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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202428S
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00:03 male announcer: It is the best-selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted; 00:09 and its words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, 00:13 should always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate 00:23 and practical answer to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:33 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:43 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:49 Doug Batchelor: Hello friends, would you like to hear an 00:52 amazing fact? 00:54 We've all heard about various kinds of plagues throughout 00:56 history, the Black Death or bubonic plague, smallpox, and 01:00 the Spanish flu, but have you ever heard about the 01:04 dancing plague? 01:06 The dancing plague of 1518 was an event in which hundreds of 01:10 citizens of Strasbourg, a city by the border of France and 01:13 Germany, danced uncontrollably, and apparently unwillingly, for 01:18 days on end. 01:19 The outbreak began in July, 1518, when a woman called Frau 01:23 Troffea stepped from her home and began to dance fervently and 01:27 uncontrollably in the street. 01:29 Within a week, more than 30 other people were affected. 01:33 This number eventually grew to 400. 01:36 People overcome by the dancing plague would suddenly start 01:39 stomping their feet, twitching and flaying their limbs. 01:42 Oblivious to the world around them, they'd keep dancing until 01:45 they collapsed from exhaustion. 01:47 Many suffered from heart attacks or strokes and died. 01:50 It seems there was nothing the city fathers could do to stop 01:53 the compulsion. 01:55 The mania lasted for about two months before ending as 01:58 mysteriously as it began. 02:00 Today, nobody is exactly sure what caused the phenomenon, but 02:04 experts believe the most likely explanation was ergot. 02:09 Ergot is a fungus that grows on white, rye, or wheat. 02:13 Poisoning from this mold can cause muscle spasms, fever, and 02:16 hallucinations, and the victims might appear dazed and manic. 02:20 By the way, the chemical in ergot mold is similar to 02:24 lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD. 02:29 Evidently, when people of Strasbourg finished consuming 02:32 the batch of bad grain, the plague soon ended. 02:36 It's surprising, Pastor Ross, how much what we eat can affect 02:39 our behavior. 02:41 Jëan Ross: That's right, and affects the mind and the way we 02:43 behave and think, and it's quite a test, quite a story there. 02:46 I mean, you think of plagues and, you know, people get sick 02:49 and, you know, they die from whatever disease. 02:52 Here the people just got all this energy and they start 02:54 jumping around and dancing, and you mentioned that some people 02:57 die from--they died from a heart attack as a result 03:00 of this. 03:01 Doug: They just, their hearts-- I think the lady that began 03:03 dancing was in her twenties. 03:04 She'd collapse at the end of the day and then she'd wake up the 03:07 next day and start dancing again. 03:09 And not only what you eat physically can affect your 03:13 behavior, but certainly what you eat spiritually can affect 03:16 your behavior. 03:17 By the way, you're from Africa, they have something they're 03:19 called sleeping sickness, where people get bit--if they get bit 03:22 by a--Jëan: Yeah, I'm not exactly sure whether it's 03:26 bacteria or virus or something, but yeah, people just--if they 03:29 sit still for too long, they just fall asleep. 03:32 Doug: Yeah, so, yeah, these outside influences can have 03:35 a difference. 03:37 And what we eat, what we consume spiritually, can affect 03:40 our behavior. 03:42 And there's a Bible verse in Isaiah chapter 55, it says, 03:45 this is verse 2, "Why do you spend your money for that which 03:49 is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? 03:53 Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul 03:58 delight itself in abundance." 04:00 We need to make sure that we're eating good spiritual food if we 04:04 want to have the right spiritual behavior. 04:07 Jëan: And you know, Jesus said something similar when He said, 04:10 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by 04:13 every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" 04:16 That is Matthew chapter 4, verse 4--so if we can grow 04:19 spiritually, we have to feed upon that living bread which is 04:22 the Word of God. 04:23 Doug: Yeah, and you know, what we eat--they say you are what 04:27 you eat. 04:28 It's true physically, you know, everything in our bodies is sort 04:30 of replaced by what we eat over, I think it takes several 04:34 months for your cells to, sort of, replace, and you become what 04:38 you consume. 04:39 Well, that is true of your spiritual life. 04:41 And if we're feeding on the the diet of the world and the 04:44 worldly entertainment, it's hard to resist temptation when you 04:47 have your values being shaped and fashioned by the wrong kind 04:51 of spiritual food. 04:53 So, the right kind of food would, well, begin with the Word 04:56 of God. 04:57 Jëan: That's right, and our free offer for today talks about 05:00 the Word of God, talks about the Bible. 05:01 It's called "The Ultimate Resource." 05:03 This is our free gift to anyone who will call and asks. 05:06 It's easy, the number is 800-835-6747. 05:10 You can ask for offer number 104 or you can dial pound 250 on 05:15 your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for 05:18 it by name. 05:19 It's called "The Ultimate Resource," a book written by 05:20 Pastor Doug, and it's about the Bible. 05:23 How you can study the Bible, the trustworthiness of Scripture, 05:26 you'll be blessed by reading it. 05:27 So call, we'll be happy to send it to you. 05:30 If you're outside of North America, let me add, you can 05:32 also read the book, even though you can call, just go to the 05:35 website, amazingfacts.org, click on the link that says 05:39 "Library" and you'll be able to read the book right 05:41 there online. 05:42 Well, Pastor Doug, before we go to the phone lines, we always 05:44 like to start with prayer, so let's do that now. 05:47 Dear Father, we thank You once again that we have this 05:50 opportunity to study Your Word. 05:52 We ask Your blessing upon those who are listening, wherever they 05:54 might be. 05:55 Father, Your Word is life, as we were just talking about the 05:58 spiritual life that comes from Your Word. 06:01 And so strengthen us and feed us on the Scriptures tonight, for 06:04 we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 06:08 Well, our first caller is Shelby, listening in Arkansas. 06:10 Shelby, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 06:14 Shelby: Good evening, how are you guys doing? 06:16 Doug: Doing good, thanks so much for calling. 06:20 Shelby: Yes, sir, Pastor Doug, I'm just--I'm looking here in 06:22 Genesis chapter 9, verse 3, and I'm reading out of the New King 06:28 James Version. 06:29 That's the version of the Bible I have and it says, "Every 06:31 moving thing that lives shall be food for you." 06:36 And before I get on this, I just want you--I would like you to 06:39 shed some light on that, but I just want to note really fast, I 06:42 just find it very interesting that if you flip over to Genesis 06:46 chapter 7, verse 2, and of course, we see that perfect 06:50 number here, seven, it says, "You shall take with you seven 06:54 each of every clean animal, a male and his female, but then 06:58 you shall take two of each of the unclean animals." 