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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202403S
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00:03 male announcer: It is the best-selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted; 00:09 and its 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 00:23 and practical answer to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:33 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:43 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Hello, listening friends, would you like to hear 00:52 an Amazing Fact? 00:54 Well, it's no longer the stuff of Star Trek, Star Wars, and 00:58 science fiction. 00:59 In January 2024, the British Ministry of Defense announced 01:03 that they successfully test fired a laser weapon to take out 01:07 an aircraft. 01:09 Laser directed energy weapons, or LDEWs, use an intense light 01:14 beam to cut through their target, and they can strike at 01:16 the speed of light. 01:18 The range of the device called DragonFire is still classified, 01:22 but the sophisticated laser cannon is so precise, it can hit 01:26 a silver dollar from a mile away. 01:29 This will be especially useful to defend against the increasing 01:32 number of consumer drones that are being used, in warfare. 01:36 The DragonFire laser is not only fast, accurate, and deadly, it's 01:41 comparatively inexpensive to operate. 01:43 For example, a typical Tomahawk cruise missile costs roughly 01:48 $1.5 million, one missile. 01:50 The DragonFire cannon can shoot down a target for roughly $13 01:55 in electricity. 01:57 As I remember, Pastor Ross, the Bible says, "God's got a big 02:01 laser that he's going to use at the Second Coming." 02:04 Jëan Ross: That's right. 02:05 Pastor Doug, it's going to be a gloriously bright light, 02:08 the Bible says. 02:09 "For when He comes, the wicked are destroyed with the 02:10 brightness of His coming." 02:13 Doug: Probably the verse that sounds the most laser-like is 02:16 when you read in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 8, "And then the 02:19 lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with 02:23 the breath of His mouth and--" notice--"destroy with the 02:25 brightness of His coming." 02:27 Something bright happening there. 02:29 It's kind of like when the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, it 02:35 says, "So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them." 02:38 They went into the sanctuary, and, evidently they were drunk, 02:41 and they brought in strange fire, and fire came down like 02:44 a laser. 02:46 And then you also have that verse in Hebrews 10:27 speaking 02:50 of those that reject God's truth, it says, "But they can 02:53 only look forward to fearful expectation of judgment, and 02:57 fiery indignation that will devour the adversaries," like 03:01 those that are destroyed by the brightness of His coming. 03:05 You know, I sometimes use the illustration that, if you go out 03:10 at night with a flashlight in the woods, and you tip over a 03:14 rock, you know, all of these creepy crawlies come out; they 03:19 run from the light. 03:21 But, if you set that light up out in the field, the moths come 03:25 to the light. 03:26 So some run from the light, and some go to the light. 03:28 And, when Jesus comes, everybody's either a cockroach 03:31 or a butterfly. 03:32 Jëan: That's right, Pastor Doug. 03:34 Actually, Revelation chapter 6 describes that; it says, 03:36 "The wicked turn at the rocks in the mountains. 03:38 They say, 'Fall on us, hide us from the face of him who sits 03:41 upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!'" 03:44 So they're wanting to hide from that glorious light appearing of 03:47 Christ when He comes a second time. 03:48 But, for the righteous, "They look up and say, 'This is 03:51 our God. 03:52 We've waited for Him. 03:53 He will save us.'" 03:55 Doug: That's right. 03:56 Well, you know, the Bible is clear about one thing. 03:57 The world as we know it is not going to last, and everybody 04:00 listening right now, even if you're in perfect health, 04:02 you're terminal. 04:03 These lives are short, and all of us will someday have our 04:07 last night. 04:08 And there is going to be a last night on earth. 04:12 We need to be ready for the end. 04:15 This life is to prepare for the life that lasts forever. 04:18 And, if you'd like to know how to prepare, we've got a 04:21 free offer. 04:22 Jëan: We do; it's a book; it's called "The Last Night 04:24 on Earth." 04:25 And this is a free offer for anyone that's watching 04:26 or listening. 04:28 All you need to do is call our resource phone line. 04:30 That number is 800-835-6747. 04:33 You can ask for the book; it's called "The Last Night 04:35 on Earth." 04:36 We'll be happy to send it to anyone if you're in the U.S. 04:38 or in Canada. 04:40 If you're outside of North America, you can just simply 04:42 go to the website, just AmazingFacts.org. 04:45 There's another way that you can get the free offer, and that is 04:47 by dialing #250 on your smartphone, say Bible Answers 04:51 Live, and then ask for the book by name, "The Last Night 04:54 on Earth." 04:56 And, you know, throughout the program, Pastor Doug, we're 04:57 going to give some other great resources for people. 04:59 And, once again, you want to keep those number, keep that 05:02 number handy. 05:03 You can call if you have a Bible question. 05:05 Our phone line here to the studio is 1-800-463-7297. 05:11 And our phone lines as they say are open. 05:14 If you don't get through right away, just stay on there, and 05:17 somebody will take your call as soon as possible. 05:20 Well, we're going to start with a word of prayer, and then we'll 05:21 go to the phone lines. 05:23 Dear Father, we are grateful once again for this time that 05:26 You've given us to be able to open up the Bible and study. 05:29 It is the most important book in the world. 05:31 It reveals truth. 05:33 And so we do pray for Your guidance as we study 05:35 the Scriptures together in Jesus's name, Amen. 05:38 The first caller that we have this evening is David, and he's 05:41 listening in California. 05:42 David, Welcome to Bible Answers Live! 05:45 David: Hi. 05:47 Doug: Hi, evening. 05:51 David: My question tonight is, how long will the 05:54 tribulation last? 05:56 Doug: All right, good question. 05:57 Now, when we talk about the tribulation, virtually all 06:01 Christian denominations agree there is going to be a very 06:05 severe tribulation of some sort prior to the Second Coming. 06:09 Jesus said that, "Except those days be shortened, no flesh 06:13 would be saved." 06:14 He said, "For then shall be great tribulation." 06:16 And, if you go to the end of the Book of Daniel, it says, "At 06:19 that time," this is Daniel chapter 12, "Michael will stand 06:22 up, the great prince that stands for the children of thy people: 06:26 and there will be a time of trouble, such as there never has 06:29 been since there was a nation even under the same time... 06:32 and many that sleep in the dust of the earth will awake." 06:35 So that's the resurrection. 06:36 How long will this great tribulation be? 06:40 Now, a lot of people listening right now, you probably heard 06:42 reference to the seven years of tribulation. 06:45 Actually, the phrase seven years of tribulation does not appear 06:49 in the Bible. 06:50 It's presumed, and, if I'm not mistaken, Pastor Ross, that 06:54 concept is taken from the Book of Daniel 9 where they take the 06:58 last week of the 490-year prophecy there, and they kind of 07:03 hover it at the end of time, which, there's no other prophecy 07:06 where you break off part of it and float it where you want. 07:09 Some people think that it's seven years because there were 07:12 seven days after Noah entered the ark, and he was sealed and 07:17 shut inside, and the wicked were outside; their probation 07:20 was closed. 07:21 And they thought, you know, maybe that's where you can get 07:24 seven years of tribulation. 