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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202412S
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00:02 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, friends. 00:51 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:54 In 1846, San Francisco was a small sleepy settlement with 00:58 about 200 residents. 01:00 But then the discovery of gold in the northern California Hills 01:04 in 1848 triggered one of the greatest migrations in history. 01:09 By 1852, San Francisco became a booming city of about 36,000, 01:16 filled with makeshift tent houses, hotels, stores, saloons, 01:21 gambling halls, and yes, even some churches. 01:24 By 1875, approximately one quarter of California's entire 01:29 population resided in the city proper. 01:32 Sadly, only about one out of five people that embarked on the 01:36 gold rush died within two years and less than one in 100 found 01:40 enough gold to make the grueling trip worthwhile. 01:44 The Bible says there is actually a city paved with gold that is 01:48 definitely worth the pilgrimage. 01:51 What do you think, Pastor Ross? 01:53 Jëan Ross: You know, it's interesting, whenever you go to 01:55 do a little research on the gold rush, there's so many stories, 01:58 people went through so much trials to get here. 02:01 They brought their families, they came with the wagon loads 02:03 and faced attacks by the American Indians. 02:07 They ran in terrible weather crossing the mountains, and yet 02:10 just that drive for gold just kept them going. 02:14 It is sad, as you mentioned, that the vast majority of the 02:16 people didn't strike Bonanza. 02:19 Really, the ones who made a lot of money were the ones who 02:22 supplied the mining. 02:23 Doug: The merchants. 02:24 Jëan: With tents and gear. 02:26 So there were some that scored. 02:28 Everyone's looking for the gold. 02:29 Doug: Yeah, absolutely. 02:31 You know, I heard one little side story connected with a gold 02:34 rush that the ships that were coming in bringing the 49ers 02:38 that would either come from Australia or go around South 02:41 America and they were coming up, all the sailors jumped ship and 02:46 the captains could not get crews to sail away. 02:50 And you can see some of the very old pictures of the San 02:53 Francisco bay filled with abandoned sailing ships because 02:57 they just couldn't get people to sail away. 02:59 They all wanted to come in. 03:02 And so it's just a remarkable time in history. 03:04 But you know, the Bible tells us that there is gold that we 03:08 should be driving for. 03:10 It's of course the gold of God's love. 03:13 Jesus said, "Buy of me gold refined in the fire." 03:16 But you read in Hebrews 11, verse 8, "By faith Abraham 03:20 obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would 03:23 receive as an inheritance. 03:25 And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 03:28 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, 03:32 dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the 03:36 same promise, for he waited for the city that has foundations 03:41 whose builder and maker is God." 03:44 And then it describes that city, Pastor Ross, in Revelation 21, 03:47 verse 18. 03:49 "The construction of its walls was of Jasper; and the city was 03:53 pure gold, like glass. 03:56 And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned in all 04:00 kinds of precious stones." 04:02 And then it describes these different stones. 04:04 You go to verse 21, "The twelve gates were twelve pearls. 04:07 Each individual gate was one pearl and the street of the city 04:11 was pure gold, like transparent glass." 04:15 And so there is a city of gold that's worth us making a 04:19 pilgrimage to. 04:21 Jëan: And you know, we do have a study guide, actually, a book, 04:23 an amazing facts book that talks about this very real city. 04:27 This new Jerusalem is called "Heaven Is It For Real?" 04:30 And this is free. 04:32 We'll send it to anyone who calls and asks. 04:33 The number to receive the gift is 800-835-6747. 04:39 And you just ask for offer number 189 or ask for it by 04:42 name, "Heaven Is It For Real?" 04:44 I'll be happy to send that to you if you're in North America. 04:46 If you're outside of the US and you'd like to read the book, 04:49 just go to the Amazing Facts website. 04:51 Just amazingfacts.org. 04:53 Click on the free library, you'll be able to read it there. 04:56 But if you'd like to get a hard copy, call and ask, we'll be 04:59 happy to send it to you. 05:00 Also, there's one other way that you can be--receive 05:03 this, is through text. 05:04 If you'd like to get a digital copy of the gift, you just need 05:08 to text the number, #250. 05:10 Say "Bible Answers Live" and then just ask for it by name and 05:14 we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 05:17 All right, well, before we go to the first caller, let's start 05:19 with a word of prayer. 05:20 Dear Father, we thank you once again that we're all here, able 05:23 to study your Word and we ask your blessing upon this program. 05:25 Be with those who are listening wherever they might be. 05:27 And as we always ask, Lord, we know the Bible is your book. 05:30 And so we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us so that we can come to 05:33 a clearer and a full understanding of your 05:35 will for our lives. 05:37 And we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 05:39 Doug: Amen. 05:41 Jëan: First caller this evening, we've got Brittany listening 05:42 in California. 05:43 Brittany, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:45 Brittany: Yeah, my question is, how is a Christian supposed to 05:50 deal with certain political regulations that are completely 05:54 against the Bible presented by the government? 05:57 Doug: Mm, okay, good question. 05:59 Well, it's not the first time in history that's happened. 06:02 You can look in the Bible, of course, when the government told 06:07 the mothers in Egypt to kill their baby boys. 06:10 Well, Jochebed said, I can't do that and she put Moses in 06:13 a basket. 06:15 And then the government, you know, they told Daniel that he 06:19 should not pray to anyone but the king and he had to stand up 06:22 for his faith or, I should say, kneel down for his faith. 06:25 And then in Daniel 3, you got something similar. 06:29 King of Babylon is telling 'em the government laws, to bow down 06:31 and worshiped, and the disciples, many of them died 06:34 because they would not follow the laws of Rome 06:38 that said to worship Caesar. 06:39 Now, we should always obey the laws of the land as long as 06:43 they're not in direct conflict with the laws of God. 06:46 And so as far as possible, Christians should be the very 06:48 best citizens. 06:50 But if there's ever a political law or principle that violates a 06:54 biblical principle, we always stand, you know, with God and 06:59 his Word first. 07:01 So I hope that helps a little, but great question. 07:04 Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is James 07:05 listening in Tennessee. 07:06 James, you're on "Bible Answers Live." 07:09 James: Thank you, Pastor Ross, and thank you, Pastor Doug. 07:12 Y'all have helped me so much with the three angels message 07:16 and it's just been a blessing. 07:18 But yeah, my question today is 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 4 07:26 and starting with verse 10, it says, "And with all of them who 07:30 deceive and for unrighteousness in them they perish and for this 07:35 cause God will send them a strong delusion, so they will 07:39 believe a lie." 07:41 And it's saying God for this cause will send them a 07:44 strong delusion so they'll believe a lie. 07:47 Who is God referring to? 07:49 And if every good gift comes from God and everything is good, 07:54 good, good, why would he send his people a strong delusion so 07:58 they will believe a lie. 08:01 Doug: Yeah, that's a great question. 