Pastor Doug: Hello Friends. This is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? All creatures require sleep. Some take brief cat naps. Others like the great anteater sleep as much as 16 hours a day. And, of course, a horse doesn’t require much sleep. It does it standing up. On the other hand, dolphins have to be conscious to breathe. This means they cannot go into full deep sleep or they’ll suffocate. Dolphins solve this by letting one half of their brain sleep at a time. Additionally, some animals like chipmunks hibernate through the cold winter going into a very deep sleep.
Humans, on the other hand, need an average of 8 hours of sleep per night to function normally but sadly today, people are the most sleep deprived of all creatures. A new baby sleeps as much as 16 hours a day but that same baby may cost up to 700 hours of lost sleep for its parents in the first year. Today, because of artificial lights, the TV, the internet, and the caffeine craze, people are sleeping about one hour less than their great grandparents did.
Not only do people become cranky when they’re tired, they can be dangerous too. Doctors say 17 hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance, equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05%. The highway patrol estimates fatigue is involved in 1 out of 6 fatal road accidents. This is also why one extra hour of sleep received during Daylight Savings time has been found to reduce the number of road accidents.
So how long can a person go without sleep? The longest documented record for a human going without sleep, without using stimulants, was held by Randy Gardner. In 1964, the 17 year old high school student from San Diego stayed awake for a total of 264 hours or eleven days. Even in a self-imposed experiment, he got really groggy. He reported hallucinations, nausea, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred speech with memory and concentration lapses. 13 years later, 1977, Maureen Weston of Peterborough, England, broke Randy’s record. She went 449 hours without sleep while participating in a rocking chair marathon but it’s believed she used caffeine.
The Bible tells us that knowing when to rest and when to stay awake can be a matter of life or death. 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: Hello listening friends. This is one of my favorite hours of the week when we get together with our friends and talk about the most important thing in the world, which is truth. And the source of truth is God’s Word. Welcome to Bible Answers Live. This is a live international interactive Bible study and we would be delighted if you would like to call us with any of your Bible questions for the next hour. It’s a toll free phone call. That’s 1-800-GODSAYS, 1-800-463-7297. And my name is Doug Batchelor.
Jean Ross: My name is Jean Ross. Good evening listening friends. Pastor Doug, before we open the phone lines and open the Word, let’s start with a prayer. Dear Father once more, we thank You for this opportunity to study Your Word. We thank You for this technology that has made this Bible study an international Bible study tonight. We ask Your blessing upon the program. Be with those who are listening and those who call in. for this, we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen.
Jean Ross: In the opener, Pastor Doug, you spoke about the need of sleep and then you ended by saying as Christians we need to know when to sleep and when to watch or be awake. What did you mean by that?
Pastor Doug: Well, of course, the Lord, part of His original plan every seventh day He set aside a day of rest. He understood the importance for humans to rest. And even Jesus said “Come ye aside and rest awhile.” Jesus worked so long. One day, He fell asleep and could not even wake up during the storm. But then there are times when He says, we need to be awake. So often the disciples slept when they should have been awake. On the mount of transfiguration, there in Mark chapter 9, Moses and Elijah appear talking to Jesus and they were sleeping when it first happened. And when Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep. The Lord said there in Matthew 26, watch and pray to be awake.
Then you’ve got the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. And they all went to sleep just before the bridegroom came, a time where they could have been preparing or making sure there was an abundance of oil in their lamps. At least 50% were sleeping and weren’t prepared or 100% were sleeping. And so being observant and being awake and prepared for the second coming is very important. It is not like many think … going to be a secret that’s going to sneak up. I mean it will be a surprise but everyone’s going to know when Jesus comes and so we need to be awake. Paul says that we are children of the day and not children of the night unless that day should overtake us as a thief. And so we’re to be observant and be vigilant, Peter tells us, and prepared for the second coming. Yet, like Christ said in the parable of the 10 virgins, much of the Christian church is snoring in the sanctuary. And we need to wake up and get ready.
Jean Ross: So dealing with the subject of the second coming to be watchful, to be aware of where we are in the stream of time and the soon coming of Jesus. There’s a free offer. Pastor Doug, you wrote a book entitled Anything But Secret, dealing with the second coming of Christ.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, it’s got a trumpet on the cover and that should wake everybody up.
Jean Ross: And a lion.
Pastor Doug: And a roar.
Jean Ross: That’s right. This is a free offer for tonight. So if you have any questions concerning the second coming of Christ, will it be a secret or will everyone see Jesus when He comes. We’d like you to call our resource number 1-800-835-6747, ask for the free offer, Anything But Secret. And we’ll be happy to send that out to you.
The first question that we have here, Pastor Doug, deals with the subject of the secret rapture. It says is Luke 17:34 referring to a secret rapture.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, let me read this for our friends. In Luke 17:34 actually read through verse 36, “I tell you” and speaking of the second coming in this whole chapter “In that night, there shall be two men in one bed. One shall be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding together. One shall be taken and the other left. Two men shall be in the field. One taken and the other left.” Now in Luke, He adds the one visual of two men sleeping in one bed.
Matthew just talks about the women grinding and the men in the field. These three illustrations here some have interpreted it to mean people will be doing something and then suddenly, one will disappear. They’ll just poof! The rapture. But in reality these are three very obvious Biblical symbols where there are only 2 categories. A woman in the Bible represents the church and in Revelation you have two principal women. You’ve got the true church in Revelation 12, a woman. Revelation 17 has the apostate church, a woman again. One is true and one is false. One is not prepared and one is prepared when the Lord comes.
