- [Announcer] It is the best selling book in history. No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted, and its words sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious, should always be studied carefully. It is the Bible. The Word of God. Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate and practical answers to all your Bible questions. This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this broadcast, call 800-835-6747. Once again, that's 800-835-6747. Now, here's your host from Amazing Facts International, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
- Hello, friends. Would you like to hear an amazing fact? In 2015, Guinness World Records identified Mawsynram, India, as the wettest place on earth. The region, about 4,600 feet above sea level, receives rainfall of 449 inches annually. That's almost 40 feet of rain a year, more than three times as much as Hilo, Hawaii, which is the wettest place in the United States. And that's just their average. In 1985, the region experience a record busting, 1000 inches of rain. The area is blessed with incredible flora and fauna, but you better bring your umbrella year round. The torrential rains are caused by warm moist winds carried from the bay of Bengal, that are funneled into a narrow zone of cool air over the Khasi Hills, thus continually transforming the moisture into mist and rain clouds. And it doesn't just rain, it pours. Any house with a tin roof becomes so loud, it's virtually impossible to have a conversation. Many homes and schools use grass roofs to quiet the roar when it rains in a heavy way. During the monsoon season, it's not uncommon to have 40 days of unrelenting rain in Mawsynram. Fortunately, the land is steep and well drained, so it never floods. I even heard Pastor Ross, they actually have trouble getting drinking water, because it rains so much and it all just runs down the hill. They've not been able to build a containing pond. What do they say? Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.
- Right. Well you know, Pastor, we were just talking about here. You have a place that has so much water, so much rain, and then you have other places on the planet that is just dying for rain. I mean, think California and the Western part of the United States, it's been dry. And, of course, you have fires as a result. And yet there's some places that just have a lot of rain. Of course, you've been in Hawaii, I have, we've been in Hilo. And it does rain there a lot, almost every day. When I was there, it rained.
- It's very common in the afternoon. The clouds gather and it rains. And I was there once on vacation with our family when it was a vacation. And Hawaii had experienced 40 days and 40 nights of rain. It wasn't continual, but for 40 days it rained, which makes us think of what story in the Bible?
- Whenever you talk about 40 days of rain, you think of Noah and the flood. Now, of course, fortunately, we're not going to have a worldwide flood, but yes, our 40 days of rain, you think of Noah. But Noah is also used in the Bible, not only connected with rain, Pastor Doug, but he's also used with sort of our time and things that are taking place just before Jesus comes.
- Yeah, the Lord said that as it was in the days of Noah, the conditions that brought on the destruction of the world back then will be replicated. And the Bible tells us that violence filled the world at that time. Of course, we've got war and violence on the streets and on the battle front, as well as immorality. And Jesus said, "The days would be like the days of Noah and the days of Lot," meaning Sodom and Gamora. And that kind of describes conditions in the world today. You can read this in Luke 17:26. Jesus is speaking and He said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of man. They ate and they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage." Not that there's anything wrong with eating and drinking. He's talking about, to excess. Marrying wives and giving in marriage and divorce, it's talking about. "Until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all." So, they did not know both in Sodom and Gamora, and among the people living in Noah's day, the sun was shining for seven days before the flood. And then boom, it happened. And Jesus tells us one of the shortest verses in the Bible. He says, "Speaking of the last days, remember Lot's wife." The people then didn't know it was their last night, their last day. And we've got an offer that I think talks about that.
- The book is called "The Last Night on Earth." And it looks at these prophecies in the Bible that talk about end time events. We'll send it to anyone for free. All you have to do is call the number 800-835-6747. And you can ask for offer number 101. Or ask by name, the book is called "The Last Night on Earth." We'll be happy to send it to anyone in North America. Again, that number is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. This is a live program. And if you have a Bible question, the phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. That's 800-463-7297. Now, Pastor Doug, we were just talking before the program. We mentioned we haven't had a chance to actually do a live program on and off for a couple of weeks, but it's good to be back. And finally, we're able to take these Bible questions. It's sort of an international Bible study.
- Amen.
- So if you have a Bible related question, friend, call 800-463-7297. Well, before we go to the phone lines, we always like to start with the word of prayer. So we'll do that now. Dear Father, we thank You for Your Word, the Bible. We thank You for the opportunity to be able to study together. And Lord, we ask Your blessing upon this program and also those who are listening wherever they might be. Lead us into a clearer and a fuller understanding of the Bible. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.
- Amen.
- All right, we're going to go to the phone lines. Our first call this evening is Glen listening in Ohio. Glen, welcome to the program.
- [Glen] Good evening, Gentlemen. Thank you very much for taking my call. And it concerns the question of a translation of the Bible, which means much to me. And I think it's a significant mistranslation. It's First John 5:18. There's two sections to the verse. In King James it says, "He who is born of God does not sin." But I heard a translation the other day on Radio 74 that said, "He that abideth with God does not sin." And I think that it's diluting the truth. And that's when one is born again. And my question is the validity of that translation.
- Yeah, well there's of course, several translations translate this differently. I typically read the King James or New King James. You got me curious, and I opened up the English standard version. And here it reads, "We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who is born of God protects him and the evil one does not touch him." And so, I think when I've looked at this first before, and Pastor Ross may also know about it, the verb that is used there for sin is talking about practicing sin. So when we're born again, we do not live a life of practicing sin. It doesn't mean that if a person is born again, that they are incapable of sin or they may not stumble and fall. So, does that make sense?
