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Series Code: AFBA
Program Code: AFBA202502S
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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 and it's 00:10 words, sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, should 00:14 always be studied carefully. 00:16 It is the Bible, the Word of God. 00:19 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate and practical 00:24 answers to all your Bible questions. 00:28 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 00:31 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 00:34 broadcast, call 800-835-6747. 00:39 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, welcome to Bible Answers Live. 00:52 Would you like to hear an amazing fact? 00:56 Armadillos are among the strangest of God's creatures. 00:59 Like their cousins, the anteater, armadillos have a very 01:02 long sticky tongue to slurp up bugs and strong claws to tear 01:07 open ant nests or to dig up a burrow 15 feet long. 01:11 The female armadillo always bears four young, which are 01:15 always the same sex, either four female or four males. 01:18 This is the only mammal known to do so. 01:21 Armadillos like to swim and they're very good at it, but 01:24 because their heavy shells make them sink, they must swallow air 01:27 to become more buoyant or they sink and walk along the bottom 01:31 of streams like a lobster. 01:32 If they need to, they can hold their breath for up to six 01:35 minutes at a time. 01:36 They sleep a lot and only come out at twilight or when it's 01:40 very cloudy because their eyes are very sensitive to light. 01:43 The name armadillo is a Spanish word meaning little armored one. 01:48 Their armor protects them against the thorns and spikes in 01:51 the desert. 01:52 When threatened, the three banded armadillo can roll up 01:55 into a virtual ball. 01:57 The popular nine-banded armadillo found all the way from 02:00 the US down to South America is between 29 to 36 inches long, 02:05 including the tail, and they usually weigh between 8 to 02:07 17 pounds. 02:09 Now that's nothing compared to the largest armadillos who have 02:12 ever lived, which are called glylopidons. 02:15 They lived in South America. 02:17 They were about 11 feet long, 5 feet tall, and weighed over 02:22 4400 pounds. 02:24 For additional defense, at the end of their long tails, they 02:27 had a club covered with spikes. 02:30 You know, even though some of these ancient mammals were huge, 02:33 they still needed armor because there were also even bigger 02:36 predators they had to worry about back then. 02:39 Jëan Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. 02:40 It seemed like before the flood, animals were super sized. 02:43 Even the armadillo needed to be big. 02:46 Doug: They call them megafauna. 02:47 They had some of these are huge. 02:49 I remember I was on the island of Malta. 02:51 I was 16 years old. 02:52 They took us to a museum. 02:54 They showed us the rack, a rack of antlers from some 02:58 deer-like creature. 02:59 That did look like it was 20 feet long. 03:01 It, just, the animals were huge back then. 03:03 It's hard to comprehend. 03:05 And we've all heard about the 13 feet tall sloths and, you know, 03:09 some of these other big animals. 03:11 Well, we believe that they lived contemporaneous with a lot of 03:16 the big reptiles and what we call dinosaurs, but it's 03:21 interesting, they needed armor. 03:23 And you know, the Bible tells us that we need armor, too, to 03:27 protect ourselves from a very big reptile and the dragon, 03:31 the devil. 03:32 And Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 11, matter of 03:35 fact, there's several verses there. 03:37 He says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you might be able 03:41 to stand against the wiles of the devil." 03:43 We deal with temptation every day and God in His word and in 03:48 the teachings of Christ, He provides armor so that we can be 03:53 victorious in our battles with the enemy. 03:56 Jëan: We have a book that's called "The Armor of God" and 03:58 talks about how we can practically put on that armor 04:01 every day so we can stand against the wiles of the enemy. 04:04 If you'd like to see the book, all you have to do is call 04:06 and ask. 04:08 The number to call is 800-835-6747. 04:11 That is our resource phone line and you can ask for the book. 04:13 It's called "The Armor of God." 04:16 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and say, "Bible 04:20 answers live," and then ask for the book. 04:22 It's called "The Armor of God" and you'll be able to get a 04:24 digital download that way. 04:26 Be able to read it right along. 04:28 If you have a Bible question, you can just 04:30 dial 1-800-463-7297. 04:34 That is our phone line here to the studio and you'll be able to 04:37 get your question on tonight's program. 04:40 Well, Pastor Doug, before we go to the phone, let's start 04:42 with prayer. 04:43 Dear Father, we are so grateful for this time to be able to open 04:46 up your Word and study. 04:48 And Lord, we know the Bible is Your book and so we ask for the 04:50 Holy Spirit to guide us, lead us into a clearer understanding 04:54 of truth. 04:55 Be with those who are listening and watching wherever they 04:57 might be. 04:58 We ask this in Jesus's name, amen. 05:00 Doug: Amen. 05:01 Jëan: First caller this evening is Duncan calling from Canada. 05:04 Duncan, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 05:06 Duncan: I have a question relating to Malachi chapter 3, 05:11 verse 16. 05:14 Is the prayer of remembrance spoken of in Malachi chapter 3 05:20 and the Lamb's Book of Life, which we read about in the Book 05:24 of Revelation one and the same? 05:26 Doug: All right, well, let me read this for our friends. 05:29 It says in the Malachi 3:16, "Then those who feared the Lord 05:33 spoke one to another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So 05:37 a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who 05:40 feared the Lord and who meditated on His name." 05:43 Now are you wondering if that is the same as the Lamb's Book of 05:47 life you find in Revelation? 05:49 Duncan: Yes, I am. 05:51 Doug: You know, it appears there's different books in 05:54 the Bible. 05:55 You've got a book of what you would call remembrance, you've 05:58 got the book of life, and then, you know, Revelation also deals 06:02 with a book with seven seals that are written. 06:06 You've got a book of records in the Bible where it tells us, you 06:09 know, every idle word we speak is somehow recorded. 06:13 Jëan: So, you know, I think that, well, there's 06:16 several books. 06:17 First of all, you know, you've got the Book of Life and the 06:19 Bible says, "Those whose names are found written in the Lamb's 06:21 Book of Life." 06:22 So you want your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life. 06:24 But in addition to that, the Bible says when Jesus comes, He 06:26 brings His rewards with Him to give to every man according to 06:29 His works. 06:30 So that's not only referring to the wicked being judged out of 06:33 the book of iniquity or book of sin, but each is rewarded also 06:37 based upon what they have done for the Lord. 06:40 Out of some kind of record, probably the book 06:42 of remembrance. 06:43 So, I think these books serve different purposes, different 06:47 aspects as we see in Scripture, but the most important book, of 06:50 course, is to have your name in the Lamb's Book of Life. 06:53 Doug: Yeah, and just keep in mind, friends, when the Bible 06:56 talks to us about books, you know, we have records that are 07:00 kept, just look at the way records have changed, you know, 07:03 the record used to be on cuneiform and then, you know, 07:07 you get type with the Gutenberg and in the last few years, it 07:11 went from big round reels of tape to cassette tapes to 07:15 computer tape to computer disk to digital and so what kind of 07:20 ways does God have to record information? 