Participants:
Series Code: TDYQA
Program Code: TDYQA210013A
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00:01 As you're well aware,
00:02 we're living in unprecedented times. 00:05 Join us now for Today special program. 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Mending broken people 00:23 I want to spend my life 00:29 Removing pain 00:34 Lord, let my words 00:39 Heal a heart that hurts 00:44 I want to spend my life 00:50 Mending broken people 00:55 I want to spend my life 01:00 Mending broken people 01:15 Hello and welcome to Bible Q and A. 01:17 We're so glad that you have joined us today. 01:20 It's a great day in the Lord. 01:22 I'm excited, why? 01:23 Because we're going to be opening 01:24 the Word of God today. 01:26 We know that you're enjoying these Bible Q and A programs, 01:29 these 3ABN Today programs. 01:30 I know that we are here at 3ABN 01:32 and thank you so very much for sending in your questions. 01:35 You know, it's fun to receive your questions, 01:37 but it's also great to find the answers in the Word of God. 01:42 So if you're brand new 01:43 and like well, I've never heard of 3ABN Today Bible Q and A. 01:45 Well, this is how you can submit your question. 01:48 You can email it at bibleqa@3abn.org 01:53 That's bibleqa@3abn.org 01:57 or you can text it in your question 01:59 to us at 618-228-3975. 02:03 618-228-3975. 02:06 But I just want to say thank you for your prayers 02:08 and financial support for the Ministry of 3ABN 02:11 because it's because of you that this ministry 02:14 is able to reach the entire world 02:16 with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 02:18 You know, today as Jill and I were driving into work, 02:21 we were having some very nice spring time early summertime, 02:26 showers here in Southern Illinois, 02:27 and it was just raining so nice and gently. 02:30 And as we were driving in, 02:31 I was looking at the leaves and you know, 02:32 the leaves on the trees, they seem so happy. 02:34 They were all clean of any dust 02:36 or any type of other debris on them. 02:37 I was looking at the flowers beside the road 02:39 and they had their little faces upturn to the rain, 02:42 just like saying, this is wonderful, 02:44 my face is being washed. 02:45 Looking at the blades of grass, 02:47 they were saying, 02:48 yay, we've got some water, we can grow. 02:51 And you know, I was reminded of Psalm 1, or Psalm 51:10. 02:55 It says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God." 02:58 So as we study the Word of God, 03:00 I was reminded by God saying to me, 03:03 don't forget, Greg, 03:05 to let the Word of God cleanse you. 03:07 Let it be rain showers that cleanse you, 03:10 because oftentimes we can study the Word of God, 03:13 we can maybe debate and like, wow, I'm a good debater, 03:16 I can answer all these objections 03:17 that come my way. 03:19 You know what? 03:20 It's not just that, it's about letting God's Word 03:22 change you and cleanse you and make you new. 03:24 So that's one of the things 03:26 here as we go into the Bible Q and A today. 03:28 Yes, it's great for all the answers. 03:29 But don't forget to let God's Word change you 03:32 from the inside out. 03:33 So today, I'm joined by Pastor John Lomacang. 03:36 So good to have you here. 03:37 And thank you for your love of the Word of God, Pastor. 03:40 It's always interesting. 03:41 I mean, these questions, 03:42 some people are very creative in their questions. 03:44 They are. 03:45 And so, we don't want to come across 03:47 as though we are the final authority, 03:48 but we are going to, by God's leading and guidance, 03:52 give you all of the answers from the scriptures. 03:54 Amen. Yeah. 03:55 Thank you, Pastor, though 03:56 for your love of the Word of God. 03:58 Because I think that's important. 03:59 You know, you're the senior pastor. 04:01 You are the pastor of the Thompsonville 04:02 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 04:03 You've been here for many years, 04:05 you and your wife, Angie, 04:06 but you don't only just know the Word of God, 04:08 it comes out of you too, you know, you exude Jesus. 04:10 So thank you for letting it change you as well. 04:12 Praise the Lord. Thank you. 04:13 So, Pastor Ryan, 04:15 thank you for being a man of the Word too. 04:16 It's a blessing to have you here with us today. 04:17 Amen, it's a blessing to be here. 04:19 We're living in exciting times. 04:20 And I'm excited about people asking questions 04:23 about the Word of God, right? 04:25 Amen. Interested in spiritual things. 04:27 Pastor Ryan, why do you have a smile always? 04:29 I don't know if I've ever, very rarely. 04:31 One time you were overloaded 04:32 with a whole bunch of studies and things, 04:34 but it's very rare for me to ever see you down. 04:35 Why do you always have a smile on your face? 04:37 You know, each and every day is a blessing. 04:39 Okay. 04:40 And life should not be taken for granted. 04:41 And I try that just as much 04:43 as I possibly can if I can smile 04:45 and rub that off on somebody else, 04:47 that's a blessing. 04:48 Amen. Thank you for being a ray of sunshine. 04:49 Praise the Lord. Yeah. 04:51 And right next to me is my dear wife, Jill. 04:53 So good to have you here with us today. 04:54 It's a blessing to be a part of the ministry 04:56 and serve the Lord together, 04:58 and I count it a real privilege to be teamed up with her 05:01 and God's blessed us with 19 years of marriage 05:04 this year, and what a blessing? 05:06 And thank you for your love of the Word of God too. 05:08 Amen. Thank you so much, sweetheart. 05:09 Just love opening up the Word of God, 05:11 loves studying it together, 05:12 Greg and I love praying together. 05:14 And we love sharing this time with you at home. 05:16 Amen. 05:17 Thank you for sending in your questions. 05:19 And thank you for giving us an opportunity 05:21 to open up the Word of God together 05:24 and learn together. 05:25 Amen. 05:26 Well, before we go to our first question, 05:28 we want to open with a word of prayer. 05:29 But just before that, 05:31 the text I'd like to always quote 05:33 for the Bible Q and A, 2 Timothy 2:15, 05:35 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, 05:38 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 05:40 rightly dividing the word of truth." 05:43 Pastor John, let's open with prayer, please. 05:44 Sure. Thank you. 05:46 Loving Lord, it's our privilege and blessing 05:48 to be able to sit before the world 05:51 that is watching and answer these questions. 05:54 Lord, we have done our homework. 05:56 But we prefer Your Holy Spirit 05:58 to communicate it in such a way that it becomes 06:01 like the Bible says, 06:02 sweet to our lips and to our hearts. 06:06 Be with each of our panelists, 06:07 our family members here 06:09 and may those who are watching and listening, 06:11 hear a word from you and give them willing hearts, 06:15 that these answers and the scriptures 06:16 will find fertile soil to Your glory and honor, 06:19 we pray in Jesus' name. 06:21 Amen. 06:22 Thank you so much, Pastor John. 06:24 We have some wonderful questions 06:26 that have come in again. 06:27 Thank you for submitting them 06:28 to our 3ABN Today Bible Q and A. 06:30 Pastor Ryan, I'm going to come to you first. 06:31 Okay? All right, sounds great. 06:32 This question here comes from Carol, 06:34 doesn't say where, but Carol is asking, 06:36 "What exactly is the great tribulation? 06:39 What will it involve, and when will it occur?" 06:43 Okay, this is a great question 06:44 in the sense that 06:46 we first have to be reminded 06:47 that the Bible proves this many times as well as history 06:50 that history repeats itself, 06:51 that there are often dual fulfillments of things 06:54 throughout the Bible, 06:55 especially in biblical prophecy. 