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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA022203S
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00:00 (adventurous music)
00:03 - [Announcer] It is the best selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted 00:09 and its words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, 00:13 should always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," 00:22 providing accurate and practical answers 00:25 to all your Bible questions. (air whooshing) 00:28 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned 00:33 in this broadcast call (800) 835-6747. 00:40 Once again, that's (800) 835-6747. 00:45 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:48 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 - Hi friends, would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:53 On November 20th, 2021, traffic came to a sudden standstill 00:58 on one of California's busiest freeways 01:00 after an armored car accidentally spilled 01:03 several bags of cash across the interstate. 01:07 Several drivers and passengers slammed on their brakes 01:09 and jumped out of their vehicles on the busy highway 01:12 just north of San Diego to grab what they could. 01:15 When the California Highway Patrol arrived at the scene, 01:18 they arrested two people and warned some others 01:20 who could not resist the temptation to grab the money. 01:23 Videos across social media showed plenty of people 01:26 scooping up handfuls of cash, mostly ones and twenties. 01:30 Fortunately, these videos also captured the faces 01:33 and license plates of the event. 01:35 The CHP are working with the FBI to identify those 01:38 who greedily exploited the accident. 01:41 It's amazing how quickly many honest citizens were overcome 01:44 by the love of money. 01:46 You know Pastor Ross, you can't help but wonder 01:49 what would you do if you're driving down the road 01:51 and all of a sudden you see yourself surrounded 01:54 by a sea of bills. 01:56 Currency. 01:57 - Maybe you consider it answer to prayer 01:59 and get out and grab a bag and start filling up. 02:01 No, you don't wanna do that. (laughing) 02:04 But yeah, what a temptation. 02:05 Of course you can see how the folks are all excited 02:07 and that's not really their money. 02:09 I mean, they, they gotta turn it in legally, 02:11 you can't put it in your pocket. 02:12 - Exactly. 02:14 And you know, we've all heard stories about some, 02:16 you know, very honest citizens 02:17 that find like a bag of money with no ID 02:21 and they take it to the police station. 02:23 And lo and behold, it was some dear old person's savings 02:26 that had fallen out of the car, whatever. 02:28 And there are, you know, some honest people out there, 02:32 fortunately, but you know, 02:33 the Bible tells us in the last days, 02:35 "evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse." 02:37 And you can read in 1 Timothy 6:10, 02:41 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, 02:45 for which some have strayed from the faith 02:47 in their greediness, and pierced themselves 02:50 through with many sorrows." 02:52 You know, when a person is converted, 02:54 not only is their heart converted for spiritual things, 02:57 but God converts your wallet as well. 03:00 And one of the ways you know that a person 03:02 has been born again is just their generosity. 03:06 They're not controlled by covetousness or greed anymore, 03:09 and they're willing to share. 03:11 And they're willing, if they find something 03:12 that's not theirs, they automatically think, 03:15 well, this dear person, whoever it is, they lost some money. 03:19 You know your heart goes out to that 03:20 poor armored truck driver who forgot to latch the back door 03:24 and he may have lost his job. 03:26 - Right. Right. 03:28 Well you know, Pastor Doug, we do have 03:29 a study guide that talks about the Christian and money. 03:32 And of course, as you mentioned the Bible verse, 03:34 "the love of money is the root of all evil." 03:36 And that's so true in our world today. 03:38 But what does the Bible say about how we can be faithful 03:41 stewards for the things that God has given us? 03:43 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 03:45 This is our free offer for this evening. 03:47 It's a study guide called "In God We Trust?" 03:50 If you'd like to receive that, 03:51 the number to call is (800) 835-6747. 03:55 And you can just ask for offer number 135, 03:58 or you can ask for the study guide by name, 04:00 it's called "In God We Trust?" 04:02 We'll be happy to send it to anyone in North America. 04:05 If you're watching outside of North America, 04:07 we know we have people who are tuning in 04:09 on the various social media networks, 04:11 so they're watching on a various channel, 04:15 you can just go to the Amazing Facts website, 04:16 just amazingfacts.org or .com. 04:18 And you'll be able to enroll in our free Bible school. 04:22 And you'll actually be studying this lesson. 04:24 Again, it's called "In God We Trust?" 04:26 Well, Pastor Doug, maybe it's a good time 04:28 just to greet those who are joining us. 04:30 You know we have folks watching on YouTube as mentioned, 04:32 on social media, and folks listening on the radio. 04:35 We have people listening on satellite radio. 04:37 So for those who've always listened to the program, 04:40 we wanna make sure you're aware we are broadcasting 04:42 and you can see what's happening here in the studio. 04:44 Just simply go to the Doug Batchelor Facebook page, 04:47 or the Amazing Facts Facebook page, 04:49 also on YouTube and on Amazing Facts TV. 04:51 - That's right. 04:52 And you can send your questions in also 04:54 on the Facebook page as well. 04:57 - Okay, well, we're gonna get right to our questions. 04:59 If you have a Bible related question, 05:01 the number to call here to the studio is (800) 463-7297. 05:07 Again, that's (800) 463-7297. 05:10 That'll bring you a call here in the studio. 05:11 And of course, if you don't get right through, 05:14 just stay on the phone. 05:15 One of our operators will get to you as soon as they can. 05:18 Well before we get the questions, let's start with prayer. 05:20 Dear Father we thank You that we have this opportunity 05:22 once again to open up Your Word and study. 05:25 And Father, as we always do, we want to ask 05:27 for the Holy Spirit to be with us, 05:28 be with Pastor Doug and myself here in the studio 05:30 as we answer these questions. 05:32 And we pray that You'd be with those who are listening 05:34 or watching wherever they might be. 05:36 Father, the purpose of this program of this time 05:39 is to come to a clear and full understanding of Your Word. 05:43 For we are reminded of what Jesus said, 05:45 "They shall know the truth and the truth 05:46 will set them free." - Amen. 05:48 - Father, keep us clear and bless this program 05:50 in Jesus name. Amen. - Amen. 05:53 - All right, well, we're gonna go to our first caller 05:54 this evening, we've got Peter listening in Canada. 05:56 Peter, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:59 - [Peter] I'm so happy to talk to you, 06:01 Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. 06:03 I've been listening to your messages for a while, 06:05 I'm like still a teenager so 06:07 I really love the messages and thank God 06:09 for your work. 06:10 - Well, thank you for calling and your question tonight? 06:14 - [Peter] Okay so I've been, you know, with your new summit, 06:20 that Amazing Facts is doing, 06:21 you know, talking about evolution? 06:23 - Mm hmm. 06:24 - [Peter] I like science, I like studying science. 06:27 And I like to see the studies of like NASA 06:31 and those discovering life in other planets. 06:34 But like if they were to discover life in another planet, 06:38 what would that mean for the Bible? 06:40 - All right, so if they were to discover 06:42 life on another planet, 06:43 would that impact the Bible or contradict the teachings 06:47 of the Bible in some way? 06:48 No, because I believe the Bible tells us that God does 06:51 have life on other planets. 