Speaker: Welcome to
Bible Answers Live where you get honest answers to your Bible questions. Let's face it, it's not always easy to understand everything you read in the Bible. With 66 books and more than 700,000 words, the Bible can generate a lot of questions. If you'd like answers to your Bible questions, you've come to the right place. Now, here's your host, Pastor Jean Ross, vice-president of evangelism for
Amazing Facts.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hello, friends. How about an amazing fact? The record for hiding away from family and friends was made by young Chinese college student by the name of Cheng Lum. He was studying engineering at the University of Michigan but was doing very badly in physics and math. If his studies did not improve, he'd have to leave school, quit his job as janitor at the Ann Arbor First Methodist Church and take humiliating news of his academic failure back to his father who was a school teacher in Singapore. Finally, one day, in October 1955, Cheng disappeared. His friends including the Reverend Eugene Ransom, pastor of the church, called the police but they found no clues.
Cheng's Methodist friends had another mystery to ponder. Strange bumping noises that came out of the deserted church at night. Early one morning, four years after Cheng's disappearance, a pair of private detectives called by Reverend Ransom, heard a trap-door to the church attic slam. Together with police, they climbed up, swept their flashlights about the attic and there crouched above them in the rafters was Cheng. For four years, the attic of the church had been his home. The bumping noises had been Cheng skipping rope to keep in shape. During the day, he slept on padding from a pew and at night, he walked around the church and helped himself to food from the church kitchen.
Physically, Cheng seemed unaffected by his home, its existence. But as police hauled him off to county jail, his four year pre-occupation with loss of face, suddenly vanished. "I've been a coward", he said. "I'm glad I was found." Now, did you know, friends, that the Bible speaks of a time when the devil will be forced to live the life of a hermit? Well, stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
Speaker: You're listening to Bible Answers Live, honest answers to your Bible questions. Our phone lines are now open. If you have a Bible-related question, call us at 1-800-GOD-SAYS. That's 1-800-463-7297. Let's get to our first Bible question with Pastor Doug Batchelor and our co-host, Pastor Jean Ross.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hello, friends. This is Pastor Jean Ross. Pastor Doug is out this evening but this is Bible Answers Live. If you have a Bible-related question, we would love to hear from you tonight. Our phone lines are open. It's a good time to pick up your phone and give us a call. The number here to the studio is 1-800-463-7297. Again, I hope you're ready. 800-463-7297 or 800-GOD-SAYS. If you have a Bible question, this is a good time to call. We'd love to hear from you this evening. I'm going to give you that number one more time. We have the phone lines beginning to light up. We have 800, is the number, 463-7297, with your question, 800-463-7297.
Well, before we get to the questions this evening, I'm talking a little bit about the amazing fact that we opened the program with, let's just bow our heads for a word of prayer. Dear father, whenever we come to the Bible, we recognize that we need the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us. The Bible is your book. It was inspired by the Spirit and we ask for the Spirit once again to come and guide our minds and our thoughts. Lead us into truth for we asks this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, friends, we opened the program by talking about a young man by the name of Cheng Lum, who was back in 1955, a student in Michigan who suddenly disappeared.
We'll come to find out he was actually hiding out in the attic of the church that he was cleaning during the week. He was embarrassed to take the news of his academic failure back to his father who lived in Singapore. Well, it's interesting. When I read this fact, I thought of a Bible verse found in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation that talks about a time period when the devil will be forced to live the life of a hermit. Now, of course, the devil won't be bound in the attic of a church but he is bound in something that the Bible calls, the bottomless pit. Let me read you the verse.
You'll find it in Revelation chapter 20, beginning here in verse one. "Then I saw another angel coming down from heaven having a key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand." Verse two says, "And he laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent, that serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up, and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more, til the thousand years were finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little season."
See, here we find in Revelation chapter 20 this time period, sometimes referred to as the "millennium" or "the thousand years" where the devil is bound in the bottomless pit. Now, you might be wondering well, "What marks the beginning of this time period? What is the bottomless pit?", and "What does it mean, at the end of a thousand years he must be released for a little season?" Well, we have a study guide that deals with the subject of the millennium. It's called A Thousand Years of Peace, and it talks about what begins that time period, which is the second coming of Christ. It talks about events during the thousand years and what happens at the end of that millennial period.
If you'd like to receive a free copy of our study guide, all you need to do is call our resource phone number. The phone number for our resource line is 800-835-6747. That's 800-835-6747, and you're going to ask for the study guide called A Thousand Years of Peace. We'll be happy to send this to anybody who calls and asks. You can also go to the Amazing Facts website. Just amazingfacts.org and you can read the lesson for free there, as well, amazingfacts.org. If you have a Bible question, once again, the phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Our first caller this evening is Michael, listening from Henderson, Kentucky. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: Hi, how are you?
Pastor Jean Ross: Doing well. Your question this evening?
Michael: Yes. What does hell look like and how hot is hell?
Pastor Jean Ross: Okay. Well, the question is, "How hot are the fires of hell?" Well, if you study what the Bible has to say about this, really, the subject of hell in the Bible deals with the destruction of the wicked. We'd find in Malachi chapter 4:1, this is the last book of the old testament. Then we'll go to a new testament book here in just a minute. But Malachi 4:1 says, "For behold, the day is coming", so it's speaking of a future event. "Burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, and all who do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day which is coming shall burn them up, sayeth the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."
