Hello friends. This is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? Many years ago in the little town of Woodley England, Annie Grey grew up knowing she would one day marry the boy who lived next door, William Coulter, and Coulter knew that he would marry Annie. But Will decided he should develop some financial security before settling down with a family so off he went to Australia to earn a fortune. When Annie did not hear from him for several years, she concluded that his love for her had faded and she married a very rich merchant in town, Jonathan Tong.
Soon after this, Coulter returned and was heartbroken to find out his Annie wedded to another. Nevertheless, he settled down in his hometown and never married. After several years, Jonathan Tong died and Coulter finally felt he could now propose to Annie. But when Jonathan’s will was read, it clearly stated that Annie was to be cut off without a penny if she married Coulter. Obviously her deceased husband sensed there were feelings between them and he did not think much of Coulter. But Jonathan Tong’s spiteful will proved useless. Unknown to the dead man, Coulter had legally changed his name to John Temple during the time he lived in far-off Australia.
The English Court ultimately decided that Annie could marry John Temple and still keep her inheritance despite her jealous husband’s attempt to disinherit her if she married her childhood sweetheart.
Did you know the Bible says we are offered a new name and a loving relationship along with a fabulous inheritance? Stay with us friends, we are going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of “Bible Answers Live.”
Welcome to “Bible Answers Live” brought to you by Amazing Facts Ministries. Are you looking for a clear, concise answer to your most challenging Bible questions? Maybe you're struggling to understand difficult passages or scripture. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Join us now as we open God’s word to discover His will and find honest, practical answers to your Bible-related questions. This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible question, call us Sundays from 7 to 8 PM, Pacific Standard Time at 800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 800-463-7297. Now let’s join our host, author, speaker and Evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Welcome, listening friends. You’re listening to the freshest version of “Bible Answers Live” because it’s newer than any other, because it’s live. If you’ve got a Bible question, this is the kind of program where you can call in the toll-free number and just ask your Bible questions. We focus our attention during this broadcast on the word of God. There are other programs that can help you with finance and romance but we want to learn what the word of God says is truth. So call the toll-free number right now while we have lines open and that number is 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297 and my name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And my name is Jëan Ross. Good evening, listening friends. Let’s start with a word of prayer. Dear Father, we thank you again that we can get together and study your word this evening. We ask your blessing upon this program, be with those who are listening and those who call in. In Jesus name. Amen.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Amen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Pastor Doug, you began the program by talking about a change of name, and then you said, “Every person could look forward to if they choose to have a changed name and a fortune as an inheritance.” What were you talking about?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s right. Well, I thought this was an interesting story. That the fact that this man, Will Coulter had received a new name, entitled he and his beloved wife to this fabulous inheritance. It made me think in the Bible, where Jesus says in Revelation 2:17, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches To him that overcomes, I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and I’ll give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written,” and of course, it says something very similar in Revelation 3:12 and it also promises that new name. Also of course, when Jacob wrestled with the Angel, he was given the new name Israel, or Overcomer, or Prince with God. And so, we’ve got these examples in the Bible where God is offering us a new name.
And then it tells us about the 144,000. It says they have their Father’s name written in their foreheads. And so there’s this new name that God is offering us. When a person’s baptized, they then take the name of their new spouse. Baptism is almost like a spiritual marriage in that we’re wed to Christ and that’s why the Bible says we should not take the name of the Lord in vain. We get a new name when we are baptized. We get the name Christian. And we should live as Christ lived.
And so maybe people are wondering, “What does it mean to have this new name?” Well if we look in Revelation at the 144,000, it says, “This is a group that follows the Lamb wherever he goes and if we want to be among those in the kingdom that follow the lamb there, then we must first follow the Lamb here now.” And you can get a new name right now, friends. That new name of Christian. Maybe you’d like to know more about that. Maybe you’d like to know more about the 144,000. We’ve got our free offer that talks about all of the things we’ve just touched on, in much more detail.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our free offer tonight is a book written by Pastor Doug entitled “Who Are the 144,000?” It’s free. Call our resource line 1-800-835-6747. Ask for the book dealing with the 144,000. “Who Are the 144,000?”
Well Pastor Doug, let’s go to the phone lines. Our first caller this evening is Jasmine, calling from North Carolina. Welcome to the program Jasmine.
Jasmine: Hi.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Evening. Get real close to your phone.
Jasmine: Okay. Can you hear me?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s good. And your question?
Jasmine: I’ve been told that women shouldn’t wear pants because of what Deuteronomy 22:5 says. And I believe that but I’ve also been told that when you’re not in public but in the privacy of your own home, that women can wear things like pajama pants [INAUDIBLE 06:25] because you’re not in public. Is that true?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. Let me, for our friends who may not know, Jasmine. Let me read the verse in Deuteronomy 22:5. It says, “The woman shall not wear that which pertains unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all that do this are an abomination to the Lord.” Now let me share with you… you notice, it doesn’t say, “A woman shall not wear pants and a man shall not wear a dress.” It says, “A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man and a man shall not wear that which pertaineth to a woman.”
So the first principle in Christian dress is there should be a very clear distinction between the clothing of men and women. We already have enough problems in our culture with blurred distinction between the sexes and people are wanting unisex dress, and same sex marriage. So we don’t want to accentuate those problems by not having a distinction in the clothing of the men and the women. So that’s one principle.
