Hello friends, this is Doug Batchelor, how about an amazing fact? Wolverines are found from Alaska to Siberia primarily in isolated forests and mountains of the Northern Hemisphere and they’re among the most intense animals in the world. They’re stocky and muscular with glossy brown hair and dull yellow stripes along the sides. The adult wolverine is about the size of a medium dog and males can weigh as much as 60 pounds. They’ve been known to give off a very strong unpleasant odor that gives rise to their nickname “skunk bear” or “nasty cat.” They look like a cross between a bear and a skunk but despite its name, the wolverine is not at all related to the wolf but rather to the weasel.
Nevertheless, they are every bit as clever as a wolf and perhaps more resourceful. In addition to being able to run 30 miles an hour, they can climb trees and they’re also good swimmers. The wolverine is also remarkably strong for its modest size, and pound for pound, it’s considered one of the most ferocious mammals. It’s been known to kill prey as large as an elk or even a moose. In addition, they can force cougars, grizzlies, polar bears and a pack of wolves from their kills. One weakness of the wolverine is bad eyesight, but it compensates for this by sometimes hunting in an ambush style, pouncing on its prey from high rocks or trees.
In spite of its ferocity, they can be very shy and are scarcely ever seen. In fact, there are people who have spent years in the Alaskan wild surrounded by evidence of wolverines and they’ve never seen one. The Latin name for wolverine means “Gulo gulo,” or “glutton,” because they’ll eat just about anything they can find or kill. After gorging on pounds of meat, it will then bury large sections of leftovers, but it goes a step further. It will then spray its hoard with a stinky musk that will keep other animals away. In case you didn’t notice it, the wolverine only has two speeds, stop and full run. In their endless search for food, males may cover a hunting range of more than 240 square miles or travel 40 miles a day to satisfy their voracious appetites.
It’d be safe to say the wolverine lives to eat. You probably know there are also many humans that struggle with the same tendency. Stay with us friends. We’re going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Welcome listening friends to a fresh edition of Bible Answers Live. This program for the next hour or so is dedicated to searching and finding, what is truth in the Word of God. If you have Bible questions, you are invited to participate in this live, international, interactive Bible study. All you’ve got to do is call that toll-free number. It’s 1-800-GOD-SAYS if you want to write down the letters, or if you want the numbers, that’s 1-800-463-7297. We still have some lines open so I’d encourage you to pick up your phone right now and call in with your Bible questions and we’ll do our best to find the answers together.
My name is Doug Batchelor. My regular co-host, Pastor Jëan Ross, is on vacation today and so I’ll be doing my best with our crew in the studio to man the phones and to take your questions, and that’s all the more reason to start out with prayer. Father in heaven, thank You for this opportunity to use the wonderful, amazing technology of radio to broadcast and to communicate with people all over the world. And right now Lord, we’d like to dedicate this program to You and ask that the promise will be fulfilled, that as we seek we’ll find, and that we will find Jesus who is the Truth that will set us free. So bless the program now for that end, we ask for Christ sake, Amen.
Well friends, you probably were interested as I was to hear about the quirky habits of the wolverine, very strange animal that it looks visually like a cross between a skunk and a bear and a wolf perhaps. But they are basically a stomach with arms and legs, and claws and teeth. They just live practically to eat and when I read about the wolverine and its drive to find food and its ability to find food, it doesn’t matter how hot or cold it might be, it helps me realize that there is a crisis in the world today, in North America, and they’re calling it “a health care crisis.” What many people are not addressing is a lot of that health care crisis is being brought on by health habit crisis.
I was reading in National Geographic that this is one of the first times in the history of the world when there may be more people on the planet who are over-nourished rather than mal or undernourished. And a lot of the health problems that we have in the country are connected with heart disease and diabetes and other things that are related to eating habits. Solomon, the wisest man, said in Ecclesiastes 10, verses 16 and 17, “Woe to you, O land when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes feast at the proper time," I like this, "for strength, and not for drunkenness!"--eating for strength and not for gluttony. God intended eating to be pleasant. It’s supposed to be pleasurable but it should not be the controlling influence in our lives. It’s to nourish us for the greater purposes of life.
Yet in many cases, the country has digressed into people that live to eat instead of eating to live. The Bible has a lot to say about health secrets. Now we don’t have to be controlled by our stomachs. We have a special offer for anyone who would like to know more about these health secrets that are in the Word of God. It’s a book that we've not offered in some time, written by that master writer, Joe Crews. It’s called, “Death in the Kitchen.” "Death in the Kitchen," it’s an intriguing title. You’ll find it an interesting book. It’s got some very profound truths in it about what the Bible says about health, practical living, even how to get the victory over some of these appetites that seem to control us.
If you’d like that free booklet, “Death in the Kitchen,” call right now. There are operators standing by. You might jot it down. If you can’t get to the phone now or if you run into a busy signal, the number is 1-800-835-6747. Once again 1-800, that’s our resource number, 1-800-835-6747; and don’t forget you can always go to AmazingFacts.org. Not only can you find resources at the website that are discussed here, but you can also post your Bible questions. A lot of people listen to the program and they’re a little timid about getting on a national radio program on the air. You can email us your questions. At the beginning of the program, like right now, we usually take a couple of email questions.
