Resisting Temptation

Doug: Welcome, listening friends. Would you like to hear an amazing fact? On July 30, 2016, American, Luke Aikins became the first person to jump from over four and a miles up without a parachute and lived to talk about it. In a stunt called Heaven Sent, the 42-year-old parachute safety adviser leaped 25,000 feet to Earth, setting the world record for the highest jump without a parachute. To accomplish this, Aikins had to use the rushing air currents around him to stir his body and safely land on a special 100 by 100-foot net suspended 20 stories above the ground near Simi Valley, California.

During the two minute free fall the daredevil reached a 120 miles an hour. As he neared the ground with only a second to go, he quickly flipped on to his back and landed squarely on the net without injury. Aikins who had previously done 18,000 parachute jumps said he'd been preparing for this stunt for over two years. According to Associated Press, just before climbing into the plane to make the jump, safety officials have ordered Aikins to wear a parachute but Aikins argued it would make his landing on the net more dangerous and he'd never had the chance to open it. As the plane was climbing to the drop zone, he said the requirement was lifted and he took off the chute. Did you know the Bible says the devil once tempted Jesus to jump from a lofty height, claiming angels would catch him? Stay with us friends. We're going to learn more as we bring you this edition of Bible Answers Live.

Speaker 1: 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 1800-GOD-SAYS. That's 1800-463-7297. Let's get to our first Bible question with Pastor Doug Batchelor and our co-host Pastor Jean Ross.

Doug: We'll be going to the phones in just a moment. You're listening to Bible Answers Live. If you have a Bible question, lines are open and good chance if you call now, you'll get your question on tonight's program and it shouldn't take too long. Pick up the phone for Bible questions, 800-GOD-SAYS, that's 800-463-7297. I am Doug Batchelor.

Jean: My name is Jean Ross. Good evening listening friends and Pastor Doug, let's begin the program with prayer. Dear Father, once again, we thank you that we have this opportunity to study together and we ask for your guidance and the Holy Spirit to be with those listening. Be with us Father and lead us into a fuller understanding of Bible truth. For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Doug: Amen.

Jean: Pastor Doug, you opened the program by talking about this remarkable feat of jumping out 25,000 miles high--

Doug: 25,000 feet.

Jean: Sorry. Four miles.

Doug: [laughs] That would be the moon.

Jean: [laughter] 25,000 feet out of the plane and not having a parachute and then trying to navigate to a – well, what probably seem rather small when you're coming down from that height at that speed but landing in the net, rather remarkable.

Doug: That's like trying to dive into a cup of water from the Empire State Building. I did parachute once. I did it, they make you go tandem jumping and so I was attached to someone but we did get the feel of what it's like to free fall and steer your way through the air. We were up 13,000 feet and for every 13,000 feet, you fall for approximately a minute and I guess he was up where he needed to start out with oxygen and deliberately jumped without a parachute. During World War II, they say, you can never get me to jump out of a plane with a parachute unless the plane was on fire. But he jumped without a parachute.

You can be sure that he had practiced that many times because he didn't want to be just tempting the Lord. I think he had a wife and family, he didn't want to end his life. He's an instructor, 18,000 jumps he'd practiced but then I tease at the end of the fact by saying, "Did you know the Bible says the devil tried to encourage Jesus to make a high jump without a parachute?" You can read about this in the book of Matthew 4:5, during the three great temptations that the devil brought to Jesus, it says, "Then the devil took him into the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple," this is hundreds of feet up, and he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down." Now the devil quotes the Bible, "For it is written, “‘He will give his angels charge over you and in their hands, they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Here Satan is partially quoting Psalm 91 and of course, Jesus refused to fall for it and he said, "It is written, You shall not tempt the Lord your God."

When we are recklessly risking our lives and tempting God, the Bible says, God is not mocked, what a man sows, he'll reap. If we keep pushing the limits, God will often intervene and protect us as many times as he probably bare us up and save us from disaster but if we keep pushing, we will experience the fruit of our risk. Jesus said, “No, you don't needlessly risk your life, if something happens God can intervene but you shouldn't tempt the Lord and say, Lord, I'm going to jump, save me.” It's a very dangerous thing to do.

Now, some people are facing temptation all the time, not just tempting the Lord with unnecessary risk but we meet with the devil everyday just like Jesus did. How do you deal with temptation? Maybe you're struggling, as we all do, with temptation friends and you'd like to know more about how can I have the victory or are there any tips, any clues to gaining the victory over temptation? Jesus, of course, used the word of God. We prepared the book that has 12 of the most popular biblical suggestions for how you can successfully resist temptation. Maybe you're needing freedom from some habit, this book has the tips and the guidance to help you get a new life.

Jean: The book is called Tips for Resisting Temptation and we'd like to give this to you for free. All that you need to do is give us a call on our resource phone number and the number is 800-835-6747, you can ask for the book called Tips for Resisting Temptation. That number again is 800-835-6747. If you have a Bible question, the phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297, that's 800-GOD-SAYS, 463-7297. Well, Pastor Doug, I think we're ready for our first caller of this evening and we have William who is listening in New York. William, welcome to the program.

