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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202405S
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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, and its 00:10 words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, should 00:14 always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate and practical 00:24 answers to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:34 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:43 Now, here's your host from "Amazing Facts International," 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Hello, listening friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:54 The largest known meteorite on earth is the Hoba 00:58 in Namibia, Africa. 01:00 The space rock was discovered by chance in 1920 when a farmer 01:04 plowing his field with an ox struck the metallic sounding 01:08 object with his plow. 01:09 Curious, he removed the topsoil to discover a massive iron rock 01:14 9 feet across. 01:16 Although excavated and declared to be a national monument, the 01:20 66-ton rectangular meteorite has never been moved from the spot 01:24 where it landed because of its immense weight, 132,000 pounds, 01:28 its durability, and remote sight. 01:31 This fantastic treasure still remains outdoors, unmoved, in 01:35 its original location. 01:37 And then you got a picture on the screen for those that are 01:39 watching the video right now. 01:41 That's where it landed. 01:42 That's where it was found. 01:44 Too big to move. 01:46 It's out there in the open, withstands the elements, makes 01:49 me think of another immovable rock. 01:53 Jean Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. 01:54 I mean, it's incredible. That's a big meteor. 01:56 We were just talking before the show. 01:57 You'd think something that big would have created a massive 02:00 crater, but a little bit of the research you did, they think 02:04 maybe it kind of bounced or skipped or maybe hit water prior 02:08 to landing in that spot. 02:09 Doug: Yeah. 02:10 Well, it hit the atmosphere they think at an angle, which is part 02:12 of the reason it didn't all burn up, and then it, instead of 02:16 coming down, it kind of skipped along the earth or something. 02:20 And it was only covered by the topsoil that would have happened 02:26 through accumulation, which wasn't very deep. 02:29 But makes me think about a prophecy in the Bible of another 02:32 stone that flies through the heavens. 02:35 That is another durable stone. 02:37 And you can read about this, friends, in Daniel 2, verse 34 02:41 and 35. 02:42 Daniel is explaining this vision to Nebuchadnezzar: "You watched 02:46 while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the 02:49 image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 02:54 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold 02:57 were crushed together, and became like chaff from the 03:00 summer threshing floors. 03:01 The wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. 03:05 And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain 03:08 and filled the whole earth," talks about this stone that is a 03:14 symbol of Christ and His kingdom coming to pulverize all of the 03:18 pagan kingdoms of the world. 03:20 That stone. 03:22 It's interesting. 03:23 Says, "A stone," Pastor Ross, "cut without hands" because in 03:25 the Law of Moses, and you and I are reading--we're on the same 03:29 Bible reading program right now, said, "If you make an altar, do 03:32 not lift your tool up upon it." 03:34 Because if they were tempted to carve on it with man's hands, 03:37 then it turned into an idol pretty soon. 03:39 And they were to take basic stone, and so this stone 03:44 represents Christ in His kingdom. 03:46 Jesus said, "These words that I speak, wise men builds on 03:51 the rock." 03:52 Ten Commandments were written on a rock, another symbol of 03:55 something that is immovable and enduring. 03:59 That's why I thought of this Hoba a meteorite. 04:00 By the way, the word "hoba" means "a gift" we learned in the 04:03 local native language. 04:05 But there's another immovable rock of God's Word, His truth, 04:10 His law, and it's the standard by which all will be 04:14 judged someday. 04:15 Jean: That's right, Pastor Doug. 04:17 It is undoubtedly the most precious stone on Earth today. 04:22 You know, hidden somewhere in a golden box there in Jerusalem, 04:25 the Ten Commandments. 04:27 What makes it so special isn't the stone, but it's the one Who 04:29 wrote on the stone. 04:30 God, of course Himself, wrote the Ten Commandments. 04:33 Well, are the Ten Commandments still binding today? 04:36 Well, a number of Christians say, "Well, no. 04:38 We've done away with this part of the old covenant." 04:40 Others say, "No, it's still applicable for us today." 04:43 You know, we have a study guide called "Written in Stone." 04:45 It's about the Ten Commandments. 04:47 And of course, if you stop and think for any short period of 04:49 time, you realize that for Christians, surely God would 04:52 want us not to kill or steal or commit adultery or bear a 04:55 false witness. 04:57 So, it makes sense that, no, it's still valid even today. 05:00 Doug: Absolutely. 05:01 Wonder--it makes you wonder, why people would say that the Ten 05:05 Commandments are part of the old covenant that we don't need to 05:08 keep anymore? 05:10 Jean: Our study guide is called "Written in Stone," and we'll be 05:12 happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 05:14 If you haven't read the study guide yet, you need to get it 05:17 and take a look at it. 05:18 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 05:22 You can ask for it. 05:23 Just say, "Written in Stone." 05:24 We'll be sending it to you. 05:26 Also, you can dial #250 on your smartphone. 05:28 Say, "Bible Answers Live!” And then ask for it by name, 05:31 "Written in Stone." 05:32 Now, this is for those who are in North America and Canada. 05:35 If you're outside of the U.S. 05:37 and we know we have folks listening around the world, just 05:39 go to the "Amazing Facts" website. 05:41 Just AmazingFacts.org or .com, and you'll be able to read 05:45 it there. 05:46 Well, before we go to the phone lines as we always do, Pastor 05:48 Doug, we like to start with prayer. 05:50 Dear Father, we thank You that we have this time to be able to 05:53 open up Your Word and study. 05:54 Indeed, the Bible is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path, 05:57 and it leads us to a clear and full understanding of truth. 06:00 So Lord, we invite Your Spirit to be with us, be with those who 06:03 are listening, wherever they might be, in Jesus's name. 06:06 Amen. 06:07 Doug: Amen. 06:09 Jean: First caller that we have is Jerry, listening in Texas. 06:10 Jerry, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 06:12 You are on the air. 06:13 Jerry: Hey, pastors. Good evening. 06:14 Doug: Hi. 06:16 Jerry: Simple question tonight, guys. 06:19 Was there a Sabbath before creation? 06:23 On other worlds, you know, do they have a Sabbath? 06:26 Doug: Yeah, good question. 06:29 As near as we can tell from the evidence in the Bible, the 06:30 Sabbath first appears in Genesis chapter 2, and because it's 06:34 connected with the revolution of our earth on its axis, and, as 06:40 you know, the planets go around the sun, I think the Sabbath is 06:45 connected with timekeeping in our world. 06:48 Now, does God have other times of rest or holy days on other-- 06:52 on fallen worlds? 06:53 The Bible doesn't say. 06:54 But it first appears in Scripture in connection with the 06:57 creation of our planet and these creatures made in the image 07:01 of God. 07:02 So it sounds unique to us. 07:03 Jean: And yet, it will continue throughout all eternity because 07:05 you read about the earth made new, and it continues. 07:08 Of course, it's our earth that is recreated, and the New 07:12 Jerusalem comes down. 07:13 And God dwells here amongst these people. 07:15 So yes, Sabbath continues for eternity. 07:18 Next caller that we have is Brittany, listening 07:20 in California. 