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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202409S
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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. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an Amazing Fact? 00:53 Redwood trees in California hold the records for both the tallest 00:58 and the largest trees in the world. 01:00 One coastal redwood is 380 feet tall. 01:04 And the General Sherman Sequoia near Yosemite contains 01:08 an incredible 52,500 cubic feet. 01:12 Because of heavy logging, redwoods are now classified 01:15 as endangered. 01:16 Sadly, 95% of California's original old growth redwoods 01:21 are gone. 01:22 Yet at the same time, they were being cut down in California, 01:26 they were taking root in another land. 01:28 Because they are naturally resistant to rot and fire, 01:31 Sequoia Redwoods were first imported to the UK as seeds and 01:35 seedlings in 1853. 01:37 At the time, the trees became a symbol of wealth and power in 01:41 the Victoria era Britain. 01:43 Redwoods were increasingly used to line the roads and 01:46 landscape parks. 01:47 The trees seemed to thrive in the rainy climate and the fad 01:51 continued for 100 years. 01:53 Now, the giant redwood trees that are endangered in 01:56 California are thriving in the UK. 01:58 A survey has recently shown there are currently some 500,000 02:04 redwoods across the British countryside. 02:07 By comparison, did you know there's only about 80,000 mature 02:10 giant redwoods in their native range of California? 02:14 You know, the Bible talks about transplants that are flourishing 02:18 in a foreign environment. 02:20 Jean Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. 02:21 You know, you spoke about redwoods, Sequoias, giant 02:23 Sequoias, I know you have and I have, we've been there to close 02:27 to Yosemite where they have a grove of the giant 02:29 Sequoia trees. 02:31 It is humbling just standing next to one of these giant trees 02:33 and looking up. 02:35 It's truly an amazing tree. 02:37 It's one of my favorite trees and, of course, you always 02:40 associate these giant trees with northern California, with the 02:43 climate and the history and all the rest of it. 02:45 It is interesting though that you have the same tree now that 02:48 is flourishing far away from northern California, all the way 02:52 over in Great Britain. 02:53 That's right. 02:55 And, you know, folks might wonder, "Well, Pastor Doug, you 02:57 usually tie these Amazing Facts to some biblical truth. 02:59 Where are you going to go with this?" 03:01 You know, folks, you might be surprised to know that for 03:06 almost 2,000 years, Jehovah revealed Himself and worked 03:10 through and operated through the Jewish nation, Israel. 03:14 But after the time of Christ and Jesus said this would happen, 03:18 the gospel exploded from Pentecost where all the Jews 03:22 had gathered. 03:23 They took the gospel back to their respective countries. 03:25 And in one century, the majority of people now believing in 03:29 Jehovah were no longer Jewish. 03:32 The religion of the true God had spread far beyond the borders 03:37 of Israel. 03:39 And so that, you know, today, the amount of people reading 03:43 the Bible, I think there's 16 million Jews in 03:46 the world, approximately. 03:48 I think half of them are in Israel approximately, and 03:51 the other half are in the US. 03:53 Well, I should say, you know, 45% in Israel, 45% in the US and 03:58 the others are scattered around the world. 04:00 But there's 2 billion people in the world that believe the 04:05 Bible, that are Christians, and it spread far beyond-- 04:09 the religion that began in Israel has spread far beyond 04:12 the borders. 04:13 It's interesting that you consider the Bible tells us that 04:17 Christianity is really an extension of Judaism. 04:21 You know, Paul said this was going to happen. 04:23 You can read in Romans 9, verse 25: "As He says in Hosea," Paul 04:28 is quoting the Old Testament, "I will call them My people, who 04:32 were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved. 04:35 And it will come to pass in the place where it was said of them, 04:38 'You are not My people,' there they shall be called the sons of 04:42 the living God." 04:43 And so the gospel then went to the Gentiles. 04:46 And now you've got this whole nation of spiritual Jews that 04:49 are scattered around the world. 04:51 Jean: And we have a free offer that talks about that. 04:53 People often ask, "Well, what about Israel in Bible prophecy? 04:56 What does the Bible teach?" 04:58 We've got a book. 04:59 It's called "Spiritual Israel" and it explores this 05:01 very subject. 05:02 Who is Israel, at least spiritual Israel today? 05:05 We'll be happy to send you the book. 05:06 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 05:10 That is our resource phone line. 05:11 You can just ask for the book by name, "Spiritual Israel." 05:14 You can also get it by simply dialing #250 on your 05:18 phone, #250. 05:20 Say "Bible Answers Live" and then say "Spiritual Israel." 05:24 And we'll send you that book, a digital copy to the book. 05:26 If you have a Bible question, our phone line here to the 05:28 studio is 800-463-7297. 05:33 That'll bring your call in to our phone operators. 05:35 Again, it's 800-463-7297. 05:40 Well, before we go to the phone lines, Pastor Doug, we always 05:42 start with prayer. 05:43 Let's do that now. 05:45 Dear Father, what a joy it is to be able to spend time in Your 05:48 Word once again and open up the scriptures and we just pray for 05:52 Your Spirit. 05:53 We know the Bible is Your book, Lord. 05:54 Be with those who are listening wherever they might be, 05:56 if they're in the car, at home, and just lead us into a clearer 05:59 understanding of the Bible. 06:00 We thank You in Jesus's name, amen. 06:03 Doug: Amen. 06:04 Jean: All right, we are ready for our first call. 06:06 We got Gary in Illinois. 06:08 Gary, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 06:12 Gary: Thank you. 06:13 In Exodus 19, verse 16, it says: "On the morning of the third 06:17 day, there were thunders, lightnings, and a thick cloud on 06:21 the mountain; and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the 06:25 people in the camp trembled." 06:28 So my question is, is God preparing us for a significant 06:32 event as He did Israel when He was giving them the 06:35 ten commandments? 06:36 Today, there are dozens of videos with trumpets sounding 06:42 in the sky. 06:43 People are asking, "What are those trumpets," you know? 06:47 And so that's my question. 06:49 Doug: All right. 06:50 Hey, thank you. 06:52 Well, it is true that there are trumpets compared with the 06:53 last days. 06:55 Not only do you have seven trumpets in Revelation that span 06:59 the course of military history, that of the Christian era, but 07:04 you know, there may be some trumpets that are going to be 07:07 blowing right at the end of time, sort of like when the-- 07:11 before Jericho fell, Joshua sent the priests out ahead of the 07:16 army blowing seven trumpets. 07:17 So of course, the Lord's going to descend from heaven with the 07:20 voice of the archangel and the trump of God. 07:23 Now the trumpets that you're hearing people talk about on 07:26 YouTubes, I would have to say I've not seen those, so there 07:30 may be signs and things happening in the heavens. 07:32 It says that in Luke, no question about that. 07:36 Jean: Definitely seems our skies are getting more noisy just with 07:38 all of the travel taking place and different types of aircraft 07:42 and planes. 07:43 I know we hear helicopters fly over all the time and jets. 07:46 Becomes pretty noisy, just listening up to what's happening 07:49 in the sky. 07:50 Haven't heard a trumpet though. 07:52 But you know, there's a lot of noise. 07:53 Doug: Just think about all of the radio signals and cell phone 07:58 signals and television signals that are going through the air 08:03 at this moment. 