Participants:
Series Code: TDYQA
Program Code: TDYQA220002A
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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 Bible Q and A. 01:18 I'm Jason Bradley, 01:19 and whether you're listening to us on the radio 01:21 or watching on TV, 01:22 we are glad that you are tuning in. 01:25 And we will be answering some questions. 01:28 Well, I won't be answering some questions, 01:29 I'll be reading some questions. 01:31 But we have a wonderful panelists here 01:33 that will be answering those questions. 01:36 I want to share a Bible verse with you 01:39 and it's taken from Psalms 119:105, 01:43 it says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet 01:46 and a light to my path." 01:49 And if you've ever had any questions 01:51 about the Word of God, 01:53 I want you to know 01:54 where you can send those questions 01:57 to receive some answers. 01:59 You can send us an email 02:01 at BibleQA@3abn.TV Again, 02:06 that's BibleQA@3abn.TV 02:11 If you want to text us, 02:12 you can send that text message to 618-228-3975. 02:18 That number again is 618-228-3975. 02:24 Or if you want to send us a message on Instagram, 02:27 you can send it through at 3abn_official. 02:33 Again, send that direct message 02:34 to at 3abn_official 02:39 And here to provide you with answers 02:42 to your Bible questions. 02:45 We have a wonderful panelists, students of the Word 02:47 and servants of the Most High God, 02:49 we have Shelley Quinn. 02:50 Oh, I love that, servants of the Most High God. 02:53 I'm excited that you're sending in your questions 02:56 because we learn so much from each other 02:59 as we study these out and it's really quite fun. 03:02 Amen. Amen. Amen. 03:04 We have next to you, Pastor Ryan Day. Amen. 03:06 Always excited to be a part of Bible Q and A. 03:09 You know, as Shelley says, "We learn so much." 03:11 Sometimes they allow us to look at the questions 03:14 and I always try to pick a question 03:16 that sometimes I don't know, 03:17 it'll cause me to go back into the Word of God 03:19 to dig a little deeper. 03:20 So thank you for your questions. 03:22 We encourage you to continue to send those into us. Amen. 03:24 And we have Pastor John Lomacang, 03:26 it's great to have you. 03:27 Good to be here. 03:29 We always learn something whenever we open the Bible. 03:31 We're not just sharing what we've learned with you, 03:33 but we're learning in the same time. 03:35 Amen. Amen. 03:37 Pastor, would you pray for us, please? 03:39 Sure. 03:40 Loving gracious Father in Heaven, 03:42 this is Your Word. 03:44 We are simply Your servants. 03:46 And we pray as You inspire the prophets of old 03:49 by the unction of Your Holy Spirit 03:51 that You do the same today for us. 03:54 We don't want to just give answers 03:56 but we want to direct people to You and to Your Word, 04:00 which in fact is the only foundation 04:03 upon which they have security, a thus saith the Lord. 04:07 So speak to our hearts, speak through our mouths, 04:10 but may all the glory go to You in Jesus' name. 04:13 Amen. Amen. 04:15 Amen. 04:16 You know, it can be a challenge 04:17 to fit the answers in two minutes, 04:20 the two minutes you have allotted 04:21 and then the three minute question you have even then, 04:24 that's a tight window but, 04:26 Shelley, we're going to come to you. 04:27 This is a three minute question for you. 04:30 And part of this we will answer in an extra question. 04:34 "A pastor is preaching that getting cancer 04:37 and dying and being poor is not God's will for any of us 04:42 and that Christians shouldn't get sick or die early 04:45 because it's our will and we can control it. 04:48 Can you help me find in the Bible 04:50 that we have the authority to override God's plan?" 04:53 This is from Ken out of Durham, North Carolina. 04:55 Okay, and that's a two part question, 04:57 so I'm going to answer the part on getting cancer 05:00 and dying, and then we'll answer the poor 05:03 when we get to our extra questions. 05:05 The issue of getting cancer, the issue of dying, 05:09 this is difficult to deal with. 05:10 But let me just say this, all illness is a curse. 05:16 It's the result of the curse of sin, 05:18 Genesis 3:17, on the earth. 05:22 Now, is it ever our will? 05:25 I guess you could say that if you smoke 05:28 and you get lung cancer, or COPD, 05:32 or suppose that you drink to the point 05:35 of getting cirrhosis or liver cancer 05:39 then I could say, "Yeah, that was your will." 05:42 It wasn't God's will that you go through that. 05:45 But not all cancer is brought about by our will. 05:50 We live in a fallen world 05:53 and the natural course of this decaying fallen world 05:58 is we've got corruptible bodies 06:01 and our bodies are subject to illness and death. 06:06 And you know, we don't put on incorruption 06:11 until the last trumpet. 06:12 So here's a Bible verse for you. 06:16 Corinthians 15:53 says, "This corruptible," 06:20 this body that can decay, 06:22 this body that can get cancer and die, 06:26 "must put on incorruption, 06:28 the mortal must put on immortality." 06:32 And if you look at that passage in 1 Corinthians 15, 06:36 this happens when Christ returns with a shout. 06:40 Now, let me if you're jotting down scripture references, 06:43 you want to jot down Matthew 17:14-18, 06:49 and Luke 13:10-16. 06:52 Let me repeat, Matthew 17:14-18, 06:57 and Luke 13:10-16. 07:00 What those verses tell us is that Satan 07:03 and his demonic force 07:07 can cause physical suffering. 07:12 But God sometimes allows physical suffering, 07:16 like in the... 07:18 When we think about what Job went through, 07:21 God allowed that, 07:23 so that His perfect will in this great controversy 07:28 between good and evil can be accomplished. 07:31 His sovereign purposes of demonstrating 07:34 to the angels and all. 07:37 Some sickness the Bible lets us know 07:39 can be because of God's loving discipline. 07:45 Psalms 119: 67. 07:47 Psalms 119: 67, "Before I was afflicted, 07:51 I went astray, but now I keep your word." 07:55 And in 2 Timothy 4:20, 07:57 we see Paul had to leave Trophimus in Miletus sick. 08:03 So what we have to remember 08:05 is that God's ways are higher than our ways. 08:08 He knows the end from the beginning, 08:09 He has our eternal benefit in mind. 08:13 And no, it is not a sin 08:16 if you've got cancer and dying. 08:18 Amen. 08:19 That's a comforting thought 08:21 that God's ways are not our ways. 08:22 Amen. Very comforting. 08:24 "Pastor Day, 08:25 this question is about Revelation 20:14-15. 08:30 In verse 14, it talks about death 08:33 and hell being cast into the lake of fire. 08:36 In verse 15, 08:37 it talks about those not written in the Book of Life 08:40 being cast into the lake of fire, 08:42 not in hell. 08:43 Is hell different than the lake of fire? 08:45 Sounds like they are two different places. 