Participants:
Series Code: TDYQA
Program Code: TDYQA210015A
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00:01 As you're well aware,
00:02 we're living in unprecedented times. 00:05 Join us now for Today special program. 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Mending broken people 00:23 I want to spend my life 00:29 Removing pain 00:34 Lord, let my words 00:39 Heal a heart that hurts 00:44 I want to spend my life 00:50 Mending broken people 00:55 I want to spend my life 01:00 Mending broken people 01:15 Hello and welcome to 3ABN 01:17 Bible Question and Answer program. 01:20 This is an hour program. 01:21 My name is John Dinzey. 01:22 It's a pleasure for me to be with you 01:24 during this hour. 01:25 And we have what 01:26 we would call an hour of blessing, 01:28 that's what I could call, an hour of blessing. 01:29 And so we want to introduce to you 01:31 the family members that are here with us. 01:33 We start with Pastor John Lomacang, 01:35 Pastor of the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:37 and Director of World Evangelism for 3ABN, welcome. 01:40 My Spanish brother John, I'm john. 01:43 There's very little difference between us. 01:45 We both love the Lord, 01:47 and always appreciate being on this program. 01:49 Thank you pastor Dinzey. 01:50 And we have Pastor Ryan Day with us. 01:53 We are glad that you're here. 01:54 I'm blessed. It's a blessing to be here. 01:56 And I'm looking forward 01:57 to answering some Bible questions. 01:59 Amen. Amen. 02:01 And Sister Shelley Quinn, 02:02 a joy and a blessing to have you here. 02:04 Oh, it's always. 02:05 It's fun to dive into the Bible. 02:07 Amen. 02:08 I believe that, I've heard from each one of you. 02:10 This is, 02:11 it's like a joy and a blessing to study God's Word, 02:13 but to share, to share. 02:15 And, of course, we know that 02:17 you could add a lot more to the answers. 02:20 But we have so many questions, we have to limit the time. 02:23 But we ask for God's grace 02:25 so that He can help us answer these questions. 02:26 So we're going to ask Pastor Ryan Day, 02:28 you can lead us in prayer, please. 02:30 Absolutely. Let's pray. 02:31 Dear Father in heaven, Lord, 02:33 we are so privileged and honored as always 02:34 to be here to be alive during these times 02:36 and to be a part of this incredible panel. 02:38 As your people are sending in questions, 02:41 Lord, it's such an honor and a privilege 02:43 to be able to have Your Word 02:45 and to be able to not have to depend on our own thoughts 02:48 and our own ideas, our own failed wisdom. 02:51 But, Lord, Your Word has all the answers. 02:54 And so, today, Lord, if You would empower us 02:55 with Your Spirit, 02:57 that we could simply just be able to rightly divide 02:59 the word of truth today. 03:01 That's what we're asking. 03:02 So as this program goes out, 03:04 may it bless so many people and may it draw all of us, 03:07 viewers and panel members 03:10 to Jesus Christ, our Savior. 03:12 We praise You and thank You. 03:13 And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 03:15 Amen. Amen. 03:17 Amen. Praise the Lord. 03:18 Well, we want to let you know 03:20 how you can participate in this program. 03:22 These questions were asked by people like you 03:25 that are watching and listening to this program. 03:28 And so we want to let you know how you can do that, 03:30 we're going to share a phone number 03:32 where you can text in your questions 03:34 and you may have a phone right in your hand right now. 03:36 Who knows, you may already have a question in mind 03:38 that you'd like to send. 03:39 So we'd like to share that number with you. 03:41 It's (618) 228-3975. 03:45 (618) 228-3975.). 03:47 (618) 228-3975. 03:51 Email if you prefer that. 03:52 It's BibleQA@3abn.org 03:57 BibleQA@3abn.org 04:01 You can send in your questions 04:03 so that we can present it to our panel. 04:05 And we are going to start with ladies first, 04:08 ladies first. 04:09 Ladies first, yeah. 04:11 I was going to say in Spanish caballeros, 04:13 last, gentlemen last this time. 04:16 Okay, Sister Shelley Quinn, 04:17 this question actually came specifically directed to you. 04:22 And this person says, 04:23 "Sister Shelley, 04:25 what can be said about Zechariah 5:1-11? 04:29 Well, let's just set this up first by saying in Zechariah, 04:32 there are eight visions in the first six chapters, 04:36 the prophetic visions of encouragement 04:38 of what God is going to do for His people 04:42 after their return from Babylon all the way down to Jesus. 04:46 In Zechariah 3, 04:48 of course, is the most important 04:50 and well-known 04:52 when this is where 04:53 God is changing the filthy clothes from Joshua 04:58 and putting on the rich robes. 05:01 And He's showing here that He has a provision for people 05:06 who will be repentant, 05:07 that they will be clothed with the robe of righteousness. 05:10 Then in Zechariah Chapter 4, 05:13 He shows that He's going to empower people by a Spirit, 05:17 not by might but by My Spirit He says. 05:21 Now the fixed vision in Zechariah Chapter 5 05:26 is about the purging of sinners from the land. 05:31 And this is what's interesting. 05:34 This is what's going to happen to people 05:36 who won't repent, 05:37 who refuse the robe of righteousness, 05:40 who refuse to be led by the Holy Spirit. 05:42 Zechariah sees this flying scroll, 05:44 it's 30x15, 05:46 same dimensions as the Most Holy Place. 05:51 So what happens? 05:53 This is depicting the Word of God 05:55 because it's unfurled, this scroll is unfurled, 05:59 there's writing on both sides, 06:01 and it specifically mentions two of the Ten Commandments, 06:05 I believe they were all on there, 06:07 but stealing and false testimony. 06:10 Now, the Bible does not tell us what that scroll is, 06:14 I believe personally, that it could be 06:18 because it has the curse in it, 06:20 this could be the scroll of the book of the law, 06:24 the book of the covenant 06:25 that was on the side of the ark. 06:27 And so that was a scroll that had a curse in it, 06:31 stood there as a witness against them. 06:33 But an unavoidable curse is pronounced, 06:36 saying it will even follow the people 06:38 into their home. 06:39 And what God is just warning 06:41 that His judgment is going to be according to His Word. 06:45 He's got to root out and destroy the sinners. 