07:25 Others have thought that there'll be--And, by the way, 07:27 there's two phases of the time of trouble. 07:30 You might call one the small time of trouble. 07:32 That's when you can't buy or sell. 07:34 Then Revelation 13 says, ultimately, there is a death 07:37 decree, and that's very intense; that's the seven last plagues. 07:41 And it's hard to imagine the life on earth going on for seven 07:45 years with the oceans being blood, boils, great heat. 07:49 I mean, that seems like it's going to be a condensed period 07:52 of time or more concentrated. 07:54 Jëan: There is a verse, actually, it's interesting. 07:56 Revelation chapter 18, verse 8, we're talking about the seven 07:58 last plagues. 08:00 This is what the verse says, it says, "Therefore her plagues 08:02 shall come in one day," and the her there he is referring 08:05 to Babylon. 08:06 This is the downfall of Babylon. 08:07 We know that the plagues as described in the Book of 08:09 Revelation begins with the sea turning to blood and all this, 08:12 there's a painful sore, and then the sea turns to blood, and 08:14 so on. 08:16 But we know in Bible prophecy, one prophetic day is equal to 08:18 one literal year. 08:19 So that's led some scholars to feel that the seven last plagues 08:22 will fall in about the period of a year because it says, "Her 08:26 plague shall come in one day." 08:27 That's Revelation 18, verse 8. Doug: I can't even imagine a 08:31 year like that. 08:32 That'd be a bad year. 08:33 Jëan: It would be. 08:35 Doug: So don't worry about the time of trouble, friends. 08:36 Just be faithful day by day is the key. 08:39 Jëan: And God promised to take care of His people during 08:41 that time. 08:43 Doug: Now, we do have a book called "Anything But Secret!" 08:45 And the last half of that book talks about the tribulation. 08:48 And, if people would like a free copy of that, we have it. 08:51 Jëan: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747, and you 08:55 can ask for the book. 08:56 It's called "Anything But Secret!" 08:58 It's one of the Amazing Facts study guides. 08:59 But I think it's also actually, that's the book. 09:01 Doug: Sermon book, yeah. 09:02 Jëan: That's one of the books. 09:04 800-835-6747. 09:06 You can dial #250 on your smartphone, and ask for the book 09:10 as well. 09:11 We have Anna listening in Oregon. 09:13 Anna, welcome to the program. 09:15 Anna: Evening, pastors. 09:17 Doug: Evening. 09:18 Anna: My question is, what is the true meaning of speaking 09:23 in tongues? 09:24 Doug: I'm glad you asked. 09:25 I wish I had that question more often. 09:28 It's just close to my heart because, when I first became a 09:30 Christian, all of my friends I worship with were what we 09:33 would call Charismatic Christians. 09:36 And they practiced speaking what you would call speaking in 09:39 tongues where, you know, they would ostensibly go into this 09:44 Spirit led trance where they would begin babbling 09:47 and muttering. 09:48 And they said this is a heavenly language and the heavenly 09:50 prayer language. 09:51 And I'd say, "What are you praying?" 09:52 They said, "I don't know." 09:54 Or someone might come along and translate for them. 09:55 And, you know, that's a comparatively new phenomenon 10:00 in Christianity. 10:02 The speaking in tongues that you see in the Bible--First of all, 10:05 you can read in Mark chapter 16 where Jesus said among the signs 10:10 that His Spirit would fall upon them, it says, "They will speak 10:14 with new tongues." 10:15 The word tongues means languages. 10:17 And you see, in Acts chapter 2, the fulfillment of that. 10:20 When the Holy Spirit was poured out, there were Jews visiting 10:23 from all over the Roman Empire on the day of Pentecost; they 10:26 had come on a pilgrimage. 10:28 And the Lord gave the 12 apostles, and others in the 10:31 upper room, the supernatural ability to speak languages they 10:36 did not formally know or study for the purpose of preaching the 10:40 gospel to these visiting Jews. 10:43 Other times in the early days of the church, people were given 10:47 the the gift of tongues to speak in languages they did not know. 10:52 See, at the Tower of Babel, God cursed man, and there was 10:56 confusion they couldn't understand. 10:59 At Pentecost, He reversed the curse and gave the disciples 11:02 the ability to communicate the gospel in any language. 11:05 But they were real languages of the world. 11:07 It doesn't say that they just babbled or muttered. 11:10 Paul says in f1 Corinthians 14, "Except you utter by the tongue 11:14 words to be easy, easy to be understood, no one will know 11:17 what you're saying." 11:18 You're speaking into the air. 11:20 Paul said, "I'd rather speak five words where, by my tongue, 11:22 I might educate or teach someone than 10,000 in a language 11:25 someone doesn't understand." 11:27 So we got a gift book on it. 11:30 I could say much more, but I'd launch into sermon number 36. 11:33 So, better save that. 11:35 Jëan: That's right; that book is called "Understanding Tongues," 11:37 and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 11:39 Again, the number is 800-835-6747. 11:42 Or you can dial #250, ask for Bible Answers Live if you're 11:46 going to use your phone, and say, I want the book called 11:49 "Understanding Tongues," and we'll be happy to send it to 11:52 anyone again in North America. 11:54 If you're outside of the U.S., just go to our 11:56 website, AmazingFacts.org. 11:58 Next caller that we have is Ryan, and he's listening in 12:01 New Mexico. 12:02 Ryan, welcome to Bible Answers Live! 12:05 Ryan: Hello, how y'all doing today? 12:07 Doug: Doing good, thanks for calling. 12:10 Ryan: My question is, is keeping the Sabbath on the pagan Roman 12:14 calendar, the Gregorian calendar seven day cycle? 12:18 It only uses the sun. 12:20 Is that actually sun worship? 12:21 I mean, because it's only dealing with the sun, that seven 12:25 day cycle. 12:26 I think, you know, pagan Rome got that from the looney solar 12:32 calendar, you know what I mean? 12:34 Doug: Yeah, you've got two calendars. 12:37 When Jesus was born, Julius Caesar had already lived and 12:40 died when Jesus was born. 12:41 And they were using what they called the Julian Calendar. 12:45 And, you know, the calendar names that we use, and even the 12:49 names for the days of the week, we get most of that from 12:52 the Romans. 12:53 The Romans got some of it influenced by the Greeks, and 12:55 you could even trace some of it back maybe to Babylon. 12:57 But the days of the the week, the day of the sun is Sunday, 13:03 the day of the moon is Monday, so forth, you know. 13:06 Wednesday was Odin's Day. 13:07 Thursday, it was Thor's day. 13:09 Saturday was Saturn day. 13:10 In the Bible, they never used any of the Roman names. 13:14 They use first day, second day, third day. 13:16 Now, we know what the days of the week are. 13:17 The Romans had a seven day week, and the Jews had a seven day 13:20 week, and we all have a seven day week. 13:22 The seven day week of the Romans; their first day of the 13:26 Jews was what the Romans call Sunday, or we call Sunday. 13:29 And, even in the Bible, we know Jesus rose the first day of 13:32 the week. 13:33 It's not sun worship if we're using a calendar for keeping 13:37 appointments, about what time of year it is for planting 13:40 or whatever. 13:41 What are you going to call the months? 13:43 Are you going to use the Jewish names for the months? 13:44 But the calendar never affects the weekly cycle. 13:48 Now, it doesn't matter whether you're using the Julian 13:50 calendar--when they switched from the Julian calendar to the 13:53 Gregorian calendar--You can help me, Pastor Ross. 13:56 You've done this meeting before. 13:58 It was October 5, Thursday, 1582 I think. 14:06 And then it went, the next day, went to October 15, Friday. 14:13 So they went all the way from the 5th to the 15th. 14:16 They dropped in when they switched from the Julian to the 14:19 Gregorian calendar, but they went from Thursday to Friday. 