06:53 I'm sure, Peter, you've been tracking, 06:56 if you like space and exploration, 06:59 that recently, I think in the end of 2021, 07:01 they launched the James Webb Telescope, 07:04 which is like a hundred times more powerful than the Hubble. 07:08 And it will be very exciting to see. 07:10 It looks like it's fully deployed now 07:11 and they're doing some calibrating. 07:14 Should be getting some incredible pictures 07:17 from that telescope in, oh, 07:19 I think about six months they said, 07:21 but I'm probably as interested as anybody. 07:24 I'm fascinated with astronomy and the cosmos that God made. 07:30 Everything the Bible says, you know, 07:31 the Lord made the heaven and the Earth, 07:33 He made the stars, He made it all. 07:35 And I don't think the Bible teaches 07:37 the only life is here on Earth. 07:39 I believe the scriptures say that Christ made the world. 07:42 Is that Hebrews chapter? 07:44 - Hebrews chapter one. 07:45 And it's actually the verse you're referring to there 07:47 is Hebrews 1:2. 07:49 - Yeah and Colossians, it tells about other life 07:52 and Revelation talks about the creatures 07:54 in heaven that praise the Lord. 07:55 So we believe there is life on other planet. 07:59 I'm not, you know, I'm not too sure 08:03 that they're gonna find life on Mars or in our solar system, 08:07 just because it seems like it's such 08:09 a stark environment out there, 08:10 but I'm sure there is life. 08:13 The life on other planets does not communicate with us 08:17 here on Earth, other than angels and God, 08:19 because we've got this disease of sin. 08:21 So you might say we're sort of quarantined, 08:24 but I think once we're saved and in the new kingdom, 08:27 we're gonna, as it says in that song, 08:29 "Rock of Ages," "We'll soar to worlds unknown." 08:33 - You know, Pastor Doug, 08:34 we got that story in the book of Job. 08:35 It talks about a gathering of the sons of God. 08:37 And we know that this didn't happen on Earth 08:39 because Satan came as a representative of the Earth. 08:42 - That's right. - So it seems, 08:43 at least from that verse that there are these 08:46 other intelligent beings from other worlds 08:49 called the sons of God here in that passage. 08:51 So yeah, there are intelligent beings other than angels 08:54 that God created in the universe. 08:56 Great question, Peter. 08:58 Next caller that we have is Anthony listening in New York. 09:00 Anthony, welcome to the program. 09:02 - [Anthony] Good evening, pastors. 09:04 My question, the best verse I can find to base it on 09:08 is Exodus 25:40. 09:12 And it says, "And look that thou," 09:14 and this is God talking to Abraham, 09:16 "And look that thou make them after their pattern, 09:20 which was shewed thee in the Mount." 09:22 And my understanding is that's talking about the heavenly, 09:25 the Earthly sanctuary being made after the pattern 09:28 of the heavenly sanctuary. 09:29 So my question is, 09:32 I know that the Earthly sanctuary only came into play, 09:36 or the whole sacrificial system came into play, 09:38 only after Adam and Eve sinned. 09:41 But does that also mean that there was really no need 09:44 for heavenly sanctuary if it was only for the atonement 09:47 for sin until after Adam and Eve sinned? 09:50 Was that, was the heavenly sanctuary, 09:52 also established with the plan of salvation? 09:56 - Yeah, well, you know, there's some, there's some mystery 09:59 to that because when you talk about the sanctuary, 10:00 you're talking about the dwelling place of God. 10:03 The dwelling place of God, 10:04 or wherever the capital of the universe is, 10:07 has existed, you know, through eternity, 10:09 as far as we're concerned. 10:12 It was mobilized for the purpose of saving the human race, 10:15 these creatures made in God's image, 10:18 or was developed, I should say, 10:20 probably, was it Revelation says, 10:23 "The lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 10:26 And there's other verses that talk about 10:28 the plan of salvation that, you know, 10:30 God knew that this would happen back in eternity. 10:34 But it wasn't really activated with the blood of Christ 10:38 until Jesus died on the cross. 10:40 But the pattern that God gave Moses on the mountain 10:44 is patterned after a much bigger 10:48 center of God's throne in heaven. 10:51 Let me give you an example. 10:54 You probably heard of matchbox cars. 10:56 They're just like little microcosms of big cars. 10:59 In the Earthly sanctuary, you've got two golden angels 11:03 on top of this box. 11:04 Well, those angels are real angels 11:07 you read about in like Isaiah 6, 11:10 and then you have the wallpaper was with angels on it 11:14 in the Holy of Holies. 11:16 But they're gonna be real angels surrounding 11:18 the throne of God in heaven. 11:19 And instead of it being 20 feet across, 11:22 it's gonna be, you know, maybe 20 light years across. 11:24 I don't know, but it's a much bigger reality 11:30 than the model that God gave to Moses. 11:32 So yeah, I think it is very real. 11:34 It wasn't, clearly when God first established His throne, 11:37 God, wasn't doing it where they were, you know, 11:40 there was sacrifice going on in the heavenly temple. 11:43 It was used for that after the sacrifice of Christ. 11:45 - Yeah. It seems like, as you mentioned, Pastor Doug, 11:47 there was maybe a remodeling of the heavenly throne room 11:50 because of sin and the focus there needs to redeem mankind. 11:54 What is interesting, after the 1,000 years, 11:56 you read about in Revelation 21. 11:59 The New Jerusalem comes down, 12:00 the Earth is recreated, describes the New Jerusalem. 12:03 And when sin and sinners are no more, 12:05 then John in Revelation 21:22 says, 12:08 talking about the New Jerusalem, 12:09 "And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord, God Almighty 12:12 and the lamb or the temple of it." 12:14 It's as if the purpose of the sanctuary, 12:16 they heavenly sanctuary has met its fulfillment, 12:18 because sin and sinners are no more, 12:19 the righteous are redeemed, forever reunited with God. 12:22 It doesn't mean that, you know, 12:23 the dwelling place of God disappears. 12:25 No, but the function of the temple, 12:27 the work of the temple has met its fulfillment. 12:29 And that's at the end of the thousand years 12:31 after all things are made new. 12:33 - Absolutely. 12:34 - You know, we do have a study guide 12:35 that talks about the sanctuary and the heavenly sanction. 12:38 It's called "God Drew the Plans." 12:40 And it talks about this work of redemption 12:42 and how that's playing out in heaven, 12:44 as well as on the Earth. 12:45 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 12:48 One of the Amazing Facts study guides, 12:49 just call and ask (800) 835-6747. 12:53 And again, you can ask for the study guide, 12:55 it's "God Drew the Plans." 12:56 And it's all about the sanctuary 12:58 as revealing the work of redemption. 13:01 Thanks for your call, Anthony. 13:02 We've got Rose listening from New York. 13:04 Rose, welcome to the program. 13:06 - [Rose] Good evening, pastors. 13:07 - Evening. 13:09 - [Rose] The number 40 is mentioned 13:11 quite a bit in the Bible. 13:13 For example, it rained 40 days and 40 nights 13:16 during the flood, Jesus fasted 40 days and nights, 13:20 Elijah traveled to Mt. Sinai for 40 days. 13:22 So my question is, 13:24 what is the significance of the number 40? 13:28 - All right. Very good. 13:29 You know, as near as we can tell, 13:31 the number 40 represents a generation 13:34 and it it's often a time of testing. 13:38 For example, when Jesus went in the wilderness, 13:40 that was a time of testing. 13:41 When the children of Israel went through the wilderness 13:44 for 40 years, that was a time of testing. 13:47 When the 12 spies explored the Promised Land for 40 years, 13:51 it was a time of testing. 13:53 And Elijah. 13:55 - You mean 40 days. 13:56 - 40 Days, sorry. Yeah. 13:57 And when Elijah went 40 days and 40 nights to 14:02 Mount Sinai, so it was symbolic of a generation. 14:09 When it's years, it's 40 years is a generation. 