Then it says that there are two men in a bed, well there’s two kinds of people sleeping. The Bible says many of those that sleep in the dust shall awake. Some to everlasting life. And I’m quoting Daniel 12 now, “the other everlasting shame and condemnation.” Jesus said the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice. They that have done good, resurrection of life. They that have done evil, resurrection of damnation. Two kinds sleeping. Then you’ve got two men working in the fields. Christ said the world is a field. There’s two kinds of harvests going on right now. You’ve got the seeds of truth.
The wheat is gathered in the barn and the tares are gathered to be burned. And so these are visual images Jesus used all through His teaching to say that there really are only two choices and some are gonna be prepared and some are not when the Lord comes. It’s not emphasizing that folks are just gonna go poof and disappear. It was really an emphasis of the two categories we can choose from.
Jean Ross: All right. We do have a study guide, Pastor Doug, on this subject of the second coming called Rescue From Above.And it deals with this question about is there gonna be some type of a secret rapture or will everybody see Jesus when He comes. Pastor Doug spoke about that a little bit just a few moments ago so if you’d like that free offer, 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide Rescue From Above, and we’d be happy to send that to you.
Question 2 for this evening: what does it mean in the Bible when it says we ought to watch and pray for example in Mark 13:33?
Pastor Doug: Right. Well it’s used in a few different ways. In Mark 13, Jesus again is speaking of the second coming and He’s talking about being vigilant and living in an attitude of expectation. Also in Matthew 26, He told Peter and the disciples, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation,” and it means we’re to be awake. We’re to be aware, to be alert because the devil is trying to trick us and just having an awareness … when I’m out hiking with the kids, there’s a certain time of the day when snakes come out. And then summer snakes don’t come out in the middle of the day.
It’s too hot. But there you’ve got about an hour before sundown when they get out and it cools off and they’re more active. And I always say all right kids, this is snake time now. All I have to do is say that. They’re a little more careful where they put their foot. And the Lord is saying “Look! Watch your step.” Be sober. Be vigilant. The devil is like a lion. He’s like a snake. And to be in a state of prayer and not only depending on your watching but depending on His preserving us during that time.
Jean Ross: Okay. Friends, if you have a question that you’d like to send us via email, you can do so by going to Amazing Facts, www.amazingfacts.org. And there’s a place that says ‘Contact Us.’ You can type in your question and we’ll try to read that on the air. Going to the phone lines, Vaughn is listening on the internet. Vaughn, welcome to the program.
Vaughn: Hello.
Pastor Doug: Evening. Thanks for calling. And your question.
Vaughn: I’ll just go ahead with my question I guess. All right. Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9 both of them deal with the same thing.
Pastor Doug: Right.
Vaughn: Christ says that “I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery.” I’m wondering why He chose the word fornication instead of just saying whosoever put away his wife except for the cause of adultery. Why did He have to use two different words? I’m assuming Christ is pretty careful about His words.
Pastor Doug: He was and I believe there is a reason. Adultery is principally a violation of the marriage vows. Fornication can be, speaking of sexual promiscuity, it’s a little broader in its definition. And it covers, it’s an umbrella that would cover anything. Now, it’s very sad but you know in our day and age ... I’m a pastor, Pastor Ross is a pastor … periodically you council with people who struggle with a variety of issues. I’ve had wives that come and they say “You know, what am I to do? I found out that my husband had a gay affair.” The definition of fornication would cover that.
Vaughn: But isn’t anything when you’re married, any kind of affair or … I told my (inaudible 13:18) kids, I say that my wife and I, the reason how we got children is we got close so any kind of getting close is going to be adultery, isn’t it?
Pastor Doug: No, I think that it if a man is flirting or a woman is flirting with somebody at the office, the spouse can’t say “Well, according to Matthew 5 and Matthew 19, I’m gonna file for a divorce.” I think Christ is very explicit there that you know it’s actually the act. So that’s why He used the word fornication.
Vaughn: I did look it up and that’s kind of what I gathered (inaudible 14:01) and it seems to say, well, fornication is the act and only the act and it’s just the act that covers it in any form.
Pastor Doug: Right. What … are you comfortable with that? I mean…
Vaughn: The reason I’m asking is I told … I’m involved in my church warden. There’s an issue that came up and you know when I read this, a red flag came up. Is there something that Christ is trying to avoid? You know in those verses, He was trying to show the Pharisees that you know, you can’t just get divorced for any reason. There’s got to be … I mean if he just wants to divorce, you can’t go looking for a reason. There’s a one reason and one reason only. And—
Pastor Doug: Well, you’re on the right track.
Vaughn: It seems to me he was trying to make it very, very narrow to keep people from just walking out on each other.
Pastor Doug: And even the way it is right now, Vaughn, people try to expand, they try to widen the excuses. And you’re right. I think that’s why Jesus was very explicit when He said saving for, in other words no cause other than, violating the vow through sexual activity with someone outside your partner. Yeah, it’s obviously there’s an epidemic of divorce. And fortunately, the percentages in the statistics in the church are a lot better. Appreciate your call, Vaughn. And we’re gonna move on now. And get someone—
Jean Ross: Lee is listening via satellite by Boise, Idaho. Lee, welcome to the program. Lee, are you there? One more time, Lee can you hear us? We’re gonna have to move on.