08:02 And when you read this verse just on the surface, it sounds 08:07 like why, you know, everything is true-- 08:09 God is truth. 08:11 Why would God send a lie? 08:12 It's similar to that place in the Bible where a prophet is 08:17 describing a dream. 08:18 And he said, "And God said, I will be a lying spirit in the 08:21 mouth of his prophets." 08:22 That's Micaiah talking to Ahab and Jehoshaphat. 08:26 And basically what it's saying there is when they reject truth, 08:29 Ahab rejected the truth, then light when rejected, darkness 08:35 comes in. 08:36 And if you read the rest of this verse here, going back to 2 08:39 Thessalonians, it says that "For this reason God will send them 08:42 strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they 08:45 might have be condemned who did not believe the truth." 08:48 So what's left if you reject truth? 08:51 The only thing you got left is a lie. 08:53 And so it's basically saying they've rejected the light. 08:56 And so God is allowing them to believe a lie. 08:59 God doesn't want anyone to be lost. 09:02 And there's a verse I think in Hosea chapter 4, Pastor Ross, 09:05 verse 6 where it kind of says the same thing that if we reject 09:10 the knowledge. 09:11 Jëan: Yeah, Hosea chapter 4 verse 6, "My people are 09:13 destroyed for lack of knowledge. 09:14 Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you 09:17 from being priest for me; because you have forgotten the 09:19 law of your God, I will also forget your children." 09:22 It's talking about the judgment that comes upon Israel. 09:24 Doug: So it's not that they're being punished 'cause they don't 09:26 know, it's because they're rejecting truth. 09:29 They're rejecting light. 09:30 The only alternative is the vacuum is then filled 09:33 with darkness. 09:34 And so God doesn't send it. 09:35 It just comes consequentially. 09:37 Jëan: You might say God allows it because He withdraws truth, 09:40 like you said, it's only error left. 09:42 Thank you, James. Good question. 09:43 Next caller that we have is Allen also listening in California. 09:46 Allen, you on "Bible Answers Live." 09:48 Allen: Good evening. Doug: Evening. 09:50 Allen: Thank you for taking my call. 09:51 I'm calling from Bakersfield, California. 09:54 My question is, it's the first part of Daniel 9:26 says, "And 09:58 after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off ." 10:00 That's the New King James Version, "But not for Himself." 10:03 So that's pretty self-explanatory. 10:05 Jesus died for us. 10:07 But then every other translation says, "Messiah shall be cut off 10:11 and have nothing." 10:12 But how can those two things mean the same thing? 10:15 Doug: Well, you're talking about two translations and they sound 10:18 different like--by the way, the King James and the New King 10:20 James are very similar. 10:22 It says, "But not for Himself." 10:24 Christ, He did not--He was not cut off for his sin, He was cut 10:28 off for our sin. 10:30 And so I think that the King James, New King James, which you 10:35 know, many scholars except, I think it's more accurate, but 10:38 either way, with either translation, it's basically 10:41 saying that Christ is not cut off for His sin, He's cut off 10:45 for ours. 10:47 Jëan: And you know, I think they there are four ways in which 10:49 that phrase has been translated because of the original language 10:53 there it can go. 10:54 It's very similar. 10:56 The one is the one that you mentioned in the King James 10:57 where it says and-- "but not for Himself," but literally means 11:01 "and nothing to Him." 11:03 And some translate that as "there will be no help for Him" 11:07 or "no help with Him." 11:08 Others translate it as, "And He shall not be," meaning that He 11:13 shall perish, "but not for Himself" is also a meaning 11:17 connected with that phrase. 11:19 So depending upon which translation you go with, there's 11:23 some slight variations there. 11:25 But I think the point is still clear when the Messiah is 11:27 cut off. 11:29 Doug: And even, you know, if the Messiah is cut off and it says, 11:31 "and shall have nothing," 11:32 they took everything from Him, 11:34 so you can't argue with that either. 11:37 But the point that I think is so incredible, it says that He'll 11:40 cause the sacrifice to cease. 11:42 And when Jesus was cut off, the veil was rent in the temple, 11:46 bringing to an end the sacrificial system. 11:49 Jëan: You know, we have a study got called "Right on Time" that 11:51 deals with Daniel chapter 9 and gets into the various time 11:54 prophecies that you have. 11:55 It's very interesting. It's a great study. 11:57 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 11:59 Just call 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the study guide. 12:04 It's called "Right On Time," and we'll be happy to send that 12:06 to you. 12:08 It's 800-835-6747. 12:10 You can also just dial #250 on your smartphone. 12:13 Say "Bible Answers Live" and then you'll be able to download 12:15 it there as well. 12:17 Next caller that we have is Joan in Australia. 12:20 Joan, welcome to the program. 12:21 Joan: Hi, thank you for taking my call. 12:23 How are you? 12:24 Doug: Doing good. Thank you for calling. 12:27 Joan: I hope you can understand my question. 12:28 It's kind of a little bit--but it's I'm just trying to get a 12:31 picture of Job 1, verse 6 when, I understand, when there was the 12:38 sons of God. 12:39 My question is, are they the council or are they the sons of 12:42 God that write the books of life? 12:45 And is it just Old Testament and it doesn't happen anymore where 12:50 Satan had access to go along with them. 12:54 Doug: There's a little bit of mystery around the sons of God 12:57 and who they are. 12:58 I think there are places in the Bible where it speaks of the 13:00 angels as the sons of God. 13:03 It's also talking here in Job, I think it's talking about maybe 13:06 the, you know, this is heavenly meeting, but it's not in heaven, 13:10 a celestial meeting where God is there and Satan comes from 13:15 the earth. 13:16 So it's not on earth. 13:18 The sons of God there are some kind of 13:21 representatives of other worlds. 13:22 Now, the reason we say that is because one of the titles for 13:25 Adam who was the leader of this world, he's called the son 13:29 of God. 13:31 You look in the genealogy of Jesus in the book of Luke 13:34 chapter 3. 13:35 And it says, "And Enosh was the son of Seth, who 13:38 was the son of Adam, who was the son of God. 13:40 Adam was not born, he was created to be the leader of 13:44 this world. 13:45 Now God, you know, no doubt has intelligent beings that are 13:48 leaders of other worlds and describes the 24 elders around 13:52 his throne in Revelation. 13:54 Some have wondered is this who they are. 13:56 1 John chapter 3 says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father 14:00 has bestowed on us, that we should be called sons of God." 14:04 And Isaiah says that we are sons and daughters of God, believers. 14:08 Christ said that the wicked, they are sons of their father, 14:10 the devil. 14:11 So the term sons of God, it floats a little bit in its 14:14 definition in the Bible. 14:16 Jëan: I think in the immediate context in Job, though, it 14:18 appears as though these sons of God would be the 14:21 representatives of other worlds. 14:23 Hebrews speaks about God created the worlds, and he uses plural, 14:27 and it appears that Satan came to this gathering claiming to be 14:30 the representative of the earth. 14:32 And it's interesting that God allowed him, and 14:34 God said, "Where did you come from?" 14:36 He said, "Oh, from walking up and down on the earth" claiming 14:38 that as his kingdom. 