07:21 Brittany, welcome to the program. 07:24 Brittany: Hey, hey. 07:26 Doug: Hi, how are you, Brittany? And your question tonight? 07:30 Brittany: Yeah, my question is what does the Bible say about 07:34 eating a plant-based diet? 07:37 Doug: Okay, good question. 07:39 You know, sometimes we have to just defer and say, "Well, the 07:41 Bible doesn't say anything about that." 07:43 But actually, the Bible does. 07:45 The original diet--now, when you say "plant-based," friends, that 07:48 doesn't mean you're just eating leaves. 07:50 A plant-based diet is, you know, a vegetarian eating vegetables, 07:53 or things that come from plants. 07:55 The original diet from man in the Garden of Eden was fruits, 07:59 grains, nuts. 08:00 After sin, God added vegetables. 08:02 That would be other parts of the plant, the stalk and the roots, 08:05 so forth, or the leaves. 08:06 And in the new earth, we're going to be back to, we believe, 08:09 the original diet. 08:11 So, the doctors actually have pretty much told us the jury is 08:16 in, and it is a scientific fact that people that avoid animal 08:21 products will still eventually get old and die, but they're 08:25 going to have a lot less disease, and they're going to be 08:28 a lot healthier. 08:29 Your chances of having a longer, stronger, healthier life with 08:33 more energy are going to be connected with eating as close 08:36 to the biblical diet as you can. 08:39 We did an interview here with Dr. Scharfenberg, still going, 08:44 he's 100 and plus years old, and yeah, he's been a vegetarian 08:50 most of his life. 08:51 Jean: That's right. 08:53 All right, we have a study guide that talks about health. 08:55 It's called "God's Free Health Plan," and we'll be happy to 08:57 send this to anyone who wants to learn more about what the Bible 09:00 says about how we can be healthy. 09:02 The number is 800-835-6747. 09:05 Ask for the study guide. 09:06 It's called "God's Free Health Plan." 09:08 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone. 09:11 Say, "Bible Answers Live!" 09:12 And then ask for that study guide by name. 09:15 Thank you, Brittany. 09:16 We got Gary in Illinois. 09:18 Gary, you're on "Bible Answers Live." 09:20 Gary: Thank you. 09:21 My question comes from Luke 17, verse 28: "In the days of Lot, 09:26 they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, 09:29 they built; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it 09:33 rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 09:37 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man 09:42 is revealed." 09:43 So, my question is, is the world so big that the tribulation 09:48 takes place even as things go on as normal? 09:52 Doug: Well, when the great tribulation comes--by the way, 09:57 friends, when we read where Jesus says, "There's going to be 10:00 a great time of trouble," and he mentions this in Matthew 24, 10:03 it's also mentioned in Daniel chapter 12, you've got sort of 10:07 three phases. 10:08 One, Jesus was telling the Jews they were facing a big time of 10:12 trouble with the destruction of Jerusalem and that happened. 10:15 And then he was telling the church, you're going to face a 10:17 great time of trouble during the dark age persecution, when the 10:21 church would flee into the wilderness, and that happened. 10:24 But then, there's a great, great time of trouble you read of that 10:28 is in the Book of Revelation, when the seven last plagues 10:30 begin to fall, and I think that's what Gary is 10:33 talking about. 10:36 That's still future. 10:37 That hasn't--by the time that time of trouble starts, 10:40 probation is closed, and we don't think it's going to last 10:43 very long. 10:44 It says in Revelation that all of her plagues come in a year, 10:50 and a prophetic year is--day, rather, prophetic day is going 10:55 to be one year. 10:56 Yeah, so it'll be within that period of time. 10:59 It might be less than a year, but it's not going to last 11:00 longer than a year. 11:02 So, will people still be on the earth then? 11:04 Yes. 11:06 Because that's why Jesus said, "He that endures to the end, the 11:09 same will be saved." 11:10 And the children of Israel, were they in Egypt when the seven 11:14 plagues fell, or the ten plagues? 11:16 Yes. 11:18 Did he protect them? Yes. 11:20 So hopefully--we do have a study guide, Gary, 11:22 if you're interested. 11:24 It's called "Anything But Secret." 11:25 It talks about the tribulation in that booklet. 11:27 Jean: The number to call is 800-835-6747. 11:30 You can ask for the book. 11:31 It's called "Anything But Secret." 11:33 We'll be happy to send it to you in Canada or in the U.S. 11:36 You can also get a digital copy of that by just dialing #250. 11:40 Say, "Bible Answers Live!" 11:41 And then ask for it. 11:42 The--I forgot the name. 11:44 Doug: "Anything But Secret." 11:46 Jean: "Anything But Secret." 11:47 That's right. 11:48 We've got several titles, by the way. 11:50 We have another one on the Second Coming called 11:51 "Ultimate Deliverance." 11:52 Sometimes we get mixed up, but it's a great book. 11:55 "Anything But Secret." 11:56 I will send that to you. 11:57 It's a digital download so you can get it right away. 12:00 Thank you, Gary. 12:01 We got, let's see, who else? 12:02 Glenn in Ohio. 12:04 Glenn, welcome to the program. 12:06 Glenn: Good evening, pastors, and thank you very much for 12:09 taking my call. 12:11 Doug: Yes, thank you for calling. 12:14 Glenn: Jesus was born again by a resurrection. 12:16 I think Peter and Colossians both say so. 12:20 Yet, people are told today they need to come to the altar, be 12:25 converted, get saved and born again. 12:28 I'm looking for a Scripture that says, that validates that being 12:31 born again that one that does not contradict 1 John 5:18 A. 12:37 Can you help me? 12:38 Doug: All right. 12:39 Well, a person doesn't necessarily need to come to the 12:42 altar to be born again. 12:44 The apostle Paul went through a conversion and a new birth, and 12:48 he was on the road to Damascus, getting ready to 12:50 persecute Christians. 12:52 And he had an encounter with Jesus. 12:54 He spent three days praying and fasting, and then Ananias laid 13:00 hands on him. 13:02 And the scales fell from his eyes, and you can be sure he was 13:04 born again at that time. 13:06 He had a new birth, and he was a new man. 13:08 And Jesus said, "You'll know them by their fruits." 13:10 They start doing something different so-- 13:13 Jean: And of course, the famous passage you find 13:16 in John chapter 3. 13:17 Jesus said, "Except the man be born of water and of the spirit, 13:20 he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven." 13:21 Now, Jesus didn't have to be born. 13:23 I'm not, I mean, He was born, but He didn't have to be, as we 13:26 refer today, "born again" because Christ never sinned. 13:29 So those--everyone else has sinned, all have sinned, and 13:32 fallen short of the glory of God, except for Christ. 13:34 So, for everyone else, we got to be born again, and that is to 13:38 receive Jesus as our personal Savior. 13:40 Doug: And for some people, the new birth, like Paul, is a 13:43 dramatic, sudden occurrence, and they can tell you the date on 13:46 the calendar. 13:47 For other people, in my case, I sort of read my way into it. 13:52 I think there was a time I ultimately prayed and officially 13:54 asked God into my heart. 13:55 I don't even remember the date. 13:57 But as far as my mind and heart being changed, that happened 14:01 over a process while I was reading so it's hard to fix 14:04 the date. 14:05 That's why Jesus said, "The wind blows where it will and you hear 14:08 the sound thereof, but you don't know where it came from and 14:10 where it's going." 14:11 And so sometimes, a new birth is like that. 14:14 Thanks, Glenn. 14:15 And you know, we've got a book, "Three Steps to Heaven," that 14:19 talks about the new birth. 14:20 We'd be happy to send you a free copy. 14:22 Jean: The number again is 800-835-6747. 14:25 As for the book, it's called "Three Steps to Heaven." 