So here in the old testament, the Bible spoke of a time when the wicked would be burned up then is destroyed. That is what hell is all about. It's the destruction or the cleansing of the earth from sin and sinners. We also read in Revelation chapter 20, which is that passage that we opened the program with, talking about that 1,000 year period. It says in Revelation chapter 20 that, "At the end of that time period, the wicked surround the city of God that is the new Jerusalem, and fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them." So the wicked mountains attacked upon the new Jerusalem, fire comes, devours them. The fire that destroys the wicked purifies the earth. Then in Revelation 21, you read how that God creates a new heavens and a new earth. Does that help, Michael?
Michael: Thank you. Yes, it did.
Pastor Jean Ross: All right. We do have a study guide called Is The Devil In Charge of Hell? and we'll be happy to send that to you, Michael. Anybody wanting to learn more of the what the Bible says on the destruction of the wicked. The number for that resource is 800-835-6747 and you're going to ask for the study guide called Is The Devil In Charge of Hell?. We'll be happy to send that to you. The phone line here to the studio with your Bible question for tonight is 800-463-7297, 800-463-7297. Our next caller is Gary, listening in Houston, Texas. Gary, you on the air?
Gary: Hi. Good evening, Pastor Ross.
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes, hello. Your question this evening?
Gary: Hi. Okay, it has to do with cleanliness. You know we have this saying, "Cleanliness is next to godliness". So I'm wondering, in relation to the Sabbath, do you need to be bathed, washed, showered, however you want to interpret it, to welcoming the Sabbath? If you can have the same clothes on that you've been in the same day, all day in, or do those clothes need to be changed before you welcome in the Sabbath?
Pastor Jean Ross: Good question. Well, in the old testament, we read of God calling Israel to a special time of celebration or a solemn gathering, or a Sabbath. There were certain ceremonial Sabbaths that came once a year. For example, the Day of Atonement. There were certain instructions given to the Israelites as to how they would prepare for the solemn days, these feast days. One of the instructions that was given was that they were to wash and they were to put on clean clothes. Now, you can imagine back in Bible times, especially while the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness, they didn't have a whole lot of changes of clothes.
Water was probably hard to come by so bathing wasn't something that happened on a daily basis. They had a lot of livestock, cattle, sheep and alike. They were out herding the sheep so you can imagine what the dust and the dirt, how dirty a person must have gotten. But in preparation for the Sabbath, because it was a special day, and it was a day to meet with God, the Israelites were to prepare. They were to clean their tents, their habitations, they were to clean their clothes. They were to bathe, they were to be ready to meet God. I think the principle is still very valid today.
Prior to the Sabbath, during the Bible, Friday was called the Preparation Day. There was preparations made for the Sabbath. Food was being prepared and clothes were being prepared. So when the Sabbath began at sunset, everything was in order and clean. I think the principle is still valid today.
Gary: So you think even when Jesus blotted out the ordinance that were nailed against us. I know they talked about they had to wash before they came into the tabernacle. I'm just wondering, just daily events you see on a weekly basis where people come and they go to choir practice straight from work, so they've had no time to change or shower and yet they're coming into sanctuary and they have not bathed and they still have the same clothes on.
Pastor Jean Ross: Sure. No, I think there are practical aspects of that and we meet during the week for a Bible study at the church. It's not practical for somebody to be able to go home, and change, and take a shower, and get there. Often the work involved being in an office where you are wearing nice clothes and you're not working in the field, so to speak. It is nothing wrong in coming in your work clothes to a gathering of the church. But, in preparation for the Sabbath or the holy hours, they need to be preparation done at home. In the family.
Of course, if a person comes to church on the Sabbath, and you're going to be meeting with God for corporate worship, you want to put on your best. You don't want to come with shorts and flip flops and a t-shirt to meet with God. So, the principle there of recognizing and showing respect for God when you meet with him, is a very valid principle.
Gary: Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it. I just needed some insight. I guess the main principle saying that you should make your best effort to be fresh for the Sabbath but it's not always going to be possible-
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes, absolutely. I wouldn't say allow that to hinder you from coming to church on Sabbath. If you don't have time to get a clean pair of clothes or whatever the case might be, don't let that stop you from coming to church. But, it's good to try and prepare for it. It makes the Sabbath special when we put some effort into preparing for it. I know in our home, we always like to get the house clean on Friday afternoon so everything is neat and clean and we welcome the Sabbath Friday evening. It's just creates a wonderful atmosphere within the family. Everything is neat and in place.
Gary: Okay. Last question [inaudible 00:13:43]. I know that I'm taking too much time, but let's say they Thursday night, you were fresh for Friday morning then you did all your activities and then you're going to enjoy Bible study or fellowship with people. This is one of my friend's question but, would you have to make-
Pastor Jean Ross: Do you have to bathe again? No, I don't think so, I don't think so. Again, in our society today, most people will bathe two, three times a week. Some people take a shower everyday. I think most people do. It was a little different back in Bible times. It was a lot harder to bathe. You had to find water. You have to carry it to the house. You have to warm it up if it was cold. It's so much easier today, you just turn on the shower. So the way we live is a little different but I think the principle is there that if we want to be neat and clean, and ready for the Sabbath. Does that help, Gary?
Gary: Yes, it definitely helped. I appreciate that, Pastor Ross.
