Participants:
Series Code: TDYQA
Program Code: TDYQA210038A
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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 01:14 Hello and welcome to another 3ABN Today 01:17 Bible Q and A, 01:18 Bible question and answer program. 01:20 We're so glad that you have joined us today. 01:22 We look forward to spending this one hour with you. 01:25 For some reason when we're on this program, 01:26 it seems like 60 minutes happens faster than 60 minutes 01:30 because this is a rapid Bible question and answer program. 01:33 And here's just a sample of some of today's questions. 01:37 I want to ask if watching movies or dramas 01:40 is a sin. 01:42 Good question. 01:43 Another one here. 01:44 How does 3ABN regard Ellen G. White? 01:47 Do you, 3ABN ascribe to her writings 01:50 and thoughts as a prophet of God? 01:53 Another one here. 01:54 Who are the two witnesses in Revelation Chapter 11? 01:57 And what is meant by their bodies 01:59 shall be seen three days three and a half days? 02:02 Well, these questions 02:03 and we know many more will be answered today 02:06 from the Word of God. 02:08 Thank you so much for your prayers 02:09 and financial support for the Ministry of 3ABN. 02:13 This is a great program 02:15 where you have submitted your questions 02:16 and I want to encourage you to send in your questions 02:19 and comments here to 3ABN. 02:22 Now I want to just make note of this. 02:24 We have some people say, 02:25 but I've sent in my question 02:26 that wasn't answered on the next program. 02:28 Well, that's because we've been inundated 02:30 with so many questions and comments, 02:31 so please continue to send them in. 02:33 But it may be answered in the next... 02:34 Oh, I don't know. 02:36 It's hard to say what program there'll be answered on 02:37 but they will be answered, we guarantee that. 02:40 This is how you can submit your questions and comments, 02:42 several different ways, email BibleQA@3abn.tv 02:47 That's BibleQA@3abn.tv 02:51 Take your cell phone, 02:52 you can always text us your questions. 02:54 That number is (618) 228-3975, 02:59 (618) 228-3975. 03:02 Instagram is another way we do receive some questions 03:04 from and that is 3abn_official. 03:08 That's 3abn_official. 03:12 Well, my name is Greg Morikone 03:13 and on the set with me today are three Bible loving, 03:17 Bible believing, Bible preaching, 03:18 Bible students of the Word. 03:20 And, Pastor James Rafferty, 03:22 so good to have you on with us today. 03:23 It's a pleasure to be here, Greg, always. 03:25 Amen. 03:26 Open the Word of God, what a privilege, isn't it? 03:28 Amen. Amen. 03:29 Yes. Praise the Lord. 03:30 Pastor Ryan, good to have you on with us today. 03:32 Oh, it's always a blessing to be a part 03:33 of this special program giving answers, 03:35 Bible answers to real questions. 03:37 So it's a blessing. Amen. 03:39 And sitting next to you is Jason Bradley. 03:41 Good to have you on, Sir. It's great to be on. 03:43 And I don't know if I could have said 03:44 what you just said, 03:45 because that was such a tongue twister 03:47 right there? 03:48 I'm not gonna repeat it, right? 03:51 And it's a blessing, you know, to open the Word of God, 03:53 we count it as a privilege. 03:54 You know, as we start these programs, 03:56 appreciate Ian, our floor director here, 03:58 you know, had a great prayer before we started this program, 04:00 we will pray here in just a couple of moments. 04:02 But it's a real privilege, because we know you're serious 04:05 about the Word of God, 04:06 you have real questions to real situations, 04:08 or even some of the questions we receive here is like, 04:12 man, this is going on in my life. 04:13 What is the answer? 04:14 So thank you, we take them all very seriously. 04:16 And it's so easy to give our opinions. 04:19 But you know what? 04:20 Here on this program, we believe 04:21 in giving you the answers from God's Word, 04:25 and we can always trust God 04:26 because He is faithful and true. 04:29 Well, let's start with prayer. 04:31 And then we'll dive into our questions. 04:32 Brother Ryan or Brother Jason, please pray. 04:35 Yes, absolutely. 04:36 Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You so much 04:38 for the wonderful opportunity and privilege 04:40 we have to study Your Word, 04:42 and to study it together. 04:44 And, Father, as we search for the answers in Scripture, 04:47 Lord, we just ask that You would help us to share 04:51 what You would have us to share and nothing more, nothing less. 04:54 We thank You for hearing this prayer. 04:56 Continue to be with our viewers and listeners. 04:58 Guide them into a closer relationship with You, 05:01 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. 05:03 Amen. 05:05 Pastor James, let's start with you. 05:06 Sure. Let me bring up this card. 05:08 I just want to say thank you to CJ and LaDonna. 05:10 There's a lot of questions like we said, 05:11 they come in and all these cards 05:12 and questions and I'll tell you this is great, 05:14 so organized very well. 05:16 Question here doesn't give the name, 05:18 but good question. 05:19 "What techniques do Seventh-day Adventists use 05:22 to tie Old Testament prophecy with New Testament prophecy?" 05:25 All right. 05:26 Well, primarily, we use the Bible itself. 05:29 Good. 05:30 You go through the scriptures 05:31 and you're going to find over and over again 05:33 that the Bible quotes the Old Testament 05:35 in the New Testament. 05:37 But you're also going to see some connections 05:38 between the Old Testament and the New Testament. 05:40 So I'll give you a few examples. 05:42 In Matthew 11:10, we see Jesus quoting Malachi 3:1. 05:47 For this as he of whom it is written, Behold, 05:50 I will send my messenger before thy face 05:52 which shall prepare the way before thee." 05:56 So that's Jesus quoting the Old Testament 05:59 and applying it to the New Testament. 06:01 That's how one of the ways we connect. 06:02 We see this all through the New Testament, 06:04 like in Acts 2:16-17. 06:08 We see Peter quoting from Joel, 06:11 the Old Testament Book of Joel, a minor prophet, 06:13 when he says, but this is that 06:15 which was spoken by the prophet Joel 06:17 and it shall come to pass in those days, 06:19 in the last day, saith the Lord 06:20 I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh. 06:23 We see also Christ's quoting from the Isaiah, 06:27 the Book of Isaiah, which really was a prophecy, 06:30 a lot of Isaiah was a prophecy about Christ, 06:32 about foretelling what he would experience. 06:35 In Matthew 8:17, "That it might be fulfilled 06:38 which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, 06:40 'He Himself took our infirmities, 06:42 and bore our sicknesses." 06:43 And that's Isaiah Chapter 53, talking about the Messiah, 06:46 and then we have Daniel and Revelation. 06:47 Now, Daniel and Revelation are considered twin books, 06:51 prophetic books, they're joined at the hip, 06:54 and two of the places we see them joined 06:56 is Daniel Chapter 7 is joined to Revelation 13, 06:59 both of them talking about these four beasts, 07:02 the leopard like, the bear like, the lion like, 07:05 and the dragon like beast, 07:06 and then we see Daniel Chapter 10, 07:09 connected, excuse me, yeah, 10 and 12 connected 07:12 with Revelation Chapter 10. 