Then there’s another principle in that men and women should dress modestly. Now it is a fact that men are attracted to the shape of women. Their figures. There’s something about that men can be visually stimulated. Jesus said this when he said, “A man shall not look upon a woman unless than in his heart.” Now I know it works both ways but I think men have a stronger predisposition to that. And so it’s important for women to dress in a way that does not accentuate their sexuality. Typically, dresses are used because it’s a little looser and more modest. But there’s no commandment that says a woman cannot wear pants.
The principle for a Christian is of course, there should be a distinction, there should be modesty in the clothing and in addition, Christians should be neat and clean. We shouldn’t be dressing frumpy and be a bad witness by dirty clothing or cheap clothing. I think we should look respectable because we represent Jesus.
So those principles, now I think that it’s good and I respect and support people who take the position that especially in formal worship when people come into church, I think it’s appropriate for the men to wear more formal clothing. I think women always look more feminine in the dress and it is more modest, typically. The Taliban take that a little too far. They don’t even want the woman’s face to show and so that to me would be the extreme. But in your home, obviously you can still fulfil those principles and it doesn’t mean you always have to wear a dress around the house. It’s probably a little more practical to vacuum the stairs with pants on than a dress. If you’re going to go horseback riding, there’s modest pants that a person could wear. That would be my thinking.
If you go to Burma, the men and women all wear pants but there’s a distinction between the clothing of men and women. Even among the primitive South American Indians, they used to all wear these tunics. But the man wore a square-neck tunic and the woman a V-neck tunic. There was a distinction. I hope I’m getting that right. But I think that’s right. So that’s the principle and you can bring that into your home.
Jasmine: Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Does that help at all?
Jasmine: Yes, that does help. Thanks.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. Thank you very much, Jasmine.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is David, listening in KVIA from Richmond, California. David, you’re on the air.
David: Hi can you hear me, Pastor Doug?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah but go ahead and call right into your telephone there.
David: Okay. Can you hear me now?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. That’s good.
David: Okay. I was wondering [INAUDIBLE 09:58] Heaven and Earth, is there going to be a miscommunication?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well, one thing that will be different about the way we communicate in Heaven is right now because of sin, god confounded the languages of humanity. Everybody used to speak the language of Eden. Now we don’t know exactly what tongue that was, of course everybody likes to believe it’s their native tongue. The Germans say that it must have been German and the Spanish say it must have been Spanish. But I think we’ll all be surprised there’ll be a language that is the language of Eden that we’ll speak in the new Earth. In other words, the curse of the confusion of tongues that happened at Babylon or Babel will be removed and we once again, we’ll speak a Universal language of Eden.
I don’t know what that is. I think we’ll be surprised to find there are certain words that are similar to almost every tongue in the language of Eden.
David: Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. I hope that helps a little bit. And by the way, there’s a book that we’ll send you for free if you’d like, David. And it’s a book called “The Gift of Tongues.” It talks a little bit about that in there. The book of “The Gift of Tongues,” we’ll send you a free copy if you call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number, David, is 1-800-835-6747. Ask for the book “The Gift of Tongues” and we’ll be happy to send that to you.
Elmo is listening on KPRZ from San Diego, California. Elmo, welcome to “Bible Answers Live.”
Elmo: Yeah, sorry. Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Evening.
Elmo: I’m not speaking to Pastor Doug, am I?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well yeah, you are.
Elmo: I know your voice and it doesn’t sound like you.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well I wish I could do better but I’ve been trying to improve who I am all the time.
Elmo: No. It’s fine. If that’s who you are, fine. Pastor Doug, okay, I took your Bible course and I’ve learned so much from you guys. But I did a lot of reading before this, okay?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Uh huh.
Elmo: And I tell people… because I said it’s good to… five or six places in the Bible [INAUDIBLE 11:54] Revelations, where it speaks of the Father and the Son but they’re separate, I want to say, entity. But if I say person, Jesus Christ was [INAUDIBLE 12:09] one that was made flesh like we are, okay? But not the Father. But they are all separate.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well they are distinct beings, you can say.
Elmo: Okay. But there’s three distinct beings and the scripture teaches that. It teaches them… the Father speaking to the Son, the Son coming to the Father. It’s in there. But when I tell people that, they don’t believe me. They just say, “God is just one God and all three of them are the one God.” That’s not true.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know Elmo, a lot of people get confused because of the statement Moses makes in Deuteronomy 6, where he says, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one.”
Elmo: Is one. I agree with that.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: But keep in mind Moses is also the same one that said, “A man leaves his father and mother, cleaves to his wife and they become one.” And then Jesus said, speaking of the 12 apostles in John 17, “Father, I pray that they might be one.” In the Hebrew mind when you say one, it’s not talking about numerical quantity.
Elmo: But people think that.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: One means unity and so God… and you’ve got to also keep in mind that these pagan gods had different gods that were all warring with each other. I mean, you look in Greek mythology and all the gods were warring and stealing from one another. And in the Egyptian culture, they had a God of the River and a God of the Sun, and a God of the Trees. And all these different animal gods. And they all had their different conflicts. So when Moses said, “Our God is one,” he wasn’t talking about that God as one person because Moses also wrote, “God said let us may command in our image.”
Elmo: Our image, yes plural is right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah so it’s plural. So that one God is God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit. You look at the definitions…
Elmo: Wait. Say that again. That one person?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That one God is the three persons, three beings.
Elmo: Okay. Yeah, one God. All three of them are Gods. But they say one God, correct?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah because their mind is united perfectly. They all know what the other is thinking and doing. They are all always in perfect oneness and harmony. But when Jesus gets baptized, you got Jesus, God the Son in the water. God the Father speaks from heaven saying, “This is my son.” Then you’ve got God the Spirit coming down. So you can see the three distinct persons or beings there.
