Speaker 1: Friends, this is Doug Batchelor, how about an amazing fact? Victor Lustig was probably one of the smoothest con men in history. Born into a middle class family back in 1890 in what's now the Czech republic, Victor had a decent education and spoke five languages fluently. He started his life of crime picking pockets and cheating in card games, he knew every trick in the book, palming, slipping cards from the deck, dealing from the bottom, as a gambler Lustig took to the seas first class passengers aboard trans Atlantic cruise ships became some of his first victims, where he introduced himself as count victor Lustig. He used 47 aliases and carried dozens of fake passports. In America he swindled bankers out of thousands by switching envelopes that were supposed to contain Treasury bonds.
His most peculiar scam was the money printing machine. It was a small mahogany box that he had constructed with complicated rulers, gears and brass dials. Lustig claimed the contraption can duplicate $100 bills one at a time using Radium, he would then demonstrate that small box to wealthy victims while lamenting that it took a whole 6 hours to print a single $100 bill, the client sensing huge profits would buy the machine for high price usually over $25,000. Over the next 12 hours the machine would produce two more $100 bills that had been preloaded by Lustig, after that it produces only bruin Paper, by the time the clients realized they'd been scammed, Lustig was long gone. He next then started a counterfeiting operation flooding the market with $100 bills that were so realistic that even Treasury agents had trouble spotting them.
Probably Lustig's most famous con was in Paris in may of 1925 when he sold the Eiffel Tower for $30,000 to a French scrap metal contractor. He claimed that he works for the French government and the tower had become an eye sore and was costing too much to maintain. the scam was so successful he actually tried to sell the Eiffel tower a second time.
Back in the use the FBI eventually caught up with Lustig in 1935 and sent him to Alcatraz for his counterfeiting operations. You know the Bible talks about a shrewd con artist and a counterfeiter that tried to sell the world to its creator, stay tuned, friends, we'll learn more as amazing facts brings you this edition of Bible answers live.
Speaker 2: Welcome to Bible answers live with author and evangelist Pastor Doug Batchelor. Is understanding God's word a challenge? Are there passages of Scripture that are mystery to you? Maybe it's difficult to reconcile what you've read in the Bible to what you've always believed, if you have Bible related questions stay tuned to get honest, practical answers straight from the word of God on Bible answers live.
Bible answers live is the production of amazing fact ministries dedicated to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world, our lines are open, so call now at 800-God-SAYS- that's 800-463-7297. Now here's your host, pastor Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Welcome, listening friends to Bible answers live and if you're tuning in for the first time this is a live, international, interactive Bible study, we'd encourage you to call on with a Bible question, right now we've got lines open, and the number; 800-GOD-SAYS- that's 800-463-7297.
Do you have a question about the word of God? That's what this programme is all about. Lines open now, good time to give is a call and get your Bible question on tonight's programme, we don't claim to have all the answers but we've got Bibles here In front of us, and we will claim that promise to search and to fine, one more time, 800-God-SAYS- 800-463-7297.My name is Doug Batchelor.
John Ross: My name is John Ross, good evening listening friends and pass to Doug, once again let's begin the programme with prayer.
Dear father we thank you once again that we do have this time were we can just spend a few moments in your words studying together, let me ask your blessing upon this programme, be with those who are listening and we just ask for a clear understanding of the Bible truth, for we ask in Jesus's name. Amen.
Pastor: Amen.
Ross: Well. Pastor you openedthe programme by talking about a very successful con artist who did all kinds of things and you mentioned the crowing act of deception by selling the Eiffel tower for scrap metal, but in addition to that, this whole counterfeiting scheme that he had, he must have made a fortune when he was able to get away with this, but it seemed as though he just couldn't stop, he just wanted more and more, and greed finally led him to ending up in Alcatraz.
Pastor: Yes, he finally died in prison, I think they moved him to another prison because of his health. He at one time had more than a million dollars and back in the roaring 20s, that was a lot of money, but he was a rascal and he just couldn't quit trying to pull one over, I guess he was extremely bright and such a smooth talker that even talked police that were arresting him into letting him go, and just a very interesting character, but it made me think about another con artist who is a master counterfeiter and the devil's got a counterfeit for every truth of God, and he's always accusing God of having his own characteristics.
One of the most amazing things is that the devil actually had the audacity during those three great temptations of Christ to try to sell the world back to the creator, he told Jesus, "I'd make you a deal, you don't have to die in the cross you bow now and worship me and I will give you the world." Well, the Bible says, "the world is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Here the devil was offering to give the world to Jesus if he would worship him, and of course, Jesus successfully resisted all of those temptations and he told the Devil, "get behind me, Satan for thou shalt worship the lord God and him only shall you serve."
By the way, you find that in Matthew chapter four; first few verses you got the great temptations. You may not know it, friends, but the Devil hasn't changed, and the same three temptations that he gave to Jesus, sort of cover all and any temptation that we might face, all temptation falls under the category of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, same three areas where Adam and Eve fell, and by the way, you find that mentioned in 1 John 2:15. Jesus overcame those great temptations, you and I can overcome too. We have a book we'd like to share with you tonight so you will not be deceived by that great counterfeiter, that great deceiver, the Devil he's a big con artist.
