Answers Live," ask for the book, "The Riches of His Grace," and 03:55 we'll be happy to send it to anyone here in the U.S. 03:57 or outside--or North America, I guess it is. 04:01 If you're outside of North America, then just 04:03 go on our website, amazingfacts.org. 04:06 If you have a Bible question, the phone line here to the 04:09 studio is 800-463-7297, that will bring you right here. 04:14 If you don't get through right away, please just be patient. 04:17 We'll get to as many calls as possible. 04:19 Well Pastor Doug, before we go to the phone 04:21 lines, let's start with a word of prayer. 04:23 Dear Father, we thank you for your Word. 04:24 We thank you for the opportunity to study the Bible, and, Lord, 04:28 we just pray for your guidance and the Holy Spirit to be with 04:30 us here in the studio and be with the many who 04:32 are listening, wherever they might be, Lord. 04:34 Guide us into a clearer understanding of 04:35 what the Bible says, in Jesus's name, amen. 04:38 Doug: Amen. 04:40 Jean: Well, our first caller this evening, 04:41 we've got Gary listening in Illinois. 04:43 Gary, welcome to the program. 04:46 Gary: Thank you. 04:47 In Genesis 11, verses 6 and 7, it says that God confused the 04:52 language of the people building the Tower of Babel because all 04:55 the people spoke the same language and 04:58 there would be nothing impossible for them. 05:01 So, is there anything in the Bible that 05:03 talks about the development of AI? 05:06 You know, the conversations I heard on YouTube 05:09 says that AI is sentient, that it has 05:12 consciousness, that thinks on its own. 05:14 Well, this is going to be a have a big 05:16 impact on society in a big way, and so 05:20 I'm just wondering if there's anything in the Bible about it. 05:24 Also that the AI said it didn't believe in a deity. 05:28 Doug: That's interesting, you know, just before we came on the 05:30 air and I had not seen your question yet, Pastor Ross and I 05:33 were talking about AI, meaning artificial 05:35 intelligence, I think most people know that. 05:38 And that is a fascinating question. 05:41 You know, Jesus does warn us in the last days that the 05:44 deceptions will be so effective and overwhelming that if it 05:47 were possible, even the very elect would be deceived. 05:50 Now, while I don't agree with some of the experts that are 05:53 saying that artificial intelligence has a conscience 05:56 right now, all that artificial intelligence 05:58 does is it responds to programming. 06:02 And it is true that there are programs that are then being 06:05 trained to analyze, is what they're doing. 06:10 But as far as having, you know, I believe the Holy Spirit speaks 06:13 to our minds and gives us a conscience and 06:15 convicts, I don't think AI has that. 06:18 It's a computer program. 06:20 But are there dangers? 06:22 Yes, look at what it does today and just imagine 06:25 what it's going to look like in five years. 06:27 We had a men's meeting this morning, we talked about AI and 06:30 I don't have time to share everything, but the presenter 06:34 did a good job of even tying in some scriptures about--like 06:38 when the serpent suddenly spoke, he had this extra 06:40 intelligence that Eve was intrigued by. 06:44 And, you know, what they're doing now with taking a segment 06:49 of a person's voice and some of their pictures, 06:52 and they're creating video of this person 06:54 talking, and they may have been dead. 06:57 I mean, all you need is some of their audio files and video 07:00 files, and they now can kind of recreate them, which is like 07:03 consulting evil spirits or dead spirits. 07:06 So, I think there's some very interesting 07:09 moral dilemmas, not that all AI is bad. 07:12 Virtually every company is using it in some--you know, if you 07:15 have a smartphone, you're using AI, you may not even know it. 07:18 But I think it's going to play a role in how the beast's power is 07:22 going to control buying and selling in the last days. 07:25 Jean: All right, well, thank you for your call, Gary. 07:26 And next call is Jerry, Jerry in Texas. 07:29 Jerry, welcome to the program. 07:30 Jerry: Okay guys, thank you. 07:33 You're opening up with a bag of worms tonight. 07:36 You have AI there and I'm going to give a follow 07:39 up to the question I'm going to ask you. 07:41 Jean: Okay. 07:43 Jerry: It could--could it be construed as--playing 07:48 with AI or interacting with AI, could that be 07:52 construed as playing with the ouija board? 07:55 And I base this on eight days ago, we had a Amazing Facts 08:03 Sabbath School study hour that we have weekly on "Amazing 08:07 Facts," and the gentleman referred to a young boy that was 08:12 12 to 14 years old, and he was interacting with a bot, and he 08:18 asked the bot, "Who is your creator?" 08:23 And the bot responded saying, "My father 08:25 is a fallen angel from heaven." 08:29 Doug: Well, that's interesting. 08:31 When you start dabbling with using AI and trying to get 08:34 spiritual advice from a computer, I think the devil can 08:37 influence that, and I wouldn't recommend that. 08:41 Now again, I want to explain that when I'm typing a document 08:44 and it is auto correcting, that is a very simple form of AI. 08:49 So, AI in itself is a technology, and like television 08:54 or printing press or, you know, so many 08:56 technologies can be used for good or evil. 09:00 And I think there's no question that AI, the devil can use it 09:03 for evil, but that doesn't mean all AI is bad. 09:07 Jean: I think part of that concern in talking about AI is 09:10 people put so much trust in, you know, what their phone says. 09:13 We were just talking about this on the way 09:15 home after the meeting this morning. 09:16 And if somebody asks, "Well, 09:17 what's the population of Sacramento?" 09:19 And somebody pull out their-- 09:20 everyone says, "Well, I think it's this, I think it's that," 09:22 and then they ask Google and Google give an 09:23 answer, that is the final answer. 09:26 Once Google says or whatever your phone tells you the 09:30 answer is, it's as if, all right, that's the final word. 09:32 There's a lot of trust built into AI and you wonder what that 09:35 confidence that people have in artificial intelligence, is that 09:38 something that the devil can manipulate in the end of time? 09:42 Doug: And computers do make mistakes. 09:43 Jean: That's right. 09:44 Doug: I've taken--I followed a GPS down the road that 09:48 ended up being filled with trees and there was 09:50 no road, but it--so--my GPS said forward. 09:53 So, they can mislead you sometimes. 09:57 Jean: All right, thank you, Jerry. 09:58 We've got Anthony listening in New York. 10:00 Anthony, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 10:02 Anthony: Good evening, pastors. 10:03 Doug: Evening. 10:04 Anthony: Really quick, when I asked the question a few months 10:07 back about ambition and you know in the Christian walk and things 10:11 of that nature, and based on the answer to your--to my question 10:15 from you, I applied for a promotion. 