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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202416S
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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 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. 00:39 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:44 Now, here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Well, friends, would you like to hear 00:51 an amazing fact? 00:53 From its first flight in 1969 for 35 years until 2005, 00:59 the Boeing 747 reigned supreme as the largest passenger plane 01:03 in the world. 01:05 Everything about the plane was big, so big that a new building 01:09 had to be constructed to assemble it. 01:11 The main building where the Boeing was built in Everett, 01:14 Washington, was the world's largest building by volume, 01:18 covering nearly 100 acres that enclosed an impressive 01:23 472 million cubic feet of space. 01:26 That's enough room to contain Disneyland with 12 acres left 01:29 over for parking. 01:30 The wingspan of the original 747-100 model was 195 feet and 01:36 8 inches. 01:37 This is longer than the first flight of the Wright Brothers. 01:41 So, how many passengers can you fit on a Boeing 747? 01:45 Normally, it was somewhere between 400 and 500. 01:49 But there's one case where 747 carried over 1000 passengers. 01:54 On May 24th, 1991 as part of Operation Solomon to evacuate 01:59 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, an EL AL Boeing 747-400 took off from 02:05 Addis Abba with 1086 passengers and landed in Israel with 1088. 02:12 Two babies were born en route. 02:14 This flight still holds the record as the largest number of 02:17 passengers in one aircraft. 02:20 Brother Alden, you know, I think about in the Bible where it says 02:23 God is going to evacuate His people to another Promised Land, 02:28 and we're looking forward to that, but that's a pretty big 02:31 payload to carry over 1000 people on one flight. 02:34 Alden Ho: But the cloud's going to carry even more people 02:37 than that. 02:38 Doug: That's right, and you know, there's a verse 02:39 in the Bible that tells us about that. 02:41 You can read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "For the Lord Himself will 02:45 descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice 02:47 of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. 02:49 And the dead in Christ will rise first. 02:52 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together 02:56 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 02:58 And thus we shall always be with the Lord." 03:01 And so, I was reading the history of this 03:03 incredible evacuation. 03:06 Israel, actually, they chose to do this on the Sabbath. 03:11 And what they did is, for one thing, they needed all 03:13 the available airplanes because Ethiopia was going to close 03:17 the gate, allowing the Ethiopian Jews to leave. 03:19 They weren't going to let them leave after a certain deadline. 03:21 So they had to mobilize as many planes as they could. 03:25 And according to their law, you know, acts of mercy to save life 03:28 were permitted. 03:29 And so they sent all these airplanes down and just filled 03:33 them up. 03:34 This one plane had over 1000, but there were lots of planes 03:36 and they brought thousands of these Ethiopian Jews who were 03:39 being persecuted into Israel, where many of them are today. 03:43 Alden: That's amazing. 03:45 You know, we have a study guide on this that deals also with 03:48 the very same thing. 03:49 But this is the "Ultimate Deliverance," for us when 03:51 Jesus returns. 03:53 And you can receive this if you actually call 1-800-835-6747. 03:59 Or, let me explain to you, on your phone if you're--happen to 04:02 be driving, to make it easy than punching in all those numbers, 04:05 you can just hit #250 on your phone and say 04:08 "Bible Answers Live" and ask for "Ultimate Deliverance," 04:11 and we'll be glad to send that to you. 04:13 And before we start, why don't we begin with a word of prayer? 04:16 Loving Father, we thank You for this opportunity to be able 04:19 to answer some questions from Your Word. 04:21 We ask and pray that You would be with us and guide and direct 04:24 us and show us what it is that we should answer to those 04:28 who are calling, and continue to lead us into all truth. 04:31 We pray in Jesus's name, amen. 04:34 We have our first caller, Grace. 04:35 She's in California and she has a question regarding 04:38 the Ten Commandments. 04:39 Grace, are you there? 04:41 Welcome. 04:42 Grace: Yes, yes, good evening, my question is about 04:46 the Ten Commandments. 04:48 I'm doing the lesson "Written on the Stone!" 04:50 from Amazing Facts with my friend, and they asked me 04:53 this question: Were the Ten Commandments there in heaven 04:56 before the fall of Lucifer? 04:58 Doug: Were the Ten Commandments in existence before the fall 05:02 of Lucifer? 05:03 You could even say before the Fall of Man. 05:05 The principles of the Ten Commandments have always been 05:07 in existence because the Ten Commandments are 05:11 basically an expression of love. 05:12 God is love. 05:13 The first four commandments deal with our love for God, 05:17 the last deal with our love for our fellow man. 05:20 In the very beginning, you look in the Garden of Eden, and right 05:23 after Adam and Eve were evicted, before the Ten Commandments were 05:27 written down, God said to Cain, "Sin lies at your door." 05:31 Cain knew that murder was a sin. 05:34 And Joseph, before the Ten Commandments were written, 05:37 he said to Potiphar's wife, "How can I commit this sin 05:40 against God?" 05:41 Joseph knew that adultery was a sin before the Ten Commandments 05:44 were written. 05:46 So you can find that the principles of the 05:47 Ten Commandments have been in existence ever since Creation. 05:51 You know, the Sabbath may not have been in existence on our 05:53 planet before the seventh day, but the principles of the 05:57 Ten Commandments, being love for God and love for others, 06:00 have always been in existence, or eternal. 06:03 Alden: We actually have a free offer on that, it's called 06:06 "Written in Stone!" 06:07 And if you call 1-800-835-6747, we'll be glad to send that 06:12 to you. 06:13 And if you happen to be driving and you want to actually call 06:15 in on the program, you can call 1-800-463-7297. 06:21 We have another caller here. 06:23 Glenn in Ohio, he's got a question regarding Colossians 2. 06:27 Glenn, are you there? 06:28 Glenn: Yes, it is. 06:29 Thank you very much and good evening to you 06:31 from Bethel, Ohio. 06:33 Doug: Good evening, Glenn. 06:34 Glenn: People still today have a problem with Colossians 2:16. 06:41 And the problem that I see there is a couple of 06:43 grammatical problems. 06:45 Number one is "let no man." 06:47 I think the elocution of the word "man" is very important 06:51 because you shouldn't let any--just any man in general 06:56 can judge you in meat and drink and holy days and Sabbath. 07:01 And so, it's important that you allocate that property, that you 07:05 not--that you are talking about a general population and not 07:09 somebody that's in the know. 07:11 The other grammatical areas in the second part of the verse 07:14 where it's in italics and was added by the translators. 07:18 So if you take that out of there, you come out with, 07:21 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or drink, or holyday, 07:25 or sabbath: but the body of Christ judge you," 07:30 and you put a little trailer on the end there to judge you. 07:33 I think it makes sense, that the statement is being made that 07:37 you want somebody who's in the know to judge you by keeping 07:40 those special days. 07:42 Doug: All right, Glenn, what is your question? 07:44 Glenn: Does it make sense, that proper interpretation? 