Pastor Jean Ross: All right. Thanks so much for your call. We do have a study guide dealing with the Sabbath and it's called The Last Day in History. Sometimes, people wonder well, "How do we keep the Sabbath?" and, "Is the Sabbath really important for Christians today?" Well, our study guide deals with that, The Last Day of History. We'll be happy to send it to anybody who calls and asks. Again, the number is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the study guide called The Last Day in History. Again, the resource phone number is 800-835-6747.
And if you have a Bible question, the phone line here to the studio for our program this evening is 800-463-7297. Again, that's 800-463-7297. Our next caller is Billy, listening from South Carolina. Billy, welcome to the program.
Billy: How are you?
Pastor Jean Ross: Very well.
Billy: My question is with Revelation 14:6 and seven. I don't know if you want to read it or you'd rather me read it, or-
Pastor Jean Ross: You know what, I got it right here. Let me read it. You're asking about verse six and seven?
Billy: Yes sir.
Pastor Jean Ross: Revelation 14:6,7, "Then I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those that dwell upon the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgement has come; and worship him that made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water".
Billy: Yes sir. My question would be, as I've learned that the gospel pretty much stands for good news, right?
Pastor Jean Ross: Absolutely.
Billy: Okay. As well as I see the creation is in, with verse number seven, I would have to say is I'm reading, I understand. Creation being in heaven, earth, the sea, and the springs of water, that have to [inaudible 00:16:40]. Jesus’ stayed the beginning and the end, I've always thought that the gospel, when we say God's word, we just stick to Matthew [inaudible 00:16:55] John but some understand it from cover to cover.
Pastor Jean Ross: Sure. Billy, your phone's breaking up there a little bit but I think I got the gist of your question, "What does the gospel entail?" Here we have the first angel's message, Revelation 14, it's talking about the everlasting gospel that is to preach to all the world, to every nation, tribe, tongue and people. Then it goes on to say, "Fear God, give him glory, the hour of his judgement's come." Is that part of the gospel? Well, yes it is. The word gospel means 'good news' and the good news is about salvation found in Christ through his atoning sacrifice.
But the gospel also involves the teachings of Jesus, the things that Jesus said. So, it's not only his substitution with death on Calvary, that's definitely part of the gospel, but the teachings of Jesus. That's also part of the gospel. Jesus said, "The time is come that we need to worship the Father in spirit and in truth" The first angel's message is a amplification of what it is to worship God in truth. It's interesting to know it here in the three angel's messages. We have the first angel, that talks about true worship that says, "Worship the creator, the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and the fountains of water" and then, we have the third angel's message, in verse nine, that warns us about false worship.
It says, "If anyone worships the beast or its image, or receives his mark on his forehead, shall drink the wine of the wrath of God". Then the second angel talks about Babylon being fallen, and that is mystical Babylon. It represents a religious, political power at the end. So, yes, the three angel's messages is part of the gospel because it talks about true worship, warns us about false worship, and also brings to view who the key players are at the end.
Now, salvation comes through Christ. We receive Jesus as our personal savior. Once we received that gift of salvation, then it is our desire to heed his teachings and do those things that are pleasing to him. Does that makes sense, Billy?
Billy: Yes, sir. And just dealing with that question, Genesis 1:26, it talks of creation.
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes.
Billy: Where God created man and woman. In the end, in Revelation 22:12, Jesus says he's the beginning and the end. I'm out here in the world trying to share God's word with truth and not feel bad in a way that how we're to be humble when we share his word. You know what I mean?
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes, absolutely. We recognize that not everybody has a understanding that you might have or I might have from the Bible. So, we want to start with people where they are. The Bible does answer all of the big questions in life but you can't give all the answers right away. Jesus said to his disciples that there are many things that I have to tell you but you cannot receive it now. Even in witnessing and in evangelism, there are many things but we want to share it bit by bit so a person is able to grasp it and understand it. Now, Billy, we do have a study guide that deals with the three angels' messages.
It's called Angel Messages From Space. It looks specifically at Revelation chapter 14. We'll be happy to send this to you or anybody who calls and asks. Our resource phone number is 800-835-6747 and you're going to ask for the study guide called Angel Messages From Space. A Fascinating Study. Again, 800-835-6747. That is the resource phone line. Ask for the study guide Angel Messages From Space.
You can also read it for free online at the Amazing Facts website amazingfacts.org. If you have a Bible question, the phone line here to the studio again is 800-463-7297. 800-463-7297. Our next caller is Nancy listening from Michigan. Nancy, welcome to the program.
Nancy: Hello.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hi. How are you?
Nancy: I'm fine. Actually, I came across you on the radio and I actually forgot because I'm watering plants. You shocked me with something you were talking about and then, I couldn't remember it. The time man on the line said, "Do you have any other questions?" which I do. Do animals and particularly dogs go to heaven? And I want scriptures to back that.
Pastor Jean Ross: Okay. The question is, "Do our pets go to heaven?" Our dogs and our cats. Now, there's no verse in the Bible that specifically says that your pet will be in heaven. We do know that there will be animals in the new Earth. We read in Isaiah chapter 11 verse 6, it says, "The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and the little child shall feed them".
It's talking about the new Earth. It's talking about heaven. You're going to have animals there but the animals in heaven are going to be very different in personality to the animals here, meaning they won't be aggressive. The lion will be able to be with the lamb, and that kind of thing. There will be animals. Now, specifically though, is our pets going to be in heaven? The Bible doesn't say. But, God is a God of love. I think all of us have very fond attachments to our pets.