07:01 Now, I just want to note really fast before you do this, this is 07:05 long before--this is post-flood here of Noah in chapter 9, so 07:09 this is long before the dietary laws are passed down to the 07:12 children of Israel in Leviticus chapter 11. 07:15 Doug: Yeah, well, first of all, God makes a distinction between 07:18 the clean and the unclean, as you mentioned. 07:20 The clean animals are taken on the ark in sevens, the unclean 07:25 animals are taken by two, and if you think about it, if people 07:28 were allowed to eat the unclean animals, they would have been 07:32 extinct very quickly. 07:34 The clean animals were the thing that was not only allowed 07:38 for consumption. 07:39 And don't forget the one who writes Genesis, Moses, is the 07:42 same one who writes Deuteronomy and Leviticus, where he said, 07:46 "You shall not eat any detestable thing." 07:49 So when he said, "Everything that moves will be food for 07:51 you," it meant among the fish there were clean foods, among 07:54 the birds there were clean foods, among the mammals there 07:57 were clean foods, but he had already identified which were to 08:01 be eaten. 08:02 So, it was never God's will for people to eat skunks and 08:05 cockroaches and vultures, and I mean, they're obviously animals 08:08 that are creatures of carrion and that's why He said these 08:13 are detestable. 08:15 And He specifies that because all the vegetation had been 08:18 destroyed during the flood, they were permitted to eat the 08:21 clean animals. 08:23 So, yeah, it was never God's will for them to eat everything. 08:27 When He makes that statement there in Genesis 9, he's talking 08:31 about the clean animals that had been identified earlier. 08:34 Jëan: You know, it's also interesting, Pastor Doug, that 08:35 you have mention of clean and unclean animals, not only here, 08:39 but in order to have the sacrificial system which was 08:41 implemented right after the fall with Adam and Eve, there needed 08:45 to be a distinction of animals because not all animals were 08:48 acceptable as sacrifice, only the clean animals. 08:51 So Adam, right from Adam onwards, there was a distinction 08:54 made between that which was clean and that which 08:56 was unclean. 08:58 And this was just re-articulated once again, just after the 09:01 flood, when there was no vegetation for them to eat. 09:04 Doug: Absolutely. 09:05 Jëan: We do have a study guide talking about "God's Free 09:08 Health Plan." 09:09 It talks about the biblical principles of living a long, 09:11 healthy life. 09:12 I'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 09:14 The number is 800-835-6747. 09:17 Ask for it by name, it's called "God's Free Health Plan." 09:20 If you have your cell phone, you can dial pound 250, say "Bible 09:24 Answers Live," and then after that, "Study Guide, 'God's Free 09:27 Health Plan."' 09:29 We got Brittany listening in California. 09:30 Brittany, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 09:33 Brittany: Yeah, my question is, "What style of music is 09:39 considered appropriate for the Christian in today's world?" 09:43 Doug: All right, well, the principles for Christian music 09:47 have always been the same, that doesn't change. 09:49 I mean, culture changes and some styles change, but the 09:52 principles wouldn't change. 09:54 It's like the principles for clothing, the styles of 09:57 clothing, colors of clothing, that may change, but the 09:59 principles of cleanliness, modesty, so forth, that 10:03 doesn't change. 10:04 Music is probably one of the most difficult questions 10:07 to specify. 10:09 It's like we had a question before about clean and 10:11 unclean foods. 10:13 Well, God gives some guidelines. 10:14 He says, you know, "Birds had to be foraging birds, the fish 10:17 needed fins and scales, mammals needed clove and hoof, chew 10:20 the cud." 10:21 So what are the guidelines now for music? 10:23 Well, that's a little more-- well, what do you say, a little 10:25 more subjective, but here's the principles. 10:28 The words need to be words of truth that glorify God. 10:31 They need to be positive, good words. 10:33 Is this something that God can bless in the words, the message? 10:38 Then there's music that is for different occasions. 10:42 No matter where you go in the world, lullabies are usually the 10:46 mothers singing to a baby, it's going to be sweet, it's going 10:49 to be soft, it's going to be rhythmic, so that the baby will 10:51 go to sleep. 10:53 War music or marching music is going to be different. 10:55 It's the kind of thing that you would play, it's a little 10:57 louder, a little more, you know, to get the soldiers to march, 11:00 and there's several battle songs and victory songs in the Psalms. 11:04 So usually, matter of fact, the last, I think, four or five 11:07 Psalms are talking about, "Shout to the Lord, make a loud 11:10 noise," and they're like victory songs. 11:13 When the women came out to meet David and Saul, when they came 11:16 out with Miriam, the music they led was a celebration 11:20 of victory. 11:21 That's a different kind of music, Jethro's daughter came 11:24 out singing that kind of song. 11:26 And then there's romantic music. 11:29 That--if there's a place, you get the Song of Solomon, and 11:31 there's a place for that. 11:34 But Christian music, you know, it's the kind of thing that's 11:36 going to be exalting God. 11:39 It doesn't need to be--people think that to praise God, the 11:42 louder it is, the more praiseworthy it is, and that's 11:45 just not true. 11:46 Christian music is going to be inspirational. 11:48 You have to ask yourself, "Is this something that Jesus would 11:51 listen to? 11:52 Can you picture Jesus singing this?" 11:54 And a Christian is a follower of Christ. 11:57 A lot of the music of the world, it just sounds like pagan 12:02 pandemonium, it's confusion and chaos, it's like the 12:06 Babylonian music. 12:08 Jëan: And that's a good point, Pastor Doug, that 12:09 you mentioned. 12:10 There are certain types of music that are used that go back way 12:13 in primitive cultures in witchcraft and demonic worship, 12:16 and even in voodoo type ceremonies with this very heavy 12:21 beat that just keeps going, this rhythmic--kind of works people 12:25 up into a frenzy. 12:26 That style of music shouldn't have any part to do with 12:29 Christian music because of where it comes from, what it's used 12:32 for, it's not drawing you closer to God, but it's almost putting 12:35 people in a trance, like a type of hypnosis. 12:38 And I think Christians need to avoid that, stay away from that. 12:41 Doug: Yeah, and then the other thing is you look at how people 12:44 dance to certain kinds of music. 12:47 The kind of dance they would do at a Hebrew wedding where the 12:49 men are dancing, usually they just dance with the men and then 12:52 women dance with the women. 12:54 It's very different from the music where men and women are 12:56 dancing together, it's extremely sexually suggestive, and that 13:00 ought to tell you something right there. 13:02 I've seen churches before where they're playing music that would 13:04 normally be in a nightclub, they throw in a few Christian words 13:08 and they call it Christian music, but when I was in the 13:10 world, it was nightclub music. 