06:48 Now in Zachariah 5:7-11, 06:51 we have the seventh vision of Him 06:54 removing iniquity from the land. 06:57 And there's a woman in a basket, 06:59 I think this is so fascinating. 07:02 And she personifies an evil system. 07:06 It could be that this is secular, commercialism 07:11 like we see in Revelation 18, 07:13 but she's covered 07:15 with a lid of lead, a heavy lid, 07:18 keep sin in there. 07:20 And then she's carried off by two women 07:23 with wings like storks, 07:25 which are unclean animals, 07:27 which were obviously agents of evil, 07:31 but she's taken to Shinar 07:33 which is an old name for Babylon. 07:36 So God calls His people out of Babylon, 07:39 but those who refuse to repent, He sends back. 07:42 Well, thank you very much. 07:44 I know there's a lot to share in short time. 07:46 And we now go to Pastor Ryan Day. 07:49 Question for you is, 07:51 "How do I defend God's dietary laws to others 07:56 in light of Deuteronomy 12:15, 08:00 which seems to allow the eating of all flesh 08:04 as long as the blood isn't eaten." 08:06 This is from Julie, from Wisconsin. 08:08 Okay. Now, this is a great, great question. 08:10 In fact, if you read 08:12 Deuteronomy 12:15 a little closer, 08:15 then you'll find some context clues in there very clearly, 08:17 in which is very much in harmony 08:19 with the rest of what God has to say, 08:21 and His attitude towards the, you know, the differentiation 08:24 between the clean and the unclean. 08:25 So let's read that passage there. 08:26 This is Deuteronomy 12:15. 08:30 And actually, I did not put that in my notes. 08:34 So let's go to Deuteronomy 12:15, real quickly, 08:37 and I thought I had copied and pasted into my notes there, 08:39 but that's okay. 08:41 So Deuteronomy 12:15, again, 08:42 God is outlining 08:44 what is okay for the children of Israel, 08:45 and what is not okay 08:47 in reference to what they can eat. 08:48 And so Deuteronomy 12:15, says, 08:51 "However, you may slaughter and eat meat 08:53 within all your gates, whatever your heart desires, 08:55 according to the blessing of the Lord your God 08:58 which He has given you, 08:59 the unclean and the clean may eat of it, 09:02 of the gazelle and the deer alike." 09:04 So there's a couple of things 09:05 you have to understand here in this 09:07 within this particular text. 09:08 First of all, notice what it says, it says, 09:10 whatever your heart desires, 09:11 according to the blessing of the Lord your God, 09:14 which He has given you. 09:16 Now what, notice this is Deuteronomy, 09:18 so the Deuteronomy would have been written 09:19 and given after probably the Book of Leviticus, 09:22 and even so the Lord's not going to say over here 09:25 in Deuteronomy11, and also excuse me, 09:27 in Leviticus Chapter 11, and also, 09:29 two chapters later in Deuteronomy Chapter 14, 09:32 what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten. 09:35 And then in this chapter, say, 09:36 oh, you know, just eat whatever you want, right? 09:37 We know God is not the author of confusion. 09:39 So whatever your heart desires, 09:41 according to the blessing of the Lord, 09:43 God only made a distinction between that 09:45 which is clean and unclean. 09:46 If you read Leviticus Chapter 11, 09:48 and as I mentioned earlier, Deuteronomy Chapter 14, 09:51 God makes a very clear distinction 09:53 between those animals 09:54 that are labeled or considered clean 09:56 and those animals that are not, 09:58 so where a lot of people get confused 10:00 is they misinterpret or misapply, 10:02 where it says here in verse 15. 10:04 It says, 10:05 "The unclean and the clean may eat of it, 10:08 of the gazelle and the deer alike." 10:09 So a lot of people read those words and think, 10:10 "Oh, He's telling me that 10:12 I can eat anything unclean or clean." 10:14 Well, if you look at this particular translation 10:17 and compare it to even other Bible translations, 10:19 the unclean and clean alike may eat of it. 10:23 Not that you may eat of it, 10:25 but the unclean and clean alike may eat of it. 10:28 That's what the scripture actually says. 10:29 It's referring 10:31 to the ceremonially unclean people 10:34 and the ceremonially clean people. 10:36 There was a differentiation between that as well. 10:38 In fact, you will read this 10:40 in the New International Version, 10:41 the International Standard Version, 10:43 the New English Translation, New Living Translation, 10:45 Common English Bible and other translations 10:47 that make this very, very clear 10:49 that that unclean and clean alike 10:51 is speaking of the people, not the food. 10:53 In fact, right there in that verse, in verse 15, 10:56 it ends with of the gazelle and the deer alike. 10:59 Both gazelle and deer are ceremonially clean meats. 11:03 In this case, they have the split hoof, 11:05 and they chew the cud. 11:06 So if you read this verse, 11:07 this verse does not give anyone permission 11:09 to go outside of the dietary laws 11:11 that God gave. 11:12 It is within those dietary laws. 11:14 And God says, 11:15 "You can eat whatever your heart desires, 11:16 according to the blessing of the Lord." 11:19 And God only blessed the clean meats. 11:22 Thank you very much. 11:23 Well, Pastor Lomacang, 11:25 we now come to you 11:26 and this question, this question is, 11:30 "Why are there so many denominations in the world? 11:35 What in the world is going on?" 11:36 This is Morris from Virginia. 11:39 Well, the simple reality 11:40 can be best contributed to the Protestant Reformation. 11:43 You find, prior to the Protestant Reformation, 11:46 you find that the Old Testament, 11:48 the Lord chose the nation of Israel 11:50 to proliferate the gospel to the world. 11:52 And then you had the Jews and the Gentiles. 11:56 This is primarily designating two groups, 11:58 meaning those who followed Christ 12:00 and those who didn't. 12:01 In the Old Testament, those who followed God 12:03 and those who the adverse nations 12:04 to the worship of God. 12:06 But as the church began to progress, 12:08 past the death of all the disciples, 12:11 then you have the persecution of the Jews and the Christians 12:16 under the Roman Emperor Diocletian 12:17 from 303-313 AD. 12:20 Then the church continued to progress 12:22 and begin to metamorphosize 12:24 and surely later part of the 300s, 12:27 the church received the reprieve. 