14:27 Also, you can get a digital copy by dialing #250 on 14:32 your smartphone. 14:33 All right, we got Dwinelle listening in Nevada. 14:36 Dwinelle, welcome to the program. 14:38 Dwinelle: Thank you. 14:40 Thank you, pastor, for taking my call. 14:42 My question is, I don't eat unclean meat, but if you look at 14:48 1 Corinthians 10:27 and Luke 10:8--well, 1 Corinthians 10:27, 14:55 it says, "If any of those who do not believe invites you to 14:58 dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, 15:02 asking no question for conscience' sake." 15:05 And Luke 10:8 is similar to that where it says, "Whatever city 15:12 you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as our step 15:17 before you." 15:18 So then what do I do? I mean, if they set, like-- 15:21 Doug: Yeah, the context of those is both different. 15:23 First of all, when Jesus sends out the 12 apostles, He says, 15:27 "Go not to the Gentiles, go to the lost sheep of the house 15:30 of Israel." 15:32 So they knew right away they were going into Jewish homes, 15:34 and Christ is saying, "Don't be finicky about what you eat." 15:37 They weren't going to be serving them pork. 15:39 That didn't even come into anyone's mind at that point 15:41 because they're going to speak to Jews. 15:43 So He just saying, "You know, don't say well, I want some of 15:46 this and not that." 15:47 And He said, "Be thankful for what they give you." 15:48 Paul is a different question. 15:50 Paul is talking about when believers were buying meat in 15:55 the marketplace, and they were only buying clean meats because 15:58 they knew what the Law said, they were concerned, well, was 16:01 it sacrificed to an idol? 16:03 Now, Pastor Ross, there's a place where he says, "Asking no 16:05 questions for conscience's sake." 16:07 I'm trying to remember where that is. 16:08 Jean: Yeah, it refers--well, it talks about eating it in 16:10 1 Corinthians 10:27. 16:12 The verse we just read where it talks about "ask no questions 16:15 for conscience' sake," but that's when 16:17 you're sitting down to eat. 16:18 Doug: Yeah, so, don't ask them, 16:20 "Well, was this offered to an idol?" 16:22 The question wasn't, "What kind of meat is this?" 16:24 Or, "What kind of food is this?" 16:26 The question for them was, is it off offered to an idol? 16:30 Jean: Let me read the next verse because I think it makes it 16:32 very clear. 16:33 It says, Paul goes on, he says, "But if anyone says to you, 16:35 'This was offered to idols,' do not eat it for the sake of the 16:40 one who told you, and for conscience's sake; for the earth 16:43 is the Lord's, and all the fullness of it." 16:45 So here, pretty clear, Paul says, 16:46 "You know, if it's clean food and they put it in 16:49 front of you, don't ask, 'Was this offered to an idol?' 16:52 But if somebody says, 'Oh, by the way, do you know that was 16:54 offered to an idol?'" 16:55 Paul says, "Well, don't eat it then." 16:57 But don't ask. So. 17:00 Doug: And there's another verse where he says, "Whatever is sold 17:02 in the shambles" in the King James, it's shambles, it's 17:04 marketplace or something. 17:06 And so, the big question they grappled with is, were they 17:10 supporting idolatry since all the Romans and the Greeks 17:13 offered animals to the--I'm talking about clean animals, 17:16 goats, sheep, chickens. 17:17 They butchered it in front of an idol. 17:20 Jean: There it is. 17:21 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 25: "Eat whatever he sold in the 17:24 meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake." 17:28 Doug: So he wasn't eating any pig. 17:29 He's talking about the clean meats. 17:31 Jean: All right, good. Good question. 17:33 Isabella is in North Carolina. 17:35 Isabella, welcome to the program. 17:38 Isabella: Thank you, guys, for all you do, first of all, and 17:40 for this life. 17:42 Basically, my question is for chapter--I mean, Genesis 19, 17:48 chapter 1, if you guys could elaborate on what's going on and 17:54 the angels, if they're accepting praise from Lot or not. 17:59 I was curious. 18:00 And thank you for your "Jesus in the Bible" series. 18:04 Doug: Oh, praise the Lord. Thank you. 18:06 All right, so, let me read this for our friends 18:08 that are listening. 18:09 And Genesis 9--19, verse 1, I believe: "Now the two angels 18:13 came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate 18:16 of Sodom. 18:17 When Lot saw the men, he arose to meet them, and bowed himself 18:19 with his face towards the ground." 18:21 You know, that was actually a custom of greeting. 18:24 It wasn't talking about worshiping. 18:27 You would also, you know, you go to Korea, and even today, when I 18:31 meet some of my Korean friends here in North America, as we 18:33 introduce each other, they sort of instinctively bow. 18:36 It's kind of like we shake hands. 18:38 It was just considered a term of respect. 18:41 And Abraham, Lot, a lot of the patriarchs, they practiced very 18:48 strong hospitality. 18:50 And when Lot saw these two dignified gentlemen coming into 18:54 the city, and he knew the reputation of the city, he 18:56 thought, you know, "I better invite them home so they don't 18:58 end up in the wrong place." 19:00 And so he approached them right away and bowed and said, "Let 19:02 me, let me offer you a place." 19:04 They had no hotels back then, and people would take 19:06 in strangers all the time. 19:08 That's what Paul says in Hebrews, "entertaining 19:10 strangers, unaware of some of entertained angels," but no. 19:13 He's not worshiping them. 19:14 Jean: Okay. Very good. 19:17 We've got Ann listening in Anchorage, Alaska. 19:19 Ann, welcome to the program. 19:20 Ann: Yes, my question is in Mark 5, where Jesus healed the 19:27 paralytic man. 19:31 My--I'm wondering who it says that God or that an angel 19:35 stirred the pool occasionally, and then everybody tried to 19:39 rush in. 19:40 I'm wondering was that an angel of God or was that an angel 19:44 of Satan? 19:45 Because it seems to me, God would offer more than just one 19:48 person to be healed. 19:51 Doug: Right. Now, first, you said Mark. 19:54 I think you mean John chapter 5, where the Waters of Bethesda 19:57 are stirred. 19:59 Yeah, yeah, that is actually a good question. 20:03 You know, it's hard to picture that an angel of God is going to 20:06 see all of these sick people laying around this pool, hoping 20:09 the water will be bubbling or stirred, and whoever clambers in 20:13 first over the other, all fighting against each other to 20:15 get in the water first, is going to be healed. 20:17 That'd be sort of a pathetic scene. 20:20 I think it's built around a superstition, and, you know, 20:24 whether it was a natural phenomenon that water bubbled up 20:29 every now and then, I've got a spring like that. 20:31 If you keep watching this one spot, water just keeps 20:33 bubbling up. 20:35 Or, you know, evil angels would stir it and make the most of it. 20:39 But I don't think that God was doing that. 20:41 Your thoughts? 20:43 Jean: Yeah. Absolutely. 20:45 I think there's been some archaeological evidence to 20:47 support the idea that the Pool of Bethesda was actually built 20:49 close to or over the spring. 20:52 And it's quite possible that at certain times there was some 20:54 sort of movement of the water as the spring would kind of, you 20:58 know, bubble up, and people saw that and maybe at some point in 21:02 time, somebody happened to be stepping down. 21:03 And of course, they were all looking for some kind of 21:06 supernatural evidence. 21:07 They're hoping for healing. 21:09 And maybe somebody was, at least they thought that we 21:11 healed somehow. 21:12 Doug: Could be the placebo effect. 21:14 Jean: That's right. And the idea caught on. 21:16 So everyone's waiting for the moving of the water. 21:18 Doug: Yeah. 21:19 Well, even today, you know, there are tens of thousands of 21:21 people that make pilgrimages and go to Lourdes, these different 21:25 Catholic shrines, hoping to be healed. 21:26 And they say that some experience miracles. 