08:47 Thank you." Amen. 08:49 That's actually a really great question. 08:50 And I'm glad that we get an opportunity 08:52 to answer this question because we get to clear up 08:55 exactly what the Bible teaches here. 08:57 This is a prime example of what it means 08:59 in 2 Timothy 2:15, 09:01 "To study to show yourself approved, 09:02 a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, 09:04 rightly dividing the word of truth." 09:06 Because sometimes we got to go a little deeper 09:07 to understand exactly what the text is saying. 09:10 In this case, the answer to your question is yes, 09:12 there technically is two different places 09:14 being described here. 09:16 And I'm going to read the text. 09:17 This is from Revelation 20:14-15. 09:20 Now notice, I'm reading from the New King James, 09:22 the person who submitted this question 09:24 is obviously reading from the King James Version 09:26 because they're referencing death and hell. 09:29 But notice what the New King James says here in verse 14. 09:32 It says, "Then Death and Hades 09:35 were cast into the lake of fire. 09:37 This is the second death." Verse 15. 09:39 "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life 09:42 was cast into the lake of fire." 09:44 So, you know, the word Hades and the word hell, 09:47 there's a reason why the New King James 09:49 translated it this way Hades rather than hell 09:52 because in the original Greek language here, 09:54 when you dig a little deeper, 09:55 you find it's the word Haides in the Greek 09:58 which is actually where we get the word Hades 10:00 which is basically a place where, 10:02 you know, the soul sleeps or in other words, the grave. 10:05 In fact, if you have a Greek Lexicon 10:07 and you want to go look up that word, it'll tell you. 10:09 Another word for Hades is the grave. 10:11 And so in this instance, absolutely, 10:14 what we find here is it's not confusing. 10:17 We're not talking about a place of fire, 10:19 being thrown into a place of fire, 10:20 but rather the place of burning we know is the lake of fire, 10:23 that is hellfire 10:25 where the wicked are being destroyed. 10:26 But in this case, 10:27 and in many other cases in Scripture, 10:29 when we see the word hell or the word Hades, 10:30 it simply means grave. 10:32 And so in this case, death and the grave 10:35 is being cast into the lake of fire. 10:37 In other words, Jesus is putting an end to death. 10:40 And that's why 1 Corinthians Chapter 15, 10:42 I love this right there in verse 55, 10:44 where it says, "O, Death, where is your sting?" 10:47 And, of course, New King James Version, 10:48 "O, Hades, where's your victory?" 10:50 King James says, "Oh, grave, where's your victory?" 10:53 Because again, when Jesus comes back, 10:55 He's putting away all of that. 10:57 And all of that is going to be destroyed in the lake of fire. 11:00 Amen. 11:01 Thank you for the way that you unpack that. 11:03 Pastor Lomacang, we're going to come to you now, 11:06 this question comes out of Brooklyn, New York. 11:10 "Talking to my friend at work, 11:11 I mentioned something about the Bible 11:14 and standing on the Word of God. 11:16 My friend's response was the Bible condones slavery 11:19 and it was written by men and men are not perfect. 11:22 I told her, yes, it was written by men 11:24 with inspiration from God. 11:26 She left me with the impression 11:28 that she did not believe in the Bible, 11:30 although she is a Christian. 11:32 That same week, my brother-in-law 11:34 came into my living room as I was reading my Bible. 11:37 He said, "The Bible was used to justify slavery." 11:40 So he is not interested in reading the Bible. 11:43 I'm writing all this to ask, 11:45 can you be a Christian or have a relationship 11:48 with God without reading or believing in the Bible? 11:51 I am not an Adventist, but I enjoy 3ABN networks." 11:55 Well, thank you for that lengthy question. 11:58 But the point I think, that I need to answer is, 12:01 can you have a relationship with God 12:03 without reading the Bible? 12:05 And the answer is directly no. You cannot. 12:08 It is impossible 12:09 because the Bible is our guide book for any relationship 12:13 that we have with Christ. 12:15 Matthew 4:4, let's start there. 12:17 "Man shall not live by bread alone, 12:19 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 12:23 And then when you enter into the relationship with Christ, 12:25 we enter into a sanctifying relationship. 12:28 John 17:17, "Sanctify them by your truth. 12:31 Your word is truth." 12:32 We also enter into a faith walk. 12:34 Romans 10:17, "Faith comes by hearing, 12:37 hearing by the Word of God." 12:38 Then we enter into the transition from milk 12:42 which Peter says, "Desire the sincere milk 12:44 of the Word. 12:46 How can you desire the milk of the Word 12:47 if you don't read the Word?" 12:48 Then we go from the milk of the Word 12:50 to the meat of the Word. 12:52 And in Romans and then Hebrews tells us 12:54 what the Bible, in fact, its larger purpose is. 12:58 Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is living 13:01 and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, 13:04 piercing even to the division of soul 13:06 and spirit and joint and marrow." 13:08 And get this, "And is a discerner 13:09 of the thoughts and intentions of the heart." 13:11 I've often said when you're reading the Bible, 13:14 the Bible is reading you. 13:15 One of the reasons why people don't like to read the Bible 13:17 is because the Bible is reading them. 13:19 It gives them a conscience that is either condemned 13:23 and the Bible says, 13:24 "If your conscience condemns you, 13:26 then God is greater than your heart." 13:29 But that can only come as you read the Bible. 13:32 But lastly, the issue on slavery. 13:34 Slavery is not supported by the Bible. 13:36 Men have used the Bible to impose upon other men slavery. 13:41 The real slavery the Bible talks about is in Romans 6:16. 13:45 "When you yield yourselves, do you not know 13:47 that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, 13:50 you are that one slave whom you obey 13:52 whether of sin leading to death 13:54 or obedience leading to righteousness?" 13:56 The true slavery is not man to man, 13:59 but sin that keeps us from a relationship to Christ. 14:04 Wow. Amen. Thank you. 14:05 Wow. 14:07 People don't want to read their Bible 14:09 because their Bible is reading them. 14:10 That's good. That's, yeah, I really like that. 14:13 Shelley, we're going to come to you on this. 14:15 This is out of Canada. 