Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001307
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00:08 From Arcadia, California, the Carter Report presents
00:11 "The Living Word" around the world. 00:19 Are angels and demons real? 00:21 Welcome, to the Carter Report 00:23 my name is James Venegas. 00:24 Our topic is Fresh Hot Potatoes 00:27 and our special guest is Pastor John Carter. 00:34 The Carter Report is a self supporting ministry 00:38 with a global mission. 00:39 We believe that the most important thing 00:41 that we can do in this tremendous hour 00:44 is to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ 00:47 because Jesus said, "I am the way, 00:50 the truth and the life." 00:52 We don't believe that this is business as usual. 00:56 We believe that we are living in the closing hours, 00:59 in the history of this world. Bless your heart friend. 01:02 Look at the signs that are being fulfilled 01:04 almost every day. 01:06 The signs of the times are shouting at us, 01:09 and they're saying, "Jesus is coming soon." 01:13 I want you to be my partner in global mission. 01:16 I want you to be my partner in helping to tell the world 01:20 about the coming of Jesus. 01:22 I want you to be my partner in the preaching 01:25 of the distinctive truths of the Three Angels' messages. 01:30 Please check us out 01:32 at the new Carter Report website, 01:35 cartereport.org 01:37 We have a special section whereby you can ask questions 01:42 and I will give you the answers 01:44 from the living word of the living God. 01:47 That is the cartereport.org 01:52 My friend, we want you to join us in the mission 01:56 to preach the gospel in China, 01:59 in India, in Australia, 02:01 in Africa, in the United States of America 02:05 wherever people are lost 02:07 and wherever people need to hear 02:09 the good news that Jesus saves. 02:13 Please check us out 02:14 the new Carter Report website cartereport.org 02:19 I want to hear from you today. 02:36 Pastor Carter, welcome to our Fresh Hot Potatoes program. 02:40 Thank you. 02:41 What do you mean by Fresh Hot Potatoes, 02:43 is that an oxymoron? 02:45 Can you have fresh and hot at the same time? 02:47 Well, I have to think about it for a second. 02:50 I guess you could have hot old potatoes. 02:53 Hot old potatoes. 02:54 Well, you could have potatoes that are, 02:55 are old that you had on the cupboard 02:58 for a week or two. 02:59 You know, they are starting to sprout 03:01 and I guess you could cook them up. 03:02 We're really answering the big questions today, 03:05 but now we-- 03:06 But these ones--you know these are being sent to us 03:08 and they are fresh. 03:09 Yes, and we're being, we are being facetious 03:11 because we are fresh because these are new question. 03:14 And some of the questions are hot. 03:16 And they are hot and they are coming in 03:18 from our internet audience, through Facebook 03:20 and things like that which is very exciting. 03:23 We are gonna get straight to the questions 03:24 and see what you have to say 03:25 and what God's word has to say about these questions. 03:28 Now, few years ago probably around three or four years ago, 03:31 Dan Brown wrote a book, Angels and Demons 03:35 and he raise the question of the illuminati 03:38 and secret societies, some conspiracy stuff. 03:42 Are angels and demons 03:43 just the stuff of conspiracy or are they real? 03:46 The illuminati may be 03:48 but I don't think angels and demons. 03:51 The Bible talks about angels 03:53 and the Bible talks about demons. 03:56 Jesus had an experience with, 03:58 with the devil himself with Satan. 04:01 I think that's found 04:03 in Matthew Chapter 4 04:08 and I take this book as it is 04:11 as the word of the Lord. 04:14 And the Bible says, Matthew 4, 04:16 "Jesus said to him" 04:18 Matthew 4:10 "Away from me, Satan! 04:21 For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, 04:23 and serve him only.' 04:25 " So he is the head of the demons. 04:27 And verse 11 says, "Then the devil left him, 04:30 and angels came and attended him." 04:34 Now, Pastor Venegas, the Bible talks about 04:36 a tremendous battle that took place eons ago. Yes. 04:42 And the forces of God were 04:44 right against the forces of Lucifer. 04:47 And the Bible talks about 04:48 the good angels and the evil angels. 04:51 And the Bible says that the evil angels were Satan 04:54 were cast out and thrown down to this earth. 