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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202301S
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00:03 male announcer: It is the best-selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted, and its 00:09 words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, should 00:13 always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate and practical 00:24 answers to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:34 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:39 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:44 Now, here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Welcome, listening friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:54 In 1969, a well-groomed 74-year-old gentleman was jumped 00:59 from behind as he walked down 53rd Street, New York City. 01:03 The muggers had the surprise of their lives as the old man broke 01:07 loose, spun around, and proceeded to knock both of his 01:11 assailants flat with his fists, leaving them sprawled 01:13 on the sidewalk. 01:15 They might have thought twice if they had known the old man they 01:17 had singled out as an easy target was a former 01:20 professional boxer. 01:22 But not just any boxer, but the ferocious world heavyweight 01:26 boxing champion, Jack Dempsey. 01:28 He was known as one of the toughest boxers in history and a 01:31 hero for the likes of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. 01:35 When later asked by reporters, Dempsey replied, "I guess I was 01:39 just acting out of instinct." 01:41 He knew how to fight in a pinch because he had practiced 01:44 in real life. 01:46 You know, the Bible says every believer must train to fight the 01:50 good fight of faith against the attacks of the devil. 01:54 You know, you can read about that in 1 Timothy, Pastor Ross, 01:57 where it says in chapter 6, "Fight the good fight of faith, 02:01 lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and 02:05 have confessed a good confession in the presence 02:07 of many witnesses." 02:09 Sometimes people are told that, you know, once you accept Jesus 02:13 everything's going to be fine. 02:14 They don't really understand that there's going 02:16 to be struggles. 02:18 The Christian walk sometimes involves battles. 02:20 It says we run, we wrestle, we war, we strive. 02:25 And people need to know that there's a fight, 02:28 and you can train in preparation for a fight. 02:32 Jean Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. 02:33 You know, before an army goes into battle, 02:35 they go into training. 02:36 They call it boot camp. 02:37 And they prepare so that they can be successful in battle, and 02:40 as Christians there is preparation that we can do so 02:43 that we can be successful in the most important battle of all. 02:47 Often in the Bible the Christian and the church is likened unto a 02:50 soldier and an army; and we're fighting in the Lord's cause, 02:54 not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities 02:57 and powers as Paul puts it. 03:00 How can we resist the assaults of the devil? 03:02 Well, we have a book. 03:04 It's called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." 03:06 If you've made a decision to be a Christian, you know about 03:09 temptation 'cause the devil does not want people to follow the 03:11 will of God, to keep His commandments. 03:13 How could we be victorious in our life? 03:16 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 03:18 The book is called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." 03:21 The number is 800-835-6747. 03:25 Just ask for it by name. 03:27 It's called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." 03:29 And if you have a smartphone, you can just dial #250 and say, 03:33 "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for the book 03:36 "Tips for Resisting Temptation" and we'll be happy to 03:38 send that to anyone out there. 03:40 You know, Pastor Doug, it's so important that we as Christians, 03:43 as you mentioned in the beginning, recognize that once a 03:46 person gives their life to Christ the battle isn't over, 03:49 it's really begun in earnest. 03:51 And if ever we need the armor of God and the Spirit within us, 03:54 it's living the victorious Christian life. 03:57 Doug: And that's one of the messages throughout Scripture 03:58 from Joshua to Gideon to David, that there are battles involved. 04:04 But if you're fighting in God's battle, He gives you strength 04:07 and He'll give you victory. 04:09 Jean: Well, before we go to the phone lines, as we always do 04:11 we would like to begin the program with prayer. 04:13 Dear Father, we thank You that we have this opportunity once 04:15 again to study Your Word. 04:17 We know that the Bible is likened unto the sword that the 04:20 Christian needs when he battles against the forces of darkness. 04:23 So we pray that You guide us as we open up Your Word and study 04:26 together, and we thank You in Jesus's name. 04:29 Amen. 04:30 Well, Pastor Doug, we also want to welcome all of those who are 04:32 joining us. 04:33 I know we have folks who are watching on AFTV; also listening 04:35 on the radio; those who are listening also on Facebook, the 04:40 Doug Batchelor Facebook page, the Amazing Facts Facebook page; 04:43 also on Amazing Facts YouTube and on AFTV. 04:46 I think I mentioned that. 04:48 And some who are watching on Hope channel. 04:50 So we'd like to welcome all of those who are participating in 04:53 this live interactive international Bible study. 04:57 And if you have a Bible question, the phone line here to 05:00 the studio is 800-463-7297. 05:04 It's 800-463-7297. 05:07 800-GOD-SAYS, and that'll bring you here into the studio with 05:11 your Bible question. 05:13 Our first caller this evening is Anthony listening in New York. 05:16 Anthony, welcome to the program. 05:18 Anthony: Good evening, pastor. 05:20 My question is based on Exodus chapter 8, verses 22 and 23. 05:28 And I guess the question is, why did the Israelites have to 05:32 suffer the first three plagues, and why did God only, you know, 05:37 make a division between the Israelites and the Egyptians 05:39 on the fourth plague? 05:42 Doug: Well, another way to say that that's very interesting 05:44 is, why did God then deliver them from the seven 05:47 last plagues? 05:48 And if you look in Revelation, of course God delivers His 05:51 people during the seven last plagues in Revelation. 05:55 But I think one reason is because God reminds us that 05:59 people suffer as a result of decisions of others. 06:03 None of the Israelites were in Egypt because of 06:05 a decision they had made. 06:07 They were suffering because of a decision their ancestors 06:10 had made. 06:11 And why are we suffering in a world of sin? 06:14 People suffer because of a decision our ancestors made 06:17 going all the way back to Adam and Eve and subsequently 06:21 others since them. 06:24 So I think God is illustrating that, you know, even--in a war 06:28 even innocent people suffer. 06:30 And so yes, they did experience the first three plagues, and 06:33 they were not the most catastrophic part 06:35 of the plagues. 06:36 The plagues started easy, you might say, and then got tougher 06:39 and tougher as it went along. 06:41 Jean: You know, we do have a study guide that talks about the 06:42 origin of evil and why we live in a world with sin and why do 06:46 good people sometimes suffer. 06:48 The study guide is called "Did God Create a Devil?" 06:52 And it talks about the origin of evil. 06:53 It's a great study guide. 06:55 It's part of our set of Amazing Facts study guides. 06:57 Again, we will be happy to send this to anyone 06:58 who calls and ask. 07:00 The number is 800-835-6747 or dial #250. 