14:18 It says, "Can you please explain for me 14:20 the meaning of the passage in Exodus 3:14, 14:24 God said to Moses, I am who I am. 14:27 This is what you are to say to the Israelites, 14:29 I am has sent Me to you. 14:32 In John 13:19, Jesus uses the same expression 14:36 to describe Himself. 14:37 I am telling you now before it happens, 14:39 so that when it does happen, 14:41 you will believe that I am who I am. 14:44 What does this tell us about the nature of God?" 14:47 Okay, let's read this really quickly again, 14:49 Howard, in Exodus 3:14-15, 14:53 God says to Moses, "I am who I am." 14:56 In the Hebrew, this is a verb 15:01 that means to be or to exist. 15:04 Tell the children of Israel, 'I am has sent Me. 15:08 Tell them the Lord God of your fathers, 15:10 the God of Abraham, Isaac and the Lord of Jacob 15:13 has sent Me to you. 15:15 This is my name forever. 15:18 And this is my memorial to all generations." 15:22 So, I am, the verb is to be or to exist 15:27 and in the tense that it's used, 15:29 God is declaring that He is self-existent, 15:32 eternal, self-sufficient, 15:34 self-directed, unchanging. 15:37 This is, He is giving Moses 15:40 His proper holy covenant name. 15:45 This is His personal name. 15:47 From this verb is where we get Yahweh. 15:50 He's revealing His name, revealing His presence, 15:55 He's more than Adonai. 15:56 He's the God 15:58 who wants an intimate relationship with him. 16:03 So this is the God of your fathers, 16:05 He never changes. 16:07 Now, Jesus said in John 8:58, 16:10 "Most assuredly, I say to you, 16:13 before Abraham was, I am." 16:18 He is, this is definitely 16:22 the greatest argument Jesus ever used for His immortality, 16:26 His eternal existence. 16:29 He's declaring Himself 16:32 to be the preexistent God of the Covenant, Yahweh. 16:37 And then when He said this, you know what? 16:40 Jesus knew what He was doing 16:42 because they wanted to stone Him. 16:44 Malachi 3:6, God says, "I'm the Lord, I change not." 16:48 Hebrews 13:8, 16:49 "He, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, 16:52 today and forever. 16:53 I am Yahweh." 16:56 Amen. Amen. 16:57 Thank you, Shelley. 16:59 "Pastor Day, please explain about no need to teach 17:02 new law to neighbors and relatives 17:04 because God wrote it in their hearts. 17:06 How does this square up with preaching the gospel?" 17:09 This comes from Travis out of Washington State. 17:11 All right. Well, this is a great question. 17:13 You know, a lot of people 17:15 and I think I kind of understand where this person 17:16 is coming from who submitted the question. 17:19 And that is, many people can read Hebrews 8:10-11, 17:23 which obviously is within the context 17:25 of this New Covenant that God is establishing with us, 17:28 in which it says there in verse 10 17:30 of Hebrews Chapter 8 that 17:31 "I will put My laws in their mind 17:33 and write them in their hearts, and I will be their God 17:35 and they shall be My people." 17:36 But then verse 11 is the verse in question here. 17:39 It says, "None of them shall teach his neighbor, 17:41 and none his brother saying, 'Know the Lord, 17:44 for all shall know Me from the least of them 17:46 to the greatest of them.'" 17:48 And so, it almost seems like God is saying, 17:50 "Look, I'm going to do this but you don't have to go 17:52 tell anyone about My law, 17:53 or tell anyone about My goodness 17:54 or tell anyone, let me do that because they're going to." 17:56 No, no, no. 17:58 It's not saying that we should just not teach the law, 17:59 not teach the Ten Commandments. 18:01 The advantage of the New Covenant 18:03 over the Old one is that the believer 18:05 is to have a personal knowledge of God. 18:08 Through Christ, we have direct access to God. 18:11 And, of course, we know this because we are to be led 18:13 by the Spirit according to Romans 8:14, 18:16 we are to be taught of God according 18:18 to 1 Thessalonians 4:9 18:21 and to be filled with all the fullness 18:23 of God according to Ephesians 3:14-21. 18:26 And so we know that, yes, 18:28 God is going to do a mighty work 18:30 that we can't do in it of ourselves 18:32 or in someone else. 18:33 But that being said, we know that, of course, 18:35 the key word I believe here in this verse 18:36 is know the Lord because in this case, 18:39 we know that how we know Him, 18:41 according to 1 John 2:3-4, 18:44 is if we keep His commandments, 18:46 that's what the Bible says there. 18:47 And even Jesus Himself said, "Do not think 18:49 that I've come to destroy the law, 18:51 I have not come to destroy but to fulfill." 18:53 That's Matthew 5:17 18:56 and what's interesting is right after that, 18:58 and in verse 19, He says, 19:01 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least 19:03 of these commandments and teaches men 19:04 so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven." 19:06 So in this case, 19:08 we are to teach the law of God, 19:09 we are to uphold that law 19:11 that He's writing in our minds and in our hearts. 19:13 But what I believe this verse is emphasizing 19:15 is the fact that God is the one doing the work. 19:17 God is doing the calling. 19:19 God is doing the teaching, 19:20 but we also are to declare His goodness, 19:22 according to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 19:24 My last verse here I want to share, 19:26 which answers this last part here, 19:28 according to the question here, which says, 19:29 how does this square up with the preaching 19:31 of the gospel? 19:32 Acts 2:42, it says, 19:34 "And they continued steadfast in the apostles' 19:37 doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread 19:40 and in prayers." 19:41 The apostles' doctrine, of course, 19:42 was that of the truth that Jesus taught them 19:45 and we are to continue that as well according 19:47 to the New Covenant as its best specified. 19:49 Amen. 19:51 I love that because, you know, so often you hear, 19:52 oh, I'm a New Testament Christian, 19:54 like you hear that all the time, 19:56 so that's very, very important. Pastor Lomacang, 19:59 this question comes to you, 20:00 it's from Evette out of New Jersey. 20:04 "What is the Spirit of Prophecy?" 20:07 That's an very interesting question, 20:09 but a very direct answer I can give. 20:11 Simply put the two words together. 20:13 Spirit who is involved in clarifying prophecy. 20:18 Let me start with a passage. 20:19 And I'll mention two of those because these two passages 20:22 together give us the full picture 20:24 of what many people understand. 20:25 Revelation 12:17, 20:27 "And the dragon was enraged with a woman 20:29 and went to make war with the rest of her offspring, 20:31 who keep the commandments of God 20:33 and have the testimony of Jesus." 