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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202431S
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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, should 00:14 always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate and practical 00:24 answers to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:34 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:39 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 00:44 Now here's your host from Amazing Facts International, 00:48 Pastor Doug Batchelor. 00:50 Doug Batchelor: Hello friends. 00:51 You want to hear an amazing fact? 00:53 The human eye is one of the most incredible organs in all 00:56 of creation. 00:58 There are over one million nerves connecting each eye to 01:01 the brain, which is why 80% of all learning comes through 01:05 the eyes. 01:06 Yes, nearly half of the brain's cortex is dedicated to 01:10 processing visual information. 01:12 The eye is the fastest contracting muscle in the body 01:16 with the ability to focus on fifty different objects every 01:19 second and to distinguish over ten million colors and up to 01:23 five hundred shades of gray. 01:25 In fact, according to new research, the human eye is so 01:28 sensitive it is able to detect a single photon of light, which is 01:33 the smallest measurable unit of light. 01:36 Babies are born color blind but develop color perception within 01:39 a week. 01:40 Eyes stay the same size from birth, unlike the ears and the 01:44 nose that continue to grow through life. 01:46 No one in the world has an eye exactly like yours. 01:50 Though only one sixth of the eyeball is visible, the human 01:53 iris has 256 distinct features, while the fingerprints only 01:58 have 40. 01:59 Think about Pastor Ross. 02:01 That would mean that if someone wanted to call you and get the 02:03 right number with 256 digits, the chances of that are just 02:08 totally outrageous. 02:10 That's why they now do iris scans instead of fingerprints 02:14 because it's so much more unique. 02:16 Charles Darwin said in his book on the "Origin of Species" that 02:20 the idea of natural selection producing an eye was absurd in 02:24 the highest possible degree. 02:26 He said, "Even my theory doesn't explain how you could get a 02:29 human eye, how complex it would be, and how that would 02:32 ever develop." 02:34 But you know, according to the Bible, we haven't seen 02:36 anything yet. 02:38 Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 9, "But it is written, 02:40 'The eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor has it entered 02:45 into the heart of man the things that God has prepared 02:48 for those that love Him.'" 02:49 The Bible has a lot to say about the eye. 02:51 Jëan Ross: That's right. 02:52 As a matter of fact, I'm looking at a verse 02:54 in Matthew chapter 6, verse 22. 02:55 The words of Jesus says, "Therefore if your eye is good, 02:58 the whole body will be full of light. 03:00 But if your eye is bad, the whole body will 03:02 be full of darkness." 03:04 So, what you look at influences what you become. 03:07 Doug: Absolutely. 03:08 You know, probably of the Gospel writers, John is the 03:12 most visual. 03:14 I went through John chapter 1 once and I found, I believe it 03:17 was 27 times he makes a reference to sight or light. 03:23 And everything from behold, and he saw, and the light, and just 03:27 he was a very visual apostle. 03:30 And you know when Paul tells us we haven't seen anything yet 03:33 compared to what we're going to see in heaven, we're going to 03:36 have to have special eyes because we read in the Bible 03:39 that, "The light of the moon will be like the light of the 03:41 sun now, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold brighter." 03:46 And people who have gone into heavenly vision, they say things 03:48 are so bright. 03:50 So, you've got a bright future friends if you've got Jesus. 03:53 And if you'd like to know more about that, I think we've got a 03:55 free book available. 03:57 Jëan: We do. 03:58 Our book this evening is called "Heaven: Is It For Real." 04:00 It's a free offer. 04:01 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 04:03 The number is 800-835-6747. 04:07 You can ask for offer number 189, or you can dial #250 with 04:11 your smartphone and say Bible answers live and then ask for 04:14 that book, "Heaven: Is It For Real?" 04:17 It's important for us to remember that heaven is a 04:19 real place. 04:20 Right now, there are angels, Jesus is interceding for us 04:23 there before the Father, and He is preparing our home for those 04:26 that love Him. 04:28 Doug: Amen. 04:29 Jëan: Well, with that, we're going to go to the phone lines, 04:31 but before we take your Bible questions, we want to start 04:33 with prayer. 04:35 So let's do that. 04:36 Dear Father, we are grateful once again that we do 04:37 have this time to do this Bible study. 04:39 Lord, we ask for your blessing as we open the scriptures. 04:42 Be with those who are listening wherever they might be and guide 04:44 us, Lord, into a clearer understanding of the Bible. 04:47 For we ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 04:49 Doug: Amen. 04:51 Jëan: All right, if you have a Bible question, let me mention 04:52 that number one more time. 04:54 It's 800-4637-297. 04:57 That's 800--God says 800-463-7297. 05:02 Our resource phone line is 800-835-6747. 05:06 We're going to be giving out a number of free resources that'll 05:09 help you in your study of God's Word. 05:11 So, you want to write down that number as well. 05:13 First caller tonight is Robert, listening in Washington. 05:15 Robert, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:17 Robert: Good evening. 05:18 Doug: Evening, Thank you for calling. 05:20 Robert: You're welcome. 05:21 I guess I called so early that I'm number one. 05:24 Doug: You are. 05:25 You got lined up early. 05:26 And your question tonight. 05:28 Robert: I maybe should have asked it differently. 05:31 It's regarding Malachi chapter 3, verse 1. 05:33 It talks about the Lord suddenly coming to His temple. 05:37 Is that referring to the temple in Jerusalem or a 05:40 different temple? 05:42 Doug: Well, I think that this prophecy is talking about, well, 05:45 you might say it's a dual prophecy. 05:48 When Jesus cleansed the sanctuary, 05:51 it says that that was a fulfillment of a prophecy 05:55 about, "The zeal of Thine house has eaten Me up." 05:58 And also in the Old Testament, they wept when Nehemiah's 06:02 temple, the temple of Ezra and Nehemiah, when it was rebuilt, 06:05 because it was so much smaller than Solomon's. 06:08 King Herod refurbished that temple, and it was much nicer, 06:12 but they said the glory of that temple would be even greater 06:15 than the glory of Solomon's because the Lord Himself would 06:18 come, and Jesus actually ministered in that temple. 06:21 But then the second fulfillment would be, you know, God's 06:24 church's body is a temple, and He came in person to His people. 06:29 He came to enter into them, so to speak. 06:32 But yeah, Jesus did literally enter the temple as a baby who 06:35 was brought in, and He was named and presented to the Lord. 06:40 And then of course He was teaching there several times 06:42 during His ministry up until a few days before His death. 06:46 Jëan: And this also got this application for the heavenly 06:48 sanctuary, you know, the earthly shadow of the heavenly sanctuary 06:51 and Jesus is ministering as a high priest. 06:54 And at the end of the 2300 days in Daniel 8:14, Christ began His 06:58 final work as high priest in the most holy place of the 07:01 heavenly sanctuary. 07:03 And at the time, in the early 1800s, there were believers who 07:06 were looking for the coming of Christ, and they didn't 07:09 understand fully that Christ wasn't coming back to the earth 07:12 as they had expected but was to move into this final high 07:15 priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. 