08:04 It's amazing that we're not all microwaved with all that. 08:08 Jean: All right, thank you, Gary. 08:09 We've got Brittany listening in California. 08:11 Brittany, welcome to the program. 08:13 Brittany: Yeah, my question is why did Peter cut off the ear of 08:18 Malchus when he knew that Jesus was able to heal people? 08:24 Doug: Well, I think that the apostles were thinking that 08:29 Jesus was going to do something to set Himself up as an 08:32 earthly king. 08:34 And that's why James and John said, "When You're in Your 08:37 kingdom, can we sit on the right and left of Your throne?" 08:40 They were picturing Jesus, not as reigning from heaven, not as 08:45 a spiritual kingdom. 08:46 And in fact, even after the resurrection, I think Philip 08:49 said, "Lord, will You at this time establish the kingdom?" 08:53 And so when they came to arrest Jesus, Peter maybe thought, 08:56 well, this is going to be the nuclear moment that's going to 09:01 change everything and that they were supposed to take up arms. 09:05 So I don't think that they thought Jesus was going to go 09:08 through the battlefield, healing everybody. 09:09 I think they thought that this was a pivotal moment when they 09:12 would fight and Jesus would assert His power to make 09:16 Himself king. 09:17 Jean: You know, there's several times recorded in scripture 09:19 where the mob and there was times when the disciples thought 09:22 that they needed to force Christ, so to speak, to be king, 09:27 to take on some position when He fed the 5,000. 09:30 And there was people felt, you know, we need to make Him king 09:32 and I'm sure the disciples were part of that plot and Jesus 09:35 finally sent them on a ship to cross the lake. 09:38 And here, maybe like you say, the disciples might think, well, 09:41 the time has come. 09:42 You know, it's the Passover, everyone's coming to Jerusalem. 09:44 He already entered the city riding on the back of a donkey 09:47 and that was connected with a king. 09:50 And I don't know though if Peter was really thinking right there; 09:53 he just responded. 09:55 He just reacted. 09:56 Doug: Yeah, no one had ever really laid hands on Jesus to 09:58 arrest Him before. 09:59 And so that's why before they went to the dinner, they said, 10:03 "Lord, we have two swords," and He said, "You don't get it." 10:06 He's had enough of this. 10:08 Anyway, all right. 10:09 Well, thank you, Brittany. 10:10 I appreciate your question. 10:12 Jean: Yeah, we've got Tahaih listening in New York. 10:13 Tahaih, welcome to the program. 10:15 Tahaih: Hello. 10:17 My question is, are dinosaurs real? 10:21 Doug: Yes, dinosaurs are real. 10:24 When I grew up--you sound like a young man. 10:27 I grew up across the street from the Museum of Natural History in 10:32 New York City and I used to go over there and I wanted to be a 10:36 paleontologist and I'd look at all the dinosaur bones and, 10:40 yeah, they were very real. 10:42 The dinosaurs just lived contemporaneous, that means at 10:45 the same time, as people. 10:48 And so, there's been a lot of confusion about the 10:51 dating methods. 10:52 Recently, they found dinosaur bones, the thigh bone of a 10:55 tyrannosaurus rex that still had soft tissue. 10:59 It certainly could not be 65 million years old. 11:02 And the person who discovered that was, you know, an 11:05 atheist paleontologist. 11:07 They admitted that he had no religious agenda. 11:10 So, yeah, the dinosaurs did live on the Ark of Noah. 11:14 They didn't take great big, full-grown brontosauruses 11:17 or triceratops or stegosauruses. 11:19 They probably took small ones and they could have taken eggs 11:23 or babies. 11:24 So, I think a lot of the animals when they put them in the ark, 11:26 they didn't need to take full grown ones. 11:28 Jean: And of course, after the flood then, the environment 11:30 changed to the point where these animals couldn't 11:33 flourish anymore. 11:34 Doug: Yeah, that or people like Nimrod, the hunter, killed 11:36 them off. 11:38 But we still have great reptiles. 11:39 You know, there's Komodo dragons and there's some big crocodiles 11:42 in the Nile and a dinosaur is just a very large reptile that's 11:46 extinct, but we still have big reptiles. 11:49 Jean: Okay, we got Manuel listening in Illinois. 11:51 Manuel, welcome to the program. 11:53 Manuel: Hello. 11:54 My question is, what's the best explanation or the clearest 11:57 interpretation of Colossians 2:16? 12:01 Doug: All right, well, let me read this for our friends that 12:03 are listening. 12:04 Colossians chapter 2, verse 16: "So let no one judge you in food 12:08 or in drink, or regarding a festival or new moon or 12:12 Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the 12:16 substance is of Christ." 12:18 Now some people have read Colossians 2:16 and they're 12:20 saying, "Oh, you don't need to worry about the Sabbath. 12:23 It says right there: 'Don't let anyone judge you regarding the 12:25 new moon or Sabbaths.'" 12:26 Well, the key is, it says, "Sabbaths which are a shadow." 12:31 There were Sabbaths that were created after sin. 12:35 There were annual Sabbaths that were shadows pointing to Christ. 12:39 It's not talking here about the Sabbath day is singular. 12:43 It's not plural. 12:44 It's a day that goes back before there was sin. 12:48 Right there at the beginning on the seventh day of creation, God 12:51 made the Sabbath day and Jesus said He made it for man, not for 12:55 Jews, but for humanity. 12:57 Christ said the Sabbath is made for man. 12:59 That's anthropos like anthropology, the human race. 13:02 Everyone needs a Sabbath, everyone needs a day of rest. 13:05 The Jewish annual Sabbaths were nailed to the cross and this is 13:09 what Colossians 2:16 is talking about. 13:12 Has nothing to do with the weekly day of worship or rest. 13:16 Jean: You know, we do have a study guide called "The Last Day 13:18 of History," and it talks about the Sabbath and what the Bible 13:21 has to say about it. 13:22 We'll be able to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 13:24 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 13:28 You can ask for the study guide. 13:29 It's called "The Last Day of History." 13:32 You can also dial #250 and ask for it by name. 13:35 You can also ask to sign up for free to the Amazing Facts Bible 13:39 School and you actually go through all of these lessons, 13:41 dealing with a number of very important Bible topics. 13:44 So you can also ask when you call to be enrolled in the free 13:47 Amazing Facts Bible School. 13:49 Next caller that we have is Isaiah in Texas. 13:52 Isaiah, welcome to the program. 13:53 Isaiah: Good evening, Pastors. 13:55 Thank you both for what you do. 14:00 My question tonight is how can we trust denominational writings 14:08 and, as an example, of Ellen White? 14:12 Doug: Well, if you read in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and 14:15 chapter 14, Paul makes it very clear that the gift of prophecy 14:20 is still something that God uses. 14:22 When you look in Revelation chapter 12, it says in verse 17, 14:27 that the dragon, the devil, is wroth with the remnant of her 14:30 seed, the church. 14:32 He goes, he's wroth with a woman. 14:34 He goes to make war with the remnant of her seed that has-- 14:37 that keeps the commandments of God and has the testimony 14:40 of Jesus. 14:41 If you look in Revelation 19:10, it says the testimony of Jesus 14:44 is the spirit of prophecy. 14:46 And so, the law and the prophets, God, you know, it goes 14:50 all the way through history. 14:52 You read in Joel chapter 2, "It'll come to pass in the last 14:56 days, I'll pour out My spirit on all flesh. 14:58 Your sons and your daughters will dream dreams, 15:00 they'll prophesy." 15:02 And that's also quoted in Acts chapter 2--so does God still 15:07 inspire people and speak through people in the last days? 15:12 And I think, you know, unequivocally, the Bible 15:14 says, Yes. 15:15 Now, does that mean that that is to be added to the scripture or 15:18 put on the same level as the scripture? 