14:23 So, while they made a jump and a change in the calendar, it never 14:26 affected the weekly cycle. 14:27 Thursday was followed by Friday. 14:30 Is that right? 14:32 Jëan: Well, yeah, you said 1582. 14:33 Doug: What was it? 14:35 Jëan: Let's see. 14:36 The change from the Julian to Gregorian calendar 14:38 occurred 1582. 14:40 Let me see. 14:42 It doesn't give us the exact-- I'm looking this up. 14:43 Doug: I'm pretty sure about the October. 14:45 Jëan: Yeah, here it is. 14:46 October 4 was followed by October 15 in 1582. 14:48 Doug: October 4,15. 14:50 Yeah, they added 10 days. 14:51 All right, I got that wrong. 14:52 I said October 5, so, but Thursday was followed by Friday. 14:55 So I don't know if that helps, Ryan, answer your question. 14:58 But I don't consider it sun worship if, you know, it's the 15:02 only calendar the world follows right now. 15:05 And it dates back before the time of Christ. 15:07 Jesus didn't follow a calendar. 15:09 Jesus lived by the weekly cycle, as far as what day was Sabbath? 15:14 That was the same seven days we keep now. 15:17 Jëan: And different languages use different names obviously 15:19 for the days of the week. 15:21 It is interesting, though, in a number of languages that the 15:24 seventh day of the week that we call Saturday today is actually 15:26 Sabado, if it's Spanish, or a number of other languages. 15:30 Doug: Subbota in Russian. 15:31 Jëan: That's right, which connects to the Hebrew. 15:33 Yeah. 15:34 Very interesting. 15:35 Okay, next caller that we have is Wade listening in Minnesota. 15:37 Wade, welcome to the program. 15:40 Wade: Yeah. 15:41 Hi, Pastor Doug. 15:43 I just wanted to say that your testimony is the most powerful 15:47 I've ever heard. 15:48 Doug: Thank you. 15:50 Wade: I just wanted you to know that. 15:52 But the question I have is about 2 Timothy 2:15 where the Apostle 15:58 Paul talks about rightly dividing the Word of truth. 16:02 Is he talking about studying the Bible dispensationally or what's 16:08 he talking about there? 16:10 Doug: Well, I think Paul's comment, and this is, it says, 16:14 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who 16:17 does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word 16:19 of truth." 16:21 Well, when you're teaching truth from the Scriptures, you don't 16:26 want to use goofy comparisons like, you know, I heard a pastor 16:30 say once, you know, you could find the verse that says Judas 16:34 went out and hung himself. 16:36 The Bible does say that, and then you can jump to a verse 16:38 that says, go thou do likewise. 16:40 Well, that's not rightly dividing the Word of truth, 16:42 telling people that you're supposed to go hang yourself 16:44 like Judas because you've patched together two Scriptures. 16:46 You've not divided it rightly. 16:48 So dividing it rightly means comparing Scriptures and themes 16:53 with appropriate or similar Scriptures or themes to teach a 16:56 point so that you're faithfully teaching things in context and 17:02 staying with the essence of what the truth would be. 17:06 Jëan: You know, we have a book that's called "The Ultimate 17:07 Resource," and it's all about the Bible. 17:09 It talks about how to study the Bible. 17:11 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 17:13 The number is 800-835-6747. 17:16 Just ask once again for that book, it's called "The 17:18 Ultimate Resource." 17:20 It's all about the Bible. 17:21 You can dial #250 on your smartphone, and say Bible 17:24 Answers Live, and then ask for the book by name. 17:27 Thank you, Wade. 17:29 We've got Shannon listening in Georgia. 17:30 Shannon, welcome to the program. 17:34 Shannon: Oh, thank you. 17:35 My question is, Psalms 1 through 3, it mentions David fighting 17:42 against an unknown group. 17:45 And what I wanted to know is, if there's anywhere listed in 17:49 the Bible that I can find out who these people were? 17:52 Doug: You said Psalms 1 through 3? 17:55 Shannon: Psalm 60. 17:58 Doug: Psalm 60, verses 1 through 3? 18:01 Okay, and let me read that for our friends. 18:04 "O God, you've cast us off; You have broken us down; You have 18:07 been displeased; Oh, restore us again! 18:09 You've made the earth to tremble; You've broken it; Heal 18:12 its breaches, for it is shaking; You've shown Your people hard 18:15 things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion." 18:20 Now keep in mind David did not write all of the Psalms. 18:24 He probably, I think he wrote 70 of them. 18:26 If I'm not mistaken, Pastor Ross. 18:28 Some were written by Asaph and some, maybe even Solomon, the 18:31 Bible says, wrote some Psalms. 18:33 When it says, you've made us drink the wine of confusion, 18:36 it's interesting. 18:37 It talks about the wine of Babylon in, is that Revelation 18:41 17, Pastor Ross? 18:42 Babylon's made the nations drunk with-- 18:44 Jëan: Drunk with wine, yep. 18:46 Revelation 17. 18:47 Doug: And this could be an allusion to one of the many 18:50 times the children of Israel were conquered, because of their 18:52 unfaithfulness, by some surrounding nation. 18:55 It doesn't say what that nation is. 18:57 Oh, wait a second now; I take it back. 19:00 It says--and I wasn't reading the preface to the Psalm, 19:04 "A michtam of David. 19:05 For teaching. 19:07 When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, 19:09 and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the 19:12 Valley of Salt." 19:13 Yeah, I remember that was when Joab fought one group, and he 19:17 sent his brother Adonijah to fight the other group. 19:20 They got kind of attacked from the north and the south at 19:22 one time. 19:23 And they looked like, I think David is kind of pleading here 19:28 for victory. 19:29 But they won that battle. 19:31 Jëan: They did. 19:32 Yeah. 19:33 All right. 19:35 Very good. 19:36 Well, thank you, Shannon. 19:38 We've got Lee in Texas. 19:39 Lee, welcome to the program. 19:40 Lee: Yes, sir. 19:42 Good evening. 19:43 Doug: Evening. 19:44 Lee: My question for the night would be, what does it mean by 19:46 the man of sin will takes his seat in the temple of God? 19:50 Is that in Rome or is that in Jerusalem? 19:54 Doug: I think it's in Rome because, when it says that he 19:59 sits in the temple of God showing himself that he is God-- 20:02 Of course, there is no Hebrew temple now. 20:04 But Jesus said, "Destroy this temple made with hands, and in 20:07 three days I will make one without hands." 20:10 And it says, He spoke of His Body. 20:11 The church is called the Body of Christ. 20:14 And the Bible says, we are living stones built up to a 20:17 spiritual house. 20:18 So, when you talk about someone sitting in the temple of God 20:21 showing Himself that He is God, it's talking about someone 20:24 sitting over the church saying they hold some divine position. 20:29 And many Protestants believe that's speaking of what the 20:32 Roman pontiff did. 20:35 Jëan: John chapter 2, verse 19, Jesus said, "Destroy this 20:38 temple, in three days I'll raise it up again." 20:40 And, of course, He spoke not only of His Body, but He also 20:43 spoke of the New Testament church. 20:45 And there is no place really for any person to sit and rule in 20:50 the temple that was in Jerusalem. 20:52 Of course, it was a story in 70 AD. 20:54 But, when you compare that to the church in, like you 20:57 mentioned the city of Rome, yes, there is a king that actually 21:01 rules from that church, from that cathedral, which was never 21:05 the case as it related to Jerusalem and the temple there. 21:09 Doug: Yeah, the Jewish temple had no throne room. 21:11 Jëan: That's right. 21:12 Doug: It just had a place for the the Ark. 21:13 But you and I were in the Vatican. 21:15 Jëan: Right in the very heart of the church. 21:18 Doug: And there's a big place for the throne--there is a 21:19 problem there--between two angels, that's right. 