12:30 As Roman Emperor Constantine gave the church a reprieve, 12:34 and then the Bible began to be openly discussed, 12:37 but the church continued under the rule of Rome 12:39 until the Dark Ages in 538 AD 1798 AD, 12:43 and the church went 12:44 into a very strong time of persecution. 12:47 But during that time, God preserved His message 12:49 and reformers like Martin Luther, 12:50 Calvin Hus, Zwingli, Jerome Wycliffe, 12:53 and many others rose up in protest 12:56 against the Roman Catholic Church. 12:57 They broke off and never intended 13:00 to start their own movements, 13:01 but the Lutherans came out of Martin Luther. 13:04 The different doctrines that resurfaced 13:07 where the precursor to movement starting 13:09 in favor or in honor of these men 13:12 who started to break away from the Roman Catholic Church. 13:15 In recognition, Jesus is a forward looking prognostic 13:19 position on the duplicity of Christianity 13:22 is pointed out in John 10:16. 13:24 Jesus says, 13:25 "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, 13:27 them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, 13:29 and they will be one fold and one shepherd." 13:31 So before Jesus comes back, 13:33 there is going to be a gathering together. 13:35 Revelation 12:17 tells you 13:37 the movement that Satan is angry with. 13:39 The Lord is going to say in Revelation 18, 13:41 "Come out of her, My people." 13:42 So we are living in the day and age 13:44 where the gathering of God's people, 13:45 wherever they are, is underway. 13:47 And when Jesus comes, 13:49 once again, there will only be two groups, 13:51 those who worship Him in spirit and in truth, 13:53 and those who do not. 13:54 Amen. Thank you very much. 13:56 Thank you. 13:57 We now come back to Sister Shelley Quinn. 13:59 Okay. 14:00 Question for you is, 14:02 "Why did it have to take so long 14:06 before Jesus was born? 14:07 Why wasn't he born 14:09 right after sin had entered this world?" 14:12 This is from Arlene, from Sweden. 14:14 Arlene, it's a great question. 14:16 There are many theological theories as to why, 14:20 but I'm just going to tell you, I can't tell you. 14:23 Isaiah 55:9 says that God says, 14:28 "My thoughts are higher than your thoughts, 14:30 My ways are higher than your ways." 14:34 We know that He introduced the deliverer, 14:38 the promised seed in Genesis 3:15, 14:41 right after sin. 14:43 And you know what? 14:44 We just have to trust God's timing. 14:46 God is a God 14:48 who operates by love, by free will, 14:51 and according to certain time periods 14:55 and appointed times. 14:56 So I believe He has His good reasons 15:01 and too for His delays. 15:04 And you know, it could be that, Arlene, 15:07 that what He's doing is 15:09 trying to help the world truly understand 15:13 the magnitude of sin, 15:15 and through the progressive revelation of His plan, 15:18 but here's what I want to have you hold on to. 15:22 Sin will come to an end 15:24 in Nahum 1:9, He says, 15:26 "The Lord is good, 15:27 a stronghold in the day of trouble. 15:29 He knows those who trust in Him. 15:30 But with an overflowing flood, 15:33 He will make an utter end of its place 15:35 and darkness will pursue His enemies. 15:38 What do you conspire against the Lord? 15:40 He will make an utter end of it. 15:42 Affliction will not rise a second time." 15:46 So we know in Malachi that it says 15:49 the wicked will be ashes under our feet. 15:52 God's not going to leave them root or branch. 15:54 But we know 2 Peter 3:12-13 says that 15:58 we look forward 15:59 to a new heavens and a new earth 16:02 where righteousness dwells. 16:04 Amen. Amen. 16:05 Thank you very much. 16:06 Praise the Lord. 16:08 Well, we see this question tells me that 16:10 people are studying the prophecies. 16:12 And we are going to go 16:14 to Pastor Ryan Day for this one. 16:16 In Matthew 24:29, it says, 16:21 "The sun will grow dark, 16:23 and the moon will not give its light." 16:26 "I learned," she says, 16:28 "that this happened in May, 1780. 16:32 Will this happen again before Jesus returns?" 16:35 This is from Jennifer from Jamaica. 16:37 Absolutely, there is an overwhelming evidence 16:40 to show that this will happen again. 16:43 We got to recognize that 16:45 these signs happening in the heavens and on earth. 16:49 These follow the Great Tribulation time periods. 16:52 We saw a first Great Tribulation time period. 16:54 And it's lengthened 1260 years during the Dark Ages. 16:59 And as you were referencing there, Jennifer, 17:01 this series of happenings that happened in the moon 17:06 and the sun and the stars, 17:08 and you know, the heavens be shaken. 17:10 That it was mentioned in Matthew 24, 17:12 and then again also in Revelation Chapter 6. 17:15 And, of course, there's also some mentioning 17:16 of the same things happening in the Book of Joel. 17:19 We have to understand that there is a dual application 17:21 to many of these things. 17:23 Just because there was a Great Tribulation time period 17:25 in the Dark Ages 17:26 does not mean there's not going 17:27 to be another Great Tribulation time period. 17:29 In fact, we know it because the Bible confirms that 17:30 there will be an even greater tribulation time period, 17:34 mentioned there in Daniel 12:1. 17:36 And, of course, we see that 17:38 great global tribulation time period happening 17:40 in Revelation Chapter 16, 17:42 with this pouring out of the seven last plagues. 17:45 But this sin, these are the signs 17:48 and He's in the heavens, 17:49 for instance, the earthquake that you're mentioning 17:51 happened in 1755, 17:53 the sun turning black or dark in 1780, 17:55 the moon did not give its light 17:57 or actually turned to blood, red blood in 1780, 18:01 and the stars in 1833. 18:03 And I've had some people suggest that 18:05 perhaps the mentioning of this in Revelation 6:12-13, 18:09 could actually be referring 18:10 because it's in the exact order 18:12 that these events happened back after the Dark Ages, 18:16 and that the ones in Matthew 24 18:17 referring to the very end of time 18:19 right before the Second Coming of Jesus. 18:21 You know, it really doesn't matter either way, 18:23 because it's still, we still know there's going 18:24 to be some sign to happen in the sun, 18:26 some stars or a lot of stars are going to fall, 18:28 we know that the moon whether it turns blood, 18:30 or does not give its light. 