Participants:
Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA022213S
|
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:03 - [Guest 1] 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. 00:20 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, 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, friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:54 Dragon flies are among the fastest of all insects, 00:58 having been clocked at over 60 miles an hour. 01:01 Fossils tell us that before the flood, 01:03 some dragon flies had a wingspan of nearly three feet. 01:07 Not only are they fast but they're strong too. 01:11 About half of their body mass is devoted to flight muscles 01:14 and they have the ability 01:15 to lift more than twice their body weight, 01:17 a feat that no manmade aircraft has ever come near. 01:21 They can take off backwards, then accelerate at warp speed, 01:24 then stop in an instant. 01:26 They can also execute an unbanked turn as if on a pivot, 01:29 summer salt in the heat of combat 01:31 and fly virtually any maneuver 01:33 using an infinite combination of its four wings. 01:37 Not only can the dragonfly 01:38 outmaneuver anything else on wings, it can see better too. 01:43 It's wraparound compound eyes contain over 30,000 lenses, 01:47 providing a 360 degree field of view. 01:51 In fact, a dragon flag can see a net three feet away, 01:54 dart from its nest, seize and devour the prey, 01:58 and return to its perch all in about one second. 02:02 In addition, 02:03 the success rate when hunting is nearly a 100%, 02:06 where compared to like a (indistinct), Falcon or a lion 02:09 it's 25%. 02:11 The US Air Force has studied the amazing flight versatility 02:14 of dragonflies and wind tunnels, 02:16 hoping to uncover the secret 02:18 of their incredible aerodynamic abilities, 02:21 yet the extraordinary flying ability 02:24 and seeing ability of dragonflies 02:27 doesn't match up with some characters in the Bible, 02:30 Pastor Ross. 02:30 (Pastor Doug laughs) 02:32 - Well, I know where you're going with that Pastor Doug, 02:33 talking about speed. 02:34 I mean, dragonflies are fast 02:36 but in comparison to other created beings 02:39 they don't even come close, 02:40 we're talking about angels. 02:42 Angels, the Bible says, also has wings. 02:44 We have a description of angels with wings in the Bible, 02:47 but these amazing creations, these amazing beings, 02:52 the Bible calls them ministering spirits, 02:54 can travel faster than the speed of light. 02:56 So, we're thinking probably the speed of thought, 02:59 you'd think. 03:00 - There's something between the speed of light 03:03 and how fast angels go, 03:04 we don't know what that measurement is 03:06 but there's an example in the Bible, I believe, 03:08 in the Book of Daniel. 03:10 - Yeah, there's an interesting passage 03:11 you find in Daniel chapter nine, 03:13 a little bit of the background here. 03:15 You have the prophet Daniel who's praying for understanding, 03:19 and in response to his prayer the angel Gabriel 03:22 is sent to answer Daniel's prayer. 03:25 And we actually find the verse here in Daniel chapter nine, 03:27 and starting in verse 21 it says, 03:29 "Yes, while I was speaking in prayer," 03:31 this is Daniel the prophet, 03:32 "... the man Gabriel, 03:34 whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, 03:35 being caused to fly swiftly, 03:37 reached me about the time of the evening offering." 03:40 So, Pastor Doug, here we have here Daniel, I should say, 03:44 the prophet praying for understanding. 03:46 And then the angel Gabriel gets the commission, 03:49 go answer Daniel's request, 03:52 we find in verse 23 of the same chapter, it says, 03:56 now Gabriel is speaking and he says, 03:58 "At the beginning of your supplication," 04:00 that's the beginning of his prayer, 04:01 "... the commandment went out, 04:02 and I've come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; 04:05 therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision." 04:08 So, you look back a little further in the chapter 04:10 you probably got 10 minutes of talking, or maybe even less, 04:15 where Daniel is praying, 04:16 he begins his prayer confessing his sins. 04:18 From that point to where Gabriel suddenly appears 04:22 in front of Daniel, he flies from heaven to earth 04:25 in a very short period of time. 04:27 - Yeah, it's just fractions of seconds, or minutes, 04:31 going all that distance, 04:32 which is encouraging to know when you're in trouble 04:34 and you pray, it doesn't take very long 04:37 for the paramedic to get to you, the heavenly paramedic, 04:41 and, what do they call it, the 911 response time. 04:44 It's pretty quick for heaven. 04:46 Well, Pastor Ross, 04:47 it's good to be here for the program tonight. 04:48 Wanna welcome you friends, 04:50 if you've got Bible questions we're gonna launch off, 04:52 that's what this program's all about. 04:54 And you can either watch on 3ABN or, I'm sorry, 04:59 not three 3ABN yet, we're going on there soon; 05:01 we're gonna be on AFTV, Good News Network and Facebook, 05:07 Amazing Facts, and... 05:09 Let's see, Amazing Facts Facebook page, 05:10 Doug Batchelor Facebook page, 05:12 and we invite you to call in with your questions. 05:14 If you have a question, number is (800) 463-7297. 05:21 - We also have another phone number we wanna tell you about, 05:23 and that number is (800) 835-6747, 05:27 we'll be repeating this throughout the program, 05:28 that is our free resource phone line. 05:31 Again, that's (800) 835-6747. 05:34 And, Pastor Doug, we're talking about angels 05:36 to begin the program. 05:37 We have an Amazing Fact Study Guide 05:39 that talks about a special angel born message 05:42 that comes from heaven to the earth, 05:44 and that study guide is called "Angel Messages from Space". 05:47 It's talking about the Three Angels Messages 05:50 that we find in Revelation chapter 14. 05:52 We'll be happy to send this study guide to anyone 05:54 who calls and asks, 05:55 all you need to do is call (800) 835-6747, 06:00 and you can ask for the free offer. 06:01 You can ask for offer number 137 06:03 or ask by name, Angel Messages from Space, 06:07 and we'll be happy to send that to anyone 06:08 who calls and asks. 06:10 If you're outside of North America, 06:11 please take a look at the amazing facts Facebook page 06:14 and you'll be able to read that, 06:15 actually the website I should say, 06:17 you'll be able to read this study guide right there. 06:19 - Yes. 06:20 - Before we go to the phone lines 06:21 we always like to begin with prayer, 06:22 so let's do that right now. 06:24 Dear Father, we thank You that we have this time, 06:26 once again, where we can just gather together through media, 06:30 open up Your Word and study. 06:33 Father, we thank you for those who are listening 06:34 and we pray Your blessing upon this program, 06:36 guide us into a clearer understanding 06:38 what the Bible teaches. 06:40 And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 06:42 - Amen. 06:43 - All right, ready to go to the phone lines. 06:44 We've got April listening in Florida. 06:46 April, welcome to the program. 06:49 - [April] Hi, good evening, pastor Doug. 06:50 Good evening, pastor Jëan, 06:51 it's good to hear you guys again. 06:53 - Thank you for calling. 06:56 - [April] Thank you for accepting my call. 06:57 So, my question is, 06:59 in the Book of John 07:00 Jesus mentioned nobody has seen the face of God, 07:05 or I think He said nobody's seen the face of God. 07:09 But I believe Abraham, Moses and Elijah are in heaven. 07:15 Also, when Jesus was on the mountain, 07:18 and I'm sorry I don't have my Bible with me. 07:20 When Jesus was on the mountain, 07:21 I believe with Abraham and Elijah, 07:24 James, Peter and John, I believe, saw Him. 07:27 So, why would Jesus say, I think to the Pharisees, 07:31 nobody has seen the face of God except for the Son of Man? 07:34 - Yeah, I think that the key there is Jesus actually says, 07:37 "No man have seen the Father." 