Hello friends, how about an amazing fact? During World War II, a young marine laid badly wounded in a military hospital on a South Pacific island. Shrapnel had ripped through his chest and unless he received a series of blood transfusions at once, the boy was doomed to die. But the type of blood required turned out to be very rare, no donors were immediately available, and hope for saving the marine was fading quickly. Then a medic discovered a supply of rare blood in a recent shipment from the United States. The transfusion was given and the marine lived. When he recovered, the grateful young man asked about the donor. She was a Boston woman and he wrote to thank her for the gift of her life saving blood.
Then he wrote to his father in Kentucky and told him about his miraculous experience. His father recognized the donor's name. She was his long lost sister and the marine's own aunt. The wounded man had never known his aunt, but her donation of rare blood, which matched his, saved his life in the far way pacific. Did you know friends, that there is a unique type of blood that is still saving thousands today? Stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening friends, this is Pastor Jëan Ross, Pastor Doug Batchelor is out this evening, and this is Bible Answers Live, this is a national and international Bible study. So if you have a Bible related question, we would love to hear from you this evening. The number to call, straight to our studio, is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297, 1-800-463-7297 our phone lines are now opened. But before we get to the word this evening, let’s just begin with a word of prayer.
Dear Father, we thank you for this opportunity to study your word, and we recognize that the Bible is your book, and in order for us to correctly understand it, we need your leading. So be with us this evening, we ask that you’d be with those who are listening, and those who call in. For this we ask in Jesus name, amen.
We opened the program this evening with an amazing fact about a unique blood transfusion, a very unique rare kind of blood that saved the life of a marine during the 2nd World War. And then I finished up the fact by saying, “Did you know that there is a unique type of blood that is still saving thousands today?” Well, I imagined you’ve guessed what the answer to that is. The answer of course is, “Jesus”. The Bible tells us in Romans chapter 5:8-9, “But God demonstrated His own love towards us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now being justified by His blood, we shall we saved from wrath through Him”. Because of Christ atoning sacrifice and Calvary 2000 years ago, we can be forgiven, we can be cleansed of our sins, our names can be written in the Lambs Book of Life, and we can receive the gift of eternal life. If you’d like to learn more about this wonderful gift that God has, which is being made possible through Christ atoning sacrifice, we have a free offer that we’d like to make available to you this evening. It is a study guide entitled, “Rescue From Above, Rescue From Above”. To learn more, how you can receive that tremendous gift of eternal life, how you can have your sins washed away by the blood of Jesus, call for that free resource. The number to call is 1-800-835-6747, again its 1-800-835-6747, that is our resource line, and ask for “Rescue From Above”, a study guide dealing with the subject of salvation. The phone line to the studio is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297. Our 1st caller this evening is Brian, calling from Wisconsin. Brian, welcome to the program.
Brian: Thanks for having me on this evening, good evening.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening.
Brian: I had a question for you or Pastor Doug regarding, I got a reference here in Matthew chapter 27. The context there is, it says here, when Judas had betrayed Him, he saw that Jesus was condemned, he was with remorse, returned the 30, Jesus was (inaudible 5:32-5:34), and He said, “I have sinned”. And then they basically said, “What is that, that’s your responsibility?” So he threw the money to the temple and left. Cross reference that with chapter 1 of Acts, where it says, “In those days, Peter stood up among the believers a group numbering about a hundred, and so the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago, through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as a guide for those who was arrested, he was in our number, and shared in the ministry”. It says here that, “He got the reward for his wickedness, and Judas bought the field in (inaudible 6:11). There was a gentleman who would ask me, he thought that this was contradictory, and he asked me for the answer, and I frankly told him I didn’t know, (inaudible 6:21) find out.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright.
Brian: His question was, 1st of all, who actually bought the field, and how did Judas buy the field if he threw the money down. And then the 2nd question was, if he hung himself, how did he end up falling head long? So that was his 2 questions.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, let’s start with the last one 1st, talks about Judas falling head long. Apparently, he claimed up into a tree, tied the rope around the branch of the tree, tied the other end around his neck, and he fell out of the tree, and probably head 1st until the rope pull tight, and you know, that was the end of Judas. Now in reference to the 30 pieces of silver, and in Acts it says, “That it was Judas who bought the field”. When Judas betrayed Christ, in return for him betraying Jesus, the chief priest gave Judas 30 pieces of silver. Then, as we read here in Matthew 27, Judas felt bad about that, and he came back, and he threw the money on the floor, and he said, you know, “I’ve betrayed innocent blood”. Then the chief priest and rulers responded, and they said, “What is this to us?”
Brian: Right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And they kind of left the money there, they didn’t want to take the money and put it back into the treasure, because it was blood money. And so they didn’t quite know what to do with the money. In the meantime, Judas goes out and he hangs himself, and when word gets back to the chief priest about what Judas has done, they then take the this money, which actually still belonged to Judas, and they purchased the field where Judas was buried. So it was Judas’s money that was used to purchase the field, and that’s why, Acts credits Judas as being the one who purchased the field, even though it was the Jewish leaders who actually went out and got the field, and purchase it where Judas was buried.
Brian: So ultimately, it really wasn’t his money once he threw it down, well it was his money once he threw it down, they didn’t keep the money, they bought the field. And the field that they bought was it the same field that he hung himself in then? Is there any…
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, that’s a good question, it probably was very close to it, but there was this field referred to as “The Potter’s Field”, and the Bible doesn’t tell us too much more about this field, other than it was probably not the best piece of land close to Jerusalem.