07:23 He uses word book because that's something they could relate to, 07:26 but God has a record of everything and exactly how He 07:30 stores that, I don't know, but He's got it booked as you 07:32 might say. 07:34 Jëan: All right, thank you, Duncan. 07:35 Next caller that we have is Paul in South Dakota. 07:37 Paul, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 07:39 Paul: Well, thank you, brothers. 07:41 My question is about Revelation 13 verse 5, that 42 months or 07:48 3.5 years. 07:50 Will that be closing around the time probation closes? 07:55 Doug: All right, let me read this for our friends listening. 07:58 We'd like to be mindful a lot of folks listen driving down the 08:00 road and they don't have a Bible in their lap. 08:03 And it says in Revelation 13:5, "And it was given, and he was 08:07 given," and this is speaking of this beast power, "a mouth 08:11 speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given 08:14 authority to continue forty-two months. 08:16 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to 08:19 blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those that dwell 08:22 in heaven. 08:23 And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to 08:25 overcome them. 08:27 And authority was given over to him over every tribe nation, all 08:30 who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names are not 08:33 written in the Lamb's Book of Life." 08:35 And so you've got this time period that's mentioned three 08:38 times in Revelation, also mentioned in Daniel, of 42 08:42 months, 1260 years, a time, a times, and the dividing of time. 08:48 A time was one year. 08:50 A times meant a pair or a couple of years, which so that's one 08:53 plus two, that's three. 08:56 Plus the dividing are half, 3.5. 08:58 So you got three and half years, 42 months, 1260 days, they all 09:02 add up to the same time period. 09:04 Now, this is not talking about when the plagues begin. 09:08 This is stretching during a time of great tribulation in the Dark 09:12 Ages from 538 till 1798 and it was a time of what they called 09:18 the papal persecution. 09:20 By the way, even the Catholic Church admits to this and 09:22 they've apologized for it in history. 09:25 And so from the time that the church became sort of a military 09:28 power in 538 when they were given an army compelling people 09:33 to obey and believe until they lost power under the army of 09:37 Napoleon when Berthier went into Rome to arrest the Pope in 1798, 09:43 that's exactly 1260 years because a day in prophecy 09:48 is a year. 09:49 So that's what that time period's pointing to. 09:52 Jëan: And we find that actually 7 times in Scripture, both in 09:55 Daniel and Revelation. 09:56 As you mentioned pastor Doug times and a half a time, 1260 09:59 years or days and 42 months. 10:02 There are 30 days in the Hebrew month, so 42 times 30 is 1260. 10:07 Same time period. 10:08 Doug: Yep, also the same length of time Jesus taught, three and 10:11 a half years. 10:12 It was literal three and a half years, same time from Christ's 10:16 death until the stoning of Stephen, same time that Elijah 10:21 hid during a time of famine, three and a half years. 10:23 So yeah, it's actually an interruption of seven. 10:26 It's cutting seven in half. 10:28 So it's the opposite of the perfect number. 10:30 It's apostasy, there's some persecution happening in 10:33 that time. 10:34 Jëan: All right, we do have a study guide. 10:36 It's called, "Who Is The Antichrist?" 10:37 And I think that's one of the identifying marks that's listed 10:39 here, this 1260 year time period. 10:41 If you'd like to learn more, just call and ask. 10:43 The number is 800-835-6747. 10:47 You can ask for the study guide. 10:48 It's called "Who Is The Antichrist?" 10:50 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for it by 10:54 name, "Who Is The Anti-Christ?" 10:55 We'll be able to send you a digital copy of that lesson. 10:58 Next caller that we have is Glenn and Linda in Ohio. 11:01 Glenn, Linda, welcome to the program. 11:04 Glenn: Thank you very much for taking this call. 11:07 I have a question just before I come in with a former question. 11:13 I'd like to see "Amazing Facts" develop a book that were in 11:17 three parts. 11:18 The first part is the biblical prophecies fulfilled, the second 11:22 part biblical prophecies waiting to be fulfilled, and the third 11:26 part, the prophecy is known to be fulfilled. 11:29 I think "Amazing Facts" would be a good spot to develop something 11:33 like that. 11:34 Doug: Well, thank you, I appreciate that. 11:36 That'd be a good project to work on. 11:38 We do have some resources along those lines, but we'll tell you 11:41 about that later. 11:43 And your question, Glenn. 11:44 Glenn: Thank you very much and thank you for taking my 11:46 question, which is Leviticus 11. 11:49 Is it possible that teaching of abstaining from eating animal 11:53 products a slap in God's face? 11:57 Doug: Say, isn't it possible that eating them is a slap in 12:02 God's face, you say? 12:04 Glenn: Yes, you're not eating it. 12:06 He's teaching the abstaining from eating animal products. 12:09 Doug: Oh, well, when God says that he specifies what animals 12:13 may be eaten, He wasn't commanding that they had to eat 12:17 and so not choosing not to eat it is--was not an insult. 12:21 You know, there's things that God has allowed because of the 12:25 hardness of people's heart, but it wasn't His will. 12:27 God made laws about slavery. 12:30 So, if we say, "Well, you know, God made laws about slavery, I 12:34 don't want to insult Him, so I better get some slaves." 12:37 No, that's not a good argument. 12:38 God made laws about divorce and so you say, "Well, since He made 12:41 laws about divorce, may as well get divorced." 12:44 And because He made laws about what animals can be eaten, 12:46 doesn't mean you have to kill and eat animals. 12:48 It's because of the hardness of our hearts or you might say 12:51 hardness of our arteries. 12:53 He said, "If you're going to eat meat, do not eat the 12:55 unclean meats. 12:56 These are the meats to eat." 12:58 And God says, whatever you do, you know, whatever you sow, 13:02 you're going to reap. 13:04 And we know scientifically now that you get cholesterol from 13:09 animal products. 13:10 That people are a lot healthier if you're a vegetarian and 13:13 better yet a vegan, you're going to live longer and have 13:15 less disease. 13:16 The jury's in, we know that. 13:18 And so, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 13:20 You're obviously going to do better if you take care of 13:24 your body. 13:26 Now, a lot of doctors will say limit, you know, red meats, 13:29 limit certain kinds of meats. 13:31 Certainly, you don't want to eat pork, they don't even grade pork 13:35 prime because it's so infested. 13:37 But no, it's not an insult to God because He gave permission 13:41 to eat certain kinds of meats, does not mean you need to do it. 13:45 It means it was because of the hardness of our hearts. 13:47 He said, "If you're going to do it, here are the laws." 13:50 But that was definitely not His original plan and in heaven, 13:54 we're not going to be killing and eating animals. 13:57 And Adam and Eve weren't doing it in the Garden of Eden. 14:00 Jëan: You know, we have a study guide. 14:01 It's called, "God's Free Health Plan" and it gives the biblical 14:04 principles for living a healthy life and not only dealing with 14:07 diet, but other areas of guidance that we find 14:10 in Scriptures. 14:11 It's very informative. 14:12 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 14:14 The number is 800-835-6747. 14:18 That's 800-835-6747. 