Somewhere in a Stranger's Eye

Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. Would you like to hear an Amazing Fact? Redwood trees in California hold the records for both the tallest and the largest trees in the world. One coastal redwood is 380 feet tall. And the General Sherman Sequoia near Yosemite contains an incredible 52,500 cubic feet. Because of heavy logging, redwoods are now classified as endangered. Sadly, 95% of California's original old growth redwoods are gone. Yet at the same time, they were being cut down in California, they were taking root in another land. Because they are naturally resistant to rot and fire, Sequoia Redwoods were first imported to the UK as seeds and seedlings in 1853. At the time, the trees became a symbol of wealth and power in the Victoria era Britain. Redwoods were increasingly used to line the roads and landscape parks. The trees seemed to thrive in the rainy climate and the fad continued for 100 years. Now, the giant redwood trees that are endangered in California are thriving in the UK. A survey has recently shown there are currently some 500,000 redwoods across the British countryside. By comparison, did you know there's only about 80,000 mature giant redwoods in their native range of California? You know, the Bible talks about transplants that are flourishing in a foreign environment.

Jëan Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. You know, you spoke about redwoods, Sequoias, giant Sequoias, I know you have and I have, we've been there to close to Yosemite where they have a grove of the giant Sequoia trees. It is humbling just standing next to one of these giant trees and looking up. It's truly an amazing tree. It's one of my favorite trees and, of course, you always associate these giant trees with northern California, with the climate and the history and all the rest of it. It is interesting though that you have the same tree now that is flourishing far away from northern California, all the way over in Great Britain.

Doug: That's right. And, you know, folks might wonder, "Well, Pastor Doug, you usually tie these Amazing Facts to some biblical truth. Where are you going to go with this?" You know, folks, you might be surprised to know that for almost 2,000 years, Jehovah revealed Himself and worked through and operated through the Jewish nation, Israel. But after the time of Christ and Jesus said this would happen, the gospel exploded from Pentecost where all the Jews had gathered. They took the gospel back to their respective countries. And in one century, the majority of people now believing in Jehovah were no longer Jewish. The religion of the true God had spread far beyond the borders of Israel. And so that, you know, today, the amount of people reading the Bible, I think there's 16 million Jews in the world, approximately. I think half of them are in Israel approximately, and the other half are in the US. Well, I should say, you know, 45% in Israel, 45% in the US and the others are scattered around the world. But there's 2 billion people in the world that believe the Bible, that are Christians, and it spread far beyond-- the religion that began in Israel has spread far beyond the borders. It's interesting that you consider the Bible tells us that Christianity is really an extension of Judaism. You know, Paul said this was going to happen. You can read in Romans 9, verse 25: "As He says in Hosea," Paul is quoting the Old Testament, "I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved. And it will come to pass in the place where it was said of them, 'You are not My people,' there they shall be called the sons of the living God." And so the gospel then went to the Gentiles. And now you've got this whole nation of spiritual Jews that are scattered around the world.

Jëan: And we have a free offer that talks about that. People often ask, "Well, what about Israel in Bible prophecy? What does the Bible teach?" We've got a book. It's called "Spiritual Israel" and it explores this very subject. Who is Israel, at least spiritual Israel today? We'll be happy to send you the book. The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. You can just ask for the book by name, "Spiritual Israel." You can also get it by simply dialing #250 on your phone, #250. Say "Bible Answers Live" and then say "Spiritual Israel." And we'll send you that book, a digital copy to the book. If you have a Bible question, our phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. That'll bring your call in to our phone operators. Again, it's 800-463-7297.

Well, before we go to the phone lines, Pastor Doug, we always start with prayer. Let's do that now. Dear Father, what a joy it is to be able to spend time in Your Word once again and open up the scriptures and we just pray for Your Spirit. We know the Bible is Your book, Lord. Be with those who are listening wherever they might be, if they're in the car, at home, and just lead us into a clearer understanding of the Bible. We thank You in Jesus's name, amen.

Doug: Amen.

Jëan: All right, we are ready for our first call. We got Gary in Illinois. Gary, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Gary: Thank you. In Exodus 19, verse 16, it says: "On the morning of the third day, there were thunders, lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the people in the camp trembled." So my question is, is God preparing us for a significant event as He did Israel when He was giving them the ten commandments? Today, there are dozens of videos with trumpets sounding in the sky. People are asking, "What are those trumpets," you know? And so that's my question.

Doug: All right. Hey, thank you. Well, it is true that there are trumpets compared with the last days. Not only do you have seven trumpets in Revelation that span the course of military history, that of the Christian era, but you know, there may be some trumpets that are going to be blowing right at the end of time, sort of like when the-- before Jericho fell, Joshua sent the priests out ahead of the army blowing seven trumpets. So of course, the Lord's going to descend from heaven with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. Now the trumpets that you're hearing people talk about on YouTubes, I would have to say I've not seen those, so there may be signs and things happening in the heavens. It says that in Luke, no question about that.

Jëan: Definitely seems our skies are getting more noisy just with all of the travel taking place and different types of aircraft and planes. I know we hear helicopters fly over all the time and jets. Becomes pretty noisy, just listening up to what's happening in the sky. Haven't heard a trumpet though. But you know, there's a lot of noise.

Doug: Just think about all of the radio signals and cell phone signals and television signals that are going through the air at this moment. It's amazing that we're not all microwaved with all that.

Jëan: All right, thank you, Gary. We've got Brittany listening in California. Brittany, welcome to the program.