14:40 And then God said, "Well, there's someone in your kingdom 14:41 that really belongs in My kingdom." 14:43 And that's where the story of Job is--you read on and tells 14:46 you the story of his experience. 14:47 So I think we can say that these sons of God would be the 14:50 representatives of other worlds and, very possibly, they could 14:55 also be the 24 elders that you read about in the book 14:57 of Revelation. 14:59 And also I believe in the Old Testament. 15:01 It refers to God ruling before his elders gloriously, 15:05 which is the same idea. 15:07 You know, we do have a book, Pastor Doug, it's called "Who 15:09 are the Sons of God?" 15:10 and it deals with the subject and we'll be happy to send this 15:13 to anyone who calls and asks, the number is 800-835-6747. 15:18 That is our free resource phone line. 15:21 As for the book, it's called "Who Are the Sons of God?" 15:23 We'll send it to you. 15:24 You can also just dial #250 on your smartphone, ask for it and 15:29 you'll be able to download it that way as well. 15:31 Thank you, Joan. 15:33 Thanks for calling all the way from Australia. 15:34 We've got Steve in Missouri. 15:36 Steve, welcome to the program. 15:38 Steve: Yeah, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross. 15:41 I listen to your show pretty regular, and just yesterday, as 15:45 a matter of fact, it was recording. 15:47 But a man called in and said, "When Jesus comes back, how 15:51 could every eye see Him if the earth is round?" 15:54 Well, a lot of times we're just not smart enough to figure out 16:01 what God is capable of doing. 16:03 First of all, the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once. 16:06 We can't understand that. 16:08 Okay, but I'm gonna say, when Jesus comes back, he's not gonna 16:14 be over there in China and China is gonna call us and say, "Hey, 16:18 the Lord's here. 16:19 He'll be there in a little bit." 16:21 Now I'm gonna go through about four verses and see what you 16:24 think, okay? 16:26 Doug: All right, let's hear it. 16:27 Steve: All right, I'm gonna start out with Revelation 6, 16:31 verse 14, "And the heavens departed as a scroll." 16:35 A scroll rolls out. 16:37 Okay, rolls out like a "scroll when it is rolled together and 16:41 every mountain and island were moved out of their places." 16:44 Now I'm gonna jump over to Revelation 16, verse 20, "And 16:50 every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." 16:53 So things are really happening. 16:55 And now I'm gonna go to Isaiah 40, verse 4, "Every valley shall 17:00 be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and 17:04 the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 17:06 places plain." 17:08 Okay, now I'm gonna stay in Isaiah 13:13. 17:13 That's where I'm gonna go now. 17:15 Okay, 13:13. 17:16 "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and earth shall remove 17:19 out of her place, and then the wrath of the Lord's hosts, and 17:22 in the day of his fierce anger." 17:23 So that's definitely when he's coming back is when that's 17:27 gonna happen. 17:29 Now, I'm gonna go to Isaiah 24:19. 17:32 Doug: Okay, we gotta wrap this up pretty quick 'cause we wanna 17:34 get to the question. 17:36 Steve: Okay, this is the last one 24:19. 17:39 "The earth is utterly broken down, earth is clean dissolved 17:43 and the earth is moved exceedingly." 17:45 So it sounds to me like this earth's gonna roll out like a 17:48 scroll where everybody could seem at one time. 17:52 Doug: Oh, I see what you're saying. 17:54 Yeah, well, there's now question that the earth is gonna go 17:57 through tremendous turmoil, but I don't think you need to bend 18:01 over backwards to try to destroy the earth and make this 18:03 verse fit. 18:05 When it says every eye will see Him, it means on the day of the 18:07 Lord, every eye will see Him. 18:09 Every eye of everybody alive, as Christ goes around the world and 18:14 it says we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, 18:16 it says he's coming from the east. 18:18 I'm just understanding the same way that the earth rotates and 18:22 He's gonna sweep around this circle of the earth. 18:24 Everyone will see Him that day. 18:26 Doesn't mean the same moment as He comes, the dead in Christ 18:30 will rise. 18:31 They're caught up to meet Him. 18:33 We're transformed, we're caught up to meet them, and then He 18:36 takes us back to glory. 18:37 He says, I'll take you to the places, the mansions 18:39 I've prepared. 18:40 So, you know, no question that the earth is gonna be in great 18:43 turmoil, but I don't know that the earth is gonna disintegrate 18:46 so that everybody sees Him at the same moment. 18:51 Anyway, that'll be, I just wanna be ready however that happens. 18:55 Jëan: You know, we do have a book talking about the Second 18:56 Coming of Christ. 18:58 It's called "Anything But Secret" and it talks about these 19:00 verses and some of the events connected 19:02 with the Second Coming of Christ. 19:03 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and 19:05 asks 800-835-6747. 19:09 Ask for the book anything but secret. 19:11 Also you can dial #250. 19:13 Say "Bible Answers Live" and ask for it by name. 19:16 Next caller that we have is Lee, listening in North Carolina. 19:19 Lee, welcome to Bible Answers. 19:21 You are on the air. 19:23 Lee: Oh, hi. 19:24 Thank you for taking my call. 19:25 My question, please, is the role of the Holy Spirit in heaven. 19:30 Like, I know that Jesus comes back to get us and brings us to 19:33 the Father. 19:34 So I also have read about the Holy Spirit being taken away 19:38 slowly from the earth. 19:39 Maybe during the tribulation. 19:41 I was just wondering when it's all said and done and we're all 19:43 in heaven, what's the role of the Holy 19:46 Spirit and how did He get there? 19:47 Thank you. 19:48 Doug: Yeah, good question. 19:50 Well, you know, Jesus said, "It's expedient that I go, and 19:53 if I go, I will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, 19:56 and He will be with you." 19:57 And then Christ, when He tells us "I'm with you wherever you 19:59 go" in Matthew chapter 28. 20:03 Well, how is God with us? 20:04 God is with us through God the Spirit. 20:07 Jesus said, you know, "He will take of My Father and give it 20:12 to you." 20:13 And so even in heaven, we will have God's Spirit and presence 20:18 with us all through the cosmos wherever we might roam through 20:22 God the Spirit. 20:23 And so communication with God wherever we are is probably 20:29 gonna transpire through the Spirit 'cause I do believe that 20:31 God has a place in time that He sits enthroned, there is a 20:36 center to his kingdom somewhere, a capital. 20:39 Says He Himself will dwell with us. 20:41 We will see His face. 20:42 But as we go to worlds unknown and we travel or anywhere in 20:45 the world. 20:47 If we're building our mansions and country homes, God's still 20:49 with us through His Spirit. 20:52 So I think the work of the Spirit's gonna be still 20:54 very real. 20:56 It'll be different in that it's not there convicting us of sin 20:59 because there's no sin then, but it will still have the peace in 21:02 the presence of the Spirit. 21:05 Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Taiwan listening 21:08 from Alabama. 21:10 Taiwan: Hello, hey, pastors. 21:11 I just wanted to ask in Hebrews 4:5 and again in this place, 21:16 they "shall not enter My rest." 21:18 I wanted to see if that's the Sabbath he was referring to. 21:23 Doug: No, in a word. 21:26 In Hebrews, he's talking about, you know, the rest that we have 21:31 through salvation in Christ. 21:33 The children of Israel looked upon 21:36 the Promised Land as the rest. 21:39 Instead of wandering, and even as they first 21:42 entered, they had to fight the Canaanites. 