15:20 No, categorically no. 15:23 The scriptures are complete. 15:25 But there's a distinction. 15:26 To say that God does not inspire or that God does not speak 15:30 through people is a different issue. 15:33 And so, I believe Ellen White fits in that category of someone 15:39 who is inspired and for those out there who don't know who 15:42 that is and would question that, I'd say taste and see 15:45 for yourself. 15:47 You know, read a book like "Steps to Christ" and see if it 15:49 doesn't support biblical truth. 15:52 And there's a biblical test. 15:54 I think we got a lesson that talks about that. 15:56 There's a series of biblical tests that you can apply to find 16:00 out if a person meets the criteria of what is the 16:02 definition of prophecy. 16:04 Jean: And I think the point you make is important when it comes 16:06 to anyone who claims to be a prophet or have a message from 16:09 God, it needs to be tested by the Bible. 16:12 The Bible says to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not 16:14 according to this, there is no light in them. 16:16 So the Bible needs to be the test. 16:19 But having said that, we need to recognize that God does still 16:22 speak through people, especially tp guide in 16:24 certain circumstances. 16:25 We do have a study guide. 16:27 It's called, "Does God Inspire Psychics--Astrologists 16:30 and Psychics?" 16:31 That is one of our study guides and deals with the subject. 16:34 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 16:36 The number is 800-835-6747. 16:40 You can also dial #250 on your phone. 16:43 Ask for the study guide, "Does God Inspire Psychics?" 16:45 That's probably the--that's all they'll need to be able to find 16:48 that lesson. 16:50 We'll be happy to send it to you. 16:51 And read it and share it with somebody else. 16:53 Next caller that we have is Shannon, listening in Georgia. 16:56 Shannon, welcome to the program. 16:57 Shannon: Hi, my question is on Acts 23, verse 6, and it says 17:04 that Paul's parents were both Jews, but then it says that he 17:08 was born of Pharisees. 17:11 Could you please explain that? 17:13 Doug: Yeah, well, the Pharisees were all Jewish. 17:17 So there's no conflict there. 17:18 Matter of fact, I can't think of a Pharisee that wasn't 17:21 also Jewish. 17:23 By the way, the Hebrews are different from Jews. 17:26 You could be Hebrew and maybe from the tribe of Issachar. 17:30 The Jews were typically from the tribe of Judah, Benjamin, and 17:33 Levites could be called Jews. 17:36 But it's a derivative from the word "Judah." 17:39 The ten tribes were carried away captive. 17:42 Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin, but--so he was 17:45 also a Jew. 17:47 But, yeah, the Pharisees were a sect within Judaism that was 17:53 extremely rigorous and fastidious about keeping the law 17:58 of Moses. 17:59 Jean: Okay, very good. 18:01 We've got Aiden, listening in Arizona. 18:03 Aiden, welcome to the program. 18:05 Aiden: Hello, Pastors. 18:06 Doug: Hi. 18:08 Aiden: Yeah, real quick. 18:09 You two are going to stand out in heaven. 18:11 Your crowns are going to be so heavy that the prophets are 18:14 going to say, "Who are these guys?" 18:17 Doug: Oh, I hope I'm just there. 18:19 That would be--happy for that. 18:21 Aiden: I believe you're going to make it, brother. 18:23 Anyway, my question is, it's in Revelations 13, verse 8, and it 18:29 says: "All who dwell on the earth will worship Him, whose 18:34 names have not been written in the book of life." 18:37 And so there is--have not been written. 18:40 And so my question is, if our names are written in the book of 18:42 life, are we protected somehow from worshiping? 18:48 Doug: Well, you know, of course, if you are a follower of Christ, 18:52 the Bible says that, you know, you can be sealed. 18:56 And God said, if it were possible, even the very elect 18:59 would be deceived. 19:01 But you know God's people that are surrendered to them--Him, 19:03 He will keep them. 19:04 Of all that the Father gives me, I will lose nothing. 19:07 Jesus will keep us. 19:08 And so if we're living lives of consecration to God, and we 19:12 are--our names are in the book of life, I believe we will be 19:14 sealed and kept. 19:16 There are people that, sometimes, their names are in 19:18 the book of life. 19:20 And where is it in Revelation he says, "I will not blot their 19:22 names out." 19:23 Both in Revelation and even Moses said, you know, you can 19:27 blot a name out of the book of life. 19:30 So, some may have their names removed. 19:32 Jean: That's Revelation chapter 3, verse 5. It says: "He who 19:34 overcomes shall be clothed in white garment, and I will not 19:37 blot his name out of the book of life." 19:39 Doug: Yeah, so I think everybody that is kept during the final 19:43 plagues, their names are in the book and they're kept by God 19:47 during that time. 19:48 Jean: So your names get entered into the book when you receive 19:50 Jesus as your personal Savior. 19:51 But if you turn away from Him, it does appear from this passage 19:55 that your name can be blotted out of the book. 19:58 And if your name is out of the book, well, then you're subject 20:01 to worshiping the beast power as we read about in Revelation 20:03 chapter 13. 20:04 So we want our names to remain in the lamb's book of life. 20:07 All right, next caller that we have is Chandler, listening 20:09 in California. 20:10 Chandler, welcome to the program. 20:12 Chandler: Hi, my question is when Moses went up to the 20:16 burning bush and he had to take off his shoes, did they have to 20:20 take off their shoes in the holy place, in the most holy place? 20:24 Doug: Yeah, good question. 20:26 I don't know that there's a comment. 20:27 The priests would wash their feet and their hands in 20:31 the laver. 20:32 And it may be that, you know, it's not mentioned, I doubt it 20:36 had a dirt floor. 20:37 My guess is there were some carpets because they used 20:39 carpets in the tents. 20:40 My guess is there were some carpets in there and it may be 20:43 that as the priests entered the holy place that they 20:46 were barefoot. 20:47 Jean: It would make sense if they had to wash their feet 20:49 before going in, that they probably wouldn't put on their 20:51 dirty sandals afterwards. 20:53 It would appear that they would probably go barefoot with their 20:56 feet washed into the holy place. 20:58 And of course, when you get to Solomon's Temple, then it had 21:01 a floor that was, you know, with gold everywhere. 21:04 So they'd walk on that special floor when they walked in and 21:07 they probably wouldn't wear shoes. 21:09 And of course, we've been to the Middle East and we've been over 21:12 in that part of the world and still today, the custom exists 21:15 that when you go into a place of worship, a church, you remove 21:19 your shoes when you go in, you know, with your socks 21:22 or barefoot. 21:23 It's a sign of reverence. 21:24 Doug: Yeah, even today, if you go to the Dome of the Rock, the 21:27 site where the temple used to be, you take your shoes off and 21:30 when we go to church in India, a lot of--several places, take 21:33 your shoes off. 21:34 So, absolutely. 21:36 Jean: Okay, thank you. 21:37 We've got Virginia listening in California. 21:40 Virginia, welcome to the program. 21:41 Virginia: Hi, good evening. 21:43 Doug: Evening. 21:44 Virginia: My question is what does pure or what does surrender 21:50 or total surrender mean? 21:52 Like, should I not be watching movies or certain music or I can 21:57 watch some that are like, you know, more like cooking shows 22:02 or some--but what is the total surrender? 22:05 Doug: Well, total surrender would mean you're willing to do 22:08 whatever God wants you to do. 22:11 And so in every situation, you would say not my will, Thy will 22:14 be done. 22:16 Now, that would mean that you apply a biblical test to 22:19 your life. 22:20 Paul says, "Whatever things are noble, just, pure." 22:23 That was at Philippians 4? He says, "Think on these things." 