I know, growing up, I really loved my dog. We'd spend hours together playing and when he died, it was a terrible blow to me when I was growing up as a little boy. I prayed. I said, "Lord I sure hope that Patty's going to be in heaven one day". Now, I don't know if Patty will be in heaven but it's quite possible that a dog very similar to the one that I had, with the same personality and character traits, could be in heaven. But the Bible doesn't specifically say that our pets are going to be in heaven.
Nancy: Thank you. Thank you very much.
Pastor Jean Ross: All right. Absolutely. Thank you for calling, Nancy. Again, the phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. If you have a Bible question, 800-463-7297. If you call and you don't get through right away, just stay on. We want to try and hear from you this evening. Our next caller is Gary. I think we got Gary-- Greg. Greg listening in New Jersey. Hi, Greg. Welcome to the program.
[silence]
Pastor Jean Ross: Greg, you're on the air.
Brad: Brad.
Pastor Jean Ross: Oh it's Brad? Hi, Brad. Welcome to Bible Answers.
Brad: How are you doing?
Pastor Jean Ross: Doing very well, thanks.
Brad: That's well. I was studying the Book of Prophecies 1, King James version. It says in the King James Bible and it was talking about the terrestrial beings, if I pronounced that right. My question was do you believe that UFOs and angels are the same?
Pastor Jean Ross: Okay. Good question. The Bible is very clear that there is life outside of planet Earth. Of course, the Bible speaks of God who created the Earth. God existed before the Earth was created before mankind. The Bible speaks of angels. We know that there are good angels. We also know that there are bad angels. The leader of the bad angels is Satan himself. But in addition to the angels, there is a hint in a couple places in the Bible.
I'm thinking of the Book of Job and also the beginning of the Book of Hebrews that talks about a group and refers to them as the Sons of God. Job talks about this gathering of the Sons of God and Satan came. God said, "Where did you come from?", and Satan said, "From walking up and down on the Earth." Then God said, "Have you considered my servant Job?" Satan came as a representative of planet Earth. It appears that they could very well be representatives from unfallen worlds who were there, at least recorded in the story of Job. Hebrews mentions that there are worlds and it uses the plural form. Not only do we have our world but it appears as though there are other worlds.
Now, I think the other created beings are very much aware of what's happened here on Earth. They're not visiting us in UFOs. They don't have to come in a UFO. They are aware of what's happening. We know the angels are involved here on this Earth, involved in protecting the good. We know that the bad angels are there to try and tempt. There is this cosmic conflict that is taking place. I think the devil might use the idea of UFOs or a life outside of the Earth to try and mislead and deceive. But, according to the Bible, any intelligent life outside of planet Earth is very much aware of the great controversy that's taking place here.
Brad: Yes. I'm glad I talked to you. That answered my question. Thank you very much.
Pastor Jean Ross: All right. Thanks for calling. We do have a book called Who Are Tthe Sons of God? It talks about this group that's referred to in the Book of Job and you'll also read about it in Hebrews. We'll be happy to send this to anybody who calls and asks. It's a fascinating study. Just call our resource phone number. The number is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the book called Who Are The Sons of God? Again, that's 800-835-6747. If you have a Bible question, the phone line here is 800-463-7297. Again, that's 800-463-7297. We've got a few lines that are open. Great opportunity to pick up your phone and give us a call.
Friends, also, let me remind you about the free offer for this evening. The free offer is a study guide dealing with the 1,000-year period that you read about in the Book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 20. There is much confusion today about this particular passage, the Millenium. Some people are wondering, "Does this thousand-year of peace take place with the people here on the Earth? Will the righteous be on the Earth? Will the wicked be on the Earth? What does it mean that the devil's going to be bound in this bottomless pit? What happens at the end of the thousand years? What do we read abut the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven in Revelation chapter 21?"
This study guide gets right into that. It gives you a lot of scripture and I think you'll find it very helpful. Again, the number to call is 800-835-6747. You can ask for our free offer for this evening called A Thousand Years of Peace. We'll be happy to send that to anybody who calls and asks. Friends, we're about half-way through our program. If you have a Bible question, give us a call. The number is 800-463-7297 with your Bible question. We'll be right back.
Speaker: Stay tuned. Bible Answers Live will return in a moment.
Speaker 2: Throughout recorded history, tales of ghosts and spirits can be found in folklore in nearly every country and culture. Egyptians built pyramids to help guide the spirits of their leaders. Rome sanctioned holidays to honor and appease the spirits of their dead. Even the Bible tells of a king that used a witch to contact the spirit of a deceased prophet. Today, ancient folklore of spirits and apparitions have gone from mere superstitions to mainstream entertainment and reality.
Scientific organizations investigate stories of huntings and sightings trying to prove, once and for all, the existence of ghosts. Even with all the new-found technology and centuries of stories all over the world, there is still no clear-cut answer. How do we know what's true? Why do these stories persist? Does it even matter? We invite you to look inside and find out for yourself. Visit deathtruth.com.
Speaker: Every Bible question you have answered moves you one step closer to the fullness of God's will for your life. What are you waiting for? Get the answers you need for a fuller, richer, more confident life. You're listening to Bible Answers Live. We still have a few phone lines open. If you have a Bible related question call us at 1-800-GOD-SAYS. That's 1-800-463-7297. Now let's join Pastor Jean Ross for more Bible Answers Live.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hello friends. Yes, this is Bible Answers Live and we'd love to hear from you. If you have a Bible related question, we’ve had some great questions in the first half of the program. We're looking forward to some great Bible questions in the second half as well. The phone line once again, if you didn't get it during that break is 800-463-7297. 800-GOD-SAYS. That's 463-7297. We're going to go straight to the phone lines. We've got Billy Fay listening in Texas. Billy Fay, welcome to the the program.
