- [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 listening friends, would you like to hear an amazing fact? On August 23rd, 2022, a teenage pilot became the youngest person to fly solo across the world in a small aircraft. Mack Rutherford, 17, landed at Sofia Bulgaria after a five month journey across 52 countries covering 33,600 miles. Along the way, Mack who was born to British parents but's grown up in Belgium, encountered sandstorms in Sudan, monsoon rains in India, and spent a night on an uninhabited Pacific island. Mack, who began his epic odyssey on March 23rd, described some of the beautiful scenes that he was able to encounter from wildlife in national parks in Kenya, to the New York City skyline. He landed Wednesday, August 23rd, 2022, after completing the feet. Mack encouraged others to follow their dreams no matter how old you are. He said work and move forward to achieve your goals. He added, by the way, his sister Zara is the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Boy that's something, I tell you. That's a pretty epic journey. I've had my pilot's license for 30 something years, and I think you flew with me once or twice.
- I did, yeah.
- And you do your first cross country, and you're scared half to death when you're flying by yourself between three points on the map, I can't imagine all that would be involved in going in and out of all of those international airports where the air traffic is all a little different, and for a 17 year old, he must have had a lot of hours and experience.
- That's right, when you look at the map that, you put the up on the screen, he didn't fly in a straight line around the globe, he kind of traced the continent of Africa, that's a lot of flying, a lot of miles.
- Some of that was by choice, and some of it was because he couldn't get the permits to land in some countries, so they had to skirt around. Other times he wanted to see certain parts of the world. But, I love flying, if I'm on a motorcycle I'm trying to find something to jump, or if I'm on my skis I'm jumping, and I was driving a truck today in the hills, and I revved it when I went over a bump, so I could, the sensation of flying I just love it. And, a lot of people ask, will you be able to fly in heaven? And I think so. You've got that verse there in Isaiah 40, verse 31, and it says, but those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles, they'll run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint. And I guess the other scripture would be when Jesus ascended to heaven.
- That's right.
- He just ascended.
- Of course we know Pastor Doug that the angels fly, we have a number of accounts in scripture I think of the one where Daniel was praying, and an angel came from heaven to Earth.
- Being caused to fly swiftly.
- Fly swiftly, so angels fly, and, and the hymn that we often sing in church, we will soar to worlds unknown.
- Rock of ages.
- Rock of ages. So we know we're going to be going to heaven, but what about the other worlds God has created?
- It says we're caught up.
- That's right.
- And it's probably not in a rocket.
- That's right. Well we do have a book that talks about heaven, this wonderful home of the redeemed, the Bible tells us eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that God is preparing for those that love Him, but there are some things revealed in scripture about heaven, about the home of the redeemed, and our free gift is all about that. It's called Heaven, Is It for Real? And that is our free offer. If you'd like to receive it all you have to do is call the number, 800-835-6747, and you can ask for the book by name, Heaven, Is It for Real? Or ask for offer number 189, we'll be happy to send it to anyone here in North America. Now we do have those who are listening outside of North America, and if you'd like to read the book we encourage you to go to the Amazing Facts website, just Amazing Facts dot O-R-G, or dot com, and you'll be able to read it there on our free library. Again, it's called Heaven, Is It for Real? And Pastor Doug we want to greet those who are now joining us we have folks watching live on AFTV, they're also watching on YouTube, and then on Facebook, on your Facebook page, Doug Batchelor Facebook page, also on the Amazing Facts Facebook page, and this is rebroadcast on some other networks, so we want to greet all of those who are watching, wherever you might be, however you're getting this program, and of course the many who are actually listening on radio, this program started as a radio program and we want to greet those listening on land based stations and also those listening through the satellite radio system, so, what with that, let's start with a word of prayer, and we will get to Bible questions. Dear Father in heaven again we thank You for this opportunity that we have to be able to open Your Word and study it. Lord it's always exciting to be able to come to the scriptures, we know that You have promised to be with us, and we desire that we might be led into a clearer understanding of Bible truth. So be with those who are listening, wherever they might be, and guide us here as we search the scripture in the studio, we ask this in Jesus name, amen.
- Amen.
- Now friends this is a live program, so if you have a Bible related question the number here to the studio is 800-463-7297, again that's 800-463-7297, or 800-God-Says, and that'll bring you here into the studio, and we'll be able to take your question on the air. So I think we're ready for our first caller, we've got Anthony listening in New York, Anthony welcome to the program.
- [Anthony] Hello, good evening Pastors.
- Evening.
- [Anthony] My question is with regards to Acts chapter two, verses 16 through 18, and I'll try to make this brief. Basically I know that you see a lot of, on TV, or different churches, where they start to call people prophet, and, I guess as a honor type thing, or things of that nature, I've heard some people claim to have, the gift of prophecy, or they claim to be prophets. Basically what, based on Acts chapter two verses 16 through 18, I want to know, what constitutes a prophet? Especially if knowing that in the last days people will have the gift of prophecy, does that automatically make them a prophet? Or, I guess I just want some clarity.
