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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202302S
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00:03 male announcer: It is the best-selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted; 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," providing accurate 00:23 and practical answer to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:33 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:43 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:49 Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:54 Back in 1922, after a minor slip and a fall at work, an Iowa man 01:00 started hiccupping and he didn't stop for 68 years. 01:05 Over the weeks, months, and years, Charles Osborne 01:09 tried everything to get rid of his pesky condition. 01:12 He traveled cross country to visit doctors and even resorted 01:15 to hormone therapy, but it seemed that nothing 01:18 could cure his chronic hiccups. 01:20 Not wanting experimental surgery, 01:22 Osborne eventually learned to hiccup quietly 01:25 and live with his annoying condition. 01:28 He did marry and had a job and had a family, but one day in 01:32 1990, after 68 years of nonstop hiccups, when Osborne was 01:38 96 years old his hiccups mysteriously stopped. 01:42 His last months of life were thankfully hiccup-free. 01:46 Osborne's condition also earned him a place 01:49 in the Guinness Book of World Records in an interview 01:51 with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show." 01:54 It's estimated that between the ages of 29 and 96 Osborne 01:58 hiccupped 430 million times and doctors never did figure out 02:04 precisely what caused his lifelong affliction. 02:07 You know, Pastor Ross, that's what you would call a mystery, 02:11 a conundrum, an enigma. 02:13 Where did his hiccups come from, and where did they go? 02:16 They just stopped after 68 years. 02:18 And the Bible talks about--oh, I think 22 times 02:23 it uses the word mystery. 02:25 There are some mysteries. 02:26 You know, you get the mystery of godliness, and then the Bible 02:29 tells us in, what, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 about 02:33 the mystery of iniquity. 02:35 People want to know, where did sin come from? 02:36 Jean Ross: That's right. 02:38 One of the questions that we often have is, if God is a God 02:40 of love and He's all-powerful, why do we live in a world 02:43 where there is sin and suffering and death? 02:46 Well, the Bible gives us the answer. 02:48 However, there is that element of mystery. 02:52 The Bible speaks about the mystery of iniquity, that 02:55 self-centeredness that arose in the heart of a beautiful angel, 02:58 Lucifer, in heaven. 03:00 And, you know, we do have a study guide 03:02 that talks about this. 03:04 It's an important subject. 03:05 People often wonder, "If God is good, 03:07 why is there bad in the world? 03:09 Did God create a devil?" 03:11 That's one of the questions people have. 03:12 Well, we have a study guide, part of the Amazing Facts study 03:15 guide series, and it talks about the origin of evil. 03:18 And we'll send this lesson for free. 03:20 It's called "Did God Create a Devil?" 03:22 You might be surprised when you read and study this. 03:25 We'll send it to anyone here in the United States and Canada. 03:28 All you need to do is call the number 800-835-6747 03:33 and you can ask for the study guide. 03:35 It's called "Did God Create a Devil?" 03:37 And if you have a cell phone, you can also just dial #250, 03:42 say "Bible Answers Live," and ask for the study guide 03:45 "Did God Create a Devil?" 03:47 We'll be happy to send you a digital copy 03:49 or through the mail. 03:50 And if you're outside of North America, 03:52 you can just go to the Amazing Facts website. 03:55 Just AmazingFacts.org. 03:57 And, Pastor Doug, it's probably a good time for us to greet our 04:00 friends who are watching and listening across the country and 04:02 in other places through the internet around the world. 04:05 I know our program is rebroadcast on a number 04:07 of different television networks as well. 04:10 So we'd like to greet our friends listening. 04:12 And if you'd like to see what's happening here, this is live 04:15 this evening, you can just simply go to the Doug Batchelor 04:18 Facebook page or the Amazing Facts Facebook page. 04:21 We're also live on YouTube, and you can call in 04:24 with your Bible question. 04:26 The number here to the studio is 800-463-7297. 04:32 It's 800-463-7297 and you'll be able to get your Bible question 04:37 on the air this evening. 04:39 Well, before we go to the phone lines, 04:41 let's start with a word of prayer. 04:43 Dear Father, we thank You that we have this time where we 04:45 can just open up Your Word and study. 04:47 Lord, we know the Bible is Your book, so we do pray 04:50 for the Holy Spirit to guide us. 04:51 Be with our friends who are listening, wherever they might 04:53 be, and lead us into a clearer understanding 04:55 of the teachings of the Bible. 04:57 In Jesus's name, amen. 04:58 Doug: Amen. 05:00 Jean: Well, Pastor Doug, our first caller this evening, we're 05:03 going to get right to it, we've got Gary listening in Illinois. 05:05 Gary, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:09 Gary: Well, my question is there are four angels standing 05:13 at the four corners of the earth holding back the winds that 05:15 would harm the earth until the servants of God are sealed 05:21 in their forehead. 05:22 So what is to be sealed mean, and how does that play up 05:26 against the thought that Jesus did it all? 05:30 If I have to do one thing to secure my salvation, 05:33 I'm saying that Jesus's crucifixion wasn't good enough. 05:37 Doug: Okay. 05:38 Well, let's actually deal with the last part of your question 05:41 first, the idea that because we need to do something means that 05:46 Jesus's sacrifice wasn't adequate. 05:48 Let me just see if I can explain it this way. 05:51 If somebody writes a check to pay 100% of your million-dollar 05:56 debt and yet the bank still repossesses your home and puts 06:00 you in jail and you say, "But I thought he paid everything." 06:03 They say, "Well, you never took the check to the bank." 06:06 So there is something that everybody needs to do. 06:09 We need to reach out and take the gift that He's offered. 06:13 So there is something that needs to be done. 06:16 It doesn't mean that Jesus's sacrifice is inadequate. 06:18 We must respond to that sacrifice. 06:20 So when it says that we must receive the seal of God, 06:23 we must be born again. 06:26 Jesus said, "Unless you are born of the water and the Spirit, 06:29 you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." 06:31 You look in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13 it says, 06:35 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, 06:38 the gospel of your salvation; in Whom you also have believed, 06:42 you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." 06:45 Now, there's the word seal. 06:47 Read again in Ephesians 4, verse 30, "Do not grieve 06:49 the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for 06:53 the day of redemption." 06:54 Now, we just read there in Revelation chapter 7, at least 06:57 that's what you were quoting, Gary, about people must receive 07:00 the seal of God if they're going to survive these plagues 07:03 and this wind of strife, but there's something deeper than 07:06 just the Holy Spirit. 07:08 What I mean by that is, why does it say in the forehead? 07:11 If you look in the Old Testament it says that God's people-- 07:15 this is Deuteronomy chapter 5, is where you have 07:19 the Ten Commandments repeated. 07:20 Chapter 6 is where Moses said, "These words that I command you 07:24 today shall be in your heart. 