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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202401S
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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 mysterious, 00:13 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. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:53 During his travels in 1298, Marco Polo spoke of a bird in 00:58 Madagascar that was so big it could knock over an elephant. 01:02 Three hundred years later, early Arabian explorers returned from 01:06 the coast of East Africa with accounts of gigantic 01:09 birds three times as big as an ostrich. 01:12 At first, their stories were dismissed as 01:14 fables, but then they brought evidence: 01:18 huge eggs up to three feet in circumference. 01:22 They were, indeed, the eggs of a giant flightless bird from the 01:25 island of Madagascar that would, thanks to Marco Polo, become 01:29 known as the elephant bird or Aepyornis maximus. 01:34 The elephant bird, now extinct, was the 01:36 largest bird that has ever lived. 01:39 It's estimated to have weighed up to 1,100 pounds 01:41 and stand up to 11 feet tall. 01:44 The last sighting of a live bird was in 1649, 01:47 shortly after the French settled in Madagascar. 01:50 The early natives described the elephant bird as a shy giant 01:55 that was probably driven to extinction by people raiding 01:57 their nests for the extraordinary eggs. 02:00 One of the largest intact specimens is 35 inches in 02:04 circumference around its long axis and probably 02:07 had a capacity of more than 2 gallons. 02:11 I was calculating, Pastor Ross, that would probably 02:14 be about 150 omelets from one egg. 02:17 It was much bigger than any dinosaur egg 02:20 that's ever been discovered. 02:21 In fact, some biologists calculated that these eggs of 02:25 the elephant birds were the largest examples 02:27 of a single cell to have ever existed on earth. 02:32 It's sad when such an epic creature goes extinct but the 02:36 Bible says that some day all the wicked are going to be extinct 02:39 and the beautiful creatures are going to be restored. 02:42 Jean Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. 02:43 You are talking about a big bird. 02:45 Of course, you mentioned ostriches and they 02:46 are big and you've seen them, I've been in 02:49 Africa, we've gotten up close to ostriches. 02:51 Actually, I've ridden an ostrich before, but to imagine a bird 02:55 this size, as described here, it would be really neat 02:58 to have been able to see it, but I think the last 03:00 sighting, you say, was in the 1600s? 03:02 Doug: They think about 1649. 03:05 And, you know, in the pictures that we just showed for those 03:08 who are watching the video of the radio program, there was 03:11 actually a picture of a very young David Attenborough holding 03:15 one of the eggs that they had kind of pieced it 03:17 back together from a broken specimen. 03:20 They--you know, they're out in the desert and it's 03:22 calcium and it lasts for hundreds of years. 03:24 So they put one back together and 03:25 they're just absolutely enormous. 03:27 And they believe this is where the Arabian legend of what they 03:30 called the Roc, the R-O-C--it was this giant bird-- 03:34 that's where those legends came from. 03:37 So, there really were some megafauna, big birds. 03:42 That's where "Sesame Street" got it, huh? 03:44 Something that used to live. 03:45 But you know, the Bible tells us that someday the wicked will be 03:50 extinct and all of the beautiful animals restored. 03:54 And God's going to make a new heaven and new earth. 03:57 You know, it says, "Blessed are the meek; 03:58 they will inherit the earth." 04:00 You can read in Psalm 37, verse 35 and 36: "I've seen 04:04 the wicked in great power, and spreading 04:06 himself like a native green tree. 04:08 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought 04:13 him, but he could not be found." 04:16 Someday he tells us all the wicked are going to be gone 04:18 and God's going to create a new heaven, a new 04:20 earth, and, friends, that's why Jesus came. 04:23 He wants you to be in that kingdom with Him 04:26 and He's prepared a mansion for you. 04:28 And we have a book that talks about it if you'd like to know 04:30 more about the home that God has prepared for the saved. 04:34 Jean: A book, free offer, is called "Heaven, Is It for Real?" 04:37 And of course, it's for anyone who will call and ask. 04:39 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 04:44 That is our free offer number. 04:46 Just call that number and ask for "Heaven, Is It for Real?" 04:49 If you have your smartphone handy, you can dial #250, say, 04:52 "Bible Answers Live," and you can also ask for 04:55 it by name, "Heaven, Is It for Real?" 04:57 We'll be happy to send it to you if 04:58 you're in the US or in Canada. 05:00 If you're outside of North America, you can still receive 05:03 this by just going to our website, AmazingFacts.org, 05:07 and you'll be able to read it there. 05:09 Well, Pastor Doug, before we take our callers, 05:12 we have a number of folks who are waiting with 05:13 their Bible questions, let's start with prayer. 05:16 Dear Father, we thank You that we do have this time once again 05:19 to be able to open up Your Word and study. 05:21 There is power in the Word and so, Lord, we just pray for Your 05:24 blessing be with those who are listening and pray that You 05:27 guide us as we search the scriptures together. 05:29 And we thank You, Lord, in Jesus's name, amen. 05:32 Doug: Amen. 05:33 Jean: Okay, well, we're ready to go to our first caller. 05:36 We've got Pam listening in L.A. 05:38 Pam, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:41 Pam: Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. 05:44 Doug: Evening. Thank you for calling. 05:46 Pam: You're welcome. 05:48 My question is, is it okay to pray to the Holy Spirit, to ask 05:54 the Holy Spirit to lead me and to guide me? 05:58 Doug: Well, the Holy Spirit certainly is God the Spirit, you 06:01 know, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit all 06:03 comprise the Godhead, sometimes called the Trinity. 06:08 And I don't know that there'd be anything wrong with it. 06:11 But typically, in the Bible, you've only got a couple of 06:15 examples of people actually praying to Jesus. 06:18 Usually, prayers are directed to the Father in Jesus's name. 06:22 And I'm trying to think of a prayer to the Spirit. 06:26 Well, it says, "The Spirit and the bride say come." 06:28 That's not really a prayer. 06:29 Can you--I don't know, Pastor Ross, I can't think 06:31 of someone praying directly to the Spirit. 06:33 Jean: I don't think so. 06:34 I mean, usually, like you say, prayers are directed to the 06:36 Father in the name of Christ and we are praying, asking for the 06:40 Holy Spirit, but not necessarily praying directly to the Holy 06:44 Spirit, although the Holy Spirit, the Bible makes it clear 06:46 that He does hear our prayers, He does intercede, He does move 06:49 upon our hearts to reveal to us what we need to pray. 06:52 But I was thinking the one, for example, when 06:56 Stephen was being stoned, he cried out and 06:58 he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit." 07:01 So there we have a prayer to Christ, but I don't know 07:03 if there is a mention in scripture where it's 07:06 specifically a prayer to the Holy Spirit. 07:09 Doug: No, you know, I don't think 07:10 there's anything wrong with it. 07:12 I would, you know, wonder why would someone want to, as 07:16 opposed to praying to the Father through Christ 07:20 or even praying to Jesus, but certainly there's 07:22 nothing wrong with praying to the Holy Spirit. 07:24 Jean: You know, we do have a book 07:26 talking about the Holy Spirit. 07:27 It's called, "Life in the Spirit," and we'll be happy 07:29 to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 07:30 The number is 800-835-6747. 