22:26 So if it's a TV program, you want to ask, "Is it noble, 22:30 just, pure?" 22:31 Not too many programs pass that criteria. 22:34 And you can always ask, "What would Jesus do?" 22:37 A Christian's a follower of Christ. 22:40 There's a prayer in the Bible. 22:42 I--the fellow who first uttered the prayer, I don't have much 22:49 confidence in Ahab, but actually he made a statement, he said, 22:51 "All that I am and all that I have are Yours." 22:55 And that is actually a very good statement. 22:58 All that I am and all that I have is Yours. 23:02 That would be total surrender. 23:03 That's why Jesus said we deny ourselves, take up our cross 23:07 and follow Him. 23:08 And sometimes that might mean deny something that we're 23:10 listening to or watching or eating or spending money on or 23:14 whatever it is. 23:16 Jean: You know, the verse you're referring to, Pastor Doug, 23:17 Philippians 4, verse 8, it says: "Finally, brethren, whatever 23:20 things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are 23:23 just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, 23:27 whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, 23:29 if there be any praise, meditate on these things." 23:32 So that's good counsel. 23:34 You know, we do have a book. 23:35 It's called "Life In the Spirit" and it talks a little bit about 23:38 living that victorious Spirit-filled life, and we'll be 23:41 happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. 23:44 The number is 800-835-6747. 23:47 You can also dial #250 and ask for the book. 23:50 It's called "Life in the Spirit." 23:52 We'll send it to you. 23:53 You can get a digital download. 23:55 If you're outside of North America, just go to the website, 23:57 AmazingFacts.org, and you'll be able to read the book there at 24:00 the media library. 24:02 Next caller that we have is Jerry in Georgia. 24:04 Jerry, welcome to the program. 24:06 Jerry: Hello. 24:07 Doug: Hi, Jerry. 24:09 You're on. 24:10 Jerry: I was just wondering what the world would be like after 24:12 probation closes. 24:14 Doug: Well, you can read in Matthew chapter 12, it says at 24:17 that time, this is verse 1, Michael will stand up, the great 24:21 prince that stands for the children of thy people. 24:24 And there will be a time of trouble such as there never has 24:27 been, ever since there was a nation even unto the same time. 24:30 So there is a great time of trouble when Michael stands up. 24:34 That's when Christ ceases His intercession and He stands as 24:38 though He's preparing to come. 24:40 He stands as though judgment has been completed and there's 24:44 a great time of trouble. 24:45 So, He also--Jesus mentions that in Matthew 24. 24:50 Time of trouble such as there never has been. 24:53 So this is the time of Revelation 15 and 16 when 24:56 the seven last plagues are poured out. 24:59 Now, that hasn't started yet. 25:01 You know, because it says the oceans and the rivers turn 25:04 to blood. 25:05 But it's coming and, you know, that's why we want to have our 25:09 names written in that book now. 25:12 Jean: All right, very good. 25:13 We've got Christopher listening in California. 25:15 Christopher, welcome to the program. 25:16 You're on the air. 25:18 Christopher: Hello, good evening. 25:19 Doug: Evening. 25:21 Christopher: My question is, would it be wrong to do boxing 25:26 as self-defense, not to do it professionally, just to train? 25:32 Doug: Well, I don't know if I can give a unbiased answer 25:35 because when I was a kid, my mother dated a boxer for a while 25:39 and he gave my brother and I gloves and a few lessons and I 25:42 always enjoyed it. 25:43 But you have to ask yourself, you know, what would Jesus do, 25:47 as we just said a minute ago. 25:49 It's hard for me. 25:50 You know, sometimes I'll see a boxing match. 25:55 You know, you're surfing through the channels, you see it and I 25:57 want to watch and if I watch for a minute I notice I get all 26:00 excited, just violent. 26:01 You know, you really--you get two guys trying to bludgeon each 26:04 other and knock the other one senseless. 26:06 But you hope you never be in a situation where you need to use 26:10 boxing or any kind of martial arts to defend yourself. 26:14 I think there's probably good things you can do for exercise. 26:17 And I know I used to wrestle with my kids. 26:20 So that's a little more--a little different than trying to 26:24 knock someone out. 26:26 You ever wrestle with your boy, Jean? 26:28 Jean: All the time. 26:29 Not anymore. 26:31 Doug: They're too big? 26:32 Jean: They're too big. 26:33 Doug: Don't go away, friends. 26:35 We're coming back. 26:36 Hopefully, that gave you some answer for your question. 26:37 We're going to have more Bible questions, more Bible answers, 26:39 in just a few moments after these important messages. 26:46 announcer: Stay tuned. 26:47 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 26:59 Dee: My parents got divorced when I was three or four and 27:01 then I was basically unchurched most of my life. 27:04 I had a girlfriend in high school tell me that she had to 27:06 break up with me because I wasn't a Christian. 27:08 I thought, "That's weird. 27:09 I believe in God. 27:11 Why would she say that?" 27:12 Not realizing I was living a horrible life with foul 27:14 language, was mean, and other stuff. 27:15 And that kind of challenged me initially. 27:18 And then my dad, 911 woke him up, that he wasn't ready to meet 27:22 his Lord, though he was a man that I valued and knew loved me, 27:25 didn't doubt that. 27:27 But he just knew he needed more. 27:28 So he started watching TV ministries first, Baptist 27:31 preachers and others. 27:33 And he was kind of intrigued by what he was learning. 27:36 And so when he turned me on to this, this television station, 27:39 the first thing that I got access to was Doug Batchelor's 27:42 "Most Amazing Prophecies" series that he did in 27:44 Berrien Springs, Michigan. 27:46 And I remember when I first watched this, my background was 27:48 Baptist-ish, of sorts. 27:51 But I remember when I first watched this series, I remember 27:54 thinking, I've never heard that before about the state of the 27:57 dead or about the Sabbath or the Commandments or the Rapture or 28:00 other things. 28:01 And I remember thinking to myself, I've never heard that 28:03 before, but that's what the text says and that kept happening. 28:07 And I had this experience of just wondering like, well, what 28:10 else have I believed that isn't as it is, you know? 28:12 And the more I watched, the more helpful it became. 28:16 But again, he kind of took a different perspective on the 28:18 messages so it was fresh to me. 28:20 But I just--these things I had never heard before and I just 28:23 realized, like, there's so much stuff in the Bible that no one's 28:27 talking about and that people need to know. 28:30 And so, I ended up in this awkward situation that some of 28:33 my friends who didn't believe what I was coming to believe, I 28:36 didn't know how to communicate with them. 28:38 And so one of the things that helped me initially was the 28:42 SabbathTruth.com website, TheTruthAboutHell.com and The 28:46 Truth About Death and some of those resource websites that 28:49 Amazing Facts had put together that were just full 28:51 of resources. 28:53 If I needed an answer to something that someone brought 28:55 up, there would be a 95% chance that Amazing Facts would have 28:59 something that I could use. 29:01 It makes witnessing even easier in that sense. 29:03 The Amazing Facts Prophecy Study Bible was my first real Bible 29:07 that I had of a more trusted translation. 29:10 The Bible study guides were in the back of it. 29:12 They had a lot of other resources that were helpful. 