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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202306S
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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 Leeches are something like a combination of 00:57 a science fiction monster movie and like little vampires. 01:02 They survive by feeding on the blood of humans 01:04 and other animals. 01:06 They have ten sets of eyes but poor eyesight, 01:09 and they can go 6 months or more without feeding. 01:12 When leeches attach to their host, they pierce the skin with 01:16 long proboscis and inject a blood-thinning anticoagulant. 01:20 The host rarely feels the bite because the leech also has very 01:24 small and sharp teeth and an anesthetic in its saliva that 01:28 numbs the area that it pierces round the skin. 01:32 Once they lock on, they continue feeding until they've consumed 01:35 up to five times their body weight in blood. 01:38 The largest leech species is the giant amazon leech, 01:42 which can grow over 18 inches long and 4 inches wide. 01:47 I know it sounds strange, but physicians have been using 01:50 leeches in a variety of medical procedures for thousands 01:53 of years, and incredibly hospitals still order them today 01:58 for doctors to use in healing everything from eczema 02:01 to promote circulation in microsurgery. 02:04 Well, Pastor Carlos, who would ever think these slimy 02:09 little vampire worms could have a positive purpose? 02:13 Carlos Munoz: Yeah. 02:14 Reminds me in the Bible of sometimes some uncomfortable 02:17 situation that God uses to bring some healing into our lives. 02:21 Right? 02:23 Doug: Yeah, and, you know, sometimes a person might think 02:24 that there just not good enough, but God uses sinners that are 02:28 transformed to do a great work, which reminds me of a verse that 02:33 Paul shares in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 26. 02:36 "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise 02:40 according to the flesh, not many mighty, 02:43 not many noble, are called. 02:45 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to 02:48 shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the 02:51 world to put to shame the things that are mighty; and the base 02:54 things of the world and the things that are despised God has 02:57 chosen, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the 03:01 things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence." 03:05 The Lord can even use little worms, and He can use us. 03:10 That's a lesson in humility, which makes me think about the 03:14 ultimate condescension is when Jesus the King of the Universe, 03:20 Creator of All Things comes to earth and becomes a creation. 03:23 That'd be like you and I becoming a worm when you-- 03:26 or even less than that. 03:28 Yeah, and, you know, there's a lot of beautiful lessons 03:32 in the Bible about the humility of Christ and how 03:35 he laid aside his glory and came into this world. 03:38 And if you'd like to know more about that and how God can use 03:41 you--Jesus is an example, that he humbled himself and God did 03:45 great things, and he can do great things through you. 03:47 We have a free offer that we like to make available. 03:50 Carlos: Yes, that free offer is called "Down From His Glory." 03:54 "Down From His Glory," there's two ways you can receive it. 03:57 You can call us at 1-800-835-6747, ask for offer 04:02 154, give the title; or you can also--using your mobile phone 04:07 you can dial #250 on your mobile device 04:11 and say "Bible Answers Live" 04:13 and you will be able to obtain this free gift. 04:16 This is only in the United States, and free shipping is 04:18 in the United States, US territories, and Canada only. 04:21 And while we're at it, might as well give a good greetings 04:24 to those tuning in on Firstlight TV in New Zealand, 04:26 Hope channel worldwide, as well as MKTV in Michigan, so. 04:32 Doug: Amen, we got a lot of stations that air the program 04:35 live Sunday evening, and some of you may be listening to 04:37 a rebroadcast on a variety of stations both TV and radio. 04:42 The TV audience is actually growing, 04:44 and that's very exciting. 04:46 If you are watching on TV, you notice that Pastor Ross's voice 04:49 sounds a little different tonight. 04:51 That's because we have Pastor Carlos. 04:53 He's been in here with us many times. 04:55 Pastor Carlos is the director of our evangelism training program 04:58 better known as AFCOE, Amazing Facts Centers of Evangelism, 05:03 and also leading out in the Amazing Facts Latino work. 05:09 So any questions in Spanish tonight? 05:11 No, don't do that to us. 05:14 But why don't you have prayer for us, Pastor Carlos, 05:16 before we begin? 05:18 Carlos: Let's pray. 05:20 Father, we thank You for just the beautiful opportunity that 05:22 You give us to open Your Word and spend time with 05:24 those people that may have questions in their minds. 05:26 Just help them, Father, so that they can get connected with 05:28 us and that--You give us the discernment and Your wisdom 05:30 so that it'll be Your answers in perfect harmony 05:32 with Your Word for Your glory. 05:34 And so we thank You for this opportunity, 05:36 and we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 05:38 Doug: Amen. 05:39 Carlos: All right, the first question we have is from 05:41 Isabella calling us from Texas. 05:44 Hello, Isabella. 05:46 You're on "Bible Answers Live." 05:48 Isabella: Hello. 05:49 I was wondering, what are the best evidences for the earth 05:53 being created in like 6 literal days, 05:57 and what does the Bible say about Scripture being literal? 06:00 Doug: Yeah, well, I think it's clear in the context when God 06:06 talks there in Genesis chapter 1 and 2 about the days 06:10 of creation, and I think the Hebrew word is yom. 06:13 The days of creation being 24-hour periods 06:16 because they're given sequentially. 06:18 It says the evening and the morning. 06:21 It also tells us God does not make the sun, the moon, 06:24 and the stars until the fourth day yet He's made the vegetation 06:27 on the third day. 06:29 If these were not literal days--well, a plant can live 06:32 for a few days without sunlight, but they can't live 06:35 for a few ages or millennia. 06:37 And the light that God has when He first says let there be light 06:41 is just the light of His glory, His presence. 06:43 The Bible says that God is light. 06:46 So there are several Scriptures that said in 6 days 06:48 the Lord created the heavens and the earth. 06:50 It's also repeated in the Sabbath command, 06:53 and just all through the Scriptures God reiterates that 06:58 He made the world in 6 days and it's never set forth as ages 07:03 or epochs of some form. 07:05 Carlos: Fun fact too is where did the 7-day week cycle 07:08 come from? 07:09 Doug: Yeah, all around the world. 07:11 Every nation has a 7-day week, and you can find reasons in 07:15 astronomy for a 365-day year. 07:18 It's what it takes for the earth to circle the sun. 07:21 You find reasons for most calendars having a 30-day month. 07:24 That's a lunar cycle. 07:26 There's no reason for a 7-day week and yet the world 07:29 all carries out a literal 7-day week. 07:33 Thank you. And that's just a start. 07:35 We've got a book called "The Wonders of Creation," 07:40 and it may address that question, Isabella. 07:42 Thank you. 07:44 Isabella: Thank you. 07:46 Carlos: All right. Next we have Ash from Florida. 07:48 First time caller. 07:50 Ash, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 07:51 Ash: Thank you. 07:53 My question is, what should a Christian do to mature 07:58 their relationship with God? 08:01 They've been in the church for a long time, 08:03 but they still keep commandments for self-preservation. 