06:57 And so when we find that term, Great Tribulation, 07:00 it's found in Matthew 24:21-22. 07:02 I'll read it really quickly. 07:03 It says, and this is Jesus 07:05 coming right after the signs of the times. 07:06 And He says this, He says, 07:07 "For then, there will be a great tribulation 07:09 such has not been 07:11 since the beginning of the world, 07:12 until this time, nor ever shall be. 07:14 And unless those days were shortened, 07:16 no flesh would be saved, 07:18 for the elect's sake those days will be shortened." 07:20 And so this great tribulation time period, 07:22 I believe there is a very clear 07:24 and this can be backed up from the Bible 07:25 dual fulfillment of this. 07:27 There was a great tribulation time period 07:28 in the Dark Ages, 07:30 that 1260 year time period 07:32 in which that papal power reigns supreme. 07:35 Now, here's what's interesting 07:37 is the Bible makes it very clear, 07:38 there's another even greater tribulation time period 07:41 at the very end of time. 07:43 You can find support for this in Scripture. 07:45 For instance, 07:46 the soul is crying out from the altar 07:48 in Revelation Chapter 6. 07:49 God makes it very clear to them 07:50 that just as they were martyred, 07:53 and they shed their blood for Christ, 07:54 and so they shall sleep a little longer 07:56 until their brothers and sisters 07:58 in the future shall also die until it's completed. 08:01 And so there's another great tribulation time period 08:03 described there. 08:05 Two phases of this papal power system, 08:07 the 42 months of Revelation 08:09 that we see there in Revelation Chapter 13:3. 08:11 But then after the deadly wound is healed, 08:13 at the end, during that time period, 08:15 at the end of time, right before Christ comes, 08:17 there's another great tribulation time period. 08:19 The first one is great because of its length, 08:21 1260 years. 08:23 The second one is great 08:24 because of its global intensity. 08:27 So we have to be very, very clear, 08:28 the Great Tribulation time period 08:30 that's going to be at the end of the world 08:31 that we have yet to see 08:33 is described very clear in Daniel 12:1. 08:35 It says, "At that time, Michael shall stand up, 08:37 the great prince who stands watch over 08:40 the sons of your people, 08:41 and there shall be a time of trouble 08:42 such as never was since then, 08:44 that there ever was a nation even until that time." 08:47 So the second part of the question here that is, 08:50 what will it involve? 08:51 Revelation Chapter 16. 08:52 Go read that, the seven last plagues 08:54 that is the great last tribulation time period 08:57 and when will it occur? 08:58 It will happen right before the Second Coming of Jesus. 09:01 Amen. Wow. Very good. 09:02 Good job. Thank you, Pastor Ryan. 09:04 Yeah. Good job. 09:05 Not much time is it, Pastor, for some of these answers? 09:06 I'm telling, it's like squeezing the toothpaste to. 09:09 Rapid fire, isn't it. 09:10 Good job. Yeah, excellent job. 09:12 Pastor John, I'm going to come to you on this one. 09:14 No name with this, but a great question. 09:17 "Is there a difference in my sins and my testimony, 09:20 when we get to heaven, our sins will be gone, 09:23 but we will still have our testimony? 09:25 Okay, yes, our sins will be gone. 09:27 The answer is yes, our sins will be gone. 09:30 Praise the Lord for that. Yes. 09:32 But we will still have a testimony. 09:35 When we are forgiven, 09:36 our sins are cleansed 09:38 and we are, our sins are forgiven 09:40 and then we are cleansed from all unrighteousness 09:43 and according to Scripture, 09:44 our sin no longer remains as a deficit against us. 09:48 A few scriptures in the Bible which we know very well. 09:51 1 John 1:9, 09:53 "If we confess our sins, 09:54 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 09:56 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 09:59 Acts 3:19, 10:00 "Repent therefore and be converted, 10:02 that your sins may be blotted out. 10:04 So that times of refreshing may come 10:07 from the presence of the Lord." 10:09 That one, the blotting out is what you're concerned about. 10:13 The forgiving aspect is wonderful. 10:15 But I want that blotted out. 10:17 And the blotting out means 10:18 that we won't have to, 10:20 our sins would not be following us into the kingdom, 10:22 that there'll be any need for a future atonement. 10:25 Another one, Micah 7:19, 10:28 "He will again have compassion on us, 10:30 and will subdue our iniquities. 10:32 He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." 10:36 And I always like to add and put out a no fishing sign. 10:39 That's good. Praise God for that. 10:40 Jeremiah 31:34, 10:43 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor 10:45 and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' 10:48 for they all shall know Me, 10:50 from the least of them to the greatest of them, 10:52 says the Lord. 10:53 For I will forgive their iniquity and their sin, 10:55 I will remember no more." 10:58 So we're not going to look forward to our sin 11:00 coming up against us in eternity, 11:03 but our testimony will be there. 11:05 You know, we find in Psalm 107:2, 11:07 and the redeemed will have a lot of opportunity 11:09 to tell others about how they were redeemed, 11:13 Even angels desire to know what it means to be redeemed, 11:16 and they don't have that experience. 11:18 So Psalm 107:2, 11:19 "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, 11:21 whom the Lord has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. 11:24 So since we overcame by the blood of the Lamb, 11:27 we'll be able to tell that story of redemption. 11:29 Amen. Good job, Pastor. 11:31 Thank you so very much. Great answer. 11:34 This one is for you, Jill. 11:36 Good question from Phyllis, 11:37 and she lives in Wisconsin, says, 11:39 the question is, 11:41 "God said in His Word, 11:42 it is not good for man to be alone. 11:44 Why are so many of us alone, pandemic excluded. 11:48 We have no friends to speak of, 11:50 husband or Christ like people around us. 11:53 Can you please give me something scriptures 11:56 to bring us hope?" 11:58 Wow. 12:00 Phyllis, I just want you to know that 12:02 you may feel alone, but you are never alone. 12:06 There's tremendous scriptures that have hope. 12:08 I'm going to give you a few, 12:10 jot them down and you can look some of them up later 12:13 if we don't have time to go through all of them. 12:14 Isaiah 41:10, 12:16 "Fear not, for I am with you. 12:17 Be not dismayed, I am your God. 12:21 I will strengthen you, I will help you, 12:22 I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 12:26 Isaiah 49:16. 12:27 He says, See, I have inscribed you 12:29 on the palms of My hands. 12:32 Your walls are continually before Me." 12:34 Isaiah 43:1-2, 12:36 "Now thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, 12:40 and he who formed you. 12:41 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you." 12:43 And it goes on to say, 12:45 "No matter what you go through, the fire or the flood, 12:47 He will be with you." 12:49 Hebrews 13:5, 12:50 He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 12:53 Isaiah 54:4-5 is especially good for women 12:57 who are either widowed or women who are not married. 13:00 It says, 13:02 "Your maker is your husband, 13:04 the Lord of hosts is his name. 13:06 Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." 13:09 Joshua 1:5, He says, 13:11 "As I've been with Moses, so I will be with you." 13:14 John 14:27, He says, 13:16 "I will give you my peace." 13:19 Now you also ask the question, why are so many of us alone? 