07:13 And we have this little book that was sealed up, 07:16 and we have an angel standing on the waters, 07:18 on the seas, lifting his hand to heaven, swear 07:20 by him that lives forever and ever, 07:21 that we time, times and a half a time. 07:23 And we see that unsealed in Revelation Chapter 10. 07:26 So those are the principles we use repeat and enlarge 07:29 and just quoting Old Testament to New Testament. 07:30 Amen. Yes, praise the Lord. 07:32 Great answer. And good question, too. 07:34 Thank you so much for submitting that. 07:36 Let's see here. 07:37 Let's go to you, Pastor Ryan, 07:39 this comes from Barbara from Pennsylvania. 07:42 "Both the Books of James and Galatians 07:45 tell us to keep the whole law. 07:47 If not, you're under the curse of the law. 07:50 Why does 3ABN want to keep the law 07:53 when Jesus came and fulfilled the law? 07:55 Amen. 07:56 I like how they put 3ABN there? 07:57 Why does 3ABN keep the law? 07:59 Why does 3ABN, well, I can think 08:00 I can answer this question clearly. 08:01 First of all, we have to understand 08:03 what it means to fulfill. 08:04 What Christ ultimately did fulfill 08:06 the completeness of the law, 08:07 but does fulfill mean necessarily 08:09 done away with or made obsolete, 08:11 and that's what a lot of people, 08:12 the big mistake that they make 08:14 is they try to take that word fulfill and say, 08:15 well, since Christ fulfilled it, 08:17 then He done away with it or He made obsolete 08:19 or made void the Ten Commandment law 08:22 that we believe here at 3ABN, we should upkeep, right? 08:24 We should uphold that. 08:25 And so Matthew 5:17-18 comes to mind 08:28 when I'm thinking of this where Christ clearly says, 08:30 "Do not think that I've come 08:31 to destroy the law or the prophets, 08:33 I did not come to destroy but to fulfill, 08:37 for surely I say to you till heaven 08:38 and earth pass away, 08:39 one jot or one tittle will by no means pass 08:41 from the law till all is fulfilled." 08:43 Now, was all fulfilled at the cross? 08:45 Not necessarily, we know that 08:46 Christ ratified the New Covenant, 08:48 His blood brought in into that sacrificial system, 08:52 which was a large portion of the overall law 08:55 that was given to the children of Israel. 08:57 But God's Ten Commandment law is eternal. 09:00 There's a difference between these two segments 09:02 of the law in the sense 09:03 that when we get to Colossians 2:14-17, 09:06 we see very clearly 09:08 that there was a handwriting of ordinances 09:10 that was against us, 09:11 that was contrary to us, 09:12 that was taken out of the way, nailed to the cross. 09:14 In other words, Christ nailed it to the cross, 09:16 He completed it, He fulfilled it. 09:18 And He done away with that. 09:20 Now, in that case, when you go to Deuteronomy 31, 09:22 we are told that this is the Book of the Law 09:24 written by the handwriting of Moses. 09:27 It was placed on a side compartment 09:28 on the outside of the ark, 09:30 meaning that it's temporary, 09:31 it was temporary for a short time, 09:33 but what was on the inside of that ark was forever, 09:36 it's eternal. 09:37 What was on the inside? 09:38 God's Ten Commandment law, His eternal law. 09:41 And, of course, we know that 3ABN upholds this 09:44 and we teach this because 09:45 not because it's a means of salvation. 09:47 Nowhere, if you've ever heard a program on 3ABN 09:50 where someone has taught 09:52 that we gain our salvation by the keeping of any law, 09:54 then let us know. 09:55 I'm not aware of any of that because we believe that 09:58 the motivation and the motivation 10:01 behind keeping the law is love. 10:03 We don't keep the Ten Commandments 10:04 because we think it saves us, 10:06 we do it because Jesus said in John 14:15, 10:08 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 10:11 So that's my short two minute answer. 10:12 We could talk more about that, but, yeah, leave at that. 10:15 That can be a challenge, can't it? 10:17 Yeah. 10:18 Good questions, great answers from the Word of God. 10:20 Jason, let's go to the question that we talked about 10:22 the very beginning of the program, 10:24 and no name with this, but they ask, 10:27 "I want to ask if watching movies or dramas 10:31 is a sin? 10:33 If yes, can you please pray for me 10:35 so that I can overcome this addiction?" 10:38 Okay. 10:40 The act of watching movies or dramas 10:42 is not a sin in and of itself. 10:44 But the question is, what direction 10:46 do these movies point you in? 10:48 We have to be very careful 10:49 what we're allowing to flow into our minds. 10:52 Mark 7:20-23, "And He said, 10:56 'What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 11:01 For from within, out of the heart of men, 11:04 proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, 11:06 fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, 11:09 wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, 11:13 blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 11:16 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.'" 11:20 With that being said, do the movies 11:22 that you're watching contain these things, 11:25 or the things of that nature in it? 11:28 If they do, then it's something 11:30 that you probably shouldn't be watching. 11:32 Really, that you definitely shouldn't be watching. 11:35 That's right? Yeah, that's right. 11:37 And the other thing is, 11:39 you know, if it's not pointing you 11:41 in the direction of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 11:43 and who needs it, 11:45 you probably shouldn't be watching that either. 11:48 Would you watch those same movies 11:50 if Jesus was sitting on the couch with you? 11:53 Think about that question. 11:55 We need to keep the following principle in mind. 11:57 1 Corinthians 10:31, 12:00 "Therefore whether you eat or drink, 12:02 or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 12:07 As for the addiction part, 12:09 it sounds as though watching movies 12:11 is a serious stronghold for you. 12:13 And it's definitely something to pray about. 12:15 And I want to take a second to pray for you right now. 12:17 It's good. 12:19 Dear Heavenly Father, I just want to lift up 12:20 this viewer or listener, 12:22 Lord, who's struggling with this addiction to movies. 12:25 Father, we just ask 12:26 that You would remove that stronghold 12:28 from this individual's life 12:30 and help them to see with all the incredible dramas 12:34 and all of the incredible things 12:36 that take place in Your Word 12:38 that all point to you. 12:40 We thank You for hearing this prayer. 12:42 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 12:43 Amen. Amen. 12:45 Thank you very much, Jason. 12:47 Yeah, and great question, too. 12:48 We appreciate you submitting that. 12:51 Pastor James, question here 12:52 talking about a previous program. 12:54 It says, "In a previous program, 12:56 you were talking about persecution, 12:58 and how the jailer in the story of Paul and Silas 13:01 in the jail was going to kill himself, 13:03 but because of the witness for Jesus, 13:06 he and his family were saved. 13:08 Will God's people be able to witness 13:10 during the time of persecution? 13:12 Or will probation close before the time of trouble?" 13:15 Oh, that is a really good question. 13:16 It is. 13:18 And the answer to that question 13:19 is that probation does close before the time of trouble, 13:22 spoken about in Daniel 12:1, 13:25 and also referred to in Revelation Chapter 7. 13:27 However, we will be witnessing up until that time. 13:31 There's an outline that tells us 13:33 the prophetic stages of development 13:36 in Matthew Chapter 24. 