Elmo: But how come we can’t get people to see that [INAUDIBLE 14:33] not lying on God’s worries?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: No, it’s… when we talk about God of course, he’s so much bigger than we are that we are on holy ground as it is. But when you read the evidence in the Bible, all of the definitions of God fit the three persons of the Trinity. The word Trinity is not in the Bible but of course the word Bible is not in the Bible either, and we believe in that. So it’s just a descriptive term. You say you’ve read the book on the Trinity.
Elmo: I have.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. Well, you’re… you know what I could offer that I’d recommend, Elmo? We just came out with a new magazine by Jim Pinkowski [?] on the Trinity. Is it biblical? And if you call the Amazing Facts resource number, we don’t often send this out but this is actually an illustrated… it’s sort of written for children but the adults are buying it because it’s got great theology in it. I guess it’s an adult comic book is what it is. But it’s on the Trinity. And that just came out recently and I know you’ll enjoy that. Hope that helps a little bit.
Pastor Jëan Ross: All right, thank you for calling, Elmo. Our next caller is Hector and he is calling from Chicago, Illinois. Hector, welcome to the program.
Hector: Thank you. My question is what did Jesus do in, lack of better words, while he was dead for three days? And the reason why I’m asking this is because I’ve heard preachers in my church preach that Jesus went to hell to preach to the demons and then he came back to Earth. And I just wanted to understand if that was biblical or not because I couldn’t find it anywhere in my Bible doing my search.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. No, when Jesus died, he was dead. It doesn’t say that he was roaming anywhere. The verse that is often misunderstood is in 1 Peter chapter 3 and let me read this for you… starting with verse 18. 1 Peter verse 18, “For Christ also had once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit.” Now the subject here is the Spirit. By which he, Jesus, went and preached to the Spirits in prison. In other words, by which Spirit, Christ preached under the spirits in prison which sometime were disobedient once in the days of the long suffering of God, waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In other words, it’s saying, the same Spirit that raised Jesus is the same Spirit that talked to those who were in prison by sin back in the days of Noah. Now the verse that Peter is referring to is Genesis 6:3, where God says, “My Spirit will not always strive with man, his days will be 120 years.” In other words, from the time that God called Noah to preach, God’s Spirit spoke through Noah for 120 years to those people in prison by sin, back in the days of Noah. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, the same Spirit that hovered on the face of the waters in Genesis chapter 1. It’s just referring to the same Spirit. Some people read this verse and they’re saying, “Oh does that mean that Jesus disembodied, went down to [INAUDIBLE 17:56] somewhere and roamed around preaching to people to give them a second chance at salvation?” Is that the kind of thing you’ve been hearing Hector?
Hector: Yes, similar. Never has it been explained in depth. They just kind of like, during the preaching and they’ll go through and say, “The three days that Jesus was dead” and then they’ll say, “[INAUDIBLE 18:15] then he went down and [INAUDIBLE] preach the demons and [INAUDIBLE].”
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Now why would Jesus preach to demons?
Hector: That’s exactly the question I am trying to understand.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: What other verse in the Bible tells us that demons are going to be redeemed by Christ or that they get another chance? My Bible says that those demons are a reserved and everlasting chance of destruction, that there’s no hope for them. That devil knows he has a short time in Revelation chapter 12. He knows. Is Jesus going to preach to the devil and give him another chance? So that’s a bizarre teaching. I’ve heard it before but the Bible doesn’t really teach that.
Now let me tell you what Jesus did when he was on the cross. When Lazarus died, for three days, he was in the grave, where actually it says four days. And Jesus rolls in from the dead, Jesus said our friend Lazarus is asleep. When Lazarus rose, he made absolutely no comment on what he experienced during death. He didn’t talk about being in hell or being in prison, or being in Heaven. He didn’t talk about anything because Jesus said he was asleep. Death is a dreamless sleep until the resurrection. When Jesus died, the penalty for sin is death. Is that right, Hector?
Hector: Correct.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. Jesus paid our penalty, correct?
Hector: Yes.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: If Jesus when he died on the cross didn’t really die but he just kind of entered another state of consciousness, then he didn’t really die. So when Christ died on the cross, he died. And when he rose from the dead, Mary went to worship him and he said, “Don’t cling to me. I’ve not yet ascended to my Father.” He hadn’t gone anywhere. Does that make sense?
Hector: Makes sense.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: There’s a lesson that we’ll send you for free, Hector. And it’s called… well, we’ve got a couple of them. One lesson is “Are the Dead Really Dead?” As a matter of fact, that’s the best one. It covers everything we are talking about. “Are the Dead Really Dead?” We’ll be happy to send that to you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call is 1-800-835-6747 and Hector, ask for the study guide “Are the Dead Really Dead?” And we’ll be happy to send that to you.
Our next caller is Carrie, listening on WJAB from Tennessee. Carrie welcome to the program.
Carrie: Hello. Ladies and gentlemen.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hi. How are you, Carrie?
Carrie: Very good. Thank you, Pastor Batchelor for taking my call. I was just kind of curious, what is our role…? We pray for discernment and what is our role when we encounter not the right spirit preaching to us? In church, being a member, what’s our role there?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know, I’m assuming that you’re in a church where the foundational teachings of that church are biblical.