13:23 I would say first of all, 13:24 it's not by choice for many people 13:26 because of the world of sin we live in. 13:28 God created us to be in community. 13:31 God created us to have family to be together, 13:35 to be in community. 13:36 Satan came to steal, kill and destroy, 13:38 but God came that we would have life 13:40 and have it more abundantly. 13:43 I would also say sometimes, I want to be careful with this. 13:46 But sometimes we are alone by choice. 13:50 We're so hurt or wounded 13:51 that we withdraw within ourselves 13:54 and don't intentionally reach out to other people. 13:58 Proverbs 18:24 says, 14:00 "A man who has friends must show himself friendly." 14:04 So you can't change your circumstances, 14:06 but you can change your choices, 14:08 reach out and develop friendships 14:10 with other people. 14:11 Excellent. Thank you very much. 14:13 Yeah, that's a great question. 14:14 So thank you so much for that great answer too. 14:17 Pastor Ryan, this is a follow up. 14:18 And this is to a question on a previous Bible Q and A. 14:21 This is coming from Fiona. 14:22 And she says, 14:24 "I agree with Pastor Ryan's answer 14:25 regarding jewelry, 14:26 but I don't think the question was answered 14:29 concerning wedding bands. 14:31 In biblical days how did people know 14:33 if a person was married or not? 14:35 I've observed that most SDAs don't wear wedding rings, 14:38 but how would someone know if the individual is married 14:41 without them having to say they are?" 14:43 That's a great question. 14:45 It is. She's right. 14:46 The last question we got was a dual question. 14:47 I was able to cover the jewelry part 14:49 but not the wedding band part. 14:50 So thank you so much, Fiona, for this question. 14:53 To be very clear, transparent and candid, 14:56 the Bible says 14:58 absolutely nothing about the wedding band. 15:00 I want to make that very clear 15:01 because there's some people that I've run into that 15:03 have tried to say, 15:04 you know, the Bible says 15:06 it's okay to wear a wedding band. 15:07 Well, the Bible has absolutely not one single text 15:09 in all of Scripture 15:10 where it talks about the wedding band. 15:13 Actually, if you look up the history 15:14 of the wedding band, 15:15 you'll find that it started in and got its origin 15:17 or finds its origin in ancient Egypt. 15:20 And which basically, 15:21 and ancient Egyptians believed that the ring finger, 15:24 which is the fourth finger on the left hand, 15:27 they contained what they called the vena amoris, 15:30 which is known as the vein of love, 15:32 which was closer to the heart or left, 15:34 the left side closer to the heart. 15:36 And, of course, later, the Romans adopted 15:37 this same tradition. 15:39 And, of course, it's just found its way, 15:40 even to this day. 15:41 But biblically speaking, 15:43 we can be very, very clear that 15:44 the Bible does not specifically speak 15:46 about wedding bands. 15:47 In biblical days, 15:48 if a couple came together and were betrothed or married, 15:51 is simply within their society within their community, 15:54 it was just very clear 15:56 because the weddings were public, just like ours. 15:58 And if someone, you know, wanted to know, 15:59 if someone was married, they would ask them, 16:01 you know, are you married. 16:02 It would become very clear 16:04 that the wife or the husband would say, 16:05 I'm sorry, I'm married. 16:07 And so the idea today, even in our culture, 16:09 is we have to wear a wedding band, 16:10 so that everyone around us knows that we are married. 16:15 I've been married for 11 years now, 16:17 I don't wear a wedding band. 16:19 My wife does not wear wedding band. 16:20 Pastor has been married for what? 16:21 Thirty eight. 16:23 Thirty eight years and not wear a wedding band. 16:24 And you know, this idea within our culture 16:25 that you must wear a wedding band, 16:27 so everyone around you knows that you are married. 16:29 That's just simply, 16:30 sometimes I feel like that's a cop out 16:32 just for some people 16:33 who want to wear that wedding band. 16:34 I don't think that it should be as we are, we're instructed. 16:36 And I think I usually don't use 16:38 Ellen Whites writings on this show, 16:39 because I believe in this program, 16:41 it's a Bible Q and A program. 16:42 We should always try to stick 16:44 as closest to the Bible as possible. 16:45 But many people try to say 16:46 that Spirit of Prophecy gives it, okay. 16:48 Actually, there's only one published remark in all 16:51 in her writings on the wedding band, 16:52 in which she simply states 16:53 and you can find this 16:55 in Testimonies to Ministers, Gospel, 16:56 and Gospel Workers page 180 and 181, 16:59 in which she makes it very clear 17:00 that not any circlet, or band, 17:02 or a ring of any kind should be paid 17:05 or bought for or worn in any case. 17:07 She did say in countries 17:08 where the custom is imperative, 17:10 we have no burden to condemn those 17:12 who have their wedding ring, let them wear it, 17:15 if they can do so conscientiously. 17:17 So even then, if you read that comment, 17:19 she makes it very clear that there's no need for it, 17:22 we shouldn't spend money on it. 17:23 In this case too, we speak final on the subject. 17:26 The Bible doesn't say, 17:27 you know, you should wear a wedding band. 17:29 Nowhere in the Spirit of Prophecy 17:30 does it say we should wear a wedding band, 17:32 it is a modern culture. 17:34 In certain countries, 17:35 it is imperative, it is required. 17:37 But in countries where it's not, 17:38 in this case, America in our country, 17:40 it's not required to wear a wedding band. 17:42 If you can do so conscientiously, 17:44 then go for it. 17:46 But at the end of the day, the Bible makes it very clear, 17:48 do not wear any type of adornment, 17:50 jewelry or anything like that, 17:52 you know, let it be the hidden man of the heart. 17:54 And if someone asked you are you married, 17:56 or they want to know if you're married, 17:57 they can ask you, you can just simply say, I'm taken. 18:00 I'm married. Very good. 18:01 Thank you, Pastor Ryan, 18:03 for that follow up and on the wedding band. 18:06 Pastor John, this comes from Karine 18:08 from Brooklyn, looks like New York. 18:11 "Pastor John, I would like to know if my grandson 18:13 who is eight years old 18:15 is accountable to get baptized?" 18:17 Okay, wonderful. 18:19 It's got to do with age. Eight years old. 18:21 The youngest person I've ever baptized was seven. 18:24 Okay. First and only one. 18:27 And she was a young girl in our church. 18:30 I remember. 18:32 Her parents raised her in a way that she understood. 18:35 I asked her directly, 18:36 questions that pertained to God's Word. 18:39 And so my answer to this was she was clear, 18:42 she did her baptism lessons. 18:45 And I look at her today, 18:47 she's grown up, she's now in college. 18:48 Yes. 18:50 And still maintains a walk 18:52 and the character publicly that says 18:55 she understood her commitment to Christ. 18:57 It really depends on the intellect of the child. 19:01 But the Bible does make it very clear 19:03 that the parent's responsibility 19:06 is to train up a child 19:07 in the way that that child should go. 19:09 Now the most formidable years of a child's understanding 19:12 is between birth and five years old, 19:16 when the character of that child 19:18 is molded as a tender plant. 19:20 When that child is, sees in the parents' life, 19:23 a commitment to Christ, 19:25 children tend to be more of what they see 19:27 than what they're told. 19:29 And I think that one of the reasons 19:30 why I'm making reference to this young lady, 19:32 I didn't want to make her, say her name publicly 19:34 so she doesn't feel embarrassed, 19:35 is her parent, 19:37 her parents both exemplify that kind of life 19:39 in her presence. 