Pastor Doug: Lee in Boise, are you there?
Jean Ross: Well, let’s move on. Maybe Lee can call us back if he can get a better connection. Mario is listening on the internet from Tiger, Oregon. Mario, welcome to the program.
Mario: Hi. Thank you for having me.
Pastor Doug: Thank you, Mario. How can we help you?
Mario: Can I add something to the adultery–
Pastor Doug: I think we’re –we need to go back to three. Mario, are you there?
Mario: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: Okay one more time. We had a phone problem.
Mario: It’s not a problem. I was just… Before I ask my question, can I add a comment to the adultery question?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, just a quick one.
Mario: In Matthew 6, you will find where Jesus says if you commit it in your heart and in your mind that you have committed adultery as in if you look on to lust on a woman that you have done it.
Pastor Doug: Right.
Mario: So I think He covered both the physical act.
Pastor Doug: But thinking it, you gotta be very careful, Mario, thinking about adultery is not grounds for divorce.
Mario: Oh, okay. Right.
Pastor Doug: Then that’s what I think that Vaughn was talking about. We wanna be careful folks don’t say “Well, you know I think my husband thought about it”. And you know unfortunately today, there’s an epidemic of pornography that’s available because of the internet. And I’ve had wives say “you know I found out my husband saw some pictures.”
Or the husband might be saying about their wife. And since they thought it, now they’ve got grounds for divorce. And I think we need to be careful about taking the thinking part and making of the act. A person might think in their heart they’re mad enough to murder but there’s no court that’s gonna say, “Well, you thought about it. We’re gonna put you in jail for life or execute you.”
Mario: Right.
Pastor Doug: I’m sorry. Now back to your question.
Mario: My question is because according to Scripture and in the book of Acts, I have not found anything that gives us the time frame from the crucifixion of Jesus to the stoning of Stephen. And so my question is how do we know that the stoning of Stephen is at the close of the 70-week prophecy?
Pastor Doug: Oh good. For our friends listening, Mario is a Bible student, he knows about Daniel 9 and in Daniel 9, it talks about when Christ died on the cross that was 3 ½ years into that last prophetic week. There’d be another 3 ½ years the gospel would be confirmed as it says in Hebrews chapter 2 to those who heard him. Now, several things happened when Stephen was stoned that lead a lot of scholars to believe that, that was a pivotal time. And by the way, that was 34 AD and we’re fairly certain of that date. I even got a generic King James Bible that has that date stamped here in chapter 7.
Right when Stephen dies, you have the supreme court of the Jewish nation officially plugging their ears after he presents the gospel. They take him out. They stoned him. They take his clothes away, the way they did with Jesus. They take him out of the city, the way they did with Jesus. He prays for their forgiveness, the way Jesus did. It’s almost like an echo of what happened 3 and a half years after Christ ministry. And then he dies. Then Paul who is a witness of his execution, he’s converted in chapter 9, He becomes the apostle to the gentiles. Peter in chapter 10, now takes the gospel to Cornelius.
All of a sudden, you see the gospel going everywhere after that time. And so there’s, and I think it’s in chapter 9 or chapter 8, you have Philip going to Samaria. And so there’s this big dispersion after the stoning of Stephen up until that time. Christ had told them “do not go into the way of the Gentiles, go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” After the stoning of Stephen, and the Lord basically did a number of things to emphasize, it was to go everywhere now. Are you there, Mario?
Mario: Yes. Yes, I’m here.
Pastor Doug: Does that make sense?
Mario: It does.
Pastor Doug: Have you read our lesson on that?
Mario: I have.
Pastor Doug: Oh, good.
Mario: I’ve read a lot of the things that you have, you and Joe Crews have put out. And so what my practice is when I study is I will read like something like prophecy, I read it; then I will go to the history books and try to identify what is being described in the prophecy.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Mario: My only pin up is I cannot find anything in the Bible or in history that lets me know that, that’s final when Stephen was stoned closed off the 70 weeks. I believe it was. But I just—
Pastor Doug: Yeah, you’re not gonna find anything in history. I think what the Lord does is He gives us in the Word a lot of evidence that you just look three ½ years after Christ ascends to heaven, there’s this monumental event that is both something you can see providentially that the gospel now goes to the gentiles.
You can see historically. You can see judicially that the nation took official action. And it really was a pivotal point. And then not long after that, Paul says “Seeing that you judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo we turn to the Gentiles.” And then right away, when he shares his testimony, he reinforces that. I hope that helps a little bit, Mario. We’re gonna try to get a couple more calls in before our first break.
Jean Ross: Les is listening on KFIA from Woodland, California. Les, welcome to the program.
Les: Hi. How are you today?
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Les: My question has to do with Matthew 5:31. It’s a different question in what was brought up previously because it takes two people to do anything in life but if it’s somebody gets a divorce, it doesn’t have to do with being unfaithful. I’m trying to determine what it means in those two verses.
Pastor Doug: Well let me read the verse for our friends listening. Matthew 5:31, Jesus is speaking, “It has been said whosoever will put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement but I say unto you that whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of fornication causes her to commit adultery. And whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.” So the Lord is saying you know back then, they actually had (inaudible 22:32) laws you know if your wife burns the dinner, that’s grounds for divorce.