Carrie: Mm hmm.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: In other words, churches sometimes go through… I forget what the average is but some churches can change pastors once every 18 months or less. And you don’t want to come and go from a church because you may have a pastor that’s sometimes confused if the foundational teachings of that church are biblical. Some people go to a church because the pastor is loving and charismatic but the church stands for things that are totally opposed to the Bible. You want to find out what is the foundation of the church.
Carrie: Let me clear this up.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right.
Carrie: This was a guest pastor.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay.
Carrie: I just felt the message was kind of like the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well the first thing you should do is write a letter… if you’re in a town where this is the main church you can attend, write a letter to the pastor that expresses your concern, and in the multitude of counselors or safety of several people write the pastor and he’s going to listen. And in a good spirit you know in the spirit of love and weakness, say, “I was really concerned about this and I don’t think it was biblical, and I think we should be careful who we open up the pulpit to.” But you want to do it in a loving and supportive way.
Carrie: Very good. That’s what I thought your answer would be. I just didn’t know if there was any biblical take on what, as a member of the body of Christ.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well Matthew chapter 18, Jesus talks about if there’s any conflict between you and a brother, go to them alone, for instance. So you might talk face-to-face for a story. You might write the pastor so you keep it between he and you, to start with and that’s the way to begin.
Carrie: Okay and one other real quick question, you brought it up talking to Hector a minute ago, when you were talking about the spirit of the Lord. Any time that you hear a voice, that’s the Holy Spirit so you would be wrong saying, “God spoke to me.” It would be, “The Holy Spirit spoke to me.”
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well sometimes, it’s generally the Holy Spirit impressing us. And sometimes God even speaks to angels that impress us. Angels do guide and speak to us. And we may not hear an audible voice but you know what I’m saying?
Carrie: Mm hmm.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: And I think sometimes we forget their role.
Carrie: The angels.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah.
Carrie: Okay I didn’t even realize that. I know I was called out a sin and I’ve always attributed it to God but I may need to rethink that, huh?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. Well the Holy Spirit does speak to us and I hope that helps you a little bit. We’re going to see if we can get one more call in here, Carrie, before the break. Who’s next?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Wilbert is listening on KJIT from Bismarck, North Dakota. Wilbert welcome to the program.
Wilbert: Hello.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hi Wilbert. How can we help you?
Wilbert: Concerning feast days.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah.
Wilbert: Leviticus 23, the Lord is telling Israel that they are to observe the feast days forever and all the generations. Could you explain?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. I think that all the feast days that were given to the nation of Israel were all there to help them recognize Jesus when he came. And there’s a distinction of course between the annual feast days that were part of the ceremonial law written on paper and the weekly Sabbath that was part of the Ten Commandments and part of Creation. The feast days obviously went through a dramatic change with Christ because when Jesus ate the Passover, he then altered the Passover. In other words, we don’t sacrifice Passover lambs anymore, do we?
Wilbert: No.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: So the purpose of the feast days was to help us recognize Christ. That’s why Paul says in 1 Corinthians, “Christ is our Passover now, which is offered for us.”
Wilbert: What about the other feast days then?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All of them have a spiritual fulfilment.
Wilbert: Some people want to observe them.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, I know that there’s a trend among a number of people. By the way, the verse I was giving you before was 1 Corinthians 5:7, “Purge out there for the old leaven that you might burn a new lump as you are unleavened. For Christ is our Passover sacrifice for us.” In the same way that Christ is our Passover, you can take that statement and safely assume Christ is our day of atonement, he’s our High Priest, Christ is our Feast of Tabernacles. We Tabernacle in him. And you could just go through each of those feasts… as a matter of fact, I did a sermon called “Jesus in the Feast Days.” That helps reveal the spiritual analogy of all the feasts that we can learn from. But this is what it’s talking about in Galatians chapter 2, when he said, “Don’t let anyone judge you regarding these Sabbath days that are shadows.” And so the feast days, the annual feasts, those were Sabbath days that were shadows of things to come. It’s not talking about the Ten Commandments there, it’s talking about the Jewish ceremonial feast days.
Wilbert: What does a person do with the word forever then?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well we do keep them spiritually [INAUDIBLE 26:18] keep the Passover whenever we have communion.
Pastor Jëan Ross: But in that context, the word forever is also used for the sacrificial system. The sacrificing of lambs, people gathering in Jerusalem. That was to be observed forever.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, good point. Do you think, Wilbert, we are supposed to sacrifice lambs forever?
Wilbert: No.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: So you know, the same word is used there when it’s talking about the sacrificial system and going up to Jerusalem annually…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. In other words, that was to be maintained forever until the Messiah would come, who would be the fulfilment of these things.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Right. And even, I do think that we, in a sense, do keep them eternally. The ultimate Feast of Tabernacles will be Heaven. I mean, it’s all pointing to when we are in the Promised Land. You know what I’m saying? And so the spiritual reality of those feast days is going to go on through eternity. Christ will always be our lamb. You read that in Revelation. You see what I’m saying? But to keep the old feasts… let me see if I could illustrate real quick. The feast days Paul called shadows, and suppose you’ve got a loved one that is out of town or overseas and you’ve got their photograph on your mantle, and every now and then you pick it up, you look at it, you kind of caress it, and you can maybe even kiss it. I know that there some wives, they’ve got their husbands overseas and they kiss the picture. Well suppose the husband then comes home and they ring the doorbell, and you look through the eye peephole and you see the husband is out there, are you going to run and pick up the picture or are you going to open the door and hug the husband? So people who are still married to the photograph… it just seems a shame that they’re accentuating these black and white pictures that helped us recognize Jesus instead of embracing the substance, which is the reality of Christ. There’s a book we’ll send you for free, Wilbert, and it’s called “Christ in the Feast Days.” No it’s actually called, “Feast Days or Sabbaths.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call is 1-800-835-6747 and the book again is “Feast Days and Sabbaths.” So we’ll be happy to send that to you.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Okay, listening friends, you can hear that we’ve got a break coming up on us. During this broadcast, we offer a lot of books and material because we can only give sound bites on these questions. These questions are often very profound and deserve a lot more time, and so we sort of use them as a springboard to the website, where there’s a lot more information. So check out “AmazingFacts.org” you’re going to find a virtual tree of life of information there. We’ll be right back.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Bible Answers Live will return in just a moment. Remember to turn into Pastor Doug’s daily radio program “Wonders in the Word” and our weekly television program broadcast “Amazing Facts Presents,” which is aired on major networks including ABC Family, BET, the Church Channel, Vision TV and Superstation WGN. Go to www.amazingfacts.org to find the station in your area.