Ross: The book is called "Is it a sin to be tempted?" That's the free offer for this evening, we'd be happy to send it to anybody who calls and asks. The number to call is our resource phone number, that's 800-835-6747 and ask for the book" is it a sin to be tempted?" Again that number is 800-835-6747, and the book is called "is it a sin to be tempted?"
If you have a Bible question the phone line here to the studio again is 800-463-7297 With your Bible question, and we're ready to go to the phone lines, our first call of this evening is Debby, and she is listening in New York on WMCA. Debby, welcome to the programme.
Debby: Yes, good evening, gentlemen, thank you for taking my call. I have two questions tonight, the first comes from Isaiah chapter 65, starting in verse 17 it says, "now look here I'm creating new heavens and a new earth." You read that through until you get to verse 20 and that's where my question is, it says, "never again will a person not live a full life, for the young will live to be a hundred, and any who die earlier will be considered curse." If this is taking place after Jesus comes, when the Lord makes the new havens and earth,how does that verse come to play when the it mentions something about death?
Pastor: You know that's a difficult verse, but do you mind my asking what translation did you just read from?
Debby: The voice.
Pastor: That's probably a paraphrased Bible, one reason this verse is difficult, is because--allow me read it to you from the new king James version, it says, "no more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days, for the child will die a hundred years old, but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed"
Isaiah here is speaking in prosthetic hyperboley about the future and so there is some poetry here, but for one thing when it says, "the child will die a hundred years old" that word there for die is "cease" and it simply means the child will not even cease being a child, until it's a hundred, but the sinner after a hundred years is still accused, and that's like where it says that in Malachi, "you will go forth and tread upon the wicked for they're ashes under the soles of your feet" they're dead and gone but they're considered a curse.
In Daniel chapter 12 it says that when Jesus comes, Michael stands up, it said that there will be a resurrection, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting shame and contempt. or cursing meaning the lost are forever cursed, their names are covers with contempt.
It's a verse that when you take it apart, if I was to put it, not that I want to do my own paraphrase, but if I was to put it in more modern terms, I would say "they'll no longer be heard" that's verse 19 the voice of weeping. In her or the voice of crying no more will an infant from there but live but a few days, no more miscarried babies, no more shall an old man who has not fulfilled his days, no one is going to die prematurely for the child won't even cease being a child till it's one hundred. Now one reason I say that is if you go back in Genesis you'll notice that when people were living hundreds of years some of the early patriarchs did not even get married until they were one hundred.
Obviously they lived longer and they probably grew up more slowly. When these children are resurrected--if we live forever and ever and there will be children in the resurrection the Bible's clear about that, will they stop being children after 13 years or will they maybe grow more slowly because we're to enjoy their childhood for eternity? This is all he's saying and Isaiah talks about the brightness of the sun is going to be seven times brighter and the brightness of the moon will be as bright as the sun is today, he's just saying everything's going to be so much better we can't explain it like what Paul says.
Debby: All right, yes, [unintelligible 00:11:10], well, that’s excellent that’s a very good explanation thank you for that.
Pastor: Thank you, well it is a difficult verse and so it's a good question.
Debby: Okay, the second question is I'm a Sabbath keeper and I just want to know is it wrong to go to a wedding?
Pastor: Well, that's a good question, the Bible says keep the Sabbath holy and someone schedules a wedding on the Sabbath day, certainly marriage is sacred but we all know it might depend on the wedding. I've actually done baptisms I remember doing a baptism on a wedding on the Sabbath which is beautiful but some weddings after the vows people pop the champagne and start dancing it can get weird. If you are not Christians it can be a pretty difficult environment, my family-
Debby: [crosstalk] we just go to the ceremony and not go to the reception.
Pastor: My family has done that before where we had someone that we knew, we wanted to be there and support them but we knew after they weren't believers, we knew that after the wedding vows it was going to maybe get out of hand. We kissed the bride and the groom after the service and we excused ourselves, gave them our gift, so you want to support people you love but it doesn't mean you need to compromise your convictions either.
Debby: Okay. That would be the same for like a wedding shower, anything involves a restaurant you wouldn't go to that even if it gets later?
Pastor: Yes. I'd be uncomfortable going to baby shower, wedding shower that often gets pretty goofy and not that I've been to any bridal showers but [laughs], you know what I mean hey, but I appreciate your questions thank you very much Debbie and-
Debby: Thank you very much for your answers. I appreciate all the help you've given us.
Pastor: All right, God bless.
Ross: Our next caller is Barry listening from North Carolina on WGHW. Barry you’re welcome to the program.
Barry: Thank you.
Pastor: Thank you, your question.
Barry: Where in the Bible does it say, "That the offering first fruits was to be on the third day of Passover or second day of Passover in that Passover I thought they said that somewhere but I lost track and I can’t find it.
Pastor: All right, we’re working on it, do you know that Pastor Ross?
Ross: I'm looking it up right here and seeing if there's a specific day mentioned, it does talk about first fruits in the Leviticus 23 also in Numbers 13:20, we have that in Isaiah, Malachi and in James, specifically where it mentions it being the third day of the Passover.
Pastor: You well you're going to find the Passover in Leviticus 23, Moses spells out the feast someone actually does reading through the Bible I'm just getting through Leviticus and I remember reading that.