07:17 And I think this verse also alludes to that. 07:20 The Lord whom you seek will suddenly appear in His temple 07:23 and it's referring to connected with, "'Behold He's coming,' 07:26 saith the Lord of hosts." 07:27 So, sort of a prophetic aspect to that as well, both historical 07:31 and prophetic. 07:33 Doug: All right, hey, thank you so much, Robert. 07:36 And we do have a study guide that talks about the temple, 07:38 "God Drew the Plans." 07:39 Jëan: And to receive that, the number to call is 800-835-6747. 07:43 That is our resource phone line. 07:45 You can answer the study guide. 07:46 It's called "God Drew the Plans." 07:48 It's about the sanctuary of the earthly, as well as its 07:51 heavenly application. 07:53 You'll be blessed by reading that. 07:55 Next caller that we have is Glenn in Ohio. 07:57 Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 08:00 Glenn: Thank you pastors, for taking my call and good evening 08:02 from Bethel, Ohio. 08:04 Doug: Evening. 08:06 Glenn: My call in question this evening has to do with Calvary. 08:09 When Paul wrote his letter to the Hebrews, he put in there 08:12 that, "Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission 08:16 for sin." 08:17 And we know that the Messiah shed His precious blood and met 08:21 that criteria once and for all. 08:23 But my question is, is there any Bible support for such brutality 08:29 as took place at Calvary? 08:31 Doug: Well, if you're talking about support that it 08:34 happened, yeah. 08:36 And prophetically, you can read Isaiah 53, where it says, "We're 08:40 healed with his stripes. 08:41 He was bruised for our iniquities." 08:44 And the stripes mean whips. 08:46 So, of course, He was whipped. 08:48 And then, you know, you can read where it says they crucified Him 08:51 and we know plenty about crucifixion from history, what 08:54 was involved in that. 08:55 You can read where it says, "They broke the legs of the 08:58 thieves on the right and the left of Jesus," and the Christ 09:02 was dead at this point, but of course, they pierced His side 09:04 with a spear. 09:06 So, it was, yeah, it was excruciating. 09:09 Matter of fact, that's where the word comes from. 09:11 Excruse means the cross. 09:14 It's like it's connected with the word "crucifixion," 09:16 excruciating pain, so. 09:19 'Cause they couldn't find a word to describe how painful 09:24 crucifixion was, and it basically defined its own word. 09:27 Jëan: And you can also read in Psalms 22, verse 16, where it's 09:30 a messianic prophecy talking about Christ. 09:33 It says, "They pierced My hands and My feet." 09:37 That's a reference to Gentiles gathering around Christ as it 09:41 says there in Psalms 26. 09:43 You know, something else interesting about crucifixion, 09:45 they found some archaeological evidence to support the idea 09:48 that the Romans, when it came to crucifying people, they did some 09:52 research to try to make it as painful as they can. 09:55 They often drive nails right at the base of the hand into 09:58 the wrist. 10:00 And there was a series of nerves in particular that was running 10:03 right in that area. 10:04 They would drive those nails in to bringing terrible pain to the 10:07 people that would be crucified. 10:08 So, it was a horrible way to die. 10:11 Probably the worst that the Romans could come up with and 10:13 yet Jesus died bearing the sins of the whole world. 10:17 And of course, we do have a study guide that talks about 10:19 that sacrifice, "The High Cost of the Cross." 10:23 And of course, that's good news for salvation for those 10:26 who believe. 10:27 To receive that, just call and ask. 10:29 The number is 800-835-6747. 10:32 You can ask for that book. 10:34 It's called "The High Cost of the Cross," and we'll be happy 10:36 to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 10:38 You can dial #250 with your smartphone and ask for the book 10:42 that way as well. 10:44 Thank you, Glenn. 10:45 Next caller that we have is Uni from California. 10:48 Uni, welcome to the program. 10:50 Uni: Hello, Pastor Doug Batchelor and Jëan Ross. 10:54 Doug: Evening. 10:55 Uni: My question is about revelation about the three 10:59 uncleaned frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon and 11:03 so forth. 11:04 I was just wanting more of an explanation, and I was also 11:07 wondering if you guys could do a prayer request real 11:09 quick, please. 11:11 Doug: Well, I'll tell you what, why don't we do the question and 11:13 then you can tell us who you want us to pray for, okay? 11:16 Uni: Okay. 11:17 Well, my question is about like three uncleaned frogs, just like 11:21 more explanation on what that is. 11:23 Doug: Yes, and that's from, I believe, Revelation 16. 11:25 This is the sixth plague. 11:28 And you find that in Revelation chapter 16, and you can start 11:31 with verse 12, "And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the 11:35 great river Euphrates, and the water was dried up, so that the 11:39 way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 11:41 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the 11:45 mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of 11:47 the mouth of the false prophet. 11:49 For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs, that 11:53 go out to the kings of the earth and the whole world, that gather 11:56 them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty." 11:59 It's one of the few places here where you then see red letter in 12:02 the text and Jesus speaks saying, "Behold, I'm coming as 12:05 a thief." 12:06 So, what are these frogs? 12:08 Well, a lot of the plagues that you see in Revelation are 12:13 similar to plagues that you saw on Ancient Egypt. 12:16 One of the plagues in ancient Egypt was a plague of frogs. 12:19 Egyptians actually worship the frogs. 12:21 Frogs are unclean animals. 12:23 A frog doesn't bite, and it doesn't claw, but it has 12:26 a tongue. 12:27 And so, it says that they're deceiving the kings of the earth 12:31 before a battle and their spirits performing miracles. 12:35 Before a great battle in the days of King Saul, he went, and 12:41 it was a battle between Israel and the Philistines, he went to 12:43 see a witch and these unclean spirits conjured up the image of 12:48 Samuel the prophet and it deceived him. 12:52 And so, it's telling us in the last days that evil spirits are 12:55 going to manipulate world leaders and tell them--you can 13:00 read also where Ahab, his prophets, gave him lying 13:04 information before he was killed in battle just like Saul. 13:08 So, it's telling us about these stories in the Old Testament and 13:11 saying evil spirits are going to manipulate world leaders before 13:15 this final battle against God's people. 13:17 That's a--that's kind of a quick overview. 13:19 Pastor Ross might have more detail on that. 13:21 Jëan: Just maybe something about the number three. 13:23 It says, "Three unclean spirits." 13:25 It's interesting you have almost a counterfeit trinity in 13:28 this verse. 13:29 You have the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 13:32 Just like you have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 13:34 here you have a counterfeit. 13:35 The dragon symbolizing Satan, the beast's power and apostate 13:39 religious power, and the false prophet through spiritualism and 13:43 working science. 13:45 So, the whole world is galvanized or are united, 13:48 preparing for this final showdown between good and evil 13:51 through these counterfeit miracles that are taking place 13:55 in these powers. 13:56 So, yeah. 13:57 It's describing the event that's yet to take place in the future, 14:00 but we can see the stage being set even today, I think which 14:02 is interesting. 14:04 Spiritualism and a lot of discussion about yeah, signs and 14:09 wonders and things happening in the world around us, yeah. 14:13 Doug: Uni, you said that there was a prayer request. 14:15 I prefer you don't mention any particular name of a person, but 14:18 if you have a prayer request, you want us to pray about. 