19:41 And so therefore, it was not saying, 19:44 do you know Jesus was not unusual 19:46 for her to say that, 19:48 but as the child 19:50 becomes more suitable intellectually 19:54 to understand what does it mean to be born again? 19:56 What does it mean to commit your life to Christ? 19:58 What does it mean to lay down sin? 20:00 Then I think that this is not something 20:02 that should be forced or should be, 20:04 a child should be hurried into. 20:07 Because there's a commitment here 20:08 that requires some intellectual understanding. 20:11 And as you give that time, 20:13 Proverbs 4:18, said, 20:15 "But the path of the just 20:16 is as a shining light that shineth more and more 20:18 unto the perfect day." 20:19 Don't rush it. 20:21 Find out where that person, that child is, 20:23 and make the commitment to Christ, 20:25 the basic elements, sin, salvation, 20:27 what it means to be born again. 20:29 Amen. 20:30 Wow. Thank you, Pastor. 20:31 Yeah, excellent answer. 20:33 And thank you for your question. 20:34 We again want to just encourage you 20:35 to submit your questions 20:37 for the 3ABN Today Bible Q and A. 20:39 You can text us at 618-228-3975 20:43 or you can always email us at BibleQA@3abn.org 20:47 And again, thank you for all the questions. 20:49 We're receiving lots and lots of questions in, 20:51 and there's a lot of fun 20:52 to go through them and look at them. 20:53 Yes, Pastor, go ahead. 20:55 Five seconds. Yes. 20:56 Baptism is to the Christian 20:58 what marriage is to the husband and wife, 20:59 a serious commitment. 21:00 So it should be understood clearly. 21:02 Yeah. Excellent. 21:03 Yeah. Thank you for that, Pastor. 21:05 Jill, this one is from Michelle. 21:07 And really this when I read this question, 21:10 it's... Boy, what a sad... 21:13 It's a serious question. 21:14 It says, "Dear 3ABN, 21:16 what happens to someone 21:18 who suffers from severe depression? 21:20 Who attempts to take his life twice by hanging 21:24 and succeeds the second time? 21:26 It's tragic. 21:28 My nephew-in-law is no longer with us. 21:31 May he rest in peace. 21:33 So the question is, 21:35 what happens if someone who suffers severe depression 21:38 and attempt suicide and successful?" 21:41 I just want to say, Michelle, that we'll be praying for you. 21:44 Our 3ABN family here, 21:46 we'll be praying for you and your family 21:48 during this time of loss. 21:50 I would say three things. 21:52 Number one, 21:53 don't torture yourself with questions. 21:55 Those are the what if questions. 21:57 If only I had recognized the signs. 21:59 If only I had reached out more. 22:01 If only I had said something different 22:03 or encouraged this person in a different way. 22:05 If only I had prayed more, 22:07 maybe they wouldn't have done it. 22:08 Don't torture yourself with the if only questions 22:12 and don't torture yourself 22:13 with the unanswerable questions. 22:15 Will I see them again? 22:17 Are they going to be saved? 22:18 Now that's the don't. 22:20 Let's look at the do. 22:21 Do trust your God. 22:23 Amen. Trust His wisdom. 22:25 Romans 11:33 says, 22:27 "Oh, the depth of the riches 22:30 both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 22:32 How unsearchable are His judgments 22:35 and His ways are past finding out!" 22:38 Trust that our God, 22:40 your God is a God of wisdom. 22:42 Trust His patience and longsuffering. 22:46 2 Peter 3:9, 22:47 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, 22:50 as some men count slackness, 22:52 but is longsuffering to us, 22:55 not willing that any should perish, 22:57 but that all should come to repentance." 23:00 So trust His wisdom, 23:02 trust His patience and longsuffering. 23:04 Trust His love. 23:06 God demonstrated His love for us, 23:08 and that while we were yet still in sin, 23:12 He died for us. 23:14 That, of course, is Romans 5:8. 23:16 Finally trust His judgment. 23:19 Isaiah 33:22, 23:21 "For the Lord is our Judge, 23:23 the Lord is our Lawgiver, 23:26 the Lord is our King, He will save us." 23:30 Yes. 23:31 I love how the judgment of God 23:33 is connected in this verse with the salvation of God. 23:36 Amen. 23:38 James 4:12 says, 23:39 "There is one Lawgiver 23:40 who is able to save and to destroy. 23:42 Who are you to judge another?" 23:45 What's he saying there? 23:46 We judge other people, we say, 23:48 "Well, they clearly must not be going to heaven. 23:50 But yeah, this person must be going to heaven." 23:52 It's not our place to judge. 23:54 God is the righteous judge and His judgment will be just. 23:59 The third do 24:00 is to do understand that suicide is sin. 24:04 Yes, but it is not the unpardonable sin. 24:08 The unpardonable sin, of course, 24:09 is that sin against the Holy Spirit. 24:13 We know that murder is sin, 24:14 that's one of the Ten Commandments 24:16 and intentional killing of someone 24:18 that would include even yourself, 24:19 would be sin. 24:21 We also know Jesus tells us this in the Sermon on the Mount 24:24 that hatred is sin. 24:26 So this would even indicate 24:27 that thoughts of suicide would be sin. 24:30 I think about Elijah in the Bible, 24:32 he thought about suicide. 24:33 I think about Job, he contemplated suicide, 24:36 and yet both of them were forgiven. 24:40 Both of them I believe, we will see in heaven again. 24:44 So I would conclude by saying 24:46 that suicide is not the unpardonable sin, 24:49 that we need to trust the future, 24:53 the eternal future of those people 24:55 who commit suicide to God 24:57 who is our righteous loving judge. 24:59 Amen. Amen. 25:01 Thank you so very much. 25:03 What a blessing that we can trust God, right? 25:04 That's right. He knows the whole picture. 25:06 He knows everything, 25:07 and what a blessing that 25:09 we're not the judge, but God is the judge. 25:10 And I like what you had to say, just trust the Lord. 25:12 He will do what is best. 25:14 So much pain in this world. 25:16 And I want you to know, too, 25:18 you know, this is Bible Q and A, 25:19 but you know, you are in our prayers. 25:21 And we just did, 25:22 we know that many of you are in a lot of pain, 25:24 different circumstances, 25:25 we want to remember Michelle and this sad family situation, 25:28 but you are in our prayers 25:30 because you're part of our family. 25:31 Pastor Ryan, coming to you, this is from Stephanie. 25:34 She has a question pertain to Romans 14. 25:37 "Can you please provide clarity on Romans Chapter 14, 25:40 especially the first verses speaking to what can be eaten? 25:44 So I can explain it to others." 25:45 Absolutely. 25:47 Well, the first thing we have to understand 25:48 that Romans Chapter 14, 25:50 the context and the purpose of it 25:51 is not necessarily to establish a differentiation 25:54 between what is clean and acceptable to be eaten, 25:57 and what is unclean and unacceptable to be eaten. 25:59 If you read just the first few verses, 26:01 you see the context is set very clearly 26:03 as to what Paul is talking about 26:05 in this entire passage. 26:06 He's talking about disputes among brethren, 26:08 he's talking about judgment. 26:09 So notice here what it says, I'm going to start in verse 1. 26:12 This is Romans 14, beginning with verse 1. 26:13 He says, "Receive one who is weak in the faith," 26:15 notice here, "but not to disputes over doubtful things." 26:18 So he's already using the words, 26:19 just not to disputes. 26:21 Then he goes on to say, 26:22 "For one believer may eat all things, 26:24 but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 26:26 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, 26:30 and let not him who does not eat 26:32 judge him who eats." 26:33 Notice, there it is in the first context clue. 26:36 "For God has received him. 26:38 Who are you to judge another servant? 