Brittany: Yeah, my question is why did Peter cut off the ear of Malchus when he knew that Jesus was able to heal people?

Doug: Well, I think that the apostles were thinking that Jesus was going to do something to set Himself up as an earthly king. And that's why James and John said, "When You're in Your kingdom, can we sit on the right and left of Your throne?" They were picturing Jesus, not as reigning from heaven, not as a spiritual kingdom. And in fact, even after the resurrection, I think Philip said, "Lord, will You at this time establish the kingdom?" And so when they came to arrest Jesus, Peter maybe thought, well, this is going to be the nuclear moment that's going to change everything and that they were supposed to take up arms. So I don't think that they thought Jesus was going to go through the battlefield, healing everybody. I think they thought that this was a pivotal moment when they would fight and Jesus would assert His power to make Himself king.

Jëan: You know, there's several times recorded in scripture where the mob and there was times when the disciples thought that they needed to force Christ, so to speak, to be king, to take on some position when He fed the 5,000. And there was people felt, you know, we need to make Him king and I'm sure the disciples were part of that plot and Jesus finally sent them on a ship to cross the lake. And here, maybe like you say, the disciples might think, well, the time has come. You know, it's the Passover, everyone's coming to Jerusalem. He already entered the city riding on the back of a donkey and that was connected with a king. And I don't know though if Peter was really thinking right there; he just responded. He just reacted.

Doug: Yeah, no one had ever really laid hands on Jesus to arrest Him before. And so that's why before they went to the dinner, they said, "Lord, we have two swords," and He said, "You don't get it." He's had enough of this. Anyway, all right. Well, thank you, Brittany. I appreciate your question.

Jëan: Yeah, we've got Tahaih listening in New York. Tahaih, welcome to the program.

Tahaih: Hello. My question is, are dinosaurs real?

Doug: Yes, dinosaurs are real. When I grew up--you sound like a young man. I grew up across the street from the Museum of Natural History in New York City and I used to go over there and I wanted to be a paleontologist and I'd look at all the dinosaur bones and, yeah, they were very real. The dinosaurs just lived contemporaneous, that means at the same time, as people. And so, there's been a lot of confusion about the dating methods. Recently, they found dinosaur bones, the thigh bone of a tyrannosaurus rex that still had soft tissue. It certainly could not be 65 million years old. And the person who discovered that was, you know, an atheist paleontologist. They admitted that he had no religious agenda. So, yeah, the dinosaurs did live on the Ark of Noah. They didn't take great big, full-grown brontosauruses or triceratops or stegosauruses. They probably took small ones and they could have taken eggs or babies. So, I think a lot of the animals when they put them in the ark, they didn't need to take full grown ones.

Jëan: And of course, after the flood then, the environment changed to the point where these animals couldn't flourish anymore.

Doug: Yeah, that or people like Nimrod, the hunter, killed them off. But we still have great reptiles. You know, there's Komodo dragons and there's some big crocodiles in the Nile and a dinosaur is just a very large reptile that's extinct, but we still have big reptiles.

Jëan: Okay, we got Manuel listening in Illinois. Manuel, welcome to the program.

Manuel: Hello. My question is, what's the best explanation or the clearest interpretation of Colossians 2:16?

Doug: All right, well, let me read this for our friends that are listening. Colossians chapter 2, verse 16, "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." Now some people have read Colossians 2:16 and they're saying, "Oh, you don't need to worry about the Sabbath. It says right there: 'Don't let anyone judge you regarding the new moon or Sabbaths.'" Well, the key is, it says, "Sabbaths which are a shadow." There were Sabbaths that were created after sin. There were annual Sabbaths that were shadows pointing to Christ. It's not talking here about the Sabbath day is singular. It's not plural. It's a day that goes back before there was sin. Right there at the beginning on the seventh day of creation, God made the Sabbath day and Jesus said He made it for man, not for Jews, but for humanity. Christ said the Sabbath is made for man. That's anthropos like anthropology, the human race. Everyone needs a Sabbath, everyone needs a day of rest. The Jewish annual Sabbaths were nailed to the cross and this is what Colossians 2:16 is talking about. Has nothing to do with the weekly day of worship or rest.

Jëan: You know, we do have a study guide called "The Last Day of History," and it talks about the Sabbath and what the Bible has to say about it. We'll be able to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide. It's called "The Last Day of History." You can also dial #250 and ask for it by name. You can also ask to sign up for free to the Amazing Facts Bible School and you actually go through all of these lessons, dealing with a number of very important Bible topics. So you can also ask when you call to be enrolled in the free Amazing Facts Bible School. Next caller that we have is Isaiah in Texas. Isaiah, welcome to the program.

Isaiah: Good evening, Pastors. Thank you both for what you do. My question tonight is how can we trust denominational writings and, as an example, of Ellen White?

