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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202430S
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00:03 male announcer: It is the best-selling book in history. 00:05 No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted; 00:09 and its words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, 00:13 should always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate 00:23 and practical answer to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:33 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:38 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:43 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:47 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Hello, listening friends, would you like to hear 00:52 an amazing fact? 00:55 Most Christians would admit that they should pray more often and 00:58 longer, but few have prayed as consistently as the 01:02 early Moravians. 01:04 Following the martyr Jan Hus, Moravian Christians are 01:07 considered to be the first Protestants. 01:10 They got their name because they fled from persecution 01:12 in Moravia. 01:14 Many settled on the estate of a wealthy Christian count named 01:17 Zinzendorf in Saxony. 01:20 As their numbers grew, the community at Herrnhut began to 01:23 descend into various fractions and bickering. 01:26 Then on August 1727, Count Zinzendorf suggested 01:30 that they pray. 01:31 This turned into an all-night prayer vigil. 01:34 The spirit of forgiveness and revival was so promising, 01:38 the group decided to start a continuous prayer vigil. 01:41 They designated a place in the village, divided the week into 01:44 168 one-hour time slots, and they prayed in groups of two or 01:48 three for one-hour increments. 01:51 From then on, for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, two to 01:56 three people were always praying in the place of prayer. 02:00 What's more, this around the clock prayer meeting went on 02:03 uninterrupted for over a hundred years. 02:07 By 1791, 65 years after the commencement of that prayer 02:12 vigil, the small Moravian community had sent out over 300 02:16 missionaries to the four corners of the earth. 02:19 These were some of the first Protestant missionaries. 02:22 You know, Pastor Ross just reminds me of the, the power of 02:26 prayer and how we need to pray more. 02:28 And you wonder if Christians today, generally speaking, 02:32 understand what it means when they sing "Sweet Hour 02:35 of Prayer." 02:36 How few people actually pray an hour, and Jesus, it says he 02:40 spent a whole night in prayer. 02:44 And here these folks, they were spending--they wanted someone in 02:49 the community to constantly be in prayer. 02:51 Now you and I have been at meetings where while we're 02:53 preaching, there's someone in the prayer room and they're 02:56 praying the whole time, which is comforting, and you sense it 03:00 makes a difference. 03:01 Jëan Ross: Well, you know, the apostle Paul says, "We battle 03:03 not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and 03:06 powers," and you know, prayer is a powerful weapon against 03:09 the forces of evil. 03:11 And when we get involved, especially in witnessing 03:13 the evangelism and sharing our faith, it must be done with much 03:17 prayer, because the devil doesn't like that. 03:19 And so, a church that prays, a family that prays together, 03:22 a church that prays together, is a church that is going to grow. 03:25 Doug: Amen, yeah, and they accomplished much in doing that. 03:28 God seems to bless. 03:29 The Lord does when we pray what He otherwise might not do. 03:35 It makes a difference. 03:37 Now, folks might be asking that question the disciples ask. 03:40 You can read in Luke 11, verse 1, says, "It came to pass, 03:44 as Jesus was praying, when he ceased, his disciples said to 03:47 him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his 03:51 disciples--'" and when they saw Jesus come from prayer, 03:54 He looked energized and invigorated, and He may have 03:57 been glowing with God's glory. 03:59 And they said, "Wow, that's real prayer. 04:02 We--maybe we're not doing it right." 04:04 And I think Spurgeon said, "I'd rather teach ten pastors to pray 04:09 rather than preach, if they could just pray." 04:13 And, friends, we'd like to offer you a free book that talks about 04:15 how we could know more about what biblical prayer is and 04:19 the power there. 04:20 Jëan: Yes, the book is called "Teach Us to Pray," and it's 04:22 free to anyone who calls and asks. 04:24 The number is 800-835-6747, you can ask for the book, "Teach Us 04:28 to Pray." 04:30 Or you can dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers 04:34 Live," and then ask for the book. 04:36 We can send you a digital copy of the book, "Teach Us to Pray." 04:40 And you know, Pastor Doug, we just want to encourage folks to 04:42 take advantage of this, it's free. 04:44 In the book, you actually give some guidelines, 04:46 some principles. 04:47 Sometimes people wonder, "Well, when it comes to pray, where 04:49 do I start? 04:50 You know, how do I keep my mind focused on the important things 04:53 that I need to be praying about?" 04:55 So, a number of practical principles are found in 04:57 the book. 04:58 It's called "Teach Us to Pray," and it's free. 05:00 Call and ask for it. 05:02 Well, before we go to the phone lines, it's probably good for us 05:04 to do the very thing we're talking about, and that is pray. 05:06 So, why don't you join us as we open with the word of prayer? 05:09 Dear Father, we are so grateful that we do have this opportunity 05:11 to open up Your Word and study. 05:14 Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth 05:15 will set you free." 05:17 And so, thank you for the truth of Your Word and bless those who 05:19 are listening wherever they might be. 05:21 And guide us, Lord, into a clear understanding of Bible truth 05:24 today, for we ask us in Jesus's name, amen. 05:28 All right, ready to go to the phone lines, and our first 05:30 caller this evening is Teresa from Canada. 05:33 Teresa, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:35 Teresa: Hello. 05:37 Doug: Hi, thank you for calling. 05:38 Teresa: I have a question. 05:41 So, a few weeks ago, I was listening on YouTube, just every 05:46 night of old programs that you have, and you had mentioned 05:50 something about not calling anyone on earth "father." 05:55 So I was looking it up in Matthew 23:9. 06:01 And I know I--like, lots of times I call my dad "Dad," but 06:04 there's many times I call him "Father" also. 06:09 Should I not do that? 06:11 Doug: No, nothing wrong with that. 06:13 If you read the context of what Jesus is saying, He's speaking 06:16 about in church relationships. 06:18 And He starts out, for instance, He's talking about the 06:20 Pharisees, the religious leaders. 06:23 Chapter 23 begins with, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in 06:26 Moses' seat." 06:28 And then you can look a little later, and he says, "You 06:32 don't--but you are all not to be called Rabbi, for you have one 06:35 teacher, and you're all brothers. 06:37 And call no man your father on earth." They used to call 06:40 religious leaders "Father," and you can look in the Old 06:43 Testament when Elijah goes to heaven, his apprentice said, "My 06:48 father, my father," and in a sense, Elisha could say that 06:50 more than others, because Elijah kind of adopted Elisha in that 06:54 he left his family. 06:55 But, so it became a custom, they were often calling religious 06:59 leaders "Father," and, you know, in some churches, they call 07:03 the priest "Father." 07:04 And Jesus is saying, "Don't do that. 07:06 You've got one Father in heaven. 07:08 He is your spiritual Father." 07:10 Nothing wrong with calling your dad "Father." 07:12 That's--you know, He's not addressing that. 07:14 He's talking about church relationships here. 07:16 Jëan: And, you know, great emphasis was placed upon the 07:18 council or the teachings of the fathers, especially back in the 07:22 time of Christ. 