14:21 Ask for the study guide, it's called "God's Free Health Plan." 14:24 You can also dial #250 and say, "Bible answers live" and then 14:28 ask for it by name. 14:30 All right, thank you, Glenn and Linda, next caller that we have 14:32 is Matt in California. 14:34 Matt, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 14:37 Matt: Hey, good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. 14:40 Thank you for taking my call and my question. 14:43 So my question is, what did a biblical marriage consist of? 14:48 My understanding was, back then, a man would ask the father of 14:55 the wife to be married and then they would pretty much be 14:58 married after that, correct? 14:59 And then was there like a minister or a priest who married 15:03 them and then entered into a marriage contract kind of like 15:06 we have today or how did that work? 15:09 Doug: Yeah, that is a good question, but it's probably a 15:12 lengthy answer to give you a lot of history. 15:15 The first marriage God performed for Adam and Eve. 15:18 Adam and Eve did not have to have a big ceremony because the 15:21 ceremony is basically you're witnessing to the community that 15:25 there's been a covenant. 15:26 There was no community besides the angels. 15:29 And so, but then, as time went on, you see that by the time you 15:33 get to, you know, Jacob and Isaac, well, Isaac's marriage to 15:38 Rebecca was pretty perfunctory. 15:40 It says he took her to his mother's tent, she became 15:41 his wife. 15:43 But Jacob, they had a marriage feast and it lasted days, and 15:46 the story of Samson, there was a marriage feast. 15:48 And then, of course, Jesus's first miracle is a 15:50 marriage feast. 15:52 That's because the marriage covenant was something that 15:54 affected people socially. 15:56 The family knew these people have made a covenant. 15:59 They're now, you know, married for life. 16:02 They're not available. 16:03 They're off the market, so to speak, and that was to 16:06 be respected. 16:07 There were severe penalties for violating the marriage vow. 16:11 One of the Ten Commandments addresses that. 16:13 So it was something that was done publicly. 16:16 There was usually a dating period. 16:18 The dating period back then was not only to make sure the 16:21 parties were compatible. 16:23 The families were often largely involved and there was a dowry, 16:26 an agreement for what the price would be. 16:29 So, yeah, it's kind of evolved over time, but the idea of the 16:34 marriage ceremony is almost universal around the world. 16:37 So the community, there's witnesses knows these people 16:40 have made a covenant and it was something celebrated from that 16:43 point on. 16:44 They were to be for just one another. 16:47 Jëan: And of course the marriage covenant was not only recognized 16:49 by the people getting married, but as Pastor Doug mentioned, 16:53 the families recognized it and society recognized it. 16:56 And so today, we have certain laws when people get married 17:00 that gets recognized by the state and there's certain 17:03 privileges and rights that a married couple has. 17:05 So, you want to be married both in God's eyes, but also be 17:09 recognized by society, by the community, by the laws of 17:12 the state. 17:14 Doug: Yeah, and you can see the what happens in a culture, 17:17 because it's happening today, where men go around fathering 17:21 children, but they don't stay around to father them and they 17:25 just kind of procreating and you have a lot of children growing 17:27 up without families and fathers and it causes problems. 17:32 Statistically, it's kind of a known fact. 17:35 Those young people are going to have a higher percentage of 17:37 problems growing up. 17:39 Jëan: All right, we do have a study guide. 17:40 It's called, "Keys for a Happy Marriage" and gives some good 17:42 biblical counsel for those who are married, for those who are 17:45 thinking about getting married. 17:46 The number is 800-835-6747. 17:50 And you can ask for that study guide, "Keys for a 17:52 Happy Marriage." 17:53 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone. 17:56 Say, "Bible answers live," and then ask for that by name, "Keys 17:59 for a Happy Marriage." 18:01 Ellie in Kansas, I believe it's Ellie. 18:04 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 18:06 Ellie: Yeah, yeah, my question is why did God 18:11 stop talking to us directly? 18:13 Because, you know, I cannot understand why when He 18:20 told Noah to create the ark, He told him directly, right? 18:26 But I cannot understand why He doesn't talk to us 18:31 directly today. 18:33 Doug: Well, I think God still does speak more directly to 18:36 some people. 18:38 We know that God says in His Word that, you know, the Lord 18:40 does nothing, but He tells His secret to His servants, 18:43 the prophets. 18:44 They are prophets that God speaks to and He might speak 18:47 through a dream, a vision, an angel, a few of them, like 18:51 Abraham, He speaks face to face--or Noah. 18:54 These are prophets and the gift of prophecy is still very 18:57 much alive. 18:59 But most people God does not speak to directly. 19:02 Most people, it says in Isaiah, our sins have separated us 19:05 from God. 19:06 And if God were to talk to us, you know, some people we just 19:13 could not endure His presence. 19:15 So it might even be an act of mercy, but God does still speak 19:19 to people. 19:20 And I don't know of any prophets personally, but I know there 19:24 have been some in recent history. 19:26 Jëan: But, you know, the Bible also tells us that, yes, in 19:27 addition to the Word of God, which of course is God 19:30 communicating to us, He does speak through prophets, but if 19:34 somebody is seeking God's will, there are times so we got, you 19:37 know, test everything with Scripture. 19:39 But there are times where you hear that still small voice, as 19:43 the Bible puts it, the Holy Spirit would guide a person. 19:46 You might not hear an audible voice, but you might have a 19:49 strong--I don't know what you'd want to call it--impression 19:53 perhaps that you feel as though God is guiding you a 19:56 certain way. 19:57 Of course, you want to test all of that by Scripture, but 19:59 there's many instances, I think in my life, Pastor Doug, yours 20:02 where you look back and say, "Wow, that just seemed very 20:05 clear that the Lord is pushing me in a certain direction." 20:09 Doug: Absolutely. 20:11 Jëan: All right, thank you. 20:12 Next caller that we have, oh, you know, we do have a book. 20:14 It's called, "Determining the Will of God." 20:15 Probably talks about this and gives you some 20:17 biblical principles. 20:19 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 20:21 The number is 800-835-6747. 20:24 It's 800-835-6747. 20:27 As for the book, "Determining the Will of God." 20:29 You can dial #250 and you can ask for it that way as well. 20:34 Next caller is Chuck in Virginia. 20:35 Chuck, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 20:37 Chuck: Hi, good evening, pastors. 20:39 My question is concerning Ezekiel 10. 20:41 It refers to cherubim and faces and wheels and wings full of 20:45 eyes, as well as four faces and four wings. 20:49 I would like to know what this chapter represents. 20:51 Thank you. 20:53 Doug: Yeah, well, you'll find that not only in Ezekiel chapter 20:57 10, I think you'll also find it in Ezekiel chapter 1, and the 21:01 four creatures, you also find those same four creatures 21:04 mentioned in Revelation-- is it chapter 4?-- 21:08 that it talks about them. 21:09 And maybe we'll start there because you start getting into 21:12 the wheels within the wheels and it's pretty, it's pretty deep. 21:16 There's been a couple of ideas about what these four 21:19 creatures represent. 21:21 You've got a lion, you've got a man, you've got a calf, and 21:26 you've got an eagle. 21:28 And these are different attributes of Christ. 