13:12 So yeah, it's hard to know where to draw that line. 13:18 But, you know, I have a book, and I think it's small enough we 13:21 can offer it to those that are interested. 13:22 It's called "The Christian and Music." 13:24 Jëan: That's right, sounds like a great book dealing with 13:26 the subject. 13:27 Call and ask, the number is 800-835-6747. 13:30 You can ask for the book, it's called "Christian and Music," or 13:34 dial pound 250 and ask for it by name, "The Music and 13:38 the Christian." 13:39 All right, next caller that we have is Jackson in Alabama. 13:42 Jackson, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 13:44 Jackson: Amen, In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, it talks about once 13:51 Jesus has all things under His feet that He will give 13:55 everything back to the Father, and the Bible says that Jesus is 14:00 God, so I was just wondering how does Him giving the authority 14:04 back to the Father relate to His deity. 14:07 Doug: Jesus being God does not mean that there is not an 14:10 attitude of submission between the members of the deity. 14:14 When Christ comes into the world, He says, you know, "All 14:18 authority is given Me by the Father, God the Father, Soul of 14:21 the World." 14:22 He gave His Son, and so you see, the Father seems to be portrayed 14:25 in the Bible, more so in the New Testament, as the ultimate 14:29 authority, that there's like a voluntary submission and yet 14:33 there's equality. 14:34 So God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, are all-knowing, 14:39 omnipresent, all-powerful, but that doesn't mean that you don't 14:45 see that there is some submission on the part of 14:47 the Son to the Father. 14:48 The Father delegates all creation to the Son, all things 14:51 that are made are made by the Son. 14:53 And all judgment is given to the Son. 14:56 The Father has given all judgment to the Son. 14:58 So you see the Father all through the New Testament giving 15:00 things to the Son, but that doesn't mean that Jesus is 15:04 a lesser God. 15:05 And so I know that sometimes it's hard for us to comprehend a 15:08 husband and wife are equal, of equal value. 15:11 But the Bible says that the husband is to be the head, and 15:15 the wife is to be, and needs to be the, you know, the support 15:19 and to protect his wife. 15:21 But in the family, the authority is generally in the Bible 15:24 acknowledged with the Father. 15:27 So I don't know if that helps with the question, Jackson. 15:31 Is that getting me anywhere? 15:33 Jackson: Yeah, like, that's how I read it in the Bible too. 15:36 Just, you know, they have different parts of them and 15:40 Christ has that submission, but somebody had brought that 15:42 Scripture up and I hadn't looked at that before, so that helps, 15:46 thank you. 15:47 Doug: Yeah, and when Jesus--you see through the parables that it 15:49 says He was sent by the Father to receive a kingdom. 15:53 When He ascends to heaven He is declared by the Father, His 15:57 sacrifice is complete and successful, and then He comes 16:00 again at the end of the one thousand years, and He's 16:02 ultimately the king of the world when there's a new heaven and 16:05 new earth. 16:06 So there's, like--there's a progress that happens in His 16:10 redeeming the kingdom because He created it, He dies for it, 16:15 He redeems it. 16:17 And that's, you know, His role is a little different than 16:19 the Father's. 16:20 Jëan: All right, thank you, Jackson. 16:21 We got Larry in Arkansas. 16:23 Larry, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 16:25 Larry: Yeah, Revelations 20, the angel that had the keys to 16:31 the bottomless pit and he incarcerates Satan for a 16:35 thousand years and replaces the seal, and that says he 16:40 received the nation no more for a thousand years, but then he 16:44 is released for a season and I'm wondering why he would be 16:51 released after being incarcerated for a thousand 16:54 years and what would "for a little season" mean? 16:58 Doug: All right, that's good, that's really an 16:59 important question. 17:01 So, if finally we're in heaven, we've been raptured up, we're 17:05 with the Lord in heaven, and we spent a thousand years living 17:08 and reigning with the Lord, Satan is bound, why would He let 17:12 him out? 17:13 Well, if you go back in the great controversy between Christ 17:17 and the devil, Satan was the highest of the angels. 17:20 In other words, he was just below Jesus in power. 17:23 He was the highest of all created beings, and he rebelled 17:27 and made terrible accusations against God. 17:30 So now, you know, God's been merciful with humans and that He 17:33 gives us a probation, a time to have a change of heart. 17:36 After the devil has a thousand years to look at this 17:39 desolation he's caused in our world through his government, 17:44 the Lord releases him to demonstrate that instead of 17:47 repenting, it's says, "Satan goes to gather all of the," it 17:52 calls them Gog and Magog, "the enemies of God's people, the 17:54 wicked that are resurrected," he goes to gather them to battle 17:57 against God. 17:59 He hasn't changed, God is showing the unfallen angels in 18:02 the universe that this once glorious angel has fallen and he 18:06 has no redeemable qualities left. 18:09 God has no alternative but to destroy him, cast him into the 18:12 lake of fire. 18:14 So, it's not just for the benefit of humanity to see that 18:18 the devil's not going to turn around. 18:20 People that we see that are lost, God is showing, even after 18:25 they've been resurrected in the judgment, they're still willing 18:27 to listen to the devil instead of repent. 18:30 So it's to demonstrate that God has no alternative, He's 18:34 very patient. 18:35 Jëan: And you know, if you read on in the chapter, there's 18:37 a lot that happens there. 18:39 You have, as you mentioned, Pastor, like, the righteous in 18:40 heaven for a thousand years, the wicked, they destroyed the 18:43 brightness of Christ's coming, so the devil and his angels are 18:45 bound to this dark, desolate world, otherwise known as the 18:49 bottomless pit, symbolized here in Revelation chapter 20. 18:53 And then at the end of the thousand years, the New 18:54 Jerusalem comes down from heaven, that's Revelation 21. 18:57 The devil then is released from his so-called prison because now 19:01 the wicked are resurrected, so he has somebody to tempt. 19:04 And it says he goes out and gathers together the nations, 19:07 the golden city is there, the Bible says they encompassed the 19:10 golden city and they mount their attack. 19:13 Of course, just before this, we have what we call the Great 19:15 White Throne judgment, where everyone has an opportunity to 19:18 see the justice of God and that God is fair and everyone 19:22 acknowledges the justice of God. 19:23 But then the devil leads the wicked and they mount their 19:27 attack upon the New Jerusalem, and that's where fire comes, 19:29 devours them, and then God creates the new heavens and 19:32 a new earth. 19:34 So the phrase there, "a little season," the Bible doesn't tell 19:36 us what that is. 19:38 There's a lot that happens though. 19:39 It seems like it's going to be more than a couple of hours or maybe 19:42 even more than a couple of days. 19:44 It might drag on for a while, but it's little in comparison to 19:47 the rest of time of people living on the earth, so-- 19:51 we do have a study guide. 19:52 It's called "1000 Years of Peace," and it talks about this 19:54 and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 19:57 The number is 800-835-6747. 