10:18 I actually got it, and it's a pretty 10:20 high position in the company. 10:21 So, I just want to say thank you for that-- 10:24 for that word from the Lord. 10:26 And just praying that I'll be faithful like Daniel or Joseph. 10:31 And so, my question is--has to do with the Shekinah glory. 10:37 So, we know from Exodus that in the sanctuary, in the 10:41 wilderness, that I believe the pillar of cloud, when it 10:45 stopped, we believe that the pillar of cloud is 10:48 Jesus, was a form of preincarnate 10:50 Jesus Christ and the pillar of fire as well. 10:53 And that pillar of cloud, once the 10:55 sanctuary was built, filled the temple. 10:57 So--with the glory of the Lord. 11:00 And so, I guess my understanding is that the Shekinah glory, and 11:03 you can correct me if I'm wrong, the Shekinah glory is--was 11:06 Jesus Christ, the presence of Jesus Christ among the people. 11:09 And so, when Christ came to the earth, when he 11:11 was born, was the Shekinah glory still in the 11:17 temple before it was destroyed in AD 70? 11:20 And you know, and I know the temple, the veil 11:23 in the temple was rent when Christ died, 11:26 signifying the end of the sanctuary service. 11:28 So, because Christ was here physically on 11:30 earth, was the Shekinah still in the temple? 11:33 Or was there no Shekinah and the Jews were, you know, doing the 11:36 sacrificial service without the Shekinah? 11:38 Doug: Understood. 11:39 Yeah, the Shekinah glory never really reappeared 11:42 in the temple following the time of Josiah. 11:48 When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and the Ark was 11:51 hidden, the Ark of the Covenant--the Shekinah glory, 11:55 always appeared above the Ark of the 11:56 Covenant, it never appeared again. 12:00 There's no record, I should say, of it 12:02 appearing again, because the Ark was gone. 12:04 It's like back when the Ark was captured by 12:06 the Philistines in the days of Eli, they 12:09 said, "Ichabod, the glory is departed." 12:13 So, I think the glory, that visible manifestation 12:16 of God's presence was gone from the 12:19 temple from the time of Nebuchadnezzar. 12:21 When they rededicated the temple in the days of Ezra and 12:24 Nehemiah, they never saw the Shekinah glory come down like 12:27 they did in the days of David or in Solomon's time. 12:31 So, when Christ was on earth and the veil ripped, it was 12:34 signifying that the old ceremonial system had ended. 12:39 But I don't think anything happened 12:40 with the Shekinah glory. 12:42 Did you have any-- 12:43 Jean: You know, I agree. 12:44 I think after, you know, the temple was rebuilt, it spoke of 12:47 the latter house, or the second house, 12:49 having greater glory than the first house. 12:51 Doug: Because Christ went in to teach there. 12:52 Jean: That's right. 12:54 So, it wasn't the Shekinah glory, which was glorious in the 12:55 time of Solomon, the glory, it was even greater in the person 12:58 of Christ, so there was no need for another 12:59 Shekinah glory, if the glory of Christ was greater 13:03 than what was revealed there in the Shekinah. 13:05 And then, of course, when the veil rent from top to bottom, it 13:08 signified that the temple and Jesus said, 13:11 "Your house is left to you desolate," so. 13:14 Doug: He said, "Destroy this temple, I will build one made 13:16 without hands," meaning his body, the church. 13:18 Jean: Very good, I'm thinking, do we have a study? 13:20 We do have a study out on the temple. 13:22 It's called "God Built--" 13:24 Doug: "God Drew The Plans." 13:25 Jean: "God Drew The Plans," that's what it is. 13:27 One of our Amazing Fact study guides. 13:28 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 13:29 The number is 800-835-6747. 13:33 As for the study guide, it's called "God Drew The Plans." 13:36 We'll be happy to send it to you or just dial #250 on your 13:40 smartphone and say, "Bible Answers Live," 13:41 and ask for that by name. 13:43 We've got Thomas listening, Canada, 13:45 Thomas, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 13:50 Doug: Hey, Thomas, you're on the air, yeah. 13:52 Thomas: Yes, thank you. Thanks for taking the call. 13:55 Doug: And your question? 13:56 Thomas: The question is yes, they--I heard heard expressed by 14:00 pastors that--and this is not a common understanding, 14:04 but that there is a book of creation. 14:06 and then there's a-- the book of God's Word. 14:10 And as there's two witnesses that God had to carry out a 14:17 death, because of breaking the law, he required a minimum of 14:20 two witnesses, so God follows that same principle. 14:22 That's why Creation and the Word, they are in harmony. 14:26 So, my specific question is, which I illustrated to the 14:31 interviewer when she started is, that carbon has a signature of 14:35 666, and oxygen has a signature of 888. 14:40 And Jesus's name adds up to 888 in in Greek, the language of the 14:44 New Testament was written, the common language of the day. 14:47 So, my question is, do we see an imprint of God putting salvation 14:53 in creation by those two numbers? 14:58 Doug: Okay, I've never had that question before. 15:00 I have heard before that carbon was somehow 15:04 reflected by the number 666. 15:06 I don't know, maybe the--something in the-- 15:10 Jean: Molecular structure or something? 15:12 Doug: Yeah, in the elements of it. 15:13 I don't know that I would try to use that kind of math, taking 15:19 the name of Jesus and the numerical value of his name in 15:22 Hebrew, and saying, you know, part of it equals 15:26 the earth and the Word and creation. 15:29 You know, when I get to heaven, I think we're 15:31 going to learn a lot about numerology. 15:33 God does use a lot of interesting numbers in the Bible 15:35 and we'll probably understand it better. 15:37 There are math geniuses that see all kinds of connections. 15:40 Jean: Of course, if you look in nature, you can 15:42 see the great controversy played out. 15:44 You see good and evil revealed in nature. 15:46 You see beauty in nature, but you also see pain and suffering. 15:49 So, just by looking at nature, you realize, well, first of all, 15:53 there must be a Creator, but you also realize that there's an 15:55 adversary that brings suffering and death. 15:58 And then, of course, the Bible expounds upon that. 16:00 Doug: Yep. 16:01 Something--you can see something went wrong. 16:03 It's a beautiful world, and yet there's 16:04 sin and suffering and death. 16:06 So, hey, thank you, Thomas. Don't know if that helps at all. 16:08 We do have--we do have a free download. 16:12 It's at a website called bibleprophecy.com, 16:19 is that right? 16:20 Jean: I think so. 16:22 Doug: Where it's got the study on numbers? 16:23 Jean: Oh, yeah. Doug: Bible prophecy truth. 16:25 Jean: Prophecy code, if their webs are still up. 16:28 Doug: No, it's-- well maybe there are two. 16:29 Jean: Yeah, it was there. Doug: But yeah, okay. 16:31 Anyway, yeah, we--we've got, if you type in Amazing Facts, 16:35 Bible numbers and their meanings, 16:36 I think we have a a resource on that. 16:37 Jean: We have that. George listening in Texas. 