20:34 Revelation 19:10, 20:36 "The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy." 20:38 Now we have to ask ourselves the question 20:40 is the Spirit of Prophecy 20:42 a human or is the Spirit of Prophecy the Holy Spirit? 20:47 The second is true. 20:49 The Spirit of Prophecy is a gift 20:50 that has been imparted to men and women, 20:52 so that they can exercise the gift 20:56 that has been given to the church. 20:58 You know, Revelation, I mean, 2 Peter 1:21 gives us clarity. 21:02 The Bible says, 21:03 "For prophecy never came by the will of man." 21:05 So it's not something belonged to persons, 21:08 but holy men of God spoke as they were moved 21:10 by the Holy Spirit. 21:12 And when you find all throughout the Old Testament, 21:14 you find starting in the Book of Numbers, 21:16 the Lord as He began to work through Moses, 21:19 speaking directly to Pharaoh 21:21 and then speaking to the children of Israel, 21:22 He made it very, very clear 21:24 that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on the prophets. 21:27 And we find also in Joel 2:28, 21:31 "It shall come to pass in the last days." 21:32 Acts Chapter 2 is a reflection of the fulfillment 21:36 of Joel Chapter 2. 21:37 What does the Bible say? 21:39 "I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, 21:41 your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." 21:44 So the Spirit is the one that's revealing 21:46 to the person prophesying 21:47 what the prophecy should be and also to be understood. 21:50 So clearly speaking, 21:52 if I could narrow down to the context of the question, 21:55 as an Adventist, 21:56 we say that that gift was given to Ellen White, 21:59 but she's not the Spirit of Prophecy, 22:01 she's just simply exercising 22:02 the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy. 22:05 And why is that? 22:07 1 Corinthians 1:6-8, 22:10 clearly saying, 22:13 "Even the testimony of Christ which was confirmed in you, 22:16 so that you come short in no gift." 22:19 When the Bible warns of false prophets, 22:22 it's a confirmation that they'll also be true prophets, 22:24 and the Holy Spirit will speak through a true prophet 22:27 in harmony with the Word of God. 22:29 Amen. 22:31 Wonderful. I love that. 22:32 I think that was the key right there, 22:34 in harmony with the will of God. 22:36 That's excellent. 22:37 Now, you may be sitting there wondering, well, 22:39 how can I send in my questions? 22:42 Well, this is where I get to share 22:44 that wonderful information with you. 22:46 You can email your questions 22:47 to BibleQA@3abn.TV 22:52 Again, that's BibleQA@3abn.TV 22:57 or you can text us at 618-228-3975. 23:03 Again, that's 618-228-3975. 23:07 If you're on Instagram, 23:08 just go to at 3abn_official 23:13 and send us a message there. 23:15 Again, that's at 3abn_official 23:20 and just send us a DM there. 23:23 Shelley, we're going to come to you on this one. 23:26 "It seems that to bring others to Jesus, 23:29 we must rub shoulders with them as Jesus did. 23:32 So what are we to make of 2 John 9-11? 23:36 Oh, great questions. 23:38 Well, first of all, Jesus hung out with unsaved sinners. 23:41 He showed them compassion, mercy, love and patience, 23:45 but He never condoned their lifestyle. 23:48 He never approved of their lifestyle. 23:51 He practiced what we would call today friendship evangelism. 23:55 Before we go to 2 John, let's look at 1 Corinthians 23:58 because this will give you a really good hint. 24:01 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 24:05 Paul is kind of clarifying, 24:08 expanding something that he had told the church earlier 24:12 and the church at Corinth misinterpreted. 24:15 Paul said, "Hey, 24:16 don't have anything to do with sexually immoral people." 24:19 So the church at Corinth was stopping their contact 24:25 with the unsaved world. 24:27 And here's what he says, 1 Corinthians 5:10, 24:30 "I certainly did not mean 24:33 with the sexually immoral people of this world, 24:36 or with the covetous, extortioners, idolaters, 24:40 since then you would need to go out of the world." 24:44 In other words, Paul is saying to them, 24:46 "No, no, no, no, 24:47 I'm not talking about the people 24:50 outside the church who practice this. 24:52 I'm saying don't associate with the people inside the church 24:57 who do this." 24:58 So 2 John 25:02 and you asked about verses 9-11. 25:06 Let's look at verse 7. In verse 7. 25:10 This is the same principle of 1 Corinthians Chapter 5. 25:14 2 John in verse 7, 25:18 there's only one chapter, says, it's talking about deceivers, 25:22 false teachers that were campaigning 25:24 against the fundamental truths of Christianity, even saying, 25:28 they wouldn't confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. 25:31 Verse 9 says, 25:33 "They didn't abide in the doctrine of Christ." 25:35 Verse 10, then says this, 25:37 "If anyone comes to you 25:39 and does not bring this doctrine, 25:41 do not receive him into your house, 25:44 don't even greet him." 25:45 You're not supposed to. 25:47 We should recognize heretics, we should not support heretics, 25:50 because verse 11 says, 25:52 "If you're supporting them, 25:54 you are participating in their evil deeds, 25:57 because it's leaving the impression 26:00 that you sanction their teachings." 26:02 So our loyalty has to be to the truth of God's Word. 26:06 Amen. Amen. 26:07 And then friendship evangelism is so crucial. 26:11 Implementing Christ method of evangelism. 26:14 "Pastor Day, 26:15 I am a Seventh-day Adventist since young, 26:19 I guess, since they were younger 26:21 and many preachers always said that Jesus is coming again. 26:24 Now I am almost 30 and Jesus hasn't come. 26:28 How can I be sure that Jesus' Second Coming is real and near? 26:32 All right. 26:33 So the person who sent this question in, 26:36 that's a good question, but it's, you know, 26:38 it's prophetically told to us 26:40 that this same question would be declared, 26:43 but in kind of a scoffing in the last days. 26:44 Notice what 2 Peter 3:3 says, "Knowing this first 26:48 that scoffers will come in the last days 26:50 walking according to their own lust." 26:52 And it goes on to say, and saying, 26:54 "Where is the promise of His coming 26:56 for since the fathers fell asleep, 26:57 all things continue as they were, 26:59 from the beginning of creation." 27:01 I'm certainly not calling the person 27:03 who sent this in a scoffer 27:04 because I think many people have asked this question 27:06 and expressed doubt over time. 27:09 But nonetheless, my friend, 27:10 I think that this is where you have to exercise trust, 27:14 deep trust in God and His Word, 27:16 because this is a Word of God thing. 