07:40 And so people have seen Jesus, the Son. 07:42 Now, for an example, if you go to Exodus chapter 33, 07:47 Moses says, "Lord, show me Your glory." 07:49 And He said, "No man can see My glory." 07:53 Matter of fact, let me see, if you look in verse 20, 07:56 He said, "You cannot see My face, 07:58 no man can see My face and live." 08:02 And so, to see the face of God in his undiminished glory 08:08 would just be too much. 08:09 Now, that's because we're in our sinful condition, 08:12 so once Moses and Elijah are in heaven 08:15 and they've got their glorified bodies, 08:16 they can endure the presence of God. 08:18 Indeed, Adam and Eve used to walk with God in the garden, 08:21 so they could see God. 08:22 And they were probably spending time with God, the Son, 08:26 in those encounters, 08:28 But God, the Father in particular, 08:30 in His undiminished glory, humans, 08:33 especially in our lost condition, 08:34 we could not bear the sight it would consume us, 08:37 be like a laser. 08:38 So, there's a distinction there 08:41 and often when people have seen God, 08:44 He's veiled His divinity in the form of a man or something, 08:50 and would appear to people like Abraham and Jacob 08:55 and Manoah, or Manoah and his wife. 08:59 - So, would that be Christ 09:00 that appeared in the old Testament to Abraham and... 09:03 - Yeah, those are called Christophanies, 09:05 they're the pre-incarnation appearances of Jesus. 09:09 Jesus appeared several times, 09:10 that's why Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, 09:13 "Abraham longed to see My day and he saw it." 09:15 Jesus appeared to Abraham 09:17 and, of course, Abraham saw Christ in the sacrifice 09:21 of when he offered Isaac. 09:23 He saw Him prefigured there. 09:26 So, hope that makes sense, April, that it is still true, 09:29 no man can see the face of God the Father, 09:31 but clearly people have seen God the Son. 09:34 - All right, next caller that we have 09:35 is Palmer listening from, is that Iowa? 09:38 Palmer, welcome to the program. 09:41 - [Palmer] Oh, I'm glad to be here. 09:43 I'm glad you guys were willing to take this question. 09:46 - Sure. 09:49 - [Palmer] The question is, 09:52 in Daniel chapter two the stone that turns into a mountain 09:56 and fills the whole earth, 09:58 is that a literal kingdom after the millennium? 10:02 - Well, let's use some biblical hermeneutics here. 10:06 When we look at Daniel two, 10:08 and you see in the image their head is of gold 10:11 and the arms of silver, and the belly is bronze, 10:14 and the legs of iron, and the feet are iron in clay. 10:17 Do those other metals represent real kingdoms, Palmer? 10:23 And, obviously, Babylon really represented 10:26 a literal kingdom of Babylon, the head of gold. 10:28 And the silver was a literal kingdom of Persia, 10:30 so when you get down to the stone, to be consistent, 10:33 it must be a literal kingdom of Jesus, 10:36 And not only did Christ 10:38 begin preaching the spiritual kingdom 10:40 when he came 2000 years ago, 10:42 we're looking forward to a literal kingdom. 10:45 The spiritual kingdom has always been available, 10:47 it's within you, but the literal kingdom is still future 10:50 'cause the devil is contesting this world, 10:55 but Jesus is going to create a new heavens and new earth, 10:58 and says the knowledge of God will fill the world. 11:01 That's when that new kingdom is established on earth. 11:04 - You know, pastor Doug, there's an interesting verse 11:06 that I like in Matthew 21 verse 44. 11:08 And, Palmer, maybe you've never seen this verse before. 11:10 It's actually Jesus, and He says, 11:12 "Whoever falls upon this stone shall be broken; 11:16 but on whomever it falls, it'll grind him to powder." 11:20 It's kind of interesting, 11:21 Christ here is referring to Daniel chapter two 11:24 because the stone that comes 11:25 and strikes the image upon its feet, 11:26 it says it grinds all of these various metals to powder 11:30 and the wind blows it away; 11:31 and then the stone grows and becomes a great mountain. 11:33 So, to fall upon the stone, the stone being Christ, 11:36 our hearts are broken. 11:37 But there is a warning, 11:39 if we don't take advantage of the salvation 11:41 that Jesus wants to give us, 11:42 when the second coming occurs 11:44 we're gonna be turning to the rocks and the mountains 11:46 as they fall on us and hide us 11:47 from the face of Him who sits upon the throne. 11:49 So, yes, it's a very literal kingdom that'll be established. 11:53 Now, there's phases of that kingdom, 11:55 you have the second coming of Christ 11:56 where the righteous are taken to him for 1,000 years, 11:58 the wicked are destroyed. 11:59 But then at the end of the 1,000 years 12:01 you have the great white throne judgment 12:03 and the wicked are destroyed, 12:04 and then the earth is recreated, 12:06 the new heavens the new earth. 12:07 - Yes. 12:09 - All right, well, thanks for your call, Palmer. 12:10 We got Michael, also from Michigan. 12:12 Michael, welcome to the program. 12:15 - [Michael] Yes, hello Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross. 12:17 Thanks for taking my question. 12:19 - Yeah. 12:20 - [Michael] My question is, 12:21 if Daniel nine, 24 through 27 is a repeat 12:28 and enlargement of the kingdom of grace, 12:31 where can we find that in Daniel two? 12:35 - You say Daniel nine, 12:37 well it's talking about 12:38 Daniel nine chapter 24 through 27 is, 12:41 really, that's the prophecy of Christ's first coming 12:47 from the time that He would be 12:48 anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism. 12:51 That's at the end of the 483 days or years, 12:56 to His crucifixion in the midst of that final week 12:58 when He causes a sacrifice cease, 13:01 and so that's the kingdom of grace. 13:04 When you're in Daniel chapter two 13:05 it's talking about God's a literal kingdom, 13:07 so they're covering different time periods 13:11 so I'm not sure... 13:13 Did we say something about 13:14 the kingdom of grace and Daniel two that you're looking for? 13:18 - [Michael] Well, if Daniel nine, 24 through 27 13:23 is a repeat and enlargement of the kingdom of grace, 13:29 I'm wondering where it is in Daniel two. 13:32 - Well, when Jesus comes it's... 13:38 Let me say this differently. 13:39 The kingdom of grace actually is available from creation. 13:45 That lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world, 13:47 everybody saved Old Testament, New Testament, 13:49 is saved by grace. 13:51 So, all through Daniel two, 13:54 God's people are always spared through grace, 13:58 nobody is saved by law. 14:00 - Well, I think you do find an interesting feature 14:02 when you look at Daniel chapter two 14:03 and Daniel chapter seven, 14:05 and you get Daniel chapter eight 14:06 and then Daniel chapter nine. 14:08 It does cover much of the same time period, 14:11 but each of the various visions 14:13 amplify and give additional details. 14:15 So, Daniel chapter two is focused primarily on powers, 14:19 political powers, and ultimately the kingdom of God 14:22 being established on earth. 14:24 And then you're finding Daniel nine, 14:25 the emphasis there is on the spiritual kingdom, 14:29 the establishment of that kingdom 14:30 that Jesus preach when He came and He said, 14:31 "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," 14:33 that's the kingdom of grace. 14:34 So, Daniel is addressing both the kingdom of glory, 14:38 as well as the kingdom of grace 14:40 in the various visions in Daniel two, Daniel seven. 14:42 You also have the judgment 14:44 that's referred to in Daniel seven, 14:45 and you also find that referred to in Daniel eight 14:47 so there's a number of parallels between these visions. 14:50 - Yeah. 14:51 So, hope that helps a little bit, Michael, 14:53 and we appreciate that you can see the grace 14:55 all the way through all the prophecies. 