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Welcome back to Bible Answer Live with Pastor Doug Batchelor. This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible-related question, you can call us from 7 to 8 PM, Pacific Standard Time on Sundays and receive clear, honest answers directly from scripture. Call 800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 800-463-7297. Now, please join us as we look to God’s word for more Bible Answers Live with author and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: We are back and rearing to go with more Bible questions but just before we go to the phones, Pastor Ross, we’ve got something very exciting that is coming up. As a matter of fact, first why don’t you introduce? We have a new station we’d like to welcome.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We do. It is KKXX 930 AM in Chico. Apparently this station and also be heard in Paradise, California. That’s Chico, California. So anyone listening on KKXX 930, give us a call. Love to hear from you.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Welcome to the “Bible Answers Live” family. Yeah, we’d love to hear from you. Also something very exciting that’s happening. As a matter of fact, Pastor Ross and I, we both woke up in Texas this morning and wondered how we got there. We woke up in Texas because we were doing a weekend series of meetings there. You were doing some empowered church training. I was speaking and we were talking about child evangelism program that is beginning in just about two weeks, two and a half weeks. We’re going to be up linking on satellite from Richardson, Texas, a special series of meetings on television called “Amazing Adventure.” Now this is the first satellite evangelistic series just for kids that we’ve ever produced at Amazing Facts, and it’s going to be broadcast on Three Angels Broadcasting Network, that’ll be Central Time 7 o’clock. Begins September 12th, 7pm and it goes through September 20th. That’s ten presentations, leading young people between the ages of 8 and 12, to make decisions for Jesus. We’re going to be covering some of the foundational truths for young people to begin that life adventure with Jesus, and a brand new set of lessons that have been prepared. If you’d like to know how you can register your home or your church as an Amazing Adventure site. They can even watch on the internet. It’ll be streaming live on Hope Channel or on 3 ABN. Then go to this website. Here it is, friends, amazingfactskids.com and that will take you to the website where you can get more information on this special satellite evangelistic program for kids. Now if you’ve got any young people in your home, anywhere between 8 and 12, and even if they’re maybe 13 and some of them might be 33… and they would like to know more about, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” We’re going to present the gospel in very exciting, fun, interesting terms so everybody can understand and make their most important decision Amazing Facts Kids, please register your church or your home.
What’s next?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Abraham is listening on the internet from New Jersey. Abraham, welcome to the program.
Abraham: Hiya, how are you?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Very well. Thank you for calling.
Abraham: Great. I have a question. And this is my question, I want to know because the Bible talks about there was one God, one Spirit and one baptism so that helped me to understand that if we have one God, one Spirit, one baptism, I believe that we also have a true church. And I’m not going to talk about who is the true church but I want to know if there’s any verse that help us to find the true church, that we can just go and worship God. Because Bible talks about a false church. If you read Matthew 24, talks about it. And there’s other verses that talks about it. Do you know any verses that help us to find a true church?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes, I think we can help you. First of all, let me touch on what you just asked. It’s a very good question. Obviously, there are many different divisions of denominations among Christians. Christians are a Bible-based religion. I believe that genuine Christians believe both the teachings of the New and the Old Testament. The whole Bible. And you have just the Jews who believe the Old Testament and some Christians only embrace the New Testament. But a real Bible Christian takes the Bible in its entirety and the teachings of the church are balanced and based upon that. Now there are good Christians and many churches but that doesn’t mean it’s all of the truth. Jesus said there, “The truth will set you free.” There’s one Lord, one Spirit… there’s one truth. Same way there’s one baptism. And because there’s only one truth, Jesus said, “There are many sheep I have that are not of this fold.” Let’s suppose the word “fold” there means church. God has its people in many different churches but before the end, he’s going to pull them together. There’s going to be a pull arising [?], and soon there’ll only be two groups. Right now, you’ve got God’s people scattered everywhere but before Jesus comes, one group is going to worship the beast and its image. That’s Revelation 13. It says, “He causeth all, small and great, rich and poor, to worship this image. And it’s the beast.” But the other group has the seal of God in their foreheads. They refuse to worship the beast and its image. So something is going to happen between now and the last days to bring God’s genuine children together. Jesus said, “I’ve got many sheep that are not of this fold but they will hear my voice” that’s through the Word “and there’ll be one fold and one shepherd.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know day after that Pastor, the verse you just quoted is John 10:16 where Jesus says, “All the sheep I have, they will hear my voice.” And then if you look in Revelation chapter 18, “An angel announces that Babylon is falling, is falling and then there’s a voice heard from Heaven –it’s the voice of Jesus- calling its people to come out of this religious confusion.” That is a fulfilment of what Jesus said in John 10:16 that he has sheep that are not of this fold than he must bring, call them and they will hear.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s right. They’re going to come out of Babylon and the spiritual confusion. So there’s a lesson that we’ll be happy to send you Abraham or any of our listeners that could help a person identify the biblical characteristics of the Last Day Church. What are the Bible criteria? And it’s called “Search for the True Church.” We haven’t offered this very often. “Search for the True Church” by Joe Crews. If you call in, we’ll be happy to send that to you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for “The Search for the True Church” and we’ll be happy to send that to you. Clareen is listening on iTunes and she’s listening from Florida. Clareen welcome to the program.