- Yeah, good question. And for our friends that are driving or something, if you don't have the Bible handy, let me read that for you real quick. This is during the day of Pentecost, Peter gets up and he starts to preach in Acts chapter two, and I'll start with verse 16, but this is what was spoken of by the Prophet Joel, the people are wondering about this manifestation of the Spirit. And it'll come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams, and on my menservants and my maidservants I'll pour out of My Spirit in those days and they will prophesy, and I'll show wonders in the heaven above, and signs in the Earth beneath. And by the way, Peter there is quoting from Joel chapter two. And this is not only something that happened here in Acts, when the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, it may repeat itself in the last days. Now Jesus has warned us to be careful about false prophets, but the fact that He says watch out for false prophets indicates there will probably somewhere be true prophets, or Jesus would have said don't listen to any prophets in the last days. So how do you know if a person is a true prophet? First of all, not every time you find the word prophesy does it use the term in the context of, like an Old Testament prophet that was making a prediction. To prophesy like in Acts, I'm sorry in 1 Corinthians 14, it's talking about preaching. It means, to proclaim prophecy it means to proclaim on behalf of another. And so, a lot of times when it talks about the gift of prophecy in 1 Corinthians, it's talking about being able to preach and teach. But it also true there will be prophets in the last days. Even last prophets in the Old Testament, behold I send you Elijah to prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord, that's prophet prophet. So, how do you know a true from a false prophet? First we have a lesson that talks about astrologers and psychics, so look, we'll send you a free copy of that because it's got a lot of verses in it, but there's some criteria. Deuteronomy tells us that if a prophet makes a prediction that doesn't come true, probably a false prophet. If they're asking for a fee to give you a prophecy, it's probably a false prophet. If they're giving you a bill. And if their lives are not in harmony with the Word, so if a person is living a scandalous life and yet they said, I'm a prophet, they're lives are going to be following the model in the Bible, their teachings will not contradict the Bible, if they're a true prophet. So in that lesson we're offering it gives the criteria of how do you identify a true from a false prophet.
- The study that we have, it's called Does God Inspire Astrologers and Psychics? And we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks, the number again is 800-835-6747, that is our free resource line. As to the study guide, does God inspire psychics, and prophets, or astrologers? And it actually gives the biblical principles to determine a true prophet from a false prophet, it's all there in the study guide. Well thank you for your call, Anthony, next we have Patrick listening from Canada. Patrick you're on the air.
- [Patrick] Good evening Pastors.
- Evening.
- [Patrick] I have a question about Mosaic law. So it's taken from Luke, chapter 19, verse 28. And this is also another verse, I couldn't find it, but it's about wearing mixed materials, cutting a beard, tattoos, and something else, I forgot, sorry, cutting of beards and tattoos. I'd just like to find out if those apply to us today, even though we're gentiles welcomed into the family of God, by accepting Him?
- Yeah well it says there in Leviticus chapter 19 verse 28, you shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo marks on you, I am the Lord. There are clearly some things that you might find in the Book of Leviticus that are connected with ceremonial laws, and those things would be obsolete, nailed to the cross, we don't sacrifice lambs anymore, circumcision is not required, but there are also some very practical laws that are sort of self evident. God says, don't follow the practices of the Pagans, and if the Pagans were mourning the loss of somebody they'd do everything from cut off finger, to cut their flesh like the prophets of Baal when they wanted to appease their God they'd pierce themselves till the blood gushed out, and they'd tattoo themselves. And your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God doesn't want us putting marks, I know what I'm saying now is probably extremely unpopular because I bet you 10% of everyone listening has a tattoo these days, but the Bible I think means what it says. I'm the Lord, don't put any tattoo marks on you, God intended us to live forever and to advertise for Him. So, our bodies shouldn't really have graffiti on them, and the practical truth is that a lot of folks who get tattoos they regret it, to get a tattoo requires you to pierce ink under your skin, it's not necessarily the healthiest thing. Some people end up with some kinds of skin cancer or something from that, and yeah, I just, I think it's kind of a self evident truth. This is what the Pagans used to do, they would mark slaves with tattoos. I just came back from Auschwitz in Poland where they had the Nazi concentration camps, and I remember meeting friends of my grandparents that were Jewish, had the tattoo marks still on them. So, yeah, I don't know why Christians are doing that, it says pretty plainly, don't do it.
- Okay, very good, well thank you. Thank you Patrick for your call. We've got Caleb listening in New York. Caleb, welcome to the program.
- [Caleb] Hello, thank you Pastors, how are you doing tonight?
- Doing good; and your question?
- [Caleb] My question is a little bit more embarrassing. I'm a Christian, I grew up in a church, but lately I let all the worries of life, discourage me from studying, not praying as much, and just all the worries, I'm just afraid if I go back to God like that, deliberately, I'm afraid if I go back to God, God won't accept me anymore, I'm just, is there an encouragement, verse I can read, and something that'll encourage me? because I'm a little nervous about this, and a little afraid.