Brian: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And they could buy it for 30 pieces of silver. They didn’t want to take the money and keep it they felt like, it was still Judas’s money, and so they used it to buy that field. It was probably close to where Judas hung himself.
Brian: Okay, thanks (inaudible 08:49).
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, good question, thanks for calling Brian. Again, the number here to the studio is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297. Ron is listening on the internet from Miami, Florida. Ron, welcome to the program.
Ron: Thank you very much. I appreciate being able to ask you some questions.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Ron: My question is, Jesus said that, “Nobody has been to heaven except for Himself”. And then, if the Bible says that, “In the grave is that men sleep the sleep of death (inaudible 09:25)”. How did the spirit of Moses and Elijah appear to Him if everyone sleeps in death?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good, sure.
Ron: And then my other question that relates to that is, is there another place where… because Jesus also said to the man, the thief from the cross, “Today, you will be with me in paradise”. Where is paradise? Obviously, He didn’t mean, you’re going to go and be in the grave today. So my question is the contradiction of this that’s taught. I’m wondering, you know,
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. Well let’s…
Ron: where is paradise is what I’m really trying to…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure, let’s come to that one in just a minute, let’s 1st talk about the 1st part of your question, with reference to Moses and Elijah. Now, the Bible tells us in the books of King, 2nd Kings, “That Elijah was…” actually, 2nd Samuel, “That Elijah was taken up to heaven without seeing death”. So that would explain why Elijah was able to appear with Jesus there on the Mount of Transfiguration. Now…
Ron: Where was he? He wasn’t taken to heaven because Jesus said, “Nobody’s been to heaven except for Him”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: In the sense, you’re referring to what Jesus said there in John chapter 3?
Ron: Yeah, I guess that’s in chapter 3, where Jesus said, “Let me tell you, that no man has been to heaven except for Him”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. In the context of what Jesus was saying in John chapter 3, He was talking to Nicodemus, and He was talking about the “New birth experience”, and Jesus was sharing truth, heavenly truth with Nicodemus. Jesus was saying, “No one understands these things except Him who has come down from heaven”, that’s Christ, and He’s revealing the truth to him. Christ is the one that received the truth, received this heavenly message, and is relaying it to Nicodemus. Now if you go further on in the gospel, it talks about Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, Elijah appearing there with Him, and then Moses, how did Moses get there? Well the book of Jude gives us a hint. If you read in the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation, it talks about Michael the angel, the arch angel arguing with Satan, concerning the body of Moses. So, many scholars believe, that after Moses had died, and was buried, he was then resurrected, and taken to heaven, and that’s how Christ, on the Mount of Transfiguration had Elijah and Moses standing there with Him. Now that’s very significant, let me just build on that for a few moments. Elijah and Moses play very important roles in the Old Testament, Moses is seen as the law giver, he gave God’s law to Israel, even though God wrote the 10 commandments on tablets of stone and spoke it, but Moses is seen as the law giver. The 1st 5 books of the Bible, the Pentateuch is often referred to as “The law”, that was the passage or scripture that Moses wrote. Elijah is often looked at as the most influential of the prophets of the Old Testament. Now the word of God, the Bible is divided up into 2 parts, the law and the prophets. The law, being the 1st 5 books of the Bible written by Moses, and the prophets the rest of scripture that was written.
Ron: Right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And often, the Bible is referred to as the law and the prophets. When Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah, there on the Mount of Transfiguration, it was the word of God, the law and the prophets, that was testifying to the truthfulness of the promise of the coming of the Messiah. Secondly, Moses represents in a sense, those who will be resurrected when Jesus comes the 2nd time, because He was resurrected and taken to heaven. Elijah can represent those who will be taken to heaven without seeing death. And so what Christ revealed to the 3 disciples, Peter, James, and John, was a miniature of the 2nd coming of Christ. And so that’s all connected with the Mount of Transfiguration, and how Moses and Elijah got there. Now, the 2nd part of your question…
Ron: So can I ask you something?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah?
Ron: So then in other words, when we die, do we go to the grave, and sleep, and wait for Christ to come?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Correct.
Ron: We do.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We do. Now Moses and Elijah, Moses being resurrected, you know, that’s an exception to the norm. We know that Enoch was taken to heaven without seeing death, we know that Elijah was taken to heaven without seeing death, and based upon Jude, we understand that Moses was resurrected and taken to heaven, and he appeared with Christ. Some suggests, that at the time of Christ death there were people that were resurrected that came into Jerusalem, maybe you’re familiar with that passage?
Ron: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And then it doesn’t say anything else about them. Many believe that those were taken to heaven as well, at the time of Christ ascension.
Ron: Were the disciples taken to heaven when they died?
Pastor Jëan Ross: No, not that we…
Ron: They still are in the grave then.
Pastor Jëan Ross: know of.
Ron: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: They, you know, they’re waiting for the resurrection. Now, before I forget, let me just share with you a resource, that we do have, it’s called, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” And it’s an Amazing Facts study guide, it’s free, all you’ll need to do Ron, is call our resource line, its 1-800-835-6747, ask for the study guide “Are the Dead Really Dead?” And it will talk about Moses and Elijah, and you know, what happens when a person dies, just a lot of excellent material in that study guide. Very quickly then, let me address the thief on the cross, you’ll read about this in Luke chapter 23. When Jesus was crucified, there were 2 thieves crucified with Him, one on the left, one on the right. And one of the thieves turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom”, and Jesus responded and said, “Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt be with me in paradise”. So that’s lead some to believe, that when you die, you go immediately to paradise, people would assume that to be heaven. But I want to point something else about this verse that I think is very important. The thief did not expect to go to paradise that very day, because in his request to Jesus, he said, “Lord remember me when you come in your kingdom”. Well when does that happen? That happens at the 1nd coming of Christ. So what did Jesus mean when He said, “Verily I say unto you today, you shalt be with me in paradise”? Now, the original Greek, in which the gospel is written, the gospel of Luke, it did not have punctuation, that was added later in the translation from Greek to English. And depending where you put that comma in that verse, changes the emphasis of the verse. For example, if I read it just the way it is, translating the King James and the punctuation of the King James, it’s read this way, “And Jesus said unto him, verily, verily I say unto thee, today you shall be with me in paradise”. Well that sounds as though Jesus is promising the thief that very day, that he would be with Him in paradise, but if you move the comma behind the word today, it changes the emphasis. Let me read it that way, “And Jesus said unto him, verily, verily I say unto you today, you shall be with me in paradise”. Do you see the difference? Ron, are you still there?