08:09 Doug: That's really a great question, 08:11 and we appreciate you asking that, Ash. 08:13 There's a lot of people out there and they're kind of going 08:15 to church out of obligation. 08:17 Now, there's nothing wrong with, you know, when a person first 08:21 comes to the Lord to be doing it because you're trying 08:25 to avoid trouble and you want to go to heaven. 08:27 You know, when we first start teaching children, 08:30 sometimes you have to start with some pretty basic motives. 08:33 You know, if they disobey, there's sometimes pain 08:36 or there's a reward for doing something right. 08:38 But as those children mature, you're hoping that they're going 08:41 to learn to obey their parents 'cause they love and trust their 08:44 parents and know that what they're asking in principle 08:48 is a good thing. 08:49 When we start out following the Lord, you know, 08:52 the Bible says repent lest you perish. 08:54 It's normal to not want to perish. 08:56 And Jesus tells about the reward for the righteous. 08:59 To desire those things is normal. 09:01 Even the disciples said, "Lord, what will we get?" 09:03 And they want to know, "What's our reward? 09:05 We left everything to follow You." 09:07 So there's nothing wrong with that, but as you 09:09 mature--ultimately a Christian needs to be motivated by love. 09:12 Bible says we love Him because He first loved us. 09:16 So the key, Ash, is that we might learn to love Him more. 09:20 And we read about Christ's love for us. 09:23 The better we know him, the more we love him. 09:26 So through reading the Word, through communion with God, 09:29 we fall in love with a person 'cause you talk to them. 09:31 We get to know Him better. 09:33 We love Him more. 09:34 We want to serve Him better. 09:36 It usually boils down to the three Christian disciplines of 09:39 reading the Word, prayer, and then being a witness. 09:45 As you lead others to Christ, you find real joy in that. 09:48 So yeah--and, you know, we have some booklets that talk about 09:53 how you can have a better relationship with the Lord. 09:55 Actually, there's that book called 09:57 "The Drummer Boys Prayer." 10:00 And if you read that, Ash, 10:01 I think it'll really encourage you. 10:03 It's called "The Drummer Boys Prayer." 10:05 Carlos: Amen. 10:06 Just a reminder of offer is 1-800-835-6747 for those offers. 10:10 Thank you very much, Ash. 10:12 Next we have Jerry calling us from Texas. 10:15 Welcome, Jerry. You're on the air. 10:18 Jerry: Hey, guys. 10:19 Hi, pastors. 10:20 I just want to get your take on this. 10:22 My question is in a way a two-part question, 10:24 but I'm going to maybe rephrase it in one part. 10:29 I have in Joshua 5:13 to 15 where you have Joshua meeting 10:34 the angel of the Lord before He took on Jericho. 10:40 And then also we have Abraham in the Bible. 10:44 He walked with God when he gave God a meal 10:47 and before Sodom and Gomorra was destroyed. 10:50 And then we have Jacob that wrestled with God, 10:54 and then after--I think this is the fourth time 10:58 you have the situation. 11:00 Manoah in Judges 13:15 to 20 when her and her husband met the 11:08 angel of the Lord and--but Moses only saw the backside of God, 11:14 and he was probably more godly than others. 11:17 Well, Abraham was godly. 11:20 Doug: So summarize your question. 11:23 Jerry: Oh, why would--why did Moses not get to see the Lord 11:27 as Abraham or Jacob or Joshua? 11:30 Doug: Or Joshua, these others. 11:32 Yeah, that's a good question. 11:34 There's a verse, and Pastor Carlos might have it more at his 11:36 fingertips, where it says no man has seen the Father at any time. 11:40 And Moses, we believe, he had seen God probably every bit as 11:44 good--or as well, I should say, as Joshua or Manoah or Jacob. 11:49 When Jacob wrestled, he said, "I have seen God." 11:52 They saw what we call a Christophany. 11:54 They saw a human incarnation of Christ where Christ came and he 11:58 appeared to Abraham, he appeared to Joshua, he appeared to Jacob. 12:01 But they were not seeing God in his glory. 12:04 And what Moses was asking--and it's funny 12:08 you would mention this. 12:09 Pastor Carlos and I just before we went on the air were talking 12:12 about Moses wanting to see the glory of God. 12:14 So that's very strange that you should ask that right now. 12:17 And--but when Moses was on the mountain, he was in the presence 12:20 of the Lord for 40 days twice. 12:23 So, you know, 80 days up in the mountain in the cloud of glory. 12:25 But he hadn't really seen the undiminished presence of the 12:29 Almighty unveiled, I should say, 'cause the Bible says no man can 12:34 see God is--even God said no man will see His face 12:37 in our mortal condition. 12:39 We cannot endure it. In heaven we will. 12:42 You read in Revelation, "And they will see His face." 12:44 We will see Him face to face in our glorified, 12:47 purified condition. 12:49 You find that verse? 12:51 Carlos: Yes, John 6:46, "Not that any man has seen the 12:53 Father, save he is that of God. 12:56 How he has seen the Father." 12:57 Only Jesus has. 12:59 Doug: So they probably saw what they call a pre-incarnation 13:02 appearance of Jesus. 13:04 That's why Jesus said, "Abraham saw my day, and he embraced it." 13:10 Thank you. 13:13 Appreciate that, Jerry. 13:15 Carlos: Next we have Junith. 13:16 Junith from Nevada, welcome. 13:18 You're on "Bible Answers Live." 13:20 Junith: Hello, Pastor Carlos and Pastor Doug. 13:25 Pastor Carlos, goodness notice to Pastor Doug, 13:30 but you can say yum, yum. 13:32 Anyway, thanks for taking my call. 13:35 My question is in the lens of the great controversy between 13:40 Christ and Satan, we know that the Christ is the head 13:45 of his body, who--now on the side of the enemy, 13:49 who is the body of the serpent? 13:53 Is it in the context of the kingdom of Babylonia in 13:57 the perspective of the Old Testament and the kingdom 14:02 of Jerusalem is the kingdom of God in that perspective? 14:07 Thank you for answering. 14:09 Doug: Yeah. We'll do our best. 14:11 I think what's happening here is when Jesus said, you know, 14:13 Christ is the head of his church, the body is the bride of 14:15 Christ, the people of Christ. 14:17 But there's another people. 14:19 There's only two groups in the world. 14:21 There's those that are on the straight road to salvation and 14:24 those on the broad road to destruction. 14:26 Jesus said, "If you're not with me, you're against me. 14:29 You're either part of the bride of Christ or you're part 14:32 of the children of Babylon." 14:34 As you mentioned, Junith, there's several titles. 14:36 Jesus said to the religious leaders, 14:39 "You are of your father the devil." 14:41 So the whole world is really divided into those either 14:44 surrendered to Christ or not. 14:47 They either know the Lord and they've accepted 14:50 the plan of salvation or not. 14:53 And, you know, there might be some well-intentioned people 14:55 that are on the wrong road, and that's why 14:58 we've got to let them know. 15:00 But yeah, that would be the body or the bride of the devil. 15:03 You've got two women in Revelation. 15:05 Revelation 12 you've got the bride of Christ. 15:08 Revelation 17 you've got the bride of the beast, so to speak. 15:11 Thank you, Junith. 15:13 Appreciate your call. 15:15 Carlos: Next we have Gary from Illinois. 15:16 Gary, you are on the air. 15:18 Welcome. 15:20 Gary: Thank you. 15:22 Christians as a group, they should be taking 15:24 climate change seriously. 15:26 It's the most pressing problem facing humanity. 15:29 Those that do, this is my question, will they be wearing 15:33 a crown of those people who drive hybrid cars 15:36 and plant trees and recycle? 15:39 I mean, that's what the church should emphasize and that-- 15:43 the earth is God's, and so that releases us from any, 15:46 you know, responsibility. 