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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202309S
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00:02 male announcer: It is the best-selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted and it's 00:09 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," 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. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:44 Now, here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:48 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Hello, listening friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:55 A married couple has a slightly higher chance of having 00:58 a baby boy than a girl? 01:00 About 51%. 01:02 Generally speaking across the globe, there are about 104 baby 01:06 boys born for every 100 girls. 01:09 Sadly, more females die in miscarriages but partly because 01:13 they take more risks, more boys die between birth and 18, which 01:18 would mean by the time they get to marrying age, there's a 01:21 perfect one for one ratio of boys and girls. 01:24 It is absolutely fascinating how God has designed things where 01:29 there's almost the exact same number as boys that survive to 01:32 marrying age as there are girls. 01:35 Science has no good explanation how random evolution could ever 01:40 account for this perfect ratio. 01:42 This also explodes the notion that it was God's plan for a man 01:46 to have multiple wives. 01:47 For one Adam, there was one Eve. 01:50 Jean Ross: Yeah, that's right Pastor Doug. 01:52 The Bible makes it clear that it was God's purpose that Adam and 01:55 Eve were to be united in marriage and that of course 01:58 through that wonderful relationship of marriage, we 02:01 have a type of the relationship that God 02:03 wants us to have with him. 02:04 In the Bible Christ is described as the bride, the church is 02:07 often--or as the groom, the church is often 02:09 described as the bride. 02:11 But you know when you think about it, it's very clear that 02:13 God has created marriage and he purposed marriage 02:16 from the very beginning. 02:17 When man tries to manipulate or change what God has established 02:21 the results are always bad. 02:22 Doug: That's right. 02:23 You know, Jesus made it pretty clear in Matthew 19 verse 4 02:27 through 6, "And he answered and said to them, 'Have you not read 02:31 that he that made them at the beginning 'Made them male and 02:34 female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his 02:37 father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two 02:41 shall become one flesh?' 02:43 So then, they're no longer two but one flesh. 02:46 Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man," put a 02:50 sunder or, "Man separate." 02:51 You notice it says, "A man will be joined to his wife." 02:56 Someone was teasing Benjamin Franklin once and they said, 02:59 "You can't show me anywhere in the Bible that says a man cannot 03:02 have more than one wife." 03:04 And Franklin said, "Well, that's easy, the Bible says, "No man 03:06 can serve two masters."" 03:08 So actually it does say that. 03:11 Anyway, welcome friends and if you'd like to be part of the 03:15 program tonight, we encourage you to give us a call. 03:17 It's 800-463-7297 and as 800, God says, we are streaming on 03:25 the internet and it's on Amazing Facts television. 03:31 What is it? 03:32 The Amazing Facts Facebook page, YouTube, Doug Batchelor Facebook 03:36 page, a lot of ways people can tune in. 03:38 Jean: And friends, once again, we did open by talking 03:41 about marriage and if you'd like to learn more about marriage, 03:43 you do have a free gift. 03:44 It's called 'The Keys to a Happy Marriage' and that is our free 03:47 gift and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 03:50 The number is 800-835-6747. 03:54 You can ask for offer number 164 or ask for it by name. 03:58 It's called 'Keys for a Happy Marriage.' 04:01 That's 800-835- 6747. 04:04 And if you'd like to ask a Bible question on the air tonight, the 04:07 number here in the studio is 800-463-7297. 04:12 That's 800-463-7297. 04:15 That'll bring you here into the studio. 04:17 But Pastor before we take the calls as we always do, we like 04:20 to begin with prayer. 04:22 So let's do that at this time. 04:23 Dear Father, we thank you for this opportunity to be able to 04:25 open up your Word and study. 04:27 And Father, as we always do, we recognize that you are the 04:29 author of the Scriptures, you inspired people 04:32 of all to write the Bible. 04:34 And in order for us to understand it, we need the 04:36 leading of the Holy Spirit. 04:37 Be with those who are listening wherever they might be and Lord, 04:39 we ask your blessing upon us here in the studio as we search 04:42 the Scriptures for we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 04:46 Doug: Amen. 04:47 Jean: Well Pastor Doug, we are ready to go to the phone 04:49 lines but to be honest to our listeners out there, I can't 04:53 hear anything. 04:54 I don't know if you can. 04:56 Doug: I don't hear you, I don't hear anything. 04:57 Jean: They might be able to hear us, but I don't think we'll 04:59 be able to hear the calls but we're going to give it a try 05:01 and see what happens. 05:02 We've got Gary listening in Illinois. 05:04 Gary, welcome to the program. 05:05 Are you on the air? 05:08 Gary--hi, Gary, yes, we can hear you. 05:11 Gary: Matthew 24 says in verses 6 and 7, "You'll see 05:15 plagues and pestilences, wars and rumors 05:17 of wars, earthquakes." 05:18 We're seeing plenty of that happen but I'm not seeing 05:21 Matthew 24:24 happen. 05:24 False Christ showing great signs and wonders to deceive. 05:28 Is that the final event before Christ coming or is the false 05:33 Christ performing signs and powers and wonders, 05:37 you know, to deceive? 05:39 Doug: Yeah, yeah. 05:40 It is going to be one of the great final signs that Satan 05:44 is going to impersonate Christ. 05:46 You know, the devil's accusation is God came to the earth 05:49 to show the truth in Jesus. 05:51 The devil is saying, "Well, I want to either possess a person 05:54 or create the illusion of a human to share my theory." 05:58 And so Satan is going to impersonate Christ and I'm sure 06:02 it will be accompanied with signs and wonders and some of 06:05 'em will be illusions, counterfeit signs. 06:08 The Bible talks about them being deceiving devils. 06:12 So yeah, I think that that is going to be one of the--now 06:17 there've been other times in history you've got people false 06:19 Christ that do miracles, or at least, I mean, there's some 06:22 televangelist out there that at least pretend to do miracles. 06:25 Some of 'em might use, you know, some kind 06:28 of supernatural demonic delusions. 06:32 It's hard to say, I think some are just plain frauds but there 06:36 can be false prophets through history. 06:38 Even the Bible speaks of in the time of the apostles was it that 06:42 magician Simon, they said he did many mighty things probably 06:47 under the power of the devil. 06:49 The magicians of the Pharaoh, they threw down their rods and 06:52 they became serpents or at least looked like it. 06:54 Jean: And Jesus said, with reference the last days, "There 06:57 will be those who say, 'Lord, Lord, did we not perform 06:59 miracles and cast out devils and do many wonders in your name?' 07:03 Jesus says, 'I never knew you.'" We do have a study guide, it's 07:05 called, 'Does God Inspire Psychics and Astrologists?' 07:08 And we'll be happy to send this to you. 07:09 Talks about the warning that we have about false Christ 07:12 spoken of in the Bible. 07:13 The number for that is 800-835-6747. 07:17 That is the resource phone line, you can just ask for the study 07:20 guide, 'Does God Inspire Psychics and Astrologers?' 