27:18 We have to learn to not trust ourselves but the Word of God. 27:21 I'm thinking of Proverbs 3:5-6 where it says, 27:24 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 27:25 and lean not on your own understanding, 27:27 in all your ways acknowledge Him, 27:29 and He will direct your path." 27:31 And so in this case, you know, 27:33 we need to understand that the word... 27:35 Pastor quoted this earlier, Romans 10:17, 27:38 "Faith comes by hearing 27:39 and hearing by the Word of God." 27:40 Our faith is built. Our trust in God is built. 27:43 When we get into the Word of God, 27:44 the Holy Spirit, 27:46 the Bible calls it the Spirit of Truth, 27:47 according to John 16:13, 27:50 it will guide us into all truth 27:52 and it will build our trust in God's Word to help us 27:55 to believe and trust in what He has said He will do, 27:58 He's going to do. 28:00 And in this case, John 14:1-3, 28:02 we're told Jesus made a promise that He was going to go away 28:06 and if He goes away to prepare a place for us, 28:07 He will come again to receive us 28:09 that where He is there we may be also. 28:11 That's a promise and the Bible makes it clear in Hebrews 6:18, 28:15 that God does not lie. 28:17 God doesn't change as Shelley brought out earlier. 28:20 God has spoken, His Word is sure. 28:21 We have a more sure word of prophecy 28:24 as told there in 2 Peter Chapter 1 28:26 that we have to believe in, 28:28 we have to ground ourselves in the belief and trust that 28:30 what God has said He will do. 28:32 And I will just in the last few moments that I have here, 28:35 I just have to emphasize, go read Matthew 24. 28:38 I mean, if you have any understanding 28:40 at all of the signs of the times 28:42 and the things that have been happening, 28:43 we can see that every single thing 28:45 that Jesus has spoken with the exception 28:46 of a couple of things has happened 28:48 just as He said it would. 28:49 Prophecy confirms with all the signs of the time, 28:52 just as in the parable of the fig tree there, 28:54 "That as you see the leaves turning, 28:56 know summer is near even so He said, 28:58 when you see these things happening, 29:00 know that my coming is even at the door." 29:02 So in this case, look unto Jesus the author 29:04 and finisher of your faith. 29:05 Look into His Word, study His Word, 29:08 build a relationship and your trust will grow. 29:10 Your faith will grow and you will see 29:12 that what the Bible has said, it is true. 29:14 It will come to pass just as He said, He is soon to come. 29:17 Amen. Amen. 29:19 "Pastor Lomacang, Abel and Cain gave up their first fruits, 29:24 and why was Abel's first fruit accepted and not Cain's?" 29:27 This is from Merrill. 29:29 Well, Cain gave fruits, 29:32 Abel gave a sacrifice. 29:35 Genesis Chapter 4. 29:37 Let's look at the description of what the Bible says 29:41 as you compare. 29:42 The question, why was Abel's first fruit accepted 29:45 and not Cain's? 29:46 This is simply a comparison 29:48 between requirement versus preference. 29:51 And ever since Cain and Abel, 29:53 we've always had two types of worshipers, 29:55 those who give God what He requires 29:57 and those who give God what they prefer. 30:00 That's still true to this very day. 30:02 Genesis 4:3, 30:04 "And in the process of time it came to pass 30:06 that Cain brought an offering of the fruit 30:10 of the ground to the Lord." 30:12 Now, this was from a tree. 30:15 But verse 4, 30:16 "Abel also brought up the firstborn of his flock 30:20 and of their fat." 30:21 This is an animal, of lamb. 30:23 The Bible, Revelation 13:8, 30:24 "The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 30:27 The Lord established what He was going to accept. 30:30 In the temple services, 30:32 you find there was always some animal 30:34 whose life had to be sacrificed as a symbol of Christ. 30:38 But notice, the question was, 30:40 what happened as a result of that? 30:42 Verse 4, "Abel also brought up the firstborn 30:45 of his flock and of their fat. 30:47 And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not," 30:50 verse 5, "respect Cain and his offering. 30:53 And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell." 30:57 Verse 6, "So the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? 31:00 And why have your countenance fallen? 31:01 If you do well, will you not be accepted?'" 31:04 That's the key. 31:05 If you do what God asked, you will be accepted. 31:07 But He says, "And if you do not do well, 31:11 sin lies at your door. 31:13 And its desire is for you, 31:14 but you should not rule over it." 31:16 Now verse 8 is where I will end. 31:18 "Now Cain talked with Abel his brother, 31:20 and it came to pass when they were in the field, 31:22 that Cain rose up against Abel, 31:23 his brother, and killed him." 31:26 And that's where you have, Am I my brother's keeper? 31:28 So the nutshell of it is, 31:30 this is a battle between requirement and preference. 31:33 Abel gave what God required. 31:35 Cain gave what he preferred. 31:37 I love that, requirement and preference. 31:40 "Shelley, why is it that Adam is blamed 31:43 more strongly than Eve for our fall 31:45 when it was Eve who left Adam's side 31:48 and went off on her own, 31:49 was encountered by the serpent, 31:51 had a conversation with him 31:53 and allowed him to persuade her? 31:55 Is it because Adam gave in and partook of the fruit 31:59 and because he was the first created 32:01 and given dominion over the earth?" 32:03 This is from Vanessa. Vanessa, what a great question. 32:06 Genesis 3:13 tells us that Eve was beguiled, 32:11 she was seduced. 32:12 She was deceived, deluded. 32:15 But in 1 Timothy 2:14. 32:18 1 Timothy 2:14. 32:20 It said, "Adam was not deceived, 32:23 but the woman being deceived fell into transgression." 32:26 So Adam intentionally sinned in the full knowledge 32:29 of what God's requirement was, 32:31 he voluntarily took of this fruit 32:33 because of his love for his wife 32:36 and he didn't want to be separated from her. 32:39 He chose to blatantly disobey God 32:42 and here's the important part, you hit on it. 32:45 He is violating his leadership role. 32:49 God created Adam, Adam was the representative of all mankind. 32:55 And when Adam did this, he plunged all men into sin. 32:59 1 Corinthians 15:22, "As in Adam all die, 33:05 even so in Christ, all shall be made alive." 33:07 And in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 says, 33:11 "The first man, Adam, made of the dust of the earth, 33:15 became a living being but the last Adam, 33:18 this is our God, who came down, 33:22 took on our flesh became a human being, 33:25 so that He could be the last Adam. 33:27 The new representative of mankind." 33:30 Says the last Adam became a life giving spirit. 33:35 The second man 33:37 is the Lord from heaven, 33:41 how amazing. 