13:37 There are three of them. 13:39 Three basic stages, Matthew 24:1-10, 13:42 Matthew 24:11-22. 13:44 And then Matthew 24:11 or 22, to the end of the chapter. 13:48 And the first stage we see wars and rumors of wars, etc, 13:52 leading to affliction, leading to pressure, 13:55 leading to hatred among the nations for God's people. 13:57 In the second stage, we see 13:59 the Sabbath and abomination conflict. 14:01 And it's in that stage where we see the gospel 14:04 going to all the world as a witness. 14:06 And that word witness also includes martyrdom, 14:09 because that word comes from a root word 14:11 which is martyr. 14:13 So we see in the second stage of development, 14:15 now this is before the third stage, 14:17 which is when Satan actually personates Christ, 14:20 and confirms through miracles and deception, 14:24 that he's changed the day of worship. 14:26 And he wants all the world to worship on the day 14:28 that he has instituted in place of the seventh day Sabbath. 14:31 And so what we see in the second stage 14:33 is God's people witnessing like the jailer was witnessed 14:36 to by Paul and Silas. 14:38 God's people going through persecution, 14:39 love is waxing cold, 14:41 and God's people are standing for the truth boldly 14:43 and preaching the everlasting gospel, 14:45 then the end comes. 14:46 Somewhere between stage two and stage three, 14:49 we have the end or the close of probation. 14:51 And just after stage three begins 14:54 and Satan appears here and there 14:55 and deceives people and produces miracles etc. 15:00 We see Jesus coming like the lightning shining 15:02 from the east even unto the west. 15:04 So definitely we'll be witnessing 15:06 just before probation closes, 15:08 just before the time of trouble, 15:09 we will be witnessing 15:11 and people will be coming to the truth 15:12 and there'll be learning in weeks and months 15:13 what has taken others of us a lifetime to learn. 15:15 Right. Yeah. 15:17 Wow. Yeah, great answer. 15:18 Thank you so very much. 15:20 Talking about previous programs. 15:22 Pastor Ryan, let's go to this one. 15:23 This says, "I recently watched the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, 15:28 and Ryan Day stated 15:33 is only referring to business pleasure 15:36 based on the meaning of the root word, 15:37 and not secular pleasure. 15:39 I investigated his statement and I found 15:42 that it is the same original word used in, 15:44 and here are the references 1 Samuel 15:22 delight, 15:48 2 Chronicles 9:12, desire, 15:51 Jeremiah 22-28, pleasure, 15:55 Jeremiah 48:38, pleasure, etc. 15:58 I would like some clarification, please." 16:01 Yeah, absolutely. 16:02 So this word is used some 39 times in Scripture. 16:05 And it's used in the form of different 16:09 English translated words. 16:10 In this case, you've listed a few of them here, 16:12 delight, pleasure, desire. 16:14 Of course, we're going to bring up another one 16:16 in just a moment 16:17 where it uses the word purpose. 16:19 And so that the key to understanding 16:20 what I was speaking about in a previous program, 16:23 is we have to study these words 16:25 within the context that they're used. 16:26 Now, how I came about this, 16:28 as I was doing some study on this, 16:29 and I heard a minister, 16:31 another minister preach about this, 16:32 and it struck my attention. 16:34 And so I started digging deeper, 16:35 and I found an article that was submitted 16:37 to the Adventist Theological Society 16:40 by Dr. Ed Christian. 16:42 He's a professor of literature, English and theology. 16:44 And he wrote an entire journal article on this 16:47 and it's entitled Sabbath is a happy day. 16:49 What does Isaiah 58:13-14 mean? 16:52 And so I read through this article, 16:54 and he builds the support for how this word pleasure 16:58 is not necessarily pleasure in the sense of what we think 17:01 is, you know, if I find pleasure, or delight, 17:03 or, fun, or happiness, 17:05 doing something then I'm violating the holiness 17:07 or the sanctity of the Sabbath. 17:08 Let me read something from that article there. 17:10 And this is found from page 87 of this article. 17:12 I thought it was worded well, 17:13 speaking of the word for pleasure 17:15 in the original language, which is chephets. 17:18 He says, "So what else might the noun chephets mean 17:20 beside pleasure?" 17:22 And he goes on to say, "The word also means 17:23 business, affair and matter." 17:26 It occurs in Ecclesiastes 3:1 and verse 17. 17:30 And this is that chapter where, you know, proverb, 17:32 where Solomon is saying, there's a time to do this, 17:34 there's a time to do that, and there's a time to do this. 17:36 So verse 1 talks about a time for every purpose, 17:39 and the word purpose there is the word chephets. 17:42 Same word used in Isaiah 58:13 for pleasure. 17:45 But it's interesting, we don't translate that to, 17:47 there's a time for every pleasure. 17:50 And so you have to understand it 17:51 within its context and how it's being used. 17:53 And even when you go on and study there, 17:55 you know, there's a popular, 17:57 a very respected and popular study source 18:01 known as the Brown-Driver-Briggs, 18:02 which is a very historical and very well respected 18:05 Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon. 18:08 And even they suggest here, 18:10 they say the preferred translation 18:11 for Isaiah 58:13, 18:13 in terms of pleasure is doing thy affairs. 18:17 And so the point that they're making here 18:18 he goes on to say, God is thus speaking again, 18:21 not against pleasure here, 18:22 but against working, doing business on the Sabbath. 18:25 Finding your own pleasure 18:26 should actually be translated finding business, 18:28 or looking for customers. 18:30 This is also implied at the top of this same passage, 18:33 when you go into Isaiah 58 verse, 18:35 I believe it's verse 3. 18:37 Let me look back here and make sure, 18:38 yes, verse 3 also implies the fact that it's tying it 18:42 to the exploitation of employees. 18:44 So the whole context of how he's using 18:46 this in this passage, 18:47 is he's saying, look, 18:49 you know, don't be finding to do your business pleasure 18:50 on this day. 18:52 And so it's interesting here that when we read that, 18:53 we often say, oh, you know, 18:55 we can't do this on the Sabbath, 18:56 and we make the Sabbath 18:58 such a heavy drudgerous experience 19:00 that we don't make it an exquisite delight, 19:03 as the scripture implies. 19:04 We should make it a day again. 19:06 We certainly should exercise wisdom and not just, 19:09 you know, let everything in on the Sabbath. 19:11 We should protect the sanctity of the Sabbath, 19:13 but certainly here, the original language suggests 19:17 that it's talking about business pleasure. 19:19 In fact, we use this even in Proverbs 20:1, 19:22 this is the example Proverbs 21 says, 19:24 you know, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: 19:26 whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." 19:28 Well, the word for wine there is the Hebrew word yayin 19:32 which is the general word for wine. 19:34 But it's interesting, you got to read 19:35 and study this word within this context, 19:37 because in many cases, it's talking about 19:39 the fermented wine beverage 19:41 that God says don't touch it, leave it alone. 19:43 In other aspects, it talks about 19:45 it in a positive light. 