Billy: Yes sir.
Ross: Hi, you’re on the air.
Billy: My question is, when the antichrist is on the Earth, will he be aware of the fact that he is the antichrist?
Pastor Jean Ross: Wel, that's a good question. Let me answer it this way. When the Apostle Paul, prior to his conversion his name was Saul. He was going around persecuting the Christians and he actually thought that he was doing God's will when he was persecuting the Christians and it took that experience on the road to Damascus to really help him realize what he was doing. I think at the end of time there will be those who really believe that they're doing the will of God and will actually be involved in persecuting those who are worshipping God in spirit and in truth.
There will be those also who might have some questions about what they're doing but for selfish gain. They pursuing power or influence or money and they go along with these laws that have to do with worship and end up persecuting those who refuse to contradict the Bible teachings. As far as the antichrist specifically, the devil is a master deceiver. He's going to try to deceive as many people as possible. The Bible tells us that because people do not receive a love of the truth, God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie.
This is the Second Thessalonians. If somebody rejects the truth or rejects the teachings of the Bible, they are opening themselves up to being deceived by these deceptions of the last days. Did that help any?
Billy: Okay, some. I really still don't feel like I know yes or no but that’s cleared up some. Thank you very much.
Pastor Jean Ross: Specifically the antichrist, what he thinks we don't know but we do know the power that's represented by the antichrist and what it will do. I think it's more than just a person. It's a institution, it's an organization at the end that tries to enforce a certain type of worship. It's more than just one person. We do have a study guide specifically dealing with the antichrist called Who Is The Antichrist? and I think you'll enjoy this study. You'll find rather eye opening I'm sure. The number to receive that free study guide is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide called Who Is The Antichrist? Again it's 800-835-6747. Ask for the study guide Who Is The Antichrist?
If you have a Bible question the phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Our next caller is Raymond listening from the Virgin Islands. Raymond, welcome to the program. Raymond you're on the air. You there?
Raymond: Yes man.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hi and welcome.
Raymond: Well, I'd just like to say good night to you and Mr. Doug.
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes, well thank you.
Raymond: And I'm calling from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. My name is Raymond [inaudible 00:34:01].
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes, Raymond. Your question this evening.
Raymond: I have to say your program has been a blessing to me. I have a question about a Sabbath. It’s a two part question. I would like to know if we have to keep the Sabbath to be saved? And for the people who is not keeping the Sabbath and they know is the Sabbath. If Jesus has to come today, what would happen to them?
Pastor Jean Ross: Let's take the first part of the question. The question is do you have to keep the Sabbath to be saved? Well, according to the Bible, what does a person have to do in order to receive salvation? The Bible says that we need to confess our sins and we need to receive Jesus as our personal Savior. That's what we have to do in order to be saved. We confess our sins, we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior but when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are not only accepting him as our sacrifice and substitute, but we're also accepting him as our Lord and King.
Meaning that we’re going to want to do what Jesus asks us to do. The Sabbath is one of the commandments. It's the fourth commandment, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. The Sabbath is a blessing. Jesus said, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is to be a blessing to mankind and I want to encourage those who perhaps have never really thought about the Sabbath to study it out. Take a look at what the Bible has to say. It is indeed a great blessing for those who choose to keep it. But, salvation is a gift and we receive that by faith in Jesus.
There's nothing we could do to try to earn salvation but when we have salvation and we know what God's will is, we will want to do those things that are pleasing in his sight. The Sabbath is just one of them. There are several things that God wants us to do so that we can live a healthy, happy, holy life and be a good example to others. Does that help, Raymond?
Raymond: Yes it does.
Pastor Jean Ross: Absolutely. You asked another question, what about people who love the Lord and on keeping the Sabbath now, does that mean they’re saved? Well, if they receive Jesus and they’re trusting in him and they are seeking to please him, well yes, absolutely. They're covered by the blood of Christ but what happens if you read the Bible and you read the commandments and you begin to wonder, "What about the fourth commandment?" Is it what God wants me to do? Well, Yes. God wants us to keep his commandments. Matter of fact, Revelation 12:17 talks of God's people at the end of time and says, “Here are they who keep the commandments of God and they have the testimony of Jesus”.
Each of us individually want to ask ourselves, "Are we doing those things that are pleasing to God?" All right, does that help?
Raymond: It kind of helps. Let me ask you this other question. If I know Saturday is a true Sabbath, and Jesus has to come today, that would make me-
Pastor Jean Ross: Everybody is judged based upon what you know. The truth is that we could die today or tomorrow and our probation ends. We are judged based upon what we have done with the truth that God has revealed to us. Each person has to give an account of himself before God. What have we done with what we know to be right? That's the real question.
Raymond: Thank you very much.
Pastor Jean Ross: All right. Thank you for your call, Raymond. For anybody wanting to learn more about the Sabbath message or Sabbath truth that we read about in the Bible, we’ll be happy to send it to you. We have a study guide called Last Day of History. Indeed it is a blessing and I encourage you to receive that study guide and study it out. The number to call is 800-835-6747. That is the resource line and you can ask for the study guide called A Last Day of History. Again 800-835-6747. With your Bible question here to the studio, the number is 800-463-7297. 800-463-7297. Our next caller is Steve listening from Georgia. Steve, welcome to the program.
