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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA022132S
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00:00 (cheerful orchestral music)
00:03 - [Announcer] It is the best selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted, 00:09 and its words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, 00:13 should always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," 00:22 providing accurate and practical answers 00:25 to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources 00:33 mentioned in this broadcast, 00:35 call 800-835-6747. 00:39 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:45 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:48 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 - Hello listening friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:55 Authorities in Sri Lanka say 00:56 the world's largest star sapphire cluster 00:59 has been found in a backyard by accident. 01:02 A gem trader said the stone was found by workman 01:05 digging a well behind his home 01:07 in the gem-rich Ratnapura area. 01:10 The cluster weighs around 1,124 pounds 01:14 or 2.5 million carats, 01:17 and has been named the Serendipity Sapphire. 01:20 Experts say the stone, which is pale blue in color, 01:23 has an estimated value of up to 100 million 01:27 in the international market. 01:29 Mr. Gamage, the owner of the stone, said, 01:31 "The person who was digging the well 01:33 "alerted us about some rare stones. 01:35 "Later we stumbled upon this huge specimen." 01:38 He didn't wanna give us his full name or location 01:40 for obvious security reasons. 01:43 Along with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, 01:45 sapphires are considered among the most valuable gems. 01:48 The huge stone is believed to be 01:50 the largest sapphire cluster in the world. 01:53 You know, Pastor Ross, 01:55 sapphires are mentioned more than any other precious gem 01:58 in the Bible. 01:59 - Yes, Pastor Doug, it's amazing when you think about it. 02:00 I mean, you've got the Bible speaking of sapphires 02:03 in the second book of the Bible, Exodus, 02:06 and then you find the last book of the Bible, 02:08 the Book of Revelation, again mentions sapphire. 02:11 And I understand that they're 02:12 one of four of the most precious stones on Earth, 02:16 but also four precious stones spoken of in the Bible. 02:19 - That's right, yeah. 02:20 And it's mentioned several times, Ezekiel. 02:23 In fact, well, let's give folks a few samples. 02:25 It's a Bible answer program, let's use some Bible here. 02:28 Exodus 24:10. 02:30 It says: 02:32 When this is not long after the 10 Commandments 02:33 were given and the people drew near the Mountain of God 02:36 and they saw the God of Israel 02:38 and there was under His feet, as it were, 02:40 a paved work of sapphire stone, 02:43 and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 02:46 You know what it's like? 02:48 Sapphire's a blue sparkling, kind of a heavenly color. 02:51 And on the High Priest, he used to wear an ephod. 02:55 And on the ephod or the breast plate, 02:58 there were 12 stones and every stone was different, 03:00 and one of those stones is a sapphire. 03:03 Which is interesting because the Bible also tells us that 03:07 Satan, before he was Satan he was Lucifer, 03:09 one of God's great angels, 03:11 and it tells us that he had many of the same stones 03:14 as the High Priest, 03:15 these beautiful gems that he wore, sapphire is mentioned. 03:19 But then when you get to Revelation 03:22 and it talks about 03:23 the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem, 03:25 says there are 12 foundations 03:27 and each foundation is a precious stone. 03:30 And of course among them is a sapphire stone. 03:34 And some people think, "Well, how can that be real? 03:36 "Gates of pearl, 03:38 "12 glorious gem foundation stones." 03:44 It is real. It's very real. 03:45 And God has prepared a city. 03:48 Those things don't wear away. 03:49 The pyramids are still here today 03:51 'cause they're made of mineral. 03:53 God is gonna make the new Jerusalem out of minerals 03:55 that will last forever. 03:57 And if anyone's wondering about that place called Heaven, 04:01 we've got a book that I think will encourage you. 04:03 It's got a lot of scripture in it. 04:05 Tell you not only that Heaven is real, 04:06 but how you can be there. 04:08 - We have a book, it's called, "Heaven: Is It For Real?" 04:10 And this is a free offer. 04:12 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 04:15 The number call is 800-835-6747 04:19 and you can just simply ask for the book. 04:21 It's called, "Heaven: Is It For Real?" 04:23 We'll be happy to send that to anyone here in North America. 04:26 If you're outside of North America, 04:27 folks can just go to the Amazing Facts website 04:30 and you'll be able to read the book there online. 04:31 "Heaven: Is It For Real?" 04:33 You know, Pastor Doug, sometimes people, 04:35 they read the Bible's description of Heaven 04:37 and then they try and calculate what Heaven would be like 04:41 based on human terms or worldly terms, 04:45 and it just seems so spectacular it's beyond belief. 04:49 But what we need to recognize is that 04:51 what the Bible tells us that we can't even begin to imagine 04:54 the things that God has prepared for those that love Him. 04:56 - Absolutely. 04:58 - All right, well before we get to the program this evening, 05:00 as we always do, we like to start with prayer. 05:01 - [Doug] Yes. 05:02 - So let's do that. 05:04 Dear Father, we thank You once again for this opportunity 05:05 to open up Your Word, the Bible, and study together. 05:08 And Father, we ask Your blessing upon this program. 05:11 Be with the people who are listening wherever they are, 05:13 across this country 05:14 and even in other places around the world. 05:16 Father, we know the greatest 05:17 and most important thing for us to do 05:19 is to come to a saving knowledge of You through Your Word. 05:22 So bless our time today. 05:24 For we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 05:27 - Amen. 05:28 - Well, Pastor Doug, we do have phone lines that are open 05:30 and if you have a Bible related question, 05:32 the number to call is 800-463-7297. 05:36 If you don't get in right away, 05:37 just stay on hold and one of our call screeners 05:40 will be happy to take your call. 05:42 We have our first caller for this evening. 05:44 We have Somme who's listening from Massachusetts. 05:48 Somme, welcome to the program. 05:50 - [Somme] Hi, thank you for taking my call. 05:54 I have a question about the four angels 05:56 that surround the throne of God. 05:58 - [Doug] Mm-hmm. 05:59 - [Somme] And first of all, I wondered if they, 06:03 if Lucifer used to be one of them. 06:05 And secondly, why do they cry out, "Holy, holy, holy?" 06:09 I know that it appeared in Isaiah 6 and also Revelation 4. 06:14 - [Doug] Right. 06:15 - [Somme] I just wanna know your thoughts 06:16 about these two things. 06:18 - Okay. You're right. 06:19 There's only two places in the Bible where it says, 06:21 "Holy, holy, holy," three times, 06:23 and you've mentioned there Isaiah 6 and in Revelation 4. 06:27 There's a little difference in the vision. 06:29 In Isaiah 6 it says there's two Seraphim by the throne. 06:33 That sounds more in keeping with the two Cherubim 06:35 by the throne or the mercy seat in the Ark of the Covenant 06:40 and in the Jewish temple. 06:41 But when we get to Revelation, 06:43 it talks about the four creatures around God's throne. 06:46 I think there's more symbolism being used there. 06:49 You ask now, "Was Lucifer one of them?" 06:51 I think Lucifer was 06:52 one of the two covering Cherubs by the throne of God 06:56 because it says, now is it Isaiah or Ezekiel, 06:58 it says, "Thou art the anointed Cherub that covereth." 07:01 And either Isaiah 14 or Ezekiel 28 says that. 07:06 And there's two big passages on Lucifer 07:09 in those sections of the Bible. 07:11 But in regard to your other question, 07:15 "What's the meaning of the four 07:17 "and why does it say, 'Holy, holy, holy?'" 07:19 Well some have said that in Hebrew, 07:22 when you wanna say something's great, you repeat it. 07:24 If you say someone's handsome, you say, 07:26 "He is handsome, handsome." 