- Yeah, let me tell you. Just this sabbath I preached on Luke chapter 18, starts I believe with verse nine, and Jesus tells the parable, two men went up to the temple to pray, one was a Pharisee, and one was a publican, publicans were the outcasts of society, they were called great sinners, Jesus often talks about the harlots and the publicans, so you got these two men, one very religious, and one is sort of like the gang member of the culture. And they both go to church. And the Pharisee he prays, and says Lord I thank thee I'm not like other men, extortioners, adulterers, or unjust, or like this tax collector back there. I pay tithe of all that I've got, I fast twice a week, and the publican, the tax collector, he would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but he smote upon his breast and said, Lord be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus said that man went down to his house forgiven. His prayer, seven words in English, Lord be merciful to me a sinner. And God had mercy on him because he repented. His heart was humble. If you go back to God and you say Lord, I am sorry, please have mercy on me, the Bible promises that He will. A contrite heart God will not despise, is what Psalm 51 says. So if we humble ourselves, and if our hearts are contrite, meaning if we're meek, poor in spirit, that God is a merciful God. If we're sincerely repenting He will sincerely forgive.
- We got a book, and it talks about this, and it's, well actually several that we could offer, but I'm thinking of the one Three Steps to Heaven. Kind of lays out what we have to do to reconnect with Christ as our personal Savior. We'll be happy to send this book to you or anyone that calls and asks, the number to call is 800-835-6747, and you can ask for the book it's called Three Steps to Heaven, we'll be happy to send it to anyone here in North America. A good question, thank you for calling. We've got Aiden listening in Tennessee, Aiden, welcome to Bible Answers Live.
- [Aiden] Hey, so my question is regarding repentance. I'm a relatively new believer, but I'm wondering is repentance necessary for salvation? And I've heard different definitions of repentance, and I've also heard other teachers say you must repent and trust in Jesus to be saved. But I'm just wondering, what is the importance of repentance?
- Good, good question, very important question. It's often neglected today. Well let's just think about it this way for a second, Aiden, the first words that Jesus speaks when He begins to preach, is repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Indeed the first thing John the Baptist said when he started preaching, he went out in the wilderness and he told people, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When Peter is preaching in Acts chapter two, and the people are convicted by the words of Peter and they say what shall we do? Peter said, repent, and be baptized. And so repentance was like part and parcel, step number one. Repentance represents a sorrow for sin and a willingness to turn away from it. And so when we come to Jesus, we should have some sorrow for our sins and what we've done for the Lord, and be willing to repent. What is it? Ezekiel 18, he says turn ye, turn ye, why will you die? So God is calling us to turn from our wicked ways and live. That's what repentance means.
- Now the Bible also tells us that it's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, so you don't have to wait to feel, oh, I feel terribly sorry for this sin, we can go to God and say, Lord, please help me. I recognize that I am a sinner, and give me that genuine repentance. It's more than just a casual prayer, you want your repentance to be deep and meaningful. You think of an example in the Bible after David sinned with Beersheba, you have an account of his prayer, and that is a heartfelt earnest prayer, that is the type of repentance that doesn't just come from ourselves, it is the moving of the Holy Spirit upon the heart, so we can ask for that. We can ask for the Holy Spirit to convict us, and come to God and have true repentance.
- Yeah, David was on his face for seven days. I don't know if that's required of everybody, but that, pretty evident he was sincerely sorry for what he had done.
- We got a study guide that talks about this, it's called Saved from Certain Death, and it's steps to salvation, how do we experience that true repentance? We'll be happy to anyone who calls and asks, the number to call again is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide, it's called Saved from Certain Death, and we'll get it in the mail and send it to anyone here in North America. We've got Aaron listening from New York. Aaron, welcome to the program.
- [Aaron] Good evening Pastor.
- Evening.
- [Aaron] My nephew has been living a careless life and ended up in prison back in April, and he's still there awaiting trial. And for about a month now he has been getting dreams almost everyday. He's been getting dreams about things like a helicopter, an umbrella, a shower curtain, a pepper spray, and then he's been getting dreams of animals, like a pelican, a snake, and a dragon. And after that he's been getting dreams about random numbers, like the number 808, he told me that what his friend said that he has been dreaming angel numbers, but I don't think that's biblical. Can you tell me why he's been getting all these dreams and do they have any significance?
- All right well I, of course I won't venture to say specifically why he is getting certain dreams. I'll tell you what causes dreams; a dream can come from the Lord, there's examples in the Bible where God spoke to Joseph in a dream, matter of fact He spoke to both Josephs in the New Testament and the Old Testament in a dream, and a dream can come from the devil. Job describes that horrifying experience where you have a nightmare; dreams typically, and this is in Ecclesiastes, it says a dream comes from the multitude of business. So if you've got a lot of thoughts going on during the day then you may dream about some of that during the night. And dreams are something like your brain defragmenting at night, now if a person's under a lot of stress, as your cousin you said, who is awaiting trial, and going through a big change in his life, yeah that could mess with your mind. And you could have a lot of strange dreams, that doesn't means they're prophetic, so I wouldn't try to read a lot into that. If God gives you a dream that is really a message, I think you'll usually know it. You won't have to wonder if, oh I wonder if that shower curtain and that number in my dream meant something? If God is trying to message you in a dream He's also going to give you an interpretation, and you'll know it.
- Okay, very good. Next caller that we have is Anthony, listening in Pennsylvania, Anthony welcome the program.
- [Anthony] Well good evening Pastors, how are you?
- Doing good, and your question tonight?
- [Anthony] My question is Revelation 21 verse one. It says, now I saw a new heaven and a new Earth, for the first heaven, and the first Earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. My question is, what is the sea? And why is it specifically talking about no more sea in heaven?