Steve: Yes thank you. I'm calling a reference to Romans 8:6,8 the carnal mind. Just read it very quickly and I have a question. The carnal mind is death but to be spiritually mind of his life in peace because the carnal mind is empty against God, for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be, and they there are in the flesh cannot please God. Are we talking about being able to control your thoughts which sometimes can be awfully difficult?
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes absolutely. When a person receives Jesus as his personal Savior, we receive what the Bible refers to as a spiritual nature or a new heart. When we receive a spiritual nature or a new heart that doesn't mean that the carnal nature or the selfish heart suddenly disappears. What happens when we receive Jesus as our Savior is we begin to experience a great controversy taking place in our own hearts and minds. You have the carnal nature struggling with the spiritual nature, and the spiritual nature struggles with the carnal nature. We need to make a choice, and this choice is something we make every day.
Who we going to trust? Are we going to follow the spiritual nature or the Holy Spirit? Are we going to do those things that we know God wants us to do? Or are we going to give in to the flesh and do those things that the carnal nature would want us to do? We can't win this battle on our own for it is impossible. Jesus said, "Without me you can do nothing". But with Him, all things are possible. It's through the humbling of ourselves, it's through coming to Christ sincerely in prayer. It's spending time getting to know Jesus and trusting in Him by faith, we receive spiritual strength that enables us to withstand the carnal nature and to build up the spiritual nature.
The good news is, as we trust more and more in Jesus. As we hold to truth and the spiritual nature is strengthened, the carnal nature gets weaker and weaker and that's encouraging. The battle doesn't always go on as intently as it might be now but as we humble ourselves and surrender to Christ the spiritual nature gets stronger and stronger.
Steve: It’s like two dogs that don't get your feed is the one that gets stronger?
Pastor Jean Ross: Absolutely. That's a good analogy. If you have the, so to speak, the carnal nature and the spiritual nature dog and you're going to feed that carnal nature all week long with the things of this world. Then you try to feed the spiritual nature for just a couple hours in church, once a week and then the two natures go at it and you wonder why the spiritual nature always loses. Well, it's because we're not feeding the spiritual nature. We want to fill our minds and our hearts with the things of God's word so that those spiritual natures can become strong.
Steve: We could use the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Also it tells us that if we be excited in Jesus' name that he will flee and God cannot lie, so we can rely on that promise among other promises too.
Pastor Jean Ross: Absolutely, of course claim the promise where Paul says, “I can do all things in Christ Jesus that strengthens me". These are precious promises that if we serious about our Christian experience, we're going to need to cling to these promises and claim them and hold on to them and spend time in communion with God. That's the secret of spiritual power for the Christian.
Steve: I see, all right, thank you very much. You've been helpful and most enlightening.
Pastor Jean Ross: Absolutely. Thanks for your call. Our next call is Mark and he's listening in Maryland. Mark, welcome to the program.
Mark: Hi. Good evening sir.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hi.
Mark: Hi, I had a question from the Book of Revelation. I might have a second question as well.
Pastor Jean Ross: Sure.
Mark: Could I read the verse?
Pastor Jean Ross: Absolutely.
Mark: This is in the 12th chapter and it's the 11th verse and I have the King James Version and it says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they love not their lives unto the death”. My question is, I was intrigued with these three parts that are identified that they overcame the adversary, and I was interested in any comment you could make about this because I'm not familiar with too many passages in the Bible that reduce it down to these three parts.
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes, very good. Just to get the context here it's talking about this conflict that's taking place between the woman and the dragon. The dragon in Revelation Chapter 12 represents the devil. The woman represents the church, God's people and it's talking about the redeemed, how they overcame the devil. It says, “They overcame you by the blood of the Lamb”. That means by faith they receive the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf for we are saved by grace through faith.
Here is a group of people that don't look to their own goodness, but they look to the goodness of Christ and they look to His substitutionary death as providing salvation. That means the blood of the Lamb. Then it says, “And by the word of their testimony”. It's not enough just to, in your mind, agree that Jesus is the Savior and that he died for your sins. We need to respond to that truth. We need to give testimony, that we are sons and daughters of God, that we choose Jesus. We choose his sacrifice and that's the word of our testimony. That could be something that we say and we should as Christians speak of Christ, but it's also the way we live our life.
Are we living for heaven? Do our actions match our profession? That's the word of their testimony and it says, “They did not love their life unto death". Now, they have been throughout history faithful Christians who have given their life as a testimony of their faith. They were willing to rather die than knowingly disobey God. Jesus said, “If anybody wants to be my disciple he needs to deny himself, take up his cross and follow me”. To be a Christian is the denying of self. It is saying, “Not my will but thy will be done”.
There have been faithful men and women throughout history and I believe before Jesus comes, we'll see the same devotion and spirit once again. I think we even see some of this in some of these countries where Christians are facing terrible persecution. Where people are actually giving their life as a testimony of their faith for Christ rather than knowingly disobey God's commandments.
Mark: This is depicting both the celestial situation where Satan is accusing but also an earthly setting where the people overcame the adversary here, in this earth for these three reasons.