07:28 If you really, really, really wanted to emphasize something, 07:31 you'd never go beyond three. 07:32 You'd say, "They're handsome, handsome, handsome. 07:35 "Strong, strong, strong." 07:37 When it says that, "God is holy, holy, holy," 07:40 that means He is perfectly, 07:42 the perfect definition of holiness in Hebrew. 07:45 They would emphasize things by repeating it. 07:48 That's why Jesus sometimes said, 07:49 "Verily, verily, I say to you." 07:51 He said, "You better pay attention. Sit up. 07:54 "This is gonna be very important." 07:56 That passage? 07:57 - Yes, I was actually gonna mention before we get to that, 07:59 we have a whole study guide, Pastor Doug, 08:00 talking about the Devil. 08:01 - Yeah. 08:02 - It's called, "Did God Create a Devil?" 08:03 And it deals with those passages in Isaiah 08:06 that describes Lucifer before the fall 08:09 and there it refers to him as a covering Cherub. 08:12 And there's a lot of other bible verses that you can find. 08:14 So if you'd like to receive that study guide, 08:17 the number to call is 800-835-6747, 08:20 and just ask for the Amazing Fact study guide. 08:23 It's called, "Did God Create a Devil?" 08:24 It's got all the Bible verses there. 08:26 And then one additional thought, Pastor Doug, 08:28 about the four living creatures. 08:29 It's interesting when you look at 08:30 the description in Revelation 4, 08:32 it says that they had six wings 08:34 and their constant cries, "Holy, holy, holy." 08:37 The first is a face like unto a lion, 08:39 the second like unto a calf, 08:40 the third like to a man, 08:42 the fourth like unto a flying eagle. 08:44 And when you look at the description that we find, 08:46 it kinda helps direct us 08:48 or help us understand the ministry of Christ. 08:50 He's the lion, He's the King, 08:52 He's the one who came to bear our sins, 08:54 He's our High Priest in Heaven, 08:55 He's coming as an eagle, as King of kings and Lord of lords. 08:58 So some interesting parallels that we see there 09:00 in Revelation 4. 09:03 Thank you for your call. 09:04 Our next caller that we have is Jeff 09:05 and he is listening in Montana. 09:06 Jeff, welcome to the program. 09:08 - [Jeff] Good evening. 09:09 - Evening. 09:10 - [Jeff] I wanted to know is there any connection 09:13 or significance between the annual tribute 09:16 that Solomon received in 1 Kings 10:14 09:19 of 666 talents of gold 09:22 and the number of the beast in Revelation? 09:24 - You know, that's a great question. 09:26 I've wondered that before. 09:28 I think there's two places in the Bible 09:31 you find that number. 09:32 One of them is that it tells us in 1 Kings 09:35 that there came to Solomon in one year, 666 talents of gold. 09:41 The thing that strikes me about the mention of that number 09:44 is with the reign of David, 09:47 the kingdom was just doing great. 09:50 Israel had conquered all of their enemies, 09:52 David subdued all the surrounding nations, 09:54 and you could go through and name every one of them. 09:55 He subdued them, they were paying tribute. 09:58 Then Solomon becomes King 10:00 and everything goes from good to better. 10:02 He's a godly King. He loves the Lord. 10:04 All nations are coming to Israel, like the Queen of Sheba, 10:07 to find out about God. 10:09 They build the temple of the Lord. 10:10 Solomon builds this incredible palace. 10:12 His reputation for wisdom is going around the world. 10:17 And then it says in one year, 10:18 666 talents came to Israel. 10:21 And the next chapter says: 10:23 But Solomon loved many women. 10:26 And from there the kingdom goes down. 10:28 So it's like the mention of this number happens 10:31 and it shifts from God to man, 10:34 just like man was made on the sixth day. 10:36 And so 666 is like the number four. 10:39 It's the number of a man 10:41 and it's talking about manmade worship. 10:44 From that point on, the kingdom just goes downhill. 10:46 So I thought that's an interesting, 10:47 it's like they turned around a pole 10:49 and ran the other direction when they got to 666. 10:52 So that's all that I've come up with on that. 10:55 Jeff, does that make any sense? 10:58 - [Jeff] Yes, it does. 10:59 Yeah. Especially when you talk about the very next chapter. 11:01 - Yeah. 11:02 Everything turned south right after the mention of 666. 11:05 It's amazing. 11:06 So hey, thank you so much. 11:07 That's a good point. 11:09 - Okay, our next caller that we have is Kathleen 11:11 listening from Arizona. 11:14 Kathleen, welcome to the program. 11:16 - [Kathleen] Hi. Thank you. 11:17 Hi Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. 11:19 My question is regarding Galatians 6. 11:24 In verse two it says: 11:25 Bear you one another's burdens 11:27 and so fulfill the law of Christ. 11:30 But then you go down to verse five and it says: 11:33 For every man shall bear his own burden. 11:36 So it seems to me like it's a contradiction. 11:41 - Yeah, well, I think what Paul is saying is that 11:43 when we love our brother, it's like Jesus says it 11:46 and Paul says it in another place, 11:48 that all of commandment is summed up in this: 11:51 To love your neighbor as yourself. 11:53 Paul is simply saying that 11:54 when you really love your neighbor, 11:56 you're fulfilling the 10 Commandments, 11:59 at least the commandments that deal with 12:00 your love for your fellow man. 12:03 But when he says, "Every man will bear his burden," 12:05 it means that we will all answer to God for our life. 12:11 And everyone does have a cross to bear. 12:13 So he's really using the term I think 12:15 in two different ways there. 12:18 - [Kathleen] Okay. 12:19 - You know Jesus said, "Come after me. Take up your cross." 12:20 We bear the cross after Christ. 12:22 - And I think you'd also add to that a little bit. 12:24 Everybody has a burden to bear 12:26 and that's the point that Paul is emphasizing. 12:28 We all have burdens to bear, 12:30 therefore, let's help one another. 12:32 We can bear one another's burden 12:34 because everyone has their own burden 12:36 that they have to bear. 12:38 - [Kathleen] True, True. 12:39 Okay, thank you very much. 12:41 - All right, thanks so much. 12:43 - Okay, next caller that we have is Damon 12:45 listening from Oklahoma City. 12:47 Damon, welcome to the program. 12:50 - [Damon] Thank you. How you guys doing? 12:51 - We're doing a lot better than we deserve. 12:53 How are you doing? 12:55 - [Damon] I'm doing pretty good. 12:56 - And your question tonight? 12:59 - [Damon] Yeah, my question was over Isaiah 45:7. 13:05 I've seen some atheists try to use this. 13:06 In some bibles it says God created light and darkness 13:10 and it says in some Bibles it says God 13:12 created good and evil. 13:14 And I've seen some atheists try to use that and say, 13:16 "See there, God created evil." 13:17 So I was just wanting to know 13:19 how do you guys actually break down that verse? 13:21 Or does it supposed to say evil there or not? 13:24 - Yeah, the word when he says this in 13:29 that passage there in Isaiah. 13:30 - Isaiah 45:7 is the verse. 13:32 - Yeah. He's not saying that God creates evil. 13:35 The word there is really that He sends judgment. 13:38 And it is true that God will send judgment. 13:41 So it's talking about when he says, "Evil," 13:44 you read there the context Isaiah's talking about 13:47 disasters that were gonna come upon God's people 13:49 'cause they turned away from God. 13:51 And He was gonna allow that. 13:53 And so in that sense you might say, 13:54 "Well, people would think a disaster is evil." 13:57 But when people turn away from the Lord, they reject God, 14:01 they reject His protection from the Devil, 14:03 and so in that sense He's like, 14:05 "You're saying you chase me away 14:06 "and I'm your hedge of protection. 14:08 "A Devil's gonna get to you." 14:10 And even in the story of Job, the Devil said, 14:13 "You've put a hedge of angels about him. 14:15 "But if you move your hedge and I get to touch him, 14:18 "he'll curse you." 14:19 And God says, "All right, I'm gonna back off 14:21 "to show you that you're wrong." 14:22 So that's the big question is, 14:25 is God guilty of sending evil 14:29 when He withdraws His protection? 