- Well, obviously there is water in the new Earth, because you get to the last verses in the Bible and it says, there's a river that proceeds from the throne of God, and rivers run somewhere, they typically run into a body of water, but there's a difference between a lake, freshwater lake, and a sea, and the typical briney sea that we can't drink, that stings your eyes, I think there's going to be no vast ocean separating loved ones but there probably will be beautiful lakes and rivers and streams in the new Earth, it's going to be like a park, but there may not be, right now two thirds of the world is sea, it wasn't like that when God first made it before the flood, I think the reason that you get all the water that covers the Earth now is all the water that used to be below the Earth, in caverns it says that their mist used to come up out of the Earth, and after the flood the tectonic plates weighed down, and it came up, I don't know what happened geologically, but I don't think you're going to have that in the new Earth, so when he says there's no more sea think about no more salty water, vast oceans that will separate loved ones.
- The Bible says, speaking about the flood, the fountains of the great deep broke open, so there was a lot of water from under the Earth that came up, and covered the land. All right, very good, next question that we have is Robert, Robert listening in Washington, Robert welcome to the program.
- [Robert] Thank you Pastor Ross. One, I guess kind of different question was I was reading a few days ago in Luke 21, and it talks about one of the signs being the seas and the waves roaring, I think David talks about the Lord is mightier than the waves of the sea, or is more powerful than the waves of the sea, so what makes the seas and the waves growing so special for the second coming?
- I think that could be an example of maybe a dual prophecy. For one thing when it talks about the sea and the waves roaring, in Revelation it talks about the beasts came up out of a stormy sea, or is that in Daniel it says that? Yeah, or maybe both, and a woman comes up out of the sea. So, when it talks about the seas in prophetic terms it can mean turmoil and storms in the world, like those angels holding back the winds of strife, but I also think, because Jesus is talking about earthquakes, He's talking about very real geological natural disasters, and men's hearts failing for fear, they're looking at things like the tsunami that took place in 2004, where you've got 240,000 people die, most of the world's population lives on the coasts. And so it may be one of the natural disasters, Christ says they'll be plagues, they'll be earthquakes and diverse places, and in Luke He says the sea and the waves roaring, and I think in Luke He says they'll be signs in the heavens, also. So, just, you got things unraveling in the last days.
- And also an increase of storms, I mean, storms are created over the seas. Hurricanes, winds, destruction. And I think we've seen an increase of some of these devastating storms, and of course tsunamis, and earthquakes, these are all signs that Jesus gave pointing to the soon coming of Christ.
- Yeah, I think it's interesting, in one part of the world they call it a hurricane, in another part of the world they call it a cyclone, and another part of the world they call it a typhoon, but they're all the same thing.
- Big storms, dangerous storms. Well I'm just looking at the clock pass today, we might not have to time to take one more caller, but we want to remind you of our free offer tonight. The program's by no means over, we're just going to take a short break, but if you missed the beginning of the program, our free offer tonight is a book entitled Heaven, Is It for Real? And we'll be happy to send this to anyone here in North America, the number is 800-835-6747, you can ask for offer number 189, or just ask for it by name, Heaven, Is It for Real? We'll be happy to send to anyone here in North America.
- All right, well I think we've got a break coming up and if you have questions, I think we have some lines open just call 800-463-7297, and call with your Bible question. That's 800-God-Says, we'll be back in just a few moments, don't go away.
- [Announcer] Stay tuned, Bible Answers Live will return shortly.
- [Narrator] Would you like to know God's plan for our troubled world, and solutions for your life's challenges? Beautifully redesigned and updated, Amazing Facts 27 Bible study guides provide straightforward Bible based answers that are enlightening, encouraging, and easy to understand. Giving you real relevant Bible answers to questions like, how can I have healthier relationships? When will Jesus come? And much more. Order yours today by visiting AFBookstore.com, or by calling 800-538-7275.
- Millions of people believe that planet Earth is on the verge of some apocalypse that will plunge the world's cities into chaos. In response, thinking people everywhere are wondering if it might be a good time to locate their families outside of the congested metropolitan areas. In my new book, Heading for the Hills, a Beginner's Guide to Country Living, I do my best to provide a biblical balance. I'd like to share with you some of the crucial things you'll need to know before you head up for the hills. I'd also like to identify some of the practical things you look for in buying a piece of country land, how to develop water, power, and a garden, all while still seeking to save the lost. This book has some very valuable information for anybody that's ever considering country living.
- [Announcer] Order your copy of Heading for the Hills, call 800-538-7275, or visit AFBookstore.com.
- [Announcer] Doug Batchelor was the teenage son of a millionaire father and show business mother, yet he was living in a cave. He had everything money could buy, everything but happiness. But all of the fun and excitement he enjoyed left his life out of control. His search eventually led him to a cave above Palm Springs that became his home. While Dough scavenged for food in garbage bins, his father owned a yacht, a Leer jet, and an airliner. But in his cave home he discovered a dust covered Bible. As he began to read, he soon learned of his true purpose in life; The Richest Caveman is the extraordinary true story of Doug Batchelor that tells how a rebellious teenager who once lived in a cave became a tremendous soul winner for Jesus Christ. It's a thrilling testimony of the transforming power of God's Word. To order your copy of The Richest Caveman, call 800-538-7275, or visit AFBookstore.com.