07:48 Doug: All right, first, for our friends listening, let me read 07:50 the verse because a lot of folks are driving down the road and 07:53 they're going, "Colossians 2?" 07:54 They may not know what that is. 07:56 So, here Paul is speaking in Colossians and he's talking to 07:59 Colossians believers that were sort of being, probably, 08:03 hassled a little bit by some of the Jewish Christians. 08:05 These are Christians--or Jews who had accepted Christ that 08:09 were saying, "Now that you've accepted Christ, you still need 08:12 to keep some of the Mosaic Laws, the annual feasts, and, like, 08:15 the Passover, Day of Atonement, and some of the new moons 08:19 and festivals." 08:20 And Paul said, "Don't let them judge you regarding 08:22 those things, which are shadows of things to come, 08:25 but the substances of Christ." 08:26 Now, the substance of those Old Testament ordinances 08:32 was pointing to Jesus. 08:34 When Jesus came, when He died on the cross, He died on the 08:37 Passover, the veil in the temple was torn in two, the ceremonial 08:41 system was really brought to an end at that point. 08:45 But the Ten Commandments, that's a separate thing. 08:47 So some people say where it says, "Don't let any man judge 08:50 you regarding Sabbath Days," it's talking about the Jewish 08:53 annual Sabbath Days. 08:55 It's not talking about the Sabbath of the weekly cycle. 08:59 But--and then you said, "But let the body of Christ judge you," 09:03 and I've got to take a closer look at that. 09:05 I've never really seen that verse that way, 09:07 and you may be right. 09:09 I just--I'm going to have to investigate the last half 09:10 of that. 09:12 Thank you, Glenn, and appreciate your insights. 09:14 Alden: All right, we have another caller. 09:16 Tydus is calling from Virginia and he's got a question 09:18 regarding the covenant. 09:20 Tydus, welcome to the program. 09:22 Tydus: Hey, good evening. 09:24 Doug: Evening. 09:25 Tydus: I was wondering how to address the view on Mary 09:28 as an ark of the covenant type. 09:31 Doug: You mean, like, Mary the mother of Jesus. 09:34 Tydus: Yes. 09:35 Doug: And you're wondering, is she somehow synonymous or-- 09:39 with the ark of the covenant? 09:41 Tydus: No, I'm wondering how to explain to somebody 09:44 how she's--how you don't worship her. 09:50 Doug: Yeah, well, I've heard some of my Catholic friends have 09:53 said in the same way that the ark of the covenant held the 09:57 Word, Mary is the mother of Jesus held the living Word, 10:01 which is Christ. 10:03 So, is that what you're talking about? 10:04 That analogy? 10:06 Yeah, well, that's a beautiful analogy. 10:10 I don't think that that would support 10:12 deifying Mary in any way. 10:16 And, you know, she's not the golden box. 10:18 So I don't buy that analogy, though it might sound, you know, 10:23 it might sound beautiful and attractive. 10:25 But I don't think that Mary is divine. 10:30 I think Mary was a godly woman. 10:32 She was a saint in the same sense that other faithful people 10:35 can be saints, but that--she's not to be deified or worshiped. 10:39 And so when, you know, when I hear my Catholic friends share 10:43 analogies like that, it's almost like they're--at the very center 10:46 of the Jewish worship was the ark in the middle 10:49 of the Holy of Holies. 10:51 And so to put Mary in that place would almost put her in 10:54 that place of worship. 10:55 You know, we have a book that's called--it's about Mary 11:00 in the New Testament. 11:01 Mary the mother of God, the--answering the mysteries 11:03 about the mother of Jesus. 11:05 And if you call and ask for our gift book on Mary, you can call 11:08 or pound--text. 11:09 Alden: That's right, the book is called, "The Mystery of Mary," 11:11 and they can call 1-800-835-6747. 11:16 We'll be glad to send you the book. 11:17 "The Mystery of Mary." 11:19 So now we have Malachi. 11:22 Malachi is calling from Connecticut 11:24 and he's got a question about Jesus and Michael. 11:29 Malachi: Good evening. 11:30 Alden: Hi. 11:32 Doug: And your question tonight? 11:34 Malachi: So my question tonight is: Did Jesus become Michael, 11:38 an archangel, to fight Lucifer, according to Revelation 12:9? 11:43 Doug: Well, when you--this is something that people often get 11:46 confused about, is the subject of Michael the Archangel. 11:50 Jesus has many names and before Christ came to earth, in the Old 11:56 Testament every now and then Jesus would enter--He would kind 12:00 of go between the veil and He would come to humanity. 12:03 And the one who spoke to Abraham, when it says Abraham 12:08 spoke to the Lord, that was Jesus. 12:11 When this holy soldier met with Joshua and He said, 12:16 "Take your shoes off," well, obviously, He's God 12:18 because He's being told to worship Him. 12:21 He said, "I've come as captain of God's army." 12:24 So one of the titles that Jesus uses to appear 12:27 in the Old Testament is that of Michael. 12:28 Now, Jesus is not an angel. 12:30 Jesus is the ever living Son of God. 12:33 But when you read, for instance, in the New Testament, it says, 12:35 we just read this tonight, "The Lord Himself will descend 12:39 from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel." 12:42 Christ has the voice of the archangel. 12:46 And then you read where it says in the book of Jude verse 9 when 12:50 Michael came to resurrect Moses and the devil disputed with him 12:54 about the body of Moses. 12:56 Well, who is the one that resurrects? 12:57 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and life." 13:00 And then you look in Daniel chapter 12, it says just before 13:03 the great time of trouble, Michael stands up. 13:06 Well, it's Christ who ceases his intercession 13:08 and he stands up. 13:09 Judgment is over. 13:11 Then, a great time of trouble comes. 13:12 So when you look at all the pictures of Michael in the 13:15 Bible, you realize that this is just one of the Old Testament 13:19 terms for Christ. 13:20 So when it says "the dragon fought with his angels against 13:25 Michael and his angels," well, the dragon is the leader 13:27 of evil. 13:29 Michael, Christ, is the leader of good. 13:30 The dragon is a symbolic name for Satan. 13:33 Michael is a symbolic name for Christ. 13:36 So we're not saying Jesus is an angel. 13:38 Michael is never called an angel. 13:40 He's called the archangel, which means the greatest messenger. 13:44 And we've got a book on that. 13:45 "Who is Michael the Archangel?" 13:46 We'll send you a free copy. 13:48 Alden: And you can get that if you call 1-800-835-6747. 13:52 We'll be able to get that out for you. 13:53 Those of you who are driving down the road, if you want 13:56 to give us a call or sitting at home, 1-800-463-7297. 14:02 And we'll be able to try and get your call. 14:04 Now, we have Gary. 14:06 Gary from Illinois. 14:07 He's got a question in regards to the beasts of Revelation 13. 14:10 Gary, are you there? 14:12 Gary: Yes, in Revelation 13, two beasts and a dragon come 14:16 into power and they help each other into power. 14:19 Verse 7 says they "make war against the saints and overcome 14:23 them," so my question is: Is this scenario starting to happen 14:28 right now? 14:29 I know the beast as civil and religious power. 14:32 Is this happening right now? 14:34 Doug: All right, Gary, great question. 14:37 And in a word, yes, it is happening now. 14:41 When you study the two beasts of Revelation chapter 13, it says 14:45 one of these beasts, he comes up out of the sea, and then you go 14:48 to verse 11, another second beast comes up out of the land. 14:51 And in a word, very simply, this represents a religious 14:56 political power, the first one being centered with the 15:01 Orthodox Catholicism in Europe, the second one with apostate 15:05 Protestantism in North America. 15:08 And they are going to lead-- they're going to basically join 15:11 hands together, and through the union of these two great 15:15 religious powers there's going to be religious laws made 15:19 that will persecute people that are biblical Christians. 