16:40 George, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 16:43 George: Hi, pastors. 16:45 Doug: Hi, how can we help you? 16:47 George: Okay, I know that one of the commandments is, 16:51 "Thou shalt not kill," or, "Thou shalt not murder." 16:54 Does that mean I'm automatically supposed 16:56 to vote for the party of the pro-life? 17:01 And if I vote for the other party 17:04 that's not pro-life, am I sinning? 17:07 Doug: Well, that's an interesting question. 17:11 Personally, I think that you need to evaluate 17:16 what the values are of different candidates. 17:21 You probably could find good and evil 17:25 in both parties, unfortunately. 17:29 So, you know, sometimes when the time comes to vote, you need to 17:33 pray and then hold your nose and vote as an American citizen. 17:38 But I personally would have a moral problem, 17:41 and again, I don't want to make political statements, 17:43 we want to give Bible answers. 17:45 I would have a problem, personally, voting for a 17:48 candidate that was supporting abortion. 17:55 And that might mean that, you know, 17:57 you're voting for a candidate who's supporting some 17:59 things in other areas that are not Biblical. 18:01 But to me, it's a pretty serious violation 18:04 when you're taking innocent life. 18:05 Jean: You know, one of the counsels I heard dealing with 18:08 voting, it's always good if you can to vote on specific issues 18:12 versus just then parties in general, because like you say, 18:15 there's good and bad in each of the parties. 18:17 But if you have the opportunity to vote on a specific issue, 18:20 whether that's pro-life or abortion, or how--what is 18:24 marriage defined as, we as Christians, I think have an 18:28 opportunity to stand for what the Bible says on these issues. 18:32 So, vote on issues if possible. 18:35 Doug: Yep. Very good. 18:37 Jean: Thank you, George. We got Joel listening. 18:38 Doug: You know, pardon me, I do have a book 18:41 that's called "Should a Christian Vote?" 18:43 Yeah. 18:44 And it talks a little bit about the principles around elections. 18:46 And it talks a little bit about the principles around elections. 18:47 you know, around voting season. 18:49 Yeah, but we'll send it to anyone who calls and asks. 18:50 The number for that is 800-835-6747. 18:54 Just ask for the book, "Should A Christian Vote?" 18:56 and we'll be happy to send it to you or dial #250 on your 19:00 smartphone and you can get it that way as well. 19:03 Joel in North Carolina. 19:04 Joel, welcome to the program. 19:07 Joel: Good evening, pastors. 19:09 I'm doing a study on the timeline between the triumphant 19:15 entry and the Mount of Olives, where Jesus told the disciples 19:21 that, you know, the--Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. 19:24 My question is, did that--from 19:28 Matthew 21 to Matthew 26, did 19:35 that--that happened over, like, a three-day period, right? 19:40 Doug: Well, it, yeah, it's a matter of a few days. 19:44 I'd have to go back and look at chapter 21. 19:45 I know that most of the Gospels would dedicate most of their 19:49 time to the final week of Christ's life. 19:54 So, it wouldn't surprise me. Matthew 21? 19:57 Yeah, I think that's where Jesus is excoriating 19:59 the scribes and Pharisees. 20:01 Jean: Yeah, I think from--if you're looking 20:02 in Matthew 21 starting in verse 1, all the 20:05 way through to the crucifixion, it's about a week. 20:08 So, various Bible scholars believe that Jesus came to 20:14 Jerusalem or Bethany, which is two miles outside of Jerusalem, 20:18 on the Friday, he was there for the Sabbath, and then on Sunday 20:22 he entered, triumphant entry into Jerusalem. 20:25 And then of course, that Friday he was crucified. 20:27 So, a lot happened within that one week. 20:29 Doug: It tells about, yeah, several teaching episodes and-- 20:32 Jean: The cursing the fig tree when he went in and out. 20:34 Okay, thank you Joel. 20:36 Who do we have next? Chastity, is that right? 20:39 Doug: Yes, Chasity. 20:40 Jean: Chasity from Arizona, Chasity, welcome to the program. 20:44 Chasity: Hi, thank you very much. 20:46 Doug: Yes. 20:47 Chasity: I just have a question. 20:50 Are the demons that are mentioned in the 20:52 Bible the fallen angels, and who are the third 20:55 of the fallen angels who fell to earth? 20:58 Doug: Yeah, yes and yes. 21:01 The angels, the evil spirits, are the 21:06 same as the fallen angels. 21:07 So, you know the devil is sometimes 21:10 referred to as an evil spirit. 21:13 You know, "We don't wrestle against flesh and blood," it 21:16 says in Ephesians chapter 6, "but against 21:18 spiritual hosts of evil in high places." 21:22 And in Revelation 12 it says Satan was cast out of heaven and 21:25 his angels were cast out with him. 21:28 And then you read earlier, the tail of the dragon drew 1/3 of 21:32 the stars, and these--the stars are--the dragon is a symbol for 21:36 Satan, and the stars are a symbol for the angels. 21:40 And it says his angels were cast down with him. 21:42 So, whenever we hear about evil spirits and sometimes they are 21:46 called demons or even ghosts, these 21:49 are typically angels, Satan's angels. 21:52 They're fallen angels that have been converted, like Lucifer. 21:57 Satan was once Lucifer, he was the chief of the angels and he 22:00 became a devil, and the fallen angels became demons. 22:05 Jean: We have a study guide that talks about the origin of evil. 22:07 It's called "Did God Create A Devil?" 22:09 And I think it addresses this very question, 22:10 about the angels and how they fell. 22:12 If you'd like to receive that, 22:13 the number to call is 800-835-6747. 22:16 Ask for the study guide, "Did God Create the Devil?" 22:19 Or dial #250 on your smartphone and just ask for it. 22:23 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 22:25 We got Joe listening in Arizona. 22:27 Joe, welcome to the program. 22:30 Joe: How you guys doing? 22:31 Doug: Great. How are you doing? 22:34 Joe: Hey, my question this week is, I've watched--Pastor 22:40 Batchelor, I've watched your presentation on the 144,000, but 22:46 I never really got a definitive answer of who they are. 22:50 And so, I guess my question would since the Bible says that 22:54 before the four quarters--or the End Times, the angels are 23:00 released to wreak havoc on the earth, that 23:02 the angel goes and he seals the 144,000? 23:06 Doug: Yes. 23:07 Joe: Is it possible that the 144,000 could be the actual 23:10 literal number of people that get sealed with 23:13 the seal of God, before the tribulation? 23:15 Doug: I don't think they're the only ones. 23:19 In other words, I think everyone in the last days that's saved 23:23 has the seal of God, because everyone 23:25 else has got the mark of the beast. 23:27 But the 144,000, I think there's more 23:29 than just the 144,000 that are saved. 23:33 I think the 144,000 represent the leadership. 23:37 Keep in mind, Revelation is written by an apostle, his name 23:40 is John, and everything you read about the 23:43 144,000 fits the definitions of the apostles. 