21:31 You find them reflected in the Gospels. 21:35 In Matthew, for instance, Jesus is the lion of the tribe 21:38 of Judah. 21:39 In Mark, Mark is speaking more to the Romans, but it also shows 21:45 the vision and the swiftness of God. 21:47 You've got Luke, who is a physician and he shows the 21:50 humanity of Christ. 21:52 And then you've got John and he shows Jesus as the sacrifice, 21:56 the calf. 21:57 And so these creatures that you find in these apocalyptic 22:01 prophecies of Revelation and Ezekiel are showing different 22:06 dimensions of God, different facets. 22:10 Jëan: It's also interesting if you look at the order that's 22:11 given in Revelation. 22:13 Revelation 4, you have a lion which could represent 22:16 Christ's pre-incarnation. 22:18 Then you have the calf, Jesus came to be our sacrifice to bear 22:21 our sins. 22:22 And then you have the man, Christ ascended to heaven. 22:24 He is our high priest, ministering. 22:26 And then you have the eagle, Jesus coming back as King of 22:29 kings and Lord of lords. 22:30 He's coming and eagle is often associated with judgment. 22:34 It's swift, connected with royalty or rulership. 22:37 So Jesus comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. 22:39 So you kind of almost see the sequence of the different phases 22:42 of Christ's ministry reflected. 22:45 But we do believe that these are four angelic beings that make up 22:48 or surround God's throne. 22:51 And you read about that more in Revelation chapter 4 and 5. 22:55 Doug: Yeah, and the wheel within the wheel that's sort of a key 22:57 to all life in that whether it's, what do you call it? 23:01 An electron and an atom, you've got one globe circling another 23:07 globe all the way to not only the human cell, but you go into 23:10 the solar system and the galaxies, and everything seems 23:14 to be wheels within a wheel. 23:16 And, you know, in the galaxies you've got these suns that are 23:19 being orbited by planets and it's just the whole Milky Way 23:23 and everything is like a revolving wheel within a wheel. 23:25 So it's sort of one of the mysteries of life. 23:29 Jëan: All right, next one that we have is Alfred in Canada. 23:31 Alfred, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 23:34 Alfred: Yes, thank you for taking my call, pastors. 23:37 Doug: Thanks for calling. 23:38 Alfred: I was just wondering, when I'm reading in the New 23:40 Testament, it talks about God the Father and Jesus the Son, 23:45 especially in John 3:16, with this God all of the world that 23:48 He gave His only begotten Son. 23:50 A person will get the impression that God is a single parent. 23:54 Is that so? 23:56 Doug: No, you know, when you start thinking of God as the 23:59 Father and Jesus as the Son, we've got to be careful not to 24:03 try to relate Them to an earthly family. 24:07 It's just showing the wonderful love between the Father and 24:11 the Son. 24:12 When He made His sacrifice, He so loved the world He gave His 24:15 Son, His only begotten Son. 24:17 And it's actually an allusion back to when God told Abraham to 24:23 give his son that as a sacrifice, I've heard some 24:28 people say, "Well, God, God is the Father and the Holy Spirit's 24:31 the Mother, and Jesus is the byproduct." 24:34 No, I think it, you know, we're trying to bring God down to our 24:37 level when we start using statements like that. 24:41 So, no, Jesus is not--it's not like He's an only child in and 24:46 that God brought Him up in a single parent family home. 24:50 Jëan: Yes, because then that kind of leads to the question, 24:51 well, then, was there a point when Christ did not exist and it 24:54 was just the Father, and then Christ came forth somehow or was 24:57 begotten from the Father? 24:59 No. 25:00 The Bible says that both the Father and the Son and the Holy 25:02 Spirit, They all share the qualities of divinity, meaning 25:05 that there is the eternal. 25:07 There is no beginning, no end. 25:09 So you have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, sometimes called 25:11 the godhead or the Trinity, and They share certain qualities 25:14 or characteristics. 25:15 They are united in the work of saving mankind. 25:18 They're omnipresent, They're omniscient, They--you know, 25:22 all powerful. 25:23 So all of these qualities and characteristics are manifest, 25:26 and yet you have Christ who came to the earth. 25:29 He was our sacrifice. 25:31 God the Father, the ruler of the universe, the Holy Spirit, 25:33 He's the gift that works in us and through us and reveals the 25:36 presence of God. 25:38 So They're all working together to save mankind. 25:41 You know, we do have a book, Pastor Doug. 25:42 It's called, "The Trinity: Is It Biblical?" and it talks about-- 25:45 Doug: Or actually--I'm sorry, that's the old one. 25:48 The new one, "The Trinity: One God or Three?" 25:50 Jëan: Oh, okay, good, we updated the title, good. 25:52 We'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. 25:54 Just call and ask for that book on, "The Trinity: One God 25:57 or Three?" 25:58 The number is 800-835-6747. 26:01 That is our resource phone line. Again, that's 800-835-6747. 26:06 Ask for the book on "The Trinity," you can dial #250 26:09 and just ask for it by name. 26:12 You know, I'm looking at the clock, Pastor Doug, we probably 26:14 don't have time to take another call before we take the break, 26:16 but somebody did mention about prophecy being fulfilled. 26:19 Do we have anything in "Amazing Facts" that kind of highlights 26:22 some of the prophecies of Scripture and the fulfillment? 26:24 We do have a DVD, a video, actually, I think it's 26:27 available, that talks about prophecies in the Old Testament 26:31 that pointed to Christ. 26:33 Doug: "The Bride, The Beast, and Babylon" is one, and then we 26:37 also have "Kingdoms in Time." 26:39 And you can order that from "Amazing Facts." 26:42 You know, we don't make any money by letting you know you 26:44 can probably watch it for free on YouTube as well. 26:47 But one of them is called "The Bride, the Beast, and Babylon." 26:50 I think it's got like over a million views right now 26:52 on YouTube. 26:54 And it takes a number of Old Testament prophecies and shows 26:57 their fulfillment as well as "Kingdoms in Time." 27:01 It's a different DVD that is very popular and I think people 27:05 can purchase that on Amazon, but you can also probably see it 27:09 on YouTube. 27:10 Everyone copies everything, puts it up on YouTube. 27:12 That music does not mean the program's over, means it's time 27:15 to tell your friends to call and tune in. 27:17 We'll be back in just about two minutes with more 27:19 Bible questions. 27:24 announcer: Stay tuned. 27:25 "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly. 27:31 ♪♪♪ 27:38 Sarah: When I was growing up in the Philippines, we were not 27:41 really churchgoers, it's just only special occasions that 27:45 we go. 27:47 When my husband and I got married, we had the opportunity 27:50 to move here in the USA. 27:53 So during those years we were blessed that every year we get 27:57 the chance to go back to the Philippines and visit 27:59 our parents. 28:02 It came to the point that my father was getting like ill and 28:08 getting weaker. 28:10 It was in July 2018 when he told me, "Why will you go back in the 28:16 USA when your dad is passing away?" 28:20 But I have to go back. 28:22 I didn't get the chance to talk to him anymore. 28:25 It was in October when he passed. 28:29 After my dad passed away, it was the first time now that I 28:34 thought about death, wondering where he is. 28:37 I knelt down and prayed, "Lord God, please lead me on what is 28:42 the truth." 28:44 I work at the University Medical Center. 28:48 One of my patients, he was a pastor and there was one day 28:52 that he gave me a DVD from Amazing Facts, and it's called 28:56 "Cosmic Conflict." 