- [Glen] You have the second part of that that says that, "He that has begotten of God keepeth himself that the evil won't touch him not." And it doesn't sound like there's that much difference between the first part and the second part, if you relate the first part to, that is not continue to sin. And being born of God, to me, is the ultimate. And I understand that some people even goes so far as to translate that he who is born of God cannot sin. And that sounds to be the truth to the matter. Once you're born of God, there's no sin to be done. It makes a lot of sense to me. And when I heard that it diluted that truth about when one is born again.
- Yeah, well, in the King James, "We know that whoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that has begotten of God keeps himself that the wicked one touches him not." And I think that's just telling us that when a person is born again, they do not live a life of sin. But again, I don't think you can use this verse to say that once a person is born again, they are sinless from then until their death or Jesus returns. So, is that what you're wondering? Or, are you saying that?
- [Glen] Well, I think that the thing that's diluted is, me personally, I believe that a person is saved and born again like Shelah was, and that's by a resurrection and that's going to be at the second coming. And from that point forward, we're eternally secure and there's no way when you're born of God, there's no more sin there. That's my thinking.
- Okay.
- Yeah, I mean, the point you're mentioning there, talking about the resurrection, I think we're all in agreement there. That when Jesus comes and the dead in Christ are resurrected, absolutely, sin is no more. Eventually, there is the final destruction of sin and sinners, but we can be spiritually born again now. We can be set free. Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed." But once again, the Bible also warns us that says, "Let him who thinks he stands takes heed, lest he fall." Peter said, "Lord, I'm ready to go to prison and to death." And then we find out a little lady in the same chapter, he denies Christ. So we can never be self-conscious and think somehow, or we can overcome in our own strength. It is Christ that works in us. So we've got to keep trusting in him.
- We have a book that, I think, would answer this. It gives a really balanced view and it's got a provocative title. "Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning?" And Joe Cruz, the author of this booklet, he goes through the scriptures and talks about what it means to live a holy life. And he deals with the subject of sinlessness as well. So folks would really enjoy that. It's a book called, "Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning?"
- If you'd like receive the book, all you need to do is call the number 800-835-6747. And you can ask for the book, "Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning?" We'll be able to send that to anyone in North America. If you're outside of North America, you'd like to read the book, just go to the Amazing Facts website, amazingfacts.org. And you can read it on our free library there on our website. Thanks for your call, Glen. We've got Brittany listening in California. Brittany, welcome to the program.
- [Brittany] Hey.
- Hi, thanks for calling. And your question.
- [Brittany] Yeah, my question is, why is the name Malchus only in John's gospel and not in the others?
- My guess is, when you read the gospel of John, John seems to have more personal information on what's happening with the court and the trial. Because you'll read that the other disciples for Christ had fled. Peter, he stayed outside with the servants of the high priest. John knew somebody that was related to the high priest. He went in. He saw these things firsthand. He gives a little more information about what was the name of the servant that had his ear whacked off. But that's my understanding.
- I think he's just adding some additional details there as to who this person was. You wonder, Pastor, that the Bible doesn't tell us, but you wonder to have your ear cut off and then healed miraculously by Jesus. Did this Malchus ever become a believer? I don't know. The Bible does say that there were priests that eventually became believers after Christ rose from the dead through the preaching of the apostles. So we don't know if this Malchus, a servant of one of the priests, the high priests' servant, the Bible doesn't say.
- His name, I just looked it up out of curiosity. The name Malchus means the counselor. Means, a reigning counselor. Interesting.
- All right, well, thanks your call, Brittany. We've got Caleb listening in New York. Caleb, welcome to the program.
- [Caleb] Hello, thank you Pastor Ross and Pastor Doug. Thank you for picking up my call.
- Thanks for calling.
- [Caleb] So, my question is, I had a dream the other night that really scares me. I wonder if, does God speak to us in dreams? Because as you know, the return of Christ is described in the Bible as a wedding, and we are the church of the bride room. And the other night I had a dream. And my brother, I have a brother who is not really religious. He doesn't really go to church, which I'm not judging him. I'm no better than him. But I had a dream we were supposed to go a wedding. And he made it there and I was late. I was running late. And I've been nervous about this. And I was running late. The dream ended, I don't know if I made it. I was just wondering, is that a sign of God telling me, get my life together, or is this sign saying, I may not make it to heaven? Does God do that? Would He do that?
- Let me give you a scripture. Of course, I'm not going to claim I've got the gift of interpretation, but it does tell us in the book of Joel chapter two, and you'll look at verse 28. "And it'll come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your son's and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. And your young men will see visions." So, having dreams or God giving dreams, there's nothing in the Bible that tells us that God has ever curtailed that ability to speak to people through dreams. I mean, he spoke to Joseph through a dream. God even spoke to Pontius Pilate through a dream and said... No, his wife rather. And Pilate's wife was told, "Have nothing to do with that just man." And she wasn't a Christian. So God can certainly speak to you through dreams. And maybe the Lord is telling you that... Yeah, I don't think God would give you a dream just to tell you you're doomed. He'd probably would give you a dream to tell you that this could be your fate if you don't repent and come back to Him. But like I said, I'm not going to pretend I'm Daniel or Joseph and I understand what that dream means. That'd be between you and the Lord. But yes, the Bible says, God does speak through dreams.