33:43 The Lord God, our Creator, 33:46 came down and became the person of Jesus Christ. 33:51 And not only did He condescend to that, but He died, 33:55 He was resurrected, He went to heaven, 33:59 ascended in that flesh, 34:02 He sits at the right hand of the throne of the Father, 34:05 as the new representative of mankind. 34:08 Hallelujah. Amen. 34:10 That's powerful. 34:13 Pastor Day, this is coming from Marie. 34:16 "Is it disrespectful or even a sin to be cremated 34:20 when we depart this world?" 34:22 Amen. Thank you so much, Marie, for your question. 34:24 And it's a good question because it's one of the most 34:26 popular questions. 34:28 I think that evangelists and pastors 34:30 and ministers get all the time 34:31 because we live in a world 34:33 where, you know, we have options, right? 34:34 There's people who believe in the more traditional way 34:36 of burial and there's other people 34:39 that believe in this cremation process. 34:41 But there's a little bit of a contention 34:42 among some Christians because some say 34:44 it's disrespectful. 34:45 Like you said, some people believe it's even a sin. 34:48 But as Christians, we have to be people of the Word. 34:51 And if we're going to go and tell someone that they're, 34:54 you know, violating God's will or they're sinning if they, 34:56 you know, dispose of the body in the form of cremation. 34:59 We have to be able to prove that from the Word of God. 35:01 And so the direct answer to this question is no, 35:04 because the Bible does not explicitly 35:06 or even in principle in the closest remote way, 35:10 tell us that it's a sin 35:12 if someone chooses the process of cremation. 35:14 In fact, you know, there's people in history 35:17 who were, their burial process really wasn't a choice 35:21 and they were cremated. 35:23 They were burned alive at the stake. 35:24 I mean, we have martyrs mentioned there in Revelation 35:27 Chapter 6 and 7. 35:29 And we know that these martyrs, 35:30 these are righteous people who, again, they were burned alive, 35:33 they were brought to ashes, 35:34 but yet they will be in the kingdom of God. 35:37 And I think where some people get confused on is, you know, 35:40 yes, we know in Genesis 2:7, 35:42 where God created and formed Adam 35:44 from the dust of the ground, He breathed into his nostrils 35:46 and man became a living soul. 35:47 And then when you get to Ecclesiastes, there, 35:50 Ecclesiastes 12:7, you know, first to the dead, 35:52 returning to the earth, as it was. 35:55 But again, we have to be people of the Bible, 35:57 even though, yes, we are going to return 35:59 no matter how we're buried, 36:00 no matter how we leave this world, 36:02 we will return to the earth as it was, 36:05 but nonetheless, the process, 36:07 the burial process or the disposal process 36:09 in the form of cremation. 36:11 We cannot prove from the Bible 36:13 that it is a sin or disrespectful. 36:15 So in this case, we have to be patient with our brother, 36:18 not allow it to be an issue of contention. 36:21 Just let it be an issue of personal decision. 36:24 Amen. Amen. 36:26 Pastor Lomacang, this question comes from Rex. 36:29 "For some time now I've been wondering 36:32 and needing clarification on this question. 36:34 Would there be a second death for those who died 36:37 when God destroyed the earth by water 36:39 and those who were destroyed by fire in Sodom and Gomorrah? 36:43 I need a Bible reference if possible." 36:45 Sure. 36:46 The Bible reference I'd like to give to you is Hebrews 9:27. 36:50 And by the way, what Ryan alluded to this, 36:53 I think, on a couple of questions. 36:55 Ryan alluded to this, how we die is not up to us. 36:59 That's the unfortunate thing. 37:01 You know, we had Cindy, 37:04 one of the nurses at our church. 37:06 She said that we're going to die one of three ways. 37:09 We're gonna die of old age, 37:11 we're gonna die of an accident 37:13 or we're going to die of a disease. 37:15 We don't get a choice which one is going to be. 37:17 Some people die in fires, 37:18 some people die from smoke inhalation, 37:20 some people die in car accidents, 37:21 some people die of a disease, 37:24 some people die in plane crashes 37:25 and they are incinerated as Ryan talked about. 37:29 And Sodom Gomorrah is just simply an example in Scripture 37:31 where people in Sodom and Gomorrah 37:33 were destroyed by fire. 37:35 But that was simply the first death, Hebrews 9:27, 37:39 "And it and as it is appointed for men 37:45 to die once, but after this the judgment." 37:50 Okay, now the judgment is the second death. 37:53 Go to Revelation Chapter 20, and look at that with me. 37:57 Revelation 20:14-15. 38:01 All right. 38:03 Here's what the Bible says. 38:04 And I'll start with verse 13. 38:06 Well, actually, verse 12, "And I saw the dead, 38:08 small and great, standing before God, 38:10 and the books were opened. 38:12 And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. 38:15 And the dead were judged according to their works, 38:17 by the things which were written 38:19 in the books." 38:20 The first death people not judged 38:22 according to their works. 38:23 Verse 13, "And the sea gave up the dead who were in them, 38:25 and Death and Hades were delivered up the dead 38:28 who were in them. 38:29 And they were judged, each one according to his works." 38:31 That's what Hebrews 9:27 says after that the judgment. 38:35 Verse 14, "Then Death and Hades 38:37 were cast into the lake of fire. 38:39 This is the second death." 38:41 So after the judgment and their verdict is concerned, 38:45 then comes the punitive side of the judgment. 38:48 That's the second death for the wicked. 38:50 That's simply that. Amen. 38:53 "Shelley, if Melchizedek is king of Salem, 38:57 which is king of peace and Christ is Prince of Peace. 39:01 And if Melchizedek is without father, 39:03 without mother, without descent, 39:06 having neither beginning of days, 39:07 nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God 39:11 abideth a priest continually, 39:13 if he is not Christ, who is he?" 39:16 Melchizedek is not Christ. 39:18 He's introduced in Genesis 14 39:20 and then he is not mentioned again 39:23 till we get to the Book of Hebrews. 39:25 In Hebrews 7:1-3 and, Miz, your question's excellent. 39:30 But Hebrews 7, it's talking about Melchizedek, 39:34 who is both king of Salem, 39:36 which is another name for Jerusalem. 39:39 He was also the priest of the Most High God. 39:41 He's the only man who ever held both offices king 39:44 and priest until both positions 39:47 were held by the person of Jesus Christ. 39:50 His name translated, did mean king of righteousness, 39:53 king of peace. 