21:45 Finally, when they were all subdued, they could go to their 21:48 homes and plant their vineyards, and they called that entering 21:51 their rest. 21:52 So it's compared to the Sabbath in Hebrews 4. 21:56 But it's--Hebrews here, the writer we believe is Paul, he's 22:02 talking about Joshua in the Old Testament bringing them into 22:05 rest, how David was speaking in the Psalms of the rest 22:10 that we have in the Lord. 22:11 And the Sabbath is a symbol of that rest. 22:14 But he's really talking about Jesus. 22:17 Said--when he says, "I swore in My 22:19 wrath, they will not enter My rest." 22:20 The people that didn't believe in the wilderness did not make 22:22 it to the Promised Land. 22:24 They lost faith. 22:25 And again, then he quotes, "They shall not enter My rest." 22:29 Again, he's quoting from verse 3 in the same passage. 22:33 So, hope that makes a little sense. 22:35 But he uses the Sabbath here in sort of a symbolic sense. 22:39 He does say "There remains therefore a Sabbath for the 22:41 people of God." 22:43 And I think that's talking about, of course, there is a 22:44 Sabbath day, but there's also a Sabbath rest that we have 22:48 in Christ. 22:50 Jëan: All right, thank you. 22:51 Next call that we have is Lee listening in Texas. 22:53 Lee, welcome to the program. 22:55 Lee: Yes, thank you for taking my call tonight. 22:57 I have a question that's been on my mind for many, many years now 23:02 and hopefully I can finally get some--finally get the answer 23:05 to it. 23:07 My question is Jesus always said that He and the Father are one. 23:10 So everything that God knows that He would know as well. 23:14 So if that's the case, why did Jesus say that He didn't know 23:18 the date and time of His return when He's supposed to know? 23:21 I mean, He knows everything that God knows. 23:23 Did He lie about that or He just couldn't say anything about it? 23:27 Doug: No, I think that when Christ spoke of His Second 23:31 Coming, He made that statement that the angels don't know, but 23:34 the Father only. 23:35 Christ on earth had divested Himself of a lot of His 23:40 supernatural knowledge. 23:42 And when Jesus was on earth, He did not know. 23:45 And think about it for a moment. 23:46 If He did know a date, how would He tell the disciples that he 23:51 was coming in, you know, 2050. 23:54 I'm just making that up. 23:55 They didn't even keep time like that. 23:57 It would have made no sense to them. 23:59 They didn't understand that calendar we use today. 24:02 So I think Christ said, look, you know, here now on earth, I 24:06 don't know, but you can be certain that Christ now 24:09 glorified at the right hand of the Father. 24:12 God the Father is not holding an envelope like people at some 24:15 awards ceremony and saying I can't tell you when you're 24:18 supposed to come back, it's a secret. 24:19 No, Jesus is omniscient. 24:21 He knows everything now. 24:23 But when he was a human on earth, He laid aside a lot of 24:26 His divinity. 24:27 So yes, I'm quite sure Jesus knows now. 24:31 Hey, you know, Pastor Ross, we're gonna take a break and 24:33 don't go anywhere. 24:34 More questions coming in just a moment. 24:40 announcer: Stay tuned, "Bible Answers Live" will 24:42 return shortly. 24:50 announcer: Amazing Facts: Changed Lives. 24:58 Charlie Green: My life was in turmoil. 25:01 My wife and I were fighting all the time. 25:03 I got away from everything and everybody. 25:05 I don't know, it just--I always had this emptiness in my heart. 25:09 I don't want it filled. 25:10 I just felt like I went my whole life, you know, 25:13 just searching for something 25:14 And my father died, and that ruined me a lot. 25:18 My father didn't believe in suicide, and I didn't want to 25:22 live, but rather than disrespect him, I decided I would just 25:25 become so mean that someone else would do it to me and I wouldn't 25:28 have to. 25:29 So I joined the army thinking what better place to get killed 25:32 than in the army. 25:33 And while I was in the army, my daughter got injured. 25:35 She was in an accident and she was blind and paraplegic. 25:41 And it's just like I felt the whole world 25:44 was coming down on me. 25:45 And one morning I just really got mad and I gave God a cussing 25:49 like you wouldn't believe. 25:51 I said, I'm not Moses, not Abraham. 25:54 You know, I don't--but I put my sandals on just like they do. 25:58 And I'm a man. 25:59 I don't wanna know why this is happening to me. 26:01 I just wanna know that it's happening for a reason. 26:04 If you tell me right now that this is all for a reason, then 26:07 you can stack it on me from here to the end of time and I will 26:11 never complain again. 26:14 And that little TV came on. 26:16 It had been sitting there just static all night long, and there 26:20 is this minister when he pops up and he says today's lessons from 26:23 the book of Job. 26:25 God only lets those suffer that he loves the most. 26:28 And I said, "Well, that's all you have to say, Lord. 26:29 I appreciate it." 26:30 From that day forward, I knew that he was there and he was in 26:33 my life and that he would help me. 26:37 I went to prison just almost immediately after that. 26:41 I was in prison for aggravated assault. 26:43 I was in one of the worst prisons in the state 26:46 of Tennessee. 26:47 It was full of gang activity. 26:49 I got my throat cut, 52 stitches. 26:52 My neck, I could take those fingers and stick them all the 26:54 way through out my mouth. 26:56 I'd gone to the library that day because it was really about the 27:00 only thing to do. 27:01 But I ran across this little book 27:03 called "The Richest Caveman." 27:04 This book is hilarious, but it is great. 27:08 I'm sitting there with this big beard. 27:10 I'm thinking, hey, I know what it's like, look like a 27:12 caveman. 27:13 But I'm not an educated person, I guess you'd say. 27:16 But I'm a simple guy. 27:18 I'm just really a simple guy. 27:19 And that's what I loved about Doug Batchelor because this guy 27:24 is just straight out as you can get. 27:27 And my wife and I, we've kept contact through all these years 27:31 and so much has gone on. 27:35 And I told her, I said, "Listen, now, this is the center of my 27:39 world right now." 27:41 And I said, "I really want you to be involved in it with me. 27:44 I need it." 27:45 And I said, "You will too if you ever just take hold of it." 27:48 I told my wife, I said, "Listen, they've got this Amazing Facts 27:51 Bible study going here. 27:53 And this is the best way for you to get this information. 27:56 And I think, except because it's broken down and they give you 28:02 questions and to make you look for these things, you know. 28:08 So it's not anyone telling you, you find it on your own and they 28:11 teach you to actually use the Bible. 28:14 She was there faithfully every Wednesday until we decided, you 28:18 know, she wanted to be baptized also. 28:22 She saw it coming around. 28:24 The choice was made in October the 4th, 2014. 28:28 My wife and I, we were baptized in the water at the same time 28:33 and we started our walk together, I guess you'd say. 28:38 I went through everything that a man could possibly go through, I 28:41 guess, from marital trouble, loss of family members, death in 28:48 my family, 28:49 my children were harmed and my daughter was handicapped 28:53 for life, 28:54 I went to prison, but still I kept my word to God that He 29:00 could stack it on me as much as He wanted, 29:02 and I'd never question Him again, and I didn't, but I can 29:06 say this much, 29:08 He never put nothing on me that I couldn't handle 29:12 and He walked with me through it all. 29:14 And I'd like to say that--to anyone who is in prison, not to 29:20 give up, don't lose hope. 29:22 Put your faith in the Lord and study and seek 29:26 Him and He will seek you. 29:27 And my name is Charlie Green and I want you to know 29:30 that you and Amazing Facts have changed my life. 29:37 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where 29:40 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His 29:44 plan to save you. 29:45 So what are you waiting for? 29:47 Get practical answers about the good book for a better 29:50 life today. 