21:29 So is that Mary doing that? 21:31 Or you got, not only for the Catholic Church, there are 21:35 people who make pilgrimages to Buddha statues, and that say 21:39 that they're going to be healed. 21:40 So, I think there's some counterfeit healings, and 21:43 sometimes, a person might be healed just because of 21:45 their faith. 21:47 Jesus said many times, "Your faith has made you whole." 21:50 And maybe God honored their faith in God. 21:53 It's hard to say, but they're a good question. 21:55 Jean: All right, we got Shannon, listening in Georgia. 21:58 Shannon, welcome to the program. 22:01 Shannon: All right. Thank you. 22:04 I'm calling about Romans 3, verses 19 and 20. 22:09 Could you please explain that? 22:11 Doug: All right, let us read that for our friends. 22:13 Romans 3:19: "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says 22:17 to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, 22:21 and all the world may become guilty before God. 22:23 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified 22:26 in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." 22:30 All right, would you like us to expound on that a little bit? 22:34 Shannon: Yes. 22:36 Doug: Okay, everybody has broken God's law. 22:39 Sin is the transgression of the law. 22:43 The Bible tells us in 1 John 4, "Sin is the breaking or 22:46 transgression of God's law." 22:48 "All have sinned," Romans tells us, "and fallen short of the 22:51 glory of God. 22:53 If we are saved by law keeping, then we're all doomed." 22:56 It's not that keeping the law saves anybody, we're saved 23:00 by grace. 23:01 Now, when a person is saved by grace, do they continue to break 23:06 the law? 23:07 And that's why Paul says in Romans, I think it's chapter 6. 23:10 Do I continue in sin, that grace may abound? 23:13 Do I continue breaking the law, that grace may abound? 23:15 He says, "God forbid, how shall we, who are dead to sin, 23:19 continue any longer therein?" 23:20 And then you'll also read in Romans chapter, I think it's 23:24 chapter 2:13. 23:25 He said, "It's not the hearers of the law that are just before 23:28 God, but the doers of the law that will be justified." 23:31 And he's talking about saved people, who are keeping the law, 23:34 not to be saved, but because they love the Lord. 23:37 That's why Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." 23:40 So, is that making sense, Shannon? 23:45 Shannon: Yes. 23:47 Doug: Okay, praise the Lord. 23:50 Now, you would enjoy that study guide that we're offering. 23:51 And we also have a sermon book that's called "Does God's Grace 23:55 Blot Out the Law?" 23:56 And we'll send you a free copy of that or the one, 23:59 "Written in Stone." 24:01 Jean: The number to call is 800-835-6747. 24:03 That is our resource phone line. 24:05 You can ask for the book. 24:06 It's called "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" 24:09 You can also ask for our free offer for tonight. 24:11 It's called "Written in Stone." 24:12 You can also dial #250 if you'd like to get a digital download. 24:18 Dial #250. 24:19 Say, "Bible Answers Live!" 24:21 And then you can ask for the book by name, "Does God's Grace 24:22 Blot Out the Law?" 24:24 Thank you, Shannon. 24:25 We've got George in Oregon. George, welcome to the program. 24:28 George: Thank you very much for taking my call. 24:30 The question is in Genesis 3:21, the Lord God made tunics. 24:35 Who actually do you think killed the lamb? 24:39 Was it being shown to Adam how to kill? 24:42 Or did the Lord kill the lamb? 24:45 Doug: Yeah, that's a great question. 24:46 But my belief is that God established the sacrificial 24:50 system, and when Adam saw--and Eve--these innocent creatures 24:57 that they were originally designed to name and care for 25:00 dying for their sin, it broke their hearts. 25:03 I think Adam probably cried when he saw leaves dying because of 25:07 his sin, this beautiful garden. 25:09 So, God established a sacrificial system. 25:12 Now, Pastor Ross, in Revelation says "the Lamb slain from the 25:15 foundation of the world." 25:17 And it says, "God so loved the world He gave His Son." 25:22 So, I think it makes sense that in the beginning, God is the one 25:25 Who established a sacrificial system and showed Adam. 25:28 Jean: I agree. 25:30 I was just going to add a few more verses where Jesus speaks 25:31 about His crucifixion. 25:33 He says, "Nobody takes My life, but I lay it down of Myself. 25:35 I have power to lay it out and take it up again." 25:37 So, Christ is the one. 25:39 God is the one Who provides the sacrifice. 25:42 And of course, after the first lamb was sacrificed, then 25:45 throughout the Jewish system, the high priest would-- 25:47 their lamb would be brought, and the priest would be there. 25:50 The Israelite would lay his hand on the head of the goat, 25:52 symbolizing the transfer of sins. 25:53 He'd have to take the life of the goat because our sins took 25:57 the life of Jesus. 25:58 But Jesus willingly lay down his life. 26:00 Doug: Yeah. 26:02 So I think Gary is also wondering, or George, I'm sorry, 26:03 is also wondering, was it God Who actually cut the lamb's 26:08 throat or did He tell Adam what he needed to do and Adam had to 26:11 do it? 26:13 Jean: I think the first one, it says God made coats of skin. 26:15 So you'd assume that God was the one that--and again, that ties 26:19 in with the idea of Jesus laying down his life. 26:21 Doug: Yeah, absolutely. 26:23 Well, listening friends, we are not done. 26:25 We're going to take a brief break, and we hope that you'll 26:27 come back. 26:29 We're going to--the best is yet to come 26:30 for "Bible Answers Live." 26:32 If you want to call in with a Bible question, 26:33 it's not too late: 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297. 26:39 And we'll be answering your Bible questions. 26:41 Also, you can be listening on Facebook and YouTube and AFTV. 26:45 Be back in just a moment. 26:50 male announcer: Stay tuned. 26:51 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 26:57 male announcer: Doug Batchelor was the teenage son of a 27:00 millionaire father and show business mother, 27:03 yet he was living in a cave. 27:05 He had everything money could buy, everything but happiness. 27:08 But all of the fun and excitement he enjoyed left his 27:11 life out of control. 27:13 His search eventually led him to a cave above Palm Springs that 27:17 became his home. 27:18 While Doug scavenged for food in garbage bins, his father owned a 27:22 yacht, a Learjet, and an airline. 27:25 But in his cave home, he discovered a dust-covered Bible. 27:29 As he began to read, he soon learned of his true purpose 27:32 in life. 27:33 "The Richest Caveman" is the extraordinary true story of Doug 27:37 Batchelor that tells how a rebellious teenager who once 27:40 lived in a cave became a tremendous soul-winner for 27:43 Jesus Christ. 27:44 It's a thrilling testimony of the transforming power of 27:47 God's Word. 27:49 To order your copy of "The Richest Caveman" call 27:51 800-538-7275 or visit AFBOOKSTORE.COM. 27:59 male announcer: Are you looking for a simple way 28:01 to share your faith? 28:03 If you've ever found yourself tongue-tied when trying to 28:05 explain what the Bible teaches about the Sabbath, the Second 28:08 Coming, or the afterlife, you'll love the new 28:12 "Amazing Facts Tracts.” 28:14 These colorful tracts feature easy to read type and 28:17 are large enough to grab everyone's attention, but small 28:19 enough to fit in your pocket to carry with you wherever you go. 28:24 Eleven key Bible teachings are available now. 28:26 Purchase a sample bundle to see what fits your needs. 28:29 Then buy them in bulk and save. 28:32 Equip yourself in your church to reach your community with the 28:34 eye-catching "Amazing Facts Tracts." 28:37 "Amazing Facts Tracts," easy to read, easy to share. 28:41 To order your sample bundle, call 800-538-7275 or visit 28:48 AFBOOKSTORE.COM, and get ready to share your faith like 28:52 never before. 