07:05 You can say "Bible Answers Live" and then ask 07:09 for the study guide. 07:10 It's called "Did God Create a Devil?" 07:12 And of course we'll send that to anyone here in the US, 07:15 in North America, Canada. 07:17 Thank you for your call, Anthony. 07:18 We got Gary listening in Illinois. 07:20 Gary, you're on the air. 07:22 Gary: Hi. 07:24 My question is, are we living in the Book of Revelation? 07:27 I get this from Matthew 24. 07:30 "You'll see plagues and pestilence, 07:32 wars and rumors of wars." 07:34 There be beginning of sorrows. 07:35 In Revelation 8:7, the world will end by fire and hail. 07:39 Fire everything west to the Rocky Mountains, 07:42 75 wildfires going on. 07:44 For 6 months it took to put them out, and then hail. 07:47 You go to YouTube, hailstorm Georgia, Texas, France. 07:52 They show you hailstorms size of baseballs 07:55 going through windshields. 07:56 And so even now atmospheric rivers. 07:59 We never had that 10, 5 years ago. 08:02 This is all new stuff. 08:04 So that's my question. 08:06 Doug: Well, in a word; yes, we are living in the Book of 08:09 Revelation because Revelation the prophecies actually begin 08:13 with--he says the time is at hand. 08:15 So Revelation is covering a span of history from the first coming 08:18 to the second coming of Jesus. 08:20 And so we're definitely living in the time of Revelation, and I 08:23 think we are also living in the time of Matthew 24. 08:27 There have always been wars. 08:29 As a matter of fact, Jesus said there'll be wars and rumors of 08:31 wars but the end is not yet. 08:33 In other words, don't let every war that comes along make you 08:35 think this is the end. 08:37 But what you would see as you got closer to the end is that 08:41 the wars and the natural disasters and earthquakes 08:44 and the plagues and pestilence would increase 08:47 in intensity and frequency. 08:50 Jesus talks about it as birth pangs. 08:52 And when a woman's about to have a baby, you start the 08:55 contractions and as the contractions get closer together 08:58 they get more intense and then you've got a baby eventually. 09:02 So that's what's happening; is as we near the end of time it's 09:05 almost like a top that's about to fall over it begins to gyrate 09:10 and wobble, and our whole planet is sort of gyrating right now. 09:14 Paul says the whole creation groans and travails together. 09:17 And so I do think you're seeing an increase. 09:20 The last world wars in the last century were unprecedented, and 09:24 now we've got weapons. 09:26 And, you know, if Russia uses one of its nuclear weapons 09:30 and--how many other countries have nuclear weapons now? 09:33 Pakistan and India and Israel and France 09:36 and all over the world. 09:37 It can mark the end. 09:39 That's why Jesus said except those days be shortened no flesh 09:42 would be saved. 09:43 Jean: You know, I'm thinking of a verse, Pastor Doug, in Luke 09:45 chapter 21 and verse 25. 09:47 This is what it says. 09:48 It says, "There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, in the 09:52 stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity," 09:54 and it says, "the sea and the waves roaring." 09:57 Kind of get the idea of tornadoes and storms. 10:01 Verse 26 says, "And men's hearts failing them for fear and the 10:04 expectation of those things which are coming upon the earth, 10:07 for the powers of heaven will be shaken." 10:10 So here we have a description of end-time events and it talks 10:12 about natural phenomenon, storms in the sea, perplexities, 10:16 distress amongst nations, fear, disease; all of these things we 10:21 see happening today, and of course it's also referred to in 10:24 the Book of Revelation. 10:25 Doug: Yep, absolutely. 10:27 So I think the answer to that question is yes, 10:29 we are living in the last days. 10:31 Do we know the day and the hour? No. 10:33 Can we tell when that time is near? 10:35 Yes. 10:36 Jesus said when you see these things begin to come to pass 10:39 lift up your heads for your redemption draws nigh 10:42 or draws near. 10:43 Thank you. I appreciate your call, Gary. 10:45 Jean: Glenn in Ohio. Glenn, can you hear us? 10:49 Glenn: Hey. Good evening from Bethel, Ohio. 10:52 Just wanted to tell you I enjoy the program, getting different 10:54 answers on common issues. 10:57 I was looking for an answer on an issue that's not very common. 11:02 You know, today it's being more and more seen the Jewish people 11:05 are being proselyted into Christianity. 11:08 As I get to see in the-- it's really on the increase. 11:12 But in my Bible studies I was searching Scriptures and I went 11:15 to the Scripture Zechariah verses 28--I'm sorry. 11:21 22 and 23; Zechariah chapter 8:22 and 23, which indicates 11:26 there might be a reversal of proselyting there. 11:32 Can you comment on that? Go ahead. 11:33 Doug: Yes. Thank you very much. 11:35 We'll do our best, Glenn. Yeah. 11:36 In Zechariah, it's saying something you actually hear 11:39 repeated other places in the Bible where God talks about that 11:43 people will turn to the God of the Jews. 11:46 Of course, this first happened with Jesus. 11:48 When a Christian comes to Christ, it is not a rejection or 11:53 repudiation of Judaism. 11:56 What it is is the fulfillment of Judaism. 11:58 Judaism all look forward to the coming of the Messiah, and the 12:04 first ones who proclaimed the Messiah were all Jews and the 12:08 New Testament is written by Jews. 12:10 And Paul said that what happens is when a Gentile accepts 12:14 Christ, they become a spiritual Jew. 12:17 So what it's saying here in Zechariah is that people of the 12:20 world would come to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 12:25 And true Judaism embraces the true Messiah. 12:29 So this is not--there's nothing wrong with Christians inviting 12:33 Jews to accept Jesus. 12:37 That's not asking them to renounce their Judaism, it's 12:40 actually a fulfillment of that. 12:42 My mother's Jewish, and so I never felt like I was more 12:45 Jewish than after I accepted Jesus 'cause the Bible is 12:50 like--I felt like it's our book, you know, and--yeah. 12:53 So we appeal for Jews everywhere to accept Jesus, and Christians 12:58 become spiritual Jews. 13:01 Jean: You know, we've done--actually you, Pastor Doug, 13:03 and two Jewish friends of yours did a series of presentations 13:06 called "Is Jesus Kosher for the Jews?" 13:09 And I think Amazing Facts has the DVD. 13:11 People can call and ask for it. 13:13 It might also be available on YouTube, I'm not sure, or on the 13:16 Amazing Facts website. 13:17 Doug: We also have that book called "Spiritual Israel." 13:20 We could send a free copy to Glenn. 13:22 Jean: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 13:26 You can ask for the book called "Spiritual Israel." 13:28 You can also dial #250, say "Bible Answers Live," and then 13:32 ask for the book "Spiritual Israel." 13:35 Thank you for your call, Glenn. Let's see. 13:37 We've got Martha in California. We'll go back to Martha. 13:40 Martha, can you hear us? 13:44 Martha: Yes, I can. 13:45 Now, my question comes from Genesis 15, verse 17. 13:52 The Lord had asked Abraham to lay out three different animals 13:57 and two different birds and then later after Abraham had fallen 14:04 into a deep sleep there was a smoking furnace and a burning 14:08 lamp that passed among the animals. 14:14 Could you please let me know or tell me what 14:18 those two items represent? 14:23 Doug: Well, when--the animals being divided like that is a 14:27 sacrifice, and often covenants were ratified with sacrifice. 14:31 And God was making a covenant with Abraham, but He was also 14:35 warning Abraham that his people were going to go through a time 14:39 of severe trial, which of course was fulfilled in Egypt. 