07:33 You can ask for the book. 07:35 It's called, "Life in the Spirit." 07:36 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers 07:41 Live," and then ask for the book by name: "Life in the Spirit." 07:44 Thank you, Pam. 07:46 We're going to go to Jeff in Washington. 07:48 Jeff, you're on "Bible Answers Live." 07:51 Jeff: All right, thank you for taking my call. 07:56 Doug: Absolutely. Thank you for calling. 07:58 Jeff: I have a question about--it has something to do 08:01 with Daniel chapter 9, the 70-week prophecy, and also 08:06 Daniel chapter 7, verse 25 speaks about this little horn 08:11 power was to seek to change times and laws and because they 08:16 usurp God's authority by removing the 70th 08:19 week to a unspecified time, you know, it's futurism, 08:24 wouldn't that also be changing times? 08:27 Doug: That's a good point, yeah. 08:29 You know, the beast power is seen in Daniel chapter 7, also 08:34 in Daniel chapter 8 for that matter, and in Daniel 9 too. 08:38 It's the early stages of the beast, anyway. 08:42 And futurism takes the last week of Daniel 9 and it just sort of 08:48 shifts it down to the end of time and floats somewhere, 08:51 wherever they want it to be, you know, wherever they say the 08:54 secret rapture will take place, that's when that week begins. 08:57 No example of carving up a prophecy like that and so, yeah, 09:01 they are changing a time in that respect. 09:03 It also means, of course, that beast power is establishing new 09:09 holy days and moving the standing holy day. 09:13 So they're taking times and laws that 09:16 are holy and shifting them around. 09:18 But I'd never thought of that. 09:20 What do you think? 09:21 Jean: Yeah, I think any time you start tampering with the 09:24 Word of God you're in trouble, and especially that prophecy. 09:27 And what's so beautiful about the 70 weeks, it actually 09:29 identifies when Christ would come and it describes His 09:32 ministry and talks about His death and His 09:34 Resurrection, then His Ascension, and the gospel going 09:36 out to the Gentile world in 34 A.D. 09:39 And the sad thing is they take that last week and they apply it 09:42 to an Antichrist power that they believe will appear in the last 09:46 seven--you know, during the Tribulation, these seven years 09:48 of Tribulation, but it's not biblical. 09:50 It's actually a prophecy pointing to Jesus, and they take 09:52 that same prophecy and they try and apply it to an Antichrist 09:56 power at the end, which is kind of sad. 09:58 Doug: It is, it's heartbreaking. 10:00 Jean: Yeah, it's an important prophecy. 10:01 It's a great study. 10:02 We do have a study guide that talks about 10:04 that and it's called "Right on Time!" 10:06 and it deals with the 70 weeks of Daniel chapter 9 and we'll be 10:11 happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 10:13 The number is 800-835-6747, 10:16 and you can ask for that study guide. 10:17 It's called "Right on Time!" 10:19 Or dial #250 on your smartphone and ask "Bible 10:23 Answers Live," and then say, "Right on Time!" 10:24 That's the name of the lesson. 10:26 We'll send it to anyone who calls and asks. 10:28 We've got Brittany listening in California. 10:30 Brittany, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 10:33 Brittany: Hi, hey. 10:35 Doug: Hi, how are you doing? 10:37 And your question tonight? 10:38 Brittany: Yeah, my question involves Revelation 10:41 11:19 which says, "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and 10:47 within His temple was seen the ark of the covenant." 10:51 I was wondering how does that even relate to our time with all 10:55 the endtimes events and the global outcry with Israel 11:00 and just all the crazy going ons with--and the 11:05 endtimes events slowly coming to a head even 11:08 with political craziness with the president 11:12 and government and all the madness. 11:15 Doug: Yeah, let me read this first, Brittany, 11:17 for our friends that are listening. 11:18 It says, "And then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and 11:21 the ark of His covenant was seen in the temple. 11:25 And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, 11:28 an earthquake, and great hail." 11:29 Now, looking at other places in Revelation, just before the 11:33 Second Coming, there's lightning, noises, 11:35 thunderings, earthquake, and a great hail. 11:38 Talks about a great hail falls upon the wicked. 11:40 It's not so much the ark as what's in the ark. 11:44 The ark is a container for the law of God, and it tells us 11:48 that, you know, at the end, the law of God's going to 11:50 be exalted when something's in heaven. 11:53 It's interesting, Pastor Ross, Jesus said, "Heaven 11:55 and earth would have to pass away before 11:57 one tittle of the law would fail." 11:59 And that's because man can't take away the 12:01 heavens and there's a copy up there anyway, 12:04 the heavens will be open, it's there. 12:06 But there may be some prophetic significance here. 12:09 What do you think? 12:10 Jean: Yeah, I mean, the whole passage, you read Revelation 12:12 chapter 11, it talks about the sounding of the seventh trumpet. 12:16 There's actually several themes that you find in Revelation 11. 12:18 It talks about the two witnesses and then, following that, talks 12:21 about the sounding of the seventh trumpet and it talks 12:24 about the nations being angry and the time of 12:26 the dead that they should be judged. 12:27 And then it says, "And I saw the ark of the covenant in heaven." 12:31 So, this is a description of an event described in heaven. 12:35 The sounding of the seventh trumpet, really, historically, 12:38 began at the end of the 2,300 days, which is in 1844. 12:42 We don't have time to get into all the details, but we're 12:44 living in that special endtime period, and it's interesting, in 12:49 1844 or shortly thereafter, it was a significant year. 12:53 Not only religious but also in scientific advancements. 12:56 Very interesting study just for the year 1884, 12:58 but after that, people began to study the Word of God. 13:02 They began to realize the importance of the Ten 13:04 Commandments, not that we are saved through obedience to the 13:06 Ten Commandments, but we are saved in order to obey. 13:10 And they realized the fourth commandment, 13:12 one that has to do with the Sabbath. 13:13 So, right around that time, the law of God was being studied, 13:17 the Word was being studied, the Second Coming, and it all ties 13:20 into what we read about under the seventh trumpet. 13:23 Doug: Yeah, it's also, I think it hearkens back to when, 13:28 on the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times, 13:31 they blew seven trumpets and the last--that last trumpet was the 13:35 fall of Jericho and God's people taking the Promised Land. 13:39 So, you're seeing that this is what's happening just 13:42 before we get to go to the Promised Land. 13:45 So, well, good question. Thank you, Brittany. 13:48 Jean: We've got Gary listening in Illinois. 13:49 Gary, welcome to the program. 13:51 Gary: How do you do. Doug: Yeah. 13:53 Gary: Seeing that we're already experiencing prophecy 13:55 come true on climate change and political perilous times, would 13:59 practicing the great commission be the most important 14:03 expectation from God? 14:05 Doug: Yeah, you know, Jesus said, "The gospel of this 14:07 kingdom," this is Matthew 24:14. 14:09 "The gospel of this kingdom will be preached in all the world for 14:12 a witness." 14:14 That's the Great Commission, "And then the end will come." 14:16 It's interesting you would mention what you said about 14:19 what's going on with the political unrest and the world. 14:23 We just read that there from Revelation 11 14:26 where it said, "The nations are angry. 14:29 The time of Your wrath has come, that the dead should be judged 14:32 and You'll destroy those who destroy the earth." 