14:58 But, yeah, they continue to expand 15:00 not only in Daniel, in Revelation, they continue to enlarge. 15:04 All right, I think we're ready for Marcus and-- 15:06 - Marcus, welcome. 15:07 Listening from Tennessee. 15:10 Marcus, welcome to the program. 15:12 - [Marcus] Oh, hi. 15:15 My question is, what is the image to the beast? 15:18 - All right, very good. 15:20 When you read in revelation chapter 13, 15:22 it talks about that there's two beasts in revelation 13, 15:26 you got this first beast and it comes up out of the sea. 15:30 And then you get the second beast 15:31 that comes up out of the land, 15:33 and he encourages the world 15:35 to make an image to the first beast 15:36 who had a wound by the sword, a deadly wound, 15:39 but yet he's revived, he still lived. 15:42 And the first beast was the persecuting power 15:47 of the dark ages from like 538 to about 1798, 15:51 that was 1,260 years when the people power 15:56 was persecuting, 15:58 like 50 million Christians died during that time, and Jews, 16:04 and you get the Human knots and the Walden season, 16:05 and many others. 16:07 And this is not something original with our radio program, 16:10 this is what the Protestants taught, 16:12 like Luther, Wesley, Spurgeon. 16:15 I mean, you can go down the line, 16:17 all the puritans and the Protestants believe that. 16:19 So, that would be the first beast, 16:21 but then you get this other beast 16:23 which we believe is the United States, 16:26 which it's kind of been the beach head for Protestants, 16:30 but there's gonna be apostacy, 16:32 which we already see in the church. 16:33 And they're gonna encourage the world to make an image, 16:37 that means a likeness, 16:38 they're gonna recreate a religious political system 16:42 that is very similar and that is gonna be, 16:45 once again, a persecuting power 16:47 if you do not worship the way you're told. 16:49 It's what it says, 16:50 if you do not worship the image of the beast 16:51 you can't buy or sell and you'll ultimately be killed. 16:54 And I don't think those days are very far away. 16:58 I always think it's interesting, 17:00 if you look at a picture of the Vatican 17:02 and then you look at a picture of the capital building, 17:05 they look like they're copied after each other. 17:08 And you look in front of the Vatican 17:09 a great obelisk is there., 17:12 and in front of the capital 17:13 you've got the Washington Monument. 17:15 And so, it's kinda interesting, 17:18 they're both kinda based on this Greco-Roman architecture. 17:21 But that's not the image, it's not the architecture 17:23 it's the power, the government 17:25 that it's gonna be a persecuting power. 17:27 - Yeah, I think, Pastor Doug, 17:29 you mentioned it a little earlier, 17:30 during the dark ages you had a religious power, 17:32 the church that was using the state, 17:35 the political power, to enforce worship 17:37 or a certain type of worship. 17:39 So, an image to the beast 17:40 would be when religious powers in the United States 17:44 put emphasis or motivate, coerce, the government 17:51 to start forcing a certain type of worship or religion. 17:55 That would be an image to the first beast. 17:57 - Yeah, it's like a facsimile 17:59 is making an image of something. 18:01 And the second beast encourages the world, 18:03 it's like a facsimile of the first beast. 18:06 - Right, right. 18:07 - We think image, we think idol, 18:08 it's not like the world world's gonna be told 18:10 to worship a big Buddha, 18:11 it's talking about it'll be a similar system. 18:14 - And then it's not only the United States, 18:15 but with the support of the United States 18:17 it spreads around the world. 18:18 - Right, it's global. 18:19 - We have a study guide, it's called, 18:21 "The United States in Bible Prophecy," 18:23 just the US in Bible prophecy, 18:25 and we'll be happy to send this to anyone 18:26 who wants to learn more about this, 18:28 this is such an important and fascinating study. 18:31 If you'd like to receive that, 18:32 the number to call is (800) 835-6747. 18:35 You can ask for the study guide, 18:36 it's called, "The USA in Bible Prophecy." 18:39 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 18:42 We've got Fred listening from Connecticut. 18:44 Fred, welcome to the program. 18:47 - [Fred] Yes, 18:49 should a Christian be playing the stock market? 18:54 - All right, good question. 18:57 Well, when you say playing the stock market, 18:58 I think a Christian ought to avoid anything 19:00 that borders on gambling. 19:04 Now, investing in the stock market, 19:06 nothing wrong with that, morally, 19:08 because if you put your money in the bank, 19:11 what banks do is they invest in the market. 19:13 Banks just don't just sit on the money, 19:14 they lend it out and they try and gain interest. 19:17 And when you invest in the stock market 19:21 you're basically buying part ownership of companies. 19:25 Now, as a Christian, 19:26 I would not recommend you buy part ownership of 19:29 R.J. R Reynolds, what is it, tobacco. 19:33 You might not wanna buy part ownership in Anheuser-Busch, 19:37 which makes Budweiser. 19:38 Those are not things that Christians should support, 19:42 but there are legitimate companies, 19:44 maybe are a construction company or whatever. 19:48 And they're doing well and you'd like to invest in it, 19:50 there's nothing wrong with that. 19:51 When people start doing a lot of day trading, 19:54 it's almost like they're doing speculation 19:56 and that can kind of border on gambling, 19:57 can be very dangerous, 19:59 but there's nothing morally wrong 20:02 with investing money in the stock market. 20:04 - And I think there are companies that specialize 20:06 in certain companies that have a good reputation, 20:10 that are not involved in tobacco, alcohol 20:13 or certain forms of entertainment; 20:15 and a Christian can work with those different 20:19 investment companies and know that your funds 20:21 are going to a good cause. 20:23 - Yeah, and when you buy a mutual fund, 20:25 a mutual fund is a company 20:26 that has a bouquet of stocks they've bought 20:29 that are either conservative or they're aggressive, 20:31 or they're overseas, or whatever. 20:34 And Jesus said in that parable of the 10 talents, 20:38 He condemns the lazy servant who hides his money, 20:42 he buries it, 20:44 says, "You could have at least given it to the bankers 20:45 that I'd get interest." 20:47 And so, typically, over time the stock market increases. 20:50 There's an occasional crash but it usually goes up. 20:55 - All right, thank you for your call, Fred. 20:56 We've got Anthony listening in New York. 20:58 Anthony, welcome to the program. 21:01 - [Anthony] Hello, good evening, pastors. 21:04 I have a pretty serious question. 21:07 I want to know, how do we know if someone is struggling 21:13 with demon possession, demonic possession 21:16 and, if so, what do we do or what can we do to help, 21:22 if anything? 21:25 - Well, let's assume that you know it's demonic depression, 21:27 and we'll answer the second part of the question first, 21:29 what can you do to help. 21:31 In the Bible there's no question that Jesus said 21:34 that you will have power, 21:36 you can pray and you can cast out devils. 21:39 And the disciples came to Jesus once and said, 21:43 "We tried to cast this devil out of this man's son 21:45 and we couldn't." 21:47 And He said, "Well, this kind only comes forth 21:48 by prayer and fasting." 21:50 So, through prayer, sometimes if it's specially serious, 21:53 you'd pray and fast. 21:55 In the Bible, sometimes, it's claiming the name of Jesus. 21:59 Paul did it that way 22:01 when the girl was following him in Philippi. 22:03 Sometimes they laid hands on somebody or touched them. 22:06 So, Christians should pray for others 22:08 if they're grappling with demonic possession. 