Doug: Well, if you read in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and chapter 14, Paul makes it very clear that the gift of prophecy is still something that God uses. When you look in Revelation chapter 12, it says in verse 17, that the dragon, the devil, is wroth with the remnant of her seed, the church. He goes, he's wroth with a woman. He goes to make war with the remnant of her seed that has-- that keeps the commandments of God and has the testimony of Jesus. If you look in Revelation 19:10, it says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And so, the law and the prophets, God, you know, it goes all the way through history. You read in Joel chapter 2, "It'll come to pass in the last days, I'll pour out My spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will dream dreams, they'll prophesy." And that's also quoted in Acts chapter 2--so does God still inspire people and speak through people in the last days? And I think, you know, unequivocally, the Bible says, Yes. Now, does that mean that that is to be added to the scripture or put on the same level as the scripture? No, categorically no. The scriptures are complete. But there's a distinction. To say that God does not inspire or that God does not speak through people is a different issue. And so, I believe Ellen White fits in that category of someone who is inspired and for those out there who don't know who that is and would question that, I'd say taste and see for yourself. You know, read a book like "Steps to Christ" and see if it doesn't support biblical truth. And there's a biblical test. I think we got a lesson that talks about that. There's a series of biblical tests that you can apply to find out if a person meets the criteria of what is the definition of prophecy.

Jëan: And I think the point you make is important when it comes to anyone who claims to be a prophet or have a message from God, it needs to be tested by the Bible. The Bible says to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this, there is no light in them. So the Bible needs to be the test. But having said that, we need to recognize that God does still speak through people, especially to guide in certain circumstances. We do have a study guide. It's called, "Does God Inspire Psychics--Astrologists and Psychics?" That is one of our study guides and deals with the subject. We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. You can also dial #250 on your phone. Ask for the study guide, "Does God Inspire Psychics?" That's probably the--that's all they'll need to be able to find that lesson. We'll be happy to send it to you. And read it and share it with somebody else. Next caller that we have is Shannon, listening in Georgia. Shannon, welcome to the program.

Shannon: Hi, my question is on Acts 23, verse 6, and it says that Paul's parents were both Jews, but then it says that he was born of Pharisees. Could you please explain that?

Doug: Yeah, well, the Pharisees were all Jewish. So there's no conflict there. Matter of fact, I can't think of a Pharisee that wasn't also Jewish. By the way, the Hebrews are different from Jews. You could be Hebrew and maybe from the tribe of Issachar. The Jews were typically from the tribe of Judah, Benjamin, and Levites could be called Jews. But it's a derivative from the word "Judah." The ten tribes were carried away captive. Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin, but--so he was also a Jew. But, yeah, the Pharisees were a sect within Judaism that was extremely rigorous and fastidious about keeping the law of Moses.

Jëan: Okay, very good. We've got Aiden, listening in Arizona. Aiden, welcome to the program.

Aiden: Hello, Pastors.

Doug: Hi.

Aiden: Yeah, real quick. You two are going to stand out in heaven. Your crowns are going to be so heavy that the prophets are going to say, "Who are these guys?"

Doug: Oh, I hope I'm just there. That would be--happy for that.

Aiden: I believe you're going to make it, brother. Anyway, my question is, it's in Revelations 13, verse 8, and it says: "All who dwell on the earth will worship Him, whose names have not been written in the book of life." And so there is--have not been written. And so my question is, if our names are written in the book of life, are we protected somehow from worshiping?

Doug: Well, you know, of course, if you are a follower of Christ, the Bible says that, you know, you can be sealed. And God said, if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived. But you know God's people that are surrendered to them--Him, He will keep them. Of all that the Father gives me, I will lose nothing. Jesus will keep us. And so if we're living lives of consecration to God, and we are--our names are in the book of life, I believe we will be sealed and kept. There are people that, sometimes, their names are in the book of life. And where is it in Revelation he says, "I will not blot their names out." Both in Revelation and even Moses said, you know, you can blot a name out of the book of life. So, some may have their names removed.

Jëan: That's Revelation chapter 3, verse 5. It says: "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garment, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life."

Doug: Yeah, so I think everybody that is kept during the final plagues, their names are in the book and they're kept by God during that time.

Jëan: So your names get entered into the book when you receive Jesus as your personal Savior. But if you turn away from Him, it does appear from this passage that your name can be blotted out of the book. And if your name is out of the book, well, then you're subject to worshiping the beast power as we read about in Revelation chapter 13. So we want our names to remain in the lamb's book of life. All right, next caller that we have is Chandler, listening in California. Chandler, welcome to the program.

Chandler: Hi, my question is when Moses went up to the burning bush and he had to take off his shoes, did they have to take off their shoes in the holy place, in the most holy place?

Doug: Yeah, good question. I don't know that there's a comment. The priests would wash their feet and their hands in the laver. And it may be that, you know, it's not mentioned, I doubt it had a dirt floor. My guess is there were some carpets because they used carpets in the tents. My guess is there were some carpets in there and it may be that as the priests entered the holy place that they were barefoot.

Jëan: It would make sense if they had to wash their feet before going in, that they probably wouldn't put on their dirty sandals afterwards. It would appear that they would probably go barefoot with their feet washed into the holy place. And of course, when you get to Solomon's Temple, then it had a floor that was, you know, with gold everywhere. So they'd walk on that special floor when they walked in and they probably wouldn't wear shoes. And of course, we've been to the Middle East and we've been over in that part of the world and still today, the custom exists that when you go into a place of worship, a church, you remove your shoes when you go in, you know, with your socks or barefoot. It's a sign of reverence.

Doug: Yeah, even today, if you go to the Dome of the Rock, the site where the temple used to be, you take your shoes off and when we go to church in India, a lot of--several places, take your shoes off. So, absolutely.

Jëan: Okay, thank you. We've got Virginia listening in California. Virginia, welcome to the program.

Virginia: Hi, good evening.

Doug: Evening.

Virginia: My question is what does pure or what does surrender or total surrender mean? Like, should I not be watching movies or certain music or I can watch some that are like, you know, more like cooking shows or some--but what is the total surrender?