15:49 Okay, that's my question. 15:52 Doug: Okay, well, you know, certainly there are blessings 15:56 and benefits in every believer being responsible stewards 16:00 in many capacities and one, of course, being of the world. 16:05 You know, God gave Adam and Eve the world and He said that they 16:08 were to dress and to tend the garden. 16:11 They were to keep and take care of things, and--but 16:14 there's no salvation in being environmentally careful 'cause 16:21 I've got some dear friends that are very sensitive about 16:24 the environment but they don't accept Christ. 16:27 And so they're not going to be saved because 16:29 they drive a hybrid car. 16:31 You know, there's no salvation in saying, 16:34 "I'm going to plant a tree." 16:36 And of course there are people who claim to be Christians 16:40 that are not saved because their lives don't reflect 16:43 the principles of Christ. 16:45 But, you know, while there may be wonderful benefits 16:47 and blessings in being responsible stewards of 16:51 the planet, nobody's saved by that. 16:53 Salvation comes only through surrender to Christ and making 16:57 him the Lord of your life. 16:59 Carlos: Amen, it reminds me of Revelation 11:18. 17:01 It says that God is going to destroy those 17:03 that destroy the earth, right? 17:04 But not because the earth is--God came to save it, 17:07 but because you're making the situation 17:09 for everybody else that lives here. 17:11 You're causing harm on other humans, polluting the air, 17:14 polluting the water. 17:15 Doug: But you can't say--I'm just following up 17:17 on what you're saying. 17:19 While it is true God is destroying those that destroy 17:21 the earth, He's not saving those that save the earth. 17:23 So, you know, it's--it might sound like a double negative, 17:28 but hopefully that made sense. 17:30 Thank you very much. 17:31 Appreciate your call, Gary. 17:33 Carlos: Thank you, Gary. 17:34 Next we have Cindy from California. 17:36 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." Cindy: Thank you. 17:39 Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Carlos. 17:41 Doug: Evening. Carlos: Hello. 17:43 Cindy: My question is, how do you determine what are okay 17:46 activities to do on the Sabbath? 17:48 When I was a kid, we were allowed to sit on the couch 17:51 and read the junior guide. 17:53 My example is, is it okay to cook for potluck, play in 18:01 the snow, which we just got a lot of this week 18:04 in Southern California? 18:05 Can you swim? 18:07 I mean, how do you determine what is okay and what's not? 18:11 Doug: Good, you know--and I don't often mention it, 18:14 but Amazing Facts does carry a book. 18:16 I wrote a little book because we get this question 18:18 a lot just being pastors. 18:19 What's a good way to--how do you keep the Sabbath holy? 18:22 And anyone out there, if you want you can call 18:25 and request that. 18:26 How do we keep the Sabbath holy? 18:28 But let me give you some quick principles. 18:30 You know, when folks say you shouldn't be cooking 18:33 on the Sabbath; well, you need to back these things up 18:36 with Scripture or at least scriptural principles. 18:39 Moses told the children of Israel, 18:41 "Gather your manna ahead of time. 18:43 There'll be no manna on Sabbath. 18:45 Bake what you're going to bake, boil what you're going to boil." 18:48 And that would mean as far as possible you'd want to get 18:51 all of your cooking done. 18:53 You know, there are some things that just for the practicality 18:55 of it you might need to still do in food preparation 18:57 so you can present it in a helpful, fresh way on Sabbath. 19:01 But you should get all of the cooking you possibly 19:04 can done out of the way 'cause it's a day of rest. 19:07 If you're doing all the work of every other day, 19:09 it sort of loses the blessing of rest and freedom. 19:11 When it comes to getting out in nature, 19:13 that's a wonderful thing. 19:15 You know, if you're walking up a trail and the kids on 19:17 a summer day want to cool their feet in the creek, that's great. 19:20 But--you know, I'm a parent. 19:22 It can turn into a swimming party pretty quick. 19:25 And, you know, as soon as they say, "Well, if I can get in 19:27 my--up to my ankles, can I get in up to my knees?" 19:30 And next thing they're doing cannonballs off the rocks and 19:32 having--playing water polo. 19:34 So, you know, you just--you have to have some boundaries 19:37 or things can get out of hand. 19:39 You know, after church, even at our church, the kids all get 19:43 outside and they got ants in their pants 19:44 and they want to run around. 19:46 That's fine. 19:47 But then I saw them the other day 19:48 and they brought a soccer ball. 19:50 I said, "Guys, let's put that away. 19:51 It's not supposed to turn into a World Cup game." 19:54 So you just need to pray you can have wisdom 19:58 and know how to discern. 20:00 Carlos: Yeah, and I remember the story in Mark 3 20:02 when Jesus heals a guy with a dry hand. 20:03 He says it's good to do good on Sabbath, right? 20:06 Doug: Heal people. Visit people. 20:07 Get out in nature, give. 20:09 Carlos: Bible studies. Doug: Yeah. 20:12 There's even, I think, some appropriate games you could 20:14 play with your kids that would like teach them Bible memory 20:17 or something. 20:18 So you keep their minds engaged. 20:20 That's--the big challenge is often with the kids. 20:22 The adults have no problem sleeping, taking a nap, 20:26 but the kids, they want to get out and do something. 20:28 You got to have some good activities for them. 20:31 Carlos: And you have to plan it, right? 20:32 You can't--you have to plan during the week, 20:34 "What am I going--how am I going to get my kids 20:36 to be excited about the Sabbath?" 20:37 Doug: Exactly. 20:39 You don't want to start remembering 20:40 the Sabbath Friday evening. 20:41 You want to remember it on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. 20:44 Carlos: Or make the Sabbath everything about, 20:46 "No, you can't do this. No, no, no." 20:48 But they're delighting in it, right? 20:49 Doug: You want them to be excited when it comes 20:51 and sad when it goes. 20:53 Carlos: Amen, amen, all right. Thank you very much, Cindy. 20:56 Next we have Anthony from New York. 20:59 Anthony, you are on the air. Welcome. 21:03 Anthony: Yes. Good evening, pastors. 21:05 I was going to say something in Spanish, 21:07 but one of the previous callers beat me to it, but-- 21:09 Carlos: Pastor Doug knows Spanish. 21:12 Don't be surprised. 21:17 Anthony: Good stuff. Yeah. 21:19 Well, I'll try to make my question as brief as possible. 21:24 I'm going to give a little short background, but--so Hezekiah 21:29 was considered to be a righteous king, I know, in chapter 18. 21:35 But then in 2 Kings chapter 20, he--the Lord through the prophet 21:40 Isaiah that he was going to die. 21:45 Verse 2 he says he turned his face to the wall 21:48 and prayed into the Lord. 21:49 Verse 3 says he wept sore. 21:52 He asked God to let him live. 21:53 So God did allow him to live and he lived for another 15 years, 21:57 but unfortunately he ended up marring his weakness 22:02 as a result of living longer, so much and is. 22:07 You know, we sometimes have loved ones or even ourselves 22:11 we may be sick unto death, right? 22:12 Terminal illness. 22:14 So when should we pray fervently or bitterly as Hezekiah did 22:18 and ask God for healing and to let us live, and when should we 22:22 accept impending death as His will and that He might 22:26 just be protecting us from something in our future? 22:29 Doug: Yeah. That's a good question. 22:31 You know, we often as pastors go and you pray by the bedside 22:34 of somebody that is sick. 22:36 We have occasional anointing services 22:38 and pray for their healing. 