07:23 And we'll be happy to send that out to anyone 07:25 who calls and asks. 07:27 Thank you, Gary. 07:28 We've got Anna listening in Oregon. 07:30 Anna, welcome to the program. 07:33 Anna: Hi, good evening, pastors. 07:34 Doug: Evening. 07:37 My question is, well, it's from two different books. 07:41 It's from Luke 17:6 and Matthew 17:20. 07:47 And it has to do with having the faith of a mustard seed. 07:51 If you have the faith as big as a mustard seed, you could 07:57 basically do anything. 07:59 And I just want you to maybe expound on that for me. 08:07 Doug: Yeah, of course. 08:09 Jesus talked about faith all the time. 08:12 So many times when Christ healed somebody, he never said, "My 08:15 faith made you whole," he said, "Your faith has made you whole." 08:19 One man said, "Lord, can you heal my son 08:22 if you can do anything?" 08:24 And Jesus said, "If you believe all things are possible". 08:27 And then of course he said, "If you've got faith as a mustard 08:29 seed," one place he talks about faith you can move mountains and 08:32 here it says that you can have a mulberry be pulled up by the 08:36 roots and planted in the sea. 08:39 And so, yeah, faith is I think crucial to anything. 08:43 The big area where Jesus emphasizes we need faith, is 08:48 faith that he can save us from our sins. 08:51 You know, we don't need the Lord to move mountains 08:53 and cast them into the sea. 08:55 The Bible says, "He takes our sins and casts them into the 08:58 depths of the sea." 09:00 And we're all being crushed under this mountain 09:02 of guilt and sin. 09:04 And by believing in the sacrifice of Jesus and his power 09:08 to give us new hearts, it becomes a reality. 09:12 And when we trust in him and we pray and believe he's going to 09:15 forgive our sins, when we believe he forgives our sins, we 09:17 instantly feel better just because of our faith. 09:21 So one way I might illustrate that, Anna, is if some crazy 09:25 person on the street hands you a check for a million dollars, you 09:28 probably wouldn't get too excited. 09:30 But if Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates handed you a check for a million 09:33 dollars, you would be really happy even before you took the 09:37 check to the bank because you would have faith 09:40 that there was money behind it. 09:43 So when you have faith in God, all things are possible. 09:47 Jean: And I think the point you emphasized Pastor Doug, is 09:49 important, that God is not asking us to do sort of miracles 09:52 to impress our neighbors and our friends but true faith will 09:56 always result in a deeper trust in Christ as our personal savior 10:01 and an earnest willingness to do what he asks us to do. 10:05 So faith is connected with works you read that in James. 10:08 So it's not just a type of supernatural power. 10:11 Matter of fact, we need to be careful of people that are 10:13 claiming to have supernatural powers just to impress others. 10:17 But the true faith of the Bible always results in repentance and 10:19 the humbling of the heart. 10:21 Doug: And yes, and that's not to say God doesn't answer 10:24 prayers, we've seen all kinds of miraculous answers to prayer. 10:29 I could just start going through a list right now of things the 10:31 Lord has done that I think folks would say, 10:34 "Well, that really was a miracle." 10:36 That doesn't mean, you know, somebody's arm grew back into 10:38 place but just incredible things happen when you lose something. 10:41 The odds of finding again are a million to one 10:44 and you pray and you find it. 10:46 So God does answer prayers and move mountains. 10:49 Thank you, Anna appreciate that. 10:51 We've got Glenn listening in Ohio. 10:53 Glenn, welcome to the program. 10:55 Glenn: Good evening pastors and thank you 10:57 for taking my call. 10:58 Jean: A Pleasure. 11:00 Glenn: You know, people do not like Judas of Iscariot 11:03 because he betrayed Jesus, but somebody had to do that. 11:09 In the valley of dry bones, they're mad at Hitler for his 11:12 part in the Holocaust. 11:14 Somebody had to do that. 11:16 And then, yes, we go all the way back to the beginning of time in 11:19 order for us--people don't like Lucifer because he's responsible 11:23 for entering sin into the world. 11:25 But somebody had to do that. 11:28 And we're all guilty of sin, "We know that all have sinned," but 11:33 if God is to be who he says he is and he would that none should 11:39 perish and that all should come to repentance. 11:42 Philippians 2:10, "That every knee shall bow 11:44 and every tongue confess." 11:47 If that's the case and his perfect will is exercised, who's 11:50 left on the earth to endure the eternal punishment? 11:55 Doug: All right, well, first of all, I'm going to--I have an 11:59 issue with some things you said when you said that someone had 12:03 to do it speaking of Judas, and then I thought I heard you say 12:08 someone had to do the Holocaust speaking of Hitler as though God 12:13 intended for that to happen. 12:15 I don't believe he did, I don't think it was God's will for 12:17 Judas to be a betrayer. 12:20 Jesus said it would've been better if he had not been born. 12:23 And Judas--God knew what was going to happen, God knows all 12:26 things, but it doesn't mean God's making it happen. 12:29 A lot of things that are happening in the world today, 12:31 the sin and the suffering are not God's will, that's why in 12:35 the Lord's prayer we pray, "Thy will be done." 12:38 If God's will is always being done, well, that's what the 12:41 Muslims say, "Whatever happens that's the will of Allah." 12:43 We don't believe that way. 12:45 As Christians, we believe that there's a battle between the 12:48 will of selfishness and the devil and evil, and the will of 12:52 God which is one of love. 12:54 And we know in the end God's kingdom will ultimately triumph 12:59 but all of the misery, sin, and suffering in the world today 13:02 was not God's will. 13:04 And who will--everyone's going to bow to Christ in the end 13:09 because it'd just be overwhelmed by the righteousness of God, and 13:12 you're speaking of Philippians there. 13:13 But you've got one group that's been washed and saved and the 13:17 other group's going to perish and be cast into the lake of fire. 13:21 Scriptures are very clear about that. 13:23 So, hopefully that makes sense. 13:25 You know, we do have a study guide that talks about, 'Is the 13:28 Devil in Charge of Hell?' And it will explain how God separates 13:32 the sheep from the goats and we'll be happy to send you a 13:36 free copy of that, Glenn. 13:37 Jean: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 13:40 You can ask for the study guide it's called, 'Is the Devil In 13:43 Charge of Hell?' And it is true as you mentioned in Philippians 13:46 chapter 2, a time will come where everyone will acknowledge 13:49 that Jesus is Lord but it's not a true confession, it's not a 13:53 true repentance I should say. 13:54 It's a true confession but not a true repentance. 13:57 Like Judas who threw the money down after he realized that he 14:01 had betrayed Christ and then he went out and he hung himself. 14:03 That wasn't genuine repentance. 14:05 Doug: Yeah, or when the Pharaoh said that he repented, 14:07 he repented the consequences of the sin he didn't repent of what 14:11 he had done. 14:12 Jean: That's right. All right, thank you. 14:13 Anthony is in New Jersey. Anthony, welcome to the program. 14:18 Anthony: Hi pastors, thank you for taking my call. 14:20 Doug: Yeah, thank you. 14:22 Anthony: All Right. 14:24 So my question is on Matthew 12, about the unpardonable sin, 14:29 verse 31 and 32. 14:31 If I could read it real quick because especially 32, 14:34 it's very specific, it gives detail. 