William: How are you today? Shalom everyone.

Doug: Hi, how are you doing, William?

William: I'm great, and yourself? It's hard to get through this phone number. It's my first time calling. I tried to call several times but it's always been busy so this time, I set my clock with the alarm and make sure that I try a different phone and God answered.

Doug: Well, we're glad you get through.

William: Yes, yes. My question was being, how do you -- like Pastor Doug, we have a tradition where -- Pretty much not tradition but it's been a biblical thing where the [unintelligible 00:07:54] the fringes, with a commandment what he gave us. But I just want to ask Pastor Doug, is him being about half Jewish as well, what do he thinks about the Jewish people like the Messianic? I'm not talking about the Orthodox because we know the Orthodox Jew is still doing what is on the law. But, what Paul is talking about, we [unintelligible 00:08:15] even on say -- I say, on Bat Mitzvah and everything else, in weddings, we still use the kippah and stuff like that.

My question is, what he thinks about what Paul was talking about when a man should not cover his head in prayer? I mean, Jesus believed that he used to lead in time, of difficult times when he's here and pretty much, I believe everybody that was Jewish was covering their head.

Doug: Yes, that's a good question. You'll find that in 1 Corinthians 11, in the Jewish tradition, sometimes for sacred occasions. I know when I went to the Wailing Wall, I just went to one of my Jewish relatives who got married and they had a basket of yarmulkes, that's what we call them, for covering your head during the wedding. I have no problem doing that. It's supposed to be a sign of humbling yourself when you're in the sacred occasion, for the presence of God. But, it's different customs in different countries. Now, I was actually in the church today and I wore a baseball cap, because it's raining here in Northern California, to the church.

When I walked in the church, I took my hat off as a sign of respect. In different cultures, they have different customs that are just physically showing a sign of respect and that's what I think you're seeing alluded to there where it talks about covering the head in 1 Corinthians 11. During prayer, most of what it says here in 1 Corinthians 11 is actually addressing women covering their heads as opposed to men.

William: Yes. We know that their hair is the covering. But it's pretty much -- Pastor Doug, it's when we go to a quarter post. I minister here and I watch your show when I was growing up and your testimony is pretty much mine. The only thing different is my dad knows planes and everything else. My father owns a Garment District in New York City, mother was Jewish, come from background. I did pretty much everything you did when I saw your seminar for a while. I always wanted to go to one of your sermons that you would do a seminar and it was hard for me to get a contact. I know you're a busy man but these questions that you bring up I share with Messianic believers and I share with the people that worship on the first day of the week what they call Sunday which we're supposed to keep Sabbath.

Your teaching is so amazing and I'm glad you call it Amazing Facts, it's so a blessing. The truth shall set you free but we have of course where I go to the Messianic temple then I fellowship with my protestant, a Pentecostal you say because they have a sense where we get to fellowship. I think when we get to the Kingdom of God, we're all going to be saying one thing, "Holy, Holy is the Lord."

I look at the perspective that they look at me and say, "Why do you wear a kippah?" As it was tradition where my mother’s Jewish background is kippah. He says, "Why are you still wearing?" Every Wednesday, we go to a Bible study.

Doug: Pardon me, for jumping in, William, because we do have a few other callers standing by but when you've got the fringes of course on the garment and then you've got the orthodox Jews that will also not cut their side burns and the corners of their beard based on that verse but those are actually couple of different things. The fringes are supposed to be a sign of loyalty to God and the law that the priests wore. I don't know that we're required to wear the priestly garments today, there's nothing in the New Testament that say's that. We're a nation of kings and priests now.

William, I really appreciate your call and your testimony sounds amazing but we've got to go on to some other callers so with that, thank you and we'll be happy to send you that free offer we mentioned on the new heart.

Jean: Yes, again to receive our free offer this evening, call and ask for the study guide called Love That Transforms and the number to call is 800-835-6747. That is the free resource phone line and ask for the study guide called Love That Transforms. We'll be happy to send it to anybody who calls and asks. Our next caller is Paul, and he's listening in Orlando, Florida. Paul, welcome to the program.

Paul: Well, thank you very much. Welcome to my life too.

Doug: [laughs] God bless.

Paul: My question to you is simply this, when Noah built the ark by faith and what God had told him. The time came and the floods came and he rose above in the water and all his household and all the animals were in the ark and they survived. All the other people didn't survive, they died. I want to know in my own mind is God a murderer of those people?

Doug: What's the definition of murder?

Paul: He killed them.

Doug: No, that's not the definition of murder. If a policeman shoots somebody that is harming a child, they're threatening the life of others is the policeman defined by the culture as a murderer or is he doing a job of justice?

Paul: Well who are these people killing?

Doug: No, I'm just saying, I'm talking about the definition of murder because murder is not killing.

Paul: Did God murder these people because I think he did?