23:47 They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 23:50 It says, "These are they without guile." 23:53 They have a special message. 23:56 It's like on the day of Pentecost, one of the disciples 24:00 had committed suicide because he betrayed Jesus, Judas. 24:03 And before the Holy Spirit is poured out, Peter says we need 24:07 to replace that because we're down to 11 apostles. 24:10 As soon as they get to the number 12, the next thing it 24:13 says is the place they were gathered together is 24:15 shaken and the Holy Spirit is poured out. 24:17 When they got to that number 12, there's something about that. 24:20 And I think that in the same way God used 12 24:23 apostles to go and preach to the lost tribes of 24:27 Israel during Jesus's first coming, 24:30 he's going to have 12 times 12,000 before the second coming. 24:33 They're not the only ones saved, just like on the day of 24:35 Pentecost, you've got 12 apostles in the upper room, but 24:38 there's 120 total, there's other people, other disciples there. 24:42 It wasn't just the 12 apostles filled with the Holy Spirit, it 24:45 was everybody in the upper room, and then through their 24:47 preaching, there's a great revival. 24:50 And I think that's going to repeat itself. 24:52 A latter rain outpouring of the Spirit. 24:54 The 144,000 are a type of God's people, 24:57 but they're a symbol for the apostles also. 25:01 Got a book we can send you. 25:02 We may have offered this to you last time, 25:04 but I don't know if you received it yet or asked for 25:06 it, but it's on--"Who Are the 144,000?" 25:10 Jean: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 25:14 Just ask for the book, "Who Are the 144,000?" 25:16 We'll be happy to send it to you, Joel, or anyone wanting to 25:19 learn more about Revelation chapter 7. 25:21 Dial #250 on your smartphone and just say, "Bible Answers Live," 25:25 and again you can ask for the book. 25:26 We'll be happy to send it to you. 25:28 Next caller that we have is James, 25:30 listening from Pennsylvania. 25:32 James, welcome to the program. 25:34 James: All right, good evening. 25:36 I was wondering if I could ask two really quick questions, If 25:39 I'm real quick, to make my point? 25:41 Doug: Okay, let's take them one at a time. 25:44 James: Sure, the first question I have is, are God's 25:46 people allowed to defend themselves and their families 25:49 from the forces of evil, without committing sin? 25:52 Say like if somebody tried to break into my house and the only 25:56 way that I could defend my family is, 25:59 like, if I had to shoot them or something? 26:02 Doug: You know, according to the Bible, it says pretty 26:05 clearly, even Jesus said that, you know, "You can't break into 26:09 a strong man's house unless you bind him 26:11 first," physically, you have to restrain him. 26:13 Meaning, that if you don't physically 26:14 restrain him, he's going to defend his family. 26:17 And so, I think it's a pretty common universal understanding 26:21 that a man or whoever's in the house would want to protect the 26:25 home and the children and the occupants. 26:27 And so, if force is used to come in, you might 26:30 need to use force if you can to stop an invasion. 26:34 And most laws in most countries understand and recognize that. 26:38 So, I don't think there's a moral--you know, some people 26:40 might say, you know, "I just, I can't do that even if my family 26:43 is at risk," and I'd respectfully disagree. 26:46 But there are some people who feel so strongly about any kind 26:49 of, what they would call violent defense, that they don't think a 26:54 Christian should do that, they should just pray. 26:57 Well, I wouldn't bother my conscience. 27:00 I think it's normal reaction and I think it's even a duty for the 27:05 man of a house to protect and provide for his family. 27:09 Listening friends, we want to thank you 27:13 for your continued support of Amazing Facts. 27:16 Now, we've still got half the program 27:17 to come, but I just want to pause here. 27:19 This program is 100% supported by you. 27:23 And if you've been blessed, we encourage you 27:25 to go to the website and keep us going. 27:27 Don't go away. 27:28 The best of "Bible Answers Live" is coming in our second half. 27:31 ♪♪♪ 27:35 announcer: Stay tuned, "Bible Answers Live" 27:38 will return shortly. 27:45 announcer: Would you like to know God's plan for our broken 27:47 world as revealed in Bible prophecy? 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29:26 Get practical answers about the 29:27 good book for a better life today. 29:33 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 29:36 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 29:38 air, please call us next Sunday between 29:41 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:45 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 29:47 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 29:52 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 29:58 Now let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:04 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible 30:05 Answers Live," and if you've tuned in somewhere 30:07 along the way, this is a live international 30:10 interactive Bible study, and you're invited 30:12 to call in with your Bible questions. 30:14 If you don't get through right away, well, try again. 30:17 Seek and you will find. 30:19 And the--knock and it'll be open. 30:21 It's 800-God-Says, is the phone number. 30:24 One more time, 800-463-7297, and my name is Doug Batchelor. 30:31 Jean: My name is Jean Ross, and we're 30:32 going to go to Aaron listening in New York. 30:34 Aaron, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 30:38 Aaron: Good evening, pastors. 30:39 Doug: Evening. 30:41 Aaron: I encountered an internet troll on the comments 30:44 section of a Christian YouTube video. 30:47 He claims that God created sin because the Bible says God 30:51 created all things and he counts sin as a thing because he 30:55 defines a thing as which is considered a 30:59 separate entity, object, quality, and concept. 31:04 He uses Romans chapter 11, verse 36 to back up this claim. 31:10 My question is, can sin be included in the meaning behind 31:14 Romans chapter 6--chapter 11, verse 36, and 31:19 Colossians chapter 1 verses 16 and 17? 31:22 Doug: Well, let's read these for friends who are listening. 31:24 In Romans chapter 11:36, "For of him and through him and to him 31:30 are all things, to whom be the glory forever." 31:33 Well, what all things is Paul talking about? 31:36 You go to verse 33, it says, "Of the depth of the 31:38 riches of the wisdom of the knowledge of God." 31:40 It's talking about the mercy of God in verse 31 and God's grace. 31:44 It's not talking about evil. 31:46 And so he's--Paul is saying that the 31:49 glory for all--the plan of salvation belongs 31:52 to God, we can't take credit for it. 31:55 So that verse, I think, to say that God 31:57 created sin, now there's a big problem with 32:00 anyone who says that God created sin. 32:02 It says God tempts no man. 32:04 James says, I forget the verse, "God 32:06 cannot be tempted with evil. 32:07 Neither does he tempt anybody." 