14:22 Uni: Could I say her first name? 14:24 Doug: Sure. 14:25 Uni: Okay, well this prayer request is for someone that I 14:29 used to know all the way back to the elementary, I believe. 14:33 And you know, there's always a certain way to do things. 14:38 And if you do something that you can make a person not want to, 14:43 you know, receive Christ or anything of that nature. 14:46 So, I just wanted to come and call and ask you two if you guys 14:49 could do a prayer request because I feel like it's my 14:53 fault that she potentially missed out on eternity. 14:57 So--but I believe that with God, all things are possible, 15:00 and that God has the power to change realities. 15:03 So, I would just like to pray, or I would like to tell you guys 15:06 to pray for this specific somebody 15:08 which is her name is Anahi. 15:10 Doug: We will. 15:12 I tell you what, let me have a prayer right now, okay? 15:16 Loving Lord, we just want to lift before You, Anahi, 15:18 that Uni was talking about. 15:20 That he's afraid that through his influence that she may have 15:24 been turned away from You. 15:26 We pray that through the influence of others that You 15:28 will speak to her heart through circumstances and that she can 15:32 be brought back again. 15:33 And we thank You and pray this in Jesus's name, amen. 15:37 Jëan: Amen. 15:38 Doug: Well, thank you for your question, Uni. 15:40 Jëan: Jorge in Virginia is calling. 15:42 Welcome to the program, Jorge. 15:43 You're on the air. 15:45 Jorge: Hey, how are you Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross? 15:48 How's everything going with you guys? 15:49 Doug: Great. 15:51 Thank you for calling and your question. 15:52 Jorge: I'm a huge fan of "Pinnacle of Prophecy" and you 15:58 know, all the shows that you've had recently regarding, you 16:01 know, the prophecy of that time. 16:03 Doug: Praise the Lord, yeah. 16:05 You saw our meetings from New York recently, Prophecy Odyssey? 16:09 Jorge: Yes, I'm actually rewatching it as we speak all 16:13 over again. 16:15 So, I'm glad that, you know, that's a resource that you and 16:18 Amazing Facts make that possible through YouTube 16:21 and obviously your website. 16:22 So, thank you for that. 16:24 Doug: Well, thank you, praise the Lord. 16:25 And your question tonight. 16:28 Jorge: My question is, what does the Bible say about women's 16:34 ordination, and how do we reconcile that with how that's 16:40 coming to fruition in a lot of the churches nowadays. 16:43 Doug: Yeah, yeah, and you know, it's like Esther said, "If I 16:47 perish, I perish." 16:48 But you know, the Bible truth is a Bible truth. 16:50 You're asking, what does the Bible say? 16:52 And someone came up to me once and said, "Doug, what do I have 16:55 to do to get you to change your opinion on women's ordination." 16:58 I said, "Well, you have to change the Bible," because I'd 17:01 be happy to believe either way, except there's just no example. 17:04 Now, what we're talking about friends, is women being ordained 17:08 as pastors. 17:10 And there's just no precedent in the Bible. 17:12 Some people say, "Well, that was cultural," but I think you have 17:15 to be very careful about just saying that, you know, 17:18 everything in the Bible is cultural. 17:20 It's--I think it's pretty clear by the example going all the way 17:24 back to the Garden of Eden to--through New Testament 17:29 history, that men were called to be the servant leaders in 17:33 families, the husband and the church is an extension of that. 17:39 The Bible says that there's no example of a woman being 17:43 ordained as a pastor, priest, elder. 17:46 No woman offered sacrifice. 17:48 It was only the men that are recorded as doing this. 17:51 Jesus, there's a reason that he chose twelve men. 17:54 A lot of women were disciples, but only the men were apostles. 17:57 So, I would think there's a distinction of roles. 18:01 Clearly, the physiology of men and women and even the way their 18:05 brains work is different. 18:07 And for whatever reason, you know, God has designed that that 18:12 way and I just figured well we safer sticking with the Word. 18:16 Now we have a book, I think, that talks about women 18:18 in ministry. 18:19 Jëan: Yeah, as you mentioned, Pastor Doug, all are called to 18:21 be disciple makers. 18:23 That's the part of the Great Commission. 18:24 If you're a believing in Christ, then you have a work to do. 18:26 And so, yes, there is an important work for both men and 18:29 women to do in the church, as Pastor Doug mentioned. 18:31 But there are also roles given in scripture. 18:34 And we do have a book. 18:35 It's called "Women in Ministry." 18:37 And it goes a lot more detail, talking about how we as 18:40 individuals can be involved in ministry and sharing our faith. 18:45 To receive that, the number to call is 800-835-6747. 18:49 That is our resource phone line. 18:50 Just call and ask for the book. 18:52 It's called "Women in Ministry." 18:53 You can dial #250 on your smartphone. 18:56 Say, "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for the book by name. 19:00 Next caller that we have is Rebeka in Ohio. 19:02 Rebeka, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 19:06 Rebeka: Hello, thank you, yes. 19:08 My question is, so I know that in order to be saved, you have 19:12 to have faith in Jesus and by His grace. 19:15 But I also know that if you're not living in the Lord or if you 19:19 are sinning, you're not saved because you--because yeah. 19:24 Just--but I've been kind of struggling recently because 19:28 sometimes I'm not really sure if I'm actually having faith in 19:31 Jesus or if I'm having faith in my works because I find myself 19:35 wondering if I'm really saved, if I'm following with the Lord 19:37 because I find myself sinning. 19:39 And does that make sense? 19:40 Doug: Yes, it's a big question that everyone asks every day. 19:44 So, yeah. 19:45 I actually was talking about this yesterday, and the--there's 19:50 a, you know, there's sort of an international debate that's gone 19:56 on for about two thousand years between--among Christians about 20:01 assurance of salvation. 20:02 How can you have assurance of salvation without 20:04 being perfectionistic? 20:06 How can you believe in grace without presuming on grace and 20:10 avoid being a legalist, but yet still believe in obedience? 20:14 And there's that balance. 20:16 So, once you come to Jesus and you accept him, Rebeka, and you 20:20 say, "Lord, I'm surrendering my life to you. 20:22 I'm weak, but I want to learn to follow you." 20:24 As soon as you come to Him, He will forgive all your past sins. 20:28 It's called justification. 20:29 You come just like you are. 20:31 Then He says, "I'm going to give you power to learn to live a 20:34 new life." 20:35 That learning process, you're going to color outside the lines 20:39 and make a lot of mistakes like every kid in school when 20:42 they're learning. 20:43 Don't get discouraged. 20:45 Jesus does not let go of you. 20:47 Don't worry that after you make a mistake, God is going to wait 20:50 for you to make a mistake, and then He's going to take your 20:52 life and you'll die lost. 20:54 Know that He's going to finish the work He began in you, if you 20:58 continue to walk with Him. 20:59 So, if you make a mistake, repent and ask God to give you 21:04 strength to turn away from whatever that is. 21:07 A believer should not have--they should not be addicted to sin. 21:11 In other words, there should be no sin that has dominion over 21:14 your life. 21:15 The Lord wants to save you from your sins. 21:18 And so, you want to surrender your heart to Him, ask 21:22 for victory. 21:23 If you stumble and fall, don't get discouraged, get back up and 21:26 know that He loves you. 21:27 He's adopted you as His child. 21:29 And that He is the author and the finisher of your faith. 21:33 He'll complete what he's begun. 21:35 So, you know, I've got a book that we can send you. 21:38 I forget sometimes that I wrote a book. 21:41 It's called "Assurance" and how you can have assurance. 