26:40 To his own master he stands or falls. 26:43 Indeed, he will be made to stand before God 26:46 is able to make him stand." 26:48 And then also, if you go a few verses down 26:49 Romans 14:10-11. 26:51 The same concept comes back up 26:53 because right after these first four verses, 26:55 he talks about one man esteems one day above another, 26:57 another man esteems everyday of their life. 26:59 People try to use that to say, you know you can, 27:01 every day is the Sabbath, every day is a holy day. 27:04 But that's not the context of what Paul's talking about. 27:06 He brings it back in verses 10 and 11. 27:08 He says, "But why do you judge your brother? 27:11 Or why do you show contempt for your brother? 27:13 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 27:16 For it is written: 27:17 'As I live, says the Lord, 27:19 every knee shall bow to Me, 27:20 and every tongue shall confess to God.'" 27:21 So the point of Romans Chapter 14 27:23 is not to say you can eat whatever you want, 27:25 or you can go, you can observe any day as a day of rest, 27:28 or a holy day or a Sabbath day. 27:30 The purpose of Romans 14 is God is addressing 27:33 an issue that was happening in the church 27:34 and among the brethren at the time 27:36 between the Orthodox and the new Gentile Christians. 27:39 He was saying, look, stop the judging. 27:41 God is the judge. 27:43 You are not your brother's judge. 27:44 Leave it in the hands of the Lord. 27:46 And the Lord is the perfect judge, not us. 27:48 Amen. 27:50 Thank you very much, Pastor, yes. 27:51 Wish we had two hours. 27:53 It's very good answer. It's a great answer. 27:55 There's so many ridiculous issues 27:56 being disputed today 27:58 that have nothing to do with salvation. 28:00 And it can derail us and way off and left, 28:01 you know, somewhere. 28:02 Many people been derailed and distracted. 28:04 Yeah. 28:05 Pastor John, this comes from Theo. 28:07 "Genesis 3:5 says that 28:09 Adam and Eve's eyes would be opened, 28:12 knowing good and evil. 28:13 Why would one want to know evil? 28:15 Why is sin so attractive to us?" 28:19 Thank you, Theo. 28:21 Thank you, Theo, for that. 28:22 Sin appeals to our Adam nature. Okay. 28:25 But until the nature of Adam is put to death, 28:28 sin will appeal to us. 28:29 Why do certain sins appeal to certain people? 28:32 Well, that's your environmental effect. 28:34 You may be raised in a family of thieves. 28:36 Well, that'll appeal to you more than drugs. 28:39 You may be raised in a family that was an alcoholic family 28:42 that will appeal to you more than movies. 28:44 The environment of... 28:45 The environmental effect 28:47 begins to shape the way we think. 28:49 And as a man thinketh so is he. 28:51 So that's why you find today somebody might say, 28:53 I'm so glad I overcame cigarettes. 28:55 Another person might say, 28:56 I'm so glad I no longer steal, 28:58 because these are the different stumbling blocks 29:01 but sin predisposes us to be a transgressor 29:05 in any category. 29:07 And the sin itself is not the issue. 29:09 But sin on any plain can become attractive to us 29:14 based on the environment of our influence. 29:17 So why would anyone want to know evil? 29:20 I don't believe that Adam and evil wanted to know evil. 29:24 Adam's love for Eve superseded his love for God. 29:26 Never allow your love for anything 29:28 to supersede your love for God. 29:30 And that was the stumbling block for Adam. 29:32 Eve, I said the Sabbath. 29:34 I put a list together of 10 women in the Bible 29:37 that had difficulty trusting God, 29:38 and Eve was one 29:40 that just did not trust God's word. 29:41 And she went to investigate, 29:43 and found out that the devil is in the details. 29:44 Oh, yeah. 29:46 And so you got to trust God's word. 29:47 That's right. 29:49 If you distrust God and decide to go ahead 29:50 on your own investigation, 29:51 and as Paul the Apostle says, many people... 29:53 Matter of fact, Peter was talking about 29:55 how many people wrestled Paul's writings 29:58 to their own destruction. 30:00 But Romans 5:12 makes it clear that 30:01 through one man sin entered the world. 30:04 So it is important as Romans 5, Romans 6:5 and 7 30:09 talks about how to put that nature to death, 30:11 and it's through baptism. 30:13 When we are baptized, that old man is dead, 30:16 and we are no longer bound by the law of that nature. 30:19 Anyone who has died to that old nature 30:22 has been freed from attraction to any sin. 30:25 Wow. Thank you very much, Pastor. 30:28 This next question, Jill, is a rather long one, 30:31 it comes from Marshall. 30:33 Says, "Sister Jill, in a previous episode, 30:36 you mentioned John 3:5, 30:38 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 30:40 except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, 30:43 he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 30:46 I've been attending the Adventist Church 30:47 for 14 years. 30:49 And I've heard this verse mentioned many times. 30:52 It is inevitably interpreted as being baptized in water, 30:55 and saved slash born again in the spirit. 30:59 Previously, I had been taught that it meant being born 31:02 as a human being in water, 31:04 and being saved, born again in the spirit. 31:07 I suppose this interpretation comes from the following verse 31:10 in John 3:6. 31:11 And here's the verse, 31:13 "That which is born of the flesh, 31:14 and water is flesh, 31:15 and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, 31:17 in the spirit." 31:19 Can you please clarify 31:20 where Adventists get their interpretation 31:23 of verse 5?" 31:25 That's a long question. It is. 31:26 Thank you very much for it though. 31:28 It's a chapter in there. Thank you for that question. 31:30 And I'm not sure I can clarify 31:32 where Adventists get their interpretation, 31:34 but I can tell you where I get my interpretation. 31:36 So if you look at verse 6, 31:38 what I want to say at the outset is John 3:6, 31:42 I do not believe is a direct parallel, 31:43 parallel to John 3:5. 31:47 If you read John 3:6, 31:49 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, 31:51 and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 31:53 I believe Jesus is talking about what's talked about 31:56 in Galatians 3:17, 31:58 where the flesh lusts against the Spirit, 32:00 and the Spirit against the flesh. 32:03 And these are contrary to one another. 32:05 This is talking about our carnal, 32:07 sinful human nature 32:09 that struggles against the Spirit. 32:12 We see this in Romans 8:13, 32:14 "If you live according to the flesh you will die, 32:17 but if by the Spirit you put to death 32:19 the deeds of the body, you will live." 32:22 So I believe that's what 32:23 Jesus is talking about in John 3:6. 32:26 So therefore it cannot be a direct parallel 32:28 to John 3:5, 32:30 otherwise, if you were to parallel it, 32:32 in John3:5, it says, 32:33 "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, 32:36 he cannot enter the kingdom of God." 32:38 Well, how can you be born of water 32:39 if you believe that's of the flesh? 32:41 How can I be born of the flesh and the Spirit 32:43 to enter the kingdom of God? 32:45 We just established that the flesh and the Spirit war 32:47 against each other. 32:50 So where do I get my interpretation 32:51 for that is water baptism being born of water? 32:55 John the Baptist, 32:56 we know had already preached baptism with water 32:59 unto repentance. 33:01 In John 1:26, he says, 33:03 "I baptize with water." 33:04 If you jump down to verse 33, 33:06 he says, 33:07 "This is He, referring to Jesus, 33:09 who baptizes with the Holy Ghost." 33:12 There we see the connection with the water baptism 33:14 combined with the Spirit. 