07:26 They shall be in your hand. 07:27 They shall be between your eyes." 07:29 So one way that we know that we have the Holy Spirit 07:31 is by the fruits of the Spirit. 07:33 There's obedience in the life. 07:35 You read in Isaiah chapter 8, it says, "Bind up the testimony. 07:38 Seal the law among My disciples." 07:42 So in the law of God is a seal of God, and it shows 07:45 that we've got the fruits of the Spirit. 07:47 We have a whole lesson that talks about the seal of God we 07:49 could send to Gary or anyone that wants to know what that is. 07:52 Jean: That's right. 07:54 It's part of our Amazing Facts study guide series, and you can 07:57 just call and ask for the study guide "The Seal of God." 08:00 We'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. 08:03 The number, again, is 800-835-6747. 08:07 And, you know, Pastor Doug, it's interesting in the Book of 08:09 Revelation not only do you have the righteous sealed, not only 08:12 do they have something symbolically in their forehead 08:14 but you also have those who are lost. 08:16 The wicked, they're also marked. 08:18 They get the mark of the beast. 08:20 So at the end of time everyone is divided up into two groups: 08:22 those with the seal of God, obedience to God's commandments; 08:25 or the mark of the beast, 08:27 obedience to the beast commandment. 08:30 We want to be amongst those who have the seal of God 08:32 in the last days. 08:33 Thank you for your call, Gary. 08:35 Next caller that we have is Junith listening in Nevada. 08:37 Junith, welcome to the program. 08:39 Junith: Hello? Can you hear me, Pastor Doug? 08:42 Doug: We do. 08:43 Junith: Hello? Good evening. 08:45 Okay, great. Wonderful. 08:47 Thanks for taking my call again. 08:48 My question is related to Matthew chapter 5, verse 48, 08:53 that we're perfect in the eyes of God. 08:56 My question is we are the--still in the midst of the great 08:59 controversy between Christ and Satan and once saved 09:03 will not always be saved. 09:05 It's a daily sanctification process and a personal 09:08 relationship with Jesus. 09:10 So what would you recommend biblical, I would say, to stop 09:17 to give us a warning sign and the good luck signs that we are 09:23 not maintaining perfection in the eyes of God? 09:28 What would be your input as to biblical promises that will 09:33 maintain our spiritual purification daily? 09:37 Thank you for your answer. 09:40 Doug: Yes. 09:41 Well, when Jesus says here in Matthew chapter 5:48, "Therefore 09:45 be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect--" 09:47 He talks about in the previous verses--so always read 09:51 something in its context. 09:52 In the previous verses he talks about loving your brother. 09:55 When Jesus quotes that same verse in the Gospel of Luke, 09:59 he says, "Be therefore merciful, 10:01 even as your Father in heaven is merciful." 10:04 And so God wants us to have a perfect love and a perfect 10:07 mercy, and we are called to holiness. 10:11 Don't misunderstand. 10:13 The Bible says blessed are the pure in heart. 10:15 They'll see God. 10:16 But as soon as we accept Christ he then gives us a new heart, 10:20 and this is the new covenant, and we begin to think 10:23 differently instead of being--and it may not 10:25 all happen in one day. 10:27 It's called sanctification. 10:28 But instead of being motivated by selfishness and sin, now we 10:33 start being motivated by love and a desire to please God. 10:38 And so there's a change that happens in the heart. 10:41 Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." 10:43 And so as we get to know Him better, 10:45 we fall in love with God. 10:48 As we love Him better, we obey Him better. 10:50 And Jesus said that He that has begun a good work 10:54 in us will perform it. 10:56 He is the author and the finisher of our faith. 10:58 So if we keep dying to self, we take up our cross daily and 11:01 follow him; we die to self and we follow Jesus, we're being 11:04 transformed into His image. 11:06 Jean: That's right. 11:08 You know, we do have a study guide that talks about--actually 11:10 one of our books talks about--it's called 11:11 "Three Steps to Heaven." 11:13 Talks about these different aspects of trusting in God 11:15 and experiencing that deliverance, that cleansing 11:18 that only comes from the Spirit. 11:20 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and ask. 11:22 The number is 800-835-6747. 11:25 You can ask for the book. 11:26 It's called "Three Steps to Heaven." 11:28 We'll be happy to send that for free to anyone in the US 11:30 and in Canada. 11:32 If you'd like, you could dial #250 on your phone and say 11:36 "Bible Answers Live" and then ask for the book 11:39 "Three Steps to Heaven." 11:40 And you can also receive it that way. 11:42 Thank you for your call, Junith. 11:44 If you have a Bible question, just another reminder, friends, 11:45 our phone lines are open. 11:47 It's 800-463-7297, 800-GOD-SAYS. 11:52 That's 800-463-7297. 11:56 Next caller that we have is Jimmy listening in Texas. 11:59 Jimmy, welcome to the program. 12:01 Jimmy: Yes, sir. Thank you. 12:04 Hello, pastors. 12:05 Doug: Thanks for calling. 12:09 Jimmy: My question is I be--I think this is the truth. 12:13 I'm not really sure. 12:15 Christ comes back after the seven last plagues, 12:18 but it's also written that He comes as a thief in the night. 12:23 Does that occur after the seven last plagues or during it? 12:28 Doug: Well, let's read it here. 12:30 If you look in Revelation chapter 16 and you go to verse 12:34 17, it says, "Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl--" 12:38 These are the bowls filled with the plagues. 12:40 So the seventh angel is the seventh plague. 12:42 "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, 12:44 and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, 12:47 from the throne, saying, 'It is done.' 12:50 And there were noises and thunderings 12:52 and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, 12:55 such a mighty and a great earthquake as had not occurred 12:58 since men were on the earth. 12:59 Now that great city was divided in three parts, and the cities 13:03 of the nations fell. 13:05 And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup 13:09 of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 13:11 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 13:15 And a great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone 13:19 about the weight of a talent, and men blasphemed God 13:22 because of the plague of hail, since that plague 13:24 was exceedingly great." 13:26 So it's understood this great earthquake and the hail are 13:29 mentioned other places with the second coming of Christ, 13:32 that the seventh plague is really the end for the world 13:36 'cause every island fled away, the cities are destroyed. 13:39 You can read in Revela--I'm sorry. 13:42 In Jeremiah chapter 4, it talks about the cities are broken down 13:44 by the presence of the Lord and through His fierce anger. 13:48 So when you read that he's coming like a thief, 13:51 it just means that it's going to surprise people. 13:55 When these plagues begin to fall, people are going 13:58 to just be blindsided by it all. 14:01 So yeah, I think it's--since no one knows the day or the hour, 14:05 it's going to surprise people. 14:06 Jean: Let me just read that verse, Pastor Doug, 14:08 'cause it's interesting. 14:09 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10 it says, "But the day 14:12 of the Lord will come as a thief in the night." 14:14 And there you have it. 14:16 But it says, "In which the heavens will pass away with 14:18 a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; 14:21 and the earth and the works thereof will be burned up." 14:24 So there you have Jesus coming as a thief in the night, but 14:27 when He comes it talks about the heavens passing away 14:31 and the earth melting with fervent heat. 14:33 So there's nothing secret about the coming of Jesus. 