- And there's different times in our life, probably that we can look back and we can see how God was speaking to us. Maybe through a friend, maybe through circumstances, maybe through a dream or an impression. And it's God wanting to get our attention, trying to warn us saying, "You're doing something wrong." Or, "Repent." Or, "This is the way I want you to go." So, I think we need to be sensitive to that. Of course, we've got to test everything by the Word of God. I mean, you don't have a dream. And then if it contradicts the Bible say, "Well, this must be God." No, God will never contradict the Bible.
- That's right.
- But we do want be sensitive to that.
- Yeah. I've heard a number of testimonies in recent years. And this is not what you base your theology on, of people like for instance, in Islam. And someone will have a dream. And the Lord speaks to Him and says, Jesus appears to them. And they had no inclination. They weren't reading the Bible. And He says, "I am the truth, read the Bible." And they say, "God gave me a dream." And it brings them to the Lord. It's hard to question that. I mean, it seems like it's valid.
- All right, well, thanks to your call, Caleb. Again, friends, if you have a Bible question, the phone line is 800-463-7297. That'll get you right here in the studio. 800-463-7297. We've got Aaron listening in North Dakota. Aaron, welcome to the program.
- [Aaron] Hey, thank you.
- Thank you for calling.
- [Aaron] I had a quick question in Matthew 24:20. It says, "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." It's obvious that you don't want to be running in the winter, but why would you not want to run on the Sabbath?
- Well, for one thing, the Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest. You wouldn't want it to be a day of anxiety and fleeing for your life. So it would sort of be the antithesis of the purpose of the Sabbath. You don't want to be in a situation where you're challenged with that kind of decision. Soldiers are ready to go to war, but in Israel, they really don't like going to war on Sabbath, but they will, if they have to. And I've heard people say that this is a dual prophecy, because sometimes on Sabbath, it talks about Nehemiah. They threaten to shut the gates on Sabbath because the people were going out and buying and selling. I don't think that's the best argument for this verse because Jesus is looking down in history, hundreds, if not thousands of years. So, I think mainly it's just saying, fleeing for your life is not a good restful practice.
- And in the immediate context of the verse is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, where the Romans surrounded the city. And the idea that the gate would be open during the week and then closed on the Sabbath. Well, that doesn't really make sense. If the enemy's outside the walls, the gate would've been closed all the time. So, this wasn't just an admonition that pray that you don't have to flee on the Sabbath because the gate would be closed. But rather, the idea is, if you're going to going to be keeping the Sabbath, which the disciples of Christ and the Christians were to be doing, and this is some 70 AD, it means that the Sabbath was still a special day to have worship in communion. And so it has relevance and importance.
- Right. And not in the winter because there's no food in the fields to glean or harvest.
- And according to history, Pastor Doug, I don't believe the Christians who recognize that sign and listened to the words of Jesus, when it came time for them to flee from Jerusalem, history bears fact that they didn't have to flee in winter, neither on the Sabbath. So they praises were answered. God took care of them.
- That's right.
- Next caller that we have is Juan, listening from Massachusetts. Juan, welcome to the program.
- [Juan] Hi, thank you guys. First, I want to say I'm a big fan of Pastor Batchelor and you Ross. And I pray that God keeps blessing you both.
- Thank you.
- [Juan] So my question is, is it possible in today's day and age to be translated into heaven before Jesus comes like Enoch and Elijah did?
- Well, the Bible says all things are possible with God. That would certainly be the exception. The rule is, it's appointed under man wants to die in the judgment, unless you're alive when the Lord returns. Someone might be caught up in vision, just as John was, and prophets may be shown a vision of heaven, but to literally be taken up like Enoch, I don't anticipate that's going to happen very much in the last days. Especially now, 'cuz people would assume that the secret rapture had taken place, and only one person was ready. So, anyway, any thoughts on that?
- Yeah, I'm just going to add to that. It's significant that Elijah was taken to heaven, and that Moses who died and was resurrected and was taken to heaven, and they served as types. For the second coming when Christ comes again, you'll have those who'll be translated without seeing death, symbolized by Elijah. And you have those who are resurrected symbolized by Moses.
- And Enoch, it says, he was the seventh from Adam.
- And he was taken up.
- So he's like the last generation that he's resurrected.
- That's right.
- So they're all three types.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
- There's significance to that.
- So God doesn't really need the types anymore. So probably not.
- Yeah, I mean, I think we close enough to the end of time now that-
- You just wait for the real time.
- Just wait, yeah.
- That's right.
- We're almost there. All right, thank you for your call, Juan. We've got Phil listening in Arizona. Phil, welcome to the program.
- [Phil] Thank you. I just want to thank both of you guys for your program you present. It's been so helpful for me. My question is the question of speaking in tongues. I've been told that it's evidence that you have the Holy Spirit and it's something that it's needed. I guess it's proof of the Holy Spirit. I've heard people that were speaking in tongues, but couldn't understand what they're saying. And there was no one there pretty much to interpreted to what's going on. I thought it was more along the lines I read in Acts that there was a myriad of people there at the times of speaking different languages and they were to talk to all of them in their native tongues. So, if you can explain that to me, I'll appreciate it.