29:54 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 29:57 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 30:00 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 30:03 and 8 p.m. Pacific time. 30:06 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 30:09 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 30:14 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 30:19 Now let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 30:25 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, 30:26 to "Bible Answers Live." 30:27 And if you've joined us in route, this is a live 30:30 international interactive Bible study and you can participate by 30:34 listening or calling in with your Bible questions. 30:37 Think we still have some lines open. 30:39 The number is 800-GODSAYS. 30:42 That's 800-463-7297. 30:45 I am Doug Batchelor. 30:47 Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross and we have Nel listening 30:51 in California. 30:52 Nel, welcome to the program. 30:54 Nel: Thank you, Pastor John and Pastor Doug. 30:58 My question has to do with Achan. 31:00 My question is, is why didn't God forgive Achan because I 31:06 believe it was Joshua, when he asked him, he said, you know, 31:09 "Confess now what thou hast done and give God the praise." 31:13 And Achan seemed to have confessed immediately. 31:16 So I was wondering why he and his family were still killed. 31:20 Doug: Well, Achan did not confess until they cast lots. 31:25 He waited to the last moment, and basically 31:27 the lot fell on him. 31:29 So, you know, God, basically, you know, he got caught with the 31:33 chocolate chips around his mouth, and then he said, "Yeah, 31:36 yeah, I'm guilty." 31:37 So his repentance wasn't really heartfelt. 31:39 His repentance was after God sort of fingered him and said, 31:41 "You're the one." 31:42 And the reason his family probably was judged with him is 31:46 they were accomplices. 31:49 They all knew it was hidden in the tent. 31:51 They were, you know, is probably dug a hole under the rug or I 31:54 don't know how he did it, but they all knew about the stolen 31:57 booty and they helped him keep it a secret. 32:00 And it also reminds us that our decisions can affect our 32:04 families for their salvation as in the story of Noah or their 32:08 destruction as in the story of Achan. 32:12 And so, yeah, I think that they were probably 32:16 complicit with what was happening. 32:17 We don't know that there are any little children in this family. 32:19 They may have been older kids that were of age. 32:23 Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Dan in 32:25 North Carolina. 32:26 Dan, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 32:28 Dan: Yes, good evening pastors. 32:29 Thank you so much. 32:31 Pastor, I got a question that I don't know if it's been 32:34 approached before. 32:36 Maybe yes, maybe no. 32:37 But my wife and I are of radically different 32:42 religious beliefs. 32:44 And my basic question is, how would one define unequally yoked 32:54 in the case of separating? 32:56 Doug: Yeah, well, did one of you change faiths after you 33:00 got married? 33:03 Dan: No, we were--and that is my mistake actually. 33:08 I was who and what I was and she was struggling. 33:12 She really didn't know where she wanted to be. 33:17 And I have tried progressively to, not aggressively but 33:23 progressively to introduce her to my thoughts, my beliefs, that 33:29 which I hold true and it's-- 33:32 Doug: Don't feel like you're making progress, yeah. 33:36 Dan: Yeah, she becomes offensive. 33:38 Now it's to the point where I can't bring up anything. 33:41 It turns into drama and I don't want that. 33:46 Doug: I wanna make sure we keep it, you know, this is of course, 33:49 a Bible question program. 33:51 It'd be easy to transition into counseling. 33:53 Let me tell you what the Bible says. 33:56 The Bible says that in the event that you've got a believer that 33:59 is married to an unbeliever, 34:01 if the unbeliever, let's assume that your wife is not believing 34:05 the truth--it may be you that doesn't believe in the truth, 34:07 So I don't know what your different faiths are--but if 34:11 they're willing to dwell together, they should 34:13 not divorce. 34:15 And that's 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 34:17 So I recommend you read the whole chapter there 'cause he 34:20 talks about when people of opposing faiths 34:24 find themselves married. 34:26 And especially if there's children involved, you know, you 34:30 want to create as much harmony and peace as you can even though 34:34 no question there, it's gonna be difficult. 34:37 Jëan: Now, that's a different story, though, if you're dating 34:40 someone and you're thinking about marrying them and you're 34:43 dating a person or you're engaged to a person that is of a 34:46 different faith. 34:48 Well, you know, you probably won't--you don't wanna proceed 34:51 with that marriage until there is a unity of belief. 34:53 Otherwise it's just gonna cause problems. 34:56 Doug: Yeah, but he's telling us that that's what happened. 34:59 Now, they're married. 35:01 Jëan: Yeah, they're married. 35:02 Doug: Once you've said, "I do," you made the covenant. 35:04 You kind of went in eyes wide open. 35:06 Someone said, "Before marriage, go in with your eyes wide open 35:09 and after marriage, keep them half shut to the faults of-- 35:13 to your spouse." 35:14 Jëan: You know, we do have a book Pastor that you wrote. 35:16 Is called, "Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage," and you address 35:19 these issues. 35:21 And the number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 35:24 Once again, it's free. 35:25 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks what 35:27 does the Bible say about the subject of marriage 35:30 and remarriage. 35:31 800-835-6747. 35:35 You can dial #250 on your smartphone. 35:38 You'll be able to read a digital copy of that lesson or 35:41 that book. 35:42 Next caller there is Glenn in Ohio. 35:44 Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 35:47 Glenn: Thank you very much pastors for taking my call. 35:51 My call--concerns the triunity of the Godhead and the 35:55 Holy Spirit. 35:56 You know, there's an interesting subject I believe about why 36:00 Jesus told the apostles he had to go so that he could send the 36:05 Holy Spirit. 36:07 I think that'd be an interesting subject we'd love to hear 36:08 talked about. 36:10 But the triunity of the Godhead, Elohim, came to Christianity 36:14 from--sun worship. 36:17 My thought about it is I believe that there's God the Father, God 36:22 the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the omnipresence of the Godhead. 36:28 In other words, there are millions of people that were not 36:31 neglected when the Holy Spirit manifest Himself as a dove at 36:34 Jesus's baptism. 36:37 So I believe there's the Father, the Son, and the manifestation 36:41 of the omnipresence of the Godhead. 36:44 I never hear that word. 36:45 Can you help me or how does that thought fit? 36:48 Doug: Yeah, so I think what you're asking is, is the Holy 36:52 Spirit a unique separate person? 36:54 Or is he just the way that the omnipresence of God the Father 36:58 and Son is demonstrated? 