14:11 We had a question that came in yesterday 14:13 about why the blood of the slaughter 14:18 that you see in Revelation, it runs 1,600 furlongs, 14:22 which is 40 times 40. 14:24 And that was interesting. 14:25 It's like the final judgment on the wicked. 14:28 - And you know, Pastor Doug, something else about 40 14:29 is you've got three individuals that appear together 14:32 in the New Testament, 14:33 Jesus, on the Mount of Transfiguration, 14:35 and they appeared with him, Moses and Elijah. 14:38 And it's interesting, Jesus fasted for 40 days, 14:41 Moses didn't eat for 40 days when he was on the Mount 14:44 receiving the Ten Commandments, 14:45 he was supernaturally sustained by God, 14:47 and Elijah was given angel food. 14:50 You remember that story? 14:51 And then he went in the strength of that meal 14:53 for 40 days without food. 14:55 So you got Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, 14:58 all of which went without food for 40 days 15:00 and there together on the Mount of Transfiguration. 15:03 So it's kind of interesting, again, 40 is a time of testing. 15:05 - Yeah. - Purifying. 15:07 - So I hope that helps a little bit Rose, 15:09 but you're absolutely right. 15:11 And I think, Pastor Ross, 15:12 we have a website called Bible Prophecy truth. 15:15 And at that website there is a list 15:18 of Bible numbers and their meanings. 15:20 - That's right, and of course 40 is just one 15:22 of some other very significant Bible numbers. 15:25 So take a look at that. 15:26 Just go to the website called Prophecy Truth? 15:28 - Bible Prophecy Truth. - Bible prophecy, yeah. 15:29 Bible Prophecy Truth. 15:31 And that's not just the numbers there, 15:33 but I think the symbols, Bible symbols, 15:35 are also on the website and a lot of additional resources. 15:38 Next caller that we have is Hannah listening from Louisiana. 15:41 Hannah, welcome to the program. 15:43 - [Hanna] Yes, I'm right here. 15:46 For background, I'm a 16-year-old teenager 15:48 growing in the Word. 15:50 I'm not as knowledgeable as probably 15:53 some of the other people who called in earlier. 15:56 But anyway, I'm very interested in baptism 16:00 and I've been a Christian for quite a while. 16:03 And I know bits and pieces of the Bible, 16:05 I've read devotions for quite a long time. 16:08 And my dad has really instilled me in getting more involved 16:12 in the church, like learning more about His truths. 16:14 And I've been watching more 16:15 Amazing Facts with Doug Batchelor's programs. 16:17 And I heard his testimony recently, too. 16:19 It's very interesting. 16:23 And that brings me to the fact 16:25 that I really want to get baptized. 16:27 I really want to get into God's family. 16:29 And so one day I could be one of the 144,000. 16:34 So my question is, what does God expect of me after baptism? 16:40 - Oh, great. 16:41 Yeah, we appreciate your question. 16:43 Well, first of all, it's wonderful that you're wanting 16:47 to make that decision and consecrate yourself. 16:49 You not only want water baptism, 16:51 you want spirit baptism. 16:52 Jesus said, "Unless you're born of the water and the spirit, 16:56 you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." 16:58 So you need both. 17:00 But the promise is that if you receive Him, 17:03 to those that received Him to them, He gives power. 17:07 That power is the power of the person, 17:09 of the Holy Spirit in your life. 17:11 To them He gives power to become sons and daughters of God. 17:15 And so when you receive Him, 17:17 He brings His Spirit into your life. 17:19 You want to then continue bathing in that Spirit, 17:23 just like, you know, any average person, 17:25 you don't just bathe once. 17:26 You want to continue to bathe in the Spirit, read the Word. 17:31 For a baby to grow, you need to do three things. 17:33 Baby's got to eat. 17:36 The baby needs to breathe 17:39 and the baby needs to exercise. 17:41 And if a baby is, you know, eating and drinking, 17:44 if it's exercising and breathing, it will grow. 17:48 If you are feeding on God's Word, 17:50 if you are breathing in prayer, 17:53 and if you are sharing your faith with others, 17:56 you will grow. 17:57 And so do what you can to learn more 18:00 about studying the Bible. 18:02 If you want to take the Amazing Facts Bible study course, 18:04 that's a great place to start. 18:07 Spend regular time in prayer, just consecrated prayer, 18:10 and then talk to God through the day in your prayers, 18:13 and then look for opportunities to share 18:15 what Jesus has done for you. 18:17 And you will grow in your faith 18:19 and He'll reveal what His plan is for your life. 18:22 - Absolutely. 18:23 Well, you know, we do have a study guide, 18:24 and maybe you're aware of this, Hannah, 18:25 or for anyone wanting to learn more about Bible baptism. 18:28 What does the Bible say? 18:30 One of our study guides is called, 18:31 "Purity and Power" and it's about baptism. 18:34 Jesus said to Nicodemus, 18:37 "except your born of water and of the spirit." 18:40 So we want to have water baptism, 18:41 but we also want to be baptized by the Spirit. 18:44 And this study guide will tell you more about that. 18:46 If you'd like to receive it, 18:47 the number to call is (800) 835-6747. 18:50 It's free. 18:51 Just ask for the study guide on baptism. 18:53 It's called "Purity and Power." 18:55 We'll be happy to send it to anyone in North America. 18:58 We've got Brett listening in Atlanta, Georgia. 19:01 Brett, welcome to the program. 19:03 - [Brett] Yeah, my question kind of relates to Job 1. 19:06 And when Satan goes, 19:09 where he goes to meet God with the elders, 19:13 who are the elders? 19:15 Who are the sons of God in that? 19:17 - Yeah, well, you know, that came up a little bit earlier 19:19 in another question, 19:20 but it appears that when you look in Luke 3, 19:27 and it talks about, you know, Enos was the son of Seth, 19:31 who is the son of Adam, who was the son of God. 19:34 Adam, who was the leader of this world, 19:36 was referred to as a son of God. 19:39 And God probably has leaders of other worlds. 19:43 And these 24 elders around the throne, 19:46 they could have been some of the representatives 19:49 of other world or other galaxies, I don't know, 19:52 but some other celestial leaders 19:56 that God has in His council. 19:59 And, you know, it seems to indicate 20:01 that some of the ancient Israeli Kings had like 12 judges. 20:07 In America, I think we've got nine justices, 20:08 but they like had 12 judges that would assist the king. 20:13 And, you know, maybe that tradition came 20:15 from what's going on in heaven. 20:17 But Pastor Ross, any thoughts on that? 20:19 We do have a book on that. - Yeah that's what I'm looking 20:21 for, I was gonna ask you, 20:22 if it's called, "Who are the Sons of God?" 20:24 - Yeah, "Alien, Angel, or Adopted: Who are the Sons of God?" 20:27 - Okay, and of course that'll get into both 20:29 what you're talking about in Job, 20:30 and then also Revelation 4, 20:31 where you talk about the 24 elders. 20:34 It's really a great study. 20:36 Well thanks for your call, Brett. 20:37 We've got Caleb listening in New York. 20:39 Caleb, welcome to the program. 20:41 - [Caleb] Yes, I have a question. 20:43 I need to learn like how to fast. 20:47 Is there like a sermon you have on fasting 20:51 and how to pray? 20:52 And my second question is, 20:54 does fasting and prayer help you 20:57 have a stronger faith and stronger like relationship 21:01 with God because you know, I just feel lately, 21:05 I haven't been feeling, you know, 21:07 I have a good relationship with God lately, 21:09 so I just need to know does fasting help? 21:14 - Yes. 21:15 Well, Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew, 21:18 and I think it may be chapter six, Pastor Ross, 21:21 when He said, when you fast. 21:23 He doesn't say if you fast. 21:25 He said when you fast, be not like the hypocrites. 21:27 Of course, Jesus said, and when you pray, 21:29 He didn't say, "if" you pray, He said "when" you pray, 21:31 meaning it was thoroughly understood 21:33 that they would be praying. 