14:37 So 31, "Because of this I say to you, every sin and blasphemy 14:43 shall be forgiven to men, but the blasphemy concerning the 14:47 spirit shall not be forgiven to men. 14:50 And whoever," in 32, here we go, "And whoever speaks a word 14:54 against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever 14:58 speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, 15:03 not in this age nor the coming one." 15:07 So this age being the one we are in right now, same age with 15:12 Yeshua, the coming one, being the 1,000 year millennium, but 15:16 we know there's an age after that when the books are open and 15:19 you know, the lake of fire is there but apparently the 15:24 unpardonable sin may be pardonable after 15:28 the 1,000 year millennium. 15:31 Doug: Well, I think I see what you're saying. 15:32 You know, I think when Jesus said it's not to be forgiven in 15:35 this life or in the world to come, he's making a pretty 15:38 absolute statement that those that grieve away the Holy Spirit 15:42 and go too far, there is no more forgiveness. 15:45 That's why he's warning so carefully against 15:48 committing the unpardonable sin. 15:50 He said, you know, other sins, all kinds of sins and blasphemy 15:53 God is so merciful. 15:55 He's forgiven murder and adultery 15:56 and all kinds of things. 15:57 What does he mean when he says, 15:59 "Do not sin against the Holy Spirit?" 16:01 Go up a little higher in the same passage, and they're 16:05 accusing Jesus of casting out devils and doing miracles 16:09 by the power of the devil. 16:11 In other words, they are resisting the evidence of the 16:14 Holy Spirit, they're refusing to listen to the voice of the Holy 16:18 Spirit and the proof of the Holy Spirit. 16:20 And Jesus said, "If you reject the Holy Spirit, if you 16:23 blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit, 16:26 there's no way that God can reach you. 16:29 So the way the Lord reaches us is the Holy Spirit brings 16:32 conviction and we turn to the Lord and brings repentance. 16:35 If we reject the medium through which God brings us to 16:39 repentance and saves us, there is nothing else God can do to 16:42 save us and that's when you can go beyond mercy. 16:46 And I've actually written a book we can share a copy of that with 16:49 you and it's called, you know, 'What is the Sin of the 16:53 Unpardonable Sin?' I think it's called 'Beyond Mercy What is the 16:56 Unpardonable Sin?' And we'll send you a free copy of that 17:00 Anthony, and I encourage you to read that. 17:02 And there--people are not going to be forgiven 17:04 after the millennium. 17:06 Jean: You know, there's another verse 17:07 that comes to mind. 17:08 Romans chapter 2, verse 4. 17:10 It says, "Or, do you despise the riches of his goodness in 17:12 forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that it's the 17:15 goodness of God that leads you to repentance?" 17:17 So without the goodness of God, without the spirit of God 17:19 leading a person, they can't even get to the point of 17:21 repentance and repentance is needed for forgiveness. 17:25 So someone who has grieved away the Holy Spirit or blasphemed 17:28 against the Holy Spirit. 17:29 One other thing on that passage like the word blasphemy in the 17:31 Bible has two connotations. 17:33 One is putting oneself in the place of God and the other one 17:36 is claiming to be able to forgive sins. 17:38 So if somebody excuses their sense says, "Ah, it's not that 17:42 important," or if they try to put themselves in the place of 17:45 God in their own mind and thinking and they're rejecting 17:48 the promptings of the Holy Spirit, that's leading towards 17:52 blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. 17:54 All right, well, thank you for your call. 17:55 Again, the number is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for 17:59 that book on the 'Unpardonable Sin,' and we'll be happy to send 18:03 it to anyone who calls and asks for it. 18:05 I think it's called 'Beyond Mercy,' Pastor, like you 18:07 mentioned the name 800-835-6747. 18:11 We've got Beverly listening in Georgia. 18:13 Beverly, welcome to the program. 18:15 Beverly: Hey, Pastor Doug, Pastor John Ross. 18:17 Thank you all guys for taking my question. 18:20 Doug: Yeah. 18:21 Beverly: Okay, here's what I got. 18:23 I got two Bible scriptures. 18:27 The first one is Leviticus 20:13. 18:31 So I'm going to read it from the King James. 18:33 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both 18:39 of them have committed an abomination: 18:42 they surely should be put to death. 18:44 Their blood should be upon them." 18:47 Okay, let's go to 2 Timothy 3 verses 2 through 5, 18:56 "For men should be lovers 19:00 of their own selves, covetous, boasters, 19:02 proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 19:08 without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, 19:12 incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 19:16 traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than 19:21 lovers of God." 19:23 Now, here's where is coming home from me, "Having a form 19:26 of godliness, but denying the power thereof: 19:30 from such should turn away." 19:32 So pastors, here is my question, as a Christian, should I be 19:38 supporting the LBGQ+ community? 19:44 Doug: Well, no. 19:48 That's in a two letter answer. 19:52 The agenda that is being pushed on our culture today both in 19:57 North America and many other countries, that we should view 20:02 homosexual relationships as normal and valid and approved 20:07 and even to redefine them as marriage, is categorically 20:11 against the teachings of Scripture. 20:14 And so even though our culture is trying to redefine gender, as 20:21 I said in our verse Jesus said in the beginning, "God made them 20:25 male and female." 20:27 And obviously the males and females, husband and wife they 20:30 go together, but we're in a very confused culture right now when 20:35 it comes to what they call Sexual Orientation. 20:38 I think we should love people. 20:40 I think we ought to do everything we can to bring all 20:42 kinds of people to the Lord and love and win them. 20:44 That might mean telling them what the Bible says about sin 20:48 so they repent of their sins. 20:50 But as far as endorsing the behavior of the alphabet 20:55 community, no, I don't think so. 20:59 Jean: Absolutely Pastor. 21:01 Now you know, the Bibles makes it very clear that we love 21:03 people but we are not necessarily endorsing bad 21:07 behavior of people meaning contradicting the 21:09 Word of God which is sin. 21:11 Sin is defined as the transgression of the law. 21:13 So we're all sinners, we all need to come to the point of 21:16 repentance, but if we're wishing to try and redefine what sin is, 21:21 how can God bring us to a point of repentance? 21:23 Doug: Yeah. 21:25 Jean: If we want to acknowledge what the Bible teaches. 21:26 Doug: Exactly, a sin is the transgression of the law. 21:28 People need to turn from it and repent of their sins and that is 21:31 one of the things the Bible identifies as sin right up there 21:35 with lying, and adultery, and murder, these are all sins and 21:41 as you read there from Leviticus it's pretty clear that living 21:46 out homosexual behavior is a sin. 21:48 Jean: All right, next call that we have is Robert listening 21:50 in Colorado. 21:52 Robert, welcome to the program. 21:54 Robert: Yeah, good evening, pastors. 21:55 I have a question for you on Matthew 27 verse 52 and 53. 22:01 It says that when Jesus died that the graves were open and 22:07 some people were resurrected, the saints were resurrected and 22:09 they went in and showed themselves in the cities. 22:13 Some people think that after that time 22:16 they were translated to heaven. 