37:00 Well, when in Acts chapter 5, when Ananias and Sapphira lied 37:06 regarding their donation that they made, Peter said you've 37:09 not lied unto men, but when you lied to the Holy Spirit, you 37:14 lied to God. 37:15 And so Peter defines lying to the Holy Spirit as lying to God. 37:20 So when you look at the definitions of God, you find 37:24 that the Holy Spirit also fulfills the definitions, that 37:28 he is grieved, He's given an individual personality. 37:33 That's part of the reason Jesus said, "Go baptize in the name of 37:37 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." 37:40 So you've got--it's distinct. 37:42 You find the Holy Spirit at the beginning, the Spirit of God 37:45 moved upon the face of the waters and you have the Spirit 37:49 giving an invitation in the end of the Bible where it says the 37:52 Spirit and the bride say come. 37:54 So the Holy Spirit is a separate person. 37:57 And you know, this is, it's a difficult subject and I won't 38:01 pretend it isn't. 38:02 And we need to really take our shoes off when we talk about 38:05 this because when man starts describing and defining God, 38:09 we're way out of our league. 38:10 But based on what is revealed, I think we can say with 38:13 confidence, you've got three distinct persons in the Godhead. 38:17 And I have a book on that, that it's called "The Holy Spirit 38:20 Trinity: One God or Three." 38:22 And you'll be blessed by that Glenn, please look at it. 38:24 Jëan: 800-835-6747. 38:27 Ask for the book called "The Trinity: One God or Three." 38:30 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 38:33 Again, it's 800-835-6747. 38:36 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone. 38:40 Say, "Bible Answers Live," ask for the book by name and you'll 38:43 be able to get a digital download and read that right 38:47 there on your phone. 38:48 Next caller that we have--thank you, Glenn. 38:50 Next caller we have is Bret--Brent in Georgia. 38:53 Brent, welcome to the program. 38:55 Bret: Good evening, pastors. How are you all? 38:57 Doug: Doing good. Thank you. 38:58 And it's Bret, if I'm not mistaken. 39:01 Bret: Yes, yeah. 39:03 So I'm interested in Proverbs 23, verses 20 and 21, and really 39:10 looking at that and it talks about over-indulgence 39:13 and gluttonous. 39:15 And so I guess looking at that, will there be obese people 39:18 in heaven? 39:20 Doug: I'm sorry. 39:22 Well, I shouldn't laugh. 39:24 I think I'm just thinking, will we have obese bodies in heaven? 39:28 No, I don't think so. 39:30 Is it possible for an obese person to be saved? 39:33 Is that maybe what you're asking? 39:35 Bret: I know that's possible. 39:36 I guess-- 39:38 Doug: Yeah, I don't think in the Resurrection, anybody's--you 39:40 see, obesity is--technically, it's an unhealthy condition, 39:44 and so I don't think anyone's gonna get a 39:46 glorified body that's unhealthy. 39:48 Does that make sense? 39:49 I don't know if we've ever had that question. 39:51 Jëan: Yeah, I mean, there's different factors for obesity. 39:53 I mean, one could just be temperance but they could also 39:57 be medical reasons. 39:58 There's other factors that come into play. 40:01 So, yeah, there are health risks, 40:03 of course, as we know, it can shorten a person's life if 40:06 they're obese, but that's not preventing someone from 40:10 receiving Christ and being saved. 40:12 But like you say, Pastor Doug, I think everyone is gonna have 40:14 that perfect body when Jesus comes, and I don't know too many 40:18 obese people that think it is a good thing for them to be 40:23 struggling with weight. 40:24 So they're looking forward to that brand-new body as well if 40:27 they're a believer. 40:28 Doug: And let's suppose you have a person that's you know, 100 40:31 pounds overweight, which would be unhealthy. 40:33 And they find the Lord and they come to the Lord and they start, 40:36 you know, working to make changes in their lifestyle and 40:40 they die before they get there. 40:41 Well, you know, it's a process, and so they'd certainly 40:45 be saved. 40:47 But then there's the other question is gluttony a sin? 40:51 And I think we need to say the lusts of the flesh, whether it's 40:55 sexual or drug addiction or gluttony. 40:59 Those are all sins that should be overcome. 41:02 Jëan: All right, good question. 41:03 First time we've had that one. 41:05 Next caller that we have. 41:07 Let's see calling from New Jersey and it's Spendjani. 41:11 Spendjani, welcome to the program. 41:13 Spendjani: Thank you, Pastors for taking my call. 41:15 How are you? 41:16 Doug: Doing great. Thanks for calling. 41:19 Spendjani: No problem, so my question today is about 41:22 Genesis chapter 22. 41:24 Why did God refer to Isaac as Abraham's only son when 41:28 obviously he had Ishmael first? 41:30 Doug: Yeah, good question. 41:31 I think it's because having Ishmael was not God's plan. 41:39 God's plan was that through his son, Abraham's son with Sarah, 41:45 the Messiah would come. 41:47 When Abraham and Sarah became impatient because they thought, 41:50 oh, well, you know, Sarah's getting too old, she's beyond 41:52 the age of bearing. 41:54 We're gonna help God out. 41:55 We're gonna get this Egyptian slave and use her as 41:57 a surrogate. 41:58 And then, you know, Abraham and Hagar have the son, Ishmael. 42:04 Ultimately, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away. 42:07 And it's kind of hard for us to understand this. 42:10 But God basically said, "Put her away" and the word is divorce. 42:14 So the son that God was going to bring the Messiah through 42:18 was Isaac. 42:20 Now, Abraham married after Sarah died and he, through a woman 42:24 named Keturah, and he had several other sons. 42:27 But when he offered his only son, Isaac was a type of Christ 42:32 and God so loved the world, He gave His Son. 42:34 God doesn't have several divine sons. 42:37 He only had Jesus. 42:38 Isaac was a type of that. 42:40 Jëan: And I think Isaac's the only one of Abraham's children 42:44 that was a miracle birth through Sarah. 42:46 Doug: Yeah, good point. 42:47 Jëan: Whereas all the others were sort of--and I think as you 42:50 said, that's a type of Christ Jesus, of course, there was a 42:52 miracle birth with Mary, and it also is a reference to that it's 42:57 God that would fulfill the promise. 42:59 It was a man that was to fill the promise. 43:02 So in that sense, Isaac is different from the other sons 43:04 that Abraham had. 43:06 Doug: I think Paul addresses that too. 43:07 One was a child of kind of works and one was a child of faith. 43:12 So I hope that helps a little bit 43:13 and good question, thank you. 43:15 Jëan: Richard in Arkansas is listening. 43:16 Richard, welcome to the program. 43:19 Richard: Hey, thank you for having me. 43:20 How are y'all doing tonight? 43:22 Doug: Great. Thanks for calling. 43:24 Richard: I just have one quick question. 43:26 I'll make it short for y'all. 43:28 What does the Bible say about our pets being in heaven? 43:31 Doug: Yeah, that is a good question. 43:34 We've had that from time to time because a lot of folks, like 43:38 myself, Pastor Ross has probably had beloved pets and, you know, 43:42 usually humans outlive them unless you get a turtle, a 43:46 tortoise or something. 43:48 You had a parrot for a long time. 43:49 Jëan: We did, they live long. Doug: A long time. 43:52 Jëan: I'm laughing at that, Pastor. 43:53 Like some of these turtles or tortoises can 43:55 live like 200, 300 years. 43:56 They could outlive you and your children. 43:59 Doug: They don't have a lot of personality though. 44:01 But anyway, and so, you know, we wonder, 44:05 is there any hope for them? 44:07 We love some of these pets and we'd love to see them again. 44:11 Are they gone forever? 44:12 You know, the Bible, I have to tell you the Bible does not 44:15 specifically address it. 44:17 What the Bible does say is there will be animals in heaven. 