14:34 And you know, we see a big uptick of war right now and war 14:39 on a level that--more sophisticated man 14:42 gets with artificial intelligence and the 14:44 weaponry, it becomes more lethal. 14:46 And, yeah, you just wonder how much longer. 14:51 Can't be much longer before Jesus comes. 14:53 But yeah, we should be emphasizing 14:55 the Great Commission. 14:56 Thank you, Gary. Appreciate that. 14:58 Jean: All right, we got Bruce listening in North Carolina. 15:00 Bruce, welcome to the program. 15:03 Bruce: Hello, Pastors. 15:05 I've got--this'll be fast. 15:06 I got two questions. 15:10 What Bible programs do you two personally use? 15:15 Logos is my go-to but I also have e-Sword. 15:19 And my second question is, is when I watch Pastor Doug preach, 15:24 he's got stickers on the inside cover of his Bible. 15:28 I often wonder how he used them or what were they for. 15:31 Doug: Yeah, okay, two good practical questions. 15:34 Yeah, Pastor Ross and I use Logos. 15:37 I use Logos quite a bit and I also use e-Sword. 15:41 That's a free program you can download. 15:42 On our phones we've got--e-Sword has a phone application. 15:48 The Blue-Letter Bible, Olive Tree is another good program. 15:52 And then if you're studying the Bible on the internet, there's 15:55 Bible Gateway, and all of them have reading through the Bible 15:58 apps where you can read through the Bible. 16:00 And what was the one you use for reading out loud? 16:01 Jean: It's called Dwell. Doug: Dwell? 16:03 Jean: Mm-hm. Doug: And yeah. 16:04 Jean: Bible-reading program, also an app. 16:06 But you know, there are different-- 16:07 there are some free resources. 16:09 Of course, if one has Logos, there's--it does 16:11 cost and, depending which version you have, 16:13 you can spend quite a bit of money. 16:14 It's very in-depth and it has a lot of features, but there are 16:19 other free programs, I think e-Sword is one, 16:21 that you can really have a great study, 16:25 and it's got the Strong's Concordance. 16:26 You can look up different translations, 16:28 you can search a word in the original language. 16:31 So there's a number of great features to help in Bible study. 16:35 Doug: And the little tabs you see when I'm 16:36 preaching, I just--I buy these at Walmart. 16:39 They're little markers and it helps me quickly find a passage 16:43 in my Bible and I usually print my scriptures that I'm going to 16:47 read in the front of my Bible because when you're doing 16:49 television, time is very important, very valuable. 16:53 You spend a lot of money for a minute. 16:54 And so, I try not to waste a lot of time turning 16:57 pages while people are just waiting. 16:59 I have it all ready to go to quickly. 17:01 So I pre-mark things that I know I'm going to read in advance. 17:05 Thanks. Nice practical question, Bruce. 17:07 Jean: We've got Glenn listening in Ohio. 17:09 Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 17:12 Glenn: Oh, good evening and thank you for taking my call. 17:14 Doug: Thank you, Glenn. 17:16 Glenn: In the Bible, there's a--the parable of the talents 17:19 where a person was given ten talents, another 17:22 person five talents, and a third person one talent. 17:26 And as time went on, they were questioned 17:29 about what they did with their talents. 17:32 And the ten talents and five talents, they invested 17:35 them or put their talents at risk, 17:38 and they were given bountiful increase. 17:42 The person with the one talent did not invest his, and not only 17:48 did he lose that talent, but he ended up with nothing. 17:52 So we're talking about investing and gambling. 17:58 There's a situation where someone, the pastors, the board 18:02 puts money aside for their pastor for their 18:05 retirement and they invest that money. 18:08 They put that money at risk in the stock market. 18:11 But then there's somebody who wants to play 18:12 the lottery and they put their dollar and buy 18:14 a lottery ticket and they call that gambling. 18:17 And I was just thinking the Bible kind of exonerates 18:22 investing your money but what do the person who is-- 18:28 Doug: Buying a lotto ticket. 18:30 Glenn: Investing in a lottery ticket. 18:32 Doug: Yeah, that's a good question. 18:33 Glenn: He's using the baby's milk money. 18:35 I think that that may be the difference 18:37 between an investment and gambling. 18:41 If you use the baby's milk money, 18:43 wherever you use it, does that make sense? 18:45 Doug: Well, I think I understand the question, but 18:48 there is a big difference between playing the lottery. 18:51 Now, if you're gambling, if you go to a casino or you're playing 18:53 the lottery, your chances of winning, you've 18:57 got a better chance of getting struck by lightning. 18:59 It's very, very remote. 19:01 And if you go gamble, we know that the casinos 19:04 exist because the house always wins. 19:07 Very few people come away in the long term 19:10 with money from a casino. 19:12 They usually lose. 19:13 When you're investing carefully in the 19:17 stock market--which is what banks do. 19:19 Banks are always investing in stocks 19:20 and bonds or treasuries, whatever. 19:22 Over time, the value of real estate, it goes up 19:26 and down but, in the long haul, it goes up. 19:28 It's a much, much safer investment. 19:30 And when Jesus talks about them investing, you could even, you 19:34 know, put your money in the bank and you'll get at least minimal 19:36 savings and that's why Jesus said, "Well, 19:38 you could have at least," to the--what did he call? 19:41 The lazy servant? 19:42 He said, "You could have at least given it 19:43 to the bankers and gotten interest." 19:45 So God expects us to invest and trade and grow. 19:49 He wants us to do it wisely. 19:51 I had a friend who's a farmer. 19:53 He said, "Farming's a gamble." 19:56 And we'd all starve if they didn't do it, 19:58 so usually it pays off, but sometimes you have a 20:00 bad year and you can have losses. 20:04 You can have seven years of plenty and a few years of want. 20:07 So the Lord wants us to invest and use good judgment, but when 20:11 you get in the realm of gambling, it's a reckless 20:13 speculation and that, I think, the Bible condemns. 20:16 Jean: Okay, thank you, Glenn. 20:18 We've got Lee listening in Texas. 20:20 Lee, you're on the air. Welcome to the program. 20:23 Lee: Yes, sir, thank you. 20:24 My question for tonight is are there other signs 20:28 a person has done the unpardonable sin? 20:32 Doug: Yeah, how do we know if a person 20:34 has committed the unpardonable sin? 20:36 Well, for one thing, typically, they don't hear the voice of the 20:40 Holy Spirit speaking to them, they don't feel a sense of 20:45 conviction or any desire to repent and be at peace with God. 20:51 And the devil, I think, sometimes tries to convince 20:54 people they've committed the unpardonable sin when they 20:56 haven't and they become very discouraged and hard on 21:00 themselves and the devil would like for them to just give up 21:03 hope, but God is almost always willing to forgive 21:11 a lot more than we're willing to ask. 21:13 And He's very patient. 21:15 Now, there'll be a time at the end of time when Christ stands 21:18 up and probation closes and the saved are saved and the lost are 21:21 lost, but most of the time if a person is asking about 21:25 committing the unpardonable sin, they haven't committed it 'cause 21:29 they've got a desire, a yearning, a conviction, 21:32 of the Spirit working in their heart. 21:34 Jean: You know, we have a book called-- 21:36 Doug: About the unpardonable sin. 21:38 Jean: I'm trying to think what the name 21:39 of the book is, Pastor Doug. 21:40 Doug: I think it used to be called "Beyond Mercy," and now 21:42 it's just called "What is the Unpardonable Sin?" 21:44 Jean: There you go. That's easy enough. 21:45 If you'd like to receive that and learn more, 21:47 the number to call is 800-835-6747. 21:50 You can just ask for the book. 21:51 It's called, "What is the Unpardonable Sin?" 21:53 We'll be happy to send it to anyone in the US or in Canada. 