Pastor Jean Ross: Hello friends, this is Pastor Jean Ross. Pastor Doug is out this evening, but how about an amazing fact? Gobies are small fish which during low tide like to swim in rock pools on the edge of the ocean. One species called the bathygobies enjoy jumping from one tidal pool to another. Researchers intrigued by this habit decided to investigate. They discovered that this little fellow always jumps in the right direction and at just the right distance, even when it is hard or impossible for the little fish to see from one tidal pool to the other. It never seems to miss. How does this fish know just how far to leap and in what direction?
Scientists have discovered that when the tide is in and covers the rocks the little fish swims around and memorizes all of the bumps and hollows so that when the tide is out it knows exactly where to jump. In other words, this amazing fish is able to pre-memorize the shapes of all of the rocks and then calculate where the water will pour. How could this small fish have enough wisdom to go about in advance and learn all of that? Well, stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Ross: Hello, friends, welcome to Bible Answers Live. As mentioned earlier, this is Pastor Jean Ross and Pastor Doug Batchelor is out this evening, but we are delighted that you have tuned in for this live interactive, international Bible study. Our phone lines are now open so if you have a Bible-related question this is a good time for you to pick up your phone and give us a call. The number here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Again, that number is 800-463-7297 that will bring you right here to the studio and you can ask your Bible-related question. Working the phones for us this evening is Pastor Marshal McKinsey, publishing director of Amazing Facts. Thanks for joining us again, Marshall.
Pastor Marshall McKinsey: Thanks for having me.
Pastor Ross: Before we get to the Bible questions this evening, why don't you start with a word of prayer?
Pastor Marshall: That sounds good, Pastor Ross. Father in heaven, we thank you so much that we have this opportunity just as we’re beginning this week to come to your word to ask questions to study together, and to grow in our knowledge of scripture, so please give us wisdom, guidance by your Holy Spirit and may you be glorified in all that we do, and say and think this evening in Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen. Pastor Jean, I was amazed that you were reading that amazing fact this little fish I thought to myself if God can guide that little fish how wise is he to guide us through the different challenges in our lives. This is interesting.
Pastor Ross: We don't often stop and think about the marvels of creation and of course God is the one who made all of this and he wired into that tiny little brain of the Gobi fish how to calculate where water will pour when the tide is out, so this fish can jump from one pool to another never landing on the rock. If it landed on the rock that would be the end of the fish but he always lands just where he needs to be, jumping a different direction and a different distance each time to land in the pool.
Pastor Marshall: To memorize all that.
Pastor Ross: To memorize that in advance. That is incredible when you think about it. Of course, the more we study nature the more amazing things we discover about God's creation and his care for all of the creatures that he has made. The question that was considered by the scientists, how does this fish know? Where did it get this wisdom to try and memorize all of this stuff and never make a mistake when it jumps? Well, that reminded me of a verse in the Bible. We also need wisdom and God is the one who gives wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If anyone lacks wisdom let him ask of God, he gives to all liberally without reproach and it will be given him.”
Now, many times in our lives where we are seeking divine wisdom. We want to know what is it, Lord, that you want me to do, how can I determine your will for my life? I think as Christians that is an important question, especially when making important life decisions. We want to make sure that what we choose is in harmony with the will of God. We have a free offer this evening that we'll be happy to send to anybody who calls and asks. It is a book written by Pastor Doug Batchelor entitled Determining The Will of God, as a free offer this evening. Just call and ask for the book Determining The Will of God.
Pastor Marshall: Pastor Jean, that resource number for those of you that are listening to get this free offer Determining The Will of God is 1-800-835-6747. That's our resource line, you can just call and ask for this free offer.
Pastor Ross: All right, well, again our phone lines here to the studio, friends, we've got a few lines open. Good time to pick up the phone and give us a call is 800-463-7297. I'm going to say that again so get ready here it is, 800-463-7297 that'll bring you right here into the studio and you can join our on air Bible study with your Bible related questions. Ready to go to the phone lines who’s our first caller this evening?