28:58 So when I watched the DVD, that made me more interested about 29:02 good and evil. 29:05 From this point on, I've been like almost every day I'd watch 29:11 Pastor Doug videos. 29:13 Every time when I listen, it's just so clear. 29:16 It just made sense. 29:18 So after learning about the Sabbath, after learning about 29:22 unclean food, about tithing, that's when I started like, "I'm 29:27 getting to know Jesus more." 29:31 When I started this journey, my husband saw a change in me. 29:36 I learned to be more patient to him and then one day I asked him 29:41 if he wanted to go to Bible study to just listen to the 29:45 Bible study. 29:47 And a year later after those Bible studies, he was baptized 29:52 after I was baptized. 29:55 So I'm grateful that God used "Amazing Facts" to share 29:59 the truth. 30:02 My name is Sarah. 30:03 Thank you for changing my life. 30:14 announcer: Would you like to know God's plan for our broken 30:16 world as revealed in Bible prophecy? 30:19 Want practical trusted solutions for your biggest challenges? 30:23 Freshly updated and redesigned, 30:26 Amazing Facts Bible study guides provide 27 Bible-based topical 30:30 lessons with beautiful graphics and straightforward answers that 30:34 are enlightening, encouraging, and easy to understand. 30:38 Each study guide leads you step by step to real relevant Bible 30:41 answers for the most important questions in your life. 30:45 "How can I have better health and relationships? 30:48 When and how will Jesus come again?" 30:50 and so much more. 30:52 Don't leave the future to chance. 30:55 Transform your life with truths from the Amazing Facts Bible 30:58 study guides. 31:01 Order your complete set today by visiting afbookstore.com or by 31:05 calling 800-538-7275. 31:16 announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live" where every 31:19 question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His 31:22 plan to save you. 31:24 So what are you waiting for? 31:26 Get practical answers about the good book for a better 31:29 life today. 31:32 This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. 31:36 If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the 31:38 air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. 31:43 Pacific time. 31:44 To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this 31:47 evening's program, call 800-835-6747. 31:52 Once again, that's 800-835-6747. 31:58 Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live." 32:04 Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, 32:05 to "Bible Answers Live." 32:07 We're going to go to the phones in just a minute, but some have 32:09 joined us along the way. 32:10 This is a live international interactive Bible study and you 32:14 are invited to call in with your Bible questions. 32:18 If you don't get someone picking up right away, just try again. 32:21 We've got operators standing by and they'll ask you some simple 32:24 questions just so we can have a heads up where you're going with 32:26 your question. 32:28 And my name is Doug Batchelor. 32:29 Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross, and we have Tim, who's listening 32:32 in Texas. 32:34 Tim, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 32:35 You're on the air. 32:36 Tim: Hey, how are you doing, guys? 32:38 This is Tim the street evangelist from San Antonio. 32:40 Doug: Oh, good to hear from you again. 32:43 Tim: Yeah, you know, every day I tell your story to somebody, I 32:47 mean, over and over and over again. 32:50 I went in the store shopping one day. 32:51 I had an hour. 32:53 It was Sabbath was coming up. 32:54 I thought, I'm going to take 21 of these Bible card, three 32:57 EBN cards. 32:58 I went in there in a half hour I witnessed the 21 people who got 33:02 my shopping done, got home, drove home, and was able to work 33:05 out for ten minutes. 33:06 Doug: Oh, wow, that's industrial strength witnessing. 33:09 Good for you, Tim. 33:11 Tim: Yeah, so my question is about the healing leaves in the 33:17 garden that heals the nations in the New Jerusalem and why would 33:23 that be there? 33:25 Doug: You know, when you notice it says in Revelation, I think 33:28 it's 21 or is it 22? 33:30 Says, "The leaves of the tree are for the healing of 33:32 the nations." 33:34 It doesn't say healing of people, it's a healing 33:36 of nations. 33:38 All of the nations in this world are divided by everything from 33:44 political to cultural to racial differences. 33:48 But when we get to heaven and we're standing around that tree 33:51 of life under those leaves, all of those divisions are healed. 33:55 I've heard it explained that way. 33:57 And you have the verse there. 33:58 Jëan: Yeah, Revelation 22 verse 2, where I'll read it. 34:02 "In the middle of the street, and on either side of the river, 34:05 was the tree of life, which bore twelve kinds of fruit, each tree 34:09 yielding its fruit every month. 34:10 The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." 34:14 Just to add to that, Pastor Doug, you know, 34:16 this is a big tree. 34:17 You read the dimensions, it's massive. 34:18 And back in Bible times, people would often gather, especially 34:22 in the heat of a day, under a tree. 34:25 There'd be a large tree. 34:27 Matter of fact, in the Old Testament, talks about Abraham. 34:29 It speaks about places where there were certain trees, 34:31 sycamore trees, and so trees were important and people would 34:34 gather under trees, they'd visit, they'd socialize. 34:37 There would be discussions that would take place and it's as if 34:40 this tree in the New Jerusalem is a gathering point where 34:43 people gather together. 34:44 They'll talk, they'll visit. 34:46 And as you mentioned, Pastor Doug, there is some healing, 34:48 some clarification, one might say, amongst the nations. 34:52 And there'll be peace and harmony. 34:54 Not that anyone will be getting sick in heaven and some you have 34:57 to pluck a leaf and chew on it in order to get your 34:59 strength back. 35:01 It's more for healing the nations. 35:03 Doug: You know, one other thing I've heard, and by the way, 35:05 whenever you read Revelation, I'm going to do a 35:06 series someday. 35:08 Just go through Revelation and show the 35:09 Old Testament parallels. 35:10 But in Ezekiel 47, it says, "Along the bank of the river, on 35:15 this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for 35:17 food; Their leaves will not wither, their fruit will 35:20 not fail. 35:21 They will bear their fruit every month," it says that about the 35:23 Tree of Life, "because the waters flow from the sanctuary," 35:27 talks about a river flowing from the temple of God in heaven. 35:29 "The fruit will be for food and the leaves for medicine." 35:33 So, the other thing I've heard is that, because of sin, even 35:37 our glorified bodies, we're going to come forth from the 35:41 grave, we'll have eternal bodies, but we will continue to 35:44 grow, and it's like, you know, whatever has stunted us through 35:48 sin, we're going to continue to grow and these leaves will have 35:52 something to do with that. 35:54 The fruit perpetuates life, the leaves help us grow into the 35:56 fullness of God's original plan, I'm not sure, but it'll be good. 36:01 Jëan: Okay, thank you, Tim. 36:03 Connie in Arizona. 36:04 Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 36:07 Connie: Yes, good evening, gentlemen. 36:10 My question is in Genesis. 36:13 I've always been very curious and I have many questions asked 36:16 of me when God said He would "make man in Our image" 36:22 that makes obviously God as a plural God. 36:25 There are three in the godhead. 36:28 What does He mean in your interpretation of 36:33 "In Our image"? 