Doug: No, murder, that's what I'm trying to tell. Did he kill them or was God responsible for judging them? Yes. Is that murder, no, because if someone is executed for a crime, the person who performs the execution is not a murderer. When a soldier goes to battle to defend the country and they have to fire on the enemy to defend their homeland, are they murderers? No. The word murder is not the right word is what I'm saying.

Paul: Who were these people hurting?

Doug: Well the people who were destroyed before the flood, have you read the story? Do you know why they were destroyed?

Paul: Didn't God just kill these people? Can you answer my question?

Doug: I am answering, I'm agreeing that God judges them and they were executed and it says the reason was, "The thoughts of their heart were only evil and the violence filled the earth." They were killing each other and so as a judgement God wiped out the civilization except those that accepted mercy by coming to the ark. I'm not denying that God said, I'm going to destroy man who I made and it says, "It grieved God." It says, "It grieved God in his heart to do this."

Absolutely, it was a judgement, not only then in the days of Noah and I'll freely admit, words are going to come and it says, "Only those who are ready for His coming in the future will be spared." But there's a great time of trouble coming where judgement is going to fall upon wicked and violent people so that's one of the punishments for sin. It's living for self and being evil, there's a judgement for that. Hope that helps a little bit and I appreciate your call, Paul.

Jean: We do have a book that deals with judgement. I'm trying to think, we don't have anything specifically on the flood but we do have a book called Facing The Judge. It's actually a study guide that deals with the subject of judgement. We'll be happy to send this to anybody who calls and asks. The number to call is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the study guide called Facing The Judge. Again, 800-835-6747. Our next caller is Kimberly, listening in Idaho. Kimberly, welcome to the program.

Kimberly: Hello, thank you. My question is, is it okay for a Christian to celebrate Halloween and if not, why not?

Doug: Well if we were to ask the question a little differently, is there a holiday among the cultural holidays that it would not be appropriate to celebrate? If there's a holiday that would not go well with Christian theology and practice, I would think it'd be Halloween just because, first of all, the history of. It grows out of a druid priest practice in England. The Catholics called it All Saints Day where they'd pray to the dead Saints and that combined with some of the other cultures, even if you look around, you see people dressing up like witches. I just heard they're outlawing clown costumes now or something, because people have been dressing up as clowns doing seedy things. But ghosts and devils, and some of them who I recognize are harmless people might dress up like an angel but the idea of if you give me a treat or I'm going to sabotage your home with eggs, that's what we did when we were kids, if we did a trick if they didn't give us a treat. There's so many trappings of Easter, Kimberly, I'm sorry of Halloween that are rooted in paganism that I don't think a Christian should celebrate it.

If people knock on your door, I don't recommend you open the door and shout that I don't believe in Halloween, and slam the door. You might give them something redeemable or profitable. Dentists must love Halloween, all these kids come away with cavities. Anyway, I don't know if that's answering your question?

Kimberly: I think so. With the roots of it and everything, do you think that they're still – that is based on -- I've heard that there's human sacrifices and things that happen on Halloween, do you believe that still happens? If you're celebrating it or if you're going trick or treating, are you participating in – the roots of it is?

Doug: Well I know that back in the days of Harry Houdini, there are a lot of people that participated in seance especially in Halloween, it's like a high day for satanic worshipers so whether or not, there's human sacrifice still going on, well I haven't heard of that, it may be. I know a lot of devious things happen during that time. Usually not a lot of great blessings come out of Halloween. They tell people to stay close to your kids and make sure that you don't take fresh fruit from people because it could be poisoned. It seems like there's a lot of stuff to worry about.

It's one holiday I'm not real excited about as a Christian, and I don't know that we can justify it. Hey, I hope that helps a little. We have a website that is called Death Truth, and I think there's a segment in there, It says what about Halloween? Usually this time of year, we put it put at the front.

Jean: Well we have a website called Ghost Truth as well that deals with that same subject. [crosstalk] I think that's more specifically related to Halloween in this time of the year. Again, just go to the website take a look at ghosttruth.com. There's a lot of video there and good Bible study content that I think you'll enjoy. Our next caller is Ed, he's listening in Michigan. Ed, welcome to the program you're on Bible Answers Live.

Ed: Oh, thank you.

Doug: How can we help you?

Ed: What?

Doug: Your question tonight?

Ed: Oh yes, yes. As I was reading Genesis 6:8,

I was wondering how when God said he was going to destroy the human race, how can a person even though Noah found grace in the Lord, how can you compromise -- I don't know, that's not a very good word, compromise, how come God didn't just destroy even the eight and just save the ark or whatever.

Doug: You mean, how come he showed grace to Noah?

Ed: That's why, I mean--

Doug: If you look at the next verse, right after it says, Noah found grace through the Lord, it says this is the genealogy of Noah, Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, Noah walked with God. There's a connection between Noah finding grace and Noah choosing to walk with God and be a just man and perfect in his generation, he was a Godly man. The Lord picked him to be the one through whom the human race would be repopulated, and to be the vehicle of saving, Noah's actually a type of Christ. You still there, Ed?