Barry: It wasn’t found in Leviticus because-
Pastor: I don't know that it does say what you're saying, I just know that the explanation of the feast surrounding and the days surrounding Passover are found in Leviticus you could start with 23 on and you'll also find-- let me see here in Exodus is it chapter 12 where God establishes the Passover. In Exodus 12 when they come out of Egypt the Lord says this will be the beginning of months for you and I don't know if he talks about the first fruit offering there but let me see here.
Barry: I just have a hazy memory of they started, unspecified whenever the crops came in then later just changed and now betray time, I just can’t find it.
Pastor: Yes, well you know what, we’re going to have to do in some homework on that look it up because, if you just type in the word fruits or first fruits there's quite a few references in the Bible we have to plow through. You're asking a good question but most of the details about that are found in Leviticus, they could almost guarantee you that if it's not in Exodus 12 let’s talk about the Passover being established. It goes into more detail there in Leviticus so you might take a look there, I hope that helps a little bit and-
Barry: Which I chill or I get back to finding it.
Pastor: All right, thanks a lot Barry we will have to give us a chance to look that up and call us back.
Ross: We have Cynthia listening from California listening on 3VN, Cynthia welcome to the program.
Cynthia: Hi, can you hear me?
Pastor: Loud and clear.
Cynthia: Hi.
Pastor: Hi.
Cynthia: I’m so glad I got through and I have a question it’s based on 2 Corinthians Chapter 5:8, we are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord, I know a lot of people think that when we die we leave the body and go to heaven, can you explain that?
Pastor: Well, when the believer dies now a number of Christians believe that as soon as you die you are resurrected, your spirit is somehow with the Lord and it's conscious and you're having an out of body experience and later Jesus comes back and gets the bodies the Bible doesn't really teach that. The Bible teaches that the judgment is still in the future and that rewards are in the future and that would certainly be the joy of being in the presence of the Lord, and the resurrection is in the future. What confuses people is suppose that you're a believer now and as I believe you are, you die and your next conscious thought is going to be the resurrection so as far as you're concerned when you're absent from this physical body your next conscious thought is the presence of the Lord. 10 years, 100 years could go by but it won't seem like that for you it'll be as Paul says the moment the twinkling of an eye, now let me prove that, if you look in Acts chapter two and maybe Pastor Ross will help me find the reference.
Peter's talking about King David and he says that and this is after the resurrection Jesus is in heaven Peter preaching says, "David is dead and buried, his tomb is with us till this day." Then he goes on and says David has not yet ascended into the heavens, a good King David's going to be saved. For David who died about a thousand BC when he went to sleep with his father's it doesn't seem like 3000 years for him till the resurrection, it's going to seem like a moment David's absent from the body next thing he knows is the presence of the Lord. The resurrection hasn't happened yet, the judgment hasn't happened yet, Jesus said during the resurrection of Lazarus your brother will rise in the resurrection in the last day he told Mary and Martha-
Cynthia: Wow.
Pastor: It's the day of a lord, it's in the future.
Ross: Yes, there's two verses go together it's Acts 2:29 where we read man and brethren let me freely speak of the patriarch David that he's both buried, dead and buried he’s tomb is with us to this day. Then verse 34 says for David did not ascend into heaven but he says himself then he quotes from Psalms.
Pastor: Yes, it's actually three times in John Chapter 11 Jesus says, "the resurrection in the last day." He's talking about Lazarus will rise then now Lazarus was dead for four days, if a person dies and they go right to be with the Lord, how would Lazarus feel if Jesus pulled them out of the presence of the Lord put him back in a tomb on earth?
Cynthia: That’s right-
Pastor: That wouldn’t be very nice. There are 12 resurrections the Bible not one of them ever comments on what they experienced during death. The Bible says a living knows they're going to die the dead know nothing that's Ecclesiastes nine. Anyway and we have a lesson Cynthia for you or anybody that wants to know more about what the Bible teaches about this, those verses absent from the body what does it mean? It means just what it says but you got to read it in context, will send you a lesson called are the dead really dead.
Ross: The number to call is 883-567-47 you can ask for the study guide called Are The Dead Really Dead, we also have a website that we would like you to take a look at called deathTruth.com. There’s a lot of information there, a lot of studies and actually some sermons that you can view, deathtruth.com for more on the subject, he next caller is Richard and he’s listening in Stockton California, Richard welcome to the program.
Richard: Yes, Hi Doug, my question is I quote you preach to your blueness face about the Sabbath Day, my question is to you if all these other denominations we’re reading out the same Bible, what verse is keeping all these other denominations from transitioning from Sunday to Saturday? It seems like a no brainer but there has to be something going on, I just can’t figure it out maybe you can help-
Pastor: You’ve asked a question that thousands if not millions have asked, they're saying when I look in the Bible and when I listen to common sense it's one of the 10
Command which is as clear as day, how come the religious leaders don't see this? Your question is actually in the Bible. The religious leaders said, "Why do not any of the Pharisees and the lawyers and the other religious leaders believe in Jesus? If he really was Messiah, how come they don't believe in him?"
Moses said, "Don't follow a multitude to do evil." If we're waiting for the crowd, even a religious crowd, to take a stand for truth, it usually doesn't happen. It shouldn't surprise us the Bible foretold, first of all, God's people on the Old Testament, they forgot the various commands that there. They forgot the commandment about idolatry. Several times God's people turned to idols in the Old Testament. They do it in the church today, sometimes.