Here’s one that has come in, “My question is why do some Messianic Jews believe the feast days must be observed? I understand that they don’t believe in the sacrificial part of those Jewish feast days but they still feel bound to keep the days and the events connected with them. What is the reasoning behind this belief?” Well, of course, the Jews in the Old Testament before the time of Christ, beginning not with Abraham but beginning with the time of Moses, they began to observe a series of feasts and these feasts, they had the Fall Feast and the Spring Feast, commemorated salvation in some way. They were all shadows to help the Jewish nation recognize when the Messiah came, and Christ was the fulfillment of all those shadows.
A shadow, of course, is a form. It’s a vague form of the substance that is cast by the light. Well when Jesus came, He’s the fulfillment of that. Of course, the Bible says that in 1st Corinthians 15, “Christ is our Passover, which is sacrificed for us.” And again in Romans chapter 14, you can read that, “One man might regard one day above another, another man regards everyday alike.” You know, if someone wants to remember some of the days connected with these Jewish feasts, I think that’s fine. There’s probably educational value in that but the Bible is very clear. It is not mandatory for Christians to keep these ceremonial laws. These are among the laws that were nailed to the cross. It's no longer necessary for us to sacrifice lambs. Jesus is the lamb.
The Bible is very clear that circumcision may have benefits for health reasons or for traditional reasons, but there is no biblical mandate for spiritual reasons. So I would say that if a person is compelling others to keep the feast days, they’re going backwards spiritually. So hopefully that helps with that. We got one more question that came in-- well we've got several that came in--got one more we’re going to do. And it’s asking, “Does the Bible say anything about being baptized more than once?” Well, matter of fact, it does. If you read in Acts chapter 19, Luke, writing, talks about a time when Paul ran into 12 Ephesian believers that had been baptized appropriately by immersion by John the Baptist, but they left the vicinity before Jesus began His ministry.
Christ, of course, only ministered about three and a half years and then He died and rose again. But they did not have internet or television back then and news traveled slowly and they had not heard about the life of Jesus and His sacrifice. So when Paul preached to them about Christ, it says in Acts 19, verse 5, “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." So, in other words, they were re-baptized and Paul laid his hands on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. So there’s one example of re-baptism there. I’d say there are three reasons that you can draw from the Bible for re-baptism, or being baptized more than once. One would be if you were not baptized biblically. Some people are baptized as babies; and it is true Jesus was dedicated as a baby but they did not call it baptism.
Jesus was dedicated when He was eight days old, but He wasn’t baptized until He made the decision at thirty years of age. Dedication is the parents’ choice. Baptism must be the individual’s choice. You cannot do it for another person. So if a person was not baptized biblically, or if they were not able to participate in that choice, they should be re-baptized. If a person was baptized and they backslid, baptism is like a marriage to the Lord. If they’re baptized and they backslide then they--you know--I’m not talking about missing church a week or two. I’m talking about you really turn away from the Lord publicly. They should be re-married or re-baptized again publicly as they re-consecrate their lives. The third reason, of course, is what we just described; when a person comes into a whole new understanding of what the truth is as they did in Acts 19, it would be appropriate in a case like that to be re-baptized.
We have a study guide that deals with that, “Baptism: Is it Really Necessary?” If you’d like to know more about baptism, ask for that free offer, “Baptism: Is it Really Necessary?” If you've got questions about the feast days we just discussed, we also have a study guide called, “Feast Days & Sabbaths.” We’d invite you to go to the website, AmazingFacts.org. You can either read them there or you can call the resource number and we’ll send you a copy, 1-800-835-6747. I’ve rumbled long enough probably time to go to the phones. We’re going to start out talking with Max who’s calling from Brooklyn, New York listening on the internet. Welcome to the program Max, you’re on the air.
Max: Hi, good evening Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Good evening.
Max: Yes, my question comes from Isaiah 66, verse 24.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay.
Max: In the verse it may mention about the saved going into the mountain, or while they’re in the kingdom, and they’re looking over and they’re seeing the carcasses of the wicked that has been destroyed. And…
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, let me read this--I’m sorry go ahead.
Max: Yes, I just wanted some clarification on that.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, if you read in Isaiah 66 speaking of the redeemed, it says, “They shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall abhorring unto all flesh.” Now, there is a period of time right at the conclusion of the one thousand years where it tells us in Revelation 20 the wicked make an assault on the city of God. It refers to them as "Gog and Magog." Those are simply symbolic names for the enemies of God’s people in the Old Testament. Magog means “the children of Gog," Gog and its children, like Babylon and her daughters. It’s saying the same thing. When judgment is visited, it says God rains fire down from heaven upon those who’ve surrounded the city of God.