29:14 If you can hand a book to somebody and you can pick up a 29:17 phone and call Amazing Facts, you have everything you need. 29:19 And so I was just printing off stuff and handing it to people, 29:21 you know, like here's what I'm coming to realize this is true. 29:24 It's in the Bible. 29:26 And was a huge blessing to me and a real help just to kind of 29:30 help me to better understand what the message was and 29:33 understand it for myself and have resources to put in the 29:35 hands of other people. 29:37 It was invaluable. 29:38 Some time went by, I eventually went to a school of evangelism 29:41 and was baptized. 29:42 And then I had this amazing opportunity that after being in 29:45 ministry for about 5 or 6 years, Doug Batchelor was going to be 29:48 the main speaker at a youth event and I was actually doing a 29:51 seminar at this youth event. 29:53 And it was just this amazing kind of full circle experience 29:55 that the first person that I came in contact with in 29:58 adventism to hear the message, to have it make sense, to be 30:01 able to do ministry together with him, in whatever role 30:04 possible, just meant the world to me and to be able to tell him 30:07 my story and tell him thank you was invaluable. 30:10 And so God just gave me a precious gift in affording 30:13 that opportunity. 30:15 And I'll never forget that. 30:16 My name is Dee. 30:17 Thank you for changing my life. 30:26 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live" where every 30:29 question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His 30:33 plan to save you. 30:34 So what are you waiting for? 30:36 Get practical answers about the good book for a better 30:39 life today. 30:43 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 30:46 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 30:49 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 30:52 and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. 30:55 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 30:58 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 31:03 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 31:08 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 31:14 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible 31:16 Answers Live." 31:17 And we're so thankful that you have remained with us. 31:20 Some have joined us along the way. 31:22 This is a live interactive international Bible study and 31:26 you're invited to call in with your questions. 31:28 That number once again is 800-GOD-SAYS, 31:31 that's 800-463-7297. 31:34 We are streaming on Amazing Facts Facebook, Doug Batchelor 31:38 Facebook, Amazing Facts Youtube. 31:40 And we're on AFTV and Good News Television. 31:44 And so we're on a number of stations, rebroadcast on 3ABN. 31:48 And if you've got a Bible question, give us a call. 31:50 Who's next? 31:51 By the way, my name's Doug Batchelor. 31:53 Jean: My name is Jean Ross and we've got Russell listening 31:56 in California. 31:58 And he has a question about the Pool of Bethesda. 32:00 Russell, welcome to the program. 32:02 Russell: Hi, Pastors. 32:03 Thank you for taking my question. 32:05 My question is, did the angel of the Lord really stir the Pool 32:09 of Bethesda? 32:11 Doug: All right, well, the-- some of you know the story here. 32:14 It's in the Gospel of John. 32:16 I think it's chapter 5, and it says that the people would 32:19 gather around this pool, sitting on the porch, and they were all 32:23 manner of sick people and they'd see the water bubble or stir 32:27 somehow and they had a belief that an angel had troubled the 32:31 water and whoever got in first was healed. 32:35 Well, I think that John is relating what the legend was. 32:39 I can't imagine that an angel of God would find any joy in 32:43 stirring the water and watching people clamber over each other 32:47 to be the first one in. 32:48 That would seem kind of like a cool pastime. 32:52 So, I don't believe the angel of the Lord was doing that. 32:55 I think it's just saying that they had a belief. 32:57 It was a legend. 32:59 It was a local myth, kind of like they got the waters of 33:02 Lourdes where people go and they think if they can just be there 33:05 or a number of holy sites, it has become a tradition and--but 33:11 it wasn't actually God's angel that was doing that. 33:13 Jean: Yeah, some have even suggested with the 33:15 archaeological, you know, they found the Pool of Bethesda and 33:18 they actually did archaeological digs and they found the arches 33:21 around there and some think that there were springs close by or 33:25 under the pool, that fed the pool, and maybe every now and 33:28 again, there would be some sort of a ripple or a bubble that 33:31 would arise or something. 33:32 Doug: I've got springs and every now and then, you see bubbles 33:35 come up, so could have been. 33:38 Jean: All right, thank you. 33:39 Next caller that we have is Bruce, listening in 33:41 North Carolina. 33:43 And he's got a question about not being under the law, but 33:45 under grace. 33:46 Bruce, welcome to the program. 33:48 Bruce: Thank you, Pastors. 33:49 I just wanted to ask, I did AFCOE online and under the 33:54 section for answering objections, how does one respond 33:59 to: "We're not under the law anymore, that we're 34:02 under grace?" 34:04 Doug: Well, we are under grace. 34:06 But what does that mean? 34:07 Does being under grace mean you no longer need to obey 34:11 God's law? 34:12 Well, Paul actually asks that question in Romans and he says-- 34:16 I think it's chapter 6, he says, "God forbid, how shall we who 34:20 are dead to sin live any longer?" 34:22 So when it says under the law, Paul is talking about those who 34:26 because they've broken the law and that's all of us, the 34:29 penalty is death. 34:30 We are under the death penalty of the law. 34:34 But through Jesus's mercy, He washes us from our 34:40 We are no longer living under a death penalty of the law because 34:45 we are now living under grace. 34:47 But being under grace does not mean you no longer have an 34:50 obligation to obey the law. 34:52 Indeed, those who are under grace are the most eager to do 34:57 God's will and obey the law. 34:59 So we have a free book actually that talks about "Does God's 35:02 Grace Blot Out the Law?" 35:03 that answers that but with a lot more scripture too. 35:06 Jean: If you'd like to receive the book, just call and ask 35:08 for it. 35:10 The number is 800-835-6747. 35:12 You can ask for the book. 35:13 "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" 35:15 You can dial #250 on your phone and say "Bible Answers Live" and 35:19 then ask for the book, "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" 35:22 You'll be able to get a digital download of the book. 35:25 If you're outside of North America, visit the 35:27 website, AmazingFacts.org. 35:29 Next caller that we have is Lee, listening in Texas. 35:32 And he has a question about the Garden of Gethsemane and what 35:37 Jesus prayed. 35:39 Lee, welcome to the program. 35:40 Lee: Yes, my question is when Jesus prayed among--in the 35:43 Garden of Gethsemane, asking God to take this--take the cup from 35:47 Him, why was He afraid to die if He knew He was going to 35:51 come back? 35:53 Doug: Well, I don't think Jesus was afraid of death. 35:55 The thing that terrified Him, if that's the right word, that He 35:59 was most anxious about is this would be the first time He had 36:03 been separated from the Father. 36:05 Now keep in mind that Christ is love. 36:07 God is love. 36:09 God the Father, God the Son, the very essence of Their nature is 36:12 love which They had expressed together from eternity past. 36:18 And now if--it's probably incomprehensible for us that for 36:22 the first time in eternity, God the Father and the Son would 36:27 be separated. 36:28 And I think looking at that, and knowing that He would be bearing 36:31 sin, and Christ was going to be facing death the way a lost 36:36 person faces the second death. 