Faith that Moves Mountains

Scripture:
Date: 09/15/2013 
In 1960, a poor Indian farmer from Gehlaur Village lost his young wife due to a lack of basic medical treatment. The road to the nearest doctor was about...
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Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hello friends, this is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? In 1960, a poor Indian farmer from Gehlaur Village lost his young wife due to a lack of basic medical treatment. The road to the nearest doctor was about 43 miles around the long rocky mountain. When the government ignored appeals from the villagers to build a short road through the mountain, the grieving farmer, Dashrath Manjhi, took matters into his own hands. In memory of his wife, Manjhi took a hammer, chisel, and a shovel and started hammering a path through the hill, often working night and day. At first, people considered him mad. But as he continued pounding at the mountain, some of his neighbors began to bring him food and support.

He said he didn't want anyone else to suffer the fate of his wife, plus he wanted to make it easier for fellow villagers to access schools and the markets on the other side of the mountain. With relentless determination Manjhi labored for almost 22 years. During that time, he successfully carved a passage, 25 feet wide and 360 feet long through the rocky obstacle reducing the distance between the village and the city from 43 miles to three miles. Dashrath Manjhi said, "When God is with you, nothing can stop you." This man moved a mountain with his determination. You know, the Bible says with faith that mountains can also be moved. Stay with us friends, and we're going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.

[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Welcome, listening friends, to Bible Answers Live, and if you have a Bible question that's what this program is all about. We invite you to pick up your phone and make that free phone call. The number is 800-GOD-SAYS. Got your pencil? 800-463-7297, or you could say 463-7297, but either way we have lines open if you want to call in with a Bible question. My name is Doug Batchelor.

Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jean Ross, good evening listening friends and Pastor Doug. Let's begin the program with prayer. Dear Father in heaven, once again we’d like to invite Your presence to be with us in a special way as we study Your Word. Lord, we ask that You would guide our minds and be with those who are listening wherever they might be, and together, may we discover truth in Your Word. For we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Amen.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Pastor Doug, you opened the program by telling about the determination of an individual who was committed to a project for 22 years of just pounding away, at a mountain, and sure enough he moved it.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, when you and I first heard this, we went and looked online to confirm. We try to confirm our facts, friends. And actually it, shows video of the path that he dug and the man; and I saw one spot that shows the primitive tools. I mean, he does use a large mallet, hammer, and chisels, and he broke up the rocks and threw them aside. And 22 years of trying to create a path basically of salvation, he knew that medical help is so far away by the other road and it was so dangerous before he dug this path.

He just about moved a mountain during his life, and became very famous across India. And it made me think of Jesus, how, you know, He said first of all, "If we have faith, you can say unto this mountain, be removed, and it’ll be cast into the sea." And the real mountain we need moved is not mountains of dirt, it's a mountain of sin. And that's why Jesus came. He really came to create a path through this obstacle. We were separated from God because of our sins, and Jesus has created a bridge, a ladder.

You know, Christ tells us that He is that ladder that reaches from earth to heaven, that one that Jacob dreamed about. And we don't realize how much it cost for Him to make that salvation available. It was love that had this brother Manjhi carve a way through the mountain because of his love for his wife. He didn't want that to happen again. And it's love that made Jesus provide a way for you and I to be forgiven and live forever. And if you’d like to know more about that love, we have a free offer. We'd really like to encourage you, if you have not read this book, it's free, order it, read it, it'll inspire you.

Pastor Jëan Ross: The book is entitled The High Cost of the Cross, and we will send that to anyone who calls and asks for it. Again, the book is entitled The High Cost of the Cross. The number to call is our resource line, it's 800-835-6747. 800-835-6747, that is the resource line. And if you have a Bible-related question, the number here to the studio is 800-463-7297. 800-463-7297. And we're going to go to the phone lines. We have Michael who is listening from Newfoundland in Canada. Michael, welcome to the program.

Michael: Hi.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hi.

Michael: I was just wondering what creeps mean in Genesis.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: You mean it talks about an animal that creeps upon the ground? Those are creatures that literally crawl. It's talking, you know, some things fly. It tells us in Genesis that there were some things that were made to swim, and that would be your fish, and then there were the animals that walk, and then there are animals that creep. And I guess, the Hebrew word might be a little different, but it's basically saying things that crawl on the ground like an insect or a centipede, and I guess they were insects, too. But, yeah, so it's talking about things that crawl on the ground. So it's describing some fly, some swim, some crawl, some walk, and it's just another variety of creatures.

Pastor Jëan Ross: The definition of that, I just looked it up here on the computer, one of the definitions that’s given is to move along with the body close to the ground. So animals that have short legs and move along with their body close to the ground could probably be referred to as creeping.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, that might be me, then. I've got short legs, I'm told. Anyway, hopefully, that helps a little, Michael. So it's telling us about the creeping animals. That's like the definition you looked up there.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next call is Benzie. And he is listening from Citrus Heights. Benzie, welcome to the program.

Benzie: Yes, thank you. How are you guys doing?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Doing good, Benzie. How are you?

Benzie: I'm doing well. Doing well. I'm a little bit confused, Bible says in second coming of Christ that every eye will see Him, yet once we've been to thousand years according to the Bible, I understand in heaven Christ will come back down and renew the [inaudible] and those that have not died in Christ will meet everlasting death, and that would be over with. However, in the second coming of Christ, if every eye will see Him, how that'd be possible, and He'll have to come back down to Earth and destroy those that have chosen to go away from Him? Are they going to arise in the second coming, see Him, and then go back down to the ground? Exactly how does that work?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, first of all, the verse you're talking about is Revelation 1:7. And it's speaking of the first coming of Jesus - when I say first coming it's what we called the second coming - but when He comes next, and I believe it's being implied there every eye of those alive in the world, and, you know, I thought what you're going to ask is, does that mean every eye is going to see Him simultaneously on a round planet, how can that be?

And it doesn't really say simultaneously, but it means that the eyes of everyone alive will see Him. And I think Jesus is emphasizing here the same thing that He said in Matthew 24 that it will be like lightning shining from the east to the west, no one is going to have to say, “did you read in the newspaper that Jesus came”?, or “I heard a rumor that Jesus came yesterday”. He says every eye will see Him when He comes. Meaning, everyone alive is going to know it. It doesn't mean necessarily everybody in the grave, because they’re actually decomposed.

Benzie: I'm sorry. It doesn't specify everybody alive, but that's what it means, correct?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: I believe so. Well, you've got your take on that, Pastor Ross?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, absolutely. You know, the context of Revelation chapter 1 is talking about the promise therein that passage of the second coming of Christ. It's referred to as the blessed hope. And John writes, "When He comes, every eye will see Him." That's really referring to those who are alive. Now, at the end of that 1000-year period there is what's referred to as the third coming. And there is another resurrection that takes place, that's the resurrection of the wicked. And they will also see Jesus. The context is a little different. He comes back the third time in the New Jerusalem and the second time on the clouds of glory with all the angels.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: So appreciate that. We do have a book, talks about the second coming and gives more detail, and it's called Anything But Secret!

Pastor Jëan Ross: To receive that book for free, just give us a call on our resource line. That's 800-835-6747. And you can ask for the book, Anything But Secret! It's all about the second coming of Jesus. 800-835-6747.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Thank you for you call, Benzie.

Pastor Jëan Ross: We have Victor who is listening in New York. Victor, welcome to the program.

Victor: Good evening, gentlemen, Pastor Batchelor and Pastor Ross, thank you for taking my call. My question is a question of chronology and it's taken from the "Book of Ezra." And I do recognize as I read this that the chronology of the book is a little different from a standard linear chronology, but my question is specifically about chapter 4 verses 23 and 24.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay. Well, I'm going to read that for our friends that are listening.

Victor: Yes, please.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: "Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius King of Persia.

Victor: Thank you. My question is how is this possible when King Darius reigned before Artaxerxes?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Because there was more than one Darius. Yeah, there were a few kings by the name of Darius. The Persian kings, actually there were some names you find several; there's several kings by the name of Ben-Hadad, that reigned in Persia.

Victor: But was there only one Artaxerxes?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: I think so. There was Ahasuerus. I think there was more than one Cyrus.

Victor: Okay. Well, I have reference books. And according to this, I guess I should have it open to the table, because according to this there is another Darius, but that Darius comes much farther down, and all the Dariuses that I have are before.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, the Darius that is being mentioned here is I don't think, and Pastor Ross might correct me, is a Darius that you find in Daniel chapter 6. He is a Median king. But he's got the name Darius. He's the one in Daniel in the lions' den, I'm sure you know that story. I don't think that's the same Darius that we see here. But you know what? I'll just be very honest with you, Victor, I'm going to have to look into that and give you an accurate answer. I know the story where he made them temporarily, they had to temporarily suspend their work, but another king of Persia came along and let them resume. So it was just a temporary halt. The chronology of which king this was - I forget. I'm going to have to look at that.

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I'm just looking at the commentary on this verse, it's referring to this king Darius as Darius I, and the commentary is suggesting that his reign was from about 520 before Christ through to about 486 years B.C. So, you know, the fact that you have Darius I would indicate that there's other Dariuses that's referred to in the passage.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hope that helps a little, Victor.

Victor: Well, maybe not a little, only because there was commentary that Cambyses that came after Cyrus could be that Darius, in which case then that would give it or he was the first Artaxerxes.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah.

Victor: Or the one referred to. But other than that, that was just a basic commentary. And other than that, I just cannot seem to rectify this at all.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, you know, can I recommend? What commentary were you reading, Pastor Ross?

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I don't have the exact spot there.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know, I would recommend, Victor, take a look, it's free and it's online, I've got a lot of confidence in the historic commentary of John Gill and/or Adam Clarke. They delve into these things. They're very interested in doing the history and the chronology. And another thing I might recommend, haven't even look there, Amazing Facts has a new Bible timeline that has a lot of this history in it. And if you go to Biblehistory.com, anyone listening out there, Biblehistory.com has a chronology of all the main Bible events. And it's visual, you can see it, and click on each one of the characters. And I know it covers the time period of this temple being rebuilt, but not sure any answers about all the kings of Persia. I appreciate your question, Victor.

Pastor Jëan Ross: We have John who is listening in New York. John, welcome to the program.

John: Hi. I recently came across a teaching. We have a writer who was teaching on the feast, specifically John 7:37. Well, the writer was saying that we shouldn't be inviting worldly people into the church. You know, that we should only invite people who God has called, you know, John 6:44. The writer also goes on to say that only ministers should invite people to the church, and only if they are close to Baptism.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: I respectfully disagree.

John: You know, we’ve heard of major transformations in people's lives, you know, from the power of God, you know, very dominant people.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah.

John: And people engaged in sexual sins, things of that nature. But I just wanted to know how you feel about that, with worldly people being invited to the church.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, Jesus tells a parable about another feast. And it says, and this is Luke 14:13, "When you give a feast, invite the poor, and the maimed, and the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed, because they can't repay you." Here He says you go out into the highways and the byways, He says don't invite your rich neighbors, but He says go out and invite the poor. Now I think if we're going to get lost people to come to Christ, we need to know how to make friends with these people that don't know Jesus and, you know, Christ made friends with publicans and sinners.

He was criticized for eating at Matthew's house. And Jesus tells the parable of the publican who came into the temple, and he wouldn’t so much as lift up his head and Jesus said, but because he came and he asked for forgiveness, God forgave him, and not the pharisee. So I'd be real careful about saying something like that. You know, I know you're just repeating what you heard as a teaching. But I think the Bible is pretty clear that the invitation Jesus said is "whosoever will, let him come, and sinners are welcome." And I think we should invite them to come to church. So hope that helps a little bit, John. And you have any thoughts on that?

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I'd just kind of add to that Pastor Doug, a little bit. Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." And we're an extension of sharing that gospel that began to be preached at the time of Christ and even before, and that gospel is calling people to Jesus, calling those who are sick with sin, calling for reformation and revival.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Are you there, John?

John: Yes. Thank you very much. You're very helpful. Thank you.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. We appreciate that. Thank you for your call.

Pastor Jëan Ross: If you have a Bible-related question, we have a few lines that are opened. The number to call is 800-463-7297. That again is 800-463-7297. You know, Pastor Doug, I'd like to just take a moment here and tell our listeners about an exciting website that we've had for quite a while. And just in case somebody has forgotten about it, it's amazingfacts.tv.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Oh, yeah. You know, some people don't know that Amazing Facts has a 24-hour a day satellite television program that's got evangelistic programming, Bible answers, and just some good messages. And not only can you see it on satellite, if you just type in AFTV.com, it will tell you about how to find the station and how to be able also to see it on the internet around the world. Who do we have next?

Pastor Jëan Ross: All right. Next call is Lisa. And she is listening in Citrus Heights. Lisa, welcome to the program.

Lisa: Yes. Hi. Thank you. I was just wondering is it Biblical to be on government assistance? If you've been actively looking for a long time, but we haven't been able to find anything at this point in time based on what we know, is it Biblical to be receiving assistance?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know, I don't see where it violates any moral principle. If there is a legal program to provide temporary assistance to people, you know, I don't think anyone wants to take government assistance, you know, unless they've got some kind of permanent medical condition.

I don't believe anyone wants to take government assistance on a long-term basis, but it's been designed and voted for, to provide temporary relief to people who may be between jobs or they need food stamps and you know, help people get through a difficult time. I don't think you … a Christian should be ashamed of that. Well, you know, some people are ashamed, but I don't think that a Christian should feel there's any moral problem in doing that.

Lisa: And what about relations between the Lord's work and that it was their help, time and plan where that just differentiate, I mean, where they go?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, I'm not sure what you mean. You mean if you're looking to work for the Lord and you're not finding that opening or? Yeah. Well, of course, everybody, you know, whatever our work is, and God gives different jobs and different work to people, I think our first priority should be how do I use my job to be a witness? You know, Paul, who was a great apostle and wrote much of the New Testament, also had a practical job as a tentmaker. And so, he was sort of a self-supporting evangelist when he was on the road.

And so whatever our work is, I think the Lord wants us to find ways to share our faith while we're employed. I haven't always been a pastor. You know, I did mechanic work, built houses, sold firewood and, you know, held lots of regular jobs, and tried to share my faith during the same time. And Lord opened the doors for me to go into full-time ministry. But I think that every Christian's better off if they realize we're all involved in ministry, in some respect. I appreciate your call, Lisa, hope that helps a little bit.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Chantal and she is listening in Oregon. Chantal, welcome to the program.

Chantal: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. My question is related to John 14:6.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay.

Chantal: And so, how does God view the worship and prayers of people who don't believe Jesus is the Son of God?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Now let me read this for our friends. In the gospel of John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Well, I believe that's true. I think even people of other faiths, you know, God looks down from heaven, He sees everything. Nobody can hide from God because He's omnipresent. And so, it's not like God is plugging His ears and He just doesn't hear the prayers of, you know, whether it's a Buddhist or a Hindu, I think God does look on the hearts of people around the world.

Jesus said, “God is merciful, and He shows mercy and sends the sunshine and the rain to the just and the unjust.” And Christ, when He began His ministry - and I forgot where this is Pastor Ross - but it's where He first went to His hometown and preached in Nazareth. And He said there were many widows in the land, during the days of the famine in Elijah's time. But Elijah was not sent to a Hebrew widow, he was sent to a Zidonian or a gentile widow. And there were many lepers in the land in the days of Elijah the Prophet, but none of the Hebrew lepers were cleansed.

It was a Syrian leper named Naaman, and they got very mad at Jesus and almost threw Him off the cliff for that statement. And Christ was saying, you know, “God has people that He is watching over and listening to their prayers all over the world even though their theology may be wrong.” You know what I am saying?

Chantal: Well, yes. Actually I wasn't thinking of the two groups that you mentioned right off. I was thinking of people who have read the whole Bible and Jesus' life and all of that. But they say, “No, I still don't believe, you know, He was the Son of God.” You know, they say good prophet and they say other sayings, but not the Son of God, so that's the group of people.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, I still would say that Jesus and God are very patient. And I'm just so thankful for that. You just see the patience of God in the Bible. I look at the patience of God with me. The truth is the truth. And anybody who is forgiven, it's the grace of God. Any loaf of bread that they eat anywhere around the world, doesn't matter what God they're thanking for that loaf of bread, it ultimately comes because of Jesus. And so, whether people recognize it or not, the Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift comes to us from the Father.”

Pastor Jëan Ross: The verse you're referring to Pastor Doug is Luke 4:27.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Right. Thanks. I hope that helps a little, Chantal. And I know Pastor Ross can say your name because I think he's got a daughter with that name.

Pastor Jëan Ross: That's right. It's a good name. We have Sharon who is listening from Delaware. Sharon, welcome to the program.

Sharon: Oh, okay. There might be two Sharons and I didn't want to interrupt time.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, we've got you, so you are on.

Sharon: Okay. Thank you for taking my call, Pastor Batchelor and Pastor Ross. I have a question about-- well, first of all, I did want to say something, it's a little bit of a commercial, I'll speak very quickly, but it's really helped me. When I go to the Amazing Facts website, and I have a lot of questions, and I like to listen to the gospel, the Everlasting Gospel because the other week I had a question on determining the will of God, and there's a sermon that you had done on May 10th of 2008. It was such a blessing [inaudible] you.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, I'm glad that was a blessing. Thank you. We're going to run out of time before the break, so what's the question tonight? We're going to have a break in just a minute.

Sharon: Well, I apologize. On Revelation 22:9, John is bowing towards the angel and the angel said, “Do not do that. I am your fellow servant, your brother the prophet, those who keep the words in this book, worship God." I always thought that angels were one step higher, they are created beings by God and this makes it seem like angels are the same as prophets, which were human.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: I think what the angel here - let's just suppose this is Gabriel, we don't know, but it's not Jesus because He is not accepting worship. A regular angel like cherubim or seraphim, I'm not sure, but it's one of these ministering spirits. The angel is just saying to John, “I am a servant. Like the prophets, I'm here to serve and talk about God, don't worship me. My job is to point to God.”

He's not saying that angels are not different from human prophets. He was just saying, “I am a servant, angels are servants of God, just like the prophets are servants of God and I'm here to teach you as the prophets do the Word of God, don't worship me, I'm not God.” So that's my understanding that he's just really saying that like the prophets, he was just a servant of God, not to be worshipped.

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know a prophet was the one who'd received the message from God and then convey that to people, sometimes verbally and sometimes in written form, and here the angel is saying, “I am the one who is conveying the message of God, I am sharing it.” So in that sense, he is also sharing the work of a prophet.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: That's right. Well, thank you for your question, Sharon. We're going to be taking a break in a moment. In the meantime, friends, I want to remind you that we do have Amazing Facts Television that is on the internet, and it's on satellite around the world, and if you simply go to AFTV.com, you will see. Actually, you can type in also amazingfacts.tv. That will take you there or AFTV and 24 hours a day there’s all kinds of inspiring sermons. You not only can watch it live, you can go to other programs that you've been seeing. You are listening to Bible Answers Live.

Pastor Jëan Ross: We are going to be taking a break in just a few moments. Pastor Doug, one more website before we take that mid-show break. You mentioned Amazing Facts TV, but another very popular website that Amazing Facts has is Bibleprophecytruth.com, it's Bibleprophecytruth.com - questions about, you know, the great tribulation or the mark of the beast or heaven or various symbols in Bible prophecy, this is a great resource for anybody wanting to study the Bible. It's Bibleprophecytruth.com.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: And when we come back in just a few moments, we want to remind you we still have lines open, and if you'd like to call in tonight with your Bible question, now’s a good chance to get your question on the air. Phone number is free, 800-GOD-SAYS, that's 800-463-7297. 800-463-7297 will bring you to our studios here in the capital of California with your Bible question, and we look forward to talking to you and just studying the Word of God together while we do this program. And now we're just going to take an important break and share a few announcements with you. We'll be back, so stay tuned.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Pastor Doug Batchelor: We are back with Bible Answers Live, and we are Live, and if you've tuned in somewhere along the way, this is just what it sounds like. It's a live international interactive Bible study, and you can participate by calling in with your Bible questions. That number one more time is 800-463-7297.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Louise, and she is listening from Mississippi. Louise, welcome in the program.

Louise: Thank you so much. Thank you for doing the program.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Thank you. It's a pleasure and a privilege.

Louise: Thank you. I'm looking at Mark 10:11-12.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay.

Louise: And then also Luke 16:18, which is similar to Mark 10:11.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Can I read this to our friends that are listening?

Louise: Yes.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. Mark chapter 10:11-12.

Louise: Yes.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: "In the house the disciples asked Him again about the same matter." And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if the woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Louise: Right. They're both in adultery if they are divorced and marry somebody else.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, that's if they're marrying without Biblical grounds, Jesus says in Mathew chapter 19 and also in Mathew chapter 5, I believe it is, He says pretty much the same thing that there's no grounds for divorce other than, Biblical grounds, other than fornication. And that means if the, you know, marriage vows had been violated by one of the partners being unfaithful.

Louise: Okay, then, 16 and 18 probably is the same thing. But it's saying that, “If whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and then whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, it's almost like you become an accomplice at that point.

Louise: Yeah.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: If a person's aware that-- you know, I've heard of, you know, a woman, for instance, that marries a man, then she learns after she married him he had another wife or two that he hadn't even divorced. Well, has she sinned? No, she did it in innocence, and she's probably got every right to annul that marriage and remarry, you know. But when a person enters into a marriage and they know this person has [???] married, that means they made a vow to someone and they broke the vow for some reason other than adultery, you're kind of becoming an accomplice to their adultery if you marry that person, and that's what Jesus said.

Louise: So it sounds like you should divorce that person because he was being an adulterer.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Now, if once you're married, I think you need to keep your promises. And, you know, you can't unscramble scrambled eggs. And, you know, let me give you an example Biblically.

Louise: Yeah.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: In the case where you've got more than one wife at a time, especially if there's children involved, you might need to divorce one of your wives, that's what God did with Abraham and Hagar. He said, “Look, you can't have two wives and two kids.” And He told them to put Hagar away. But when you get King David - David actually kind of in a second hand way killed Uriah, took his wife, and then he repented. God forgave him. He suffered for his sin, and David and Bathsheba remained married till the end of their lives. So once you're in that situation, I don't think you should say, “Oh well, I didn't realize I didn't have Biblical grounds. I know we've been married for 10 years, but now I'm going to divorce you.” No, I think you're taking matters from bad to worse at that point.

Louise: Well, I thought David had other wives, too, though.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: He did. Yeah, well, I'm not justifying polygamy here. I'm just saying that with Bathsheba in particular, you know, he took her under wrong grounds. The other wives David had, they weren't married to other people. Abigail's husband died, yes, and Nabal-- what's his name is?

Louise: Yeah.

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we have a book dealing with this important subject. Pastor Doug, you wrote the book Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage, and it looks at these various passages of the Scripture. Louise, we'll send this book to you or anyone who calls and asks. Our resource line is 800-835-6747. Ask for the book on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage. Again that number is 800-835-6747. That is our resource line. And our phone number here in the studio is 800-463-7297. We have Carol, who is listening from New Jersey. Carol, welcome to the program.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hey Carol, are you on the air?

Carol: Yes, I am. Good evening.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Evening.

Carol: My question is I'd like to know if you could explain to me what "under the law" means.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. I appreciate that. I think you find the phrase a couple of times, and maybe I'll have Pastor Ross look that up. It does not mean under an obligation to obey but under the penalty of the law. Every law, if it's real, there is a penalty for violation. If, for instance, the police say, “You know, you're not supposed to drive over 50 miles an hour,” and you say, “What's the penalty?” And they say, “Well, there's no penalty,” well, there's really no law then, because it can't be enforced. And so, every law has a penalty, and when we break the law of God we are under the curse of the law, we are under the penalty of disobedience, which is death. Christ came to save us from being under the penalty of the law. Did you get those verses?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes. Romans 3:19. Paul says, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth might be stopped and that all the world might become guilty before God.”

Pastor Doug Batchelor: And so, you know, without Christ, we're all under a death sentence. But through Christ, we're forgiven. Not being under the law does not mean that believers no longer have an obligation to obey. Because we're under grace, it means we've been forgiven for our disobedience, but grace is not a license to disobey indiscriminately. Does that make sense?

Carol: Yes, it does. Because I'd heard that, you know, a lot of pastors saying that recently, and it wasn't clear, you know.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, that's a dangerous teaching. It's wicked really is what it is, telling people that we're no longer under the law, and that means you don't have to keep the Ten Commandments. You just think about what the ramifications of that are. But not being under the law means that, suppose I'm pulled over for speeding, I'm under the law, you know, they've got to run the record, I'm on the radar, they can write me a ticket.

But I cry or whatever, tell them my insurance rates are going up, and they say, “We're going to have mercy.” And they say, “All right, you're free to go.” Well, free to go means I'm no longer under the penalty of the law that I've disobeyed. Now I'm still not free to the speed, I've been shown grace. I'm now under grace. But under grace, I'm more careful than ever to obey. You know what I'm saying?

Carol: Yes, yes.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Now we have a book, we can send you on that subject for free, and anybody, if you're wondering about what does it mean to be under the law and grace, and what's the relationship between the law and grace, lot of confusion on that, it's very important to understand. Pastor Ross?

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, the study guide dealing with the Ten Commandments and the law of God is called Written in Stone. And we'll send that out to anyone who calls and ask for it. Our resource number again is 800-835-6747. And you can ask for this study guide Written in Stone, and we'll send that to you for free. 800-835-6747.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know, we have one other book, and people can read this for free on the website. It's called Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law? Does God’s Grace Blot Out the Law? And people think once you're under grace, you know, you don't need to obey anymore, and that's wicked. So you can read that at the Amazing Facts website, just go there and do a search for our free library, and you'll see it there.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Astrid, and she's listening in Oregon. Astrid, welcome into the program.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hi.

Astrid: Hi. Since Jesus chased away the merchants and what have you from the temple, you know, that was selling pigeons and what have you, does that mean that people, you know, pastors and staff in churches should not be selling books and tapes, and CDs, what have you, after the service in church?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: That's a good question. Well, I think we've all seen where some churches turn the pulpit into an auction block, and they're using it to merchandise. And Jesus said, you know, “My house is to be a house of prayer for all nations.” And so, you know, I think we need to be very careful that we're not using the pulpit to sell things. It cheapens the importance of the proclamation of the Word.

Now that doesn't mean that on the church premises, that, you know, during non-worship hours, you know, a magazine or book, or something cannot be sold. It ought to be of a spiritual nature, you know, especially egregious to Jesus was the idea they were bringing these barn animals into the holy place. And animals tend to bring all of their habits and sounds along with it. And so, you know, they turned the temple into a barnyard.

Astrid: Okay. So my church, all they have in one little stand, is some greeting cards that they sell to get money for mission trips. Now that's very minimal, so would that be okay?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, you know, I would hope they won’t be doing it in the sanctuary where they're preaching the Word. That's something that should be in another location.

Astrid: No, not in the sanctuary. It's in the lobby, before we get into the sanctuary.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, well, of course if people aren't buying and selling it on the Sabbath, then, you know, I think that there's just projects for fundraising and offerings, that we can work with. But under normal circumstances, you want to avoid a lot of buying and selling, and auctioning of things. I appreciate your call, Astrid. And thank you very much.

Astrid: Okay. Bye-bye.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Bye-bye.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Bye-bye. We have Joyce who is listening in Brooklyn, New York. Joyce, welcome to the program.

Joyce: Thank you, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Thank you. Your question?

Joyce: My question is, after the millennium, how long would it take Jesus to recreate the Earth?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, I would have to guess. Now He did it the first time in six days. And I believe those are six, literal, 24-hour periods. But when the wicked are destroyed, the Bible tells us that we will go forth and tread upon the wicked for they’re ashes under the soles of our feet - by the way, that's Malachi chapter 4 - and all the wicked are burnt up, and every man is punished according to what he deserves.

It doesn't tell us how long, it does say "God will create new heavens and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," and that's Second Peter chapter 3. And then, in Isaiah 65:11, talks about the new Earth that I'll create, "for as the new heaven and the new earth that I will make shall remain before me." It doesn't say how long He's going to take to create it.

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, there is a clue, again, you don't know specific time, but in Revelation chapter 20 we have where it talks about the millennium, the 1000-year period. And it talks about Satan being cast into the bottomless pit, and it says "an angel set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the 1000 years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season." So after the millennium, there is the resurrection of the wicked, and Satan goes out to deceive the wicked. And then finally judgment comes upon the wicked, and they are destroyed, and then the Earth is recreated. The Bible speaks of it as being a little season.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: And, yeah, we don't know how long that--

Pastor Jëan Ross: We don't know how long that is.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: No. The Bible uses the same word, I think it says in Hebrews that Moses was willing to forsake the pleasures of sin for a season. Hopefully, it's 40 years. So anyway, it maybe another six days, Joyce, what do you think?

Joyce: Six days, right?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, I wouldn't be a bit surprised. It seemed like that worked for the Lord the first time. I bet He could do it in one day, but I think He wants us to enjoy watching.

Joyce: So it can be six days?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Probably. I'm thinking that there's a pattern there. So that would be probably a good pattern to follow. Wish I could give you an exact answer. All we can do is speculate on that. Appreciate your calling, Joyce. And we do have a booklet that talks about creation a little bit. It's “When Science Flunked the" - let me see, is that right?

Pastor Jëan Ross: When Evolution Flunked the Science Test.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: When Evolution Flunked the Science Test.

Pastor Jëan Ross: We don't think about that for a minute. We'll send that to you Joyce, or anyone who calls and ask for it. The number again is 800-835-6747. And the book is When Evolution Flunked the Science Test. Our next caller is Mary and she is listening in Roseville. Roseville, California. Mary, are you on the air?

Mary: Yes. Thank you for taking my call. I'm fairly new to Christianity, and I absolutely love it. I don't have a Scripture to tell you, but I hear many people say that there was a division that became Israel and Judah. Can you explain that to me, please?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes. You'll find - and maybe Pastor Ross will look up Rehoboam … during the time after Solomon, the son of Solomon - all these came before him to coronate him and he gave them a pretty rough answer about what his kingdom would be like. And the 10 tribes from the north that, other than Judah - Judah and Benjamin, and the Levites kind of lived in the southern part - they said, “Look, we're not going to be part of the line of David anymore, we're going to pick our own king.” And so, from that point on, the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom were separated, and they never really reunited again. The other 10 tribes in the north and Judah with the southern kingdom, they were always ruled by a descendent of David.

The northern kingdom went through several dynasties that all fought and conquered each other. You had Jehu, and you had Ahab, and Baasha, and Zimri and - I don't know who I'm forgetting- anyway, Jeroboam, there were a number of kings in the north, and their sons would reign two or three generations. And then they'd wipe each other out and they'd get another kingdom. So that's when it split.

Pastor Jëan Ross: If you'd like to read the story, you'll be able to find in First Kings chapter 11, where it talks about the kingdom being divided. Now you have David, and then David's son, of course, Saul is the first king over the united empire, then you have David, and then Solomon, and then Rehoboam, who is Solomon's son, and it's at that point that the kingdom gets divided.

Mary: And where are we now? Is Israel with Judah now? Or how does that work? I really don't understand.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, a little more history, and this is a good question. The 10 tribes in the north were conquered first by the Assyrians. The Assyrians conquered them. They carried them off to Assyria. Most of the 10 tribes intermarried and sort of disappeared. They became diluted greatly. And some of them came back and lived in Samaria. And they were kind of half Jews and half Assyrians, and they were called Samaritans. And that's why you hear all the stories in the Bible about the Jews and the Samaritans.

They felt the Samaritans were kind of half breeds, and they had corrupted the true religion. The Samaritans believed in the "Five Books of Moses," but they didn't believe in the other prophets. But the Jews in the southern kingdom - that's where you get the word Jews, from the tribe of Judah - the Jews in the southern kingdom, they tried to maintain purity to the whole Scripture.

They were carried off to Babylon, but they came back and re-inhabited the Promised Land. And most of the Jews that are in Israel today, they - not all, but most of them come from either the tribe of Judah or Benjamin. Like Saul, he was from the tribe of Benjamin, and Matthew Levi was from the tribe of Levi. So you had Levi, Benjamin, and Judah were the main tribes that came back to re-inhabit the Promised Land. The 10 tribes sort of disappeared.

Mary: Okay. And so, how do we know then, are we descendants of Judah or we are all still-- we still could be descendants of the 10 tribes of the North?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, there are probably people around the world that have some Jewish blood from the 10 tribes. Because the Jews have been scattered several times through history. But, you know, right now, of course, there's a lot of Jews that live in Israel. And there are Jews in Africa. There are Jews in just about every corner of the world. And I used to live in Miami Beach and New York, of course, I'm half Jewish, and there's a whole lot of Jewish people in New York City. It's one of the principle religions there, and in Florida. But it's not the Holy Land.

Mary: Right. Okay. Well, thank you so much. You certainly have helped me there. I could never understand that. And so, is the Lord from the tribe of Judah, Jesus, is that right?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, which is where David was from.

Mary: Right, okay.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. Hey, appreciate your question, Mary. Hope that helps a little bit. Thank you for calling.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Stephen, and he is listening in California. Stephen, welcome in the program.

Stephen: How is everybody down there? Nice and healthy, I hope.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, I think we're doing okay. Get real close to your phone.

Stephen: Your program has been a blessing.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, thank you. Hey, you need to get closer to your phone, Stephen, we can barely hear you.

Stephen: Well, I'm right on top of it right now.

Pastor Jëan Ross: All right. Well, what's your question then?

Stephen: My question is about tithes.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay.

Stephen: We've got some friends, they are very upset about how their church is handling the money, and they've given their tithe directly to other programs. Is that good or bad?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. That's a good direct question. Now, you know, whenever something happens, you need to ask “what if?” You know, if one person does this, what if everyone did it? If everybody said, “I think I'll send my tithe to, you know, XYZ ministry that's in South America, or Africa, wherever it is, you know, that's wonderful, that they are being generous.

But if you're going to a church and you're not supporting your local church because you are unhappy with the leadership, then it tells us in Malachi chapter 3, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there might be food in my house.” And so there's like a central place that tithe was brought, and then it was evenly distributed. And, yes, there are even times in the Bible, when the widow brought her two cents and put them into the treasury, that Jesus praised her for doing that. She put her two mites in.

Even though there was a lot of corruption in God's church at that time, some of the religious leaders would be responsible for Jesus' blood. And yet He said this woman has put in more. She didn't say, “No, I don't give it here.” And so, you know, we need to pray for revival. I do think we need to support other good ministries. Amazing Facts would be in trouble if people didn't, with their offerings. But tithe is … should go to support the preaching of the gospel through your church network.

Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I'd just add to that, Pastor Doug, even in the time of Christ there were many corrupt priests who, you know, profited from the tithe that was returned. But there were also those who were faithful in the work that God had given them to do. For example, I think of Zechariah. So when we return our tithes and offerings, we're really helping to support the work of faithful preachers of the gospel. They need to have our support in sharing the gospel with as many people as possible.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. But I do recommend, Stephen, if you see that there is compromise or corruption in the leadership, you should write a letter. Let them know, voice your concern, because, you know, I think that the leadership needs to know that the people are concerned, and it definitely hurts confidence if people aren't being ethical. Thank you very much for your question, Stephen. By the way, we do have a book that talks about that, and it's In God We Trust. We'll send you that free study guide.

Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call is 800-835-6747, that is the resource line. And the study guide, again, is called In God We Trust. That's 800-835-6747. We have Robert who is listening from Georgia. Robert, welcome to the program.

Robert: Hey, how're you doing?

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Doing good, Robert. How can we help?

Robert: All right. Thank you for taking my call. I got a real quick question that has been weighing on my mind. With this consulate in Syria, in your opinion, do you think maybe that it is the ground work and/or the building stages of the first stage of Armageddon, or the end of the world, or World War III? Because I've heard some pastors talk about, you know, possibly the blood moons in 2014, 2015, and that could be, you know, the end of the world. I was just curious.

Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, let me tell you what Jesus said. In Matthew 24, Jesus said, “There will be wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet.” Now I do think Jesus' coming is very soon. Matter of fact, there was a recent Barna survey came out this 9/11, just last week, and that was interesting. They reported 41 or 42 percent of all Americans believe we are living in the Biblical last days.

That's a phenomenal study. And they surveyed a thousand people, and I think it's 41 percent said they believe we're living in the Biblical last days. I do think that the Middle East right now is a tinderbox that is just ready to ignite. With all the volatility right now, the Middle East is primed. It's not just Syria. I mean, it might be Iran next week. So I'm not focused on Syria. There's prophecies about the land around Iraq and around Syria, that whole area. And they're mentioned in Daniel chapter 11 just before the end, when Michael stands up. But I think that we need to look also what's happening to the world religiously and not just politically.

Things in the Middle East could erupt into the crisis that will bring about fear and global religion somewhere. And I'm still praying and studying this. I think Islam is going to have a major role in last day prophecy. But, boy, the people in the Middle East are looking right now for a charismatic leader to come in there, and who knows what that person will be doing, or who they are. But it's a very, very unstable region right now, between Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and these Islamic countries they are in turmoil right now.

Bible says the nations are angry, and men's hearts are failing for fear, and I think that's just the sign Jesus is coming soon. Hope that helps a little bit, Robert. And are we near Armageddon? We'll send you a free book. We've got a book on Armageddon. Anybody out there that wants to understand that subject, you're going to be amazed at what you read. Ask for our book on Armageddon. You can read it for free at the Amazing Facts website, amazingfacts.org. While you’re there, can you give a little something to keep us on the air? Chances are we'll be back next week. God bless you.

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