There is a period of time where, from the walls of the New Jerusalem, they can see the judgment that has fallen on the enemies of God’s people. It doesn’t mean through eternity that we are going to wander and tiptoe through the decomposing carcasses of the wicked; I mean, that would be a revolting thought. But there is that period of time when they are being consumed. He uses the terminology, “Their worm shall not die and their fire is not quenched.” In other words, if suddenly I was standing next to you and I catch on fire, you’d jump on me to quench me. There will be nobody quenching the wicked in hell fire, and the worm is going to--you know what worms do, is they will take a carcass and they reduce it back to dirt.
That’s why if you read again in Malachi 4, it says, “The wicked will be ashes under the soles of their feet.” Ultimately, they turn back into ashes and they’re burnt up. The Bible calls it the second death.
Max: Right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know, I’ve got a study guide that deals with that and if you'd like, I’ll be happy to send you a copy. It’s, “Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?”
Max: I have that one.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You do? Okay, well I think you probably are studying on it. Hopefully that answer helps you a little bit, okay Max?
Max: Thanks a lot.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, take care. Next, we’re going to talk with David who is calling from Kentucky listening on the internet also and a first time caller. Welcome, David, to the program.
David: Yes, hello.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hi. How can we help you tonight?
David: Good. Pastor Doug, I have some questions on the definition, the difference between a soul and a spirit.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay.
David: And I have read the Strong’s version and those have some phrases that agree with what you and I believe, I believe. However, they also allow for some different viewpoints. And I wanted to ask another question after that but I'll let you answer that first.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, so your question is about the soul or the spirit?
David: Right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well they’re two words, it’s a big question. I didn’t know if you had a more specific part of the question.
David: Well, okay, this may--now it's somewhat--is there another source other than, say, using a Strong’s lexicon to give an authentic semantic meaning for those words?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well there are some other good sources. There is a website I sometimes depend upon where you can download free Bible software and commentaries. And some of those commentaries have got some word dictionaries, like Thayer’s, and Hitchcock’s Bible and Easton’s, and you can evaluate words, Robinson’s word studies, in deeper strata. Strong's, of course, it gives you the very simple answer. For instance, the Old Testament, you've got the word for "spirit" is also coming from the Hebrew word “ruach.” In Greek it’s “pneuma,” which is where we get the word for "pneumonia," or "pneumatic." It means “wind" or "breath" or "spirit.”
David: Yes. I understand that. I have some friends that believe that the soul, or the spirit, contains an immaterial essence of our being, and I don’t believe that’s the way Scripture portrays that. However, they use text like 1st Corinthians 2:11 that says, “For what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of the man which is in him?” And then in 1st Thessalonians, I can’t remember the text exactly but it says that, “May the God of peace sanctify you, your spirit, soul and body.” And they’re using these texts to say that, "See there? There is an essence, an immaterial portion that’s referred to by the Bible as a spirit," and so on.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, I wouldn’t argue with those Scriptures. There are places where Paul uses in 1st Corinthians 2, verse 11 you just quoted. That word there, again, for "spirit" is "pneuma." It says, “Pneuma Theos,” and that means the “Spirit of God.” When God first created man, it says, “God breathed into man the breath of life," the breath of life, "and he became a living soul.” And so when Paul talks about this breath of life in man, there is something inside that is our character, our personality. Sometimes I think Paul used that word to describe the breath of life or the personality of life that isn’t in a person; but it’s not a ghost that is disembodied in any way, it’s the essence of who we are. Because the Bible says, “As the body without the spirit is dead....” So when that breath of life goes away this body is dead. The spirit is not off flitting around by itself.
David: I've explained that the essence of our thoughts, emotions, decision-making powers are simply the molecules of our mind, the nerve cells if you would, interacting, and the only way they can interact is with the power of the ruach, the fire that He has brought all those all molecules to life with. But there’s still the heavy push that--well, there’s actually still an essence with an immaterial force that’s contained in there.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, God can take a person off into a vision and show them things, and we’re not even sure right now exactly how it is that the brain holds a thought. I mean, the deeper and the deeper they study into how the human brain works it’s such a miraculous, mysterious organism that they can’t describe exactly how something biological can hold a thought. It’s not like computer processors hold random memory, and so that is a miracle. You know, I hope that will cover it for tonight David because I got a bunch of people lined up and I want to try and help them a little bit.
David: Sure. I appreciate your thoughts and I’ll look at some of these other resources. Thank you.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, thank you David. That will pave the way for us to talk to Belinda who’s calling from Queens, New York listening on WNCA. Welcome Belinda, you’re on the air.
Belinda: Hello Pastor Batchelor. How are you this evening?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Very well. How about you?
Belinda: I’m fine, thank you. Yes, I have a question-- actually two. I wanted to know what your thoughts or philosophies are in regard to women wearing makeup and jewelry within moderation. I believe it’s in Timothy. I think it alludes to women not adorning themselves with jewelry. And then I also wanted to know--well, first of all, that’s my main question, could you answer that one first for me?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, well I’ll do my best, and we’ll see how the time holds up for part two.