There were some very trivial reasons that a Jewish man could put away his wife. Yet the wives didn’t have the same options. So Christ says here, you know you’re not only sinning but you’re putting your ex-wife in a position to sin through remarriage because they bonded with you as their husband. But I think you’re asking if for practical reasons in our culture when a person does maybe get divorced and there are reasons other than this reason, what do they do? Is that where you’re coming from?
Les: Correct. cause in a way I’m reading if one of the two spouses that decides that after x amount of years, they just don’t want to be married anymore and it doesn’t have to do with anything that’s mentioned in these two verses. And there’s basically nothing the other spouse can do about it. You know I’m trying to figure out how it’s viewed, how it’s looked at.
Pastor Doug: Yeah well I can honestly tell you that of all the different subjects that I have to deal with as a pastor that divorce and remarriage issues are the most tangled and difficult to deal with cause as you say, sometimes there’s so many details and factors in history but we wanna stick to the Word. Are you still there, Les?
Les: Yes,
Pastor Doug: There is another verse in Corinthians chapter 7 where it talks about that if a believer finds him or herself married to an unbeliever, possibly one converted after marriage and the unbeliever, the pagan says “Look, I’m leaving. I don’t wanna be married to a Christian.” He seems to say that person has freedom to remarry if they are abandoned for their faith. So I just wanted to be clear that there appears to be one other example here. You know, the Lord is clear at what the unpardonable sin is.
I think there are people who have gotten divorced and remarried and without Biblical grounds and they sin. The question is, is it the unpardonable sin? The other issue is when people come back to the Lord and they may have gotten divorced and remarried without Biblical grounds, they may not be able to hold a position of responsibility in the church because their witness has been tampered but that doesn’t mean they can’t be saved. You see what I’m saying?
Les: Yes.
Pastor Doug: So the other… There’s other considerations in there.
Les: Okay. (Inaudible 25:16) go along with what you’re saying. There’s been some people that have been for a second or third generation in a particular denomination and for whatever reason, they get a divorce. And they also were aware of what the Bible says and what’s, you know, deemed acceptable or not. And that’s why you know I’m kind of having a hard time understanding it because you know I have seen that.
Pastor Doug: You know we do have a Bible study guide that talks about the keys to a happy marriage. And it addresses this a little more in there. If you have not received that lesson, maybe we can send you a free copy.
Jean Ross: Absolutely. You know, for anyone wondering about marriage and how you can improve your marriage, when is divorce permissible in the Bible, I would encourage you to get that study guide called Keys to a Happy Marriage. All you need to do is call the resource number 1-800-835-6747. And ask for the study guide Keys to a Happy Marriage. Lee is back listening via satellite from Boise, Idaho. Lee, are you there?
Lee: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Hi, Lee. Yes. Did we lose you?
Lee: Yeah, that was the last time.
Pastor Doug: I’m sorry and your question.
Lee: Okay. Doug, in Deuteronomy 5:7-21, the 10 Commandments is restated by Moses. Would it be safe that, that is more or less a casual manner of his own speech where it says you know in verse 19 through 21, it says, “Neither shall you steal. Neither shall you and neither shall you and so forth.”
Pastor Doug: Right. Deuteronomy is … the word Deuteronomy, it actually means repeating of the law. And Moses here, Deuteronomy is his closing sermon. It’s his [???] right after he delivered this by the end of the book, he climbs a mountain and he dies. It’s all one running discourse to review their history. And so yeah, he is verbally repeating the commandments because they’re not word for word what you find in the 10 commandments on the stone.
As a matter of fact, on a couple of them, he inserts a little personal commentary. So it’s Moses verbally repeating the 10 commandments. He’s not reciting what God actually wrote because when you get to Exodus 20, it says “The Lord spoke all these words, saying” then it gives you the exact transcript of what was written on the stones; where as in Deuteronomy 5, Moses is speaking and he speaks before it, he speaks after it. And it’s just part of his commentary on the history.
Lee: I see. Very good. Thank you very much, Doug.
Pastor Doug: Thank you. Appreciate it Lee.
Lee: Good night.
Pastor Doug: Your timing is very good. We’re just getting ready for our quick break in the program. And once again, our free offer for tonight is dealing with the second coming. A lot of questions people have on the second coming, the secret with how will the rapture take place. Is the millennium before or after the tribulation? That’s a big issue people wonder about. It’s in the book. If you’d like a free copy, just call the resource number and ask for it.
Jean Ross: 1-800-835-6747. Ask for Anything But Secret.
Pastor Doug: We’re gonna take a little break here for just a moment. We have some important announcements for you. Also don’t forget go to the Amazing Facts website, you’ll find a lot of these resources are free. There’s a tab there on our newly developed website that says free resources and you can use it there. And also don’t forget that we’ve got also the website Bible Universe where you can engage in Bible studies and expand your understanding. We’ll be right back.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug: Welcome back, listening friends. This is Bible Answers Live and we are live. And if you have a Bible question we have some lines open. That number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS. And that’s an acronym for 463-7297. Pastor Ross, I was talking to a friend today and I remember when I first moved to the small town where I live, when you gave someone your phone number, you just give the last 3 digits because everybody else in the town have the same first 4 digits. So that’s not the case anymore. But we want to get with our phones to your Bible questions. Who’s next?
Rayland: We have Rayland who’s listening on the internet all the way from Sydney, Australia. Rayland, welcome to the program.
Rayland: Hi. Good day.
Pastor Doug: Good day and we appreciate your call. And there may be a brief delay between your question and our answer because of the span.