19:46 So we have to understand, 19:47 we have to study these words within its context 19:50 and how they're used 19:51 and this is the case of Isaiah 58:13 19:53 with the word pleasure. 19:54 Wow, very good. Yeah. 19:56 There's a lot that can be said without juice added on to that. 19:58 Okay. 20:00 Thank you, Pastor Ryan. 20:01 Jason, let's go to this question. 20:04 "Can my prayers bring about a change in a person 20:07 who has a personality disorder like narcissism?" 20:11 Excellent question. 20:12 First let's start by defining narcissism. 20:14 Narcissism is defined as having an excessive interest 20:19 or admiration for oneself and in one's appearance. 20:23 And believe it or not, this type of behavior 20:25 is described in the Bible and it reminds me 20:28 of the carnal nature of mankind. 20:30 Consider the following passages. 20:32 2 Timothy 3:2-5, 20:36 "For men will be lovers of themselves, 20:39 lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, 20:42 disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 20:46 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, 20:48 without self-control, brutal, 20:51 despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, 20:54 lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 20:57 having a form of godliness 20:59 but denying its power. 21:00 And from such people turn away!" 21:04 Now that's a pretty solid description 21:05 of a narcissist. 21:07 Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord 21:11 is the beginning of knowledge, 21:13 but fools despise wisdom and instruction." 21:17 Have you ever met an individual whom you can't teach anything 21:21 because they know everything? 21:23 Yeah, those, that's an example of a narcissist. 21:27 Proverbs 15:2 says, 21:30 "The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, 21:34 but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness." 21:37 And Proverbs 18:12, says, "Before destruction, 21:41 the heart of a man is haughty, 21:43 and before honor his humility." 21:46 King Nebuchadnezzar could be considered 21:50 the narcissistic king. 21:52 But through trials and humbling experiences, 21:55 he recognized the sovereignty of the one true God. 21:59 In regards to your question, I'd like to provide you 22:02 with some biblical hope. 22:03 1 John 5:14-15 says, 22:08 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 22:11 that if we ask anything, 22:14 according to His will, He hears us. 22:17 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, 22:22 we know that we have the petitions 22:24 that we have asked of Him." 22:27 God can cause the blind to see, 22:29 the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, 22:32 and the dead to raise, to rise, excuse me. 22:36 He can certainly give someone the victory 22:39 over a narcissistic personality disorder. 22:43 There's nothing that's too big for God. 22:45 Amen. 22:47 Yeah, I like that, Jason, because hope 22:49 because this person obviously here is, 22:50 can my prayers bring about a change in a person? 22:53 Yeah. So to keep on praying, right? 22:54 Absolutely. Yeah. 22:56 Don't give up. Amen. 22:57 Yeah. Thank you so very much. 22:59 Pastor James, Revelation. 23:01 I know you love the Book of Revelation, right? 23:02 And Daniel? Yes. 23:04 Okay. 23:05 "So who are the two witnesses in Revelation Chapter 11? 23:08 And what is meant by their bodies 23:10 shall be seen three and a half days." 23:13 This is from Tamika from Trinidad. 23:14 Thank you very much. Hi, Tamika from Trinidad. 23:16 Well, that's a really good question. 23:17 There are a lot of views on the two witnesses. 23:20 Some say there Elijah, some say, and Moses simply 23:23 because of the plagues that are mentioned there, 23:26 the water turning to blood 23:27 and no rain coming on the earth. 23:29 But we need to remember that Elijah and Moses 23:33 both spoke by the Word of God. 23:35 These two witnesses represent the Word of God. 23:38 The Old Testament and the New Testament 23:40 are the two witnesses of the truth of God, 23:42 of the gospel of God, 23:44 of the sovereignty of God, of the love of God. 23:46 These two witnesses historically, 23:49 in Revelation Chapter 11, 23:50 were attacked during the French Revolution. 23:53 Now, there's a whole chapter you can read 23:56 on this in a book called The Great Controversy. 23:58 It's called the French Revolution 24:00 in the Bible, 24:01 or the Bible in French Revolution 24:03 begins at about 271. 24:04 It gives all the details that we won't be able to cover 24:06 in this short span of time that we have. 24:08 But basically what happened was, 24:11 the French Revolution rose up in about the year 1793, 24:17 and made war on the Bible, 24:18 the Old and the New Testament, 24:20 which had been faithful witnesses 24:21 through the Dark Ages, 24:23 to the truth of God's Word. 24:24 And from 1793 to 1797, these two witnesses were slain. 24:29 The Bibles were thrown out in the streets, 24:30 and they were burned in big piles. 24:33 It seemed as though the Bible was dead in France. 24:35 So this is allegorical, it's symbolic. 24:39 It's representing, these two witnesses 24:40 representing the Old and the New Testament, 24:42 which were attacked and slain in the streets. 24:44 But then it talks about 24:46 how these two witnesses rose up. 24:48 When all of Europe saw what happened to France, 24:51 the devastation that came by rejecting the Bible 24:53 and rejecting God, 24:54 and they saw how hundreds and thousands of people 24:57 were killed and many people left France 24:59 and France just declined, 25:00 they were shocked. 25:02 And all of them took note 25:03 as to how important the Bible is for society. 25:05 And the Bible was after this time exalted. 25:08 Bible Societies raised up all over Europe, 25:10 especially in England, 25:12 and the Bible was printed and published 25:14 in all kinds of different languages 25:16 and in hundreds and thousands of copies. 25:18 And, of course, the Bible is available today. 25:20 So that's a basic summary of these two witnesses 25:22 in Revelation. 25:24 Oh, wow, two minutes. 25:25 It's very good, Pastor James. 25:27 Yeah. Praise the Lord. 25:29 Pastor Ryan, this comes from Boaz, from Kenya. 25:32 Okay. 25:33 "How does 3ABN regard Ellen G. White? 25:35 Do you 3ABN ascribe to her writings 25:39 and thoughts as a prophet, prophetess of God?" 25:42 Well, the simple answer to that is yes. 25:45 And the reason why is because it's backed 25:46 by Scripture and by Bible in the sense that 25:49 we are clearly told in Joel 2:28, 25:51 that in the last days prior to the day of the Lord, 25:53 the coming of the Lord, 25:55 that, that his sons and his daughters 25:58 would prophesy. 25:59 And so this into, obviously we know that God will rise up 26:02 and we're told that He will rise up men and women 26:05 in the last days to prophesy. 26:06 In this case, we believe that that prophetic gift 26:09 was manifested and clearly shown 26:11 through the ministry of Ellen G. White. 26:14 You know, just referencing 26:15 a couple of other scriptures here that 26:17 we believe provide inspiration 26:19 behind why we believe 26:20 this is because in Revelation 12:17, 26:22 given a couple of identifications 26:24 for God's last day remnant movement. 26:26 We are told that the dragon, 26:27 the devil is making war with the woman 26:29 that is the church, 26:31 the remnant of her seed, 26:32 which keep the commandments of God 26:33 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 26:35 And, of course, we need not ask or wonder 26:38 what in the world that testimony 26:39 of Jesus Christ means. 