32:09 So, whoever tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden 32:11 of Eden, God never induces people to sin. 32:15 God does not create entrapment to try to get people to sin. 32:19 He hates sin. 32:20 Jean: That's James chapter 1 verse 13. 32:22 It says God doesn't tempt. 32:23 Doug: "Every good and perfect gift is from God and comes 32:26 down from the Father of lights with whom there 32:28 is no variableness or shadow of turning." 32:31 And so, God is good. 32:33 Sin came from--God created a good angel, who had a free will. 32:38 And this intelligent, free, moral 32:39 being, Lucifer, he became selfish. 32:44 Sin began with him. 32:46 And, God is good, God is pure, God is just. 32:50 So, the idea that God created sin, created sinners and then 32:53 said he's going to punish sinners for being sinners, well, 32:56 that would make God an accomplice to the problem of 32:59 sin, which really would go against 33:02 everything the Bible says about God hating sin. 33:05 Jean: Of course, we have that study 33:06 guide it says, "Did God Create a Devil?" 33:08 And it deals with this. 33:09 I'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls 33:11 and asks, it's 800-835-6747 or dial #250 on 33:16 your smartphone and we can send it to you. 33:18 Doug: Sorry, just in fairness, also, I think Aaron 33:20 was also asking about Colossians 1:16 and 17, which is also 33:25 saying, I believe, that God made all things. 33:28 But it's talking about God made everything. 33:30 It looks back to Genesis, where it says it was good, 33:32 good, very good, he made everything good. 33:35 And because of the choice of one of the free creatures, 33:38 Adam and Eve and the devil, they made 33:41 moral choices not to love and not to obey. 33:45 Jean: All right, thanks for your call, Aaron. 33:46 We've got Lawrence listening from Oregon. 33:49 Lawrence, welcome to the program. 33:52 Lawrence: Yeah. 33:53 I just told a little bit about circumcision. 33:56 If Jesus told us to follow his steps and he was circumcised on 34:01 the 8th day, do we practice circumcision today or not? 34:07 People-- that's my question. 34:10 Doug: Yeah, well, one of the big discussions they had in the 34:13 New Testament is as the Gentiles were coming to Christ and 34:16 believing in Jesus, some of the Jewish believers in Christ said, 34:20 "Oh well, they need to be circumcised." 34:22 And there was a long discussion about this in the early church, 34:25 and they came to the conclusion that it is not necessary. 34:29 Circumcision was something that pointed to the covenant that the 34:34 promised seed would come through the line of Abraham. 34:38 It also was a symbol for the cutting away of the flesh, not 34:41 being carnally minded but being spiritual minded. 34:44 So, now many countries and peoples, I think Muslims and 34:49 Jews and many Gentiles today still practice circumcision and 34:53 they perform it in hospitals routinely for Jews and Gentiles 34:57 because they--there is some medical benefit. 35:00 And I'm talking about male circumcision. 35:02 Female circumcision is believed to be 35:04 all negative, it's kind of a mutilation. 35:08 But--and you can probably research the details of that on 35:11 your own, but there's no command. 35:14 Paul says circumcision is nothing, 35:16 and you can read this in Galatians. 35:17 Uncircumcision is nothing, keeping 35:19 the commandments is what matters. 35:20 Jean: Okay, thank you. 35:22 We've got Junith listening in Nevada. 35:23 Junith, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 35:27 Junith: Hello, good evening. 35:29 My question is related to Genesis 35:33 chapter 3 verses 1 to 23. 35:37 Is about the the character of the snake. 35:40 We know that God described the snake as the 35:46 most guile among the animals in the garden. 35:50 Some people would even put in the sermon that the devil is 35:54 smart, and I really would like to to address this, that if the 35:59 devil is smart, the devil should not have become the devil. 36:04 He would still be one of the cherubims 36:09 guarding the Ark of the Covenant. 36:11 And the meaning of guile here is, 36:14 actually it's another form of intelligence. 36:17 It's a crafty intelligence. 36:19 And to be smart is quick-witted intelligence. 36:23 Would you agree with me that the snake is not smart? 36:27 Doug: Yeah, well, the Bible says, you know, thank you, June. 36:30 The Bible says that, "The fool has said in his heart there is 36:33 no God and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 36:37 And Satan's not fearing God 36:39 is a sign of the ultimate ignorance. 36:44 And I know that that might sound like a contradiction, but keep 36:47 in mind there are some people in the world that have extremely 36:51 high IQ's that do not believe in God, and they are foolish in 36:58 deliberately choosing not to believe in God. 37:00 I think Paul addresses this in Romans 1, he says, "Thinking 37:03 themselves wise, they become fools." 37:05 And so, they're still very intelligent people that would, 37:08 you know, if they took an IQ test, they'd score very high. 37:12 If you ask them if they believe in God, they say no, and the 37:14 reason is they can't afford to believe in God, because that 37:16 means they would have to answer to God. 37:17 They want to be their own God. 37:19 That was the devil's problem. 37:21 And so, when it says the serpent was more cunning, it's talking 37:24 about the craftiness, the hypnotic ability of like a 37:27 snake, to deceive, to sneak up on. 37:31 So, it doesn't mean that the devil 37:33 is wise in the spiritual sense. 37:36 Real wisdom is surrendering to God and believing in God. 37:39 Jean: All right, thank you. 37:41 Next caller that we have is Loretta listening from New York. 37:45 Loretta, welcome to the program. 37:48 Loretta: Hey, Doug and John. 37:50 My question is, my 13 year old came 37:53 to me with these two verses, and he was 37:56 wondering if there is a contradiction. 37:57 Clearly, I couldn't explain it to him. 37:59 It's 2 Chronicles 22:2 and 2 Kings 8:26. 38:05 Doug: Okay, let's go there, 2 Chronicles 22:2. 38:08 Yeah. 38:10 "And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his 38:12 youngest son, King in this place for the raiders who came with 38:16 the Arabians into camp had killed the older sons. 38:20 So Ahaziah, the son of Joram, King of Judah, reigned." 38:24 And, so, verse 2, "Ahaziah was 42 years old." 38:28 Now, the--in 2 Kings it says Ahaziah was 22 years old. 38:35 Yeah, and the reason that is given by the Bible scholars is 38:40 that it probably was that he was 22 years old. 38:44 The letters in Hebrew--the Bible is perfect, but sometimes 38:47 the manuscripts they translate from, the scribes had written 38:51 letters not clearly, or the ink had smudged 38:54 by the time the translators got the documents. 38:58 And when they looked at the Hebrew letters for 22, it's like 39:02 in English, the seven and the two can sometimes 39:04 look similar if you don't write them clearly. 