18:31 We know very, very much 18:33 so that these exact same signs 18:35 according to both Matthew 24 and Revelation 6:12-13. 18:40 It will happen again 18:41 right before the Second Coming of Jesus. 18:43 Thank you, Pastor Ryan. 18:45 And, Pastor Lomacang, 18:47 we have a delicate question here for you. 18:50 And it's coming from Kenya, Christopher from Kenya. 18:53 He says, 18:55 "First, I know life is sacred 18:57 and should be treated as such. 18:59 I've always been against abortion, 19:02 regardless of the circumstances 19:04 surrounding the conception of the child, 19:06 i.e., rape, incest, etc. 19:10 However, I have always supported the notion 19:12 that if the life of the mother is at risk, 19:15 then termination of the pregnancy is permitted. 19:18 Recently, this position has been challenged 19:21 and I would like clarity on this issue 19:24 from the Bible." 19:25 Okay. 19:27 Now, this is a delicate issue. 19:28 And I want to make that very clear to those 19:30 who are listening to my response. 19:31 I'm going to deal with this from the scriptures 19:32 and then also deal with it from the parameters 19:34 as the individual asking the question 19:36 said this is a delicate, 19:39 he says, the position has been challenged recently. 19:42 When you talk about the issue of abortion, 19:43 you open up a can of worms that are not easily, 19:47 you don't put a lid back on it. 19:49 But before I answer the question, 19:50 I need to make it very clear that the issue of abortion 19:53 has been a hotly debated issue. 19:55 By no means does the Bible support 19:57 the taking of the life of the unborn or the born. 20:03 Either way you look at that, murder is murder either way. 20:06 Somebody might say, 20:08 well, the unborn child doesn't have the choice. 20:10 And that is exactly correct. 20:12 Also, the same case could be made when you go, 20:14 we had some school shootings up in Connecticut 20:17 where little children in the second or third grade, 20:20 they had no choice either. 20:21 So what's the difference? 20:23 One is already alive, the other one is not born yet. 20:28 The Bible makes it clear that thou shalt not kill 20:30 does not just apply to the unborn. 20:33 Thou shalt not kill applies across the board. 20:36 And so when people look at abortion, 20:38 making that a separate issue altogether, 20:41 and they ignore the life of those 20:42 who are already alive, 20:43 you find issues such as people that say, 20:45 well, doctors should not perform abortions. 20:48 But they go ahead and kill the doctor 20:50 that performed abortion. 20:51 In both cases, it's murder. That's right. 20:53 So let's make this very clear that the abortion issue 20:55 is not the only issue 20:57 on which thou shalt not kill hinges. 20:59 And when it talks about choice, 21:03 this is the issue I think that was addressed, 21:05 I believe in his question, 21:06 because he said, if it's incest or rape, 21:08 then she cannot terminate the pregnancy. 21:11 Well, that depends on 21:12 whether you're the one that's raped, 21:13 or you're the one that have to go through incest. 21:15 In some parts of the world, 21:16 we're living in a world 21:18 where child trafficking, babies, 21:21 literally girls 11, 12, 13 21:22 have been impregnated by crazy men, 21:25 militia groups, 21:26 and they're saying if we impregnate these girls, 21:27 they better have that child. 21:29 If that's you, 21:30 I think you'll have quite a different position. 21:32 Let me go to a story now. 21:34 When my, when I was born, when my mother was pregnant, 21:38 she was unwed. 21:40 She was not married. 21:42 I was born out of wedlock. 21:43 The world calls that 21:45 and I'm going to use a term here. 21:46 They call that a bastard child. 21:49 I'm not a bastard child. 21:50 No, you're not. 21:52 I didn't do anything wrong. 21:53 The illegitimate ones were my parents. 21:56 I was simply born based on the process 21:58 that the Lord has ordained. 22:00 What we have to keep in mind is the Lord, life is sacred. 22:05 Jeremiah 1:5, 22:07 "Before I formed you in the womb, 22:10 I knew you. 22:11 Before you were born, I sanctified you, 22:15 I ordained you a prophet to the nations." 22:17 And I believe before I was born, 22:19 the Lord saw my situation and says, 22:20 "I got a special plan for you." 22:22 I praise God, my mother did not believe in abortion. 22:25 And also, you find in the Bible, 22:28 that when Mary and Elizabeth met 22:32 in Luke 1:41, and it says, 22:35 "And it happened when Elizabeth heard 22:36 the greeting of Mary, 22:37 that the babe leaped in her womb, 22:39 then Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." 22:41 So there was some point of the child 22:43 not even being outside the womb 22:45 was affected by what was taking place 22:46 outside the womb. 22:48 Make the point very clear. 22:49 Choice is something the Lord never rescinded 22:52 from any human being. 22:53 I placed before you two rows, life and blessings, 22:56 death and cursings. 22:57 He says, choose life. 22:59 But we still have to make a choice. 23:01 So unless you're in that position, 23:03 I don't believe that 23:04 we can enforce this law on someone, 23:06 but we can surely stand for what is right 23:08 according to God's Word. 23:09 And thou shalt not kill is murder, 23:11 whether you're alive, 23:13 or whether you have not been born yet. 23:15 Thank you very much. 23:16 We now want to offer you again, 23:18 the opportunity to send in your questions 23:21 so that we can present it to our panel. 23:23 You may even as some people are doing, 23:25 address this specifically to someone on the panel. 23:28 And so, if you would like to text your question, 23:30 the number is (618) 228-3975. 23:34 (618) 228-3975. 23:37 I'll say that again, (618) 228-3975. 23:41 By email, it's very easy, just BibleQA@3abn.org 23:47 BibleQA@3abn.org 23:52 And so we continue with our questions. 23:54 And we go to Pastor Ryan Day in this one. 23:58 "How do I prepare to have the character of Jesus 24:02 as I believe and follow the Sabbath day, 24:05 as an elder of 65 years?" 24:08 Absolutely. 24:09 Well, to be honest with you, my brother, 24:12 if I believe this is coming from, 24:14 maybe it's not our brother, I don't know. 24:16 But either way, I want you to understand that 24:18 it doesn't matter 24:19 whether you have kept the Sabbath all your life 24:22 or you haven't, 24:24 to prepare to have the character of Jesus 24:26 is the same for every single person. 