21:44 And so, if you call the amazing facts number, ask for Pastor 21:47 Doug's booklet on assurance, I think it will encourage you. 21:50 Jëan: The number to call is 800-835-6747. 21:54 The book is called "Assurance: Justification Made Simple." 21:58 So, call and ask. 21:59 You can dial #250 on your smartphone, say, "Bible answers 22:03 live," and you'll be able to receive a digital download that 22:06 way as well. 22:08 Just again, the book is called "Assurance: Justification Made 22:10 Simple," and I hope anyone listening, you're all welcome to 22:13 call and get more information. 22:15 Next caller that we have is Mary in Oregon. 22:18 Mary, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 22:21 Mary: Thank you for taking my call. 22:23 Good evening. 22:24 And I want to also thank you for all that you do for Jesus. 22:29 Doug: Oh, it's a privilege. 22:30 Thank you. 22:31 Mary: Yeah, thank you. 22:33 My question is, Mary Magdalene, is she the same Mary as 22:39 Mary of Bethany? 22:41 Doug: I think so. 22:43 And there's Bible reasons for that. 22:45 Now, I wrote a book, one of my favorite Bible characters is 22:48 Mary Magdalene, and I just see her always at Jesus's feet. 22:52 She seems to be among his most devoted followers. 22:56 And you see, she's the first one he reveals himself to following 22:59 the resurrection. 23:01 Why do I believe that they're same person? 23:03 Well, you see Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene frequently at 23:06 Jesus's feet. 23:08 It tells us that both of them have reputations for being, you 23:11 know, women that were sinners. 23:13 It never specifically says that Mary Magdalene 23:16 or Mary of Bethany were prostitutes, but it does imply 23:20 that they had that kind of reputation. 23:24 And they had means. 23:27 You know, they give this very expensive gift to Jesus, Mary of 23:31 Bethany does. 23:33 Evidently, Mary of Bethany, she worked in Magdala, which is like 23:38 the Las Vegas of Galilee. 23:40 That's where the Roman soldiers would have their recreation. 23:44 And--but she had a brother and sister in Bethany. 23:48 So, she sometimes called Mary of Magdala or Mary Magdalene. 23:51 I think she may have also been the woman that was caught in 23:53 adultery in John chapter 8, that's thrown down at 23:56 Jesus's feet. 23:58 So--and of course they have the same name. 24:00 And the other thing is their names are never 24:03 mentioned together. 24:05 Now, there's one place where it tells about the woman who 24:08 anointed Jesus's feet, and it says it's Mary of Bethany. 24:10 Another Gospel says a certain woman, and it could be she was 24:14 still alive then and they didn't want to identify her because it 24:16 was an embarrassing situation. 24:19 So, I think there's a lot of evidence that it's the 24:22 same person. 24:24 Jëan: All right, do we have a book on that Pastor Doug? 24:26 Doug: We do. 24:27 It's not one we typically give away. 24:28 It's called, "At Jesus' Feet," and it's a full-size book that 24:32 you can get through Amazing Facts. 24:33 We do have a book on Mary the mother of Jesus if you want a 24:36 Mary book, but the book on Mary Magdalene is called "At Jesus' 24:40 Feet," the Gospel according to Mary Magdalene. 24:43 That's a full size. 24:44 Jëan: Yeah, go to the Amazing Facts website for 24:46 more information. 24:47 All right, thank you. 24:49 Next one we have is Grace in California. 24:50 Grace, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 24:53 Grace: Hi, good evening. 24:54 Doug: Hi, how are you doing? 24:56 Grace: My question is about, like, after you eat your lunch 25:01 or dinner during the Sabbath, is it a sin to wash your plate? 25:05 Doug: Okay, good question. 25:07 Not a practical question. 25:08 You know, in Sabbath keeping, it says that we should try to get 25:11 all of our practical work out of the way and enjoy that day as a 25:14 day of rest. 25:16 What about doing dishes after the meal? 25:19 Well, you know, I think that you should try and leave undone 25:22 what you can leave undone. 25:24 That there are--I became a Christian studying under some 25:29 people that were missionaries in Burma. 25:32 And they said that, and these were very dedicated missionary 25:35 Sabbath keepers, and they said after on Sabbath after meals, 25:38 they said, we had to clean up because it's just ants 25:40 everywhere, monkeys would come through the windows and take 25:43 your food. 25:44 And he said, "You know, just gotta understand. 25:46 You gotta clean up or it's going to be a mess." 25:48 Sometimes I'll straighten things out. 25:49 You've got company in the house, angels are there, and you want 25:52 things to look right and be sanitary. 25:54 So, but, you know, there may be cases where you've got a stack 25:58 of dishes and you think, "Okay, it's not a problem. 26:00 I'm going to go to another room. 26:01 We'll take care of it after Sabbath." 26:03 So, it just, you know, it depends on the practical 26:06 circumstances, I think. 26:08 Jëan: All right, thank you. 26:10 Doug: Thanks for your question. 26:11 And we do have a book on keeping the Sabbath holy. 26:13 It's a book we can share and if you call Amazing Facts, 26:17 give some practical tips on how do you keep the Sabbath. 26:19 Jëan: The number for that is 800-835-6747. 26:23 You can ask for the book on "How to Keep the Sabbath Holy." 26:26 Just some practical information. 26:27 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and just ask for the 26:32 book by name. 26:33 Doug: Yeah. 26:34 So, listening friends, in just a few minutes, we're going to be 26:36 taking our halftime break that gives you a chance to check out 26:40 our website. 26:42 Now, let me tell you, Amazing Facts has a very busy website. 26:46 You won't find you have to wait when you go. 26:48 It's busy because we have 8000 pages of information. 26:52 I just found out this week. 26:53 We get millions of people visiting the website. 26:56 There are videos, free books, radio programs, all kinds of 27:00 sermon material, and a great way for you to witness and 27:03 share things. 27:04 Go through the Bible study course, it's free. 27:06 AmazingFacts.org. 27:08 Now, don't go away, we'll be back. 27:14 male announcer: Stay tuned. 27:15 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:17 ♪♪♪ 27:25 Lindsay: I was raised in Christian schools. 27:28 My grandparents were missionaries in Africa and the 27:31 Middle East. 27:32 I got baptized by my grandfather in the church. 27:35 That's all I knew. 27:36 That's what I grew up with. 27:37 When I was older and I was in high school, we moved 27:40 to California. 27:41 I became an age where I didn't have to go to church if I didn't 27:44 want to go to church, and so I didn't. 27:46 I started hanging out with the wrong people and would go 27:49 drinking and would go partying and would go to the clubs and 27:52 you have to surround yourself with like-minded people, 27:54 otherwise you don't have people to keep you in check and you 27:57 will drift away and I a hundred percent did. 28:00 I was probably around 21. 28:02 I met my husband. 28:04 I had always held religion in my heart, but I wasn't 28:07 practicing it. 28:09 I'd always told him that if we had kids, I wanted to be able to 28:12 raise them in the church, but we had moved to Nevada when our 28:17 first son was a year old and living outside of Sin City, 28:20 there's not a ton of options. 28:23 And then COVID hit, and I just knew something was calling me to 28:27 come back. 28:29 A couple months later, my parents told me about 28:32 Pastor Doug. 28:33 I connected with Pastor Doug because he had a past similar 28:35 to mine. 28:37 He was raised in the church loosely, but he had a spot in 28:39 between where he lived a life that was not within the church. 28:43 So, I thought, "Well, I want to hear what he has to say." 28:46 During the summer, I think is when "Revelation Now" came out. 28:49 I made sure that I tuned in every night. 