39:06 You know what I'm saying? 39:08 And, matter of fact, when I was--when I was 39:13 a teenager, I took my learner's permit. 39:15 I was born in 1957. 39:16 Now you all know how old I am. 39:18 But I wanted to be able to buy alcohol, so I turned the seven 39:21 into a two very easily and I used that counterfeit or forged 39:26 learner's permit to get a driver's license. 39:28 For years, my drivers license that I was older than I was, 39:31 even after I became a Christian, because every 39:33 time I renewed it, they took the old date. 39:35 And one day I went back and I said, 39:37 "You know, this is wrong, it's not my age." 39:38 And they just took my word for it 39:39 and changed it back, I was amazed. 39:41 I should have said I was 15. 39:43 Anyway, but this is just a place where you are 39:47 going to see a discrepancy because-- 39:49 is this what you understand, Pastor Ross? 39:51 The numbers in Hebrew, the characters look very similar and 39:54 it was translated incorrectly, probably in 2 Chronicles 22. 40:00 So, thank you. 40:02 Hope that and the math adds up better one way than the other, 40:05 as far as the ages of the kings and how old the kids would be. 40:09 Jean: All right, next caller that we have 40:10 is Jasmine listening in Georgia. 40:13 Jasmine, welcome to the program. 40:16 Jasmine: Yes, good night. Doug: Evening. 40:18 Jasmine: I just wanted to say, God bless your ministry and 40:22 my son and I hear you guys every day, you know, repetition. 40:27 But our question that we have is when Eve 40:32 was talking to the serpent, why was she not 40:35 surprised that the serpent was talking to her? 40:39 Doug: Well, I think she was surprised. 40:42 I think the devil deliberately possessed this beautiful, subtle 40:48 creature that was probably hypnotic in the way it moved, 40:52 even snakes today can be hypnotic. 40:53 But snakes after sin were cursed to crawl on the ground, which 40:56 means before sin, they had some other means of mobilization. 41:01 And commentators think that they may have been able to fly. 41:06 Virtually every culture in the world talks about flying 41:08 reptiles, and there's even bones of pterodactyls 41:12 and pterodactyls and reptiles that flew. 41:16 So, you know, we don't know if there's that 41:17 connection, but I think she was surprised. 41:20 And that's one of the things that--sure, she wasn't afraid. 41:23 There was nothing in the garden to fear, but I don't think Eve 41:26 knew that any of the creatures had the ability of speech, and 41:29 the serpent is--he's intimating, "Well if you eat 41:32 this fruit, look what it did for me? 41:33 I was a snake, that all I could do is stick 41:35 out my tongue and now I can talk." 41:37 And she was amazed by that and thought, 41:39 maybe God is keeping something from us. 41:41 So, I think--I don't know what your thoughts are? 41:43 Jean: Absolutely. 41:44 Doug: I think you--I think she was surprised. 41:46 Jean: And also probably surprised by the fact that it 41:48 almost seemed as though the serpent answered 41:50 a question that she was wondering about. 41:52 She was looking at the fruit and the devil was waiting. 41:54 He saw his perfect opportunity. 41:56 Doug: He read her expressions of curiosity and yeah. 42:00 Jean: Subtle, yeah. 42:01 Doug: And then you know, I heard one Hebrew scholar said, 42:04 when he greeted Eve, it was like, hi in there. 42:10 I mean, it was all--yeah, it was almost like a flattering, 42:13 seductive greeting that appealed to her. 42:16 So yeah. 42:18 Okay, thanks. 42:20 Jean: Next caller that we have is Coby listening from 42:21 Washington, Coby welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 42:25 Coby: Hello pastors. 42:28 I wanted to know can people go to heaven 42:34 if they go to church on Sunday? 42:37 Doug: Okay. 42:38 There are going to be a lot of people in 42:40 heaven that went to church on Sunday. 42:41 There'll be people in heaven that 42:43 maybe didn't know what day to go to church. 42:45 Now, I think Coby might be wondering because on this 42:48 program, we've said that Biblically there's 42:50 no question the seventh day is the Sabbath. 42:53 Well, what does that mean about millions 42:54 of people around the world that go to church on the 42:56 first day of the week instead of the seventh day? 42:58 Are they automatically lost? No. 43:01 Sin is knowing to do good and not doing it, so there's a lot 43:04 of people that don't know God's will in this area. 43:08 And so, you know, Christians that live up to all the light 43:12 that they have, they're going to be in the kingdom. 43:15 But that doesn't mean we should ignore what the Bible says. 43:18 Once we know what the Bible says, 43:20 we need to follow the Word of God. 43:22 Jean: Well, the Bible speaks of a time 43:23 when God winked at their ignorance. 43:25 For example, you have many very godly men 43:28 in the Old Testament that had more than one wife. 43:30 Well, that was never God's will. 43:31 Jesus made it very clear when he said, in 43:33 the beginning he created man and woman. 43:35 And yet they still gonna be saved. 43:37 They kind of conformed to the culture of the time. 43:41 And God has given us truth. 43:43 We want to follow all the light. 43:45 Doug: Yep. So, thank you Coby. 43:47 Hope that helps the answer that a little bit. 43:49 Jean: We've got Steven, listening in Canada. 43:52 Steven, welcome to the program. 43:55 Steven: Good evening, gentlemen. 43:56 I appreciate the program as always. 43:58 I think it's the fifth time I have a pleasure to call. 44:01 Thank you for taking my call. 44:03 What I would like to know, what does the Bible 44:05 say about fornication, you know, to keep 44:08 out of making love outside of marriage? 44:10 Doug: I think the Bible is pretty clear 44:12 that sexual relations for people are to 44:16 be reserved for the marriage covenant. 44:19 And I think we can see the epidemic in our country and 44:22 other parts of the world, to families where children are born 44:26 into single parent families, not because the 44:29 father or mother died, but because there 44:31 was no benefit of a covenant of marriage. 44:34 And they grow up and often struggle with 44:37 a whole spectrum of problems because 44:40 they don't have the biblically designed family. 44:43 Now I know there are people that either through 44:45 divorce or death, they're single parents and God 44:48 will watch over and bless but it's not the ideal. 44:52 God's ideal is for there to be man and woman. 44:55 Sex is to be reserved for that, and you might 44:57 be thinking, well, what if you know, if you 44:58 use birth control, what difference does it make? 45:00 You know, God wants us to reserve those intimate--that 45:05 intimate gift for the marriage covenant. 45:09 And I think the Bible, every verse in the 45:11 Bible that addresses that is consistent. 45:13 Jean: All right. 45:15 Did you have a second question, Steven? 45:17 Steven: Yes, because I was just thinking, but I don't want 45:20 to add--thank you very much, Professor Jean Ross for asking. 