22:12 I've done a lot of work overseas and it's more prevalent, 22:15 Pastor Ross was born in Africa, 22:17 it's more prevalent in some of these countries 22:20 where there's a lot of spiritualism. 22:22 And I've had people just go berserk during my meeting, 22:26 the pastors grabbed the person, man or woman, 22:29 and they prayed over them, 22:30 and you'd see their sanity return. 22:33 So, there's that. 22:34 Now, how do you know if it's demonic possession? 22:37 Well, that's a more difficult question. 22:40 There are some people, 22:41 they've just got a plain old medical problem 22:43 that's affecting their behavior, 22:45 and a doctor can sometimes help you identify 22:50 something like that. 22:52 There's a thin line sometimes between 22:54 what may be purely demonic and spiritual 22:57 and what might be physiological, 23:00 and I think the devil can even combine the two. 23:03 Meaning, a person might have a propensity 23:07 to behave erratically, 23:09 and the devil will take advantage 23:10 of the chemical or biological problem; 23:13 and with a spiritual push pushes 'em over the edge. 23:18 So, that is difficult and sometimes it's hard to tell. 23:22 I've noticed that some people 23:23 that when it's satanic or it's spiritual, 23:28 it's like they become preoccupied with spiritual things. 23:32 Even the devils, the demons, possessed devils, 23:36 they call Jesus out, "We know who You are. 23:38 Jesus, Son of the most high God." 23:40 They became obsessed with spiritual things. 23:44 - And, of course, I think the devil is very good 23:45 in masquerading his influence over people. 23:49 In Western societies it might not be that prevalent 23:52 because people aren't worshiping the spirits 23:54 as you might find it in some other places, 23:56 but the devil's hold over the hearts and the minds of people 23:59 in Western countries are just as strong, if not stronger, 24:03 than some of these other places. 24:04 - Materialism and (indistinct). 24:06 - Yeah, absolutely. 24:07 - I have a book that I wrote, Anthony, 24:09 and it's called "Broken Chains". 24:11 And it talks about when Jesus cast a devil, 24:14 or a legion of devils out of a man 24:16 that was desperately possessed. 24:18 Now, that's not among the free books 24:19 it's a little bigger book, 24:21 but you can get that 24:23 by just going to the Amazing Facts website, 24:26 it's called "Broken Chains". 24:28 - All right, thanks for your call. 24:29 We've got Eric, and he's listening in Indiana. 24:31 Eric, welcome to the program. 24:33 - [Eric] Hello. 24:34 There's a strong pattern in the Old Testament 24:36 of all the Kings being judged in their lives, 24:40 according to doing what is right in the sight of the Lord 24:42 or what is evil in the sight of the Lord, 24:44 and certain terms such as high places or groves, 24:48 or sacred poles or ashram poles are used. 24:51 And when we compare Revelation, the symbols of Jezebel 24:54 being defined as one who teaches a sexual morality 24:57 or Babylon spreading it throughout the whole world, 25:00 or the name written on the forehead of the woman 25:02 being prostitute, 25:03 how strong of a case can we make 25:05 that God was referring to prostitution 25:07 in these King's judgements, 25:08 and how seriously does God take prostitution 25:11 and judge societies by the level in it? 25:15 - Well, prostitution, they call it the oldest profession, 25:17 is very clearly condemned in the Bible. 25:20 And it is also true that in many of the ancient religions, 25:26 in these cult religions, 25:29 even in just the last 70 years they still had it in India 25:32 where some of the Hindu temples 25:34 had what they call temple virgins, 25:36 but they didn't say that way long. 25:38 And it was a terrible way of abusing young girls, 25:42 but a lot of the ancient idolatry 25:46 involved sexual promiscuity, 25:50 and they called about sacrifices on the high places 25:53 to the ashram, 25:56 not so much with bail worship as with some of the others 26:00 but God typically calls idolatry harlotry in the Bible. 26:06 And because Babylon is, 26:09 there's so much idolatry in revelation 17 that that woman, 26:14 she's called the harlot. 26:15 So, whenever God's people went to worship idols 26:18 God called it infidelity or harlotry. 26:21 So, there's an overlap between the two, 26:23 you can't always say that every time people worshiped idols 26:26 that there was prostitution work 26:29 or they had the temple prostitutes, or whatever. 26:32 Not every religion had that 26:33 but every time that God went after idols 26:35 God called it harlotry. 26:37 So, I don't know, that's kind of a vague distinction 26:40 but I hope that made sense, Eric. 26:42 (upbeat music) 26:46 - [Guest 1] Stay tuned, 26:47 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 26:49 (upbeat music) 26:54 - [Guest 2] Are you wondering what lies ahead 26:55 in human history 26:57 or what recent world events are harbingers of the end? 27:00 Are you ready for the coming crisis? 27:02 "Landmarks of Prophecy" offers clear answers 27:05 to your most pressing questions. 27:07 Presented by Pastor Doug Batchelor, 27:09 "Landmarks of Prophecy" is a contemporary 27:11 video Bible study adventure designed for today's audiences, 27:15 presenting the landmark themes of the Bible 27:17 in a bright and compelling way, 27:19 helping you understand the Bible better 27:21 and giving you knowledge to face the future with confidence. 27:24 "Landmarks of Prophecy" contains over 30 hours 27:26 of exciting video presentations on six DVDs, 27:29 plus bonus question and answer sessions, 27:31 giving you keen insight into what lies next 27:34 in human history. 27:35 If you'd like practical tools 27:37 to help you thrive and survive in the here and now, 27:39 get "Landmarks of Prophecy." 27:42 Start your epic Bible study adventure 27:44 with "Landmarks of Prophecy" today, 27:46 by calling (800) 538-7275 or by visiting afbookstore.com. 27:53 Doug Batchelor was the teenage son of a millionaire father 27:56 and show business mother, yet he was living in a cave. 28:00 He had everything money could buy, everything but happiness. 28:04 But all of the fun and excitement he enjoyed 28:06 left his life out of control. 28:08 His search eventually led him to a cave above Palm Springs 28:12 that became his home. 28:14 while Doug scavenged for food and garbage bins, 28:16 his father owned a yacht, Learjet and an airline. 28:20 But in his cave home he discovered a dust covered Bible. 28:24 As he began to read, 28:25 he soon learned of his true purpose in life. 28:28 The richest caveman is the extraordinary true story 28:32 of Doug Batchelor, 28:33 that tells how a rebellious teenager 28:35 who once lived in a cave 28:36 became a tremendous soul winner for Jesus Christ. 28:40 It's a thrilling testimony 28:41 of the transforming power of God's Word. 28:44 To order your copy of "The Richest Caveman", 28:46 call (800) 538-7275 or visit afbookstore.com. 28:53 - [Guest 1] In six days, 28:55 God created the heavens and the earth. 28:57 For thousands of years, 28:59 man has worshiped God on the seventh day of the week. 29:02 Now, each week, millions of people worship on the first day. 29:07 What happened? 29:08 Why did God create a day of rest? 29:10 Does it really matter what day we worship? 29:13 Who is behind this great shift? 29:15 Discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed. 29:19 Visit sabbathtruth.com. 29:24 - [Guest 2] Would you like to know God's plan 29:25 for our troubled world 29:26 and solutions for your life's challenges? 29:29 Beautifully redesigned and updated, 29:31 Amazing Facts' 27 Bible study guides 29:33 provide straightforward Bible-based answers 29:35 that are enlightening, encouraging, and easy to understand; 29:38 giving you real relevant Bible answers 29:40 to questions like, how can I have healthier relationships, 29:44 When will Jesus come, and much more. 29:46 Order yours today by visiting afbookstore.com 29:49 or by calling (800) 538-7275. 