39:54 But look at verse 3, "Without father, 39:56 without mother, without genealogy, 39:58 having neither beginning of days nor end of life, 40:01 but made like the Son of God, 40:05 he remains a priest forever." 40:07 In the ancient Syriac Peshitta, 40:11 it gives a more accurate translation here 40:14 of that Greek phrase and it says, 40:18 "Whose father and mother 40:20 are not written in genealogies." 40:25 Melchizedek did have a father and a mother, 40:28 he was a human being 40:31 but his ancestry was not recorded 40:35 because it didn't matter to his priesthood. 40:37 It wasn't like he was of a Levitical priesthood 40:40 where ancestry had to be proven, 40:42 he was of the same. 40:45 In Hebrews 5:6, it says 40:47 that Jesus was like the order of Melchizedek, 40:53 as opposed to being Levitical in nature. 40:57 But we know that Hebrews tells us that Jesus' 40:59 priesthood was superior to the Levitical priesthood. 41:05 And Hebrews 7:15 explains 41:07 that He was a priest in the likeness 41:12 of Melchizedek. 41:14 Melchizedek resembled Jesus, 41:18 which implies he was different from Jesus. 41:22 He was not a heavenly being. 41:24 If he was without parentage, without beginning or end, 41:29 he'd be God himself. 41:30 And there would have been no need 41:32 for another priest to come. 41:34 But Jesus did come. 41:36 He's not a successor to Melchizedek. 41:38 His priesthood was just similar to his. 41:41 Excellent explanation. 41:43 Pastor Day, this is going 41:45 to be your three minute question here. 41:46 All right. 41:48 "As I was reading Matthew Chapter 24, 41:49 about the abomination of desolation, 41:51 I came across something. 41:53 All my life, I was taught that the abomination 41:56 of desolation was going to stand in the Holy Place. 41:59 But it actually says when you see the abomination 42:02 of desolation stand in the Holy Place, 42:06 I always heard it to read when you see the abomination 42:09 of desolation standing in the Holy Place, 42:13 this changes things completely for the interpretation. 42:16 It is actually telling believers 42:18 to stand in the Holy Place in the spiritual sanctuary. 42:21 Am I correct in this understanding?" 42:23 This is from Richard out of New Jersey. 42:25 Okay. Yeah, I appreciate this question, Richard. 42:28 And I'm just going to be direct about it. 42:30 I do believe you're stretching a little bit, 42:32 because the text does say right there in Matthew Chapter 24, 42:35 which you are referencing here, 42:37 when you shall see the abomination of desolation 42:39 standing in the Holy Place. 42:41 In this case, I'm going to give it to you straight. 42:43 I wish I had 10 minutes to talk about this, but I don't. 42:46 I believe that there are three very clear phases 42:49 to this abomination of desolation in the sense 42:52 that it's fulfilled on three different levels. 42:54 We see it here in Matthew 24, 42:56 which is actually in reference 42:58 to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, 43:00 there's an abomination of desolation there. 43:03 Of course, I believe, according to Daniel Chapter 11 43:05 and Daniel Chapter 12, 43:07 in reference to that 1,290 days, 43:09 the abomination of desolation is mentioned there as well, 43:12 that's going to be fulfilled 43:13 somewhere around the year 508 AD 43:15 with the bringing about of the priesthood 43:17 of the Catholic Church. 43:18 That's another question. 43:19 Of course, the third phase, I believe, 43:21 is right there in that harlot of Revelation Chapter 17, 43:23 where it talks about the abominations 43:25 and the filthiness of her fornication. 43:26 She also has abominations 43:28 that will bring about her desolation. 43:30 So that's three different phases, 43:32 I believe we see this played out in 43:33 but pertaining to your particular question here. 43:36 This is directly in Matthew 24, 43:38 referencing the abomination of desolation 43:41 standing in the Holy Place, 43:44 you don't really get the fullness 43:45 of this until you get over to Luke 21 43:47 and read the equivalent passage of this 43:49 because all of the same words, 43:51 all of the same descriptions are used there 43:53 that you see in Matthew 24, 43:55 pertaining to the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem 43:58 but when you get to Luke 21:20-24, 44:02 notice what the Bible says here, it says, 44:04 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies 44:08 then know that its desolation is near." 44:12 And if you go on and read through this, 44:13 "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, 44:14 and let those who are in the midst not depart, 44:17 and let those who are in the country enter her 44:19 or let not those who were not in the country enter her. 44:20 For these are the days of vengeance, 44:22 that all these things that are written may be fulfilled. 44:24 But woe unto those who are pregnant." 44:26 And it goes on to describe exactly the events 44:29 that took place in 70 AD 44:31 after a seven long year siege by the Roman armies. 44:34 In this case, it's interesting because when you go back 44:37 to Daniel 9:27, 44:39 which is what this is referencing, 44:41 it actually says there in Daniel 7:20, 44:44 excuse me, 9:27, 44:46 "On the wing of abomination 44:48 shall be the one who makes desolate." 44:50 Referring to Titus and his Roman armies coming 44:52 where they put their Roman pagan standards 44:55 in the ground outside of Jerusalem. 44:57 Their symbol, of course, 44:58 was the eagle on the wings of abomination. 45:01 Their pagan god of the eagle representing 45:03 the sun, they put it outside of Jerusalem, 45:06 setting their standards in the ground, 45:08 they surrounded Jerusalem, 45:09 that's exactly what we're seeing here 45:12 played out in Matthew 24, 45:13 in the equivalent passage of Luke 21. 45:16 When you shall see the army surrounding Jerusalem, 45:19 then know that her desolation is near. 45:21 Even Jesus, you know, He told them, 45:23 He foretold this in just the previous chapter, 45:26 Matthew 23, when He said, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 45:28 how often I've wanted to gather you as a hen 45:30 gathers her chicks on her wings but you were not willing." 45:34 And then He goes on to say, 45:35 "See your houses left to you desolate." 45:39 So in this case, 45:40 standing in the Holy Place is reference to Titus 45:43 and the Roman armies outside of Jerusalem in the 70 AD 45:46 destruction of Jerusalem. 45:47 Wow. 45:49 Yeah, that was a lot to say in three minutes. 45:51 And it could take a 10 minute answer for sure. 45:54 Easy. 45:55 Pastor Lomacang, 45:57 this is going to be your three minute question. 45:59 "My question is found in 1 Corinthians 11:5-6, 46:04 Pastor Lomacang, can you please explain those verses?" 