15:22 And so gradually we're seeing that, you know, I don't think 15:25 too many people would disagree that Pope Francis is becoming 15:29 more and more political, talking about social issues 15:32 as opposed to biblical issues and salvation. 15:34 And churches in North America are also getting political. 15:38 And where, you know, you just-- now, I do believe in, you know, 15:42 having freedom to worship and protecting that, 15:46 and I'm all for that, but you don't want the church to get 15:50 to the place where it legislates how to worship. 15:52 I think it was Roger Williams, one reason America I think 15:56 became a great country and everyone came over here is 15:58 because Roger Williams realized, on the Ten Commandments 16:01 you need to separate. 16:03 While all ten should be taught, you need to separate that 16:07 the government has no business in forcing the first four. 16:10 The first four commandments say what is God, who is God, rather, 16:14 what is His name, and you know, how to worship Him, talking 16:18 about whether or not idolatry, when to worship Him. 16:21 Government should have nothing to do with that. 16:22 But the last six commandments, a government must uphold the 16:26 sanctity of marriage, the rights of property, parental leadership 16:30 over the children, life and so forth. 16:32 But there's going to be an amalgamation of those two powers 16:37 and they're going to persecute God's people. 16:39 I could go on and on, but we got a study guide. 16:42 Talks about, "Who is the Antichrist?" 16:44 And we'll send you a free copy of that, Gary, and I think 16:47 that'll answer those questions. 16:48 Alden: I was thinking of the one, "The USA 16:50 in Bible Prophecy." 16:52 Doug: We can do both. 16:53 Alden: Both of those are good. 16:55 And you can get that 1-800-835-6747. 16:57 Thanks, Gary. 16:58 We now have Michaela in Connecticut. 17:00 She has a question in regards to the status of humans. 17:04 Are you there, Michaela? 17:07 Michaela: Yes, hi. Good evening, pastors. 17:09 My question tonight is: According to Psalms 8:5 and 6, 17:13 were we created a little lower than God or angels-- 17:16 or His angels? 17:18 Doug: Well, we're definitely created lower because 17:20 we are not God. 17:21 And then Hebrews says, and Hebrews is quoting from Psalm 8, 17:25 that man has been made a little lower than the angels. 17:28 Now, man was made in the image of God. 17:31 And so, man is, man meaning humans, are the crowning act 17:36 of God's creation on earth. 17:38 And originally, the dominion of our planet was given 17:42 to humanity, but we basically disobeyed God, handed it over, 17:46 we gave the keys to the devil, so to speak. 17:48 Jesus speaks of the devil as the prince of this world. 17:51 But--and we're also made a little lower than the angels 17:54 when it comes to power. 17:56 And you know, angels are spiritual beings and they're 17:59 the ministering spirits of God. 18:01 So, yeah, there is a distinction. 18:03 There's an order there. 18:04 But angels are created, humans, with the exception of Adam 18:08 and Eve, were born. 18:10 So there's a difference there. 18:11 Alden: But some actually think that they're maybe equal to God. 18:15 Doug: Yeah, well, there's no doubt there are people and 18:17 religions that say that you are, can be, equal with God. 18:20 And that's, of course, wrong. 18:23 Alden: Right. 18:24 All right, thank you, Michaela. 18:25 We have Lynn in Alabama, and Lynn is--got a question in 18:29 regards to women being ordained. 18:33 Lynn: Yes, I would like to know if it's biblical for a woman 18:37 to be a ordained pastor. 18:39 Doug: Okay, great question. 18:40 Of course, it's a controversial question, but we want 18:42 to give you the Bible answer. 18:44 So if you're upset, take it up with God. 18:46 In the Bible, God makes a distinction between the roles 18:49 of men and women. 18:51 And I think for, you know, probably thousands of years, 18:53 most people thought that was what you would call 18:55 a self-evident truth, that women are a whole lot better at 18:59 nurturing children than men are and their bodies have 19:02 three biological functions that men don't even possess. 19:06 And men are better at some things. 19:07 I mean, you know, when you try and get girls to compete in 19:10 men's sports, it doesn't go well, and it's not fair for men 19:13 to compete in women's sports, in some areas anyway. 19:16 So there's a distinction. 19:19 God designed originally that He made Adam first, and man is 19:23 to be the servant leader in the family. 19:26 And you know, we are to love our wives as Christ loves 19:29 the church. 19:30 There should be a sacrificial love there. 19:33 And in the same way, though, it does say that men are to be 19:37 the priests in the family. 19:38 So there's no example in the Bible of woman serving 19:42 in the capacity of a priest or offering sacrifice. 19:45 When Moses was told to choose leadership for Israel, it said, 19:49 you know, "Choose men to lead out in tens and fifties, 19:53 hundreds and"--I forget, was it hundreds? 19:55 Or did it go to thousands? 19:57 But he said, "Choose men." 19:59 When the New Testament church was growing, Peter said God had 20:02 inspired him that they should pick out seven men. 20:05 When Jesus chose apostles, He chose 12 men. 20:09 And all the kings that God chose were men. 20:13 Of course, they would be called a queen if they were chosen that 20:15 way, but--so God typically, in the Bible, He says that men 20:21 should be the servant leaders, and only men are called to be 20:25 apostles, pastors, priests in the Bible. 20:30 Now, you do have women that served in the role of prophetess 20:33 in the Bible. 20:34 You've got some women prophetess in the Old Testament and 20:37 in the New Testament. 20:38 But that's different than the roles of a pastor. 20:40 You don't ever see in the Bible a woman performing, you know, 20:44 a baptism or Communion. 20:47 So these were kind of sacred functions that were reserved 20:51 for the men, the apostles, the priests and so forth. 20:55 So I do have a book on that and it's called, 20:57 "Women in Ministry." 20:58 We'll send you a free copy, Lynn, if you'd like that. 21:01 Alden: You know, the struggle that we have with this is that 21:04 men are not stepping up to the plate, doing their role 21:07 right now. 21:08 Doug: So the vacuum is being filled by false 21:11 theology, really. 21:12 Alden: Yeah, and that's what Satan wants altogether. 21:15 So once again, the book is called, "God's Role for Women 21:18 in Ministry," and we'll be glad to send that to you if you 21:20 call 1-800-835-6747. 21:24 And our next caller is Marcus from California and he's got 21:26 a question in regards to the blood atonement. 21:30 You there, Marcus? 21:31 Marcus: Yes, my question, it--and it came to me as I was 21:35 reading the book of Matthew last week. 21:38 Christ, He bore our iniquities and our infirmities, 21:44 our sicknesses. 21:46 Now, the blood of Christ--did his Atonement--did the blood 21:51 of Christ atone for all of the sicknesses and diseases and the 21:56 healings that He did prior to shedding His blood on the cross? 22:01 Was it retroactive, per se? 22:03 Doug: Well, every good and perfect gift comes from God, 22:06 so even the healings before the cross is by the grace 22:09 and the power of God. 22:12 You know, you can read in Psalm 103 where it says that 22:15 "He heals all of our diseases." 22:17 And that's, of course, in the Old Testament. 22:19 So God miraculously heals in the Old Testament. 22:22 Hezekiah had a terminal disease. 22:24 As a matter of fact, Isaiah told him it was terminal. 22:27 And when he prayed, by the grace of God and all the goodness 22:31 that's come to us, Old and New Testament is through the blood 22:33 of Christ, Hezekiah was healed. 