45:24 My second question is that we should not add or distract 45:26 anything as Revelation questions, but my humble 45:29 observation because the Sabbath is going to be the seal of God 45:33 and also Isaiah 66:32-33 as you know, is going to be eternal 45:37 life important, if this can keep us more on the narrow path, more 45:42 in Christ, than let's say Sunday, which is 45:44 not in the Bible or you know any other day. 45:48 You know the Sunday, keep us more clean, more pure bride of 45:51 Christ, the temple, you know more being the men and more the 45:55 desire to stay pure until marriage. 46:00 Doug: Well, I Ido think there's benefit. 46:02 Whenever we obey God, there's a blessing. 46:04 If you look in Isaiah chapter 58, when it talks 46:07 about the Sabbath commandment in particular 46:10 and you can look in, let me see here. 46:15 Here we go, I'm getting close. 46:18 Isaiah 58, verse 13. 46:20 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your 46:23 pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy 46:27 day of the Lord, honorable and shall honor him, not doing your 46:30 own ways or finding your own pleasure or speaking your own 46:33 words, then you will delight yourself in the Lord, and I will 46:37 cause you to ride on the high places of the earth and feed you 46:41 with the heritage of Jacob your father. 46:43 The mouth of the Lord has spoken." 46:45 He promises special blessings that go above 46:48 and beyond the blessings of physical rest. 46:50 Jean: You know, we have a study guide, it's called "The 46:52 Lost Day of History," and if anyone wants to 46:54 study this further, it's an important topic, 46:56 we'll be able to send you this for free. 46:57 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 47:01 Just ask for the study guide called 47:03 "The Lost Day of History." 47:04 We also have a website called sabbathtruth.com, and you 47:07 can go there right away, and you can see some great 47:09 resources and study this further for yourself. 47:12 Next caller that we have is Lee, listening in Texas. 47:14 Lee, welcome to the program. 47:16 Lee: Yes, sir, thank you. 47:18 My question is that Jesus knew 47:21 everything that God knows, right? 47:24 Doug: Well, yes, he does now, on earth he did not. 47:28 I mean, on earth he laid aside his divinity, and so he only 47:32 knew that what was revealed at the time by the Father. 47:35 Lee: Jesus once said that he didn't know the day--the day of 47:39 his coming, but how could he not know the day of his own coming 47:42 if he knew everything that God does? 47:44 Doug: Well, when--he does know now, but when Christ was on 47:47 earth as a man, he--the incarnation. 47:50 I mean, think about it for a moment, when Jesus was a baby in 47:52 the manger, do you think he had all the knowledge of the cosmos 47:55 and all the knowledge of God swirling around his head? 47:58 He had to learn to talk like other babies. 48:00 So--and it says in, is it Philippians 48:03 where it says he laid aside his divinity? 48:08 He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. 48:11 I might be thinking of Colossians. 48:13 "But made himself of no reputation, 48:16 taking on the form of a servant." 48:17 So, Christ basically, when he was on earth as a human and he 48:21 said, "No one knows the day or the hour, I don't even know." 48:25 For one thing. 48:26 Jean: Philippians 2:7. Doug: Yeah. 48:27 What would Jesus say to the apostles? 48:29 Would he say, "Yeah, February 26, 48:31 1945 is when I'm coming or 2045"? 48:35 What would that mean to them? 48:37 I mean, how would--how would he even relate the date? 48:39 They didn't have that dating method. 48:41 So, does Jesus know the day and the hour of his coming? 48:44 Of course, I mean, you can't picture Jesus is up in heaven by 48:46 the Father and he's saying, "Please let 48:48 me know, when am I supposed to come?" 48:49 "No, can't show you yet, can't trust you." 48:52 Of course he knows, 48:53 but on earth as a man, he didn't know all that. 48:55 Jean: It had not been revealed to him. 48:58 All right, thank you. 48:59 Next caller that we have is Cindy, listening in Arizona. 49:02 Cindy, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 49:05 Hold on a second. 49:07 We just had Cindy move real quick. 49:09 Do you have it there, Pastor Doug? 49:11 Doug: We've got callers coming in, so it shifts our names. 49:15 Well, let's-- 49:17 Jean: Oh, there it is, I found it. 49:18 Cindy in Arizona. Cindy, welcome to the program. 49:21 Cindy: Hi, can you hear me? 49:22 Doug: We do. Jean: We can hear you. 49:23 Cindy: Okay. 49:25 So, the question I have is around the crying of blood from 49:32 the ground, the spilling of innocent blood and the crying 49:35 out from the--from the grave, like Abel in Genesis 4. 49:40 And then I--I had mentioned Matthew 2, 49:45 I think it's 2:18 actually, where it mentions 49:47 Rachel and the last part of that. 49:48 Doug: Yes, crying for her children. 49:51 Cindy: Yeah, but I was wondering about Revelation, I think it's 9 49:55 through 10 because of the connection-- 49:58 Doug: The soul of those under the altar crying out? 50:01 Cindy: Yeah, and it's connection to abortion and, you 50:03 know, the 6th commandment, not killing. 50:08 So, do you think that those are the 63 plus million since 50:14 Roe versus Wade, 1973, do you think that could be? 50:19 Doug: Yeah, I think I understand 50:21 what you're asking, Cindy. 50:22 You know, when God said to Cain, "The blood of your brother, Abel 50:27 cries to me from the ground," he meant, the blood isn't little 50:30 blood cells aren't, you know, squeaking. 50:32 It wasn't talking about literally, it-- 50:34 it's a figure of speech that the innocent blood 50:38 of Abel was crying out for justice. 50:40 You've got the innocent blood of the children in the story of the 50:44 slaughter in Bethlehem crying out for justice. 50:48 Jesus had all the blood from Abel to Zachariah, the son of 50:53 Baraciah, who was an innocent prophet killed in Jerusalem, was 50:56 going to come on that generation, and 50:58 it did with the destruction of Jerusalem. 51:00 When you read in Revelation, is it chapter 9, where it's the 51:03 souls under the altars, is that 5? 51:04 Jean: Chapter 6. Doug: Chapter 6. 51:06 When you read about the souls under the altar, it's again, 51:10 it's a symbol for the martyrs, those who have died for the 51:13 cause of Christ, but the innocent blood of unborn 51:19 children, that is also crying out for justice. 51:22 That verse in particular I don't think he's talking about that, 51:25 but certainly God has record of any injustice and innocent 51:31 blood, and there'll be a payday for that. 51:33 Jean: Yeah, from the broader context, you know, we're talking 51:35 about the first seal in the sequence of events, if you kind 51:38 of follow through the chronology, it's talking about a 51:40 time of severe persecution that came upon Bible believing 51:43 Christians, during the time of the Reformation and even before, 51:47 and that fits into that time frame. 51:49 Could it refer to, you know, the broader 51:52 aspect of just innocent life being taken? 