BAL 2024, Ep29 - Are All Sins Forgiven ?

Doug Batchelor: Hello friends, would you like to hear an amazing fact? We've all heard about various kinds of plagues throughout history, the Black Death or bubonic plague, smallpox, and the Spanish flu, but have you ever heard about the dancing plague? The dancing plague of 1518 was an event in which hundreds of citizens of Strasbourg, a city by the border of France and Germany, danced uncontrollably, and apparently unwillingly, for days on end. The outbreak began in July, 1518, when a woman called Frau Troffea stepped from her home and began to dance fervently and uncontrollably in the street. Within a week, more than 30 other people were affected. This number eventually grew to 400. People overcome by the dancing plague would suddenly start stomping their feet, twitching and flaying their limbs. Oblivious to the world around them, they'd keep dancing until they collapsed from exhaustion. Many suffered from heart attacks or strokes and died. It seems there was nothing the city fathers could do to stop the compulsion. The mania lasted for about two months before ending as mysteriously as it began.

Today, nobody is exactly sure what caused the phenomenon, but experts believe the most likely explanation was ergot. Ergot is a fungus that grows on white, rye, or wheat. Poisoning from this mold can cause muscle spasms, fever, and hallucinations, and the victims might appear dazed and manic. By the way, the chemical in ergot mold is similar to lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD. Evidently, when people of Strasbourg finished consuming the batch of bad grain, the plague soon ended. It's surprising, Pastor Ross, how much what we eat can affect our behavior.

Jëan Ross: That's right and affects the mind and the way we behave and think, and it's quite a test, quite a story there. I mean, you think of plagues and, you know, people get sick and, you know, they die from whatever disease. Here the people just got all this energy and they start jumping around and dancing, and you mentioned that some people die from--they died from a heart attack as a result of this.

Doug: They just, their hearts-- I think the lady that began dancing was in her twenties. She'd collapse at the end of the day and then she'd wake up the next day and start dancing again. And not only what you eat physically can affect your behavior, but certainly what you eat spiritually can affect your behavior. By the way, you're from Africa, they have something they're called sleeping sickness, where people get bit--if they get bit by a—

Jëan: Yeah, I'm not exactly sure whether it's bacteria or virus or something, but yeah, people just--if they sit still for too long, they just fall asleep.

Doug: Yeah, so, yeah, these outside influences can have a difference. And what we eat, what we consume spiritually, can affect our behavior. And there's a Bible verse in Isaiah chapter 55, it says, this is verse 2, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance." We need to make sure that we're eating good spiritual food if we want to have the right spiritual behavior.

Jëan: And you know, Jesus said something similar when He said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" That is Matthew chapter 4, verse 4--so if we can grow spiritually, we have to feed upon that living bread which is the Word of God.

Doug: Yeah, and you know, what we eat--they say you are what you eat. It's true physically, you know, everything in our bodies is sort of replaced by what we eat over, I think it takes several months for your cells to, sort of, replace, and you become what you consume. Well, that is true of your spiritual life. And if we're feeding on the diet of the world and the worldly entertainment, it's hard to resist temptation when you have your values being shaped and fashioned by the wrong kind of spiritual food. So, the right kind of food would, well, begin with the Word of God.

Jëan: That's right, and our free offer for today talks about the Word of God, talks about the Bible. It's called "The Ultimate Resource." This is our free gift to anyone who will call and asks. It's easy, the number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for offer number 104 or you can dial pound 250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for it by name. It's called "The Ultimate Resource," a book written by Pastor Doug, and it's about the Bible. How you can study the Bible, the trustworthiness of Scripture, you'll be blessed by reading it. So, call, we'll be happy to send it to you. If you're outside of North America, let me add, you can also read the book, even though you can call, just go to the website, amazingfacts.org, click on the link that says "Library" and you'll be able to read the book right there online.

Well, Pastor Doug, before we go to the phone lines, we always like to start with prayer, so let's do that now. Dear Father, we thank You once again that we have this opportunity to study Your Word. We ask Your blessing upon those who are listening, wherever they might be. Father, Your Word is life, as we were just talking about the spiritual life that comes from Your Word. And so strengthen us and feed us on the Scriptures tonight, for we ask this in Jesus's name, amen.

Well, our first caller is Shelby, listening in Arkansas. Shelby, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Shelby: Good evening, how are you guys doing?

Doug: Doing good, thanks so much for calling.

Shelby: Yes, sir, Pastor Doug, I'm just--I'm looking here in Genesis chapter 9, verse 3, and I'm reading out of the New King James Version. That's the version of the Bible I have and it says, "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you." And before I get on this, I just want you--I would like you to shed some light on that, but I just want to note really fast, I just find it very interesting that if you flip over to Genesis chapter 7, verse 2, and of course, we see that perfect number here, seven, it says, "You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female, but then you shall take two of each of the unclean animals." Now, I just want to note really fast before you do this, this is long before--this is post-flood here of Noah in chapter 9, so this is long before the dietary laws are passed down to the children of Israel in Leviticus chapter 11.