21:22 Jëan: Okay, well, thank you, Lee. 21:24 We've got Robert listening in Washington. 21:25 Robert, welcome to the program. 21:28 Robert: All right, good evening. 21:29 Thank you for being here tonight. 21:32 Doug: Well, praise the Lord. 21:33 We're glad that we can study the Word with our friends. 21:36 Robert: Yes. 21:38 as you might see on your note, this is, it's a little bit 21:41 different question than I had tonight. 21:43 regarding the history slash Bible. 21:49 I was discussing um the Second Coming, the signs of the Second 21:54 Coming with a friend and regarding May 1780, the dark day 22:01 and then the falling of the stars. 22:03 And she was saying, telling me that, "Well, how do you know 22:09 that May 1780 is a dark day?" 22:12 I mean, she was saying, "Well, there's been many dark days, 22:15 there's been many times that the stars fell from heaven. 22:18 So how can you pinpoint these two dates?" 22:24 Can you possibly help me with that? 22:27 Doug: Yeah, well, keep in mind that prophecy has 22:31 a historical application. 22:34 So Jesus wanting the church to know when His coming was near, 22:38 He would give major signs in history. 22:40 Now, in Matthew 24, He said that there would be great 22:44 earthquakes, that the sun would turn dark, the moon would turn 22:48 to blood, the stars would fall to heaven. 22:51 Those things have happened on a historic timeline in a very 22:55 significant way. 22:56 I mean, you can go to the encyclopedia or even on Google, 23:00 and, if you say, what was the day of the Great Star falling, 23:03 it'll take you to, is it-- Jëan: 1833. 23:06 Doug: Yeah, I think it's May 1833. 23:09 Abraham Lincoln even comments on that because he saw it. 23:12 It was a quite a significant event, and, when you talk about 23:15 the dark day, that was something that's in the history books, and 23:18 this is all happening, and then the Lisbon earthquake. 23:22 That was maybe not the most intense, but it was one of the 23:25 most widely felt earthquakes as far as its geography. 23:29 Jëan: That was 1755, the Lisbon earthquake. 23:32 You know what else is interesting is the way Jesus 23:34 mentions that there in Matthew 24, He talks about an 23:36 earthquake, He talks about the sun becoming dark, the moon 23:40 being as blood, and then the stars falling from heaven. 23:43 And right around that time period, 1755, you have the 23:46 Lisbon earthquake, which was felt they say on three 23:49 continents, Africa, Europe, and even as far away as 23:51 North America. 23:53 And then you had the dark day, as we mentioned, in 17, when was 23:57 that date, that came a little later, 1780? 24:00 Then you have the Leonid meteor shower in 1833. 24:05 And all of these are announcing the coming of a day of judgment. 24:08 And we understand that to have taken place at the end of the 24:11 2300 days in 1844, according to Daniel 8:14. 24:15 So these are significant events that point to a fulfillment 24:19 of prophecy. 24:20 And they understood that, even back in those times; there's 24:23 many historical records of, when this day suddenly turned dark, 24:26 people began to wonder, "Well, is this the end of the world?" 24:29 And, when the stars fell, people were wondering, "Wow, is this a 24:31 warning that God is giving?" 24:32 So they understood the the significance of these events. 24:35 Doug: Yeah. 24:37 And then, of course, these things are going to happen again 24:38 in quick succession at the Second Coming because, one thing 24:42 that hasn't happened, it also says in the heavens will depart 24:45 as a scroll and then they will see the sign of the Son of Man. 24:48 So, not only did these things happen historically to kind of 24:51 wake people up and tell us we're marching to the end, and, keep 24:55 in mind, you know, a day with the Lord is like 1000 years. 24:57 You look at the scope of Bible history, and it moves, you know, 25:01 slowly for our lives. 25:03 But, historically, we're nearing the end, but they're going to 25:07 happen in quick succession right at the end of time also. 25:11 Jëan: Okay, thank you, Robert. 25:12 We've got Will listening in Canada; Will, welcome to 25:14 the program. 25:17 Will: Good evening, pastors. 25:19 Doug: Evening. 25:20 Will: So my question is in first 1 Samuel chapter 10, verse 10; 25:25 does prophecy have a different meaning in this context? 25:29 Doug: Well, let me read this for our friends. 25:31 First, you said 1 Samuel 10, verse 10? 25:34 It says, "When they came to the hill, there was a group of 25:36 prophets to meet him, and the Spirit of God came upon him, and 25:39 he prophesied among them." 25:42 Well, the word prophesy there, it means he preached, the Spirit 25:46 of God came over him, and he began to testify and preach and 25:50 talk about the glory of God and praise God. 25:53 And you see that happening in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul said 25:59 it's better to prophesy than speak in tongues. 26:02 And it says that the evangelist Philip had four daughters, which 26:06 did prophesy. 26:08 They didn't walk around fortelling the future. 26:11 That means he had four daughters that also taught; they may have 26:13 taught other women, but he had four daughters that were also 26:16 involved in a teaching ministry. 26:19 And so prophecy didn't mean, you know, Elijah was a prophet, but 26:23 he didn't spend all his time talking about the future. 26:25 Neither did John the Baptist. 26:27 He said, "Repent." 26:29 And so that's probably the kind of prophecy Saul, who had been a 26:32 king, a Benjamite, Spirit of the Lord comes on him, and he begins 26:37 to prophesy, which is something that the priests and the sons of 26:40 the prophets normally did. 26:42 Does that help answer that question? 26:44 Will: Yeah, thank you. 26:46 Jëan Ross: All right. 26:47 Hey, thanks so much. 26:48 You know, Pastor Ross, we're going to have a break in, oh, 26:50 about 30 seconds here. 26:52 So we don't want to take a call and cut people off short. 26:54 Sometimes we'll start a call at the beginning of a break and 26:58 take it at the end. 26:59 But sometimes, when people sign on and off, they lose context. 27:03 But, friends, we're going to go, probably get a drink of water. 27:07 We want you to tell your friends that the best part of the 27:10 program is still coming. 27:12 And, don't forget, you can also be listening to and watching 27:15 everything we do on the Amazing Facts YouTube channel. 27:19 So don't go away. 27:20 We'll be back in a moment. 27:24 male announcer: Stay tuned. 27:26 Bible Answers Live will return shortly. 27:32 Doug: The U.S. government 27:34 is drowning in debt to the tune of $22 trillion. 27:38 But, before you wag your finger at the government's spending, 27:41 the Federal Reserve says the average American household 27:44 carries over $137,000 in debt. 27:48 Well, it was never God's plan that we live with the burden 27:51 of debt. 27:52 Proverbs 22:7 warns us, "The rich rules over the poor, and 27:56 the borrower is servant to the lender." 27:58 Living with debt is a stressful burden that actually hurts your 28:01 relationship with God. 28:03 In my new pocket book, "Deliverance from Debt," I 28:06 outline the Bible principles on how to properly manage your 28:09 money, with some practical suggestions on how you can get 28:12 out and stay out of debt. 28:14 If you or someone you love is drowning in debt, order a copy 28:18 of "Deliverance from Debt" today. 28:20 It can be a lifesaver to keep you from going under. 28:23 Please call 800-538-7275 or visit afbookstore.com. 28:32 male announcer: Jerusalem, the city of peace, has been a place 28:35 of unending conflict for centuries. 28:38 Many now believe that Jerusalem will soon take center 28:40 stage again. 28:42 But what does the Bible say? 28:43 "The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem" presents the vital history you 28:47 need to know about Jerusalem and its role in end time 28:50 Bible prophecy. 