24:28 And we have to understand that 24:29 the only way that 24:30 that character can be developed is 24:32 if we are beholding Jesus Christ. 24:35 It really is as simple as that. 24:37 And obviously, what we mean by beholding, 24:39 in a literal sense, 24:40 people obviously are thinking of, 24:42 you know, looking and staring or beholding simply means 24:46 completely surrendering your will 24:48 to the will of God, 24:50 placing the life of Christ before you, 24:52 His example, His teachings, His word, 24:55 and meditating on that, 24:57 making that word a part of your life 24:59 and feeling your inner man 25:01 with that of the mind of Jesus Christ, 25:04 just as Jesus had the conversation 25:06 with Nicodemus there. 25:07 He said, 25:09 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 25:10 so shall also the Son of man be lifted up." 25:13 And so we must behold, 25:14 there is life in a look at the Savior. 25:16 So that's the most important thing. 25:18 First, we behold the Lord. 25:19 And, of course, when we do this, 25:21 as we behold Him, 25:22 you've heard that saying, as by beholding, 25:24 we become change, 25:25 and that is certainly the case, we become sons of God. 25:29 And then, and according to Romans 8:14, 25:32 if we are, if we are led by the Spirit of God, 25:35 then we are sons of God. 25:37 So we need to be led by the Spirit of God daily, 25:40 as we take up our cross daily. 25:42 Luke 9:23, that if we deny ourselves 25:45 and take up our cross daily and follow Him, 25:48 then we are His indeed, 25:49 we are abiding 25:51 in a daily relationship with Christ. 25:52 It is that ongoing life of faithful work 25:56 each and every day 25:57 as we surrender our will to Him, 25:58 that the mind of Christ is being pressed upon us, 26:01 He increases and we decrease. 26:04 And before you know what the old man is gone, 26:06 and the new man that is Christ in you, 26:09 the hope of glory is there. 26:11 And, of course, ultimately, the character of Christ 26:13 is very, very much put on a clear display 26:16 in Galatians 5:22-23. 26:18 And that is you begin to show forth the fruits of the Spirit 26:22 that is leading and guiding you. 26:24 Amen. Thank you very much. 26:25 Thank you. 26:26 Sister Shelley Quinn, are you ready? 26:28 I'm ready. All right. 26:30 "Can you explain Exodus 22:29-30, 26:34 about the firstborn of your sons." 26:37 This is from Ron and Debbie from Wisconsin. 26:39 Okay, Ron and Debbie. 26:41 Exodus 22:29 says, 26:43 "You shall not delay to offer the first 26:46 of your ripe produce, and your juices. 26:48 The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me," 26:51 the Lord says." 26:52 So the firstborn of man and beast, 26:54 the firstborn of all of their produce 26:57 was required of the people. 26:59 Now with the child, the firstborn of a couple 27:02 was dedicated at one month old, 27:06 they were then redeemed by a money payment. 27:11 We'll see Numbers 18:16 says, 27:14 "Those redeemed of the devoted things 27:18 you shall redeem when one month old 27:23 for five shekels of silver." 27:27 The rest was offered in sacrifice. 27:29 This is in memory of Egypt's firstborn. 27:34 Let me show you this. 27:36 Because when the tenth plague was put on Egypt, 27:40 there was a preservation of the firstborn of Israel. 27:44 And in Exodus 13:13-15, this is what the Lord says, 27:49 "All the firstborn of man among your sons 27:52 you shall redeem. 27:53 So it shall be, when your son asks you 27:56 in time to come, saying, 27:57 'What is this?' 27:58 Then you shall say to him, 28:00 'By strength of hand 28:02 the Lord brought us out of Egypt, 28:04 out of the house of bondage. 28:05 And it came to pass, 28:07 when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, 28:09 that the Lord killed all the firstborn 28:13 in the land of Egypt 28:15 and the firstborn of beast. 28:17 Therefore sacrifice, I sacrifice to the Lord, 28:21 all males that open the womb, 28:24 and all the firstborn of my sons, I redeem." 28:28 One further thought, 28:30 firstborns had a priority status, 28:33 double portion of the inheritance, 28:35 extra responsibilities, 28:37 but firstborn is also a covenant term. 28:41 In Exodus 4:22-23, 28:45 God called Israel, His firstborn son. 28:48 Jesus Christ is called firstborn, 28:52 not because He was issued forth from the bosom of the Lord, 28:56 but it means preeminent. 28:59 Thank you very much. Very good, thank you. 29:02 Well, Pastor Lomacang, we now come to you. 29:04 And this question is, 29:08 "How do I address this argument? 29:11 Is God really fair and just? 29:13 I didn't ask to be born into this mess. 29:16 I have no control on my existence. 29:18 Is it fair and just that I could be forced... 29:20 I should be forced into a world 29:22 in which I must serve someone or something, 29:24 and if I choose wrong, I'm subject to a second death. 29:27 I didn't ask to be born." 29:29 This is from CW. 29:30 When I read that question, I chuckled a little bit 29:32 because, you know, one thing we can do, 29:35 one thing we can't change is what already happened. 29:38 But one thing we can change is what we're going to do next. 29:42 And the Israelites felt the very same way. 29:45 They had this recalcitrant spirit 29:47 that they were blaming God for all their adversities. 29:50 First, you're saying please free us from Egypt. 29:54 You got us out, now you're going 29:55 to kill us in the wilderness. 29:57 We're starving. We don't have any water. 29:58 Give us some quail to eat. 30:00 Oh, our children and our grandchildren 30:02 and our wives cannot handle the heat out here. 30:05 And Moses, why do you cry to me? 30:07 Well, let me make a point. 30:09 Ezekiel 18:29. 30:12 If you think that your life is unfair, 30:14 what's even more unfair is you have a choice 30:17 for eternal life and you don't make it. 30:19 That's worse than saying you had no choice. 30:23 You didn't have choice about where you're going to be born, 30:25 who your mom and dad were going to be. 30:27 You didn't have a choice about your nationality 30:29 nor your gender. 30:30 Those were decided by you from birth issues. 