14:31 And the Lord, He did send a flood on Noah. 14:34 So people would say, "Well, is that evil?" 14:36 God didn't make evil but He does judge wickedness. 14:41 - [Damon] Mm. 14:43 - Does that help, Damon? 14:45 - [Damon] Yeah, that does help a lot. 14:46 - I've heard people use the verse that way 14:48 and they wanna make it sound like, "See, God made evil." 14:50 But you could also, if they believe the Bible, 14:53 I mean they're reading the Bible 14:54 to try and prove God made evil. 14:55 Read the part of the Bible where it says: 14:57 Every good and perfect gift comes from God. 15:00 And you can read in Genesis where God makes the world, 15:02 says, "Everything was good, good, very good." 15:05 And you get to chapter three 15:06 and men decided not to believe the Word of God 15:08 and that's when evil came in. 15:10 - Mm-hmm. 15:11 You know we do have that study guide, 15:11 we mentioned it earlier, 15:13 it's called, "Did God Create a Devil?" 15:14 And it deals with this question of, 15:17 if God is good, why does He allow bad things to happen? 15:20 And we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls 15:22 and asks. 15:23 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 15:27 And you can ask for the Amazing Fact study guide. 15:29 It's called, "Did God Create a Devil?" 15:31 Next caller that we have is Alex. 15:33 And Alex is listening from Tennessee. 15:34 Alex, welcome to the program. 15:37 - [Alex] Hey! Hello Pastor Doug. Hello Pastor Jean. 15:40 - Hi. 15:43 - [Alex] So I had a question 15:44 and I just found the verse to back it up 15:46 where in Hebrews 9:22 where it says: 15:49 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood 15:51 and without shedding of blood there's no remission, 15:54 which is usually referring to sin. 15:56 So I was wondering why do you need to use, 16:00 why did God require blood for the sacrifices? 16:03 I mean, for remission of sins? 16:04 Could there have been some alternative or something? 16:07 - Yeah, well blood is the epitome of an example of life. 16:12 And it says in the Bible, and it's in Genesis, Pastor Ross, 16:15 it's in a couple places, I think. 16:16 It may be in Leviticus too. 16:18 The life is in the blood. 16:19 The life is in the blood. 16:21 And so when the penalty for sin is death 16:24 and when Jesus poured out His blood, 16:27 it's like He gave His life. 16:29 Every single cell in your body is fed and cleansed by blood 16:35 and when a person loses their blood, they die. 16:38 And so it's always become sort of a symbol 16:40 that blood was an atonement 'cause it represented a life. 16:44 Now the Jews did not believe in 16:47 where people would prick their finger 16:50 and you'd use a little bit of blood 16:51 to become blood brothers. 16:53 I remember when I was a kid we did that. 16:55 I don't know where we got that. 16:56 We heard that's how you become Indian blood brothers. 16:58 We need to prick our fingers 16:59 and we touch the blood together. 17:01 And the Jews didn't have a ceremony 17:04 where you used a little bit of your blood. 17:06 When you gave your blood it was because you died. 17:09 They would cut the throat of the lamb. 17:11 It required a death 17:13 and so the blood became a symbol of that. 17:16 - And of course it ties into the cost of redemption 17:19 was the blood of Christ, meaning the death of Christ, 17:21 His substitutionary death. 17:22 And so through the sacrificial system, 17:24 sacrificing the lambs, 17:25 it was all pointing forward to Jesus 17:27 and His sacrifice that was to come. 17:31 Does that help, Alex? 17:34 - [Alex] Yeah. 17:34 But speaking about Jesus dying, 17:37 I've heard some people think that it's a moral injustice 17:40 for Jesus to die on the cross instead of us. 17:43 What do you think about that? 17:45 - Yeah, I think that it's a sign of the love of God 17:47 that He would substitute Himself. 17:49 Whenever somebody loves somebody and they say, 17:51 "Look, I don't want them to suffer. 17:53 "I will take their suffering for them." 17:55 The Bible says: 17:56 No greater love has anyone 17:58 that than he would lay down his life for a friend. 18:01 By the way, that verse is Leviticus 17:11. 18:04 For the life of the flesh is in the blood. 18:07 And it says: 18:09 To make atonement for your souls, 18:12 it is in the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 18:15 That's probably the best definition there. 18:17 Leviticus 17:11. 18:19 But yeah, it's the justice of God. 18:22 A death was required. 18:24 He said, "I will die in your place." 18:26 - You know, we have a book called, 18:26 "The High Cost of the Cross" 18:28 that talks about the sacrifice of Jesus. 18:30 That's really inspiring and we'd be happy to send this book 18:33 to anyone who calls and asks. 18:34 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 18:38 Again, you can ask for the book. 18:39 It's called, "The High Cost of the Cross." 18:41 We'll send it to anyone here in North America. 18:43 If you're outside of North America, 18:45 you can read it at the Amazing Facts website. 18:48 Thanks for your call, Alex. 18:49 The next caller that we have is Susie. 18:51 And she's listening from Colorado. 18:52 Susie, welcome to the program. 18:55 - [Susie] Hi. 18:55 - Hi. 18:57 - [Susie] Thank you for taking my call. 18:57 I just have one question. 18:59 I wanna know, does our name go in the Book of Life 19:02 when we're conceived 19:03 and then it stays there until we reject Christ? 19:08 - No, your name goes in the Book of Life 19:09 when you accept Christ 19:10 because we're all born in sort of a fallen condition. 19:14 And when we turn to Christ and we accept Christ, 19:17 you're born again. 19:19 Jesus said He's come to give us eternal life. 19:21 You don't really receive eternal life just by being born. 19:24 You receive eternal life 19:25 by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus in your behalf. 19:28 At that point, He enters your name in the Book of Life. 19:32 And now a person sometime in their life, 19:35 they could turn away from the Lord. 19:37 I think Moses talks about, he said, 19:40 "Take my name out of your book which you have written." 19:43 And God says, and this is Exodus 32:33, 19:45 the Lord said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, 19:48 "I will blot him out of my book." 19:50 In other words, among the believers, the children of Israel, 19:53 they accepted the Lord. 19:54 But He says if they turn from Him, 19:56 "I'll take their name out of the book." 19:57 It doesn't mean one sin, it means a life of sin. 19:59 You give up on the Lord. 20:00 - Mm-hmm. And we have a few more verses. 20:02 Kind of interesting. 20:03 Paul refers to this in Philippians 4:3. 20:06 He talks about his fellow workers 20:07 whose names are written in the Book of Life. 20:09 Revelation 3:5 says that those who are faithful, 20:13 He will not blot their names out of the Book of Life. 20:16 Revelation 13:8 says: 20:18 Those whose names have been written in the Book of Life, 20:21 they are the ones that'll worship God. 20:24 So to have your name written in the Book of Life 20:26 is a good thing. 20:27 It means eternal life. 20:28 - Yeah. 20:30 And anyone listening? 20:32 I'm sorry. Say that again please. 20:35 - [Susie] Babies that die before they can accept Christ. 20:39 - Yeah. 20:40 The Bible's pretty clear that the children of believers that 20:43 they die before the age of accountability, 20:47 they're gonna be in the kingdom 20:48 by virtue of their parents' decision. 20:52 There's a great mystery 20:53 and debate in the world among theologians about: 20:57 Is every baby that is born or every baby that's conceived, 21:01 are they all automatically saved? 21:03 They definitely are not going to be punished. 21:05 But whether that means 21:06 they're automatically all resurrected, 21:10 that's a mystery. 21:11 Some believe that yes, 21:12 every baby that is conceived is gonna be in Heaven. 21:15 And then when you do the math though, it seems like, 21:18 heavens, you're gonna be swimming in babies. 