36:38 He felt the hopelessness that the lost feel. 36:42 And so that's why He said, "If there's any other way that this 36:44 cup might pass from Me," I think compared to the mental 36:49 suffering, the physical suffering was small. 36:52 The anguish that He felt about being separated from the Father, 36:55 not death, is what I think was-- weighed heavily on--the most 36:59 heavily on His heart. 37:01 Jean: Absolutely. 37:02 All right, thank you, Lee. 37:04 We've got Alan, listening in North Carolina, and he's got a 37:06 question about the first miracle that Jesus performed, turning 37:09 water into wine. 37:11 Alan: Hello, thanks for taking my call, Pastors. 37:13 Good evening to you. 37:15 I was just wondering about that first miracle. 37:18 Jesus seemed a bit reluctant and also it seems less significant 37:23 and profound than the other miracles of raising the dead and 37:26 healing the blind and other things He did. 37:29 I just wonder if there's some more significance to that 37:32 turning water into wine that I don't get. 37:35 Doug: Yeah, I--well, I think so. 37:37 I'll give you a couple of things quickly. 37:39 First of all, the wine, Jesus tells us at the end of His life, 37:44 is a symbol of the blood of the covenant. 37:46 And turning the water into the wine, the first plague 37:52 that Moses enacted upon the Pharaoh was turning the water 37:58 into blood of the river. 37:59 Christ--and that was the beginning of their deliverance. 38:02 That was the first plague that ultimately ended with their 38:04 freedom from Egypt. 38:06 Christ's first miracle is turning water into wine, which 38:10 he says is a symbol of his blood. 38:13 The last thing that Jesus does on the cross is the people give 38:16 Him sour wine after He said, "I thirst," that it was sour, it 38:21 was not good. 38:22 He saved good wine at the wedding. 38:25 He takes sour wine on the cross. 38:27 It's almost as though He gives us His and takes ours. 38:31 It's like a blood transfusion. 38:33 And so there's great significance here when He didn't 38:37 downplay it, but when His mother told Him they're out of wine, He 38:40 said, "Woman, My hour is not yet come." 38:42 She thought that this miracle could be the context of somehow 38:45 announcing His Messiahship and He was letting her know no. 38:49 One more thing, I think it's significant that creation began 38:53 with a marriage in the garden. 38:55 And the first miracle of Christ was to condone or to bless 39:00 a wedding. 39:01 And Jesus still wants to bless marriages today. 39:05 Jean: And of course, if you look at the broader context, you have 39:07 a marriage, you have Christ and then the church being His bride. 39:11 Doug: That's right. 39:12 Jean: And in order for that to take place, you had to 39:14 have the crucifixion symbolized by the juice or the wine. 39:17 And then it says the governor of the feast had to give 39:19 his approval. 39:21 And so after Christ rose from the dead, and when He met Mary, 39:24 He said, "Do not cling to Me. 39:25 I have not yet appeared to My Father in heaven." 39:27 So that first miracle, I think, there's lots of profound, you 39:33 know, significance in revealing Christ's mission and what He was 39:36 here on earth to do. 39:38 It's a great-- 39:39 Doug: I feel a sermon coming on. 39:40 Jean: There's a lot there. 39:42 That's a great study. 39:43 All right, thank you, Alan. 39:44 We got Joann in Arizona. 39:46 Joann, welcome to the program. 39:48 Joann: Thank you. 39:49 What does it mean by, "Very few will make it through the eye of 39:52 the needle"? 39:53 Doug: Yeah, Jesus said, "It's harder for a rich man to go to 39:56 heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle." 40:00 And, well, first of all, Jesus can save rich people because 40:03 right after He makes that statement in Luke, it tells 40:05 about Zacchaeus who was very rich, being saved. 40:08 And of course, you know, there'll be people, 40:10 there's exceptions. 40:12 It's harder for rich people to be saved because they start 40:14 trusting in their riches. 40:17 But you do have people like David and Solomon and Abraham 40:20 and Jacob that had great substance and they'll be in 40:23 the kingdom. 40:25 There's a warning God said to the children of Israel when you 40:28 are blessed and you're living in houses you didn't build and 40:32 eating from vineyards and drinking from wells and you 40:36 become fat. 40:37 Don't forget about the Lord. 40:38 And there's a danger that we start trusting in ourselves and 40:41 our stuff and security and we stop praying. 40:44 So the eye of a needle, though, that was, well, there's a couple 40:50 of theories. 40:51 There was a place in Ancient Hebrew when the shepherds were 40:55 counting the sheep, they had a narrow gate that only one sheep 41:00 at a time could go through, so they could count a large flock. 41:03 And they called it threading them through the eye of 41:05 the needle. 41:07 So they're saying, well, for a camel to go through the eye of a 41:09 needle, it could do it, but it'd have to get on its knees and be 41:11 totally unloaded. 41:13 And it's basically Jesus's way of saying, "Yeah, a rich man can 41:15 get to the kingdom, but he has-- he has to be willing to put all 41:19 things in God's hands." 41:22 And he could also just be using a metaphor. 41:25 You know, Jesus said, "If you got a plank in your eye and you 41:28 say to your friend, 'Help me get the piece of dust out of 41:31 your eye.'" 41:32 Well, that's called irony, pardon the pun. 41:34 So, He may have just been using the irony of trying to picture a 41:39 camel going through the eye of a needle. 41:42 Jean: Okay, thank you. 41:44 We've got Marvins listening in Canada and he has a question 41:48 about the Antichrist's power of Revelation 13. 41:50 Marvins, welcome to the program. 41:52 Marvins: Yes, hello, Pastor. 41:54 Is the Papacy the only Antichrist according to 41:58 Revelation 13, or can there be several Antichrists according to 42:03 1 John 2, verse 18 through 22? 42:09 Doug: Yeah, the--in 1 John, matter of fact, you don't find 42:13 the word "Antichrist" in the book of Revelation; you find the 42:16 person or the power of the Antichrist in Revelation. 42:20 The word "Antichrist" is mentioned in 1 John. 42:22 He said, "Yeah, there are many Antichrists." 42:24 So in a broader sense, you know, a power that is working against 42:30 Christ is anti-Christ. 42:32 You're just--you're opposing the work and the Spirit of 42:34 Christ, that means you're against Christ. 42:36 But then there was a big prophetic Antichrist that's 42:39 mentioned in prophecy. 42:41 And for 500 years, Protestants have identified the Papacy as 42:45 that Antichrist. 42:47 When the Christian church lost its simplicity and purity and 42:49 became a political power, and you know, a lot of money and 42:54 kind of adopted idolatry from the Romans, they felt like the 42:58 church went through a great compromise and it fulfilled that 43:03 many of the prophecies that talk about what the Antichrist 43:07 would become. 43:08 Jean: You know, it's interesting, Pastor Doug, there 43:09 was a time period during the early days of the Protestant 43:11 reformation where there were two rival Popes and they were both 43:16 accusing each other of being Antichrist. 43:18 So you have one Pope accusing another Pope of being the 43:22 Antichrist and the other Pope accusing that one of being 43:24 the Antichrist. 43:25 So it is interesting when you study the history of what 43:29 transpired there. 43:30 We do have a study guide and it's called, "Who is 43:32 the Antichrist?" 43:33 And we'll be happy to send that to anyone who wants to study the 43:35 subject further. 43:37 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 43:40 Or you can dial #250 on your phone, say "Bible Answers Live" 43:44 and then ask for that study guide by name, "Who is 43:46 the Antichrist?" 43:48 And you'll be able to learn a lot about what this topic is all 43:51 about in the Bible. 43:52 Next caller that we have is Carlos and he's calling 43:54 from Texas. 