30:33 For like me, 30:35 I was born and left at a babysitter 30:37 at three-months-old. 30:38 I didn't choose to be abandoned at three-months-old. 30:41 But one day I heard a radio program 30:43 where one radio talk show host, 30:45 a woman said to a young girl 30:46 complaining that she didn't get anything from her parents. 30:48 She said, 30:49 "Young lady, what did your parents give you?" 30:53 Finally, she led her to say "Life." 30:55 She said, "Then shut up and do something about it." 30:57 Now I'm not telling you to shut up 30:59 and do something about it. 31:00 I'm telling you that you are at the pivotal point 31:02 where the next decision you make 31:04 can alter your life here 31:06 and give to you the gift of eternal life. 31:09 The Bible says, 31:10 "For God so loved the world 31:11 that He gave His only begotten Son, 31:14 that whosoever regardless of the unfair circumstances, 31:17 that you are now called to shoulder 31:20 that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 31:23 but have everlasting life." 31:25 If you were to turn to the Lord now, 31:28 all that has happened to you that sounds unfair, 31:31 will be replaced with something you don't even deserve. 31:34 And that's the gift of eternal life. 31:36 Take advantage and embrace that today. 31:39 Amen. Amen. 31:40 Thank you very much. Thank you. 31:42 Well, then, let's go back to Sister Shelley Quinn here 31:45 and bring you this question from Julie, South Dakota. 31:47 Okay. 31:49 "When God is determining 31:50 who gets to spend eternity with Him in heaven, 31:52 what criteria does He use to make that determination?" 31:57 Julie, there is a clear path to eternal life in Scripture. 32:00 Ephesians 2:8-10 says that 32:04 we are saved by grace through faith 32:05 not of works that any should boast, 32:07 but we were saved for good works in Christ Jesus. 32:10 We were created in Christ Jesus 32:12 for good works that the Lord prepared in advance. 32:15 And what we have to understand good works don't save us, 32:19 but they're evidence of our salvation. 32:23 Now, it's important that we do God's will. 32:27 Jesus said that in Matthew 7:20-21, He said, 32:31 "You call Me Lord, Lord, 32:33 but only those who do the will of My Father in heaven, 32:39 will enter the kingdom of heaven." 32:41 And Hebrews 5:9 says that 32:43 "He became the author of eternal salvation 32:47 to all who obey Him." 32:50 So let me give you four quick steps. 32:52 First, we have to recognize that we're sinners. 32:55 Romans 3:23-24, 32:57 "All sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, 33:01 being justified freely by His grace 33:05 through the redemption in Christ Jesus." 33:08 Second, we have to confess that we are sinners. 33:11 1 John 1:9 says that, if He is faithful and just, 33:15 if we confess our sin, He forgives us of our sin, 33:20 and He cleanses us of all unrighteousness. 33:23 Third, you've got to receive God's gift. 33:25 Romans 6:23 says, 33:27 "The wages of sin is death, 33:30 but the free gift of God 33:33 is eternal life in Christ Jesus." 33:36 And then fourth, 33:37 you've got to be led by the Spirit. 33:38 Romans 8:13-17 says, 33:42 "If you live according to the flesh, you'll die, 33:44 but if by the Spirit, 33:46 you put to death, the deeds of the body, 33:49 you will live, 33:50 for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 33:54 these are the sons of God and if we're the children, 33:58 then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." 34:02 Amen. Amen. 34:03 Thank you. Thank you very much. 34:05 Pastor Ryan Day, Pastor Ryan Day, 34:07 we have another question for you. 34:08 "Will the people who perished in the flood be in heaven? 34:13 Please give Bible references whether they will or will not." 34:18 This is from Jacqueline in India. 34:20 Sure, absolutely. 34:21 Well, I can say with certainty, 34:24 based on what the Bible teaches 34:25 that these people who perished in the flood 34:27 will not be in the kingdom of God. 34:29 And there's a couple of Bible texts, 34:31 few Bible passages that we can find that in. 34:33 First of all, let's go to Genesis Chapter 6, 34:35 and look at verses 5 and 6. 34:36 That says, 34:38 "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man 34:39 was great in the earth, 34:41 and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart 34:43 were only evil continually." 34:45 So what kind of people were these? 34:46 These were evil people, and how often were they evil? 34:49 They were evil continually 34:51 because their thoughts were evil continually. 34:52 In fact, it even goes on to say in verse 6. 34:54 It says, 34:55 "And the Lord was sorry 34:57 that He had made man on the earth, 34:58 and He was grieved in His heart." 35:00 And so He goes, we know this story very clear, 35:02 He goes to Noah and he tells Noah, 35:04 "Noah build an ark because I'm going to flood, 35:06 I'm going to destroy this earth." 35:08 And there was only one means of salvation from that flood 35:10 and that was they had to trust in the word of the Lord 35:14 that was preached through Noah to get on that ark. 35:17 So anyone who was on the ark was saved, 35:19 anyone who was not on the ark, 35:20 well, they had their ultimate finish. 35:23 If you also compare that to 1 Peter 3:20, 35:26 speaking of these people who were evil continually. 35:29 It says, who were formerly, who formerly were disobedient, 35:32 so they were disobedient, 35:34 when once the divine long suffering waited 35:36 in the days of Noah, 35:37 while the ark was being prepared, 35:39 in which a few that is eight souls 35:42 were saved through water. 35:43 So only eight people 35:45 were accounted righteous by faith. 35:48 Really, it was by the faith of Noah, 35:50 his family was even saved. 35:51 But eight people listened and obeyed the word of the Lord 35:54 and got on that ark, 35:55 and therefore it was accounted to them as righteousness. 35:57 And, of course, I'm not going to be able 35:59 to read the whole passage given the time here. 36:00 But if you go read 2 Peter 2:4-6, 36:04 you see an interesting comparison. 36:06 God compares the people in Noah's day that were, 36:09 that perished in the flood to the fallen angels of heaven. 36:11 Are the fallen angels in heaven going to make it 36:13 in the kingdom of God? 36:14 No, they will be destroyed, as the Bible says, 36:16 in the lake of fire. 36:17 And also he compares them to the wicked people 36:19 of Sodom and Gomorrah. 