21:56 Again, if you're outside of North America, 21:58 just visit the website, AmazingFacts.org. 22:01 Our next caller that we have is John, listening in Michigan. 22:04 John, welcome to the program. 22:06 Well, actually, it's Aaron. 22:07 Aaron, welcome, from New York. 22:09 Aaron: Good evening, Pastors. Doug: Evening. 22:11 Aaron: Revelation 21 says that "There will be a new heaven 22:14 and a new earth, and the first heaven and the first earth will 22:17 pass away. 22:18 And that the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell 22:22 with them." 22:24 What I got from this is that God will leave the heaven where He 22:27 dwells in now and make a new dwelling place on earth. 22:31 But someone told me that the first heaven and the first--no, 22:35 the first heaven is only the atmosphere 22:38 around earth and God will never leave His 22:42 headquarters from where it is now. 22:45 Which of these two ideas is right? 22:48 Doug: Well, when John says, "The first heaven and earth pass 22:51 away," the Jews had three words they used for heaven. 22:55 Sometimes, they'd use the word heaven and they're talking 22:57 about the air where the clouds are and the birds fly. 23:02 That's in Revelation where it says, "God separated 23:04 the waters above from the waters below, 23:06 and He made a heaven and atmosphere." 23:09 And they called that the first heaven. 23:11 Second heaven is where the stars are. 23:12 Third heaven is where God dwells. 23:14 Paul says, "I was caught up to the third heaven." 23:17 But in Revelation the context says he--when he says, "First 23:20 heaven was passed away," he's talking about the former. 23:23 The one--the earth and the heaven 23:24 that existed first is gone. 23:28 So we got a new atmosphere, a new world, and God, we know He's 23:32 going to dwell with men 'cause it says, "And the 23:33 new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven." 23:36 God is in the city. God Himself will dwell with us. 23:39 He's moving the capital of the universe to our planet because 23:43 we're made in His image and we will dwell with Him. 23:46 So I think it's pretty clear that 23:48 God is going to, ultimately, move. 23:51 Christ has become a human. 23:52 He's joined Himself forever to our race, 23:56 and He's going to move down to this world. 24:00 Yeah, that's--you'd enjoy the free offer 24:02 about "Heaven: Is It for Real?" that we're offering today. 24:04 Jean: Yeah, that one or I thought of another one 24:06 also, called, "A Colossal City in Space." 24:07 Doug: There you go. That'd be good too. 24:09 Jean: Talks about the Revelation 21 24:10 and the new Jerusalem. 24:12 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 24:15 You can ask for that study guide, 24:17 "A Colossal City in Space." 24:19 If you haven't called and asked for the 24:20 free offer, "Heaven: Is It for Real?" 24:21 you can ask for that as well. 24:23 You can dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers 24:27 Live," and then just ask for it by name. 24:30 It is "A Colossal City in Space," 24:33 and "Heaven: Is It for Real?" 24:35 We've got John from Michigan. 24:36 John, welcome to the program. 24:38 John: Hi, how are you? Thank you for taking my call. 24:40 I appreciate your show. It's helped me a lot. 24:42 Doug: Amen, thank you. 24:44 John: My question is regarding the Sabbath. 24:46 I've--you know, I grew up Christian school and just 24:50 recently this, you know, Sabbath awareness came up in--my job 24:55 has, you know, they've switched my schedule to where I work 24:58 weekends and nights and I'm having a hard time making the 25:04 transition because I have so many people relying 25:07 on my income and I'm just kind of lost. 25:12 Doug: Oh boy, that sounds like a challenge. 25:15 Well, you know, the first thing is and I'm not saying it's easy, 25:19 but the first thing is you have to make up your mind, 25:22 "Am I committed to obey what God says," whether 25:26 it's the Sabbath or any commandment. 25:29 And you know, there'll be pressures. 25:33 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were pressured. 25:35 They were going to lose their job and their lives if they did 25:37 not pray to the graven image or bow before it. 25:41 They said, "We can't do that." 25:42 And Daniel was going to lose his job and his life 25:46 if he prayed to anybody but the king. 25:48 That would break the first commandment, 25:49 "Don't have other gods." 25:52 You need courage also in keeping the fourth commandment. 25:55 Now what to do is, you know, you might go to your boss, I don't 25:58 know all the circumstances, and we can certainly 26:01 pray that God work things out, but you can just 26:04 tell your boss, you know, this is a conviction. 26:06 I'm an honest worker but, you know, I want to keep my Sabbath. 26:11 Fortunately, in North America, there are a number of laws on 26:14 the book--books, that help people through, 26:18 or that guide employers to respect the 26:20 religious convictions of their employees. 26:23 Now, some circumstances are different, but I'd just have a 26:27 heart-to-heart or write a letter with your boss. 26:29 If you walk in, face to face, is better, and just tell him why 26:32 this is really important to you and it's creating quite a 26:35 struggle 'cause you love your job but you love God also and 26:38 you want to keep His commandments. 26:39 Jean: And, you know, if you are attending a 26:40 Sabbath-keeping church, sometimes you can go to the 26:42 pastor there and--I know we've done it a number of times. 26:45 We'll write a letter on behalf of that person stating that they 26:48 do attend regularly, it's the day of worship. 26:51 We, you know, appreciate their boss or their 26:54 work accommodating them in any way possible. 26:57 And of course, you need to be willing to even work at 26:59 different times so that you can get your Sabbath off. 27:02 Doug: Yeah, very good. 27:04 Thank you for your question, John. 27:06 I hope that helps a little bit. 27:07 By the way, friends, we're not done. 27:09 We're coming back in just a moment with more questions. 27:15 announcer: Stay tuned. 27:16 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:19 ♪♪♪ 27:23 announcer: Deep within the pages of the Bible, 27:27 stories of great heroes, heroes of great 27:30 deeds, great love, and great sacrifice. 27:37 But behind them is another hero, hidden 27:41 in plain sight, only in the shadows. 27:45 He was there from the beginning, and 27:49 He'll be there until the end. 27:52 Discover the golden thread of a Savior woven 27:56 throughout the entire Bible tapestry. 28:00 "Shadows of Light: Seeing Jesus in All the Bible," 28:06 a new book by Doug Batchelor. 28:09 Get your copy today by calling 800-538-7275 28:13 or visit AFBOOKSTORE.COM. 28:16 Once again, to purchase your copy of 28:17 "Shadows of Light," call 800-538-7275. 28:24 announcer: Have you always wanted to be a Bible 28:26 expert but never knew where to start? 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29:36 Get practical answers about the good 29:37 book for a better life today. 29:43 announcer: This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 29:45 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions 29:48 on the air, please call us next Sunday 29:51 between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:54 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 29:57 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 30:02 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 30:08 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:14 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers 30:16 Live," and some may have tuned in along the way. 30:18 This is a live international interactive Bible study. 30:22 We're so thankful to meet the people that call in with their 30:25 questions from around the world, and we'll do our best to see if 30:29 we can find biblical answers for you regarding 30:31 the Word of God or the Christian life. 30:33 My name is Doug Batchelor. 