In Jeremiah 17, he said, "You've stopped keeping the Sabbath." They'd forgotten it then. That's why after they came back from Babylon, they'd got legalistic about the Sabbath. They just said, "Listen, never forget it again," and they went to the other extreme. Anyway, you're asking a great question. Some of religious leaders do see it and one of the things that convinced me about the Sabbath is because when I would ask religious leaders, "Why are we going to church on Sunday?" They all had a different answer. Some would say quickly, "No questions, Seventh day is Saturday," but we've had a long tradition of worshiping on the first day in honor of the resurrection. I say that's beautiful and the words of now where's the chapter and the verse that tells us to do that. They say, "Well, it's not in the Bible." Our early father just started practicing that. You get all these different answers. Are you going to say something?
Ross: Yes. I was just going to mention a website that deals with this. It's called sabbathtruth.com Along the same lines, Pastor Doug, we just got back from [unintelligible 00:21:49] about a week ago where we did a seven-parts series dealing with the race that God offers his people, especially in the last days and how that relates to the Sabbath and the law of God. Again, that website, dealing with a subject called sabbathtruth.com, but also a last day of prophecy. The whole archive of the seven presentations are there for anybody to take a look at.
Pastor: All right. Thank you Richard. I appreciate your question.
Ross: The next caller is Yolanda listening from The Bronx, New York. Yolanda, welcome to the program.
Yolanda: Yes. Hi.
Pastor : Hi, and your question.
Yolanda: My question is about nutrition. Me and my sister, we were talking about the Bible and my sister said there is life in the blood. That's that. We do not eat animals, we just stick to strict vegetation and fruits. Then, the other I guess you clarified, which was about worshiping on a Saturday or Sunday.
Pastor: Yes, the previous question just talked about that. Let's talk about that verse that says, "If the life is in the blood," maybe pastor also will look that up for me. I think there two or three places. It says it in Genesis, it might be nine, when he talks to Noah. Then of course in Leviticus. If the Bible says that life is in the blood, you're not to eat blood because of that. You have that?
Ross: Yes. Genesis chapter 9:4, "But you should not eat flesh with its life. That is, its blood."
Pastor: Yes, of course, every cell in our body is sustained by blood. Jesus poured out his blood for us. Disease can be transferred between animals through blood very quickly. God said, "if people were going to eat clean meat, they needed to drain blood." Sometimes people call that, "Make sure it's [unintelligible 00:23:47] The idea of eating the blood is forbidden in the Bible. For the folks who think, "Oh, this is some Jewish Old Testament law," the apostles in Acts chapter 15 said it's a New Testament law too. They said, "You shall no eat blood." It's as clear as it can be. New and Old Testament, very clear.
A lot of meat is sold in the markets and I used to have my own meat business, it's killed in a casual way and you can see the blood slashing around in styrofoam from tray with a stake. Most meat is not killed appropriately. They want to keep the color in it. I've been vegetarian since I learned about meat and the meat business 38 years now, and I don't regret it one minute. Biblically, you can eat meat, the Bible calls it the clean meat, but they should be killed without the blood. The blood should be drained.
Ross: We have a study guide dealing with this called, God's Free Health Plan. We'll be happy to send this to anybody who wanted to learn more about the subject. The number to call again for this free offer called, God's Free Health Plan is 800-385-6747. That's 800-385-6747. You can ask for the study guide called, God's Free Health Plan and if you have a Bible question, the number here to the studio is 800-463-7297. 800-463-7297. Our next caller is Ivan listening from Washington.
Ivan: Hello.
Ross: Ivan, there you go. Welcome to the program.
Ivan: Thank you. Thank you for taking my call.
Pastor: You're welcome.
Ivan: I have a question. I was studying with a group of Christians about a month or so ago, and we came across 1st Corinthians 3:16 and 17. They were maintaining that that would be an inappropriate text to use concerning an individual rather than a congregation, the one that speaks of the temple of God. I just want to know what your thoughts are on that.
Pastor: That's one of those verses in the Bible that I think has a dual application because Paul uses that terminology twice. He talks about us being the temple of God physically in our bodies and you can see that in, I think, 1st Corinthians 6:19. Paul says, "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the holy spirit, who you have of God?"
Jesus of course said, "Destroy this temple made with hands and I'll raise one made without hands." He spoke of his body, but it's also true that because the church is the body of Christ that you can to it [unintelligible 00:26:21]
Certainly, it's wrong to defile the temple of God, his church, his people, but it's also wrong to defile your body temple. Another story about that is, and he uses the same words, is in Daniel chapter 1. Daniel refused to defile, he says, his body temple with the fruit if Babylon. It's either way. I think you can apply it.
Ivan: That's the way I thought too, but they were very adamantly thinking you shouldn't use it.
Pastor: I do think that Paul goes back and forth in his application, but both principles apply. If one is true, the other is true also. You are not to defile the temple corporately or individually. The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are Paul, and he says in chapter six of 1st Corinthians which temple you are. I think there might be straining out a [unintelligible 00:27:17] there. Thank you Ivan. I appreciate that. You'd also like the offer on God's Health Plan and Pastor Ross mentioned earlier and that number again then we're going to take a break.
Ross: The number to call is 800-835-6747. That is the resource line. You can ask for the free offer called God's Health Plan, and if you have a Bible question, the number to call is 800-463-7292 with your Bible question.