14:43 And He says to him that, you know, "Your descendants will be 14:47 struggling in another land and they'll be oppressed." 14:50 But the smoking fire that passed between the sacrifice, that was 14:58 like the glory of God, the consuming fire, the Shekinah 15:02 that passed between them; and I think it was sort of a symbol 15:06 of the presence of God was going to be there 15:08 and bring His people through. 15:11 Jean: It also a reference to a covenant when somebody 15:13 would--back in Bible times if they were to do something like 15:16 that and divide an animal and let the blood flow into a little 15:19 bit of a trench and those making an oath or a promise would often 15:23 pass through that, and in essence they are saying, 15:26 "If I fail to keep my side of the agreement, you know, 15:30 I can be as those killed." 15:32 And here you have God in this burning fire passing through the 15:37 midst of these sacrificed animals as if God is saying, 15:40 you know, "You can put your trust in Me. 15:43 Even though your descendants are going to be in this foreign land 15:45 for 400 years, I will bring them back." 15:48 And the whole promise of the Jewish people 15:50 is the coming of the Messiah. 15:51 So there's a reference to Christ, the promised one who 15:53 would deliver them ultimately from all of the 15:56 enemies--spiritual enemies. 15:57 Doug: Yeah. Very good. 15:58 Jean: All right. 16:00 Well, thank you for your call, Martha. 16:02 We've got Carol listening in Nebraska. 16:03 Carol, you're on the air. 16:05 Carol: Hello. Thank you for taking my call. 16:07 I have a question on Psalm 139, verse 16. 16:15 It says, "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; 16:20 and in thy book all my members were written, which in 16:24 continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." 16:29 Thy book, is that referring to the book of life? 16:34 Doug: You know, I'm not sure that that would be 16:36 the book of life. 16:38 You know, the Bible talks about a book of remembrance. 16:40 I think that God is basically just saying that--David is 16:45 actually writing in the psalm. 16:47 By the way, what version were you reading from? 16:49 'Cause I was following along and my Bible here 16:51 is a little different. 16:54 Carol: Was the King James. 16:56 Doug: Okay. You were reading from the King James? 16:59 Carol: I was. Yeah. 17:01 Doug: Okay. 17:02 Well--'cause I thought I was following in the King James. 17:03 It says in verse 17--you were reading verse 16 rather, right? 17:07 Carol: Right. 17:10 Doug: "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed; 17:13 and in your book they were all written the days fashioned for 17:16 me as yet--when as yet there were none of them." 17:21 Yeah, I think he's basically saying--God said to Jeremiah 17:25 that, "I ordained you a prophet from your mother's womb." 17:29 And, you know, God is basically telling His--about His 17:33 foreknowledge of each of us in our lives. 17:36 So I don't know that it was talking about the book of life. 17:39 Jean: Rather that God knows all things and He had purposed 17:41 or planned for His people to accomplish certain things. 17:45 Doug: And that--yeah, God's got a plan for everyone. 17:48 Carol: So how many books are there? 17:50 I know there's the book of life and book of remembrance. 17:55 How many other books are there in heaven? 17:57 Do you know? 17:59 Doug: Yeah. 18:00 And keep in mind, books in heaven are probably not like 18:03 what you'd find in the Smithsonian Library or the 18:07 Library of Congress. 18:09 You know, God, I think, has a record of every word we've ever 18:12 spoken and every deed that we do. 18:15 I think there are angels that record all things. 18:18 Right now, when you think about it, in China they've got facial 18:22 recognition software that's monitoring about a quarter of 18:25 their people and they're recording everything. 18:28 You think about the data that that involves. 18:30 Well, if humans can do that, how much can God do? 18:34 Jean: Well, you know, we do know that the Bible has, of 18:35 course, the book of life. 18:37 That's where the names of the redeemed are. 18:39 You have the book of remembrance, which is a record 18:42 of the good deeds that were done; and then, of course, you 18:44 have the book of sin or the book of iniquity, where every idle 18:47 word that men speak they shall give an account of. 18:50 So-- 18:51 Doug: But not every idle word is sin. 18:53 Jean: Yeah, that's true. 18:54 Doug: I mean--and there's a book of record. 18:56 Jean: A book of record, too. 18:57 Everything is recorded in heaven. 18:59 Jesus says they shall give an account of it-- of reckoning. 19:02 Doug: Yeah. Of course sins are recorded. 19:04 You're right. 19:05 Jean: Yeah. There is the book of sin. 19:07 All right. Well, thank you, Carol. 19:08 Good question. 19:09 We've got--we're going to go back to Junith in Nevada, 19:11 and hopefully we've got everything working. 19:13 Doug: Can you hear us? 19:15 Junith: Can you hear me, Pastor Doug? 19:16 Doug: Yes. 19:18 Junith: Thank you for taking my call. 19:20 My question is, what made the Israel the--in the Old Testament 19:26 time and even going forward to the New Testament time that they 19:31 were described by God as hard-headed 19:35 and stiff-necked people? 19:37 I already have my biblical insights. 19:39 I want to have biblical insights from the expert like you. 19:42 Thank you for answering my call. Doug: Yeah. 19:45 Hope we never called ourselves experts, but I'll share with you 19:49 what we believe; is I don't think that the Israelites were 19:54 especially more hard-headed than another nation might be. 20:00 I think it's the nature of sin. 20:02 Who is it, Isaiah, that tells us all we, like sheep, have gone 20:06 our own way and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all? 20:11 So it's kind of the nature of the human race. 20:13 The reason He called them a stubborn and a stiff-necked 20:16 people is He said, "Do not think I chose you because you're 20:19 better than other nations." 20:21 Said, "You are a stubborn and a stiff-necked people." 20:24 He said, "I chose you because of My grace." 20:27 So I don't think that the Lord was saying Jews are a lot more 20:33 stubborn and stiff-necked than other nations or other races. 20:36 I think He was just illustrating that it's--you know, He was 20:40 working especially with them, but in spite of all the miracles 20:44 they still weren't getting it right and that probably would 20:46 have happened with any nation. 20:48 Jean: You know, Junith, I think you'd also like the book 20:50 called "Spiritual Israel." 20:52 The number, again, is 800-835-6747. 20:56 You can just ask for the book. It's called "Spiritual Israel." 21:00 You can also press #250 on your phone, say, "Bible Answers 21:02 Live," and then ask for the book "Spiritual Israel." 21:06 Next caller that we have is calling from New York. 21:09 We have Eveian calling. Eveian, welcome. 21:13 Eveian: Yes. Hi. 21:14 Good evening, pastors. It's Eveian. 21:17 My question has to do with Luke chapter 12, verses 47 and 48. 21:23 I want to know if this text means that when--at the end of 21:27 time when all the wicked are cast into the lake of fire 21:30 if some people will burn more intensely than 21:34 others based on their sins. 21:37 For example, you know, if Hitler, who has killed many 21:40 people, will burn longer at that time as opposed to someone who 21:47 have killed one or two. 21:48 Doug: Let me read this for our friends that are listening. 21:50 You know what the verse says but others don't. 21:53 If you look in Luke chapter 12, verse 47, "And that servant, who 21:57 knew his master's will and did not prepare himself to do 22:00 according to his will, will be beaten with many stripes. 