Doug: Yeah, well, first of all, God makes a distinction between the clean and the unclean, as you mentioned. The clean animals are taken on the ark in sevens, the unclean animals are taken by two, and if you think about it, if people were allowed to eat the unclean animals, they would have been extinct very quickly. The clean animals were the thing that was not only allowed for consumption. And don't forget the one who writes Genesis, Moses, is the same one who writes Deuteronomy and Leviticus, where he said, "You shall not eat any detestable thing." So, when he said, "Everything that moves will be food for you," it meant among the fish there were clean foods, among the birds there were clean foods, among the mammals there were clean foods, but he had already identified which were to be eaten. So, it was never God's will for people to eat skunks and cockroaches and vultures, and I mean, they're obviously animals that are creatures of carrion and that's why He said these are detestable. And He specifies that because all the vegetation had been destroyed during the flood, they were permitted to eat the clean animals. So, yeah, it was never God's will for them to eat everything. When He makes that statement there in Genesis 9, he's talking about the clean animals that had been identified earlier.

Jëan: You know, it's also interesting, Pastor Doug, that you have mention of clean and unclean animals, not only here, but in order to have the sacrificial system which was implemented right after the fall with Adam and Eve, there needed to be a distinction of animals because not all animals were acceptable as sacrifice, only the clean animals. So Adam, right from Adam onwards, there was a distinction made between that which was clean and that which was unclean. And this was just re-articulated once again, just after the flood, when there was no vegetation for them to eat.

Doug: Absolutely.

Jëan: We do have a study guide talking about "God's Free Health Plan." It talks about the biblical principles of living a long, healthy life. I'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. Ask for it by name, it's called "God's Free Health Plan." If you have your cell phone, you can dial pound 250, say "Bible Answers Live," and then after that, "Study Guide, 'God's Free Health Plan."' We got Brittany listening in California. Brittany, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Brittany: Yeah, my question is, "What style of music is considered appropriate for the Christian in today's world?"

Doug: All right, well, the principles for Christian music have always been the same, that doesn't change. I mean, culture changes and some styles change, but the principles wouldn't change. It's like the principles for clothing, the styles of clothing, colors of clothing, that may change, but the principles of cleanliness, modesty, so forth, that doesn't change. Music is probably one of the most difficult questions to specify. It's like we had a question before about clean and unclean foods. Well, God gives some guidelines. He says, you know, "Birds had to be foraging birds, the fish needed fins and scales, mammals needed clove and hoof, chew the cud."

So, what are the guidelines now for music? Well, that's a little more-- well, what do you say, a little more subjective, but here's the principles. The words need to be words of truth that glorify God. They need to be positive, good words. Is this something that God can bless in the words, the message? Then there's music that is for different occasions. No matter where you go in the world, lullabies are usually the mothers singing to a baby, it's going to be sweet, it's going to be soft, it's going to be rhythmic, so that the baby will go to sleep. War music or marching music is going to be different. It's the kind of thing that you would play, it's a little louder, a little more, you know, to get the soldiers to march, and there's several battle songs and victory songs in the Psalms. So usually, matter of fact, the last, I think, four or five Psalms are talking about, "Shout to the Lord, make a loud noise," and they're like victory songs. When the women came out to meet David and Saul, when they came out with Miriam, the music they led was a celebration of victory. That's a different kind of music; Jethro's daughter came out singing that kind of song. And then there's romantic music. That--if there's a place, you get the Song of Solomon, and there's a place for that.

But Christian music, you know, it's the kind of thing that's going to be exalting God. It doesn't need to be--people think that to praise God, the louder it is, the more praiseworthy it is, and that's just not true. Christian music is going to be inspirational. You have to ask yourself, "Is this something that Jesus would listen to? Can you picture Jesus singing this?" And a Christian is a follower of Christ. A lot of the music of the world, it just sounds like pagan pandemonium, it's confusion and chaos, it's like the Babylonian music.

Jëan: And that's a good point, Pastor Doug, that you mentioned. There are certain types of music that are used that go back way in primitive cultures in witchcraft and demonic worship, and even in voodoo type ceremonies with this very heavy beat that just keeps going, this rhythmic--kind of works people up into a frenzy. That style of music shouldn't have any part to do with Christian music because of where it comes from, what it's used for, it's not drawing you closer to God, but it's almost putting people in a trance, like a type of hypnosis. And I think Christians need to avoid that, stay away from that.

Doug: Yeah, and then the other thing is you look at how people dance to certain kinds of music. The kind of dance they would do at a Hebrew wedding where the men are dancing, usually they just dance with the men and then women dance with the women. It's very different from the music where men and women are dancing together, it's extremely sexually suggestive, and that ought to tell you something right there. I've seen churches before where they're playing music that would normally be in a nightclub, they throw in a few Christian words and they call it Christian music, but when I was in the world, it was nightclub music. So yeah, it's hard to know where to draw that line. But, you know, I have a book, and I think it's small enough, we can offer it to those that are interested. It's called "The Christian and Music."