29:53 (upbeat music) 29:56 - [Guest 1] You're listening to "Bible Answers Live", 29:59 where every question answered 30:00 provides a clearer picture of God and His plan to save you. 30:05 So what are you waiting for? 30:06 Get practical answers about the 'Good Book' 30:09 for a better life today. 30:11 (upbeat music) 30:13 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 30:16 If you'd like answers 30:17 to your Bible related questions on the air, 30:19 please call us next Sunday 30:21 between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM Pacific Time. 30:25 To receive any of the Bible resources 30:27 mentioned in this evening's program, call (800) 835-6747. 30:33 Once again, that's (800) 835-6747. 30:40 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live". 30:44 - Hi, listening friends, 30:46 if you have joined us along the way, 30:47 this is "Bible Answers Live" 30:49 and we're here to do our best 30:50 to answer your Bible questions. 30:52 And if you wanna call in with a question, 30:54 it's (800) GOD SAYS, that's (800) 463-7297. 31:00 And we're not gonna tarry long 31:01 we're gonna go back to the phones. 31:02 My name is Doug Batchelor. 31:04 - My name is Jëan Ross, 31:06 and we have Darius listening on the phone from Oklahoma. 31:09 Darius, welcome to the program. 31:12 - [Darius] Hey, pastors, goodnight, can you hear me? 31:14 - We can. 31:16 - Okay, hey, this is my question. 31:19 So, I wanted to know if I should go back to my church 31:23 because my pastor told me something 31:26 that I know that's contrary to the Bible. 31:29 He says that it's okay 31:32 to go to football game on the Sabbath, 31:34 and he said that I am too black and white for the Bible. 31:39 And I was discouraged and I don't know what to do. 31:43 I don't wanna go down looking for a new church, 31:46 so can you gimme some points on this? 31:49 - Yeah, all right, so the question is, 31:50 if you're in a church and the pastor's telling you something 31:56 that you believe is categorically untrue, 31:59 well, that often will cast the other teachings 32:02 under a light of suspicion, 32:03 you'll wonder what else is he saying 32:05 that I may not be aware of that is not biblical. 32:08 And so it is cause for concern. 32:10 I would not say that if people in our church, 32:14 Pastor Ross and I both pastor at the same church, 32:18 if they said, 32:19 "If I ever hear pastor Doug say anything wrong 32:20 I'm not coming back," There'd be nobody left 32:23 because I'm sure I've said things wrong, 32:24 'cause we're humans and the Bible says, what, 32:27 "In the abundance of words sin is not lacking." 32:30 And sometimes you just misspeak so if someone said, 32:33 "As soon as he says something wrong 32:34 or he mispronounces something, I'm not coming back." 32:37 But then there's the other extreme 32:40 where if you sit under erroneous teachings, 32:45 that can affect your perspective. 32:48 And you see in ancient Israel 32:50 that whenever the king was not dedicated to God, 32:53 gradually the whole nation seemed to slip away 32:55 'cause it followed the leadership. 32:58 So, that's something you have to pray about. 33:00 I don't know, I would be surprised if a pastor tells people 33:06 there's nothing wrong with going to a football game 33:08 on the Sabbath day. 33:11 That's holy time for worshiping God 33:13 and the environment of a football game 33:15 with people kinda calling out for the defeat of their enemy, 33:20 the opponent, just is not the right mind and attitude, 33:24 and place for worship, 33:25 so that would really, really surprise me. 33:26 But nothing, I guess, really surprises me anymore. 33:31 - So, in that case, pastor what you're suggesting is, 33:33 if we're in a church that is clearly not preaching the Bible 33:40 or advocating teachings that are not biblical, 33:42 and we've said something, we've spoken to the leadership, 33:44 at some point I think we want to find ourselves 33:47 with those who are following the Bible 33:49 as closely as they can. 33:51 So, that might mean looking for another church. 33:53 - And you brought up a very good point 33:55 that I just wanna expand a little bit is, 33:58 if you've got a pastor 33:59 and he says something that is just outta left field 34:02 that surprises you, respect him enough to go to him. 34:05 And even for his own soul, approach him and say, 34:08 "According to the Bible, that is not right." 34:11 And in a loving spirit and humility, 34:14 it might bring him to conviction and turn them around. 34:17 And so, make at least an effort 34:18 to be reconciled with your brother, so to speak, 34:21 and try and drawn 'em back. 34:23 But if they're firm in preaching error, 34:25 then it's probably not healthy to continue going. 34:28 - Okay, we've got Steve listening in California. 34:30 Steve, welcome to the program. 34:33 - [Steve] Hi, pastors. 34:34 Thanks for taking my call. 34:35 - Sure. 34:37 - [Steve] My question is, when Cain was banished 34:43 he went to the land of Nod, who lived in the land of Nod? 34:48 - Well, in the very beginning 34:50 the land was talking about an area, a region, 34:53 that was later named. 34:54 It's just telling you where he went, 34:57 there's no people there yet. 34:59 And so, when Cain left 35:01 he went to a part of this Virgin world, country , 35:04 and developed it, and it was later named, 35:07 according to what the various patriarchs named it. 35:10 But when they first went 35:11 it had no name 'cause there were no aborigines 35:14 or other people living there. 35:16 So, I think Moses just telling us where that region is now. 35:22 And there's more than one place called Nob, actually, 35:25 in the Bible. 35:26 David, there's a place not far from the Philistines 35:29 called Nob too, but that's not the one that Cain went to. 35:32 - And of course a lot of things changed, 35:34 this of course happened before the flood; 35:35 and so many years passed and then you had the flood, 35:38 and then you had the writing of the Bible 35:40 during the time of Moses. 35:41 So, it's referring to a place that was fairly well known 35:44 to people at the time when Genesis was written by Moses. 35:49 - Yep. 35:50 - All right, thanks for your call Steve. 35:51 We've got Daniel in Canada. 35:53 Daniel, welcome to the program. 35:56 - [Daniel] Hi pastors, this is Daniel here. 35:58 So, if Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden 36:04 and our hearts became hard, just like God said 36:08 our hearts are evil. 36:10 Why did God allow our hearts to become evil 36:13 in the first place? 36:14 Why must we suffer for the sins of Adam and Eve? 36:19 - Yeah, and you could even expand that question and say, 36:22 why are some children born with birth defects 36:24 because of the bad living habits of their parents? 36:27 Some kids are born with the cerebral palsy 36:30 because the parents had alcohol problems. 36:32 And why are people in Ukraine suffering 36:35 because you've got an individual that's bombing them, 36:40 what did they do? 36:43 Well, first of all, 36:44 let me back up and go to the very heart of it. 36:46 God made His intelligent creatures free, 36:49 with a free will to choose to love Him 36:50 or choose not to love Him. 36:52 And as soon as man chose to distrust God 36:56 and not to love God, his compass needle inside was broken. 37:01 What I mean by that is, 37:02 we're normally created to love God first. 37:06 The great commandment is, love the Lord with all your heart, 37:08 even more than yourself, 37:10 and then love your neighbor as you love yourself. 37:13 And when man fell into sin, 37:16 all of a sudden Adam and Eve are blaming each other, 37:18 they're not getting along and they're blaming God, 37:20 they're blaming the devil and the serpent; 37:22 and all of a sudden man's hearts became hard because of sin. 37:28 God didn't just say, "I'm gonna harden the hearts," 37:29 it was what happened because of sin. 37:31 But making man free to love means he's free to not love, 37:38 otherwise God is forcing them to love, and that's not love. 37:41 - And, of course, freedom does have consequences 37:44 and we need that. 37:46 I mean, if you have freedom to choose to love 37:47 and to be a blessing, 37:48 and to be an encouragement to somebody, 37:50 well, then you also have freedom to hurt 37:53 and discourage others. 