Rayland: Okay. Just very quickly. My question relates to the seal of God in Revelation 7. And my understanding is the seal of God has to do with the Sabbath and the other (inaudible 31:40) that I’ve come across in Scriptures in Ephesians which says that the seal of God is actually the Holy Spirit.In particular, Ephesians 4:30 and Ephesians 1:13-14. Now I’m just trying if I’m missing something there so that you can reconcile that for me.
Pastor Doug: I’ll do my very best. The seal of God is the Holy Spirit. So what you’re reading there in Ephesians chapter 4 and the other verses, 4 verse 30, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God wherein ye are sealed.” The seal of God is the Holy Spirit but that’s sort of basic, Rayland, because everybody knows those who receive the mark of the beast, they’ve got the spirit of the devil. Those that have the seal of God, well, whose spirit do they have? And we believe that in the middle of God’s law, there’s one commandment that deals with worship.
There’s only one commandment in the law of God that uses the word holy and that’s the fourth commandment. And so the Sabbath day really tells who you worship because you give Him your life. Life is made of time. The Sabbath is made of time. And so one of the signs of God’s people in the last days is they worship the Lord. And the Sabbath is a symbol of that. And does that make sense at all?
Rayland: Yup. Yup, it does. It’s just that by reading the Scriptures in Ephesians, I thought there’s missing something there. So I thought I need that clarified.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, you’re on the right track. There’s certainly no conflict. Everybody who has the seal of certainly has the Spirit of God.
Jean Ross: Right. And that’s the point. And you know keeping a day in of itself doesn’t mean much unless we’re keeping it in the right Spirit with the whole spirit, body, and our hearts. So the Holy Spirit is key to the seal of God.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, there’ll be a lot of people that are gonna be in heaven. They may have gone to church the wrong day. Some may not have gone to church at all depending on their circumstances. There won’t be anyone without the Spirit of God. And that, of course, is love in the hearts in which is the gift of the Spirit. But hey sounds like you’re on the right track. We appreciate your call from Australia, Rayland.
Jean Ross: We have a study guide dealing with the mark of the beast and I’m sure there’s those listening who’d like further information on this subject,
Pastor Doug: Regarding the seal of God.
Jean Ross: We have one on the Seal of God and we have the one The Mark of the Beast. Yeah, I’m trying to think probably both would be good.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, that’s right.
Jean Ross: That’s gonna be received.
Pastor Doug: That’s true.
Jean Ross: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: Two opposite seals.
Jean Ross: Correct. So to receive either one of those two study guides, call 1-800-835-6747 and ask for the study guide dealing with the seal of God and you might want to follow that up with the one talking about the mark of the beast. Our next caller is Krisanda and she is calling from Brooklyn, New York. Is it Krisanda?
Krisanda: Yes, Krisanda.
Pastor Doug: Hi. Welcome to the program.
Krisanda: Thank you. My question is I was told Jesus called 11 of the disciples.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Krisanda: And he did not call Judas. Where in the Bible can I find that?
Pastor Doug: Well, you do and you don’t. I know that sounds like double talk. John 6:70, Jesus answered and said “Have not I chosen you 12 and one of you is a devil?” Now, many scholars believe this is one story that--Pastor Ross will try and help me find that—where a scribe volunteers to follow Jesus. He said “I’ll follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus says, “The foxes have their holes. The birds have their nest. But the Son of Man have nowhere to lay His head.”
This was Judas offering to be a disciple, to be an apostle. He was recommended by the others because he was very educated and qualified and Christ allowed it. So instead of him being called... You don’t ever hear about Judas being called the way Peter, James, John and Jude or Matthew were where they basically walked away from their lives. They were called by Jesus. Judas sort of volunteered and the Lord accepted it.
Jean Ross: You know the passage you refer to is in Luke 9:58 and also Matthew 8:20 and many scholars feel that that is referring to Judas.
Krisanda: Yeah, but Jesus said He called the 12.
Pastor Doug: Well, He did. As a matter of fact, Jesus ordained all of the 12 including Judas.There’s two ways a person can get in the army. Some can volunteer. Some are drafted.All of the other apostles were drafted. Judas volunteered because he wanted… He offered himself. He wanted the position and the power. Jesus really engaged the others. He said “Look, leave everything and come follow Me.” One is volunteer and one is an invitation.
Krisanda: One is an invitation.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, Jesus called the others. Judas volunteered and that’s what makes the distinction there. And then again, I gave you that verse in John 6:70, it says, “Have I not chosen the 12 of you? One of you is a devil.” In other words, Jesus knew that even though he was allowed to be part of the 12, what was wrong with his heart. Appreciate your question, Krisanda and I hope that helps.
Jean Ross: Cindy is listening on the internet from Miami, Florida. Cindy, welcome to the program.
Cindy: Hi. Hi.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Cindy: I have a question in regards to the resurrection of Jesus.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Cindy: Okay. There’s a verse I believe it’s in Matthew and Mark where (inaudible 37:17) Jesus resurrected, there were other people around the city of Jerusalem who had resurrected also. And I just wanted to know what happened to them, when Jesus ascended to heaven, did they (inaudible 37:33) or…
Pastor Doug: We believe they did. And what you have, it’s only mentioned in Matthew 27 and you can read in verse 51 when He dies on the cross, there the temple was broken. It says in verse 52, “And the graves were opened and many of the bodies,” not all—this is not a universal resurrection. There’s a handful—“Many bodies of the saints who’ve slept arose and came out of the graves after His resurrection and they went into the holy city.” So this is a special resurrection around Jerusalem, the holy city, “and appeared to many.” So from… It says after the resurrection, they rose and they have evidently ascended to heaven with Him at some point because Christ came up and down a few times.