Marshall: Our first caller Pastor Jean is Cliff from Tallahassee, Florida. Cliff, you're on Bible Answers Live with Pastor Jean.
Pastor Ross: Hi Cliff, can you hear us? Let's try that one more time.
Pastor Marshall: We'll try that one more time.
Pastor Ross: Let's see. Cliff, are you there? Cliff from Tallahassee, Florida going once, going twice. Right, Cliff, we’re not getting through, we might have to go to our next caller and maybe you'll try and come back. Who’s our next caller?
Pastor Marshall: Our next caller is Mel in Jersey City Happy Town. Mel, are you there? You’re on Bible Answers Live.
Mel: I’m here. God bless you and all your people.
Pastor Ross: Hi Mel, thanks for calling.
Mel: I was listening to the way your session and they were talking four about women that was in lineage with Jesus. They gave example of Ruth and the lady from Jericho who led the spies down.
Pastor Ross: Yes, Rahab.
Mel: Rahab, was there another two or were they not Hebrews or Jews?
Pastor Ross: Well, we have Ruth’s daughter in law while Ruth, of course, was not a Jew her mom was a Jew Naomi, Christ lineage came through Ruth and that's one, there was a non-Jew.Then as you mentioned also in the war story of Jericho you had Rahab that was included in that. I'm trying to think who the other two were that were mentioned specifically on that we would need to look that up-
Mel: We took around about questions, what I’d do is I’ll hang up as you get to it you can give it to me I’ll listen to the whole program.
Pastor Ross: Yes, that’s a good idea. Let me give you a reference though it might be good for you to just read through that as well, you do find the lineage of Christ mentioned in Luke and you can read through that and it lists the different folks connected in Christ's lineage so you might find it right there.
Mel: All right, that's helpful.
Pastor Ross: All right, well, thank you call, Mel. We appreciate it. Again, friends, if you have a Bible question, the phone line is 800-463-7297 that will bring you right here to the studio, 800-463-7297 and we're ready for our next caller I believe.
Pastor Marshall: That's Jennie in Arkansas. Jennie, you're on the air with Bible Answers Live, you have a question?
Jennie: Yes, I do. Thank you for taking my call. I have been wondering if the ark of the covenant wasn't in the temple when Christ was crucified, how was it still the most holy place when the veil was split in two what was the purpose of the veil splitting? I understand why the veil split because to do away with the sacrifices, but there wasn’t the most holy place anymore if the Ark of the Covenant was not there.
Pastor Ross: Well, that's a good question. We know that studying the Old Testament the Ark of the Covenant was removed from the temple before the destruction of Jerusalem which occurred some 600 years before Christ. It was Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians that surrounded Jerusalem and destroyed the walls and destroyed the temple. Jeremiah who was alive at the time- and he actually prophesied of the downfall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. It's believed that he, along with some others took the ark and hid it in a cave nearby Jerusalem.
There's been various stories about the ark being discovered but nothing has been verified. We believe that it's still hidden today somewhere in a cave near Jerusalem somewhere. Hopefully, it will be discovered before Jesus comes that will be neat to see. After the Babylonian captivity after 70 years there the Jews came back and they rebuilt the temple and Jerusalem.
By that time, probably because of the conflicts in the area they decided it would be probably better for the ark of the covenant to remain hidden. They went about incorporating the sacrificial system, the sanctuary activities without having the Ark of the Covenant in the most holy place, then quite possibly those who might have known where it was hidden eventually died.
It was never returned to the temple but it was still considered holy, the area, the second compartment was still considered holy, so you had the holy and the most holy place. The most holy place would have been the compartment in the sanctuary where the ark of the covenant would have been. During the day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the priest would go into the most holy place and he would sprinkle blood on the veil but the Ark of the Covenant was not there, it then sprinkled on the mercy feet.
Jeannie: It was only sprinkled on the veil-
Pastor Ross: - it was sprinkled on the veil, yes, in the most holy compartment of the sanctuary.