- Yeah, speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit that is often misunderstood. To make it very simple, Jesus told the apostles and you'll read this in Mark chapter 16. He said, "You will speak with other tongues." The Holy Spirit would come on them and one of the signs would be, they would speak with other tongues. What does that mean? Well, they were bright, but not formally educated. And very few of them spoke other languages. They all probably spoke Aramaic, maybe a little bit of Latin and Greek 'cuz they were occupied by those two forces. But on the day of Pentecost, the Lord miraculously gave the apostles and those in the upper room, the ability to speak in other foreign tongues. Meaning, tongues of people in the world that they had not formally studied or known because they were visiting Jews from every nation under heaven. This is Acts chapter two. In Jerusalem, worshiping on Pentecost, they heard the disciple speaking in their tongues from the countries where they had come, and they accepted Jesus and then took the gospel back with them to these other countries. So it was a brilliant way to spread the gospel. They didn't have time to go through a cram course in foreign languages. The Holy Spirit gave them this ability. And when you read in First Corinthians 14, it makes an emphasis there that we're really not to be speaking unless people understand what we're saying. Paul said, "I'd rather say five words with my understanding that I might instruct others, than 10,000 in an unknown tongue." And he says, "If the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for the battle? And if you're going to speak in a different language, make sure that it's translated, and you may need two translators." And he's talking to the Corinthian church where there are multiple language groups there, and the services had become very confusing. And so, Paul only addressed the speaking in tongues here in First Corinthians. Peter never talks about it. John never talks about it. Matthew never talks about it. Luke never, other than Acts chapter two. Luke doesn't talk about it. I guess Acts 10 and Acts 19 tell of a case where they spoke in tongues, but there are other language groups present. So, the fruit of the spirit is not tongues. The evidence of the Spirit are the gifts of the Spirit. Love, joy. Jesus said, "You'll know them, not by the fruits, but by the gifts." Love, joy, peace. Galatians chapter five is where you find the gifts of the spirit. That's the evidence for the Holy Spirit.
- And if you think of the word, tongue, just think of the word language. And the purpose of a language is to communicate. And in this case, it's communicating the gospel.
- [Doug] Right.
- And it was demonstrating in a beautiful way there on Pentecost, we had representatives from the whole realm. They heard them preach the gospel in their own language. They were were able to take it back and share it. And Pastor Doug, are there still needs today for the same gift? The gift of tongues? Is that still relevant or does God not give the gift of tongues anymore? Or does He give it in a different way?
- Well, sometimes I think people get the gift of tongues in a practical sense in that they've got a natural ability for languages and they're blessed with the ability to translate and speak. I saw some people in church just yesterday that they spoke like four languages. And it's always very impressive to me when people have that gift. I did an amazing fact one time about a man that spoke about 100 languages. They just picked it up and had a photographic memory. Anyway, we have a book on that, that talks about the gift of tongues, and it's called "Understanding Tongues." We'll send you a free copy.
- The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. You can ask for the book it's called "Understanding Tongues." And we'll be happy to send this out to anyone who calls and asks. Again, that number is 800-835-6747. And as we've said before, if you're outside of North America, we're unable to send you the book, but you can go to the Amazing Facts website. You can actually read the book there online. And I believe, Pastor Doug, you've got a sermon dealing with the subject of speaking in tongues. What does the Bible have to say about that? And that's available even if one were to go to YouTube and just type in Doug Batchelor, speaking in tongues. And I think-
- Probably something like that, and it'll come up. It's amazing to me how Google works.
- I know, to find this stuff. Yeah, absolutely.
- Now, we are going to come back in just a moment with more Bible questions. Don't forget, this is not something you can only listen to. People are listening on LAN-based or satellite radio across the country, but you can also watch the programs are airing, not only on the Amazing Facts Television station, AFTV, but you can also see it on the Amazing Facts Facebook page. You can join us here in the studio, also on the Doug Batchelor Facebook page. And we'll be back in just a few minutes. Take some more Bible questions.
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- [Ross] Are you looking for a simple way to share your faith? If you've ever found yourself tongue tied when trying to explain what the Bible teaches about the Sabbath, the second coming, or the afterlife, you'll love the new Amazing Facts Tracts. These colorful tracts feature easy-to-read type and are large enough to grab everyone's attention, but small enough to fit in your pocket, to carry with you wherever you go. 11 key Bible teachings are available now. Purchase a sample bundle to see what fits your needs. Then buy them in bulk and save. Equip yourself and your church to reach your community with the eye-catching Amazing Facts Tracts. Amazing Facts Tracts, easy to read, easy to share. To order your sample bundle, call 800-538-7275, or visit afbookstore.com, and get ready to share your faith like never before.
- Okay, friends, let's start with the basics. We know we're here, but we're not here for very long. So the most important thing would be if we could learn during this life, how to live forever. This is the central focus of Amazing Facts. Now, there's a lot of wonderful things that Christian ministries do. I believe in Christian education. But if the schools lose the message of salvation, you end up with more educated sinners. I think it's very important for us to build churches. But if the churches lose the message of salvation, they just become buildings and shells. I think it's important to have a medical ministry and build hospitals. But if they separate that from the message of salvation, you just prolong a sinner's life for a little while. That's why for years, Amazing Facts has made it our focus to present the saving truth that sets people free. And friends, we want to thank you for your support and your gifts. We'll do our very best to convert those resources into the currency of heaven. May God bless you, and keep Amazing Facts in your prayers.
- [Announcer] You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His plan to save you. So, what are you waiting for? Get practical answers about the 'Good Book' for a better life today. This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. If you'd like answers to your Bible related questions on the air, please call us next Sunday between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM Pacific time. To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. Once again, that's 800-835-6747. Now, let's rejoin our host for more "Bible Answers Live."
- Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers Live." If you've joined us along the way, this is a live international interactive Bible study, and you are invited to call in with your Bible questions. And Pastor Ross, we've got several lines open now. And we took a couple weeks off 'cuz we were traveling. I was in Ireland for two weeks and sent greetings to the people there. We even have people there that watch the programs. It's usually archived, but they watch the programs over there in Ireland. And so, when you do a couple reruns and people think you're not really alive anymore. But we are live, so if you have a Bible question, call us tonight. That number 800-GOD-SAYS or 800-463-7297 is the same number. I am Doug Batchelor.
- My name is John Ross. And as you mentioned, Pastor Doug, we're not only on the radio, you can also tune in through Facebook, through YouTube. We're also on the Amazing Facts Television Network or channel. So many ways that a person can participate in this live international Bible study. All right, phone number again, is 800-463-7297. That'll bring you here into the studio with your Bible question. Next caller that we have is Joe listening in Colorado. Joe, welcome to the program.
- [Joe] Hello, pastors. Thank you so much for taking my call.
- Yes, sir.
- [Joe] Yeah, so my question refers to Proverbs chapter eight verse 22 to 31. I'll start here. It says, "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I will set up from everlasting from the beginning, wherever the earth was." So I understand as Jesus is Lord. And this is Lord speaking right here. So, who did the Lord possess? I'm having trouble understanding that passage.
- Do not be trouble. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be trouble." John chapter 14. Let's go back to the first verse in chapter eight. And here, Solomon, this is a whole soliloquy about wisdom. And what you're reading is part of this. Notice it says, "Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice? She takes her stand on the high hill." He goes through and he compares wisdom to several things. He compares wisdom to a woman. He compares wisdom to a son. And so, the whole passage is talking about wisdom. This is not talking about God creating Jesus. It's just talking about the attributes. "My fruit," if you look at verse 19, "Is better than gold, yes, than fine gold and revenue of choice silver. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way." Now I'm in verse 22, talking about wisdom. "Before his works of old, I've been established from everlasting, from the beginning." This is all about wisdom. And people sometimes just read these verses and they don't realize that this is a whole passage, talking about how valuable wisdom is. Of course coming from Solomon, the wisest king, that would be appropriate. Does that make sense?
- Yeah, it makes a lot of sense, thank you.
- All right, hey, thank you so much.
- Next caller that we have Steve listening from Missouri. Steve, welcome to the program.
- [Steve] Yes, thank you, pastors. My question is, I'm confused about the city of David. In Old Testament, seems like it was Jerusalem. When he conquered Jerusalem, it said it became the city of David. And then when we go to Luke, I think is when the angels are talking to the shepherds. It says, "Your savior is born in the city of David," and then that's Bethlehem. So can you clear that up for me?
- Yeah, you've asked a good question that I've had myself. Yeah, I wish I could say that I know all the answers, but I've noticed that also sometimes it refers to as Jerusalem as the city of David. Sometimes, or one time, or a couple times, it talks about David being, of course, born in Bethlehem, Jesus born in the city of David, meaning where David was born. David wanted his capital to be in Jerusalem, and then keep in mind Bethlehem is not far from Jerusalem. So the phrase, city of David, is used for both cities. That's the only way I can answer that.
- And just to add to that, I think the phrase, city of David, with reference to Jerusalem, was the temporary name. Because it was conquered. The old Jebusite fortress conquered by David, named at the city of David. But it didn't take long before it became known as Jerusalem. And then once it was sort of adopted as Jerusalem, rarely is it referred as the city of David anymore. It served as Jerusalem, especially when the temple was built there, as the dwelling place of God. So the city of David from that time onwards, seems to be more related to Bethlehem, the birthplace of David, than actually Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem replaced the city of David, so to speak.
- [Steve] Where was David buried? They buried all the Kings in the city of David. I thought they said that too.
- Yeah, David is buried in Jerusalem.
- In Jerusalem.
- [Steve] In Jerusalem, okay.
- So they do refer to it, even after the death of David, sometimes they refer to Jerusalem as the city of David. Because it was the city he chose as the capital and where he chose to build the temple. That was the love of his heart is to have a temple for God's glory. So I've studied this and I've just seen it's interchangeable, is the only thing that I can come up with. Sometimes it's talking about the city where David was born, and calling Bethlehem a city back in David's day was sort of funny because it was like a little Pueblo. It wasn't very big. And then later, he moved the capital to Jerusalem, and that was called the city of David. But they're not far from each other, either.
- And wasn't the city of David a portion of Jerusalem? Wasn't the whole temple Mount, it was the original Jebusite fortress.
- Yeah, we went and looked at it.
- And then it was expanded. I remember in Jerusalem, there was one area they referred to as more the city of David, not the whole part.
- Because he had built on to the Jebusite city, yeah.
- Interesting. All right, thanks for our call, Steve. We've got Becky listening from Michigan. Becky, welcome to the program.
- Hello, how you guys doing?
- Doing well, how can we help you tonight?
- [Becky] Question is, I'm struggling with a diet. I'm trying to lose weight to stay healthy and I'm really struggling with it. I'm going by a Bible scripture in Philippians chapter four verse 13. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Maybe I can get some advice from you guys.