22:18 And then my question is there's no reference to what happened to 22:21 'em after that. 22:22 Did they live like, you know, like Lazarus where they had to 22:26 live their life out again and then die and wait for the second 22:30 coming or did they actually get translated to heaven? 22:33 Doug: Yeah, I would say the latter that they, and I think 22:36 Pastor Ross is looking up a verse now if I'm not mistaken. 22:39 I think they did ascend to heaven. 22:41 First of all, if they're resurrected, unlike Lazarus, 22:43 they're not resurrected with an old body, these are some of the 22:47 saints that slept around Jerusalem that may have dated 22:49 back to, you know, Isaiah. 22:52 I mean, we don't know who they were but it's a limited number, 22:55 a special resurrection that was something of a trophy that 23:00 Christ took to heaven with him when he ascended. 23:04 So it says that their graves were opened during the 23:06 earthquake but they did not ascend to heaven. 23:09 It says they appeared to the city probably, you know, during 23:12 the Sabbath and Sunday when he told Mary, "Don't touch me, I've 23:15 not yet ascended to my Father." 23:17 When he did ascend, I believe they ascended with him. 23:20 Jean: And here's the verse Pastor Doug. 23:21 Ephesians chapter 4 verse 8. 23:22 It says, quoting from the Old Testament. 23:24 Therefore, he says, "When he ascended on high, he led 23:27 captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." 23:30 So the captivity are those who held captive by the grave or 23:33 death, those are the ones who were resurrected at the time of 23:36 Christ's death during the earthquake. 23:38 But then it says, "He gave gifts to man." 23:40 So as Christ ascended to heaven, he led those who were 23:43 resurrected at that point in time and afterwards, there was a 23:46 special manifestation of the gift of the Holy Spirit that 23:49 came upon the apostles there in the upper room. 23:52 Doug: Thank you, so I hope that helps a little bit. 23:53 We might have time for one more. 23:55 Pastor Ross before our break. 23:56 Jean: We've got James listening in Texas. 23:58 James, welcome to the program. 24:00 James: Yes, sir. Can you hear me? 24:01 Doug: I can. 24:03 James: Okay, my question for tonight is, can I be baptized 24:08 myself or does it have to be done by a Pastor, or a priest, 24:11 or something? 24:13 Doug: Normally, the examples we all see in the Bible would 24:15 be, it says that the apostles baptized, you know, Jesus was 24:20 baptized by John. 24:22 I mean, Jesus could have baptized himself but he said, 24:23 "John, you need to do it." 24:24 It needs to be done by someone else. 24:26 The others were baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus's Apostles 24:30 were sent out to baptize Philip, baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, 24:34 Paul baptized the Ephesian jailer, or Philippian jailer, 24:39 I should say. 24:40 There are rare occasions where a person may be 24:43 the only believer in a country. 24:46 And I've heard stories of people that says, "I wanted to give my 24:49 heart to the Lord, I wanted to be baptized, there was no other 24:52 believer I was in, you know, a Hindu or Muslim country. 24:55 And I just prayed and I went out in the river and I said, Lord, I 24:59 am giving myself to you," and they dunked themselves. 25:01 And I think in rare occasions like that, God might wink and 25:04 smile and accept that. 25:07 But typically a person is taught first and they're cleared. 25:11 So those are baptized into Christ it's understood that they 25:14 are making a commitment, they need to know 25:16 what that commitment involves. 25:17 It'd be like two people marrying themselves. 25:19 I mean, usually marriage is performed in the presence of 25:22 witnesses by someone who officiates. 25:24 Baptism is like a marriage to Christ. 25:27 So normally, yes, someone else should be doing that. 25:30 There are rare occasions where I think that God has winked at a 25:34 person's inability to have anyone else do it and has 25:38 accepted them doing it themselves. 25:40 Jean: Well, you know, we do have a book, it's called 25:41 'Baptism; is it Really Necessary.' 25:43 And it deals with the subject. 25:45 Of course, we have many examples in the New Testament of people 25:47 that were baptized and of course we believe 25:50 that's still valid today. 25:52 If you'd like to receive the book, the number to call 25:54 is 800-835-6747. 25:56 You can ask for the book 25:58 'Baptism; is it Really Necessary?' 26:00 And we'll be happy to send that to anyone 26:01 who calls and asks. 26:03 Again, that's 800-835-6747. 26:07 And you know, Pastor Doug, we've been mentioning a number of free 26:09 resources but for those who are listening outside of North 26:12 America if they'd like to access any of these free materials and 26:15 additional study resources, just to go to the website, 26:19 search amazingfacts.org. 26:22 Doug: Minute and a half, can we do a question? 26:23 Jean: We Can give it a try, all right. 26:25 Let's see, we got Aaron. 26:26 Aaron, welcome to the program. 26:27 We have about one and a half minutes. 26:30 Aaron: Good evening pastors. 26:32 Here's my question. 26:33 Did the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 26:35 70 happen exactly 40 years after the death of Jesus? 26:39 If not, is there a reason why it did not? 26:42 Doug: Well, I don't know that it happened exactly 40 years 26:44 after his death, but there seems to be evidence it happened about 26:48 40 years after he prophesied it. 26:51 He does say in Matthew 24 and I think it's also in Luke 21 and 26:56 maybe it's in Mark 13 that "This generation would not pass away 27:00 till all these things be fulfilled" and he was talking 27:03 about the destruction of Jerusalem. 27:05 That was, I think about 31 or that may have been 30 or 31 A.D. 27:12 The destruction of Jerusalem actually began almost exactly 40 27:16 years after that 'cause the temple wasn't destroyed 27:18 until 70 A.D. but the war with the Jews began 27:22 and the destruction before that. 27:24 So it'd be almost exactly 40 years after Jesus 27:26 predicted that. 27:27 Anyway, hope that helps a little bit. 27:29 Friends, we're going to be taking a brief break, 27:32 but just before we go to that, 27:33 I want to remind you that so much of what Amazing 27:35 Facts offers can be found on our website 27:38 which is amazingfacts.org. 27:41 There are YouTubes, and Bible studies, and sermons, and 27:44 archives of these programs. 27:45 Don't go away, coming back for some fresh Bible questions 27:48 in a moment. 27:52 announcer: Stay tuned, "Bible Answers Live" 27:54 will return shortly. 28:00 announcer: Jerusalem, the city of peace has been a place 28:03 of unending conflict for centuries. 28:05 Many now believe that Jerusalem will soon 28:08 take center stage again. 28:09 But what does the Bible say? 28:11 The fall and rise of Jerusalem presents the vital history you 28:15 need to know about Jerusalem and its role 28:17 in end time Bible prophecy. 28:19 This Amazing Facts edition of the classic volume, 'The Great 28:23 Controversy' is the perfect sharing book. 28:25 Get your copy at afbookstore.com. 28:31 announcer: Are you looking for a simple way 28:32 to share your faith? 28:34 If you've ever found yourself tongue tied when trying to 28:37 explain what the Bible teaches about the Sabbath, 28:39 the second coming, or the afterlife, 28:42 you'll love the new Amazing Facts tracts. 28:45 These colorful tracts feature easy-to-read type and are large 28:49 enough to grab everyone's attention but small enough to 28:51 fit in your pocket to carry with you wherever you go. 28:55 Eleven key Bible teachings are available now. 28:58 Purchase a sample bundle to see what fits your needs then buy 29:02 them in bulk and save. 29:03 Equip yourself in your church to reach your community with the 29:06 eye-catching Amazing Facts tracts. 