36:21 Are the Sodom, people of Sodom and Gomorrah 36:22 are going to go back, they're going to be allowed 36:24 in the kingdom of heaven? 36:25 Those who perished in that city? No. 36:27 So this is very clear, 36:28 the Bible makes it very, very clear 36:30 that those who perished in the flood 36:32 during Noah's days, 36:33 they were evil, they were not saved, 36:35 and therefore they will not be in the kingdom of God. 36:37 Amen. 36:38 Very good. Very clear. 36:40 All right. Pastor Lomacang, are you ready? 36:42 I think so. 36:43 We have one for you as well. 36:45 We have, 36:46 "Can someone repent 36:49 without knowing how bad sin is? 36:51 Like the story of the prodigal son, 36:53 when he realized there was nothing out there, 36:56 then, he then appreciated his father's home. 36:59 So can someone who hasn't experienced the badness 37:02 or evilness of sin truly repent?" 37:05 This apparently was sent from Instagram. 37:07 I am so glad that... 37:10 Wow, that's a great question. 37:11 But it's a pretty easy answer. 37:14 And I put, make three very quick bullet points here. 37:17 You don't have to experience the depth of sin to repent. 37:20 Amen. 37:21 Some people wish 37:23 they could reverse the decisions they made 37:26 to go out into the world. 37:28 And as it were experienced what they thought 37:31 was some kind of trophy. 37:33 Some people look at sin as well, it's pleasurable, 37:36 I need to get an experience of it. 37:38 And when I have had my fill, 37:40 then I will give my life to the Lord. 37:42 Many of them never make it back. 37:44 The world you have to understand 37:46 sin is not some kind of excursion 37:48 that you go on. 37:49 And when you go in the roller coaster, 37:52 it has an end you get off and then go back to life, 37:54 as you usually does. 37:56 Years ago, I heard a statement in the movie, 37:59 God is not dead. 38:01 The older lady said to her son who was recalcitrant, 38:03 refused to give his life to the Lord 38:05 and she said sin is like a jail cell. 38:09 You can go in and out of that every day 38:11 until one day the door closes and you can't get out. 38:15 And I thought and he, he wondered, 38:18 how could that possibly be? 38:20 You don't want to experience the depth of sin. 38:22 The Bible says in Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. 38:26 And by the way, sin doesn't have any age limit. 38:29 The teenager, the middle age, the older person, 38:32 to make it to 60, 70, 80 years old 38:34 nowadays is a gift. 38:36 Because the world is replete 38:37 with young people that are dying 38:39 because they wanted to experience 38:40 the goodness of sin or the depth of sin. 38:43 There is no such thing as a reprieve from that. 38:46 The point I want to make is appreciate something about sin. 38:50 Sin is not stronger than salvation. 38:53 The greater gift is salvation. 38:55 And the Lord said, 38:57 or do you not despise, Romans 2:4, 38:59 or do you not despise the riches of His goodness, 39:03 His forbearance and suffering, 39:05 not knowing not the badness of sin, 39:08 but the goodness of God leads you to repentance. 39:12 Focus on God's goodness and repent, 39:14 not the badness of sin. 39:16 Amen. Amen. 39:17 Praise the Lord. Thank you very much. 39:19 Now we go to Sister Shelley Quinn. 39:21 "I would like to have more understanding 39:24 of the order of Melchizedek, 39:26 and the difference between him and Jesus Christ." 39:28 This is from Sirius in Maryland. 39:31 In two minutes. 39:32 In Genesis 14, 39:34 we are first introduced to Melchizedek. 39:37 He is the king of Salem. 39:40 He comes out, 39:42 he meets Abraham 39:43 who's coming back from a victory, 39:45 victorious war battle. 39:48 He blesses Abraham. 39:50 Abraham pays him a tenth of all his war booty. 39:55 Beside that one place in Genesis, 39:57 there's only one more time in the Old Testament 39:59 that he's mentioned and that's Psalm 110:4 40:02 where the psalmist says you are priest forever, 40:04 according to the order of Melchizedek. 40:08 Now, he's only mentioned in the New Testament 40:11 briefly in Hebrews 5 and then in Hebrews 7. 40:14 But the writer of Hebrews 40:16 only sees that 40:18 Jesus fits the Psalmist's description 40:21 as the priest of the order of Melchizedek. 40:24 Hebrews 7:2 says, 40:26 "Melchizedek was the king of righteousness, 40:28 the king of peace." 40:29 And by the way, he was, 40:31 this was the first time in the history of Israel 40:34 that a king simultaneously served as high priest. 40:39 So Melchizedek prefigured Christ. 40:44 He was a type of Christ. 40:47 And the writer of Hebrews draws significant parallels 40:51 between Melchizedek and Christ. 40:53 But Jesus is the ultimate King of righteousness, 40:56 the ultimate King of beast, and ideal high priest 41:00 who has sacrificed once for all. 41:04 In Hebrews 7:1-8, 41:06 this is where a lot of people 41:10 have a lot of funny ideas. 41:13 It says in verse 3, Hebrews 7:3, 41:16 that Melchizedek was without father, 41:18 without mother, without genealogy, 41:20 having no record of... 41:23 He had no record of ancestral line. 41:26 And, you know, the Jews were very careful, 41:28 especially the priest 41:30 about recording all of their... 41:33 I mean, he's their first priest, 41:36 but he is not of the Levitical order, 41:40 just as Jesus would not be of the Levitical order. 41:44 And my two minutes are up. 41:47 I fell like an auctioneer. 41:52 Well, we have one more question for Pastor Ryan Day, 41:55 "In the Garden of Eden, 41:57 Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life. 42:02 Were there angels 42:03 that prevented Satan and his demons 42:04 from having access to the tree of life? 42:07 I know that after they left the garden paradise 42:09 that cherubims guarded the tree, 42:11 so they would not go back in to eat of it. 42:14 So my question deals with prior to them having, 42:17 prior to them leaving the Garden of Eden. 42:19 "This is from Devon. 42:21 Yeah, so, Devon, 42:23 this is actually a great question. 42:25 But it's a simple answer. 42:27 The Bible just simply does not say explicitly 42:29 how Satan was kept out of that garden. 42:31 But we know that he was, because obviously, 42:34 that was the garden of Paradise, 42:35 only those who have not sinned could be in that garden. 