Jëan: That's right, sounds like a great book dealing with the subject. Call and ask, the number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book, it's called "Christian and Music," or dial pound 250 and ask for it by name, "The Music and the Christian." All right, next caller that we have is Jackson in Alabama. Jackson, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Jackson: Amen, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, it talks about once Jesus has all things under His feet that He will give everything back to the Father, and the Bible says that Jesus is God, so I was just wondering how does Him giving the authority back to the Father relate to His deity.

Doug: Jesus being God does not mean that there is not an attitude of submission between the members of the deity. When Christ comes into the world, He says, you know, "All authority is given Me by the Father, God the Father, Soul of the World." He gave His Son, and so you see, the Father seems to be portrayed in the Bible, more so in the New Testament, as the ultimate authority, that there's like a voluntary submission and yet there's equality. So God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, are all-knowing, omnipresent, all-powerful, but that doesn't mean that you don't see that there is some submission on the part of the Son to the Father. The Father delegates all creation to the Son, all things that are made are made by the Son. And all judgment is given to the Son. The Father has given all judgment to the Son. So, you see the Father all through the New Testament giving things to the Son, but that doesn't mean that Jesus is a lesser God. And so, I know that sometimes it's hard for us to comprehend a husband and wife are equal, of equal value. But the Bible says that the husband is to be the head, and the wife is to be, and needs to be the, you know, the support and to protect his wife. But in the family, the authority is generally in the Bible acknowledged with the Father. So, I don't know if that helps with the question, Jackson. Is that getting me anywhere?

Jackson: Yeah, like, that's how I read it in the Bible too. Just, you know, they have different parts of them and Christ has that submission, but somebody had brought that Scripture up and I hadn't looked at that before, so that helps, thank you.

Doug: Yeah, and when Jesus--you see through the parables that it says He was sent by the Father to receive a kingdom. When He ascends to heaven He is declared by the Father, His sacrifice is complete and successful, and then He comes again at the end of the one thousand years, and He's ultimately the king of the world when there's a new heaven and new earth. So, there's, like--there's a progress that happens in His redeeming the kingdom because He created it, He dies for it, He redeems it. And that's, you know, His role is a little different than the Father's.

Jëan: All right, thank you, Jackson. We got Larry in Arkansas. Larry, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Larry: Yeah, Revelations 20, the angel that had the keys to the bottomless pit and he incarcerates Satan for a thousand years and replaces the seal, and that says he deceived the nation no more for a thousand years, but then he is released for a season and I'm wondering why he would be released after being incarcerated for a thousand years and what would "for a little season" mean?

Doug: All right, that's good, that's really an important question. So, if finally, we're in heaven, we've been raptured up, we're with the Lord in heaven, and we spent a thousand years living and reigning with the Lord, Satan is bound, why would He let him out? Well, if you go back in the great controversy between Christ and the devil, Satan was the highest of the angels. In other words, he was just below Jesus in power. He was the highest of all created beings, and he rebelled and made terrible accusations against God. So now, you know, God's been merciful with humans and that He gives us a probation, a time to have a change of heart. After the devil has a thousand years to look at this desolation he's caused in our world through his government, the Lord releases him to demonstrate that instead of repenting, it's says, "Satan goes to gather all of the," it calls them Gog and Magog, "the enemies of God's people, the wicked that are resurrected," he goes to gather them to battle against God. He hasn't changed,

God is showing the unfallen angels in the universe that this once glorious angel has fallen, and he has no redeemable qualities left. God has no alternative but to destroy him, cast him into the lake of fire. So, it's not just for the benefit of humanity to see that the devil's not going to turn around. People that we see that are lost, God is showing, even after they've been resurrected in the judgment, they're still willing to listen to the devil instead of repent. So, it's to demonstrate that God has no alternative, He's very patient.

Jëan: And you know, if you read on in the chapter, there's a lot that happens there. You have, as you mentioned, Pastor, like, the righteous in heaven for a thousand years, the wicked, they destroyed the brightness of Christ's coming, so the devil and his angels are bound to this dark, desolate world, otherwise known as the bottomless pit, symbolized here in Revelation chapter 20. And then at the end of the thousand years, the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven, that's Revelation 21. The devil then is released from his so-called prison because now the wicked are resurrected, so he has somebody to tempt. And it says he goes out and gathers together the nations, the golden city is there, the Bible says they encompassed the golden city, and they mount their attack.

Of course, just before this, we have what we call the Great White Throne judgment, where everyone has an opportunity to see the justice of God and that God is fair and everyone acknowledges the justice of God. But then the devil leads the wicked and they mount their attack upon the New Jerusalem, and that's where fire comes, devours them, and then God creates the new heavens and a new earth. So, the phrase there, "a little season," the Bible doesn't tell us what that is. There's a lot that happens though. It seems like it's going to be more than a couple of hours or maybe even more than a couple of days. It might drag on for a while, but it's little in comparison to the rest of time of people living on the earth, so-- we do have a study guide. It's called "1000 Years of Peace," and it talks about this, and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. Ask for the study guide "1000 Years of Peace," you can dial pound 250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for that study guide by name, "1000 Years of Peace." You'll actually be able to get a digital download if you use your cell phone, just dial pound 250. Next caller that we have is Jet in Florida. Jet, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Jet: Hi, Pastor Doug.