22:03 But he who did not know yet committed things deserving of 22:06 stripes will be beaten with few. 22:09 For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be 22:11 required: and to whom much has been committed, of him they will 22:14 ask the more." 22:16 Basically it's saying that we're accountable based 22:18 on what we know. 22:19 But one thing that's clear there are varying degrees of 22:21 punishment, and the Bible talks about varying degrees of reward. 22:25 Jesus says, "For those who are persecuted for righteousness 22:28 sake, great is your reward in heaven." 22:31 And so there are varying degrees of punishment and reward 'cause 22:35 God is a good judge. 22:36 And yes, I think clearly Hitler, who is--at least from our 22:41 understanding is a lot more guilty than most people, is 22:44 going to suffer for all of the misery and the guilt that he 22:47 caused, and the one who will suffer the most and the longest 22:50 would no doubt be the devil. 22:52 Jean: And, of course, the final penalty of sin, the Bible 22:54 tells us, is death; but not everyone will immediately die, 22:58 at least not, you know, in that lake of fire. 23:02 There will be different degrees of punishment that will be meted 23:05 out based upon the works of the wicked. 23:07 Pastor Doug, can we also say that there's rewards in heaven? 23:11 I know the reward of eternal life is given 23:13 to all who are saved. 23:16 But in addition to that, those who have sacrificed, those 23:18 perhaps who have spent time as missionaries and, you know, 23:21 have martyred--were martyred for their faith. 23:24 Are there also differing rewards in heaven for the righteous? 23:27 Doug: Yes. Yeah. 23:29 The fact that He said, "Great is your reward in heaven," He 23:32 emphasized that and--yeah, if He's going to have varying 23:37 degrees of rewards for punishment, there will be 23:41 varying degrees of rewards. 23:42 Matter of fact, the disciples said, "Can I sit on your right 23:45 hand and left hand?" 23:46 And Jesus said, "Someone's going to have that position, but 23:49 that's--my Father's going to decide that." 23:51 And he told the apostle, he says, "You'll sit on 12 thrones 23:54 with me judging the 12 tribes." 23:56 So there's going to be thrones, there's varying positions in 23:59 heaven; and even among the angels now 24:01 there are varying positions. 24:03 Jean: All right. Very good. 24:04 Next caller that we have is Lee listening in Texas. 24:06 Lee, welcome to the program. Lee: Yes, sir. 24:09 My question is, I am addicted to one of your early programs, 24:13 I believe, about coming back to God for all the wrong reasons, 24:18 and I think I might be one of those-- that is 24:23 coming back to my--to God 'cause I didn't really want 24:27 to come back to God just recently 'cause I didn't know 24:32 the truth about heaven or eternal fire or eternal 24:36 perishing forever. 24:39 And now that I know the truth about it, about being completely 24:43 destroyed, that's what turned me back to God. 24:45 But that's turning back to God just out of self-preservation, 24:48 not out of love for God. 24:50 I mean, I've been studying the Bible King James Version. 24:54 Doug: Yeah. Well, let me jump in real quick. 24:56 We're going to run out of time before a mid-break. 24:59 There's not a wrong reason to turn back to God. 25:03 A desire for heaven is normal. 25:05 That's why God tells us about the reward. 25:08 Wanting to avoid punishment is also normal. 25:11 I mean, we teach children with simple things like that. 25:13 They get spanked or there's some corporal punishment 25:16 for bad behavior. 25:18 As you mature, you want your children to obey 25:20 because of principle. 25:22 And as we mature as Christians, we obey God because 25:25 we know He loves us and we learn to trust Him. 25:28 Come back to Him any way you can, do the right thing because 25:32 you know it is the right thing and say, "Lord, give me the 25:34 right motives to do the right thing along the way." 25:37 And He will. So take those first steps. 25:41 We have a book we can send you called "Three Steps to Heaven." 25:43 We'd like to encourage you to read that, Lee. 25:45 Jean: The number to call for that is just 800-835-6747. 25:49 And, again, you can ask for the book. 25:51 It's called "Three Steps to Heaven." 25:53 We'll send that to anyone who calls and asks. 25:54 Doug: Yeah. Thank you very much. 25:56 Friends, this is not the parting music. 25:57 We're just taking a break. 25:59 We're going to come back, and we hope you'll still call in with 26:01 your Bible questions. 26:02 And we look forward to the second half of the program where 26:04 we study the Word of God together. 26:10 announcer: Stay tuned. 26:12 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 26:18 announcer: Did you know that Noah was present at 26:20 the birth of Abraham? 26:22 Okay. 26:23 Maybe he wasn't in the room, but he was alive and probably 26:26 telling stories about his floating zoo. 26:29 From the creation of the world to the last-day events of 26:31 Revelation, biblehistory.com is a free resource where you can 26:36 explore major Bible events and characters, enhance your 26:39 knowledge of the Bible, and draw closer to God's Word. 26:43 Go deeper. 26:45 Visit the amazing Bible timeline at biblehistory.com. 26:50 Doug: The US government is drowning in debt to 26:53 the tune of $22 trillion. 26:56 But before you wag your finger at the government's spending, 26:58 the Federal Reserve says the average American household 27:02 carries over $137,000 in debt. 27:06 Well, it was never God's plan that we live 27:08 with a burden of debt. 27:10 Proverbs 22:7 warns us the rich rules over the poor and the 27:14 borrower is servant to the lender. 27:16 Living with debt is a stressful burden that actually hurts your 27:19 relationship with God. 27:21 In my new pocketbook "Deliverance from Debt," I 27:23 outline the Bible principles on how to properly manage your 27:27 money with some practical suggestions on how you can get 27:29 out and stay out of debt. 27:32 If you or someone you love is drowning in debt, order a copy 27:36 of "Deliverance from Debt" today. 27:38 It can be a lifesaver to keep you from going under. 27:41 Please call 800-538-7275 or visit afbookstore.com. 27:50 announcer: Do you feel as though your world is spiraling 27:52 out of control or perhaps new life challenges are frightening 27:55 you more than they should? 27:57 Are you sinking while you're thinking? 27:59 Excessive worry can consume you, eating you from the inside out 28:03 resulting in sickness, insomnia, and paralyzing fear. 28:07 It can also damage relationships, ruin 28:09 opportunities; and yes, diminish your witness for the gospel. 28:14 Doug: Worry affects everybody differently, but it's all driven 28:16 by fear. 28:19 So how can you overcome a world full of reasons to be anxious? 28:23 I'd like to recommend for you my new book, 28:26 "Finding Peace in a World of Worry." 28:28 You'll discover a lifeline to victory, a place where you can 28:31 cast your cares upon Christ and experience a serenity that isn't 28:36 subject to your circumstances. 28:38 announcer: Send a gift of any amount to receive your copy of 28:41 Pastor Doug's new book, "Finding Peace in a World of Worry." 28:45 Call 877-232-2871 today. 28:50 announcer: Did you know Amazing Facts has a free Bible 28:52 school that you can do from the comfort of your own home? 28:55 It includes 27 beautifully-illustrated study 28:57 lessons to aid in your study of God's Word. 29:00 Sign up today for this free Bible study course by calling 29:03 1-844-215-7000. 29:06 That's 1-844-215-7000. 29:16 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where 29:18 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God 29:22 and His plan to save you. 29:24 So what are you waiting for? 29:26 Get practical answers about the good book 29:28 for a better life today. 