28:51 Pastor Doug just helped me understand that Revelation is 28:55 not as scary if you have a connection with God because he's 29:00 going to make sure that you're not scared and that you're 29:02 taking care of. 29:04 My husband would come in and out of the room and check in and see 29:07 what was going on, and I remember one night we got in an 29:10 argument about why I was watching "Revelation Now" and I 29:14 needed to give him some scientific proof that God 29:16 was real. 29:17 And I was like, "I can't show you proof, 29:19 it's just in my heart. 29:20 Why don't you watch some of these with me and just see?" 29:22 So, he finally started sitting down watching with me. 29:24 Then we went on Amazing facts and we found the 27 study guides 29:28 and then after we were done, I was like, "I want to get 29:30 baptized again." 29:32 And I remember him saying, "Me too." 29:36 male announcer: Thank you for changing Lindsay and 29:38 Brian's lives. 29:40 ♪♪♪ 29:49 male announcer: Would you like to know God's plan for our 29:51 troubled world and solutions for your life's challenges? 29:54 Beautifully redesigned and updated, Amazing facts's 27 29:58 Bible study guides provide straightforward Bible-based 30:01 answers that are enlightening, encouraging, and easy to 30:03 understand, giving you real relevant Bible answers to 30:06 questions like, "How can I have healthier relationships? 30:09 When will Jesus come?" 30:10 and much more. 30:12 Order yours today by visiting afbookstore.com or by 30:15 calling 800-538-7275. 30:19 male announcer: Would you like to start your day with an 30:21 inspiring spiritual boost? 30:23 You can get a daily devotional from your friends at Amazing 30:26 Facts each day right to your inbox. 30:29 These five-minute nuggets of faith provide an amazing fact 30:32 that's tied to a deeper spiritual insight and it's 30:35 designed to kickstart your day or to help you wind down 30:38 before bedtime. 30:39 Sign up by visiting amazingfacts.org, click on the 30:43 Bible study tab and choose daily devotions. 30:49 ♪♪♪ 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. 31:00 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. and 8 p.m. 31:20 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 Live." 31:42 We know some have tuned in en route, and this is a live 31:46 international interactive Bible study. 31:48 You are invited to call in with your questions, and we will 31:51 answer your questions live on the air, do our best anyway. 31:54 We don't have all the answers. 31:56 The number is 800--God says that's 800-463-7297. 32:02 My name is Doug Batchelor. 32:03 Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross and we've got Brittany standing by. 32:07 Brittany from California. 32:08 Welcome to the program. 32:10 Brittany: Yeah, my question is, how is a Christian supposed to 32:15 defend their faith when the world seems like it's 32:18 attacking them? 32:19 Doug: Prayerfully and boldly. 32:21 You know, it's easy to be intimidated, and I think we've 32:24 all felt that before, when you're surrounded by people that 32:27 are laughing at or mocking that you're a Christian, that you 32:31 would believe that God created the world as opposed 32:33 to evolution. 32:35 Then they think that you're, you know, you're uneducated, you're 32:38 unsophisticated, and the media tends to mock Christians. 32:44 But Jesus said, "Look, they mocked me," and Paul said, "The 32:48 cross is foolishness to the world." 32:51 Don't be discouraged. 32:52 Paul often said that Christians should pray for boldness. 32:55 You can read in Acts chapter 4, the disciples prayed that God 32:59 would give them boldness. 33:00 And it says, "They were filled with the Spirit, and they spoke 33:02 the Word with boldness." 33:04 And in the armor of God you find in Ephesians chapter 6, Paul 33:08 said, "And pray for me that I might be bold." 33:10 He was, you know, in prison for his faith, but he did not want 33:12 to be intimidated to be silent. 33:15 And so, you'd be surprised that sometimes we think that the 33:19 devil wants us to think people don't want to hear. 33:21 There are people that do want to hear. 33:24 Jesus said, "The harvest is great, the laborers are few." 33:27 Hidden out there in the field, there's a lot of people that 33:31 want to know the truth. 33:32 They want to know the Lord, they're looking for purpose. 33:34 So, don't be discouraged. 33:37 Jëan: That's right. 33:38 We want to be faithful in every area that we have, beginning 33:40 with those closest to us and then as that circle gets wider, 33:43 we want to be the biggest influence that we can for good. 33:46 Doug: Amen. 33:48 Jëan: Alright, thank you, Brittany. 33:49 We've got James in Oregon. 33:50 James, welcome to Bible Answers Live. 33:52 James: Okay, thank you. 33:53 Nice to be talking with you Doug Batchelor, pastor. 33:56 Doug: Pleasure. 33:57 James: My question is, it's about burial in the Bible and 34:04 creation in today's time. 34:07 Cremation in today's time, is it acceptable for someone to be 34:14 cremated rather than buried? 34:17 Doug: Yeah, good question. 34:18 By the way, I have, you know, whenever we answer these 34:20 questions, I usually take two or three minutes, we do our best to 34:24 get as many as we can, so you can't be comprehensive. 34:28 I do have a YouTube and it's on cremation. 34:32 If you just type in Doug Batchelor, or you go to YouTube, 34:34 you type in Doug Bachelor Cremation. 34:36 I do a little longer study on it there. 34:39 But I'll give you a quick answer. 34:40 First of all, this is not a salvation issue, so there may be 34:44 people who have been cremated as opposed to burial, and that 34:46 doesn't mean they're going to lose their salvation, because 34:49 most of the people in the Bible were buried. 34:52 The patriarchs like David, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, 34:57 Joseph says they were buried. 34:59 But a lot of Christians were martyred. 35:01 They were burnt at the stake, or they were, you know, burnt for 35:04 their faith, or they were thrown to the overboard and eaten by 35:09 fish or whatever. 35:10 And so, the idea that God can't resurrect you if you're cremated 35:14 is absurd and it's not a problem for the Lord. 35:17 He can make man from the dust, and He can resurrect him from 35:20 his bones. 35:22 So, it's not a salvation issue, but if you want to say, "What 35:25 does the Bible say?" 35:27 Typically, they were buried. 35:29 There are a couple of cases, like Jonathan was cremated and 35:33 Bible tells us he was a righteous man and he will no 35:36 doubt be in heaven. 35:38 But just about everyone else in the Bible was--they were buried. 35:43 So, yeah. 35:44 You can check out the YouTube on that and I know that today, 35:49 burial, especially with, you know, world population 35:52 exploding, burial places are becoming more and more rare or 35:58 are restricted. 35:59 And some cemeteries are actually putting two in a grave now 36:03 because it's--they're so crowded like Jerusalem. 36:06 But... yeah, I probably said enough on that. 36:11 Jëan: Okay. 36:12 Doug: So, yeah. 36:14 The example in the Bible would be burial, but some people are 36:16 choosing cremation because it's so much more affordable. 36:19 Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Mark and Sarah 36:22 from Missouri. 36:23 Mark, Sarrah, welcome to the program. 36:25 Sarrah: Hello. 36:27 Thank you for your ministry and what you do. 36:28 We pray for you guys often and thank God for all the work that 36:32 you're doing. 36:33 Doug: Thanks so much. 36:34 Sarrah: Our question is, with so many denominations in the world, 36:38 how do we study the Bible to know that we're understanding it 36:41 accurately and correctly? 36:44 Doug: Great question. 36:45 You know, most Christians, if you look at, you know, all the 36:49 things to believe from the Bible, you'd probably find that 36:52 most Christians agree and overlap on 80 or 90% 36:56 of the teachings, you know, the basic morals 36:59 of Christianity and the salvation through faith in 37:02 Christ sacrifice. 