Belinda: Okay. Alright, sure, that’s fine.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: First, I always like to preface my statements by saying I think there's going to be millions of women in heaven who wore jewelry and makeup. I don’t think that the Lord looks down and says, “Ah, she put on some powder, you’re out of here.” So I don’t want people to get the wrong impression, but I do take a very biblically conservative view on this. When I read the Bible I find that, well, let’s start with makeup. It tells us Jezebel painted her face and then she got thrown out of a window [laughing]. I mean, it doesn’t say a lot of good. It talks about the harlots in the Bible painting themselves so that they could seduce.
Belinda: Right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: And you probably have heard, years ago it didn’t matter what denomination you were, if a lady showed up in a church with too much lipstick on, they called her Jezebel. Churches have changed; with Hollywood and films and the actresses, the standards in the churches regarding makeup have changed. My attitude is that if a woman is wearing enough makeup where you know that she has it on, she has got too much on.
Belinda: Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I think the idea for a Christian is you want to look healthy and you want to look natural. And when we start wearing just all these different colors and stuff so that, what can I say, they start looking like they work for the circus. It doesn’t, in my opinion, measure up to the biblical definition of the inward adorning. So we’ll just set makeup aside. I think that we ought to be as modest and natural as we can be, in that respect. Now, let’s face it, the people are tattooing and there are sprinkles and all different kinds of colors. With the jewelry, the Bible doesn’t say a lot that’s good about wearing jewelry. It says, “Let it not be the outward adorning.” First of all, so much jewelry now is done in the context of piercing our bodies...
Belinda: Right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: ...and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The body piercing that often happened in the Bible was connected with satanic worship. It tells us that the prophets of Baal cut themselves and God told His people, “Do not mutilate your bodies.” Our bodies are the temple of God. So that’s one aspect. The other aspect is that jewelry in the Bible was really money. They didn’t have paper money, and when someone wears their money.... You know, a few years ago a lot of evangelists got into trouble, moral trouble, and the news had a good time accentuating that.
One of the things that they made fun of was the ostentatious dress of these evangelists and their wives, both the jewelry and the makeup, the men and the women. The world even recognized the immodesty and the inconsistency with Christianity. Someone wrote a song, "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex?" and they started making fun of Christians. So, what did the children of Israel make the golden calf out of? Well they made it out of their jewelry.
Belinda: Right, yeah, uh-huh.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: And God told them, He said, “Break off your ornaments so I can know what to do with you.” When Jacob went to meet with the Lord at Bethel, they took off their jewelry and they buried it. So I think that Christians, as soon as you open that door and start wearing a little bit, some people can’t control it and the next thing you know is folks are coming to church; they say, “I follow Jesus,” and they paint like clowns and they dress up like Christmas trees, and you just stop looking like the simple, natural demeanor I think a Christian should have.
Belinda: Okay, okay. And quickly how, like, for instance, some people, you know, they will say that the Holy Spirit told them to say this, it told them to say that. I was always taught that the Holy Spirit is a Gentleman and if people come out with something they said was given to them by the Holy Spirit and it’s something that, you know, isn’t very nice, you know, how do you discern?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well I’d be suspicious. Principally Belinda, I think that the Holy spirit speaks through His Word, and so a lot of people are saying, “Well the Holy Spirit told me this," or, "The Holy Spirit told me that.” I’m not so sure it was the Holy Spirit that told them. You can go right to the Word and find out 99% of what the Holy Spirit wants to say. God’s Spirit will impress us, but it becomes sort of a card that people play. They play the Spirit card. They say, “Well I know you may think this or that or you may want to do this or that, but the Spirit is telling me.” I think, first of all, we ought to go and find out what the Word says.
You know, there are two books that I’d like to tell you about, Belinda, that we can make available, and I want to thank you for your question. One is, I’ve got a book I’ve written on the subject of jewelry, “Jewelry: How Much is Too Much? We’ll send you a copy of that. We also have a book called, “The Gift of the Holy Spirit,” one on each question. So if you’d like to request those, call the number 1-800-835-6747. We’ll be happy to send those to you. Well, we’ve gotten a start on our questions. There’s more to come. I still have a couple of lines open if you want to call in with your Bible question.
I’ll see if we can really cover as many as possible in the second half. Also, keep your pencil handy and the first thing you should write down is AmazingFacts.org. The Amazing Facts' website, it has been newly revised and there are just tons of things that you’ll find there to edify you in your faith. Much of it is free studies, videos, audio programs that you can listen to, prophecy studies, and much, much more. Once again that’s simply Amazing Facts; it’s hard to forget that, AmazingFacts.org. You might even want to save that among your favorites as a study resource in your Internet Explorer. Pastor Ross has some recorded important announcements and then we’ll be right back.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug Batchelor: We are back, doing our best to answer your Bible questions using the Word of God here at our fingertips. If you have a Bible question, that number again is 1-800-463-7297. My name is Doug Batchelor. Pastor Ross is on vacation tonight with his family. And I’m going to go next to the phone, let me see, number seven, line seven. Marie, you’re on the air with WMCA calling from Bronx, New York, your question?