29:33 announcer: This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 29:36 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 29:38 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 29:42 and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:44 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 29:47 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 29:52 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 29:58 Now let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:04 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, 30:05 to "Bible Answers Live." 30:07 And for anyone who has tuned in along the way, this is, as the 30:10 title suggests, a live international Bible study. 30:13 And we invite you to call in with your Bible questions. 30:16 We're also streaming on Facebook. 30:19 You can go to the Amazing Facts Facebook page or the Doug 30:21 Batchelor Facebook page, and it's on YouTube and it's on AFTV 30:26 and being rebroadcast in a number 30:28 of other television outlets. 30:30 But I think we have some questions already queued up. 30:34 And so if you haven't called in, do get in line right now and 30:36 we'll go back to the phones. 30:37 Jean: All right. 30:39 Our next caller that we have is Carlos listening from Florida. 30:41 Carlos, welcome to the program. 30:44 Carlos: Good evening, pastors. 30:45 Doug: Evening. 30:47 Carlos: So the question is--so we're saved by grace 30:52 through faith. 30:53 Correct? 30:55 Doug: Yes. Carlos: Not by works. 30:58 But the faith without works is dead. 31:01 So I wanted to know if there's a way to, you know, 31:08 discern the two. 31:09 You know, it seems like it's a thin line. 31:11 Doug: Yeah. 31:13 Well, the sequence is, I think, the key. 31:15 You look at the story in the Bible and when the Lord saved 31:18 the children of Israel from Egypt He did not save them 31:23 because they had done a lot of good works, He saved them 31:26 because of grace. 31:27 They sacrificed the lamb--the Passover lamb and they began 31:30 their journey out of Egypt. 31:33 They crossed out of Egypt. 31:36 Then He brings them to Mount Sinai and He gives them the law 31:38 and He says, "I am the Lord who saved you out of Egypt." 31:41 Basically, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 31:43 So God saves us first and then His desire, His hope is that 31:47 because of our love for Him we'll want to obey. 31:52 So first you have the lamb, then you have the law. 31:56 Those who persisted in disobedience never made 31:59 it to the Promised Land. 32:02 The reason that we do the good works is not to be saved but 32:05 because we have been saved. 32:08 Bible says we love Him because He first loved us. 32:10 We see His love for us. We want to love Him. 32:14 And if we love Him, we obey Him. 32:15 So I don't know if that's answering what you're asking, 32:17 Carlos. 32:19 Carlos: It sort of helps. 32:21 There was another young man who just asked a pretty similar 32:22 question. 32:24 He was--he mentioned that sometimes he feels like his 32:30 works are more like out of fear of going to hell and that sort 32:34 of thing and I was wondering if that--what works does 32:38 that fall under? 32:40 Is that faith or is that just like works by our own efforts 32:43 to, you know, get to heaven? 32:46 Doug: Yeah. 32:47 You know, I think sometimes people are left with the 32:49 impression that it's wrong to evaluate your behavior and to 32:55 try to do the right thing even if you don't feel like it 32:58 because you know it is the right thing. 33:00 There's nothing wrong with doing the right thing for 33:04 self-preservation. 33:06 You know, the Lord, He puts warnings in the Bible because He 33:11 knows it will respond to trying to do what's right. 33:13 The best thing is to do what's right because we trust Him, but 33:16 then we should also do what's right because He commands it and 33:19 He says there are bad consequences if we disobey. 33:22 So it is true that sometimes we'll do the right thing and 33:26 we're saying, you know, "Am I behaving correctly? 33:28 And what if I don't? 33:30 Am I being works-oriented?" 33:32 Well, it's easy to get that mixed up. 33:36 There's nothing wrong with evaluating your works. 33:39 Paul says let each one of us examine ourselves, 33:42 whether we're in the faith. 33:43 Prove your own selves. Don't you know your own selves? 33:45 That's in 2 Corinthians. 33:47 So, again, I don't know if I'm answering what you're asking, 33:51 but it's normal to evaluate yourself and also to say, 33:55 "I want to do the right thing because I want to go to heaven. 33:59 I don't want to be lost." 34:01 But ultimately you want to do it because you love God. 34:04 Jean: You know, we have a book, Pastor Doug, that I think 34:06 will help illustrate this. 34:07 It's called "The High Cost of the Cross." 34:09 That's really the motivation of why a person chooses to do the 34:12 will of God. 34:14 It's because we recognize the price that was paid 34:15 for our salvation. 34:17 It's free. 34:18 We'll send you this book, anyone who calls and asks. 34:20 The number to call is 800-835-6747, and you can ask 34:23 for the book. 34:25 It's called "The High Cost of the Cross." 34:26 And we'll be happy to send it to anyone in Canada or the US or in 34:29 US territories. 34:30 Also, you can just simply dial #250 on your phone and we'll 34:35 ask--say "Bible Answers Live" and then ask for the book. 34:38 It's called "The High Cost of the Cross." 34:40 And of course we want to also recognize those who are 34:43 listening outside of North America in different countries 34:46 around the world. 34:47 We want to encourage you to go to our website. 34:49 Just AmazingFacts.org. 34:51 All the resources that we talk about on this program are 34:52 available right there at the Amazing Facts website as well. 34:57 Next caller that we have is Henry listening in New York. 35:00 Henry, welcome to the program. 35:03 Henry: My question is when Christ comes back there's going 35:07 to be a 1,000-year reign. 35:10 For the people who are not saved, they won't be able to 35:14 join that 1,000-year reign. 35:16 Is God giving them enough time to repent? 35:21 Doug: Yeah. 35:23 Well, during the 1,000-year reign sometimes called the 35:25 millennium, during that time when Jesus comes back, probation 35:28 is closed. 35:29 At that point when Christ returns, the saved are saved and 35:32 the lost are lost. 35:33 There is no second chance beyond that. 35:37 When the Lord descends from heaven, it says the wicked are 35:39 destroyed by the brightness of his coming. 35:43 Peter says, 2 Peter chapter 3, the elements melt 35:45 with fervent heat. 35:47 The earth and the things in it are burned up. 35:49 So now is the time before Christ comes. 35:53 It's appointed unto men once to die, after that the judgment. 35:57 There's no second chance once the millennium begins. 36:01 So people need to make the decision 36:03 before the millennium begins. 36:04 Jean: You know, we have a study guide. 36:06 It's called "1,000 Years of Peace," and it talks about that 36:08 1,000-year period spoken of in Revelation chapter 20 sometimes 36:11 called the millennium. 36:12 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 36:15 The number is 800-835-6747. 36:18 Ask for the study guide. 36:20 It's called "1000 Years of Peace." 36:22 And of course you can also just dial #250, say, "Bible Answers 36:26 Live," and then ask for the study guide 36:28 "1000 Years of Peace." 36:30 Next caller that we have is Edith listening in Illinois. 36:33 Edith, welcome to the program. 36:36 Edith: Hello. Thank you for having me. 36:38 So I was--I understand Michael to be a station of Jesus 36:43 or that's Jesus. 