21:34 And when He talked about fasting, He said, "when" you fast, 21:37 He didn't say "if" you fast. 21:39 Fasting and prayer, and then also when John the Baptist 21:42 came to Jesus' disciples and said, 21:43 how come your disciples don't fast? 21:45 Jesus said, well, when the bride groom's taken away, 21:47 they will fast. 21:48 So Christ always understood that prayer, 21:51 and times of fasting and prayer, 21:53 is part of the Christian discipline for a couple of reasons. 21:56 Well, several. 21:57 One, there are certain health benefits 21:59 in fasting occasionally, 22:00 and that's been proven by science. 22:02 That it's just good for your metabolism 22:04 to sometimes abstain and let your digestive system 22:08 recover rather than it being, you know, 22:10 constantly under a burden of processing food. 22:13 So there's health benefit. 22:15 There is self-discipline benefit. 22:17 Whenever you deny yourself something that the flesh wants, 22:22 it actually, it strengthens your resolve to deny yourself. 22:26 And it's not a bad practice for us to self discipline. 22:31 And then the third reason is when you go a day or so 22:34 without eating food, or eating very carefully, 22:36 your mind clears up a little bit, 22:38 'cause some of the energy that normally goes to digestion 22:41 is now available for your thinking. 22:43 And it actually can, you know, 22:45 increase your spiritual reception. 22:48 So a lot of people who fast say, 22:50 I just sense the presence of God more. 22:53 You're basically saying Lord, I'm denying the flesh 22:55 'cause I wanna strengthen the spirit. 22:56 Now I do have a sermon that you will find online 23:00 and it's, you just type into Google, 23:01 Doug Batchelor when you fast or Doug Batchelor fasting. 23:06 And I'm sure there are many other pastors 23:08 that have good messages on that as well. 23:10 But you're on the right track, Caleb. 23:12 Seek after God with fasting and prayer, 23:14 you may not be able to go, you know, 23:15 a whole day without eating. 23:18 If you've not done it before, you may just start and say, 23:20 I'm only gonna do one meal today, 23:22 or skip the food and just, you know, 23:25 drink some fruit juice to keep your blood sugar up. 23:27 There's several different ways to fast. 23:29 And you'll hear more about that in the message. 23:31 - Okay, thanks for your call, Caleb. 23:33 We've got Martin, Marty, listening from New York. 23:35 Marty, welcome to the program. 23:38 - [Marty] Hi pastors, God bless you. 23:40 And my question is this. 23:43 What happens to a Christian between the time they die 23:47 and the time Lord Jesus comes back? 23:50 - Well for a believer, when they die, 23:52 their next conscious thought is the resurrection. 23:56 The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4, 24:00 that "the Lord Himself 24:01 will descend from heaven with a shout, 24:02 with the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God: 24:05 and the dead in Christ will rise." 24:07 And Jesus said that they will live again in the last day. 24:10 And there it is on the screen. 24:12 "The dead in Christ will rise first. 24:13 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together 24:16 with them in the clouds." 24:18 So if a believer dies, they've got no consciousness of time, 24:22 but life goes on here on Earth until the resurrection, 24:25 the resurrection has not happened yet. 24:27 It is a future event. 24:29 Jesus, I think, oh, three times in John 6, 24:33 and Pastor Ross might find some of those where Jesus said, 24:36 I will raise him up the last day, 24:38 I will raise him up the last day. 24:40 They'll be raised up the last day. 24:42 Sometimes known as the Day of the Lord. 24:44 It's the second coming. 24:46 And so for those who are believers that die, 24:50 there's no awareness of time for them. 24:52 The next thing they know is absent from the body, 24:55 they're present with the Lord. 24:56 They're caught up. They see God come. 24:58 They're raised with a glorified body. 25:01 The Bible says it's like a moment, 25:02 the twinkling of an eye. 25:04 But as far as us here on Earth, we still live in time. 25:07 It hasn't happened yet. 25:09 So some people are confused. 25:10 They'll walk around, they'll say 25:11 well so and so's in heaven now. 25:13 Well, as far as they're concerned, 25:15 they're gonna be there next thing they know, 25:17 but it hasn't happened yet for us, 25:18 'cause we still live in time and Jesus hasn't come. 25:21 - In other words, the Bible describes 25:23 then death as a sleep, an unconscious sleep. 25:26 The very next thing, you know, 25:27 the second coming of Christ and you're resurrected, 25:29 but you're not in heaven at the moment. 25:31 - Right. - Yeah, 25:32 while life is going on on Earth as normal. 25:34 - And there's a really good verse 25:36 in the 1 Corinthians 15, 25:38 when it tells us that, you know, when we die, 25:43 that we're not aware of anything until the Lord comes. 25:46 And it tells us that the, 25:49 a resurrected come back to life when the Lord returns. 25:53 And you'll find that in 1 Corinthians 15. 25:57 - You know, we do have a book talking about, 25:58 well, what happens in a person dies. 26:00 And it's called "Are the Dead Really Dead?" 26:02 And it looks at these different Bible teachings 26:05 and different scriptures on this. 26:06 Yeah, Pastor Doug, there's a lot of confusion 26:08 out there in the world today about the dead. 26:09 Sometimes people believe well, the, the person is asleep, 26:13 so to speak, they're unconscious sleep, 26:14 waiting for the resurrection. 26:16 Others believe that you receive your reward immediately 26:18 and you're in heaven or, if you're a bad person, 26:20 you're burning in hell. 26:21 Well that's what the Bible teaches. 26:23 Yes, there is a heaven and there is 26:24 a final destruction of the wicked in hellfire, 26:27 but that hasn't happened yet. 26:28 - [Doug] Right. 26:30 - So Jesus says when He comes He'll bring His reward 26:32 with Him to give to every man, according to his works, 26:34 through Revelation 22. 26:36 And of course He hasn't come yet, 26:37 so people have not received the reward. 26:39 - Exactly. - The reward would be 26:40 eternal life for the righteous 26:42 and eternal death for the wicked. 26:45 Well thanks to your call, Marty, we appreciate that. 26:47 You know, Pastor Doug, we've got, 26:48 it looks like 20 seconds before we're gonna take our break. 26:50 So friends, don't go away. 26:52 We're just gonna take a quick break here in the studio 26:53 and be back with more of your Bible questions. 26:56 If you have a question, the number to call is 26:57 (800) 463-7297. 27:01 That'll bring you right in here to the program. 27:03 So just after a few moments, some important announcements, 27:06 and then we'll be back for more "Bible Answers Live." 27:09 So don't go far, we'll be right back. 27:11 (adventurous music) 27:15 - [Announcer] Stay tuned. 27:16 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:22 (suspenseful music) (dragon snarling) 27:28 - [Spokesperson] A beast, a dragon and a woman. 27:30 They sound like characters in a fairytale, 27:33 but that couldn't be further from the truth. 27:35 These three symbolic end-time powers 27:37 are actually found in the book of Revelation, 27:40 whose predictions about the soon coming crises on Earth 27:42 aren't a bedtime story. 27:45 "The Beast, The Dragon, & the Woman" 27:47 is a daring yet concise overview of the Bible's 27:49 most compelling and perplexing end-time players. 27:53 And the struggle between truth and error. 27:56 You'll even find out the part America plays 27:58 in these last days. 28:00 If you want to be ready for the Earth shaking events 28:02 yet to come, secure your copy of 28:04 "The Beast, The Dragon, & the Woman" today. 28:07 Don't be caught unprepared 28:08 for the final events of Bible prophecy. 28:11 To order your copy of "The Beast, The Dragon, & The Woman" 28:14 call (800) 538-7275 28:18 or visit afbookstore.com. 28:22 (peaceful music) 28:23 - [Narrator] Are you looking for a simple way 28:24 to share your faith? 28:26 If you've ever found yourself tongue-tied 28:28 when trying to explain what the Bible teaches 28:29 about the Sabbath, the Second Coming, or the Afterlife 28:34 you'll love the new Amazing Facts tracks. 