07:23 The elders would often referred to, "Well, the fathers said," 07:26 and they're talking to patriarchs in the church, and 07:29 they were considered to be the final word when it came to 07:31 finding truth or doctrine. 07:33 While Jesus is saying the One who you're to seek for final 07:36 truth is your heavenly Father. 07:39 Go to the Word of God, don't go to some earthly person, think 07:42 that they have the final word on doctrine. 07:44 Doug: Yeah, and even more than that, if you read just what it 07:46 says after it, He talks about pride. 07:50 They had titles, and they made a big deal out of the titles. 07:53 And He said, "Neither be called instructors, for you have one 07:56 instructor-" He said, "The greatest among you will be 07:59 His servant. 08:00 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled..." He's talking about 08:03 wanting titles of preeminence above others. 08:06 It--nothing wrong with calling your dad "Father." 08:08 Jëan: Okay, thank you, Teresa. 08:09 We've got Allen in California. 08:11 Allen, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 08:13 Allen: Good evening, gentlemen. 08:15 I'm calling from Bakersfield. 08:16 My question is--regards 2--or 1 Corinthians 15:52, and it's 08:23 regarding the Rapture. 08:24 It says, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last 08:27 trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead in Christ 08:30 shall be raised incorruptible." Now, "the last trump," now, 08:33 unless President Trump has sons that go into politics, he's the 08:36 last Trump, so the Rapture is in four years. 08:40 Is that, is that accurate? 08:42 Doug: No, I don't think so. 08:44 I, you know, I never thought to play it that way. 08:47 I think it's talking about the trumpet that will sound, 08:50 the instrument. 08:51 Jëan: Now, of course, if you read it in the New King James, 08:53 it says "trumpet," so trump and trumpet, same thing. 08:56 Doug: Yeah. 08:57 When you say "Rapture" there, it--of course, we're talking 08:59 about when that we are caught up to meet the Lord, and this is, 09:03 this is also the same time as the general resurrection. 09:07 So you've got the Lord descending, the living who are 09:10 righteous are transformed, and they get glorified bodies. 09:13 The dead righteous, who are asleep, they are raised, they 09:16 are caught up to meet the Lord in the air first. 09:19 Then we are caught up to meet them, because they're already 09:21 with the Lord when we get there. 09:23 So, yeah, it's talking about the trumpet, and I think it says--it 09:28 does use the word "trumpet" in a couple places when it speaks 09:31 about that event. 09:32 Jëan: You know, we have a study guide. 09:33 It's called "Ultimate Deliverance," and it's about 09:35 the Second Coming of Christ. 09:36 It gives you the biblical principles. 09:38 It also helps to show certain signs. 09:40 People are often wondering, "Well, how soon is Jesus going 09:43 to come?" 09:44 Well, there are certain signs that the Bible gives us, and 09:46 that's also outlined in the study guide. 09:48 We'll send it to anyone for free. 09:50 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 09:54 You can ask for the study guide called "The 09:55 Ultimate Deliverance." 09:56 You can dial #250 on your smartphone, and say "Bible 10:00 Answers Live," and ask for that study guide by name. 10:04 Thank you, Allen. 10:05 We've got Donna in Maryland. 10:06 Donna, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 10:08 Donna: Hello, pastors, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross. 10:13 My question is: Why was Judas replaced with Matthias? 10:17 Does that hold any significance? 10:20 I don't recall any other disciple that was replaced. 10:25 Doug: Well, there's a difference, of course, between 10:26 disciple and apostle. 10:28 Jesus specifically chose 12 apostles. 10:32 And the number 12, of course, is a, it's a number that God had 10:35 used in the Old Testament for the leadership of his people. 10:40 And 12 is a number that--you look, for instance, in 10:43 Revelation chapter 12. 10:45 The city where the saints live is 12,000 furlongs. 10:50 It's got 12 gates, 12 foundations, a tree that has 12 10:55 kinds of fruit, 12 times a year, so the number 12. 10:58 And there's a woman that's got 12 stars above her head in 11:01 chapter 12, yeah. 11:03 And so, you've got the number 12. 11:06 And I jumped there between chapter 12 and chapter 21. 11:10 You've got--the number just constantly appears in the Bible 11:14 as a number for the leadership of God's people, the 12 tribes 11:17 in the Old Testament. 11:18 So even though ten of the tribes had been carried off to Assyria, 11:21 Christ still chose 12 apostles. 11:24 When one of them died, they wanted to fulfill that number, 11:28 and so they said, "Well, you know, we should do something to 11:30 replace Judas." 11:31 Now, it's interesting, getting the number back to 12 is 11:35 the last thing they do before the Holy Spirit is poured out. 11:39 After they vote, and they cast lots, and they pray, and 11:42 Matthias is chosen, the next verse says they are praying 11:45 together, and the Holy Spirit is poured out, mighty wind, fire, 11:49 the Pentecost happens. 11:51 When you get to Revelation, the 144,000 is 12 times 12,000, and 11:58 that number, of course, is divided by 12 many ways, and 12:03 they do a special work in the last days. 12:05 So, the number does mean something, and they felt that it 12:09 was important to replace this missing apostle who 12:12 committed suicide. 12:14 Jëan: All right, thank you, Donna, good question. 12:16 Next caller that we have is Glenn in Ohio. 12:19 Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 12:22 Glenn: Good evening, pastors, and thank you for taking 12:24 my call. 12:27 You know, there's a situation in the Book of Revelation, where 12:31 it's called the white throne judgment. 12:35 There were the wicked or prosecuted and sent to their 12:39 final punishment. 12:42 We can understand that, but there's one that I have 12:45 difficulty understanding, and that's the situation of the mark 12:49 of the beast. 12:51 What is the purpose of the mark of the beast in the Bible? 12:54 Doug: Okay, well, the purpose behind the mark of the beast is 12:57 not something that God wills. 13:00 It's this beast power is, he's compelling the world to make an 13:07 image to this first beast that had a deadly wound by the sword 13:11 but yet comes back to life again. 13:14 And God is saying that, you know, he's compelling, not God 13:18 but the beast power, everyone to receive this mark, some mark 13:22 of recognition. 13:23 It's something they do that shows submission to the laws of 13:26 the beast as opposed to the law of God. 13:30 And the most fearful plague and punishment that you find 13:33 anywhere in the Bible is in Revelation 14, where it talks 13:37 about the wrath of God is going to be poured out on anyone that 13:41 has the mark of the beast or the number of his name, and so, we 13:45 need to know what that is, and that's why we have a lesson that 13:48 explains that. 13:49 And I sure hope, Glenn, you'll request this free lesson and 13:51 read it. 13:52 Jëan: The lesson is called "The Mark of the Beast," very 13:55 important study, and we'll send this to anyone who calls 13:57 and asks. 13:59 The number is 800-835-6747. 14:02 You can dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for that 14:04 study guide, "The Mark of the Beast," and while you're at it, 14:07 you might want to also ask for the study guide called the "Seal 14:09 of God." 14:11 There are actually two marks that you read about in the Book 14:12 of Revelation. 14:14 The righteous get the seal of God, and the wicked get the mark 14:16 of the beast, so, important study. 14:19 Thank you, Glenn. 14:20 Next caller that we have is Jet in Florida. 14:23 Jet, welcome to the program. 14:25 Jet: Hey. 14:27 Doug: Hi, how are you doing? 14:28 Jet: I'm good. 14:30 So my question is: who do you think the angel of the Lord is? 14:35 Doug: Well, it depends on what verse. 