37:04 Then there are areas where they diverge in, you know, some 37:08 pretty radical differences. 37:10 How do you know? 37:11 Well, one thing, allow the Bible to interpret itself. 37:14 Look for other Bible examples. 37:18 look at the example, of course, of Jesus and His life, you know, 37:21 when you're wondering about something. 37:22 So, well, what did Jesus do? 37:24 What would He--what did He teach? 37:26 And rightly dividing the Word, comparing scripture with 37:30 scripture is, I think the safest way. 37:33 God's truth really hasn't changed through history. 37:37 Some people think there's a different religion in the New 37:39 Testament than there was in the Old Testament. 37:42 No, they're all saved by faith. 37:44 We are saved by faith looking back to the cross. 37:47 They sacrifice the lambs because they were saved by looking 37:49 forward to the cross. 37:51 But there's one truth. 37:53 The Bible says one Lord, one faith, one baptism. 37:56 Makes sense that there should be one truth and it may not be the 38:00 most popular church. 38:01 If I was the devil, if Jesus had a true church in the world, I 38:06 would do everything I could to malign and misrepresent them, 38:09 to, you know, make it people turn away. 38:12 So, go by what the Bible says. 38:15 And we have a book called "Search tor the True Church." 38:17 You can tell from prophecy how to identify God's church in the 38:21 last days. 38:22 Jëan: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. 38:26 That is the resource phone line. 38:27 You can ask for the study guide. 38:29 It's called the "Search for the True Church." 38:30 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 38:33 Maybe we'll just add a couple of verses to what you said, 38:35 Pastor Doug. 38:36 You got 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. 38:38 It says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, it's 38:42 profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 38:44 instruction in righteousness, the man of God might be 38:47 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 38:50 So, we want to study the scriptures to find truth. 38:53 And then we have in Acts chapter 17:11, a group of people from 38:56 Thessalonica who search the scriptures daily. 38:59 So, these are people in the Word. 39:01 That's how we can find truth by spending time in the Word. 39:04 Doug: Amen. 39:05 Jëan: Thank you, Mark, Sarrah. 39:07 Alex in Florida, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 39:10 Alex: Good evening, pastors. 39:11 Doug: Evening. 39:12 Alex: Also wanted to thank you for your ministry. 39:14 It's just a great blessing. 39:15 Doug: Well, thank you. 39:18 Alex: Yeah, so, I had a question of Genesis 32 39:21 in verse 30, where Jacob, after wrestling with God, says, 39:27 "For I have seen God face to face, 39:30 and my life is preserved." 39:32 How do I understand this? 39:34 Seeing God face to face and, yeah, life is preserved, yeah. 39:38 Doug: Yeah, the ancient Hebrews rightly believe that no man 39:42 could endure looking into the face of God the Father 39:47 and survive. 39:48 And they didn't realize that sometimes they would look into 39:51 the face of what we call a Christophany, Jesus, 39:54 God the Son, before the incarnation. 39:56 He would sometimes veil His glory. 39:59 You know, He spoke to Abraham. 40:00 The Bible says, "As a man speaks to his friend." 40:03 Yet God said to Moses, "No man can see My face and live." 40:06 But then Jacob wrestled with this angel, evidently must have 40:10 seen his face at some point, wrestled all night. 40:12 And he says, "I've seen God face to face." 40:15 He probably saw God the Son. 40:16 Now, if you look in John 6:46, Christ said, "Not that any man 40:20 has seen the Father." 40:23 That's John 6:46. 40:25 But when we are perfectly purged from sin, it says in Revelation, 40:29 we will see His face. 40:32 That's going be--that's pretty awesome to think about. 40:34 But even the angels veil their faces from the face of God 40:37 on His throne in Isaiah 6. 40:40 I mean, the glory for humans just would destroy us 40:44 in our sinful condition. 40:46 But some day, we will see Him face to face, God the Father. 40:50 Jëan: All right, thank you, Alex. 40:51 Next caller that we have is Billy in Texas. 40:53 Billy, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 40:55 Billy: Good evening. 40:56 Doug: Evening. 40:57 Billy: I had a question. 40:59 I'm just kind of wondering about the parable of the rich man 41:02 and Lazarus. 41:03 I think how you say, when people die, that they don't know 41:08 anything, that they're under the altar, and their next conscious 41:11 thought is Jesus and the rapture, the awakening. 41:15 How do I fit that parable in to be true when all the others I 41:20 can see reverence in. 41:22 Doug: There first of all, I think the key is your phrase 41:24 right there, the parable. 41:26 A parable is a story that obviously some parts of the 41:30 parable are not to be taken literally. 41:33 Jesus compares the lost to sheep. 41:35 Well, we're not sheep. 41:37 He compares the lost to coins. 41:38 Well, we're not coins. 41:40 He compares the Word of God to seed. 41:42 Well, it's not, you know, sunflower seeds. 41:44 It's--so there's a lot of analogies. 41:46 And the story in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, you 41:50 know that there are symbols being used here because first of 41:53 all, there's nowhere else in the Bible where it says that all the 41:56 saved go to the bosom of Abraham. 41:58 It's the only place. 42:00 The reason he says the bosom of Abraham is because Abraham, the 42:04 sacred father of the Jewish nation, they all wanted to be 42:07 with Abraham. 42:08 And so, Jesus says that, and then he's got this--the rich 42:12 man, the poor Lazarus goes to Abraham's bosom. 42:15 The rich man, he goes to Hades, which is a Greek place 42:18 of torment. 42:19 So, he chooses a word from Greek mythology of a place of torment. 42:23 It's funny, he uses a paradox here. 42:25 He's saying Lazarus, who represents the Jews, 42:29 the Gentiles rather, they were starving for the truth. 42:31 They're at the rich man's gate. 42:34 Lazarus goes to be in the Jewish place of reward, and the rich 42:38 man who represents the Jewish nation that had all this 42:40 knowledge and truth they were feasting on while the Gentiles 42:44 died starving for the truth at their gate. 42:48 The rich man goes to the Greek place of torment. 42:51 So, Christ is using a little irony and humor in here. 42:55 No one believes that people in heaven and hell are going to be 42:57 able to talk to each other. 42:58 How could you enjoy heaven and be having a conversation with 43:01 somebody burning in the flame? 43:03 But in this parable, they are. 43:05 Abraham's talking to somebody burning in hell or in Hades. 43:10 And the whole purpose of the story is what you call the 43:12 punchline. 43:14 They said--the rich man says, "Oh, if he would send somebody 43:17 back to my father's house, warn my brothers lest they come to 43:21 this place of torment." 43:23 And Abraham says, "Well, they've got Moses and the prophets." 43:26 He said, "Oh, no. 43:28 But if someone would rise from the dead, then they'd believe." 43:31 And Jesus said, "If they do not believe Moses and the prophets," 43:34 meaning the Word of God, "neither will they be persuaded 43:36 though one should rise from the dead." 43:38 So, the whole purpose of the parable is to say that it's not 43:42 signs and wonders and miracles. 43:44 That if you don't believe the Word of God, even a 43:46 resurrection, and of course, Jesus did resurrect someone 43:49 named Lazarus and they wanted to kill Lazarus. 43:52 It didn't change them. 43:54 Jëan: Absolutely. 43:56 All right, well, thank you, great question. 43:58 Doug: Joe Cruz, I think, has a sermon book called "The Parable 44:00 of the Rich Man and Lazarus" that we can offer. 44:03 Jëan: Yeah, the number to call 800-835-6747. 