28:37 These colorful tracks feature easy-to-read type 28:40 and are large enough to grab everyone's attention, 28:43 but small enough to fit in your pocket 28:44 to carry with you wherever you go. 28:47 11 key Bible teachings are available now. 28:50 Purchase a sample bundle to see what fits your needs, 28:53 then buy them in bulk and save. 28:55 Equip yourself and your church to reach your community 28:58 with the eye-catching Amazing Facts tracks. 29:02 easy to read, easy to share, 29:05 To order your sample bundle call (800) 538-7275 29:11 or visit afbookstore.com 29:13 and get ready to share your faith like never before. 29:21 - [Spokesperson] Jerusalem, the City of Peace, 29:23 has been a place of unending conflict for centuries. 29:26 Many now believe that Jerusalem 29:28 will soon take center stage again, 29:30 but what does the Bible say? 29:32 "The Fall & Rise of Jerusalem" presents the vital history 29:36 you need to know about Jerusalem and its role 29:38 in end time Bible prophecy. 29:40 This Amazing Facts edition of the classic volume, 29:43 "The Great Controversy" is the perfect sharing book. 29:46 Get your copy at afbookstore.com. 29:50 (adventurous music) 29:54 - [Announcer] You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," 29:56 where every question answered 29:58 provides a clearer picture of God and His plan to save you. 30:02 So what are you waiting for? 30:04 Get practical answers about the Good Book 30:06 for a better life today. 30:11 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 30:14 If you'd like answers to your Bible related questions 30:16 on the air, please call us next Sunday 30:19 between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM Pacific time. 30:22 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned 30:25 in this evening's program, call (800) 835-6747. 30:31 Once again, that's (800) 835-6747. 30:36 Now let's rejoin our hosts 30:38 for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:42 - Welcome back listening friends, to "Bible Answers Live." 30:44 And if you've tuned in along the way, 30:46 this is a live international interactive Bible study, 30:49 where we are taking your questions 30:52 and we're gonna be on the air for about another 28 minutes. 30:55 And if you wanna call in with a question, 30:57 the number is (800) GOD-SAYS. 30:59 That's (800) 463-7297. 31:03 You can also watch what's happening on Facebook. 31:06 It's on the Doug Batchelor Facebook page 31:08 or the Amazing Facts Facebook page or YouTube. 31:12 And we are broadcasting on television on AF TV. 31:15 That's the Amazing Facts television channel. 31:17 My name is Doug Batchelor. 31:19 - My name is Jean Ross and we have Cynthia 31:22 that is listening in Mississippi. 31:23 Cynthia, welcome to the program. 31:26 - [Cynthia] God bless both of you. 31:29 I have someone very dear to me that took their own life. 31:33 - Mm. 31:34 - [Cynthia] And I am wondering, 31:39 I've discussed this with my preacher, 31:41 and quite a few other preachers, 31:45 and I can't seem to get a direct answer. 31:50 I guess what I'm wanting to know is 31:53 are they in heaven or will they stay in hell? 31:57 Are they in hell and will I ever see them in heaven? 32:01 - All right, good question. 32:02 I'll try and give you a direct answer 32:05 on one aspect that you ask there. 32:07 Are they in hell? 32:09 No, nobody is in hell yet. 32:12 Nobody is in the lake of fire. 32:13 That doesn't happen until after the Second Coming, 32:16 and you read that in Revelation 20. 32:17 So, every grave that says RIP, rest in peace, 32:21 the dead are sleeping until the resurrection. 32:24 And Jesus said, "the hour is coming," it's future. 32:27 This is John chapter, is it five? 32:30 "The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves 32:32 will hear His voice and come forth. 32:33 They that have done good, the resurrection of life. 32:36 They that have done evil, 32:37 the resurrection of condemnation." 32:39 So they're not experiencing any reward right now. 32:43 Will they be in heaven? 32:45 Well, you know, we have to be very careful not to judge, 32:49 but I'll be honest with you that in most cases, 32:52 not in all cases, but in most cases, 32:55 when a person takes their own life, 32:57 it's because they've reached a point of hopelessness 33:00 and they've lost faith. 33:01 And faith is crucial to salvation. 33:04 You know it is true that the Bible says 33:08 that we shall not murder. 33:10 And that of course would include yourself. 33:13 And part of the reason I say this, Cynthia, 33:15 there are people listening right now 33:16 that contemplate suicide. 33:18 And I want to discourage them from doing that. 33:21 Now there are some exceptions. 33:24 You have some people, 33:26 I did a funeral for a young lady that, 33:29 she was a Christian, 33:30 became very discouraged. 33:31 There may have been some chemical imbalance. 33:34 Took some pills, after she'd took the pills she called 911 33:38 and said, I don't know what I was thinking, 33:41 I took all these pills. 33:42 And they rushed her to emergency and tried to save her. 33:47 And she was conscious when they first got there, 33:49 but she slipped under and she died. 33:52 And so the family was saying, 33:53 you know, what are the chances? 33:55 I said, well, you know, she was probably praying 33:56 and asking for help before this happened. 33:59 So I know people, I think Pastor Ross does too, 34:03 that they're suffering so much from some terminal illness 34:06 that they're just not themselves. 34:08 And they might take their own life. 34:11 That doesn't mean that their whole life of serving God 34:13 is gonna be forgotten because of those closing hours 34:16 of, you know, incoherency or pain. 34:19 So you have to be very careful to say, 34:21 well, we know what happened to a person, 34:23 'cause only God knows their hearts. 34:25 Now that may sound like other answers you've had, 34:27 Cynthia, that are meandering back and forth. 34:30 But I hope that made sense. 34:32 - You know, we do have a book it's called "Choosing Life." 34:35 Cause we do get this question, 34:36 have people call in and ask, 34:37 and it's an important subject. 34:39 So just recently, Pastor Doug, 34:41 you finished the book it's called "Choosing Life." 34:42 And it talks about what do you do 34:45 if a loved one or family member or somebody you might know 34:48 is contemplating suicide. 34:49 How do we encourage them and point them 34:51 in the right direction? 34:52 We'll be happy to send that book out to anyone 34:54 who calls and asks. 34:55 It's a new book, so you need to ask for it. 34:57 It's called "Choosing Life." 34:59 And the number to call is (800) 835-6747. 35:03 And you can ask for the new book called "Choosing Life" 35:05 and we'll be happy to send it to anyone in North America. 35:08 Thank you again for your call, Cynthia. 35:09 We've got Stephen listening in Canada, 35:11 Stephen, you're on the air. 35:14 - [Stephen] Oh hello, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jean Ross. 35:15 Thanks for having me. 35:16 - Ah, yes. 35:19 - [Stephen] So my question, 35:21 it's, um, it's a little complex. 35:24 Hopefully I'll be able to put this out simply. 35:27 The word regarding perfection. 35:32 So it says we see in Job, that it says Job was a perfect, 35:35 you know upright man, I guess the word is they're blameless, 35:37 and it says same thing about Noah, 35:39 perfect or blameless. 35:41 And it says regarding 144,000, 35:43 they're blameless the people that wash their robes, 35:45 they're blameless before the throne of God. 35:48 Obviously Jesus was the ultimate of perfection. 35:52 He was sinless, our Lord and Savior. 35:55 I've listened to like your sermons, Pastor Doug, 35:57 about like how perfect must a Christian be. 36:00 I remember you, 36:01 I can't remember you said something about, 36:02 I don't believe in perfection in this sense, 36:04 but I do, anyways. 36:06 I won't speak too much more. 36:07 Just the word perfection. 36:08 What does, how perfect should a Christian be 36:11 and what does that relate to in the Bible? 36:13 Cause even God said, 36:14 "come before me Abraham and be perfect." 