42:39 And so we know that for the same reason 42:41 that Satan was kicked out of the kingdom of heaven 42:44 and not been able to get access to, 42:47 you know, immortality, 42:49 we see that also Adam and Eve 42:51 kicked out of the garden because of sin. 42:53 The only way he was able to access Adam and Eve 42:55 was through that tree of knowledge of good and evil. 42:59 But obviously, he was not allowed access 43:00 to anywhere else in the garden, especially that tree of life 43:03 as to how he was kept out could have been angels, 43:06 could have been some spiritual hedge 43:07 of protection of some type, I don't know. 43:09 The Bible just simply does not say, 43:11 but we know he was kept out. 43:13 Actually, I have about a minute and 10 seconds here, 43:16 I want to go back and take the remaining time 43:18 and mention something really quickly 43:19 on one of my previous questions, 43:20 which was, 43:22 "Will the people who perished in the flood 43:23 be in heaven?" 43:25 I just want to say something quickly, 43:26 because I was thinking of this as I only had two minutes 43:28 to talk about that before. 43:30 But I just want to take the remaining time to say that 43:31 I feel like the reason 43:33 why a lot of people ask that question 43:34 is based on a passage in 1 Peter Chapter 3, 43:38 where, you know, it's seems to say 43:40 from some people's perspective that Jesus, 43:42 you know, He was crucified, He went down into hell, 43:46 and He preached to the spirits in prison, 43:48 who were once disobedient during the flood. 43:50 And it sounds like Jesus went down 43:52 into the depths of hellfire. 43:54 And He preached all those people that were, 43:56 you know, perished in the flood, 43:57 who were sent to hell. 43:58 That's just how people misinterpret that passage. 44:00 In fact, I want to encourage someone at home 44:02 to send in a question about that, 44:03 send in a question about 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 21, 44:08 asking about that, because we'd like to clarify that 44:10 more in the future 44:11 as to who are the spirits 44:13 and did Jesus really go into hell and all that? 44:15 That'd be a great question to address here 44:17 on the panel in the future. 44:19 I decided since I had a few more seconds, 44:21 I would take up the time since the first one 44:23 didn't really require much more than an answer of what I gave. 44:25 So thank you so much. 44:27 Very good. Thank you. 44:28 I like that. 44:29 Well, the challenge is out there, 44:31 whoever wants to send in that question. 44:33 Pastor Lomacang, this one is for you. 44:35 "I've been wondering why a lot is said in Acts 44:38 about Paul appealing to Caesar. 44:39 And then it's a major theme in the final chapters of Acts. 44:43 So the reader with great anticipation 44:45 reads forward to find out about the climax. 44:47 What is Paul going to say in front of Caesar, 44:50 but then nothing is said about Paul meeting Caesar. 44:53 I wonder why the end of Acts kind of fizzles out 44:56 in this respect and not and how Paul ends up 44:59 waiting for death in 2 Timothy." 45:02 This is from, 45:04 I think you say Yuka from Finland. 45:09 Okay. 45:10 Well, the story of Paul appealing to Caesar 45:12 had a two-fold purpose. 45:14 One, he was preventing the Jews 45:15 from carrying out the execution 45:17 because he was a Roman citizen. 45:19 If he had appealed to his Hebrew identity, 45:24 they could have carried out the sentence 45:26 of whatever they wanted to do to Paul. 45:28 But Paul says, I'm a citizen of Rome, 45:30 you can't do anything until I appealed to Caesar. 45:32 So they said, okay, you'd have been okay, 45:34 if you had not appealed to Caesar. 45:35 So Acts Chapter 27, 45:36 the focus of Acts 27 is not the purpose 45:39 of giving all the details 45:40 of what he's going to talk about 45:42 when he gets to Caesar. 45:44 Which brings me to this point, 45:46 the same that I've adopted throughout the years, 45:48 it's not what we become when we reach our destination, 45:50 but what we become in our journey, 45:53 and the journey is more powerful 45:55 than its destination, 45:57 because they never got to appeal to Caesar 45:59 the ship was broken up in the great storm, 46:01 that I did a sermon on this, a couple of sermons, 46:04 one called I believe God, 46:06 and the focal point of the story 46:07 of the appeal of Caesar to appeal of Paul to Caesar 46:12 was verse 25 of Acts Chapter 27. 46:16 This to me was the apex of the entire story. 46:20 Because while Paul is a prisoner in chains, 46:23 it's hard to believe a preacher that looks like 46:25 he's at a terrible disadvantage. 46:27 Paul said, 46:28 "Do not, do not take this journey, 46:31 I perceive, it'll result in a great loss of life." 46:36 But then later on, the Lord reveals to Paul that 46:38 nobody is going to lose their life. 46:40 But there are certain parameters, He said, 46:42 "Don't let anybody, don't let anybody get off board. 46:44 We're all necessary for the safety of others," 46:47 meaning we all need each other says, 46:49 "Lighten the ship 46:51 so that the storms could be more easy to handle." 46:54 That's what we have to do in the burdens of life 46:55 when they come, lighten the loads in our lives. 46:58 But then Paul said, "I believe God," 47:01 that means it's going to turn out 47:02 the way God said, 47:04 it's going to turn out in Acts 27:25. 47:06 He said, 47:07 "Therefore take heart men, 47:09 for I believe God 47:11 that it will be just as it was told me." 47:13 So the greater lesson in life is this. 47:16 Often while we are planning life, 47:19 life happens. 47:21 It is important to pay as much attention 47:22 to our journey, 47:24 as it is to desire our destination. 47:26 What happened to Paul in the journey 47:28 was a greater lesson 47:30 because he never made it to Rome 47:32 on that boat. 47:33 It broke up before they got to Caesar. 47:36 Okay. 47:37 I just want to say one thing, because to me, 47:40 I remember the first time I ever read Acts 47:42 when I was a teenager. 47:43 You know, Acts is the first, 47:45 the history of the first 30 years of the church. 47:48 And boy, you're just going along 47:49 and the Holy Spirit's doing 47:51 all of these wonderful things and everything's going, 47:54 then it just stops. 47:57 It's kind of like, well, what happens? 48:00 So I don't know 48:02 if there was something that interrupted, 48:04 but I understand your question. |
Revised 2022-09-13