14:37 The term "angel of the Lord" can sometimes mean a regular angel 14:42 who is sent by the Lord. 14:45 Sometimes we believe the angel of the Lord is what you would 14:48 call a Christophany. 14:50 That means Jesus is appearing in the Old Testament before 14:53 His incarnation. 14:54 And the word "angel" there means the messenger of the Lord. 14:57 Now, some places you can go and you find out about that, in the 15:00 Book of Joshua, it says that this mighty warrior appears to 15:05 Joshua after the Battle of Ai, and Joshua says, "Are you 15:09 for us? 15:11 Are you for our enemies?" 15:12 And He said, "Neither." But it's commander of the armies 15:14 of the Lord. 15:15 Then He tells Joshua, "Take your shoes off your feet," same thing 15:18 that was said to Moses when Moses saw God at the 15:21 burning bush. 15:22 And so, he worships this angel. 15:25 Well, we're not supposed to worship regular angels. 15:28 And then, these angels, angelic-like beings, appeared to 15:32 Abraham, and then later, Abraham addresses one of them 15:35 as the Lord. 15:36 Jacob wrestles with an angel, and later he says, "I have 15:39 seen God." 15:41 And the Bible says, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven 15:45 with the voice of the archangel," the Lord with 15:48 the voice of the archangel. 15:49 So, many believe several of these occasions may be the one 15:53 who appeared to Sa--Samson's parents, that these were Christ 15:57 coming before His incarnation, and they identify Him as the 16:01 Angel or Messenger of the Lord. 16:03 Now, Jesus came into our world as the Ultimate Messenger. 16:07 Jesus is not an angel, don't misunderstand, but the word 16:10 "angel" means messenger. 16:12 So there may be times when Christ appeared, His divinity 16:15 was cloaked, and He appeared as an angel, a messenger of God, in 16:20 some of the Old Testament stories. 16:23 And we have a book on "Who is Michael the Archangel?" 16:24 It talks about that. 16:26 Jëan: Oh, that's a good one, yeah, that'll explain that. 16:28 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 16:31 You can dial #250 on your smartphone, ask for that book. 16:34 It's called "The Angel of the Lord"--No, "Who is Michael the 16:37 Archangel--?" it talks about the angel of the Lord. 16:39 I'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 16:41 If you want a hard copy, call for it or you can just 16:44 dial #250 to get a digital copy of the book. 16:47 Doug: Yeah, just some free information, Jet. 16:49 I typed in "angel of the Lord" in my computer. 16:52 It appears 67 times in the Bible. 16:55 We don't believe every one of those times is talking about a 16:57 Christophany, but some of them are. 17:01 Jëan: All right, thank you. 17:02 Our next caller is John in Georgia. 17:04 John, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 17:07 John: Hey, how you doing? 17:08 Doug: Doing much better than we deserve. 17:12 John: Same here, same here. 17:14 So my question is about the one thing, I always say, philosophy 17:19 that a lot of the churches believe. 17:23 I had a discussion with a friend of mine, and he insists that 17:27 we're saved by grace as long as we believe that Jesus was raised 17:31 from the dead and we believe that He's the Son of God. 17:35 You'll be saved regardless of your works, and I know that's 17:40 not true. 17:41 And I'm trying to explain it to him, but it's hard because of 17:46 the verses that he, he's misinterpreted. 17:50 Doug: Yeah, you know, at the heart of that teaching, the idea 17:54 that once you're saved, you can't be lost, I think people 17:57 want security. 17:58 They're looking for security that they're saved. 18:01 All of us, even after coming to Christ, we sin, and we think, 18:05 "Oh no, I've just lost my salvation." 18:07 And so, a lot of people are concerned about that, and they 18:10 don't want to lose that sense of assurance, and so they're very 18:12 passionate about preserving the idea that once you're saved, you 18:16 can't be lost, but it's not biblical. 18:19 Now, can you have assurance of your salvation? 18:21 Yes, there's a lot of verses that tell us that if we 18:24 cooperate, God is going to finish the work He started in 18:26 our lives. 18:28 He's the Author and the Finisher of our faith, and He which has 18:31 begun a good work in you will perform it, and sin shall not 18:35 have dominion over you. 18:36 But the idea that your works are not involved, Bible says in 18:41 Revelation, "Everyone is rewarded according to 18:43 his works." 18:44 And that verse, Pastor Ross, in Revelation, where it says, "If 18:47 we don't repent, our names will be taken from the Book of Life 18:50 and/or our candlestick will be removed out of its place," 18:54 that's the first what? 18:55 Chapter 2 and 3 in the message to the churches. 18:58 This--Paul said, "Lest I preach to others, then I myself become 19:02 a castaway," Paul said, "if I continue on." And so, just this, 19:10 this--Paul said, you know, someone who is enlightened and 19:11 filled with the Holy Spirit--Peter rather, "And if 19:15 they fall away," actually that's Hebrews chapter 6, "If they fall 19:19 away, it's impossible to renew them to repentance." Jesus said, 19:23 "Every vine in Me that bears fruit, He'll prune it. 19:26 But if it doesn't bear fruit," these are vines in Him, "doesn't 19:30 bear fruit, they're cut off and thrown in the fire." 19:32 So, all through the Bible, you've got examples, everyone 19:35 from King Saul, who is filled with the Spirit of God, and yet 19:37 he grieves away the Holy Spirit, and he commits suicide. 19:40 It's just a very reckless belief to believe once you're saved, 19:43 you can't do anything to be lost. 19:45 I think our salvation, like a marriage, is something 19:48 we nurture. 19:49 Unlike a marriage, God will never leave us, but we can leave 19:52 Him, and it's important for us to understand that. 19:56 Jëan: The verse you're referring to, Revelation chapter 19:57 3, verse 5, "Speaking about those who are faithful, God will 20:01 not blot their name out of the Lamb's Book of Life." 20:03 Doug: Yeah, so we need to maintain faithfulness. 20:06 Now, we have a free book that talks about this, has a lot more 20:09 verses, and we can share in a few minutes, and it's called 20:12 "Can a Saved Man Choose to Be Lost?" 20:14 Jëan: And the number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 20:18 You can just ask for the book by name, "Can a Saved Man Choose 20:21 to Be Lost?" 20:22 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for the book 20:26 that way. 20:27 You can get a digital download, read it, and then share it to 20:29 somebody else. 20:31 Our next call is Anna, listening in Oregon. 20:32 Anna, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 20:36 Anna: Evening, pastors. 20:37 Doug: Good evening, thanks for calling. 20:39 Anna: My question is: how can I know what my spiritual gifts 20:45 are from God? 20:47 Doug: Good question, practical question. 20:49 First of all, how long have you been a Christian? 20:54 Anna: My whole life. 20:55 Doug: Well, now, you--nobody--I know, I know what you mean. 20:57 You were probably raised a Christian, but there, there's 21:00 some point in your life where you say, "Yes, I'm going to make 21:03 this my own religion, and I want to surrender my life to the 21:06 Lord," and maybe you are baptized. 21:09 And how long has that been? 21:13 Anna: Not too long. 21:14 Doug: Okay, a lot of the spiritual gifts that I think I'm 21:18 using now, I didn't even know I had until after I'd come to 21:22 the Lord, and it didn't all happen at once. 21:25 So, once you surrender to the Lord, He begin--and He begins 21:30 to develop certain spiritual gifts in you. 21:31 Now, some people may have the gift of music and then they 21:34 dedicate that to the Lord, and now they're singing for the Lord 21:37 instead of the devil, so those are kind of obvious. 21:40 But you might find some good Christian friends, and say--they 21:43 know you, and say, "What do you think my spiritual gifts are?" 21:46 They'll say, "Oh, you don't know? 21:47 It's easy to tell, your gift is a gift of hospitality." 