36:16 Like that word, perfection, 36:17 all these different contexts I see in the Bible and stuff. 36:21 - Oh, that's good. 36:22 Yeah, good question. It's a practical question. 36:24 And I'm really thankful for the stories in the Bible 36:27 because the Lord, you just highlighted Abraham and others, 36:30 who were declared perfect. 36:32 And then you see, while God looked upon them 36:34 as consistently serving Him, 36:38 you know, Abraham, he goes to Egypt and lies and says, 36:41 Sarah's really his sister, 'cause he's afraid. 36:44 And then he gets talked into taking his concubine as a wife. 36:48 The Bible tells us about Zechariah and Elizabeth 36:51 in the New Testament and it says they were perfect, 36:53 walking in all the commandments of the Lord. 36:55 Right after it says they were perfect, 36:57 he's struck dumb for his lack of faith. 37:00 And so being perfect biblically 37:02 doesn't mean you that you're flawless. 37:04 And that's where I think some people get discouraged 37:07 because, especially young people, they think, 37:09 oh man, I've gotta be flawless. 37:11 I've gotta be some kind of a biblical Saint 37:14 before I can be saved. 37:16 And then you read and you find out that, you know, 37:19 there'll be people in heaven like Peter, 37:21 who, you know, made some big mistakes. 37:23 And Paul and Moses who, you know, they, 37:29 God filled Elijah with the Holy Spirit. 37:32 And he prayed in fire and rain came down from heaven. 37:35 And a little while later he said, "oh Lord, take my life." 37:37 He got discouraged and he ran. 37:39 But Elijah went to heaven in a fiery chariot. 37:42 So these are people who had 37:44 surrendered themselves to the Lord, 37:46 they were committed to serving God, 37:48 but you do see that they were very human. 37:50 Now as a Christian, our example is a perfect example. 37:53 That's a Jesus. 37:54 So we should always strive to be Christlike. 37:58 Chances are we're gonna stumble and fall along the way. 38:01 But you never make excuses for sin 38:04 because we're longing and loving holiness. 38:07 That's the key to happiness. 38:08 Now I hope that made sense. 38:10 - [Stephen] Thank you. 38:12 - Yeah, if I had to be a stainless steel, sterile robot 38:16 who never did anything wrong or felt any temptation, 38:20 then there'd be no hope for me, 38:21 but I can live with Christian joy and assurance 38:23 because I believe that God begins at work in me. 38:26 And as I cooperate with Him, 38:28 He is working out His salvation in me. 38:32 - All right, excellent. 38:33 Thank you, Steven, for your call. 38:34 We've got Grace listening from New Jersey. 38:36 Grace, welcome to the program. 38:39 - [Grace] Yes, hi Pastor Ross, hi Pastor Doug. 38:42 It's a blessing to speak to you. 38:46 - Likewise. 38:48 - [Grace] Yes, I have a question. 38:51 Let me get the verse. 38:53 It's Revelation 22:15. 38:58 "But outside there are dogs and sorcerers 39:00 and sexually immoral and murderers, idolaters, 39:04 and whoever loves and practice a lie." 39:08 - Yeah. 39:10 - [Grace] My question is I listen to your 10 Commandments, 39:14 you know, the summer you had the series? 39:16 - Mm hmm. 39:18 - [Grace] And I remember you mentioning also about 39:21 the dogs and idolaters, they belong outside. 39:25 And my question here is because 39:27 I see people have dogs inside the house 39:31 and some people call them children. 39:33 And this is my baby. 39:35 And I don't know how to address that issue. 39:38 - Okay. That great. 39:39 Now first of all, in Revelation, 39:40 when it says for outside dogs, 39:43 dogs is a term that was used for people 39:48 that were just carnally minded that had turned from God. 39:51 It's not talking about Fido. 39:53 It's not talking about canine animals. 39:57 Paul talks in Philippians, I think he says, 39:58 "Beware of the dogs" and he's talking, 40:01 and that's yeah, "Beware of dogs and evil workers," 40:03 Philippians 3:2. 40:05 Two animals that were scavengers 40:07 that are often referred to by the children of Israel, 40:10 were pigs and dogs. 40:12 You're not supposed to eat either one. 40:13 That God, you know, dogs are scavengers. 40:16 Dogs, it says they ate Jezebel. (chuckles) 40:19 So a dog was considered an unclean animal, 40:22 but people had dogs even in the Bible as pets, 40:27 because you can remember when a woman came to Jesus 40:30 and said, "Will you please heal my daughter?" 40:33 And Jesus said, "It's not appropriate 40:34 to take the children's food and give it to the dogs." 40:37 She said, "Yes, but even the dogs eat the crumbs 40:40 that fall from the children's tables." 40:41 Now that must be a household dog if they're doing that. 40:44 So there's no sin against owning a dog. 40:47 And some people are lonely. 40:49 I would agree that in some cases, 40:51 people go a little far and they kinda treat their dogs 40:54 with more love than they do humans. 40:58 And I went to Hong Kong and people buy fur coats 41:01 for their dogs and walk 'em up and down the street 41:03 with golden collars, and you know, 41:05 it just gets really carried away. 41:07 But no, there's no sin in having a pet, 41:11 but a dog is, in it's wild state, is considered a scavenger 41:15 and that's why it talks about the dogs 41:17 outside the New Jerusalem. 41:19 - And of course, back in Bible times, 41:21 the Jew considered all other people unclean 41:24 and even refer to them as being dogs. 41:27 Referring to the unbelievers. 41:29 And in the prophetic sense, when you're reading Revelation, 41:32 it's talking about dogs are outside the city. 41:34 It's talking about those who are unbelieving. 41:36 Those who have rejected the grace of God. 41:38 It's just a symbol. 41:39 - And even Goliath said to David, 41:41 "Am I a dog that you're coming to me with a stick?" 41:44 It was considered like a low animal. 41:46 So yeah, but there's no sin in having a dog as a pet. 41:49 Some people have pigs as pets 41:51 and that's where I draw the line. 41:53 - Okay. All right, thanks. 41:54 We got David who's listening in California. 41:56 David, welcome to the program. 41:58 - [David] Okay, so I know loved ones and friends 42:01 that are part of congregations 42:02 where false doctrine is being preached. 42:05 Would it be wrong to tell them 42:06 to come out of those congregations 42:08 where false doctrine is being taught? 42:11 And that's a reference according to Revelation 18:4. 42:15 - Okay, let's read Revelation 18:4. 42:17 And it says here, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 42:20 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, 42:23 and lest you receive of her plagues. 42:25 For her sins have reached to heaven,'" 42:27 this is verse five, "and God has remembered her iniquities." 42:30 Yeah, certainly it's dangerous 42:32 when a person is sitting under false teaching. 42:36 Now there's scarcely a church out there 42:38 that can say our teachings are perfect. 42:40 And I know as a pastor I've said things in church 42:43 and I preach things and years later I thought, 42:45 oh Lord, maybe I was wrong on that. 42:47 And you know, you, you have to realize 42:49 that preachers are not, they don't claim to be all knowing. 42:54 So it's one thing to say, you know, 42:56 a preacher made a mistake in something, 42:57 or there's some doctrines that, you know, 42:59 there might be some freedom of disagreement on. 43:03 But on the fundamentals, 43:05 if a church is teaching something that undermines 43:11 one of the fundamentals of Christianity 43:13 regarding salvation and being a Christian, 43:16 then it's not healthy for a person 43:17 to stay under that teaching. 43:19 If you've got friends or family that are in that category, 43:22 you ought to study with them 43:23 and show them what the particular issues are. 43:26 You can't just say you gotta come outta that church, 43:28 'cause they're teaching heresy. 43:30 Study, show them, they've gotta see it for themselves 43:32 so they can make their own decisions in the future 43:34 based on the Word, not on your word. 43:37 So I hope that helps, David. 43:40 We would take a second question, 43:41 but we see several people are lined up. 43:43 So I appreciate your understanding. 