22:40 But whenever we do that, we should always say, 22:42 "Thy will be done." 22:44 You know, that's in the Lord's Prayer. 22:46 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven should be a daily 22:50 prayer in every situation. 22:52 I think the normal thing for us to do is to pray for healing. 22:55 That's why the Bible commands us. 22:57 Is anyone sick? 22:58 Call together the elders, pray that they might be healed. 23:01 Jesus went around healing. 23:02 And so God wants us to pray for healing for a full life. 23:06 Now, that doesn't mean--I had a sister in our church that when 23:09 she got to be, you know, like 93 she says, "Pastor Doug, 23:12 I want you to come pray for my healing." 23:14 I said, "Well, I can do that." 23:16 But I said, "First, let me ask, do you think there's a 23:18 connection between your hearing issues and being 93?" 23:21 She gave me a big smile. 23:23 She said, "Are you telling me I'm getting old?" 23:24 I says, "I didn't say that." 23:26 But, you know, at some point life sort of runs its course. 23:30 And I think most of the healing that you see in the Bible is to 23:35 give a person a normal life, you know, a normal lifespan. 23:40 And when people are in the final ages and stages of life, 23:46 you commit them to God's care. 23:49 You can always ask them to lengthen his trans--lengthen 23:52 their tranquility and give them a little more time 23:55 for some reason, but always say, "Thy will be done." 23:58 Hey, thank you. 24:00 Appreciate that, Anthony. 24:02 Carlos: We have Frank from New York. 24:04 Frank, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 24:05 You're on the air. 24:07 Frank: Yes. 24:08 Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Carlos. 24:13 My question for both of you-- 24:16 or both gentlemen is of the following. 24:20 I don't understand where it says in Scripture that a person who's 24:26 not baptized and who believes they're saved and they're a 24:30 Christian who believes in God and the holy Bible cannot really 24:37 be lived throughout life and enter the kingdom of God 24:40 without being baptized. 24:42 Is that scripturally correct, or do you have to live 24:45 with baptism to actually believe in Scripture? 24:49 Because when I was a child--an infant, I was baptized and then 24:55 I never believed in God after that until they forced me to 24:57 believe in receiving a--you cannot mention religions over 25:02 the--on your show, but they forced me to receive a form of 25:09 Christian adoration of God through my second level 25:13 of sacramental life. 25:15 So can you live without baptism throughout your entire life 25:18 without baptism? 25:21 Doug: All right, let's talk about that. 25:22 Good question. 25:24 First of all, let's answer it this way, Frank. 25:27 There will be some people in heaven that were not baptized 25:31 clearly because--well, the thief on the cross next to Christ, 25:34 he couldn't be baptized. 25:36 Jesus said, "You'll be with me." 25:38 I think Christ gave him credit for his baptism, 25:40 and then you've got all these Old Testament characters 25:42 that will be in heaven. 25:44 They didn't practice baptism all through the Old Testament. 25:46 So for those living in the New Testament times, it's pretty 25:50 clear that baptism is like a marriage between a believer 25:55 in Christ, and Jesus says in Mark chapter 16-- 25:58 and you might jot this down, E. Frank. 26:00 Mark chapter 16, verse 16, "He who believes 26:03 and is baptized will be saved. 26:06 He who does not believe will be condemned." 26:09 Notice he puts a pretty high priority on believing and being 26:11 baptized, but then he adds he that does not believe. 26:15 He doesn't say and is not baptized will be condemned. 26:18 Believing is the big emphasis. 26:20 But when Jesus sent out the apostles he said, 26:22 "Go teach in all nations, baptizing them in the name 26:26 of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." 26:28 And then Peter preaching at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. 26:31 When they said, "Men and brethren, 26:33 what shall we do to be saved?" 26:35 He said, "Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins." 26:39 Ananias said to Paul, "Arise and be baptized and wash away 26:43 your sins, calling on the Lord." 26:46 So all through the New Testament there's a great deal of emphasis 26:49 on baptism, and that's not the baptism that an infant 26:53 would receive 'cause that's not Bible baptism. 26:56 It's a decision you make as an adult to follow the example 27:00 of Jesus, have your sins washed away, to be filled 27:03 with the Holy Spirit, and commit your life to Him. 27:06 You need to be able to believe, repent, be taught; 27:09 and babies can't do these things. 27:11 You're--technically you're dedicated as a baby. 27:14 Jesus was dedicated as a baby, 27:17 but he wasn't baptized till he was 30. 27:18 He did that as an adult. 27:20 So technically, E. Frank, you probably never were really 27:23 baptized, though that's the term that's used. 27:25 A lot of people call that baptism. 27:27 It's really a dedication. 27:29 You need to make the decision to be baptized. 27:31 All right. 27:33 That's all the time we've got for this segment of questions. 27:35 We're coming back in just a moment. 27:36 Don't go anywhere. 27:38 More Bible questions on the way, 27:39 and you can still call in for the second half of the program. 27:45 announcer: Stay tuned, Bible Answers Live" 27:47 will return shortly. 27:53 Doug: Hi, friends. Pastor Doug Batchelor. 27:55 This morning, my wife Karen sent me on a mission. 27:57 She said, "When you're taping your announcements this morning, 28:00 tell people about my favorite Amazing Facts app." 28:03 It's called the Amazing Facts radio app. 28:06 You simply type that in, "Amazing Facts radio," 28:08 you can download the app and you can listen 28:10 to good Christian music, Bible reading, 28:13 sermons all day long. 28:14 Keep your faith focused in heaven through the day. 28:17 Check it out if you haven't done it yet, 28:18 the Amazing Facts Radio app. 28:20 You'll be blessed. 28:23 announcer: Can't get enough Amazing Facts Bible Study? 28:26 You don't have to wait until next week 28:28 to enjoy more truth-filled programming. 28:30 Visit the Amazing Facts media library at AFTV.org. 28:35 At AFTV.org you can enjoy video and audio presentations 28:40 as well as printed material all free of charge, 24 hours a day, 28:45 7 days a week, right from your computer or mobile device. 28:48 Visit AFTV.org. 28:53 announcer: Would you like to know God's plan for 28:55 our troubled world and solutions for your life's challenges? 28:58 Beautifully redesigned and updated, Amazing Facts 27 Bible 29:02 study guides provide straightforward Bible-based 29:04 answers that are enlightening, encouraging, 29:06 and easy to understand, giving you real relevant Bible answers 29:10 to questions like "How can I have healthier relationships? 29:13 When will Jesus come?" and much more. 29:15 Order yours today by visiting AFBOOKSTORE.COM 29:18 or by calling 800-538-7275. 29:25 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," 29:28 where every question answered provides a clearer picture 29:32 of God and His plan to save you. 29:34 So what are you waiting for? 29:36 Get practical answers about the good book 29:38 for a better life today. 29:43 This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 29:46 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions 29:48 on the air, please call us next Sunday between 29:51 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:55 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned 29:57 in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 30:02 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 30:08 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:14 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, 30:15 to "Bible Answers Live." 30:17 And as you can tell from the title, this is a live 30:19 international interactive Bible study. 