04:58 Now, it sounds like fantasy. 05:00 Do you see it actually playing out 05:02 in the world around? Absolutely. 05:03 Battle of good evil? Yeah, absolutely. 05:05 I believe in the concept of evil. 05:10 Now, many philosophers before 09/11 05:13 didn't believe in the concept of evil. 05:16 After 09/11 they said yes there is evil in the world. 05:21 And if there is evil in the world 05:23 we believe it comes from a vast evil source. 05:28 And the Bible says that evil source 05:30 is a person by the name of Lucifer 05:33 who was also called Satan. Yes, yes. 05:37 Now, that is a theological question about good and evil. 05:40 There is another very interesting question 05:42 and this comes from Desmond, and he asks do you believe in 05:47 the rapture an idea believed by millions? 05:51 Now, I would understand the rapture by being-- 05:54 being a pre-tribulation rapture 05:56 that is believed by dispensationalists. 05:59 Can you tell us first what they are saying, 06:00 what word it is? 06:02 Many Christians in the United States, 06:04 well, around the world but particularly here 06:07 believe that Jesus is going to come 06:10 some what in secret 06:12 and the signs of God are going to be 06:14 ruptured home to glory 06:15 and the wicked are going to be left to populate this earth. 06:18 They are going to stay in this earth. Yes. 06:20 But doesn't the Bible conform that? 06:22 Matthew 24 says, "Two men will be working in the field. 06:25 One will be taken, and the other one will be left." 06:27 Luke 17 says, "Two will be in a bed, one taken one left." 06:30 Yeah, there will be, there will be. Yes. 06:34 One is taken home to glory 06:36 and the other is left here upon this earth. Okay. 06:38 There is a time of separation. Yes. 06:41 But the Bible doesn't teach the idea 06:43 of a secret coming of Christ. 06:47 This is simply fantasy. 06:49 I don't think there is any real theologian 06:51 who believes in the, in the secret rapture. 06:54 And yet it's a prevalent Christian view. 06:57 I heard someone say-- a great scholar say, 07:01 that the any people who believe in the secret rapture 07:05 are people who are employed 07:06 by organizations that teach it. Okay. 07:10 But people who are not employed by those organizations 07:14 but who are free to think for themselves 07:16 and to study the Bible for themselves 07:18 do not believe in this idea. 07:21 So what does the Bible actually teach? 07:22 Let me read you a text on, on the coming of Christ 07:26 or as I would call it the rapture. 07:29 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 07:36 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, 07:39 with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel" 07:42 very noisy 07:45 "and with the trumpet call of God, 07:46 and the dead in Christ will rise first. 07:49 After that, we who are still alive 07:52 and are left will be caught up together 07:54 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 07:59 And so we will be with the Lord forever." 08:03 The Bible teaches us, Pastor Venegas, 08:06 that when Jesus comes back there is a tremendous noise. 08:11 There is the voice of the archangel, 08:13 there is the trumpet call of God. 08:15 It doesn't seem to be something 08:17 you know, subdued and quiet and secret. 08:19 And the Bible says, the dead in Christ to rise first 08:22 and then it says, that the saints of God 08:24 living on the earth are taken home to glory. 08:28 And so the rapture of the saints 08:32 or the taking home of the saints to glory 08:34 takes place when the resurrection-- 08:36 the literal resurrection of the dead takes place. 08:39 So, really the rapture is to be caught up. Yes, it is. 08:42 So we do believe in the rapture? 08:43 In our biblical sense. In our biblical sense. 08:46 But not in the theological sense. 08:48 Is it that harmful of you or what's the negative really? 08:53 These are good questions and in fact, in fact these are 08:56 some of your questions but that's okay. 08:59 How about the fact that biblical truth here? 09:02 Let me, let me talk about this. 09:07 There are things that are, 09:08 are told in the rapture that are correct. 09:11 That the rapture is going to happen soon. 09:13 Christians believe that they living in the last days. 09:15 Those who believe in the rapture believe 09:17 that we are living in the Day of Judgment. 09:19 Yes, which is good? 09:21 But there is a great heresy 09:22 because it has the saints of God, 09:26 God's people being saved from the great tribulation. 