26:41 Because when you get to Revelation 19:10, 26:42 it's the Spirit of Prophecy. 26:44 We consider that Spirit of Prophecy a gift. 26:47 It's a gift of prophecy. 26:48 We believe that that gift is very clearly shown 26:51 and manifested through the life, 26:53 through the works and writings of Ellen G. White. 26:56 Now, that being said, I believe very clear, 26:59 I think I can speak for all of us here and you can, 27:00 we can clarify if I'm mistaken here, 27:02 but I believe here at 3ABN 27:04 we very much have put on display 27:06 and clearly showed 27:07 that we believe in the inspiration 27:08 of the Spirit as used through Ellen White. 27:10 We quote her writings, 27:12 we use her writings quite often, 27:13 to give support for the Bible, 27:16 which is above the lesser light. 27:19 Now, I'm referencing that 27:20 because even Mrs. White herself said, 27:22 in referencing her writings. 27:24 And I believe that the same Spirit 27:25 that inspired Mrs. White is the same Spirit 27:27 that inspired the Bible writers. 27:29 But she makes very clear 27:30 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit 27:32 that her writings is a lesser light, 27:34 leading men and women to the greater light 27:36 of Christ in His Word. 27:37 So the Bible's here, 27:39 Ellen White's writings are here, 27:40 that doesn't mean that they're not important. 27:42 But yet we should put it in its proper perspective. 27:44 And that's why we always go first 27:46 to a thus saith the Lord the Bible first, 27:49 and then oftentimes, we will use the inspiration 27:51 and the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy 27:53 as used through the ministry of Ellen White and her writings 27:56 to bring support and lead men and women back 27:59 to the inspiration of Scripture. 28:00 Amen. Yeah, excellent. 28:02 Yeah, great explanation. Yeah, absolutely. 28:03 We believe in the Word of God for sure. 28:05 Amen. 28:06 And we appreciate the writings of Ellen White 28:08 and the support clarification, you know, as you mentioned. 28:11 Jason, question here, it's a great one. 28:14 "How can I get rebaptized 28:17 into a Seventh-day Adventist Church? 28:19 I'm only 17 years old, 28:21 and have been studying the Bible for months now. 28:24 When I found out that 28:25 the true Bible Sabbath was Saturday, 28:27 the seventh day of the week, I was truly amazed." 28:30 Praise the Lord. Wow! 28:31 Amen. Praise God. 28:33 First off, I just want to say that I'm thrilled 28:35 that you found and accepted the truth 28:38 and that you want to get rebaptized 28:41 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 28:42 that is wonderful. 28:43 Now, if you're looking 28:45 for a Seventh-day Adventist Church in your area, 28:46 we have a wonderful pastoral team here at 3ABN 28:50 that is more than willing to assist you 28:52 in finding one in your area. 28:54 Just call (618) 627-4651. 28:58 Follow the prompts to get the pastoral team on the phone 29:03 and they will help you find that 29:05 for the sake of our viewers and listeners 29:07 that don't know about the precious Sabbath truth. 29:10 I just want to share with you the fourth commandment. 29:13 I want to read that ever so quickly. 29:15 Exodus 20:8-11. 29:19 It's interesting that this is a commandment 29:22 that begins with remember, 29:24 yet it is most often forgotten. 29:27 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 29:29 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 29:32 but the seventh day is the Sabbath 29:34 of the Lord your God. 29:36 In it you shall do no work: 29:37 you, nor your son, nor your daughter, 29:40 nor your male servant, nor your female servant, 29:42 nor your cattle, nor your stranger 29:44 who is within your gates. 29:45 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 29:48 the sea, and all that is in them, 29:50 and rested the seventh day. 29:52 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 29:55 and hallowed it." 29:57 Now when we look at the calendar, 29:58 we see that it starts on Sunday. 30:01 So the first day of the week, Sunday, Monday, 30:05 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday is the sixth day. 30:09 And Saturday, the Sabbath is the seventh day. 30:13 And so the seventh day Sabbath is a wonderful time, 30:17 where we can reflect 30:18 on all the marvelous things that God has done, 30:21 His creation, 30:23 and spend time with Him and grow closer to Him. 30:26 So if you haven't learned about that, 30:28 we don't have time to go into an exhaustive study 30:31 on it at this time. 30:32 But we have plenty of resources here at 3ABN 30:35 that are available to you. 30:37 Amen. Thank you so much, Jason. 30:38 Thank you for referencing the 3ABN Pastoral Department. 30:41 Brother Ryan, you're there too, 30:43 you know, far as to receive those calls 30:44 when people are trying to find a local church. 30:46 I know you as a pastor as well 30:47 it's nothing more thrilling right than to get a call 30:50 from someone saying, hey, 30:51 how can I find your church? 30:52 How can I attend? I'm so excited. 30:54 So thank you, we're here to help you 30:56 and we're praying for you too. 30:57 Seventeen years of age, that's so encouraging. 31:00 This program, as we've mentioned, 31:01 goes by really fast, and I know that you're jotting down notes. 31:05 I want to encourage you to go to 3abnplus.tv. 31:09 You may be asking, why do I want to go there? 31:11 Well, this is why you want to go to 3abnplus.tv 31:14 because there you can find this program 31:17 and other programs, 31:18 3ABN Sabbath School Panel, Worship Hour, 31:21 previous Bible Q and A programs, 31:23 and you can watch them video on demand. 31:25 And what that means is that you can play, pause, 31:28 rewind, start from the beginning, 31:30 stop for a little while, take a drink of water, 31:32 write your notes down, then continue on. 31:34 That's a tremendous resource for you, 31:36 as you're student of the Word 31:38 as well of looking into these studies further. 31:41 And also, it's a great way of sharing these programs 31:45 with someone that may be blessed by them. 31:47 It's very easy to do on 3abnplus. tv 31:50 So we encourage you to go there. 31:52 Again, we want to encourage you 31:53 to submit your questions to us that's... 31:54 You can email them to us BibleQA@3abn.tv 31:58 or you can always text us (618) 228-3975. 32:02 And again, we receive a lot of questions here. 32:04 So they will be answered in previous 32:07 and future not previous, 32:08 boy, I'm going back in time, future programs coming up. 32:12 Thank you again for submitting 32:13 again your questions to us. 32:15 Amen. 32:16 Let's see, Pastor James, 32:18 let's go to this question from Australia. 32:22 Okay. It comes from Shirley. 32:24 "I have a beautiful Sabbath keeping, 32:27 but not Seventh-day Adventist family 32:29 who we regularly meet with. 32:31 A few weeks ago we had a discussion 32:33 about the origin of evil, 32:35 and they are very much of the opinion 32:37 that God is where evil originated from, 32:40 from because of verses like Isaiah 45: 32:44 verse... 32:45 Excuse me, Isaiah 45:7, where God says, 32:48 "He formed light and created darkness." 32:51 Are you able to help with a suitably explanation 32:53 of this verse, please?" 32:55 Amen. 32:57 That is a challenging text. 32:58 But you need to recognize 32:59 that there are other texts in the Bible 33:01 that tell us where evil originated. 