22:36 God can do it miraculously, instantly. 22:38 Who was it? 22:40 Miriam had leprosy, God healed her. 22:42 Naaman had leprosy, God healed him. 22:45 And you know, Naaman, he was washing in the Jordan River. 22:47 That's sort of like synonymous with baptism. 22:50 But the water didn't heal him. 22:52 It was the power of God. 22:53 So I don't know. 22:55 Hopefully, Marcus, am I answering your question 22:57 that you're asking? 22:59 Marcus: Well, the question is pretty much Christ died on the 23:03 cross and He embodied sin. 23:05 He embodied--God's wrath was poured out on Him. 23:09 Now, in order to be healed from a sickness and healed 23:12 from a disease, somebody had to pay for that. 23:15 I mean, I'm thinking. 23:17 So when Christ says He bore our infirmities and every disease 23:22 and sickness that we have, He died for that, in order for us 23:26 to be healed, if that makes any sense. 23:28 Doug: It does, and let's just put it another way. 23:31 The people in the Old Testament who are saved are not saved by 23:34 their works. 23:36 They are saved by faith, looking forward to the sacrifice that 23:39 would be made, hasn't been made yet, but they were saved 23:43 by faith, looking forward. 23:44 We're saved by faith, looking back at the sacrifice 23:47 and the blood. 23:49 So everybody saved or healed is all by the grace of God 23:53 and through the sacrifice and Atonement of Christ. 23:55 So, hopefully that makes sense. 23:58 And you know, we do have a book that talks about the the blood 24:02 of Christ. 24:04 We've got, of course, that book that deals with, 24:05 "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" 24:07 And it talks about the Atonement. 24:08 I was trying to think we had another one and-- 24:11 Alden: I don't remember that one. 24:12 Doug: Yeah, anyway. 24:13 "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" 24:15 That'll work. 24:16 Alden: If you just tuned in and you've got some questions 24:18 yourself, you can feel free to call us at 1-800-GOD-SAYS 24:21 or 1-800-463-7297. 24:25 And we've got Ruth calling from California and she's got 24:28 a question about how do you actually say something nice 24:31 to explain to somebody that their loved one's not in heaven? 24:36 You there, Ruth? 24:37 Ruth: Hi, yes. 24:39 Hello, Pastor Bachelor and Pastor Ho. 24:41 Thank you for taking my question. 24:43 So I had a recent loss in the family in May, and a lot 24:48 of people, well-meaning folk, come up to me and say, 24:51 "Oh, you know, she's in heaven and she's watching you," 24:56 and all the niceties. 24:57 And I understand they're well-meaning, but I believe 25:00 what the Bible says about the state of the dead. 25:02 But--then they come back at me and they say, "Oh, she's-- 25:06 was absent in the body but present in the Lord." 25:08 So how do you concisely but truthfully share 25:11 that she isn't there? 25:13 Doug: Well, you know, I try to remind people that 25:16 all the church cemeteries used to say "RIP," which means 25:20 "Rest In Peace," and they were resting. 25:22 Folks used to know that. 25:24 And so when they say "absent from the body, present with 25:26 the Lord," I say, well, that's absolutely true. 25:28 When a believer dies, their next conscious thought 25:33 is the resurrection. 25:34 But that may not happen for 1000 years. 25:37 So for them, you can rejoice and say, "I'm so thankful the next 25:41 thing they'll know is the resurrection in the presence 25:43 of the Lord." 25:45 But the resurrection hasn't happened. 25:46 It's really easy to show that. 25:48 I mean, you just look in John chapter 6, three times he says 25:51 they're resurrected the last day. 25:52 Its future hasn't happened. 25:54 So, yeah. 25:56 And you read in Thessalonians the dead in Christ will rise 26:00 at the Second Coming. 26:01 Sometimes, you know, in passing, when someone's trying to comfort 26:04 you, you don't have time for a Bible study and you can just, 26:07 you know, say, "Oh, well, thank you so much. 26:09 And yeah, we look forward to seeing them in heaven," 26:11 you know. 26:13 So it's--a lot of it is the timing, and how well you know 26:15 the person, and are they ready for, you know, an on the spot 26:18 Bible study? 26:19 But yeah, there's a lot of misconceptions out there in 26:22 the world and all different variations of what happens. 26:26 Some people think you're reincarnated and you come back 26:28 as something else, and others think you go right to heaven 26:31 before a judgment, before a resurrection. 26:33 So a lot of misunderstandings. 26:35 Biblically, it's really clear: people sleep in the grave 26:39 until the resurrection. 26:41 And the Bible says when that trumpet sounds the dead 26:43 in Christ will rise. 26:44 They are not disembodied spirits that are floating around 26:47 in limbo or Abraham's bosom. 26:49 Bible doesn't teach that. 26:51 Their next conscious thought is the resurrection. 26:53 It's like the Bible says in Acts, "King David is dead 26:56 and buried, his tomb is with us to this day." 26:59 He's not ascended in heaven. 27:01 But David died 1000 years before Christ. 27:03 His next conscious thought will be the resurrection. 27:07 And you know, friends, we do have an offer that talks about, 27:09 are the dead really dead? 27:11 When we come back from after a break, we'll tell you how to get 27:13 a free copy. 27:14 Don't go anywhere. 27:15 We've got more Bible questions coming your way 27:17 in just a few moments. 27:21 male announcer: Stay tuned. 27:23 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:29 Doug: The US government is drowning in debt to the tune 27:33 of $22 trillion. 27:35 But before you wag your finger at the government's spending, 27:38 the Federal Reserve says the average American household 27:41 carries over $137,000 in debt. 27:45 Well, it was never God's plan that we live with the burden 27:48 of debt. 27:49 Proverbs 22:7 warns us: "The rich rules over the poor, 27:53 and the borrower is servant to the lender." 27:55 Living with debt is a stressful burden that actually hurts 27:58 your relationship with God. 28:00 In my new pocketbook, "Deliverance from Debt," 28:03 I outline the Bible principles on how to properly manage 28:06 your money with some practical suggestions, and how you can 28:09 get out and stay out of debt. 28:11 If you or someone you love is drowning in debt, order a copy 28:16 of, "Deliverance from Debt," today. 28:17 It can be a lifesaver to keep you from going under. 28:20 Please call 800-538-7275, or visit afbookstore.com. 28:29 Doug: Would you like to have unlimited free access to 28:32 a library of resources that'll help answer your most important 28:36 questions about the Bible? 28:37 Amazing Facts has a huge collection of faith-building 28:41 books covering a whole spectrum of topics you can download 28:45 and read wherever you are in multiple languages. 28:48 To enjoy our free library, visit amazingfacts.org, click 28:53 on the "Bible Study" tab, and choose "Free Book Library." 28:59 female announcer: Did you know Amazing Facts has a free 29:01 Bible school that you can do 29:02 from the comfort of your own home? 29:04 It includes 27 beautifully illustrated study lessons to aid 29:08 in your study of God's Word. 29:10 Sign up today for this free Bible study course by 29:13 calling 1-844-215-7000. 29:16 That's 1-844-215-7000. 29:23 male announcer: Did you know that Noah was present 29:25 at the birth of Abraham? 29:26 Okay, maybe he wasn't in the room, but he was alive 29:30 and probably telling stories about his floating zoo. 29:33 From the creation of the world to the Last Day events 29:36 of Revelation, biblehistory.com is a free resource where 29:39 you can explore major Bible events and characters. 29:42 Enhance your knowledge of the Bible and draw closer 29:45 to God's Word. 29:46 Go deeper. 