21:21 And then there's some who believe that 21:23 they may just go to sleep 21:24 and be as though they had not been. 21:25 You were gonna say? 21:26 - Yeah, I was just gonna add to that. 21:27 You know, we do have a reference in Jeremiah 31:16 21:30 that's actually quoted by Matthew 21:32 and it's referring to the time when 21:34 the Romans destroyed all of the baby boys in Bethlehem. 21:37 And the quote from Jeremiah 31:16. 21:40 Thus saith the Lord, "Refrain your voice from weeping 21:42 "and your eyes from tears 21:44 "for your work shall be rewarded," saith the Lord. 21:46 "And they shall come back from the land of the enemy." 21:49 So the land of the enemy meaning death here. 21:52 So this is a promise to those mothers 21:54 that their children would be resurrected 21:57 in the resurrection at the second coming of Christ. 21:59 So we do have hope, yes. 22:01 Believing parents will get to see their their children 22:04 if they die before the age of accountability. 22:07 - Does that help a little, Susie? 22:09 - [Susie] Yes it does. Thank you so much. 22:11 - All right, thank you. 22:12 - Next caller that we have is Paul listening in Idaho. 22:15 Paul, welcome to the program. 22:18 - [Paul] Good day. 22:19 - Hi. 22:20 - [Paul] Hey, I have a question. 22:22 Now, this three angels' message that comes in Revelation 14. 22:28 - Yes? 22:29 - [Paul] Now why are we so 22:34 fearful of showing that 22:36 and why are people not accepting it? 22:40 - Yeah, that's interesting you had asked that question. 22:43 I was just working on a message today 22:45 about the three angels' message 22:46 I'm gonna be sharing this week 22:48 at a Christian convention in Orlando, 22:51 and that's my subject. 22:52 So you're right, some people are reluctant to share it. 22:55 For those listening, our brother here is talking about 22:59 the three angels' message. 23:01 In Revelation 14, it talks about Jesus coming in the clouds 23:05 and right after Jesus is pictured 23:08 or right before Jesus is pictured coming in the clouds, 23:11 it talks about these three angel messages. 23:13 And Revelation 13 says: 23:17 Every nation, kindred, tongue 23:18 and person is gonna be forced to worship the beast 23:20 or they can't buy or sell and they'll be killed. 23:23 Revelation 14 says the gospel's gonna go to every nation, 23:25 kindred, tongue and people. 23:27 So in the last days, 23:29 these messages of angels flying in Heaven, 23:31 it's a last day emphasis of the gospel 23:34 and the message of judgment and salvation goes to the world 23:38 immediately prior to Christ coming. 23:40 That's why it's a very important present truth. 23:43 - And of course, 23:44 immediately following the proclamation 23:45 of the three angels' message, Pastor Doug, 23:47 you read about the second coming of Christ 23:48 there in Revelation 14. 23:50 - [Doug] Yeah. 23:51 - And of course the angels, 23:52 I'm sure they are real angels or angelic angels 23:56 that assist in the proclamation of the message. 23:58 But in a very real sense 24:00 God's people are represented by those angels 24:02 that are taking that end time message to the world. 24:05 - [Doug] Yeah. 24:06 You know, we do have a study guide 24:08 talking about the three angels' messages. 24:09 It's called, "Angel Messages From Space." 24:12 And a very important subject found there in Revelation 14. 24:15 We'll send that to anyone who calls and ask. 24:17 The number again is 800-835-6747. 24:21 And you can ask for the study guide, 24:22 "Angel Messages From Space." 24:24 It's all about the three angels' messages. 24:27 All right, well thanks for your call. 24:28 We've got Kirk listening in Texas. 24:30 Kirk, welcome to the program. 24:31 - [Kirk] Yes, thank you. 24:32 - Hi. And your question tonight? 24:35 - [Kirk] Yes. Oh, I have a lot of questions, 24:37 but I guess I only have time to ask you one. 24:44 My question is, did Jesus use His divine nature 24:47 to overcome the temptation 24:49 or did He use His human nature to overcome the temptation? 24:56 - Well, Jesus ended up using the same power 24:59 that is available to you and me. 25:00 Every time He was tempted, He responded by saying, 25:03 "It is written. It is written." 25:06 And we can use that. 25:08 Now in the Bible you've got examples of Bible characters 25:12 that were tempted that fell. 25:16 Solomon and David would be examples of that. 25:18 And in the Bible you've got examples of human characters 25:22 that were victorious. 25:23 Joseph was sorely tempted by Potiphar's wife 25:27 and Job went through a series of terrible temptations. 25:30 But it said in all these things he'd sin not 25:33 or did he curse God foolishly or charge God foolishly. 25:36 And so Jesus, He trusted in His Father. 25:42 He's an example for us of how we can overcome 25:45 and how others have overcome. 25:48 Man doesn't live by bread alone but by every Word. 25:50 Of course, that's one of the responses that Jesus gave 25:52 to Lucifer when he was tempted. 25:55 - Mm-hmm. 25:56 And Jesus said in John 5:30, 25:59 He said, "I can of myself do nothing." 26:01 That must have shocked the disciples. 26:02 But when Jesus took upon Himself humanity, 26:04 He laid aside His divinity in one sense 26:08 and He trusted in the strength given to Him by His Father, 26:12 even as His disciples and as believers ought to do. 26:15 - Everything Jesus did, 26:17 He did with the power that is available to you and me. 26:21 Jesus raised the dead. 26:22 But you can see where the apostles raised the dead. 26:24 He healed the sick, the apostles healed the sick. 26:26 Christ said, "These miracles that I've done, 26:28 "greater things than these will you do 26:30 "because I go to the Father." 26:32 So hopefully that answers your question. 26:34 Appreciate that. 26:35 You know we do have a book. 26:36 It's called, "Tips for Resisting Temptation." 26:39 And we'll be happy to send this to anyone who asks. 26:41 Again, the number is 800-835-6747. 26:45 "Tips for Resisting Temptation." 26:47 (relaxing music) 26:48 And friends, you hear the music in the background. 26:49 It's not the end. We're just taking a break. 26:50 We'll be right back. 26:52 (upbeat orchestral music) 26:55 - [Announcer] Stay tuned. 26:56 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:02 - The US Government is drowning in debt 27:05 to the tune of $22 trillion. 27:07 But before you wag your finger at the government's spending, 27:10 the Federal Reserve says the average American household 27:14 carries over $137,000 in debt. 27:18 Well, it was never God's plan 27:19 that we live with a burden of debt. 27:21 Proverbs 22:7 warns us the rich rules over the poor 27:25 and the borrower is servant to the lender. 27:28 Living with debt is a stressful burden. 27:30 It actually hurts your relationship with God. 27:32 In my new pocketbook, "Deliverance From Debt," 27:35 I outline the Bible principles 27:37 on how to properly manage your money 27:39 with some practical suggestions on how you can get out 27:42 and stay out of debt. 27:44 If you or someone you love is drowning in debt, 27:47 order a copy of "Deliverance From Debt" today. 27:50 It can be a lifesaver to keep you from going under. 27:53 Please call 800-538-7275 27:57 or visit afbookstore.com. 28:00 - [Announcer] Have you ever skipped a meal? 28:01 Not a bad idea if you need to watch your waistline, 28:04 but there's a heavenly food you should never skip, 28:07 God's Word. 28:08 Yet, how can you dive in daily when you're so busy? 28:11 Amazing Facts has you covered 28:12 and it's as easy as signing up for our daily devotional 28:15 and verse of the day, both sent directly to your inbox. 28:18 Ready to bless, inspire, and inform you. 28:21 To start receiving the Amazing Facts daily devotional 28:24 and verse of the day, 28:25 visit amazingfacts.org 28:27 and click on Bible study in the main menu. 28:29 You'll be glad you did. 28:31 (dramatic music) 28:32 - [Announcer] In six days, 28:33 God created the heavens and the Earth. 28:36 For thousands of years, 28:37 man has worshiped God on the seventh day of the week. 28:40 Now, each week, 28:42 millions of people worship on the first day. 28:45 What happened? 28:46 Why did God create a day of rest? 28:49 Does it really matter what day we worship? 28:51 Who is behind this great shift? 