21:50 And someone else might say, "You know, you've got the gift of 21:53 organization." And someone else might say, "You've got the gift 21:56 of music," or whatever it is. 21:58 You know, some people have got gifts of teaching, and so, 22:04 talking to Christian counsel, to mature Christians that know you, 22:08 that's one way, praying that God reveals it. 22:10 He will also show you what your gifts are. 22:13 And then there'll be passions that God gives you, meaning 22:17 there's something you're excited about, something you love to do, 22:20 and assuming it's something good, that often develops into 22:23 a spiritual gift. 22:25 And it tells us in Psalm 37, "He gives us the desires of 22:28 our heart." 22:30 I think God puts spiritual gifts in us, then He gives us a desire 22:32 to fulfill it. 22:34 I don't think God put Adam in a garden and had garden--Adam 22:37 hate gardening. 22:38 He probably loved it. 22:41 So, I hope that helps, Anna. 22:43 You know, we need a book on spiritual gifts, I don't think 22:44 we have one. 22:46 Jëan: You know, we do have the book called-- 22:47 Doug: "Life in the Spirit?" 22:49 Jëan: Well, "Knowing the--God's Will?" 22:52 Doug: Yeah, "How to Know the Will of God," that's good. 22:53 Jëan: Yeah, kind of deals with that too. 22:55 Number to call is 800-835-6747, you can call and ask for the 22:59 book, "How to Know the Will of God." 23:01 And dial #250 on your smartphone, you can get the book 23:05 that way as well. 23:06 Natasha in Nebraska. 23:08 Natasha, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 23:10 Natasha: Hello, and thank you. 23:13 Okay, yeah, thank you for taking my call. 23:15 So, my question, it stems from my morning devotion that I had 23:20 today about the Holy Spirit, and I'm curious why do verses like 23:24 Philippians chapter 1, verse 2 and Ephesians chapter 1, verse 23:28 2, they mention God the Father, they mention God the Son, but 23:33 then the Holy Spirit is left out, and I know He's the third 23:35 member of the Godhead, but I'm curious why He was left out. 23:39 Doug: Yeah, well, just keep in mind, you'll has many passage 23:43 in in the Bible that will just mention God, then you have 23:48 passages that will mention God the Father and God the Son, then 23:51 you have passages that mention all three. 23:54 So, I want to build a doctrine out of wondering why two are 23:58 left out in some passages and one is left out in one passage. 24:03 The Holy Spirit, the disciples understood, was omnipresent, 24:08 always involved, always doing the will of the Father and 24:12 the Son, and so the work of the Spirit is a little different. 24:18 So, I don't know why some are mentioned at some point and 24:21 others at, at other points. 24:24 You know, one of the last things it says in the Bible, it says, 24:26 "The spirit and the bride say, come." 24:29 And, you know, the end of the Bible, it says, "Even so, come, 24:32 Lord Jesus." 24:33 There are places where it mentions Jesus and the Spirit 24:35 and not the Father. 24:37 You see what I'm saying? 24:38 So, I--it is interesting how the different Bible writers will 24:44 highlight, you know, one member of the Godhead, or two, or 24:48 three, and why they do it. 24:50 They do it, probably the context of the book. 24:53 Jëan: You know, it's interesting, when you read 24:55 the first chapter of Revelation and it lists the Father and the 24:58 seven spirits, meaning the Holy Spirit, and then Jesus. 25:02 So, it's a little different, the order that we have. 25:04 Instead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it's the Father, 25:07 the Spirit, and then Jesus. 25:08 But if you read it, John gives a greeting from the Father and 25:13 from the Holy Spirit, but when it comes to Jesus, then he goes 25:15 on and he says, "The one who washed us from our sins and made 25:17 us kings and priests." He has a lot more to say, so depending 25:21 upon what the emphasis was that the writer was trying to 25:24 bring to view, that would probably affect the order and 25:28 the style that they would write those different referencing 25:30 the Godhead. 25:31 Doug: In the Books Ephesians and Philippians, Paul is writing to 25:33 churches that are new. 25:35 They had no problem believing in the Spirit. 25:36 They are problems believing in Jesus as the Son of God, and so 25:39 he's spending more time emphasizing that truth for these 25:43 particular churches. 25:44 So, that may also have something to do with it, but 25:48 good question. 25:49 Jëan: You know, we do have a book, we mentioned it earlier. 25:51 It might be good to go along with the subject. 25:53 It's called--well, two books. 25:54 We have "Life in the Spirit." 25:56 That's one of the books that talk about the Holy Spirit. 25:58 But "The Trinity: Is It Biblical?" 26:00 is another book. 26:02 And we can send you both of those if you call and ask, the 26:04 number is 800-835-6747, and ask for it, "The Trinity: Is 26:10 It Biblical?" 26:11 Or just dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers 26:15 Live," and then you can ask for the book by name, the book about 26:18 the Trinity. 26:19 Well, Pastor Doug, I'm looking at the clock, we might not have 26:21 time to take another caller just before our break. 26:23 Doug: One more thought, I--while we're talking about the, the 26:26 Holy Spirit, and Father, and the Son, it just occurred to me that 26:29 the last four books--verses in the Bible talk about the Spirit, 26:34 talk about God, talk about Jesus, and they're all, they 26:37 have their own verses. 26:39 So, you know, the, there's some churches that are struggling or 26:43 some people that are struggling with "is the Holy Spirit God?" 26:46 But right from the very beginning of the Bible, where it 26:49 tells us, "The Spirit of God moved on the face of the water" 26:51 to the very end, where it says, "The spirit and the bride say, 26:54 come, take the water of life freely," you see the Spirit of 26:57 God moving all through the Bible, and it's, I think, a very 27:01 clear teaching that God--there's this triune God. 27:06 God said, "Let us make man in our image." 27:08 And the Holy Spirit is something that fills us, and--or I should 27:12 say "He fills us" just as God the Father, and the Son do. 27:15 Hey, friends, we're going to take a brief break. 27:18 I wanna always remind people about halftime. 27:20 Check out the Amazing Facts website, which is 27:22 AmazingFacts.org, lots of material there. 27:26 But the Bible questions are just beginning. 27:28 More to come in a few moments. 27:34 announcer: Stay tuned, "Bible Answers Live" 27:36 will return shortly. 27:42 announcer: The mysterious Book of Revelation, with its language 27:45 and symbols, can be difficult to understand. 27:47 However, Revelation holds a promise, those who seek 27:51 to understand and keep its teachings will be blessed. 27:54 "Revelation Verse by Verse" will deepen your understanding of 27:57 this marvelous revelation of Jesus Christ, answer questions, 28:00 and enable you to fully grasp the message and prepare your 28:03 heart for earth's future events. 28:05 Get yours today by calling 800-538-7275 or by 28:10 visiting afbookstore.com. 28:12 Doug: I grew up mostly in New York City. 28:14 I was sent to many different boarding schools. 28:17 Most of these schools told me that there was no purpose 28:20 in life. 28:21 And I saw in my home, people were not very happy, and I would 28:25 think about suicide. 28:26 Sharing a personal testimony can be one of the most powerful ways 28:30 to win souls to Christ. 28:32 That's why I'd like to invite you to discover and share a new 28:35 presentation of my "Richest Caveman" testimony. 28:38 It's now available on a special DVD from Amazing Facts. 28:42 We've even included the award-winning "Kingdoms in Time" 28:45 documentary that recently aired on the History Channel. 28:48 To get your copy of "The Richest Caveman," visit afbookstore.com 28:52 or call 800-538-7275. 28:57 Doug: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me." 29:01 All kids need to learn about Jesus, and you can enroll your 29:05 children ages 8 to 12 in the free Amazing Facts kids 29:09 Bible course. 