Jeannie: I never knew that, okay.
Pastor Ross: Then when Jesus died it was then rend from top to bottom the veil separating the two. Of course, the rending of the veil is not only an indication that the sacrificial system was coming to an end but it was also a symbol of Christ's broken body in the rending of the veil as well.
Jeannie: How did they clean the-- when they did the yearly cleansing of the temple, how was that blood cleaned from the veil?
Pastor Ross: That’s a good question, the Bible does not specifically state how that was done. It wasn't a large amount of blood that was thrown against the veil. It was cupfuls of blood, it was the sprinkling of the blood. It wasn't a lot of blood that was thrown up against the veil but it's possible that at times there would be some cleaning that would occur in the sanctuary and the high priest would be involved to some degree. Exactly how that happened, the Bible doesn't say. We have to go some Jewish writers to see how they went about doing that.
Jeannie: I guess, there's a lot of questions, we'll get answered in when we are resurrected.
Pastor Ross: Absolutely. They will be for sure.
Pastor Marshall: That's right
Jeannie: I come up with some dandies, let me tell you.
Pastor Ross: Well, that was a good question, you have tonight.
Pastor Marshall: [laughs]It was great.
Pastor Ross: By the way, we do have a study guide talking about the sanctuary and of course, the earthly sanctuary was a shadow of the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus many says for us is our High Priest in heaven. The study guide is called God Drew The Plans and Jeannie if you have not yet seen that study guide, I think you'd really enjoy it. Just give us a call in our resource phone number and Pastor Marshall will give it to us here in a minute, ask for the study guide called God Drew The Plans. You can also read that for free online just go to the Amazing Facts website amazingfacts.org and that phone number again.
Pastor Marshall: Jeannie, that number is 1-800-835-6747, you can call them and ask for that and we'll send it right out to you.
Pastor Ross: If you have a Bible question, our phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: Pastor Jean, we're going to try Cliff again. His on a different line this time. Cliff, you're on the air at Bible Answers Live. Cliff from Arkansas. Cliff?
[crosstalk]
Cliff: Hi.
Pastor Ross: Yes, we can hear you, Cliff.
Cliff: Yes my question is-- Sorry about that, I don’t know what happened.
Pastor Ross: No problem.
Cliff: Anyway, my question is referring to Jesus was asked a question by someone about a woman who have had several husbands and he says, in heaven whose wife would she be? Jesus said, in heaven, you need to marry nor given in marriage, you were like the angels in heaven. My question is, was he referring to the time in heaven when during the millennial time that we'll be in heaven? If that's the case, what about after we come back to earth, will marriage be reinstated and take place again after that millennial reign?
Pastor Ross: Okay, good question. Yes, according to that statement made by Jesus-- why don't you look at that for us, Marshall. It's pretty clear Jesus says that in the resurrection people won't marry, neither are they given in marriage, in the New Earth during the 1,000, well, the 1,000 years in heaven and then also in the New Earth, it doesn't appear as though we're going to have marriage in the way that we understand here on the earth. Now, marriage is the most sacred, most closest human tie that we have. God gave marriage and he blessed marriage.
Marriage is a symbol or a type of a union with Christ. In the Bible Jesus described as the bridegroom of the church is described as the bride. In the earth made new and in heaven, we will be in essence married to Christ. We will have a very special and unique relationship with Jesus just as if we were the only person saved, that will be our connection with Christ. He knows us more than any other person could ever know us. That doesn't mean though that the relationships that we have built here on this earth are suddenly going to come to an end when we go to heaven.
I still think no family members in heaven. We've married now, we will have a special relationship with our spouse if they saved in heaven and throughout all eternity but we won't be having the same type of marriage that we have here on this earth and again we're not exactly sure the Bible doesn't specifically define that. One thing we know for sure, nobody's going to be disappointed when they get to heaven and say, "Lord, I wish we could have this back or that back." Everybody is going to be fully satisfied and filled with the joy in heaven.