Ron: Yeah, I’m here.
Pastor Jëan Ross: On the one way, it’s, Jesus is promising the thief that very day, that he had the assurance that he would be remembered. That’s when the thief asked for forgiveness Jesus gave him the assurance that very day, that he would remember him when it came in His kingdom, that he would be with Him in paradise. So you want to take that one verse, and then matched up with all the other verses in scripture that says, for example Psalms 115:17, “The dead do not praise the Lord”, and other verses that say, for example Ecclesiastic 9, 5, and 6, “The dead no not anything, the memory of them is forgotten, also their love, their hatred, and their envy is all perished, neither have they anymore apportion forever in anything that is done under the sun”. In Ecclesiastic 9:10, it says, “There’s no work, wisdom in the grave where you go”. So you match up all of these verses and scripture.
Ron: Right. I’ve been doing that, and that’s why (inaudible 17:33-17:35) paradise, I’m going like,
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Ron: What does it mean?
Pastor Jëan Ross: What does it mean? Again,
Ron: And when I thought paradise was the Garden of Eden, and it was removed from the earth, that maybe it wasn’t to another dimension, and that’s the dimension of paradise or something.
Pastor Jëan Ross: No, Jesus is assuring him that he would one day be with him in the Garden of Eden He would be with him in heaven. One other point I want to add to this Ron. From the gospel, we know that Jesus did not ascend to heaven until the day of the resurrection, Sunday morning. Because Jesus said to Mary, “Do not cling to me, do not detain me, I haven’t yet ascended to my Father, which is in heaven”. So again, if you put all of the verses together, and you look at Luke 23:43 and its context, it fits together quite well. I’d encourage you to get that study guide. The number again, is 1-800-835-6747, ask for the study guide, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” And we’ll be happy to send that to you. Thanks for your call Ron.Bruce is listening on the internet from San Francisco, California. Bruce, welcome to the program.
Bruce: Hi, God bless you. Now my question is Revelation chapter 11:7-10, but the whole chapter really, but when it gets to the point where people come to view the 2 dead bodies lying in the street of Jerusalem, and reviews the 2 witnesses’ burial. Where would the church be under a situation like that? Studying the Bible, waiting for the fulfilment above Bible prophecy, and then not burying them, according to (inaudible 18:59).
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. Now this is a deep question. Revelation of course is a symbolic book, you understand that, and it’s talking about certain events in connection with time, in connection with the coming of Christ. Let me give you a quick overview with Revelation 11. In Revelation 11, there is a description of the 2 witnesses, and I’ll explain who the 2 witnesses are in just a minute, but they suffer persecution for 1260 prophetic days, or 1260 literal years, 1 prophetic day is equal to 1 literal year in the Bible. And these 2, the 3 and a half days, there are… or 3 and a half years, it’s works 1260 years, or 1260 prophetic days, literal years. These 2 witnesses are clothe in sack cloth. Now if you look time and time again in the Bible, the Bible itself is described as the witnesses. Again, we talk about Moses and Elijah, Moses representing the Old Testament, the law. Elijah, representing the prophets, the Bible says, “To the law and to the testimony, or to the law and to the prophets, if they speak not according to this word, there is not light in them”. And it says that these 2 witnesses were killed, and their bodies left in the streets for 3 and a half days, and then the Spirit of God came into the, and they were lifted up. What many scholars believe, this is actually talking about, is the French revolution. At the time of the French revolution, the Bible was declared, or was outlawed, Christianity was declared to be a fable, they said that death was just an eternal sleep of which there was no hope of resurrection. Reason was established above the word of God, Bibles are actually gathered in the streets of Paris, and they were burned. Now the interesting thing about this, is this law went into effect, banishing the scripture, but exactly 3 and a half years later, that law was reversed. Once the law was reversed around the early 1800’s, late 1700’s, that’s when you have your Bible societies being established, the British Bible society, the American Bible society. And the Bible was translated into different languages, you had missionaries going all around the world, and many scholars feel’s that, where it talks about the Spirit of God coming into His two witnesses, and they rise up, and everybody sees them. That’s in reference to these Bible societies, to the popularity of the Bible, and the translating of the Bible into all of these different languages.
Bruce: but know that, you know, chronologically speaking, I’m just saying, the whole chapter 11 looks as if they’re doing the same things that God did through Moses and Elijah as a witness, right?
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s, absolutely, you know, it talks about, fire coming down out of their mouth, out of the 2 witnesses. Well that’s exactly how it happened on Mount Carmel fire came down from heaven and devoured the enemies of Elijah, when the captain of 50 came to take him away. And then of course Moses, it talks about in reference to Moses, the plagues, and Moses, you know, came to Pharaoh and warned him about the plagues that were coming. And so the 2 witnesses are eluded to as Moses and Elijah, and Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets, the word of God.