Doug: Well, total surrender would mean you're willing to do whatever God wants you to do. And so in every situation, you would say not my will, Thy will be done. Now, that would mean that you apply a biblical test to your life. Paul says, "Whatever things are noble, just, pure." That was at Philippians 4? He says, "Think on these things." So if it's a TV program, you want to ask, "Is it noble, just, pure?" Not too many programs pass that criteria. And you can always ask, "What would Jesus do?" A Christian's a follower of Christ. There's a prayer in the Bible. I--the fellow who first uttered the prayer, I don't have much confidence in Ahab, but actually he made a statement, he said, "All that I am and all that I have are Yours." And that is actually a very good statement. All that I am and all that I have is Yours. That would be total surrender. That's why Jesus said we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. And sometimes that might mean deny something that we're listening to or watching or eating or spending money on or whatever it is.

Jëan: You know, the verse you're referring to, Pastor Doug, Philippians 4, verse 8, it says: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, meditate on these things." So that's good counsel. You know, we do have a book. It's called "Life In the Spirit" and it talks a little bit about living that victorious Spirit-filled life, and we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. You can also dial #250 and ask for the book. It's called "Life in the Spirit." We'll send it to you. You can get a digital download. If you're outside of North America, just go to the website, AmazingFacts.org, and you'll be able to read the book there at the media library. Next caller that we have is Jerry in Georgia. Jerry, welcome to the program.

Jerry: Hello.

Doug: Hi, Jerry. You're on.

Jerry: I was just wondering what the world would be like after probation closes.

Doug: Well, you can read in Matthew chapter 12, it says at that time, this is verse 1, Michael will stand up, the great prince that stands for the children of thy people. And there will be a time of trouble such as there never has been, ever since there was a nation even unto the same time. So there is a great time of trouble when Michael stands up. That's when Christ ceases His intercession and He stands as though He's preparing to come. He stands as though judgment has been completed and there's a great time of trouble. So, He also--Jesus mentions that in Matthew 24. Time of trouble such as there never has been. So this is the time of Revelation 15 and 16 when the seven last plagues are poured out. Now, that hasn't started yet. You know, because it says the oceans and the rivers turn to blood. But it's coming and, you know, that's why we want to have our names written in that book now.

Jëan: All right, very good. We've got Christopher listening in California. Christopher, welcome to the program. You're on the air.

Christopher: Hello, good evening.

Doug: Evening.

Christopher: My question is, would it be wrong to do boxing as self-defense, not to do it professionally, just to train?

Doug: Well, I don't know if I can give a unbiased answer because when I was a kid, my mother dated a boxer for a while and he gave my brother and I gloves and a few lessons and I always enjoyed it. But you have to ask yourself, you know, what would Jesus do, as we just said a minute ago. It's hard for me. You know, sometimes I'll see a boxing match. You know, you're surfing through the channels, you see it and I want to watch and if I watch for a minute I notice I get all excited, just violent. You know, you really--you get two guys trying to bludgeon each other and knock the other one senseless. But you hope you never be in a situation where you need to use boxing or any kind of martial arts to defend yourself. I think there's probably good things you can do for exercise. And I know I used to wrestle with my kids. So that's a little more--a little different than trying to knock someone out. You ever wrestle with your boy, Jëan?

Jëan: All the time. Not anymore.

Doug: They're too big?

Jëan: They're too big.

Doug: Don't go away, friends. We're coming back. Hopefully, that gave you some answer for your question. We're going to have more Bible questions, more Bible answers, in just a few moments after these important messages.

Announcer: Stay tuned. "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly.

Dee: My parents got divorced when I was three or four and then I was basically unchurched most of my life. I had a girlfriend in high school tell me that she had to break up with me because I wasn't a Christian. I thought, "That's weird. I believe in God. Why would she say that?" Not realizing I was living a horrible life with foul language, was mean, and other stuff. And that kind of challenged me initially. And then my dad, 911 woke him up, that he wasn't ready to meet his Lord, though he was a man that I valued and knew loved me, didn't doubt that. But he just knew he needed more. So he started watching TV ministries first, Baptist preachers and others. And he was kind of intrigued by what he was learning.

And so when he turned me on to this, this television station, the first thing that I got access to was Doug Batchelor's "Most Amazing Prophecies" series that he did in Berrien Springs, Michigan. And I remember when I first watched this, my background was Baptist-ish, of sorts. But I remember when I first watched this series, I remember thinking, I've never heard that before about the state of the dead or about the Sabbath or the Commandments or the Rapture or other things. And I remember thinking to myself, I've never heard that before, but that's what the text says and that kept happening. And I had this experience of just wondering like, well, what else have I believed that isn't as it is, you know? And the more I watched, the more helpful it became. But again, he kind of took a different perspective on the messages so it was fresh to me. But I just--these things I had never heard before and I just realized, like, there's so much stuff in the Bible that no one's talking about and that people need to know. And so, I ended up in this awkward situation that some of my friends who didn't believe what I was coming to believe, I didn't know how to communicate with them. And so one of the things that helped me initially was the SabbathTruth.com website,

TheTruthAboutHell.com and The Truth About Death and some of those resource websites that Amazing Facts had put together that were just full of resources. If I needed an answer to something that someone brought up, there would be a 95% chance that Amazing Facts would have something that I could use. It makes witnessing even easier in that sense. The Amazing Facts Prophecy Study Bible was my first real Bible that I had of a more trusted translation. The Bible study guides were in the back of it. They had a lot of other resources that were helpful. If you can hand a book to somebody and you can pick up a phone and call Amazing Facts, you have everything you need. And so, I was just printing off stuff and handing it to people, you know, like here's what I'm coming to realize this is true. It's in the Bible. And was a huge blessing to me and a real help just to kind of help me to better understand what the message was and understand it for myself and have resources to put in the hands of other people. It was invaluable.