30:21 You are invited to participate. 30:24 You can not only listen. 30:25 Call your friends now, tell them to listen in. 30:27 We get all kinds of great Bible questions from around the world. 30:30 If you have a question, just give us a call. 30:32 It's a free call, of course. 30:34 800-GOD-SAYS, and that acronym plays out to 800-463-7297. 30:42 We're also streaming and beaming on AFTV. 30:45 You can watch this on the Amazing Facts Facebook channel, 30:49 Amazing Facts YouTube, Doug Batchelor Facebook. 30:53 So we're trying to use every medium we can. 30:55 My name is Doug Batchelor. 30:57 Carlos: I am Carlos Munoz. 30:59 And so we want to welcome everybody. 31:01 Just remember free offers, 1-800-835-6747 31:05 or dial #250 for any free offers that you hear us give out. 31:11 Let's go back to the phone lines. 31:13 We have Ruth calling us from North Carolina. 31:15 Hello, Ruth. 31:17 You are on the air. 31:18 Ruth: Oh, hi. 31:20 Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Carlos. 31:23 May God bless your ministry. 31:24 We always pray and support your ministry. 31:26 So we are thankful for both of you--all of you. 31:29 I have a question regarding Math--Mark 16:19, and that 31:34 question is I thought Jesus--I studied a 2,300-day prophecy, 31:39 but I always get confused because I believe Jesus to be 31:43 in the most holy place. 31:47 And after he ascended to heaven, according to Mark 16:9, it says 31:53 he sat at the right hand of God and I thought the right hand of 31:58 God meant the most holy place, and I was like--I always had the 32:02 idea, according to Scripture, that he went to the holy place. 32:06 And then in 1844 according to the 2300-day prophecy, he went 32:11 to the holy--to the most holy to cleanse the sanctuary. 32:15 So that's where my confusion is. 32:17 I don't know you guys understand my question. 32:19 Doug: No, I do; I think your question makes sense. 32:21 First, let me give you a couple of thoughts. 32:23 When Jesus first ascended to heaven following his sacrifice 32:28 when it was declared successful and effective--remember 32:32 he told Mary, "Do not cling to me." 32:34 This is John 20, I believe. 32:36 He said, "Don't cling to me for I've not yet ascended 32:37 to my Father, but go and tell my brethren I ascend to my God 32:41 your God, my father your father." 32:43 When Jesus ascended and he sat down, that meant 32:47 he was enthroned as victorious over the devil and ransoming-- 32:54 recapturing our planet that had been hijacked, so to speak. 32:59 And so there was an enthroning that happened immediately 33:01 upon his ascension. 33:03 That doesn't mean that his work as our high priest in 33:06 the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, 33:08 that first phase was obscured in some way. 33:13 And I think we've got to kind of defuse ourself of the idea that 33:16 Jesus was somehow handcuffed in one room of this heavenly temple 33:21 for 2,000 years or that the Father couldn't see him 33:24 'cause there's a veil or something between them. 33:27 The Bible says a veil is removed in Christ, and while Christ 33:29 is still in his first role of ministry doesn't mean 33:33 he can't see the Father. 33:34 He's in the presence of God in the heavenly dwelling place, 33:38 this heavenly sanctuary; but the heavenly sanctuary 33:41 is so infinitely more majestic and bigger than the model 33:45 they had here on earth. 33:47 So yeah, the--he's in the presence of 33:49 the glory of the Father. 33:51 He went into a final phase of that ministry in 1844 33:56 when the age of Laodicea began and is still there now, 34:00 and he'll soon stand up, say, "It is finished." 34:03 And that's when things get hairy and scary on earth 34:07 and the plagues fall. 34:09 By the way, I was just looking in Acts chapter 7. 34:12 Notice it says in--in 1 Peter he's gone into heaven. 34:14 He's at the right hand of God. 34:16 Mark says he's sitting at the right hand of God. 34:20 Luke 7 says, "Being full of the Holy Spirit, 34:23 Stephen gazes into heaven. 34:24 He saw the glory of God, Jesus standing 34:27 at the right hand of God." 34:28 Right hand is a sign of favor, a sign of strength. 34:31 It doesn't mean that Jesus is consigned 34:34 to one side of the Lord. 34:37 Carlos: Yeah, and intercession too, 34:39 which is ongoing until he returns. 34:40 Doug: Yeah, he ever lives to make intercession for us. 34:43 Thank you. Good question, Ruth. 34:44 Carlos: Good evening, Sophia. 34:47 You are on "Bible Answers Live." 34:49 Welcome. 34:51 Sophia: Good evening, Pastor Doug. 34:52 Good evening, Pastor Carlos. 34:55 I wanted to find out--there's a verse, Proverbs 18 and verse 21, 35:01 death and life are in the power of the tongue. 35:04 Now, I've heard many interpretations saying that we 35:07 can speak things over our lives. 35:09 Like if I lie about being sick, then I can become sick because I 35:13 spoke it over my life, or I can speak bad things over my life. 35:19 But is this what the verse is saying? 35:23 Doug: You know, I don't think that's the principal meaning 35:25 of the verse. 35:27 I think Solomon is talking about--that our words 35:30 can give life or death. 35:32 You know, there's a--and he also talks about the power of a king. 35:35 You know, like Nebuchadnezzar, he would speak and someone 35:37 was executed. 35:39 He'd speak, someone else was promoted; 35:40 and that was in the power of the tongue. 35:42 James tells us that the tongue is extremely powerful and, 35:45 you know, it can set a forest on fire, so to speak, of trouble. 35:50 But the words that you speak carefully-- 35:52 this is also in Proverbs. 35:54 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold 35:57 and pictures of silver. 35:59 And so when it says that life and death is in the power 36:03 of the tongue, you can speak words of encouragement 36:06 and life to people and hope. 36:09 Jesus, he gave life in his tongue. 36:11 Pilate gave death when he declared him to be condemned. 36:17 Now, there is some truth. 36:20 Jesus said, "Be it unto you according to your faith." 36:23 It is often true that, you know, if people are negative and they 36:27 don't believe, sometimes they get what they don't believe. 36:31 That doesn't mean that we get to choose what's going to happen 36:33 by speaking things, but you got to be careful what you say 36:36 'cause you can be influenced by your own words. 36:38 Christ talks about--you know, 36:40 it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. 36:42 Be it unto you according to your faith. 36:44 So I do think Christians should be positive, and I do think 36:47 that we should try to be encouraging and remember 36:49 that we are affected by our own words. 36:52 But this verse, I think, is really talking about 36:55 just the power of speech for good or evil. 36:57 Carlos: Yeah, and Matthew 12:37 says, "For by your words you 36:59 will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." 37:02 Doug: Good point. Yeah, of course. 37:03 Carlos: Thank you, Sophia. 37:05 Next we have Tammy from Washington. 37:07 Doug: Pardon me. 37:08 Pastor Carlos, we have a booklet, and it's called "Tiny 37:14 Tail Bearers" and it's about the tongue--the power of the tongue. 37:17 And we'll send you a free copy. 37:19 We don't often get that request, 37:21 but we do have a good sermon book on that. 37:23 Carlos: And just a reminder, for offers: 1-800-835-6747 37:26 or your mobile phone dial #250 and say "Bible Answers Live." 37:32 Next we have Tammy from Washington. 37:34 You are on "Bible Answers Live." 37:36 Welcome, Tammy. 