46:07 Well, we find two words in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 46:12 is exactly what is being talked about. 46:14 The covering is, I think, the focal point of the passage, 46:19 because it covers two different topics. 46:21 But I think what the person 46:23 when they point to verse 5 and 6 46:24 is specifically about the woman covering her head. 46:27 Now we find in verse 1, Paul talks about a tradition. 46:31 But when we get to verse 16, he talks about a custom, 46:34 what is the difference? 46:35 A tradition is something handed down from generation 46:38 to generation where it starts, 46:40 is determined by that particular culture. 46:42 But a custom is according to a practice. 46:46 For example, Luke 4:16, Jesus went into the synagogue 46:49 and as His custom was and then the disciples 46:52 as their custom was they went 46:54 and kept the Sabbath from week to week. 46:56 Custom is something that could be supported 46:58 by a scriptural observance. 47:00 But a tradition starts based on their culture. 47:03 In this particular passage, there was a cultural tradition 47:07 that was passed down from generation to generation. 47:10 And this was common among the Jews. 47:12 The Jews had a difficult time 47:13 when the disciples did not follow traditions. 47:15 As a matter of fact, Mark 7:5, they said, 47:18 "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition 47:20 of the elders?" 47:22 So when the Christian church was being established, 47:23 many of these traditions that were practiced 47:25 among the Jewish contingency, 47:27 they were trying to force them on the Gentiles. 47:29 And Paul the Apostle was saying, 47:31 "Okay, let's talk about this tradition, 47:32 the woman's head being covered 47:34 or the man's head not being covered." 47:36 And the focal point of this entire passage is verse 3. 47:40 He says this, 47:42 "But if you want to know 47:43 that the head of every man is Christ, 47:47 the head of woman is man 47:50 and the head of Christ is God." 47:52 So the woman's covered by her husband's authority, 47:56 the church is covered by Christ's authority 47:59 and Christ is covered by God's authority, 48:02 the covering is already there. 48:03 He is showing the order of structure and authority 48:06 as it relates to any kind of custom. 48:09 But they continue saying, "Well, 48:11 shouldn't the woman cover her head? 48:12 And if it's not covered, she should shave her head." 48:15 But then they said, "But it is a shame for a woman 48:17 to shave her head." 48:18 So what are we contending over here 48:20 and it continues to go forward. 48:21 And Paul settles the issue in verse 16. 48:24 I had somebody approached me about this issue once, 48:27 you know, they got caught up in some side cult. 48:30 The way you can tell the difference between a cult 48:32 and a Christian religion, 48:34 is they lock you to salvation by works. 48:37 When they start demanding works of you long dresses, 48:39 cover your head, wear a scarf, wear 17th century clothing, 48:43 it's a cult, 48:44 because there's nothing you can do to enhance your salvation. 48:47 Amen. 48:48 Paul makes it very clear in verse 16 48:50 as he addresses the whole issue of covering or not covering. 48:53 He says, "But if anyone seems to be contentious," 48:57 listen to this, 48:58 "we have no such custom nor does the churches of God." 49:03 Amen. 49:04 So there is no custom to cover your head or not to cover. 49:06 If you want to do that, 49:08 the Lord is not going to make it something, say we're lost. 49:10 If you want to do that as a practice, you can do that. 49:12 But there is no such requirement 49:14 or custom according to the Church of God. 49:16 Amen. Amen. 49:19 Shelley, we're gonna come to you 49:20 with this extra question here 49:21 because we're picking it up from your first question. 49:25 "Pastor is preaching that getting cancer and dying 49:28 or being poor, this is the part that we need to answer, 49:31 is not God's will for any of us 49:33 and that Christians shouldn't get sick or die early, 49:36 because it's our will and we can control it. 49:38 Can you help me to find in the Bible 49:39 that we have the authority to override God's plan?" 49:43 Okay, so we've already addressed 49:44 getting sick or dying with cancer. 49:46 Let's talk about being poor. 49:48 If you're poor because of bad choices, laziness, 49:52 failure to budget, refusal of good counsel, guess what? 49:56 You have willed that poorness on you and it's not God's will. 50:00 That's true. 50:02 There's a lot of Proverbs 50:04 that address these causes of poverty. 50:06 But being poor is not always our will. 50:09 And it doesn't mean that God disapproves of us. 50:12 There's many examples of poor people in Scripture 50:17 that are blessed beyond measure. 50:19 Just think of the widow and her mite. 50:21 Jesus in Matthew 8:20, 50:23 He talks about I had no place to lay My head. 50:27 The disciples abandoned what they had, 50:30 2 Corinthians 8:9, "Though the Lord was rich, 50:32 He became poor for our sake." 50:34 Matthew 26:11, Jesus said, 50:37 "The poor you have with you always." 50:40 But one of the most convincing scriptures to me 50:43 is the great famine struck Jerusalem. 50:47 It was overpopulated and the believers became poor 50:52 and destitute and Paul took up a collection. 50:55 Romans 15:26, 50:58 he speaks of other believers and he says, 51:01 "Please, to make a certain contribution for the poor 51:05 among the saints who are in Jerusalem." 51:08 Oh, there's so much but here's the bottom line. 51:11 God does use wealth for His glory, 51:14 sometimes what people like Solomon, 51:17 but many times in the Bible, 51:20 wealth is spoken of in a negative fashion. 51:23 Jesus said in Matthew 13:22, 51:26 that the deceitfulness of riches 51:29 can choke the word from your heart. 51:31 Mark 10, 25. 51:33 It's easier to go through a rich man to I mean, 51:37 a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man 51:40 to enter heaven. 51:42 Wow. Is poorness a sin? 51:44 No. Wow, thank you, Shelley. 51:46 Thank you for that answer. 51:48 We're going to be right back after we take a short break. 51:53 If you're enjoying our 3ABN Bible Q and A, 51:56 then tell your friends, 51:58 each Monday we'll bring you a fresh program, 52:01 answering the Bible questions you send us, 52:03 using God's Holy Word to shed light on those texts 52:06 that seem difficult to understand. 52:09 To have your questions answered on a future program, 52:11 just email them to us at BibleQA@3abn.tv 52:17 That's BibleQA@3abn.tv 52:20 You may also text your questions to 618-228-3975. 52:26 That's 618-228-3975. 52:30 Be sure to include your name and where you live, 52:32 and then watch 3ABN Bible Q and A 52:35 for answers from God's Word. |
Revised 2022-02-24