30:35 Jean: My name is Jean Ross, and Pastor Doug, it's nice to 30:37 also greet those who are joining us online. 30:39 We have folks who are watching on YouTube, 30:41 also on Facebook, on amazingfacts.tv, 30:44 and so a number of folks tune in every week. 30:47 Some might be watching this after the live 30:48 broadcast so we want to greet all of you. 30:51 We also want to greet some of those radio stations that 30:55 have taken on "Bible Answers Live" this evening. 30:59 Those who are listening on KJAT from Arkansas, we want to greet 31:03 you, as well as KFHL in Bakersfield, California. 31:08 So, it's welcome to those who are listening, 31:10 and if you have a Bible question, give us a call. 31:12 The number is 800-463-7297. 31:16 Next caller is Sam listening in Ohio. 31:19 Sam, welcome to the program. 31:21 Sam: Hi, Pastors. 31:23 Doug: Hi. 31:25 Sam: My question is from Luke chapter 21, in verse 24. 31:33 The end of that verse says, "Jerusalem will be trampled by 31:36 Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." 31:42 And I was wondering what this times of the Gentiles means. 31:47 Doug: Yeah, boy, that is a--that is a great question. 31:49 It's also--the answer has different 31:52 advocates for different views. 31:55 And it could actually be one of the examples of 31:57 a dual prophecy, where there's more than one. 32:01 So, it's very clearly talking about that Jerusalem, 32:06 right on the surface, you see the disciples had 32:07 asked Jesus, He said there would not be one 32:10 stone left upon another in the temple. 32:12 So the context of His answer, He's talking about the temple 32:15 being destroyed, the Romans destroying Jerusalem, the Jews 32:18 being carried off in captivity, especially in Luke 'cause Luke, 32:23 on the way to the cross, Jesus tells the women, "Don't cry for 32:25 Me, but cry for yourselves because," you know, "you'll say, 32:29 'Blessed are the barren that did not bear.'" 32:31 So He was telling the people in Jerusalem 32:33 that judgment was coming. 32:36 And so it says Jerusalem would be trodden by the Gentiles. 32:38 Well, that happened. 32:39 The Romans took it and it bounced around 32:41 between the Crusaders and the Arabs and 32:43 everybody in between, and the English. 32:46 Until, miracle of miracles, 1948, they 32:50 became an independent nation again. 32:52 So I think right on the surface, historically, 32:54 you see something happening here. 32:56 But then there's those who say Jerusalem being trodden by the 33:00 Gentiles is also talking about the persecution 33:02 of the church and the ultimate liberation of 33:05 the new Jerusalem and victory over the evil. 33:08 So, it could mean both and I don't know if 33:13 you have any thoughts on that, Pastor Ross? 33:14 Jean: I agree. 33:16 I think it's definitely--it just seems, just reading it as it is, 33:19 talking about literal Jerusalem, it's talking about the literal 33:21 destruction in 70 A.D., and it's talking about the 33:24 Gentiles, until their time be fulfilled, and 33:26 historically we can see, yes, that did occur. 33:29 The Jews are back in Jerusalem, back in Israel. 33:32 But yeah, there could be a broader application as you 33:34 mentioned, a spiritual connection there. 33:36 We've got Susie listening in California. 33:37 Susie, welcome to the program. 33:39 Susie: Hello. Good evening, Pastors. 33:41 Doug: Evening. 33:42 Susie: And thank you for taking my call. 33:44 My question is can I be saved without reading my Bible? 33:49 Because a lot of my church leaders had 33:51 told me that Bible couldn't save me. 33:54 Doug: Well, you know, what we're saved by is faith in 33:58 Jesus, and the Bible says, "Faith comes by 34:02 hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." 34:04 Now, back when Paul wrote that, not everybody could read but 34:08 some could, and everyone could hear, with the few exceptions of 34:12 people that were deaf, and so it's saying that, you know, as 34:15 we read and/or hear the Word of God, there's power in His Word. 34:20 If a person's not able to read, maybe they can hear it read. 34:25 Fortunately, today, there's a lot of different apps where the 34:27 Bible can read to you or you can find, you know, 34:31 apps and things that'll read the Bible. 34:33 But the Bible keeps us from sin, the Bible shows us the character 34:37 of Christ, Jesus is revealed in the Word, and so it's, you know, 34:42 I can't understate the importance of the Word of God 34:45 to both bring us conviction and comfort with 34:47 the Holy Spirit speaking through it. 34:50 So am I answering what you're asking? 34:53 Susie: Should I continue to read my Bible then? 34:55 Doug: Absolutely, yeah. 34:58 Susie: What I was conscious about, you know, my 35:02 church leader, she told me about that. 35:05 Doug: What did the leader tell you, not to read your Bible? 35:08 Susie: Yeah, because he cannot save 35:09 me--it couldn't save me. 35:11 My Bible cannot save me. 35:12 That's what she told me. 35:14 Doug: Well, you know, if you've got a church 35:15 leader telling you not to read your Bible, 35:17 I'd be looking for another church. 35:19 The--yeah. 35:21 Christ is revealed through the Word. 35:24 The Bible's the foundation for what we believe. 35:26 God speaks to us through His Word. 35:28 We are saved because of what we read in 35:30 the Word and faith in it. 35:31 So in many ways it's the Word that saves us and reading the 35:36 Bible, like I said, can't be saved without faith, 35:38 and faith comes by hearing the Word. 35:40 Jean: And when Jesus was tempted and He's 35:42 our example, He quoted from scripture. 35:44 He said, "It is written, it is written." 35:45 So if He read the Word, Revelation, the last book of the 35:48 Bible, says, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the 35:51 words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written 35:54 therein," so for a Christian, one who is able to read the 35:57 Word, they need to read the Word. 36:00 Matter of fact, when the Word is read, 36:02 there usually follows a revival. 36:04 For example, the Protestant Reformation when 36:05 they were able to translate the Bible into the language 36:08 of the common people, there was a revival that took place. 36:11 So there's power in the reading of the Word. 36:12 Doug: Absolutely. 36:13 We're encouraging all of our friends and members of our 36:16 church to get into a Bible-reading program. 36:19 Read through the Bible in a year, 36:20 and it just strengthens your faith. 36:22 Jean: All right, thank you, Susie. 36:23 We've got Robert listening in Washington. 36:25 Robert, welcome to the program. 36:27 Robert: Hi there. 36:28 Doug: Hi. Robert: Hello. 36:30 I'm just wanting to know, I guess, had 36:34 the people note about Psalms 1:1 to 3. 36:40 I just was wanting to know if you could explain that a little 36:43 bit more like about the counsel of the ungodly, the sitting in 36:49 the--or standing in the path of sinners, and the other one-- 36:56 Jean: The seat of the scornful. 36:58 Robert: I was wanting to know if you 36:59 could explain that a little bit more. 37:01 Doug: Sure, yeah, we'll take a--it's a great verse. 37:02 We'll do our best to quickly expound it. 37:05 And this is from Psalms, the first Psalm, written by David, 37:08 verse 1 to 3, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel 37:12 of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in 37:17 the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the 37:20 Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 37:24 He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that 37:27 brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf will not 37:30 wither; and whatever he doeth shall prosper." 37:33 So it's talking about someone that they don't-- 37:36 first, you notice, they're walking. 37:37 And then they're standing. 37:39 It's like they're walking by, and then they're standing 37:40 listening, and then ultimately, they're sitting. 