37:55 And people make their choices, 37:57 so the choices that we make 37:59 does have an impact upon those around us. 38:01 - Absolutely. 38:02 - And, of course, the devil's choices 38:03 made an impact upon Adam and Eve 38:05 and, of course, all of their descendants. 38:08 All right, thank you, Daniel. 38:09 We've got Caleb listening in New York. 38:12 - Hi Caleb. 38:14 - [Caleb] Pastor Batchelor, how you doing? 38:15 - Really good, thank you for calling. 38:18 - [Caleb] I'm good, thank you. 38:19 Well, by the way, I have a question. 38:20 I'm reading the Bible right now and I wanna know, 38:25 two questions, which version is better to read? 38:27 Right now I'm reading the NIV version, 38:30 which is easier for me to understand 38:32 than the King James version. 38:34 I wanna know if that's okay. 38:36 And, two, I read the gospels before 38:40 and not until I started watching your sermons, 38:43 I started understanding more things I've missed, 38:46 clearly I've missed. 38:48 I was wondering, is there a way, 38:50 is there a pattern I shouldn't read the Bible 38:52 to get more understanding? 38:54 - Yeah, well, good questions. 38:56 All right, first part of the question, 38:58 and Pastor Ross might answer 38:59 slightly different than I would. 39:01 I think there's several good translations of the Bible 39:03 you can read that they're translations 39:06 from what they call the Textus Receptus, 39:08 which is I think the most accurate. 39:10 And that would be, of course, 39:11 King James is the classic in English. 39:14 And when we say translations 39:15 we're talking about English translations. 39:19 Right now I'm reading through the English Standard Version, 39:21 which is also a translation from the Textus Receptus, 39:24 That is the American standard version. 39:26 The new King James version 39:28 is what I usually preach from every week, 39:30 is the new King James version. 39:33 I dunno, Pastor Ross, you have some other favorite? 39:34 - Yeah, maybe just to add to that, 39:36 there's a difference that we need to understand 39:37 between a translation and a paraphrase. 39:40 Now, we're just talking about English. 39:42 So, a translation is where you take the original Greek 39:45 and Hebrew, little bit of Aramaic, 39:47 and you translate that into English. 39:49 But a paraphrase might be where 39:51 you could do this, I could do this, 39:53 we take an English translation 39:55 and we rewrite it in other words 39:58 and we bring out different ideas, it's more devotional. 40:01 I'm not saying all paraphrases are wrong, 40:03 but if we're gonna study to find doctrinal depth 40:07 we wanna go with the good translation. 40:09 And we also gotta remember, 40:11 the Bible wasn't written originally in English 40:13 it was written in Greek and Hebrew, 40:14 and that's where having a concordance 40:16 and being able to compare scripture with scripture, 40:18 and go back and look at some of the original ways 40:21 the words were used, is always helpful. 40:23 And that really enlarges a person's study of the Bible. 40:26 - Yeah, and let the Bible interpret itself. 40:28 If you see a word and you think, 40:31 "I wonder what that word means." 40:32 Look at other places in the Bible 40:34 where that term or that word is used, 40:36 and usually through context of it you can say, 40:39 "Oh, now I see what they're saying." 40:41 So, that just happened to me this week 40:43 when we were studying about Moses 40:45 and it said, "That rock that followed them was Christ." 40:48 And I was picturing this Boulder rolling around 40:50 through the wilderness that kept giving him water. 40:52 And then I looked up where it says rock and I said, 40:54 "Oh no, Moses is talking about God." 40:56 He calls God the rock many times a Deuteronomy. 40:59 So, just by comparing it with other places 41:03 is usually one of the best ways. 41:04 And how do we study the Bible? 41:06 Well, again, Pastor Ross might be a little different 41:08 than me, but I'm always reading through the Bible 41:11 at different points. 41:13 I think you're trying to read through the whole Bible 41:13 in how long? 41:15 - Yeah, well, there's different programs you can do. 41:16 You can actually read through the Bible in 90 days, 41:19 it's about an hour of reading every day. 41:21 Didn't realize you can actually get through it that quickly. 41:23 So, yeah, I try to read through the Bible 41:25 at least once or twice a year. 41:27 And then there's some great commentaries, as well, 41:29 that you can read alongside that, 41:30 that really helps to bring it to light. 41:32 There's different ways of reading, pastor. 41:34 You can just read it to get the big picture, 41:35 which if you're gonna read through the Bible in a year 41:38 you're doing a lot of reading 41:40 and you're getting the big picture, which is good, 41:42 but there's also where you focus more 41:44 on a shorter passage of scripture 41:46 and really try to squeeze out everything 41:49 that, that chapter or that passage has to say. 41:51 And that's what takes a little more time, 41:53 that's where you compare scripture with scripture. 41:55 And both is good. - Yep, absolutely. 41:58 Yeah, I use the computer program, I use Logos, 42:02 and also use a free one called e-Sword, 42:05 and I find between the two of them 42:06 I get some great commentaries and some great tools. 42:09 So, that's probably more than that gets you started. 42:14 Yeah, you can read through the Bible, 42:15 you can start with the New Testament, read the history, 42:18 meaning you go from Genesis through the Kings, 42:20 and then jump to the New Testament. 42:22 Thanks so much, Caleb, hope that helps a little. 42:24 - [Guest 3] We've got Robert listening. 42:25 - We've got Robert listening from New Jersey. 42:27 Robert, welcome to the program. 42:30 - [Robert] Good evening, pastors Doug and Pastor Ross. 42:33 - Evening. 42:34 - [Robert] Good evening. 42:35 My question is just concerning, 42:38 did it rain prior to the flood or not 42:40 and is there evidence from the Bible on either? 42:44 And I'll take my answer off the air. 42:46 - All right, yeah, thank you very much. 42:47 I believe that the Bible's pretty clear 42:49 that prior to the flood it had not rained, 42:53 and you can-- 42:54 - Here's the verse, Pastor Doug. 42:56 I know where you're going with-- 42:57 - [Pastor Doug] Yeah, go ahead. 42:58 - Genesis, I just found it on the computer, 42:59 Genesis chapter two and verse six, it says, 43:02 "Speaking of before the flood," 43:04 oh, actually verse five. 43:06 It says, "Before any plant of the field was in the earth 43:08 and before any herb of the field had grown. 43:10 For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, 43:13 and there was no man to till the ground; 43:15 but a mist went up from the earth 43:17 and watered the whole face of the ground." 43:20 - Yeah. 43:20 So, it appears, 43:22 and not only from what you read in the Bible 43:24 but just from the fossil record, 43:27 that prior to the flood, 43:29 that there was an envelope of water, vapor or something, 43:33 that sorta surrounded the whole planet 43:35 that polarized the rays 43:37 and gave an even temperature around the planet. 43:39 "Cause even in, what do you call it, Antarctica, 43:42 up in Siberia, they find fossils of ferns, 43:47 which usually grow in a tropical climate. 43:49 So, the whole world was changed after the flood, 43:53 and it didn't rain like it does now. 43:55 I think there was just moisture and mist 43:57 that kind of irrigated and watered things. 44:01 - All right, well, thank you, Richard. 