44:05 You can ask for the book called "The Rich Man and Lazarus" that 44:08 explains this parable in more detail. 44:11 You can dial #250 on your smartphone. 44:13 You can ask for it as well, called "The Rich Man 44:15 and Lazarus." 44:17 We've got Alice in New York. 44:18 Alice, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 44:20 Alice: Yes, hi. 44:24 My question is, oh, by the way, I love what you do for us. 44:27 Doug: Thank you. 44:28 Alice: So, my question is, why do people tell me that they 44:33 follow the nine commandments, but they don't follow the 44:37 Sabbath commandment? 44:38 What excuse are they using? 44:41 Doug: Yeah. 44:42 Well, there are some churches that only follow 44:44 eight commandments. 44:45 They not only neglect the Sabbath commandment, but they 44:47 have no problem with idols in their churches. 44:50 So--but yeah, a lot of churches will be perfectly fine if you 44:54 were to come and preach a sermon on honoring your parents, 44:58 or don't steal or don't lie, and they'd all say amen. 45:02 But when you get to the fourth commandment, this is, "And 45:04 remember the Sabbath day," they say, "Oh no, no, no. 45:06 We're not under the law now, we're under grace." 45:09 So, I hear, you know, there's not even agreement among 45:12 Christians that ignore the fourth commandment. 45:15 There is not consensus. 45:16 Some say Jesus changed the seventh day to the first day 45:20 with a resurrection, which sounds beautifully poetic, 45:24 but there's no command anywhere 45:26 that says from now on because of the resurrection, 45:28 keep the first day as the Sabbath. 45:29 Nothing like that in the Bible. 45:32 There is no command to keep the first day holy 45:35 anywhere in the Bible. 45:36 They say, well, "There's a tradition," but, you know, Jesus 45:38 said, "Why do you neglect the commandments of God to follow 45:41 your tradition?" 45:42 Another example is they say, "Well, we're not under the law. 45:44 We don't need to keep any day. 45:46 It doesn't matter if you go Saturday or Sunday or no day, 45:49 that now we're under grace, that the law's been nailed to 45:52 the cross." 45:53 But basically what they say is that God nailed all Ten 45:57 Commandments of the cross, but He reinstated nine of them. 46:01 It's like saying if you've got one finger that hurts, you cut 46:03 off all ten and sew nine of them back on. 46:05 It doesn't make any sense. 46:07 Then I heard one creed of man say that back in the days of 46:10 Joshua, the sun stood still Saturday turned to Sunday. 46:13 But they kept still the seventh day for another thousand years. 46:17 So, that's a silly analogy. 46:20 So, there's not even agreement about why you would want to get 46:24 rid of a commandment, except that it's just been such a 46:27 long tradition. 46:28 A lot of churches and pastors know to try to change that 46:31 and do what Jesus did, it would be very difficult. 46:35 But if you go by what the Bible says, Christ kept the seventh 46:38 day of the week. 46:39 God's people kept the seventh day of the week. 46:41 The early Christians kept the seventh day of the week. 46:43 God's law does not change. 46:44 It's written in stone, and He's the same yesterday, today, 46:49 and forever. 46:50 The Saturday is what we call--the Sabbath is what we 46:53 call Saturday today. 46:55 So, there is no good reason. 46:57 Jëan: Pastor Doug, even early Protestant reformers, for 46:59 example, the pilgrims that came to the United States, 47:02 they believed in the Sabbath commandment. 47:04 Now, of course, they thought it was on the first day of 47:05 the week. 47:06 They thought it was Sunday, but they still encouraged people to 47:08 observe what they considered the Sabbath. 47:11 They even called Sunday Sabbath, right? 47:13 And they were to observe it. 47:15 They were to keep it. 47:16 And now, of course, today, even amongst churches that do worship 47:18 on Sunday, there's not much keeping of the day. 47:22 Doug: No. 47:23 Jëan: It's all been set aside. 47:24 Doug: Yeah, in the last 50 years it has been sort of a 47:27 distancing from the whole Sabbath truth about resting that 47:31 in seventh. 47:32 Jëan: We have a study guide. 47:34 It's called "The Lost Day of History" that explains the 47:35 subject in more detail. 47:37 We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 47:39 Just ask for it. 47:40 It's called "The Lost Day of History." 47:42 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 47:45 You can dial #250 on your smartphone and say, "I like the 47:49 study guide called 'The Lost Day of History."' 47:51 Next caller that we have is Nathaniel in Kentucky. 47:54 Nathanael, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 47:56 Nathanael: Thank you very much. 47:57 Doug: Thanks for calling. 47:58 Nathanael: Appreciate for what you do. 48:00 I've been following you for several years from Africa. 48:05 I've been watching you. 48:07 So, I really appreciate. 48:09 I've--this has changed me a lot. 48:13 Doug: Well, praise the Lord. 48:14 Thank you so much. 48:16 We are glad to hear that, Nathanael. 48:18 Nathanael: So, my question is, I've been reading Revelation 48:22 chapter 11. 48:24 So, the two witnesses, but I failed to understand who are 48:30 those two witnesses. 48:32 Doug: Yes, in Revelation 11, and we probably can't go through the 48:36 whole passage because it's a lengthy study, but in a 48:40 nutshell, the two witnesses are the Word of God. 48:43 You know, they're symbolized by Moses and Elijah, Moses being 48:47 the law, Elijah the prophets, you could say they're the New 48:49 and the Old Testament. 48:51 The Word of God is often given in a dual nature in the Bible. 48:55 The Ten Commandments are on two tables of stone. 48:58 The law of God is like a two-edged sword. 49:01 The Word of God is a double-edged sword. 49:03 So, these two witnesses, you find them also mentioned 49:06 in Zechariah. 49:07 It says, "They're like the two olive trees." 49:10 And then it gives characteristics about them. 49:12 It says they can shut up the heavens. 49:14 Well, you know, there's places in the Bible where Elijah and 49:17 Moses, they say the heavens would be shut up. 49:21 And then it says they can call down plagues and you see that in 49:25 the Bible. 49:26 And then it's also telling something that would happen to 49:28 the Word of God. 49:30 That just near the end of this papal persecution that ended in 49:35 1798, there was a period where there was a war against the Word 49:39 of God and a first atheistic country was France. 49:43 And they for three and a half years, they burnt Bibles and 49:48 destroyed them, and it looked like the two witnesses laid in 49:50 the street. 49:52 Symbolically, the Word of God was desecrated. 49:54 But then it came back to life. 49:56 They--the nation suffered terribly from that. 50:00 They suffered spiritually. 50:02 They restored the Word of God and it was exalted back 50:05 to heaven. 50:07 And so, that's a longer study. 50:08 Do we have a--. 50:09 Jëan: We do, we got a book, it's called "The Two Witnesses." 50:11 Doug: Oh, there we go. 50:12 Jëan: Moses and Elijah, you wrote it Pastor Doug. 50:15 That's a good one. 50:16 Doug: It doesn't go into France, I don't think. 50:17 Jëan: But it does talk about the two witnesses. 50:19 So yes, if you'd like to get that book, just call and ask. 50:22 It's 800-835-6747. 50:25 It's called "The Two Witnesses," written by Pastor Doug. 50:28 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 50:30 You can dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for that. 50:34 A lot of great information. 50:36 Next one that we have is Pamela in Washington. 50:38 Pamela, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 50:39 Pamela: Hi, how are you doing tonight? 50:42 Doug: Doing great, thank you for calling. 50:44 Pamela: My question tonight is, Daniel 8:14 of the cleansing 50:49 of the sanctuary, and I'm assuming that sanctuary is in 50:53 heaven, and I was wondering what is being cleansed in 50:57 that sanctuary? 50:59 Doug: Yeah, well, there's--this is very important to understand. 