09:30 In Russia, during the last century this idea was taught 09:34 and they were told, no, you won't get persecuted 09:37 because you are going to be ruptured home 09:39 before the persecution comes. 09:41 But tens of million of Christians died. 09:46 But in this part of the world 09:47 and some other parts of the world 09:49 the Christians are ruptured from the trouble 09:53 and they are taken home to glory. 09:55 So, it's a wonderful doctrine 09:57 if you don't want persecution and nobody does want it. 10:00 But, the problem is it says 10:03 that the rest of the people are left on this earth 10:06 and during this time the antichrist rules 10:11 for three and half years. 10:13 And then in Jerusalem after three and half years 10:18 he puts an end to the sacrifice and the offering. 10:21 And so, the antichrist actually comes after. After. 10:25 After the second coming, 10:27 but the Bible teaches 10:28 that the great test for the people of God 10:32 and the great time of persecution happens 10:35 before the second coming. 10:37 And so again to-- Oh, it's a world of difference. 10:39 It's the Bible, and what the Bible teaches 10:41 not the Darby with the Scofield Bible, 10:44 Hal Lindsey with his Late, Great Planet Earth. 10:46 It's the teachings of the Bible. 10:48 On that same thing, 10:49 we have another question here from a lady called Ellen. 10:53 Should believers leave the cities 10:57 that are centers of crime, 10:58 sexual perversion and lawlessness? 11:02 Does the Bible teach 11:03 that we should remove ourselves from the cities in these days? 11:07 A very good question 11:08 and one that is being asked 11:11 by Christians over and over. 11:15 I have had, I have had people come to me 11:17 after a church service and they have said. 11:20 Do you think the city is going to be destroyed, 11:22 should we get out of the cities? 11:24 Well, you know, that's a pretty sever thought isn't that? 11:29 But the Bible does say in Jude in verse 7, 11:31 "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah 11:35 and the surrounding towns gave themselves up 11:39 to sexual immorality and perversion. 11:46 They serve as an example of those 11:49 who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." 11:52 Now, I think I have been to the area 11:57 of Sodom and Gomorrah. 11:59 I have been there on a number of occasions 12:01 with television crews. 12:03 That's on the south eastern side of the Dead Sea. 12:07 There are some little cities 12:09 that had been discovered there by the name 12:11 one city is New Midrash. 12:14 And you actually see ash 12:17 that is two meters six feet thick 12:20 and in the ash actual little pieces of human bone. 12:27 I let the ash run through my fingers 12:29 and I have actually felt the human bone 12:32 of people who most likely died in that catastrophe 12:36 that destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 12:38 about 4,000 years ago. 12:41 James, it's just as will 12:45 that luck got out of Sodom and Gomorrah. 12:49 It's just too bad that Mrs. Lot looked back, 12:52 but as just it was a bad thing 12:54 when Lot decided to live 12:56 in those cities of great perversion. 13:00 I believe that the time is coming 13:02 when the people of God are going to say 13:04 because of the tremendous scene in the cities 13:07 because of the tremendous crime 13:12 they need to get away from those places. 13:14 May be get out on the country. 13:16 I'm not talking about a mass exodus with hysteria 13:21 where people run up into the hills 13:23 and they starve to death up there. 13:25 I'm not suggesting that 13:26 but I think people are to consider, 13:29 slowly, methodically, 13:32 leaving these great centers of sin and evil 13:37 because judgment is coming upon them. 13:39 So, in your opinion the Bible, it does teach that 13:42 we need to consider these things. 13:43 I think we should consider, yes. 13:45 Now, Pastor Carter, there is some other interesting questions 13:47 that I'm going to ask you in just a moment. 13:50 Especially about men in our society and young men, 13:53 I'm interested to hear your opinion on it 13:55 but first we must take a few moments 13:58 to listen to this very important message. 14:04 Hello, friend, I am John Carter in Colombia. 14:09 Behind me is the great city of Bogota 14:12 the capital of this amazing country. 14:16 This city is a city of more then eight million souls. 