29:09 Amazing Facts tracts, easy to read, easy to share. 29:13 To order your sample bundle, call 800-538-7275, or visit 29:20 AFBOOKSTORE.COM and get ready to share your faith 29:24 like never before. 29:30 ♪♪ 29:38 ♪♪ 29:44 ♪♪ 29:48 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where 29:51 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God 29:54 and his plan to save you. 29:56 So what are you waiting for? 29:58 Get practical answers about the good book 30:00 for a better life today. 30:05 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 30:08 If you'd like answers to your Bible related questions on the 30:11 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 30:14 and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 30:17 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned 30:19 in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 30:25 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 30:30 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:36 Doug: Welcome back listening friends to "Bible Answers Live" 30:38 and if you have any Bible questions we invite you 30:41 to give us a call. 30:42 The number is 800-God-Says. 30:44 That's 800-463-7297 we're streaming on AF the Facebook 30:50 page, Amazing Facts Facebook page, 30:52 the Doug Batchelor Facebook page, 30:54 on YouTube, on AF TV and as well as some other stations. 30:59 And a lot of stations carry the program as a rerun. 31:03 And we encourage you to, you can go to our station log and find 31:07 out some of the different places you can hear 31:08 the program again through the week. 31:10 My name is Doug Batchelor. 31:12 Jean: My name is Jean Ross and we've got a number of folks 31:14 who are standing by with their Bible question. 31:16 Peter in New Jersey. 31:18 Peter, welcome to the program. 31:19 Peter: Pastor, Romans 1 talks about reprobates and these are 31:24 people that God has given over to their wickedness. 31:27 And I do believe we're seeing a lot more of that 31:30 as time goes on. 31:32 Would you agree with that? And are they beyond salvation? 31:36 And how should we act around them? 31:39 I myself want to turn away from them as some verses indicate 31:44 that there are people that we should turn away from, but I 31:47 want to--are they beyond salvation and how 31:50 should we act around them? 31:52 And do you see a rise in reprobates? 31:54 Doug: Well, the Bible's clear I think that in the last days 31:57 evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse. 32:01 The devil is getting better at what he does as time goes by and 32:07 you know, much of the world is going to be sold out to the 32:09 devil in the last days when the whole mark of the beast scenario 32:13 is played out. 32:14 So yes, evil is growing worse. 32:17 It's hard for us to know a person's heart and know if 32:19 they've grieved away the spirit and if there's nothing, you 32:22 know, no redeemable qualities. 32:24 I think no matter what, Christians ought 32:26 to be kind to everybody. 32:28 We should represent Christ to everybody. 32:31 And even those who are crucifying Jesus, Jesus did not 32:34 revile them but he said, "Father, forgive them." 32:38 And so it really challenges our love muscles when we're around 32:43 people that seem to be just sold out to the devil, to still show 32:46 the love of God and the kindness of the Savior. 32:50 So that doesn't mean you need to spend a lot of time casting your 32:53 pearls before swine and trying to, you know, witness and work 32:56 with people that really seem like they've shut the door, you 32:59 want to be working where people are open. 33:02 Jesus said when he sent out the apostle sometimes 33:04 people rejected the truth. 33:06 He said, "Shake the dust off your feet 33:07 and go somewhere else." 33:09 So, it's the same thing in working with people. 33:14 Jean: All right. Doug: Thank you. 33:16 Jean: Thank you. 33:17 We've got Don listening in Texas. 33:19 Don, welcome to the program. 33:21 Don in Texas are you there? 33:23 Doug: Don might be muted. 33:24 Don, you're on but we don't hear you. 33:28 Jean: All right, we might come back to Don. 33:30 We've got Christian in Texas as well. 33:31 Christian, welcome to the program. 33:34 Christian: Hello, can you hear me? 33:35 Doug: Yes. 33:37 Christian: Oh, greetings. 33:39 I really love your ministries, let me make this quick. 33:42 I am living under my parents' authority and I am asking what I 33:47 should do if my parents prohibit me from keeping the Sabbath. 33:52 Doug: Yeah, that can be a real challenge. 33:54 Of course, the Bible says we, "Should honor our mother and 33:56 father" and then also there are Bible commands. 34:01 I would, as gently as you could, I'd reason with your parents and 34:05 say, appeal to them and say, "You know, mom, dad, I love you, 34:08 I respect you, but I've been convinced from reading the Bible 34:11 you might even open the Bible and show it to 'em that this is 34:13 one of the Ten Commandments. 34:15 And I want to do my best to observe his commandments and 34:20 hope that they'll be open to that. 34:23 I've had people call before and they say, "Pastor Doug, you 34:26 know, I live at home and my mother and my father, they want 34:30 me to be dishonest and steal and lie about my 34:32 age or do something dishonest. 34:33 What do I do? 34:34 I want to honor them but they want me to lie to get in 34:37 somewhere and say I'm under 12 and I'm not," you know. 34:40 And I see, I think sometimes you need to put your obedience to 34:45 God ahead of your parents but it is a very difficult thing when 34:49 you have to do that because you know, I think the Lord 34:53 understands the struggle when young people go through that and 34:57 it's also theirs, you know. 34:59 Couples where one is a believer one is not and it's especially 35:03 hard on wives when they say to their husband, you know, I 35:06 believe and I'm going to go to church 35:08 and I want to take the kids. 35:09 He says, "Well, I don't believe, I don't want you to." 35:11 Just it becomes, yeah, you really need to pray God will 35:14 work on the hearts of the people in authority. 35:16 Jean: Well, you know, we do have that quote of the 35:18 commandment that says, "Honor your mother and your father." 35:21 And you read that in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 1, but Paul 35:24 adds something. 35:26 He says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: 35:27 for this is right." 35:29 So absolutely the commandment says that we are to honor our 35:31 mother and our father, but there is a caveat and that is, 35:34 "In the Lord." 35:36 So the Lord needs to be first, in all of our decision making. 35:38 Doug: Exactly, good point. Thank you. 35:40 Hope that helps a little, Christian. 35:42 Jean: We've got Angela listening in Illinois. 35:44 Angela, welcome to the program. 35:46 Angela: Hi, thank you. 35:48 I have a question in regards to Job 4 it's 16 through, well, I'm 35:56 sorry, 15 through 17. 35:58 And it's regarding Eliasis, the Temanite and when he talks about 36:07 this spirit that's swept over his face and how his hair stood 36:11 on, you know, stood on end, I was just wondering, is that 36:14 spirit, was it a demonic spirit or was it an angel? 36:19 Doug: You know, I don't know that it was either, I think the 36:22 word in the Hebrew here is that a wind. 36:26 That word and I was going to just look it up here 'cause I've 36:29 got a Bible program that may help me find that for you real 36:32 quick, but it may be the Hebrew word "Ruach" 36:35 which would be, oh no 36:38 it's a different word, no, it says a supernatural being, yeah. 36:44 Well first of all, they're speaking in poetry. 36:48 The prose and the poetry in Job is some of the most beautiful 36:51 and ancient in the world. 