14:35 So when Christ comes as a thief, it's not the manner of Christ 14:39 coming but it's the unexpectedness. 14:41 He comes and catches the majority of the world 14:44 by surprise. 14:45 Doug: Right. 14:47 And this is right at the conclusion 14:48 of the seven last plagues. 14:50 Jean: You know, we do have a study guide talking about 14:52 the second coming, and it's called "Anything But Secret." 14:54 It's actually one of our books, and we'll be happy to send this 14:57 to anyone who calls and asks. 14:58 Again, that number is 800-835-6747 15:02 and you can ask for the book. 15:03 It's called "Anything But Secret." 15:05 We'll be happy to send it to anyone. 15:06 Dial #250 on your phone and just say "Bible Answers Live," 15:10 and you can receive the book that way as well. 15:13 Next caller that we have is Brittany listening in Jamaica. 15:16 Brittany, welcome to the program. 15:18 Brittany: Hi, Pastor Doug. Hi, Pastor Ross. 15:21 Doug: Evening. Brittany: Hi. 15:24 I just wanted to ask, how can you know if God is calling you 15:27 to evangelism? 15:29 Doug: Well, if you read in Matthew chapter 28, 15:32 Jesus said to His disciples, "All power is given unto me. 15:37 Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them 15:40 in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." 15:42 Teaching--he's telling us to go and teach and make disciples. 15:46 And so that invitation to make disciples using our various 15:50 spiritual gifts was not just for the apostles, but I think every 15:55 believer to some extent is supposed 15:58 to be sharing their faith. 16:00 Now, whether you're called to full-time evangelism or not, I 16:04 don't know, I think that a lot of people have the gifts 16:07 or--certain gifts that can be used in evangelism, and they 16:09 maybe just need some training or discipling. 16:12 Amazing Facts actually has a program called AFCOE, and it's 16:17 the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism where we teach men 16:20 and women how to do. 16:22 What are some of the different aspects of evangelism? 16:24 Jean: There are different parts to evangelism. 16:26 You've got what we think of, the evangelist standing in front of 16:28 a group of people and they preaching the Bible. 16:31 But there's also parts of evangelism 16:33 that we don't always think of. 16:34 One is Bible work where somebody's actually doing Bible 16:37 studies one on one or maybe in somebody's home, in a group. 16:41 That's an important part of evangelism. 16:44 There's something else we call literature evangelism where 16:47 people are actually going out and they're using material and 16:50 they're sharing it with other people. 16:52 That way the people can read 16:53 and come to an understanding of truth. 16:55 So there are different ways in which we can let our light 16:57 shine, and we want to say, "Lord, what are the gifts, 17:00 what are the talents that You have given me? 17:02 How can I use this for the furtherance of Your kingdom?" 17:04 That might involve preaching. 17:06 Others have the gift of music, and they can use their music 17:08 to glorify God and bring people knowledge of the truth. 17:12 So each person has got different gifts, and we want to use those 17:15 gifts the best way we can. 17:17 Doug: If people want to know more about the Amazing Facts 17:19 evangelism training, and we've got thousands of graduates 17:23 around the world now, you can simply go to AFCOE--A-F-C-O-E, 17:29 afcoe.org. 17:31 And I think they can even do a lot of it online. 17:34 Jean: That's right. 17:35 We have several of the classes available online, and, again, 17:37 just go to the Amazing Facts website or AFCOE. 17:40 You can--if you can't remember AFCOE, just go to Amazing Facts 17:42 and you can click on the training link and you can get 17:45 all the information about our evangelism training program 17:48 that we have. 17:49 Doug: Now, Brittany, real quick let me just give you 17:51 more of a direct answer to your question. 17:52 You're saying, "How do I know if He's calling me?" 17:54 You tell the Lord, say, "Lord, I am willing to go," 17:57 and watch and see if He opens the doors. 17:59 If you're willing to go and do something more full-time, say, 18:03 "Lord, if this is Your will, open the doors." 18:07 In the meantime, do what lies closest to hand with all--you 18:09 know, all your might. 18:11 Be faithful in whatever your current work is. 18:13 Say, "Lord, open the doors." 18:14 He's done it for me several times, 18:16 and that's one way I knew. 18:17 Jean: Okay. 18:19 Next caller that we have is Jesus listening in Florida. 18:21 Jesus, welcome to the program. 18:24 Jesus: Hello, how are you guys doing tonight? 18:26 Doug: Great. 18:27 Thank you for calling and your question. 18:30 Jesus: Thank you for taking my question. 18:31 Yes. Okay. 18:34 So in Acts chapter 2, verse 13 it talks about new wine 18:38 specifically in the context of people mocking those who were in 18:43 the upper room that had received the Holy Spirit, and I'm 18:47 assuming that it's insinuating that they're drunk. 18:50 Now, I've always heard the context that new wine symbolizes 18:55 unfermented wine, right? 18:56 Like the first miracle of Jesus as well when 19:00 He talks about it later. 19:02 So I'm wondering, does that conflict with that idea? 19:06 How are we supposed to understand that? 19:09 Doug: Yeah. 19:11 Well, when the--let me just--for our friends that are listening, 19:13 when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles there in 19:16 Acts chapter 2 and they began to preach with power and they were 19:19 speaking in other languages to the people present so--you know, 19:23 I think it mentions 16 different language groups there 19:27 by the time you get to verse 12. 19:30 And so it sounded like babbling to some that were listening. 19:35 And so some of the Jews were mocking, and they said, 19:38 "Oh, they're full of new wine." 19:40 And the word new wine there--new wine is clearly not fermented, 19:43 but people would stumble around sometimes and they say, 19:47 "Oh, I thought it was new wine." 19:48 They'd be drinking old wine and then they'd say, "Oh no, but I 19:52 thought it was new wine." 19:53 So that was sort of like a cop out, and they're mocking the 19:56 disciples saying, "Oh, they're full of new wine." 19:59 But no, new wine doesn't get you drunk. 20:02 They were just using this as sarcasm, I guess you would say. 20:05 Jean: Yeah. 20:07 There's also something else interesting in the Greek there. 20:09 If you look up the word new wine, it can also be translated 20:11 as sweet wine. 20:13 Now, the Passover--or Pentecost, rather, occurred somewhere 20:16 around June, but you'd have the harvest of the grapes 20:20 not until August. 20:22 So what they would do is they would somehow try and 20:24 concentrate this juice and then they'd add water and they could 20:28 use it as grape juice. 20:30 It would be sweet. 20:32 So you could use the word sweet wine instead of new wine 'cause 20:36 new wine is the juice that comes fresh from the grapes, 20:39 and you didn't have that all year round. 20:41 That was something that was at the harvest. 20:43 So yeah-- 20:45 Doug: If you're drinking juice out of grape, unless 20:47 they're very old grapes they're not fermented. 20:49 Jean: That's right. 20:50 Yeah, it's fresh. 20:52 Doug: You know, we do have a book, and you may have some 20:54 questions about this, Jesus, and it's called 20:57 "Alcohol and the Christian." 20:58 We can send you or anyone who wants to know what does 21:00 the Bible say about alcohol. 21:02 We can send you a free copy. 21:04 Jean: The number to call is 800-835-6747 21:07 and you can ask the book. 21:09 It's called "Alcohol and the Christian." 