Jean Ross: You know we have a hint to that in Ephesians 4:7? Actually, verse 8 speaking of Christ’s ascension, when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. So when Jesus ascended, those who are resurrected at the time of His resurrection went with Him.
Pastor Doug: The captive—
Jean Ross: (inaudible 38:55) many of were--
Pastor Doug: They were liberated.
Jean Ross: Also we have no record of them playing any significant role in the early Christian church. And you think if they were around, they would have been connected with Peter or Paul or some part (inaudible 38:46) the church.
Pastor Doug: I think that they probably ascended with Jesus after He … when He first rose, Sunday morning. He had not yet ascended to heaven when He talked to Mary. Either Sunday morning before He ascended to the Father or Sunday night after He came back down and went back up again. One of those times, shortly after they ascended, it would create a pretty big stir to have all these resurrected saints hanging around Jerusalem for much longer than a day or two.
Cindy: Just out of curiosity, who was those saints?
Pastor Doug: You know, the Bible doesn’t name them but we can speculate it may have been some of the saints that died around Jerusalem: like Isaiah, the prophet; Jeremiah; some of the patriarchs. We know for instance that King David was not one of them because in Acts chapter 2, Peter says David is dead and buried and his grave is still with us. So it was a special group that had been raised and some of them are not probably known not even known by the Bible. God just knew who they were and they were faithful followers. They may not even been named in Scripture.
Cindy: Okay.
Pastor Doug: I appreciate your question, Cindy.
Cindy: Thank you.
Pastor Doug: God bless.
Jean Ross: This is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297, if you have a question to get on the air tonight. Our next caller is Edwina listening on KPRZ from San Diego, California. Edwina, welcome to the program.
Edwina: Thank you for (inaudible 40:15) to me.
Pastor Doug: Yes, Edwina, get real close to your phone.
Edwina: Can you hear me?
Pastor Doug: Yup and your question.
Edwina: Could you please bring me some information about Jesus being God? My friends tell me that He’s God but I don’t find it anywhere. And I know you do.
Pastor Doug: Well, I’ll do my best. First of all, the Bible tells us in the first verse in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Then if you go to the first verses in the gospel of John, it tells us that all things that were made were made by Him, speaking there of Jesus, the Word. So if God made everything-- and then you go to the gospel of John, it says all things that were made were made by Him--Well then Jesus must be God. Again in the Bible, it tells us that only God can forgive sin, Mark chapter 2.
Well the Bible tells us Jesus can forgive sin. Jesus must be God. You also have that Scripture in the Bible that says we are to worship only God and that’s one of the 10 commandments. Well in Hebrews, it tells us that even the angels worship Jesus and the apostles worshipped Him. Jesus must be God. The Bible tells us God and God only knows the thought of men’s heart. God only can read the mind. And yet the Bible says Jesus could read the minds of the apostles and the people in His day. So as you march through the definitions of God, Edwina, you find that Jesus fills every definition.
Edwina: Yeah, but I wanna a place where it says that Jesus is God.
Pastor Doug: Well, the very fact that He is the Son of God makes Him God. And if –
Edwina: (Inaudible 41:55) the word you don’t know of a verse that says Jesus is God?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, you can talk about when you go to the gospel of John when Thomas looks at him and he says my Lord and my God. So I mean there is abundant evidence, that’s one example where Jesus is called God.
Jean Ross: That is John 20:28.
Pastor Doug: Yea, so hopefully that… you know what would be perfect for Edwina, Pastor Ross is we’ve got that book called The Trinity. And it spends considerable time saying does Jesus fulfill the criteria and the definitions of God in the Bible.
Jean Ross: Absolutely.
Pastor Doug: As a matter of fact, it says only God is our Savior. Well, Jesus is the Savior and so it says He’s the only Savior. All those definitions fit.
Jean Ross: To get that, call the resource number 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the booklet The Trinity. We’ll be happy to send that out to you. If you have a Bible question and would like to get on the air tonight, we have one or two lines still open. Call 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297. 1-800-463-7297 and we’ll try to get your question on the air tonight. Gary is listening on 740 AM from Markleeville, California. Gary welcome to the program.
Gary: Good evening.
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Gary: I’ve read in the past a passage, I can’t find it now but it has to do with wearing robes of our good works in heaven. I’m suspecting that this means there was some sort of uniform or whatever that, that really in our past shown … that shows what we have done. And my question is what would we wear in heaven?
Pastor Doug: All right. Well, you’ve got of course in Revelation chapter 7 where it talks about the 144,000 and this great multitude around the throne. I’m going there real quick, and it says there are arrayed in white robes and they’re holding palm branches in their hand. That doesn’t really say that there’s any kind of ornamentation that illustrates you know what their works are. Some Bible translations actually have that verse is--is it Revelation chapter 22:14 where it talks about these who’ve washed their robes?
Jean Ross: In the blood of the Lamb?
Pastor Doug: Yeah and here are those that keep the commandments of God and they’ll have a right to enter through the gates of the city and eat from the tree of life.
Jean Ross: 7 verse 14.