36:53 And so Eliphaz is talking about this spirit, this impression, he 36:58 was frightened and that went by and he asked, "Can a mortal man 37:03 be more righteous than God?" 37:05 And he's--they're looking at Job suffering and they're thinking, 37:09 "If he's a good man, why would he be suffering bad things? 37:12 Is God not as just as man is?" 37:15 Its interesting Abraham voices the same kind of question when 37:18 he said, "Shall not the judge of the earth do right?" 37:21 When he was appealing for Sodom and Gomorrah. 37:23 So this is just part of their debate and he kind of paints the 37:26 picture where he felt like this spirit spoke to him and the hair 37:35 of his head stood up. 37:37 "Can a man be more righteous than God? 37:40 So I think it's more poetic language than that he actually 37:43 had an angelic visitation. 37:45 Jean: And it is interesting, not everything that Job's friend 37:47 said was necessarily rightfully reflecting God. 37:51 Now I think the point could be made here that this is a true 37:53 statement, "Can mortal man be more just than God?" 37:56 But later on in the Book of Job you read how that God says to 37:59 Job, "You need to offer a sacrifice for them because they 38:01 didn't speak of me alright or correctly. 38:04 So not everything that they said was necessarily a correct 38:07 reflection of the character of God. 38:11 Doug: Well, thank you. 38:12 Appreciate your question Angela. 38:14 Jean: We've got Justin in Canada. 38:15 Justin, welcome to the program. 38:17 Justin: Thank you. 38:19 I just have a question about how to work out tithe if it's before 38:23 tax, after tax or after expenses 'cause I've worked it out after 38:28 tax and at this point in my life it seems like a little 38:32 unmanageable at the moment but I just wanted to follow whatever 38:37 is biblically correct. 38:39 Doug: Okay, good. 38:42 You know, the Bible I think is pretty clear that tithe is a 38:45 tenth of your increase, meaning, you know, your income and part 38:52 of your taxes in reality are a bill right along with your 38:57 groceries and your gas or whatever else you pay. 39:00 So I would believe you'd pay tithe on your gross and then, 39:06 you know, you pay your other expenses. 39:10 Now the reason I'm hesitating as I'm answering you this you're 39:14 probably thinking, "Oh, well what do I do about all the past 39:16 tithe maybe I haven't paid a full tithe on?" 39:18 I think you just start where you're at. 39:21 But I believe God will bless you and I know you're saying that 39:24 it's going to be hard to manage, you know, God promises in 39:27 Malachi chapter 3 that if we are faithful in paying a full tithe 39:33 and offering to God, he will open for us the windows of 39:36 heaven and pour out a blessing where there 39:38 is not room enough to receive it. 39:41 And yeah, I think tithe is just the bare minimum really. 39:45 Jean: Not only does the Bible speak of tithe 39:47 but also speaks of offerings. 39:48 Now no set amount is given for offerings but as the Lord has 39:52 blessed you, so you want to give towards the furtherance 39:54 of the work. 39:55 And that principle is in the Bible, of course, both in the 39:58 old and the New Testament and we have a study guide, it's called 40:01 'In God We Trust?' And it deals with the subject 40:03 of giving and tithe. 40:04 We're happy to send it to anyone who calls 40:06 and asks here in Canada or US. 40:08 The number is 800-835-6747 and again, you can ask for the study 40:13 guide is called, 'In God We Trust?' 40:15 and we'll be happy to send it to you. 40:17 Doug: Yep, I wonder if Don is listening now 40:18 we can try him again. 40:20 Don in Texas are you there? 40:24 Don in Texas? Okay, nope. 40:28 All right, we'll try Joe in Arizona. 40:29 Joe, welcome to the program. 40:31 Joe: Hi, how are you guys doing? 40:33 Doug: Good, thanks for calling in. 40:34 Joe: Can you hear me? Doug: Yeah, loud and clear. 40:36 Joe: Okay, so I guess my question is between the 40:40 difference of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, through account of 40:45 creation in Genesis 1, it says that "Elohim," which translates 40:49 to God in the plural, it says, spoke everything into existence 40:54 on the first -- sixth day. 40:57 And in Genesis 2 it mentioned when God, the Father or "The 41:03 Lord God," I'm sorry, that's what the Bible says, "The Lord 41:05 God created a -- plant before it was in the earth." 41:10 And it says it's just one day. 41:12 And it's also reversed in Genesis 1 because it says after 41:16 he formed Adam out of the ground then he formed the animals out 41:21 of the ground and then brought 'em to Adam 41:23 so he could give them names. 41:25 So why is there a different in the terminology there, is it 41:30 possible that they're two different events? 41:33 Doug: No, I think that you're just going to find, you say 41:36 you're wondering, I guess, why is a plural form of God used in 41:40 one passage and a more singular form in another? 41:42 Is that your question? 41:44 Are they--you're wondering because these different forms 41:46 are used are they different events? 41:48 Joe: Well, yeah, well it says God in the ordinary sense and 41:52 even at the end of Genesis 1, it talks about. 41:56 Doug: All right Joe, you may have hit a mute button 41:58 we just lost you. 42:03 Joe, you there? 42:04 Jean: I think Joe's. 42:06 Joe, if you can, if you can get us just check somehow 42:07 you might have hit-- 42:09 Doug: Joe, are you there? Jean: Hit a mute button. 42:11 Joe: Are you--can you hear me now? 42:13 Jean: Yeah. Doug: Yeah. 42:14 Joe: Okay, sorry. 42:16 Doug: So I think we, yeah, I think we understand that you're 42:19 wondering why these different forms are used 42:20 and are they different events? 42:23 Joe: Yeah, and when it says, "Let us make man in our image," 42:28 the word "Image" is "Salem," which means it says 42:31 vain show or a phantom. 42:34 And in the second commandment it says we shouldn't make images 42:39 unto God so I'm just wondering if there's a chance that there's 42:44 a difference between those two and the first one might not 42:46 actually be God but it might be, I don't know if we're angels or 42:50 something that it might've been Satan making. 42:52 Doug: No, it's--yeah, there are other passages in the Bible 42:56 where God says, you know, the Lord created man in the 43:00 beginning in the New Testament, there's several in the Old 43:02 Testament as well and you can get to Genesis 11 and God says, 43:07 "The man has become like us to know good and evil." 43:10 So, the Lord sometimes is interchangeable 43:14 in the term that he's used. 43:16 You know, a husband and wife are two different individuals but 43:20 they're one family. 43:21 And I can refer to my wife and I or I could refer to the 43:24 Batchelor's and it could encompass all five of the kids. 43:29 So I wouldn't put too much stock in that. 43:33 Now, you said something about image and worship. 43:35 The commandment doesn't say, "Don't make an image" 'cause God 43:38 later commands them to make different representations. 43:42 When they made the temple they made cherubim and angels on top 43:46 of the ark, and angels on the walls, and Solomon was told to 43:49 put oxen underneath the cart and Moses said, 43:52 "Make a bronze serpent." 43:53 God says, "Do not make an image and bow down to 43:56 it and worship it." 43:58 First commandment says, "Worship the God." 44:00 We are made in the image of God but we're supposed to worship 44:02 God not ourselves. 44:04 So, yeah, there's only one God he's talking about. 44:09 Jean: I think just to clarify, when you look at 44:13 Genesis chapter 1 and chapter 2, it's not talking about two 44:16 separate events it's just an expansion of the same event. 44:19 Additional details are added in chapter two that 44:21 you don't see in chapter 1. 