Some time went by, I eventually went to a school of evangelism and was baptized. And then I had this amazing opportunity that after being in ministry for about 5 or 6 years, Doug Batchelor was going to be the main speaker at a youth event and I was actually doing a seminar at this youth event. And it was just this amazing kind of full circle experience that the first person that I came in contact with in Adventism to hear the message, to have it make sense, to be able to do ministry together with him, in whatever role possible, just meant the world to me and to be able to tell him my story and tell him thank you was invaluable. And so God just gave me a precious gift in affording that opportunity. And I'll never forget that. My name is Dee. Thank you for changing my life.

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 p.m. and 8 p.m. 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."

Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers Live." And we're so thankful that you have remained with us. Some have joined us along the way. This is a live interactive international Bible study and you're invited to call in with your questions. That number once again is 800-GOD-SAYS, that's 800-463-7297. We are streaming on Amazing Facts Facebook, Doug Batchelor Facebook, Amazing Facts Youtube. And we're on AFTV and Good News Television. And so we're on a number of stations, rebroadcast on 3ABN. And if you've got a Bible question, give us a call. Who's next? By the way, my name's Doug Batchelor.

Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross and we've got Russell listening in California. And he has a question about the Pool of Bethesda. Russell, welcome to the program.

Russell: Hi, Pastors. Thank you for taking my question. My question is, did the angel of the Lord really stir the Pool of Bethesda?

Doug: All right, well, the-- some of you know the story here. It's in the Gospel of John. I think it's chapter 5, and it says that the people would gather around this pool, sitting on the porch, and they were all manner of sick people and they'd see the water bubble or stir somehow and they had a belief that an angel had troubled the water and whoever got in first was healed. Well, I think that John is relating what the legend was. I can't imagine that an angel of God would find any joy in stirring the water and watching people clamber over each other to be the first one in. That would seem kind of like a cruel pastime. So, I don't believe the angel of the Lord was doing that. I think it's just saying that they had a belief. It was a legend. It was a local myth, kind of like they got the waters of Lourdes where people go and they think if they can just be there or a number of holy sites, it has become a tradition and--but it wasn't actually God's angel that was doing that.

Jëan: Yeah, some have even suggested with the archaeological, you know, they found the Pool of Bethesda and they actually did archaeological digs and they found the arches around there and some think that there were springs close by or under the pool, that fed the pool, and maybe every now and again, there would be some sort of a ripple or a bubble that would arise or something.

Doug: I've got springs and every now and then, you see bubbles come up, so could have been.

Jëan: All right, thank you. Next caller that we have is Bruce, listening in North Carolina. And he's got a question about not being under the law, but under grace. Bruce, welcome to the program.

Bruce: Thank you, Pastors. I just wanted to ask, I did AFCOE online and under the section for answering objections, how does one respond to: "We're not under the law anymore, that we're under grace?"

Doug: Well, we are under grace. But what does that mean? Does being under grace mean you no longer need to obey God's law? Well, Paul actually asks that question in Romans, and he says-- I think it's chapter 6, he says, "God forbid, how shall we who are dead to sin live any longer?" So, when it says under the law, Paul is talking about those who because they've broken the law and that's all of us, the penalty is death. We are under the death penalty of the law. But through Jesus's mercy, He washes us from our We are no longer living under a death penalty of the law because we are now living under grace. But being under grace does not mean you no longer have an obligation to obey the law. Indeed, those who are under grace are the most eager to do God's will and obey the law. So we have a free book actually that talks about "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" that answers that but with a lot more scripture too.

Jëan: If you'd like to receive the book, just call and ask for it. The number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book. "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" You can dial #250 on your phone and say "Bible Answers Live" and then ask for the book, "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" You'll be able to get a digital download of the book. If you're outside of North America, visit the website, AmazingFacts.org. Next caller that we have is Lee, listening in Texas. And he has a question about the Garden of Gethsemane and what Jesus prayed. Lee, welcome to the program.

Lee: Yes, my question is when Jesus prayed among--in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking God to take this--take the cup from Him, why was He afraid to die if He knew He was going to come back?

Doug: Well, I don't think Jesus was afraid of death. The thing that terrified Him, if that's the right word, that He was most anxious about is this would be the first time He had been separated from the Father. Now keep in mind that Christ is love. God is love. God the Father, God the Son, the very essence of Their nature is love which They had expressed together from eternity past. And now if--it's probably incomprehensible for us that for the first time in eternity, God the Father and the Son would be separated. And I think looking at that, and knowing that He would be bearing sin, and Christ was going to be facing death the way a lost person faces the second death. He felt the hopelessness that the lost feel. And so that's why He said, "If there's any other way that this cup might pass from Me," I think compared to the mental suffering, the physical suffering was small. The anguish that He felt about being separated from the Father, not death, is what I think was-- weighed heavily on--the most heavily on His heart.

Jëan: Absolutely. All right, thank you, Lee. We've got Alan, listening in North Carolina, and he's got a question about the first miracle that Jesus performed, turning water into wine.