33:04 And one of those is Revelation 12:7-9. 33:07 But we need to look at this text and recognize 33:10 what it is actually saying. 33:11 The context of it is talking about 33:13 how God has anointed Cyrus of the Medo-Persian realm, 33:16 to come in and take down Babylon, 33:19 an empire that was given 33:21 a certain amount of probationary time 33:23 to rule and fail to acknowledge God fully. 33:26 And God had to take them down. 33:27 It's in that context that this word evil is used, 33:30 and God is saying, listen, 33:31 and that word evil actually means 33:32 calamity and affliction. 33:34 Listen, I'm the one that comes in 33:35 and takes down these evil empires. 33:37 I bring affliction, I bring justice 33:38 when it's needed at the right time. 33:40 That's the context of Isaiah Chapter 45. 33:43 We also need to remember that many times in the Bible 33:46 God is seen as doing 33:48 what He actually takes responsibility 33:49 for when He's not really doing it. 33:51 The devil is doing it. 33:53 We see this in the story of Job, 33:54 where we see God allowing the devil to come in 33:58 and afflict Job and test Job. 34:00 And Job himself even says in chapters 1 and 2 34:03 that it's God, God takes away, 34:05 God is the one who's doing all of this to me, 34:07 doesn't realize as we do, 34:09 and as Job finally realized 34:10 that it was really the devil behind the scenes. 34:13 Jesus came to make this really crystal clear 34:15 in the New Testament John 10:10, 34:18 Jesus says, "The devil comes to kill, 34:20 to steal, to destroy, but I have come, 34:23 they might have life and have it more abundantly." 34:24 Amen. 34:26 Of course, in John Chapter 14, Jesus says, 34:28 "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father." 34:30 So Jesus comes to kind of clarify this, 34:32 but it doesn't take God off the hook 100% 34:35 because truly God does have to deal justly with humanity. 34:39 We see that in Sodom and Gomorrah, 34:41 we see that in the flood. 34:42 God isn't the one 34:43 that actually created evil in the sense that 34:46 He's the one that turned Lucifer away 34:48 from truth and righteousness. 34:49 But He did create Lucifer, 34:50 and Lucifer chose to turn away from God to evil and to sin. 34:54 And God takes responsibility for that, 34:56 in the sense that He deals with Lucifer. 34:59 He deals with evil, He deals with sin, 35:01 He takes it down, He brings justice 35:02 in His time and in His way. 35:04 Wow! Amen. 35:05 Yeah, boy, that's to the point. 35:07 Very good. Thank you, Pastor James. 35:08 Praise God. 35:10 Brother Ryan, question from Gary. 35:11 "Who is God in the first angel's message 35:14 where it says, 35:16 'Fear God and give glory to Him and worship Him?'" 35:19 Amen. 35:20 Well, that's a great question. 35:22 And the simple answer is 35:23 we're talking about the completeness, 35:24 the totality of the Godhead, which when it says, 35:27 you know, Fear God and give glory to Him, 35:29 it's talking about God. 35:30 Of course, we know that God, our God, 35:32 the Christian God of the Bible 35:33 is, is a plurality, a combination, 35:38 a unity of three co-eternal persons, 35:40 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 35:42 So when we worship God, 35:43 it's not like we're just aiming our worship to one person, 35:46 you know, or the other. 35:48 Like, I'm only going to worship the Father, 35:49 I'm only going to worship the Son 35:51 or I might just worship the Spirit. 35:52 No, when you worship God, you worship Father, 35:55 Son, and Holy Spirit. 35:56 And just some support text for this 35:57 because I know a lot of people, 35:59 there's a lot of confusion out there today 36:01 in regards to this plurality of God. 36:03 Some people state that there's only one God 36:05 in the very rigid sense, 36:06 and they apply it to just the Father and that somehow, 36:08 Jesus is just the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. 36:11 Again, there's a lot of confusion out there. 36:13 People said, "The Holy Spirit's not a person at all." 36:15 But we know that, we know that's not the case. 36:17 In Matthew 3:16-17, where Jesus was baptized, 36:20 we see all three mentioned in present there, 36:23 in the sense that Christ is there being baptized. 36:25 And the Bible says that when He was baptized, 36:27 that the Holy Spirit descended down upon Him 36:29 as in the form of a dove. 36:30 And then also the Father speaks from heaven it says, 36:33 well done, or excuse me, He says, 36:35 "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." 36:37 So we see the completeness, 36:39 the totality of the Godhead there, 36:40 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 36:42 Also, Matthew 28, the Great Commission, 36:44 where Jesus says, when we go and we teach, 36:47 and proclaim the good news, 36:48 we are to also baptize them in the name of the Father, 36:51 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 36:53 Again, God, God in His completeness, 36:56 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 36:58 And, of course, we know the Holy Spirit is God. 37:00 Acts 5:3-4 confirms that, you know, when we, 37:04 when we pray to God, when we serve God, 37:06 when we are obedient to God, in this case, 37:08 Ananias and Sapphira was not, they lie to God, 37:10 and the scripture actually says, 37:12 they lied to the Holy Spirit. 37:13 And so when it says there in Genesis 1:26, 37:17 and let us make man, that's again, 37:19 referencing the unity of Father, 37:22 Son and Holy Spirit, 37:23 who was involved in the divine plans 37:25 of creation, 37:26 and therefore when we're serving God, 37:28 and worshiping Him, 37:29 according to the first angel's message in fearing God, 37:31 and also worshiping Him who made all things, 37:34 obviously, all the Godhead was involved 37:36 in the plans of creation. 37:38 Now Ephesians 3:9 does say 37:40 that Christ was the active person 37:42 who carried out those creative plans. 37:44 He spoke this world into existence. 37:45 But when we worship God, we worship Father, Son, 37:48 and Holy Spirit, because they are God. 37:51 Amen. Yes. 37:52 Praise God. Great answer. 37:54 Jason, question from Tennessee. 37:57 "What is the difference between going by faith 38:00 and going by feelings?" 38:02 Hmm, I believe that came from John Terrius. 38:04 Well, I like to think of faith 38:06 as the ability to tolerate uncertainty 38:08 while trusting in God. 38:09 The Bible defines faith in Hebrews 11:1, it says, 38:13 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, 38:16 the evidence of things not seen." 38:19 Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith, 38:22 it is impossible to please Him." 38:25 Notice it doesn't say but without feelings, 38:27 it says, "But without faith, 38:28 it is impossible to please Him, 38:30 for he who comes to God 38:32 must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder 38:36 of those who diligently seek Him." 38:39 We cannot rely on our feelings. 38:42 Jeremiah 17:9-10, 38:45 "The heart is deceitful above all things, 38:48 and desperately wicked who can know it? 38:51 I the Lord searched the heart, 38:53 I test the mind even to give every man 38:56 according to his ways, 38:58 according to the fruit of his doings." 39:01 Feelings fluctuate, but our faith shouldn't waver. 39:04 Our faith allows us to claim the promises 39:07 found in the Word of God, 39:09 but our feelings can cause us 39:10 to have a false perception of reality. 