28:53 Discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed. 28:57 Visit sabbathtruth.com. 29:01 (upbeat orchestral music) 29:05 - [Announcer] You're listening to "Bible Answers Live" 29:07 where every question answered 29:09 provides a clearer picture of God and His plan to save you. 29:13 So what are you waiting for? 29:15 Get practical answers about the Good Book 29:17 for a better life today. 29:22 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 29:25 If you'd like answers 29:26 to your Bible related questions on the air, 29:28 please call us next Sunday between 7:00 p.m. 29:31 and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:33 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned 29:36 in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 29:42 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 29:48 Now let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 29:53 - Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers Live." 29:55 I am Pastor Doug Batchelor. 29:57 - And my name is Jean Ross. 29:58 And as you can tell from the name, 29:59 this is "Bible Answers Live." 30:01 So if you have a Bible related question, 30:03 we'd love to hear from you. 30:05 The number to call if you have a Bible question is 30:07 800-463-7297. 30:11 Pastor Doug, we have quite a few folks lined up 30:13 waiting for their Bible question, 30:15 so we're gonna go to the very next caller we have. 30:17 We have someone calling from Sydney, Australia. 30:19 We got Faday listening from Sydney. 30:22 - [Faday] Okay, my question. 30:24 Okay, the woman that sits on the beast with seven heads. 30:29 Can I put my two cents in? 30:31 - Oh, you have a question or a comment? 30:33 - [Faday] A comment of the seven heads. 30:36 - All right. 30:37 Make that brief 'cause most people are waiting 30:39 to ask a question. (laughs) 30:40 - [Faday] Okay. 30:42 The birth ministry and the death of Jesus 30:45 proved seven false religion systems were false. 30:48 The seven heads, there's seven mountains, seven continents. 30:53 One says the paganism says God created by men. 30:57 The second atheism says there is no God. 31:01 And the third one is Judaism says 31:05 salvation comes through work. 31:07 And this fourth one is Islam. 31:11 Salvation comes through work. 31:13 And the fifth head is Eastern Mysticism. 31:19 Man can become God. 31:21 And one is Catholic. 31:23 And the other head, number seven, 31:26 is salvation comes through works. 31:29 So all they're mountains or hills, well, 31:33 let's say the Catholic around the world 31:36 look to their mountain, the Vatican. 31:39 And Protestant look to the head of Capitol Hill 31:45 and the other heads look to their God Mountains. 31:48 - Yeah. 31:49 - [Faday] That's what I see. 31:50 And the woman that sits on- 31:50 - Interesting. 31:52 - [Faday] And the woman, that's the woman, that's Jezebel, 31:55 just like Jesus has a bride, the people, 31:58 and Jezebel is the antichrist people. 32:01 - Okay. Now do you have a question? 32:04 - [Faday] That's what I think. That's what I'm saying. 32:06 - Oh right. Well, I've never heard that. 32:08 That's very intriguing. 32:09 I would respectfully disagree, 32:11 but I've honestly never heard that interpretation before 32:15 for the seven mountains that you find in Revelation 17. 32:18 Most people believe it says that 32:20 that woman is a great city 32:22 that reigns over the kings of the Earth. 32:24 When John had his vision, 32:25 that great city was of course the kingdom of Rome 32:27 that had imprisoned him 32:28 and of course was responsible for the execution of Jesus. 32:32 And that those, 32:33 it says five of those seven hills are also seven, 32:36 not only the seven hills of Rome, 32:38 Rome is called The City of Seven Hills, 32:40 and here you've got a woman. 32:41 It's a church situated in Rome 32:43 that doesn't leave any questions I would think. 32:47 But it says that those seven hills are also seven kings. 32:51 Five are fallen, one is, one is yet to come. 32:54 He's also the eighth. I'm paraphrasing. 32:57 And people have believed these are the five empires 32:59 that have occupied and persecuted God's people, 33:03 namely Egypt, Assyria, 33:06 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece. 33:08 Those are the five that were fallen 33:10 when John had his vision. 33:11 One is Rome was the one that is 33:14 and it says he's also the seventh 33:17 because it was first Pagan Rome is the sixth. 33:21 Papal Rome is the seventh. 33:22 Papal Rome receives a deadly wound but comes back again, 33:25 meaning he's also the eighth. 33:27 Now, that may not be a perfect interpretation 33:29 but it's satisfied me for several years. 33:31 - [Jean] Mm-hmm. 33:32 - And I think most many Protestant Reformers 33:34 believed something like that. 33:36 - Yes, and if you go back into the Old Testament, 33:37 you notice starting as early as the Book of Daniel, 33:40 you find different beasts representing kingdoms 33:43 that have warred against God's people. 33:45 You find that not only in the Old Testament, 33:47 but of course in the New Testament 33:48 there was also persecutions that came upon Christians 33:50 through various political 33:52 and then eventually political religious powers 33:54 as you look in history. 33:56 So that's an interesting study in Revelation 17. 33:59 Thanks for your call. 34:00 Next caller that we have is Steven listening from Canada. 34:02 Steven, welcome to the program. 34:04 - [Steven] Hi Pastor Doug Batchelor and Pastor Jean Ross. 34:08 Nice to be on. 34:09 - Oh, it's good to have you on. 34:10 - [Steven] My question is, 34:12 it says in chapter 12 of Numbers, it says: 34:16 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses 34:19 because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, 34:23 for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 34:25 So my question is, I'm curious. 34:26 It says she's an Ethiopian woman in chapter 12, 34:30 but why like back in Numbers chapter, 34:33 just before chapter three 34:34 and in the first verse of chapter three, 34:37 it talks, well, obviously because Jethro being the 34:40 Prince of Midia or Jethro's, 34:43 well, he's a Midianite. 34:45 His daughter would, of course, naturally be a Midianite. 34:48 If I'm saying that correctly. 34:49 So I'm just wondering why seeming contradiction 34:53 or just something maybe the way that King James laid it out? 34:55 I don't know. 34:56 I'm wondering what you guys think about that. 34:58 - Yeah, there's a couple of ways 35:00 and no one's absolutely sure. 35:03 But of course Moses first meets Zipporah, a Midianite, 35:09 the daughter of, 35:10 I think she's the oldest of Jethro's daughters. 35:12 And he meets her 40 years earlier. 35:15 He rescues the girls by the well and he has sons with her. 35:18 She's still alive when he goes into Egypt 35:20 because there's a mention of her specifically. 35:24 Later, her father-in-law comes and brings the boys. 35:27 I guess she had gone back during the 10 plagues. 35:29 She had gone back to Midian 35:30 and her father then meets up with the boys 35:33 and with his wife. 35:34 A Midianite, they could easily be called an Ethiopian 35:38 because it was all the same territory. 35:40 So many times in the Bible 35:42 you'll hear a particular group of people 35:45 and there's a couple of different ways they're referenced. 35:48 You know, Aaron, this is an example of Miriam and Aaron. 35:53 They were upset that Moses did not marry a Jewish girl, 35:57 even though Midian is related to Abraham. 36:00 She was not an Israelite. 36:03 And she may have been darker skinned 36:07 and so they're exhibiting some frustration. 36:12 And I think that Miriam was also feeling slighted 36:15 that God is speaking to her younger brother 36:18 and she had been a prophetess and not talking to her. 36:21 And she was wanting some of the leadership. 36:22 She wanted to be promoted. 36:24 So she gets punished through this story you find here 36:27 in Exodus 12. 36:29 But the other theory is that 36:32 after 40 something years of marriage, 36:34 maybe Zipporah had died and Moses had remarried, 36:38 which would not be uncommon 36:39 'cause he still had another 40 years to live. 36:41 So they're not sure. 36:44 There's nothing in the Bible that says explicitly 36:46 one way or the other. 36:47 I'm inclined to think that 36:49 they just had two different ways of referring to Zipporah. 