Doug: Hi Jet, thanks for calling, and your question tonight?

Jet: Does the Bible say that Jonah died in the belly of the whale and then rose again?

Doug: No, the Bible doesn't say he died in the belly of the whale. I'm sure he's dead now, but it tells us he was alive in the belly of the whale because he prays from the fish's belly and there's nothing in the text that says that he dies. It is a symbol, you know, when you're three days and three nights in the darkness, it's kind of a symbol of like Jesus's suffering and death and resurrection. What Jonah went through, Jesus said, "No sign will be given but the sign of Jonah," but Jonah miraculously somehow survived and there's stories in history of a couple of people that have been swallowed by whales and lived. In fact, there's a YouTube of a kayaker that gets swallowed by a whale and gets spit out again when he's out up in Alaska there somewhere. Someone got that on camera, but he was only in the belly of the--he didn't go all the way to the belly, he was in the mouth of the whale for about five seconds. Anyway, thanks Jet, appreciate it. And we do have a book called "The Sign of Jonah" we'll send you that's got some of the history we just talked about.

Jëan: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book. It's called "The Sign of Jonah" or, as we mentioned, dial pound 250. Say "Bible Answers Live" and ask for the book by name. Next caller that we have is Glenn in Ohio. Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Glenn: Thank you very much for taking my call. You know, Yeshua led a life wonderfully, showing us the path to the redemption of Matthew 24:13. And the point that I'm addressing tonight is the born-again experience that He had. According to Peter in Colossians, it was a resurrection. It takes to my question tonight, taking into consideration 1 John 5:18A, where does it say in the Bible that one is born again at conversion?

Doug: All right, thank you. Well, the phrase "born again" is used twice in the Bible, once in John 3:3 and once in John 3:7. Peter alludes to it when he says in 1 Peter 1:23, "Having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the Word of God that lives and abides forever." The new birth, something like a physical birth, you have conception and there might be a period of gestation where the Holy Spirit's working on you. Very few people have a dramatic instant born again experience like Paul does on the road to Damascus, and that is in Acts chapter 9--8-- Acts chapter 8, I think. Is that right?

Jëan: Let me look it up?

Doug: Yeah, and I think it's Acts chapter 9, is where you have the conversion of Paul. But his is very instant, and where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, He says, "You must be born again," He's talking about your heart needs to be changed. When God says, "I'll put a new heart within you," that is conversion. And in the New Covenant, God writes His law in our heart. Ezekiel talks about, "I'll put a new heart in you." Moses talks about the circumcision of the heart. So, when the heart is changed, that is synonymous with the new birth.

Jëan: Yeah, the chapter you're thinking of, Acts chapter 9, you read from verse 1 all the way through verse 19, he's on the road to Damascus and then also he repeats--Paul repeats that testimony, his testimony, in Acts 22, verse 6 through 16. So there, very powerful conversion that took place there.

Doug: But with most people, it's something that happens gradually. You're hearing the Word, the Word is sprouting, something's happening, and finally you come to the conclusion, "I'm going to make a surrender." So, when you make that surrender because your heart has been transformed and you give everything to the Lord and trust in His sacrifice, repent of your sins, that's a new birth, and there should be a change in direction. That's what conversion means, you're doing a U-turn.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Charles in California. Charles, welcome to "Bible Answers Live," you're on the air.

Charles: God bless you both. Two part question, do you know about what year, how long ago, the Bible was written, and also, can we prove the accuracy of the Bible and prove that Christianity is the true religion of God?

Doug: All right, thank you. Well, I obviously think there's proof because I'm hanging my life on that and I used to be an atheist, and through reading the Bible I believe the evidence was so compelling. There's no ancient document that is better substantiated than the Bible. Now, when we say Bible, and you say, "When was the Bible written," keep in mind the word "Bible" comes from the word "biblios," which used to be the word for "book" or "books," because the Bible is a collection of 66 books, and you've got the 27 in the New Testament, 39 in the Old Testament. The Old Testament was written over a period of 1500 years. Well, the whole Bible over 1500 years. The Old Testament was written starting with Moses about 1400 BC and up until about 400 BC, where the last book written by Malachi. The New Testament didn't start really being written, the life of Christ, I think they say about 40 AD Mark wrote his gospel. And then the other New Testament writers between 40 AD and 100, the Book of Revelation, 100 AD, was the last book.

As far as its accuracy, the accuracy of the Old Testament, I think, has been proved beyond question with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls that contained copies of the Old Testament that pre-dated Jesus. And they have been carefully scrutinized, it had parts of every book in the Bible, except the book of Esther, and it probably was out there somewhere, but they never found it. And when they compare those texts, 2000 years old, with modern versions, they're, like, 98% identical. Any difference was just very minor. You'd appreciate a book we've got that we're offering tonight, "The Ultimate Resource." We'd be happy to send you a free copy of that, Charles. Just go to the website and request that, and we'll send that to you. Friends, don't go away, we're taking a break and we'll be back with more vital questions.