29:11 Students will receive a treasure map with their first lesson and 29:14 progress stickers as they complete additional lessons. 29:17 This free Children's Bible correspondence course is 29:21 available in English and in Spanish and offered only in 29:24 North America, so sign up your children or grandchildren now by 29:28 calling 844-215-7000 or email us 29:34 at AFBibleSchool@AmazingFacts.org. 29:42 female announcer: Did you know Amazing Facts has a free Bible 29:45 school that you can do from the comfort of your own home? 29:47 It includes 27 beautifully illustrated study lessons to aid 29:51 in your study of God's Word. 29:53 Sign up today for this free Bible study course 29:55 by calling 1-844-215-7000, 29:58 that's 1-844-215-7000. 30:05 Doug: Would you like to have unlimited free access to 30:08 a library of resources that'll help answer your most important 30:12 questions about the Bible? 30:13 Amazing Facts has a huge collection of faith-building 30:17 books covering a whole spectrum of topics. 30:20 You can download and read wherever you are in 30:22 multiple languages. 30:24 To enjoy our free library, visit AmazingFacts.org, click on 30:29 the "Bible Study" tab, and choose "Free Book Library." 30:37 ♪♪♪ 30:52 male announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where 30:55 every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His 30:59 plan to save you. 31:01 So, what are you waiting for? 31:02 Get practical answers about the good book for a better 31:05 life today. 31:09 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 31:12 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 31:15 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. 31:19 and 8 p.m. Pacific time. 31:21 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 31:24 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 31:29 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 31:34 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 31:40 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers 31:43 Live," and if you have any Bible questions, we invite you to call 31:46 in now. 31:47 We'll try and get them in the last half of our program. 31:49 That number again to call in with your questions, free phone 31:52 call, of course, they're all free now, huh? 31:54 800-GOD-SAYS or 800-463-7297, and my name is Doug Batchelor. 32:02 Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross, and we've got some folks who have 32:04 emailed their Bible questions to us, and if you'd like to do 32:07 that, the email address is BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 32:13 So James is asking, Pastor Doug, "Can you talk about the rich man 32:16 and Lazarus? 32:17 Is this relating to the fate of the wicked in the lake of fire? 32:20 Doug: Yes and no, in that there is a lake of fire. 32:23 It's not reflecting the timing. 32:25 Jesus is telling a parable, and this is in a group of parables, 32:30 so some people think that this parable means that as soon as 32:32 a person dies, the saved are carried by the angels to 32:35 Abraham's bosom, well, nothing else says that in the Bible, and 32:39 don't ever build a doctrine on one verse, you need two or three 32:42 witnesses, and that a person dies, and then they go to 32:45 a place called Hades, where they can talk to the people 32:48 in heaven. 32:50 Well, that'd be horrible to think that the people in heaven 32:53 could talk to the people in hell or that you could even--the 32:56 people in heaven could see the people in hell. 32:59 And so, the purpose of this parable, Jesus is basically 33:03 using a paradox. 33:04 He's speaking to the Jewish nation, who was rich in truth 33:08 and feasting on truth, while the Gentiles, they are the beggars, 33:11 were at their gates desiring the truth that fell from 33:14 their tables. 33:15 So they both die, and it so happens that the poor Gentile 33:19 beggar, Lazarus, he goes to the Jewish place of reward, 33:22 Abraham's bosom. 33:24 All the Jews wanted to be with Abraham. 33:26 But the rich Jewish man, he goes to the Greek place of 33:29 punishment, which is Hades. 33:32 It's--there's, you know, there's no Pluto, god of Hades, and 33:35 there's no hounds of hell. 33:36 That's all mythology. 33:37 But everybody knew the stories back then. 33:39 Like, if we should say "Alice in Wonderland," everyone knows 33:41 you're telling an illustration. 33:44 And so Christ is just illustrating there's going to be 33:46 a big reversal, and that it'll be too late, then, 33:49 to change sides. 33:50 The rich man says, "Oh, you know, if Abraham could--or if 33:53 Lazarus could dip his finger and touch my tongue." 33:56 And Abraham says, "There's a great gulf fixed." 34:00 Once you're lost, probation is closed. 34:03 Jesus is saying that if you don't care enough to share 34:06 the truth with people that are starving at your gates, you 34:09 might find that they love the truth, they're in the kingdom. 34:11 You've not, you've not valued the truth, and you're going to 34:15 end up on the outside. 34:17 Luke spends a lot of time, and this parable is only in Luke, 34:20 Luke spends a lot of time explaining that the gospel 34:23 should go to the Gentiles because Luke was a Gentile, 34:26 probably the only Gentile New Testament writer. 34:29 Jëan: Good answer. 34:31 All right, Shelley's asking, "How did Satan know Adam and Eve 34:33 were on the earth, and why was he allowed 34:36 in the Garden of Eden?" 34:38 Doug: Well, Satan, I think, had a pretty vast 34:40 knowledge, because he was the number one creation of God, and 34:45 whenever God created anything, these angels were ministering 34:48 spirits that would guard and, and--maybe not guard from 34:51 danger, but they would provide for and minister to all 34:55 the creatures. 34:57 So Satan, he was Lucifer at one point, he knew about God making 35:01 it a whole world with creatures in His own image, was not 35:05 anything that could be hidden, and He really resented that God 35:10 intended to replace the, the angels that had been cast out 35:15 with these creatures made in God's image, and he went after 35:19 them in a special way. 35:21 Jëan: All right, last question, email question that's coming, 35:24 "Why did God allow the Egyptians to be part of the Exodus 35:27 from Egypt? 35:28 They just seemed to cause problems." 35:30 Doug: Yeah, well, you know, 35:31 that just goes to show that God is a merciful God, and 35:34 when the Israelite slaves were escaping, many of the Egyptian 35:38 slaves were saying--they called them the mixed multitude, 35:41 because they weren't just Egyptians. 35:42 They, they could have been Edomites, Ammonites. 35:45 They could have been people from Libya and all different parts of 35:48 the, the Mideast world there, and they wanted to take 35:52 advantage of that time and escape with the Israelites while 35:55 the going was good. 35:56 So God was merciful, He let them tag along, but because they did 36:00 not worship Jehovah and they tried to mix in their pagan 36:04 beliefs with the worship of Jehovah, they often did a lot of 36:07 the murmuring, complaining, and problem-causing. 36:11 Doug: All right, very good. 36:12 Well, again, thank you for your email questions. 36:13 If you want to send us an email question, 36:15 it's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. 36:19 Back to the phone lines, we got Joshua in California. 36:21 Joshua, welcome to the program. 36:24 Joshua: Quick question on ya--for ya, rather. 36:26 Revelation chapter 17, verse 16, what's going on there? 36:32 Doug: Okay, let me read this for our friends that are listening. 36:34 A lot of folks are driving down the road listening 36:36 on satellite radio. 36:38 And it says, "The ten horns that you saw, 36:41 they and the beast will hate the prostitute. 36:44 They will make her desolate and naked, 36:47 and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire." 36:49 This is basically saying, now, in in the beginning 36:53 of chapter 17, you've got this woman, 36:55 she's the prostitute, the harlot, Babylon. 