37:42 And when you're walking by and you see the ungodly, keep 37:46 walking 'cause if you stand and listen, pretty 37:48 soon you're sitting with the scornful. 37:50 It's like a progression. 37:51 And it says that we should flee temptation, walk away from it, 37:56 or actually, run from it like Joseph ran from Potiphar's wife. 38:00 But this person, they will not walk, they will not stand, they 38:04 will not sit, with the scorners, the sinners, the ungodly. 38:08 But their delight is the opposite of the ungodly, 38:11 the law of the Lord, the truth, the Word of God. 38:14 And they meditate on it, day and night. 38:17 Moses said surround ourselves with the Word of God. 38:19 And then, pictures him as a tree planted in the 38:22 wilderness, and I used to live in a desert. 38:25 It was easy to find the oasis in the desert 38:28 'cause it's the only green spot. 38:30 If that tree--it can be in a desert, but if it's got a stream 38:33 of water by it, it will flourish. 38:36 It's got a continual flow of nourishment. 38:38 And so, God promises that for those that 38:41 delight in His law and turn from sin. 38:44 Jean: You know, we have a book. 38:46 I was just thinking about it for the previous 38:47 caller, but also it ties in with this one. 38:49 It's called, "The Ultimate Resource," 38:50 and it's about the Bible. 38:52 Of course, you find the law in the Bible, so all the blessings 38:56 in studying the Word of God, and we'll send this 38:58 for free to anyone, just call and ask. 38:59 It's called "The Ultimate Resource." 39:01 It's one of our books, and it's all about the Bible. 39:04 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 39:08 You can ask for that book or dial #250 on your smartphone and 39:12 say "Bible Answers Live," and ask for "The Ultimate Resource." 39:16 We've got--who do we have next? Let's see. 39:18 We've got Jean in Connecticut. There we go. 39:23 Jean, welcome to the program. 39:25 Jean: Hi, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross, thank 39:28 you very much for--and take my call. 39:31 Doug: Yeah, your question? 39:33 Jean: Yes, sorry. 39:35 I'm asking about Revelation 11, specifically verse 2. 39:40 I'm just wondering what the holy city in--the verse 39:47 is referring to, and what does it mean when the 39:50 outer temple is being given to the Gentiles? 39:55 Doug: Yeah, well, I'll tell you a little bit 39:57 and then Pastor Ross will pick it up. 40:00 Probably 50% of Revelation is drawing from the prophets in the 40:07 Old Testament, namely Zechariah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. 40:12 There's a passage in the end of Ezekiel where 40:14 Ezekiel is told to measure a temple. 40:18 And a lot of people wonder, "What is this temple? 40:20 And it was never built and why was this 40:22 temple that he measures never built?" 40:24 Well, you get to the New Testament, Jesus said, "Destroy 40:27 this temple made with hands and I will make one without hands," 40:30 and He spoke of His body, the church. 40:33 And so the measuring of the temple is not 40:35 talking about measuring bricks up in heaven. 40:38 It's talking about an evaluation or judgment of God's people. 40:42 Jean: Yeah, absolutely. 40:43 And if you look at it says, "Measure 40:45 the temple but leave out the court." 40:47 There were three parts of the temple. 40:49 You had the courtyard and then you had the 40:50 holy and you had the most holy place. 40:52 The courtyard represents the earth, 40:54 that's where the lamb was sacrificed. 40:56 Jesus came to the earth, He died for our sins, He's 40:58 the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. 41:01 But then Christ arose and He ascended to heaven, 41:03 there to minister as our priest, our high priest. 41:06 Well, that ministry of the priest was in the holy and the 41:09 most holy place, after the sacrifice had been made. 41:12 So when it says, "Leave out the court," it's referring 41:14 to the earth, and it says the Gentiles would 41:16 tread it underfoot for 42 months. 41:19 Well, that is an interesting time period there. 41:21 That's 1,260 days. 41:24 There were 30 days in a Hebrew month and 41:26 you do the math, 42 times 30, 1,260. 41:29 So you've got a time period of 1,260 years, one prophetic day 41:33 equals one literal year, and that time period actually met 41:36 its fulfillment during the Dark Ages where the truths of 41:39 Christ's high priestly ministry was being substituted by manmade 41:43 traditions, by the established church, but at the end of that 41:47 time period, 1798, and then leading into 1800s, you had the 41:51 Reformation, you had the Word of God being translated, 41:54 and that really culminated in the study of the Word 41:56 of God and the truths of Christ's high priestly ministry. 41:59 So that, that's also a reference to that 1,260 or 42:02 42 months time period that you read about in that verse. 42:05 Doug: Yeah. 42:07 Well, I think our lesson that talks about the Antichrist 42:09 talks about that time period, and maybe 42:14 our brother would be interested in that. 42:16 Jean: Absolutely, just call and ask. 42:17 It's called, "Who Is the Antichrist?" 42:18 That's the name of the lesson. 42:20 The number is 800-835-6747, and you can 42:23 ask for it, and we'll send it to you. 42:25 Dial #250 on your smartphone, and say "Bible Answers Live," 42:30 ask for that study guide called, "Who is the Antichrist?" 42:33 All right, thank you. 42:34 And next caller that we have is T.C. in Arizona. 42:38 T.C., welcome to the program. 42:41 T.C.: Thank you, gentlemen. 42:42 I appreciate it, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jean. 42:45 My question is we celebrate Jesus's birthday every year in 42:50 wintertime, but the Bible plainly states that He was born 42:54 during the first census which would be in the fall. 42:58 Why do we celebrate, even as Christians, the birth of Christ 43:03 in the winter when He was born in the fall? 43:06 Doug: Well, you're absolutely correct. 43:08 There are three reasons in the Bible and 43:13 one you just stated from history. 43:14 Now, of course, we know that Mary and Joseph came 43:17 down during the census of Augustus Caesar. 43:20 Well, the date for the census is not in the Bible but the history 43:23 does have that date and they did not issue the census in the 43:27 middle of winter when people would be 43:29 traveling during the worst time of the year. 43:31 It says shepherds, of course, were in their fields. 43:35 They wouldn't be in the fields in the coldest time in Jerusalem 43:38 or Bethlehem, and then it also tells us that 43:43 Jesus began His ministry when He was 30. 43:46 He ministered three and a half years, and He died in 43:48 the Passover, so He dies in spring. 43:51 You go back 33 and 1/2 years, that means He's born in the 43:54 fall, so it's really clear that Christ was born, we 43:56 don't know the date, but sometime in the fall. 43:59 So here's the question: if a Christian knows that He's born 44:03 in the fall, we don't know exact date, most of the world is 44:06 recognizing the birth of Christ in December and, of course, you 44:12 know, if you go to southern hemisphere, December's hot. 44:14 It depends on where you are. 44:16 Some places, it's not a white Christmas. 