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

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." We know there's some that may have joined us since we started the program. We just want to tell you this is a live interactive Bible study. We're broadcasting around the world on different stations, the internet, satellite radio, and we invite you to call in with your Bible questions. We have a few lines open. That number 800-GOD-SAYS, that's 800-463-7297. My name is Douglas Batchelor.

Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross and we've got some folks who have sent us their email questions, and so we want to thank those who emailed us. If you'd like to send us an email question, the address is easy. It's just simply BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. BAL, that's "Bible Answers Live," BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. Pastor Doug, Sandry is asking, she obviously has read your book, and she says, "How long was it from the time that you were baptized, living in the cave, until you quit smoking?"

Doug: Okay, some people that have read my testimony, you've heard it online, that I was baptized a little too soon. I was living up in the mountains in a cave and some Calvary Baptist gentlemen hiked by and they asked if I was a Christian and I said, "I just accepted Jesus from reading the Bible someone left in the cave," and they said, "Oh, you got to get baptized," and I really didn't know what I was getting into, and so they baptized me. I'm still smoking, drinking, using drugs, and anyway--but I didn't quit smoking, I don't think, for another probably two, two and a half years, and I was re-baptized in Northern California, and I've not smoked since. So, you want to have these addictions behind you, but don't let my two and a half years give you an excuse to wait. Today is the day, if you hear his voice.

Jëan: All right, we have another person who emailed us. We have Lizlyn, who is asking, "Would you kindly explain Revelation 8:1? What is the reason for a half an hour of silence in heaven?"

Doug: Yeah, that's a great question. Well, you know, God is typically surrounded by angels that are giving Him glory and singing, and but when Christ comes, it says He's coming with all of the angels to redeem or to rescue and, during the Second Coming, so the saints are called up to meet Him in the air. That's probably because heaven's been emptied by everyone coming to save--or for the resurrection, Second Coming of Christ. And it says, "About the space of half an hour." Now, if a day is a year in prophecy, and there are 360 days in a Jewish year, 15 days would be an hour. Half of 15 days would be--or half an hour would be about seven days. So that's a nice Bible number. So, we think that that's the seven-day period when Christ leaves heaven, comes to earth, rescues, and raptures, and brings us back to the kingdom.

Jëan: All right, final email question, Pastor Doug. Chris is asking, "Why did the demons demand to go into the pigs if the pigs were going to be killed right after they possessed them?"

Doug: Well, the devils are thinking they've outsmarted the Lord. The devil wanted to get the community to drive Jesus away, which worked. What happened is--but their plan backfired. When Jesus cast a legion, thousands of devils, out of this man, this one man, and the devil said, "Don't cast us into the abussos, " into the nothingness, "but cast us into this herd of pigs," that was up on the hill. There was about 2000 of them, the book of Matthew tells us, and Jesus said, "Go." The pigs went out of the man-- or the demons went out of the man, went into this herd of pigs, the pigs went berserk, and they stampede off a cliff into the Sea of Galilee.

Well, the people in the area-- this was a financial, not only called a toxic waste dump, but it was a financial disaster for them because they were raising them. This is a city, Decapolis, they're not all Jews in the area, and they were raising the pigs for food, you know. And that 2000 pigs, that was just--they said, "Jesus, please leave. It costs too much having you around." So, Jesus left. But what ended up happening is this man who's converted, he went everywhere and told how Jesus saved him from demons. And those 2000 pigs that drowned began to float all over a great big Jewish lake, and everybody in Israel heard about the miracle because of what happened with the pigs. So, all three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell this story of the demoniac, because, probably they all knew about the toxic spill of pork chops floating in the Sea of Galilee. So, Jesus turned the devil's plan back on them, and when Christ came back to that area, they were all ready to receive Him.

Jëan: Okay, we have Ely listening in Kansas. Ely, welcome to the program.

Ely: Yeah, it's just a quick question, when it says to be perfect. So, in 1 Peter 1:16 says that "Be a saint because I am saint," and too much people have said that you have to be perfect, and also in the other verse that said that, "If you are not saint, you can't see God when He returns." Like, what does that mean?

Doug: Yeah, how perfect does a Christian need to be? First of all, I'll give you an answer, but make sure anybody that wants to know about this, the best book on that, Amazing Facts carries, and we'll send it to you free. "Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning?" And it's an amazing book by Joe Crews and it has a really balanced approach.

Now, everything depends on "What do you mean by perfect?" Some people think, "Well, perfect," they picture you've got this sterile, stainless-steel robot that is, you know, just walking through society, no temptation, and no flaws. Is that what it's saying? Now, Jesus says in Matthew, "Be therefore perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect." The context of what he's talking about is loving your neighbor. He's talking about perfect love. If you read the same thing that Christ says in Luke, look at Luke 6:36, He says, "Therefore be merciful, even as your Father in heaven."