Bruce: Can I ask one more question about 1 of the 10 commandments, “thou shall not kill”?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Bruce: I mean, you look at Noah’s flood, and Lot coming out of Sodom and Gomorrah, but how come it’s not an issue with God to kill?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good question. 1st of all, God knows the heart. The Bible tells us, “Man looks at the outward but God knows the heart”. And when God takes life, it’s not murder, but it’s the execution of justice, it’s the execution of judgement. God knows the limit of forbearance. And in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, when God executed judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them, it wasn’t that God was, you know, just vindictive, but God knew if evil was not checked, it would spread all over the place. And that’s why God brought a flood in the days of Noah, the Bible tell us, “That every imagination of the heart with evil continually”, and it was only Noah and his family that was preserving the truth, what happened when Noah and his family died, and their children had succumbed to the evils that were so prevalent around them? The truth of God would have been lost sight of in the earth. So God waited till the very last moment, until He could wait no longer, cleansed the earth of sin, and started over again with Noah and his family.
Bruce: Well thank you very, very much.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay Bruce. You know, we do have a book called, “The Two Witnesses”, that’ll explain more on Revelation chapter 11. To receive that, call our recourse line, 1-800-835-6747, and we’ll be happy to send that to you. Our next caller is Jake, calling from Syracuse, New York. Jay, welcome to the program.
Jay: Yes, hello sir, how are you?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good, thank you.
Jay: Well you know what? I think callers ago I had the same exact question about John 3:13, but may I ask another question
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Jay: if it’s okay with you? It’s concerning John the Baptist, Matthew 11:1. It says, “Truly I say to you, among those born a women, there has not been or has not arisen anyone greater then John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”. I just don’t… can you put that together for me?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure, happy to. Now Jesus, if you look at this context, Jesus, 1st of all, speaks very, very highly of John the Baptist. I mean, just the phrase, “Among them that is born of woman, there is not a risen one greater then John the Baptist”. Jesus put John the Baptist on par with Moses, Elijah, Enoch, you know, Abraham. He said, “There hasn’t a risen one greater”. But then Jesus says, “Non for standing, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”. Now, when Jesus says, “He that is least in the kingdom of heaven”, when Christ began His public ministry, He would often preach “The kingdom of God is at hand”. And whenever Jesus would do a parable, He’d often say, “The kingdom of heaven is like an (inaudible 24:59) too”, and then He would tell His parable. When Christ began His public ministry, the kingdom of heaven had been revealed, the kingdom of heaven had been established, because Jesus had come, and He had begun to build up His kingdom in the hearts and the lives of individuals. Not that Jesus was gathering an army together, and would have an actual geographic kingdom, but the kingdom of God is anywhere where a person believes Jesus to be supreme and King. When Jesus was starting His public ministry, John was ending his ministry, and Jesus is saying, “Even though John the Baptist was great and he did a tremendous work, there is one greater than John the Baptist”, and of course, that was Christ Himself. And those who heard Jesus preach, who understood the truths of the kingdom, they were given a great privilege, a greater opportunity than even John the Baptist had, because they were actually with Jesus. Does that make sense?
Jay: Yes, yes, I guess it does.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ, and when Jesus came from that time onwards, no longer did people see John the Baptist as the forerunner, but they actually saw the reality, they saw Jesus Himself. That’s why Jesus said, “He who is least in the kingdom of heaven”, that was the kingdom that Jesus had established right then and there, was even greater, because they were actually witnesses of Jesus.
Jay: So least to greater implies, what does that imply, least to greater? I mean…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Not as salvation goes, nor as power goes, but as opportunity goes.
Jay: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, they had a greater opportunity when they were there with Jesus. They could hear Jesus they could ask Jesus, they could touch Jesus. But John didn’t really have that opportunity.
Jay: Alright, it sounds good sir.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright! Well thanks for your call Jay, appreciate it.
Jay: God bless.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright.
Jay: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Let’s take a look at our next caller. Joseph is listening on WMCA, from New York, New York. Joseph, welcome to the program.
Joseph: Good evening pastor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening Joseph.
Joseph: Pastor, I heard someone mention that the apostle Paul is being a zealot, meaning that, “He was extreme in his positions”. In one instance, he was persecuting the Christians, the other, he was preaching. Now I also had heard, I thought the word zealot in relation to Masada. Did this gentleman on the radio misuse that word zealot? It was his description of Paul’s personality I think.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. I think the word zealot would probably be correct in describing Paul to some degree. The people on Masada, of course were zealots because of their refusal to submit to Roman rule, they were very patriotic. And in that sense, before Paul was converted, and he was Saul, and he was a Pharisee, he was very patriotic for the religion of the fathers, even to the point of persecuting the Christians. And then after his conversion on the road to Damascus, Saul becomes Paul, and he’s just as passionate now about preaching and proclaiming the gospel. SO in that sense, yes he was a zealot, and I think in the good sense when it came to Christianity, not that he was forcing anyone to accept Christianity, but he had a passion and a love that motivate him to share with others.
Joseph: You had previously mentioned that the last supper which was supposed to have been the Celebration of the Passover, that the eight lamb, in the Old Testament, did the Jewish folks that celebrated…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Joseph, I’m going to have to interrupt you here. We’re coming up on a half way break, and if Joseph, if you’ll hang on, we can take your question right after the break, can you do that? Joseph, you there?