28:52 This Amazing Facts edition of the classic volume, "The Great 28:55 Controversy," is the perfect sharing book. 28:58 Get your copy at afbookstore.com. 29:05 male announcer: You're listening to Bible Answers Live, where 29:08 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and his 29:12 plan to save you. 29:13 So what are you waiting for? 29:15 Get practical answers about the Good Book for a better 29:18 life today. 29:22 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 29:25 If you'd like answers to your Bible related questions on the 29:28 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. 29:32 Pacific Time. 29:34 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 29:37 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 29:42 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 29:47 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more Bible Answers Live. 29:53 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to Bible Answers Live. 29:55 We know there's some that have joined along the way. 29:57 This is a live international interactive Bible study. 30:01 We are not only streaming on the Internet and Facebook and 30:04 YouTube, but we're on about 300 radio stations, satellite radio, 30:09 and all you have to do is call in with your Bible questions, 30:11 and we'll do our best to take as many calls as we can. 30:14 Sometimes I think folks might think, "Well, I wanted a longer 30:17 answer," but we see the line of people waiting. 30:19 We try and budget about three minutes, get as many calls as we 30:22 can, and just to teach the Word of God. 30:25 If you want to call in with a question, it's 800-GODSAYS, 30:28 that's 800-463-7297. 30:31 I am Doug Bachelor. 30:33 Jëan: My name is John Ross, and we have Ian listening from-- 30:37 no, actually it's Ivan, I think, from Mexico. 30:40 Let's see. I don't know. 30:41 Are you there? Ivan: Good evening, pastors. 30:43 Doug: Evening. Ivan: Yes. 30:44 Good evening, pastors. 30:46 How are you doing? Thank you for taking my call. 30:47 Doug: Good, thanks for calling. Ivan: I have a question. 30:50 I wanted to, I had a question in regards to 30:56 the deliverance of evil spirits. 30:57 How do we go about getting delivered by, from those things? 30:59 Doug: Yeah, well, the--of course, Jesus casts out spirits, 31:04 and, so, by turning to the Lord and asking for deliverance. 31:07 It helps if you go to Christian friends, you know, I mean, if 31:12 you're the person you're talking about, you might be thinking 31:14 about someone else. 31:15 You go to Christian friends, and you can gather and pray. 31:19 Now, if the person that is tormented, they may choose to 31:22 come themself, like the demoniac in Mark chapter 5; he came to 31:26 Jesus; Jesus cast out the evil spirits. 31:28 Turn your life over to Him through the proclamation of the 31:31 Word--Jesus basically sets us free--and through prayer. 31:38 And so, you know, sometimes the disciples would pray over 31:41 somebody, and the the evil spirits would leave them. 31:45 And, you know, it might be a battle that goes on for a while. 31:48 Even Jesus, it says He cast seven devils out of 31:51 Mary Magdalene. 31:53 And it seems to indicate that seven times she kind of 31:55 slid back. 31:56 So it's coming through the turning to the Lord, through the 32:04 reading and the proclamation of the Word, and through prayer. 32:08 Jëan: And, if there is something in your life that you know is 32:11 out of harmony with the will of God, maybe there's movies or 32:14 books, talking about the occult, or maybe, you know, there's 32:17 things in your house that should not be there that gives a 32:19 foothold to the devil, to an evil spirit. 32:21 We want to get rid of that as well. 32:23 So do everything we can do in our power. 32:25 But, ultimately, deliverance does come through prayer. 32:28 And, like Pastor Doug says, the Bible says, where two or three 32:31 are gathered together in my name, that's where I will be. 32:33 So, get Godly friends or church members, and unite in prayer, 32:37 and ask God to do something that, you know, you can't do 32:40 for yourself. 32:42 Doug: That's right. 32:43 Jëan: Okay, thank you. 32:44 Next caller that we have is Rebecca. 32:46 Rebecca is listening in Washington. 32:47 Rebecca, welcome to the program. 32:50 Rebecca: Hi. 32:51 Thank you so much, pastors. 32:52 I appreciate being here. 32:54 Doug: Yes, how can we help you? 32:57 Rebecca: Hi, Pastor Doug. 32:59 I sent you The Ice Maiden's Kiss. 33:01 Thank you for sending me that devotional. 33:03 Doug: Oh, ok, thank you. 33:05 Good, good, I remember that. 33:07 Rebecca: Yeah, yeah, and I just wanted to ask about, in 33:11 Proverbs, there's a lot of references to wisdom as "she" 33:17 and "her," and I've been asked by other people, you know, not 33:21 believers, why that is, and if Solomon is referencing the 33:26 Holy Spirit? 33:28 And, if so, why would he be referencing as "she" and "her?" 33:33 Proverbs 4, 5 through 9, and then again down in 13. 33:38 Doug: Well, he does both. 33:39 So you're right, in Proverbs 4 and in 5, it says, you know, 33:45 "wisdom cries out." 33:47 But you go to Proverbs chapter 8, and here it not only says, 33:51 "She cries out by the gates," but then you get down a little 33:55 later, and it says, "He was with me in the beginning of 33:57 His ways." 33:59 And so I think the reason it's going back and forth is because 34:03 it's trying to talk about a love relationship, that we are to 34:06 love wisdom. 34:08 And so it kind of compares it to a marriage, you want to be 34:11 married to it. 34:13 Jëan: And things that are of great value, talks about wisdom 34:15 is better than rubies, better than gold, talks about, you 34:19 know, this wisdom is described as a woman or it's described as 34:23 a wise man. 34:24 So there's different phrases that's used, different symbols 34:27 that's used to illustrate the importance of wisdom, which 34:30 ultimately comes through the Holy Spirit. 34:33 Doug: Yep. 34:34 Yeah, I'm also looking again in Proverbs 8, it says, "I wisdom 34:39 dwell with prudence, and the counselor's mind, by me 34:43 kings reign." 34:45 So, you know, I think Solomon probably is drawing on every 34:49 beautiful analogy he can think of in talking about wisdom as 34:53 something precious. 34:54 Jëan: Okay, thank you. 34:56 We've got Guy listening in Arizona. 34:57 Guy, welcome to the program. 34:58 Guy: Thank you for taking my call. 35:00 I appreciate it. 35:01 Doug: Yes, sir. 35:03 Guy: Years ago when I got out of the military, I was going to 35:05 college and met a young lady from Tehran, Iran. 35:08 We got married, and she bore me three children, one boy and then 35:13 a set of twin boys. 35:15 And, all through our relationship, we 35:18 weren't compatible. 35:19 I slept in another bedroom. 35:20 She wouldn't she wouldn't have nothing to do with me. 35:24 And then she worked for her brother in a bar. 35:26 So we got separated, and I was upset. 35:29 And then I learned that, I got a call that she had sent my 35:33 children, took my children to Tehran, Iran. 35:37 I was outraged, and I cursed out the Holy Spirit. 35:40 Since then I've repented, and I've asked for forgiveness for 35:43 that stupid action because I was outraged. 35:46 And, I'm wondering, have I been forgiven? 35:49 Doug: Okay, so you got very upset, and you verbally cursed 35:54 against the Holy Spirit. 35:56 And you wonder if, if you repent of that, can you be forgiven? 35:59 Yes, that is not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 36:02 There are people who are in a stage of grief where they have 36:06 a great deal of anger. 36:07 Maybe they've lost a loved one, and they say very 36:11 reckless things. 36:12 It sounds like you were going through a personal crisis. 36:15 And, then, you know, they weren't really in their right 36:18 minds; they're very angry. 36:21 Sometimes the devil gets a hold of us, and we say things we 36:23 should never say. 36:25 Can God forgive you? 36:26 If you sincerely repent, He will absolutely forgive you. 36:29 Jëan: You know, we have a book, Pastor Doug; it's called, "What 36:31 is the Unpardonable Sin?" 36:32 And I think you'd enjoy that guide. 