39:13 Our faith should be carried out in our works, 39:16 our feelings of carried out can lead us astray. 39:19 Our faith compels us to stand for God, 39:21 our feelings don't. 39:23 Faith operates on principle, 39:25 but feelings are an emotional state 39:27 and can change based on what someone says to you. 39:31 Daniel 3:15-18, 39:34 "Now if you are ready at the time you hear 39:37 the sound of the horn, 39:38 flute, harp," I always mess this word up, 39:41 "lyre, something and psaltery, 39:44 in symphony with all kinds of music, 39:47 and you fall down and worship the image 39:48 which I have made, good! 39:51 But if you do not worship, 39:53 you shall be cast immediately 39:54 into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 39:56 And who is the god 39:58 who will deliver you from my hands? 40:00 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered 40:02 and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, 40:04 we have no need to answer you in this matter. 40:07 If that is the case, 40:08 our God whom we serve is able to deliver us 40:12 from the burning fiery furnace, 40:13 and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 40:17 But if not, let it be known to you, 40:19 O king, that we do not serve your gods, 40:21 nor will we worship the gold image 40:23 which you have set up.'" 40:25 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's faith 40:27 was stronger than their feelings. 40:29 Wow! Praise the Lord. 40:31 Thank you so much, Jason. 40:33 Yeah, powerful, very powerful. 40:36 Let's go to Philadelphia, 40:38 Pennsylvania from Irma, Pastor James. 40:41 "Why are the wicked dead raised 40:43 to just be punished in the fire? 40:47 Isn't leaving them dead punishment enough? 40:50 Who benefits from seeing this? 40:52 What lessons are to be learned from this and by whom?" 40:56 Really good question. 40:57 Thank you so much, Irma. Yes. 41:00 I'm taking a little bit longer on this question I think 41:02 because it is a challenging one. 41:04 A couple of texts, I want us to look at, Jeremiah 17:10, 41:07 "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, 41:10 even to give every man according to his ways, 41:13 according to the fruit of his doings." 41:15 That's the Old Testament. 41:16 New Testament says this, "Be not deceived, 41:18 God is not mocked for whatsoever a man sows 41:21 that shall he also reap." 41:23 What we're seeing here is we're seeing the Word of God 41:26 and the Word of God is true. 41:27 So who benefits from the punishment 41:30 that is given out to the wicked in the end of time? 41:34 We do because we see God as being true to His Word. 41:38 But why are they resurrected? 41:39 What's the point? 41:42 Jude verses 14 and 15 say this, "And Enoch also, 41:45 the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these saying, 41:47 Behold, the Lord comes 41:49 with ten thousands of his saints. 41:50 This is the third coming after the thousands years, 41:53 to execute judgment upon all, 41:55 and to convince all that are ungodly among them 41:58 of all their ungodly deeds 42:00 which they have ungodly committed, 42:03 and their hard speeches which the ungodly sinners 42:06 have spoken against him." 42:07 So for some reason, 42:09 God feels the need to convince the wicked, 42:12 the ungodly of all the ungodly things 42:14 they've done, and all the ungodly things 42:16 they have said. 42:17 So when we look at the scriptures, 42:18 there are three points we want to consider. 42:20 Apparently, leaving the wicked dead 42:23 in the grave is not punishment enough. 42:25 It is, in fact, no real punishment at all. 42:28 Since all people saved and lost, good and bad 42:31 die as a natural consequence of sin, 42:34 the entire universe, as well as every raped, 42:38 pillaged, beaten, oppressed, murdered, tortured, 42:40 cheated, abused, deceived, ridiculed, 42:42 and honest, repenting, trusting, 42:44 saved by grace person on planet earth, 42:47 believe that God is merciful, and that God is just. 42:51 The cross of Christ validates justice and mercy, 42:55 the justice and mercy of God. 42:57 And so the world has experienced God's mercy 43:00 for 6000 years. 43:02 And it will also experience God's justice, 43:04 if God is going to be true to who he is. 43:07 Romans Chapter 12 and 13 tell us 43:09 that vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord. 43:12 Who benefits from the fact 43:14 that God is the one that brings vengeance, 43:16 and God is the one that pays? 43:17 We do, because we can leave 43:19 every single person in God's hands. 43:21 We don't need to reap personal vengeance ourselves, 43:24 we can forgive and we can be forgiving, 43:26 and we can hope all things, 43:28 believe all things and endure all things. 43:30 These words are spoken by a Father, who is true, 43:35 a Father, who is just, 43:36 a Father who is hurt by everyone 43:40 that has been hurt, a Father of us all, 43:43 all the pain that we experience, 43:44 God experiences, 43:46 and He is a Father who is going to be fair, 43:48 and He is a Father that is going to be just. 43:49 Even our court systems teach us this. 43:51 And in a court system when justice comes 43:54 to the perpetrator of sin and evil and wickedness, 43:57 there is, in a sense, 43:59 a trust that is built in a person 44:01 who has seen the fairness and the justice 44:04 of that system play out. 44:05 There's a dissonance that needs to be 44:08 alleviated in people's minds and hearts 44:11 when they have been the victims of crime and wickedness 44:15 and God is just as just if not more 44:18 just than our criminal systems 44:19 and He is going to bring the dissonance to an end. 44:23 He's going to bring peace, He's going to bring rest, 44:26 He's going to bring fairness and justice 44:28 to all of those victims of wickedness and evil. 44:31 Wow. Amen. 44:32 Praise the Lord. 44:33 Thank you so much, Pastor James. 44:35 Yeah, that's powerful. Yes. 44:36 You know, and it's comforting. Amen. 44:37 Yeah, thank you so very much. 44:40 Pastor Ryan, Jaycee asked this question. 44:44 "I hardly see Seventh-day Adventist pastors 44:47 slash people laying hands, 44:50 anointing with oil, and speaking in tongues. 44:54 What are the signs and wonders 44:56 that should follow the physical manifestation 44:58 of the Holy Spirit to confirm it is the power of God?" 45:02 Okay, I appreciate this question, Jaycee. 45:04 It's a very, very important question. 45:07 And I think it's something 45:08 that definitely needs to be clarified. 45:10 First of all, I would disagree with your application here 45:15 when you say that you don't see Adventist pastors 45:17 laying hands and anointing with oil. 45:19 I've seen that many times. 45:20 I guess it depends on the need 45:21 of the church members on an individual basis 45:23 because we do try to follow the counsel 45:26 given very clearly there in James Chapter 5, 45:28 where it talks about when a person is sick, 45:30 call upon the elders, 45:31 they will anoint them with oil, they will pray them with, 45:33 with laying on of hands. 45:35 These are things that we definitely believe 45:37 and will practice if individuals 45:39 call upon that service. 45:41 Now, you know, there are a little bit 45:42 of a different application 45:44 in a more charismatic Pentecostal sense, 45:46 where people practice this not just for, 45:48 you know, the biblical principles, 45:50 as we see there in James 5 and other texts, 45:52 but just, you know, dousing people with oil 45:54 and laying them, 45:55 lay hands on them 45:57 for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 45:58 of which we do not see evidence or instruction for that. 46:01 No, we do see Paul, 46:02 laying hands on people to pray for them. 46:04 And they did receive the Holy Spirit 46:06 in the Book of Acts, 46:07 but there's not an instruction that says, 46:08 you got to do this to get the Holy Spirit, 46:11 and that text is not found in Scripture. 