44:23 All right, we've got Quentin listening in Texas, Quentin 44:25 welcome to the program. 44:27 Quentin: Hello. Can you hear me? 44:29 Doug: Yes, we do. 44:32 Quentin: I kinda got worried about this one 44:33 the during judgment day. 44:36 Now, during the judgment. 44:38 Doug: Yes. 44:39 Quentin: These people that Jesus spoke about, like, "I do 44:42 not know your name even though you cast demons out on people." 44:47 How do these people get to these--how do--my worry is how 44:54 these deceivers get to like, do they go to like rapture or 45:00 survive the tribulation or death? 45:03 I'm not sure but it's kinda make me worry if 45:07 I'm one of those people and-- 45:10 Doug: Well, the fact that you're worrying about it is 45:13 probably a healthy thing that Jesus gives that warning not 45:15 just to you Quentin, but he gives it to all of us to make 45:18 sure that we know him, that we have 45:20 a personal relationship with him. 45:22 It's not about just doing religious things. 45:25 These people that say, "Lord, Lord, we cast out devils, we did 45:28 wonderful works," they went to church every week ostensibly, 45:32 but they didn't have a personal relationship 45:33 where they were walking with God. 45:36 And the Lord wants you to spend time in his Word, submitting to 45:39 him every day, seeking his will, and just spend time to him like 45:44 you know him and love him. 45:46 And you won't have to worry about him declaring he doesn't 45:49 know you when he comes. 45:51 And of course, what he's describing here is the great 45:55 Judgment day, where he separates the sheep from the goats. 45:59 But you don't have to worry about that if you're spending 46:03 time knowing him now. 46:06 It is a sobering warning for every believer when they read 46:09 those words too as Paul says, "Examine ourselves and make sure 46:13 that we're in the faith and we do have a daily knowing 46:16 relationship with Jesus." 46:18 Do you pray? Do you talk to him? 46:20 Do you spend quality time thinking about him 46:21 during the day. 46:23 When you see other people do you want to tell other people about 46:26 God and his goodness? 46:28 And those are just, you know, some of the tests 46:29 you might apply. 46:31 Thanks, appreciate that. 46:32 I'm wondering what we can send Quentin to encourage him. 46:35 You know, we have the 'Three Steps to Heaven book.' 46:37 Jean: That's right, that's an excellent book. 46:38 We'll be happy to send that to you, Quentin, if you just call 46:40 and ask the number is 800-835-6747 and ask for the 46:45 book 'Three Steps to Heaven' and we'll be happy to 46:48 send it to you. 46:49 Anyone listening in Canada or the US, just ask for that book. 46:52 If you're outside of North America, you can read the book 46:55 by going to the Amazing Facts website, just amazingfacts.org. 46:59 And you know, there is one other way that you can get these 47:01 resources by just simply dialing #250 on your smartphone and ask 47:07 for "Bible Answers Live" and ask for the free offer, 'Three steps 47:10 to Heaven.' You'll be able to receive it that way as well. 47:13 Next call that we have is Robert listening in California. 47:15 Robert, welcome to the program. 47:18 Robert: Oh, thank you. How are you? 47:20 Doug: We're wonderful. How are you doing? 47:22 Robert: Oh, great, thank you Pastor Doug. 47:24 My question is, I believe its Revelation 4. 47:29 I'm trying to find out can you help me? 47:32 Doug: Well, tell us what the verse is and we'll try 47:34 and help you find it. 47:36 Robert: Okay, I believe it's Revelation 4 but it's about and 47:39 it may be in different chapters, I just want to know about the 24 47:43 elders that are part of the judgment throne, who they are 47:48 and if you could explain them. 47:50 Doug: Yeah, very good. Revelation 4:10. 47:52 So you are on the right track and I think they're mentioned, 47:55 Pastor Ross probably knows better than me, they're 47:57 mentioned probably four times in the Bible, I think. 48:00 Jean: And in verse 4, Revelation 4, verse 4. 48:02 Doug: 4 verse 4 also. 48:03 Jean: One is chapter 5. 48:05 Doug: Yeah, so the 24 elders are probably not, it's a little 48:08 bit mysterious but they're probably representatives 48:12 of unfallen worlds. 48:15 You can read where it says there's a day when the sons of 48:17 God came to present themselves before the Lord. 48:20 So these heavenly characters are presenting themselves at some 48:24 formal heavenly meeting and Satan comes 48:26 to represent the earth. 48:27 Well, Adam was supposed to represent the earth, but he fell 48:30 and he surrendered dominion to the enemy. 48:33 Adam is called the son of God in Luke chapter 3. 48:37 So many believe that these are unfallen representatives of 48:43 unfallen worlds, sinless worlds. 48:47 Some have thought, "Well maybe they're some of those that were 48:49 resurrected when Jesus ascended to heaven but that wouldn't 48:54 explain the passage in Job when that group appeared 48:57 and they existed before. 48:59 So I don't know, Pastor Ross, thoughts on that? 49:01 Jean: Yeah, we do have another verse in 49:03 Isaiah chapter 24 verse 23. 49:05 You don't always think of the 24 elders in Isaiah but its there. 49:09 Isaiah 24 verse 23 says, "Then the moon will be disgraced the 49:12 sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion 49:15 in Jerusalem and before his elders, gloriously." 49:19 So here you have a reference in Isaiah to the elders and in 49:24 Revelation chapter 4 tells us the elders are the 24 elders 49:27 that are surrounding the throne of God. 49:29 And as Pastor Doug mentioned, I think there's a close connection 49:32 between the 24 elders and the sons of God that you read about 49:35 in Job chapter 1 verse 6. 49:36 They're sort of the representatives of these 49:38 unfallen worlds witnessing the great controversy playing out. 49:43 Doug: And we have a book that is related, it's called 49:46 'Aliens or Adopted? Who Are the Sons of God?' 49:50 And we can send you a free copy of that. 49:52 Jean: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 49:55 And again, you can ask for the book, it's called, 'Who Are the 49:57 Sons of God?' You can also dial #250 and say, "Bible Answers 50:01 Live" and then ask for the book, 'Who are the Sons of God?' 50:05 Next person that we have is Michael listening in Illinois. 50:07 Michael, welcome to the program. 50:09 Michael: Yeah, good evening, pastors. 50:11 Doug: Evening. 50:12 Michael: I have a question about baptism. 50:14 Doug: Okay. 50:17 Michael: If I'm disabled I can't be baptized, 50:20 what I'm I supposed to do? 50:22 Doug: All right, that's a good question. 50:24 What if a person wants to come to the Lord and they can't be 50:28 baptized for some physical reason? 50:31 Now, first of all I think there's some people that can be 50:35 baptized and it might be difficult 50:37 but they can still happen. 50:39 I remember there's one dear lady, she asked me to come to 50:42 her house and begged she said he wanted so much to be baptized 50:46 and she was in bed dying from cancer. 50:49 And I said, sister, how are we going to do this? 50:52 She said, "My son is big and strong." 50:54 She had shriveled to like a hundred pounds. 50:57 "He'll put me in the bathtub and if you could just, 50:59 you know, do the pronouncement." 51:01 We did that. 51:02 We baptized this sister in the bathtub. 51:05 And I've been in prisons where I've seen people get baptized in 51:08 horse troughs and in our church we've carried people into a 51:11 baptistry where you got two or three deacons helping 51:13 carry a person in and carry 'em out and they're fine. 51:16 So you know, if it can be done, you should try and do it because 51:19 it's a command of the Lord but what about 51:21 the thief on the cross? 