36:51 One is she's a Midianite, 36:52 the other one says she's a Ethiopian. 36:55 Midian was a tribe, Ethiopia was kind of more of a race. 36:58 - Mm-hmm. And an area. 36:59 - Yeah. 37:00 - They came from. 37:01 All right, well thanks for your call Steven. 37:01 We appreciate it. 37:03 We've got Jonathan listening in Nashville, Tennessee. 37:04 Jonathan, welcome to the program. 37:07 - [Jonathan] Hey, good evening. 37:08 - Hi. 37:09 - [Jonathan] Pastor Ross, Pastor Batchelor, how y'all doing? 37:11 - Doing good. Thank you for calling. 37:13 - [Jonathan] All right, good to hear. 37:14 Hey, this question is regarding the Book of Daniel. 37:18 Been looking at some of the prophecies 37:20 on how some of the other Christian faith communities 37:24 look at how the kingdoms are run in sequence. 37:28 What do you think where some of the disagreement 37:32 or where things kinda diverge and how the gap theory 37:37 and some of these seven year tribulations? 37:41 I guess what are the scriptures that we could point to 37:44 to help us look by these kingdoms run in sequence 37:48 versus allowing for any gap? 37:51 - Yeah, great question. 37:52 Now I think Jonathan's referring more specifically 37:56 to Daniel 9 where there's a 490 year prophecy. 38:00 And you know all the kingdoms, namely Babylon, 38:03 Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, you got Pagan Rome, Papal Rome, 38:07 and then the divisions of the Roman Empire, 38:09 they all kind of run in sequence. 38:11 When you get to Daniel 9, 38:12 it talks about this 490 year prophecy 38:15 and then it tells us that after 483 years, 38:20 Messiah is cut off. 38:22 Of course, in that last seven years, 38:25 it says in the midst of the week 38:26 he causes the sacrifice to cease. 38:29 That's talking about from the time of Jesus' baptism, 38:32 He ministers 3 1/2 years, He dies on the cross, 38:35 the veil in the temple is ripped, 38:37 He causes the sacrifice to cease. 38:39 He rises from the dead 38:40 and for 3 1/2 years, He tells the disciples, 38:43 "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles. 38:45 "Continue to preach to the lost house of Israel." 38:47 The time for the Jewish nation had not been cut off yet 38:51 until the Supreme Court of the nation stoned Stephen, 38:55 the Sanhedrin. 38:57 But there was a, 38:59 I think this came in with Darbyism, 39:01 they came in with a futuristic interpretation that 39:05 that seven weeks was not contiguous 39:07 with the 483 years of Daniel 9. 39:10 That you could take that seven weeks 39:12 and you could float it around in the end of time somewhere, 39:14 and it was the seven years of tribulation. 39:16 You don't find the phrase, "Seven years of tribulation" 39:18 anywhere in the Bible. 39:19 This is a very, in my opinion, 39:21 it is a very free-spirited interpretation 39:25 as someone just kind of made this up 39:28 and they thought it sounded good. 39:29 And 39:32 I've heard people say, 39:33 "Well, because Noah had to wait in the ark seven days 39:36 "before the flood, 39:38 "that's representing the seven last place 39:41 "and seven years of the time of trouble." 39:43 Now, I think that this is all 39:45 one continuous prophecy of 490 years. 39:47 We have a study guide on that. 39:49 - We do. I'm actually looking. 39:50 It's called, "Right on Time." 39:51 And it deals with this 490 year time period 39:54 that you find in the Book of Daniel. 39:55 And we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls 39:58 and asks. 39:59 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 40:02 And you can ask for the study guide. 40:03 It's called, "Right on Time." 40:05 And we'll get it to you in the mail. 40:07 Thank you for your call. 40:08 We've got, let's see, our next caller. 40:09 We're gonna go to Jeff. 40:11 Jeff in Wellingham or Wilington, Delaware? 40:14 Jeff, welcome to the program. 40:17 - [Jeff] Hey, how you doing? 40:18 It's actually Wilmington. Wilmington, Delaware. 40:20 - There we go. (laughs) 40:21 - [Jeff] Like the one in North Carolina. 40:22 Well, first I wanna praise God 40:24 for Doug Batchelor and yourself, 40:27 your active involvement in the community 40:29 because I think if you look going back in the past, 40:35 it's really something 40:37 the Seventh-day Adventist Church needed to provide 40:38 and you guys are doing it. 40:39 So thank you very much. I appreciate it. 40:42 - Well, thank you. 40:42 And your question tonight? 40:45 - [Jeff] I actually have a couple. 40:47 Was Lucifer an anomaly? 40:49 How many men were translated? 40:51 Did angels fornicate with men? 40:54 And I have two other ones if you wanna wanna hit those. 40:57 - Oh yeah, let's. 40:58 First of all the one about, 41:00 "Did angels have intimate relations with men?" 41:02 That often comes from Genesis 6 where it says: 41:05 The sons of God saw the daughters of men, 41:07 that they were fair and took the wives of all they chose. 41:09 People think those sons of God are angels. 41:11 It's not at all what it's talking about. 41:13 It's talking about the descendants of Seth 41:15 intermarried with the descendants of Cain. 41:18 And once they lost that distinction, 41:20 violence filled the Earth. 41:22 We have a book on that that we'll send you. 41:24 It's called, "Angels: Alien or Adopted? 41:28 "Who Are the Sons of God?" 41:29 - The number to call is 800-835-6747. 41:32 And again, you can ask for the book it's called, 41:34 "Who Are the Sons of God?" 41:36 And I'm trying to think. 41:37 Was there another question that Jeff had? 41:39 - You asked? You threw two or three quick ones there. Yeah. 41:42 - [Jeff] Yeah. What are your thoughts? 41:43 Was Lucifer an anomaly? 41:45 'Cause you said God didn't create sin, 41:48 so Lucifer created sin. 41:49 Was that an anomaly? 41:51 - Well, no. 41:53 Well, what I mean by no is that God did not have a defect 41:56 if you mean by anomaly. 41:58 God made all of His creatures perfect. 42:00 And it even says in the Bible: 42:01 Thou was perfect in all your ways. 42:05 And part of the perfection is 42:07 Lucifer was made perfectly free. 42:09 And in his perfect freedom, 42:11 he was able to choose whether to love God supremely 42:15 or to start loving himself more. 42:17 And Lucifer became involved in self-worship. 42:21 He didn't wanna worship God. 42:22 He wanted to be God. 42:23 Says, "Thou has said in thy heart, 42:25 "'I will be like the Most High.'" 42:27 God is so free that He will even make a creature 42:31 that can choose not to love Him. 42:33 And so Lucifer, by his own free choice, 42:37 rebelled against God. 42:38 - And that of course reminds me of that free offer we have. 42:40 It's called, "Did God Create a Devil?" 42:42 And it deals with the subject. 42:44 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 42:48 Ask for the study guide, "Did God Create a Devil?" 42:51 Thanks for your call, Jeff. 42:53 We're gonna go to Yolanda listening in Arizona. 42:54 Yolanda, welcome to the program. 42:57 - [Yolanda] Hi. 42:58 - Hi. How are you doing? 43:00 - [Yolanda] I'm good. How are you? 43:01 - Yeah, doing great. And your question tonight? 43:04 - [Yolanda] Okay, so I have, first of all, 43:06 I'd like to tell you guys thank you so much 43:08 for Amazing Facts. 43:09 It was five years ago that I heard one of your sermons 43:12 and I heard things that I've never heard before. 43:16 So I wanna thank you for Amazing Facts 43:21 and to teaching the truth. 43:23 Thank you so much. 43:24 - Thank you so much. Yeah, it's our pleasure. 43:25 - [Yolanda] Okay. 43:26 So my question is in Genesis 4:23 and 24, 43:31 with Lamech, where it says, 43:33 "Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech. 43:35 "Harken unto my speech, 43:37 "for I have slain a man to my wounding 43:40 "and a young man to my hurt. 43:42 "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, 43:45 "truly Lamech 70 and sevenfold." 43:48 I don't know what that means. 43:49 - Yeah, well it's going through the genealogies 43:52 and it just highlights this incident about Lamech. 43:54 And I think one reason it mentions it is, first of all, 43:57 it's the first mention of polygamy. 44:00 He has more than one wife. 44:01 It's not his wife. It's says, "His wives." 