29:48 Visit biblehistory.com. 29:55 male announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," 29:58 where every question answered provides a clearer picture 30:01 of God and his plan to save you. 30:03 So what are you waiting for? 30:05 Get practical answers about the Good Book 30:08 for a better life today. 30:12 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 30:15 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions 30:18 on the air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 30:22 and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 30:24 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned 30:27 in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 30:32 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 30:37 Now, let's rejoin our hosts 30:39 for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:43 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, 30:44 to "Bible Answers Live." 30:46 And if you tuned in along the way, this is a live 30:48 international interactive Bible study where we take 30:51 your questions that come in from around the world. 30:53 We open our Bibles here and we study and learn 30:56 the answers together. 30:58 My name is Pastor Doug Batchelor. 31:00 Alden: And I am Pastor Alden Ho. 31:02 Doug: See, I didn't know if you'd catch the cue. 31:05 Alden's sitting in for Pastor Ross tonight, who's on vacation, 31:08 and we're just so thankful. 31:09 You know, we do have a couple of lines open, and so if you have 31:12 a Bible question, sometimes the lines are all locked up, 31:15 but maybe it's because it's the tail end of the Fourth of July 31:18 holiday, call in with your Bible questions at 31:20 number 800-463-7297. 31:24 That'll bring it into our studios, our friendly screeners 31:26 will pick up the call and type your question out for you real 31:29 quick, and we'll get you on the air. 31:31 And we have some other stations-- 31:33 Alden: Yeah, we want to say greetings to our listeners 31:36 at WJOU in Huntsville, Alabama. 31:38 Welcome to you. 31:40 And also at KASL in Newcastle, Wyoming. 31:45 Thanks for listening and watching. 31:47 Doug: All right, who's next? 31:48 Alden: Well, we have Kelly in Washington. 31:51 Kelly's got a question in regards to 1 Kings. 31:54 Welcome to the program, Kelly. 31:57 Kelly: Hi, thanks for taking my call. 31:59 So I'm studying--reading the Bible from cover to cover and 32:03 I'm kind of stuck in 1 Kings 13. 32:07 Thereabouts, verses starting at 18 through about 32, 32:12 it's a long story that I think-- like a novel. 32:16 I'm confused. 32:18 There's an older prophet and then a young prophet. 32:20 Young prophet's been sent by God. 32:22 He wasn't supposed to eat or drink anything and stop 32:25 at anybody's house, but he does stop at the older--and the older 32:28 prophet tricks him, lies to him, says, "Come on over to my"--" 32:31 Oh, you know." 32:33 "Yeah, but I'm a prophet and it's okay." 32:34 Of course, this causes the young prophet's demise, as he's eaten 32:38 by a lion on the way back and returning from his trip. 32:43 But then the older prophet wants to go get his body and give him 32:47 a proper burial. 32:49 It makes no sense to me that somebody who is part of the 32:52 demise and fall of sin of another person wants--what 32:56 is--what's going on here? 32:58 Doug: I know that--it is, you know, the Bible--one reason I 33:02 love the Bible is that it tells us stories that you would think, 33:06 well, that doesn't really make anybody look good, 33:09 but it's history. 33:10 What do they say? 33:12 The truth is more bizarre than fiction. 33:13 And this is a true story. 33:15 Just--I'll quickly review what Kelly was sharing. 33:18 Is that God sent a prophet, we never know what his name is, and 33:24 he is to rebuke Jeroboam the son of Nebat because he had turned 33:28 the Northern Kingdom to idolatry. 33:31 And God's power is obviously with this young prophet. 33:34 The altar is split in two, and the king's hand is paralyzed, 33:37 and then he prays and the king is healed. 33:40 And on his way home, word is spread about this event, 33:46 and an old prophet sends his sons and--or the old prophet, I 33:49 think, accosts the man and says, "Come home and have some bite." 33:54 He says, "No, God's told me I'm not supposed to eat bread 33:56 or drink water in this place. 33:57 There's a curse on it because I've turned to idolatry." 33:59 He said, "Well, but I'm a prophet also and God told me 34:01 you're supposed to come home." 34:03 Well, this man is being tested. 34:06 The old prophet lied to him, and you might think, well, I thought 34:09 prophets always told the truth. 34:11 No, Balaam was a prophet who-- he kind of went bad. 34:15 And so this prophet, he says, thinking that God is with this 34:18 young man, "I want him--I want to spend time with him. 34:21 I want to pick his brain and find out what the Lord's been 34:23 telling him." 34:24 And so he lies and says, "You can come to my house." 34:26 And then in the midst of their eating, the Spirit of the Lord 34:30 comes on the old prophet and says, "Oh, you shouldn't have 34:31 done this." 34:33 He says, "Now a lion's going to eat you when you leave." 34:36 And the man is killed by a lion. 34:37 And the old prophet says, "He was certainly a man of God, 34:40 and what he prophesied is going to come true." 34:43 Now, that--the prophet that died, that's killed by a lion, 34:45 was a true prophet, and I expect to see him in heaven, but he was 34:50 kind of tricked and he disobeyed God's--you know, when you hear 34:53 the Word of the Lord from the Lord, don't take someone else's 34:55 word that something's different because the devil will always 34:58 try to, like, trip you up and twist the Word. 35:01 And his prophecy that Josiah, a king would be born by name, 35:07 this is one of the most amazing prophecies--and to see the full 35:11 fulfillment, Kelly, of what you're reading, you almost have 35:14 to go to the end of Chronicles where it talks about King Josiah 35:17 who fulfills what this young king--young prophet foretold. 35:22 And it actually mentions the graves of the young prophet and 35:25 the old prophet in 2 Chronicles. 35:28 So, it's just an amazing story that spans hundreds of years, 35:32 but it does seem to have a bizarre beginning. 35:34 It's--I probably need to do a whole sermon on that someday. 35:37 It's a very interesting story. 35:39 All right, I don't know if that was a meandering answer or not. 35:41 Alden: Well, we got a few more minutes. 35:43 I mean, we're still in the program. 35:44 So if you're listening and just tuning in, give us a call at 35:46 1-800-463-7297 and we'll be glad to try and take your call here. 35:53 We've got Olga in California, first time she's calling, 35:56 and she's got a question about Revelation. 35:58 Who's the bride? 36:00 Olga: I am here, Pastors. 36:02 Good evening to both of you. 36:03 Pastor Batchelor and Pastor Ho. 36:08 Doug: Yeah, and thanks. 36:09 And your question tonight. 36:10 Olga: Pastor, my question is in regards to the bride, or slash, 36:14 wife of Jesus. 36:16 Well, because I'm looking at Revelations 21, verse 9 and 10, 36:21 and I have some other verses relevant to this issue, and the 36:25 only reason why I'm asking about it is because this gentleman 36:28 that I met at work, I'm not going to disclose the church 36:32 where he's from, but supposedly this is what they use to hook 36:36 people in to bring them to the church. 36:39 And every day he comes to--after every weekend he comes bragging 36:42 about how many people they brought into the church. 36:45 Anyways, enough of that. 36:48 He keeps insisting that Jesus has an actual bride, slash, 36:53 wife in heaven. 36:55 And I told him, I said, "No, the bride--we are the bride. 36:58 The church is the bride of Jesus Christ, which, 37:01 we are the church." 