- [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 7PM and 8PM 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 hosts for more Bible Answers Live.
- Welcome back listening friends to Bible Answers Live, and if you've tuned in somewhere along the way this is a live international interactive Bible study and you're invited to join us with your Bible questions. Just call 800-God-Says, that's 800-463-7297. I am Doug Batchelor.
- My name is Jean Ross, and we're going to go to the phone lines, our next caller that we have is Laurie, listening from Indianapolis. Laurie, welcome to the program.
- [Laurie] Thank you, thank you for taking my call. I have a question about when we die. I was always under the impression that we go straight to heaven, but in reading some of the scriptures it says that they are asleep in Christ, do we wait, when we die, and go when He comes back? Or do we go straight to heaven?
- Good question, I'm really glad you asked, it's a confusing subject for a lot of Christians because you can walk through a Christian cemetery, in the back of the church and just look at the tombstones and you can see there's confusion. One tombstone will say something to the effect, our mother resting in the arms of Jesus. Waiting for the resurrection trump. And the other tombstone will say our mother dancing on golden streets, or something like that. So some of them put the dead immediately in the presence of the Lord, others say R-I-P, rest in peace, and folks go, well which is it? The confusion comes in because I think people forget God lives outside of time, and when you're dead you have no consciousness of time. It's not like a restless sleep. So when a believer dies, their next conscious thought is the resurrection, but we don't get raised one by one, it says in 1 Thessalonians four, then the dead in Christ rise, and so we rise together at the coming of the Lord. So, if you have a loved one, and they died believing, you could find comfort knowing their next thought is going to be the presence of the Lord. But we live in time, time hasn't happened yet, God lives outside of time, He's I am, he's 100% present in any part of time. Acts chapter two, Peter is talking about King David, he says David, this is a good King, who had died a thousand years earlier, David says he is dead, buried, not yet ascended to heaven, that's pretty clear, they're sleeping until the resurrection when the Lord descends from heaven, then the dead in Christ rise.
- Now Pastor Doug, I think some people are confused by the verse, and you alluded to it, it says Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, but Paul is not saying the minute you die the next thing is you're in heaven as some sort of a spirit or a soul, or what does he mean by that?
- Yeah, and Paul was the one also who said that, don't sorrow concerning those who are asleep, so Paul refers to death as a sleep. He's simply saying that when you die, your next conscious thought is the resurrection, because you have no consciousness in death. And then you look in Ecclesiastes chapter nine, I think verse five, it says, the living know they'll die, the dead know not anything. As Zacaiah says, those that go down to the grave do not praise the Lord. So the dead are asleep. Jesus said our friend Lazarus is asleep. And we have a free offer on that subject.
- We do. Does that help Laurie, does that make sense?
- It does, it was a whole different concept from what I was raised to believe, but yeah, no, I thank you.
- Thank you, as long as it's from the Bible that's what matters.
- We have a study guide, it's called, Are the Dead Really Dead? And we'll be happy to send it to you Laurie, or anyone who is listening, all you have to do is just call and ask. The number is 800-835-6747, and you can ask for the study guide, it's called, Are the Dead Really Dead? That's 800-835-6747, one more time, ask for the study guide, Are the Dead Really Dead? And if you have a computer, just remembered we've got a website, it's called DeathTruth.com, you can go to that website, and there's a number of great resources and sermons, and all the scriptures there DeathTruth.com. Next caller that we have is Philip listening in Arkansas, Philip welcome to the program.
- [Philip] Hey good evening, thanks for having me on. My question is, in the last part of Ezekiel, I think chapters 40 on through the rest of the book God gives Ezekiel some detailed instructions for building a temple, and my question is why when they went back to rebuild after the captivity did they not rebuild using those plans?
- Yeah, Ezekiel, he outlines in Ezekiel chapter 40, actually I think a couple chapters near the end of the book, this massive temple, and it goes into great detail giving the measurements, he also talks about a river that is so wide that you can, you barely cross it, you go a mile out and you're only up to your knees. So that clearly was not in Jerusalem. And so when Ezekiel talks about this temple, and it is something of a conundrum for Bible scholars, but part of the answer I would say, look in Revelation 11, and in Revelation 11, John says I was given a rede like a measuring rod, and an angel stood and said rise, and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there, measure the people. It's like a judgment. So clearly in Revelation he's got this measuring rod exactly like what Ezekiel had in chapter 40, he's going around measuring everything. And it's probably because Ezekiel 40's talking about a spiritual temple that's supposed to be vast.
- And of course you find different types of temples in the Bible, Jesus spoke of Himself and He said destroy this temple, and in three days I'll raise it up, and He's talking of himself. The New Testament says the church is the temple of the living God. Individuals are temples, and we know there's a temple in heaven, and it's involved in the judgment, so I see, I think a lot of scholars seen there's some symbolic application to more than just the temple that was rebuilt at Jerusalem, obviously there's more spiritual applications, especially when you tie it in with some of the symbolism that you see in Revelation.
- Yeah, all the other plans that God gave His people in the Bible, if it was something literal, it was always built, like an ark, or the golden ark, in the temple, so those things were built. I don't think God would have given Ezekiel all these things if it was supposed to be literally built, unless it really just had a spiritual application.