20:00 Ask for the study guide "1000 Years of Peace," you can dial 20:04 pound 250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and 20:08 then ask for that study guide by name, "1000 Years of Peace." 20:12 You'll actually be able to get a digital download if you use your 20:15 cell phone, just dial pound 250. 20:18 Next caller that we have is Jet in Florida. 20:20 Jet, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 20:24 Jet: Hi, Pastor Doug. 20:25 Doug: Hi Jet, thanks for calling, and your 20:28 question tonight? 20:30 Jet: Does the Bible say that Jonah died in the belly of 20:33 the whale and then rose again? 20:37 Doug: No, the Bible doesn't say he died in the belly of 20:40 the whale. 20:41 I'm sure he's dead now, but, it tells us he was alive in the 20:44 belly of the whale because he prays from the fish's belly and 20:49 there's nothing in the text that says that he dies. 20:51 It is a symbol, you know, when you're three days and three 20:55 nights in the darkness, it's kind of a symbol of like Jesus's 21:00 suffering and death and resurrection. 21:02 What Jonah went through, Jesus said, "No sign will be given but 21:05 the sign of Jonah," but Jonah miraculously somehow survived 21:10 and there's stories in history of a couple of people that have 21:12 been swallowed by whales and lived. 21:15 In fact, there's a YouTube of a kayaker that gets swallowed by 21:19 a whale and gets spit out again when he's out up in Alaska 21:25 there somewhere. 21:26 Someone got that on camera, but he was only in the belly of 21:28 the--he didn't go all the way to the belly, he was 21:30 in the mouth of the whale for about five seconds. 21:34 Anyway, thanks Jet, appreciate it. 21:36 And we do have a book called "The Sign of Jonah" we'll send 21:38 you that's got some of the history we just talked about. 21:40 Jëan: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 21:44 You can ask for the book. 21:46 It's called "The Sign of Jonah" or, as we mentioned, dial 21:48 pound 250. 21:49 Say "Bible Answers Live" and ask for the book by name. 21:53 Next caller that we have is Glenn in Ohio. 21:55 Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 21:58 Glenn: Thank you very much for taking my call. 22:02 You know, Yeshua led a life wonderfully, showing us the path 22:06 to the redemption of Matthew 24:13. 22:10 And the point that I'm addressing tonight is the born 22:12 again experience that He had. 22:15 According to Peter in Colossians, it was 22:17 a resurrection. 22:20 It takes to my question tonight, taking into consideration 1 John 22:25 5:18A, where does it say in the Bible that one is born again 22:33 at conversion? 22:35 Doug: All right, thank you. 22:36 Well, the phrase "born again" is used twice in the Bible, once in 22:40 John 3:3 and once in John 3:7. 22:43 Peter alludes to it when he says in 1 Peter 1:23, "Having been 22:48 born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through 22:52 the Word of God that lives and abides forever." 22:56 The new birth, something like a physical birth, you have 22:59 conception and there might be a period of gestation where 23:02 the Holy Spirit's working on you. 23:04 Very few people have a dramatic instant born again experience 23:08 like Paul does on the road to Damascus, and that is in Acts 23:12 chapter 9--8-- Acts chapter 8, I think. 23:17 Is that right? 23:18 Jëan: Let me look it up? 23:19 Doug: Yeah, and I think it's Acts chapter 9, is where you 23:22 have the conversion of Paul. 23:24 But his is very instant, and where Jesus is talking to 23:27 Nicodemus, He says, "You must be born again," He's talking about 23:31 your heart needs to be changed. 23:32 When God says, "I'll put a new heart within you," that 23:34 is conversion. 23:36 And in the New Covenant, God writes His law in our heart. 23:39 Ezekiel talks about, "I'll put a new heart in you." 23:43 Moses talks about the circumcision of the heart. 23:45 So when the heart is changed, that is synonymous with 23:49 the new birth. 23:50 Jëan: Yeah, the chapter you're thinking of, Acts chapter 9, you 23:53 read from verse 1 all the way through verse 19, he's on the 23:56 road to Damascus and then also he repeats--Paul repeats that 24:00 testimony, his testimony, in Acts 22, verse 6 through 16. 24:04 So there, very powerful conversion that took 24:06 place there. 24:08 Doug: But with most people, it's something that 24:10 happens gradually. 24:11 You're hearing the Word, the Word is sprouting, something's 24:13 happening, and finally you come to the conclusion, "I'm going to 24:16 make a surrender." 24:17 So when you make that surrender because your heart has been 24:20 transformed and you give everything to the Lord and trust 24:23 in His sacrifice, repent of your sins, that's a new birth, and 24:29 there should be a change in direction. 24:30 That's what conversion means, you're doing a U-turn. 24:34 Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Charles 24:36 in California. 24:37 Charles, welcome to "Bible Answers Live," you're on 24:39 the air. 24:41 Charles: God bless you both. 24:43 Two part question, do you know about what year, how long ago, 24:48 the Bible was written, and also, can we prove the accuracy of the 24:55 Bible and prove that Christianity is the true 24:59 religion of God? 25:01 Doug: All right, thank you. 25:03 Well, I obviously think there's proof because I'm hanging my 25:05 life on that and I used to be an atheist, and through reading the 25:09 Bible I believe the evidence was so compelling. 25:12 There's no ancient document that is better substantiated 25:17 than the Bible. 25:19 Now, when we say Bible, and you say, "When was the Bible 25:20 written," keep in mind the word "Bible" comes from the word 25:23 "biblios," which used to be the word for "book" or "books," 25:26 because the Bible is a collection of 66 books, and 25:30 you've got the 27 in the New Testament, 39 in 25:33 the Old Testament. 25:34 The Old Testament was written over a period of 1500 years. 25:38 Well, the whole Bible over 1500 years. 25:41 The Old Testament was written starting with Moses about 1400 25:44 BC and up until about 400 BC, where the last book written by 25:51 Malachi, The New Testament didn't start really being 25:54 written, the life of Christ, I think they say about 40 AD Mark 25:58 wrote his gospel. 26:00 And then the other New Testament writers between 40 AD and 100, 26:04 the Book of Revelation, 100 AD, was the last book. 26:07 As far as its accuracy, the accuracy of the Old Testament, I 26:10 think, has been proved beyond question with the discovery of 26:13 the Dead Sea Scrolls that contained copies of the Old 26:17 Testament that pre-dated Jesus. 26:20 And they have been carefully scrutinized, it had parts of 26:23 every book in the Bible, except the book of Esther, and it 26:26 probably was out there somewhere, but they never 26:27 found it. 26:29 And when they compare those texts, 2000 years old, with 26:33 modern versions, they're, like, 98% identical. 26:37 Any difference was just very minor. 26:39 You'd appreciate a book we've got that we're offering tonight, 26:42 "The Ultimate Resource." 26:43 We'd be happy to send you a free copy of that, Charles. 26:46 Just go to the website and request that, and we'll send 26:49 that to you. 26:50 Friends, don't go away, we're taking a break and we'll 26:52 be back with more vital questions. 26:57 announcer: Stay tuned, "Bible Answers Live" 27:00 will return shortly. 