37:03 And he showed me some other verses, you know, that are 37:06 supposed to be relevant to this, and I have them written down, 37:10 but I read those verses and I read--and I also read the book 37:14 you guys--that you all have in the Amazing Facts book-- 37:20 Doug: In our bookstore, our study guides, yeah. 37:23 Olga: Yes, and I didn't find anything to what 37:26 he's telling me. 37:27 And so, it's been bugging me and I was like, I need more verses 37:30 to find out--to prove to him that we are the bride, 37:35 we are the wife. 37:37 Doug: Well, let me give you a couple. 37:39 There's actually dozens of them in the Bible. 37:42 So when it says in Revelation, just for our friends listening, 37:44 Revelation 21 it says, "Now I saw the new heaven 37:48 and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth 37:50 were passed away. 37:52 And there was no more sea. 37:53 Then I, John, saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down 37:56 out of heaven from God, as a bride prepared, or adorned, 38:01 for her husband." 38:02 It says "as," so the New Jerusalem is God's people. 38:06 Jesus is not married to any kind of a physical literal bride. 38:10 There's some people that try to, you know, minimize it. 38:13 Let me give you a couple of verses. 38:15 Isaiah 54, verse 5, it says, "For your Maker, your husband, 38:20 the Lord of hosts is His name." 38:22 Now, this is a message to Israel. 38:24 And you can look in 2 Corinthians: 38:26 "For I'm jealous for you with godly jealousy. 38:28 For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I might 38:32 present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 38:35 That, again, is 2 Corinthians 11:2. 38:37 Paul is talking about the church is being betrothed to Christ. 38:41 Ephesians says, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ 38:44 loved the church." 38:46 And he wants to present a spotless church. 38:48 And there's many, many verses. 38:50 The whole book of Hosea is talking about how the church 38:53 has wandered from God and played the harlot, and He wants 38:55 to bring her back again. 38:57 So, the idea of it being a literal woman or wife or 39:02 something like that, that's not taught anywhere in the Bible. 39:05 That's a distortion. 39:07 Alden: Yeah, and many people will tell you all kinds 39:09 of stuff, especially in these Last Days. 39:12 Doug: Yeah, well, you know, I will tell one quick little 39:15 anecdote here. 39:16 I was preaching in Waco, Texas, a long time ago and I came out 39:21 of the church there and, lo and behold, some Branch Davidians 39:24 met the people at the door. 39:26 And the thing that they wanted to tell us is that 39:30 the Holy Spirit was a woman and that Jesus is married 39:33 to the Holy Spirit. 39:34 So, I thought this was really strange and I don't know if 39:37 what this sister's running into is the same thing, but it sounds 39:41 a little cultish to me. 39:43 Alden: Basically, anything you want to hear nowadays you can 39:45 find whatever you want to find, so. 39:47 All right, well, thank you, Olga. 39:49 We have Connie in Arizona and Connie's got some questions here 39:52 in regards to the Second Coming. 39:54 Are you there, Connie? 39:56 Connie: Yes, I am. 39:58 Thank you very much. 39:59 Good evening to you both. 40:01 Doug: Evening, hello. 40:02 Connie: Yes, hi. 40:03 Okay, my question, both, actually has to do with heaven. 40:07 And this would be, the saints that already have gone to 40:12 heaven, where--like Moses and Abraham and others, what are 40:16 they doing for all these hundreds of years in heaven? 40:19 And the second question is about the new heaven and earth. 40:23 Will everyone in the new heaven and earth be adults? 40:27 Because many babies and many young children will be risen 40:31 with all the saints. 40:33 Will they grow up, or is there anything in the Bible 40:36 about that? 40:38 Thank you. 40:39 Doug: Oh, good. 40:40 If it's okay, I'm going to start with your second question first. 40:42 And if you look for instance in, oh, let me see here, Malachi 40:46 chapter 4, it says that, speaking of the new heaven and 40:51 the new earth, says, "But to you who fear My name, shall the 40:55 Sun of Righteousness arise With healing in His wings; 40:58 And you shall go out And grow up like cows of the stall." 41:04 So there are children in heaven, you can read in--by the way, 41:08 that was Malachi 4, verse 2, and you read in Isaiah 11, 41:12 it talks about that "the children will play on the hole 41:15 of the venomous serpent and they will not be harmed." 41:18 And so there are definitely children in heaven. 41:21 I think it's--is it Zephaniah where it says, "And children 41:26 will play in the streets"? 41:28 So you've got an image that there are some who are 41:30 resurrected as children and they grow up in heaven. 41:34 Now, I think they're going to grow more slowly. 41:36 You look in Genesis and it seems like they didn't even get 41:38 married till they were 100. 41:40 They grew more slowly. 41:41 That's why it says in Isaiah 65, is it, that a child will die 41:46 100 years. 41:48 And that actually means they won't even cease to be a child 41:49 until they're 100. 41:51 So that's the first part. 41:52 The second part, you're asking about what is Abraham and 41:55 all the saints doing during this time. 41:57 Well, most of the people who have died from the time of 42:01 Creation to the present, they are sleeping a dreamless sleep 42:05 in the graves. 42:06 There's no consciousness of time. 42:07 For them, their next conscious thought is the resurrection. 42:10 But they're resting. 42:11 And just like when you've had a hard day's work and you sleep 42:15 and all of a sudden you wake up, it's morning, and you don't know 42:17 where the six hours went, that's what it's going to be for them. 42:21 It says they awake. 42:23 Jesus says, "My friend Lazarus is asleep and I go to wake him." 42:26 And He said Lazarus is dead. 42:28 So Jesus called death a sleep. 42:31 When Lazarus woke up after being dead for four days, he didn't 42:35 make any comment on his experience in death because 42:38 it was an unconscious sleep. 42:40 Anyway--and we could send that lesson that we talked 42:44 about earlier. 42:45 "Are the Dead Really Dead?" 42:47 And how does a person get that? 42:48 Alden: Well, and I was also thinking there's another one 42:49 called, "Heaven: Is It For Real?" 42:51 Doug: Oh, perfect. 42:52 Alden: That's a good one, too, and you can get that 42:54 if you call 1-800-835-6747. 42:57 And we'll be glad to send that to you if you're in Canada, 43:00 United States, or the US territories. 43:03 And if you're international, sorry, we can't have that, 43:05 but we might have a digital download if you call in 43:08 or write in for us. 43:10 And before I forget, if you have questions and you want to email 43:14 them after our hours, you can email them 43:16 to BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 43:20 Let's try Brenda in Texas and she's a first time caller 43:23 and she's got a question in regards to Christian's voting. 43:26 Brenda, are you there? 43:27 Brenda: Good evening, Pastor Batchelor and Pastor Ho. 43:29 How are you? 43:30 Doug: Doing great. 43:32 Thanks for calling. 43:33 Brenda: I have a question. 43:34 Should we as Christians vote, or what obligation, if any, 43:39 do we have? 43:41 Doug: Yeah, well, if--and you know, you may be talking 43:44 about different countries, I'm assuming you're talking about 43:46 America, and in the United States we have a government 43:51 that is governed by the people, and that's believers 43:54 and unbelievers. 43:55 If only unbelievers are voting, then, you know, 43:57 woe be the country. 43:59 And so, by all means, the idea of voting comes from the Bible. 44:05 You can even see, you know, in the Bible, sometimes 44:08 they would choose out people from among them. 44:11 And when our Founding Fathers that were mostly Christians, 44:16 they said, you know, "We need a government that is chosen by the 44:18 people," they were hoping that, you know, people, especially 44:23 believers, would get involved in selecting leaders and policies 44:27 that would be just, reasonable, and protect the freedom 44:33 of the proclamation of the gospel. 