36:34 It'll help clarify what the Bible means when it talks about 36:38 blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 36:40 Just call and ask for it, and we'll send it to you; it's 36:42 800-835-6747, that is our free offer. 36:45 Or you can dial #250 on your smartphone, say Bible Answers 36:49 Live, and then ask for the book, "What is the Unpardonable Sin?" 36:52 And we'll send that to you. 36:54 We've got Jason listening in Washington. 36:56 Jason, welcome to the program. 36:59 Jason: Hi, thank you. 37:00 My question is, is it ever okay to threaten someone with 37:04 violence if they're doing something like insulting your 37:10 mother or wife or, and this would be a man doing it, or 37:14 they're contacting them when they've asked them not to? 37:19 Doug: No, I don't think it's ever--Now, I want to make 37:22 a distinction here. 37:23 If you or your family are physically threatened, you might 37:26 need to do something physical to protect them. 37:29 But, even if someone--you know, Jesus said, if someone just gets 37:32 angry and strikes you on the right cheek, you can offer him 37:34 the other. 37:35 Now, He's not talking about a boxing match; He's saying 37:37 someone gets mad and swings at you. 37:39 But, because of words spoken, I don't think Christians should 37:43 react with violence on any occasion. 37:45 You look at how Jesus, He got buffeted, and He bore 37:51 it patiently. 37:54 You know, people are going to mock you. 37:56 Jesus said, pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute 37:59 you, love your enemies, overcome evil with good. 38:02 He doesn't want us to overcome evil with evil. 38:05 And so, no, I don't think you should resort to violence when 38:07 someone says something rude or unkind or even insulting. 38:11 Jëan: That's right. 38:13 All right, very good, thank you. 38:14 We've got Tee listening in Virginia. 38:15 Tee, welcome to the program. 38:18 Tee: Thank you, and good evening. 38:20 And just really quickly, you all, your ministry is amazing, 38:25 and I thank God for you all every single day. 38:28 Doug: Oh, well, thank you. 38:30 Tee: You're welcome. 38:31 My question is, is it adultery for Christians to do the sign of 38:38 the cross? 38:40 Doug: Yeah, we know that, a lot of our Catholic brethren, there 38:44 may be some other churches that you'll see them cross themselves 38:47 at the end of a prayer or, you know, at some moment of crisis. 38:53 And there's nothing in the Bible that tells us to do that. 38:58 That is something that I think kind of grew out of 39:00 a pagan tradition. 39:04 You know, I don't think we ought to be doing it as Christians 39:08 because there's so many pagan trappings to those things, and I 39:13 don't know, Pastor Ross, I can't think of any Bible example of a 39:16 person making a physical sign of the cross or going through any 39:20 kind of spiritual gesture or signs-- 39:21 Jëan: Yeah, we have no record of any 39:23 of that until, like you say, the middle ages 39:25 where some pagan ideas began to make its way into Christianity, 39:30 and some of these remnants of doing certain things or saying 39:33 certain prayers, that was introduced into the church. 39:37 And I think that's where making the sign of the cross came from 39:39 as well. 39:41 Doug: And you get into some of the secret societies, and they 39:42 give special secret hand gestures and things. 39:45 I can't think of an example. 39:47 I mean, the only thing in the Bible, it says they lifted their 39:48 hands in prayer. 39:50 Jëan: Yep, and you know, there are examples in the Bible where 39:52 they bowed in prayer, and they closed their eyes in prayer, 39:55 and, you know, that would be Biblical, but making a sign of 39:58 the cross prior to praying or ending, that's not Biblical. 40:02 Doug: Anyway, thank you, appreciate that, Tee, and thanks 40:04 for the encouragement. 40:06 Jëan: We've got Steve listening in Oregon. 40:08 Steve, welcome to the program. 40:10 Steve: Hello. 40:12 Thank you so much for taking my call. 40:14 Say, when did the Bible get divided into verses, and 40:20 punctuation was added, and by who, like, which institution? 40:27 Do you recommended one of your Amazing Facts publications 40:31 or website? 40:33 Doug: I don't think they happened at the same time. 40:35 I think that the division of chapters and verses was 40:39 a separate event to when the translators went through and 40:42 added English punctuation. 40:44 Now you realize of course, punctuation in different 40:47 languages is all going to be different. 40:49 So, because Greek had no punctuation, they had to decide 40:53 where you would put the comma and the period. 40:56 Hebrew had a different kind of punctuation, that their whole 40:59 structure was different. 41:01 They actually read from right to left. 41:03 So the translation of the two, from Greek and from Hebrew, was 41:07 different and happened at different times. 41:09 The Hebrew Old Testament was translated to English before. 41:13 I believe that, Wycliffe got to the New Testament. 41:16 And I don't know if he was one of the first ones to add 41:20 punctuation coming from-- Jëan: Yes, somewhat. 41:23 But, as far as the most known, I guess punctuation wasn't until 41:27 the 1550s, just before the printing of the Geneva Bible, 41:31 which was in 1560. 41:32 And that's when more punctuation was added. 41:34 And I think it was at that point as well where they began to 41:37 clarify different passages with verses so they would be easier 41:40 for people to find if they're reading it together. 41:42 So it really took hold when the printing press began to print 41:46 and people were translating more and more stuff into English. 41:50 Doug: There you have it. 41:51 I hope that helps a little. 41:53 Jëan: You know, we do the book. 41:54 it's called "The Ultimate Resource," and it's all about 41:56 the Bible, and it'll give you a lot more information about the 41:58 history of the Bible, how to study the Bible. 42:00 The number to call for that is 80o-835-6747, and just ask for 42:05 that book, it's called "The Ultimate Resource." 42:08 Next caller that we have is Steve, listening in Canada. 42:11 Steve, welcome to Bible Answers Live. 42:15 Steve: Hello. 42:17 Doug: Hi. 42:18 How can I help? 42:19 Yes, you're on. 42:21 Steve: Good evening. 42:22 My question. 42:23 Well, I'm somewhat confused as to the author of the Book of 42:28 Romans because, in Romans, 16, verse 22, it says--because 42:36 I always thought that Paul wrote Romans. 42:39 But, in Romans 16, verse 22, says, "I, Tertius, who wrote 42:46 this epistle, greet you in the Lord." 42:49 Doug: Mm-hm. 42:50 Well, yeah, Tertius was the scribe, but the dictation and 42:55 the message is coming directly from Paul because, you go into 42:59 the first--Paul had problems with his eyes, evidently. 43:02 He talks about a thorn in his side. 43:04 And, of course, he was struck blind when he first saw 43:06 the Lord. 43:07 But you look in the first verse in the book of Romans, says, 43:10 "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an 43:12 apostle, separated..." 43:13 So it's a message from Paul. 43:16 Paul was, I think he was in jail a lot of the time, and he also 43:20 dictated things to scribes. 43:23 Sometimes Paul would dictate a letter, and he'd say, "I'm 43:25 signing this in my own hand." 43:28 So it would be, he would authorize it. 43:30 And he said, you know, "Behold with what large characters 43:33 I'm writing." 43:34 He wrote very big. 43:35 Paul, when he was being tried by the high priest, he called him 43:39 a whited wall. 43:40 And the guard said, "You're going to say that to the 43:43 high priest?" 43:44 And he's squinting and going, "I didn't know it was 43:45 the high priest." 43:47 He couldn't see. 43:48 So I think that It's just telling us that Tertius was the 43:54 scribe, secretary who wrote it out, and he sends a little 43:57 greeting at the end in his own hand. 44:00 Jëan: All right, thank you, Steve. 