Pastor Doug: Revelation 7:14 is the other one we’re talking about but I don’t know … that doesn’t sound like exactly what you’re asking for. You’ve got where the garments of the high priest in Zachariah. Are we getting close to what you’re looking there for, Gary?
Gary: No, not exactly. I’m specifically looking for something that showed something that reflected what we have done in the past but that we don’t boast about what we’ve done but it would show our good works.
Pastor Doug: Well, I don’t know that there is… It talks about those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb and that’s Revelation 7:14 so there’s no medallions that we know of.
Jean Ross: You know we sing about (inaudible 45:03) there be stars in my crown. There’s no verse that states that specifically.
Pastor Doug: That’s in Daniel ... it says they shall shine like the stars, (inaudible 45:10) beneath the righteous.
Jean Ross: That’s Daniel 12, I believe. Yes.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Jean Ross: So that would probably be the closest to some sort of reward.
Pastor Doug: Or some visible indicator.
Jean Ross: Token--
Pastor Doug: They have one people, Daniel 12:2. I think that’s the closest we’re gonna get, Gary. There’s a lot of commentaries that say that and there’s a lot of people who have dreams and visions and stories and songs but Scripture, I think it’s pretty sparse on that idea that we’re gonna have medallions and things that show what we’ve done on earth but probably is true. There will probably be some visual difference. Jesus does say… Let me think. He’s really got me thinking now.
Jean Ross: He’s gonna reward every man according to his works.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. Everyone’s rewards are according to their works and then the disciples are on 12 thrones but it didn’t talk about them wearing anything different. Anyway…
Jean Ross: That’s a good study. Our next caller is Victor listening from Brentwood, California. Victor welcome to the program.
Victor: Hi. How you doing? My question here is on—I’m trying to read the Bible and I got to chapter 6, verse 4 actually but realized to I think from verse 1 to through 4, it talks about Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterwards when the sons of God went to daughters of men. Okay. I don’t know what that means for one. And I asked a couple of questions to a couple of people and I’ve got a couple of different answers. It says one of those things that you won’t find out when you get to heaven. And the other one is that where angels live amongst you know men. And they were having sex with you know with women I mean.
Pastor Doug: No, I’m so glad you called, Victor. This is a common misunderstanding. And some even Bible translations slaughtered this verse. The King James renders that the sons of God, that’s accurate, and the New King James. If you look at the New Testament, the sons of God, they’re not aliens. They’re not fallen angels. I’ve heard people say this means aliens were having intimate relations with people and they have these giant children.
Victor: Right.
Pastor Doug: The sons of God are the sons of the believers.
Victor: Oh, Okay.
Pastor Doug: You see Adam and Eve after Cain died, God gave them another son named Seth. They ended up having a number of other sons and daughters but they had another principal boy, named Seth, who did worship the Lord. Cain and his wife and their generations, they were carnal. They didn’t believe in God. They were called the ‘daughters of men.’ As long as these two tribes in the world remained distinct, the descendants of Adam and Seth were godly. But when the descendants of Adam and Seth noticed that the daughters of Cain, from the tribe of Cain, were beautiful; they violated the separation God wanted them to have.
And they inter-marry … the sons of God who believed in God and the daughters of men. Now if you go to the New Testament, if you look in 1 John chapter 3, it says “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,” speaking of the church, “that we should be called the sons of God.” And I’ve got 11 different times in the Bible where it refers to the sons of God and most of the times, it just talking about the believers.
Victor: Right, I’ve got that part. Most through the Bible you know some of the verse that I’ve read.
Pastor Doug: And then what throws people is that why were their children giants.It’s a common rule. It’s called genetic vitality that when you get cross pollination between two groups that have been separated whether it’s breeding between dogs which are smarter, and they are usually healthier. You have genetic weakness if you just breed within a certain clan or group for long period of time.
Victor: Okay. What does the word Nephilim mean?
Pastor Doug: Oh, that’s a word for giants.
Victor: Oh, okay. Okay, great.
Pastor Doug: Pastor Ross, you’re gonna—
Jean Ross: Yeah, I just want to add a verse to that where speaking about the sons of God. Romans 8:14, the Bible says “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Jean Ross: So back in that time, there was a group who had been led by the Spirit and there was a group that was not, the sons of God and the sons of men or daughters of men.
Victor: Right.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, exactly.
Victor: Okay.
Pastor Doug: Keep reading.
Victor: I will. Thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: God bless.
Victor: God bless you.
Jean Ross: Our next caller is Hazel listening on KLLF Roseburg, Oregon. Hazel, welcome to the program.
Pastor Doug: Hi, Hazel. Welcome. And your question.
Hazel: It’s 22, Revelation 22:12.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Hazel: “Behold I come quickly My reward is with Me to give according as his works shall be.” What is the works mean? I thought the gift of God was eternal life.
Pastor Doug: Good question. I’m glad you asked that question. Jesus is very clear that we are saved by grace. But while we’re saved by grace … but James also tells us that if we are saved and we do have faith, there’ll be a difference in the life that demonstrates the grace and the heart. And those that really have the grace of God in their hearts … that will be seen in their lives. Now I’m assuming you’ve got a Bible nearby Hazel. And if you don’t you can just jot down Matthew 25:31, Jesus tells a parable about the second coming.
Hazel: Can you repeat that?