51:56 Possibly, but more specifically-- 51:57 Doug: The principle is the same. 51:59 Jean: Yeah, it's relating to the martyrs during that time period. 52:02 Doug: Thank you Cindy, hope that helps a little and maybe we 52:04 have time for one more before our first sign off. 52:08 Jean: All right, we got Darryll listening in Florida. 52:09 Darryll, welcome to the program. 52:12 Darryl: Hey, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jean. 52:16 So, we know that God and God only can forgive sin, but how do 52:20 we reconcile when Jesus gave the disciples the authority to 52:24 forgive sin in John chapter 20, verse 23? 52:28 And then, once he gives them that authority, it was only-- 52:32 was it only those disciples or was it from that point forward 52:38 that Jesus, if you were a disciple of 52:41 Jesus, you had the ability to forgive sin? 52:44 And then the next idea that comes into my head, maybe this 52:48 is why some certain priests think they 52:51 have the ability to forgive people sins? 52:54 Doug: Yeah, let me quote this for our friends 52:56 that are listening and this is in Matthew chapter-- 52:59 I'm sorry, John chapter 20, verse 22. 53:03 It says, "And when he said this, he breathed on 53:04 them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. 53:08 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven of them. 53:12 If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" 53:14 Now that has been quoted by the Catholic Church and probably 53:17 others as proof that apostles and priests can forgive sins. 53:23 But, I do believe that Christians can forgive. 53:28 You know, keep in mind, Christ says when you bring your gift to 53:31 the altar, if you have ought with your 53:32 brother, go be reconciled to your brother. 53:34 And in the Lord's prayer it says, "Forgive 53:36 us our debts as we forgive our debtors." 53:39 So, there's a way for us to forgive 53:41 each other offenses against us. 53:43 In preaching the Gospel, we are passing 53:45 on the forgiveness of God to others. 53:48 In neglecting to preach the Gospel, they're not having that 53:53 benefit so, in as much as apostles and believers share the 53:59 Gospel of forgiveness, people receive forgiveness, and when we 54:02 fail to do that, or neglect to do that they 54:05 are--they are--they lose that benefit. 54:08 I don't know, what are your thoughts? 54:09 Jean: Yeah, absolutely. 54:11 I think it also has a reference here to 54:12 church authority or church leadership. 54:14 Not that the church can forgive or not forgive, but if 54:17 somebody is living in open violation and the church has 54:20 spoken to them and they refuse to repent, 54:22 and the church decides to remove them from 54:24 membership, that is a serious thing. 54:27 And Christ did give his church the ability to, 54:30 in that case, protect the flock and also be 54:33 faithful to the truth, to the Word. 54:35 Doug: Yeah, Matthew 18:18, "Whatever you bind on earth will 54:37 be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in 54:40 heaven," and that's in the context of the church forgiving. 54:44 I hope that helps, listening friends. 54:45 Now, I always like to explain just so people understand. 54:49 "Bible Answers Live" is on hundreds of 54:51 stations, on the Internet, we're on satellite radio, 54:54 and we're on land-based stations. 54:56 Because of the clocks, we sign off on satellite first. 54:59 So, we'll say God bless and farewell to all those listening 55:02 on satellite radio, but we're going to stay by and do rapid 55:05 fire Bible questions in just a moment, so 55:07 don't go anywhere, we are coming back. 55:10 ♪♪♪ 55:13 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:15 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:19 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:23 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:28 Jean: Hello friends and welcome 55:30 back to "Bible Answers Live." 55:31 For those of you who are staying around for the 55:33 next few minutes, we're going to answer some of 55:35 the e-mail questions that you sent us. 55:37 If you'd like to send us an e-mail question, our e-mail 55:39 address is balquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:44 Pastor Doug, first question that we have, it's a tough one. 55:46 It says, "How do you handle or how do I handle my 31 year old 55:49 daughter who is now transitioning into a man?" 55:53 Doug: Well, you know, that's heartbreaking, and if you're 55:57 asking for a Bible answer, I would say that, 56:00 you know, we need to love people. 56:01 Obviously, you don't love sin, and you certainly don't love 56:06 where someone might be going through medical or chemical 56:11 procedures to try to alter their gender because 56:13 it's really a--it's an effort of futility. 56:16 You cannot alter your gender. 56:18 The genes of men and women are different all the way down to 56:23 the very basic level, the chromosomes. 56:26 And so they're finding out more and more people that are trying 56:30 to transition are now trying to untransition, 56:33 because they're not finding the fulfillment. 56:36 I would say just be there to show unconditional love. 56:39 While I know you don't approve of sin and what your values are, 56:43 you want to support them as a human being, 56:45 so you're there for them afterward, if 56:48 they're looking for love and encouragement. 56:52 Jean: Okay, very good. 56:53 Here is a question Aunt Nancy is asking, she said, did God 56:56 breathe the breath of life into all animals as well? 57:00 Doug: Yeah, that breath of life, that God, it's says, "God 57:02 formed Adam from the elements of the earth, the clay, 57:06 he breathed into his nostrils the breath of 57:08 life and man became a living soul." 57:11 Yes, that breath of life was not only given to man, but you read 57:15 in Ecclesiastes that when any creature dies, the breath, it 57:19 says the spirit returns to God who gave 57:22 it, and the body returns to the earth. 57:25 And so, the body decomposes and 57:27 the breath of life returns to God. 57:29 And that says to man and beast, in Ecclesiastes, 57:34 they have the breath of life, obviously. 57:36 Jean: Okay, another question, John is asking, 57:39 are we to be afraid of evil spirits? 57:42 Doug: No. 57:43 First of all, Jesus said, "Fear not, 57:45 fear not, fear not, fear not." 57:47 You know, I don't think we should dabble 57:49 with or try to confront or communicate 57:50 with evil spirits, but just know they're there. 57:55 Good news is there's more good spirits than evil spirits, 57:58 meaning there's more good angels than evil angels. 58:01 And so, yeah, the Bible tells us, "He that is in you is 58:05 greater than he that is in the world," so 58:08 we don't need to be afraid of the devil. 58:09 Resist the devil, he'll flee from you, friends. 58:12 God bless, we hope that you will return next week 58:15 as we continue to study God's Word. 58:21 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest 58:23 and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2025-02-26