51:23 He came to Jesus and he couldn't be baptized. 51:25 He was nailed to a cross. 51:27 He received credit for Jesus's baptism. 51:30 See, Jesus did not die for his sin he died for ours. 51:33 Jesus was baptized not for his sin but as an example for us and 51:37 possibly also on behalf of those who couldn't be. 51:41 Sometimes we're in a hospital and a person on their deathbed, 51:44 they're hooked up all the hospital apparatus, 51:46 they want to come to Jesus. 51:47 We're going to say, "That's too late, you can't get baptized". 51:50 No, you say, yes, you can come to Jesus and it's interesting in 51:55 Mark 16 it says, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be 51:57 saved, whoever believes not will be damned." 52:00 He doesn't say and is not baptized. 52:03 So baptism is part of God's will. 52:07 There are those who can't be 'cause of a disability, I think 52:10 God will give them credit for his baptism but we should make 52:13 every human effort. 52:14 Jean: All right, very good. 52:16 You might also enjoy that study guide or the book called 52:18 'Baptism is it really Necessary?' 52:20 And I think we might even address some of 52:21 those specific questions that you have. 52:23 To receive that, the book, 800-835-6747. 52:27 Ask for the book, 'Baptism is it Really Necessary?' 52:30 You can also dial #250 and say "Bible Answers Live." 52:33 Ask for it that way as well. 52:35 Thank you for your call Michael. 52:36 We've got Phil in New York. 52:38 Phil, welcome to the program. 52:39 Phil: Yeah, how you doing guys? 52:41 Thank you very much for taking my call. 52:43 My question is, did Solomon's Temple, the first Jewish temple 52:50 actually exist? 52:52 Is it part of history or only part of mythology? 52:56 Doug: Thank you, appreciate that. 52:58 I do believe both that Solomon's temple was very real, and that 53:04 it did exist, and that there is archeological evidence, and you 53:08 may have been to Israel also, Phil, but I've been there three 53:12 times and Pastor Ross and I were there together. 53:15 It's probably been four years now. 53:17 And we were taken on a tour down below the western wall sometimes 53:20 called the Wailing wall and they say these are not the stones 53:24 that were built by Herod the Great, these are some of the 53:26 original stones that go back to Solomon's temple. 53:31 And so these are Jewish guides and experts in antiquity. 53:34 They're not members of our church that 53:37 are showing you these things. 53:38 And they have quarries, they have quarries that were used by 53:42 Herod the great when he did the reconstruction of Nehemiah's 53:45 temple, and then they have quarries that they say, this is 53:48 where the stones came from for Solomon's temple. 53:51 Now because you've got a threshing floor that was there 53:55 first and that's mentioned in the Bible, 53:57 the threshing floor is Ornan. 53:59 And then Solomon's temple was built there. 54:02 Nebuchadnezzar obliterated that he carried 54:05 off everything of value. 54:06 Then when they rebuilt the city, they may have taken some of the 54:08 stones from the original foundation. 54:12 And then they built on top of that, then that was destroyed by 54:15 the Romans and it says the Romans did not leave 54:17 one stone upon another. 54:18 And you can still see where some of those stones are thrown in a 54:23 pile, huge stones at the base not far from the Western wall. 54:28 So yes, I believe Solomon's Temple was there and there is an 54:31 abundance of archeological evidence for that. 54:34 So yeah, it's very real and they've also found the stables 54:39 of Solomon and a lot of other things that prove he really 54:41 lived, he's not just a fable. 54:43 Jean: All right, next going to be have Dean from California. 54:45 Dean, welcome to the program. 54:48 Dean: Thank you. 54:49 Doug: Hey Dean, we've got about a minute, can we do it? 54:52 Dean: Yes, I think so. 54:53 Usually we end our prayer by saying, "In Jesus's name I pray" 54:58 or "We pray." 55:00 If I'd like a little explanation of that and then if someone 55:03 prays, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy 55:06 Spirit" at the end of their prayer, 55:08 would that be accurate or appropriate? 55:11 Doug: Okay, good, good question. 55:13 Well, when we pray "In Jesus's name," it means to not only pray 55:16 in the mind and the spirit of Christ with love and forgiveness 55:19 for others, but we're asking God to answer the prayers not that 55:23 we're worthy, but because of the worthiness of his Son and the 55:26 blood that his Son has shed in our behalf. 55:29 And so we're pleading Christ as our intercessor and substitute 55:33 and that gives efficacy to our prayers. 55:36 And I don't think that it's wrong to culminate your prayers 55:39 by saying "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost," but 55:41 we are principally told to pray in the name of Jesus. 55:44 Now those who are regular listeners know that we broadcast 55:47 on hundreds of stations, the internet and on satellite. 55:51 And because the time clocks of some of these different stations 55:53 are different, satellite radio's a little different than land 55:57 base, we sign off in two stages. 56:00 We'll say farewell to our satellite listeners, we're 56:02 coming back in just a moment for two minute 56:04 of rapid fire Bible questions. 56:07 So stay tuned. 56:11 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 56:13 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 56:17 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 56:21 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 56:27 Jean: Hello friends and welcome back to 56:28 "Bible Answers Live." 56:29 And we're going to be taking some of your email questions. 56:32 And if you'd like to send us one of your questions via email, the 56:36 email address is just simply balquestions@amazingfacts.org. 56:41 That's balquestions@amazingfacts.org. 56:45 Pastor Doug, first question that we have, can you explain a 56:48 little bit about what is it to be sealed or to be marked 56:51 according to Revelation? 56:53 Doug: Well, there's a difference between the mark of 56:55 the beast and the seal of God, but technically I guess you 56:58 could argue that both there's a distinguishing difference. 57:03 You read in Deuteronomy it says, "These words I command you this 57:08 day shall be in your heart and there'll be a sign on your hand 57:11 and frontlets between your eyes." 57:13 God wants his law in our heart, in our mind, 57:16 in our actions, our hands. 57:18 The Bible says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit, where with you are 57:22 sealed for the day of redemption." 57:23 And Isaiah says in chapter 8 of Isaiah verse 16, "Seal the law 57:28 among my disciples." 57:30 The seal of God, they'll have the law of God in their hearts. 57:34 And one of those laws begins with the word "Holy" and God's 57:38 people are going to be holy. 57:40 Mark of the beast is having the laws of the beast where you're 57:43 putting the laws of man ahead of the laws of God. 57:46 This is the big battle in the last days and we got a whole 57:49 lesson on that, 'What is the mark of the Beast?' 57:52 Time for another half a question. 57:54 Jean: Yes, real quick. 57:55 Was Lazarus amongst those who were taken to heaven after the 57:58 resurrection of Jesus? 58:01 Doug: No, he probably was not part of the group you find in 58:03 Matthew chapter 27. 58:06 Lazarus continued to live even after Jesus ascended 58:10 to heaven on earth. 58:11 God bless friends, thanks so much for tuning in today. 58:14 We appreciate your keeping the program on the air by making a 58:16 donation at amazingfacts.org. 58:21 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," 58:23 honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2023-10-25