Alan: Hello, thanks for taking my call, Pastors. Good evening to you. I was just wondering about that first miracle. Jesus seemed a bit reluctant and also it seems less significant and profound than the other miracles of raising the dead and healing the blind and other things He did. I just wonder if there's some more significance to that turning water into wine that I don't get.

Doug: Yeah, I--well, I think so. I'll give you a couple of things quickly. First of all, the wine, Jesus tells us at the end of His life, is a symbol of the blood of the covenant. And turning the water into the wine, the first plague that Moses enacted upon the Pharaoh was turning the water into blood of the river. Christ--and that was the beginning of their deliverance. That was the first plague that ultimately ended with their freedom from Egypt. Christ's first miracle is turning water into wine, which he says is a symbol of his blood. The last thing that Jesus does on the cross is the people give Him sour wine after He said, "I thirst," that it was sour, it was not good. He saved good wine at the wedding. He takes sour wine on the cross. It's almost as though He gives us His and takes ours. It's like a blood transfusion. And so there's great significance here when He didn't downplay it, but when His mother told Him they're out of wine, He said, "Woman, My hour is not yet come." She thought that this miracle could be the context of somehow announcing His Messiahship and He was letting her know no. One more thing, I think it's significant that creation began with a marriage in the garden. And the first miracle of Christ was to condone or to bless a wedding. And Jesus still wants to bless marriages today.

Jëan: And of course, if you look at the broader context, you have a marriage, you have Christ and then the church being His bride.

Doug: That's right.

Jëan: And in order for that to take place, you had to have the crucifixion symbolized by the juice or the wine. And then it says the governor of the feast had to give his approval. And so after Christ rose from the dead, and when He met Mary, He said, "Do not cling to Me. I have not yet appeared to My Father in heaven." So that first miracle, I think, there's lots of profound, you know, significance in revealing Christ's mission and what He was here on earth to do. It's a great—

Doug: I feel a sermon coming on.

Jëan: There's a lot there. That's a great study. All right, thank you, Alan. We got Joann in Arizona. Joann, welcome to the program.

Joann: Thank you. What does it mean by, "Very few will make it through the eye of the needle"?

Doug: Yeah, Jesus said, "It's harder for a rich man to go to heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle." And, well, first of all, Jesus can save rich people because right after He makes that statement in Luke, it tells about Zacchaeus who was very rich, being saved. And of course, you know, there'll be people, there's exceptions. It's harder for rich people to be saved because they start trusting in their riches. But you do have people like David and Solomon and Abraham and Jacob that had great substance and they'll be in the kingdom. There's a warning God said to the children of Israel when you are blessed and you're living in houses you didn't build and eating from vineyards and drinking from wells and you become fat. Don't forget about the Lord. And there's a danger that we start trusting in ourselves and our stuff and security and we stop praying. So the eye of a needle, though, that was, well, there's a couple of theories. There was a place in Ancient Hebrew when the shepherds were counting the sheep, they had a narrow gate that only one sheep at a time could go through, so they could count a large flock. And they called it threading them through the eye of the needle. So, they're saying, well, for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, it could do it, but it'd have to get on its knees and be totally unloaded. And it's basically Jesus's way of saying, "Yeah, a rich man can get to the kingdom, but he has-- he has to be willing to put all things in God's hands." And he could also just be using a metaphor. You know, Jesus said, "If you got a plank in your eye and you say to your friend, 'Help me get the piece of dust out of your eye.'" Well, that's called irony, pardon the pun. So, He may have just been using the irony of trying to picture a camel going through the eye of a needle.

Jëan: Okay, thank you. We've got Marvins listening in Canada and he has a question about the Antichrist's power of Revelation 13. Marvins, welcome to the program.

Marvins: Yes, hello, Pastor. Is the Papacy the only Antichrist according to Revelation 13, or can there be several Antichrists according to 1 John 2, verse 18 through 22?

Doug: Yeah, the--in 1 John, matter of fact, you don't find the word "Antichrist" in the book of Revelation; you find the person or the power of the Antichrist in Revelation. The word "Antichrist" is mentioned in 1 John. He said, "Yeah, there are many Antichrists." So in a broader sense, you know, a power that is working against Christ is anti-Christ. You're just--you're opposing the work and the Spirit of Christ, that means you're against Christ. But then there was a big prophetic Antichrist that's mentioned in prophecy. And for 500 years, Protestants have identified the Papacy as that Antichrist. When the Christian church lost its simplicity and purity and became a political power, and you know, a lot of money and kind of adopted idolatry from the Romans, they felt like the church went through a great compromise and it fulfilled that many of the prophecies that talk about what the Antichrist would become.

Jëan: You know, it's interesting, Pastor Doug, there was a time period during the early days of the Protestant reformation where there were two rival Popes and they were both accusing each other of being Antichrist. So you have one Pope accusing another Pope of being the Antichrist and the other Pope accusing that one of being the Antichrist. So it is interesting when you study the history of what transpired there. We do have a study guide and it's called, "Who is the Antichrist?" And we'll be happy to send that to anyone who wants to study the subject further. The number to call is 800-835-6747. Or you can dial #250 on your phone, say "Bible Answers Live" and then ask for that study guide by name, "Who is the Antichrist?" And you'll be able to learn a lot about what this topic is all about in the Bible. Next caller that we have is Carlos and he's calling from Texas. He's got a question about Luke 17, talking about the days of Lot and Noah. Carlos, welcome to the program.

Carlos: Good evening, Pastors, and thanks for your ministry. God bless.