46:13 As far as the signs and wonders, 46:14 the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit 46:16 in regards to speaking in tongues. 46:18 I want to clarify this clearly. 46:20 Because in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, 46:21 we need to be clear on this. 46:22 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, 46:24 specifies the many different gifts 46:25 of the Spirit. 46:27 Now, there's a difference between 46:28 the fruits of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. 46:30 The fruits of the Spirit are the evidence 46:32 to be shown for that a person has the Holy Spirit, 46:35 or that the Holy Spirit is working on someone. 46:37 We find the list of the gifts of the Spirit, excuse me, 46:40 the fruits of the Spirit, in Galatians 5:22-23, 46:44 the fruit of the Spirit is love, 46:46 joy, peace, and the list goes on. 46:47 That is how we determine 46:49 if a person has received the Holy Spirit, 46:51 not because of some physical manifestation 46:54 of a gift of the Spirit, 46:55 because the Bible makes it very clear in 1 Corinthians 12, 46:58 that while all these different gifts are listed, 47:01 it says there in 1 Corinthians 12:4, 47:03 "There are diversities of gifts, 47:05 but of the same Spirit." 47:06 But then it goes down a few verses later in verse 11, 47:08 it says, "But one and the same Spirit 47:10 works all these things, 47:11 distributing to each one individually as he wills." 47:14 Not everyone receives the same gift. 47:17 For instance, someone may have the gift of healing 47:18 or the gift of interpretation 47:20 of the gift of tongues 47:22 or another person may have a gift, 47:23 the gift of prophecy, or whatnot. 47:27 And we go on down in this chapter, 47:28 we see that God specifies it in the latter verses, 47:31 verses 28 through 30 of 1 Corinthians 12, 47:33 when he says, "All prophets are all apostles. 47:35 Do all have this gift? 47:37 Do all have gifts of miracles? 47:38 Do all have gifts of healings? 47:39 Do all have gifts of tongues?" 47:41 Obviously, that's not the case. 47:42 So we look for the Holy Spirit 47:44 to be on a person by the fruits that they bear, 47:46 not the gifts that they have. 47:48 Yeah. Amen. 47:49 Thank you very much. 47:51 Great question and great answer to from the Word of God. 47:53 Again, Jason, this, they identify themselves 47:56 as viewer from Florida. 47:58 And great question. 48:00 "I have prayed for years asking the Lord to take away 48:03 my bad temper and pride. 48:05 But He is not answering me. 48:07 What can I do? 48:08 He said He will withhold no good gifts from us." 48:13 I don't typically like to answer a question 48:15 with a question. 48:17 But my question is, 48:18 what action have you taken outside of prayer 48:21 to combat the issue? 48:22 Prayer is imperative. 48:23 And taking action is important as well. 48:25 For example, if we pray for God to remove, 48:29 let's say, our addiction to alcohol or substances, 48:31 but we frequent the local bar, 48:34 then we're not taking practical steps 48:36 to be a co-laborer with God. 48:39 Continue to pray, 48:40 claim the following scriptures and take action. 48:43 Philippians 1:6, 48:45 "Being confident of this very thing 48:47 that he who has begun a good work 48:50 in you will complete it 48:51 until the day of Jesus Christ." 48:53 Philippians 4:13, 48:56 "I can do all things through Christ 48:58 who strengthens me." 48:59 Christ does the heavy lifting, 49:01 but we must be a willing participant. 49:04 The fact that you submitted this question is evidence 49:07 that you desire a change in your life. 49:10 James 1:19-20, "So then, 49:15 my beloved brethren, 49:16 let every man be swift to hear, 49:19 slow to speak, slow to wrath: 49:21 For the wrath of man 49:22 does not produce the righteousness of God." 49:25 Psalm 4:4, "Be angry and do not sin, 49:30 meditate within your heart on your bed and be still." 49:34 Study God's Word and allow Him to shift your perspective. 49:39 James1:2-4, "My brethren, 49:43 count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 49:46 knowing that the testing of your faith 49:49 produces patience. 49:50 But let patience have its perfect work, 49:53 that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." 49:57 So don't give up. 49:59 Hold on to God 50:00 and look for some positive coping techniques 50:03 to help you combat that anger. 50:05 And continue to pray. 50:07 Amen. Yeah. 50:09 Praise the Lord. Thank you so much, Jason. 50:11 Thank you again, for submitting your questions. 50:12 We're running out of time. 50:15 So we've got what we call some extra questions here. 50:17 I'm just gonna put it on the table 50:19 and one or all of you can give your answer to this. 50:23 Let's take this one here from Jeffrey, 50:26 "Please tell me about relationships in the church. 50:29 When and how does God want us to have love relationships? 50:33 I really look around me and I faced a challenge, 50:36 getting an understanding of the matter. 50:38 Does God condemn them? 50:39 Are they illegal? 50:41 Please help open the scriptures to me." 50:44 Interesting question there. 50:45 Any thoughts on that question? 50:47 I would just say God is the one 50:48 who instituted marriage in the garden. 50:50 So He's clearly for relationships 50:53 between a man and a woman 50:55 and the confines love relationship 50:58 and all of that and wants it to end up in marriage 51:01 if that's the right one for that individual. 51:04 So God does not condemn that. 51:05 He does not condemn that. 51:07 Yeah, I thought that's good, Jason. 51:08 He says that marriage is honorable 51:10 and bed is undefiled. 51:12 But there are parameters in relationships 51:14 you don't just love on anyone. 51:16 And God wants us to have commitment to that, 51:18 He wants to direct that, 51:20 He wants that commitment to lead to a relationship 51:23 that is you know, 51:25 with one person and not with several. 51:27 And you said that's in Hebrews? 51:29 Hebrews 13:13, "Marriage is honorable, 51:31 and bed is undefiled." 51:33 Fantastic. 51:34 If you're a man, find you a Proverbs 31 woman. 51:37 If you're a woman, find you an Ephesians 5 man, 51:39 it's the way it goes. 51:40 All right. 51:42 Yeah, and God endorses marriage, 51:43 like you said, between a man and a woman. 51:45 Thank you so very much. 51:46 What we're going to do right now 51:47 is actually take a quick break. 51:49 We'll be right back with some closing comments. 51:51 If you're enjoying our 3ABN Bible Q and A, 51:54 then tell your friends, 51:56 each Monday we'll bring you a fresh program, 51:59 answering the Bible questions you send us, 52:01 using God's Holy Word to shed light on those texts 52:04 that seem difficult to understand. 52:07 To have your questions answered on a future program, 52:09 just email them to us at BibleQA@3abn.tv 52:14 That's BibleQA@3abn.tv 52:18 You may also text your questions 52:20 to (618) 228-3975. 52:24 That's (618) 228-3975. 52:28 Be sure to include your name and where you live, 52:30 and then watch 3ABN Bible Q and A 52:33 for answers from God's Word. |
Revised 2022-01-13