Joseph: Hang on, yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, just hang on, we’ll come right back to you after the break. Friends, we’re going to take a short break, and we’ll be right back. SO you’re listening to Bible Answer Live, we’ll be right back after the break.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hello friends, welcome back! The is Pastor Jëan Ross, Pastor Doug Batchelor is out this evening, but this is Bible Answers Live, and if you have a Bible related question, the number to call is, 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297. And we’ve been speaking with Joseph, Joseph are you still there?
Joseph: I’m still here my friend.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, let’s go with your question quickly because there are some other folks waiting in line.
Joseph: I will. You had previously mentioned, that at the Last Supper, they ate lamb, they was celebrating the Passover. Now in ancient times, did the Jewish people also eat lamb, prior to the Last Supper?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes, right.
Joseph: May I ask you one other question sir?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Real quick one, yes?
Joseph: Did Jesus ever mention anything about abortion?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Did Jesus Himself?
Joseph: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well the Bible speaks about the importance of life, and the commandment, thou shall not kill. Jesus
Joseph: Yes, I believe that.
Pastor Jëan Ross: does quote the commandment, thou shall not kill. So in that sense, yes He does.
Joseph: I got it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright.
Joseph: I do want to thank you so much.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re welcome Joseph, thank you for your call, appreciate it. Our next caller is Donna, calling from Corning, Arkansas. Donna, welcome to the program.
Donna: Hello.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi!
Donna: I asked this question last, the last time you were on. And I heard a minister on the radio, and he says, that “This is not a parable”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Donna: What I’m talking about, is “Lazarus, the poor man going to Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man dying and going to hell”. He said that, “because I spoke they name Lazarus, that it wasn’t a parable, and that the other parables didn’t speak any names like that”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Donna: Can you verify that?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Donna: I’d like to know that truth on that.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure, let me… the parable you’re referring to, or the passage you’re referring to, is Luke chapter 16:24 on wards, a little before that. Just for those who are not familiar with this story. Jesus told a story about a man by the name of Lazarus, who was a beggar, and there was a rich man, and the rich man didn’t help the beggar, and the beggar was lying at his house, and then, in the story, both men died. The rich man went to a place of torment, whereas the beggar, Lazarus, went to a place called, Abraham’s bosom. And then there was this discussion between Lazarus and the rich man, and the rich man in this place of torment, assumable hell, was calling out to Abraham, and calling out to Lazarus, and saying, “Can you come and put a drop of water on my tongue, because it’s so hot down here?”
Donna: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And then the responds comes back from Abraham’s bosom, there is a great goal fixed, we cannot, you know, come across. And then the rich man says to Abraham, “But if somebody could be resurrected and go back to earth, and appeared to my brothers, I have brothers, and would tell them about how horrible it is here, they will repent”. Then the responds comes back from Abraham’s bosom, which is, “They have Moses and the prophets, if they do not believe them, they will not believe even though one is raised from the dead”. Now that’s really the point of this whole story. Now, the reason I think this story is particularly significant, is because of the fact of the name that’s given to this individual, he’s name is Lazarus.
Donna: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The whole point of the story is not, Jesus is not stating what happens when a person dies, rather, Jesus is talking about “Doubt versus belief in the word of God”, because there was a person that Jesus had raised from the dead by the name of Lazarus. But despite the fact that He raised Lazarus from the dead, the Jewish leaders symbolized here by the rich man, still refused to believe. So the whole…
Donna: To believe in Jesus.
Pastor Jëan Ross: To believe in Jesus. And Jesus said, “If you don’t believe the law and the prophets that’s the word of God, you won’t believe even if someone is resurrected from the dead”. And that’s exactly what happened with the Jewish leaders they refused to believe, even though they saw with their own eyes, that Lazarus was raised from the dead. Something else interesting, not only do the Jewish leaders then plot to kill Jesus, but they also plot to kill Lazarus, because he was testifying of the divinity of Christ. So this story that Jesus is telling, this parable is to illustrate
Donna: It is a parable then.
Pastor Jëan Ross: a very important point, right. And the point is brought to light in the last few verse. There’s a number of clues that this is a parable. For example, what is Abraham’s bosom? Does Abraham have a big chest, is that where people go? What does it mean when it says, that “The rich man in hell was talking to the people there in Abraham’s bosom”? Can people in heaven and hell talk to each other? And do people in hell have a tongue, and will a drop of water ease their pain, if you put a drop of water on their tongue? So many symbols in this story
Donna: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: that tells us, it’s a parable, and there’s a bigger lesson that Jesus is trying to teach, which He does at the end.
Donna: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we’ve got a book on that called, “The Rich Man and Lazarus”, and we’ll be happy to send that to you Donna, it’ll explain this in much greater detail. The number to call is, 1-800-835-6747, that’s 1-800-835-6747, you can ask for the book, “The Rich Man and Lazarus”, and we’ll be happy to send that out to you. Our next caller is Michael, listening on WMCA, from New Jersey. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: How you doing Pastor Ross?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good, thank you.
Michael: My question is regarding Judges Chapter 7:5-8, with Gideon and the children of 300. When God chose this 300, He said to Gideon, to take, I think there was 32,000 men, and then he cut it down to 10,000, and when he took the 10,000 down to the water, God says, “Now, I will choose for you”. Some men, you know, lapped water like a dog, and the other men kneelt down with their hand to their mouth drank water.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Michael: And God chose the ones that laps it like a dog. But between a couple of different translations, I was a little confused of, why would God have chosen the ones who lapped it like a dog? And what would that being considering the men who drank on their knees with their hands to their mouth, what was the difference between that, in God choosing them? Because I’m not really understanding the difference between lapping like a dog or your hands to your mouth.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Michael: On your knees.