44:01 Again, you might like that book called, "The Ultimate Resource," 44:03 talks about the Bible, number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 44:09 Jennifer is listening in New York. 44:10 Jennifer. 44:11 Welcome to Bible Answers live. 44:13 Jennifer: Thank you. 44:14 Good evening. 44:15 And God bless you, pastors. 44:17 Doug: Thank you. 44:18 Jennifer: In Genesis 19, we read there where Lot was 44:21 in Sodom, and the angels came to him. 44:25 He said they wanted to rape the guys, the angels, and Lot said 44:32 he will send out two of his, his two daughters who knew no man, 44:35 they were virgins. 44:37 But, in verse 14, we really read where Lot went out to speak to 44:41 his sons-in-laws who were married to his daughters. 44:47 So my question is, if they were married, how could they be, 44:51 could have been virgins at the time? 44:53 Doug: Lot evidently had other daughters. 44:56 Some of them were married. 44:58 It doesn't tell us if it was two or three. 45:00 It uses the plural. 45:01 So he had other daughters that were married. 45:04 And it's interesting that, just the contrast between Lot and 45:10 Noah, I don't know if you've ever done that. 45:12 Noah had sons, and he saved his family. 45:15 Lot had daughters, and they got, they married off. 45:19 And Noah separated and stayed with the Lord, and Lot went down 45:22 to the wrong city. 45:23 And just an interesting contrast. 45:25 But, yeah, it's just basically talking about the daughters that 45:30 were married, and the two youngest that were not married 45:32 were virgins. 45:34 Jëan: And the ones who were married, apparently, they 45:35 were destroyed. 45:37 His wife and his two daughters that were 45:39 taken out. 45:40 Doug: It specifically mentions his sons-in-law, that mocked, 45:44 they thought he was mocking. 45:46 Jëan: All right, thank you, Jennifer. 45:48 We've got Kimberly in Nevada. 45:50 Kimberly. 45:51 Welcome to the program. 45:52 Kimberly: Hello. 45:54 Doug: Hi. 45:55 Kimberly: Hi. 45:56 My question is also from Genesis. 45:58 First of all, thank you for taking my call. 45:59 But, so, in chapter 15, verses 9 and 10, when Abraham is making 46:06 the covenant, and it talks about the ram, the heifer, and the 46:11 birds, my question is, what is the significance of the birds, 46:15 and why were the birds not split in half? 46:18 Doug: Yeah, well, typically the larger offerings were dissected. 46:23 The birds were so small that, you know, when, sometimes when 46:29 they butchered the bigger animals, they would divide it 46:31 up, and they would dissect them like that. 46:33 The birds were so small, it was like one per person. 46:36 They just, they didn't divide them up. 46:39 And so I think that's the main reason, and, even when they were 46:43 drying meat, sometimes they dried in the sun, you know, 46:46 bigger sections. 46:48 It takes longer to dry; they split it up so it'll dry 46:50 more quickly. 46:52 A little bird, you could just hang it up, and it would dry, 46:53 just salt it like the fish. 46:56 So, yeah, they didn't divide them. 46:57 But they took the offerings from the poorest, is what the birds 47:01 offered, to the richest, which would have been the heifer, and 47:05 a goat kind of in between. 47:07 Jëan: Okay, thank you. 47:09 We've got Chris listening in Alabama. 47:11 Chris. Welcome to the program. 47:13 Chris: Yes, thank you. 47:15 I just want to get right straight to it. 47:17 The Jacob married the two sisters. 47:22 Has anybody ever thought that they might have been twins? 47:25 No, because Laban, well, someone may have thought it, but Laban 47:29 specifically says, we never marry the younger before 47:33 the older. 47:34 It always talks about Rachel being younger, and Leah being 47:39 older, never says they were twins. 47:40 I think it would have mentioned that, especially since it does 47:42 mention that Jacob was a twin, and Perez and Zerah were twins. 47:47 But, yeah, I think that there, it delineates that Rachel was 47:53 the younger. 47:55 Jëan: All right, thank you, Chris. 47:56 We've got Greg in California. 47:57 Greg, welcome to Bible Answers Live. 48:01 Greg: Good evening, pastors. 48:03 Thank you for taking my call. 48:04 Doug: Yes. 48:06 Greg: Are you born of the Spirit at the moment you 48:07 accept Christ as your Savior, and, if not, when are you born 48:10 of the Spirit? 48:11 Doug: Yeah. 48:12 Well, I think, definitely, when you accept Jesus. 48:14 it's usually the Holy Spirit working in your heart that leads 48:17 you to repentance. 48:18 So the Spirit is working in your heart to just even bring you to 48:21 the point of repentance and turning to God. 48:24 And, when you turn and give your life to the Lord, I think the 48:27 Holy Spirit begins working in your heart. 48:30 Definitely at baptism because then you surrendered and obeyed, 48:36 and you've made that commitment because it says, repent, be 48:39 baptized, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 48:43 And even Jesus, at His baptism, He came out of the water. 48:46 But you've got Cornelius in Acts chapter 10, he's baptized with 48:50 the Holy Spirit before he's baptized with water. 48:53 So you can definitely have the Holy Spirit. 48:55 And I think most people are born again before they ever get 48:58 baptized in the Spirit. 48:59 That's what leads them to repent and to become, have a new heart. 49:04 So, what do you think, Pastor Ross? 49:05 Jëan: Absolutely. 49:06 You know, Jesus said, It's like the blowing of the wind. 49:08 You might not be able to give a specific moment, but it's the 49:11 Holy Spirit that works. 49:12 The Bible says, It's the goodness of God that leads us to 49:14 repentance, repentance to be born of the Holy Spirit. 49:18 You know, we might not always be able to point to an 49:20 exact moment. 49:21 Some people can, very dramatic conversion experience, but, for 49:24 others, it's a gradual drawing to the Lord. 49:28 Alright, thank you. 49:29 Next caller that we have is Robert in Michigan. 49:31 Robert. Welcome to Bible Answers Live. 49:34 Robert: Thank you for taking my call. 49:36 My question involves two verses in the Bible. 49:39 Matthew 12:36 where it says, "But every idle word that men 49:44 shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day 49:47 of judgment." 49:48 And then another verse is in Romans 14:10, where it says, 49:52 "For we all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ." 49:57 And so I wonder how literal this is? 50:00 And, in that context, if it is literal, when will the redeemed 50:05 person ever give account for anything? 50:08 Because aren't they covered by Jesus? 50:10 Doug: The Bible says that all are judged, and that means 50:13 everybody, and, even the redeemed, they're being judged 50:17 to show, were they redeemed? 50:19 You know, did they surrender their lives to the Lord? 50:22 Did they have the fruits of the Spirit? 50:24 Did they, you know, follow up on their commitment? 50:27 Now keep in mind for our friends listening. 50:30 Jesus said that you'll give an account in the judgment for 50:32 every idle word you spoke. 50:33 For one thing, that means we need to be careful of what 50:36 we say. 50:38 But everybody here is doomed, if there's no mercy, because 50:42 everybody has said things they shouldn't say. 50:45 So we have to trust in the Lord's mercy or nobody's going 50:49 to have any hope. 50:50 And Paul is just warning us that there is a day where everybody 50:54 gives an account. 50:55 Now, for those that have repented and turned from their 50:57 sins, we are covered, and we are under the blood of Jesus, and we 51:01 are pardoned by His grace. 51:04 Otherwise, we may as well just turn off the electricity right 51:07 now and go home. 51:08 This program would be useless. 51:10 It's only God's grace that gives us any hope. 51:12 Jëan: You know, there's a verse that we read in 1 Timothy 51:14 chapter 5, verse 24 where, Paul says, "Some men's sins are 51:18 clearly evident, preceding them to judgment. 