44:02 We've got Pat listening in Arizona. 44:04 Pat, welcome to the program. 44:06 - [Pat] Thank you. 44:08 - Thank you, Pat. 44:10 - [Pat] My question is, is gambling a sin? 44:15 - Well, first of all, the Bible says, 44:16 "Do not make haste to be rich, 44:18 and he that makes haste to be rich 44:19 will not be without guilt." 44:23 And so, the idea of getting rich quick by playing numbers, 44:27 first of all, 99.9% of the people that do that lose money 44:34 'cause the whole system is set up where the house wins. 44:37 And it's anything that becomes an addiction, 44:40 christians should avoid. 44:42 There are people who actually become addicted to gambling 44:44 and it destroys their lives, and they can't stop, 44:47 it's like a psychosis. 44:50 And I remember doing a meeting in another country, 44:51 and a lady came up to me just sobbing, and she says, 44:56 "I'm addicted to gambling and I've mortgaged my home, 45:00 I've run up our credit cards, 45:01 my husband's getting ready to leave me, and I can't stop." 45:04 And even before I got done counseling, she says, 45:06 "But there's this one more race 45:08 and I think if I win that race I can win it all back." 45:11 And I couldn't believe she was thinking about the next bet, 45:15 even as we talked. 45:17 - Well, there's another aspect of gambling 45:18 that we need to bear in mind as a Christian is, 45:21 if you do get lucky and you do win, 45:23 you're winning at a lot of other people's losing. 45:27 So, you're winning because of others misfortune, 45:30 so you're really taking advantage of other people. 45:32 - Same thing with the lottery. 45:33 - Right. - Yeah. 45:35 So, yeah, and it's interesting, 45:38 you study the history of people that have won the lottery 45:40 and most of them don't do very well, 45:41 if you look what happens in the next couple years. 45:43 - The money disappears real quick. 45:44 - Some even get murdered. 45:45 - Yeah. 45:46 - It's not good. 45:47 - All right, thanks your call, Pat. 45:48 We got Glen listening in Ohio. 45:50 Glen, welcome to the program. 45:52 - [Glen] Evening, (indistinct) thank you very much 45:54 for taking my call. 45:56 (indistinct) concerns misquoting of the scripture, 45:59 second Corinthians five, eight. 46:03 And I think it has (indistinct) implications right there, 46:05 most people say that Paul said, 46:06 "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." 46:10 And that's not what that says that, people misquote it. 46:13 Can you help me understand what the proper understanding is? 46:18 - Yeah, we'll do our best. 46:19 All right, so our friends, 46:20 if you wanna go to second Corinthians five, eight, 46:23 and this is often quoted when it talks about people dying. 46:27 And Paul says, and we'll start with verse eight, 46:31 "Yes, we are confident, 46:32 Yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body 46:35 and to be present with the Lord." 46:36 And then you need to read on here. 46:38 It says, "Therefore we make it our aim, 46:40 whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 46:44 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 46:47 that each one of us might receive the things 46:49 done in the body, according to what he's done, 46:51 whether good or bad." 46:53 And so, Paul, earlier in that passage he says, 46:59 "'Cause I'm kind of in a quandary between two things," 47:04 he said, "On one hand," he says, 47:06 "I'd love to depart and be with the Lord." 47:08 Meaning when a Christian dies 47:10 their next conscious thought is gonna be the resurrection 47:13 and the presence of the Lord. 47:14 But Paul said, "It's needful for you that I stay here." 47:18 Well, it is true that if we die 47:21 and these bodies turn back to dust, the Bible's very clear. 47:24 And for the believer their next conscious thought it's, 47:28 there's no sensation of time 47:29 is to be the presence of the Lord, 47:32 but it doesn't happen until there's a judgment 47:33 and a resurrection. 47:35 - And it also says Paul was a prophet, so he had visions. 47:38 In another place he actually talks about 47:40 seeing something in vision and he says, 47:42 "Whether I was absent from the body or in the body, 47:44 I can't quite remember," and then he tells the story. 47:47 So, Paul was at times taken off in vision, 47:50 that would be considered absent from the body, 47:53 but I think here it's talking about 47:54 when we receive our reward 47:56 it's at the second coming of Christ, 47:58 and we get these immortal bodies, 48:00 and we get to live with Him. 48:03 - First verse in chapter five, 48:04 "For we know that if our earthly house, 48:06 this tent, is destroyed..." 48:07 - [Pastor Ross] Yeah - That's pretty clear, 48:08 he's talking about the body, when you're dead. 48:10 - [Pastor Ross] Right, right. 48:11 - Yeah, so thank you, Richard. 48:12 - Thank you. 48:13 We've got Yvonne listening from Mexico. 48:18 Yvonne, welcome to the program. 48:21 - [Yvonne] Hello. 48:22 - Hi. 48:23 - [Yvonne] It's an honor to talk to you, 48:25 since I talked to you first in a long time ago, 48:29 but you might not remember me. 48:32 - Well, thank you for calling the again, Yvonne. 48:34 - [Yvonne] By the way, I'm not that Mexican at all, 48:37 I'm Espagnole-Irish, and that's my question about it. 48:41 As (indistinct) Irish descendant, 48:44 can we celebrate St, Patrick's day? 48:47 My family too is Irish. 48:50 - So, there's no scripture that tells us 48:53 there's anything sacred about St. Patrick's day, 48:56 and I'm sure that if Patrick, Patrick was a very godly man, 49:00 he was actually a Protestant 49:02 and it's interesting that the Catholics made 49:04 Patrick a Saint, and he was a Protestant. 49:08 And Patrick was also a Sabbath keeper, 49:09 some people don't know that he kept the seventh day Sabbath 49:13 but nowhere are we told to worship saints in the Bible. 49:19 And so, sometimes for fun in North America it's a tradition, 49:23 you'll wear a green tie 49:24 and people say it's St. Patrick's day, 49:26 and so to just to commiserate with our Irish friends, 49:30 and my family's part Irish, my brother had flaming red hair. 49:34 But we'll wear something green on St. Patrick's day, 49:37 but I wouldn't worship it as far as a spiritual holiday. 49:43 So, hope that helps a little bit. 49:45 Thank you, Yvonne, appreciate your question. 49:47 - All right, we've got Anita listening from Maryland. 49:49 Anita, welcome to the program. 49:51 - [Anita] Hi, how are you, pastor? 49:53 - Yeah. 49:54 - [Anita] Can you hear me? 49:55 - We can. 49:57 - [Anita] Okay, today is the third anniversary 50:01 of my 18 year old's death, 50:03 we didn't know till he died 50:05 that somebody was giving him medical marijuana. 50:10 He was acting very aggressive and violent towards us, 50:13 his personality totally changed. 50:16 I called him at work, made a big mistake, 50:18 not knowing much about marijuana, 50:19 thinking it's a harmless drug, 50:21 like everyone else I was totally wrong. 50:24 He actually, after work, 50:26 after I called him and I yelled at him, 50:29 instead of coming straight home 50:31 he used all the marijuana he had 50:33 'cause he knew mom and dad are gonna take everything away. 50:36 He had a psychosis, 50:38 crashed his car into a tree near our house, 50:41 survived that crash, 50:44 walked out onto I95 and was run over and killed. 50:47 He was hit, the first person that hit him, 50:50 the first car was a 28-year-old with a history of DUI, 50:55 marijuana drunk driving. 50:56 So, my question is kind of loaded. 51:00 I feel extremely guilty 'cause I caused his death 51:05 and plus Aaron wasn't was not baptized, 51:09 so I kind of I'm wondering, 51:13 is there a chance that he could be in heaven 51:15 and will I be forgiven for what I did? 51:19 - All right, let's start with the second part 51:20 of that question. 51:21 First of all, you know our hearts go out to you. 51:25 That's a heartbreaking, 51:26 that's one of the worst things that could happen, 51:28 is losing a child. 