33:16 The Pharisees, 33:18 now John 3 is all about Nicodemus 33:20 coming to Jesus by night, 33:21 and he was a Pharisees. 33:23 The Pharisees already understood 33:25 and rejected baptism by water for repentance. 33:29 We see this in Luke 7:13, 33:31 the Pharisees and the lawyers 33:32 rejected the will of God for themselves, 33:35 not having been baptized by him, 33:38 meaning John the Baptist. 33:39 So what Jesus is doing is reiterating 33:42 the importance of this outward water baptism, 33:45 which Nicodemus has already understood very clearly. 33:48 And then he's coupling that 33:49 with the importance of the inward Spirit baptism. 33:54 Thank you. Yeah, very good. God job. 33:56 That's a long question. But yeah, excellent. 33:58 Thank you. 33:59 Pastor Ryan, this comes from Shirley in Wyoming. 34:03 "I have a church brother 34:04 that is looking for the Holy Spirit, 34:05 but doesn't seem to want to use the Bible 34:09 to be shown how. 34:10 How can I help him with this?" 34:13 So I'm assuming maybe how to be filled 34:14 with the Holy Spirit is what I'm assuming. 34:15 Right. 34:17 Yeah, well, just based off the contents 34:18 of the question here. 34:19 And again, I'm not casting judgment or being critical. 34:21 This brother, I don't know his heart. 34:23 And I don't know this can you know, the situation, 34:25 extent of the situation. 34:26 But I will say that, you know, 34:29 the Holy Spirit and the Word of God 34:31 cannot be separated. 34:32 I just want to make that very clear. 34:34 For someone who wants to receive the Holy Spirit, 34:37 but they don't want to be shown 34:39 or they don't want to have any type of dealings 34:42 or connection with the Word of God. 34:43 Now that to me, that's becomes a big deal. 34:46 Because in John 16:13, 34:49 let's just talk about the Holy Spirit for a moment. 34:51 It says, however, when he the Spirit of truth, 34:53 so the Holy Spirit is what? 34:54 The Spirit of truth. 34:56 When he has come, he will guide you 34:57 into how much truth? 34:59 All truth, 35:00 for he will not speak on his own authority, 35:02 but whatever he hears, he will speak 35:03 and he will tell you all things to come. 35:05 So he is the Spirit of truth. 35:07 What is that truth of the Spirit 35:08 is coming to amplify 35:10 or to project into our hearts and minds? 35:12 John 17:17, 35:13 "Sanctify them by your truth." 35:16 This is Jesus speaking, 35:17 He says, "Your word is truths." 35:20 And then now couple that with, take what we just learned 35:22 and put that with 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. 35:26 This is a problem with a lot of people today. 35:28 They want to follow God, they want salvation, 35:30 they want to accept Jesus, but they don't want to, 35:32 they don't want to follow the Word of the Lord. 35:33 They don't want to have anything to do 35:35 with the Word of the Lord. 35:36 Well, this is where Paul writes, he says 35:37 in with all unrighteous deception among them 35:39 who perish, 35:40 because they did not receive the love of the truth 35:42 that they might be saved. 35:43 For this reason, 35:44 God will send them strong delusion 35:46 that they should believe a lie, 35:48 and that they all may be condemned 35:49 who did not believe the truth, 35:51 but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 35:54 To reject the Holy Spirit 35:55 is to reject the author of the Bible. 35:57 And so you can't have the Holy Spirit 35:59 without the Bible. 36:00 I'm thinking of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. 36:02 You can't have the oil without the lamp, 36:04 right, or the lamp without the oil, 36:05 they go one, and they go one with the other. 36:07 And so I just want to say here, 36:09 the best thing you can do for this brother is 36:11 pray for him. 36:12 Pray for this brother, 36:13 because if he doesn't want 36:15 to receive the testimony of the Word, 36:16 then he has no hope in receiving the Holy Spirit. 36:18 And that doesn't mean he doesn't have any hope. 36:20 Because the Lord still works miracles in hearts and minds. 36:22 If we pray for this brother, 36:24 the Lord can penetrate his heart and mind 36:25 and draw him to His Word. 36:27 Amen. 36:29 Thank you very much, Pastor Ryan, 36:30 I agree with that, can't separate 36:31 far as the Word of God, the Holy Spirit. 36:33 Yeah, amen. Excellent. 36:35 Pastor John, this is a great question. 36:37 It says, "Which is lawful to do on the Sabbath day?" 36:41 Okay. Are you ready for this? 36:42 "Go to church, attend worship and listen to sermons 36:45 or stay home 36:47 and have personal time with God 36:49 and meditate on His goodness?" 36:51 Well... 36:53 You're a pastor. 36:55 In the context of this question, 36:56 I must say, come to church. 36:57 Yeah, there you go. 36:59 Especially if you can in this day and age, 37:01 you know, we're just coming out of the COVID environment. 37:03 And for some churches, 37:04 some churches are still not open. 37:05 Praise the Lord for the lifting of a lot of these prohibitions. 37:08 But the question was 37:10 what is lawful to do good on this? 37:12 What is lawful to do on the Sabbath? 37:13 When we put a list together, 37:15 we tend to lean into salvation by works. 37:20 But if we follow the principles 37:22 that are revealed through Sabbath observance 37:24 in the scriptural establishment 37:26 of what the Sabbath is for, 37:28 then we are apt to remember, let the Sabbath be the guide. 37:31 Let God's Word be the guide. 37:32 I'll give you Isaiah 56:2, 37:35 and we're going to pull not only the actualities, 37:36 but the principles too. 37:38 The Bible says, 37:39 "Blessed is the man who does this, 37:41 and the son of man who lays hold on it, 37:44 who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, 37:48 and keeps his hand from doing any evil." 37:51 Now when you read that, it says keeps 37:52 from defiling the Sabbath. 37:54 Don't follow the Jews as an example 37:56 because they thought that spitting on the ground 37:58 or healing someone on the Sabbath was defilement. 38:01 Isaiah 58:12-14. 38:04 The Bible says, 38:05 "Those from among you, or they that shall be of thee, 38:07 shall build the old waste places, 38:09 you shall raise up the foundations 38:10 of many generations, 38:12 you shall be called the Repairers of the Breach, 38:14 the Restorers of Paths to dwell in." 38:16 And now the Bible brings a Sabbath. 38:18 Here's what it talks about as far as Sabbath observance. 38:21 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, 38:23 from doing your pleasure 38:25 on My holy day, your pleasure," 38:26 I'll define that in a moment, 38:27 "and call the Sabbath a delight, 38:29 not a boring day. 38:32 The holy day of the Lord honorable, 38:33 and shall honor Him, 38:36 not doing your own ways, 38:37 not finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words." 38:41 Is that a challenge now a days? 38:43 "Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord, 38:45 and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, 38:47 and feed you at the heritage of Jacob your father. 38:50 For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 38:52 "When it comes to the Sabbath, 38:54 let me just be very clear, careful. 38:56 Whatever you can do on another day, 38:59 don't do it on the Sabbath. 39:00 That's right. 39:01 Cutting grass, planting, 39:03 clean your car out. 39:04 But if someone is ill, 39:06 you follow the principles of Jesus, 39:07 He healed on the Sabbath, 39:08 He relieved suffering on the Sabbath. 39:10 Amen. 39:11 Don't say to somebody who's, can't eat 39:12 or have no way of getting to the hospital need care. 39:15 Well, I'm sorry, I'd love to take you 39:17 but it's the Sabbath. 