36:45 And as I was going through a study with someone, I was trying 36:48 to explain that. 36:49 But when we got to Daniel 10, chapter 13 where it says Michael 36:54 one of the chief princes, they said it sounds like he's 36:59 more--it's more than one chief prince. 37:02 So what is that referring to when it says one 37:03 of the chief princes? 37:06 Doug: Yeah, that's a common misunderstanding 37:07 the word one there. 37:09 The word one can mean one numerically, and the word one 37:12 can also mean one as like sequentially. 37:15 And there it means sequentially. 37:17 So another way you might translate it is Michael, first 37:21 of the chief princes. 37:24 You know, when you say that the president's wife is the first 37:27 lady; well, you don't mean she's the first lady that ever came to 37:30 the US or was born in the US, you just mean that there's a 37:33 place of prominence. 37:35 And so there it would say Michael, first or greatest 37:38 of the princes. 37:40 And it's not like he's one of many. 37:44 Jean: And in Daniel chapter 12, verse 1 37:45 it refers to Michael. 37:47 It says the prince who stands watch over the sons of your 37:49 people. 37:51 So there specifically it refers to the prince that stands watch, 37:54 and his name is Michael. 37:56 Doug: And it not just calls him the prince, it calls him the 37:58 great prince in Daniel chapter 12, verse 1. 38:01 We have a book called "Who is Michael the Archangel?" 38:04 We will send you or anyone that wants to understand that a free 38:07 copy. 38:08 And of course, friends, if you don't understand it that's not a 38:10 salvation issue, but I think it'll enhance your Bible study 38:13 to know who is this Michael that appears in the old 38:16 and new testaments. 38:18 What does that mean? Is it a special breed of angel? 38:21 Jean: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 38:24 And, again, you can just ask for the book. 38:26 It's called "Michael the Archangel" Or "Who is Michael 38:28 the Archangel?" 38:31 Dial #250 on your smartphone, say, "Bible Answers Live" and 38:35 say, "I want the book 'Michael--Who is Michael the 38:38 Archangel?'" And we'll be happy to send it to anyone 38:40 who calls and asks. 38:42 We've got Raquel listening in California. 38:45 Raquel, welcome to the program. 38:47 Raquel: Hi. Good afternoon. 38:49 Doug: Yeah. How are you doing? 38:53 Raquel: I'm doing well. Thank you for asking. 38:55 My question was regarding--I don't know of any verse--at 39:00 least I'm barely starting to read the Bible. 39:03 So I just wanted--I had a question regarding if the devil, 39:08 Lucifer in heaven, had a role pertaining to the choir. 39:13 Was he like in charge of the choir? 39:15 And I asked this question because it pertains to today's 39:17 culture in music being influenced by the devil. 39:21 Was Lucifer the head of the choir in heaven? 39:25 And if so, would that explain the current music situation, 39:28 how it is a big influence for people in the world? 39:33 Doug: Yeah. 39:34 The closest thing I can think of where it talks about Lucifer, 39:37 and it doesn't use the name Lucifer but it's obviously 39:40 talking about the devil before his fall, 39:42 is in Ezekiel chapter 28. 39:45 And if you go to verse 13 it says, "You were in Eden, 39:49 the garden of God. 39:51 Every precious stone was your covering." 39:53 Then it says, "The sardius, the topaz, the diamond, the beryl, 39:56 the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, the emerald 39:58 with gold, the workmanship of your timbrels, which is a 40:02 musical instrument, and pipes were prepared for you on the day 40:07 you were created." 40:08 So here's this angel created that has--when it says timbrels 40:12 and pipes, it's kind of Old Testament poetic word 40:16 for saying your voice. 40:18 And believe that, you know, if angels sing and the Bible tells 40:23 us angels sing--you know, the angels sang when Jesus was 40:25 born--that if angels sing, the chief of the angels would 40:31 logically have one of the greatest voices. 40:35 And so this is one verse that mentions the musical sound of 40:40 his voice or his musical ability that's probably--there might be 40:42 another one. 40:44 I don't know of another. 40:45 Jean: Well, just to clarify that, verse 14 clearly says, 40:48 "You are the anointed cherub that covers." 40:50 So we are talking about this angel in heaven, Lucifer. 40:52 So there's no doubt. 40:54 And as being the leader of the angelic host, you would assume 40:57 he would be leading them in music and song and worship and 41:00 praise prior to his fall. 41:03 Doug: So hope that helps, Raquel, a little bit. 41:04 We do have a study guide--or we actually have a DVD you can 41:07 watch for free online called "Cosmic Conflict." 41:11 Talks about Lucifer and the fall of Lucifer. 41:14 Jean: All right. 41:16 Next caller that we have is Robert listening in Washington. 41:17 Robert, welcome to the program. 41:21 Robert: Thank you, Pastor Ross. 41:23 Good evening, Pastor Batchelor. Doug: Evening. 41:26 Robert: I suppose you've gotten this question before or 41:29 heard something like it about 2 Corinthians 12 and--Paul 41:36 experiencing the in-body and out-of-body experience. 41:41 Someone earlier today was suggesting that was a near-death 41:46 experience, that he was out of body. 41:50 Doug: Yeah. 41:52 Well, when Paul--and let me read it for our friends 41:53 that are listening. 41:55 This is in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 1. 41:57 "It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. 42:01 I'll come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 42:03 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago, whether in 42:06 the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I 42:09 do not know. 42:10 God knows. 42:11 Such a one was caught up to the third heaven." 42:14 And so he's probably referring to himself in the second person 42:19 saying, "I had this vision. 42:21 I had a revelation. 42:23 I was caught up to God, whether I was physically there, 42:27 whether I was taken in the spirit." 42:30 John in chapter 4 of Revelation he says, "I was caught away 42:33 in the spirit." 42:35 It was so real to Paul he just--you know, "Was I there or 42:37 was it in the spirit?" 42:39 And it felt maybe tangible, but God could have taken him out 42:42 of body and it would have felt tangible. 42:43 So, you know, God can give a person a three-dimensional dream 42:46 where you smell and taste and touch and yet it may be a 42:49 spiritual experience. 42:51 So I think that's what Paul is talking about there. 42:54 What are your thoughts? 42:56 Jean: Yeah, I don't think there's any reference 42:57 to a near-death experience. 42:59 Actually he's going on. 43:00 He's talking about visions and revelations. 43:02 So, of course, Paul was a prophet. 43:03 He received visions, and we have many examples of the Bible--in 43:07 the Bible of people who received visions or a prophecy. 43:10 Daniel--the whole Book of Daniel, you 43:12 have a number of visions. 43:13 And of course that's not near-death experiences. 43:15 Doug: And Paul's probably talking about himself in the 43:18 first few verses 'cause you go to verse 7 and he says, 43:21 "Lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance 43:24 of the revelations." 43:25 He said, "I had so many revelations and visions." 43:28 God spoke to Paul on several occasions--or Jesus did anyway, 43:31 that he said, you know, "Lest I should boast 43:35 I was given this affliction." 43:37 So he's probably referring to himself in the first few verses. 43:40 He might have been having a bout with his affliction. 43:42 So I said, "I knew a man," second person. 43:44 Jean: All right. 43:46 We got Susan listening in Wisconsin. 