14:22 It's up more then 8,000 feet in the Andes. 14:27 And we've come here today with one purpose in mind 14:31 to preach the everlasting gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 14:36 We are here because we have a commission from God. 14:40 Jesus said, "Go into all the world 14:43 and preach the Everlasting Gospel 14:46 baptizing them in the name of the Father, 14:49 and of the Son and or the Holy Spirit." 14:52 The people here need the gospel of Christ. 14:56 And I am asking you today come with us, 14:59 if not in body but come with us in spirit. 15:03 This is been a very, very dangerous city. 15:06 A very dangerous part of the world 15:08 but we believe that we are safe 15:11 when we are in the hands of God. 15:14 Therefore I am beseeching you in the name of Christ 15:18 and in the name of these eight million plus inhabitants 15:23 in the city of Bogota 15:25 to come and help us to preach the word of God. 15:28 Please, support the preaching of the word of God in Columbia. 15:32 Please write to me John Carter, 15:34 PO Box 1900, 15:37 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358. 15:41 In Australia write to me at the address, 15:44 Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia. 15:48 Jesus said, "Work while it is day 15:51 the night is coming when no man can work." 15:55 Please write to me today. Thank you, and God bless you. 16:06 And welcome back to Fresh Hot Potatoes 16:09 with Pastor John Carter. 16:10 These potatoes are very fresh and hot at the same time. 16:14 We have just been speaking about 16:16 the crimes and the city-- 16:18 the crimes in our cities and the perversion. 16:20 The importance of considering 16:21 not being stuck in these cities and moving away. 16:25 But we have some other question here 16:26 one from Silvia that talks about not just the cities 16:29 but how about the gender roles 16:31 and the men in these cities and in our society? 16:34 She says, this is Silvia, 16:36 What is happening to our men especially our young men? 16:42 I would imagine across the board, 16:44 across the world, 16:45 what's happening to our young men? 16:47 A friend of mine Trevor Fisher in Australia, in Sydney 16:51 wrote an article on this very subject. 16:53 I read it the other night. 16:54 What's happening to our young men? 16:56 It says, the article says, 16:59 these young men seem to have lost their identity. 17:04 They don't seem to have masculine attribute. 17:10 There is something going on with young men. 17:13 Of course the men are into the crime more than the women. 17:18 That live, they will have 17:19 a shorter duration of their lives 17:23 they commit suicide more and so there is a crisis. 17:27 Many people tell us among the males in our society. 17:33 Pastor Venegas, 17:36 I think the womans lib moment did some good 17:42 and it did some bad. 17:44 It taught men and women 17:45 that they were exactly the same. 17:50 I read an article in one of the American publications, 17:52 I think it was yesterday 17:53 or the day before about men sexting. 17:57 You know, they send these messages to females. 18:02 But the article said the women are sending them-- 18:05 the sexting, they are sexting the same as the men 18:10 because there is something happened to the women. 18:13 The women have become like the men, 18:16 and the men have become like the women. 18:21 So, give me some other examples. I mean I'm intrigued. 18:22 I'm a young man, in what way is this playing out 18:26 that we are not as masculine 18:28 as what would have seen in the past? 18:32 I don't know what Silvia had in mind, 18:33 she had this question. Yeah. 18:36 But it's not just what I'm saying 18:39 but across these countries pastors, 18:43 you will notice this as pastor, 18:44 phycologists, sociologists are saying, 18:47 there is a crises of identity among males. 18:52 That is why some of them get together on weekends 18:55 and beet drums and they try to do things that are masculine. 18:59 And of course, beating a drum is not necessarily masculine. 19:02 So may be you are taking about headship in the family 19:04 or headship in the whole-- 19:05 I think many would include this. 19:09 Now there was a time 19:10 when men knew their role in society 19:14 but many men today don't know their role in society. 19:18 I believe--I'm pretty old fashion of course 19:21 because I'm an old guy, 19:22 but I believe that the Bible teaches 19:24 that a man or it be the spiritual not ruler 19:29 but the spiritual leader of his family. 