43:56 He's got a question about Luke 17, talking about the days of 43:59 Lot and Noah. 44:00 Carlos, welcome to the program. 44:02 Carlos: Good evening, Pastors, and thanks for 44:04 your ministry. 44:05 God bless. 44:07 Doug: Yeah. 44:08 Thank you. 44:09 Carlos: My question is of Luke 17, Jesus mentions both the 44:12 days of Lot and the days of Noah in speaking of His 44:15 coming kingdom. 44:17 And I wanted to ask you about the scenario after Noah leaves 44:24 the ark, right? 44:25 And is saved essentially, and Lot is pulled out of Sodom. 44:31 Both of them have an encounter with wine. 44:34 I wondered if that has any significance prophetically for 44:40 today or for the future. 44:43 Doug: You know, that's interesting. 44:44 I did a study comparing Lot and Noah. 44:48 And in many ways, there's many similarities and many paradoxes. 44:52 Noah has just sons, Lot has just daughters. 44:56 Noah saves his entire family, Lot loses his family. 45:00 Noah, you know, he separated from the cities; Lot moves to 45:04 the city. 45:06 And you just--you can see a lot of parallels that are happening 45:08 there, but it is true, that Lot drinks wine, he sleeps with his 45:14 daughters and has Moab and Ammon, and Noah drinks wine and 45:18 he stumbles around naked and curses his grandson and son, so 45:25 yeah, I've got a whole study on that and what it all means is 45:29 I'm not sure yet, but there are a lot of interesting parallels. 45:32 They're almost like opposites. 45:34 Jean: And of course, when Jesus mentions that, He's talking 45:36 about what was happening in society at that time, what was 45:38 happening in the days of Noah. 45:40 You had violence filling the earth. 45:42 It says, "Every imagination of the heart was evil continually." 45:44 You have the time of Lot there in the city of Sodom and the 45:48 other cities surrounding the area where they had plenty to 45:50 eat, they were lazy, they were involved in, you know, all kinds 45:55 of sexual misconduct and morality issues. 45:59 And, you know, that's sort of a description of what's happening 46:01 in our world today. 46:03 Things are falling apart all around us. 46:04 So I think that's an important lesson connected there. 46:07 Next caller that we have is Dana listening in Nevada. 46:11 And Dana has a question about the chronological order of 46:15 the scriptures. 46:16 Dana, welcome to the program. 46:17 Dana: Hi. 46:19 My question is regarding Revelation chapter 13, verses 3 46:22 and 5: "And power was given unto him to continue forty and 46:26 two months." 46:28 But in verse 3, says that, "And I saw one of his heads as it 46:34 were wounded to death." 46:35 Why the order is that way? 46:37 My son understood that the 42 months are followed after 46:44 the wound. 46:47 Doug: Yeah, or do you want to-- 46:49 Jean: Yeah, when you--when you look at some of these passages, 46:51 especially in Revelation 13, not everything, as you mentioned, is 46:55 given in chronological order. 46:56 Rather, clues are given. 46:58 And these clues are very important to help identify who 47:01 the power is. 47:03 Now in Bible prophecy a beast represents a political power. 47:06 This first beast of Revelation 13 is both got a political 47:10 component, but also a religious component. 47:13 And it says that he would rule for 42 months. 47:15 There were 30 days in a Hebrew month and you times that out, 30 47:21 times 42, comes to 1260. 47:24 One prophetic day is equal to one literal year. 47:27 So one of the clues given in the verse is that this power would 47:29 rule for 1260 years, and then it would receive a deadly wound. 47:34 Now, it's not always written in strict chronological order, but 47:37 it's giving us clues. 47:38 And when we put the clues together, we can identify 47:41 who this power is. 47:42 Not only this power, but also the other beast that you read 47:44 about in Revelation 13 that comes from the earth. 47:47 Again, you put the clues together and that is identified. 47:50 It's the US in Bible prophecy. 47:53 Thank you. 47:55 All right, next caller that we have is Leo in Arizona. 47:57 Leo, welcome to the program. 47:59 Leo: My question is on Matthew 4:1 through 11, 48:04 especially the 3: Did Satan not know who Jesus was when he was 48:10 trying to tempt Him? 48:12 Doug: Well, I think Satan definitely knew that this was 48:15 the Son of God. 48:16 In fact, at the beginning of Jesus's ministry, often when He 48:20 encountered demon-possessed people, they said, "We know who 48:23 You are." 48:24 So if the demons knew, then you can count on the devil knowing. 48:27 The bigger question is, did Jesus know? 48:29 Maybe not at first, when the devil appeared as an angel of 48:33 light, you can read in 2 Corinthians 11, Satan himself 48:37 can be transformed into an angel of light. 48:39 And--but when he began to say, "If You're the Son of God," that 48:43 sort of betrayed that this was not an angel sent from heaven. 48:47 Of course, when he finally said, "Fall down and worship me," then 48:49 all doubt was removed who this was. 48:52 Jean: And when the devil said, "If You are the Son of God," he 48:55 wasn't asking because he didn't know. 48:57 He was wanting to cause Christ to question the promise that He 49:01 knew He was the Son of God and to exercise His power on His own 49:05 behalf, contrary to the will of the Father. 49:07 So it was not a genuine question there by any means. 49:10 It was a plot, it was part of a temptation. 49:14 All right, next caller that we have is Dana listening 49:17 from California. 49:18 You're on the air. 49:19 Dana: Yes, okay, my question is from the Bible, how can I 49:23 pray more effectively? 49:25 I know about the Lord's Prayer. 49:27 But is there other--something-- another part of the Bible that 49:30 can help me pray more effectively? 49:31 Doug: Yeah, I think there's a number of passages you can 49:34 look at. 49:36 You know, the Bible says that we pray without ceasing, Paul tells 49:41 us, and that doesn't mean that you go around on your knees all 49:44 the time praying. 49:45 It means being in an attitude of knowing that God is always a 49:49 prayer away. 49:50 Many times during the day, I'm just lifting prayers to the Lord 49:53 and talking to the Lord and saying, "Help me with this" or 49:55 "Pray for that person." 49:56 And so, prayer is also being in continual communion with God, 50:00 it's not just one prayer. 50:02 But there should also be regular official prayer time where you 50:07 kneel if you're able and you have your personal devotions and 50:10 you commit your life to the Lord. 50:12 At the end of the day, you may be asking for mercy and wisdom 50:15 for the next day. 50:16 Looking at some of the prayers in the Bible that you see, you 50:20 can see, you know, Jacob is wrestling with God in prayer. 50:26 You can read the prayers of Solomon, the prayers of Daniel, 50:29 the prayers of Hannah. 50:31 There's a lot of beautiful prayers recorded in the Bible. 50:34 Nehemiah. 50:35 And that I think also gives you a context about prayer. 50:39 Prayers don't have to be long. 50:40 You look at the prayer of Elijah, fire comes down from 50:42 heaven, but the prayer is less than, oh, 18 seconds, I think. 50:47 Jean: You know, Pastor Doug, I'm just looking at our books here. 50:49 Doug: "Teach Us to Pray." 50:51 Jean: Yeah, that's right. 50:52 I wanted to check on the name there. 50:54 We have a book that talks about prayer and you might find 50:55 that helpful. 50:57 It's just called "Teach Us to Pray," and the number to call 50:59 for that is 800-835-6747. 51:02 You can ask for the book, "Teach Us to Pray," or dial #250 and 51:06 say, "Bible Answers Live," ask for the book by name. 51:09 If you're outside of North America, just visit our website, 51:12 just AmazingFacts.org and you'll be able to get a lot more 51:15 information over there. 51:16 Doug: Thank you, Dana. 51:18 Jean: Next caller that we have is Nel in California asking 51:21 about what does the Bible say about competitive sports? 