36:57 She's sitting on the beast. 36:59 She's controlling, manipulating. 37:01 She commits adultery with the kings of the earth. 37:03 It's talking about a woman as a church. 37:05 Kings of the earth are political. 37:07 It's talking about the church-state corruption. 37:11 They get involved in supporting each other, and in the end, they 37:15 are going to turn on her. 37:16 Now that's not the first time it's happened in history, but 37:19 it'll happen in a big way in the end of time. 37:21 During the French Revolution, the French became exasperated 37:25 with the meddling of the church in France, and they killed many 37:29 priests and basically demoted them or kicked them out of 37:32 the country. 37:34 Well, this is going to happen on a much grander scale just before 37:37 the Second Coming, where the kingdoms that have been in 37:43 conspiracy, they've been in cahoots and accomplices of 37:46 the beast power, are going to turn on each other. 37:50 And it says they're going to "devour her flesh." 37:52 Darkness is on the seat of the beast. 37:54 That is one of the plagues. 37:56 And so, this is just talking about the final war where they, 38:00 they sort of turn in on themselves and self-destruct. 38:02 You see this happening in a battle in the Old Testament, 38:06 whatever you see in Revelation, you'll see somewhere in the Old 38:08 Testament, where Jehoshaphat goes out against this 38:12 threefold alliance. 38:14 In Revelation, you've got the beast, the dragon, 38:16 the false prophet. 38:17 Jehoshaphat goes out against Edom, Moab, and Amon. 38:20 They were neighbors of Israel that turned on them. 38:23 Well, when it came time for the battle, Jehoshaphat and 38:26 the priest, they just prayed and they sang. 38:28 And it says the Ammonites, Edomites, and Moabites turned on 38:31 one another, and they basically self-destructed. 38:34 When the Israelites got there, there wasn't one left alive. 38:39 So, yeah, that's what's going to happen. 38:41 Jëan: You know, we do have a study guide that talks 38:43 about Babylon, and that's the name of this woman described 38:47 in Revelation. 38:48 Of course, a woman represents the church. 38:50 And you can learn a lot more about that. 38:51 It's called "The 'Other' Woman," and we'll send it to anyone who 38:54 calls and asks. 38:55 The number is 800-835-6747, or you can dial #250 on your 39:00 smartphone and say, "Bible Answers Live." 39:03 Ask for the study guide. 39:04 It's called "The Other Woman," Revelation 17. 39:07 Gerald in Michigan. 39:08 Gerald, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 39:10 Gerald: Hey, Pastor, okay, over in New Jersey and now they're 39:14 saying from the West Coast to the East Coast, they're seeing 39:18 drones, but also these spheres, and these spheres, are 39:24 they--could they be biblical and related to the last days of 39:28 the signs and wonders, such as Joel talks about in chapter 2? 39:33 Doug: It could be, yeah, well, and it talks about--and 39:37 Jesus also says there'll be signs in the sun, 39:39 and the moon, and the stars. 39:41 I come at this from a different perspective. 39:43 I'm a pilot, and my dad was a pilot, and my brother was 39:48 a pilot, and we spent a lot of time flying. 39:51 And some of these things that they're showing on the news, I'm 39:53 looking at it, and I'm going, "That is an aircraft." 39:57 It's at a distance, and it looks close, and the, the temperature, 40:00 and the sky, and the humidity can all create an illusion of 40:04 things being closer. 40:05 So some of these are just aircraft that they just 40:07 don't understand. 40:08 Some of them are drones, and I've got a lot of friends, 40:10 we use drones in our media production. 40:11 You can buy--anyone can buy a drone now. 40:14 And more sophisticated drones, you're actually supposed to have 40:17 a license for a production drone, but a lot of people are 40:20 buying them, and they have no license. 40:22 And they got the flashing lights. 40:23 I mean, if I was spying, I'd turn off the flashing lights. 40:26 So, I'm not worried about anyone spying, because why would the 40:30 spies fly the drones with the red and green flashing lights 40:33 on them? 40:34 So, are people flying drones? 40:36 Yeah, there's drones flying everywhere right now. 40:39 Sometimes we hear them. 40:41 It sounds like a swarm of bees overhead, because they're doing 40:44 the "geee." You hear all those fans going up in the sky, and we 40:47 see drones flying around. 40:48 So, a lot of people are flying drones. 40:51 Are they all for nefarious purposes? 40:53 Not necessarily. 40:54 Could it be some of its satanic? 40:57 Could be, the devil can use, you know, Satan can have, what do 41:04 you call it, appears an angel of light. 41:06 Satan could try and deceive people into thinking that 41:09 messages are coming from outer space. 41:11 So that wouldn't surprise me. 41:14 All--everything happening now, I think, is a sign of the 41:15 last days. 41:16 I think AI is a sign of the last days. 41:19 So, that's a meandering answer, but, yeah, tune into the sermon 41:23 next week. 41:24 I'm going to be talking about UFOs and drones. 41:26 Jëan: All right, Kimberly in Canada. 41:28 Kimberly, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 41:30 Kimberly: Hi Pastor, I have been dying to get this question off 41:33 my chest. 41:35 Doug: Well, don't die. 41:36 Well, hopefully we can help ya. 41:39 Kimberly: The other night, I had YouTube on and Genesis came on 41:42 on an audio roll. 41:44 So I'm listening, "And on the sixth day, let us make mankind 41:48 in our image," okay, got that. 41:51 Then I'm wandering around doing this. 41:52 Chapter 2: "Then he made Adam and blew life into Adam." 41:57 I'm going, "Wait a second, mankind, then you made Adam?" 42:03 So, and that would explain why Cain didn't want to leave, 42:06 because they said they'd kill him, and then he built all these 42:08 cities and took a wife. 42:10 I'm confused. 42:12 Doug: All right, I'll help you a little bit with that. 42:16 Just keep in mind that the Jewish writers, of course, 42:19 the Bible is written largely by Jews, they often use what 42:23 newspapers use today, where you start out with a headline, then 42:26 you back up and give more detail. 42:28 You find that in Revelation, a lot of the Bible stories. 42:32 Chapter one is the headline: "In the beginning, God creates the 42:34 heaven, the earth." It tells the days of Creation, "God made man 42:37 on the sixth day." 42:39 Soon, it backs up and it says, now, basically saying when God 42:42 made Adam, and then it tells you about, also, how Adam named 42:45 his wife. 42:46 It's just backing up and giving you more detail on the outline 42:50 to the chapter, and that's a writing technique that's used by 42:54 a lot of authors. 42:56 They sort of give what you call the headlines, a sweeping 42:58 overview of the story. 42:59 Then they'll back them, and they'll fill in the details. 43:02 Now, Cain, when it says he took his wife, you read in chapter 5 43:05 that Adam and Eve had sons and daughters, and there was nothing 43:09 wrong with marrying your sister back then. 43:11 Cain took one of his sisters, and Adam technically married his 43:14 sister, you could argue, because they had the same Father 43:17 in heaven. 43:18 So, yeah, some people say there's two separate Creations 43:21 happening here, but no, they're just--the Hebrew writers, it 43:25 often gives a big picture, then it backs up and gives 43:27 the detail. 43:29 For example, in chapter 6, it says, "Wickedness filled the 43:31 earth," when the sons of God came to the daughters of men. 43:35 Then it backs up and says, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of 43:37 the Lord," and it starts telling the Noah--the story of Noah. 43:41 But, yeah, you find that happening many times, where it 43:44 gives a big picture, headlines, back up, details. 43:48 Jëan: Yeah, especially when you get to prophetic books, like 43:50 Revelation in particular. 