Ed: Pardon.

Pastor: Are you still there, does that make sense?

Ed: Yes, wasn't there in another place Moses talking to God and God was not happy with the human race to?

Doug: There was a place--

Ed: The Sons of God came together at that time, I can't remember exactly though.

Doug: There was a place where God was going to destroy the children of Israel but they're at the golden calf, and Moses interceded for them. God through the intercession of Moses spared the people, there was a judgement amongst some of them that were the chief instigators. Before the flood, it says in Genesis 6, there's a day when the Sons of God saw the daughters and then they were fair and took wives. That's talking about also the intermarriage between the children of Seth and the children of Cain and how that they gave up their commitment to God. Yes, I hope that helps a little bit, I think we do have a book speaking of grace it's called The Riches Of His Grace and we'll be happy to send you a free copy of that, Ed.

Jean: The number to call is 800-835-6747, you can ask for the book called The Riches Of His Grace, again 800-835-6747, that is the resource phone line and if you have a Bible question, the phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297, 800-463-7297. Our next caller is Sharon, listening from West Virginia. Sharon, welcome to the program.

Sharon: Thank you.

Jean: Your question?

Sharon: My question is, in the book of Revelation 1:7, it talks about the special resurrection of those who pierced Jesus and that's before the general resurrection of the wicked. I’ve just heard recently, I've been told that there is also going to be a special resurrection of some righteous people and the people who have told me this said that it comes from John 5 where Jesus says that the hour is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth. Then Daniel 12 says, that many who sleep in the dust will come forth. They say, what Daniel was talking about is a special resurrection of people who lived in the time of the third angels’ messages after 1844, and this is the first time that I've heard anything like that. I'm wondering, have you heard this?

Doug: Yes.

Sharon: How you feel about it?

Doug: First of all, for our listeners, let me just explain what we are talking about here. I remember when I first heard that there was going to be two resurrections, it surprised me, I thought that when the Lord came, there's just one big general resurrection and everybody gets lined up and he separates the sheep from the goats and some fall of the precipice into boiling sulfur and brimstone and others go off to glory. Jesus actually said and you can find this in Revelation 20, there's a first and a second resurrection, and even in John 5:28 where you just quoted, “The hour is coming which those who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth.” Those that have good resurrection of life, those that have done evil resurrection of condemnation.” Two different condemnations, if you want to know which is which, it says the dead in Christ rise first, this is speaking generally. The great multitude of the righteous will rise when Jesus comes.

At the end of the one thousand years, it says the rest of the dead don't leave till a thousand years are finished, that's the second resurrection of the lost. But there are a few exceptions when we are talking about resurrections, the Bible does say, of course, Elijah didn't die, he went to heaven early, that's an exception, it's a rare exception, he went to heaven in a fiery chariot. Enoch walked with God, and God took him, he did not die. Moses was resurrected, you find that in the book of Jude. That's a special resurrection of Moses, Jewish tradition says, it was three days after he die.

Then at the second coming of Jesus, Christ said to Caiaphas, the high priest, hereafter you will see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven. There's evidence there that Caiaphas and those who were guilty of crucifying and condemning Jesus, they are brought up in a special resurrection of judgment to show, look, this is the one you condemned, he is the king, now he's the judge and you're the plaintiff. [laughs] Then, there’s some who in the last days have proclaimed the second coming, they have died before the second coming but they wanted to tell everyone he was coming soon. The Lord is going to bring them up in time to see him come and see the final events, this is what I think you're talking about, Sharon, and I hope that makes sense, are you with me?

Sharon: I'm with you. There's a lot of static and I could hardly here what you were saying--

Doug: Yes, we hear the static too, I don't know if it's the rain here in, California, we've had some flooding, so we brought your volume down just to deal with the static. We do have the study guide that talks about-- well, actually, the website on death talks about the resurrections right there. If you just go to truth.death or deathtruth.

Jean: Deathtruth.com.

Doug: Same website.

Jean: Correct, we have a study guide also called-- thinking about the study guide parts that like dealing with the second coming, Ultimate Deliverance, and of course, that talks about the resurrection when Jesus comes again. Again, we'll be happy to send that to anybody who calls and asks. The phone line for our resource line is 800-835-6747, you can call ask for the study guide called Ultimate Deliverance, it's all about the second coming. You can go to the Amazing Facts website, deathtruth.com and you can also read about when the power of the grave is broken at the second coming of Christ, the glorious resurrection.

Doug: Absolutely. Thank you for you call, Sharon. I think we've about 30 seconds before we take our break and that's probably now going to be up. I hear the music in the background, don't go away friends, there's more calls, more questions and as a matter of fact, we even have our lines open. If you have a Bible question, pick up the phone, give us a call. I'm just going to take brief break here in a moment. That number again, 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297 and let your friends know, we got another 30 minutes of Amazing Facts Bible answers live. Be right back.