37:38 Tammy: Hello, Pastor Doug and Pastor Carlos. 37:41 I have an interesting question. 37:44 I know in heaven that we're--you know, when we come down to 37:49 the new earth we're going to be building our own houses, 37:52 we're going to be growing our own food, 37:55 we're going to be tending animals. 37:58 Well, my question relates to the last part of that. 38:01 I want to know, are our beloved pets that we have here on earth 38:06 going to be in heaven with us? 38:09 Doug: That's a great question, and don't feel like 38:11 it's an odd question. 38:14 We actually get that question probably two or three times 38:16 a year, which is understandable because people love their pets 38:21 and there's nothing wrong with that. 38:23 In fact, the Bible says a righteous man regards the life 38:27 of his beast, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. 38:31 Righteous people care about their animals, and the Bible 38:34 tells us--even in the Ten Commandments it says that 38:36 on the Sabbath your ox and your donkey shall rest. 38:39 God cares about them resting. 38:41 In the Book of Jonah God says to Jonah, 38:43 "You don't care about the Ninevites dying. 38:46 What about all the animals in the city, 38:47 don't you care about them?" 38:49 So, you know, God loves animals. 38:51 He's the one that made them. 38:53 Originally, Adam and Eve were to not only tend the garden, 38:56 but they were to befriend all of the creatures. 38:59 They would be wonderful friends and the delight of Adam and Eve. 39:04 You give a kid a puppy and you'll see 39:06 what I'm talking about. 39:08 So God understands. 39:10 And then we build relationships, you know, with our animals, 39:12 and I, like you--I'm assuming, Tammy, have had, you know, 39:15 pets and dogs and cats that you grow attached to and you love, 39:18 and their lives are not as long as ours and then you lose them 39:21 and it's so sad and you think, "Well, I ever see them again?" 39:24 I can't tell you about a Scripture that says God is going 39:28 to resurrect our pets, but I also can't tell you he won't. 39:33 So we may be very surprised when we get to the kingdom to find 39:37 out that God has given Spot and our kitty little 39:43 glorified bodies and raise them. 39:45 We don't know that. 39:46 The one thing I will promise, nobody in heaven is going 39:49 to be disappointed. 39:51 So just get there. 39:53 God said there's things you can't even imagine that He has 39:54 for those that love Him, but I can't point you to a Scripture 39:57 that says He's going to resurrect our pets. 39:59 Thank you. Carlos: Thank you. 40:02 Next we have Marvin calling us from Montreal, Canada. 40:04 Welcome, Marvin. You're on the air. 40:06 Marvin: Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Carlos. 40:09 Doug: Evening. 40:11 Marvin: My question is about Isai--sorry-- 40:19 Isaiah 57, verse 1 and 2. 40:25 I just want to--more explanation about this verse. 40:31 Doug: Yeah, all right. Let's read it for our listeners. 40:34 It says in Isaiah 57, verse 1 and 2, "The righteous perishes, 40:37 and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, 40:42 while no one considers that the righteous 40:44 is taken away from evil. 40:46 He shall enter into peace; and they shall rest in their beds, 40:49 each one walking in his uprightness." 40:51 Well, you know, in the time of Isaiah, there was a lot of war. 40:56 They were also facing the Babylonians that were going 40:59 to eventually come and destroy the city. 41:01 Isaiah foretold that. 41:03 But they were being attacked also from the Assyrians 41:05 in the north. 41:07 Isaiah lived and prophesied during the reign of three kings, 41:11 and a couple of them were not very good. 41:14 Hezekiah was good. 41:16 His son was not good, Manasseh. 41:18 And Isaiah's saying, "You know, no one considers 41:20 that the righteous people are being taken away. 41:22 And why is this happening?" 41:24 Some of the righteous were being laid in their graves so they 41:26 would not witness the terrible things that were going to come 41:30 upon the kingdom, especially 41:32 during the long reign of Manasseh. 41:34 And sometimes God lays a person in their grave not as a judgment 41:39 but as a blessing to spare them from some plague. 41:43 And just before the Lord comes, there'll be some that I think 41:46 will be laid to their rest that they're spared 41:49 from the seven last plagues. 41:51 So thank you. Marvin, I appreciate that. 41:53 Appreciate your call. 41:56 Carlos: Next we have from Australia Joan. 41:58 Joan is calling us. 41:59 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 42:01 You're on the air. Joan: Hi, how are you? 42:03 Doug: Good., thank you, Joan. And your question? 42:07 Joan: My question tonight is, did God's hand intervene and 42:14 put the blessing--to put the blessing on Jacob and not 42:19 Esau because Isaac was thinking of his stomach? 42:23 Doug: Yeah. 42:25 Well, I think that God actually blessed Jacob because he had 42:31 predetermined that Jacob was more interested in the spiritual 42:35 blessing than the monetary one. 42:37 Usually the firstborn son--you know, Jacob and Esau were twins, 42:40 but Esau was slightly older. 42:42 So technically he got a double portion of his father's goods. 42:46 But Jacob knew that it was foretold the Messiah was going 42:51 to come through the descendants of Isaac his father. 42:54 Jacob wanted this spiritual blessing. 42:56 Now, proof of this is that after the years that Jacob spent away 42:59 from home, he came home. 43:02 He gave like 10% of everything he owned to his brother. 43:05 He wasn't interested in his father's inheritance; he was 43:07 interested in the spiritual blessing, and that's why he 43:10 manipulated his brother into selling him the birthright and 43:15 then he tricked--with the help of his mother he tricked his 43:17 father into blessing him. 43:18 The idea of Isaac eating before he blessed him was ac custom. 43:23 I don't think it's 'cause Isaac was, you know, 43:25 preoccupied with his stomach. 43:27 They often had a feast before they had a covenant, 43:30 and that was very common. 43:33 Even Jesus, they had a last supper at the time 43:35 of the new covenant. 43:37 So the Passover was a feast connected with a covenant. 43:41 You know, Isaac probably was hungry and he loved the special 43:45 kind of food, but I don't think you could say 43:48 that that's why Isaac--I'm sorry. 43:50 Jacob got the blessing. 43:52 Carlos: Yeah, next we have David from here in California. 43:54 David, welcome. 43:56 You're on "Bible Answers Live." 43:57 David: Hey, thanks for taking the call, Pastor Doug 44:00 and Carlos, and thanks for the show. 44:02 Really appreciate it. 44:03 Question about the dead and the first resurrection. 44:08 So it says the dead will know not. 44:11 It says when Jesus come, archangel, 44:13 all will hear his voice. 44:14 The dead will rise first. 44:15 So does--so will the dead basically have die three times 44:20 or the dead just hear him coming but they got to stay 44:25 in the ground, in the pit? 44:27 What happens to the unrighteous? 44:30 Doug: Yeah, well, the unrighteous are that you die 44:34 the first death, but then the Bible says the unrighteous 44:37 are raised in judgment at the end of the 1,000 years. 44:40 They're then judged. 44:41 Because they're not in the book of life they are cast into the 44:44 lake of fire, and the Bible says in Revelation 20 this 44:47 is the second death. 44:49 Now, the only ones that might experience a third death, 44:52 so to speak, are--well, a couple of categories. 44:55 One, if Jesus had risen someone from the dead and then they died 44:58 lost, then they get resurrected again, judged and die again. 45:01 So they die three times. 