43:45 - We've got Kevin listening in Maryland. 43:47 Kevin, welcome to the program. 43:48 - [Kevin] Thank you, pastors. 43:50 Tonight I was curious on how do we reconcile 43:54 that if the Sabbath was set up at a time 43:56 when the seventh day was based on the lunar calendar, 43:59 how do we now reconcile that being locked in 44:02 with the Gregorian calendar? 44:05 - Well, a change of the calendar 44:07 doesn't change the weekly cycle. 44:09 So why it is true that the Jews 44:12 operated with a lunar calendar, 44:15 they had approximately 360 days in their year. 44:19 Some people are thinking, well, wouldn't that throw you off 44:21 after a few years? 44:22 Yes, but they knew that. 44:24 And then they would add a month, 44:25 I think it was every 12 or 13 years. 44:27 They added a month to reconcile the seasons once again. 44:31 But that doesn't affect the weekly cycle. 44:33 The weekly cycle is simply a series 44:35 of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 44:38 People get confused 'cause they see the days of the week 44:40 printed on the calendar with the month. 44:42 And they think if you change the calendar, 44:44 it changes the weekly cycle. 44:46 No matter what you do to the calendar, 44:48 whether it's a solar or a lunar calendar, 44:51 the days beginning at Creation to the present 44:54 have gone in a sequence of one through seven, 44:56 one through seven, one through seven. 44:58 There is nothing in history that shows 45:02 that any change of the calendar has affected 45:05 the weekly cycle that the Jews observed. 45:08 So I hope that helps a little bit, Kevin, I appreciate that. 45:11 You know, we've got a, I think there's a book 45:14 that I hope we have it in our library. 45:17 If not, you'll find it online. 45:18 Our friend, Steve Wohlberg wrote a book on lunar Sabbaths. 45:22 And if you type in Steve Wohlberg lunar Sabbaths, 45:25 you might find that. 45:26 And he goes into the Sabbath and the lunar calendar 45:30 in that book. 45:31 - All right, next caller that we have 45:33 is Rhonda listening from Tennessee. 45:35 Rhonda, welcome to the program. 45:38 - [Rhonda] Thank you, good evening. 45:39 My question tonight is on Ezekiel 36:26-27. 45:47 And this is an experience that I have been praying for 45:51 and longing for in my life for some time, 45:54 but I just don't see a change 45:56 and I'm still struggling with the same old sin. 45:59 I'm the same old person. 45:59 And so I'm wondering why, 46:02 and if I'm doing something wrong or what could be the cause? 46:05 - Well, let me read the verse 46:07 for our friends who are listening. 46:09 It says in verse, I'll start with verse 25. 46:11 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, 46:14 and you will be clean; 46:15 and I will cleanse you from all of your filthiness 46:17 and all of your idols. 46:19 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. 46:22 I'll take away the heart of stone out of your flesh 46:24 and give you a heart of flesh. 46:26 I'll put my spirit within you 46:27 and cause you to walk in my statutes, 46:30 and you will keep my judgments and do them." 46:32 Now that is basically describing the new covenant. 46:36 This is the Ezekiel version. 46:38 There's also a Jeremiah version, 46:40 where He talks about writing His law in our hearts. 46:43 And I think that's what you're describing here, Rhonda, 46:46 is that you you're looking for that new birth experience. 46:50 Do not be discouraged if you pray for that 46:53 and you strive for that and it seems 46:54 like you haven't found it right away. 46:58 I was just this week, 46:59 listening to some great quotes by some preachers. 47:03 Matter of fact, the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, 47:07 struggled with his own salvation when he was a young man. 47:10 He kept thinking he'd pray and he'd fall 47:12 and he'd pray and he'd fall. 47:13 And he thought I'm never 47:14 gonna have the new birth experience. 47:16 And he walked into a little church on a rainy day 47:18 and this country preacher was preaching 47:20 from the verse in Isaiah that said in chapter, 47:24 I believe it's chapter 42 or 45:22. 47:28 "Look unto me all the ends of the Earth and be saved." 47:33 And continue to look at Jesus and believe that He saves you. 47:39 We do not do the good things to be saved, 47:42 but as we trust in His keeping His promise, His salvation, 47:47 we then do the good things 47:48 because we believe He has saved us. 47:51 And so if you don't start right, 47:53 and you're thinking about salvation, 47:56 you're gonna really believe it's your work that does it. 47:58 It's His work that does it for you. 48:01 And so keep thanking Him and trusting that in His mercy. 48:04 Keep looking to Him. 48:05 You know, Christ said to Nicodemus, 48:08 you've gotta be born again. 48:10 And then Jesus said in John 3:15, 48:13 "As Moses lifted up the serpent, 48:16 even so the son of man must be lifted up." 48:18 You remember the people were bitten by the serpents 48:20 and they looked at this bronze serpent on a pole 48:23 and they were healed. 48:24 They looked and they lived. 48:26 It's so simple. 48:27 You look at Jesus on the cross for your sins, 48:29 believe that He's there to forgive you. 48:31 He says that He makes us His sons and His daughters. 48:34 You accept that. 48:35 It should give you a peace and then because we love Him, 48:39 we will want to obey Him. 48:41 And as you continue to claim that promise, 48:44 His Spirit will grow and swell in your heart. 48:47 If it doesn't happen, keep, keep believing, 48:50 keep striving, keep praying and it will happen. 48:54 You seek Him with all your heart. 48:55 The promise is Jeremiah 29:13, 48:57 "You will search for me and you'll find me 49:00 when you search for me with all your heart." 49:02 - You know, we've got a book, Pastor Doug, 49:03 one that I like to share. 49:05 It's a great book. It's called "Three Steps to Heaven." 49:07 And it talks about growing in grace, the experience of, 49:11 well, experiencing that new heart 49:13 that's promised in the Bible. 49:14 We'll be happy to send this book to anyone who asks. 49:17 The number to call is (800) 835-6747. 49:20 And you can ask for the book, 49:22 it's called "Three Steps to Heaven." 49:24 We'll be happy to send it to anyone in North America. 49:26 If you're outside of North America, 49:27 just go to the Amazing Facts website 49:29 and you'll be able to read it online at our free library. 49:32 They're at amazingfacts.com or amazingfacts.org. 49:36 We've got Deb listening in Texas. 49:38 Deb, welcome to the program. 49:39 - [Deb] Hi, thank you pastors, good evening. 49:42 My question is this. 49:45 If God and Yeshua are one and the same 49:51 then how is it that the son doesn't know the day 49:54 or the hour of the end of times? 49:57 - Yeah, in Matthew 24, 49:58 when Jesus is talking about His return, 50:02 He said, "but of that day and that hour knows no man, 50:05 but the Father only, not even the Son." 50:08 And maybe He told the disciples that also 50:11 so that they wouldn't be prodding Him 50:12 to say exactly what is the date. 50:14 But I believe when Jesus was on Earth, 50:16 He didn't know the date because Christ laid aside a lot 50:19 of His divine knowledge when He walked on Earth among men. 50:26 And so God, He lived by faith that God would reveal, 50:28 His Father would reveal to Him what He needed to know 50:30 at the time He needed to know. 50:32 You can be quite certain that Jesus 50:34 does know the day and the hour of His coming now. 50:37 He is, you know, at the right hand of the Father. 50:40 I'm sure if Jesus were to say Father, what's the date? 50:42 God's not gonna cover a piece of paper with His hand 50:45 and say, I can't tell You it's a secret. 50:47 It's just while He was on Earth. 50:49 The Bible tells us in, is it Philippians 50:51 that He made Himself with no reputation 50:53 taking the form of a man? 50:54 Or is that Colossians? 50:55 And yeah, He laid aside His divinity. 50:59 And that's why He didn't know at that time. 51:02 So Deb, does that make sense? 