Speaker 1: Stay tuned, Bible Answers Live will return in a moment.

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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 Pastors Doug Batchelor and Jean Ross for more Bible Answers Live.

Doug: We are back listening friends to Bible Answers Live and if you joined along the way, it is just as it sounds. It's a live, international interactive Bible study. We're glad you're tuning in. If you have a Bible question, you know we got friends listening on satellite radio all over the country driving down the road. Now's the chance to give us a call 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297. I am still Doug Batchelor.

Jean Ross: My name is Jean Ross. We going to go-

Doug: You hesitated-

[crosstalk]

Jean: You know I was settling with my microphone, that's why [laughter] I can't do two things at the same time. All right, we got Steve, listening from Temecula, California. Did I say that right?

Doug: Yes.

Jean: Okay. Steve, welcome to the program?

Steve: Hi, how you doing?

Doug: Doing great, and your question tonight?

Steve: Am I on the air?

Jean: Yes, you're on the air.

Steve: Okay, I'm sorry. I have a question about Revelation. In the beginning it says, "That the time is at hand and I come shortly and write therefore the things you have seen, the things that are, and the things that are about to happen." He asked John to write seven letters to the seven churches in the Asia Minor, telling them about this tribulation that's coming. I'm a little confused because in [unintelligible 00:31:48] I've studied some preterism and I've studied the futurist. I'm a little confused about it. The session I have is basically if God's calling at the time that it's about to happen, then it doesn't happen then it's kind of misleading them. I mean, I don't understand. I guess I need clarification because I don't want to be blasphemist and [unintelligible 00:32:17] thing.

Doug: No, it's okay to ask questions. God wants us to seek, he says, “Come let us reason together.” If you're reverently wanting to understand and something doesn't make sense, tell the Lord. But first of all, I'm glad to hear you say, you mentioned preterism and then you mentioned futurism. The third what used to be the most popular view of prophecy was called historicism. I am a historist in my interpretation which means, some people think everything in Revelations is all in the past. It all happened in the first hundred years roughly of the Christian era. Futurists believe that like from Revelation 4, "On is all on the future." The historists believe when John said that time is at hand or actually Jesus says that time is at hand, that he's saying these prophecies are going to begin being fulfilled now and they’ll carry on to the Second Coming. It covers the panorama of history, that's what we believe.

In the seven churches, you have the seven ages of the church, seven phases the church has gone through stages from the time of John until the Second Coming. The last one being Laodicea A Lukewarm Church just before Jesus comes. The series of prophecies in Revelation, that is really is Pastor Ross's favorite book. You got the seven trumpets and seven seals and the seven churches. They're all covering different aspects of the history of the battle between good and evil from the time of John, First Coming, till the Second Coming, indeed until we're in heaven because that's how the book closes. We have a Bible study series that explains the historist's view. If you'd like to see that, we'd be happy to share with you for free.

Steve: Okay.

Doug: That's a long answer. I'm sorry.

Steve: [unintelligible 00:34:08] I understand. I understand that historical views but he's asking [unintelligible 00:34:16] seven natural churches or no?

Doug: Well, he did. Keep in mind, the Bible is an incredible book in that historical things happen but then they had a kind of a prophetic meaning. Give you just an example, Abraham went down to Egypt with Sarah. The Pharaoh took his wife and Abraham said, "No, you can't have her. She's my wife." Then the Pharaoh sends him out of Egypt with great rewards. Years later that happened to Abraham's people. They went down to Egypt, God took Israel like his slave and God was forced, the Pharaoh rather took them and the Pharaoh was forced to let them go and sent them out. They went out with great substance.

The story of Joseph is a true story but it's also the story of Jesus who is betrayed by one of the 12 and sold for the price of a slave. Joseph was imprisoned but he came out alive to rule. All this allegories in the Bible. The seven churches, the letters to the seven churches they were letters to those seven churches but they have a much bigger prophetic meaning because it's a prophetic book.

Steve: Expecting a time of tribulation for them and then that actually happens because in the first century there was a lot of persecution that happened.

Doug: Yes, Jesus said there would be a great tribulation around the time the temple was destroyed in 70 AD but then he said there will also be one near the end of time. He said, there'll be wars and rumors of wars but the end is not yet. Don't think every war rumors were means, it's the end of the world. There had been lots of wars from the time of Christ till now. Then he gives us what the signs are till the end. You’d enjoy this prophecy series, I'm just real tempted to dive in trying to explain it all in one phone call but I can't do that.

Steve: Okay.

Doug: Pastor Ross will give you the number and you ought to sign up for the Amazing Facts Study Guide Series.

Jean: The number to call is 800-835-6747. You can just ask to enroll in the free Amazing Facts Study Guide Series. Again, that's 800-835-6747. We'll actually send you some lessons in the mail and you'll be able to go through them and then send back the answer sheets and we'll grade that and send you the next set of lessons and it's absolutely free. Again, one more time, the number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the Amazing Facts Bible School. We'll be happy to sign that to anyone who calls and asks. Let's see, our next call is Rick, and he's listening on Ontario, Canada. Hi Rick, welcome to the program.