45:03 And then the people that are judged or that were judging 45:07 Jesus like the high priest, he's going to be raised to see Christ 45:11 come, then he'll die again at the second coming. 45:14 Then he's raised at the end of the millennium, 45:16 judged and thrown in the lake of fire. 45:18 That would be those who executed Christ. 45:21 It says those that pierced him. 45:23 And Christ said, "You will see the son of man coming 45:26 on the right hand of power." 45:27 So--but that's a very small group of people. 45:30 Most people that are lost, they just experience 45:33 the second death. 45:35 Carlos: Yes, and that verse is Matthew 26, verse 64. 45:37 Doug: About Caiaphas. Yeah, thank you. 45:39 Appreciate that, David. Good question. 45:41 Carlos: There we go. 45:43 Diane from British Columbia, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 45:45 You're on the air. 45:47 Diane: Thank you for taking the call. 45:48 I appreciate it. 45:50 Doug: Thank you. 45:52 Now, you may be on a speaker phone. 45:53 Get real close to your phone 'cause you sound far away. 45:55 Diane: Okay. Sorry about that. 45:58 Doug: That's good. 45:59 Diane: I have a question about Daniel 11:40. 46:02 Doug: Oh, don't ask that question. 46:03 Sorry. No, that's a good question. 46:06 We're just not sure. It's a difficult subject. 46:08 Go ahead. I'll let you finish. 46:10 I interrupted you. 46:11 Diane: Yeah. 46:13 I was just wondering about who is the king of the south. 46:15 Doug: All right. 46:16 Pastor Carlos, you want to take your first stab at it? 46:18 This is one of the most hotly-debated subjects among 46:20 theologians and--but we'll share with you some of the ideas 46:25 that are out there. 46:26 Go ahead. You should get started. 46:28 Carlos: So there's two kings in Daniel 11 at the end in 46:31 verse 40, the king of the north and the king of the south. 46:33 We know that literally the king of the north would represent 46:36 Babylon, the king of the south would represent Egypt--Sodom 46:40 as it's mentioned in the Book of Revelation. 46:42 So we know the king of the north would represent the Babylonian 46:44 system power that appears in the Book of Revelation 46:47 as the end-time religious order. 46:50 And then the king of the south, there's two main interpretations 46:54 in regards to the south; the representation of the immorality 46:57 in the world, the secular world that'll be combating 47:01 as we see it today in society and still till the end. 47:04 And then there's another interpretation. 47:06 I know Jean Ross falls in line with this, is that the south 47:09 represents Islam coming and battling 47:11 against Christianity too, so-- 47:12 Doug: Yeah, and I'm inclined that's--I guess I lean that way 47:15 and I don't--you know, this is something that, as Paul said, 47:18 we don't say by command but by permission. 47:19 You see that the king of the north, and I would agree 47:23 with Carlos, is sort of apostate Christianity, Babylon, and-- 47:27 but there are two children of Abraham 47:29 that are tracked through the Bible. 47:31 We see Islam in earlier places in Revelation 9 and it is 47:35 the second largest religion in the world, and there have been 47:38 numerous wars and there's conflict today. 47:40 And the nations that are mentioned in the end of Daniel, 47:44 if you being literal at all, Edom, Moab, Libya, Egypt, 47:47 so forth, they're all Islamic principally. 47:51 And so you just wonder if there'll be some final 47:53 earthly conflict along with the spiritual conflict. 47:58 So some of that remains to be seen, but that's-- 48:03 those are a couple of principled views out there. 48:05 And thank you, Diane. 48:07 Hope that made a little bit of sense. 48:08 Carlos: Thank you, Diane. 48:10 Next we have Raymond from Michigan. 48:15 Raymond, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 48:16 You're on the air. 48:18 Raymond: Hello, pastors. 48:19 How are you both doing tonight? 48:21 Doug: Wonderful. 48:23 Raymond: That's good. That's good. 48:24 My question is, does it say what type--or what kind of language 48:29 will we be speaking in heaven? 48:32 Doug: All right. 48:34 Pastor Carlos is probably going to say Spanish 48:36 is the language of heaven. 48:38 Raymond: Yes, yes. I've heard that before. 48:40 Doug: And it is a whole lot easier to learn than English 48:43 from what I understand 'cause I grew up speaking English. 48:45 It was easier for me, but when--I learned some 48:48 Spanish 'cause the rules were much more consistent. 48:50 And you know--you've actually taught in English and Spanish, 48:54 so you've probably run into all of the conundrums. 48:56 But I don't think we'll speak either in heaven. 48:59 There's some language--all the languages of the world somehow 49:02 sprang from a mother tongue that was spoken in the Garden of 49:05 Eden, and at the Tower of Babel that language got confounded. 49:11 Now, you can find similarities between a number of languages 49:14 around the world. 49:16 So as the people scattered from the Tower of Babel they took 49:19 some maybe common words, but we don't know exactly 49:23 what that language of Canaan is going to be. 49:25 But it'll be beautiful. 49:27 Carlos: I've always thought it might be Hebrew because when 49:29 it says--in the Tower of Babel it says He confused the tongues 49:32 of those that were working in the tower. 49:34 So could it be that Hebrew was the original language and then-- 49:38 Doug: Seth and some of his followers did not--or Shem, 49:40 rather, and some of his followers did not get involved 49:43 in the corruption and their language did not get confounded. 49:46 That's an interesting theory. 49:48 That may be. 49:49 Of course, it's sure hard to speak Hebrew. 49:51 Got a lot of kind of-- Yeah. 49:55 Anyway--but yeah, it'll be--you know, they say one reason that 50:00 English is an international language is over the years 50:03 English has developed so many words to describe things. 50:07 There are more words in English to describe things with greater 50:10 detail, and I think the language of heaven is going to have all 50:15 kinds of nuances we don't even know now to say things. 50:17 So it's going to be very beautiful and very expressive, 50:19 whatever it is. 50:21 Thank you. Good question. 50:23 Carlos: Next we have Nathan from California. 50:25 Nathan, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 50:26 You're on the air. 50:28 Nathan: Hello. 50:29 How should I respond to people that say biblical--the Bible 50:32 isn't trustworthy because it was written by men because they're 50:36 fallible and stuff? 50:38 Like, you know-- 50:39 Doug: Yeah, well, I would say, is there anything 50:41 that men do that they trust? 50:44 Just because the Bible was written by men--I mean, if you 50:48 get into a car accident and you've got to go to the hospital 50:52 and you've got to have your leg set, you're probably not going 50:56 to try and set your broken leg yourself. 50:58 You're going to have to entrust that to men and you're going to 51:00 say, "Well, they've studied it and they've passed on a lot of 51:02 knowledge, and they can do that pretty well." 51:05 Because men do something doesn't mean that it's all flawed. 51:08 All the technology we're using right now has been created 51:12 by men and most of it is pretty dependable. 51:14 Now, with the Bible, it wasn't normal men. 51:17 The Bible says holy men spoke as they were moved 51:20 by the Holy Ghost. 51:22 These are unusual people that are filled with the Holy Spirit. 51:25 And so the Holy Spirit is involved in 51:27 also preserving the Bible. 51:29 Now, some ways we know that the Bible is still accurate is God 51:33 arranged for Scriptures to be hidden before Christ was 51:37 born--about 200 years before Christ was born hidden in 51:39 the desert, and then 2,000 years later those Scriptures 51:43 are rediscovered. 