Pastor Doug: Matthew 25:31. And it says--You probably remember this one—“It will be like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats: and He’ll say to the goats, ‘I was hungry. You didn’t feed Me. I was thirsty. You didn’t give Me drink. I was hungry, you did not… I was naked. You did not clothe Me. I was sick. You did not come to Me. I was in prison. You did not visit Me.’ And the lost are going to say ‘Lord, when did we see You in this condition and not minister?’ And He’ll say ‘In as much as you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do to Me.’”
So here… And then, of course, He tells to the sheep or the saved, “On His right hand, blessed well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord because I was hungry and you fed Me. When I was thirsty, you gave Me drink” so forth. So here He’s judging them based on what they’ve done but their deeds are deeds of love. You see what I’m saying?
Hazel: I see. But it seems to me like that words is not exactly, I mean it’s (inaudible 51:41).
Pastor Doug: Well, we’re saved by grace but when we are saved by grace; our works will demonstrate that we’ve been saved. So in other words, the thief on the cross that was saved just by turning to Jesus and believing in Luke chapter 23. If he had come down from the cross, would he have lived a different life? I believe he would have. It wasn’t just a verbal “Lord, remember me.” I think his heart was changed. And that’s why Jesus did save him. So when our hearts are changed, He gives us His Spirit. We start loving, the works are different. That’s why Jesus said
Hazel: I realized that but—
Pastor Doug: Now, you’ve read in Matthew where Jesus said many will come to Me in that day saying “’Lord, Lord, did we not teach in Your streets? Did we not cast out devils and do many wonderful works?’ He’ll say, ‘I don’t know you. depart from Me who you who work iniquity.’”
Hazel: It’s just hard to understand why would I be even picked up there because if one may know Him [without?] the works? I know that the works do follow faith and acceptance of Christ.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, well this is why Jesus said that it’s not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom but they that do the will of the Father. So it’s believing in Him and after we believe in Him and after we are saved, the fruit is different. Jesus said you’ll know them by their fruit. That’s why they’re judged by their works. If it’s an apple, you’ll know it. If it’s a lemon, you’ll know it.
Jean Ross: Well the works are a revelation of the heart.
Pastor Doug: Exactly. We have time for one more?
Jean Ross: I think so. Let’s go to the phone lines. Pamela is calling from California. Pamela, welcome to the program.
Pamela: Thank you. I’m wondering if it says in the Bible anywhere that the rapture is May 21, 2011.
Pastor Doug: Why did you pick that date out and ask that question? Where did you hear that date?
Pamela: From another Bible call-in.
Pastor Doug: I know. You don’t need to say any more. [Ross laughs] that Bible—bless their hearts—Bible program had predicted other dates and they’ve come and fallen. You know the Bible is very clear, “No man knows the day nor the hour.” And when someone starts predicting a date for the second coming, I’d run the other direction. I think you need to be very careful. That often gets people all stirred up and then their faith is weaker afterwards than before so there is no date given that would lead to that. Jesus tells us we can know when the time is near. As a matter of fact, you would appreciate the book, Pamela, that we’re offering tonight, Anything But Secret.
It talks specifically about the second coming and while we may not know the day of His coming or the hour or the year of His coming, we can know by the signs of the times when it’s near. But heaven forbid a preacher starts setting dates because thus far, that’s been done thousands of times and every time a preacher sets a date, obviously we’re still here. It just weakens people’s faith. The best thing is just be ready. If we live in a state of readiness and being prepared day by day, hey, if a person dies tomorrow because of an accident or illness or a heart attack … their next conscious thought is the resurrection. We gotta be ready and stop picking dates. That, I think, is dangerous.
Pamela: Okay great thank you.
Pastor Doug: Thank you, Pamela.
Pamela: I wanna get that book.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, well, you call the number and we’ll send you a free copy.
Jean Ross: Let me give you the number again. It’s 1-800-835-6747 and, Pamela ask for the book on the second coming called Anything But Secret, 1-800-835-6747. Ben is listening on 3ABN radio from Paradise, California. Ben, welcome to the program.
Pastor Doug: We’ve got about 60 seconds. Hate to do that to you but we’re trying to squeeze you in.
Ben: Okay. I’m getting married and the girl is really… God is so good [???] believers reward them with faithfulness. And I’m very [???] push us in the direction of getting a dress that you can wear after the wedding, too; but I wonder [???], more and more money to spend. Now I do not know, she’s not real good at managing her money but … she’s willing and passive (inaudible 55:51) by this. And she’s legally blind and I’m totally blind. And the Scripture I don’t know if it really picked that well. It’s Hebrews 13:4:5.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, let me read that a little quick. “Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have; for He said I will never leave you or forsake you.” You know, if there’s ever gonna be a place, Ben, where you want to acquiesce to the desires of your wife, you will always be glad that you erred on the side of generosity with the dress.
Ben: That’s what God would do, too.
Pastor Doug: I believe well the Bible even talks about how the Lord adorns His bride, His church, beautifully and so go ahead and let her be adorned for her wedding. And hey, treat her like a queen and she’ll treat you like a king. Whatever so that’s my… What do you think, Pastor Ross?
Jean Ross: Absolutely. [laughs]
Pastor Doug: Hey, listening friends we’re just about out of time but we wanted to remind you that Amazing Facts and Bible Answers Live are 100% supported by people like you who are listening right now. And if you’ve been blessed or edified, encouraged, you learned something, drop us a line. Easy way to do this is to go to the website amazingfacts.org and just contact us. Let us know if the program has been a blessing. Remember, this program is about Jesus. He is the truth that will set you free.
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