27:02 ♪♪♪ 27:05 ♪♪♪ 27:15 ♪♪♪ 27:25 ♪♪♪ 27:35 ♪♪♪ 27:45 ♪♪♪ 27:55 ♪♪♪ 28:05 ♪♪♪ 28:15 ♪♪♪ 28:25 ♪♪♪ 28:35 ♪♪♪ 28:45 ♪♪♪ 28:55 ♪♪♪ 29:05 ♪♪♪ 29:15 ♪♪♪ 29:25 ♪♪♪ 29:35 ♪♪♪ 29:45 ♪♪♪ 29:55 ♪♪♪ 30:05 ♪♪♪ 30:15 ♪♪♪ 30:25 ♪♪♪ 30:35 ♪♪♪ 30:45 ♪♪♪ 30:55 ♪♪♪ 31:05 ♪♪♪ 31:15 ♪♪♪ 31:25 ♪♪♪ 31:35 ♪♪♪ 31:45 ♪♪♪ 31:55 ♪♪♪ 32:03 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where 32:06 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His 32:10 plan to save you. 32:12 So what are you waiting for? 32:14 Get practical answers about the good book for a better 32:16 life today. 32:20 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 32:23 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 32:26 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 32:30 and 8 p.m. Pacific time. 32:32 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 32:35 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 32:40 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 32:46 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 32:51 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to 32:53 "Bible Answers Live." 32:54 We know there's some that may have joined us since we started 32:57 the program. 32:58 We just want to tell you this is a live interactive Bible study. 33:01 We're broadcasting around the world on different stations, the 33:04 internet, satellite radio, and we invite you to call in with 33:08 your Bible questions. 33:09 We have a few lines open. 33:10 That number 800-GOD-SAYS, that's 800-463-7297. 33:17 My name is Douglas Batchelor. 33:20 Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross and we've got some folks who have 33:23 sent us their email questions, and so we want to thank those 33:26 who emailed us. 33:28 If you'd like to send us an email question, the address 33:30 is easy. 33:31 It's just simply BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 33:32 BAL, that's "Bible Answers 33:36 Live," BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 33:38 Pastor Doug, Sandry is asking, she obviously has read your 33:44 book, and she says, "How long was it from the time that you 33:47 were baptized, living in the cave, until you quit smoking?" 33:51 Doug: Okay, some people that have read my testimony, you've 33:54 heard it online, that I was baptized a little too soon. 33:58 I was living up in the mountains in a cave and some Calvary 34:02 Baptist gentlemen hiked by and they asked if I was a Christian 34:05 and I said, "I just accepted Jesus from reading the Bible 34:09 someone left in the cave," and they said, "Oh, you got to get 34:11 baptized," and I really didn't know what I was getting into, 34:13 and so they baptized me. 34:15 I'm still smoking, drinking, using drugs, and anyway--but I 34:20 didn't quit smoking, I don't think, for another probably two, 34:23 two and a half years, and I was re-baptized in Northern 34:27 California and I've not smoked since. 34:30 So you want to have these addictions behind you, but don't 34:33 let my two and a half years give you an excuse to wait. 34:36 Today is the day, if you hear his voice. 34:39 Jëan: All right, we have another person who emailed us. 34:42 We have Lizlyn, who is asking, "Would you kindly explain 34:45 Revelation 8:1? 34:47 What is the reason for a half an hour of silence in heaven?" 34:51 Doug: Yeah, that's a great question. 34:53 Well, you know, God is typically surrounded by angels that are 34:57 giving Him glory and singing, and but when Christ comes, it 35:01 says He's coming with all of the angels to redeem or to rescue 35:07 and, during the Second Coming, so the saints are called up to 35:10 meet Him in the air. 35:12 That's probably because heaven's been emptied by everyone coming 35:16 to save--or for the resurrection, Second Coming 35:20 of Christ. 35:22 And it says, "About the space of half an hour." 35:25 Now, if a day is a year in prophecy, and there are 360 days 35:29 in a Jewish year, 15 days would be an hour. 35:36 Half of 15 days would be--or half an hour would be about 35:41 seven days. 35:42 So that's a nice Bible number. 35:44 So, we think that that's the seven day period when Christ 35:48 leaves heaven, comes to earth, rescues, and raptures, and 35:51 brings us back to the kingdom. 35:53 Jëan: All right, final email question, Pastor Doug. 35:54 Chris is asking, "Why did the demons demand to go into the 35:57 pigs if the pigs were going to be killed right after they 36:00 possessed them?" 36:02 Doug: Well, the devils are thinking they've outsmarted 36:05 the Lord. 36:06 The devil wanted to get the community to drive Jesus away, 36:09 which worked. 36:10 What happened is--but their plan backfired. 36:14 When Jesus cast a legion, thousands of devils, out of this 36:19 man, this one man, and the devil said, "Don't cast us into the 36:22 abyssos, " into the nothingness, "but cast us into this herd of 36:25 pigs," that was up on the hill. 36:26 There was about 2000 of them, the book of Matthew tells us, 36:29 and Jesus said, "Go." 36:31 The pigs went out of the man-- or the demons went out of the 36:33 man, went into this herd of pigs, the pigs went berserk, 36:36 and they stampede off a cliff into the Sea of Galilee. 36:40 Well, the people in the area-- this was a financial, not only 36:44 called a toxic waste dump, but it it was a financial disaster 36:48 for them because they were raising them. 36:50 This is a city, Decapolis, they're not all Jews in the 36:53 area, and they were raising the pigs for food, you know. 36:57 And that 2000 pigs, that was just--they said, "Jesus, 37:01 please leave. 37:02 It costs too much having you around." 37:04 So Jesus left. 37:05 But what ended up happening is this man who's converted, he 37:08 went everywhere and told how Jesus saved him from demons. 37:11 And those 2000 pigs that drowned began to float all over a great 37:15 big Jewish lake, and everybody in Israel heard about the 37:19 miracle because of what happened with the pigs. 37:22 So, all three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell 37:25 this story of the demoniac, because, probably they all knew 37:31 about the toxic spill of pork chops floating in the Sea 37:34 of Galilee. 37:36 So, Jesus turned the devil's plan back on them, and when 37:39 Christ came back to that area, they were all ready to 37:41 receive Him. 37:43 Jëan: Okay, we have Ely listening in Kansas. 37:46 Ely, welcome to the program. 37:47 Ely: Yeah, it's just a quick question, when it says to 37:51 be perfect. 37:53 So in 1 Peter 1:16 says that "Be a saint because I am saint," and 38:00 too much people have said that you have to be perfect, and also 38:04 in the other verse that said that, "If you are not saint, you 38:08 can't see God when He returns." 38:11 Like, what does that mean? 38:12 Doug: Yeah, how perfect does a Christian need to be? 38:16 First of all, I'll give you an answer, but make sure anybody 38:19 that wants to know about this, the best book on that, Amazing 38:22 Facts carries, and we'll send it to you free. 38:25 "Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning?" 38:28 And it's an amazing book by Joe Crews and it has a really 38:31 balanced approach. 38:33 Now, everything depends on "What do you mean by perfect?" 38:36 Some people think, "Well, perfect," they picture you've 38:39 got this sterile, stainless-steel robot that is, 38:42 you know, just walking through society, no temptation, and 38:46 no flaws. 38:48 Is that what it's saying? 38:49 Now, Jesus says in Matthew, "Be therefore perfect, as your 38:52 Father in heaven is perfect." 