29:01 male announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where 29:04 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His 29:07 plan to save you. 29:09 So, what are you waiting for? 29:11 Get practical answers about the good book for a better 29:14 life today. 29:18 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 29:21 If you'd like answers to your Bible related questions on the 29:24 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 29:27 and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 29:30 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 29:32 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 29:37 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 29:43 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 29:49 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers 29:52 Live," and this is a live international interactive 29:55 Bible study. 29:56 You can be part of it. 29:57 All you need to do is pick up your phone. 29:59 Call that toll free number 800-GOD-SAYS, 30:02 that's 800-463-7297. 30:06 You know, we've been doing this so long, Pastor Ross, we got 30:08 that number when 800 actually meant you didn't have to pay for 30:10 the phone call. 30:12 Of course, no one has to pay anymore. 30:13 It's just been a long time. 30:16 We could have any old number now. 30:17 But yeah, you're welcome to call in with your Bible questions. 30:20 My name is Doug Batchelor. 30:22 Jean: My name is Jean Ross, and we have a number of folks who 30:24 are standing by with their Bible question. 30:25 We're going to go to Ryan in New Mexico. 30:27 Ryan, welcome to the program. 30:29 Ryan: Hello, guys. Doug: Hi. 30:31 Ryan: My question is, is the Gregorian calendar that we all 30:36 use today, is it not the beast power trying to change times 30:42 and laws? 30:43 Is it, you know, because, you know, we know who the beast is, 30:49 do we not? 30:50 And I don't--I see that basically the, you know, the 30:56 Pope and the Roman, the Roman, you know, it's a Roman calendar. 31:01 Doug: Yeah, well, let me take a stab at that. 31:04 Yeah, no, I think I understand. 31:07 So the prophecy you quoted is from Daniel 7:25. 31:09 Speaking of the beast's power, it says he will think to change 31:12 times and laws. 31:13 And, well, the Romans changing the calendar, that even 31:17 predates Christ. 31:18 It was during the time of Julius Caesar. 31:21 They had the Julian calendar, and I think everyone knows that 31:24 the reason we've got a month called July is because of 31:27 Julius Caesar. 31:28 And the reason we have a month called August is because of 31:31 Octavian, or Augustus, Caesar. 31:34 And the Roman months actually were very different. 31:40 October was like octagon, ocho, that was supposed to be the 31:45 eighth month. 31:46 Well, it's the 10th month for us. 31:48 December, D, decca, that's like a decade. 31:51 That's supposed to be the 10th month. 31:52 Well, it's the 12th month. 31:53 So the Romans did a lot of things that--November, nueve, 31:56 nine is supposed to be the ninth month, but it's not. 31:59 So, the calendar got changed a lot by the Romans, and then it 32:05 got changed again. 32:06 The adjustment that was made by Pope Gregory, or during his time 32:09 anyway, was actually a good adjustment. 32:11 They were adjusting for not having the right amount of days 32:15 in the month, and they added, you know, leap year and adjusted 32:18 it ahead ten days. 32:20 So that was just modifying things for farming. 32:23 But there are other ways where they tried to establish feasts 32:27 that are not in the Bible and ignore the ones that are, the 32:30 holy days and the Sabbath day. 32:32 There's a big effort to change God's holy times and laws 32:37 separate from the calendar. 32:39 And they did certainly mess with the calendar. 32:41 Jean: The calendar, as you mentioned, Pastor Doug, they 32:43 never changed the days of the week. 32:45 I'm looking at it here, October the 15th. 32:48 They changed it in AD 1582, and they had Thursday, October the 32:52 4th followed by Friday, October the 15th. 32:55 So they just added ten days, but they didn't change the days of 32:59 the week. 33:00 Doug: Yeah, Thursday was followed by Friday, as it always 33:03 has been. 33:04 Jean: And the prophecy's referring to the beast's power 33:07 trying to change the day of worship, and that's a 33:09 different story. 33:11 Okay, thank you. 33:14 We've got James in Texas. James, welcome to the program. 33:16 James: Yes, sir. Thank you for having me. 33:19 My question for the night is, the time of trouble and the 33:22 great tribulation, is that that takes place the seven last 33:27 plagues, is that the same thing, the time of trouble and 33:31 the tribulation? 33:32 Or is that two different timelines altogether? 33:34 Doug: Well, let's talk about the final time of trouble. 33:37 And you know, Jesus, he does reference that in Matthew 24, 33:41 Mark 13, Luke 17, and Luke 21. 33:45 And it's also referenced in Revelation 15 and 16 when the 33:49 seven last plagues fall out. 33:50 It seems to come in two stages, where you have what people might 33:54 call the small time of trouble. 33:56 During the small time of trouble, there's 33:57 great persecution. 33:59 You cannot buy or sell unless you cooperate with the beast. 34:02 But during that time, God's people will still be 34:04 Spirit-filled preaching. 34:06 There'll be many converts during that time. 34:08 We don't know how long that is. 34:11 But finally, they're going to have a death decree, and when 34:14 they bring out this death decree, right then or close to 34:18 that time, we're going to see the seven last plagues fall. 34:20 Probation will be closed. 34:22 That's called the "great time of trouble." 34:24 So when you've got the oceans and the springs turning into 34:26 blood, and men are scorched with great heat, and they got noisome 34:29 sores, and you just look at the seven plagues, and it's going to 34:33 be pretty intense, that is the great time of trouble such as 34:37 there never has been since origination. 34:39 Jean: And that's Daniel chapter 12, verse 1? 34:42 So what you're saying, Pastor Doug, 34:43 is that the time of trouble and tribulation are just two words, 34:47 but they can refer to the same thing. 34:49 Doug: Well, every Christian goes through some tribulation. 34:51 Paul says it is through many tribulations we enter the 34:54 Kingdom of God. 34:56 So everyone goes through different kinds of tribulations. 34:58 But the historic great time of trouble, that's still ahead 35:02 of us. 35:03 Jean: Okay, very good. 35:05 Next order that we have is Daniel in Michigan. 35:06 Daniel, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 35:09 Daniel: Yes, hi, thank you for taking my call. 35:13 Someone already asked this question, 35:14 but I'll ask it anyways. 35:16 So how can you know if you have been saved or born again? 35:20 I know Jesus says you cannot enter the Kingdom unless you're 35:24 born again, and I've been kind of confused about this lately. 35:28 I always thought that if you're willfully giving into sin, you 35:33 know, you know it's wrong, but you've given anyways, that's an 35:35 indication that you're not born again. 35:38 Because 1 John 39 says, "Everyone who has been born of 35:41 God does not practice sin." 35:43 And sometimes, I fall into that category for, I don't know, a 35:46 few days, a few weeks. 35:48 And I'm thinking, am I born again? 35:50 I'm not sure. 35:52 And and then I asked a friend this, and he said, "Well, you 35:56 can only lose your salvation if you grieve away the Spirit." 36:00 So I'm like, so you can, like, practice sin for 10, 20, 30 36:04 years and still be saved? 36:06 He's like, "Well, yeah, as long as you haven't grieved away 36:08 the Spirit." 36:09 And I'm like, I don't know if that's right. 36:11 So like, what do you think? 36:12 Doug: That's yeah, good question. 36:14 You articulated very well a question many people ask. 36:18 Well, first of all, how do you know you're born again? 36:20 Who has your heart? 36:22 Who do you like to talk about? 36:24 You can tell when a person loves football because they're always 36:26 talking about football or airplanes, whatever is in 36:28 their heart. 