21:10 You can also dial #250 on your phone and say 21:13 "Bible Answers Live" or "Amazing Facts" and ask for that book 21:17 "The Christian and Alcohol." 21:19 Next caller that we have is Richard listening in Canada. 21:22 Richard, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 21:26 Richard: Hello. 21:27 Doug: Hi. 21:30 Richard: I have a question and it revolves around something 21:35 Jesus said in Matthew 23, verses 8 through 10. 21:43 Is it appropriate for Christians to call each other or accept 21:55 to be called by each other by honorific titles like pastor, 22:00 bishop or is that--or should we refer to each other by our 22:06 names, whatever position we may hold? 22:10 Doug: Yeah. 22:11 Well, it's not wrong to address a person 22:15 by an appropriate title. 22:18 If you're going to see your doctor, you know, his name might 22:22 be Robert, you don't necessarily need to say, "Hey, Bob." 22:24 You know, the--I think people are due certain respect 22:28 based on offices. 22:30 I know if you're in the military and you've got a sergeant 22:32 and you call him buddy; well, you might end up 22:34 getting thrown in the brig. 22:36 So it's appropriate to call people 22:37 by certain respectful titles. 22:40 But when it comes to the church, Jesus said, "Call no man father 22:43 for you have one Father." 22:45 So there's at least one term there. 22:47 And then, you know, Pastor Ross and I people say, 22:49 "Should we call you reverend? 22:51 Should we call you father?" We say no. 22:54 The Bible says holy and reverend, meaning revered, 22:57 is His name. 22:58 And so we don't use the word reverend. 23:00 But the word minister or title is also a descriptive word, and 23:04 there's nothing wrong with using a descriptive word. 23:06 If you say a person is wearing a gray suit doesn't mean 23:10 that you're giving them any kind of undue honor. 23:14 It's just a descriptive term. 23:16 So to call a person by their descriptive profession and 23:20 saying Pastor Doug or Pastor Jean, nothing wrong with that. 23:23 We just don't want to take the reverence belongs to God, 23:26 and we have really one Father. 23:28 We should not be giving a man that title. 23:32 God is our Father. 23:34 Did I make sense, Richard? 23:39 Richard: It does. 23:41 He also talks about rabbi and master. 23:46 Those were also honorific titles that were used-- 23:52 telling His disciples. 23:53 Doug: Yeah, and I think Jesus is talking more specifically about 23:56 the teachers and the scribes. 23:58 They loved the titles. 24:00 They loved the greetings. 24:03 They loved the best seats. 24:04 They wanted the honor of men. 24:06 And if a person wants to be a pastor or a minister 24:10 so that they can get a title; 24:12 well, that's certainly the wrong reason. 24:14 But I think it's important to use some terms of respect, 24:18 you know, with our kids. 24:20 When we--when your children are young and they're talking to 24:22 other adults, it's good for them to call Mr. Brown or Mr. Smith. 24:26 We don't have our kids talk to another adult when they're young 24:29 and say, "Hey, Stanley." 24:31 It just doesn't sound right. 24:33 It used to be--you know, you'd address them with more respect. 24:35 And so there's nothing wrong with terms of respect, but we 24:39 shouldn't be craving titles for prestige. 24:43 Jean: You know, just to add a little bit to that, Pastor Doug, 24:45 you know, in our church it's interesting 24:47 we have a weekly bulletin. 24:48 We put together the different positions connected with our 24:52 service, and in our bulletin we don't put titles. 24:56 We don't say doctor so and so or pastor so and so. 24:59 Now, on the back of the bulletin it mentions who the pastors 25:01 are in the church. 25:03 But when it comes to the church and it comes to worshiping, it 25:05 is valuable for someone that might be visiting to know who 25:08 the leader of the church is, who's the pastor of the church. 25:10 There's nothing wrong with that. 25:12 But as we interact with each other, you know, we try to 25:14 minimize the titles that would sort of--in God's eyes we're all 25:19 brothers and sisters in Christ. 25:21 And sometimes the term brother so and so you'll hear in the 25:25 church or sister so and so more so than you'll hear a title like 25:28 doctor or some other person. 25:30 Doug: Good question. 25:32 Jean: All right. Thank you for your call. 25:34 Next caller that we have is Nel listening in California. 25:37 Nel, welcome. 25:39 Nel: Hi. Thank you so much, pastor. 25:42 My question is in regards to investing. 25:46 I'm a little bit new at it, but I know that some of the--some 25:51 things like that--if you invest in--like I'm using the wrong 25:55 term, but in a composite bit manner, some of those might 25:59 contain things that we may not necessarily believe in. 26:02 Like you might invest in an alcohol company 26:05 or something like that. 26:07 And so if you're doing that, is it a problem or do we have to, 26:12 like, seek different--you know, separately seek things 26:15 to invest in? 26:16 Doug: Right. That's a great question. 26:18 So if you're a Christian and you're going to invest--and it 26:20 is appropriate to invest. 26:22 Jesus talked about the unfaithful steward that does 26:25 bury the money, and Jesus said, 26:26 "You could have at least put it in the bank." 26:28 Now, when you put your money in a bank, 26:31 the banks invest your money. 26:33 They might invest it in some companies that, you know, 26:37 you might not support. 26:38 It might be an entertainment or an alcohol or tobacco company. 26:41 Usually that's not all of it, 26:42 but that might be in the bouquet. 26:44 You can't always control what your bank is going to do, but on 26:47 a personal level stock advisors and financial advisors do tell 26:52 Christians and--just anybody with some morals, they might 26:55 say, "I want to invest in a mutual fund that doesn't have 26:58 the sin companies." 27:00 Sometimes they'll use a term like that. 27:02 It's not investing in, you know, the alcohol or the tobacco or 27:05 some of these other dubious companies. 27:08 People can choose to invest in a sector of just technology or 27:13 something or medicine or whatever. 27:16 So I think as Christians you need to be careful not to try to 27:19 exploit companies or make money off companies that have-- 27:22 are morally questionable. 27:25 That's a good thing for you to ask. 27:27 You may not always be able to control what your bank 27:31 does with the money. 27:32 That's a different issue, but--just like when you go 27:34 to the supermarket and you buy your oranges. 27:36 They may also sell alcohol, but you don't buy the alcohol. 27:38 Hey, we'll be back with more questions, friends. 27:40 Don't go anywhere. 27:44 announcer: Stay tuned. 27:45 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:52 Doug: Hi, friends, Pastor Doug Batchelor. 27:53 It's time to make your plans and mark your calendars to attend 27:57 our third annual Amazing Facts Youth Conference. 28:00 The dates are June 7th through the 10th, 2023. 28:04 This year's mission and title is called Eyedentity: 28:07 Changed by Beholding." 28:09 Come and learn how to turn your focus from the world to the Word 28:13 and make some great friends along the way. 28:15 For more information about the speakers and how you can 28:18 register, go to afyouth.com. 28:22 ♪♪ 28:40 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," 28:42 where every question answered provides a clearer picture 28:45 of God and his plan to save you. 28:48 So what are you waiting for? 28:50 Get practical answers about the good book 28:52 for a better life today. 