38:54 The context of what he's talking about is loving your neighbor. 38:56 He's talking about perfect love. 38:58 If you read the same thing that Christ says in Luke, look at 39:01 Luke 6:36, He says, "Therefore be merciful, even as your Father 39:06 in heaven." 39:07 God wants us to have perfect mercy, patience, and love, and 39:09 forgiveness for others. 39:11 Jesus said, "If we don't love and forgive others, then God 39:14 is not going to forgive us." 39:15 And so with the Holy Spirit, we can really love people, we can 39:19 forgive people, and God wants us to have that attitude. 39:24 God is love, if we don't learn to love, then we can't be in the 39:29 kingdom, because everyone there is loving. 39:31 Now, when you think about perfection, you know, whenever 39:34 we have an anointing service, we read from James where he talks 39:38 about praying, and God will hear your prayers and believe and 39:41 don't think you have to be perfect to have your 39:43 prayers heard. 39:45 Look at how God answered the prayers of Elijah, who goes to 39:48 heaven in a fiery chariot, so we know he's making it 39:50 to heaven. 39:51 He made it already, and He says, "Yet he was a man subject to the 39:54 same weakness and temptations that we are." 39:57 Now, he overcame, but Elijah got discouraged, Elijah had some ups 40:02 and downs, he misunderstood God and ran from Jezebel. 40:06 So, God is telling us, "Don't get discouraged if you look in 40:09 the mirror and you say, 'I'm just--I don't know how God's 40:11 going to save me. 40:12 I'm so selfish, I've got all these problems."' 40:15 If you look at yourself, you're going to think, 40:17 how can I be saved? 40:19 If you look at Jesus, you'll think, how can I be lost? 40:22 Because He is so good, He is so loving, He has done so much to 40:25 save us. 40:27 So, what does it mean to be a perfect Christian? 40:29 It means have the same kind of love and faith of walking with 40:34 God like Enoch, believing and praying to God like Elijah, 40:38 trusting in the Lord like David, and standing up for God like 40:42 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 40:45 And you can do that, we can be like those people, and God's 40:49 calling us to that. 40:50 And don't get discouraged. 40:52 God--keep in mind, friends, God is a better savior than 40:55 the devil is a tempter. 40:57 Don't give the devil more credit to be able to make you be lost 41:02 than you're going to give God credit to be able to save you. 41:05 Otherwise, you've got a bigger devil than a savior. 41:08 So read that book, I'll tell you again, it's called "Is it 41:11 Possible to Live Without Sinning?" 41:13 You'll be encouraged by that. 41:15 Jëan: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747, 41:19 and ask for the book. 41:21 It's called "Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning?" 41:23 Now, you can also get the book, you can call and ask, or you can 41:26 dial pound 250 on your smartphone, say, "Bible Answers 41:29 Live," and then ask for the book, "Is it Possible to Live 41:32 Without Sinning?" 41:33 You'll receive a digital download, and if you're outside 41:35 of North America, just go to the website, amazingfacts.org. 41:39 Pastor Doug, I think you've got a Bible verse you want 41:42 to add to that. 41:43 Doug: Yeah, well, I was thinking about just--this is such 41:45 an important question because so many folks get discouraged 41:47 and think, "Oh, I'm never going to be good enough." 41:49 The apostle Paul, who wrote almost half of the New 41:51 Testament, he said, "I do not count myself to have 41:54 apprehended, but I press on." 41:56 But at the end of his life, he says, "I have fought a good 41:59 fight, and there's a crown of righteousness laid up for me." 42:01 He knew he was saved. 42:03 "I know whom I believed in. 42:04 I'm persuaded He's able to keep that which I've committed 42:06 to Him." 42:08 But if you ask Paul during his life, "Do you 42:09 think you're perfect?" 42:10 He says, "I don't count myself to be perfect." 42:12 So, you may--you're probably never going to feel like you're 42:15 perfect, but don't lose faith that God can finish what He 42:18 started in your life. 42:20 Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Eric in Texas. 42:22 Eric, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 42:25 Eric: Hi, Pastor Doug. 42:26 Doug: Hi Eric, thanks for calling. 42:28 Eric: I got a question, "Does the Antichrist and the false 42:32 prophet help Satan fight against God when He comes back?" 42:38 Well, the Antichrist and the false prophet are 42:41 in confederacy. 42:43 It talks about the the beast, the dragon, and the 42:45 false prophet. 42:47 They're all in confederacy together in opposing God, and so 42:52 when Christ is seen coming and there's a vision of His coming-- 42:55 in Revelation, is it the 19-- he comes riding on the white 42:58 horse, and yeah, he's coming to execute judgment. 43:03 And I think in Revelation 20 doesn't it say Satan, not only 43:07 Satan, but the beast and the false prophet are all cast 43:09 in the lake of fire. 43:10 Jëan: That's right. 43:11 Doug: So there you've got the great nemesis and the great hero 43:15 pictured there. 43:17 Jëan: Yeah, you have this counterfeit trinity that 43:19 the Bible describes. 43:21 You have the true Trinity; the Father, the Son, and 43:22 the Holy Spirit. 43:23 Then you have the devil's trinity; the dragon, the beast, 43:25 and the false prophet. 43:26 And just as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are united in 43:29 their work of saving mankind, the dragon, the beast, and the 43:32 false prophet are uniting the work of destroying mankind, 43:36 leading them into sin, bringing about destruction. 43:39 And so this coalition exists right at the very end. 43:43 We do have a study guide that talks about who is 43:45 the Antichrist. 43:46 It's an important study and it'll go into detail on this. 43:50 The Bible warns us and says, "Don't worship the beast or his 43:52 image, don't receive his mark." 43:54 So we need to understand what this Antichrist or beast 43:57 power is. 43:58 To receive it, call 800-835-6747. 44:02 Again, that's 800-835-6747, and you can ask for the study guide. 44:06 It's "Who is the Antichrist?" 44:08 You can dial pound 250. 44:10 And again, just ask for it, "Who is the Antichrist?" 44:13 Marlene in California. 44:15 Marlene, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 44:17 Marlene: Hi, how are you guys? 44:18 Hi Pastor Doug, hi Jëan. 44:22 Hi, I wanted to ask a question. 44:25 What does the Bible say about women being ordained ministers 44:31 and preaching in the pulpit? 44:33 Is there such a--does God speak on that or does He not? 44:39 Doug: Yeah, I think the Bible's pretty clear that God has called 44:44 men to be the servant leaders in the family and the church is an 44:47 extension of the family. 44:50 But yeah, you're asking two questions there, so I want to 44:52 make sure that I bifurcate my answer. 44:54 One is about women speaking in the church, you talked about 44:56 them preaching or teaching in the pulpit. 44:59 There's a thin line between preaching and teaching. 45:01 Sometimes my preaching is teaching and sometimes you get 45:04 a little preaching, and it's different. 45:06 The other you ask is about women being ordained as pastors. 45:10 There's no example in the Bible of a woman baptizing or 45:15 offering sacrifice. 