- All right, great question. We've got Candice listening from Rhode Island, Candice welcome to the program.
- [Candice] Hi.
- Hi.
- [Candice] So I have a question. I am a 36 year old newly found widow, and I was curious to know, at my age, yes I'm young, I'm nowhere near ready to date now, in the future, is it lawful for me to get married even though I can't have children?
- Yeah, absolutely. The purpose for marriage is not only that you can procreate, I mean that, God tell Adam and Eve be fruitful and multiply, but there, obviously some people can't have children, their marriages are still marriages, even if they don't have children, either by choice or by biology. And so, if companionship and love is a very big part of it, the Bible says it's not good for man to be alone. Doesn't say it's not good for man not to procreate, so companionship, and with the word man they're talking about like, , well actually that would be the Greek, I forget what the Hebrew would be, but it means mankind, or humanity. So yeah, I don't think there'd be anything wrong with a person getting married simply for the companionship. Men and women sort of complete each other, we get different gifts and, unlike some of the contemporary theories today about men and women, gender not really existing, I think the Bible's clear, gender is very real, and men and women are wired differently, and we sort of complement each other, and I think that partnership is a wonderful thing. Now some people spend out the rest of their days, men and women, as widows, and they still have fulfilled Christian lives, but there's nothing wrong with getting married and not having children. Especially today, it says woe to those that are with child in the last days, because it could be extra hard.
- Okay, very good, well thank you for your call Candice. We've got Rick listening in North Carolina. Rick you're on the air.
- [Rick] Yes guys, how you doing?
- Doing well, how can we help?
- [Rick] My question is on 1 Thessalonians chapter four, verse 14, when it said that God would bring back with Him those who are asleep. And just to shed some light on that, and a few Bible texts, I'd go over that just to clarify that verse.
- Yeah, so, when he says God'll bring with Him, Paul is talking about a sequence here. He's saying don't be, don't sorrow regarding your loved ones that have died, that would be verse 13, don't be ignorant, I don't want you to sorrow as others that have no hope. If we believe Jesus died, and He rose again, even so God'll bring with Him, so when Jesus comes, He's got the resurrected with Him. Then He tells why that is. For this we say to you, now verse 15, by the Word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means proceed, proceed means go before, those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of the Archangel, the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ rise first. That means before us, then when we get there, they're with Him. See what he's saying? Then we who are alive and remain will be called up together with them. So when it says He will bring them with Him it's because when we're called up to meet Him they're with Him now, they've been raised. But it's all happening in the same event.
- And also from the context if you're thinking of it from God's perspective, God is in heaven, Jesus comes to the Earth, the dead in Christ are resurrected the righteous are changed, and Jesus brings the resurrected ones and the saved with Him back to the Father. So from the Father's perspective, those who are resurrected come with Jesus back to heaven. It's not necessarily, don't think of it as Jesus bringing the resurrected ones out of heaven down to the Earth, rather Christ is bringing the resurrected ones from the Earth up to heaven, to where the Father is. Does that make sense Rick?
- [Rick] Yeah, are there any other verses that can just clarify that a little bit better?
- Yeah, you mean the sequence of the resurrection?
- [Rick] Yeah, like chapters in the Bible.
- Yeah, let me take you to, go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And this to me I think is a very strong passage, let me just see if I can find the right verse for you. All right, here you look in verse 35, someone will say, how are the dead raised up? And you got celestial bodies, spiritual bodies, second man, flesh and blood cannot, here we go, I'm in verse 50. And let's see, I'll go to 52. Well I'll go to 51. Behold we tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep. This is 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 51, we shall not all sleep but we'll all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, the trumpet will be sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, is that clear? And we will be changed, for this corruptible, these bodies that get old, will put on incorruption, as mortal will put on immortality, and so, and he makes it pretty clear, I'm looking for another verse where it tells us that, it's in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 22, for in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, but each one in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. When do they rise? At His coming. So that to me is one of those slam dunk verses.
- Now all the verses you mentioned, and I think a whole lot more, are found in our study guide called Are the Dead Really Dead? Not only talks about what happens when a person dies, but it also talks about the resurrection of the dead, and we'll be happy again to send this to anyone who calls and asks, the number is 800-835-6747, and we'll get that in the mail, if you're listening in North America. Next caller that we have is Henry listening in New York. Henry, welcome to the program.
- [Henry] Yes, good evening. My question is, back in the biblical days of Mary and Joseph, is there any people living today who, are they related to?
- Well, I'm sure there are people that are related, it tells us both Mary and Joseph descended from the tribe of David, a tribe of Judah, which is where David was from, and David specifically, and very likely because you look at the kings, Solomon, who is a descendant of David, had hundreds of wives and concubines, so I think that the DNA of David, which ended up in Joseph and Mary, is in the world today. Now of course Jesus had no children, so if you're going to say is there any physical DNA that Mary passed on, no, Joseph did have other children prior to marrying Mary. It talks about Jesus' brothers and sisters, or technically half brothers and sisters, but I guess you'd say step brothers and sisters, but no, there was nobody came from Mary and Jesus.
- Right from that line it stopped. All right, next question that we have is Brandon, listening from Kentucky. Brandon, welcome to the program.