44:20 So we know that, and then the Bible says that the eyes have 44:24 not seen, the ear has not heard, neither has entered into the 44:27 heart, meaning the imagination of man, what God has prepared 44:31 for those that love him. 44:32 So I think when we get to heaven, there'll be a lot of 44:34 amazing surprises and among those surprises that are joyful, 44:40 we may find that God is resurrecting our beloved cat or 44:44 dog or parakeet or whatever it was and that they're going to be 44:48 there with a glorified body. 44:49 We don't know that, but certainly not beyond Him. 44:53 That's as close as I think we can come. 44:55 Now, we've got a friend, Steve Wahlberg, he wrote a book, "Will 45:01 My Pet Be in Heaven?" 45:02 And I think he ends up with the argument that yes, if it was a 45:06 good pet. 45:08 Now dogs, maybe not cats, but dogs will be in there. 45:11 I'm gonna get all these letters from cat owners now. 45:14 Jëan: All right, well, thank you, Richard. 45:15 Next caller that we have is Elizabeth in Colorado. 45:18 Elizabeth, welcome to the program. 45:20 Elizabeth: Thank you. Doug: Hi, thanks for calling. 45:24 Elizabeth: Hi; my question is, will Jesus 45:28 forgive Pontius Pilate? 45:30 Because in the Bible it says when he first went to Pontius 45:34 Pilate and they sent him over there, that Pontius Pilate 45:37 didn't find anything wrong in him. 45:39 Doug: Yeah, well, you know, in the dialogue between Jesus and 45:42 Pilate, Jesus does say the one who turned me over to you has 45:46 the greater sin. 45:47 He didn't say Pilate was sinless. 45:49 Pilate said Jesus was innocent and in spite of the fact he was 45:53 innocent, he said, well, to make you happy, I'll beat him and 45:56 then let him go. 45:57 And well, if you think he's innocent, why are you going to 46:00 beat him? 46:01 And then because a mob is crying for his blood instead of calling 46:05 out the guard and saying he's innocent, I'm gonna protect him. 46:07 He hands him over because he's worried about his career and how 46:10 it's gonna look to the Romans if there's a riot. 46:13 So I think Pilate caved and I believe he's gonna be lost. 46:19 And I think, you know, Christ is merciful in the judgment. 46:22 He realized Pilate was pressured into it and God takes that 46:24 into account. 46:26 But I don't think Pilate's gonna make it based on what the Bible 46:29 record is. 46:30 And it's not in the scripture, but in Christian history and 46:34 Roman history, it seems to say he was eventually banished 46:37 to Spain. 46:38 I believe it was Spain and he committed suicide. 46:41 So his wife warned him in a dream, "Don't have anything to 46:46 do with that just man." 46:48 And Pilate knew he was just, and he still condemned him. 46:51 So I think he's guilty. 46:52 Jëan: And that almost makes it worse. 46:54 He knew that Christ was innocent and yet he's still condemned 46:57 to death, he murdered him, so. 47:00 All right, thank you, Elizabeth. We've got Jo in New Mexico. 47:03 Jo, welcome to the program. 47:06 Jo: Good evening, pastors. How are you? 47:08 Doug: Good, thank you, Jo. Appreciate your calling. 47:11 Jo: And thank you for accepting the call. 47:14 I was wondering, where was Daniel when Hananiah and Ananias 47:19 and--those guys were in at the golden temple--the 47:25 golden statue, where was Daniel? 47:28 Doug: Yeah, that's a good question. 47:30 It's a little mysterious. 47:31 My idea and Pastor Ross has just got done teaching a series 47:34 on Daniel. 47:36 My understanding is that Nebuchadnezzar, knowing that 47:39 Daniel had told him his golden kingdom would not continue, 47:42 might have sent him off on business in another part of 47:45 the kingdom. 47:46 I don't think it was an accident Daniel was not there. 47:50 But you got any thoughts? 47:52 Jëan: Yeah, it's almost as if Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten 47:54 about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or Hananiah, Mishael, 47:57 and Azariah, which are their Hebrew names, because when they 48:00 came before the king, he gave them a second chance, which 48:03 you'd think he wouldn't have done to anyone else. 48:06 But it's as if he suddenly realizes, "Oh, man, I forgot 48:08 about these guys, and they're good, you know, they're 48:10 good, loyal." 48:12 So he said, "Well, we'll give you another chance. 48:14 When you hear the music, bow down." 48:15 And of course, when they said, "Oh, king, don't, you know, you 48:17 don't have to give us another chance. 48:19 We worship the God. We're not gonna bow down." 48:20 Well, then he got furious and then, you know, the furnace was 48:23 heated seven times hotter. 48:24 So it almost appears as though, yes, he remembered Daniel and 48:27 maybe sent him off some errand, but he forgot about his three 48:30 friends, and yet they were just as faithful as Daniel. 48:34 What a story. 48:35 I mean, can you imagine if we didn't have that great story, 48:37 Daniel chapter 3. 48:39 So yeah, they were very loyal just like Daniel. 48:43 Doug: I heard one Bible scholar say that the Lord accomplished 48:46 through those three young men on the plains of Dora that day 48:50 what he had been wanting to do through the Jewish nation for 48:53 1000 years, to be a light to the Gentiles. 48:56 And they stood up and showed the power of Jehovah. 48:58 And then of course, the king sends out a declaration to the 49:01 whole empire about the God of Daniel and Hananiah, Mishael, 49:04 and Azariah. 49:06 Anyway, thanks, good call. 49:07 Jëan: And of course, Daniel had his time too in the next kingdom 49:09 and Darius where he was put in the lions' den. 49:11 So he had to stand up too. 49:13 All right, next call that we have is Eric in Michigan. 49:16 Eric, welcome to the program. 49:18 Eric: Hey, how're you guys doing tonight? 49:20 Doug: Good. Thank you for calling. 49:23 Eric: I'm looking for clarification of my thought 49:27 process due to my limited understanding. 49:30 I've been running parallels with the operating system of the 49:33 sanctuary, comparing it to the disciples and how they were 49:38 taught through Jesus. 49:41 And I noticed when you come into the courtyard of the sanctuary, 49:46 the first thing you come to is the altar, which is where it 49:49 would be where Jesus or, you know, would be sacrificed in the 49:52 New Testament, so you'd be 49:53 starting at the cross in the New Testament. 49:56 But the next thing you come to in the courtyard, I believe is 50:00 the laver where you have water baptism. 50:03 And then after the water baptism you go into the holy place where 50:06 you have the 12 loaves of shewbread which would be the 12 50:10 tribes of Israel. 50:12 You're learning, you know, there's a learning process going 50:15 on there where you'd eventually be sanctified. 50:18 Well, of course, the Old Testament, I understand that, 50:21 you know, men chose not to obey. 50:24 So then you go into the New Testament and then if you're 50:27 starting at the cross, when Jesus was resurrected, I believe 50:32 he was taught for, I think 40 days. 50:34 And then after that 40 days, the disciples got the water baptism. 50:39 And then after the water baptism, you have the Pentecost 50:45 where the Holy Spirit came down on top of them. 50:48 I guess is the center line is like the center of the Bible. 50:53 And if you go into the past or into the future, you're in a 50:56 teaching situation. 50:57 If you go farther into the past or the future, you have the 51:00 water baptism. 51:01 It's almost like it's laid out. 51:03 And then of course, you have, if you go even farther into the 51:05 past or into the future, you end up with being you're sanctified 51:09 because you would be in the holy place, being sanctified or in 51:13 the future. 51:15 Doug: Let me jump in and tell you what I do think, and you may 51:17 be overthinking it. 51:18 Is that okay? 51:20 I do think the sanctuary outlines the process 51:23 of salvation. 