28:56 This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 28:59 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions 29:02 on the air, please call us next Sunday 29:05 between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:08 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned 29:11 in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 29:16 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 29:21 Now let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 29:27 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends. 29:29 For those who tuned in somewhere along the way, 29:31 this is a live international interactive Bible study 29:35 and we encourage you to participate. 29:37 We've got some lines open, Pastor Ross. 29:39 If people want to call in, all they've got to do is call that 29:42 toll-free number 800-463-7297. 29:46 And we're streaming on Facebook right now. 29:50 They can watch the program. 29:52 It's the Doug Batchelor Facebook page or the Amazing Facts 29:55 Facebook page. 29:57 It's on YouTube, Amazing Facts YouTube. 29:59 We're airing, I think, live on AFTV 30:01 and rebroadcast in other stations. 30:03 But you've got a Bible question, now's the time. 30:06 Pick up the phone, give us a call. 30:08 We've got some room left for the second half of the program. 30:10 We'd love to hear from you. 30:11 My name is Doug Batchelor. 30:13 Jean: My name is Jean Ross. 30:15 And also, friends, if you can't call in--maybe you're listening 30:18 to a rebroadcast of this program and you'd like to ask 30:20 a question, you can all do so by sending an email. 30:24 And I'll give you the address. 30:25 It's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 30:29 Just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 30:32 But right now we are live. 30:34 So if you'd like to call in and ask your question, 800-463-7297. 30:42 We're going to go to Bob listening in Washington. 30:44 Bob, welcome to the program. 30:46 Bob: Hey, gentlemen. 30:48 Thank you, brothers Doug and Jean. 30:51 My question is, when the latter rain comes and the 144,000 30:59 are spreading the three angels' messages, the other Christians 31:05 on the planet that are not part of or counted part of 31:09 the 144,000, will they be doing the same thing? 31:14 Doug: Yeah, well, I think as we near the end of time 31:16 every believer is engaged in sharing the good news. 31:22 I think the key to understanding who the 144,000 are can be found 31:26 in Acts chapter 2. 31:28 In Acts chapter 2, we know that they were--the first thing that 31:31 happens actually in Acts chapter 1 is they do a headcount and 31:35 they say, "You know, we are short one apostle." 31:37 There were 12. 31:39 Jesus wanted 12, even though there were not 12 tribes of 31:42 Israel left 'cause they had been scattered. 31:44 He said, "We need 12 apostles." 31:46 And Judas had killed himself. 31:48 So Peter said, "Let's pick a replacement." 31:50 And I trust he was led by the Spirit. 31:53 They cast lots. 31:54 They picked a replacement. 31:56 As soon as they got back to the number 12, the Holy Spirit is 31:59 poured out and there's a great revival. 32:01 Now, the Holy Spirit did not just fall on the 12 apostles 32:05 in the upper room. 32:07 It says there were 120 in the upper room. 32:09 So it's 10 times more than just the 12. 32:13 The ones who received the special filling in the last days 32:16 are not just the 144,000. 32:18 The 144,000 are very much like last-day apostles. 32:22 They have a special work to do, a special calling and--but 32:27 they're not the only ones saved. 32:29 There's a great multitude that was saved from the preaching of 32:32 the apostles and the disciples in the upper room, and they were 32:35 baptized at Pentecost. 32:36 In the last days the Holy Spirit is going to fall on thousands, 32:40 way beyond just the 144,000. 32:43 And I think there'll be a revival that will sweep the 32:47 world as it did in the first centuries with Christianity. 32:50 And we have a book, talks about the subject. 32:53 Jean: That's right. 32:55 It's called "Who Are the 144,000?" 32:57 We'll be happy to send this to you, Bob, or anyone wanting 32:59 to learn more about that. 33:01 Just before we give the number again, Pastor Doug, just to add 33:03 to that a little bit, you know, he asked about the latter rain. 33:06 There might be some folks who are wondering, "Well, what is it 33:08 talking about the latter rain?" 33:10 Doug: Yeah. 33:11 Well, in Bible times they had what they called the former rain 33:15 and the latter rain connected with the harvest. 33:17 They were an agricultural society, and they always prayed 33:21 especially that there'd be this good rain that would sprout the 33:25 seed and then just before the harvest there would be another 33:29 rain that would help it to plump up before the harvest. 33:33 And in the same way Jesus scattered the seed of the gospel 33:37 with His 3 1/2 years of ministry, then the Holy Spirit 33:41 was poured out at Pentecost and you had, like, the former rain 33:44 before Christ comes to harvest; and He pictures Himself coming 33:48 with a sickle in His hand in Revelation to harvest. 33:52 It's a symbol. 33:53 There'll be the latter rain of the Holy Spirit to prepare the 33:56 crop of souls. 33:58 So it uses that farming terminology in connection 34:02 with the second coming. 34:03 Jean: Okay. 34:04 The book that we mentioned, it's called "Who Will Sing the Song? 34:06 Understanding the 144,000." 34:08 And that is for free. 34:10 We'll send it to anyone in the US or in Canada. 34:12 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747 and you can ask 34:17 for the book "Who Will Sing the Song? 34:19 Understanding the 144,000." 34:22 Or you can just dial #250 on your phone and say "Bible 34:25 Answers Live" and then ask for the book about the 144,000. 34:29 Next caller that we have is Kim, and he's listening from Iowa. 34:33 Kim, welcome to the program. 34:34 Kim: Thank you. 34:36 Doug: Oh, Kim is a she. Sorry, Kim. 34:38 There's a couple of different Kims out there. 34:40 Kim: Okay. No worries. 34:42 I have a question. 34:44 I had this discussion with a lady that I work with. 34:45 It's 1 Timothy chapter 4, verses 4 and 5 and--about unclean and 34:52 clean meats to be eaten and not to be eaten, but she claims that 34:56 the Scripture negates everything. 34:59 Doug: Oh, let's read this for our friends that are listening. 35:02 If you look in 1 Timothy chapter 4, and I'll read 4 and 5, it 35:05 says, "For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be 35:09 ref--is to be refused if it's received with thanksgiving; 35:12 for it is sanctified by the word of God in prayer." 35:15 Now, you need to go back to verse 3 really where it says 35:19 that there'll be this, you know, fallen power in the last days 35:23 that will command people not to marry. 35:25 Right? That's a clue right there. 35:27 There's going to be a religious movement that will tell its 35:29 priests they can't marry. 35:31 Ten seconds you got to figure out the answer to that. 35:34 And then it says they'll command people to abstain from foods 35:38 that the Bible says can't be eaten 'cause they're sanctified 35:41 by the Word of God. 35:42 Well, they say, like, you can or can't eat fish on a certain day 35:45 clean or unclean. 35:47 And so this is talking about a particular movement 35:51 in the last days. 35:52 Now, when Paul says for every creature of God is good and 35:55 nothing to be refused, there was a big debate in the church in 35:59 Paul's day where the Christians were being told by the Jewish 36:04 believers, these are believers in Christ but they're coming 36:07 from a Jewish background, that they couldn't eat any meat that 36:11 was sold in the Roman-Greek marketplaces because it had been 36:15 offered to idols before it was sacrificed, and they said you 36:19 will be participating in idolatry even if you buy that 36:22 chicken that's hanging there in the meat market because before 36:25 they slaughtered the chicken they did it in front of a little 36:27 idol to some god. 36:30 Well, Paul said the idol is nothing if you don't--if that 36:33 doesn't bother your conscience, don't do it. 36:35 If it does bother your conscience; well, just eat 36:37 vegetables and don't eat the meat. 36:39 If it bothers your brother, don't do it. 36:41 There's a big debate in the New Testament about can you eat 36:44 things that were offered to idols, and Paul said, "Well, 36:48 if you're not offering it to an idol and you're just buying 36:50 it in the market, then don't ask any questions 36:52 for conscience sake." 36:54 It's something like today--my wife and I love going 36:57 to a Thai restaurant. 