36:30 Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth 36:32 speaks," and when you receive Christ in your heart and you 36:35 love him and he's given you a new life, you're going to want 36:38 to tell other people. 36:39 You're not going to want to do things that offend him. 36:41 That doesn't mean it will never happen. 36:44 But that should be the exception and not the rule. 36:47 So people that are living a life of sin, they may have been born 36:51 again once, but they're--they stepped away from it and they 36:55 need to be reconverted. 36:58 You know, I did a sermon, Pastor Ross, and it's titled "Do You 37:03 Need to be Perfect to be Saved?" 37:05 And I address this, that, you know, what's the difference 37:08 between falling and, you know, you slip up, you sin, and living 37:11 a life of sin, and how perfect do we need to be to be saved? 37:16 So you might want to look at that, just on YouTube. 37:18 Type in "Doug Batchelor" and it'll pop up. 37:22 Jean: The apostle Paul says, speaking of this, "I die daily." 37:25 So this conversion, this being born again, isn't just a 37:29 one-time thing. 37:30 And then we go on sort of just, you know, living in a cloud. 37:32 No, Paul says, “I die daily.” In other words, every day, we need 37:35 to surrender to self. 37:37 Every day, we need to ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit to give 37:39 us victory and to sustain us and help us overcome. 37:42 So it's a day by day experience. 37:43 And as long as we are trusting in the Lord, we are seeking His 37:46 strength and His guidance, we can have assurance that God is 37:50 going to be with us and He's going to finish the work that 37:52 He's begun, so we can take heart. 37:54 Thank you, Daniel. 37:56 We've got Alfred listening in Canada. 37:57 Alfred, welcome to the program. 38:00 Alfred: Yes, thank you for taking my call. 38:03 I was wondering why is Jesus called the Son of David? 38:09 I mean, between David and Jesus, there's about 1000 years span 38:11 in between there. 38:13 So why was He called the Son of David? 38:16 Doug: Yeah, great question. 38:18 There's a prophet named Nathan, and Pastor Ross might find that. 38:21 I think you can find it in 1 Chronicles 17. 38:26 And Nathan the prophet comes to David, and he tells David that 38:30 "Your son that will come after you, he will build me a house 38:34 that will last forever." 38:36 And it's a prophecy. 38:38 It's called a messianic prophecy that God says. 38:40 Not only would the Messiah come through the seed of Abraham and 38:44 Isaac and Jacob and Judah, but then God narrows the focus. 38:47 He says, "And the Messiah would come through the line of David." 38:53 And you can read one of the first things it says in the 38:55 New Testament. 38:56 It gives the genealogy of Jesus, and it traces it back to David. 39:00 So, when--every Jew believed that when the Messiah came, it 39:05 would be from the line of David, and that's why they often called 39:09 him the Son of David. 39:11 It was sort of another title for the Messiah. 39:13 Jean: All right, very good, yes. 39:15 And you of course will read about that in 1 Kings chapter 5, 39:17 where it talks about Solomon, who built the house. 39:20 So that's sort of what you call a dual prophecy. 39:22 You have the literal son of David, Solomon, who built the 39:25 literal temple. 39:27 But of course, it's in a broader sense, speaking about Christ and 39:29 the temple that He was to build was the church. 39:31 So there's some parallels there. All right, thank you, Alfred. 39:34 We've got Tad, listening in North Carolina. 39:37 Tad, welcome to the program. 39:39 Tad: Thank you for taking my call. 39:40 It's my first time calling. So bear with me. 39:42 Doug: Thank you. 39:44 Tad: The question I have is it's about the millennium, 39:47 1,000 years. 39:49 And I know that, you know, in first Thessalonians 4:16 and 17, 39:52 that the righteous will be caught up to meet the Lord 39:55 in the air. 39:56 And I believe that's the beginning of the thousand years. 39:59 And but, and then you go to Revelation chapter 20. 40:02 I've been taught to believe that, you know, that the earth 40:06 is desolate for a thousand years. 40:08 There's no one living except for the devil and his angels during 40:12 that thousand years on this planet. 40:14 But in Revelation chapter 20, it seems to elude, let's see, it 40:22 says here in verse 2 of chapter 20, it says, "He laid hold of 40:28 that--the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and 40:31 Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and cast him 40:34 into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal on 40:37 him so that he should deceive the nations no more till a 40:41 thousand years were finished. 40:43 But after these things he must be released for a little while." 40:47 And then there's an interlude there about those who were 40:51 beheaded, and then it says, verse five, "But the rest of the 40:54 dead did not live again until a thousand years were finished. 40:57 This is the first resurrection." 40:59 And it says, then he's loose for a little season after the 41:03 thousand years to go out and deceive the nations that are in 41:07 the four corners of the earth. 41:08 So it see--it sounds like that these nations are still in 41:12 existence during the thousand years on Earth. 41:16 Doug: Okay, let's talk about that. 41:18 So, to specifically answer the question you're asking. 41:23 When the New Jerusalem comes down--well, first of all, let's 41:26 do it sequentially. 41:27 So when Jesus comes, the righteous go up. 41:31 The righteous in Christ are resurrected. 41:33 The dead in Christ rise. 41:35 All the good go up when Jesus comes. 41:38 Are we together? 41:41 Tad: How I read it too. 41:43 Doug: Okay, then it says we live and reign with Christ 41:45 for a thousand years in Revelation. 41:47 Then you read, 41:49 it says in chapter 21, the New Jerusalem comes down. 41:51 That means it's somewhere else. 41:52 Now it comes down from heaven to earth. 41:55 When Christ comes back, the Bible says in Revelation 20, 41:59 there's two resurrections. 42:00 You got the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of 42:02 the unjust. 42:04 Christ said the hour is coming in which all that are in the 42:07 graves will hear His voice. 42:08 They that have done good, the resurrection of life. 42:10 They that have done evil, the resurrection of damnation. 42:12 That's the second resurrection. 42:15 That's why it says, "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the 42:17 first resurrection." 42:19 You don't want to be in the second resurrection. 42:21 So the second resurrection takes place at the end of the 42:23 1,000 years. 42:25 This looses Satan from his prison. 42:28 He now has this vast army. 42:31 They call him Gog and Magog. 42:32 They were the enemies of God's people in the Old Testament that 42:35 he can attempt to manipulate to attack the City of God. 42:39 So, that explains why there are nations alive as they've 42:43 been--it's the wicked of all ages have been raised. 42:45 So, so far, does that make sense? 42:47 Even if you don't agree, does the logic make sense? 42:50 Tad: Yeah. Yeah, that does. 42:53 I mean, it does elude--it seems to sound like, you know, because 42:56 I've not been raised to believe that there's any nations alive 43:01 on the earth, but I've ran into people. 43:03 It's becoming more and more of a prevalent idea. 43:07 Doug: Well, keep in mind. 43:08 Now, I haven't, I haven't touched the surface yet. 43:11 You know, I wish I had an hour. 43:13 By the way, I've got a presentation on this, on the 43:15 thousand years of peace, that you can watch online. 43:18 But you read in Jeremiah chapter 4, verse 23. 43:21 Says, "All the cities of the earth are broken down, and there 43:25 is no man," and they--this is from the coming of the Lord, by 43:29 His presence and fierce anger. 43:31 You can read in Isaiah where it says, "I will make the earth 43:33 utterly empty." 43:34 And then Jeremiah says, "The slain of the Lord will cover the 43:37 earth from one end to another. 