39:18 Don't be the Pharisees on his way to the church 39:20 and goes across the street and say, you got beat up. 39:22 I'll be back. 39:24 If you're here after I'm done with the sermon. 39:25 No, let us follow the principles of Jesus. 39:28 It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 39:30 Amen. 39:31 When it comes to cutting grass and television all that, 39:34 leave that for another day. 39:35 And lastly, 39:38 this doesn't mean that you could put sinful habits off 39:41 till after the Sabbath either. 39:42 That's right. 39:43 They shouldn't be on any day of the week, okay? 39:45 Thank you Pastor, for a little add on there. 39:48 Okay, Jill, this comes from, 39:50 well, it doesn't have a name, 39:51 but it's pertaining to Philippians 3:19. 39:53 It says, 39:54 "What does Philippians 3:19 mean 39:56 by saying the God of their belly?" 39:58 So let's read that in context. 39:59 Okay. 40:01 Let's read Philippians 3:17-20. 40:03 All right. 40:04 Philippians 3:17-20, 40:06 "Brethren, join in following my example, 40:07 and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." 40:11 Now it really picks up in verse 18, 40:13 "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, 40:16 and now tell you even weeping, 40:20 that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 40:23 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, 40:26 whose glory is in their shame, 40:28 who set their mind on earthly things. 40:31 For our citizenship, by contrast, 40:34 our citizenship is in heaven, 40:36 from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, 40:38 the Lord Jesus Christ." 40:40 This section is referring to individuals 40:43 who choose themselves and the world over Christ. 40:48 I see five things real quick. 40:49 First, they reject Christ, why? 40:51 It says they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. 40:55 Number two, Christ will reject them, why? 40:58 Their end is destruction. 41:01 Matthew Chapter 7, Jesus says, 41:03 "Many will say to me in that day, 41:05 'Lord, Lord, did we all not do these wonderful things?' 41:07 And He would say, 41:09 'I never knew you, depart from Me, 41:11 you workers of iniquity.'" 41:13 Number three, it says, whose God is their belly? 41:15 That was your specific question. 41:17 It refers to people who live for the fleshly, 41:21 earthly, sensual things of life. 41:24 Reminds me of 1 John 2:16, 41:26 "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, 41:28 the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life 41:31 is not of the Father, but is of the world." 41:33 Number four, 41:35 they glorify the base and vile passions. 41:39 It says, "Whose glory is in their shame." 41:41 I don't know if you've ever experienced 41:43 something that should be hidden, 41:44 something that should be sinful, 41:48 and yet people glorify it and make sport of it 41:51 and make it seem like it's a wonderful thing. 41:54 Number five, they live for the world. 41:56 It says who set their mind on earthly things, 41:59 as opposed to what Paul tells us 42:01 in Colossians 3:2, 42:03 "Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth." 42:07 Amen. Thank you very much. 42:10 Pastor Ryan, this comes from Itza, 42:12 and from the state of Florida. 42:14 "Some believers say that 42:15 when you die, you go immediately 42:17 into the presence of the Lord. 42:19 What is your view on this? 42:21 What about the slain saints in Revelation?" 42:24 State of the dead in two minutes. 42:26 Here we go. That's right, Pastor Ryan. 42:28 Genesis 2:7 makes it very clear that we come into this world. 42:31 God when He created Adam, 42:33 He formed his body of the dust of the ground, 42:34 and He breathed into his nostrils 42:36 the breath of life, 42:37 then he became a living soul. 42:39 And so in that case, we're brought into this world 42:41 by a combination of the breath of life 42:43 that God gives us 42:45 which no man can really understand, 42:46 that comes from God, right? 42:47 The breath of life, and of course, our bodies. 42:49 Death is simply that in reverse. 42:52 When we die, we simply, 42:53 the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 12:7, 42:55 "The breath and the spirit of life 42:58 is parallel with each other. 42:59 It's the same thing. 43:00 And so when we die, the breath of life, 43:02 that spirit goes back to God who gave it. 43:06 And so from that point on, we sleep in the grave. 43:09 Go read John Chapter 11, 43:10 Jesus referred to death as a sleep. 43:12 We sleep in the grave until the return 43:15 or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 43:18 In fact, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 say, 43:22 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 43:24 with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 43:26 and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ 43:28 will rise first." 43:29 There it is, so they've been sleeping in the grave 43:31 until the Second Coming, then they're going to rise. 43:33 And then it says, 43:34 "Then we who are alive and remain 43:35 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 43:37 to meet the Lord in the air, 43:38 and thus shall we ever be with the Lord." 43:40 Now, the last part of your question 43:42 was pertaining to 43:43 what about those people in Revelation. 43:44 I believe you're talking about the souls 43:46 may be crying out from under the altar 43:48 there in Revelation Chapter 6. 43:50 This is not proof that there are people in heaven 43:52 that are somehow under the altar, 43:53 their souls or their ghosts are there, 43:56 you know, chattering and crying out. 43:58 Revelation Chapter 6. 43:59 And obviously, the Book of Revelation 44:01 is a highly symbolic book with lots of allegorical 44:04 and symbolic language 44:06 that we have to allow the Bible to interpret itself 44:08 when it comes to these symbols. 44:09 Much like when Abel was killed by Cain, 44:12 it says his blood cried out, right? 44:13 Is that to be taken literal? 44:15 No, that's obviously symbolism. 44:16 It means something, 44:18 these people, they're crying out their blood, 44:19 their lives are crying out, 44:21 because it requires justice and judgment. 44:23 And God does indeed tell them sleep for a little longer, 44:26 because there will be judgment coming. 44:28 So what happens to us when we die? 44:30 We sleep in the grave, 44:31 just as Christ said there until the Resurrection Day. 44:35 In Romans, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 44:39 that this corruptible 44:41 will then at that point at the Second Coming, 44:42 put on incorruption, we will be given immortality 44:45 only at the Second Coming of Jesus. 44:47 Amen. 44:48 State of the dead in two minutes. 44:50 There could be a lot more said about that, 44:52 but that's a juiced version of it. 44:54 There you go. 44:55 Pastor John, this comes from Kenya 44:56 and the name is Pokey is a person's name. 44:59 Hi, Pastor Lomacang, 45:01 "Do generational curses exist?" 45:04 The answer is yes and no. Okay. 45:05 Let me bring out a few points. 45:07 First of all, it is the parent responsibility 45:09 to raise their children to know the Lord. 45:12 And when they make the right choices 45:14 in training their children to know the Lord 45:16 and to keep His commandments, 45:18 then the parents blessing extends into the child's life. 45:22 Deuteronomy 5:29, 45:24 "Oh, that they had such a heart in them 45:27 that they would fear Me 45:29 and always keep all My commandments, 45:31 that it might be well with them 45:33 and with their children forever!" 45:35 So when a parent raises his or her child, 45:37 in the admonition of the Lord, the blessing carries on, 45:40 because they are trained in obedience. 45:42 The answer about the curse, here's the yes part. 45:45 Exodus 20:5-6. 