Pastor Jean Ross: Yes, absolutely. I think you're right. You've got the spiritual dimension of chapter 12. You have the dragon which represents Satan, but then you also have the dragon working through various political powers. It says, “The dragon stood before the woman ready to devour her child as soon as it was born”. What power was Satan working through to try and destroy Jesus right after he was born? While he was working through Pagan Rome? The devil will work through different powers here on this earth and of course throughout history, the devil has worked with different political powers to try and persecute God's people.
God's people are able to withstand the devil being temptations by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony and they're able to withstand the pressures that come upon them from these political powers or these institutions that are being used by the devil.
Mark: I had one question from First Corinthians, if I may?
Pastor Jean Ross: Sure.
Mark: Before I ask the question, I stumbled on your program almost by accident. How would one go about listening online to your program?
Pastor Jean Ross: All right. Just go to the Amazing Facts website its amazingfacts.org, and you'll actually be able to hear the program live. We do a live Bible Answers Live program once a week at this time. Tt's 7 to 8 PM Pacific time and you're able to hear the program around the world through the Internet.
Mark: Okay, thank you sir and its First Corinthians 4:1. Can I read it?
Pastor Jean Ross: Sure.
Mark: Okay it's, “Let a man so account of us as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” and I wondered that phrase “stewards of the mysteries of God”, any comment you could make about it really is kind of a large-
Pastor Jean Ross: Sure well we've got Paul speaking, First Corinthians. Paul wrote the book and he's writing to the believers in the town of Corinth and he's talking about the apostles, and the preachers, the teachers, the missionaries, and refers to them as being the servants of Christ and the stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now in the Bible there are several things referred to as mysteries. The one is Christ in you, the hope of glory. How a person is transformed by the grace of God? That's a mystery. Jesus said, “It’s like the wind” in John chapter three. He said, “You don't know where it's coming or where it's going but you can see the results of it”. That's one of the mysteries. It's the mystery of sanctification. The change of heart in life. There is another mystery that the Bible speaks of and that is the resurrection. It's a mystery with reference to Christ's resurrection. It's also a mystery with reference to the resurrection of the just at the end when Jesus comes a second time. That's another mystery that's referred to.
We also have another mystery that the Bible speaks of where it's receiving the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit working within us, it is a mystery. We can't always explain it but we can see the reality. When Paul talks about these mysteries of God he's talking about all of the Gospel and the truths of the Gospel that had been committed to the apostles and the part of the apostles were to share with the people.
Mark: The last category was, you said the transforming. I was trying to write down what you were saying.
Pastor Jean Ross: You've got Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is the grace of God working within us. That is a mystery. The resurrection is referred to as a mystery but the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the working out of the Spirit in life is also referred to as a mystery. There are several meanings of this. These are just the three off the top of my head.
Mark: Thank you so much.
Pastor Jean Ross: All right, well thanks for your call we appreciate it Mark. Our next caller is we’ve got Linda listening from Michigan. Linda, welcome to the program.
Linda: Hi there.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hi.
Linda: My question is, after death, there's a couple passages. One says, "Absent with the body, present with the Lord" and another one says, "That the dead shall rise in the air and we'll all meet him in"-
Pastor Jean Ross: In the clouds when Jesus comes. Sure.
Linda: Yes. My question is really, where do you go once you die?
Pastor Jean Ross: Okay, good question.
Linda: Are you going to be automatically present with the Lord or?
Pastor Jean Ross: All right, well you raise a good question. Why does the Bible say that, “The dead in Christ will be raised the second coming if when a person dies they immediately go to heaven?” Then another question comes up while if somebody dies and they aren't saved, do they immediately go to hell even before the judgment takes place? Because the judgment takes the place at the end of the world, so how does this all work?
Well if you look at the Bible, death is the reverse of life. If you go back to Genesis and you read about how God created mankind in the beginning it says, "God formed man, speaking of Adam, out of the dust of the earth and God breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul". That's the King James version. So, what makes life? It is the physical body made from the dust plus the spirit of God, with a breath of life that gives us life. When a person dies the body returns to the earth as it was, and the breath of life, that spark of life that comes from God returns to God. That's not the conscious thinking being that returns to God.
The person just simply sleeps as the Bible speaks of death as being asleep, an unconscious sleep, until Jesus comes, and you have the resurrection. Now what about the verse that says, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord"? Well, when somebody dies the very last thought that they have before they close their eyes in death. If that person is thinking about Jesus and they've surrendered their life to Christ. When they close their eyes in death, the very next thing they see is Jesus coming in the clouds of glory and they're resurrected.
They don't even realize that a hundred thousand years might have passed from their death to the resurrection. To them, it's immediate. Jesus is there, they're coming. So, for a person who dies the very next conscious thought they have, they're present with the Lord. And that's the second coming.
Linda: Okay. So, what passage can I go to, to find out about that sleeping-
Pastor Jean Ross: Absolutely. We got a study guide that is just filled with verses. There are many in the scripture that talks about death being likened unto a sleep. If you just call our resource phone number, ask for the study guide called Are The Dead Really Dead? and we'll be happy to send that to you, Linda. We also have a website called deathtruth.com. If you have access to the internet, you might want to go to that one. It's really easy. Deathtruth.com. And take a look at what the Bible has to say-
Linda: Deathtruth.com?