Pastor: Don't go anywhere friends. More Bible questions coming. You can still call in your question or the second half.
[music]
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Pastor: This is Bible Answers Live. If you have tuned in along the way, it is a live interactive Bible study and we're glad you're part of the family. If you have a Bible question, we still have a couple of lines open, that number, 800-GOD-SAYS. That is 800-463-7297. My name is Doug Bachelor.
Ross: My name is John Ross and Pastor Doug we're ready to go back to the phone lines. Our next caller for this evening is Matt, he's listening in Oklahoma. Matt, welcome to the program.
Matt: How's it going, [unintelligible 00:30:08]
Pastor: Doing good, how are you doing?
Matt: I'm doing great. Thank you for taking my call. I had a question-- I've been looking all over the Bible and I just can't make too much sense of it. If we have to have a microphone nowadays, speak to a hundred of maybe 200 people, in a setting of like a concert or preaching setting. How did God or Jesus get on to the mountaintop and speak to the multitudes? Was there a special way to talk to people's hearts or how did that work?
Pastor: Well [crosstalk] that is a great question. First of all, you can go around the Middle East and you can go around different parts of the world, you can see where the Romans used to build amphitheaters sat thousands, many thousands of people. They understood something about the parabolic shape and how sound travel because they always would make a semi-circle that captured the sound waves.
I don't know where they get the science for this but I was at Caesarea in an auditorium there and people went to the very top. We tested it there. Our tour guide says, "You've got to try this." Someone could whisper down at the bottom and you could hear it up at the top. When Jesus taught one time he went and he asked Peter, he said, "Push your boat out away from the shore. There was probably a semi circle hill above him and he spoke from the boat and everybody heard him.
One of the things is you need a good voice, not everybody can do that. I'll tell you something you'll find very interesting, Matt. There was a preacher named George Whitefield, he was a great revivalist in England in America. Benjamin Franklin talks about him in his autobiography. They wrote a book called Trumpet of the Lord because Whitefield had an incredible voice. They estimate at one time a 100,000 people had heard him speak, no amplifier. It's amazing to me.
I was preaching somewhere once, I think I had like 5,000 people and our mic went out. It was maybe in India with the generator went out and I had to keep talking and you could strain your voice but people back then, they would speak to this large groups and they had incredible voice control people would listen more carefully. There's no question in history that generals and others addressed very large groups.
Ross: Another thought, when Jesus spoke to the multitude, they gather on the mountainside. The world seemed to be a lot quiet in those days than now. If you go outside you're going to hear car, you're going to hear trucks, you're going to hear planes flying over your head but what was the loudest thing back in Bible times? Maybe a donkey passing by or- [chuckles] the mooing of a cow off in a distance.
I think things are a little bit quiet as far as outdoors in that sense and then also as Pastor had mentioned if Christ was against a hill or a mountain and he was able to project his voice upwards people were able to hear. There have been instances where they have been some relay type work happening where somebody will stand close enough to the speaker where they can hear what is being said and then they repeat that to a group that's further away. There were ways that they were able to get large crowds to hear things back in those days. We'll also find in the Old Testament during the time of the exodus that Moses would communicate to the children of Israel and they were large crowd. There was a way they were able to do that.
Pastor: Yes. That's a good point is when army generals did because sometimes they have an army of 50,000 people and he would give orders or pep talk and the heralds would go up the line very quickly and repeat what the orders were. Absolutely. Yes, that's a great question, Matt. I don't think we've had that before and there's probably others out there wondering about that. I know sometimes even in our church, in prayer meeting, we've got 50 people and there's no microphone [laughs] people say they can't hear. We're just pretty used to it these days. Hey, thank you very much for your question.
Ross: We've got Darryl listening from Phoenix, Arizona. Darryl, welcome to the program.
Darryl: Yes, hi.
Pastor: Hi.
Darryl: My question is in reference to Ephesians 5:21 and the word says that, "husband and wives submit yourselves to one another in the fear of the lord." Should there ever be a time when one spouse or the other move away for a year or two to pursue anything?'
Pastor: Well, should there be a time? Well, there certainly has been. There's a lot of people-- a man will go into the military, supposed it could happen with wives as well and they're deployed for long periods of time in some confidential circumstances where it's very painful for the spouse and sometimes the marriages don't survive. I just referred to the reformation, I know missionaries that they take a boat, they didn't have internet or telephone, they take a boat and say, "I'm going on a mission," ventured to America from England. They won't see their wives for 18 months. Whalers used to go to sea. We have such great communication these days that the idea of being out of contact for so long, it certainly not good for marriage. Can a marriage survive if it happens? Yes. Is that ideal? No. I'm not sure if I'm answering your question.
Darryl: More of like separating both family, we both have three boys each and she's taking hers with her, I'm keeping mine with me and yet after she's finished with her translating her diploma to be an American nurse then she'll return back.
Pastor: Well, is your spouse a citizen of another country?
Darryl: She's American citizen now but she was a citizen of Russia.
Pastor: Okay. That's another situation where it is not uncommon. I know people that have married man or woman that are residents in another country and it can sometimes be a long process to get everything taken care of. It's not ideal but- what's at the heart of your question? Are those grounds for divorce? Or are you wondering if-
Darryl: It seems difficult when you're with your spouse [unintelligible 00:36:31] reevaluate her diplomas so she can [unintelligible 00:36:36] secure in the United States. And for her- my youngest child and yet she still says she shouldn't have to deal with that child, that it should be left here with me since it's my child but I felt that it was ours. Yes.