Pastor Jëan Ross: It can be a little bit confusing. Let me see if I can shed some light on that. There are 2 groups, the one went down on their hands and knees and just stuck their head in the water and drank. The other scooped water up with their hands and lapped it from their hands like a dog”, do you see the difference?
Michael: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: In other words, the ones that scooped it up in their hands and drank the water, it talks about, “Them lapping it up like a dog, but the rest just got down on their hands and knees, and stuck their head in the water, and drank”. Now, the reason that’s significant, those who scoop the water up in their hands and drank it, they were more ready, they were more alert they were more committed to fulfilling the mission. Whereas, those who went down in all force and stuck their head down in the water, they couldn’t see what was happening around them, they couldn’t move as rapidly and as quickly as those who scooped the water and drank it with their hands. And I think, that’s why that was a test to separate those who were going to be, the 300 who were going to go with Gideon and gain his victory versus, you know, the rest that came along with him.
Michael: I’m a still little confused. Let me read the actual scripture for you
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Michael: it says, so he…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Give us the reference there as well, so those who are listening would get it.
Michael: Judges Chapter 7:5-8.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Michael: “So he brought the troops down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, all those who lapped the water with their tongues as a dog laps, shall put you on side. All those who kneeled down to drink putting their hands to their mouths, shall put you to the other side”, the number of those that laps were 300.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And those were the ones that he took.
Michael: Yeah, but I just, I was still a little confused, because, the guys who knelt down, they put their hands to their mouths also. But the ones who lapped like a dog, did they just reach in with their hands and they lapped it with their tongue out of their hands and the other guys maybe poured it into their face, on their knees? Is that…
Pastor Jëan Ross: From the context of the story, the thing that comes across to me, is that, you have the one group that put their faces right close to the water and drank directly from the water. Whether they lifted up with their tongue…
Michael: it says, “they put their hands to their mouth thought”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes, as they got down to the water, they splashed the water right in. they were on their hands and knees and they splashed the water into their mouth, but their face was close to the water.
Michael: Okay (inaudible 39:22) stood up tall,
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Michael: drink out of their hands.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The other one kind of maybe went down on one knee and scooped their hand full of water and drank it that way.
Michael: Okay, yes Pastor Ross, you’re from South Africa right?
Pastor Jëan Ross: I am!
Michael: (inaudible 39:33)
Pastor Jëan Ross: (Laughing) Very good. Alright Michael, well thank you for your call.
Michael: Okay (inaudible 39:39), you have a good day.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, take care, god bless, bye, bye. Melinda is listening on WMCA, from Queens, New York. Melinda, welcome to the program.
Melinda: Yes! Hello Pastor,
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi!
Melida: how are you this evening?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Very good, thanks.
Melinda: Alright, God bless you. You know, actually, amazingly enough, you know, 2 of my questions were somewhat answered. One gentleman had asked about the thief on the cross whom, you know, asked God for, or asked Jesus for forgiveness, and Jesus, you know, said, you know, “Verily, I say unto you that you will be with me in paradise”. Alright, well I got that answered.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Melinda: And the story of Lazarus, it’s just amazing because I wanted to allude to this. Some people think that hell is in reservation, and of course that, you know, we’re in waiting, and those who die in Christ will be risen and, you know, in the 2nd coming, and, you know, will go to heaven, and you know, those who are not, well, you know, hell is reserved for them. So my question is with regard to the parable about Lazarus and the king. And Lazarus, he went to the place Abraham’s bosom, and the king went to hell. So my question is, why would these 2 places be mentioned in the parable, if in fact, when we die, we are in waiting? And if hell is not an actual place yet,
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Melinda: you know, why would that would that have been mentioned?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, good question. In the Bible, the word hell, that we have translated in the King James and New King James version does not always mean a place of torment, most times, it simply means, “The grave, sheol, the grave”. And in that verse, in reference to the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man goes to the grave, he goes to sheol. It’s not necessarily talking about the burning hell that the Bible does talk of, that happens for the wicked, that happens after the day of judgement. And then again, in the parable, it’s just, again trying to emphasise a point, that if they don’t believe the Bible, they’re not going to believe even if somebody is raised from the dead. So again, the word hell that we think of is a hot burning place of torment, but the original Greek is just simply the grave, in other words, “they die”.
Melinda: Okay, I see.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Now we do have a study guide dealing with the subject of hell, because it is confusing. The Bible does talk about a fiery hell, it does talk about
Melinda: Right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: destruction of the wicked. The question comes in when does that happen, where is hell, and how long does hell last?
Melida: right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The Bible tells us, that “The wicked will be rewarded upon the earth, they’ll be judged upon the earth”. So hell is not some subterranean cavern that’s boiling, and burning, and that’s where people are thrown, but rather, the judgement of the wicked will come at the end of time, and they’ll be destroyed upon the earth. Talks about, “The Lake of fire”, in Revelation Chapter 20, where all the wicked are destroyed, that’s hell! But that’s not burning right now.
Melinda: Okay. I’m more clear
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Melinda: then I was before, but if I could get the literature, I would
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Melinda: appreciate that.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Let me suggest 2 in particular. It’s “Are the Dead Really Dead?” And, “Is the Devil in charge of Hell?” Those are the two that I’d recommend, that you get Melinda.
Melinda: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747, that’s 1-800-835-6747, call that number and ask for those 2 study guides, it’s free, we’ll be happy to send it to you. And if you can’t wait, you can go to the Amazing Facts website, in “Amazingfacts.org”, and you’ll be able to read those study guides right online as well. Our next caller is Mark, and he is calling from New York. Mark, welcome to the program.
Mark: Thank you for taking my call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re welcome.