Marie: Hello Doug.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hi, thank you for calling and waiting.
Marie: Good evening. My question is why are some people blessed more so than others and how can the non-blessed be blessed?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, and your question is, it’s hard to hear you, but I think you said why are some people blessed more than others and…
Marie: How can the non-blessed be blessed?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: How can the non-blessed be blessed? Well you know, the central question that is addressed in the book of Job is revolving around why do good things happen to bad people and why do bad things happen to good people? In the Book we discovered that God is good and He’s working out His purposes. Sometimes it’s not until afterwards we can understand. That’s why Paul says in Romans Chapter 8 that, “All things will work together for the good of those that love God.” Like the story of Joseph where Joseph didn’t really do anything to deserve being sold by his brothers as a slave.
Nor did he deserve when he was falsely accused and then cast into prison, but finally when he was exalted to Prime Minister and saved much of the world from starvation, looking back you say, “Ah, now I can see.” It looked like Joseph was being cursed, but God was using all of that as a blessing. It wasn’t until you get far enough back you can see the horizon, this panorama of how God is leading. As time goes by you look back over the horizon of history and you can say, “Now we see what the Lord was up to.” Even now we don’t understand it all, but when we get to the kingdom we’ll have a lot of questions answered.
In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon asks this, and he says, “Though a sinner my prolonged his days he knows ultimately it will be good with those who serve God.” So sometimes in this life it might seem like the wicked are prospering. Psalm 37, David is asking a question. It says, "Don’t fret yourself because of the wicked person who seems to prosper." Jesus said, “God sends the sunshine and the rain on the just and the unjust,” right?
Marie: Right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: So our duty is to fear God and keep His commandments, this is the whole duty of man; meaning, loving the Lord, reverencing God, following His Word, and He will bless us for doing that. Okay?
Marie: Is there anything that I should read to help me with that?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. We’ve got a booklet that talks about the plan of salvation and how God operates in His realms we’ll be happy to send you. And, let me see, I’m thinking as I’m talking right here about what would be the best thing that we could send you. You know, we have, “Is There Anything Left You Can Trust?” If you’d call our resource number and tell them you’d like to have the beautifully-illustrated study pamphlet “Is There Anything Left You Can Trust?” it helps give us an overview of what God’s plan is in the course of time, okay?
Marie: Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, thank you very much Marie. Next, we’re going to be talking with Mike who is calling from Brooklyn, New York, also on WMCA. Welcome to the program Mike.
Mike: Thanks, Pastor Doug. My question is if the Bible is inspired by God, why did the Holy Spirit lead Paul to think that the second coming of Christ would be occurring during his lifetime?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, where did you read that Paul thought it would occur during his lifetime?
Mike: You know I don’t have chapter and verse, but I know I’ve read it, and I know that that’s the consensus of most New Testament scholars.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well let me read you something here from 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, and this is written by Paul. Let’s start with verse one. “Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind," in other words, don’t be soon shaken regarding the eminence of God’s coming, "or troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day will not come, unless there come a falling away first.” Now Paul is not talking about a falling away in the world. The world has already fallen. He was speaking of a falling away in the church.
So Paul is saying here quite the opposite. He’s saying, "Don’t get stirred up that the day of the Lord is at hand because it’s not going to come until some things happen first." That’s why I’m wondering what verse? I’ve heard people say that before and when I say, “Well, what verse are you talking about?” Do you know what an urban legend is?
Mike: Yeah.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: People repeat something so often they assume it’s the truth; and then when you say, "Now where is the backup evidence for that?” They say, “Well, you know, but I read it on the internet.” I don’t know what verse it is where Paul says that he thought it would happen in his lifetime.
Mike: Yeah. Let me ask you this, doesn’t Jesus say in the Bible--I think it’s in the book of Revelation--that, “I come soon”?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes, now that’s true, and, of course, that was written by the apostle John. In the book of Revelation Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly,” and I believe that’s true. Now, keep in mind, some things you've got to look at it through the perspective of the author. If you live for eternity, how long is seventy years?
Mike: Well the Apostle John wasn't living for eternity on earth. I mean, he was talking to earthly people.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, and for you.
Mike: He was right. The books were written for the people of the time.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well the apostle John when he wrote Revelation, he himself was probably about ninety when he received the vision of Revelation, and when the Lord said, “Behold, I come quickly,” it is quick. Our lives are so very short. If the average is three score and ten, or some countries it’s over seventy, some countries it’s still under seventy, and if I should die, my next conscious thought is the resurrection. For me that’s just a twinkling of an eye, it’s very quick.
Mike: But wasn’t He referring to the second coming when He says, “I come quickly”?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. Well that’s the next conscious thought a person has, is the second coming, because it says the dead in Christ rise at the second coming.