Clareen: Hi thank you. Good evening, pastors. My question centers around Matthew 24:34.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes.
Clareen: When talks about, “Verily I say unto you, ‘This generation shall not pass, till these things be fulfilled.’” And I’ve been speaking to someone who believes that since this text was not fulfilled in the generation to which it’s been spoken about, that that’s proof that Jesus was a false prophet.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well actually this proves that Jesus was a true prophet because at the beginning of this discourse in Matthew 24, the disciples are principally asking Jesus… Jesus said there would not be left one stone upon another in the temple, which was their national historical landmark and they said, “When will these things be?” So in the following discourse, Jesus commingles the answer of three questions. They said, “When will this be? The destruction of Jerusalem. What will be the sign and the end of the world?” So they’re asking about signs of his return, the end of the world, the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus then answers in this inspired oracle of chapter 24 of… actually goes into chapter 25 of Matthew. And when he says, “This generation will not pass away till these things are fulfilled,” Jesus makes this prophecy in 8030, 8031. A generation in the Bible is 40 years. Exactly 40 years later in 8070, Jerusalem was destroyed and the things that Christ said that those that be in Judea flee into the mountains, that you’ll be hated of all nations for my name’s sake, that there’ll be great destruction in a time of trouble. I mean, the destruction of Jerusalem was so absolute, there wasn’t one stone left upon another in the temple, that people resorted to cannibalism. Josepha [?] says that the crosses around Jerusalem looked like a forest when the Romans got done crucifying the Jews who had rebelled. So that great time of trouble was perfectly fulfilled.
Clareen: Well I can see that you’re going back to the very beginning of chapter 24:1 but since this passage comes immediately following where he is talking about the tribulation, where the star is falling and the sun be darkened. And then specifically addressing the signs of his Second Coming in the previous verses 29 through 31. How can I make the connection for that person? Because to me, it would… because it’s immediately following signs of the Second Coming, even though he is commingling them through the whole chapter. How do I know specifically that this verse where he’s speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 8070 versus his Second Coming, which are the passages immediately preceding this particular verse?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know, an interesting dynamic that happens when you get to the end of the Bible, which ended with… Revelation was written about 100 AD. The prophecies that Jesus made were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, ranging somewhere between 40 and 6080. Jerusalem wasn’t destroyed until 7080 so you need to look at history to largely see the fulfilment of these things. Do you know what I’m saying?
Clareen: No, I understand what you’re saying. What I’m saying is…
Pastor Doug Batchelor: One of the best books… have you ever heard of the book “Great Controversy”?
Clareen: Yes.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: The first chapter in that book is on the destruction of Jerusalem and it assembles a lot of very valuable, historical information that shows how the prophecy of Jesus was dramatically fulfilled in that first generation. Now I realize that Christ is also alluding to these heavenly signs but some historians say that the sun turning dark, the moon looking like blood and a meteor shower, all happened in 8069 or that range in there just before the destruction of Jerusalem, in quick succession.
Clareen: Okay but obviously not the part where he says that the whole elect in verse 20, “the Heaven is coming” and then verse 31 where he says, “You shall gather together his elect from the four winds of the earth” because that’s immediately preceding verse 34 and obviously we know that hasn’t happened yet.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Right. Just the context will tell us that that’s referring to the future parts of the prophecy.
Clareen: Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: It just needs to be read contextually. But if I was a skeptic… well I used to be an Atheist, I used to be a skeptic and when I looked at the prophecy in Matthew 24 and then I looked at history and saw the dramatic fulfilment, it just made me realize how inspired the Bible was. Now the same way the other things that Jesus said will happen prior to the Second Coming will happen again. Here’s a quick principle, Clareen… I wish I had more time because this is my favorite subject but what happened to Israel in the first century is going to happen again to spiritual Israel at the Second Coming. Its history will repeat itself. There’s going to be an echo. The same way God poured out his spirit during Pentecost on the early church, he is going to pour out his spirit just before the Second Coming. The same way he had 12 apostles during the First Coming, he’s going to have 12 times 12,000 at the Second Coming. That’s the 144,000. So there’s a mere image of what happened in the first century, just before the Second Coming.
Clareen: Okay. Now that actually would make sense to me because then this verse story foreword would apply both to the generation that was alive for the destruction of Jerusalem and then reapply again to the generation that’s going to be immediately preceding his Second Coming. Is that what I hear you saying?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes. As a matter of fact is. Even in the history that intervened between the first and the second coming. Some of these signs have happened historically. God gives us several layers of fulfilment to look at.
Clareen: Okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s probably the best way to say it. Hey and I’m glad to see that you download the program on iTunes and listen at your convenience. That’s the way to do it, friends, learn from Clareen to… what do you download? From the Amazing Facts website?