45:47 And I'll tell you why, after I read the verse. 45:49 "You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them 45:51 for I, the Lord your God, I'm a jealous God, 45:53 visiting the iniquity of the fathers 45:55 unto the children to the third and fourth generation 45:57 of those who hate me.' 45:59 That's the context. 46:00 When the parent lives a life in open rebellion against God, 46:04 that child becomes a natural hereditarial recipient 46:08 of that characteristic, 46:11 they have no fear of God whatsoever. 46:13 And I've seen some children 46:14 that have so brashly denied God in ways, 46:19 either through profanity or their lives. 46:22 You couldn't even get them to think about 46:23 being obedient to God, 46:25 and they cite their parents. 46:26 While the Lord who is a sovereign God, 46:29 He sees what that child's end is going to be. 46:31 And you find in the Old Testament, 46:33 sometimes the Lord said 46:34 about these adverse rebellious nations 46:35 wipe the whole, wipe them all out. 46:37 Father, son, children, parents, wipe them all out, 46:40 because God is sovereign. 46:42 He sees where that's going. 46:43 He knows the end from the beginning. 46:46 But now on the other part of no, 46:48 this is where the generational curses 46:49 not necessarily by default. 46:51 We have hereditary and cultivated tendencies 46:54 Ezekiel 18:20, 46:56 "The soul who sins shall die. 46:58 The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, 47:01 nor the father bear the guilt of the son. 47:03 The righteousness of the righteous 47:05 shall be upon him, 47:07 and the wickedness of the wicked 47:08 shall be upon himself." 47:10 So that is when a person 47:12 is in open rebellion directly before God. 47:14 God is not saying, you know, you're at the age now, 47:16 you can make your own choice, 47:18 but sorry, your father has put you 47:19 into default situation. 47:21 No. 47:22 Ezekiel 14:14, 47:24 "If these three men, 47:25 Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, 47:27 they would deliver only themselves 47:29 by their righteousness." 47:31 When you get to the point 47:33 where you can decide for yourself, 47:34 choice is the most, the greatest gift 47:38 that God has given to any one of us. 47:39 And that's why the Bible says, now that you get older, 47:42 now you're outside of your parent's home. 47:45 You've got to make choices about eternity. 47:47 Joshua 24:15. 47:48 Look at this, how it wraps up the whole thing. 47:50 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, 47:53 choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." 47:56 Watch this, 47:57 "Whether the gods which your father served 47:59 who were on the other side of the river," 48:01 that's where the generational curses could have been, 48:03 "or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell," 48:07 doesn't matter what the impact is, 48:08 "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." 48:11 That's where the generational curse 48:14 can be broken. 48:15 You decide to choose to serve the Lord. 48:17 Amen. Thank you very much, Pastor. 48:20 Jill, this is our last question here. 48:22 It says, "Can you explain the verse about God 48:25 being a jealous God? 48:26 Exodus 20:5. 48:28 And when Jesus wept, John 11: 35," 48:31 and this comes from Robbie. 48:32 Thank you, Robbie, for that question. 48:34 I would say God has emotions. 48:35 We were created in the image of God, 48:38 and He made those emotions. 48:40 God can love. He can be merciful. 48:42 He can feel sorrow, compassion, hate, 48:44 now that would be for the sin, not the sinner, 48:46 and even be jealous for. 48:48 So let's read that verse in Exodus 20:5, 48:51 Pastor, just read it. 48:52 "You shall not bow down to them nor serve them." 48:55 Now, this is from the Ten Commandments. 48:57 "For I the Lord your God, I'm a jealous God 49:00 visiting the iniquities of the fathers 49:02 upon the children to the third and fourth generation 49:04 of those who hate Me." 49:05 So what does that word jealous mean? 49:07 It's used six times in the Old Testament, 49:10 that word jealous, that particular Hebrew word, 49:12 and it always refers to God. 49:14 I thought that jealousy was a sinful emotion. 49:18 Sinful jealousy is being jealous 49:20 of someone or something, 49:23 is jealous of something you don't have, 49:25 for instance, someone's spouse, 49:27 well, you're not married to that person, 49:28 but you're jealous of them 49:30 or jealous of their home or their gifts 49:31 or their position or their money. 49:34 Sinful jealousy is jealousy of something that you and I, 49:38 we don't possess but we wish we had. 49:41 Godly jealousy is jealous for. 49:45 God is jealous for us because we belong to Him. 49:50 Nothing can supersede His place of affection 49:53 in our hearts. 49:54 God wants nothing between us and Him. 49:56 It's like the love of a husband for a wife. 49:59 2 Corinthians 11:2, 50:02 "I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, 50:04 for I betroth you to one husband, 50:06 so that to Christ that might present you 50:08 as a pure virgin." 50:10 Now what about the other verse you referenced, 50:12 Jesus wept, the shortest verse in the Bible, 50:15 John 11:35. 50:16 Now, of course, this is in the context 50:18 of Lazarus's death. 50:21 Of course, we can say that Jesus felt sorrow 50:23 because they were His friends. 50:25 But I believe even deeper, 50:26 He was grieved at their hard heartedness 50:30 and inability to understand His mission. 50:34 So what we see from these passages 50:36 and many other is that 50:37 our God feels things deeply, 50:40 and that our God loves us. 50:41 Amen. 50:43 Thank you very, very much. Nice. 50:44 And I said that was the last question. 50:46 But I think we've got about a minute or so. 50:48 Should we hit one of these other extra questions, 50:49 throw it on the table. 50:51 Okay. What about this one? 50:52 "Were Adam and Eve here on this earth first, 50:55 or was Satan cast down first." 50:56 This comes from Terry. Can we do that very quickly? 50:59 Okay, Pastor. 51:00 According to Scripture, 51:02 the Bible is silent on the chronological order. 51:03 But here's the context. 51:05 Satan could not have tempted Adam and Eve, 51:08 except they were here. 51:10 And during the creation of the world, 51:11 you find in Genesis 3:1, or Genesis 1, 51:15 "The earth was without form and void. 51:17 Then God began creating." 51:19 My deduction to this 51:21 is when the war broke out in heaven, 51:22 it was during the creation of the earth 51:24 and then Satan was banished to the earth, 51:27 and then determined that 51:28 he would tempt Adam and Eve 51:30 to transgress against God's law. 51:31 So I see that they were here first. 51:33 Yeah, amen. 51:34 No, thank you for that. Any other thoughts? 51:36 Yeah. In agreement. Yeah. 51:37 Yeah. Okay. Very good. 51:39 Okay, so we're almost out of time here. 51:40 What we're going to do is 51:41 take actually a really quick break, 51:43 then we'll be right back with some closing thoughts. 51:47 If you're enjoying our 3ABN Bible Q and A, 51:50 then tell your friends. 51:51 Each Monday we'll bring you a fresh program, 51:54 answering the Bible questions you send us 51:56 and we'll use God's Holy Word to shed light on those texts 51:59 that seem difficult to understand. 52:02 If you would like your questions answered 52:03 on an upcoming program, 52:05 just email them to us. 52:06 Our email address is BibleQA@3abn.org 52:11 That's BibleQA@3abn.org 52:16 You can also text us your questions 52:18 by sending them to (618) 228-3975. 52:22 That number again is (618) 228-3975. 52:27 Be sure to include your name and where you live, 52:30 and then watch 3ABN Bible Q and A |
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