Pastor: Darryl, in listening to what you're saying it sounds like there's something that is unusual there. I would encourage you to get some pastoral counseling there because--yes, that to me would sound suspicious. It's not good to be separated that long. Anyway, we do have a study guide talks about marriage, we'll be happy to send you a free copy of that but when it talks here on Ephesians about submitting to one another, it's talking about being sensitive to the needs of one another and both husbands and wives. Thank you for your call, Darryl and Pastor Ross the study guide on marriage.
Ross: It's called Keys for a Happy Marriage, the number to call is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the study guide called Keys to a Happy Marriage. That's a great Bible study dealing with the subject of marriage. Our next caller is Robby, listening from Huntsville, Alabama. Robby, welcome to the program.
Robby: Yes, thank you for taking my call. I had a question concerning Psalm 23:6 where it says, "Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." I just thought- I was wondering if [unintelligible 00:38:03] always nod at me, I was wondering why goodness and mercy would follow me instead of being in front of me. I'd rather see it coming than going.
Pastor: [laughs]
Robby: Would you kind of-- Really, yes. I did have another question but I can call another time but I'm just curious about that- [crosstalk]
Pastor: Well, let's start with this, Robby. Let's see maybe we'll have time for your second question because I won't take too long with this. I think when David says, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me." You've seen a boat going through the water it leaves a wake and I think we don't know what our experiences been looking forward, we know our experiences been looking back. David means that as I looked back at how God has dealt with me, I will see the goodness and mercy were following me.
Sometimes we don't know while we're going through something that God is being good but as time goes by you look back and say, "I'm glad that God led that way." You can really see the goodness and mercy follow you by looking back.
Robby: Yes.
Pastor: You see what I'm saying?
Robby: Okay.
Pastor: What is your second question?
Robby: I had a question concerning Genesis 9:3 because I know that someone has called about eating meat or-
Pastor: Eating blood, yes.
Robby: -blood or meat eating and I was just curious because in Genesis 9 and 3 it says, "Every moving thing that live shall be food for you," and I was just curious because everybody, some denominations emphasized no meat and things like that but then Jesus helped Peter get fish [unintelligible 00:39:29] after a 12-hour night, bring fish in and when they are sitting down to eat a meal they stay at meat in the AT things like that so I'm wondering about the emphasis of meatless diet or things like that. That's all and thank you so much.
Pastor: Yes, good question. Let me talk about that. There in Genesis 9, first of all, God has already made a distinction to Noah that there are clean animals and unclean and it's so pretty well understood when he said, "Every moving thing shall be food for you. This is of course after the flood. All the vegetation is destroyed. He's not saying that Noah can eat of the unclean animal because they were only taken on the ark by two's meaning that if Noah was eating pork chops and there's only two pigs on the boat, they'd be extinct right now. He was told to take the clean animals by sevens primarily because they could be used as sacrifice and for food. You read the two verses together that makes more sense he's talking about clean animals here. Now, the ideal diet is where you're going to find that God gives their in what's going to be both in Genesis and you'll find it again in Revelation when we eat from the tree of life. It talks about eating from the vine in heaven. In heaven it says, "that the animals do not hurt or destroy the lion and the ox lay down together."
So if the lion is a vegetarian it says a lion licks straw like the ox, then people are certainly vegetarians in heaven and in the garden of Eden so that's the ideal diet for the human body. In science today has thoroughly endorsed and proven that there's a lot less problem and disease and you certainly not going to cholesterol on a vegetarian diet. So that's the ideal if a person's going to eat meat, probably then the bible's pretty clear it should be the clean meat and not the unclean. Peter says, "I've never eaten anything unclean after following Jesus for three and a half years." He says, ""I've never eaten anything unclean." In that vision in chapter 10 in Acts. Again, that book on God's free health plan. You've enjoyed that, really its got the verses in there.
Ross: The number to call is 800-835-6747. You can ask the study guide called God's Free Health Plan. We'll be happy to send that to anybody who gives us a call and asks. You can also by the way do an online school where you can study through all of our lessons including that lesson as well. Our next caller is Roger and he's listening from Syracuse, New York. Roger, welcome to the program.
Roger: Thank you.
Pastor: Hi.
Roger: Thank you for accepting my call. I have a question about a Titus 1:6. Husband and one wife. Does that mean in terms of a pastor or deacon who've been married before or pastor or deacon that's been single can't be a leader of the church?
Pastor: Well. Think first of all what Paul is talking about here is even though the Jews had pretty much given up polygamy by the time Paul writes this, there's still was some polygamy in the kingdom. Some of the people had a wife and they still had a concubine or they would have a slave that was treated like a secondary wife. Paul is talking about that because obviously, if you got a good Christian man, and his wife dies Paul doesn't say you can never be an elder now because you took a second wife. Abraham would not qualify on that standard because after Sarah died, he married Keturah and many other patriarchs. Paul is talking about polygamy there. Any elder in the church was to be a husband of one wife.
Roger: Okay, thank you.
Pastor: All right, thank you very much Roger. Appreciate your call.