God wants us to have perfect mercy, patience, and love, and forgiveness for others. Jesus said, "If we don't love and forgive others, then God is not going to forgive us." And so, with the Holy Spirit, we can really love people, we can forgive people, and God wants us to have that attitude. God is love, if we don't learn to love, then we can't be in the kingdom, because everyone there is loving.

Now, when you think about perfection, you know, whenever we have an anointing service, we read from James where he talks about praying, and God will hear your prayers and believe and don't think you have to be perfect to have your prayers heard. Look at how God answered the prayers of Elijah, who goes to heaven in a fiery chariot, so we know he's making it to heaven. He made it already, and He says, "Yet he was a man subject to the same weakness and temptations that we are." Now, he overcame, but Elijah got discouraged, Elijah had some ups and downs, he misunderstood God and ran from Jezebel.

So, God is telling us, "Don't get discouraged if you look in the mirror and you say, 'I'm just--I don't know how God's going to save me. I'm so selfish, I've got all these problems."' If you look at yourself, you're going to think, how can I be saved? If you look at Jesus, you'll think, how can I be lost? Because He is so good, He is so loving, He has done so much to save us.

So, what does it mean to be a perfect Christian? It means have the same kind of love and faith of walking with God like Enoch, believing and praying to God like Elijah, trusting in the Lord like David, and standing up for God like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And you can do that, we can be like those people, and God's calling us to that. And don't get discouraged. God--keep in mind, friends, God is a better savior than the devil is a tempter. Don't give the devil more credit to be able to make you be lost than you're going to give God credit to be able to save you. Otherwise, you've got a bigger devil than a savior. So read that book, I'll tell you again, it's called "Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning?" You'll be encouraged by that.

Jëan: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747, and ask for the book. It's called "Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning?" Now, you can also get the book, you can call and ask, or you can dial pound 250 on your smartphone, say, "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for the book, "Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning?" You'll receive a digital download, and if you're outside of North America, just go to the website, amazingfacts.org. Pastor Doug, I think you've got a Bible verse you want to add to that.

Doug: Yeah, well, I was thinking about just--this is such an important question because so many folks get discouraged and think, "Oh, I'm never going to be good enough." The apostle Paul, who wrote almost half of the New Testament, he said, "I do not count myself to have apprehended, but I press on." But at the end of his life, he says, "I have fought a good fight, and there's a crown of righteousness laid up for me." He knew he was saved. "I know whom I believed in. I'm persuaded He's able to keep that which I've committed to Him." But if you ask Paul during his life, "Do you think you're perfect?" He says, "I don't count myself to be perfect." So, you may--you're probably never going to feel like you're perfect, but don't lose faith that God can finish what He started in your life.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Eric in Texas. Eric, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Eric: Hi, Pastor Doug.

Doug: Hi Eric, thanks for calling.

Eric: I got a question, "Does the Antichrist and the false prophet help Satan fight against God when He comes back?"

Doug: Well, the Antichrist and the false prophet are in confederacy. It talks about the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet. They're all in confederacy together in opposing God, and so when Christ is seen coming and there's a vision of His coming-- in Revelation, is it the 19-- he comes riding on the white horse, and yeah, he's coming to execute judgment. And I think in Revelation 20 doesn't it say Satan, not only Satan, but the beast and the false prophet are all cast in the lake of fire.

Jëan: That's right.

Doug: So, there you've got the great nemesis and the great hero pictured there.

Jëan: Yeah, you have this counterfeit trinity that the Bible describes. You have the true Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then you have the devil's trinity; the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. And just as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are united in their work of saving mankind, the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet are uniting the work of destroying mankind, leading them into sin, bringing about destruction. And so, this coalition exists right at the very end.

We do have a study guide that talks about who is the Antichrist. It's an important study and it'll go into detail on this. The Bible warns us and says, "Don't worship the beast or his image, don't receive his mark." So, we need to understand what this Antichrist or beast power is. To receive it, call 800-835-6747. Again, that's 800-835-6747, and you can ask for the study guide. It's "Who is the Antichrist?" You can dial pound 250. And again, just ask for it, "Who is the Antichrist?" Marlene in California. Marlene, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Marlene: Hi, how are you guys? Hi Pastor Doug, hi Jëan. Hi, I wanted to ask a question. What does the Bible say about women being ordained ministers and preaching in the pulpit? Is there such a--does God speak on that or does He not?

Doug: Yeah, I think the Bible's pretty clear that God has called men to be the servant leaders in the family and the church is an extension of the family. But yeah, you're asking two questions there, so I want to make sure that I bifurcate my answer. One is about women speaking in the church, you talked about them preaching or teaching in the pulpit. There's a thin line between preaching and teaching. Sometimes my preaching is teaching and sometimes you get a little preaching, and it's different.