44:04 And he says, "Ada and Zilla, hear my voice. 44:06 "Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech." 44:09 And the way it's worded in the King James 44:11 is a little confusing. 44:12 New King James says, 44:13 "For I've killed a man for wounding me 44:16 "and a young man for hurting me." 44:17 So now Cain killed Abel with no provocation. 44:21 Abel did not attack Cain. 44:23 Cain killed him a premeditated cold-blooded murder. 44:26 Here Lamech is saying, "I killed a man. 44:29 "But if Cain's gonna be avenged sevenfold 44:31 "because he did it premeditated, I did it in self-defense, 44:34 "then I'll be avenged 70 times sevenfold." 44:37 And it's giving you a sample of 44:39 where you read later in Genesis 6, 44:41 violence was filling the land. 44:43 It says that it specifically mentions in Genesis 6. 44:46 Said there is just violence 44:48 and the men's thoughts were only evil continually. 44:51 Here you've got, in this one passage, 44:53 you've got polygamy or adultery and murder and violence. 45:00 So it's telling you that things were going south quickly. 45:03 So does that help a little, Yolanda? 45:06 - [Yolanda] Yes, it does. Thank you so much. 45:08 - Thank you. Appreciate your calling. 45:10 - We've got Joy listening from the Bronx in New York. 45:13 Joy, welcome to the program. 45:15 - [Joy] Thank you. Thank you for taking my call. 45:17 I would like to know who's the chief musician. 45:20 - [Doug] You're talking about in the Psalms? 45:23 - [Joy] Yes. 45:24 - Yeah, I think at one point when they had the sanctuary, 45:28 maybe even before the temple of Moses, 45:30 David, he had organized musicians. 45:34 David of course was a very accomplished musician. 45:37 He not only played the harp, 45:38 it says that he made instruments. 45:39 I don't know if he gave instruction on 45:41 how they were to make them, 45:42 but he was very skilled in doing it. 45:45 So much so the King brought him to his palace 45:47 to sing and to play. 45:48 And so David had a love for music. 45:50 He set up a choir that was to praise God in the temple. 45:53 And he had a chief choir director 45:56 and it's called the chief musician. 45:57 The first one that I think is mentioned is Asaph, 45:59 if I'm not mistaken. 46:01 And you'll see there are several Psalms 46:03 that are written by Asaph. 46:05 Not all the Psalms were written by David 46:07 in the Book of Psalms. 46:08 I think David wrote about 71 or 75 of them. 46:12 And so some of these songs may be compositions 46:15 that were written by David and for the chief musician 46:18 to then instruct the Levites and the singers to sing. 46:22 - And of course these Psalms are used 46:23 many, many years after David. 46:25 - Yeah. 46:27 - So you'd have different chief musicians 46:28 that would be in that role in the sanctuary. 46:29 - The music conductor. 46:30 - That's right. Yeah. 46:32 Coordinating the music. 46:33 - He was the chief conductor. 46:34 - All right, well thank you for your call. 46:35 That's a good question. Thanks, Joy. 46:37 Our next caller is Alex listening in Chicago. 46:39 Alex, welcome to the program. 46:42 - [Alex] Hi, thank you so much for taking my call 46:45 Pastor, both pastors. 46:49 Basically I have a question in terms of marriage 46:53 and what book I can look to, especially in Corinthians, 46:57 whether I should stay in a relationship 46:58 or I should leave a relationship 47:00 where I don't have a specific denomination. 47:03 I'm Adventist and he is not. 47:05 And I wanted to know what are some signs 47:07 God can be telling me to leave a relationship? 47:11 - Well, in the Bible 47:13 there are only a couple of examples 47:18 or biblical grounds for divorce. 47:21 One of those being where Jesus says in Matthew 19, 47:26 and I think it's also in Matthew 5, says, 47:29 "What God has joined together, 47:31 "let not man put asunder, 47:32 "saving for the cause of fornication." 47:34 So if a spouse moves in with someone else 47:38 and has an adulterous affair, 47:39 that's grounds for divorce. 47:41 It doesn't mean there has to be divorce. 47:43 If there's repentance and there can be reconciliation, 47:46 that's always better. 47:47 I mean, you think about all the times that God's church has, 47:50 according to the Bible, says: 47:51 The people of God have played the harlot against God 47:54 and yet He comes after us. 47:55 If you read the Book of Hosea it tells that story. 47:58 The other example, you mentioned Corinthians. 48:00 In 1 Corinthians 7, they had a specific situation where 48:06 Paul was preaching to these Roman pagans, 48:08 they don't worship God, and if one of them accepted Jesus. 48:12 So you've got the Greco-Roman pagan 48:15 and they worship Jupiter and all these gods, 48:17 and then they accepted Christ, they got rid of idolatry. 48:19 Well, their spouse was so upset, they said, 48:21 "Look, I didn't sign up for this. 48:23 "I married you. I thought we were in the same religion. 48:26 "Now you've left and become a Christian. I'm leaving you." 48:29 Paul said, "Well, try to get them to stay if they can. 48:32 "If they choose to leave, then let them depart in peace." 48:36 So he mentions a specific case there. 48:38 He's not talking about when two believers, 48:42 well, just are having irreconcilable differences. 48:45 They're married and they gotta work it out. 48:47 So hopefully that gives you some background. 48:51 And by the way, that's in 1 Corinthians 7 48:53 you'll find most of that there. 48:55 - Now Alex, were you also asking about dating or marriage? 49:00 - [Alex] As far as I'm aware, 49:02 there is no mention of dating in the Bible 49:04 or at least New Testament. 49:08 So I wanted to know, I guess, 49:10 does God give you hints whether to stay 49:13 or leave a relationship, 49:14 especially when this person's making it hard 49:17 or asking for a break and staying faithful and all that. 49:23 - Yeah, if you're married then we don't ever recommend 49:28 a person stays in an abusive relationship. 49:31 There should be separation, hopefully counseling. 49:33 But marriage is very serious business and it's a covenant. 49:36 And if you've made that covenant- 49:38 - And of course before marriage, 49:39 the Bible does tell us in 2 Corinthians 6:14 49:42 not to be unequally yoked. 49:44 - Right. 49:45 - And maybe this is what 49:46 your question is also referring to, Alex. 49:47 If we're in a dating relationship 49:49 or a courtship type of relationship with an unbeliever 49:52 or somebody who might be a Christian 49:55 but their beliefs are quite different than your beliefs, 49:58 well, the Bible does give us counsel on that. 50:00 And it's gonna be a challenge 50:02 to have a strong healthy marriage 50:05 if you have people believing things differently. 50:07 - [Doug] Mm-hmm. 50:08 - You know, you have all kinds of questions that arise 50:10 when children come along. 50:11 Are they gonna go to which parent's church? 50:14 And there's all kinds of issues. 50:16 So the counsel that we have in the Bible is 50:18 do not be unequally yolked with unbelievers. 50:20 - Yeah. 50:21 Now we have a book that 50:22 I've written on the subject of marriage. 50:25 It's called, "Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage." 50:27 And we'll send you 50:28 or someone else that might be wanting Bible answers on that 50:30 a free copy. 50:31 - The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 50:35 And again, the book is called, 50:37 "Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage." 50:38 We'll send that to anyone in North America. 50:41 All you have to do is call that number. 50:43 And we've got somebody calling from South Korea. 50:45 Let's see if I can pronounce his name. 50:46 We have Jowa from South Korea. Welcome to the program. 50:52 - [Jowa] Oh, thank you so much 50:54 for pronouncing my name just right. 50:55 This is my first time calling. 50:57 - Oh, welcome. 50:58 - [Jowa] My question is 51:02 my friend believes that China and America 51:05 are two fighting dragons, according to his understanding of 51:10 the Book of Daniel and Revelation. 51:14 But I don't see it in the Bible. 