Rick: Hello, Chief, are you there?

Doug: Yes, we're here, you're there, we're alive. You're on the air with Bible Answers Live.

Rick: Oh, my goodness. Well, thank you for taking my call. My question is if we had a global flood, how did the Kangaroos end up making it to Australia? As far as I know they can't swim. Can you answer that for me, please?

Doug: [laughs] I didn't know they couldn't swim but I wasn't thinking that they swim all the way. A matter of fact, not just the Kangaroos but Australia, I've been there several times, it's a very unique country and that they've got a lot of Marsupial creatures you don't find anywhere else on the planet. I do believe that following the flood that all these animals came out of the ark and they began of course to multiply. Then they walked and hopped and crawled in all different directions and began to populate different parts of the globe. There is a pretty widely accepted theory both in science and even in the Bible that there was some continental drift going on that there was an Ice Age, that there were areas where there were land bridges but as some of the ice melted, it took covered, some of those areas and that Australia was one of the first places some of the animals principally Marsupials went to. Then, they were separated by seas.

I just don't think the continental drift right after the flood I think it was happening very quickly kind of like ice moving on water, not quite that quick but a lot faster than the millions of years per inch they say now. I believe that some of those animals were isolated there. There's actually a verse and I don't remember, where it is Pastor Ross, where it says, "In the days of Peleg that the Earth was divided." It's in Genesis so it's sometime after the time of Noah. After the flood, there was some kind of division happening in the Earth.

Jean: That is Genesis 10:25.

Doug: Yes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, Rick.

Rick: Okay. Well, thanks very much. I appreciate your input anyways.

Doug: All right. Thanks a lot, bye bye.

Jean: Our next caller is Roy, listening from Des Moines, Iowa. Roy, welcome to the program.

Roy: Hey, good evening. How are you this evening?

Doug: Doing well, thank you for calling.

Roy: Hey, thank you for having me. My first time to call and I was thinking I was trying to get in and I tried to get in and I couldn't. It's first time I got in, it's wonderful to hear you, talk to your program each week so I had a question for you. What I was wondering I've heard a lot about the fallen angels, I think it was in Revelation. I mean in Genesis, they talk about one of the scriptures I'm not quite where it's at but they talked about the fallen ones that leapt on the women and God allowed them to [unintelligible 00:39:51] with the women to populate the world. I don't see nothing that he cut that off, he flooded all that off, at the flood, but saying could he have carried this all, just to bring them back, but because God didn't see anything about--

Doug: Yes, let me take a stab at that. That theory and it is a theory is based upon a verse there in Genesis 6, where it said, “When the Sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, they took them wives of all they chose.” Some have assumed that the Sons of God, must have been angels and since good angels would not disobey God and marry people, they must have been bad or fallen angels. You hear about fallen angels in Revelation 17. Genesis doesn't really talk about fallen angels.

The phrase “Sons of God” is used three ways in the Bible. Sometimes it does talk about angels. Most of the time the word Sons of God is talking about believers. If you look in 1 John 3, there it says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called Sons of God.” Believers are called Sons of God. The Sons of God in Genesis were the descendants of Adam through his good son, Seth. Adam had a son that went bad named Cain. They separated early on, after Cain killed Abel, he took his wife, went off by himself and married one of his sisters.

They raised a generation that was in rebellion to God, they were called, "The people of men.” The Sons of God are the ones who believed in God, they were adopted and redeemed, but when the believers began to intermarry with the unbelievers, everything went South, as they say, and then the flood came. These were not fallen angels that intermarried with people. Now, I do have a book, I'll send you a free copy that specifically deals with this question and it's called, “Who are the Sons of God?” It’s actually aliens or adopted who are the Sons of God. We'll be happy to send you a free copy that if you'd like, Roy.

Roy: Yes, that will be great. The other thing that I was going to say on that because they called them the Nephilims, now Nephilims, the fallen ones or what is that name you said?

Doug: They were the children. Yes, the Nephilim were the children that came and they believed they were giants and there's something happens there. Whenever you got two people groups that are separated for a while and then they get together and marry, you have what they call genetic vitality. Whenever you inbreed in one family for a long time, you're going to have problems.

Jean: As far back in time, after the flood if you keep going in time, all the way down to the time of Moses and Joshua and the time of Judges, it speaks of giants, entire tribes of giants living up in the mountains area.

Doug: David.

Jean: David, of course, yes, the story of Goliath so, there were giants and probably families that were known for their height and their size. Even back in the time of Israel, the Exodus.

Doug: Yes. These weren't fallen angels that the children of the Sons of God and the daughters of Cain. You're right, you may ask the good question, if angels could interbreed with humans just because God destroyed them in the flood. What would prevent them from doing it now? That's why we don't think they were angels. Good question, we'll send you that free book on, "Who are the Sons of God?” just call the number.