51:05 - [Deb] Yes, you've cleared it up for me. 51:07 I understand now He does know. 51:09 - Well, thank you, praise the Lord. 51:10 - [Deb] Thank you so much, pastors. 51:12 - All right. You have a good evening. 51:15 - All right, next caller that we have is Andre in Canada. 51:19 Andre, welcome to the program. 51:21 - [Andre] So, my question, 51:23 in the beginning God created two person. 51:26 and I am assuming that they were of the same race. 51:31 So do you guys have any explanation 51:33 why we have so many different races today? 51:36 - Yeah, I don't think it's really complicated. 51:38 First of all, yes, there was one race 51:41 and Bible tells us in the book of Acts, 51:44 "God has made of one blood all nations." 51:48 And the fact is it doesn't matter whether you are Asian 51:51 or Aborigony or African or American Indian. 51:55 Some people have got O-positive blood 51:58 and some people have B-positive blood 52:00 and the various blood types. 52:01 And if I have a car accident and I need a transfusion, 52:06 the race of the person won't make any difference. 52:08 What they're gonna look at is the blood type. 52:11 And the reason that you've got different races 52:14 is because as people begin to migrate around the world, 52:17 following the Tower of Babel, 52:19 it's just a law of genetics. 52:21 That different people in different environments 52:24 when they're marrying within a certain gene pool, 52:27 that different traits will become more dominant. 52:31 And you can see this and forgive me 52:32 for making the comparison, 52:34 But I believe that God originally made two dogs, 52:37 two probably wolf-like dogs, 52:39 and look at all the different varieties of dogs, 52:42 every shape and color and size 52:45 and no hair, lots of hair, teeny tiny, huge. 52:51 They all come from the same dogs, 52:52 but through isolation in their breeding, 52:55 you get all these different varieties. 52:57 So God, He built just a wonderful bouquet 53:01 of potential into these creatures so that you can 53:04 have all different varieties that rise out of the genes. 53:08 And that's why you've got all these different races. 53:10 They were isolated and different traits became 53:13 more dominant as they married. 53:16 Hope that helps a little bit, Andre. 53:18 Does that make sense? 53:20 - [Andre] Yes, thank you. 53:21 - All right. Thanks so much. 53:23 - All right, next caller that we have 53:24 is James listening in Georgia. 53:26 James, welcome to the program, 53:27 we have just about two minutes. 53:28 - [James] Yes. Hi. 53:29 - Hi. 53:31 - [James] I, I, I grew up in a really big church. 53:33 I'm not gonna name the religion, 53:35 but they baptize you when you're a baby. 53:38 And I don't believe that was really valid, 53:40 according to everything that I read in the Bible. 53:43 And so I, I have a health issue and I said, God, 53:49 I wanna turn my life over to You. 53:52 I repent of my sins and I want to ask You 53:55 to come into my heart. 53:57 I, I, I still become water baptized, 54:00 but I think I'm already spiritually baptized. 54:03 I wanted to ask about that. 54:05 - All right, well, let me talk to you about that real quick. 54:06 We just have a few minutes left or a few seconds actually. 54:10 Please go to the Amazing Facts website, 54:13 take the free Amazing Facts Bible study course. 54:16 We have one lesson that is specifically on baptism. 54:19 You can read that for free, even right now at our website. 54:22 And it's talk about "Power in Purity.". 54:25 - "Power in Purity," yes. 54:26 - And it'll tell you about the importance of water baptism, 54:29 that is biblical, but you need both. 54:31 You need to be born of the water, born of the Spirit. 54:33 And it'll also guide you in the choice of a church 54:35 where you can be a 100% absolutely committed Christian. 54:39 I can just hear the Holy Spirit is working in your heart, 54:42 Matthew, and I'm hoping that you're gonna follow through 54:45 with this decision. 54:46 God is guiding you. 54:47 And you know what? 54:48 If we didn't answer your whole question this week, 54:50 give us another chance next week. 54:52 You've been trying so long, 54:53 just call early and we'll get you on the program. 54:56 Friends, we have run out of time for tonight's broadcast. 54:59 We hope that you'll go to the Amazing Facts website 55:01 and use our resources, amazingfacts.org. 55:05 And we'll look forward to hearing from you. 55:07 God bless. 55:08 (adventurous music) 55:11 - [Announcer] Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:13 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:17 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by 55:19 Amazing Facts International, a faith based ministry 55:23 located in Granite Bay, California. 55:27 - For our friends who have stayed by, 55:29 we're gonna take some of your Bible questions 55:31 that you have emailed to us. 55:32 And we have about two minutes, Pastor Doug, 55:34 so we wanna get as many of these questions in as possible. 55:37 - Okay. - So here we go. 55:38 The first question is divorce always considered a sin 55:41 or are there exceptions, and if so, what are they? 55:45 - Well, usually all divorce, somebody sinned. 55:49 But it's possible for a person to be 55:51 what you would call an innocent party. 55:53 If one spouse violates the marriage vows through adultery, 55:58 they're guilty, 55:59 but the other person has a right to divorce at that point. 56:02 Doesn't mean they have to, 56:03 but that's one grounds for divorce. 56:05 And then in 1 Corinthians 7, 56:07 it talks about when two pagans, 56:11 one of 'em becomes a Christian, 56:14 that the unbeliever may choose to divorce and leave. 56:17 The believer may not have any choice in those cases. 56:20 So that would be one example. 56:22 - Okay, another question that we have, 56:23 it says what countries still need to be reached 56:26 with God's truth? 56:28 - Well, the gospel is going into all the world now 56:30 through the internet and various forms of media, 56:33 but some places, what they call the 10/40 window, 56:38 you know, especially in the Middle East, 56:40 some of these Islamic countries, 56:41 the gospel, it's still not freely proclaimed there. 56:45 And now it's even getting hard to reach people in Europe, 56:48 it's becoming very secular. 56:49 So you can't say that everyone's had a chance yet. 56:53 - Okay, another question we have, 56:54 it's what is the best way to handle 56:56 a very difficult loved one or individual 56:59 who does not believe? 57:02 - Yeah, that's one of the ways we develop character 57:05 is by showing love to those who sometimes can be difficult. 57:08 Pray that God gives you patience and wisdom 57:11 and pray for them. 57:12 Share information, if they're willing 57:14 to look at the information. 57:15 And ask God to help you be a good example to them. 57:19 And it might be God growing you as you try to love them. 57:23 - All right, another question. 57:24 Is Omnicron the third plague? 57:27 - The third plague of Revelation? 57:29 No, I don't think so. 57:30 Matter of fact, from what I'm hearing, 57:32 Omnicron is very virulent, but it's not very deadly. 57:37 It is spreading, but the death ratio is much smaller. 57:41 The plagues that you see in Revelation, 57:44 there's not gonna be any doubt about what those plagues are. 57:47 - And of course those plagues don't fall 57:48 until after probation closes. 57:50 - Yeah and we haven't had the blood and the water yet, 57:52 so, okay. 57:54 - All right, well Pastor Doug again, 57:55 I don't think we have time to take any more questions, 57:57 but we want to thank those for tuning in, 57:58 those who stayed by. 58:00 If we didn't get to your question, 58:01 make sure that you tune next week, 58:02 you can email or text a question to us and we'll try to 58:05 answer as many questions as we can. 58:07 - Absolutely. God bless friends. 58:08 Thank you again for tuning in. 58:09 And if you are blessed by these programs, let us know. 58:12 You can go to the website and donate to keep us on the air. 58:15 Amazingfacts.org. God bless. 58:18 (adventurous music) 58:20 - [Announcer] "Bible Answers Live," 58:22 honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2022-09-20