Doug: Yeah. Thank you.

Carlos: My question is of Luke 17, Jesus mentions both the days of Lot and the days of Noah in speaking of His coming kingdom. And I wanted to ask you about the scenario after Noah leaves the ark, right? And is saved essentially, and Lot is pulled out of Sodom. Both of them have an encounter with wine. I wondered if that has any significance prophetically for today or for the future.

Doug: You know, that's interesting. I did a study comparing Lot and Noah. And in many ways, there's many similarities and many paradoxes. Noah has just sons, Lot has just daughters. Noah saves his entire family, Lot loses his family. Noah, you know, he separated from the cities; Lot moves to the city. And you just--you can see a lot of parallels that are happening there, but it is true, that Lot drinks wine, he sleeps with his daughters and has Moab and Ammon, and Noah drinks wine and he stumbles around naked and curses his grandson and son, so yeah, I've got a whole study on that and what it all means is I'm not sure yet, but there are a lot of interesting parallels. They're almost like opposites.

Jëan: And of course, when Jesus mentions that He's talking about what was happening in society at that time, what was happening in the days of Noah. You had violence filling the earth. It says, "Every imagination of the heart was evil continually." You have the time of Lot there in the city of Sodom and the other cities surrounding the area where they had plenty to eat, they were lazy, they were involved in, you know, all kinds of sexual misconduct and morality issues. And, you know, that's sort of a description of what's happening in our world today. Things are falling apart all around us. So I think that's an important lesson connected there. Next caller that we have is Dana listening in Nevada. And Dana has a question about the chronological order of the scriptures. Dana, welcome to the program.

Dana: Hi. My question is regarding Revelation chapter 13, verses 3 and 5: "And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." But in verse 3, says that, "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death." Why the order is that way? My son understood that the 42 months are followed after the wound.

Doug: Yeah, or do you want to--

Jëan: Yeah, when you--when you look at some of these passages, especially in Revelation 13, not everything, as you mentioned, is given in chronological order. Rather, clues are given. And these clues are very important to help identify who the power is. Now in Bible prophecy a beast represents a political power. This first beast of Revelation 13 is both got a political component, but also a religious component. And it says that he would rule for 42 months. There were 30 days in a Hebrew month and you times that out, 30 times 42, comes to 1260. One prophetic day is equal to one literal year. So one of the clues given in the verse is that this power would rule for 1260 years, and then it would receive a deadly wound. Now, it's not always written in strict chronological order, but it's giving us clues. And when we put the clues together, we can identify who this power is. Not only this power, but also the other beast that you read about in Revelation 13 that comes from the earth. Again, you put the clues together and that is identified. It's the US in Bible prophecy. Thank you. All right, next caller that we have is Leo in Arizona. Leo, welcome to the program.

Leo: My question is on Matthew 4:1 through 11, especially the 3: Did Satan not know who Jesus was when he was trying to tempt Him?

Doug: Well, I think Satan definitely knew that this was the Son of God. In fact, at the beginning of Jesus's ministry, often when He encountered demon-possessed people, they said, "We know who You are." So if the demons knew, then you can count on the devil knowing. The bigger question is, did Jesus know? Maybe not at first, when the devil appeared as an angel of light, you can read in 2 Corinthians 11, Satan himself can be transformed into an angel of light. And--but when he began to say, "If You're the Son of God," that sort of betrayed that this was not an angel sent from heaven. Of course, when he finally said, "Fall down and worship me," then all doubt was removed who this was. Jëan: And when the devil said, "If You are the Son of God," he wasn't asking because he didn't know. He was wanting to cause Christ to question the promise that He knew He was the Son of God and to exercise His power on His own behalf, contrary to the will of the Father. So, it was not a genuine question there by any means. It was a plot, it was part of a temptation. All right, next caller that we have is Dana listening from California. You're on the air.

Dana: Yes, okay, my question is from the Bible, how can I pray more effectively? I know about the Lord's Prayer. But is there other--something-- another part of the Bible that can help me pray more effectively?

Doug: Yeah, I think there's a number of passages you can look at. You know, the Bible says that we pray without ceasing, Paul tells us, and that doesn't mean that you go around on your knees all the time praying. It means being in an attitude of knowing that God is always a prayer away. Many times during the day, I'm just lifting prayers to the Lord and talking to the Lord and saying, "Help me with this" or "Pray for that person." And so, prayer is also being in continual communion with God, it's not just one prayer. But there should also be regular official prayer time where you kneel if you're able and you have your personal devotions and you commit your life to the Lord. At the end of the day, you may be asking for mercy and wisdom for the next day. Looking at some of the prayers in the Bible that you see, you can see, you know, Jacob is wrestling with God in prayer. You can read the prayers of Solomon, the prayers of Daniel, the prayers of Hannah. There's a lot of beautiful prayers recorded in the Bible. Nehemiah. And that I think also gives you a context about prayer. Prayers don't have to be long. You look at the prayer of Elijah, fire comes down from heaven, but the prayer is less than, oh, 18 seconds, I think.

Jëan: You know, Pastor Doug, I'm just looking at our books here.

Doug: "Teach Us to Pray."

Jëan: Yeah, that's right. I wanted to check on the name there. We have a book that talks about prayer and you might find that helpful. It's just called "Teach Us to Pray," and the number to call for that is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book, "Teach Us to Pray," or dial #250 and say, "Bible Answers Live," ask for the book by name. If you're outside of North America, just visit our website, just AmazingFacts.org and you'll be able to get a lot more information over there.