Pastor Jean Ross: Deathtruth.com, yes. There are verses there, there are sermons you can watch. I think it'll really make it very clear when you put all the various passages, the scriptures together on that particular subject. All right. Well, thank you for your call. Appreciate it. We're going try and do one more caller here. We have, let's see. Tolva listening from Michigan. Royal Oak. Tolva, welcome to the program.
Tolva: Thank you, and God bless you.
Pastor Jean Ross: Hi, thanks for your call. And your question this evening? We have about two minutes so we'll need to make this quick.
Tolva: My question was that I wondered about cremation.
Pastor Jean Ross: Okay.
Tolva: Does it talk anywhere in the Bible, scriptures about that?
Pastor Jean Ross: All right.
Tolva: If it's okay. Because I always said I didn't want to be cremated and so many are being cremated.
Pastor Jean Ross: Okay. Well, let me go a head and talk a little bit about that. The Bible does not specifically say whether or not a person can be cremated although the Bible is pretty clear, that in Bible times most of the people were buried. Now just because a person is cremated, it doesn't mean that they can't be resurrected. Burial back in Bible time was a symbol of the promise of the resurrection. People believed that when you died and you're buried, that you would be resurrected and we also believe that when Jesus comes. So, burial was a symbol of that. Just as a public token.
But for a person to be cremated for whatever reason, it doesn't mean that they are committing the unpardonable sin or that it is a demonstration of a lack of faith. Sometimes it's just a matter of convenience, sometimes it has to do with finances. Not everyone can be buried, it's expensive and God understands that. He knows that as well. We do have a couple of examples in the Bible of people who were cremated. We have Jonathan who was killed in battle, and he was eventually cremated. His bones were gathered up and burned because there wasn't much that they could do as far as burial goes.
So, no it's not wrong to be cremated. Although typically in the Bible, burial was what people used. Hope that helps Tolva, again thank you for your question. Just a reminder friends, you're listening to Bible Answers Live. If you weren't able to get to your question, please give us a call next week and we'll try and answer more of your Bible questions. Your study in truth doesn't have to end. Go to the Amazing Facts website for more, amazingfacts.org.
Speaker: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. Bible Answers Live is produced by Amazing Facts, a faith based ministry located in Sacramento, California.
Speaker 2:Are you wondering what lies ahead in human history but what recent world events are harbingers of the end? Are you ready for the coming crisis? Landmarks of Prophecy offers clear answers to your most your pressing questions. Presented by Pastor Doug Batchelor, Landmarks of Prophecy is a contemporary video Bible study adventure designed for today's audiences. Presenting the landmark themes of the Bible in a bright and compelling way. Helping you understand the Bible better and giving you knowledge to face the future with confidence.
Landmarks of Prophecy contains over 30 hours of exciting video presentations on 6 DVDs plus bonus question and answer sessions. Giving you keen insight into what lies next in human history. If you'd like practical tools to help you thrive and survive in the here and now, get Landmarks of Prophecy. Start your epic Bible study adventure with Landmarks of Prophecy today by calling 800-538-7275, or by visiting afbookstore.com.
Speaker: If you'd like to enhance your study of God's word, visit our website at www.amazingfacts.org and sign up for our free Bible study course. Make sure to check out our online bookstore at afbookstore.com which offers thousand of inspiring books, DVDs and more to help you to get the most out of God's word. To take advantage of the offers you've heard on this broadcast, call us at 800-835-6747 or visit our website at amazingfacts.org. Did you enjoy this program? Make sure to tell your family and friends. Tune in next time for more Bible Answers Live, honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions.
Speaker 3: Have you ever heard the expression before, "They eat like a bird", talking about somebody that has a minuscule appetite? Well, you might want to think twice next time you use that expression. For example, pick the hummingbird. In order for it to maintain its incredible metabolism, it has to eat about 50% of its body weight every day. To put that in perspective, if a hundred pound woman was to eat like a hummingbird, she would have to eat 50 pounds of sugar a day just to maintain her body weight. Imagine that. Maybe you don't want to imagine that. But perhaps we would want to consider this another way.
The hummingbird typically consumes between four to seven calories a day. On the other hand a human, about 3,500 calories a day. If you were to eat like a hummingbird, you'd have to eat over a hundred and fifty thousand calories a day. But that's like a man a hundred and seventy pounds that would be eating 3,000 Oreo cookies. Under normal conditions a hummingbird needs to eat every five or ten minutes, but there's actually one time during the year the hummingbird will eat it's entire body weight every day. You see, once a year they make this migration 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. From Texas to the Yucatan peninsula.
In order to do that the hummingbird feasts on nectar and gorges themselves on this nectar for about a week doubling their body weight. That's the only way they can store enough calories to help them with their 70 wing beats per second or roughly 4 million wing beats on that journey. You know, in the same way friends, as we near the end of time, we need to be feasting and gorging ourselves on the nectar of God's word.
We've got to be able to have that strength to get us through the times of trouble that are ahead. So, when it comes to the Bible and your personal devotions, if you're going to eat like a bird, eat like a hummingbird.
For over 50 years Amazing Facts has shared the wonderful news of salvation and provided millions of Bible resources to people all over the world. We've built churches in India, proclaimed God's word in China, and have sent free Bible studies around the globe. Today's program and free resources were made possible by our ministry partners, caring individuals like you. If you've been blessed by Amazing Facts, would you please consider partnering with us to reach others with the Bible truth? Your financial support today will help keep programs like this on the air, so the blessings you've received can be shared with others. To find out more about becoming a ministry partner, please visit our website at amazingfacts.org.