Mark: My question is, how do you reconcile spiritual warfare with forgiveness?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Spiritual warfare with forgiveness? Can you expand on that a little bit more?
Mark: Well
Pastor Jëan Ross: Give me an example.
Mark: When God says, “Fight”, its fight. When He says, and then we’re supposed to, one of the main tenants of Christianity is to always forgive your brother. So how do you reconcile those?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. There is an adversary that we must fight against, that is not worthy of any forgiveness, and that of course is the devil. And the devil is always out there to deceive, and again, and again, the Bible, especially the New Testament, talks about, “The Christian needing to fight the good fight of faith”, it talks about, “Resisting
The devil and he will flee from you”, that’s what James tells us. And so there is a real battle, the spiritual battle against temptation, against the doubts that the devil places in our minds that God doesn’t love, that we can’t trust Him, that we can’t rely upon His word. These are some real battles that we want to fight, and God will give us strength to gain the victory. That’s why Paul says, “We need to put on the whole armour of God”. Now that’s the enemy, that’s the one we fight against. But there are individuals who might do something wrong to us, it is our responsibility then to forgive them, just as Christ has forgiven us. Now the reason we do that, is again, God knows the heart, we don’t know the heart, we look at the outward. God knows where that person is, God knows the motive behind why that person did what he did, we don’t know that, and it’s our responsibility to show the love of Christ and forgive. Now that doesn’t mean, that the person’s going to accept a forgiveness, it doesn’t mean, that it’s going to change the situation, but it does mean, we’ve don’t everything in our power to try and rectify the relationship, and that’s what God expects of us. There are times where a person is unwilling to accept forgiveness, and then it’s not, and if you’re willing to forgive and the person is unwilling to accept that forgiveness, then it’s not your fault, you’ve don’t what God has asked you to do.
Mark: Yes. What happens when the devil uses people to fight us spiritually?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well you know, that happens a lot, but there again, we don’t quite know the motive. You know, the devil could have influenced them, but we don’t know if the Holy Spirit is still trying to work on that person’s heart, we don’t know where they are spiritually. And so, even though we can judge what is right and wrong, I mean, if someone’s doing in violation of God’s word, we know that’s wrong, but we don’t know the motive behind why the person does that.
Mark: Yeah, but we can tell by the calibre of what they’re doing, that it may be attributable to the devil.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure, absolutely, we can see that.
Mark: Yeah, which leads me to my next very short question, what are Satan’s weaknesses, and what are successful strategies and tactics for defeating him?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good question. Probably one of the most important questions that we can ask, the answer is “faith”. The Bible says, “Overcome the devil by faith”. We can’t go at it alone, you know, our will power is not strong enough to overcome the devils temptation. We might be able to hold out for a period of time, but finally, the devil will claim the victory. Our only hope is trusting completely in Jesus. When the devil comes to attack us, by faith we believe the promise, “That God is able to keep us from falling”, as Jude says, God is able to give us the victory and we turn our hearts, our live over to Christ, we ask Him, and believe that He’s going to give us the victory, and the power of that temptation begins to lose its hold as we do that, that’s what it means to live by faith. Paul says, “The just shall live by faith”.
Mark: So you’re saying… Hello?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes Mark, we’re here?
Mark: You’re saying
Pastor Jëan Ross: Real quick.
Mark: if God can help us…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely, we must, if we don’t, we won’t be able to resist. You know, there is a book that we have Mark, you might find it interesting, or anyone else listening, it’s called, “Tips for Resisting Temptation”, and it talks about the subject of exercising faith to gain the victory over sin. It’s free! Call our resource line, 1-800-835-6747, 1-800-835-6747, and you can ask for the book, “Tips for Resisting Temptation”, and we will be able to send that out to you. You know, one other verse that I think will be encouraging, the Bible tells us, that “It’s not by might, nor by power, but it’s by the Spirit of God that we gain victory over the enemy”. Our next caller is Heidi, listening on KFIA, from North Highlands, California. Heidi, welcome to the program.
Heidi: Hi. I was wondering, how the mycelium in Genesis, how that equals to… where it says, the giant, how would that match the dinosaurs, since the dinosaurs are like giants?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Now you’re talking about Genesis Chapter 6:4?
Heidi: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Where it says, “There were giants in the earth”?
Heidi: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. Now those giants referred to human beings, kind of like Goliath, they were just really big human beings. It’s not talking about animals there.
Melinda: Okay. Like, do you mind if I say this other part of the question quick?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure, yeah, follow up with that one.
Melinda: Okay, that is, did God create the dinosaurs?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Well God created all of the animals that we have it’s quite possible there’s some interbreeding that was taking place. The people before the flood were very wise, and you know, they lived for long ages. They were probably manipulating genes to certain degree we’re starting to do that today, and they were probably doing that, they were interbreeding, and that probably had a lot to do with these big dinosaurs. But there were probably many animals that God created, that couldn’t survive after the flood, and we have a hind of this. If you look in the book of Job, near the end of the book, there is a description of 2 animals. The one is called “Leviathan”, it’s an animal’s that lives in the sea, and it has scales, it’s big, it’s dragon like, it even breathes smoke, it’s a very interesting description. There is another animal that’s described in Job, called, “Behemoth”, and this animal has a tail that’s the size of a Seta tree, and big round legs like the legs of an elephant. It’s huge, it eats grass, it live by the swamps, this is all described there in Job. Now today, we don’t have an animal that has a tail like a Seta tree, and legs like elephants. You know, an elephants tail is like a little string, but some of these dinosaurs did have big strong tails, big round strong legs, and they did eat grass, and lived in the swampy areas. So in Jude, many think that this Behemoth is actually description of some type of a dinosaur, but because of the conditions that changed after the flood, these dinosaurs just could exist.