44:18 So the real question is are you supporting paganism by doing it 44:25 in a date that has some pagan trappings or can you use it as a 44:31 witnessing opportunity 'cause the world is thinking 44:33 about the birth of Christ and exploit it for Christ to 44:36 try and make something good of it? 44:38 I'd say that's one of those issues that a person 44:40 needs to just decide and feel comfortable about it. 44:44 If they're grieved that it's wrong, don't do it. 44:47 Jean: You know, I think one of the things too about the 25th 44:49 of December, I think it's, you know, we know Christ was not 44:52 born on the 25th of December, and I don't think it's right to 44:55 treat that as a holy day or a sacred day. 44:58 But around that time of the year when people are 45:00 thinking about the birth of Christ, you can know-- 45:03 probably good to take advantage of that. 45:05 And we do a concert around that time of the year 45:08 where we sing the Christmas carols and we have-- 45:10 Doug: Invite the neighbors and-- 45:11 Jean: Yeah, invite friends to come. 45:13 People are open to it at that time of the year. 45:14 Great opportunity for sharing and witnessing and, of course, 45:17 it is a very significant event that Jesus was born, 45:20 so there's nothing wrong in singing about it. 45:23 But that doesn't mean that there's something 45:25 holy about the 25th of December. 45:26 Doug: Always feels a little funny to preach 45:28 about the birth of Jesus in July. 45:31 Jean: Yeah, it would feel a little odd, wouldn't it? 45:32 Doug: It'd just feel like it's out of sync, somehow. 45:35 But nothing wrong with that, technically. 45:37 I don't know if that helps. 45:39 We do have a book called "Baptized Paganism," 45:41 that talks about some of the pagan trappings of 45:43 these things and you might enjoy that, T.C. 45:46 Jean: The number is 800-835-6747, 45:49 and you can ask for the book. 45:50 It's called, "Baptized Paganism." 45:52 Dial #250 on your smartphone, say 45:55 "Bible Answers Live," and ask for that. 45:57 And Anastacia is in Canada. 46:00 Welcome to the program, Anastacia. 46:02 Anastacia: Hi, my question is about when Elijah 46:04 was on Mount Horeb and he fled from Jezebel. 46:08 She was threatening to kill him. 46:09 Okay, so my question is, is that who was in the 46:15 earthquake, the fire, and the wind, if it wasn't the Lord? 46:18 And I know there's a deeper meaning to that story, and I 46:21 just don't know what it is, so can you explain it to me? 46:23 Doug: Yeah, well, just for our friends listening, 46:25 let me give you the background so we 46:27 understand the question Anastacia's asking. 46:30 Elijah gets frightened when Jezebel threatens 46:32 his life after this Mount Carmel experience. 46:35 He ends up going through the wilderness all the 46:37 way back to Mount Sinai where Moses had gone. 46:42 And by the way, it's interesting that Moses spent 40 days, 40 46:47 nights up on Mount Sinai, Elijah spends 40 days 46:49 and 40 nights going to Mount Sinai, and Jesus 46:51 spends 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. 46:55 And up on the mountain, the Lord speaks to him 46:57 and, while he's there, there's an earthquake. 47:00 It says, "The Lord was not in the earthquake." 47:02 And there's a fire, and "the Lord was not in the fire." 47:03 And there's a great wind. 47:05 Then he says, "The Lord is not in the wind." 47:06 But then there's a still small voice, and God is speaking to 47:09 him through the still small voice and 47:11 saying, "Elijah, what are you doing here?" 47:13 And I think he's saying there that sometimes, you know, we 47:17 look for God to speak through dramatic events, and the Spirit 47:22 typically speaks to us in a still small voice. 47:25 Elijah had just come from a fire coming down from heaven and the 47:30 slaughter of the prophets of Baal and a great rainstorm after 47:33 a drought and all these, and he's saying, "You know, it's the 47:36 Holy Spirit that changes people's hearts. 47:38 It's not going to be the fire and rain." 47:41 Jean: And you know, I think absolutely, Pastor. 47:42 Just another thought on that, he was somewhat 47:44 discouraged 'cause he thought he was the only one. 47:46 I mean, he'd already had the Mount Carmel experience and then 47:48 Jezebel is threatening his life and he was wondering, 47:51 "Man, am I the only one that still worships the Lord?" 47:54 And God said, "No, I've got 7,000 47:56 that haven't bowed the knee to Baal." 47:58 And we might not always see God working, but the Spirit of God 48:02 is working, and He's working in a powerful way. 48:04 But maybe not with open display. Sometimes there is. 48:08 I mean, fire is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the wind is 48:11 also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, but it's through that 48:13 still small voice, through the convicting voice 48:16 of the Spirit to the conscience that lives are changed. 48:18 Doug: Yeah, and he didn't need to be afraid of an 48:21 earthquake or a fire or a mighty wind if God was with him, 48:25 and he didn't need to be afraid of Jezebel. 48:27 Jean: That's right. 48:28 Doug: Yeah, so that was part of the message. 48:29 Good question. Appreciate that, Anastacia. 48:32 All right, who's next, Pastor Ross? 48:33 Jean: We've got Marlon in Tennessee. 48:35 Marlon, welcome to the program. 48:38 Marlon: Oh, hi, Pastors. Doug: Hi. 48:41 Marlon: Pastor Jean Ross and Pastor Doug 48:43 Batchelor, thanks for taking my question. 48:45 So my question, I just googled, like, what does the Bible think 48:51 about or behaving like or living like a sloth? 48:55 Doug: Yeah, well, the scriptures actually have quite a 48:59 bit to say about the importance of work. 49:03 You know, we talk from time to time on the program about the 49:05 Sabbath and folks think about the day of rest, but part of 49:08 that commandment says, "Six days thou shalt work." 49:11 They always think about the "Thou shall not 49:13 work on the seventh day," but they forget, 49:15 "Thou shalt work on the six days." 49:17 So, God wants us to be working, and you can read in Proverbs 49:23 18:9: "He who is slothful in his work is a brother 49:27 to him who is a great destroyer." 49:29 And so, the Bible has a great deal to say about industry and 49:36 being a worker and not to be lazy or slothful. 49:40 The King James uses the word slothful, because, of course, 49:42 a sloth is a very slow-moving creature, and so it 49:45 became sort of a metaphor for someone who's lazy. 49:48 Jean: And here's a verse, 49:50 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 10. 49:52 And it says, "For if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." 49:55 Doug: Yeah. 49:57 Jean: So, yes, it's good to work, right? 49:58 It's good to provide for your needs and the needs of 50:00 your family, so it's commendable in scripture. 50:04 All right, we've got Susan listening in South Carolina. 50:06 Susan, welcome to the program. 50:09 Susan: Thanks. Hi, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jean. 50:11 I hope you're doing okay tonight? 50:13 Doug: Thanks for calling. 50:14 Susan: My question is--I had a customer 50:17 ask me this question the other day. 50:18 Why did Adam wait until after the fall to name Eve, "Eve"? 50:23 He called her Woman in the beginning, 50:26 and then after the Fall he called her Eve. 50:28 Doug: Well, I think he actually named her before the Fall. 50:31 It's not recorded until after there, but Adam's 50:36 the one who named all the creatures. 50:37 God gives Eve to Adam, so He takes her from his rib or makes 50:43 her from the rib, on the sixth--the day of creation, and 50:47 I'm assuming that he gave her her name before the Fall. 50:52 We don't know, the Fall may have happened a month after Creation. 50:55 He probably didn't wait a month before 50:56 he said, "What's your name, by the way?" 50:58 You know, "You're my wife, what's your name?" 51:00 So I think it's just stating it as after-fact, that, oh yeah, by 51:04 the way, the name that he gave to the woman was Eve. 51:07 But the Bible often does that. 51:09 It gives the details later, after the headlines. 51:13 So, any thoughts on that? 51:15 Jean: Yeah, it's, you know, where Adam I think where it 51:18 talks about a woman, of course, when Eve 51:20 came to Adam, he said, "This is now woman." 51:22 But then when God came, looking for Adam and Eve, 51:24 and God says, you know, "Why are you hiding? 51:28 Did you eat of the tree I told you not to eat?" 51:30 And then he says, "Well, the woman that You gave me." 51:33 Doesn't use her name "Eve." He says, "The woman." 