43:48 Susan, welcome to the program. 43:51 Susan: Thank you so much for taking my call. 43:54 I've got quite a quandary. 43:57 My concern is the emphasis put on the pagan holidays and the 44:03 pagan traditions of men. 44:06 You know, like many people, we used to, you know, do Christmas 44:11 and Easter and Halloween and all that until a while back I 44:17 started delving into the history of it and I was shocked that 44:25 Jesus was born in the lambing season. 44:28 It had nothing to do with December 25th. 44:35 Doug: Well, first, Susan, put this into the form 44:36 of a question. 44:38 Susan: Oh, I'm sorry. The form of the question. 44:45 How can we stay away from being drawn in with, you know, 44:53 pagan tradition when we know in the Bible it doesn't instruct 44:59 us to do that? 45:01 Doug: Okay. Good. 45:03 I appreciate that, and I think I know where you're coming from. 45:05 So in our culture today there are a number of holidays, and 45:10 sometimes they're called Christian holidays, where 45:13 there's no Bible command to celebrate the birth of Christ, 45:16 there's no Bible command to celebrate his resurrection. 45:20 So what do we do where we see that even the pagans had 45:25 holidays where the 25th of December they would sort of 45:29 celebrate the end of winter and the birth of the son, and the 45:35 Christian church years ago decided that that was the date 45:37 they were going to assign for the birth of Christ and try and 45:42 exploit the Christ--the pagan holiday that way. 45:45 How do you respond to that as a Christian. 45:46 First of all, Paul said in Romans 14, if one man regards 45:50 one day above another and another man regards every day 45:53 alike, let each one be persuaded in his own mind. 45:56 If you're going to keep a day, keep it to the Lord. 46:00 Don't keep it to Santa Claus and elves and reindeer and all that. 46:04 If you're going to memorialize the resurrection, then don't, 46:09 you know, have it all about Easter bunnies and eggs 46:12 and so forth. 46:13 It should be thanking God for the resurrection of Jesus. 46:16 By the way, Jesus, while he wasn't born the 25th of 46:19 December, he was resurrected around the time of the Passover. 46:23 So the time of Easter is at least closer than the time 46:25 of Christmas. 46:27 I'd say if you don't feel that way, then don't. 46:30 There's no command, you know, and-- 46:34 Jean: You know, I think there is a possibility where we as 46:36 Christians could exploit, for example, these holidays. 46:39 I'm thinking about Christmas, for example, when most of the 46:42 world is talking about the birth of Jesus we recognize, and I 46:46 think there's a lot of evidence, that Jesus is not born the 25th 46:50 of December just because of the weather in the Middle East 46:52 and Jerusalem and that kind of thing. 46:54 There wouldn't be shepherds out in the field. 46:56 But when people are thinking about it, what an opportunity 47:00 for us to share Jesus with those who have never really 47:03 come to know him. 47:04 So, you know, Paul says to the Jew, "I became a Jew 47:07 so that I could win some for Christ. 47:09 To the Gentile I became a Gentile to win 47:10 those for Christ." 47:12 Now, of course, we don't violate our conscience, but we can 47:15 exploit these opportunities to try and share truth. 47:18 Now, I think out of the holidays, Pastor Doug, one that 47:21 as Christians we would probably have a really hard time with 47:24 where I don't think there's any good or any redeemable aspect 47:28 in, that would be Halloween. 47:29 Now, that's new to me. 47:31 Where I grew up we didn't do Halloween, but when I came to 47:33 the US I thought, "Wow, this is a strange holiday where you 47:35 celebrating ghosts and goblins and skeletons." 47:39 So I think for a Christian when it comes to Halloween, that's 47:41 probably one of the holidays that's--it's hard to 47:43 kind of pull out anything good from that holiday. 47:47 Doug: Yeah. 47:49 I remember we went out Christmas Caroling years ago in a small 47:52 town, and I was a young Christian and--with a small 47:56 group from our church just singing Christmas carols and one 47:59 family opened the door and some kids were standing there 48:01 and they looked very sad. 48:02 And the family says, "We don't believe in Christmas." 48:04 And they shut the door, and I thought, "Okay. 48:07 Well, that's not a really great way to witness 48:10 during the holiday." 48:12 So I would say now--and for Susan or anyone, because 48:19 something is pagan doesn't always mean it's bad. 48:23 What I mean by that is pagan just means 48:26 that it's not of a Christian origin. 48:28 There's a lot of pagan things we do in our culture 48:29 that aren't essentially bad. 48:31 The thing is if there is a pagan law or custom that violates 48:37 a Christian principle, don't do that. 48:40 And, you know, nothing of the Bible talks about shaking hands. 48:43 They used to greet each other with a holy kiss. 48:45 Well, we don't do that. We shake hands. 48:47 There's nothing sinful about shaking hands. 48:49 You know what I'm saying? 48:51 So just because there's a custom that may have a pagan origin 48:54 doesn't necessarily mean it's bad unless it violates 48:57 a Christian principle. 48:58 That's an important point. 49:00 Now, we do have a book we can offer Susan 49:01 called "Baptized Paganism." 49:03 And she will appreciate that. 49:05 Jean: Send that to anyone who calls and ask. 49:07 The number is 800-835-6747. 49:09 You can ask for the book. It's called "Baptized Paganism." 49:12 You can also dial #250 and say "Bible Answers Live" 49:16 and then ask for the book "Baptized Paganism." 49:19 We've got Johnny listening from Texas. 49:21 Johnny, welcome to the program. 49:24 Johnny: Hello, pastors. It's my first time calling in. 49:26 Just a little background, I've been doing Bible studies for 49:28 about 15 years, getting my graduate degree in it. 49:32 Over the course of doing Bible studies, 49:33 I have a quick question for you. 49:37 In John 3:13 it says no man has ascended into heaven except for 49:40 the son of man who came down from heaven but yet you have 49:44 Enoch who walked with God and he was no longer. 49:47 Then you had Elijah who was taken up to heaven in a 49:49 whirlwind even though he writes a letter to Jehoram afterwards. 49:55 So I just wanted to get your take on this. 49:57 Doug: Yeah. 49:59 I don't think that Jesus is referring to Enoch or Elijah or 50:03 even for that matter--Moses had been resurrected 50:05 at this point as well. 50:07 He's basically saying that there had been no human that had come 50:11 from the presence of God to earth to bring that knowledge of 50:16 the Father except him. 50:18 True, Elijah was caught up to heaven and Enoch walked with God 50:23 and he was not for God took him, but there was no heavenly 50:26 messenger who had come from the presence of God to earth to live 50:30 among men and teach other than Jesus. 50:33 Jean: Yeah. 50:34 And I think the context of that, Pastor Doug, if you look at the 50:36 earlier verse, Jesus said, "If I've told you earthly things and 50:38 you do not believe, how would you believe if I tell you 50:41 heavenly things?" 50:42 So it's in the context of teaching. 50:44 And then Jesus says no one has ascended to heaven and come back 50:47 down in order to give this or to reveal heavenly things but the 50:51 son of God or himself. 50:53 So that's the context, not saying that no one has ever 50:55 ascended up into heaven. 50:57 It's also interesting that Moses and--well, of course, Moses 51:00 was--he died and he was resurrected and taken to heaven, 51:03 and you have Elijah that was taken. 51:04 They did appear on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and 51:07 you have--that's right. 51:09 That is interesting. 