19:32 He ought to be the person, 19:33 who say, well you know, lets study the Bible together 19:36 and the wife ought to the co-head 19:39 and I don't want to do this. 19:41 But, so often today James, 19:44 it seems to me in my experience 19:47 there is a blending of the sexes. 19:50 Now this why for reason we have same sex. 19:53 Same sex marriage, oh what's the difference? 19:56 Women, women, men, men, 19:57 I mean it it's-- there is a great area 20:01 the Bible teaches that God men to be 20:04 men and women to be women and there is a difference. 20:08 And again we are talking about the watering down 20:09 the perversion of the God's ideals 20:12 that is really indicative of times. 20:15 Totally different question, Pastor Carter, from Jimmy. 20:18 He asks, does God heal the sick always, 20:23 sometimes or never? 20:26 I guess the Bible talks a lot about healing 20:28 and Jesus healing 20:29 because that stuff still happen today. 20:31 Yes, healing does happen today 20:33 but this will surprise many of people 20:36 who are watching the telecast. 20:39 You don't have that many miracles in the Bible. 20:42 You have them in Genesis 1 when God makes the world, 20:45 that's a big miracle doesn't it? Yeah, absolutely. 20:47 Then you go for thousands of years 20:49 and then you have the flood. 20:51 That's a big miracle 20:52 and this is seems to be much in between. 20:54 No, no, no this all. 20:55 And then you come, you know vast period of time 20:58 then you come to the days of the Exodus 21:01 when God brings the people of got out of Israel. 21:04 Then you got a surge of miracles. Yes. 21:07 They don't last for too long. 21:09 You don't read about too many miracles 21:11 in the 40 years in the wilderness 21:13 and then you go for a long-- 21:15 I am just trying to remember you got for long period of time 21:18 and you come to Elijah 21:20 and then you got little period of time of miracles. 21:23 But then you go for a hundreds of year 21:25 and you come to the days of Daniel. 21:28 He saves the people who are in the fire. 21:31 And we say Daniel died in the lion's den. 21:33 But you know, just a little period of time 21:35 Daniel is probably, he lived 80 years or so or 90 years 21:39 and you only got one or two miracles. 21:41 And then you go for hundreds and hundreds of years 21:43 and you come to the days of Jesus. 21:45 And then for three and half years 21:47 you have a tremendous surge 21:50 like the after burn has come on 21:53 and the churches lifted up into space. 21:56 And you have miracles in the Book of Acts. 21:59 But then Paul writes a few years later 22:01 he says, I have left so and so sick. 22:03 He said, I have been sick myself. 22:06 What happen to the miracles? 22:08 The miracles seem to get less and less. 22:11 The miracles are the after burners 22:15 to lift the church rocket into orbit. 22:21 But once the church is in orbit 22:23 God doesn't use the after burners. 22:25 So what you are saying is that, 22:27 by default God doesn't intervene all the time? 22:30 No, He doesn't. 22:31 But there are occasions, special occasions-- 22:33 And in the very last stage 22:35 during the lot of rain the Bible says, 22:38 you are gonna have the afterburners 22:39 turned on again. 22:42 But the Bible is not written as a book to teach us 22:47 to trust in some burst of super natural energy. 22:54 I don't believe in those churches 22:55 where the preacher says, you know we are gonna heal 22:57 everybody here tonight. 22:58 I don't believe in this stuff. 23:00 I don't believe-- I have studied it. 23:02 I have seen the after effects of it. 23:04 Those people get the same diseases, 23:06 they have the same funerals, they go to the same hospitals. 23:10 And somebody said about 23:11 one of the most world's most famous faith healers 23:13 why doesn't he go to a big hospital 23:16 and cure the people with cancer? 23:18 Why doesn't he make the blind people to see? 23:22 Have you ever heard of a blind person 23:24 actually being healed? 23:26 And a doctor comes on later and he says, 23:28 I read about it in the Bible, 23:30 but I don't read about it by the faith preachers. 23:33 So should we still pray for healing now? 23:34 Yes, we do, because God sometimes says, 23:38 yes, I have seen this in Russia 23:40 where a person was dying of cancer 23:42 he was miraculously healed. 