Doug: Thank you, Dana.

Jëan: Next caller that we have is Nel in California asking about what does the Bible say about competitive sports? Nel, welcome to the program.

Nel: Hi, thank you, Pastors. I was wondering what does the Bible say about competitive sports, because some Christians seem to feel that you should not participate in any types of competitive sports, you know, even tennis, basketball, or watch them. I mean, some Christian writers also would say the same things according to what they say. So what does the Bible say about it? And what can we as Christians participate in?

Doug: All right, well, if you're talking about, what does the Bible say, there are principles in the Bible that I think you can apply to sports. Paul, you know, Paul freely uses sports references. He talks about, "I do not box the air." He says, "I do not run as though I'm not trying," and he says, "If you're going to run the race, run to win." And so, you know, Paul incorporates and you got to keep in mind the Greek culture had greatly influenced the Hebrews and the Romans and sports were a big part of that. It's where you get the word "gymnasium" comes all the way back from them. So, Paul uses sport analogies a lot. He doesn't necessarily say anything negative about sports, but he does talk about the spirit in the mind of Christ. A lot of sports in the competition, it's not the idea of just getting exercise, but it's almost like, you know, there's violence and I think Christians ought to avoid any kind of violent sports. I think that when an emphasis is made on winning and the trophies and the pride, that's not, the spirit of Christ. Pastor Ross and I, maybe confession is good for the soul but bad for the reputation. We play racquetball together. We don't make a big deal about who wins. I get over it in about 5 minutes. But we try to, you know, to keep score so you can know when the game ends. So it's a great exercise. There's nothing inherently wrong with getting exercise where there's a sport connected, but there's some principles that you can apply to different sports that may be a guide.

Jëan: You know, I think some sports are just geared to hurting people. I mean, these, sort of these combative sports, where it's just--they're just hitting each other trying to knock each other out. It's even one step more you might say than boxing where it's just violent and its goal is to hurt people. I don't think Christians should be involved in anything like that. It just feeds that mindset of anger and violence. And, you know, we don't want that.

Doug: Exercise is great and Paul says bodily exercise profits, but godliness profits more. Unfortunately, you know, some of the sports, if--like professional football and I'm probably going to get letters on this, a lot of those guys suffer injuries that carry--they carry with them through their lives. So it doesn't build their bodies up. It often breaks their bodies down. So, you know, that clearly, I think, is not a healthy thing for a Christian to engage in.

Jëan: All right, very good. Thank you. Do we have time for one more, Pastor Doug?

Doug: We do if it's quick.

Jëan: All right, let's see. We've got Matthew in Tennessee. Matthew, we've got about a minute and your question this evening?

Matthew: Hi, Pastors. In Mark 7:19, in the New American Standard Bible, it says parenthetically that thus he made all foods clean and then in the King James Version, it doesn't say that. It kind of makes me not trust the other translations. I don't know if, what--did the translator just add that, I guess, is my question.

Doug: Yeah, there's a manuscript where they've added that. And Jesus said that what goes in your mouth doesn't defile you. It goes in and it comes out, thus "purging all meats" in King James, it just means your body, you know, basically purges the food that you eat. That's not how you get defiled. And then someone took the liberty of saying, "In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean." That is not in the original manuscripts in the Greek. Most manuscripts I should say. But friends, we're out of time for this segment of the program. I always like to remind people we sign off in two stages. Stay tuned. Stand by. We're going to go through some rapid fire internet Bible questions. God bless. And we'll study together again next week.

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.

Jëan: Hello, friends, and welcome back to "Bible Answers Live." We're going to answer your email questions. If you'd like to send us an email with your Bible question, it is BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. Just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. Pastor Doug, first question: In Deuteronomy 14:26 God seems to endorse drinking alcohol. Is this understanding accurate?

Doug: When he talks about strong drink there, he's not talking about alcohol. They used to condense their grape juice. Dehydrate it, if you will. And then they'd reconstitute it when they got to their destination because liquid's very heavy. They would take this grape juice and sort of dehydrate it into a syrup. And then as they traveled, they'd get to the place where the feast is, they'd reconstitute it. And that's why He said you could drink the strong drink. Don't think strong alcohol, think strong concentrated.

Jëan: Okay, Sherman is asking: Can you please explain the sequence of events? You have the wicked bowing the knee and confessing that God is righteous and then suddenly surrounding the New Jerusalem trying to attack it.

Doug: They're going to be overwhelmed with a sense of their guilt and His power and the wicked will bow before God's throne. Jesus said, and Paul says, "The time is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to God," and this is that moment. But then when they realize that this, it's hopeless, in desperation, Satan will try to rally them to attack the city. When they realize they've been condemned in the judgment, they'll think what have we got to lose? And this demonstrates their hearts are still not changed and God has no option but to judge and destroy them. And that's when the fire and brimstone rain down. It forms a lake of fire and they're all cast into this lake of fire.

Jëan: Okay, next question that we have. Bradley's asking: How many prophecies still need to be fulfilled before the seven last plagues can start?

Doug: Jesus said, "The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness, then the end will come." The beast power is going to make a law compelling people to worship a certain way. That has not happened. And so I--you know, there's probably several other prophecies I'm not thinking of offhand. We're seeing them being fulfilled right now. And I'd say, stay tuned. We're going to see things happen very quickly in the near future. Till next week, we'll study God's Word. Stay close to Jesus.

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