51:24 And I was with you when you said, you know, first thing 51:28 there's one door, Christ is the door. 51:30 First thing you encounter then is sacrifice, the altar. 51:34 It's the cross. 51:36 The children of Israel-- 51:37 And see, the sanctuary is tracing their journey to the 51:41 Promised Land. 51:42 The children of Israel, they sacrificed the lamb. 51:45 Then they went through the Red Sea, that's baptism. 51:49 In the wilderness then, they had bread, and that's the 12 loaves, 51:52 12 tribes, 12 apostles. 51:55 It's talking about God's Word and Jesus is the bread. 51:58 You've got the light. 51:59 They had a pillar of fire in the sanctuary. 52:01 God guided them, and it's a symbol for, you know, 52:05 the Spirit. 52:07 Then you have the altar of incense. 52:08 This is prayer. 52:09 So you have the three disciplines of the Christian 52:11 life are in the sanctuary. 52:13 The bread, we read our Bibles, the light, we let our light 52:16 shine, and the prayer, we commune with God. 52:20 So in the wilderness, you've got those three principal 52:22 disciplines of the Christian life. 52:24 There's a lot more to it, but I'm just simplifying it. 52:27 And then the whole idea is you go to the third phase which is 52:30 glorification in the presence of God and having 52:34 him dwell in our minds. 52:35 Thy Word I've hid in my heart. 52:37 So you got justification in the courtyard, sanctification in the 52:40 holy place, glorification in the most holy place. 52:43 So just think of it in simple terms. 52:46 I know that I've heard some studies on the sanctuary that 52:49 they can write a whole encyclopedia on it. 52:51 It's a deep, deep subject, but probably more than we can 52:54 accomplish in little sound bites of our answer time. 52:58 So I didn't mean to cut you off, but you 53:01 were getting pretty deep there. 53:02 Jëan: You know, we do have a study guide talking about that. 53:04 It's called "God Drew The Plans"-- 53:05 Doug: And our new magazine that's much deeper, yeah. 53:09 Jëan: And as you said, Pastor Doug, there's many different 53:12 facets and parts to the sanctuary and its application. 53:16 So call and ask for that. 53:17 The number is 800-835-6747. 53:21 You can ask for the study guide. 53:22 It's called "God Drew The Plans," it's on the sanctuary. 53:24 The Amazing Facts magazine is also entitled, what is that? 53:28 "Amazing Sanctuary," I think that's just what it is. 53:31 "Amazing Sanctuary." So you can ask for that as well. 53:33 Doug: I think Eric would like that 'cause it gets a little 53:35 deeper into the symbolism of the sanctuary, the time 53:41 prophecies connected with it. 53:42 Do we have time for one more? 53:43 Jëan: Rebekah in Pennsylvania. Rebekah, we got about a minute. 53:47 Rebekah: Okay, real quick, so my question is 53:49 about the Lord's Prayer. 53:50 One line says, "Lead us not into temptation." 53:54 So someone said it was anti-Christian to say the Lord's 53:58 Prayer because of that line 'cause God does not lead us into 54:01 temptation, Satan does. 54:03 So what do you think about, how do you interpret that line? 54:06 Doug: You know what? 54:07 It's actually not the best translation. 54:09 It's basically saying, lead us away from our natural tendency 54:14 towards temptation. 54:15 So we're saying, "Lead us not" meaning lead us away 54:19 from temptation. 54:20 We're gonna bid farewell. 54:22 God bless you to those listening on the satellite radio. 54:25 We'll be back next week to study with you. 54:27 For those who are listening on land-based stations, 54:30 don't go anywhere. 54:31 This is when we come back and do our rapid-fire internet 54:34 questions that have come in. 54:38 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate answers to 54:42 your Bible questions. 54:46 female announcer: Did you know Amazing Facts has a free 54:49 Bible school that you can do from the comfort of your 54:51 own home? 54:52 It includes 27 beautifully illustrated study lessons to aid 54:55 in your study of God's Word. 54:57 Sign up today for this free Bible study course by 55:00 calling 1-844-215-7000. 55:03 That's 1-844-215-7000. 55:12 male announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 55:14 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 55:18 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 55:22 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 55:27 Jëan: And hello back, welcome back, friends, to our 55:30 email questions. 55:32 And if you have a Bible-related question, you'd like to 55:34 email us, it's just balquestions@amazingfacts.org. 55:38 All right, pastor, here we go. 55:40 Some great questions tonight. 55:41 Cynthia is asking, "What were the laws before the Ten 55:44 Commandments were given? 55:46 After all isn't sin the transgression of the law?" 55:49 Doug: Yeah, some folks say that, well, before the law was given 55:51 where there's no law, there's no sin, 55:53 then, you know, how did they know right from wrong? 55:55 The Ten Commandments were written down in the time of 55:58 Moses there in Exodus chapter 20. 56:00 But they existed, they've always existed. 56:04 It has always been wrong to worship other gods. 56:07 It's always been wrong to take innocent life. 56:09 And how do we know that? 56:11 Well, when God says to Cain, sin lies at your door and Cain 56:15 commits murder, he knew murder was a sin. 56:18 When Joseph says--now, Joseph lived long before Moses--when he 56:23 was tempted by Potiphar's wife. 56:25 And Joseph said, "How can I commit this sin of adultery and 56:28 sin against my master?" 56:30 Joseph knew that adultery was a sin. 56:32 And so you could go through a litany of sins that they 56:36 understood it was lawlessness before the Ten Commandments 56:38 were given. 56:40 The law was still there. It just wasn't codified yet. 56:43 Jëan: Okay, we've got Alex, who's asking "Does the Bible say 56:46 that Adam and Eve ate of the tree of life before they sinned, 56:49 and if so why didn't they become immortal?" 56:53 Doug: Yeah, we would assume they did eat from the tree of life. 56:56 And evidently, it's something you do more than once in 56:59 eternity because God says that the tree of life is in the New 57:03 Earth and that there's different kinds of fruit intimating that 57:08 we would come that, you know, different varieties or 57:11 different, flavors, I'm not sure, but it says 57:14 there's 12 different kinds it sounds like 12 times a year. 57:17 So, well, you know, we'll come different times. 57:20 We'll eat the fruit, and it must perpetuate life for a long time 57:24 because Adam ate from the fruit. 57:26 He lived 900 years. 57:28 Whereas, you know, today we have three-score and ten 57:30 as an average. 57:31 So we think he did eat, but it evidently something that you 57:34 do ongoing. 57:37 I don't think our eternal life is so 57:38 much coming from the fruit. 57:40 Like if you get too far out in the cosmos and you miss your 57:42 meal, you're gonna die. 57:44 I think we have eternal life, but we're gonna want to keep 57:45 eating from the tree. 57:47 Jëan: All right, last question we have here is "What would have 57:49 happened if Judas Iscariot had repented of his sin? 57:53 After all the Bible predicted that he was to betray Christ. 57:57 Doug: Yeah, well, of course, if he had genuinely repented, I 58:00 think he would have been forgiven, but he reached the 58:03 point of no return when he betrayed Christ. 58:07 It says, "Satan entered him." 58:09 He went out and it was dark. 58:11 Don't let that happen to you, friends. 58:12 Listen to the voice of the Spirit. 58:14 We'll study God's Word with you again next week. 58:17 God bless. 58:20 announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate answers to 58:24 your Bible questions. |
Revised 2024-09-11