- Yeah, it is a struggle, and especially any habit. And changing your habits of eating as with any habit, it's like you're trying to crawl out of a rut that you've been in. Now, keep in mind, every time that you say no to the temptation to eat either something or time or an amount you shouldn't be eating, which is usually that covers every aspect of a diet, you make it easier next time. Let me see if I can put it this way for you and that might help you. You have been walking down a trail, a particular trail for years, and you've gotten used to it, and it's cleared, and it's easy, but the trail's going the wrong way. Now you've got to plow a new trail, but there's thorn bushes and things that are blocking the trail. And the first time you go through, you got to hack your way through and you're tripping, and it's a real problem. But you know what? The next time you take that trail, you did plow things down a little bit. It gets a little easier. And the next time, it gets a little easier. And every time you say no to temptation and you say yes to the right thing, it makes it easier the next time. So, one way that we overcome through the power of God, is one moment at a time. It's day by day, sometimes hour by hour. For me, and I often refer back to this. One of my biggest struggles was smoking. And they say sometimes quitting smoking is as hard as heroin. And I struggled. And boy, the first few days I'd quit smoking, I'd think about it just every few minutes. I couldn't get it out of my mind. I could barely make it from hour to hour. And I fell several times. But finally I quit and said, enough's enough. And I made it a day, then two, then three, and now it's been 40 years. So, you can do it. And I have a video. I think pastor Ross heard it. I actually had a food addiction. And I shared this video of how I overcame my addiction. All I'm going to do is tell you the title of it. It's a Doug Batchelor Cold Confession. If you want to take a listen to that, Becky, just go to YouTube, type in Doug Batchelor Cold Confession. And I'll tell you kinda, you'll hear me confess what my addiction was, and how the Lord help me get the victory. And praise God he's helped me keep the victory for about eight years now. Anyway-
- Absolutely, it's a great sermon, really encouraging for a lot of people. I remember Pastor Doug, when you actually got up and preached that sermon. You could hear a pin drop in the congregation. At least at first when you said, "I'm going to make a confession," you got everyone's attention.
- People want to hear the minister confess. They don't know what to think.
- But it was extremely encouraging. And yeah, just a great blessing. And take a look at that if you haven't, Becky. I think you'll be blessed. If you have a Bible question, friends, we've got all about 15, 16 minutes left. And if you have a question that you're wondering about the Bible or the Christian life, the number to call is 800-463-7297. That's 800-463-7297. Next caller that we have is Taylor listening from Virginia. Taylor, welcome to the program.
- [Taylor] Hello?
- Hi, how are you? You're on.
- [Taylor] I'm good. I have a question. I don't really know if counts much as a Christian question in general, but it's more about just what it is once we get to heaven.
- Okay, fire away.
- [Taylor] All right, my question is about the amount of free will we have heaven. I was always confused growing up in the church where we were told that we had like free will to do pretty much anything we wanted. And yeah, it was always into boundaries, what was good and right and moral, which is something that humanity in general is just not always good at, to say the least. I was wondering if, once we reach heaven, are we beyond the reality of sin completely? Or are we just absolved from it continually? But I don't know if that's-
- Yeah, no, it's a good question. I think I understand what you're saying. Will we still be free moral agents in heaven? Or since we're beyond the possibility of being tempted, does that mean we're no longer free? I might answer that, and hopefully I'm rightly restating your question, but I might answer that by saying, there is a law that says you're not supposed to murder your children. Most people don't think very much about that law because most people don't want to murder their children. It's a very bizarre perversion when it's one in a million parents that would think such a thing. Because most parents, they love their children. It's the last thing that would ever come into their mind. Now, they're free to murder their children if you wanted to. I mean, you know what I'm saying? They've got the ability, but they don't think about it 'cuz they love their children. In heaven, we'll still have that freedom to sin. But now we are so full of the love of God and love for one another, that when you look at the 10 commandments, we are keeping them now because we love. And so, are we still free moral agents? Yes. You can read in the book of Nahum, that sin will not rise up the second time. Jesus, when He rose from the dead, He still had the scars from His crucifixion in His hands. That'll be a perpetual reminder of what sin costs. And we won't want to ever sin again. Not to mention the devil's gone.
- Absolutely, and again, you can't have true love without freedom. And the whole experiment with sin proves that. And the devil will take worship any way he can get it, but God can only accept worship that is freely given. Well, that's true for the rest of eternity. God still will accept worship freely. Given, of course, we won't want to not worship Him because we've seen what sin can do, and that's the difference.
- And we'll love Him. It'll be our greatest joy.
- Yep, absolutely. Good question. Thank you, Taylor. We've got Sean listening from Oklahoma. Sean, welcome to the program.
- [Sean] Hey guys, what's going on?
- Well, we're living day by day with the Lord. How are you doing?
- [Sean] It's really good to talk to you, guys. Doug, you pretty much saved my life.
- Well, the Lord did it, but I'm glad if I could be involved. Praise God.
- [Sean] I know that's right. But I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, guys. I watch Amazing Facts and I follow you guys and listen to YouTube all the time.
- Well, praise the Lord. I wish everyone was listening to our programs on YouTube, but I know they're watching other stuff.
- [Sean] I'm on my knees every night praying that your message goes a little bit more around the world than it already is.
- Oh, that means a lot. We appreciate that, thank you.
- [Sean] All right, my question is, I know it's called the millennial reign, and millennial means 1000 years, but is there anything going to happen after that?