51:23 Nel, welcome to the program. 51:26 Nel: Hi, thank you, Pastors. 51:28 I was wondering what does the Bible say about competitive 51:31 sports, because some Christians seem to feel that you should not 51:36 participate in any types of competitive sports, you know, 51:39 even tennis, basketball, or watch them. 51:42 I mean, some Christian writers also would say the same things 51:46 according to what they say. 51:47 So what does the Bible say about it? 51:50 And what can we as Christians participate in? 51:54 Doug: All right, well, if you're talking about, what does the 51:56 Bible say, there are principles in the Bible that I think you 52:01 can apply to sports. 52:04 Paul, you know, Paul freely uses sports references. 52:09 He talks about, "I do not box the air." 52:12 He says, "I do not run as though I'm not trying," and he says, 52:17 "If you're going to run the race, run to win." 52:20 And so, you know, Paul incorporates and you got to keep 52:22 in mind the Greek culture had greatly influenced the Hebrews 52:26 and the Romans and sports were a big part of that. 52:29 It's where you get the word "gymnasium" comes all the way 52:31 back from them. 52:33 So, Paul uses sport analogies a lot. 52:36 He doesn't necessarily say anything negative about sports, 52:40 but he does talk about the spirit in the mind of Christ. 52:44 A lot of sports in the competition, it's not the idea 52:47 of just getting exercise, but it's almost like, you know, 52:50 there's violence and I think Christians ought to avoid any 52:53 kind of violent sports. 52:55 I think that when an emphasis is made on winning and the trophies 53:00 and the pride, that's not, the spirit of Christ. 53:04 Pastor Ross and I, maybe confession is good for the soul 53:08 but bad for the reputation. 53:09 We play racquetball together. 53:11 We don't make a big deal about who wins. 53:14 I get over it in about 5 minutes. 53:16 But we try to, you know, to keep score so you can know when 53:19 the game ends. 53:20 So it's a great exercise. 53:21 There's nothing inherently wrong with getting exercise where 53:24 there's a sport connected, but there's some principles that you 53:26 can apply to different sports that may be a guide. 53:29 Jean: You know, I think some sports are just geared to 53:33 hurting people. 53:34 I mean, these, sort of these combative sports, where it's 53:38 just--they're just hitting each other trying to knock each 53:41 other out. 53:42 It's even one step more you might say than boxing where it's 53:46 just violent and its goal is to hurt people. 53:49 I don't think Christians should be involved in anything 53:51 like that. 53:52 It just feeds that mindset of anger and violence. 53:56 And, you know, we don't want that. 53:58 Doug: Exercise is great and Paul says bodily exercise profits, 54:02 but godliness profits more. 54:05 Unfortunately, you know, some of the sports, if--like 54:09 professional football and I'm probably going to get letters on 54:11 this, a lot of those guys suffer injuries that carry--they carry 54:15 with them through their lives. 54:16 So it doesn't build their bodies up. 54:18 It often breaks their bodies down. 54:20 So, you know, that clearly, I think, is not a healthy thing 54:23 for a Christian to engage in. 54:25 Jean: All right, very good. 54:26 Thank you. 54:27 Do we have time for one more, Pastor Doug? 54:29 Doug: We do if it's quick. 54:30 Jean: All right, let's see. 54:31 We've got Matthew in Tennessee. 54:33 Matthew, we've got about a minute and your question 54:36 this evening? 54:37 Matthew: Hi, Pastors. 54:38 In Mark 7:19, in the New American Standard Bible, it says 54:43 parenthetically that thus he made all foods clean and then in 54:49 the King James Version, it doesn't say that. 54:52 It kind of makes me not trust the other translations. 54:56 I don't know if, what--did the translator just add that, I 55:00 guess, is my question. 55:01 Doug: Yeah, there's a manuscript where they've added that. 55:05 And Jesus said that what goes in your mouth doesn't defile you. 55:09 It goes in and it comes out, thus "purging all meats" in King 55:13 James, it just means your body, you know, basically purges the 55:16 food that you eat. 55:17 That's not how you get defiled. 55:19 And then someone took the liberty of saying, "In saying 55:22 this, Jesus declared all foods clean." 55:24 That is not in the original manuscripts in the Greek. 55:26 Most manuscripts I should say. 55:28 But friends, we're out of time for this segment of the program. 55:32 I always like to remind people we sign off in two stages. 55:35 Stay tuned. 55:36 Stand by. 55:38 We're going to go through some rapid fire internet 55:39 Bible questions. 55:40 God bless. 55:42 And we'll study together again next week. 55:47 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:49 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:53 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:57 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 56:03 Jean: Hello, friends, and welcome back to "Bible 56:05 Answers Live." 56:06 We're going to answer your email questions. 56:08 If you'd like to send us an email with your Bible question, 56:10 it is BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 56:14 Just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 56:17 Pastor Doug, first question: In Deuteronomy 14:26 God seems to 56:21 endorse drinking alcohol. 56:23 Is this understanding accurate? 56:25 Doug: When he talks about strong drink there, he's not talking 56:28 about alcohol. 56:29 They used to condense their grape juice. 56:32 Dehydrate it, if you will. 56:34 And then they'd reconstitute it when they got to their 56:37 destination because liquid's very heavy. 56:40 They would take this grape juice and sort of dehydrate it into 56:43 a syrup. 56:44 And then as they traveled, they'd get to the place where 56:46 the feast is, they'd reconstitute it. 56:48 And that's why He said you could drink the strong drink. 56:50 Don't think strong alcohol, think strong concentrated. 56:53 Jean: Okay, Sherman is asking: Can you please explain the 56:56 sequence of events? 56:57 You have the wicked bowing the knee and confessing that God is 57:00 righteous and then suddenly surrounding the New Jerusalem 57:03 trying to attack it. 57:04 Doug: They're going to be overwhelmed with a sense of 57:06 their guilt and His power and the wicked will bow before 57:10 God's throne. 57:12 Jesus said, and Paul says, "The time is coming when every knee 57:15 will bow and every tongue will confess to God," and this is 57:18 that moment. 57:19 But then when they realize that this, it's hopeless, in 57:24 desperation, Satan will try to rally them to attack the city. 57:27 When they realize they've been condemned in the judgment, 57:30 they'll think what have we got to lose? 57:31 And this demonstrates their hearts are still not changed and 57:34 God has no option but to judge and destroy them. 57:38 And that's when the fire and brimstone rain down. 57:42 It forms a lake of fire and they're all cast into this lake 57:44 of fire. 57:45 Jean: Okay, next question that we have. 57:47 Bradley's asking: How many prophecies still need to be 57:49 fulfilled before the seven last plagues can start? 57:52 Doug: Jesus said, "The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in 57:55 all the world for a witness, then the end will come." 57:58 The beast power is going to make a law compelling people to 58:01 worship a certain way. 58:02 That has not happened. 58:04 And so I--you know, there's probably several other 58:05 prophecies I'm not thinking of offhand. 58:08 We're seeing them being fulfilled right now. 58:11 And I'd say, stay tuned. 58:13 We're going to see things happen very quickly in the near future. 58:16 Till next week, we'll study God's Word. 58:18 Stay close to Jesus. 58:21 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate answers 58:25 to your Bible questions. |
Revised 2024-06-26