51:30 And my wife and I, we lost a 21 year old son, years ago, 51:37 and it's just the worst news that parents can have 51:40 so we empathize with you. 51:43 And then the part of this I want to deal with, first of all, 51:47 as you said, can I be forgiven. 51:49 Be careful not to blame yourself for this, 51:52 you were doing probably what any parent would do, 51:54 you were concerned about your son's health and wellbeing 51:57 and so you may not have reacted the way, 52:00 if you could play it over again you might do it differently, 52:03 but you can't beat yourself up forever about that 52:05 'cause you certainly had no intention on doing him harm, 52:08 you were worried about him. 52:09 And the Bible tells us that, 52:13 "Time and chance happens to all," is what Solomon says. 52:17 So, be careful not to read too much meaning into it, 52:20 it was an accident. 52:22 And so, there was a terrible tragic accident, 52:25 and then of course you're wondering now, 52:26 "What does this mean, 52:27 is there a chance that I'll see my son again?" 52:29 This is one of those situations 52:31 where you've gotta know that God is good, God is love, 52:34 and that God loves your son infinitely more than you do, 52:38 and He will do what is good. 52:40 And so, you just put this in God's hands and trust Him. 52:44 We, obviously on the program 52:45 we can't put ourselves in the position of the eternal 52:48 and say we think you will or won't be saved. 52:51 There's guidelines in the Bible for following Him 52:54 but I think we're gonna be surprised when we get to heaven, 52:56 that there were some exceptions we didn't anticipate. 53:00 And so, the Bible talks about the second coming of Jesus 53:04 as the blessed hope, 53:06 and so just hang on to hope and live for the Lord, 53:09 trust that He forgives you. 53:11 God is good and God is love, Anita. 53:13 And if it's okay, 53:14 Pastor Ross and I'd like to have a brief prayer with you 53:18 'cause I know that you and others like you 53:20 have lost children and your hearts are breaking. 53:24 Loving Lord, we just pray that you'll be with Anita 53:27 and I pray her family, her husband, 53:28 and help them just to heal from this tragedy 53:32 that's touched their lives. 53:33 And I pray through it, 53:35 You've told us that you can bring good from all things 53:37 that happen to us, 53:39 and that there can be redemption 53:40 that will come from this story. 53:42 And so, be with them and comfort and bless. 53:44 We pray in Jesus name, amen. 53:48 Appreciate your call, Anita. 53:50 Pastor Ross, yes? 53:52 - We just wanna let our friends know, 53:53 we got about one minute, pastor, 53:55 I don't think we have time to take one more call 53:57 but the program is not over, 53:58 because we are gonna say goodbye to those 54:00 who are joining us on satellite radio; 54:02 but for the rest of those who are listening on AFTV 54:04 and land-based radio stations, 54:07 we're gonna be coming back 54:08 with a rapid fire Bible question segment 54:11 where we're gonna actually try and answer 54:13 as many of the Bible questions 54:14 that you have sent in to the ministry 54:17 through Facebook or through YouTube, 54:19 or if you want you can just send the question 54:21 to amazingfacts.org. 54:24 Matter of fact, I'm getting the address right here, 54:26 BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 54:30 That's the website, if you have a Bible question 54:32 that you want to submit to the program 54:34 and, Pastor Doug, we'll try to answer 54:35 as many of these programs as we can. 54:37 - Yeah, sometimes folks, they say, 54:40 "I'd like to ask a question 54:41 but I'm a little scared about getting on the air." 54:43 And you can email your questions to us, 54:46 and at the tail-end of the program, 54:48 just after we say goodbye to the satellite listeners, 54:51 we're gonna be going and answering some of those questions 54:54 that have come in via email. 54:56 For the rest of you, keep in mind, 54:57 you can continue to study and worship 55:00 and enjoy the blessings and programs 55:03 of Amazing Facts at amazingfacts.org. 55:05 (upbeat music) 55:09 - [Guest 1] Thank you for listening to today's broadcast, 55:12 we hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:15 "Bible Answers Live" 55:17 is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:20 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:24 (upbeat music) 55:25 - Hello, friends. 55:27 Welcome back to our special bonus Bible question segment. 55:30 Pastor Doug, we've got several questions 55:31 that have been sent in, 55:33 so we are gonna see how many we can get through tonight. 55:34 First question that we have is, 55:36 does it really help to pray for somebody else's salvation? 55:40 - Absolutely. 55:41 Now, not after they're gone. 55:43 I mean, some people say, 55:44 "Well, burn a candle and say a prayer after they're gone." 55:46 The Bible says that, 55:47 "It's appointed unto man once to die, 55:49 and after that the judgment." 55:50 The Bible says, "Where there's life there's hope." 55:53 And so, you pray for their salvation, absolutely. 55:58 Moses interceded for the whole nation, 56:00 and you got many cases in the Bible 56:02 where even Jesus said to Peter, 56:04 "I have prayed for you, that your faith does not fail." 56:08 So, if Jesus prayed for others 56:09 and if Abraham interceded for Lot, and Moses for the nation, 56:13 we should be praying for others as well. 56:16 - Okay, next question that we have, 56:18 what is the difference between the moral law 56:20 and the ceremonial law? 56:23 - Yeah, a very good question. 56:25 Well, when you say moral law 56:26 that's usually talking about the 10 commandments, 56:29 which is a summary of the Law of God. 56:32 Sometimes that's called the Decalogue, Deca meaning 10, 56:35 that 10 commandments that you would find 56:37 in Exodus chapter 20. 56:40 But when you read in Deuteronomy chapter four, 56:44 when God gives the 10 commandments, He also tells us, 56:47 and I think it's in verse 13, it says, 56:49 "God gave me 10 commandments 56:50 which he commanded us to perform, 56:52 and at that time the Lord commanded me 56:56 to give you statutes and judgments." 56:59 So, there were a number of laws 57:00 that revolved around the sanctuary and its services, 57:03 and its ceremonies, they are called the ceremonial law. 57:06 Sacrificing lambs, circumcision, all nailed to the cross. 57:11 - Okay, Another question that we have, 57:12 how do I determine the Will of God? 57:15 - Well, I wrote a little book called 57:17 "determining The Will of God" You can download for free, 57:20 but I'll give you a couple of highlights, 57:21 I think I give a dozen points in the book. 57:23 One is, study the word, 57:26 there's guidance in the word, 57:28 there's guidance through the Holy Spirit speaking to us, 57:30 you'll hear a voice guiding you through your conscience. 57:32 Christian counsel, 57:34 look for providential openings for the Word of God 57:37 and be willing to be faithful to wait until you know 57:40 if it's a big decision. 57:43 - Okay, last question that we have here, Pastor Doug. 57:44 If the Jews didn't believe that Jesus is the Messiah, 57:47 why did they stop sacrificing lambs? 57:51 - Well, they kinda were forced to stop sacrificing lambs, 57:54 They did write at the crucifixion when the veil was rent. 57:56 But then when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D, 57:59 that's where they had brought all their sacrifices 58:01 and God told Moses, 58:03 "Don't do it on your own, bring it to this place." 58:05 Well, friends, we really are out of time now. 58:07 We want to thank you for tuning into "Bible Answers Live", 58:10 look forward to studying His Word with you again next week. 58:13 (upbeat music) 58:17 - [Guest 1] "Bible Answers Live", 58:19 honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. 58:22 (upbeat music) |
Revised 2022-10-20