Clareen: I don’t know. I just go to iTunes, I typed in Amazing Facts and then that was one of the links so every time I plug in now, it just downloads the latest programs that you do.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I appreciate you’re sharing that with folks. I know someone else that they do that. They just type in Amazing Facts at iTunes and they can listen whenever they want to the “Bible Answers Live” program.
Clareen: Yeah. Great. Great way to do it.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I appreciate that.
Clareen: Thank you so much.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: God bless.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Ramona is listening on WMCA from Brooklyn, New York. Ramona welcome to the program.
Ramona: Hi Pastor. As you know my name is Ramona. Pastor I’m having trouble with something, how do you do position-wise when you close eyes or when you think about the Lord, what do you see?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well that is a good question Ramona because God made us where we have something like a screen in our minds. People often dream you’re seeing things on this mental screen, for lack of a better word. And when we pray… now the Bible tells us that we know Jesus is our High Priest, you can read in Hebrews, he ever lives to make intersession for us. The Bible tells us that he’s before the father and he’s confessing our name. So in my mind, when I’m praying to Jesus, I often see him either looking down on me because he says, “I’m with you always,” or I see him interceding with the Father in my behalf. And some of the details and the sharpness of that image is a little bit nebulous in my mind because I don’t know exactly what Jesus looks like but I picture some of what I see described in Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation chapter 1, this glorious, majestic being. And so that’s what I see in my mind when I pray. And I’m sure that everybody sees Jesus a little bit differently and I don’t suppose the Lord condemns us for that.
Ramona: Okay. I just try to keep out of my mind pictures that you may see of Jesus. I try to keep those out of my mind but…
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well you can use the picture that’s given there in the Bible, certainly nothing wrong with that. And you see that in Revelation chapter 1, it describes him as this glorious being just filled with light but you know he’s a God of love.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Pastor Doug you wrote a book on prayer “Teach Us to Pray,” is that correct?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Ramona or anyone listening wanting to know more about prayer, call our resource line 1-800-835-6747, you can ask for Pastor Doug’s book “Teach Us to Pray.” And we’ll be happy to send that out to you. Louis is listening on WMCA from Yonkers, New York. Louis welcome to the program.
Louise: Hi. It’s Louise.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Louise, I’m sorry. Yeah.
Louise: That’s okay, how are you?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Just fine. Thank you for calling. And your question?
Louise: Yes, I have a question but I also want to learn more about the difference between baptism of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit. But my question is, when you receive the Holy Spirit, do you have to speak in tongues?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well let me do my best answering your first…
Louise: [INAUDIBLE 46:06] question not very long.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Right. I’ll see if I can do my best to answer your last question first. If you’re a Christian, do you have to speak in tongues? No, if you look in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul is talking about the different gifts of the spirit and he makes it very clear that the gift of tongues is one of the spiritual gifts. But along with that it also talks about the gift of prophecy. And you can look for instance, in 1 Corinthians 12.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Verse 30?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. You can go to verse 30 where he says… let’s see here. “Have all the gifts of healing, do all speak with tongues, do all interpret.” As a matter of fact, verse 29, are all apostles?
Louise: No.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Obviously not. Are all prophets? Obviously not. He’s asking questions. So one of the gifts of the Spirit is tongues. Some churches insist that everybody is supposed to speak in tongues but the Bible doesn’t teach that. It’s one of the gifts. Now I have a book I’ll be happy to send you on the gift of tongues and it explains these verses. But what was the second part of your question? Oh the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Louise: The difference between the baptism of the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. Do you have a Bible in front of you?
Louise: Yes.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: If you look in Acts 4:30. Is that the verse I’m looking for? Yeah, verse 31. “And when they pray, the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Now you notice here they’re filled with the Holy Spirit but they’re not speaking in tongues. They’re speaking with the word of God and witnessing. So they were filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2. Here they are filled again, the same group of people in Acts chapter 4. That tells us that the filling of the Holy Spirit is not something that happens one time and then it lasts a lifetime. The filling of the Holy Spirit is something like filling your car with gas. We need to continually be praying for a fresh filling of the Spirit. And one way I might describe it is when we’re in the presence of God… you ever seen some of that iridescent paint that you put it next to light, then you turn off the lights and it glows.
Louise: Yeah.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: But then it gradually fades and you need to re expose it to the light, and it will glow again for a while. As we continue to commune with God and read his Word in pray, we are filled with the Spirit. Then we go forth and we witness, and we let our light shine but we need to continually return to Jesus, to have that light reenergize us. And so you see several times in the Bible, the Holy Spirit coming down in response to their praying, spending time with the Lord, listening to the Word. The Holy Spirit fell in Acts chapter 10 on Cornelius in his household as Peter was preaching the Word, the Holy Spirit fell. So we want to be where the word is being preached and we’re filled with the Spirit. See what I’m saying?
Louise: Yes. So that’s the same as being baptized with the Holy Spirit?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well the baptism of the Holy Spirit is really a saturation of that filling. And see Jesus when he walked among the [INAUDIBLE 49:23], he taught them and the Holy Spirit came into their minds and it gave them power. But at Pentecost they were really baptized in the Holy Spirit. They were baptized in water by John the Baptist. But John the Baptist said, “The one coming after me is mightier than I am. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit in fire.” So that fire baptism cleanses our minds and our hearts, and it really empowers us. It’s a filling that stays with you for a while.