- [Brandon] Hi Pastors.
- Hi.
- [Brandon] Jeremiah 4:23, it says I beheld the Earth and indeed it was without form and void. My question is what is the condition of the Earth at the end of the thousand years at the resurrection of the wicked?
- Yeah well you found it there. If you look in, that's one example in Jeremiah chapter four, it tells us, and if you go to verse 23 by itself, it makes it sound like, well this is talking about the second coming, but you keep reading, and it says I beheld the mountains, this is 24, and they trembled, the hills moved lightly. Indeed there was no man, the birds of heaven were fled, I beheld a fruitful place was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down, and you say, at what? At the presence of the Lord and by His fierce anger. The coming of the Lord devastates the planet, and it says the hills and the mountains melt before Him as He comes. So, the world stays in that condition, but it's almost, it goes into darkness during the 1,000 years, and Satan and his demons are chained down here.
- So at the second coming you have the righteous taken to heaven, you have the wicked, those who are alive, destroyed with the brightness of Christ coming, the dead wicked, well they just remain in their graves, and you have the devil and his angels bound to the Earth, kind of in prison, here on the planet, for a thousand years. And at the end of the thousand years, you read about the third coming, where the new Jerusalem descends in Revelation chapter 21, and it's at that time that Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives, opens up and forms a great valley, you read about that in Zachariah, and the new Jerusalem comes to rest, the wicked are all resurrected for the final great white throne judgment, Revelation 20, and then final destruction comes upon the wicked, so those are sort of the sequence of events that we see laid out in Bible prophecy. We do have a study guide that talks about the thousand years it's called A Thousand Years of Peace, and we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks the number again is 800-835-6747, you can call and ask about A Thousand Years of Peace, it's talking about that chapter that we read in Revelation chapter 20. You'll find that interesting. Thanks for your call Brandon. We've got Andrew listening in Wisconsin, Andrew, welcome to the program.
- [Andrew] Hi, how are you all doing?
- Really well.
- Doing well.
- [Andrew] Pastor Doug, I have a question. Out of the Book of Acts, chapter 21, verses 19 to 24, is the, when the Apostle Paul's coming into Jerusalem, he's confronted by James, is Paul keeping the law of Moses in this particular verse? When he's asked to take a vow?
- Well, yeah, there were laws that you find in the Old Testament where a person could take a vow. It tells us earlier that Paul shaved his head because he had taken a vow, he did that on his own, he wasn't required the first time, just as he had chosen, I read it today actually, that he had chosen to take a vow, and then now he comes to Jerusalem, and the accusation is going around among the Jews that Paul is teaching people to abandon the law. And it said, so that they won't think that, why don't you go ahead and shave your head so they see that you're taking a vow. Paul was not against doing that, but it was sort of, he was sort of capitulating to the pressure from the Pharisee Christians, believe it or not, there were Pharisees that had converted to Christ, and they wanted all the gentile Christians to keep the law. You find that in Acts chapter 15. So, Paul was trying to accommodate the apostles that were not wanting to anger the Pharisee and the more law bound Jewish Christians.
- We also find an interesting verse in 1 Corinthians chapter nine, this is the Apostle Paul, and he says, for though I am a free man, and have made myself a servant to all, that I might win even more. And then he says, and to the Jew, I became as a Jew, that I might when the Jews. Then he says, those who are under the law, meaning the law of Moses, that I might win those who are under the law, and to those who are without the law, meaning law of Moses, he was as one without the law, in order that he might win those who are the gentiles. So as far as conscious would allow, and it was right for him to do, he tried to connect with the people that he was trying to reach. Now, by seeing Paul do that example, he followed certain customs that the Jews followed, but he didn't require the gentiles to follow those same customs, for example circumcision was very important to the Jews, Paul was very clear, for gentile believers there's no need for circumcision.
- Right, so, hopefully that helps a little bit, Andrew, and thank you for your question.
- All right we've got Tom listening in Chicago, Tom welcome to the program.
- [Tom] Good evening Pastors.
- Evening.
- [Tom] My question's on Mathew chapter 10, verse 23, if somebody asks how can I explain that to them, how then?
- All right, Mathew 10 verse 23, I'll go there real quick, and, let's see here. He says, when they persecute you in this city, flee to another, for assuredly I say to you you will have not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. I think that he's saying basically that, there's going to be plenty of work to do until Jesus comes, indeed, Jesus says in Mathew 24, the gospel will be preached in all the world for a witness, and that would include the tribes of Israel, and then the Son of Man will come. It's interesting that today there are very few Christian churches in Israel, even though you've got Christian pilgrims from around the world going there, most of the Israelis do not believe in Christ.
- It's also interesting here that when Jesus is referring to the phrase of, Israel, it's true that there are still many, many Jews that have not yet received the message, or received Christ as their personal Savior, but in the New Testament Israel is also used for those who profess faith in Christ, you got the spiritual Israel, and even amongst those who claim to be Christians there are those who have not really come to a full understanding of what the truth is, what the gospel is. So there's a mission field, not only to those who have never heard the gospel, but there also, there's also a mission field to those who have the Word of God, who have heard the gospel, that have not heard it correctly, they haven't received the full gospel, just like the Jews. They had the Bible, but they didn't understand the truth of the Messiah of Christ. So it's a broad application not only to literal Jews but I think to even spiritual Jews, or Christians, there is still a work of evangelism that needs to take place even amongst those.