43:51 It's not always written in chronological order, and it's 43:54 even true of some of the historical books, as Pastor Doug 43:56 mentioned, that gives the big picture and then fills in 43:59 the details. 44:00 And so, you got to kind of bear that in mind as you read through 44:03 and study these various passages. 44:06 All right, thank you, Kimberly. 44:07 We've got Matthew in Tennessee. 44:08 Matthew, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 44:10 Matthew: Hey guys, thanks for taking my call. 44:12 The question is: if all the wicked perish prior to the 44:15 millennial reign of Christ and all those 44:17 in Christ are raised incorruptible, who are these in 44:20 Isaiah 65:20 that continue to see death? 44:25 Doug: Are you talking about when it says, "The wicked will die 44:27 a hundred years old?" 44:29 Matthew: Yes. 44:31 Doug: Well, actually, the word there, "die," doesn't mean die. 44:35 The word "die" there means cease. 44:37 Well, I think it says a child will--won't even cease until 44:41 it's a hundred years old. 44:43 I'm actually misquoting it, so I need to go to Isaiah 65. 44:45 Jëan: Yeah, let me read it, I have it here. 44:46 It says, "No more shall an infant from there live but a few 44:50 days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for a child 44:54 shall die one hundred years old, but the sin of being a hundred 44:57 years old shall be accursed." Doug: Yeah. 45:00 So, he's basically saying there, when it says "a child will die 45:03 a hundred years old," use the word "cease." 45:06 It means a child will not even cease being a child until 45:11 they're a hundred years old. 45:13 Now, that's easier to understand when you look in Genesis, and 45:17 you see that some of the early patriarchs, they lived 45:19 900 years. 45:20 They did not even get married till they're a hundred. 45:22 Of course, Abraham got married after a hundred and had 45:24 more children. 45:25 They lived longer, and--what, Isaac lived 180 years, Abraham 45:30 175 years, Jacob 145 years, Joseph 110 years. 45:35 Then you get down to David, and he lived 70 years. 45:38 And now we're living at what they call three score and ten. 45:41 You know, you average of 70, 80 years and with a few 45:45 rare exceptions. 45:46 We have one of our members had his 101st birthday 45:48 today actually. 45:49 We celebrated yesterday, but he turned 101, and he was at church 45:53 enjoying the the program. 45:55 So that word "death," and no one's going to die in heaven. 45:58 Yeah, no more death in Revelation 21. 46:01 Isaiah is using poetic language. 46:04 Jëan: Okay, next caller that we have is Leonard in Washington. 46:06 Leonard, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 46:09 Leonard: Yes, thanks for taking my call, Doug and Jean. 46:13 In Leviticus 16, it talks about two goats in verse 8, and 9, and 46:19 15, and then 21, and 22, and I'm wondering, is Satan 46:24 the scapegoat? 46:25 And if he is, does he have to pay the penalty for the sins of 46:29 all the people who go to heaven? 46:32 Doug: Well, you get two goats here in Leviticus when it talks 46:35 about the Day of Atonement. 46:36 One is called the Lord's goat, so we don't have to guess what 46:40 that goat represents. 46:42 That goat dies, and its blood is applied. 46:45 That is certainly a symbol of Jesus. 46:48 The, the other goat, the Azazel, the scapegoat, it is not slain, 46:53 it is not sacrificed, it's carried off by a fit man, and 46:56 that means a responsible man, into the wilderness. 47:00 And all the sins of the people were placed on that goat, and it 47:04 was never to come back. 47:06 And many believe, and I believe, that this is--let me just back 47:11 up, because as soon as you say that Satan is bearing sin, 47:14 you're saying, "Is he our sin-bearer?" 47:16 No, some sins are born because of a substitute, Jesus 47:21 as our substitute. 47:23 If Christ does not pay for your sin, if you do not accept Jesus, 47:26 are your sins paid for? 47:28 Yeah, you paid for your sins. 47:30 You will be punished for your sins if you do not accept 47:32 Christ's sacrifice and follow Him. 47:35 Does the devil get to punish--suffer for the sins that 47:37 he has instigated? 47:39 Yes. 47:41 And so, when it talks about this scapegoat that goes off in the 47:44 wilderness, it's talking about the devil forever being 47:47 separated from God's people. 47:49 And Christ is not burying our sins forever. 47:52 It says, oh, I forget the verse, He comes the second time 47:55 Hebrews, "Without sin unto salvation." 47:57 Yeah, so when He comes back again, He's not still burying 48:00 our sins. 48:01 So, ultimately, when Satan is cast into the lake of fire, sin 48:06 and sinners will be forever done away with. 48:09 In that sense, he is the scapegoat, he's going to pay for 48:12 all the sins he's instigated. 48:14 So, Christ is the Lord's goat. 48:16 The other goat is the opposite of that. 48:19 Now some people believe both goats represent Jesus, and, you 48:22 know, I don't think that's a doctrine. 48:25 It's what you would not call a salvation doctrine. 48:27 If someone doesn't understand that, I don't think that's going 48:30 to cost them their salvation, but that's the way 48:32 I understand it. 48:34 Jëan: Yeah, and of course, it's important to note that the 48:35 scapegoat was never sacrificed, so it can't be Jesus, because 48:39 Jesus sacrificed. 48:40 Doug: No blood is shed--"Without the shedding the blood 48:42 there's no forgiveness." 48:43 Jëan: Right, okay, thank you, Leonard--we got Trent in Texas. 48:46 Trent, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 48:49 Trent: Hey, hey, Pastor Doug, hey, Pastor John, how are you 48:51 guys doing tonight? 48:52 Doug: Doing great, thank you for calling. 48:54 Trent: Hey, that's good. 48:55 Yeah, I just wanna let you guys know I'm actually, I was an 48:57 AFCOE student back in 2015, so it's good to hearing from you 49:00 guys again. 49:01 Doug: Oh, it's been ten years, congratulations. 49:02 Trent: Yeah, yep, almost ten years. 49:04 Yup, that's right. 49:06 But I--my question that I have for you guys tonight, I have 49:09 studied this and I have not been able to figure it out. 49:12 So I, I know that the Holy Spirit was in the Old Testament, 49:15 It's working on everyone's hearts at that time, but why did 49:19 Jesus say, in John 16:7, that if He did not depart, the Helper, 49:24 or the Holy Spirit, would not come? 49:27 Doug: Well, the baptism--let's just back up. 49:31 God's Spirit has worked all through Bible history. 49:34 You can see everywhere, from Genesis, where it says the 49:37 Spirit moves on the water, to where David was filled with the 49:40 Holy Spirit, Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit, Samson, 49:43 Spirit of the Lord came on him, so, God's Spirit's working all 49:45 through the Bible. 49:47 The Spirit of the Lord rested on the 70 elders in Exodus, so, 49:50 you've got the Holy Spirit working. 49:52 But something special happens after Pentecost with the 49:55 Holy Spirit. 49:57 Christ bought the right for a special baptism and 50:00 manifestation of the Spirit. 50:02 By His sacrifice being declared, that would not happen until He 50:06 ascended to the Father, and they said He had lived a perfectly 50:09 holy life, and He had suffered for all the sins of the world. 50:14 He had purchased the right to send the Holy Spirit in 50:18 a special power. 50:20 Obviously, something extraordinary in history 50:23 happened at Pentecost that continued all through 50:26 the apostolic era. 50:28 So, I think he's talking about that. 50:30 He's not saying that, you know, you've not had the Holy Spirit. 50:33 It was the Holy Spirit that led them to Jesus. 50:35 It's the Holy Spirit that convicted them of sin. 50:38 And you read also in John, in the upper room, He breathes on 50:41 them and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit." 50:43 But that was not Pentecost. Pentecost, 50:45 He said, "Don't go preaching. 50:48 Wait in Jerusalem until you receive this anointing," this 50:51 special power of the Spirit. 50:54 Something special happened there after Christ ascended and his 50:57 sacrifice was declared accepted. 