36:35 What image would we be, then? 36:37 Doug: All right, for one thing, when it tells us about the image 36:40 of God, there is a physiological likeness in that, when you read 36:45 about God in the Bible, it describes God with eyes, hands, 36:48 feet, nose, arm, hair, mouth. 36:52 I mean, so we have features that are like the form of God. 36:58 And but in another sense is that in our image through an act of 37:04 love, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit procreate in 37:09 Their image. 37:10 They made man in Their image. 37:11 Humans get married, we procreate in our image. 37:16 So we do something God does in that sense. 37:18 Man and woman get together, they become one flesh, and one of the 37:21 ways they're one flesh is by commingling their DNA in 37:24 their offspring. 37:26 And I have fun. 37:27 I was doing it yesterday. 37:28 When I see parents and then I see their children, I look at 37:31 the children and I look at the parents. 37:32 I'm always curious what features they've got from which parent, 37:36 and you can always see something from both parents usually. 37:40 So, that's another way that we are made in the image of God is 37:43 that we've been given the ability to create in our image 37:47 as God does. 37:48 Jëan: And then, of course, we have the ability to worship God, 37:51 we have the ability to communicate, to understand, 37:53 to reason. 37:55 We have free will, free choice. 37:56 So in addition to just in the image of God physically, but 38:00 even more so spiritually, we have the ability to understand, 38:03 to worship, to reason. 38:05 Doug: We can think certainly a lot more abstract than animals. 38:09 Jëan: All right, thank you, Connie. 38:10 Next caller that we have is Hector in Florida. 38:12 Hector, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 38:14 Hector: Thank you. Good evening, pastors. 38:16 Doug: Evening. 38:17 Hector: My questions will be based on three references. 38:22 In Luke 23, 53, 55, they left what they had intention to do 38:32 and then they return on after Sabbath, talking about-- 38:37 Then in Mark 16, verse 1, again, they returned after the Sabbath. 38:43 Then when you compare what's been said in Romans 12:16, that 38:49 pushed me to ask that question. 38:52 Do you think it is lawful to participate or attend wedding or 39:00 funeral on Sabbath? 39:04 Doug: Well, it's not preferable if it involves preparation. 39:10 Now, certainly a funeral or memorial service-- 39:13 you don't want to be involved in burying somebody. 39:15 The disciples wouldn't finish embalming the work of embalming 39:19 Jesus on the Sabbath. 39:20 So they felt that that was inappropriate, even though it 39:23 was an act of love, they thought, "Well, this is not 39:25 going to please Jesus, we'll wait till the Sabbath is over." 39:28 A marriage is also a sacred covenant and there's certainly 39:32 something spiritual about it. 39:33 But the typical preparation of a wedding and the festivities that 39:38 often are associated with it, you know, I've seen a couple 39:42 that got married in church and baptized on the same day, and it 39:45 was actually done in an appropriate way. 39:47 There was no work and stuff that usually goes on. 39:50 And I've seen memorial services done where you're just 39:52 remembering a person and praising their life of service 39:55 on the Sabbath day. 39:56 But, you know, the typical graveside service and things 40:00 that might go on with the funeral, that it would be better 40:03 to do that another day. 40:04 So I don't know. Your thoughts on that? 40:06 Jëan: Yeah, absolutely. 40:07 I mean, you got two parts for the wedding, for example. 40:09 You have the part that usually happens in the church. 40:12 It's sacred. 40:13 It's a covenant you're making before God, but then usually 40:15 there is a celebration following and that's the reception. 40:18 There's a lot of work involved in the reception. 40:20 And that's not always in line with the guidelines given in 40:24 Scripture as far as preparation and food preparation, 40:28 conversation and gathering. 40:30 Doug: And rest. 40:32 Jëan: And rest, yeah. 40:33 So I have seen folks who just wanted to have the actual 40:35 wedding part in the church on Sabbath and they weren't going 40:38 to do reception that day. 40:39 They're going to do it a different time. 40:41 Well, that's probably okay. 40:42 But even then, there's a lot of preparation that's often 40:44 involved in putting a wedding together in the church, flowers 40:47 and decorating. 40:48 We usually do weddings for us. 40:51 You know, they'll do preparations Saturday night, and 40:53 the weddings usually are on Sunday, and it doesn't conflict 40:56 with the Sabbath. 40:57 Doug: That's right. 40:59 Hope that helps a little, Hector. 41:00 Good question. Thank you. 41:02 Jëan: Marlene in Florida. Marlene, welcome to the program. 41:04 Marlene: Hello, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. 41:08 You kind of touched on this question earlier, but my 41:10 question is the four beasts around the throne in Revelation. 41:15 Do you think that is a literal description or a symbolic 41:18 description of them? 41:20 Doug: Well, I think it's a symbol because it's hard 41:24 to imagine. 41:25 Well, there's so many symbols about beasts and creatures in 41:27 Revelation. 41:28 All the others are symbolic. 41:30 And so there are other places that picture the throne of God 41:33 without any creatures around His throne. 41:35 You've got Isaiah where it says there's actually cherubim and 41:38 that's probably more accurate. 41:40 Isaiah chapter 6, and then in Exodus when the ark is made, it 41:44 pictures two cherubim or seraphim on the right and left 41:48 of the throne of God. 41:49 These angels that guard His throne. 41:52 I don't know that God's got a zoo around His throne, but in 41:57 the--in Revelation, it uses symbolic features of an animal 42:01 to teach a lesson. 42:03 Jëan: And of course in the same chapter Jesus appears in 42:05 Revelation chapter 5 as a Lamb as it had been slain before 42:08 the throne. 42:10 So again, there's a lot of symbols in those passages. 42:14 Doug: I think these creatures are full of eyes too. 42:16 It's, you know. 42:18 Jëan: Six wings--well, they'd also had the Old Testament 42:20 description of them. 42:22 All right, thank you. 42:23 Next caller that we have is Tom in Oregon. 42:25 Tom, welcome to the program. 42:27 Tom: Hello, fellas. 42:29 Hey, I have a question about Luke 17, verse 31 to maybe 36 42:38 and then verse 24. 42:42 My question is we've always been taught that this was these 42:46 warnings were to flee Jerusalem in 8070 and it appears that 42:53 Jesus is repeating this. 42:56 It's in red letters. 42:58 Had His Second Coming. 43:00 Doug: Yeah, I do think that the statement that Christ makes in 43:06 Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 and Luke 21, He's doing what they 43:13 call the Olivet Discourse, talking about the Second Coming, 43:16 and He's not only talking directly to the disciples about 43:20 the destruction of Jerusalem, that is part of what He's 43:23 saying, because He says there won't be left one stone upon 43:26 another of the temple and that it would be thrown down, 43:29 and that did happen. 43:30 But He's also looking down in time to God's people near the 43:33 end of time, because there was going to be three tribulations, 43:38 you might say. 43:39 There was a literal tribulation that fell on Israel when the 43:44 Romans surrounded the city and destroyed Jerusalem. 43:47 Then there was a tribulation historically that happened to 43:50 God's people during the Dark Ages, a great persecution. 43:54 Then there'll be another great time of trouble, it talks about 43:57 in Daniel chapter 12, just before the Second Coming, when 44:01 the seven plagues are poured out. 44:03 That's when Michael stands up. 44:05 So, Christ is, I think, referring here where it says, 44:09 you know, two men are in the field. 