Louise: Thank God.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hey you know, there’s a book that we’ve written that talks specifically about a “Life in the Spirit” and Joe Crews wrote this wonderful book. If you’d like a free copy of “Life in the Spirit,” we’ll send that to you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call is 1-800-835-6747, ask for the book “Life in the Spirit” and we’ll be happy to send that out.
Adam is listening on the internet from Ontario, Canada. Adam welcome to the program.
Adam: Hi Pastors, how are you guys this evening?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Doing fine. How are you Adam?
Adam: I’m quite well. My question is concerning worship and the method by which some churches are developing or the churches I attended are developing and basically, it’s… I go to Salem 95:6, where the Bible says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down and kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker.”
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah.
Adam: And what’s happening is that the worship style, the format of the sanctuary services are being changed and it’s standing up, and it’s becoming more standing up. That’s a reference for God. So I’m kind of looking for your input on more biblical verses. I have some other…
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s a good point and you almost never hear anyone talk about this anymore but there’s so much in the Bible that talks about reverend posture in prayer. Now I want Hessen to add, that doesn’t mean that we always need to kneel when we pray because Peter prayed when he was swimming, a simple prayer, “Lord save me.” But especially in former worship, assuming that it’s not impractical, you know, sometimes I’m in a meeting place where people are older and there’s concrete on the ground and there’s metal chairs in front of them. And it becomes more of an obstacle or a distraction to ask them to kneel and pray. So you might ask them in a case like that to maybe stand and reverently vow their heads, and there’s even precedent for that in the Bible. But typically, in former worship, it says Daniel knelt down three times a day and prayed. When Solomon dedicated a temple, they knelt down and prayed. When Paul said goodbye to their apostles or the disciples, they knelt on the shore and prayed. And there’s so many examples of this.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, Pastor Doug I was just reading about this this past week. Different prayers for different occasions. And we look in the Bible, we find that there are cases where people stood and prayed and for example, where Jesus blessed the food, when he multiplied it. He stood and he prayed, and it’s quite appropriate when we ask God’s blessing upon the food.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: When Solomon gave the benediction after he dedicated the temple. He knelt and prayed the dedication, he stood and blessed the people.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s why at the end of church sometimes, we stand for the benediction.
Pastor Jëan Ross: For the benediction. But there’s also a place in corporate worship like you mentioned, where we kneel before God in prayer.
Adam: Yeah, that’s the real issue where I’m looking at. It’s the actual corporate, when we come together, you know, how many times do we see in the Bible when Jesus appeared to a person and they bowed down to him, or the Angel… for example, John, when the Angel appeared to him and he said [INAUDIBLE 53:15] bow down, automatically his response is to bow down.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. Well it’s a sign… our body language always says something. Even God talks about having a stiff neck and pulling away their shoulder. Outstretched necks is a sign of pride. Bowing is a sign of humility. And as Pastor Ross is saying that it’s very important during worship for us at some point to get on our knees before God. And obviously, if someone’s got the handicaps, God’s more interested in our prayer than our posture. But people are getting more and more casual about worship, and I’m concerned also, Adam. I agree with you.
Adam: Yes. I’ve been reading a book. I think you guys sell it on the Amazing Facts website. It’s called “Here We Stand.”
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yes.
Adam: And I’m reading…
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Is that by Dr. Sam Pipim?
Adam: Yes.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. Great book.
Adam: And I’m reading some of the things in there and the irreverence for the God who died for us is completely being lost.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah. The awesomeness of God, we’re losing. And you’ve got us… we’re a hundred percent with you on that one, Adam. And I wish the churches [INAUDIBLE] revival of that sense and their worship.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: We are going to try and get one more question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. Gale is listening on WDNX from Mississippi. Gale welcome to the program.
Gale: Yes. How are you doing?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Just fine.
Gale: I would like for you to answer my question. It’s about a fable or scripture, regarding… I want to say David and Saul but it could not be these characters. But one army is in pursuit of another army. Now this army hid out in a cave and the spider webs covered the opening of the cave, and the other army that was in pursuit of this army, well they didn’t bother to search the cave. So they just went on by. So is that a fable or…?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I know that the story is true about David. David and his soldiers were running from King Saul and the army of Israel. It’s interesting, I just read this last week in my personal Bible reading. And David went to hide in the cave but the Jewish rabbis tell a fable connected to it. They say that God… and it could be true, we don’t know. That Saul and his soldiers did not look in the cave because God… after David and his soldiers went in there, God had spiders weave webs over the entrance so they didn’t think anyone was in the cave. Now that may be true.
Gale: Where is that found, please?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s a Jewish tradition about the spiders, David fleeing from Saul is in 1 Samuel, and going into the cave. And I can’t…
Gale: That’s it. 1 Samuel. Maybe that’s why I can’t find it because it’s a Jewish tradition.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: The part about the spiders is a Jewish tradition.
Gale: Because I’ve been looking everywhere in my Bible but I can’t find it.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, but it’s a sweet story and it might be true. But it’s not in the scriptures. It may be in the Talmud. Pastor Ross, you got the verses for us?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah the verses for us, David going in the cave is 1 Samuel chapter 24 from verse 3 onwards to verse 8.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: All right. Hey Gale, I remember reading that tradition. I thought that was very interesting. And perfect timing. Thank you very much for your question, Gale. And we sure appreciate that. We don’t really have a book we can offer you on David and the cave.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You might have to write one on spider webs.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well I did do a series you can look up on the Amazing Facts website. It’s on the life of David, about… I think it’s like an 8 or 10-part series on the life of David.
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