Jean: The number to call is 800-835-6747, you can ask for the book called, “Who are the Sons of God?” We'll be happy to send it to anybody who calls and asks, again 800-835-6747. That is the resources phone line, and the phone number here to the studio with a Bible question is 800-463-7297. Dianeth is listening from Pennsylvania. Dianeth, welcome to the program.

Dianeth: Hi, welcome. Good evening pastors.

Doug: Evening.

Dianeth: My question is that is in order to eat clean meat, does that have to be kosher?

Doug: Well, the idea of kosher meat, kosher is a more modern Hebrewized term. I think I made up a word. It comes from the Hebrew culture, that an animal was to be killed and butchered a certain way. Now biblically, not only were there certain animals, that you could not eat, the ones you could eat had to be killed where their throats were cut and all the blood was drained out because they were never to eat blood and you'll see that command not only in the Old Testament in Leviticus, you see it in Acts chapter I think it's 15. They command them to abstain from blood if I'm not mistaken.

New and Old Testament it says, you can't eat blood that means if they were going to eat an animal, it had to be butchered a clean animal. Had to be butchered in a kosher way, meaning that it had to be clean. Now the rules about kosher food have expanded, the rabbis have expanded on those rules over time, and there are even some rabbis that say if they could even takes a pig and butcher it in a kosher way, [chuckles] there's only a few of those out there, but technically that would be unclean no matter how you butchered it. Anyway, the rabbis have expanded those rules and it turned into a racket. You had to have a rabbi bless your butcher shop or you couldn't buy your food there.

Jean: Now, the verse you're referring to is Acts 15:20. It talks about abstaining from blood, things that are strangled.

Doug: Yes.

Jean: Now, we do have a study guide called, "God's Free Health Plan" deals with the biblical principles of health and we'll be able to send this to you--

Doug: Yes, clean and unclean meats.

Jean: Yes, absolutely. Dianeth or anybody wanting to learn more, just give us a call on our resource phone line, that's 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide called, “God’s Free Health Plan.” We'll be able to send that to anyone who calls and asks. Our next call is Sashi, listening from Florida. Sashi, welcome to the program.

Sashi: Hi, how are you doing?

Doug: Doing well, thank you for calling.

Sashi: Thank you. My husband and I listen to you every night, it's amazing.

Doug: Well thanks, we're glad you called.

Sashi: My question tonight, is there anything in the Bible that specifies any difference between burial and cremation?

Doug: Good question. Yes, we've had that from time to time. Typically, in the Bible people were buried, and the reason for that is, it was believed that man, made in the image of God even in death because he reflected the image of God, the remains should be treated with respect. You look at the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, they all were carefully buried in the case of Jacob and Joseph, they were embalmed and buried. There's only a couple of occasions where someone was burned, and I think that was Jonathan and Saul, his father, because their bodies had been mutilated, and so the people of Japheth, Gilliard burned their bodies.

If a person is burned, a lot of Christians were burnt at the stake for their faith in different countries. That doesn't prevent God from resurrecting them, but typically, the Christians were buried. Now, I understand economically, a cremation is a lot more affordable and as people multiply, grave space is getting much more expensive and sparse and people think it's a more environmentally friendly thing to do a cremation. Certainly, God can resurrect a person because it says, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If you die and you're buried, if you're not embalmed, you'll eventually turn into the elements of the earth. I don't mean to be rough in how I say that but, I've just always believed biblically you'll see the example they were buried. No commandment anywhere that says, “Thou shall not cremate,” and you see what I'm saying? All you've got is the example.

Sashi: Great, thank you so much.

Doug: Circumstantial evidence is what we have. Hey, thank you very much, I appreciate your call.

Jean: Our next caller is, let’s see, we have Constantine, listening from Buffalo, New York. Constantine, welcome to the program. Constantine, you there?

Constantine: Hello.

Jean: Hi, you on the air.

Constantine: Thank you. I have a question about the Jewish people and Christian people.

Doug: Yes, you mean well, some of the Catholic priests-

Constantine: Yes.

Doug: -wear the skull cap, and of course different groups of Orthodox Jews wear much bigger broad hats. You’ll see them wearing a tall hat or different kinds of hats, but the whole idea of the wearing of the hat in connection with the sacred services was, as a sign of humbling themselves in the presence of God covering their head. It's basically a tradition. I don't know of any command in the Bible that says, you should cover your head.

Aaron, when he went in before the Lord, the minister had a miter -- a special hat that he wore but it didn't look like. If you look at any of the paintings of the ancient Levitical priests, they wore a tall hat, they didn't wear little -- It's like a baseball cap without the rim on it, a yarmulke, is what we call them growing up. Yes, so in both cases, some of the Jews and even the Catholic priests, it's supposed to be a sign of humility and the presence of God. You want to be humbling yourself and that's where it's drawn from.

Constantine: Okay.

Doug: Thank you. I appreciate your question, Constantine. We had two questions on the heads today.