Mike: But wouldn’t the second coming be an earthly event?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes, and for everybody since the time that John wrote, “Behold, I come quickly,” everybody who has lived from that time to the present time, it could never be more than--well, a hundred years would be a stretch compared to eternity. Let’s say that you’re saved and you’re in heaven and about a million years from now you think about how long your seventy-year life was. It’s not very long. Now the Lord is coming soon. And something else, when the Lord says He comes quickly, the book of Revelation, which is what we’re talking about right now, is talking about prophecies leading up to the Lord’s coming, concluding with the Lord’s coming. So He’s telling us about the things that will happen prior to His coming. I don’t know if that makes sense, if I’m being clear.
Mike: I understand. Yeah, it doesmake a lot of sense Pastor Doug. I appreciate the explanation.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, hey, you know, we have a study guide I’d be happy to send you, Mike, that’s on that subject. It’s called “The Ultimate Rescue,” talking about some of the signs and the events leading up to the second coming. Please call the resource number, we’ll send you a copy. Again 835-6747, don’t forget the 1-800 before that, 835-6747. Appreciate your question, good spirit Mike. Who are we talking to next here? I’m going to go to line six and talk to Esther. Esther is also calling on WMCA. Welcome to the program.
Esther: Oh, thank you Pastor. This is my first time calling. I’ve been listening for the past few years. I’ve learned a lot. I do take some Bible classes, so I filled in a lot of gaps from listening to you. My question is on Daniel chapter 9, verse 27 where they talk about the awful horror. And then if you go to Matthew 28, I’m sorry, Matthew chapter 24, verses 15 all the way through 22nd, where Christ also referred to Daniel’s awful horror...
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah.
Esther: ...can you confirm to me, is this a dual prophecy? Because from what I understand with Daniel 7, it’s talking about the future, which is part of the seventy weeks, and that was the last week about the tribulation.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Right.
Esther: But, is Christ referring here also about the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.? I know it happened the same way, people flee to the mountains and the tribulation, more or less, the same thing will happen?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Good question, Esther. Daniel chapter 9 at the end it’s talking about the destruction of the temple. Other places in Daniel it talks about the abomination of desolation. Jesus in Matthew 24 talks about both, the destruction of the temple and the abomination of desolation. Daniel chapter 7 and Daniel chapter 12 talk about the abomination of desolation and the second coming. In Jesus' discourse in Matthew 24, the disciples begin by asking Him--well really it’s a threefold question--they say, “What will be the sign of these things," meaning the temple being destroyed, "and the signs of your coming and the end of the world? When will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?” Jesus coalesces His answer into one response...
Esther: That’s what I thought.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: ...because, the events that preceded the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple will happen again immediately prior to the second coming.
Esther: Exactly, tribulation.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, history does repeat itself.
Esther: Right, it does.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: And so what happened to the Jewish nations, spiritually, immediately prior to the destruction of the temple is going to happen to the church, spiritually, prior to the second coming. In the same way that there was a remnant of the Jewish nation that was saved during that destruction, there will be a remnant of the church that will be saved just prior to the second coming. Not everybody. Christianity is the biggest religion in the world. Well, not everybody saying, "Lord, Lord" is going to the kingdom. That’s what Jesus said. So there’s a lot of people that have a pretense, a nominal religion. So you’re right, you’re on the right track. This is an example of a dual prophecy.
Esther: Yeah, that was confusing to me. You know, I couldn’t put it together because I thought about the seventy weeks very carefully. I’ve done some other readings, but I appreciate your clarification here, you know.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know, there is something I’d like to send you Esther. It’s one of our advanced studies but I think you’ll really appreciate it. It’s called, “God Sets a Date for the Judgment.” It talks about the Daniel 9 prophecies. If you call the resource number, 1-800-835-6747, we’ll send that to you. Thank you again for your question Esther. We’re going to talk next with Richard who is calling on--where are you calling from--KFIA, right here in our host city of Sacramento. Richard, thank you for waiting. Your question?
Richard: Yes, thank you for answering my call. I've got a question, I'm in John, and Jesus said to Nicodemus to be born again, okay?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay.
Richard: And then we've got that famous Scripture in John 3:16, God loved the world that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life. When does eternal life--is that after you get the Holy Ghost, or is it a gift that you get when you believe in Jesus?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: As soon as a person accepts the provision of salvation, they have eternal life. One reason that is because later on in John’s other letter he says, “That we might know that we have eternal life.” He says it in the present tense. So while we’re here in the world, even though we’ve got these mortal bodies, we can have eternal life because eternal life begins with accepting Jesus. That’s why John says also, “He that has the Son has life.” It does not mean necessarily that you’ll speak in tongues. But when we receive Christ we receive His Spirit. Now, keep in mind, the Holy Spirit comes in different degrees because after the apostles first accepted Jesus, they received the gift of eternal life.
Then later, Jesus breathes on them in the upper room and He says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Then later on at Pentecost, He pours it out in much more power and it empowers them to be witnesses and to preach. So, you know, sometimes Jesus said, “It’s like the wind that blows." It might be a gentle breeze. It might be a mighty rushing wind, that the Spirit of God comes when we accept Christ.