44:35 So I think Christians should vote. 44:38 I know sometimes you look at what the options are 44:40 and it can be discouraging. 44:42 But, you know, as far as possible, first of all, 44:44 don't do anything that you can't do by faith. 44:46 So if you don't have faith or you feel uncomfortable, 44:49 Paul says, well, don't. 44:51 If it's not of faith, it's sin. 44:52 You know, otherwise, I think you ought to consider what the 44:55 issues are and always vote for the thing that is going to do 45:00 the most to protect and preserve the principles of Christ. 45:04 Alden: You have a pocketbook you just wrote on that, and I just 45:06 finished reading this last week. 45:08 Doug: Actually, I think I wrote it about three or four years 45:10 ago, but it's called, "Should a Christian Vote?" 45:12 Alden: And I just read that, and if you'd like to get that-- 45:14 Doug: Did that make sense? 45:15 You like it? 45:17 Alden: It was good. 45:18 It was very informative because I thought, hey, you know, 45:19 I can't vote being a Canadian, but I want to know 45:21 what's going on with all this. 45:23 And if you'd like to get that, give us a call at 45:25 1-800-835-6747, and we'll be glad to send you that book, 45:30 called, "Should a Christian Vote?" 45:32 We have Virginia in California and she's got a question 45:35 about Mark. 45:36 Are you there? 45:38 Virginia: Yes, Pastors. 45:39 I actually wanted to ask about the question on Mark 3:17 45:44 about--it says, "But woe to those who are pregnant and 45:51 to those who are nurses--nursing babies in those days." 45:54 What does that mean, Pastor? 45:56 Doug: Okay, you're talking about Mark 13, verse 17. 46:01 Virginia: Mark 13. 46:02 Yes, I'm so sorry. 46:03 Mark 13:17. 46:05 Doug: Well, Jesus is describing a time that historians know 46:07 about it when about 40 years after the Crucifixion, 46:12 the Romans came in 70 AD and they besieged Jerusalem. 46:17 And it was a great time of trouble that fell upon the city. 46:21 And it--actually, at one point they even turned to cannibalism. 46:26 And so it was especially hard on women with children to feed. 46:30 And Christ was saying that--see, at the beginning of Mark 13 the 46:35 disciples are saying, "When will the destruction of Jerusalem be? 46:39 What is the sign of Your coming in the end of the world?" 46:41 Because He said there'll be a time when there isn't one stone 46:43 left upon another at the temple. 46:45 So He's talking about the destruction of Jerusalem there. 46:48 So, this was going to be a time of special trial for the people 46:53 that were listening to Him at that time. 46:55 Now, there's also another time of trouble immediately before 46:58 the Second Coming when, again, it's going to be very hard 47:01 for families. 47:04 And that's why Jesus said, "Pray that your flight is not 47:06 in the winter or on the Sabbath Day because there will be great 47:09 tribulation, great distress of nations, men's hearts failing 47:12 for fear." 47:13 And Christ talks about a time of trouble such as there never 47:16 has been, or ever will be, immediately prior 47:19 to the Second Coming. 47:21 So, yeah, He's just saying, when you see that time coming-- 47:25 but I think this verse in particular--in Mark He's talking 47:27 more to the people that would be living before the destruction 47:31 of Jerusalem. 47:32 Alden: All right, thank you so much. 47:34 We've got Ethan in Texas and he's got a really good question 47:38 in regards to the Sabbath. 47:39 Ethan, are you there? 47:41 Ethan: Hi, what's going on? 47:43 Alden: Hi. 47:45 Ethan: Yeah, so my question was, I'm one of--I am a small 47:48 business owner. 47:50 I own a company. 47:51 I've been working on my company for a few years before I really 47:53 discovered what the Sabbath was and what my obligations are. 47:58 My main issue is, my company is a--it's a weekend company. 48:03 So, all of our business goes on, like, Friday to Sunday, and I've 48:08 been working on it for a few years to bring it to fruition. 48:10 And just as it's about to, you know, become profitable, 48:13 and I'm you know, I'm doing this to take care of my family, 48:15 is right when I discovered my obligations. 48:17 So I'm trying to wonder how should I handle it. 48:22 And then, also, where do my responsibilities end? 48:24 Because, I'm not the only one in the company, you know, 48:26 there are others working in it. 48:28 Doug: Yeah, that's a great question. 48:30 Well, let me give you a couple of things to think about. 48:32 In the Sabbath command it mentions the phrase 48:35 "within your gates." 48:37 Now, that phrase "within your gates" means within your realm 48:40 of authority. 48:41 Let's see, let me give you an example. 48:43 Let's suppose that I own a business and it's, you know, 48:47 doing something on Sabbath, and I own it with two other guys. 48:51 And--or you, maybe, you own stock in a company where you own 48:54 1/1000 of the business, but you don't own controlling interest. 48:58 I can't be responsible for, you know, if I own stock 49:02 in Trader Joe's, I don't even know 49:03 if they have stock, if I own stock in Trader Joe's 49:07 and I learn the Sabbath truth and I say, "Look, you guys 49:09 have to all close down on Saturday," 49:10 well, I can't really ask them to do that. 49:12 I don't own controlling interests. 49:14 You see what I'm saying? 49:15 But if I have controlling interest in a company and 49:18 I learned the Sabbath truth, then I'm going to have to sell 49:21 my company to someone feels differently, or I'm going 49:24 to have to close it. 49:25 And--but I can't knowingly say, "Well, I have the power to make 49:30 a decision or make a change, but I'm not going to make the change 49:32 because I might be tested. 49:35 It might be difficult, and doesn't God want me to feed 49:37 my family?" 49:39 You know, when it comes to obeying the commandment, 49:41 you just remember what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did. 49:46 The king said, "When I tell you, you bow down, worship my idol, 49:50 when you hear the music." 49:52 Well, they were going to lose their jobs if they didn't obey 49:55 the king and they were going to lose their lives. 49:57 So they could have argued and said, "Well, you know, 49:59 it's going to be hard on our families if we don't bow down." 50:01 But they said, "Look, it's God's command, and even if we die, 50:04 we're not going to disobey." 50:06 That's real courage, that's real faith, and God blessed them. 50:10 And so, God sometimes does His biggest miracles when we are 50:13 facing the biggest test. 50:15 What or how you're to deal with that, Ethan, I don't know. 50:19 We'll be praying for you that God gives you both wisdom 50:22 and courage, but you'll never be sorry if you stand up 50:25 for your convictions. 50:26 Now, if you only own, like, 1/3 of the company, 50:28 but you may eventually want to sell out your third, 50:30 but you can't really tell them what to do. 50:33 Hopefully, that makes sense. 50:35 Alden: Sabbath questions always a very--struggle. 50:38 I went through that, too, when I worked in the business world. 50:41 And when I stood up for it, God blessed immensely. 50:45 And so we--that's part of our testing that we go through, 50:49 each and every one of us. 50:50 Tiwana, she's in Virginia and she's got a question about 50:54 Communion and the sick people. 50:56 Tiwana, are you there? 50:59 Tiwana: Yes, I am. 51:00 Can you hear me? 51:01 Alden: Sure can, yeah. 51:03 Go ahead with your question. 51:04 Tiwana: Awesome. 51:05 First of all, and I know you strapped on time, but I have 51:07 to say this: Pastor Doug, and I don't know the other pastor's 51:10 name, you don't know how you changed my life. 51:13 It was 3 o'clock in the morning, and I thank God for you every 51:17 single day and Amazing Facts because the truth with the Bible 51:23 is amazing. 