Jean: Our next call is Renee, listening from New Jersey. Renee, welcome to the program.

Renee: Yes, hello, gentlemen, thank you.

Doug: Hi Renee.

Renee: My question is about believers or according to the Bible, believers in Christ Jesus are only supposed to marry other believers in Christ Jesus. Now, that’s my understanding. Do you have a scripture or two that points to that for me?

Doug: Yes. Jesus said, unless two walk together, unless two agree they can’t walk together. Paul tells us -- and I think Pastor Ross is looking this up right now, that you should not be unequally yoked together. It doesn’t make sense for a believer -- why would someone who believes that God is the most important thing and I want to serve God and I want to be with God, why would they deliberately marry someone that doesn’t believe that? The whole foundation for their life is different, it’s one of the most elementary things you would want to have in common, with someone that you marry.

Now, if you're in a country where they got an arranged marriage, you may not have a choice but if you got a choice man, I’d never want to marry someone that believe completely differently.

Ross: The verse you’re referring to is 2 Corinthians 6:14. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship is righteousness with lawlessness and what communion has light with darkness.

Doug: There’s all through the Bible, you’ve got the example of God telling his people do not marry the daughters of other nations. Do not marry the unbelievers or people that serve other Gods because they will turn the hearts of your sons and daughters away from me. You may remember the story of Solomon, it says Solomon loved many women, he married daughters of the Moabites and the Ammonites and the Edomites and all these ites, and as a result, it says they drew his heart away from God. Usually if a believer marries an unbeliever, they kind of level out and they compromise -- someone compromises their faith along the way. Very rarely does a believer completely and only influence the unbeliever.

Sometimes the unbeliever influences the believer and they stop going to church. You always want to marry within your faith, and someone’s going to ask me someday, “What about marrying someone from another denomination? Does it matter if you’re marrying the same denomination?” I'm not going to answer that, you going to ask it. By the way, we do have a book on marriage, divorce and remarriage. It talks about marrying within your faith in there.

Ross: We’ll give that book away for free to anybody who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747, you can ask for the book, called Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage. Again 800-835-6747 and the book is called Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage. Our next caller is Jose, listening from Manhattan New York. Jose, welcome to the program. Jose, are you on the air? There he is.

Doug: There you go.

Jose: It’s Jose.

Doug: Hey Jose.

Jose: How are you?

Doug: Good. How can we help you tonight?

Jose: I wish to know a biblical reason for the special resurrection.

Doug: A biblical reason for the special resurrection. Well one of the reasons would be, when Jesus was being tried, he told the High Priest in the Jewish council that -- he said, I'm telling you when they said we adjure thee by the living God, are you the son of God. Jesus said verily I say unto you, he said thou has said here after you will see the son of man coming. That’s in Matthew 26 or 27 I think, where at the trial of Christ. That’s one statement and then it does say in Daniel 12, many of them that sleep in the dusty earth shall wake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Some will be raised for shame and then in Revelation 1, it says he’s coming with a cloud. Those also that pierced him will see him.

Ross: That’s Matthew 26:64.

Doug: Okay, thank you very much. There are a few verses on that, Jose, and hopefully that helps. We do have our study guide that talks about the Second Coming and we’ll send you a free copy of that.

Ross: Absolutely, we actually have a website, brand new called rapturetruth.com.

Doug: That’s right.

Ross: Deals with this, take a look at the website rapturetruth.com.

Doug: Let me say it one more time, rapturetruth.com, I forgot all about that. It’s the first time we’ve told anybody.

Ross: That’s right, it’s brand new.

Doug: There’s a magazine that goes with that and you're going to want to see as well. Listen, new friends, we as you can tell are going to be segueing out of the program. Don’t change the dial yet because we got another Amazing Facts I know that you're going to enjoy. God willing, we’ll take some more calls and study with you next week.

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Doug: Hi friends, this is Pastor Doug Batchelor. Would you like to hear amazing fact? More and more of the world is turning now to natural forms of energy to try and find their power and they’re resorting to things like the wind farm that we have here in Jamaica at Wigton. I remember years ago my wife and I going to visit the big island of Hawaii and we were amazed at all the potential there for natural power, but they weren’t using it. There at the south part of the island, there was volcanic activity, you can make geothermal power there. If you went to Waimea, the wind was constantly blowing but they had no wind mills there. If you went over to Kona, sun always shines, solar electric but they didn’t have very much solar electric there. If you went to Hilo, it was always raining, hydroelectric.

In spite of all that potential for power there on the big island of Hawaii, there were powering the island back then with dirty diesel generators. Made me think about how we sometimes waste the power of God’s Spirit that he’s making available to us and each of us can have that Spirit if we simply ask. You can read in Zachariah 10, what do we do? Ask of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain and he will send flashing clouds. Jesus also said in the book of Luke, if you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit and to them that ask? When you look in the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, it says there was a sound of a mighty rushing wind, and that power that launched the church back then can still power your life today, friends. Why don’t you ask him?

Doug: 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 partner, 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.