23:44 I came back to perform the funeral 23:47 and the person was there to welcome me, 23:49 completely healed, that was in Russia. 23:52 I haven't seen that too often I saw a man coming this near-- 23:55 not God who could hardly breathe 23:58 and he came to the meeting 24:00 his name was Vadom, as a hung back. 24:03 And as I was preaching he was healed. 24:06 Whenever I go to Russia I have been there 42 times, 24:08 he runs to me and he hugs me and he shares. 24:12 He's been healed. God sometimes says yes. 24:17 Often He says, now wait a while. 24:21 Some times he says no, 24:24 but James, Pastor Venegas, and listen to me-- 24:28 we can guarantee every person watching the telecast 24:32 that every person is going to be healed 24:35 who trust in Jesus. That's when Jesus comes. 24:39 So, really what we are saying is that 24:40 healings do happen. Yes. 24:42 But, its up to God when they to happen. 24:43 Yes, yes, it's the sovereignty of God. 24:45 But we should still ask because He does intervene 24:48 there is plenty of evidence for that. 24:49 I'm looking forward for a big healing one day. 24:51 Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. 24:53 Now, moving along I have a question 24:55 we are running out of time here right now. 24:58 What is the big difference-- Graham asks, 25:00 what is the big difference between 25:02 Protestantism and Roman Catholicism? 25:05 Now it might seem obvious to some 25:07 but may be not to others in our day and age. 25:10 What is the difference between the two? 25:12 Let me give you a quick answer, 25:13 if you want to we can talk about it 25:15 in the next program. Yes, we will. 25:17 Protestants believe in the principle of Sola Scriptura 25:20 that means only scripture. 25:22 We don't get our doctrines from some other writers. 25:25 We believe in Sola Scriptura. Yes. 25:28 We don't believe in the teachings 25:29 of the church fathers. 25:30 The church or Rome believes 25:32 in the teaching of the church father. 25:33 Purgatory all of those doctrines 25:35 papal infallibility not on the Bible. 25:38 Number two, Sola Christus, only Christ. 25:41 We are saved only by Christ not saved by the church 25:44 not saved by the priest, 25:46 not saved by the pastor, not saved by the pope. 25:49 Cry sola christus, sola gratia on grace, 25:53 sola fide only faith. And do we have a priest? 25:59 Do I believe in confessing my sins to the priest? 26:02 Yes, I do. 26:03 Jesus, Jesus is my priest not a priest in Rome 26:10 or a priest in the church. 26:12 I confess my sins not to you, but to Christ. 26:16 Therefore first in foremost 26:19 I'm a Christian, secondly I'm a Protestant. 26:24 Yes, so really what, what we are saying here is 26:28 where is the authority? Where is the authority? 26:31 Is it in manmade rules and vows or in the Bible? 26:36 That's what it means to be a Protestant, is that correct? 26:37 Now, some Protestant of course have a church with a hierarchy 26:41 and they have committees that act like little popes. 26:44 And they give stipends which sort of ex-cathedra 26:48 but we do not discover truth by going to a committee. 26:52 We do not discover truth by going to a group of men. 26:57 We go according to Sola Christus 27:00 and so you are a Bible preacher 27:02 thanks be the God and I'm a Bible preacher. 27:05 So when I preach I preach from the Bible 27:09 because I'm a Protestant Christian 27:12 who believes in the coming of the Lord 27:15 that makes me an Adventist 27:16 and so I'm a Christian 27:22 protestant Adventist. 27:25 So, in all of the matters that we have been discussing 27:27 we are talking about angels and demons, the rapture, 27:29 we are talking about the role of men, the healing. 27:31 It really all boils down to that 27:34 where is our authority, where do we get our answers, 27:36 how do we know how to live our lives. 27:39 And so Pastor Carter, 27:40 we want to thank you. Thank you. 27:42 Once again for your time for answering these questions. 27:45 Again we want to remind our viewers 27:47 that website cartereport.org, 27:50 cartereport.org is the website 27:53 where you can leave your questions 27:55 and you can also seek answers 27:57 we have video, we have audio there, 27:59 where Pastor Carter has answered previous question, 28:01 but we would like to hear more Fresh Hot Potato questions 28:04 from our viewers out there. 28:05 We thank you Pastor Carter, for your time. 28:08 We thank you, for watching, 28:09 God bless you and we will see you next time. |
Revised 2014-12-17