45:17 That was usually the men, the sons of Aaron were called to do 45:21 that, Abraham did it, Jacob, Isaac, the patriarchs were the 45:26 ones who let out in the priestly functions. 45:29 And so in the New Testament, it says that an elder should be the 45:32 husband of one wife. 45:34 And so all through the Bible, of course, there's a reason Jesus 45:37 chose 12 men to be pastors, and He--Jesus certainly went 45:42 against the tide in many things that He did. 45:44 He could have gone against that tradition and see if it was 45:47 wrong, but He perpetuated it. 45:50 And then when they replaced Judas, they replaced--they 45:55 said, "Choose from among you a man." 45:57 And then when they were picking the deacons, it said, "Choose 46:00 out from among you seven men." 46:02 And so, consistently when people were ordained in a special sense 46:07 for positions of leadership, teaching positions, they 46:10 were men. 46:12 But when you have a man who's a pastor of a church, he will 46:14 recognize gifts of ministry in women and invite them to teach 46:19 or preach something God has shared, because you have 46:21 examples of women, you have prophetess in the Bible where 46:24 God gave them a message. 46:26 And Deborah and Huldah and Hannah, I guess in a sense she 46:29 was a prophetess when she spoke there. 46:31 There's several others that don't come to mind right now. 46:34 But we have a free book we'll send you that's just got the 46:38 Scriptures on this and you can draw your own conclusions. 46:40 It's called "Women in Ministry," and I think God has called all 46:44 believers to ministry, to share their gifts in sharing 46:47 the gospel. 46:49 But there is a distinction in the roles of men and women and I 46:51 know that's not popular in our culture that is trying to erase 46:55 any distinction between genders, but the Bible's pretty clear 46:58 there are differences. 46:59 There's a reason that God says, "A man should not put on a 47:03 woman's clothing, neither should a woman put on a man's 47:06 clothing," and that's Deuteronomy, I think, 18:22, 47:09 "All that do so are an abomination." 47:11 God wants us to celebrate these differences, not to blur them. 47:15 Thanks, I hope that helps a little bit, Marlene, 47:17 with your question. 47:19 Jëan: Again, the number is 800-835-6747, and ask for 47:22 the book, "Women in Ministry." 47:24 You can call pound 250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers 47:27 Live," and then ask for the book that way. 47:30 James in Tennessee, James, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 47:33 James: Oh yes, thank you all so much. 47:35 I worry a lot about Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 8, because it 47:41 seems like the prophets are here--like, I don't know if 47:45 they're actually lying in the verse or what this verse 47:47 actually means, because I was wondering also that Sabbath, 47:52 the word "Sabbath" don't mean church. 47:54 And how do we know how--why wasn't going to church one of 47:58 the Ten Commandments? 48:00 Like, "Thou shalt go to church" or make the commandments 48:03 a little bit longer. 48:04 And reminds me of, like, Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 8. 48:09 Can you explain that verse and explain why it don't mention the 48:12 church and the commandments? 48:13 Doug: Yeah, well, in Jeremiah chapter 8, I think I've got the 48:17 right verse here, verse 8. "How can you say, 'We are wise, and 48:21 the law of the Lord is with us?' 48:22 Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly 48:25 works falsehood. 48:26 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken." 48:29 Now Jeremiah--it's interesting you ask this, I just finished 48:32 reading the entire book of Jeremiah in the last couple of 48:35 weeks and was reading these passages. 48:38 Jeremiah is telling the people of Israel, as they're being 48:41 surrounded by the Chaldeans, or the Babylonians, that you're 48:46 saying, "Well, we've got the commandments, we've got the law 48:48 with us, we've got the Ten Commandments and the ark, 48:51 God is with us," yet they were living wickedly. 48:53 He said, "Don't say that you've got the law with you, that's not 48:55 going to save you if you're not obeying it." 48:57 So that's really what he's talking about in this passage. 49:00 Just because you say, "I've got a scribe with us, we've got the 49:02 law with us," but the scribes are not teaching the truth. 49:06 He's not talking about the writing of the Bible, he's 49:08 talking about what their interpretations of it was. 49:10 Because the Scriptures had been written by the prophets. 49:13 Scribes basically were the ones who were dissecting the Word. 49:16 Jesus had problems with the scribes in His day too. 49:20 Jëan: And then you mentioned also the, you know, the 49:22 Sabbath commandment. 49:24 The Sabbath commandment doesn't say, "Well, that's a day you 49:26 have to go to church," but the Bible does talk--speak about 49:28 a holy convocation where people were to gather together 49:31 and worship. 49:32 And there's many examples that we have in the Old Testament, 49:34 also in the New Testament, where people gathered together 49:37 to worship and that is very appropriate to do on 49:40 the Sabbath. 49:42 Doug: Holy assembly. 49:43 Jëan: Yeah, Paul says, "Do not neglect the gathering yourselves 49:45 together," speaking about church, especially as you see 49:48 the day approaching, the day of the Second Coming of Christ. 49:50 Doug: And a Christian is a follower of Christ, and the 49:52 Bible says, "Jesus, as His custom was, He went to the 49:57 synagogue on the Sabbath day." 49:58 So He gives us an example there. 50:00 Jëan: Okay, next one that we have is Frank in Oregon. 50:03 Frank, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 50:05 Frank: Hello Pastor Doug, I got a question for you. 50:10 In Isaiah 2:4, it talks about what will happen when the 50:15 Messiah comes, and it says, "He shall judge between the nations, 50:20 and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into 50:23 plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations 50:27 shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn 50:30 war anymore." 50:32 Now, as I see it, the wars have continued and nations have 50:38 fought and none of that has come to pass, and I think that's why 50:43 the Jewish people are rejecting that Christ was the Messiah, and 50:47 how does that jive with what is currently preached 50:51 in Christianity? 50:53 Doug: This is talking about the Second Coming of Jesus. 50:56 There are two kinds of Old Testament messianic prophecy. 50:59 Some are talking about Christ coming as a sacrifice, that's 51:03 what you read in Isaiah chapter 53. 51:05 "He's bruised for our iniquities, and we're healed 51:09 by His stripes." 51:10 He suffered, He's a suffering servant. 51:12 He opens not His mouth, and he goes to trial. 51:14 And so this is the Jesus's First Coming as a lamb, He comes 51:19 the second time as a lion. 51:20 The wicked are destroyed, He creates a new heaven and 51:23 a new earth. 51:24 Isaiah also talks about that where the wolf lies down with 51:26 the lamb, the lion and the ox are--they get along together, 51:30 they don't kill each other. 51:32 And in this time of peace, weapons, the spears and swords 51:37 that were used for fighting, they're now going to be used 51:38 for farming. 51:40 So--and they used to do that during the time of Solomon. 51:42 They said, "We got all these armaments, we're in a time of 51:44 peace, we need the iron for our farms." 