43:39 There is nobody to mourn or bury them." 43:42 Now, those who believe that the righteous are always alive or 43:45 someone's alive, righteous or wicked on earth, they can't 43:48 explain these Scriptures that say the earth is vacated during 43:51 the thousand years. 43:53 So, I think there's a lot of Scripture to support that we are 43:57 caught up. 43:58 We meet the Lord in the air. 43:59 All the righteous are gone during the millennium. 44:01 At the end, he comes back. 44:02 The wicked are judged. 44:04 He creates a new heaven and a new earth. 44:05 Now, we have that study guide, Pastor Ross. 44:07 Jean: We do. 44:09 It's called a "1000 Years of Peace," and it goes into great 44:10 detail, gives you all of the Bible verses, makes it 44:12 very clear. 44:14 So we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 44:16 The number is 800-835-6747. 44:19 You can ask for the study guide. 44:20 It's called "1000 Years of Peace." 44:22 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone, and say, 44:26 "Bible Answers Live." 44:28 And then ask "1000 Years of Peace," and we'll be able to 44:30 send you a digital download of the lesson. 44:33 So, either way, you can get that. 44:35 Thank you, Tad. Great question. 44:38 We've got Henry in New York. 44:39 Henry, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 44:42 Henry: Thank you for having me. 44:43 During Christ's time, what language did the Romans speak? 44:48 Doug: All right, during the time of Jesus, what language did the 44:51 Romans speak? 44:52 They spoke Latin and Greek. 44:54 They spoke Latin as their native language, but many of the Roman 44:57 soldiers, not only came from Rome, but they would also annex 45:00 soldiers from different parts of the empire. 45:02 And Greek was sort of the language like English is the 45:05 international language for business. 45:07 Greek, because of Alexander the Great's broad conquest, was sort 45:11 of the language of learning, writing, and business. 45:14 So everyone spoke some Greek. 45:16 That's why above the head of Jesus, when they posted why he 45:19 was dying, they had to post that in three languages: Hebrew for 45:23 the locals, Greek, and Latin. 45:26 Jean: Okay, very good. 45:29 Next caller that we have is Jay in California. 45:31 Jay, welcome to the program. 45:32 Jay: Thank you, pastors, for taking my call. 45:35 I had a question, and it's probably a concern and question, 45:39 but I just wanted to know, the text, Leviticus 7:26 and 27. 45:48 And I also failed to mention, I guess, Leviticus 17:13 and 14, 45:55 I would like to know if those texts are still relevant 45:58 for today. 45:59 The Bible gives the clean meats to eat, as far as what 46:03 Christians, or His people, follow, the type of diet 46:08 they follow. 46:09 However, I have very rarely hear of leaders that, you know, know 46:14 about--that believe, as Christians, we are to follow a 46:17 healthy lifestyle. 46:19 I very rarely hear anyone speak about not eating the blood even 46:25 though God does give us the clean meat that there is to be 46:31 no blood in the meat if we eat it. 46:35 Because I understand that, even if it's kosher meat, there's a 46:37 little bit of blood in the kosher and then the taste is no 46:41 longer in the flesh meat. 46:43 So I just wonder if those texts are still relevant. 46:47 Doug: First of all, let me read it for our friends that are 46:49 listening, and I'll actually go back to, let me see, that's 46:53 Leviticus 7:26, "Moreover, you shall not eat any blood in any 46:57 of your dwellings, whether bird or beast. 46:59 Whoever eats any blood, that person will be cut off from 47:02 his people." 47:04 Not only do you find this in Leviticus, it mentions this also 47:06 in the New Testament. 47:08 If you go to--some people say, "Oh, that was an 47:09 Old Testament law." 47:10 Oh no, it wasn't. 47:12 You can read in Acts chapter 15. 47:13 It says you write to the Gentiles, these are non-Jews, 47:16 who are turning to God that we write to him to abstain from 47:20 things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things 47:23 strangled, and blood. 47:25 The reason they said "things strangled" is because, 47:27 especially with foul, they'd sometimes strangle it and then 47:30 they butcher it and eat it without draining the blood. 47:32 Whereas, the Jews would cut the throat and drain the blood out. 47:35 Now, if a person is eating clean meat and it's been killed in a 47:40 kosher way, where the blood is drained out, well, that 47:43 was permissible. 47:44 I'm sure there's still microscopic parts of the blood 47:47 left, but, you know, the Jews, they just understood you're 47:51 supposed to drain out all you can. 47:53 It is a New and an Old Testament law, and now we know that blood 47:59 can transfer disease from one animal to another. 48:03 It doesn't have to be the same species. 48:05 That's why you got mad cow disease. 48:07 And later they had mad pig disease. 48:09 And COVID, they believe, was originally incubated in 48:13 an animal. 48:14 Whether it was a bat or a pangolin, they don't know. 48:17 But disease does transfer from animal to animal. 48:21 That's why God said, "Don't be eating the blood of animals." 48:24 By the way, that goes back to Genesis. 48:26 It talked about blood too. 48:28 And God's speaking to Noah. 48:30 So, yes, Christians shouldn't eat blood. 48:34 I remember when I worked with the Navajo Indians. 48:37 They used to make blood sausage. 48:38 I thought, oh, that gave me the creeps. 48:42 All right. What's next? 48:45 Jean: We've got Hector, listening in Florida. 48:46 Hector, welcome to the program. 48:47 Hector: Thank you. Good evening, pastors. 48:52 Did the falling of Lucifer take place before or after money 48:57 was created? 48:59 If that's so, if fall after man was created, how come they allow 49:06 him to turn the man on earth? 49:09 Doug: All right. 49:10 Well, I think that Lucifer fell before man was created. 49:14 And, you know, in part, part of the reason God made this new 49:17 world and told the creatures to be fruitful and multiply is to 49:21 help replace the vacuum of one third of the angels that had 49:26 been evicted from heaven. 49:28 So, I'm pretty sure that the--we don't know all the timing of 49:31 everything that happened, but pretty sure that Lucifer fell 49:34 and the rebellion happened in heaven before our world 49:37 was made. 49:39 What do you think, Pastor Ross? 49:40 Jean: Yeah, absolutely. 49:41 I mean, if you read the context just in Genesis chapter 12, it 49:43 talks about this war in heaven and then the devil, the Lucifer, 49:46 the dragon, is cast out of heaven, and then it says he's 49:50 cast down at the cross. 49:51 So yeah, it appears that that appeared sometime. 49:53 But I think he's also--Hector is also asking that if Lucifer fell 49:57 before the creation of the world, why did God allow him to 50:00 come tempt Adam and Eve? 50:02 Doug: Well, I think God allowed Lucifer. 50:04 He gave him enough leash to share his perspective. 50:09 See, the reason that these angels followed Lucifer is 50:12 Lucifer was allowed to tell the angels he would be a better God 50:16 than God. 50:17 He basically was saying that "God is not fair. 50:19 He's arbitrary. His laws are unreasonable. 50:22 But if I was in charge, we'd have great freedom 50:24 and happiness." 50:25 And so God does not force His creatures. 50:28 He allowed the angels to, the ones he chose, one third of them 50:31 followed Lucifer, and He allowed the unfallen worlds to be at 50:36 least tempted with the same opportunity to doubt God and 50:40 listen to Lucifer. 50:41 That's what Adam and Eve did. 50:42 God said, "Don't eat it." 50:44 Lucifer said, "You'll be like God if you eat it," which is 50:46 what he wanted. 50:47 And so, yeah, that's the reason He did it. 50:51 Jean: Okay, very good. 50:54 We've got Carmen, listening in New York. 50:55 Carmen, welcome to the program. 50:56 Carmen: Good evening, pastors. 50:58 My question is on Revelation 14:6 and 7, but more 7, where it 51:06 says the hour of His judgment has come. 51:10 My question is, are we being judged at this moment? 