Richard: Okay, cool. Thank you.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: And through our experience it may come in different degrees. I appreciate your question, Richard, and we do have a study guide dealing with the subject of the Holy Spirit. If you call and you ask for my booklet dealing with the Holy Spirit, we’ll send you a free copy. Next, we’re going to line number seven and we’re going totalk to Mary who’s calling from New Jersey and listening on WMCA. Welcome Mary, you’re on the air.
Mary: Praise the Lord. Thank you for taking my call Pastor. Good evening.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Good evening.
Mary: My question to you is about when Balaam went to Balak, and I know that he didn’t curse the Israelites because God wouldn’t allow him. But when they sinned, I heard a priest just say that Balaam did it, but I searched the Scripture and I can’t see where, so how we know that is the [inaudible 45:11] entice them to do it?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well you can go, for one thing, to Revelation. If you look in Revelation Chapter 2 it’s telling us there--and Jesus is speaking--He says, “I have a few things against you because you have there those that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught," that means "he counseled," "Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel." You’ve got, of course, that whole account here if you look in Numbers 24, verse 14, is what I think you’re looking for. It says, “I’ll advise you what will happen to your people in the latter days”--oh that’s actually not the verse I’m looking for.
I think it might be--well Joshua 24, it says, “But I would not listen to Balaam.” I’m just going through my computer program here looking at the different references that talk about Balaam. You’ve got Jude 1, verse 11. There are so many references to Balaam here in the Bible. You find Balaam is mentioned 59 times so I don’t think I’m going to get through them all. I’m trying to think of it. I know which one. Let me see here.
Mary: I just have to know which one of the Scriptures really point directly to him.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, you’re talking about where he counseled them to send the Moabite women in.
Mary: Yes.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: It says here in Numbers 31, verse 8, it’s talking about when Balaam was killed because he had counseled Balak, or he was killed with a sword and the reason that was happening. Then again in Deuteronomy 23, verse 4--hang on here. I think the one we might be looking for, here we go, Numbers 31:16. I knew it was here.
Mary: Yeah.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: He said, “Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD.” Is that the one you’re looking for?
Mary: Yeah.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Numbers 31:16.
Mary: What about 24?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, well most of what you find about Balaam is there but when Balaam was not able to curse Israel, he tried to get the gift, the reward, from Balak. He said, “Look, if you want a curse to come on Israel, you can’t just pronounce 'abracadabra.'” He said, “You've got to get them to disobey their God’s law...”
Mary: Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: “...If you can entice the Israelites to disobey their God’s law, the Lord will withdraw His protection from them,” and that’s what he did. He enticed, through the women of Moab, to seduce the men of Israel and a plague came on to Israelites because of that. So that’s recorded in Numbers 31:16. And then you piece together the other verses that we just mentioned. Like I said, you’ll have to get your concordance and go through those fifty-nine references to Balaam. It's kind of a sad story. He started out as a prophet of God but, like Judas, he sold out for money. Thanks for your question, Mary, and I hope that will help you a little bit.
I’m looking at who has been in line the longest here. We’re going to talk to Conrad who has been waiting patiently, calling also from Brooklyn, New York all the way to California. Welcome to the program Conrad.
Conrad: Thanks, good evening.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Evening.
Conrad: My question is on the seal of God. To my knowledge, I know that it’s the Sabbath but somebody came up with this saying that it’s the Holy Spirit. He gave me some Scriptures and I’m reading the Scriptures on the internet, which are Ephesians 1:13, …
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes.
Conrad: …Ephesians 4:30 and 2nd Corinthians 1:21, 22. I just wanted some insight, some real doctrinal insights on it.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright. Well let’s first talk just some basic things. For our friends who’re listening, in Revelation everybody gets some kind of mark. The lost have the mark of the beast in their forehead or their hand; the saved have the seal of God in their forehead. Everybody who has the mark of the beast has the spirit of the devil. I mean, there are only two spirits. There are not three or four options. Jesus said, “If you’re not with Me, you’re against Me.” And we know if they don’t have the Spirit of God, then whose spirit do they have? You with me Conrad?
Conrad: I'm with you.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay. So everybody who has the seal of God, whose Spirit do they have?
Conrad: God’s Spirit.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, so there’s no conflict between those who have the Spirit of God--or who have the seal of God--are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit is the primary seal of God, but if you have the Holy Spirit, you have the law of God in your heart. Now I’m quoting from the words of Jesus and the words of Moses. You can find it in Deuteronomy 6, verse 4, where He said, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one...thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, thy mind, thy soul, thy strength. And these words that I command you shall be in your heart." Now, the Holy Spirit seals the Word of God in our heart.
He goes on to say, “You shall write them as frontlets between your eyes and you shall write them upon your hand.” I’m paraphrasing here because I don’t have it open right now. So it’s very interesting. It talks about the mark of the beast in the hand or the forehead, and the seal of God in the forehead. Moses is saying that the law of God should be between our eyes. That’s the forehead, right?