51:35 And then, of course, afterwards, you discover, yeah, 51:37 the reason her name is Eve is because 51:39 she's the mother of everyone else, right? 51:42 She gave birth to the human race from there on. 51:44 Doug: And by the way, he calls her Eve 51:46 before she's had her first child. 51:48 Jean: Right. 51:49 Doug: So, I think she had that name, sixth day. 51:52 Jean: Before, yeah. 51:53 All right, great. Doug: Good question. 51:54 That's a first-time question, I think. 51:56 Jean: Yeah, we've got Terry listening in South Carolina. 51:58 Terry, welcome to the program. 52:00 Terry: Hey, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross, how you all doing? 52:02 Doug: Good. 52:03 Terry: Thanks for taking my call. 52:05 All right, so my question is when do you become 52:08 specifically responsible for a prophet's message? 52:13 For example, you know, John taught baptism but you couldn't 52:16 necessarily find that in the Old Testament. 52:18 So what if I said, "You know what? 52:19 I'm just going to keep taking my lamb to the temple"? 52:22 And then you had the instance where he didn't perform any 52:27 miracles and the other thing was he told his disciples, "Hey, 52:32 this is the Lamb of God that'll take away the sin of the world," 52:35 but then a couple of weeks later he was, like, "Hey, can 52:36 y'all go and check and make sure that's the right guy?" 52:39 So let's say I was kind of on the fence and I was like, 52:43 "You know, I like John but I'm just not sure." 52:45 So what are y'all thoughts on a situation like that, 52:49 as opposed to when we can look and read everything 52:51 and see everything they did but what if we was in 52:54 real time and you had to make a decision? 52:57 Doug: Yeah, I was going to say it still happens even in our 52:59 time where truths are presented that we listen to and we may be 53:03 convicted and at what point are you guilty for 53:07 not responding when you hear some new truth? 53:10 Pastor Ross and I do evangelism. 53:11 As we're preaching, we, you know, preach things that people 53:14 thought, "Wow, I've never thought about that before." 53:16 We can't be their conscience but the way I understand it is once 53:19 a person understands a truth and the Holy Spirit 53:24 convicts them that it is truth, then they 53:27 should not resist the voice of the Spirit. 53:29 I'm sure when John was preaching, the power 53:32 of the Spirit was present in his preaching. 53:34 I mean, the crowds all swarmed out, and Jesus even said 53:37 to the scribes and Pharisees, you know, "The message 53:40 from John, did it come from God or from men?" 53:42 And He'll say they didn't accept 53:44 his preaching, but the people did. 53:46 They knew he was a prophet of God. 53:48 So I think they had evidence. 53:51 Jean: Okay, maybe time for one more. 53:53 Mia, we've got about a minute. 53:56 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 53:57 You need to make it quick. 54:00 Mia: All right, my question is can we observe the Sabbath 54:04 day and also go to church on Sunday? 54:08 Doug: All right, that's a good-- 54:09 we'll give you a quick answer to that. 54:11 There's nothing wrong with going to church seven days a week. 54:15 You know, our church sometimes has 54:16 a prayer meeting on Wednesday. 54:18 So, as far as going to church or gathering together with 54:21 believers, it should be done many times. 54:23 It says they broke bread from house to house daily. 54:26 But as far as what day is the Sabbath, and you wouldn't want 54:29 to be treating another day like it's the Sabbath, 54:32 or recognizing it that way, there's no question. 54:35 I've been to church on Sunday to worship with people or to go to 54:38 a Bible study but everyone knows what I believe about the 54:41 Sabbath, it's the seventh day, not the first. 54:43 Hey, listening friends, we're about out of time 54:46 for our almost conclusion of the program. 54:50 We sign off and say goodbye to our 54:51 friends listening on satellite first. 54:53 They're on a different time clock than 54:55 the other land-based stations. 54:56 The rest of you, don't go anywhere. 54:59 Pastor Ross and I are going to come back 55:01 and do some rapid-fire Bible answers. 55:03 For the others on satellite, God bless till next week. 55:09 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:12 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:15 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:20 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:26 Jean: Hello, friends, and welcome back to 55:27 "Bible Answers Live," those of you who are able 55:29 to stay by for the email questions. 55:31 If you have an email question you want to send us, 55:34 it's just simple BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:38 Pastor Doug, first question, "My son promised that he would never 55:41 smoke marijuana again, but he broke his promise. 55:45 If my son confesses, will he be forgiven? 55:48 Or has my son's probation closed?" 55:50 Doug: Yeah, so I think her son made a 55:52 promise to God and she--and he broke it. 55:54 Does that mean that we're lost? 55:57 Well, let's hope not, because a lot of us have made 56:00 the best of intentions in a promise to God. 56:02 Every time a person's baptized, they're 56:04 making sort of a covenant. 56:06 And many people have broken some of their baptismal vows. 56:10 Does that mean they've committed the unpardonable sin? 56:13 God is longsuffering. 56:14 If you want evidence for that, look at what He did with Israel. 56:18 Right after He makes the first covenant, 56:20 they break the covenant. 56:21 He could have destroyed them. Moses prayed for them. 56:24 God says, "Okay, I'm going to give you another chance." 56:25 Well, that acts out in people's lives many times. 56:29 He was so patient with the children of Israel, they 56:31 continued to test God and He forgave them. 56:33 Jean: We've got an example in Mary Magdalene as well. 56:36 It says cast out seven devils. 56:37 Doug: That's right. 56:38 Jean: Right, question number two. 56:40 Here we have Carla, who's asking, "What should 56:42 I do if I'm covered with tattoos and 56:44 it's impossible to get them removed?" 56:47 Doug: Well, don't lose any sleep over it. 56:51 You know, the Bible's pretty clear. 56:53 It says, "You shall not make cuttings 56:55 in your flesh or tattoo your body. 56:57 I am the Lord," in the book of Leviticus. 57:00 But a lot of people out there, especially in our day and age, 57:03 they, you know, they're tattooed high and low, deep and wide. 57:07 And then they get convicted and they 57:09 read the Bible, they come to the Lord. 57:11 They can spend a lot of time and money and it can 57:13 be very painful to remove all your tattoos. 57:15 I just say that, you know, you may want to remove some, just, 57:19 you know, use your good sense and do what you think the Lord 57:25 wants you to do, but I don't think that God's 57:26 going to keep you out of heaven if you came to 57:28 the Lord after you've gotten tattoos. 57:30 Jean: Absolutely. 57:31 All right, another question: "Can, or do, angels die?" 57:35 Doug: Well, angels are spiritual creatures 57:37 that were created by God. 57:39 He can uncreate them because Bible tells us 57:42 in Revelation chapter 20, Satan and his angels are cast 57:45 in the lake of fire and they are consumed. 57:48 It's the second death, and so, yes, 57:50 the fallen angels, they're going to die. 57:53 They're kept right now in everlasting 57:55 chains of darkness for that day. 57:57 Jean: All right, Pastor Doug. 57:58 "If a woman represents the church in the 58:00 Bible, what does a man represent?" 58:02 Doug: He is the servant of the woman? 58:05 You know, not every time you find woman 58:08 doesn't mean church, but in certain times. 58:10 Hey, God bless, friends. We are out of time. 58:12 We'll talk to you and study next week. 58:17 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and 58:19 accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2024-02-23