44:11 One is taken, one is left, and He said, "Don't even take 44:14 anything out of your house." 44:15 I think He's saying not only when the Roman army showed up, 44:18 but in the last days there's going to be signals for us 44:20 to run. 44:22 Jëan: And then also the verse that in verse 24 it says, 44:24 "There's lightning that flashes from one part of heaven even to 44:27 the other, also the Son of Man shall be in His day." 44:30 So, here it's talking about the literal visible coming of 44:33 Christ, yeah. 44:35 Doug: Good point. 44:36 Jëan: All right, thank you, Tom. 44:37 We do have a study guide called, "Anything But Secret" and it's 44:40 about the Second Coming of Jesus and deals with this passage of 44:43 Scripture and others. 44:45 If you'd like to learn more, the number is 800-835-6747. 44:49 And then again, you can just ask for it by name. 44:51 It's called "Anything But Secret." 44:53 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for that 44:57 study guide and we'll send it out to you. 45:01 Landon in Texas. Landon, welcome to the program. 45:04 Landon: Hello, hello, hello. How're you all doing? 45:07 Doug: Hey, you're there. Hi, good, thanks for calling. 45:09 Landon: So, I wanted to ask, I had a question about James 4 45:13 verse 7 and how it correlated to Jesus's temptation in the 45:18 wilderness and how exactly did the devil flee from Jesus when 45:26 He was tempted. 45:28 Doug: Yeah, well, you know, the devil can clearly give someone 45:31 more-direct focused attention. 45:33 And when he was tempting Jesus, he was--the devil was there 45:36 in person. 45:37 He wasn't tempting Jesus through one of his fallen angels. 45:41 I think the devil does also use up space and time. 45:45 You know, he talks about going to and fro in the earth and 45:47 walking up and down in it. 45:49 The devil is not omnipresent. 45:51 He's not all over the earth at the same time. 45:52 He works through fallen angels. 45:55 And so, you know, after Christ said, "Get behind Me, Satan"-- 45:58 He's basically saying, "Be gone"-- 46:01 the devil had to obey that and he left His presence. 46:07 And you can even see that where the devil came into the presence 46:10 of God in the book of Job and then he went out from the 46:12 presence of the Lord. 46:14 And so Jesus left the presence, where He goes, I know--where His 46:18 headquarters is, the Bible doesn't say. 46:21 Jëan: You know, there is a promise in that. 46:23 If we submit ourselves to God and we resist the devil, there 46:26 comes a point where on that particular temptation, he's 46:29 almost forced to retreat, meaning that he realizes that 46:32 he's not going to gain the victory. 46:34 And maybe at some point, God says, "All right, 46:36 enough, enough. 46:37 You got to go now." 46:39 So he finally does leave. 46:40 It doesn't mean he's not going to come back and try again, but 46:42 if we trust in the Lord, we submit and we hold on, that 46:46 temptation, the power of that temptation wanes away as we 46:49 trust in the Lord as if the devil 46:51 has been driven away from us. 46:53 Doug: Yes. 46:54 Jëan: Thank you. 46:56 You know, we do have a book called, "Tips for Resisting 46:58 Temptation" and we'll talk about this verse along with 46:59 many others. 47:01 We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. 47:02 The number is 800-835-6747. 47:06 That is the resource phone line. 47:07 It's 800-835-6747. 47:11 Ask for the book. 47:12 It's called, "Tips for Resisting Temptation." 47:14 You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and say, "Bible 47:18 Answers Live" and ask for it that way as well. 47:21 Connor in Mississippi. 47:23 Connor, welcome to the program. 47:24 Connor: Hello, thank you. 47:28 So, my question was in Mark 7:17 to 23, as well as a couple 47:34 other verses in the New Testament, 47:36 God refers to pork and other unclean animals as being good 47:42 and worthy of thanksgiving and and to be accepted. 47:46 Does this mean that the old food law referenced in the 47:49 Old Testament is null? 47:52 Doug: Where does God say pork is to be accepted? 47:57 Connor: In Acts 10:15, God says, "What God has declared 48:00 clean, you must not call common." 48:04 In Mark 7:17 to 23, Jesus declares that all foods are 48:08 clean, and in 1 Timothy 4:4, "For everything God created is 48:14 good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received 48:18 with thanksgiving." 48:19 Doug: All right, you said, "God said pork was clean." 48:21 Where did you find the word "pork"? 48:23 Connor: It does not expressly refer to pork, but all animals. 48:27 Doug: I just wanted to make that clear, okay. 48:30 Now, if you go to--let's take them one at a time. 48:32 All right, so we got Acts chapter 10. 48:34 The sheet comes down from heaven and God's voice says what God 48:37 has cleansed, you must not call common. 48:39 Peter, when explaining that vision to the church later, he 48:42 says, "God has shown me not to call any man unclean." 48:48 So is it fair to say this vision is about calling food unclean? 48:53 If Peter understands, it means do not call 48:55 the Gentiles unclean. 48:58 So when Peter is explaining that vision, he says, "God has shown 49:01 me not to call any man unclean." 49:03 That's what the vision meant. 49:05 So did the vision mean anything about food or was God telling 49:08 Peter he can go preach to the Gentiles, "Don't call 49:10 them unclean"? 49:13 Connor: Well, it does refer to--if I'm pretty sure, now, I 49:19 did read this last Sabbath, but it refers to this vision is 49:27 after Peter was starting, I believe it says. 49:32 Doug: No, well, the vision happens before Peter goes 49:34 to Cornelius. 49:36 He's up on the food, he's up on the roof and he's hungry. 49:38 He's thinking about food. 49:40 He has this vision of an unclean sheet that comes down. 49:42 Now notice, this vision takes place, oh, maybe four years 49:46 after Jesus has gone to heaven. 49:48 And Peter answers when God says, "Arise, kill, and eat." 49:51 Peter says, "Not so, Lord, I've never eaten anything common 49:55 or unclean." 49:56 So Peter never heard Jesus say it was okay, because he still 49:59 hasn't eaten anything common or unclean. 50:01 And then it never says he takes anything from the sheet and 50:04 eats it. 50:06 So now he's wondering what the vision means. 50:08 If you look in verse 17, Peter's wondering in himself what the 50:12 vision means. 50:13 He obviously doesn't think it means go buy some bacon. 50:16 He's wondering what it means. 50:18 Behold, men come from a Gentile, Cornelius, knocking at the door 50:22 that very moment. 50:24 God was saying, "Do not call the Gentiles unclean." 50:27 So that's that one. 50:29 And then now you mention also where in Mark 7 where Jesus 50:32 said, "It's not what goes in a man's mouth that defiles him, 50:35 but what comes out." 50:37 And then there's a preface in there that says, "In saying 50:40 this, He declared all foods clean." 50:42 By the way, you'll only find that in the NIV Version. 50:46 In the original Greek, it says, "The food enters your mouth and 50:49 goes out, thus purging clean foods." 50:51 In other words, your food is eliminated and your stomach, 50:55 your digestive system purges if you get any dirt because you're 50:58 eating with unwashed hands. 51:00 No food, no particular food, no unclean food is mentioned in 51:02 that passage. 51:04 It's just talking about eating with hands that are not 51:07 ceremonially washed. 51:09 Jesus said, "That's not what's going to make you unclean." 51:12 And let me see, you gave three verses. 51:15 Jëan: 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 4. 51:17 Doug: Oh, yeah, "For every creature of God 51:19 is good and nothing to be refused 51:20 if it's received with thanksgiving." 51:22 So was Paul saying here to Timothy that "you can eat 51:26 anything that might crawl across your plate"? 51:28 "It's okay to eat a cockroach skunk sandwich. 