51:14 Doug: Pastor Ross? 51:15 Jean: Yeah, I mean. Well, first of all, yeah. 51:18 This is God's last warning message to go to the world. 51:19 Immediately following the proclamation of the three angels 51:22 messages in verse 14, it talks about the second coming 51:25 of Christ. 51:26 And part of this threefold message is the hour of His 51:29 judgment has come. 51:31 And of course, that's the fulfillment of a prophecy you'll 51:33 find in Daniel chapter 8, verse 14, where it talks about the 51:35 cleansing of the sanctuary. 51:37 So there's different parts to this judgment. 51:39 It is a judgment, meaning that truth has been revealed in 51:42 the world. 51:43 And people are making decisions for that truth, and based upon 51:47 their decision, well, they're going to be judged either in 51:50 favor at the end. 51:51 They receive the seal of God or they reject the truth and they 51:54 receive the mark of the beast. 51:55 Is this judgment happening now? 51:58 I believe so. In heaven. 51:59 People are making up their mind. 52:01 That doesn't mean that there's a certain time when your name 52:04 shows up in the books of heaven. 52:06 It could be tomorrow at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. 52:09 And suddenly, you're saved or lost 52:10 based upon where you at there. 52:13 I think God looks at our life as a whole and looks at the 52:15 decisions we are making, but everybody is making a decision. 52:18 We are settling into the truth, and it's the little decisions 52:22 that we make every day that determines what our eternal 52:25 destiny is. 52:26 Once that judgment is finished, Jesus says, he that is holy, let 52:29 him be holy still. 52:30 He that is filthy, let him be filthy still. 52:32 Probation closes, seven last plagues, and then Jesus comes. 52:37 Doug: Absolutely. 52:38 Jean: You know, we have a study guide called "Angel Messages 52:41 From Space," and it talks about the three angels messages. 52:44 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 52:46 That's 800-835-6747 or you can dial #250. 52:52 Doug: And the lesson on "God sets a date for the judgment." 52:55 Also dials right in on this. 52:58 Jean: All right. Maybe time for one more. 53:00 We've got Cammy, listening in Washington. 53:02 Cammy, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 53:04 Cammy: I can't believe you got me in. 53:06 I was so happy to hear that! 53:08 Doug: I wish we had more time. 53:10 Cammy: I send my--I set my alarm for this program so 53:13 I don't miss. 53:14 I'm addicted to it. 53:15 Doug: Oh, good. We hope it's habit forming. 53:17 Cammy: Thank you. My question. 53:18 Now, this is a question I've had for a long time. 53:20 I've been wanting to call you guys. 53:21 I finally did it and got through. 53:23 Did--when Cain killed Abel and left and took a sister, so they 53:30 really lost three kids that day, did Adam and Eve go visit him 53:36 and let them know, "We forgive you. 53:38 We love you. 53:40 We want to stay connected," 53:41 the way God did with Adam and Eve, and the way we should with 53:44 our kids? 53:45 Doug: Yeah. It's hard to imagine that there was no communication 53:48 because, well, there's not that many people in the world. 53:51 And you do read, when you get to Genesis chapter 6, that the sons 53:55 of God, meaning the descendants of Seth and Adam and Eve, saw 53:58 the daughters of men. 54:00 They were the daughters of Cain, and they took them wives. 54:03 You know, I think they probably interacted some. 54:06 They had to or that wouldn't have happened, just like Samson 54:09 interacted with the Philistines. 54:11 I think Adam and Eve were still in communication. 54:14 Hopefully, they communicated that Cain could be forgiven if 54:17 he would repent and turn to God. 54:20 There's no record of that communication 54:22 or of his repentance. 54:24 So, it's--we're hopeful that they at least reconciled in 54:29 their human relations. 54:31 Jean: You know, so it's interesting that it mentions 54:32 that Cain moved out. 54:34 He took his wife, and they left. He went to a different place. 54:36 So it almost--he wasn't kicked out. 54:39 It was his choice to separate himself from his parents. 54:42 Doug: That's right. 54:43 And, listening friends, we're going to sign off here. 54:46 We do this in a couple of stages, and we just share every 54:49 week so people will understand that we have satellite stations 54:53 carrying the program and land based, and they have two 54:55 different clocks. 54:57 So we're going to say "God bless, good night" for those 54:59 listening on satellite, for the rest of you, don't go anywhere. 55:02 Pastor Ross and I will be back in just a moment to do rapid 55:05 fire internet questions that have come in. 55:10 male announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:13 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:16 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:20 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:26 Jean: Hello, friends, and welcome back. 55:28 We're going to take your email questions. 55:30 If you'd like to send us an email Bible question, the email 55:32 address is BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:37 Pastor Doug, we have Coral asking what is the Bible's 55:41 perspective on the death penalty? 55:43 Doug: Well, you know, God doesn't want anyone to perish, 55:47 but there is a penalty for death or for murder, and it was the 55:52 death penalty. 55:53 And you know, God says, "Eye for eye. 55:56 Tooth for tooth. 55:57 Life for life." 55:58 If someone killed a person deliberately, as the Bible says, 56:03 with a high hand, the penalty was execution. 56:06 And so, states and countries that support capital punishment 56:11 for the highest crimes that is biblical. 56:15 Jean: Okay. 56:16 Sandra is asking, "I heard that there will be animal sacrifices 56:20 in the millennial reign throughout and for all eternity. 56:24 Is this biblical?" 56:27 Doug: No, I think they're listening to someone who 56:29 believes that the temple is going to be reinstituted during 56:31 the millennial reign and there's going to be sacrificing lambs, 56:34 and I think they misunderstand some Scriptures. 56:37 God's temple, in those passages, is speaking of His church, and 56:42 we're going to be in heaven because of the Lamb, the blood 56:44 of Jesus that you see in Revelation, but that's symbolic. 56:48 There's no death, you read in Revelation 21. 56:50 When we get to heaven, no more pain, sorrow, or death, and that 56:55 would include animals's death. 56:56 Nothing's going to die. 56:58 Jean: Okay. 56:59 We have Nisa who's asking: Should a Christian serve in jury 57:02 duty knowing that their decision can affect a person's life 57:06 and freedom? 57:08 Jean: Well, there's nothing immoral with a juror being 57:14 involved in investigating justice in their community. 57:18 So, I, you know, I've got a friend that was on--called to be 57:22 on jury duty, and it was involved with a murder. 57:24 And unfortunately, he had to be exposed to some awful testimony, 57:28 but there's no sin in that. 57:31 And it's, you know, considered part of your being 57:34 in a community. 57:36 Part of the Mosaic law said that there were often trials where 57:39 the elders would listen to the evidence and they served as the 57:42 jury, and they'd make a joint decision. 57:45 Even in the time of Christ, they had a--even though it was a 57:48 kangaroo court, they had the Sanhedrin, they had a jury, so 57:51 there's no biblical, moral problem with jury duty. 57:56 I usually have to try and get out of it because, as a pastor, 57:59 you can't get locked up for weeks on a trial, and you can't 58:02 minister to people. 58:04 Hey, thank you, listening friends. 58:05 That's all the time we have for tonight. 58:06 You can still send us your internet or email questions 58:09 at AmazingFacts.org. 58:11 God bless. 58:13 We'll study again together next week. 58:17 male announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate 58:20 answers to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2024-03-27