Melinda: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And of course most of them were all destroyed by the flood waters.
Melinda: Okay, so they were alive at the time before the flood.
Pastor Jëan Ross: They were on the earth at the time of the flood.
Melinda: Okay, thank you very much, and have a blessed evening.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re welcome, thanks for calling. Our next caller is Anthony, listening on WMCA, from Staten Island, New York. Anthony, welcome to the program.
Anthony: Thank you very much. I want to ask you a question, some other caller have touched on this a little bit.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Anthony: In James Chapter 2, it says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also”. And also, in Acts Chapter 7, it says, “And they stones Steven, calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit, and he kneeled down and cry with a loud voice saying, Lord lay not this charge, you know listen to their charge”, when he had done this, he had fell asleep. My question is, the Bible says, “Without the spirit the body is dead”. And we hear it says that, Steven was saying, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit”. Could you explain that?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure. Let’s just go back to creation, we can read about this in Genesis Chapter 2. It says, “When God made man Adam, He made him out of the clay, out of the dust of the earth, and then God breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living being”. The word translated there “breath” can also be translated as “spirit”, and it’s used interchangeably in the Old Testament. That spark of life, that breath of life that God gave Adam, and that God gives to all living beings, all living creatures, returns to God at death. The Bible tells us, Ecclesiastic Chapter 12:7, “Then shall the dust returns to the earth as it was”, that’s the body, “And the spirit shall return onto God who gave it”. That spirit is that spark of life, that’s that breath of life. Now the Bible does not say, that “Only the spirits of good men return to God at death”, but it says, “The spirits of all men return to God, good or bad”
Anthony: So can I ask you one more question? Let’s say for instance, when people go to, let’s say a cemetery.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Anthony: Are those people there? I mean, are they in the grave, and if you talked to them, is it okay?
Pastor Jëan Ross: No, it’s not okay.
Anthony: it’s not good to speak to the dead?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely, don’t speak to the dead. “The dead don’t know anything”, the Bible says, Psalms Chapter 6:5.
Anthony: So where are they, where are they right now, the dead?
Pastor Jëan Ross: The Bible describes death as a “Sleep”, and when you sleep, you are unaware of what’s going on around you. And when a person dies, the very next thing they know is the resurrection. They don’t ever realize that 50, 20, 2000, 3000 years have passed. The next conscious thought they have, “if they’re righteous, Jesus is coming in the clouds of heaven”, 1st Thessalonians, and Jesus is coming to take them home. So a person who’s dead has no idea of what’s happening around him, he’s, the Bible talks about it as sleep, a sleep of death, it’s an unconscious sleep, and then, when Jesus comes, the dead are resurrected. Now here’s the point, if, when a person dies he goes straight to heaven, why would God need to resurrect them? And, another…
Anthony: I was like, I thought that, that was like because, we are 3 part, we have a spirit, soul, and body, and the body is sleeping, because when you go to a funeral, like the person looks like they’re sleeping. So the body, I was always (inaudible 54:29), is that the body is sleeping and the spirit is either in heaven or hell.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, that’s what commonly is thought. But let me give you a few verses here real quick.
Anthony: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And then I’d recommend the book, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” We’ll be happy to send that out to you.
Anthony: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Maybe if you have a pencil, you can jolt these things down.
Anthony: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Psalm Chapter 6:5, it says, “In death, there is no remembrance of thee”, it’s talking about remembering God. Psalms 115:17, “The dead cannot praise the Lord”. So if someone dies and they go straight to heaven, they’re not praising God, according to Psalms 115 verse 17.
Anthony: And do you remember also, David’s son, where he said, “I cannot go to Him” I mean, “He cannot come to me but I will go to Him”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. “I will die, and I’ll go to the grave”, it’s not talking about going to heaven. Let me give you one more, Psalms 146:4, “His breath goes forth, that’s the spirit, he returns to the earth in that very day his thoughts perish”, and it goes on and on. Ecclesiastic 9:10, “There is no work, there is no wisdom in the grave where you go”. SO let me encourage you to take a look at that book. I know there’s a lot of confusion out there, as to exactly what happens when a person dies, but the Bible is rather clear on this subject. Again, the book is, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” And Anthony, the number is 1-800-835-6747, and if you’d call that number, we’ll be happy to send that to you. It’s 1-800-835-6747.
Anthony: Thank you very much.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And let me give you one other resource to take a look at. “Thetruthaboutdeath.com, thetruthaboutdeath, www.truthaboutdeath.com, or deathtruth, sorry, it’s Deathtruth.com or .org”, if you could.
Anthony: Thank you for your time.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And that’ll give you more information. Well thank you again for your call Anthony, God bless you. Well friends we’ve come to an end of another hour of Bible answers live. I want to thank you for joining us again this evening we will be back next week with more Bible Answers Live. But before we end the program I would just like to remind you, to visit the Amazing Facts website, www.Amazingfacts.org, we can just cover the tips of the mountains here in the time that we have, but at the website, there are many more resources dealing with these important biblical truths. You can actually go to the website and listen to achieved programs of Bible Answers Live, and many of the programs divided up by category. SO if you have a question about, “Well, what happens when you die?” Go to the website, you can look that up and you can hear Pastor Doug answer that question for you. This is a listener supported ministry, and we appreciate your prayers, and your financial support. To help with the program, please visit Amazingfacts.org, there is a place there, where you can donate to the program. Well friends, may God bless as you continue to study His word, until next time, God be with you.
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