Pastor Marshall: That's right. That verse that you were talking about Cliff is Matthew 22:29-32 where Jesus is talking about the resurrection in context to this. Because a Sadducees had a hard time with that.
Pastor Ross: Yes, they didn’t believe in the resurrection, so they were trying to trick Jesus by the question.
Pastor Marshall: Yes, he said you're mistaken not understanding the scriptures nor the power of God and I think that's what you're alluding to the power of God that works in the individual life.
Pastor Ross: Almost a reminder of the verse where it says, "Eye has not seen nor ear has heard neither is it entered into the heart of man the things that God is preparing for those that love him." It's going to be glorious.
Cliff: That make sense. I was just curious to ask about the thousand years, I just wasn't sure if it was going to be reinstated were children would be born again or the marriage union or all the people who are ever going to be born or just want at that point and there won't be me anymore--
Pastor Ross: I believe that we probably won't have children born in the new earth. Jesus says, "They shall be as the angels in the resurrection." Angels don't procreate and we're going to be glorified when we are resurrected with our immortal bodies. That doesn't change between after the thousand years on the earth when the earth is recreated. We still have those glorified, immortal bodies that we've been resurrected with.
Pastor Marshall: That doesn't mean that God can't create because he creates a new heaven and a new earth. He totally does that so that's still not beyond him to create, if he wants to create life.
Pastor Ross: We do know the Bible speaks about children in heaven and it says, "They will grow up," so in the resurrection there will be children and they will be in heaven. Hope that helps, Cliff. Thanks for your question.
Cliff: Thank you very much.
Pastor Marshall: Our next call, Pastor Jean is Kenneth, Jackson, Mississippi. Kenneth, you're on the air with Bible Answers Live and Pastor Jean.
Kenneth: Good evening.
Pastor Ross: Hi Kenneth, thanks for calling.
Kenneth: Thanks for your ministry.
Pastor Ross: Your question this evening?
Kenneth: My question is Paul before he was knocked down off of his horse, since he was a known ruler for the Sabbath was on the seventh day, was he honoring the seventh day before he got knocked down off of his horse on the road to [unintelligible 00:18:54]?
Pastor Ross: Yes, very much so. The Sabbath was important to the Jews, it was also important to the early Christians and there are many references in scripture that talk about the Sabbath in the early Christian church but later on after Paul is converted where following the stoning of Stephen, Paul goes out to persecute the Christians even more and on the road to Damascus he meets Jesus in a very dramatic fashion. He comes from understanding that the one he's persecuting in the Christian is actually Christ and he experiences his conversion.
Before that experience though he writes of how he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He was very zealous in keeping the law. He was focusing on the letter of the law but what he was lacking was the spirit of the law that of love. The 10 commandments are defined in two great commandments Jesus said,” You ought to love the Lord thy God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
The 10 Commandments are divided into two parts, the first four commandments have to do with our relationship to God and the last six have to do with our relationship to our fellow men. The first four commandments, define love for God, have no other Gods before me, don't bow down to idols. Don't take God's name in vain, and remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. That defines our relationship with God, our love for him. The last six, where we honor our parents, we don't kill, we don't commit adultery, we don't steal, we don't bear false witness, we don't covet, that defines our relationship with our fellow men. Did that help?
Kenneth: Yes, that did. Thank you.
Pastor Marshall: Kenneth, can I let you know really quick, we do have a free offer, it's called Written in Stone. What Pastor Jean is talking about. You can just call our resource line 1-8800-835-6747, and you can just ask for that free offer. You'll enjoy, it goes even deeper. I know we're short of time here, but you'll enjoy that study.
Pastor Ross: Yes. It goes to more information about the 10 Commandments and how God wants to write his law on our heart, and how love is defined through his law. Yes, it's a great study, great read, and we'll be happy to send that to anybody who calls and asks, or you can go online to the Amazing Facts website. It's amazingfacts.org, and you'll be able to read that study right there. Thanks for your call, Kenneth. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: We have Glenn from Linden, Tennessee. Glen, you're on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Glenn: Yes, hi, how are you, Pastor Jean? How are you doing?