36:58 One of the Thai restaurants we go to, it's got like a statue 37:01 of Buddha in there when you walk in. 37:03 Well, that doesn't bother me. 37:05 I'm not going to worship Buddha, and I don't feel like God thinks 37:08 I'm worshiping Buddha by eating there. 37:10 Someone--if I went with a brother and sister and they 37:12 said, "Oh, Doug, we can't eat here. 37:14 There's a statue of Buddha at the entrance." 37:15 I'd said, "All right. Well, let's go somewhere else." 37:18 So there was this kind of debate. 37:19 It had nothing to do with the clean meats so much as things 37:24 sacrificed to idols. 37:25 Paul is saying every creature of God is good and nothing to be 37:30 refused if it's received with thanksgiving, he's talking 37:32 about, for it is sanctified by the Word of God. 37:36 There are some animals that the Word of God says you can eat. 37:40 They're called clean animals. 37:41 And there are some you cannot eat. 37:43 They're called unclean. It's called an abomination. 37:46 God is not saying that you just pray over anything 37:49 and it becomes clean. 37:51 It's really absurd to think that you tell your children, 37:54 "I don't care what you eat for breakfast. 37:56 Just make sure you pray over it." 37:57 No, you know that there's nutritional value and you're 38:00 going to reap what you sow. 38:01 So we have a study guide that we can share, 38:05 and she can give this to her friend. 38:07 Jean: Study guide is called "God's Free Health Plan," 38:09 and we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 38:12 The number is 800-835-6747. 38:15 Ask for the study guide "God's Free Health Plan." 38:18 Or dial #250 on your smartphone and say "Bible Answers Live" 38:22 and ask for that study guide "God's Free Health Plan." 38:26 Next caller that we have--thank you, Kim. 38:28 Next caller that we have is Carlos listening in Florida. 38:30 Carlos, welcome to the program. 38:33 Carlos: How are you doing, pastors? 38:35 Doug: Doing great. 38:37 Thanks for calling. 38:40 Carlos: So my question is--I'm watching a Joe Crews 38:46 on--sermon here on Sabbath and--so this is in regards 38:54 to Sabbath, if it should be kept--if us Christians today 38:58 should keep Sabbath or not, and he came to a verse that 39:03 was--he's reading out something that Billy Graham wrote 39:09 and it came to Romans 10:8 through 10. 39:13 But he didn't really read the verse, he just kind of kept-- 39:17 I don't think he read the verse anyways. 39:19 I was looking for what the verse in the Bible as he was talking, 39:24 but I couldn't tell if he was really talking--it didn't seem 39:27 like he was speaking Scripture. 39:29 How does that eight--Romans 8-10--Romans 10:8-10 39:32 relate to keeping of the Sabbath or keeping of the laws? 39:38 Doug: All right. 39:40 Well, first of all, you're talking about--and I don't mean 39:42 to jump in, but you're talking about a Scripture reference that 39:46 is given during a sermon that you are watching. 39:48 Is that correct? 39:50 Carlos: Yes, sir. Doug: All right. 39:52 It is entirely possible, I've done it before, that he 39:54 misquoted the reference or quoted the wrong reference in 39:56 the wrong place. 39:57 So I'll read this for our friends. 39:59 I'm not sure that could be the problem, but let me read what it 40:03 says here in Romans chapter 10. 40:05 I think you said verse 8 through 10, and it said, 40:07 "But what does it say? 40:10 'The word is near you and in your mouth and in your heart.' 40:13 That is, the word of faith which we preach: that if you confess 40:16 with your mouth the Lord Jesus and if you believe in your heart 40:19 that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved. 40:21 For with a heart one believes unto righteousness, 40:24 and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 40:26 Now, that is a powerful verse that is often used in-- 40:31 person accepting Christ and receiving forgiveness 40:34 and righteousness by faith. 40:36 I don't know that I would use that connected with the Sabbath. 40:40 Jean: I think maybe what--and, Carlos, if we 40:43 understand what the argument is, I think some people say, well, 40:47 this verse says you just need to confess with your mouth and 40:50 believe in your heart. 40:51 That's all you have to do. 40:52 You don't have to keep the law. 40:54 You don't have to worry about that. 40:56 Doug: But Billy Graham believes you should keep the law too-- 40:58 Carlos: I had a feeling he was on the wrong--made a mistake 41:04 on the Scripture there, but what he was saying was something 41:07 along the lines of what should we do now that we're living 41:09 through faith. 41:11 Does it mean that we could just continue to sin? 41:12 Doug: Right. 41:14 That's--that would be Romans chapter 6. 41:16 "Shall we continue in sin that grace might abound?" 41:19 God forbid. 41:21 That--you know what? 41:23 It's--he may have quoted--it's Romans chapter--well, 41:25 there's two places. 41:27 You got Romans chapter 6, and you've got Romans chapter 7 41:29 talks about that. 41:30 Let me see. 41:31 Romans 6, verse 1, "What then shall we say? 41:33 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" 41:35 God forbid. "Certainly not. 41:38 How shall we who are dead to sin," meaning lawlessness, 41:40 "live any longer in it?" 41:43 Carlos: Amen, that's the one I was looking for. 41:45 Doug: Yeah, so it may mean he may have meant 41:47 to quote that one, I don't know. 41:50 Of course, I don't know what sermon you're listening to-- 41:51 Carlos: Do you know the service I'm looking at? 41:54 Doug: No, I--Joe Crews has preached thousands of sermons, 41:58 so don't quiz me on that. 42:00 I have no idea which one you're listening to. 42:02 Jean: Hopefully that helps, Carlos. 42:04 Carlos: --about the Sabbath. 42:05 And yes, this has helped a lot actually. 42:07 So that's Romans 6, right? 42:09 Doug: Yeah. Romans 6, verse 1. 42:11 And there's another one in Romans 6:2. 42:13 Well, he says, you know, he that is dead is freed from sin, 42:19 but--let me see here. 42:23 Yeah. 42:25 Do not let sin reign in your mouth--" 42:26 You read all of Romans 6. You'll--the whole thing is good. 42:29 Hey, thanks, Carlos. You know what? 42:32 I would offer Carlos that book 42:33 "Does God's Grace Blot out the Law?" 42:35 'cause he quotes that there. 42:37 Jean: The book, again, is called 42:38 "Does God's Grace Blot out the Law?" 42:40 The number is 800-835-6747 written by Joe Crews. 42:44 We'll send that to anyone who calls and asks. 42:47 You can also dial #250, say "Bible Answers Live," and ask 42:51 for the book "Does God's Grace Blot out the Law?" 42:53 Next caller that we have is Cami listening from California. 42:57 Cami, welcome to the program. 42:58 Cami: Hello, pastors. 43:00 Good evening. Thank you for taking my call. 43:02 Doug: Yes. 43:04 Cami: So my question this evening is dealing with the 43:07 story about Saul and the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel chapter 28. 43:14 And when you get down to the 15th verse it says, "And Samuel 43:19 said to Saul, 'Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up--'" 43:23 et cetera, et cetera. 