51:46 And they would change the use of the iron. 51:49 And so, this is a beautiful picture of what the world will 51:52 be like during the Second Coming of Christ, the new heaven, 51:56 the new earth. 51:58 The Jews are applying it to the First Coming, that's the mistake 52:00 they're making. 52:01 Jëan: And even at the time of Christ, there was some confusion 52:03 about this, because, yeah, they were looking for 52:05 a conquering king. 52:06 They didn't understand when Jesus said, "The kingdom of God 52:09 is within you." 52:10 He said, "My kingdom is not of this world, otherwise my 52:13 disciples would fight for it, my followers would fight for it," 52:15 but the kingdoms are going to be His at the Second Coming. 52:20 That's what the disciples said, "Lord, is it now that you're 52:22 going to restore the kingdom?" 52:23 They said after the resurrection. 52:24 So they didn't understand, even then, and Jesus had to explain 52:26 to them, it's not now, it's when he comes the Second Time. 52:30 All right, next caller that we have. 52:31 Let's see, we've got Johnny in Canada. 52:33 Johnny, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 52:36 Johnny: Thank you for taking my call. 52:38 So I have been studying the two prophecies in Daniel, the 490 52:43 year and then the 1260. 52:48 And looking for subtle connections, I saw something 52:50 that I'm curious what you guys think, and that is when the 52:55 disciples asked Jesus, "How often should I forgive?" 52:59 And He says 70 times 7, which seems to me like a reference to 53:02 490, as, like, a period of forgiveness. 53:06 And so I'm wondering if you see that in anything else with 53:09 perhaps the other prophecy where it's three and a half years and 53:13 Jesus's ministry was three and a half years and the drought of 53:16 Elijah, three and a half years. 53:18 I'm curious if you see any connections with some of 53:20 those remarks. 53:21 Doug: Yeah, it's all connected. 53:23 You've got seven is a number for also, it's God's number for 53:26 perfection, but it's also a number for forgiveness. 53:28 The Bible says a righteous man may fall seven times and 53:32 rise again. 53:33 And Jesus--by the way, in Daniel chapter 9, when it says 53:39 in verse 24, "Seventy weeks are determined for Your people." 53:41 Seventy weeks are cut off for Your people. 53:45 Daniel was saying, "Lord, how much longer are you going to put 53:47 up with Your people before the Messiah comes?" 53:50 Because they kept, kind of, sinning and repenting and 53:53 sinning and repenting up and down, revival, and then there 53:55 was disgrace, and God said, "I'm going to give them another 490 54:00 years of mercy." 54:02 So it's talking about the long-suffering of God, seventy 54:04 times seven. 54:06 And then Peter said, "How often shall I forgive my brother, 54:07 seven times?" 54:09 And Jesus said, "No, seventy times seven." 54:11 He's alluding to the long-suffering of God with 54:16 Israel, and Jesus, of course, came to mark that time that 54:21 Daniel was speaking of. 54:23 So, Christ's baptism was the first part of that 490 year 54:28 prophecy, the Messiah being anointed. 54:30 Jëan: All right, excellent. 54:32 Let's see, we've got time for a few more callers. 54:34 We got Brandon in California. 54:36 Brandon, welcome to the program. 54:38 Brandon: Hi, how are you guys doing today? 54:40 Doug: Doing great, thank you. 54:42 Your call--or your question? 54:44 Brandon: So, in 1 Corinthians 15:1 through 4, it says that 54:47 the gospel was the Christ in Him crucified, I believe, and in 54:53 Revelation 14:6 through 12 is the three angels's messages. 54:57 And my question is about-- because I've heard some of the 55:00 pioneers of the church say that the three angels's message 55:04 is the gospel, but that's not what Paul says. 55:06 Doug: Well, right there in the three angels's message it says 55:10 that they are to preach the everlasting gospel. 55:14 So I'm still not sure why, you know, the angel is given 55:18 the everlasting gospel. 55:20 Why is this a conflict or how is it different from what 55:21 Paul says? 55:23 Brandon: Yeah, you're right. 55:24 It says that it preaches--or it says to preach the everlasting 55:28 gospel, which I guess is life, death, and resurrection 55:31 of Christ. 55:32 Okay, I don't know how to explain my thought process here, 55:34 I'm not very good at that. 55:35 Doug: No, it's all right. 55:37 Yeah, there's no conflict really between the messages of 55:42 the angels. 55:44 The first one is being told to preach the everlasting gospel to 55:48 all the world, and Christ said that He will not come, and this 55:51 is Matthew 24:14, it says, "The gospel of this kingdom will be 55:56 preached in all the world for a witness," doesn't mean everybody 55:59 is going to believe it, "and then the end will come." 56:03 And so, the angel in the heavens is talking about, you know, 56:07 usually something from the heavens means it's going global, 56:11 preaching to the whole world, and they're going to the four 56:13 corners of the earth preaching this message, and that's what's 56:17 going to happen before the end comes. 56:18 And then all through the three angels's messages, not only is 56:22 the message the good news, and part of the gospel is to run 56:25 from sin, repent of your sins. 56:27 The third angel's message, "Beware of the beast and his 56:30 image," is also a message of warning about the devil and sin. 56:35 So you've got the good news, you've got to beware of the 56:39 danger of sin in the three angels's message, that we should 56:42 be worshiping God, part of the gospel is to worship God, and of 56:46 course, the gospel in Revelation says "Christ is the one who was 56:50 dead," that's in the messages to the seven churches, "but He's 56:53 alive forevermore." 56:55 So, yeah, I think that you do find the gospel woven very 57:00 deeply through the fabric of the three angels that we find here 57:03 in Revelation chapter 14. 57:06 We have a lesson on that, and I think that you'll be blessed, 57:08 friends, if you get those--that lesson called "Angel Messages 57:12 From Outer Space." 57:13 Jëan: Our next caller, Pastor Doug, is Thomas, and he's 57:16 listening in Pennsylvania. 57:17 Thomas, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 57:19 Thomas: Yeah, so I know in Scripture in the Bible, the word 57:23 "Trinity" isn't in the Bible anywhere. 57:26 And I know the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and 57:30 the Son, correct? 57:32 Doug: Well, the Holy Spirit is a distinct person, so it does-- 57:38 you know, the Holy Spirit and the Father and Son are all in 57:40 perfect unison together. 57:42 You know, we're going to run out of time. 57:44 Tell you what, rather than cut you off halfway through 57:47 a thought--I guess I kind of did that. 57:48 Sorry, Thomas, but I hope you'll call back next week. 57:51 We do have a book that talks about "Understanding 57:54 the Trinity." 57:55 And if you want, you can get a free copy of that. 57:57 The number, Pastor Ross, real quick. 57:58 Jëan: 800-835-6747, "Understanding the Trinity." 58:03 Doug: All right, God bless, friends. 58:04 Out of time, until next week and keep studying the Word, we'll 58:07 study again then. 58:11 male announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 58:13 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before 58:17 Bible Answers live is produced by Amazing Facts International. 58:21 A faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. |
Revised 2025-02-06