- Yeah, well, we'll offer you a lesson on that in just a minute, but at the conclusion of the 1000 years and for our friends that are listening, you find the verses on the 1000 years, sometimes called the millennium. The word millennium is mille, ennium. It just means 1000 years. You'll find that in Revelation chapter 20. And you can find illusions to the 1000 years in a few other places in the Bible. But most of it's there in Revelation 20. And it tells us that the devil is tied up for 1000 years. And after the 1000 years, he's loose for a little season. And it says the rest of the dead don't live again till the 1000 years are finished. So at the end of the 1000 years, the rest of the dead live again, that's how the lost, dead in Christ rise first. If all the dead in Christ rise first, the only dead that are left are the dead out of Christ are the lost, the wicked. They're resurrected, and Satan is now, now loose because he has someone to tempt. The Bible refers to this mass of all the lost who've ever lived in the resurrection of the lost, or the second resurrection, as Gog and Magog. Those are ancient enemies of God's people. And the devil will stir them to launch an assault on the city of God. They surround the beloved city, the camp of the saints, and fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. Now, you'll also find that passage in Revelation 20, is also taken from Ezekiel 37 and 38. Talks about Gog and Magog, they surround my people like a cloud. Very same words that you're going to find in Revelation. And then God fights for His people. Then God is going to create a new heavens and a new earth following that. So, it's a very interesting time that we have a lesson that talks about that "1000 Years of Peace." Is that still the title?
- It is, it's called "1000 Years of Peace." It's one of our Amazing Facts study guides. Gets into quite a bit of detail about what happens during that 1000 years, what'll happen at the end of the 1000 years. To receive it, all you have to do is call the number 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line 800-835-6747. Ask for the study guide. It's called a "1000 Years of Peace." And we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. And a great study, really exciting subject. So thanks for your call, Sean. We've got Milo listening from Rhode Island. Milo, welcome to the program. Or Milo.
- [Milo] Hey, can you hear me?
- Yeah.
- [Milo] Hey, how are you?
- Doing great. How can we help you tonight?
- [Milo] Good to hear it. So just been recently saved. You can say I've been saved for about four to five months. You can say, yeah five.
- Congratulations, praise God.
- [Milo] Appreciate it, Amen. And I'm so grateful and I have this desire to minister and disciple and just to assist God as much as possible, but I don't know where to go, whether north, south, east, or west or who to talk to. And I just don't even know how to even jumpstart "my Christian career" so to say. So how do I find my purpose and my will of God?
- Well, I know exactly how you feel. Well, I think I do. But I was in the same boat after I came to the Lord. I was living in a cave. I wanted to get away from people and I came to the Lord. Now I wanted to tell everybody. I'd say, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Now, I wanted things to happen right away. And God wanted me to take some more time to study and get grounded. And so, things did not happen right away, but God certainly did guide. He did open the doors. Keep in mind, Moses said, "Lord, I'm ready for you to use me. I'm ready to lead the people out of Egypt." Matter of fact, before God told him, he thought he'd do it on his own. And he killed an Egyptian and thought he'd get everybody to rally behind him. And next thing he knew, he was out in the wilderness for a few years. So Paul, after he was converted, he went to Arabia for a couple years anyway. Yeah. And he was studying there and getting grounded, and then he was very effective. Your next step may be going to school. You might even consider the Amazing Facts AFCOE program. I don't know if the Lord just told me to say that or.
- Yeah, absolutely. I would encourage anyone listening who wants to be of service, begin by really grounding yourself in the practical truths of the Bible. Amazing Facts has a free course, we call it the Bible school. And that's a great starting point for anyone wanting to learn, what does the Bible have to say on a number of important topics. Once you learn and you discover these truths and you're able to learn them for yourself, then you're in a position to share them with somebody else.
- So Milo, if you go to the website that says Bible Universe, if you go to bibleuniverse.com, there's a series of Bible studies. You can go through there for free, and that will really ground you. I also have a book we'll send you for free, and it's called, how do I know the will of God? Or "Determining the Will of God." And it'll give you steps to know God's will for you. And I think it'll give you peace that if you follow those steps, He'll be guiding you. Even if part of that means waiting, He'll be guiding you, you don't need to worry.
- If you would like to receive the book, as mentioned by Pastor Doug, the number to call is 800-835-6747. "Determining the Will of God," just call and ask for that and we'll be happy to send it to you. And again, you can go to the Amazing Facts website or Bible Universe, and you can enroll in the free Amazing Facts Bible study school. Just a lot of good information. We also have, just thought of one other thing, Pastor Doug. We have a program called the AFCOE online course. It's actually a series of online classes that a person can take that brings them through fundamental doctrines of the Bible, but also, how do you share your faith?
- It's great ministerial and mission training, yeah.
- Practical discipleship.
- Some good resources out there. All right, we've got Vanessa listening from New York. Vanessa, welcome to the program.
- [Vanessa] Hi.
- Hi.
- Okay, so I've been struggling with marijuana addiction. And I quit, but everyone in my house smokes. So it's been a little difficult. Do you have any advice for me to avoid temptation?
- Yeah, well, like the last phone call, I can relate. Because when I became a Christian, all of my friends smoked pot. In fact, one of the things I had to do when I became a Christian, I became convicted to pull up my pot plants. Now, I didn't know any better. I pulled them up and gave them to someone. I probably should have thrown them away. But I was still pretty young. And then all of my friends that I hung out with, they kept smoking pot and offering it to me. And I was around it and I was probably getting high off secondhand smoke, but I wouldn't smoke it anymore. But finally, I just started finding other friends because the environment just was not good. I don't know how you can completely escape your environment. You may not be in a situation where you could do that, because it could be your family. You can just ask them to respect your decision. And when that behavior's happening, you just try and get into another room and avoid that contact as much as possible. And there's a book we'd like to send you. It's called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." Because I was tempted when my friends would pass the joint to take another drag and go back into it again. And it can be a struggle. Praise God, I didn't. But it's around you all the time, whether it's alcohol or pot.