43:25 And so I'm wondering is, why does the Word of God say 43:30 that it was Samuel when we know that it wasn't? 43:35 Doug: Well, I think it's just saying through the perspective 43:38 of those that were present that day, this apparition, this 43:42 spirit said who--she says is, you know, Samuel says, 43:46 "Why did you disturb me?" 43:48 Now, later we read that they are the spirits of devils working 43:54 miracles, and Satan--then you can read in 2 Corinthians 43:57 chapter 11 Satan himself can be transformed 44:01 into an angel of light. 44:04 So if the devil and his angels can transform themselves and to 44:08 create illusions and they're the spirits of devils working 44:11 miracles, and then you can also read in Kings where it talks 44:15 about lying spirits where Michael the prophet 44:17 came before Ahab. 44:19 They said they are lying spirits. 44:20 So I think it's pretty--and you've got that other verse 44:23 where it says-- consulting a medium. 44:25 Jean: Yeah, 1 Chronicles chapter 10, verse 13 it says, "So Saul 44:28 died for his unfaithfulness in which he committed against the 44:32 Lord because He did not keep the Word of the Lord and also 44:35 because he consulted a medium for guidance." 44:38 So yeah, there it is. 44:40 A familiar spirit is another term that's sometimes used. 44:43 Doug: So I know when you read it they're just--you know, 44:47 they're saying that this thing obviously looked and sounded 44:49 like Samuel or it was impersonating Samuel so that's 44:52 the name that was given to it, but it wasn't really Samuel. 44:55 And I'm looking--where is it? 44:59 Isaiah chapter 8, verse--yeah. 45:04 Isaiah 8:19, "And when they say to you, 'Seek those who are 45:08 mediums--'" A medium supposedly connects you with the dead 45:11 world, the spirit world. 45:12 "'Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and 45:15 mutter,' should not a people seek their God? 45:18 Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?" 45:21 And then you read where Solomon says the living know they'll die 45:24 but the dead know nothing. 45:26 So--and then obviously does the devil have the ability 45:30 to resurrect dead saints? 45:32 No. 45:33 Only Jesus has. 45:35 He's got the keys of life and death and the resurrection. 45:37 So by all other counts it's what you would call 45:39 the preponderance of evidence. 45:43 This was a satanic impersonator. 45:48 Does that make sense? 45:51 Cami: I know that--it does. 45:53 I just wanted to say too before I go that in verse 14 it says, 45:59 "And Saul perceived that it was Samuel and he stooped 46:04 with his face to the ground and bowed himself." 46:08 And so realizing that the so-called Samuel did not 46:13 immediately correct him and say, you know, "Don't bow to me. 46:16 You should only bow to the Lord," as an angel would do, 46:21 we know too that that couldn't have been Samuel. 46:25 Doug: Yeah, and, you know, when we go--they weren't supposed 46:29 to consult witches 'cause what's happening is 46:31 you're going on enchanted ground. 46:33 You're going on the devil's ground and then we're wide open 46:36 to deception, and that's what happened to Saul. 46:38 And because he went to that witch and he believed the 46:42 message of the evil spirit, he did get discouraged. 46:46 The next day he had no courage to lead his men into battle. 46:49 They lost miserably, and he killed himself. 46:52 Committed suicide like Judas. 46:54 So that was a lying spirit. 46:57 We have a whole lesson that talks about the Witch of Endor. 46:59 Jean: That's right. 47:00 And you're thinking about the lesson-- 47:02 Doug: In historicals. 47:03 It's called the Witch of Endor. 47:05 Jean: That's right. 47:07 Now, that's available online. 47:08 If you go to the Amazing Facts website and just look up the 47:10 study guide, it's called "The Witch of Endor." 47:12 And it actually goes into more detail on the subject. 47:14 Next caller that we have is Linda 47:16 listening in South Carolina. 47:18 Linda, welcome to the program. 47:20 Linda: Hello, guys. 47:22 How are you? Doug: Doing wonderful. 47:24 Thank you for calling. 47:26 Linda: I have a question about the destruction of 47:30 Jerusalem and the temple. 47:32 What did it signify, and what is the sign for us again? 47:38 Is it the drying up of the Euphrates river? 47:41 Doug: All right. 47:42 That's--you've asked a big question. 47:44 First of all, what did it signify, 47:46 the destruction of the temple? 47:48 Well, God instructed the children of Israel to build the 47:51 temple originally 'cause it's where they learned 47:53 the plan of salvation. 47:55 They had the tabernacle in the wilderness. 47:57 That was a mobile temple that they first built. 48:00 Then David gathered material, and Solomon built a beautiful 48:05 temple that was the biggest and the best of the three. 48:08 Then that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and then they 48:11 came back in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. 48:13 They rebuilt the third temple. 48:15 It was later refurbished by Herod the Great. 48:17 Jesus said because they did not accept him, He said, 48:22 "Your house is left unto you desolate. 48:24 There would not be left one stone upon another." 48:27 Christ had destroyed this temple made with hands, 48:29 speaking of His body. 48:30 "And I'll make one without hands," the church. 48:32 So when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn, 48:36 signifying the whole purpose for the earthly temple 48:38 pointing to Jesus the lamb of God was fulfilled. 48:42 And so there was no need to sacrifice lambs anymore 'cause 48:45 Christ is now the real lamb of God that all that pointed to. 48:48 But they continued with their sacrifices 48:51 even after Jesus ascended to heaven. 48:53 That temple was destroyed in 70 AD, 48:57 and it's never going to be rebuilt again. 49:00 Now the temple is the church. 49:02 The Bible says what? 49:04 "Don't you know that ye are the temple of God." 49:06 Christ built a temple, and you and I are that temple. 49:09 Peter says we are living stones in the temple of God. 49:13 That's actually in Ephesians. 49:16 So that's what's indicated by the temple 49:20 being destroyed back then. 49:21 The emphasis now in the New Testament is not on the physical 49:24 temple 'cause that kind of takes you 49:25 to the old sacrificial system. 49:27 The emphasis now is on Christ and the church, and Christ is 49:31 ministering before the real temple of God in heaven. 49:34 He is our high priest, and that's in Hebrews chapter 8 49:38 and 9 if I'm not mistaken. 49:41 So now you asked about the angels and the river Euphrates. 49:45 That's connected with the sixth plague. 49:47 Jean: Were you referring to the drying up of 49:49 the river Euphrates? 49:51 Linda: Yes. 49:52 Is that a symbol for us to leave the cities and get ready 50:01 for the coming of the Lord? 50:03 Doug: Well, the physical drying up of the river 50:06 Euphrates, I think, is interesting, but it's not the 50:08 final fulfillment of the sixth plague. 50:11 The sixth plague--well, boy, I'm looking at the clock and 50:16 thinking, "I don't know if I got time to go into--" When the city 50:19 of Babylon fell back in the days of Daniel, the children of 50:24 Israel were captive in Babylon. 50:27 They dried up the Euphrates river--the Persians dried up the 50:29 Euphrates river, Babylon fell, and the Cyrus the Persian 50:33 general let them go back to the Promised Land. 50:36 When it says Euphrates is going to dry up, it's talking about 50:40 Babylon falling--ancient spiritual Babylon falling. 50:43 God's people will go to the spiritual Canaan, Promised Land. 50:48 So it is interesting that the literal Euphrates is drying. 50:52 Of course, many rivers in the world are drying right now just 50:54 'cause of droughts and war, but that--there are signs when we 50:58 should flee to the cities. 