50:59 He had purchased the right then. 51:01 Jëan: All right, excellent. 51:03 We've got Derek in Alabama. 51:04 Derek, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 51:06 Derek: First time listener as of tonight. 51:08 I just happen to be scanning through the radio and hear you 51:11 guys, and I'm so glad you're there. 51:13 Doug: We're glad you called. 51:15 Derek: I appreciate you, gentlemen, it's a lot of weight 51:18 on your shoulders for this. 51:19 All right, so, this is complicated and simple at the 51:21 same time, and it's something I've always wondered since I was 51:23 a little kid, and what this is is it's a spiritual warfare. 51:28 I'm retired military. 51:30 What I was trained is, if we're on the battlefield and you have 51:33 the enemy, you terminate the enemy's life at worst 51:36 case scenario. 51:37 Okay, so anytime I've seen pictures of angels battling each 51:42 other, you see them with drawn swords, fighting each other, but 51:46 the idea behind a sword is you're going to thrust it 51:48 through a body and kill it. 51:49 As far as I know, angels can't die, neither can fallen angels. 51:55 So my question is, how do they battle each other? 51:58 Can they hurt each other for real? 52:00 Because as far as I know, they're spiritual beings, they 52:02 don't have pain receptors. 52:03 So, how do they actually fight each other and protect people? 52:09 It, to me, it's-- 52:10 since I was a little kid. 52:12 Doug: Kind of mysterious, yeah, well, it's a great question, 52:14 because you read in Revelation 12, there's a war in heaven. 52:18 Michael and his angels fought, and the dragon and his 52:20 angels fought. 52:22 So here, you've got the good angels and the evil angels 52:25 engaging in some kind of a warfare. 52:28 Do they fight? 52:29 Yeah, the Bible's clear. 52:31 It says, we don't wrestle, we fight against these 52:33 spiritual powers. 52:35 Now, you said something I need to correct. 52:36 You said, "Angels can't die." 52:37 I don't think angels kill each other. 52:40 I think they bind. 52:42 You've talked in Jude about angels that are bound in 52:45 everlasting chains of darkness, and in Revelation, it says, 52:48 "Satan is bound for a thousand years." 52:50 So there are restrictions, angels can be fenced in, 52:53 they can be restricted. 52:55 And you do see in Ezekiel chapter 9, talks about an angel 53:00 with a destroying weapon. 53:01 What those weapons are, you know, I don't think we can 53:05 even comprehend. 53:07 But the good angels do war with evil angels. 53:12 You read, where is it? 53:13 In Daniel 10, where it talks about Michael's fighting with 53:15 the prince of Persia, meaning he's probably fighting with 53:17 Lucifer, who is manipulating the king of Persia, and that went on 53:21 21 days. 53:22 Jëan: And of course, it's not only, you've got the angels that 53:24 might war with one another. 53:26 In other words, the good angels are protecting God's people, but 53:30 there's also the devil and his angels that are trying to war 53:33 against us, and that is through our mind, through temptation, 53:36 putting thoughts, doubt in our minds, so that is a real battle 53:41 too, but that's sort of the battle of the mind. 53:43 Doug: Yeah, but I think God sends, when we pray, He'll send 53:46 good angels to dispel, waft away. 53:50 And in the Book of Job, Satan said to God, "You have put 53:54 a hedge about Job." 53:55 Meaning, you're, like, surrounded him. 53:57 And it says, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who 54:01 serve him." So angels do, I think, surround and protect. 54:04 They can drive away evil angels. 54:06 Angels can die. 54:09 I don't think they kill each other, but in the end, Satan and 54:11 his angels are cast into the lake of fire, and they're 54:15 ultimately burned up. 54:16 They're destroyed, and they'll never be anymore, it says 54:19 in Ezekiel. 54:21 So, hope that helps a little, Derek, and I hope you call 54:23 again, thank you for listening. 54:24 Jëan: Stephanie in California has a question. 54:26 Stephanie, welcome to the program. 54:27 Stephanie: Oh, hi, thank you. 54:30 I had a question, and actually, somebody previously asked about 54:35 the drone, so my question is, what does the Bible say 54:39 about aliens? 54:41 Doug: All right, does the Bible say anything about aliens or 54:43 life on other planets? 54:45 I would say yes. 54:46 First of all, when you think about the infinite size of the 54:49 cosmos, and, you know, just our, our solar system is huge, and 54:57 then our solar system has one sun that is one star in one 55:03 galaxy called the Milky Way Galaxy that is like a hundred 55:07 light years across. 55:09 So, you know, they--thats means, He traveled the speed of light 55:14 for a hundred years to get across it. 55:16 There's so many stars out there. 55:17 Is there other intelligent life? 55:19 Oh, I believe absolutely there is. 55:21 So, and you read in the Bible, it says, what? 55:24 Hebrews chapter, is it chapter 1, verse 2? That "God through 55:28 Christ made the world." 55:30 There are other worlds. 55:32 And then you read in Revelation about every creature in heaven 55:36 and those creatures on earth. 55:38 So, God has unfallen, intelligent creatures that are 55:41 out there in the cosmos that have not sinned. 55:44 Humans and angels are not the only thing that God has made. 55:48 I believe that, you know, the universe is infinite. 55:52 God did not just start creating creatures with man 6,000 55:57 years ago. 55:58 I think that we are quarantined because of sin, and once sin is 56:02 dealt with, we'll once again be able to interact with these 56:06 unfallen beings. 56:07 So, yes, I think there is intelligent life out there. 56:11 When people say they've been captured by aliens, that I 56:14 doubt, unless they had some kind of a demonic experience. 56:18 I don't think the unfallen worlds are allowed to interact 56:21 with human beings right now because we've got this disease 56:25 of sin, and the only ones involved in the hospital right 56:28 now are God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and 56:32 the angels. 56:33 They're the hospital staff. 56:35 Everyone else has to wait until we're purified from sin. 56:38 Jëan: Our next caller that we have is Jim in Nevada. 56:40 Jim, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 56:43 Jim: Thanks, Pastor Ross, my question is pretty simple. 56:47 The Bible says that God is sovereign and that He has 56:52 control over all things. 56:54 So in that sense, do we really have genuine free will? 56:59 Doug: Good question. 57:00 I do believe that God is, ultimately, He's all powerful, 57:05 but a part of His control is He has chosen to give His 57:09 creatures, in order to love Him, we need to have a choice. 57:12 If we're forced to love Him, that's not real love, that's 57:15 just preprogramming. 57:17 Love must come from an intelligent choice, and so, He 57:20 gives His creatures freedom to choose. 57:23 He may know what we're going to choose, but we are truly free to 57:25 make that decision, and I think that's the most important thing. 57:30 That's why there's sin in the world is because of the choice 57:33 of the devil to rebel and the choice of some creatures in this 57:36 world, or most creatures in this world, to listen to the devil 57:40 instead of listen to God. 57:41 So, yes, God gives us free will, and that's why the Bible says, 57:45 "Whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life," 57:49 whosoever believes in Him, we can choose to believe, and 57:52 that's the good news, friends. 57:53 I hope everyone out there has made that choice, to believe in 57:56 Jesus, accept Him as your Savior, give Him your heart. 57:59 He's got a big plan for your life. 58:01 We'll study again together next week, God bless. 58:07 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 58:09 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before 58:13 Bible Answers live is produced by Amazing Facts International. 58:17 A faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. |
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