51:30 It's okay to eat buzzards. 51:32 It's okay to eat all kinds of dogs and snakes, and--" no, it's 51:37 not saying that. 51:38 The the issue is they were offering animals to pagan gods. 51:43 Now, they're offering clean animals. 51:45 Anything that the Romans sacrificed, whether it was a 51:49 sheep, a chicken, a goat, they offered it to Jupiter, Apollo, 51:52 Mercury, their gods, and the Jews were worried "we can't 51:56 eat--" these are the Jewish Christians. 51:58 "We can't eat those things. 51:59 They've been offered to pagan gods." 52:00 Paul said, "Every creature of God is cleansed because it is 52:04 sanctified by the Word of God." 52:06 So if the Word of God sanctifies something and says you can eat 52:10 these clean meats, then don't worry about if it was offered to 52:13 a pagan god. 52:15 So, they're talking about clean foods there that are offered 52:18 to idols. 52:20 Don't let that worry you, and it's like I tell my friends, if 52:23 I go to a Chinese restaurant and many Thai or Chinese restaurants 52:27 have got a Buddha at the entrance. 52:30 As some people might say, "I can't eat there because they 52:32 worship Buddha." 52:33 "Well," I say, "it doesn't bother me. 52:35 I'm not worshiping Buddha." 52:36 So, you know, but if it worries my friend, we'll go 52:39 somewhere else. 52:40 That's what Paul's talking about. 52:41 He's not saying that suddenly God now said that you can 52:44 eat anything. 52:46 What parent would tell their child--doesn't matter if you're 52:50 a Christian, Jew or what your religion is or if you're 52:52 a pagan. 52:54 What parent would tell their kid, 52:56 "We don't care what you eat"? 52:57 I mean, of course you care what they eat, because don't 53:00 be deceived. 53:02 God is not mocked. 53:03 If you eat bad food, you're going to have bad results, and 53:05 you're going to have heart disease and be overweight and 53:07 have cholesterol problems. 53:09 So, these verses are often misapplied to say that God now 53:12 said you can eat anything. 53:14 That's not true. 53:15 Jëan: All right, we do have a book. 53:16 It's called, "God's Free Health Plan." 53:18 It's one of our Amazing Facts study guides that gives more 53:20 biblical principles. 53:21 The number to call for that is 800-835-6747 or you can dial 53:26 #250 on your smartphone and ask for "God's Free Health Plan." 53:31 Angela in New York. 53:33 Angela, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." 53:34 Angela: Hi, good evening, pastors. 53:36 How are you? 53:37 Doug: Doing great, thank you. Thanks for your call. 53:40 Angela: Okay, so my question is, I was just wondering, will 53:46 the Jews ever come to Jesus and how long is it going to take for 53:49 them to come? 53:51 And I also read something, I'm not sure if I read it in the 53:53 Bible, I mean, I know I read it in the Bible, but I'm not 53:56 sure where. 53:58 It says that they're waiting until the fullness of the 54:01 Gentiles to come and then they will be--like, accept them 54:07 through, once they become jealous or something-- 54:10 of jealousy. 54:11 Doug: Yeah, you're combining two verses. 54:13 You're on the right track, but you're combining--I think it's 54:15 in Luke 21 where it says that Jerusalem is trodden by the 54:19 Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles, and then in Romans it 54:22 says in chapter 10 verse 19, "I'll provoke you to jealousy by 54:27 those who are not a nation, I'll move you to anger by a 54:29 foolish nation." 54:31 In other words, Paul is saying that when the Jews saw the 54:33 Gentiles accepting Jehovah and turning to God, they'd say, "Oh, 54:37 maybe we'd better turn back and maybe we ought to 54:40 recognize Jesus." 54:41 Now, God's never saved people based on their 54:44 national identity. 54:45 There will be many of Abraham's children, literal Jews that, I 54:48 think, are going to be revived and turned back to the Lord. 54:51 But you're never going to have all of any one nation. 54:54 All of the Romans did not accept Jesus. 54:56 Many did, but not all. 54:58 And you will not have all of the Jews suddenly saved because 55:01 they've got a passport. 55:02 So, but there will be a great revival among the Jews and 55:05 I believe many will turn back to God. 55:08 And, you know, Paul intimates that in Romans 9:10, you 55:12 know, we didn't have time to read the whole chapter. 55:15 So, I do believe there's going to be a revival among the Jewish 55:19 people and there are other verses that imply this. 55:23 So, yeah, I don't think He's done with the Jewish nation. 55:28 Thank you very much. 55:29 We do have a book that I think you'll enjoy and it's called, 55:34 "Spiritual Israel." 55:36 I had to think for a minute. 55:37 I wrote it. 55:39 Jëan: The number to call is 800-835-6747. 55:42 And again, the book is called, "Spiritual Israel." 55:44 You can dial #250 on your smartphone. 55:47 Say, "Bible Answers Live" and just order it that way as well. 55:51 Rajeem from Massachusetts. 55:53 Is it Rajeem? Welcome to the program. 55:56 Rajeem: Good evening, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross. 55:58 Thank you for taking my call. 56:00 Doug: Yeah. 56:01 Rajeem: All right, so my question was, is that I was 56:05 wondering when was the fall of Lucifer? 56:09 Doug: We think Lucifer was cast out of heaven before Adam and 56:12 Eve were created. 56:13 Part of the reason God made this world and was preparing to 56:16 populate it is to replace all the beings that had been evicted 56:21 from heaven when 1/3 of the angels follow Lucifer out of the 56:25 presence of God. 56:26 There's no specific verse that says this, but the idea that God 56:31 created the world and I think He gave Adam and Eve warning that 56:34 the end that there had been a rebellion and warned them 56:37 against temptation. 56:39 There's only one place the devil could come to them that was 56:41 there at that forbidden tree. 56:43 So Lucifer, I think, was cast out first. 56:46 Jëan: Well, Pastor Doug, we have some email questions that have 56:48 been sent to us and our first question tonight is, does the 56:52 devil have access to one's thoughts? 56:54 Doug: You know, that only in the sense that I think the devil can 56:57 place temptations in our mind-- of course, we can place things 57:00 in each other's minds just by talking. 57:02 So the devil can place things in our minds, but he can't always-- 57:06 he can't read our minds. 57:07 Only God knows men's hearts. 57:09 I think you find that in, oh, 1 Kings chapter chapter 8, like 57:14 verse 32 in the dedication prayer of Solomon, he says, 57:18 "God and God only knows the thoughts of men's hearts." 57:20 Jesus knew what was in man, the devil doesn't know what 57:23 you're thinking. 57:24 Jëan: Okay, we have another question. 57:26 Pastor Doug, what do you think about the Shroud of Turin? 57:29 Doug: Yeah, of course, it's not really a Bible question, but 57:31 it's a famous relic that you find in Italy that many people 57:35 come and they believe that it was the actual grave clothes 57:37 of Jesus. 57:39 And it was rather mysterious, how it was formed. 57:42 All the dating and the careful examination shows that it dates 57:47 for hundreds of years after Christ. 57:50 It may have been a crusader, somebody that was crucified. 57:53 And they were wrapped up because it does look like it's an 57:56 authentic piece, but it's not the grave clothes of Jesus. 58:00 It, just, the dating doesn't match. 58:02 Doug: Thank you, friends, for your question. 58:04 We'll study God's Word together again, God willing, 58:06 next week, God bless. 58:10 announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. 58:13 We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. 58:17 "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, 58:21 a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. |
Revised 2025-04-02