51:20 But those of some men follow later." 51:23 Meaning that, if we confess our sins, yes, they precede us to 51:26 judgment, but those sins are blotted out. 51:29 Our names are retained in the Lamb's Book of Life. 51:31 But, if we get it to the judgment and we haven't 51:34 confessed our sins, our sins follow us, so to speak, and our 51:37 names end up getting blotted out of the Lamb's Book of Life. 51:40 So you want to send your sins beforehand to the judgment, that 51:43 they can be blotted out. 51:45 Doug: Good point, great verse. 51:46 Jëan: Okay. Thank you. 51:49 Next caller that we have is Neil, listening in California, 51:51 or Nell. 51:52 Nell, welcome to the program. 51:54 Nell: Hi, thank you for taking my call. 51:57 I have a question. 51:58 Should Christians invest in like say like the S&P 500 considering 52:03 that there might be companies in there that, you know, provide 52:08 items that Christians would not take part of? 52:12 How should a Christian invest? 52:14 Doug: Yeah, that is a good question. 52:17 You know, at some point, every Christian needs to realize that, 52:21 you may invest in a bank. 52:25 When you put your money in a bank, you are basically 52:27 investing in the bank because they take your money. 52:29 They don't sit on it in a safe somewhere. 52:32 They take your money, and they invest in a broad spectrum 52:35 of stocks. 52:36 You're not responsible for that. 52:38 You're just, you know, putting your money in the bank, and even 52:40 Jesus recommends that. 52:41 For example, I don't want to support a tobacco or alcohol 52:46 industry, but, let's face it, every time you go to Walmart or 52:50 any supermarket, they sell these things that a Christian 52:53 shouldn't use. 52:55 Well, I can't let that, I can't torture my conscience because of 53:00 everything that a supermarket might sell. 53:02 I'd never find a supermarket to shop at. 53:04 And so, when you make an investment, if you buy a mutual 53:07 fund, fortunately, now there are some where you could say, I 53:10 want to buy they call them, the, a sin free or an ethical fund. 53:16 There are some funds that do not invest in the entertainment or 53:19 the tobacco companies, but I wouldn't say that a person 53:23 should feel concerned about investing in like the NASDAQ or 53:27 the S&P. 53:28 That's just a broad, it's like having your money in a bank. 53:30 It's kind of a broad fund. 53:31 I don't think we should speculate or gamble. 53:34 Some people are trading every day; it's almost like gambling. 53:37 But the Lord tells us that we should be wise in 53:40 our investment. 53:42 Don't bury our talent. 53:43 Otherwise he's going to say we're lazy servants, said you 53:46 should have at least put it in the bank so I'd get my interest. 53:49 I hope that makes some sense, Nell. 53:50 Thank you. 53:52 Yeah, we're surrounded as Christians with these moral 53:54 dilemmas all the time, Pastor Ross, where we've got to just 53:57 pray that God gives us wisdom. 53:58 We make good judgment. 53:59 But we also have to be able to negotiate our way through 54:02 this world. 54:03 For our listening friends, we sign off in two stages. 54:07 We say farewell first to those listening on satellite and thank 54:11 you for tuning in. 54:12 For the rest, if you stay by, we're coming back in a moment 54:14 with our online rapid fire Bible questions. 54:17 God bless to the rest. 54:22 male announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 54:25 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 54:28 Bible Answers Live is produced by Amazing Facts International, 54:33 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 54:38 In six days, God created the heavens and the earth. 54:42 For thousands of years, man has worshiped God on the seventh day 54:46 of the week. 54:47 Now, each week millions of people worship on the first day. 54:51 What happened? 54:53 Why did God create a day of rest? 54:55 Does it really matter what day we worship? 54:57 Who was behind this great shift? 55:00 Discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed. 55:03 Visit SabbathTruth.com. 55:08 female announcer: Did you know Amazing Facts has a free Bible 55:10 school that you can do from the comfort of your own home? 55:13 It includes 27 beautifully illustrated study lessons to aid 55:17 in your study of God's Word. 55:19 Sign up today for this free Bible study course by 55:22 calling 1-844-215-7000. 55:25 That's 1-844-215-7000. 55:33 Jëan: Hello, friends, and welcome back to Bible 55:35 Answers Live. 55:36 For those of you who stayed by, we're going to take some of your 55:39 email questions. 55:40 If you'd like to send us an email question, the email 55:42 address is BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:46 Pastor Doug, Glenda is asking, why did God say that eating 55:49 swine's flesh is an abomination? 55:51 Is it spiritual or symbolic? 55:54 Doug: Well, both. 55:55 For one thing, pigs are scavengers, and our bodies are 56:00 the temple of the Holy Spirit. 56:02 You never brought an unclean animal into the temple. 56:05 Secondarily, it, so there's a command that they are unclean as 56:09 food as well. 56:11 Because they are scavengers, it was never God's plan for us to 56:14 eat any meat. 56:15 A man was made to be a vegetarian in the Garden 56:17 of Eden. 56:18 And he finally said, "Look, if you're going to eat meat, they 56:20 must be classified in the clean category." 56:24 And pigs are called pigs because they're pigs. 56:26 They're an abomination. 56:27 You shouldn't eat them. 56:29 They might make nice pets, like dogs, but don't eat dogs either. 56:32 Jëan: All right, Cathy is asking, can you please explain 56:35 what it means in the Bible when it refers to Jesus as the son 56:38 of David? 56:39 Isn't He the son of God? 56:41 Doug: Yeah. 56:42 Well, He's both. 56:43 Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but He also, His mother 56:45 was a human, and both Mary and Joseph came from the line 56:49 of David. 56:51 God made a promise to David in, I think it's 1 Chronicles 56:53 chapter 17, that through his descendants, the Messiah would 56:57 come, the Savior would be a son of David. 57:00 And every Jew knew that; when Jesus came, they called him the 57:03 son of David. 57:04 They were basically saying, "You're the Messiah." 57:06 Jëan: All right. 57:07 Diane is asking, what does it mean to be absent from the body 57:09 and to be present with the Lord? 57:11 Doug: Yeah. 57:12 And that's coming to us from 1 Corinthians, is a chapter 5, and 57:15 you can start with verse 6, "So we are always confident, knowing 57:18 that while we're at home in the body, we're absent from 57:21 the Lord. 57:22 For we walk by faith and not by sight. 57:23 We're confident. 57:25 Yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and present 57:28 with the Lord." 57:29 Well, when a believer dies, their next conscious thought is 57:32 the resurrection, and they'll be in the presence of the Lord. 57:35 But, until the resurrection, like Lazarus, Jesus said, 57:38 "He's asleep." 57:40 We sleep a dreamless sleep. 57:41 For our loved ones that die, we can be praising God for their 57:44 benefit because we know their next conscious thought is 57:47 a resurrection. 57:49 But it hasn't happened. 57:50 Paul is also doing a, what you call, like a double entendre 57:53 here in that he's saying, "If you live in the Spirit, and 57:57 you're absent from the body, the flesh, you're walking with 58:00 the Lord." 58:01 So he's also doing a play on words here as well. 58:03 I don't know, now, 17 seconds; I can't do another question. 58:07 Listening friends, check out our Amazing Facts website, a lot of 58:11 things going on and coming up, AmazingFacts.org. 58:14 God willing, we'll study His Word with you again next week. 58:20 male announcer: Bible Answers Live! 58:22 Honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2024-02-26