- We've actually got a little book we can offer called Spiritual Israel that explains that Israel includes more than just literal Jews.
- The number to call for that is 800-835-6747, you can ask for the book, it's called Spiritual Israel, and we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. All right next caller that we have, we've got Darla listening from Idaho, Darla welcome to the program.
- [Darla] Hello Pastors, thank you so much for taking my call. My question is, if I can explain it right, I'm just wondering about Jesus' clothes. So, I am wondering if, His clothing was changed to seamless when He was on the mount of transfiguration, or has He always had seamless clothes?
- Yeah, because it's saying that at the cross when they gambled for His clothing, they didn't want to tear His cloak because it was without seam is that what you're talking about?
- [Darla] Yes, yes.
- Yeah, there's no statement in, well it does say that when He was on the mount of transfiguration His clothing was glowing brighter than the sun at noonday, and whiter than any soap could get it. But I don't think there's any comment in there that something happened where, that suddenly His clothes at that point became seamless, it's an interesting thought, I'd never thought of before, but I don't think anything in the scripture says that.
- I think it has more to do with the style of the clothing, or the robe, that Christ had. It was more expensive to weave a robe without a lot of seams, now maybe there was probably one seam, but compared to what was more common amongst the people, it was a more expensive type of weaving, more expensive type of robe, more valuable, that's why the Roman soldiers didn't want to tear it apart. So I think that's more of what it's referring to, it was somebody had given a beautiful robe that Christ wore. All right.
- Well thank you, appreciate your question.
- Do we have time for one more?
- Let's try.
- Okay, we got Austin listening in Texas, Austin, welcome to the program.
- [Austin] Thank you Pastors, first off I just want to say thank you for everything you all are doing, just leading us to Christ. I got a, I kind of got a far out there question though, so hope this doesn't put you in a tailspin there, Pastor Doug. The theory that the world is flat, with the dome or the firmament above it supported by pillars, they also say that the stars reside in the dome, they use verses like in Genesis, Job, and Psalm, and Chronicles, and Samuel, throughout the Bible supporting this flat earth theory, I just kind of wanted to get your two cents on it.
- All right, well thank you. Yeah, my answer's probably worth about two cents, but, it's really simple for me. The world is round. We started with an amazing fact about a teenager who just became the youngest person to fly a plane solo around the world. My friends that believe that the Earth is flat they must also think that all the pilots in the world are conspiring together with this great secret, and I'm a pilot, and I can tell you that the world is round. Pastor Ross has been on airplanes around the world, probably several times, huh? Yeah, you can, so, they're taking meta, they're taking allegorical verses in the Bible where Job and others are talking about the Earth being on the pillars, of the Earth, or something.
- Well Job actually says the circle of the world, God sits over the circle. So there are verses in the Bible that describe the Earth as being round.
- Yeah, and spherical too. So, hey friends, don't go very far, this popular program is actually on so many stations we got to sign off in stages, so goodbye to our satellite friends, we'll be back with questions for the others in just a moment.
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- Welcome back friends, for those who were able to stay by, we've got about two minutes and we're going to be taking some of your internet questions that you sent in. So if you have a Bible question you'd like to email it to us, the email address is BALQuestions@AmazingFacts.org So Pastor Doug, the first question that we have is from someone in the UK, and Johnny’s asking, in Acts chapter 16, 16 verse 18, there is a story of a demon possessed person that was exalting God and proclaiming that the disciples had a message of salvation. Why did Paul want to quiet her, and why was the demon saying these things?
- Yeah, not just this case where you've got a demon possessed girl that was highlighting that Paul and Silas were servants of the Most High God, but when Jesus first started His ministry He was in a synagogue, and some demon possessed man stood up and said, Jesus Son of God, we know who You are. And I think several occasions the demons would speak out, and it says they would name Him. Yeah, the devil what makes him so deceptive is that he will sometimes support the truth in what he's declaring, but then he ends up getting people's attention because of his supernatural power, and then he twists and distorts things, so the devil will blatantly lie, the devil will sometimes act like he's supporting the truth, don't forget even Belem the prophet gave some true prophecies, and ended up betraying the people of God. So sometimes he'll win confidence that way, sure what she said was true, but Paul did not want the advertisement of the devil.
- Okay, another question that we have. This one is, when people go to church, and they start going into, and he calls it a fit, and they collapse in church, and they say this is from God, his question is, is this from God? Or is this the manifestation of another spirit?
- Well, I've got to be careful not to make a sweeping statement that says, in every case when a person is slain in the spirit as they say, I used to go to Pentecostal churches, sometimes you wonder what spirit, because in a lot of demonic services people can be slain in the spirit where they lose all control. But there is also an example in the Bible where the Spirit of the Lord came on Saul and he fell down, prophesied, took off all his clothes, and he seemed totally out of it. So there may be cases, in the Methodist revival there were some people that just seemed to be swooned under the power of the spirit. But that's different than people writhing and convulsing like snakes on the ground. Anyway, hey friends hopefully that was helpful, thank you so much, God willing we'll be coming back again in a week to study the Word of God with you.
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