Conrad: Right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well it’s the Holy Spirit that seals that there. Now when you go deeper into the law of God, there’s only one place where the name of the Lord appears with His title in the law. That’s the Sabbath Commandment. So, one time in the law of God does it call God the Creator, and that’s in the Sabbath Commandment. The only Commandment that begins with the word “Remember” is the Sabbath Commandment, not to mention it’s the longest of the Commandments. So, God’s right to ask us to obey is found in the seal of God.
What right does He have to ask us to obey the other nine Commandments? Well, because He made us. See what I’m saying? So the seal of God is, of course, the Holy Spirit. I don’t ever argue that with anybody; but then there is something tangible that can be seen in the life. What is it? They worshiped God, and the Sabbath is all about worshiping the Lord by giving Him our time.
Conrad: And I understand because I read somewhere where you can’t have the Spirit if you’re not keeping the laws of God at the same time.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah exactly.
Conrad: And when I came across this person, I guess he must not be quite clear. The first doctrine that came to mind, I think 2nd Timothy, where it says, "In the last days they will be known by different winds doctrine and fables."
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, you’re on the right track. Hey, I appreciate your call very much Conrad. We’ve offered our book a couple of times tonight talking about the Holy Spirit. If you’d like a copy of that, we’ll be happy to send it to you. Let me see, we’ve got a few people lined up. We’re going to talk next with Abraham, who is calling also from WMCA. We got a lot of calls from New York tonight. Welcome to the program Abraham.
Abraham: Praise the Lord. Merry Christmas!
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Likewise.
Abraham: My question is real simple. There is a general notion among Christians that when babies die they go to heaven, babies and children, small children. And the second part of it, I just added this after my waiting, that people who commit suicide, no matter what, go to hell. Could you address those two and give us some Scriptures please?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, well I’ll do my best. Let me start with your second question first about suicide. The Bible doesn’t really teach that if someone commits suicide that it is the unpardonable sin. I do think that in most cases, and I just want to be careful because I think there could be some exceptions. In most cases when a person commits suicide, it’s evidence that they’ve lost hope and they’ve lost faith, and without faith it’s impossible to please God. I would tell anybody who is contemplating suicide that it is really a very sad choice to make because if a person commits suicide thinking that they’re improving their circumstances, all suicide does is permanently seals a bad situation.
And it takes away your options for hope; so, you know, don’t ever even ponder that. There may be some exceptions. Some people, maybe they've got some kind of chemical imbalance or things, medical condition, the Lord knows; and in their abject discouragement, or maybe they’re going through such agonizing pain that in their flesh they take their life just because they can’t cope with some terminal sickness or something, God may not judge their whole life on the torment of the last few hours. You know what I’m saying by that Abraham? I think you understand.
They may take their life, and there could have been some chemical or mitigating medical circumstances and God may still save them, looking over the whole panorama of their life. On the second question about the children, obviously if a baby dies before they reach the age of accountability, God is not going to throw them in the lake of fire. They’re going to be seen innocent of choosing to sin before Him, and certainly the children of the redeemed. The Bible tells that there are going to be children in heaven. You'll find in Malachi chapter 4, “They shall go forth and grow up.” Again in Isaiah chapter 65 it talks about the little children in heaven playing by the hole of the serpent and it will not hurt them. “A little child will lead them,” Isaiah chapter 11.
So, there’s plenty of evidence of children in heaven. Hope that happens. I’m trying to capture a few more questions Abraham, and I trust that will help you a little bit. Next, we’re going to be talking with line four. I’ve got to use both hands here. Dufaux is calling from WGOD in the Virgin Islands. And your question Dufaux?
Dufaux: Yeah, good evening.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Good evening, and please speak up because you’re in the Caribbean.
Dufaux: I know.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I wish I could trade places with you.
Dufaux: Okay. Me say greetings to you and staff from the Caribbean.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well thank you very much and you pass that on, and what’s your question tonight?
Dufaux: Okay. First, before I ask my question, I just want to make a little correction. Somebody called earlier on--I'm talking about the name of John--and I think I heard him say like the name of John in French is Jean. It is spelled Jean, J-e-a-n, but its pronounced Jëan.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Jëan, yes. My co-host on this program, his name is Jëan.
Dufaux: Yes, Jëan.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: And it’s got the two little dots above the ‘e’. Now your question before we run out of time?
Dufaux: Oh, yeah, can someone be saved on their dying bed?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Can a person be saved on their deathbed? Well, you know, one reason we’ve got the story of the thief on the cross, he may not have been reclining on a bed but he certainly was in his final illness, and he was saved in those final moments. I’ve been at the deathbed of people and I have prayed with them and trusted in their being saved, based on that prayer and their expression of faith in the closing hours of their life, so my answer would be a resounding yes. I apologize friends, if you’ve been holding and we didn’t get to you. This has been the fastest hour of my week.
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