Ross: Our next caller is Jeff, listening in Montgomery, Alabama. Jeff, you're on Bible Answers Live.
Jeff: Hey Pastor Doug, thanks for taking my call.
Pastor: Yes, absolutely.
Jeff: Just a follow up on your first [unintelligible 00:43:19] he said, to be asked from the body to be present from the Lord. I just have a couple of, I know the bible doesn't start to deeply tell and I believe that whole-hearted [unintelligible 00:43:35] my mind automatically went back to Jesus was up on the cross and two thieves was in between him.
Pastor: He said to the thief on one side.
Jeff: [crosstalk] today you will be with me in paradise. That leads me back to with Lazarus, the beggar, the rich man's [unintelligible 00:44:02].
Pastor: Well, let's take it one at a time. First of all, the thief on the cross and you'll only find that in the gospel of Luke. I think Pastor Ross has chapter 23 of Luke. There's no punctuation in the original Greek, Jeff. What Jesus says to the thief is, "Verily I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise." He's not saying "Today you'll be with me in paradise." Jesus is saying I'm telling you even though I don't look like a Lord and a king because you said, "Lord remember when you come into your kingdom. I'm making a promise to you today. Well it doesn't look like I haven't anything to give you, you're going to be with me in paradise." Jesus then go to paradise with him that day because Christ died and Sunday morning when Mary comes to worship Him, Jesus tells Mary I've not yet ascended to my Father. So how could Jesus be in paradise with the thief on Friday, when He said I haven't even ascended to my Father until Sunday. Obviously, the Christ was emphasizing today you'll be with me in paradise, He said "I'm telling you today you'll be with me in paradise." Then on the story or the parable and this is in Luke 16, the rich man in Lazarus creates just that.
That's a parable, where Jesus is actually talking even He's using an illustration from Greek mythology about the rich man is in Hades and he looks up and he sees Lazarus. For the whole parable of the rich man Lazarus has nothing to do with what happen when you die. It has to do--if we don't care about the beggar at our gate, we may find in the judgment that even though we were going to church we're in outer darkness and the people who are hungry from the crumbs, they're with the Lord. So does a number of symbols in that story about the drop of water and people in heaven and hell talking to each other and all they say they're going to Abraham's bosom. It's full imagery that you don't take literally. It's a parable.
Ross: Of course it's interesting about that parable in Luke 16:21 is that there's this person called Lazarus. At the end of the story, Lazarus told the rich man says you know I have these siblings, I have these brothers. Some are to rise from the dead and talk to them then they would believe. The message, the last verse of the parable is they have Moses and the prophets if there are only few of them, they won't believe even if somebody's raised from the dead. Now what's remarkable is Jesus was just about ready to raise somebody from the dead, who's name was Lazarus and still the religious leaders refuse to believe. That's really the point to be made in the story.
Pastor: Yes, Jeff. You would really appreciate the book that we offer earlier. Please take a look because it answers these questions and it gives you the verses. Are The Dead Really Dead? and go to the website.
Ross: Okay, our next caller is Philip listening from New York, New York. Philip, welcome to the program.
Philip: Thank you very much. Thanks for taking my call. It means a lot to me. My question is this, who the number of people on your station all of whom press me as biblical scholars say that Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks was one of the most important in the bible. However, now doesn't really explain what was all about. I know it's a complex topic, but could you speak briefly about that?
Pastor: I will do my best, I'm glad you asked.
Philip: Thank you.
Pastor: In the book of Daniel chapter nine, Daniel is praying about how much longer will the people in captivity because he's read the prophecy of Jeremiah that after 70 years they would go home. 70 years have come now and they haven't gone home. While Daniel is praying and asking for mercy on God's people. He's interceding the angel Gabriel comes and gives him one of the important prophecies in the bible about when the Messiah would come. He says 70 weeks are determined or cut off for the Jewish nation. From the going forth of the commandment, I'm doing a quick leak because it's a whole chapter.
Philip: I know it's complex.
Pastor: From the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince will be seven weeks and three score and two weeks. In bible accounting a day is a year in prophecy. So Daniel is saying from the commandment, it's in the book of Ezra the commandment of [unintelligible 00:48:15] for the children of Israel they could go home and rebuild Jerusalem. Ezra 7, that's 457 B.C. If you go for 483 days which is what you would find in 69 weeks, it reaches to 8027 which is when Jesus was baptized. So if you do the math from 457 B.C. you go 483 years, that reaches the 27 A.D.
We know the day Jesus was baptized because it tells us 15th year of Tiberiasis where Pontious Pilate is in Judea it's only one year in history when all those people lined up. That's when the Messiah was anointed with the Holy Spirit when he began His ministry. So three and a half years he preaches in person, three and a half years he preaches through the apostles. Then Steven is stoned at the end of the 70th week. In 34 A.D seven years after the baptism of Jesus, the gospel then goes to the gentiles. So that's a quick overview. What lesson is that we have that has all those verses?
Ross: It's called Right On Time that deals with this prophecy in Daniel chapter nine talking about the 70 weeks and we'll be happy to send that to you Philip or anybody who call and asks the study guide again is called Right On Time. The number to call is 800-835-6747 and ask for the study guide Right On Time.
Pastor: You'll also find I think we've got some videos at the Amazing Facts website where we go through that in a teaching format. Then we take an hour to talk about it.