51:00 I've got a book called "Heading for the Hills." 51:03 It's called "The Beginner's Guide to Country Living." 51:05 I talk about what is the sign to flee to the cities. 51:07 You may want to go to Amazing Facts and pick that up. 51:10 Jean: Just go to the Amazing Facts website, 51:12 just AmazingFacts.org or .com, and type in the name 51:16 of the book called-- 51:18 Doug: "Heading for the Hills." 51:19 Jean: "Heading for the Hills" and you'll be able to learn more 51:21 about how you can get that book. 51:23 Next caller that we have is Bessie listening in Wisconsin. 51:25 Bessie, welcome to the program. 51:26 Bessie: Hello. 51:28 Doug: Hi, Bessie. 51:29 Bessie: Thanks for taking my call. 51:32 I've been working on an article that I was writing and I read 51:39 John 13, verses 34 and 35 and it's talking about the idea 51:49 of loving one another. 51:51 And the way that it says--it says it twice and I am wondering 51:57 it's talking--if it's meaning to say to love one another 52:04 the way that Christ-- 52:07 Doug: Yes. Yeah. 52:10 Well, of course Jesus does want us to love one another. 52:13 He said, "By this all men will know you are my disciples, by 52:16 your love for one another and--" You know, Paul says love is the 52:21 fulfilling of the law. 52:23 If we love our neighbor, we keep those commandments between 52:26 ourselves and our fellow man. 52:28 And yeah, there's no question that that is 52:32 the great commandment. 52:33 John in his first letter he says, "Beloved, 52:37 let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone 52:40 who loves is born of God. 52:42 He that does not love knows not God, for God is love." 52:46 And so this was the central theme of the apostle John, 52:50 the--is he highlighted Jesus's teaching on the quintessence of 52:56 Christianity is love, and the best way for us to show our love 53:01 for God is by loving each other. 53:03 In the great judgment Jesus is going to say, 53:05 "I was hungry and you fed me. 53:08 I was thirsty and you gave me drink." 53:09 And the believers are going, 53:11 "When did we do these things for you?" 53:13 And He says, "Inasmuch as you did it for the least of these, 53:15 you did it for me." 53:17 So that's the big testing criteria for 53:19 if our hearts are changed. 53:21 Do we love each other? 53:22 Thank you very much, Bessie. 53:24 And, Pastor Ross, we've got 1 minute and 42 left. 53:27 You think we can do something? 53:29 Jean: Yeah. Let's go to Barbara in Florida. 53:31 Barbara, welcome to the program. 53:32 We have about a minute and a half. 53:34 Barbara: Hello, good afternoon or good evening, pastors. 53:37 Doug: Evening. 53:38 Barbara: I just have a question in Revelation 21, 53:42 also in Philippians 3:21. 53:44 It talks about we having a new body, like a glorious body 53:49 like Jesus Christ. 53:51 So I'm wondering since we won't have flesh and blood anymore, 53:54 we will be immortals. 53:58 So are we not going to be able to eat anymore, shower, 54:03 brush our teeth, get hungry? 54:05 Stuff like that. 54:07 Doug: Well, let's talk about that. 54:09 It's--Jesus when He rose from the dead, He ate in front of 54:11 the disciples even though he had a glorified body. 54:14 He said, "Touch me. 54:15 Feel me. 54:17 A spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see that I have." 54:20 It tells us in the new earth we will plant vineyards and eat the 54:23 fruit of them and we will eat from the tree of life. 54:27 So we are definitely going to be real and eating. 54:30 God is not taking away our physical side. 54:33 He is adding a spiritual dimension. 54:35 So the physical is not taken away; the spiritual is added. 54:39 We will still have bodies like Adam and Eve had bodies, but 54:42 we'll be able to see God and talk to angels and dwell in that 54:46 spirit realm along with the three dimensions we have now. 54:49 So yes, you'll be doing real things. 54:51 Hey, listening friends. 54:53 We are going to sign off here in a moment. 54:55 We do this in two phases. 54:57 We say farewell to our friends listening on satellite radio. 54:59 They're on a different clock, but stay tuned. 55:01 The rest of you, we're coming back for some rapid fire 55:04 internet Bible questions in just a moment. 55:10 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:13 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:17 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:20 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:27 Jean: Hello, friends. 55:28 Welcome back to "Bible Answers Live," and we're going to take 55:30 some of the email questions that you have sent in. 55:32 If you'd like to email us your Bible question, the email 55:36 address is just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:40 So, Pastor Doug, question number one. 55:43 Were animals reproducing in the Garden of Eden? 55:46 There had to be more than two sheep or goats for God to make 55:49 clothing for the fallen couple. 55:51 And this is coming from Joseph. 55:54 Doug: Yeah, well, you know, as soon as God made Adam and Eve, 55:56 He told them to be fruitful and multiply. 55:58 And I'm sure the other creatures 56:01 were being fruitful and multiplying. 56:03 We don't know how long it was from the time that God made Adam 56:06 and Eve until they sinned, but keep in mind sheep the gestation 56:11 period is not as long as it is for humans. 56:14 So it's very likely that there were already some flocks 56:18 and they had multiplied at that point. 56:20 Jean: Okay. 56:22 Next question that we have Harrison is asking, 56:25 why does the Bible seem so hard to understand? 56:27 Doug: Well, you know, it depends on where you're coming from. 56:32 For me it was very hard because I did not grow up with 56:34 a Christian home in biblical context and background. 56:38 I think it's easier for those raised in Christian families 56:41 that grow up hearing the Bible and hearing the stories and 56:44 hearing preachers explain it. 56:45 For me when I started reading the Bible, and I think first one 56:48 was like King James no less, I struggled but-- 56:51 like learning any new language. 56:53 There's a certain language, so to speak, 56:56 in the way the Bible is written. 56:58 As I read it, I understood more and more. 57:00 Now it's fairly easy for me to, you know, know what the basic 57:03 context of the Bible is. 57:05 I'd say keep reading and you will understand it. 57:08 And it's just wonderful 'cause even those who study the Bible 57:12 for, you know, their whole lives continue to find more and more. 57:16 It gets deeper and deeper. 57:17 The treasures are fathomless in the Bible. 57:20 Jean: Our next caller is asking, do you think God 57:23 has a sense of humor? 57:24 That's from Gala. 57:25 Doug: You know, virtually every emotion that humans have 57:28 we inherited from God 'cause we're made in His image. 57:31 So people can feel anger. 57:33 The Bible says God has anger. 57:35 People can feel love. 57:37 We learn that from God. 57:38 People can have jealousy. 57:40 God says, "I am a jealous God." 57:42 People laugh. 57:44 The Bible actually says God laughs. 57:46 And I think that the reason that we find certain things ironic or 57:50 humorous is because we've learned that, that's something 57:54 that we're wired from. 57:56 Now, every emotion that God has, He has those emotions perfectly. 57:59 We often corrupt those things. 58:01 You know, we can have wrong wrath, wrong jealousy, 58:04 and wrong humor. 58:05 God does all things well. 58:07 Hey, listening friends. 58:08 It's been a delight. 58:10 We look forward to studying His Word with you again next week. 58:11 Check out AmazingFacts.org, keep us on the air, 58:15 and we'll study with you again next week. 58:18 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," 58:20 honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2023-04-21