51:11 But they didn't come to teach things that they 51:14 had heard in heaven, Jesus came-- 51:15 Doug: They didn't talk to humanity, they just talked 51:16 to Jesus. 51:18 Jean: Right. Right. Let's see. 51:19 Chelsea listening in Florida. Chelsea, welcome to the program. 51:23 Chelsea: Hi, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. 51:26 How are you? 51:27 Doug: Great. Chelsea: Yeah. 51:29 So my question basically--so right now I'm currently 51:34 attending graduate school for veterinary medicine and many 51:39 of my professors believe in and teach concepts of evolution. 51:44 So I wanted to know as a Christian how can I be an 51:48 effective witness to my professors who believe in 51:50 evolution, and also are there any resources that you have that 51:55 I can share with them that shows them that God's biblical 51:59 creation is actually true. 52:02 Doug: All right. Two questions. 52:03 So one, first I'll answer--we do have a little sermon book if 52:06 they're open to read it, and it's called "When Evolution 52:10 Flunked the Science Test." 52:12 You might want to read it first. 52:14 They may think it's too elementary for their 52:15 sophisticated level of study. 52:18 It's basically written for just layman to read and say that, you 52:22 know, evolution doesn't really make sense. 52:26 In visiting with them--now, we have some videos online. 52:30 I've got a video that you can listen to. 52:32 It's a YouTube where it talks about 52:34 evolution, creation, and logic. 52:36 And I used to be an evolutionist and I became convinced about 52:40 creation because I believed that evolution was very unscientific. 52:45 I started seeing that it just was really illogical to believe 52:49 that you could get order and organization and inner working 52:52 systems and symbionic relationships by accident. 52:57 There had to be intelligence to have all of this incredibly 53:01 complex interaction of life in our planet. 53:05 And just the way a cell works and the way that, you know, 53:09 life works is extremely complex. 53:12 For that to have happened without an intelligent 53:15 God is absurd. 53:18 So I don't know if you'd say that to your professors. 53:21 So I think the best thing to do is pray for them, be a witness, 53:24 and if they're open share information. 53:27 There are some other really good resources out there by a 53:30 ministry called Answers in Genesis. 53:32 Their specialty is material about creation and evolution, 53:38 and we recommend them wholeheartedly. 53:40 Jean: And, you know, Pastor Doug, it is interesting that 53:42 there are a number of non-Christian scientists that 53:45 are looking at at least Darwinian evolution and saying 53:48 if Darwin knew what we know now about DNA and about the cell 53:54 there's just no way that his whole theory would make sense 53:59 and yet people are still holding on to the idea of evolution. 54:02 I mean, there's things like a sudden explosion of diversity of 54:05 life that they see in the fossil record where there's no 54:08 intermediate forms of animal life but suddenly there they are 54:11 with the full DNA. 54:13 That cannot be explained by Darwinian evolution. 54:15 Doug: Yeah. 54:17 Even to have the simplest form of life is extremely complex. 54:21 I read somewhere that Darwin was confounded by the complexity of 54:25 the eye, whether a human eye, eagle eye, whatever it is. 54:29 And he said that is--he could never find a satisfactory 54:31 explanation for the eye. 54:34 Anyway, here we are out of time, but do ask for that book, 54:37 Chelsea, "When Evolution Flunked the Science Test." 54:39 Jean: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 54:43 The book is called "How Science Flunked--How Evolution Flunked 54:46 the Science Test." 54:48 And we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and ask. 54:50 Also, you can dial #250, "Bible Answers Live," and say, "I want 54:54 the book 'How Evolution Flunked the Science Test.'" 54:57 Doug: Yeah, now, for our friends listening, 54:58 we are going to sign off in two stages. 55:01 We're bidding farewell to our friends listening on satellite, 55:04 but for the rest of the audience stay tuned. 55:06 We're coming back in just a moment with some of your 55:08 internet Bible questions. 55:13 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:15 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:19 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:23 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:29 Jean: Hello, friends. Welcome back. 55:30 For those of you who are able to stay with us, we're going to 55:33 take some of your email questions. 55:35 And if you'd like to send us an email question, our email 55:39 address is just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:42 That's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:46 Pastor Doug, first question that we have for tonight. 55:49 If there are going to be no marriages or new births in 55:51 heaven, will there be marriages and new births in the new earth? 55:55 Doug: I would think that what happens in heaven continues in 55:59 the new earth. 56:01 Now, God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply, 56:05 and fill the earth. 56:06 So I think King James uses the word replenish. 56:09 That leaves us with the idea that earth was once populated 56:12 and got wiped out and they had to replenish it. 56:14 No, it just means to fill. 56:19 And so once the earth is full of the redeemed, there'll be no 56:22 need for procreation. 56:24 Otherwise, think about the math and pretty soon people would be 56:28 on top of each other like rabbits spilling off the planet 56:31 into empty space. 56:33 There'd be no room. 56:34 So the earth is going to be populated with the redeemed. 56:37 Jesus is making mansions for everybody and we'll go out and 56:41 build our own mansions, but there'll be no procreation as 56:45 their--children that have died or children alive when Christ 56:48 comes will go to heaven and it says they'll go forth and grow 56:51 up, and that's in Malachi chapter 4. 56:54 Jean: Okay. 56:56 Another question that we have it says, "What did Jesus mean in 56:58 Matthew 20, verse 16 when he said the first shall be last and 57:01 the last shall be first?" 57:03 Doug: Well, Christ is making the statement there talking 57:06 about the Jewish nation who he chose first as a people 57:11 and gave them the truth. 57:14 They might be surprised that some of the Gentiles who would 57:17 embrace the gospel, you know, within the first 50 years of 57:20 Christianity there were more Christians in the world than 57:23 there were Jews. 57:25 The gospel had gone like fire through the Roman Empire, and 57:28 they embraced it with--you know, many, of course, embraced it 57:30 with their heart and soul. 57:32 So first he's saying don't think because you heard the gospel 57:35 first that you may have first place in heaven. 57:38 Those who appreciate and embrace it, they're going to be the ones 57:41 closest to God. 57:42 And so we might be surprised. 57:44 Jean: All right. Last question, Pastor Doug. 57:46 If a trans person says that they believe in Christ, 57:49 are they saved? 57:51 Doug: Well, if a person believes in Christ, they're 57:53 going to obey the law of the Lord and the Bible says that a 57:58 man shall not wear that which pertains to a woman and a woman 58:02 shall not wear that which pertains to a man. 58:04 All that do so are an abomination. 58:06 They'll want to obey. Hey, friends. 58:08 You hear the music. We're out of time. 58:10 God willing we will study His Word together again next week. 58:13 AmazingFacts.org. Go to the site. 58:18 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate 58:20 answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2023-04-18