The other you ask is about women being ordained as pastors. There's no example in the Bible of a woman baptizing or offering sacrifice. That was usually the men, the sons of Aaron were called to do that, Abraham did it, Jacob, Isaac, the patriarchs were the ones who let out in the priestly functions. And so, in the New Testament, it says that an elder should be the husband of one wife. And so, all through the Bible, of course, there's a reason Jesus chose 12 men to be pastors, and He--Jesus certainly went against the tide in many things that He did. He could have gone against that tradition and see if it was wrong, but He perpetuated it. And then when they replaced Judas, they replaced--they said, "Choose from among you a man." And then when they were picking the deacons, it said, "Choose out from among you seven men." And so, consistently when people were ordained in a special sense for positions of leadership, teaching positions, they were men.

But when you have a man who's a pastor of a church, he will recognize gifts of ministry in women and invite them to teach or preach something God has shared, because you have examples of women, you have prophetess in the Bible where God gave them a message. And Deborah and Huldah and Hannah, I guess in a sense she was a prophetess when she spoke there. There's several others that don't come to mind right now. But we have a free book we'll send you that's just got the Scriptures on this and you can draw your own conclusions. It's called "Women in Ministry," and I think God has called all believers to ministry, to share their gifts in sharing the gospel. But there is a distinction in the roles of men and women, and I know that's not popular in our culture that is trying to erase any distinction between genders, but the Bible's pretty clear there are differences. There's a reason that God says, "A man should not put on a woman's clothing, neither should a woman put on a man's clothing," and that's Deuteronomy, I think, 18:22, "All that do so are an abomination." God wants us to celebrate these differences, not to blur them. Thanks, I hope that helps a little bit, Marlene, with your question.

Jëan: Again, the number is 800-835-6747, and ask for the book, "Women in Ministry." You can call pound 250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for the book that way. James in Tennessee, James, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

James: Oh yes, thank you all so much. I worry a lot about Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 8, because it seems like the prophets are here--like, I don't know if they're actually lying in the verse or what this verse actually means, because I was wondering also that Sabbath, the word "Sabbath" don't mean church. And how do we know how--why wasn't going to church one of the Ten Commandments? Like, "Thou shalt go to church" or make the commandments a little bit longer. And reminds me of, like, Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 8. Can you explain that verse and explain why it don't mention the church and the commandments?

Doug: Yeah, well, in Jeremiah chapter 8, I think I've got the right verse here, verse 8. "How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us?' Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken." Now Jeremiah--it's interesting you ask this, I just finished reading the entire book of Jeremiah in the last couple of weeks and was reading these passages. Jeremiah is telling the people of Israel, as they're being surrounded by the Chaldeans, or the Babylonians, that you're saying, "Well, we've got the commandments, we've got the law with us, we've got the Ten Commandments and the ark, God is with us," yet they were living wickedly. He said, "Don't say that you've got the law with you, that's not going to save you if you're not obeying it." So that's really what he's talking about in this passage. Just because you say, "I've got a scribe with us, we've got the law with us," but the scribes are not teaching the truth. He's not talking about the writing of the Bible; he's talking about what their interpretations of it was. Because the Scriptures had been written by the prophets. Scribes basically were the ones who were dissecting the Word. Jesus had problems with the scribes in His day too.

Jëan: And then you mentioned also the, you know, the Sabbath commandment. The Sabbath commandment doesn't say, "Well, that's a day you have to go to church," but the Bible does talk--speak about a holy convocation where people were to gather together and worship. And there's many examples that we have in the Old Testament, also in the New Testament, where people gathered together to worship and that is very appropriate to do on the Sabbath.

Doug: Holy assembly.

Jëan: Yeah, Paul says, "Do not neglect the gathering yourselves together," speaking about church, especially as you see the day approaching, the day of the Second Coming of Christ.

Doug: And a Christian is a follower of Christ, and the Bible says, "Jesus, as His custom was, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day." So, He gives us an example there.

Jëan: Okay, next one that we have is Frank in Oregon. Frank, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Frank: Hello Pastor Doug, I got a question for you. In Isaiah 2:4, it talks about what will happen when the Messiah comes, and it says, "He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Now, as I see it, the wars have continued and nations have fought and none of that has come to pass, and I think that's why the Jewish people are rejecting that Christ was the Messiah, and how does that jive with what is currently preached in Christianity?

Doug: This is talking about the Second Coming of Jesus. There are two kinds of Old Testament messianic prophecy. Some are talking about Christ coming as a sacrifice, that's what you read in Isaiah chapter 53. "He's bruised for our iniquities, and we're healed by His stripes." He suffered, He's a suffering servant. He opens not His mouth, and he goes to trial. And so, this is the Jesus's First Coming as a lamb, He comes the second time as a lion. The wicked are destroyed, He creates a new heaven and a new earth. Isaiah also talks about that where the wolf lies down with the lamb, the lion and the ox are--they get along together, they don't kill each other. And in this time of peace, weapons, the spears and swords that were used for fighting, they're now going to be used for farming. So--and they used to do that during the time of Solomon. They said, "We got all these armaments, we're in a time of peace, we need the iron for our farms." And they would change the use of the iron. And so, this is a beautiful picture of what the world will be like during the Second Coming of Christ, the new heaven, the new earth. The Jews are applying it to the First Coming, that's the mistake they're making.

Jëan: And even at the time of Christ, there was some confusion about this, because, yeah, they were looking for a conquering king. They didn't understand when Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you." He said, "My kingdom is not of this world, otherwise my disciples would fight for it, my followers would fight for it," but the kingdoms are going to be His at the Second Coming. That's what the disciples said, "Lord, is it now that you're going to restore the kingdom?" They said after the resurrection. So, they didn't understand, even then, and Jesus had to explain to them, it's not now, it's when he comes the Second Time. All right, next caller that we have. Let's see, we've got Johnny in Canada. Johnny, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Johnny: Thank you for taking my call. So, I have been studying the two prophecies in Daniel, the 490 year and then the 1260. And looking for subtle connections, I saw something that I'm curious what you guys think, and that is when the disciples asked Jesus, "How often should I forgive?" And He says 70 times 7, which seems to me like a reference to 490, as, like, a period of forgiveness. And so I'm wondering if you see that in anything else with perhaps the other prophecy where it's three and a half years and Jesus's ministry was three and a half years and the drought of Elijah, three and a half years. I'm curious if you see any connections with some of those remarks.

Doug: Yeah, it's all connected. You've got seven is a number for also, it's God's number for perfection, but it's also a number for forgiveness. The Bible says a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again. And Jesus--by the way, in Daniel chapter 9, when it says in verse 24, "Seventy weeks are determined for Your people." Seventy weeks are cut off for Your people. Daniel was saying, "Lord, how much longer are you going to put up with Your people before the Messiah comes?" Because they kept, kind of, sinning and repenting and sinning and repenting up and down, revival, and then there was disgrace, and God said, "I'm going to give them another 490 years of mercy." So, it's talking about the long-suffering of God, seventy times seven. And then Peter said, "How often shall I forgive my brother, seven times?" And Jesus said, "No, seventy times seven." He's alluding to the long-suffering of God with Israel, and Jesus, of course, came to mark that time that Daniel was speaking of. So, Christ's baptism was the first part of that 490 year prophecy, the Messiah being anointed.

Jëan: All right, excellent. Let's see, we've got time for a few more callers. We got Brandon in California. Brandon, welcome to the program.

Brandon: Hi, how are you guys doing today?

Doug: Doing great, thank you. Your call--or your question?

Brandon: So, in 1 Corinthians 15:1 through 4, it says that the gospel was the Christ in Him crucified, I believe, and in Revelation 14:6 through 12 is the three angels' messages. And my question is about-- because I've heard some of the pioneers of the church say that the three angels’ message is the gospel, but that's not what Paul says.

Doug: Well, right there in the three angels' message it says that they are to preach the everlasting gospel. So, I'm still not sure why, you know, the angel is given the everlasting gospel. Why is this a conflict or how is it different from what Paul says?

Brandon: Yeah, you're right. It says that it preaches--or it says to preach the everlasting gospel, which I guess is life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Okay, I don't know how to explain my thought process here, I'm not very good at that.

Doug: No, it's all right. Yeah, there's no conflict really between the messages of the angels. The first one is being told to preach the everlasting gospel to all the world, and Christ said that He will not come, and this is Matthew 24:14, it says, "The gospel of this kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness," doesn't mean everybody is going to believe it, "and then the end will come." And so, the angel in the heavens is talking about, you know, usually something from the heavens means it's going global, preaching to the whole world, and they're going to the four corners of the earth preaching this message, and that's what's going to happen before the end comes. And then all through the three angels' messages, not only is the message the good news, and part of the gospel is to run from sin, repent of your sins. The third angel's message, "Beware of the beast and his image," is also a message of warning about the devil and sin. So you've got the good news, you've got to beware of the danger of sin in the three angels' message, that we should be worshiping God, part of the gospel is to worship God, and of course, the gospel in Revelation says "Christ is the one who was dead," that's in the messages to the seven churches, "but He's alive forevermore." So, yeah, I think that you do find the gospel woven very deeply through the fabric of the three angels that we find here in Revelation chapter 14. We have a lesson on that, and I think that you'll be blessed, friends, if you get those--that lesson called "Angel Messages from Outer Space."

Jëan: Our next caller, Pastor Doug, is Thomas, and he's listening in Pennsylvania. Thomas, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Thomas: Yeah, so I know in Scripture in the Bible, the word "Trinity" isn't in the Bible anywhere. And I know the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son, correct?

Doug: Well, the Holy Spirit is a distinct person, so it does-- you know, the Holy Spirit and the Father and Son are all in perfect unison together. You know, we're going to run out of time. Tell you what, rather than cut you off halfway through a thought--I guess I kind of did that. Sorry, Thomas, but I hope you'll call back next week. We do have a book that talks about "Understanding the Trinity." And if you want, you can get a free copy of that. The number, Pastor Ross, real quick.

Jëan: 800-835-6747, "Understanding the Trinity."

Doug: All right, God bless, friends. Out of time, until next week and keep studying the Word, we'll study again then.

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