Ross: Next caller is Jason listening from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Pastor: Jason, hi. Welcome.
Jason: Thank you for taking my call. I've heard growing up as a Christian I've heard talks of the preacher rapture and then I've heard that Christians would have to go through the Tribulation. I was wondering where do we stand on that?
Pastor: Well there's good Christian on both sides. Pastor Ross and I would be in a group that believes that the Second Coming that are being caught up meeting the Lord in the year happens after the Tribulation and here's some verses Jesus said, "He that endures to the end would be saved." Christ said, "You'll be hated of all nations for my name's sake but then he'll send forth his angels with a voice of a trumpet and gather together and select." He says, "unless those days be shortened no flesh would be saved." God's people are surviving through a trial. Paul says, "it is through much Tribulation we entered the kingdom of God." God does not save Job from tribulation, he saves him through it, he saved Shadrach, Meshach andAbednego through the fiery furnace, Daniel is saved through the Lion's den, Job is saved through his troubles, Joseph is saved through his trials, Noah is saved through the flood and God is going to save his people through the tribulation, not from it. And so, the idea that we're caught up before the tribulation I think is inconsistent with the bulk of the verses that deal with the subject in the bible. The Tribulation is anonymous with the seven last plagues in Revelation 15:16 and I think Pastor Ross the last plague is Christ coming.
Ross: Absolutely.
Pastor: Yes. so it talks about the great earthquake in hail and we don't have to be afraid of the plagues God will preserve us and one more verse Daniel Chapter 12 it says, "Michael will stand up and they'll be a time of trouble such as there never has been even under that same time and at that time my people will be delivered." There is a time of trouble coming I think the church is going to be here I think a lot of Christian had been deceived and to thinking we're going to get caught away and we don't have to go through it. God says we're going to be saved through fiery trials. Peter said don't be amazed at the fiery trials that will try your faith.
Book where I've got most of those verses I'll just give you Jason I'll send you a free copy. It's about the Second Coming and the Tribulation it's called Anything but Secret, meaning the coming of the Lord is we are going to be caught up, there was a rapture of sorts but it's not a secret. Anything but Secret we'll send you a free copy, it talks about the Tribulation just call the resource number.
Ross: The number to call again is 800-835-6747 you can ask for that book called Anything but Secret and we'll be happy to send that to anybody who calls and asks. Well Pastor Doug looks like we have maybe time to try and get one more call and we have Kenny listening from Paradise California. Kenny, we have maybe 2 minutes left before we run out of time.
Kenny: Okay, real quickly. I don't understand why on Psalm 137 David says, "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." The other one is why did David chop off the head of Goliath? I think if Jesus had could have lifted the stone he would have taken and try to convert them.
Pastor: Yes. Well first of all wherein Goliath was hit in the head with a stone if David had not killed Goliath, the Philistines would have engaged the army and there would have been a lot more bloodshed. David needed to demonstrate Goliath wasn't getting back up. Goliath had been mocking the God of Heaven, it was a war and David's job was to dispatched this giant enemy then otherwise Goliath would have kept coming back after them. So that's an easier question, your harder question is one word says I think it's Psalm maybe 127 and "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, we wept, when we remembered Zion." It says the children of this would have been decimated by the Babylonians they'd killed their children and it wasn't--by the way that Psalm is not written by David 'cause David was dead long before that all happened but it is one of the Psalms and it says, " Happy is he that dasheth thy little ones against the stones." I think it's just talking about happy is the one who sees the vengeance on those who destroy his will it's a difficult verse. I'm out of time though friends, so I'm just going to pick up some more questions in next week. Thank you for listening. Don't go away until you hear me say go to our website amazingfacts.org.
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Speaker: We grew up in a church-going family. We're at every meeting I'm singing for the choirs there I directed three, very involved very active. It almost seems like busy work sometimes. I went to Sunday school I knew about God I knew about Jesus but I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. My senior year in high school I got the news, my father had been murdered. I played it off well, no one really saw that I was struggling with it. It just really felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled and I tried to fill it with drugs, alcohol with partying after college I just stopped going to church altogether. One day on a Sunday 'cause I didn't feel like going to church with my mom I thought I should get a little bit of word. She had the satellite system how daffing I'm flipping through channel and then the logo pops across Amazing Facts presents, I've listened to a lot of different ministries but hey this was the first time and he's actually saying something where I had to grab my bible I actually picked it up and I never heard this before let me look through and find this.
I went through all the historicals I went through all the study guides and I just couldn't get enough and then this saboth came up and he's going through the appeal while I'm just going "Lord I hear you" I have to go to church so I showed up it was funny I didn't feel like I was going to be judge anything judgmental, anything. I walked in the door and I just felt at home but there's still a problem I'm still partying. I was still going out to the bars. At this time I was selling cocaine to pay my rent. 16 days later I find myself in a life and death situation I just came back from a liquor store and I grabbed a bottle of vodka and there I am high of cocaine with my bible in hand trying to do a bible study. And I heard an out of blue voice "Just look at yourself" and I did and I was like "what am I doing?" and I got on my knees and I said "Lord if you do not take this away from me now I'm going to kill myself I was going to continue this lifestyle and I was going to end up overdosing having a heart attack whatever it was, you have to take this away all of it". In that day, he lifted all over away from me, it was all gone. With God, there's something in your life he does it complete.
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