51:03 There are two things that are happening there. 51:04 You've got a sanctuary in heaven and a sanctuary on earth. 51:09 In the earthly sanctuary in the Old Testament, they had once a 51:12 year a special cleansing of the sanctuary. 51:14 It was called the Day of Atonement. 51:16 We call it Yom Kippur, when the high priests would enter into 51:20 the holy of holies and go through a ceremony where the 51:23 people were separated from the sins that had been 51:26 stored symbolically. 51:27 You can't store, you know, sin like you do data on a hard 51:31 drive, but the sins had symbolically been stored because 51:34 of the shedding of blood in the sanctuary. 51:36 The priests would go through this ritual where they had the 51:39 two goats. 51:40 One was slain, one was carried off and abandoned in 51:42 the wilderness. 51:44 And it basically gave them a fresh start with the new year. 51:48 Now this happens for God's people spiritually when Jesus, 51:51 our high priests, entered into heaven. 51:54 And we've entered that last phase of His heavenly ministry 51:58 as our high priests. 51:59 You can read about this in Hebrews several chapters. 52:03 Hebrews 9, Hebrews 8. 52:05 And now there's a sanctuary on earth too, 52:07 which is His church. 52:09 The Bible says, "You are the body of Christ." 52:11 So, this time prophecy, if you go 2300 years from the going 52:17 forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, the 52:20 date to start the prophecy is in the next chapter. 52:24 And if you go from that, which is 457, is when Artaxerxes 52:28 gave the decree, you find that in Ezra chapter 7. 52:32 He gave the decree to restore and build Jerusalem. 52:35 And if you go 2300 years, because in a prophecy like this 52:39 a day is a year, it reaches 1844. 52:42 Well, what happened there? 52:44 Well, you enter the last age of the church called Laodicea, 52:47 which means a judging of the people. 52:50 God--Christ enters His final work as our heavenly 52:53 high priest. 52:55 And He also began a movement cleansing His church on earth. 53:00 Now, if you look in Daniel chapter 8 to understand, you go 53:02 to verse 12. 53:04 And it says, "Because of transgression, an army was given 53:07 over to the horn," this little horn power, "to oppose the daily 53:11 sacrifice; and he cast truth down to the ground." 53:16 So, when truth is cast down to the ground, God's church is 53:19 defiled by error. 53:22 God began a movement in 1844 on Earth that he restored 53:27 these truths that had been lost during the Dark Ages. 53:31 And He was cleansing the sanctuary on earth as He's 53:34 cleansing the sanctuary in heaven. 53:35 And when Michael stands up and he's done, then a time of 53:39 trouble comes. 53:40 So, we're living in this last stage and age of the church. 53:44 Now that was a very quick answer, but it's a big question. 53:49 Jëan: You know, we do have a study guide, actually two, 53:51 that might be helpful. 53:52 The one is called "Right On Time." 53:53 And it talks about that time prophecy, Daniel 8:14. 53:56 And then there's another one called "Case Closed." 53:58 Talks about a heavenly judgment that takes place just before 54:02 Jesus comes. 54:03 You can call and ask for both of those studies. 54:05 They kind of go together. 54:06 The one is called "Right On Time" and the other is called 54:09 "Case Closed." 54:10 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 54:14 You can ask for that. 54:16 You can dial #250 on your smartphone. 54:18 And again, the study guide is called "Right On Time" and 54:21 "Case Closed." 54:22 Those are the two that go along with that question. 54:25 We got Erica in Canada. 54:27 Erica, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 54:29 Erica: Thank you for answering my call. 54:34 I have a question. 54:36 So, does God--like, does God understand the pains that 54:42 we feel? 54:44 Does He like come down to our level to like understand that we 54:49 are going through the trials and tribulations because He's very 54:53 powerful and He's just up in heaven. 54:56 And then I have another one. 54:58 Is God--I know God doesn't have like limitations to what He can 55:01 answer, but at the same time, does God--are there things that 55:05 God cannot do because of the circumstances surrounding? 55:09 Doug: Yeah, yeah, great questions. 55:11 Two big questions in just a minute or two. 55:14 God feels everything we feel because He's all knowing. 55:17 He knows what you're feeling better than you do. 55:20 And Jesus came into the world not so God could figure out what 55:24 we're feeling, but so we would also know that He knows because 55:28 He really did experience what--He was tempted, it says in 55:30 Hebrews, in all points as we are. 55:34 And yeah, God does--He does care. 55:36 What was the second part of that question? 55:38 Jëan: Is there stuff that He doesn't do or can't do? 55:40 Doug: Oh yeah. 55:42 There things that God can't do, yeah. 55:43 God can't lie. 55:44 And the Bible says that, you know, God, He can't stop 55:49 loving you. 55:50 There's nothing that can separate God from His love for 55:52 you there in Romans chapter 8. 55:55 Jëan: And God won't force the will. 55:56 We have freedom to choose. 55:58 Doug: And yeah. 55:59 So, in that sense, you might say God doesn't tempt anybody. 56:02 He can't be tempted by evil, and neither does He tempt anyone. 56:05 So, I've actually got a study. 56:07 I don't have it in front of me now, and it's like eight things 56:09 God can't do. 56:10 But it's talking about He can't go against His own nature 56:13 because God is omnipotent. 56:15 And He can save you, friends. 56:17 That's the good news. 56:19 So, no matter what you've been through or what your trials 56:21 might be, He knows, He understands, and He feels your 56:25 tears, He feels your pain, and He wants you to have a new life 56:31 that comes from a relationship with Him. 56:33 Surrender your life to Jesus. 56:34 It's the best decision you can ever make and you'll never 56:37 regret it. 56:38 Check out the Bible studies that are free, amazingfacts.org, and 56:42 we're going to study His Word with you again soon. 56:46 Jëan: We got time maybe for one more caller pastor Doug. 56:48 We've got Tabitha listening in Nevada. 56:50 Tabitha, we got about a minute. 56:52 Welcome to the program. 56:53 Tabitha: Thank you. 56:56 My question is in Matthew chapter 27, verses 52 and 53. 57:01 It says, "And the graves were open; and many bodies of the 57:04 saints which slept and arose, and they came out of their 57:07 graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and 57:11 appeared unto many." 57:13 Where exactly did they go? 57:15 Explain the holy city, is that heaven 57:17 or can you explain, please? 57:19 Thank you. 57:20 Doug: Well, the Holy City was another name for Jerusalem, and 57:23 this is a very special resurrection of few people that 57:26 had--some of the saints that had died around Jerusalem. 57:29 They came out of their graves. 57:31 They appeared after the resurrection of Jesus to some 57:34 people in Jerusalem. 57:36 They identified who they were. 57:37 And then when Christ ascended to heaven, when He told Mary, "I've 57:41 not yet ascended to my Father," but then He ascended, they 57:44 ascended with Him. 57:45 They were like His firstfruits. 57:47 There's a verse is it in Ephesians, Pastor Ross. 57:49 He led captivity captive. 57:50 Jëan: Ephesians 4, verse 8. 57:52 Doug: And they were the trophies that He led to heaven. 57:56 Well, thank you very much for your questions, friends. 57:58 And please keep in mind Amazing Facts is supported entirely by 58:02 our listeners. 58:04 God bless you and thank you so much for what you might do. 58:08 male announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 58:11 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 58:15 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 58:19 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. 58:23 ♪♪♪ |
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