- The number to call again is 800-835-6747. And the free book is called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." We'd encourage anyone to call and ask for that and just some practical, good Bible encouragement on how we can resist temptation. And if you're trying to live a Christian life, you will have temptation because the devil's not happy, but you can overcome in the strength of Christ. Next caller that we have, I think we have time for one more. We've got Almay listening in Canada. Almay, welcome to the program.
- [Almay] Hi, thank you for having me.
- Yes.
- [Almay] For listening to my question. Second Peter one verse five says, "And beside this giving all diligence at your face virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance." And someone told me that self-control or temperance is a gift from God. The Holy Spirit gives people gifts, as it thinks you should get a gift. But I think self-control is more from a person. A person makes a decision and God gives you the strength to practice self-control. Am I wrong? If I think of that, is there a Bible verse that tells you that self-control is a gift that you get from God?
- Well, that's a great question. And when you look at the virtues that Peter itemizes here in Second Peter chapter one. And he says, "For this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." It's like everything's building up to love. Well, these are fruits of the spirit. But you can seek knowledge. When God gives you the gift of knowledge, you're not laying on your bed and all of a sudden He starts pouring knowledge into your head. I think what happens is, the Lord gives you hunger for knowledge and you feed your mind, you feed your soul. The Holy Spirit will then bring those things to remembrance. I think when you make an effort to resist some temptation, to exercise self-control, whether it's in something you do, eat or say, some people struggle with self-control over their words, the Holy Spirit will then come to your aid. So, it's choosing these things. That's why Peter mentions them. He wants us to choose virtue self-control, kindness, and all these different gifts, and the Spirit then empowers us in performing those things.
- Just to add to that, Pastor Doug, Galatians chapter five versus 22. It says, "But the fruit of the spirit is love and joy and peace and long suffering and kindness and goodness and faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law." So one of the evidences that the Holy Spirit is working within the life of a believer or a person is love, joy, peace, and so on, and self-control. That's one of those identifying fruits of the Holy Spirit. It's important for Christians to be able to have that. I mean, nothing will hinder your witness if somebody loses their temper or can't control themself. It's not a good witness.
- Absolutely. So appreciate that, Almay. Hopefully that helps a little bit. And I want to tell our friends who are listening right now, we don't have time to take another question live on the air. But what we do is, we come back after a brief break, and we end up doing some rapid fire Bible questions. Now, it always takes a little explaining, but we broadcast Amazing Facts "Bible Answers Live" on hundreds of stations around the country. One of the main stations is satellite, and is all over the North America on satellite. But then after that, we're going to come back, don't go away. Those of you who are on the other stations, we're going to come back and we're going to do rapid fire internet questions that have come in. God bless, and be right back.
- [Announcer] Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California. Hello, friends. Welcome back to "Bible Answers Live," for those of you who stayed by. We're going to be looking at some Bible questions that came in from our listeners. If you would like to post a Bible question or email us a Bible question, you can do so by simply emailing, BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. First one that we have is, in Mark chapter nine, what does Jesus mean when He said that, "There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God?"
- Yeah, the key is what happens right after He makes that statement. You'll find that in not only Mark chapter nine, you'll find it in Matthew, and you'll also find it in Luke. And immediately after He makes this cryptic statement, "Some of you standing here will not taste of death until you see the kingdom of God come with power." It says after six days, He took them up to this tall mountain and He was transfigured before them. And Moses appears and Elijah appears and the voice of God speaks and says, "This is My beloved Son." And the disciples are cowering. They got a miniature picture of the second coming. They saw Christ in His glory on the right hand of power. And they spoke to Moses who represents those who died and are resurrected. And they saw Elijah there who represents those who died and are translated. The whole thing was a microcosm of the second coming. The statement of Jesus was introducing what was about to happen, and basically telling us we need a mountaintop experience to prepare for the cross and what's coming.
- [Ross] Okay, next question that we have. What is the significance of Palm Sunday?
- Yeah, now there are of course, millions of Catholic people around the world that celebrate Palm Sunday. That's because when Jesus had the triumphal entry, they would wave palms before Him. And it's talking about the week immediately prior to the crucifixion. And so they've made a festival or a holiday out of that. There's no command in the Bible to do that, but that's the reason that our Catholic friends have picked that day.
- [Ross] What was Jesus doing after He ascended to heaven to be with the Father?
- Well, the Bible says, He ever lives. And this is in Hebrews. He ever lives to make intercession for us. And so He is our high priest. And so He's there now. He's in the Holy of Holies before the Father, interceding for us. He's our advocate.
- Our next question that we have, is there more than one Passover spoken of in the Bible?
- Well, Passover was an annual feast. And so, they're several times they celebrated Passover, but it only came once a year. And of course, Jesus, during the last supper, was celebrating Passover with the disciples. Well, that's probably all we're going to get to tonight, Pastor Ross. We want to thank our friends for joining us on "Bible Answers Live." And we look forward to studying God's Word with you again next week.
- [Announcer] "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions.