God's Original Diet

The couple chose a year of running in order to promote a raw vegan vegetarian diet which Jeanette believes was instrumental in curing her from breast cancer from a decade earlier. So on January 1, 2013 off they went rising each day at 4 AM to avoid the heat and running at least 26.2 miles every day for the following year circling Australia and Tasmania in the process. Along the way they consumed almost 11,000 bananas between them, fruit smoothies, avocadoes and oranges and many gallons of vegetable juice and on New Year’s Eve they arrived in Melbourne completing their 365th run in a row. And as if that wasn’t enough they followed it up with one additional marathon on January 1, 2014 to set a new Guinness world record for the most consecutive marathons.

By the way did I mention that Jeanette Murray is 64 and Alan Murray is 68 years of age? And did you know the Bible also teaches that God’s original diet for mankind was a vegetarian diet? Stay with us friends we are going to learn moiré as “Amazing Facts” brings you this edition of “Bible Answers Live”.

[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]

Pastor Doug: We are “Bible Answers Live” and I am always excited at the threshold of a new program where we are going to make some new friends and talk about the best subject in the world, the word of God. If you have a question about the Bible or a question that is what this program is about. We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we will do our best to search the word together the Blessed Book. Our lines are open right now. It is a free phone call. That number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS or 1-800-463-7297 one more time and that number brings you into our studio. If you don’t get us first time don’t give up call us again we have operators right here in the studio to answer your call. That number once again is 1-800-GOD-SAYS or 1-800-463-7297.

Once again I am Doug Batchelor. Pastor Jean Ross is right now in Albuquerque, New Mexico getting ready for a very important program that we are going to be doing. We will be broadcasting a live prophecy study program around the World and from New Mexico. That will begin on October 31 of all things and going for twenty presentations. If you would like to know more about that series it is called “Landmarks of Prophecy” and maybe you would like to invite friends over to your church and watch together via the internet. It will be on you tube. It will be on satellite television. On 3ABN “Amazing Facts” television and you can watch on ROHOO and so there will be a number of methods for just about anybody in the world to participate in this evangelistic program. If you have some friends who would like to study the Bible bring them to your home. And now we have Lauren who is calling from Charlotte, North Carolina on the internet and Lauren you are on the air welcome.

Lauren: Hi good evening. How are you?

Pastor Doug: Good evening. Doing well.

Lauren: Alright my question is in Matthew 27: 51 & 52.

Pastor Doug: Alright.

Lauren: It says, “Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised and coming out of the grave after the resurrection and they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Where is the grave right after you just died that means Friday and then it says they went to the holy city after His resurrection that means Sunday? How do you explain that?

Pastor Doug: Well first of all you will only find this phrase in Matthew. It is not found in Luke or Mark or John. And it is interesting it says many, obviously not all the saints that died. Graves opened during the earthquake that is mentioned here. It says that this made many come out of their graves. Some doors fell off and rolled away. And the lids when they buried people in estuaries and after Jesus rose some of these came back to life they were given glorified bodies and they went into the city after His resurrection. Just like Romans soldiers went running into the city after the tomb—the stone was rolled away. And they appeared and said Jesus was the Messiah and we have come and He raised us from the dead they went with Him probably that afternoon or evening. Now keep in mind that when Jesus first arose He did not go into heaven until he talked to Mary Magdalene and perhaps a couple of others. Because He told Mary do not cling to me. I think the King James says don’t touch me because I have not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and tell them that I ascend to my Father and to your Father and my God and your God. Then He ascended to heaven and He may have taken the resurrected people with Him at that point. And then there they stayed because you know He came back over the next forty days you know Jesus came back and appeared to the apostles and the upper room, to Peter, to James and 500 by the sea over many more times He appeared, but at that point the ones who were resurrected around Jerusalem they had ascended to Heaven as sort of a trophy and stayed there. Now that is my understanding. Does that make sense?

Lauren: Thank you so much.

Pastor Doug: Alright and thank you Lauren I appreciate your call. By the way we do have a lesson that talks a little bit about the resurrection and it is called “Are the Dead Really Dead?” It goes through a number of verses in the Bible that talk about the resurrection. I think it also mentions this one here. Alright with that we are going to go to talk with Will who is calling from Denver, Colorado listening on Family Talk. Will welcome to the program you are on the air with “Bible Answers Live” welcome.

Will: Hey how are you doing?

Pastor Doug: Doing great and thanks for calling.

Will: Okay. My questions to show somebody from a relationship point of view that you want to repent and show them that you are willing to repent and better yourself in life and better that relationship. How do you go about to get that other person to see that and recognize it? Even though that they don’t want to?

Pastor Doug: Well now there is two ways that we repent. Jesus talks about when we have wronged a brother or a sister and apologizing to them that is the essence of repentance telling them you are sorry. Repentance also includes a willingness to change. So it is not just saying that I am sorry it is demonstrating that whatever it was that, that behavior won’t be repeated. And with God of course it is repentance because you know He knows the heart and so for Him we are really confessing and asking for power to you know be a new creature and repenting of our sins. So you get the horizontal and the vertical kind of the repentance. So you are asking how you do demonstrate to a person then you are talking about the horizontal repentance. Right?

Will: Correct.

Pastor Doug: Well you know the best thing that you can is that sometimes people sense our sincerity. But, you know if I borrowed my neighbor’s rake and I have not brought it back. Well then I will bring back the rake and tell him I am sorry. I won’t tell him I am sorry and keep his rake. So if there are wrongs that you can right then you should do that.

Will: Right.

Pastor Doug: And if it is something you apologize for then you might just need to demonstrate that your heart has been changed and that is something that sometimes takes time to build trust and hopefully the other person will give you credit for trust and give you another chance. You know we have to do that all the time with our kids and God does that all the time with us.

Will: Okay.

Pastor Doug: He gives us mercy He gives us a new opportunity and as soon as we repent, He doesn’t put us on probation for six years to see if we are really sorry. Does that make sense?

Will: Yes it does.

Pastor Doug: Alright well, hey, Will, thank you and I appreciate your call. And we do have a book we can send you if you would like it. It is called “Three Steps to Heaven” and it talks about repentance and if it is not, too, self serving I will send that out or you can go to the “Amazing Facts” website. I have a sermon called “Real Repentance” you can listen to the audio of that or you can watch the DVD or whatever the video. And that is at the “Amazing Facts dot org” website. You can just search the word repentance in our search box there. Thanks for your call and that opens up another line or two if you want to call in call with your Bible question 1-800-GOD-SAYS or 1-800-463-7297 alias 463-7297. And we are going to talk with Scott who is calling from Irwin, California. Scott welcome to the program.

Scott: God bless you Pastor Doug. How are you?

Pastor Doug: Likewise how are you doing?

Scott: Oh I am doing pretty good and I am going to ask the Holy Spirit to direct this question because the spirit of prophecy which is in Revelation 19: 10.

Pastor Doug: Umm-hmm.

Scott: Isn’t it? And I know enough about latter rain and the Holy Spirit to know you get a supernatural double portion of Elijah’s spirit.

Pastor Doug: Yeah.

Scott: Is that only to preach the gospel or to get people through a period of time?

Pastor Doug: Well the Lord—we’re where sin abounds grace abounds the Bible says. Jesus told us in the last days there was going to be a great tribulation unlike any other. And He said that if it were possible even the very elect would be deceived and so because of that we’re going to need extra grace to sustain us during that time. You know sometimes we think oh Lord I do not know if I have got the faith to be tortured for my beliefs or to die for your sake. You do not have to worry about that day to day. You just have to say am I faithful today? God then gives you the strength when you need it. Sometimes I have seen people go through things and I think I could never do that. Well then something happened and the Lord gave me strength to go through it.

So yes He will give us the strength to go through it. And that verse there in Revelation 19: 10 when John falls at the feet of the angel and he says, “I am of your fellow servants of thy brethren that have a testimony of Jesus.” Worship of God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And you can read in for instance Revelation 12:17 two characteristics of God’s people in the last days. It says they keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.

You can read Isaiah says seal up the testimony that bind up the law and the prophets when Moses and Elijah appear on the mount of Transfiguration they represent the law and the prophets and it is with the word of God. And Jesus proved He was the Messiah from the law and the prophets. So you will see that all the way through there. Scott, I do have a book I can send you a free copy and you can even read it online. It is called “The Two Witnesses” and it is talking about this verse and the law and the prophets and I would be happy to share that with you. And it also talks about the Elijah message that I think you asked about. Appreciate your call and that opens up another line if you want to call. The number is 1-800-463-7297.

Pastor Doug: Going to talk now with Ira from Fontan, California. I hope I am saying that right. Ira you are on the air with “Bible Answers Live”.

Ira: Hey praise the Lord my name is Ira how are you sir?

Pastor Doug: Doing great how are you?

Ira: Oh I am blessed. I had one question. There was a Scripture in the book of Hosea I believe in the Chapter 1:2 and it said, “The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, go and take a wife of whoredoms with children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.” (KJV) I can’t get this young lady to marry me like a proverb all she wants is me at her house in her bed. And I don’t understand and yet she doesn’t want to commit. And as time goes on the Holy Spirit keeps telling me that she may never commit in marriage. So should I continue to love her because God put this word on my heart? Concerning her and my relationship with her or should I just be leaving her in God’s hand and go on with my life?

Pastor Doug: Ira are you a Christian? It sounds like you are a believer.

Ira: Yes, sir.

Pastor Doug: First of all if you are living with somebody that you are not married to that’s unbiblical. And so that should stop immediately. You are either married or you are not married. And then you are saying and hopefully as Christians and we ought to love everybody. And maybe this person has captured your heart or you find something about her personality or her looks very attractive. And you want her to be your wife, but if she is still practicing what you described of living an immoral life you know that would be another sign that maybe this is not God’s plan.

Now you are asking about Hosea Chapter 1 and it does say that, but keep in mind this is a prophet and God asks His prophets to do some unusual things to illustrate a point. In Hosea 1:2 “The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord. 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim which conceived, and bare him a son.” (KJV) Now the reason that Hosea lived and acted out this whole hand of God is to show how God loved the children of Israel. And they were like His bride. But, they kept going after other gods and committing spiritual adultery. It was like that woman in Revelation 17 is called the mother of all harlots. It is spiritual adultery. Worshipping other gods or bringing other religions into the church.

That is a spiritual illustration that God gave a prophet that is not to be the pattern for marriages among God’s people. So I know it seems odd and that was unusual, but the Lord was illustrating how it breaks His heart when His church is unfaithful or when we are unfaithful. You know Ira we do have a book that talks about “The Keys to a Happy Marriage” and we will be happy to send you a free copy or you can go right to the “Amazing Facts” website and you can read that for free. That is “Amazing Facts dot org” the lesson is called “The Keys to a Happy Marriage”. Okay with that we are going to talk with Julie I think. Thanks for your call Ira and Julie is calling from Missouri and I guess you are listening on satellite radio. Your question Julie?

Julie: Yeah. Hi. I wanted to know where did the people that have never heard about Jesus or heard about God and is able to accept Him go to heaven? People from years and years ago that lived in the jungle that you know they don’t speak any language, but they have their own language where did they go when they died?

Pastor Doug: Where did they go when they died? Are they all automatically doomed to go to Lake of fire because they didn’t know?

Julie: I wouldn’t think so. I would think that God spoke to them from heaven. I am curious.

Pastor Doug: Yeah that is a great question and it is interesting. And I was just talking about that yesterday with some people. First of all Jesus began His ministry by making a very important point.

Julie: Oh.

Pastor Doug: That it is not only Jews and He told the people in Nazareth that it wasn’t only Jews that God loves and it wasn’t only the Jews that would be saved. And He said there were many widows in the land when there is a famine during the time of Elijah, but Elijah was not sent to a Hebrew widow he was sent to stay with a Canaanite woman. And God worked a miracle and raised her son. Hebrew lepers were cleansed, but God cleansed a Syrian, one of the enemies and that really angered the people at the Nazarene church so much they tried to kill Jesus and throw Him off a cliff. But, He escaped from their hands. Jesus was illustrating that He has His people in every Nation. In Act Chapter 10 Peter went to the house of Cornelius. He said God has shown me that He is no respecter of persons. But, people I every Nation that work righteousness He accepts. Most people that don’t know God and don’t know the truth of His word those countries are in great spiritual darkness. But, that doesn’t mean that there is nobody in that country that can be saved because a missionary did not land on their shore.

And tomorrow I catch a plane. And I am flying to Australia and after preaching in Sydney I fly to the Northwest Territory and it is a long flight and then I land and I drive for hours and I am going to a very remote part of Australia to preach to about one hundred people that are native Aborigines. You know that whole continent had no missionaries for years, but the Lord spoke to some of those people through His spirit and through angels and they lived up to the light that they had. But, predominantly they didn’t know. And it is the truth that sets us free.

So will there be people in some of these countries that never heard about Jesus? Or what about the four thousand years before in Old Testament times before Christ came? Of course God had people that He would save, but you know without the preaching of the word people mostly remain in darkness and that is why it is so important for missionaries to do their work. But, God is a loving God and Jesus said and I will just quote John Chapter 5: 28 & 29, “28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (KJV) Even Paul says in Galatians 1 there are people who are barbarians that lived up to the light of the law that they had. And God will accept them and of course they may not have known about Jesus, but nobody will get to heaven without Jesus. Meaning He gives everybody who is saved is saved by His grace nobody is saved by works. So people who have been given his light and they have lived up to His light that was in their path and God can save them by the grace of Jesus and when they get to heaven they will know why they are there is by the grace of God, not because of their good works.

Julie: Yes exactly.

Pastor Doug: But, I am not among the group. There are some Pastors that say everybody in Africa for the last five thousand years before the missionaries showed up were al doomed to eternal torment. And everybody in Australia or North America or South America and that I think is a pretty extreme view based on the Bible.

Julie: Okay.

Pastor Doug: So I hope that helps a little bit.

Julie: Alright.

Pastor Doug: Yeah God has people out there that may not know His name yet, but they are walking in the light that He has given them wherever that might be. Oh just want to share more Scripture with you. Jesus said to whom much is given much is required and so Christians and people who have the word of God God expects more of us because we know the truth. But, for people that just didn’t know don’t we show more mercy to people that just didn’t know that they were making a mistake?

Julie: Yeah.

Pastor Doug: I mean even in our laws and our government judges always judge a person’s knowledge of what the law was you know based upon if they knew and it was premeditated and they did something wrong they’re more culpable than if they didn’t know. Well anyway if you are driving too fast and there are no speed limits on the road they don’t have a right giving you a ticket. Right? So.

Julie: Yeah that makes sense.

Pastor Doug: Anyway I hope that helps a little bit that is a long meandering answer, but I appreciate your question because it is a very important one because it helps us understand the nature of God. Thank you Julie for your call and we have a few minutes before our break and we are going to talk to Loretta who is calling from Tennessee Loretta you are on the air.

Loretta: Thank you and good evening. How are you?

Pastor Doug: Good evening. Doing great.

Loretta: I have got a question and it kind of has two parts. You know when you get to heaven and especially during the time of judging the wicked my question is about guilt. Will there be a sense of guilt that maybe we didn’t reach out a little more to someone? Or maybe we didn’t take the time to witness or give literature to somebody that might have been saved and ended up being lost?

Pastor Doug: Good question. And I am really glad you asked that because it is one many people may be surprised to hear. There may be a period with some sadness or heartache in heaven. Now follow me. It is in Revelation 21 when God says He can dry all tears from people’s eyes.

Loretta: Okay.

Pastor Doug: Now how can God dry tears a thousand years after the resurrection? If there is absolutely no sad feelings? Do angels rejoice right now when someone is saved?

Loretta: Yes.

Pastor Doug: Sure because Jesus said so. Were angels sad when Jesus was dying on the cross?

Loretta: I am almost certain they were.

Pastor Doug: I am sure they were. So does that mean that there can be sadness in heaven?

Loretta: Well I guess so at least for some things.

Pastor Doug: Yeah God does not erase our natural affection when we are resurrected I mean He made us with emotions and love. And I think that when we first get to heaven we are going to be overwhelmed with joy and glory and rapture and bliss, but there will be times during that millennium that so and so they are not here. Or I wish I should have done more to share the good news. But, that is when that great judgment takes place. And you think about that great judgment day when it says both the saved and wicked stand before God there is this great White Throne Judgment. And whomever their name is not found in the book of life is cast into this lake of fire.

Loretta: Yes.

Pastor Doug: Well you know are they saved are they going to be singing Hallelujah when that happens or are they going to be singing a new somber moment?

Loretta: Well I would think it would be a very somber moment.

Pastor Doug: Yeah and God has no pleasure of the wicked.

Loretta: Yes and I agree.

Pastor Doug: Yes. And so if God has no pleasure and this is making Jesus sad for anyone to be lost the Lord does not want any to perish. Then it is going to be a difficult moment. I mean He will have no alternate at that point and then it is at that point that God makes new heaven and a new earth. And it does not say there is nor more pain and He dries all tears from their eyes.

Loretta: Yes.

Pastor Doug: So there may be some moments of regret and sadness during those 1000 years when we are investigating the judgments.

Loretta: Can I ask my second half? This was brought up because someone they felt guilty. Do you know how people say I want to go to heaven and I want to see Jesus there?

Pastor Doug: Right.

Loretta: This person was raised by his grandfather and this person said he feels guilty because he didn’t say he wants to see Jesus first.

Pastor Doug: Well I think the Lord understands our natural attachments and I don’t think a person will be condemned for that.

Loretta: But it would be too late any way when he is in heaven.

Pastor Doug: Okay.

[Laughter]

Pastor Doug: Right it—the Bible says that in Isaiah Chapter 65: 17, “For behold I create a new heaven and a new earth. The former will not be remembered nor come into mind.” So have you heard the expression that time heals?

Loretta: Yes.

Pastor Doug: Well how do you think time could heal when you are going to have all of the things happening in this world eclipsed by all the joyful things that are in heaven and at His right hand are pleasures for ever more?

Loretta: Umm-hmm yes.

Pastor Doug: So you know we are not gong you have to worry about pain or sorrow. And I appreciate your question Loretta. Friends you are listening to “Bible Answers Live” and with that we are going to have to take a break at this point. And friends I do want to remind you that “Amazing Facts” has a lot of resources and matter of fact we have a website called “Bible Prophecy Truth dot com”. “Bible Prophecy Truth dot com” and if you have any questions about things like 666, Armageddon, Bible Prophecy, the Great Tribulation, Israel and the Middle east, angels, Babylon, Bible symbols, heaven, Israel in Prophecy, the antichrist, Bible numbers and much more that is all going to be at this website. It is sort of one of the most popular sites out there dealing with Bible prophecy. You might want to know who is Babylon in the Bible? What did that represent? Or who is the beast of Revelation and the battle of Armageddon is it still in the future or is it a war between Nations? Interesting things are happening in the Middle East right now. So take at look at “Bible Prophecy Truth dot com”. We’ll be back after these important announcements.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Pastor Doug: We’re back listening friends and this is “Bible Answers Live” if you do have a Bible question we do have a couple of lines open. 1-800-GOD-SAYS brings you into the studio with your Bile question. That’s 1-800-463-7297 and when it comes to our free resources we have operators standing by at 1-800-835-6747 and you can contact us for those and Pastor Ross is out of town right now preparing for our “Prophecy Seminar” in Albuquerque in a couple of months and we are going to talk next to Leonard who is calling from Louisiana. Leonard you are on the air with “Bible Answers Live” welcome.

Leonard: Yeah I have always wondered about the Bible saying a woman’s hair is her glory and should not be shorn and id it is shorn that it should be shaven. What about that does it mean a woman’s hair is not supposed to be cut? Because I know that it also says that it is a shame unto a man to have long hair. So I was wondering about all this?

Pastor Doug: Well that verse is found in 1 Corinthians there is a verse here about women praying in public and it isn’t talking so much about cutting hair and not cutting hair as it is talking about a woman covering her head when she prays. It was a custom of respect that they were dealing with there in Corinth. And you can see in many parts of the world today even among Orthodox Christians. Of sores the Russian Orthodox, the Mennonites, Muslims, the women cover their head and sometimes in public and sometimes just when they are worshipping in public and this is you know believed to be an ancient custom. There is nothing imparticular in the Bible that says a woman should cover her head. So we are wondering is it something that was particular to the Roman Empire. Or was it something that was for modesty among Jews?

It doesn’t say a woman must always cover her head. The Bible says that her hair is a covering. And there is something in the Bible that says, if a man, and the Bible is not endorsing this, but it says if a man was taking a wife from someone who had been captured from a Nation that had been conquered she was required to trim her nails and shave her head. And after her hair grew back in he could take her as his wife. And it was almost like it might have been partly for sanitation because you—they were getting these people from foreign countries.

And part of it was to say she is going to be a new person so they had their hair cut back and then it would grow back. This is not a mandate here that a woman is never to cut her hair. Some women would be tripping over their hair, you know if they always had to tie it up. I think it was something that really deals with prayer. Later on in the passage Paul refers to this as a custom and that is in verse 16. “But, if any man seems to be contentious we have no such custom and neither the churches of God. And so he categorizes this thing under a custom so we don’t make it a doctrine because the Bible says that doctrine needs to be established with two or three witnesses. And there are no other verses that talk about this. Good question Leonard and appreciate your call and hope you stay tuned and keep calling. Alright we are going to talk next with Sharine calling from Bronx, New York. I hope I am saying your name right. Is that right Sharine?

Sharine: Yes Pastor Doug. Hi. How are you?

Pastor Doug: Doing great.

Sharine: Great thank you and God bless you. I wanted to just ask about Jacob and Esau. I know God says Jacob I love and Esau I hated. And I just wanted to find out like know that was God’s will that we are not to hate and people probably use that as oh well God hated Esau. So why can’t I hate my enemy? And I try to let them know well God His His reasons why He said what He said. What do you think about the Scripture where He said that Jacob I love and Esau I hated?

Pastor Doug: Well God loves everybody.

Sharine: He sure does.

Pastor Doug: He is love. Paul in Romans Chapter 13 he is quoting Paul is actually quoting Malachi. Some people only read Paul and they don’t get the context of what he is quoting from the book of Malachi Chapter 1: 3 and they think wow that is nice Isaac and Rebecca had twins and god just said I am going to love Jacob and hate Esau. And when we g to Malachi it tells us that Esau was the name that represented the Edomites. Jacob was the name that represented the Israelites. And God is saying I chose Jacob and I chose Israel. I hated Esau and his descendants because you remember in the Bible that Jacob wanted so much to have the birth right that the Messiah would come through him. Esau said I will sell it to you for a pot of beans. You know he didn’t care and he was willing to sell his birth right. And so God said I love Jacob because Jacob wanted me. He wanted the birth right. He wanted the holiness. Jacob and Esau, on the other hand, just wanted to go out and hunt and shoot things and so God loved them both.

Sharine: Umm-hmm.

Pastor Doug: But, he loved what Jacob did. Jacob repented for his sins. He wrestled with God and he wanted to be a new man. And Esau he and his descendants they turned away from God.

Sharine: Hmm.

Pastor Doug: Jacob went all the way to Mesopotamia to marry women that believed in Jehovah. Esau married the local pagan idolaters and didn’t care. So when God then looks on their descendants--

Sharine: Oh.

Pastor Doug: --He said I love Jacob. That is what I am saying because of what Jacob did. And he said I hated Esau and He didn’t hate Esau He hated what Esau did.

Sharine: Oh okay.

Pastor Doug: So when He is talking about it.

Sharine: I never looked at it that way before.

Pastor Doug: Yeah and their Nations. And if you look in Malachi Chapter 1: 3 it says it is talking about the Edomites and the Israelites.

Sharine: I knew that was God and we are not supposed to hate Thank you.

Pastor Doug: Alright I appreciate your call Sharine. Thank you. And wit that we are going to be talking to Tracy who is calling from Calgary, Canada and with that hello Tracy you are on the air with “Bible Answers Live”.

Tracy: Hi. How are you? Thanks Pastor Doug for taking my call.

Pastor Doug: Sure my privilege.

Tracy: I have a question that my daughter has asked me a couple of times. I don’t really know how to answer her because we don’t know what church we’re going to be going to either. We’re kind of like at a difficult time in our lives. So I would like her to a church and our other children as well.

Pastor Doug: Sure go ahead.

Tracy: The question that she asks, but she asks me this quite often is how can you be in heaven when you die? And heaven how can there be a heaven that can kind of house all these people when you die because there are millions and millions of people in the world that have died and they can’t all fit.

Pastor Doug: Okay. Good.

Tracy: And she sees some pamphlets from other religions and she sees the pictures of an idealist heaven and animals and lions and things like that and she says that can’t be real. That is not real.

Pastor Doug: Well is she listening now?

Tracy: No she is not. She isn’t here right now.

Pastor Doug: Okay well I tell you what. I am going to give you an answer real quick. But I want you to be sure to ask for our study guide and it has plenty of pictures and Scripture in there and the guide is called “City from Space” But, you call and the number to call is 1-800-835-6747. It is a free phone call and people are waiting right now to take your call. One more time it is 1-800-835-6747. Now let me answer your question and you want our lesson on “heaven” okay?

Tracy: Okay.

Pastor Doug: First of all people did not die and immediately go to heaven. Here s what people get upset about learning. The Bible tells us that when we die there is resurrection and that when we die unfortunately it is not the majority. Jesus said straight is the gate and narrow is the path that leads to life and few there be that find it. Broad is the way that leads to destruction and many are the ones going in there? And so you figure right now there are more people in the world than there ever have been. Do you realize that right now we have seven billion people in the world right? The Bible says that He is going to make a new heaven and a new earth. It will hold 24 million people the biggest city in the world. And you can drive across that city in and out. I mean you think about it how many people you can fit in a spot. God makes this city and God can make a high rise city and God says He is preparing mansions. And then He says we are going to go forward and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They will hold your whole family and build houses and inhabit them. There will be plenty of country homes and plenty of room for everybody.

And so don’t worry when you read the dimensions of the New Jerusalem this is the city that God is building and it gives us the dimensions in Revelation and it tells us about three hundred and seventy miles on each wall. Now if you can put 24 million people in Shanghais how many people could you put in the state of Oregon there is plenty of room. I lived in New York City and do you know there are more people that live below the street in New York City than the entire State of Wyoming? New York City goes four or five stories down.

Tracy: Well.

Pastor Doug: So there is going to be plenty of room. I’d love to talk with her because she sounds like she is asking good questions. So send foe that book talking about the city in space and if you want you can read it online. You can read it for free by going to “Amazing Facts” and you can look at it right now once she gets home. I appreciate your call. We are going to take another call or two and that still opens a line if you want to call with a Bible question. Okay going now to line five and talking with Aaron calling from Carmichael, California not far from our radio station.

Aaron: Hi Pastor Doug.

Pastor Doug: Good evening.

Aaron: I had a question because the Bible talks about the great delusion in the last days. And I was kind of wondering what that would entail because I have heard all kinds of stories and you know when you go on the internet and you read all kinds of stories on that and what not. So I was just kind of curious about what the Bible said about that.

Pastor Doug: Well Jesus said yeah Matthew 24: and let me give you some verses real quick of Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17, Luke 21 just a few. Jesus said the deception in the last days would be so effective that if it were possible event the very elect would be deceived. In other words you can just imagine a deception that would be so effective that even the prophets might be taken by it. Satan himself will be transformed into an angel of light.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11 and in Revelation Chapter 16 it says, “Three unclean spirits like frogs go forth to the kings of the earth to perform miracles and signs and wonders to deceive them. And so there is going to be supernatural power and deception. Jesus came to the world to how us what the Father is like to show us and to save us to reveal God.

Satan is going to impersonate Christ to deceive just before the second coming and that impersonation is going to be very clever. The devil is not going to plop down on the ground in red leotards and batwings and a goatee and horns and a pitch fork and goat hoofs and you know during the middle ages the gothic idea was of what the devil looks like. The Bible says the devil was a beautiful angel. And so when he impersonates Christ he will be wind song and use quotes, Scriptures and the devil even quoted Jesus when he tempted Him. And so he will try to convince everybody to be part of this one world, religious, political organization that will be persecuting real believers. Everybody is going to fall into one of two camps. There will either have the seal of God or the mark of the beast. So good question wow I could talk about that a long time. Hey Aaron I talked earlier about a website that we have got called “Bible Prophecy Truth”. We have study guides that talk about the deception s of the last days and how you can be prepared and you are not deceived. Just go to “Bible Prophecy Truth dot com” and you can look at that there.

Alright talking next with Patrick who is listening from Detroit, Michigan WNAZ and Patrick You are on the air with “Bible Answers Live” welcome to the program.

Patrick: Oh thank you Pastor Doug for taking my call. Good evening.

Pastor Doug: We try to take them all if we can get to them in time.

Patrick: Okay my question is about rewards in heaven. Obviously some people do more for the lord than others and is it like a test or a, b, c, f type of thing. I mean there are missionaries and I would consider myself a good Christian, but I haven’t done anything like that. I consider that some people get greater rewards in heaven and is there anything biblical that tells how that works?

Pastor Doug: Yeah. There are varying rewards good and bad. When Jesus was about to be crucified and He was talking to Pontius Pilot, Jesus said to Pilot, “The one who delivered me to you has the greater sin”, meaning Judas. Pilot didn’t know who Jesus was you know he wasn’t a Jew. You know he was not as guilty as Judas who had seen all of the miracles. And so Jesus He said every man in the kingdom will be rewarded according to their work. And so there are varying degrees of rewards.

I will give you an example here. If you look in Luke 12: 47 it says, “And that servant that knew the Lord’s will and did not do His will, will be beaten with many stripes, but he who knew not and did things will be beaten with a few stripes. For to whomever much is given of him shall more be required.”

Now you have the parable of the ten talents. You know those who take the talents and the Lords gives them and they invest them carefully, and multiples them the Lord says, “Well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord.” That servant who took the talent and just kind of buried it in drawer and didn’t do anything with it and he gives it back to the Lord when He comes and in the parable Jesus said, “You wicked and lazy servant.” You know you could have at least put it in the bank and I would have gotten interest. So whatever gifts of time and life and talents and ability God gives us He wants us to use it to share the gospel.

On the way over here I was thinking honestly Patrick that just on my way to the radio program tonight. I am a craven coward when it comes to knocking on a door. Oh I don’t know maybe it is a fear of rejection and sharing the gospel and knocking on doors. That scares me. We actually train people to knock on doors at “Amazing Facts”, but I don’t tell them I am actually afraid to do that. I used to do sales door to door. And that scared me and I thought, but I want to share the gospel how can I do it? Well believe it or not I am not afraid to talk on the radio to thousands of people, but I am afraid to knock on the door.

And so you have got to find out what your gifts are. And use your uniqueness. And you know some people have gifts of prayer in sharing the gospel. Some are good business men and they can raise funds to support missionaries. And so it takes all different gifts to be used that way. So I don’t know I that helps a little Patrick.

Patrick: Yes thank you very much Pastor. I appreciate that.

Pastor Doug: Alright well God bless and appreciate you call and we do have a book that we mentioned earlier about heaven. It is called “heaven is it For Real?” and it talks about the rewards in heaven. We’ll send that to you a free copy just call 1-800-835-6747 and ask for the book on “Heaven is it For Real?” We’ll be happy to send that.

Well let me see talking next with Magda from New York. Magda you are on the air with “Bible answers live” listening on WMCA welcome.

Magda: good evening Pastor Doug. I love your show. I would like to ask you first of all is it a sin to live together without having sex?

Pastor Doug: That you are talking about living together with the opposite sex? And you are not married?

Magda: Yes.

Pastor Doug: Yes the Bible is very clear and more about someone who is married and sleeps with someone else and violates the marriage vow by sleeping with one who is not their spouse. Fornication is any kind of sex outside the covenant of marriage. So if you get two teenagers that are carried away in the backseat of a car that qualifies as they are committing adultery, but it is more specifically fornication and it is wrong. You know God does not want us to have that. Now you are talking about living with someone you are not married to, but that you are not having intimate relations with. Right?

Magda: Exactly.

Pastor Doug: Well if it is a person of the opposite sex then this is a tricky question. I knew and old man who was one hundred years old and his wife died and her two sisters moved in with him. Now he wasn’t married to the two sisters, but nobody really suspected anything strange was happening in the house. They were just some kind of dear old people that needed some kind of mutual support. And they all needed to save money and so they all lived together. Paul said avoid the appearance of evil. If two healthy young people of opposite sex are living in the same house people are going to assume that something inappropriate might be happening. And we ought to avoid that even if we have self control. Do you know what I am saying?

Magda: Yes. I understand that part, but what if everybody knows that we are a couple, but we don’t have sex?

Pastor Doug: Well I would say why don’t you get married? What is—so why don’t you get married?

Magda: I know I have been telling him that, but he is married to someone else for more than fifty years and he never got the chance to do the right thing and get the divorce or whatever.

Pastor Doug: Oh well do you know what I would do? Magda if he is serious about you and he really cares about you, then you need to have a very clear conversation and I don’t know who the house belongs to, but you need to say., “Look we can’t live together like this anymore until you get that former marriage either annulled or you can go to court even if you can’t find the other person and get a marriage annulled. And get that marriage terminated or annulled and do it the right way. Otherwise if it has gone on this long it will go on indefinitely. Yeah and you want to get that taken care of and have a relationship the Lord can bless. And that also involves if you are both believer that you are sharing with someone that shares in your faith. Thanks Magda and by the way we do have that study guide that we mentioned earlier. “Keys to a Happy Marriage” and you might want to take a look at that as well. Alright with that we are going to go and talk to Carol who is listening from Florida, Palm Bay, Florida welcome Carol you’re on the air.

Carol: Hi Pastor Doug nice to talk with you.

Pastor Doug: Likewise.

Carol: Okay I have a question regarding Matthew 27: 45 Jesus is being crucified at this time and it says, “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.” And my question is can we only speculate why it was dark for that specific period of time and what was happening to Jesus? Or is there something in Scripture that reveals what was happening with Jesus something else in some other part of Scripture that might identify what was occurring?

Pastor Doug: Alright very good and that is a great question. Now Jesus was crucified at about nine in the morning. He hung on the cross for three hours. Then about noon darkness moved in and then just an unearthly darkness for the last three hours. And then Jesus was on the cross after He dies for one more hour until the body was recovered for a total of seven (7) hours on the cross. Very interesting it was six hours He was a living sacrifice suffering and the seventh hour resting from saving us from our sin and then He was put in the tomb. Some have assumed that the three hours of darkness from 12 o’clock until 3 o’clock that, that represented the three days that He would be in the tomb.

And it is just hard to say just that half the time was on the cross it certainly represented separation of the Father from the son. It was like a veil separating them. There were clouds on the mountain when God gave the Ten Commandments so the people wouldn’t see His glory because it was too brilliant for them. So the glory of God may have been near when Jesus was on the cross and to hide His glory there were clouds. And another reason there were clouds is because the earth was in a state of mourning because the creator of the world was suffering for the sins of the world. So there is a lot going on there and it is a great question. Thank you very much.

Carol: Yes thank you.

Pastor Doug: And we appreciate your call and we’re going to try and talk with one more on line 4 and talking with Elea in WMCA New York. Am I saying your name right?

Elea: Yes you are. Hi.

Pastor Doug: Hi your question tonight we have got about one minute.

Elea: My question is that—this year I went to Florida—and I went up to the altar and I gave my life to Jesus so does that mean that I am really saved in God’s eyes? Because I only seven and do you think I should do it when I am older? Or do you think I am okay with it?

Pastor Doug: Well if you gave your decision to give your life to Jesus, Jesus said, “All that come to me, He will receive.” You came with your heart to Jesus He will receive you. You may want to renew your love for Jesus many times. And He will be happy to have you come. The Bible says that we can be born again every day. And so you come to Jesus as often as you hear the Spirit and you come and you continue to give your life to Him. Thank you for your calls friends we are out of time for “Bible Answers Live”, but the program can go on by going to “Amazing Facts dot org”. Keep us on the air. God bless.

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