51:45 And we compare these Old Testament Scriptures that had 51:48 been hidden in jars, the Dead Sea Scrolls, for 2,000 years 51:51 with the versions of the Hebrew Bible that we have today and 51:55 we see that they're virtually identical and it just increases 51:58 our--and I've been to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and had my 52:02 guide who spoke ancient Hebrew read right off of them, and 52:06 I know my Bible pretty well, and he was reading right off the 52:09 scroll of Isaiah the story of Hezekiah, and Sennacherib, 52:12 Rabshakeh and it's just like my Bible. 52:14 So, of course, he had to translate it as he read it into 52:18 English; but yeah, the Bible has been miraculously preserved. 52:23 Carlos: Yeah. Do we have a resource? 52:26 Doug: Yeah, we've got a book called "The Ultimate Resource." 52:29 It's on the Bible. 52:30 We'll send you a free copy, "The Ultimate Resource." 52:32 Just ask for that when you call, Nathan. 52:34 Thank you. 52:35 We can get one more question in, pastor? 52:37 Carlos: Yes, we can. 52:38 Peyton from California, welcome. 52:40 First-time caller. 52:41 You're on "Bible Answers Live." 52:43 Peyton: Hello. Good evening, pastors. 52:45 Doug: Evening. Carlos: Hello. 52:47 Peyton: So my question is, what are the signs 52:49 of the second coming? 52:51 Would it be soon due to the current morality of the world? 52:53 And I say it as kind of a two-part question because I am 52:57 in the military and I'm kind of stuck in a sense and I would 53:00 like to pick up and move on to country living, but it seems 53:03 quite difficult considering, you know, everything going on 53:06 in current society-- 53:08 Doug: Amen. Well, don't go AWOL, Peyton. 53:12 But there are a lot of signs and, as you mentioned, 53:17 one of them is the morality. 53:20 You know, Jesus said before he comes it'll be like it was 53:22 in the days of Lot and Noah, and there was violence. 53:26 You know, people were all entertained with violence and 53:29 not only--he said there'd be wars and rumors of wars. 53:31 We got rumors of nuclear war right now. 53:33 They would have the immorality that they had in Sodom and 53:37 Gomorrah, which is of course, you know, international 53:39 and rampant right now. 53:40 And then Christ said the gospel of the kingdom would be preached 53:43 in all the world. 53:45 Well, now through the internet and radio and television, 53:47 satellite, we have the technology that human walls 53:52 cannot stop the proclamation of the gospel. 53:54 Even these broadcasts right now through the internet are going 53:58 into so many different countries and the gospel is being preached 54:01 in all the world. 54:02 And so there's a number of signs that the Lord gives us that his 54:06 coming is near. 54:08 One of them is he says there'll be pestilence. 54:10 That's plagues. 54:11 We just came through a global pandemic. 54:14 And so--you know, and it says in Revelation 54:16 the Euphrates river will dry up. 54:18 Of course there's a spiritual application to that, but I think 54:20 it's interesting the Euphrates river is drying right now. 54:22 So it might be a dual prophecy there. 54:25 Anyway, Peyton, so there's a lot of things. 54:27 You just put your life in God's hands and say, "Lord, 54:30 I want to put You first, and I'd like to live in the country." 54:34 Of course, country living is not going to save you. 54:36 Having a beautiful place in the country and food stored away 54:39 is not going to save us in the last days. 54:42 It'll be a lot easier than those who are stuck in the cities 54:45 when, you know, bedlam breaks out. 54:47 But ultimately God can save you. 54:50 The safest place to be is in the middle of His will. 54:54 And, friends, I hope everyone listening is in the hollow of 54:57 His hand right now. 54:58 As you can hear, our program is up for tonight. 55:00 Go to the website AmazingFacts.org. 55:03 Share all those resources with your friends, and we'll study 55:07 His Word together with you again next week. 55:12 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:15 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:19 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:22 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:29 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends. 55:30 For those who stayed by, this is the time we do some quick 55:33 internet questions that came in. 55:35 And, Pastor Carlos, if someone wants to send us a question, 55:38 how do they do that? 55:39 Carlos: You can email us at BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:44 That's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org, 55:48 and we might read your question on live next week. 55:51 Doug: Let's see how many we can get in in 2 minutes here. 55:54 Carlos: First one, "During Noah's time, did God limits 55:56 man's lifespan to 120 years?" 55:59 Because Noah lived to be 950? 56:01 Doug: No, it's saying when God says, "My Spirit will not always 56:04 strive with man," and this is Genesis chapter 6, 56:07 "his days will be 120 years." 56:09 That means before the flood God was going to give them 56:11 120 years of probation. 56:14 People live much longer than that even after the flood. 56:16 So that's not talking about their lifespan, it was 56:19 talking about probationary time before the flood. 56:22 Carlos: Yes, next question, "Were Joseph and Mary married 56:24 when Mary conceived Jesus." 56:27 Doug: No, they were what we would call engaged. 56:30 They had signed a betrothal covenant, and Joseph was about 56:34 to break that off 'cause he thought that Mary had come up 56:37 pregnant from normal means and God said, "Don't do it. 56:41 She's conceived by the Holy Spirit." 56:42 But they were engaged. 56:44 They were not married yet. 56:45 Carlos: Next question, "Is it a sin to be rich?" 56:49 Doug: Well, it could be for some people. 56:51 Jesus said that it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom, 56:54 and the Bible says strive not to be rich. 56:57 That should not be our goal. 56:59 But certainly there are a number of rich people in the Bible that 57:02 we expect to see in heaven, everyone from Abraham 57:04 to Solomon to David to Job. 57:06 You just don't want to love riches. 57:09 The Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil. 57:11 Carlos: "Ezekiel 39:11 talks about fire descending from 57:14 heaven to destroy the wicked." 57:16 The question is, "Will there be a cemetery in the new earth, 57:18 or has this prophecy already fulfilled in the past?" 57:21 Doug: Well, that is a future prophecy when God rains fire 57:24 down from heaven to devour the wicked, and then you read-- 57:27 it says that in Malachi chapter 4 57:30 the wicked will be burnt up root and branch. 57:33 So all over the face of the earth where the wicked are 57:35 consumed, Malachi says you'll go forth from the new Jerusalem. 57:38 You will tread down the wicked. 57:40 They will be ashes under the soles of your feet. 57:43 So I guess you could say that it's kind of a cremation all 57:47 over the world, but it's going to be grass. 57:50 The meek will inherit the earth. 57:52 Carlos: Last question, "Was Jesus like 57:53 any other regular child?" 57:56 Doug: Yeah, good question. 57:58 In the sense that he did need to learn to walk 58:01 and talk as babies do. 58:02 He needed his parents to love and cleanse him, 58:05 and he had to learn to do things that children do. 58:08 Yes, he never sinned. He never disobeyed. 58:11 He was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. 58:14 All right, listening friends, time's up. 58:16 God bless. 58:17 Look forward to studying with you next week. 58:21 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," 58:22 honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2023-09-26