51:24 And I tell everybody I'm a member of Granite Bay, but I'm 51:27 not yet because I have to finish the Bible study courses. 51:30 But I just wanted you to know that, that I tell everybody. 51:34 It's all--it was only because the God sent you in my life, and 51:38 I thank God for you every single day, and I can't wait to meet 51:41 you in person, your wife, and everyone at Granite Bay because 51:44 I am going to become a member. 51:46 So, you're stuck with me. 51:47 But my question is about taking Communion. 51:55 My family, not Seventh-day Adventist, I'm actually the only 51:58 one, and you can imagine what I'm going through with that. 52:03 Every time someone gets sick, whether it's on their death bed 52:06 or they got a common cold, they say, "Take the Holy Communion," 52:09 because the Holy Communion, Christ died 52:12 for our transgressions. 52:14 And I know Isaiah 53:5, I just pulled it up really quickly, 52:19 and I know James 5:14, verses 14 through 16. 52:24 But I keep telling her that He died for our spiritual healing. 52:30 And--because what's happening, and I don't know how to ask the 52:34 question, but what's happening is, they get sick, they start 52:38 just taking the Holy Communion, and then they feel sick. 52:42 Doug: So they're almost feeling like the purpose of Communion 52:45 is that there's some kind of magical properties in it 52:47 that's supposed to heal them. 52:49 Well, let me tell you, there is a place where Paul, and maybe 52:54 Pastor Ho can look that up, but there is a place where Paul 52:57 talks about that some, this is in 2 Corinthians, he says, 53:02 "Some are taking it unworthily and that's why some are sick 53:04 among you." 53:06 Paul doesn't say that taking Communion heals you. 53:09 He does say that some people were taking Communion in 53:11 the wrong spirit and they were actually physically sick 53:13 because they were abusing it. 53:15 So there's a difference there. 53:17 Nowhere does Jesus intimate that taking Communion is going 53:20 to heal you. 53:22 In fact, after Jesus took Communion, He was crucified. 53:24 So, it's not magical properties of physical healing. 53:28 Now, there may be some people who've experienced that 53:30 by faith, and I don't want to deny that. 53:33 There's power in renewing it. 53:34 But really, Communion is about accepting the sacrifice 53:37 of Christ and His forgiveness, and it's renewing that covenant 53:42 of believing in His blood. 53:44 Alden: Yeah, we found--it's in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 53:48 and it says: "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks 53:51 this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty 53:55 of the body and blood of the Lord." 53:56 And in verse 29 it says, again, the same thing, 53:59 the very same words. 54:01 So, it's something we have to be--it's a very sacred thing, 54:04 so we have to be very careful with that. 54:06 That we don't abuse it. 54:07 It's not like some magic wand. 54:09 Doug: And you--when people wonder how often do you do 54:11 Communion, there's only really two time scales in the Bible. 54:16 Some things were annual feasts, some things were weekly. 54:21 You know, there's probably nothing wrong with the churches 54:23 that celebrate Communion, you know, some do it monthly. 54:26 I've been to some churches, every week they have Communion. 54:28 I think that's too much. 54:30 But some churches do it-- Methodists do it quarterly. 54:34 I think our church adopted it from the Methodists. 54:36 But the idea of doing it every time you get sick, I don't know 54:40 if that's the reason for it. 54:42 So, hopefully that helps a little bit. 54:45 You know, Pastor Ho, I'm thinking that we're--looks like 54:48 we're narrowing down where if we take another question, 54:51 it's going to insult somebody. 54:52 If we did not get to your question tonight, 54:55 give us another chance. 54:56 Now, for those listening, we're signing off with our satellite 54:58 listeners, but stay by, those of you on the land base stations, 55:02 because we're going to come back for rapid-fire Bible questions 55:04 in about 45 seconds. 55:10 male announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:12 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:16 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:20 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:26 Alden: Well, welcome back. 55:27 We've got a question here. 55:29 Roger's asking in these rapid-fire questions, 55:31 "Pastor Batchelor"--said, "The book of Jude quotes 55:36 from the book of Enoch, but Enoch is not scripture. 55:38 Why does Jude quote from what is not scripture 55:40 and put it in scripture?" 55:42 Doug: Yeah, great question. 55:44 In the book of Jude, which is an inspired book of the Bible, 55:48 he quotes from a passage from the book of Enoch. 55:50 The book of Enoch was not written by Enoch. 55:52 Of course, Enoch lived before the Flood, so that would have 55:54 meant that Enoch gave it to Noah, who gave it 55:56 to who knows who, and it just kept getting passed down. 55:59 The book of Enoch was written during the Babylonian Captivity. 56:02 It doesn't appear anywhere in Hebrew literature before that, 56:05 and it was a devout Jew who wrote out some passages. 56:10 Well, Jude recognized that there were some things that he wrote 56:14 that were prophetic, that were true, and so he took that 56:18 and--it's true of many things that while the whole book may 56:22 not be inspired, there could be some inspired statements. 56:24 You know, how many people have quoted Ben Franklin where 56:27 he said that--what is it? 56:29 "Waste not, want not," and "Early to bed, early to rise 56:32 makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise." 56:33 There's a lot of proverbs of Ben Franklin that were really 56:35 inspired, but he's not a prophet. 56:37 So you'd be surprised how many people quote Ben Franklin. 56:41 I think it's in the Bible somewhere. 56:43 But--so, even Paul does it. 56:44 Paul quotes from a Greek poet and he says what the poet said 56:48 in this one passage is true. 56:51 So Bible prophets might take truth that they read somewhere 56:55 else and quote it. 56:56 So, yeah, hopefully that makes sense. 56:58 But the book of Enoch is just part of Hebrew literature. 57:01 There's that one passage quoted by Jude that is, 57:04 therefore, inspired. 57:06 Alden: All right, one more. 57:07 Chris asks, "When Jesus cleanses the sanctuary for the final 57:10 time, how are the saint--sins transferred to the devil? 57:13 The earthly sanctuary used a scapegoat. 57:15 What will this process look like for the heavenly sanctuary?" 57:18 Doug: Yeah, the--it's talking about the final service 57:22 in Leviticus 16 about the Day of Atonement 57:24 when they had two goats. 57:26 One was the Lord's goat, one was called the scapegoat. 57:29 The Lord's goat is sacrificed and the blood cleanses-- 57:31 the scapegoat is not sacrificed. 57:33 It bears the ultimate guilt of the people away 57:37 and was carried into a foreign land and forever separated. 57:40 That is believed to be the devil. 57:42 And in the very end, the ultimate one who is responsible 57:46 for the origin of sin is Satan, he is going to be cast into 57:50 the lake of fire and he's going to receive the punishment 57:54 for his deeds at that time. 57:55 And then, ultimately, it says in Ezekiel, "Never will you be 57:59 any more." 58:01 He'll be forever separated from God's people. 58:02 No more sinner sinners. 58:03 Hey, friends. 58:05 Thank you so much for joining us in "Bible Answers Live." 58:07 Don't forget, all week long you can go to our mothership 58:10 website: AmazingFacts.org. 58:12 We'll talk again next week. 58:18 male announcer: "Bible Answers Live," 58:19 honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2025-05-14