51:15 What's your take on that? 51:17 - Yeah, it's a common belief that 51:19 because you look in the world today 51:20 and people think of a lion, they think of Great Britain, 51:23 and the eagle, they think of the US. 51:25 And almost internationally 51:27 because the dragon is a big part of Chinese festivities, 51:30 people think that the dragon is China. 51:32 In prophecy when it talks about the dragon, 51:34 it had nothing to do with China. 51:36 China was not known as the dragon in Bible times. 51:39 The dragon in Bible prophecies talking about the Devil. 51:42 In Revelation 12, it's more specifically talking about 51:45 the Devil working through the Roman Empire. 51:48 When the dragon sought to devour the man child, 51:51 that's when the Devil tried to destroy Jesus 51:53 as a baby in Bethlehem. 51:56 And so we've got a whole study that talks about that. 51:59 But yes, folks, 52:01 I believe that China may be mentioned in prophecy, 52:03 but it's not the dragon in prophecy. 52:05 - And we do find America mentioned 52:07 in the Book of Revelation. 52:08 It's actually the second beast power 52:10 that you read about in Revelation 13. 52:12 - But we're not the eagle. (laughs) 52:13 - No, we're not the eagle there. (laughs) 52:15 - So can't use those modern, what do you call, 52:18 icons anymore. 52:20 - Yep. All right, well, thanks for your call. 52:21 We're gonna go to- 52:22 - Oh, we could offer him 52:23 that lesson on American prophecy too. 52:24 - Oh, that's a good one. Yes. 52:26 Again, if you're outside of North America, which you are, 52:28 just go to the Amazing Facts website 52:30 and you can read the study guide. 52:31 It's called, "America in Prophecy." 52:33 If you're in North America, 52:35 the number to call is 800-835-6747. 52:38 Ask for the study guide, "America in Prophecy." 52:41 We've got, let's see, Lynn listening in Michigan. 52:43 Lynn, we have just a couple minutes 52:45 before we take a quick break. 52:48 - [Lynn] Yes, hello gentlemen. 52:49 I have a very quick question. 52:53 God created light right off the bat. 52:56 I'm just wondering, in the war in Heaven, 52:59 in the time before He created light, 53:01 I can't believe it was dark then. 53:04 I don't know. Maybe they had a different sensory system. 53:09 But if light wasn't created till Earth's time, 53:14 was it dark in the war in Heaven? 53:16 - No, because you can read in 1 John 1:5, it says: 53:22 This is the message we have heard from Him 53:23 and declare to you that God is light 53:26 and in Him is no darkness at all. 53:29 So when God came to this corner of the universe 53:31 and began creating just by His coming here, 53:33 He said, "Let there be light." 53:35 His presence glows. 53:37 I mean, Moses came away from the presence of God 53:38 and Moses was glowing. 53:40 Kinda like that radioactive clock 53:42 you used to hold to the light 53:43 and then you turn off the lights, 53:44 it glowed for a little while. 53:46 Through exposure to God, Moses was glowing. 53:48 So when God came to this darkened part of the cosmos, 53:53 He said, "Let there be light." 53:55 And He began to divide the day from darkness, 53:57 just by, I think, spinning the Earth. 53:59 And whatever side was facing Him was day 54:01 'cause He doesn't make the Sun until the fourth day. 54:05 So in Heaven, God's glory and light is there. 54:09 And you read in Revelation it says 54:11 there is no need of the Sun in the City of God, 54:13 for the Lord God illuminates the city in Heaven. 54:17 - And when you read the different descriptions of Heaven 54:20 that the prophets saw in the Bible, 54:22 they speak about the glory and the brilliance 54:25 and just the majesty of the presence of God. 54:28 - [Doug] Yeah. 54:29 - The light shining forth from God. 54:30 When the children of Israel were in the wilderness 54:31 and the Shekinah glory, the presence, 54:34 the visible presence of God, 54:35 was revealed there in the tabernacle, in the sanctuary, 54:38 there was a light, a glorious light. 54:40 And of course, 54:42 when God gave the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai, 54:43 there was thundering and light and just great majesty. 54:47 - Yeah, the presence of God is, Bible says: 54:50 The wicked are destroyed by the brightness of His coming. 54:53 And so God is light. In Him is no darkness at all. 54:57 Now listening friend, you don't wanna go away. 54:59 We're signing off our friends listening on satellite radio, 55:02 but we are coming back with a bonus Bible question. 55:05 It's on a very interesting question, so stay tuned. 55:08 We'll be back for our final question. 55:11 (upbeat orchestral music) 55:13 - [Announcer] Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:16 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:19 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by 55:21 Amazing Facts International, a faith-based ministry 55:25 located in Granite Bay, California. 55:29 - Hello friends. 55:31 Welcome back for our "Bible Answers Live" bonus question. 55:33 For those of you who are joining us 55:35 at the Amazing Facts Television channel, 55:37 also watching on Facebook 55:39 or listening on the other radio stations, 55:41 we, from time to time, get people calling in 55:43 or writing in with a Bible question. 55:46 We've got an interesting question that came 55:47 from a gentleman by the name of Eric 55:49 and he is writing from Florida. 55:52 And Pastor Doug, here's his question. 55:53 He says, first of all, he talks about himself 55:56 mentioning that one of the things he does is 55:59 he is a ghost hunter. 56:01 So I guess he investigates 56:03 these paranormal type of things happening. 56:06 He says also that he knows that 56:08 we're not to communicate with the dead, 56:10 but his question is, my main question is, 56:13 "Can I be a Christian and be a ghost hunter? 56:16 "Is that possible?" 56:18 - Well, if you're a Christian, 56:19 I would think you'd wanna be a Jesus hunter. 56:21 - Amen. 56:22 - Why would you wanna hunt for ghosts? 56:23 First of all, 56:25 some people think that ghosts are the spirits of dead people 56:28 that are haunting. 56:30 But the Bible's very clear. 56:32 The living know they'll die, the dead know not anything. 56:34 And you can read in the Book of Job, 56:35 and I think it's chapter 14, says: 56:38 When a man dies, his sons come to honor. 56:40 He doesn't know anything of it. 56:41 He does not return to his house to go haunt his house. 56:44 And so the ghosts that people think they're seeing 56:48 are typically fallen angels, 56:51 sometimes called evil spirits in the Bible, 56:53 that are posing as the dead. 56:56 And you've got an example of that in, I believe it says 56:59 at the end of 1 Samuel where you know, 57:02 Saul goes to see the Witch of Endor 57:04 and this evil spirit impersonates through a medium, 57:10 the dead prophet. 57:11 And as a result of going, trying to consult with the dead, 57:15 Saul ends up losing the battle. 57:18 His three sons die and he commits suicide the next day 57:21 along with his armor bearer. 57:22 It didn't end well. 57:24 The Lord says, "Have nothing to do with a Necromancer." 57:26 And that means somebody who is consulting with the dead. 57:29 - You know, we do have a study guide talking about this. 57:31 It's got an intriguing title. 57:33 It says, "Are the Dead Really Dead?" 57:35 And it talks about the subject. 57:37 It's important, Pastor Doug, that we understand this 57:38 because we know in the last days 57:40 the Devil is gonna do everything he can to deceive. 57:43 And I think one of his deceptions 57:44 is dead loved ones appearing 57:46 and saying things that would contradict the Bible. 57:48 - That'll confuse folks. 57:49 You know, we also have another website called 57:51 ghosttruth.com. 57:54 And some of our friends are writing in questions 57:57 or in prison, they may not have access to the internet, 57:59 but for those of you that do, 58:00 you can just go to ghosttruth.com. 58:03 Hey friends, we've run out of time 58:04 for our "Bible Answers" program for this week, 58:07 but God willing, 58:08 we're gonna be back together with you again next week. 58:10 We hope that you'll tell your friends to tune in now on AFTV 58:14 as well as these other stations. 58:15 God bless. 58:16 (upbeat orchestral music) 58:18 - [Announcer] "Bible Answers Live," 58:20 honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2023-01-10