Pastor Ross: Doing very good. Thanks for your call, Glenn.
Glenn: Yes. I actually really want to ask you something about in the Gospel of John, the one about the sanctuary. I hope it's okay if I change my question.
Pastor Ross: Sure.
Glenn: In Daniel 8, actually it's a two part. Daniel 8, where it talks about the daily, there's a controversy going on about the daily. One teaching is that this Christ ministry and the sanctuary, and another teaching is that it's paganism. The second part of the question is in Daniel 11:40-45, where it talks about the king of the North being either Rome, or is being-- some people say, now it's Russia, Syria. Do you have anything on those two?
Pastor Ross: Sure. Yes, you're diving right into a very deep prophetic passage of scripture there. Probably one of the most detailed prophetic passages is Daniel 11. Very detailed. I think it is interesting starting from verse 40 onwards. It says, "And at the end of time," or the time of the end I should say, "At the time of the end", and of course we're living in the time of the end right now. If you look at the sequence given in those verses from 40 on through the end of chapter 11, those are events that are soon to take place. Even though we have some idea of what's to come, we don't know for sure exactly how it's going to come together.
We do understand the king of the North is representing Rome and its religious face, or the papal face of Rome, and incorporated in that would be the Christian nations of the world under the leadership of the papal power, symbolized by the king of the North. King of the South, some have seen that as representing different isms, or atheism, secularism, communism, these type of isms that have warred against the truth of God's word.
Others also see in the king of the South, a possible fulfillment to this revival of militant Islam that we see in the middle east, and galvanizing, or coming together of that. As I mentioned, these passages, in particular, are yet to be fulfilled, so we don't know for sure until it actually happens.
Glenn: Okay. What about Daniel 8 as far as the daily? Do you look at it as paganism, or do you look at-- is it paganism, or the Christ ministry in the sanctuary? The other debate that's going on also.
Pastor Ross: Yes, the other debate. The reason the daily sometimes referred to as paganism, is because of the [unintelligible 00:24:05] of Daniel 12, where you have some rather interesting time periods with the conversion of Clovis, King of the Franks. We don't have time to get into all of those details, but if you look at the Old Testament services related to the sanctuary, the daily was representative of an ongoing sacrifice provided for the forgiveness of sins. A number of folks see in the daily a symbol of Christ's mediation, his ministry on our behalf [unintelligible 00:24:32].
I like that. I think it's consistent with the Old Testament teaching of the daily, and the sanctuary, and its services. That is a very deep study. Yes, that's a great study.
Glenn: Yes, it is. It's just sad that it's kind of mixed up because I know one, it shouldn't be a test question, and it's already been settled.Others that came in that misconstrued it later on. Right now, I'm new in the area.
Pastor Ross: Sure. Well, one of the good things about the debate that happens in Christianity and in different churches, is it does force us to go back to the Bible and study these things, and make sure we understand why we believe what we believe. It is, it serves a good purpose in that way. Well, Glenn, thank you for your call. We appreciate it. I really enjoy the book of Daniel and Revelation in particular and those prophetic questions. We're going to see if we have time for one more caller before we come up on our break here halfway through the program. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: We have Phil, in Bethpage, New York. Phil, you're on the line with Bible Answers Live.
Pastor Ross: Hi Phil, we got about two minutes.
Phil: Yes. Does the rebirth of Israel has something to do with the second advent of Jesus? If so, is there a connection between that and the statement Jesus made in which he said, "When you see the olive tree come back to life, that means I'll be there soon."
Pastor Ross: A little bit of both. Let me explain. I do believe that before Jesus comes, there will be a revival amongst the Jews. Now, when I say a revival amongst the Jews, I'm talking about individual Jews. I'm not talking about the nation as a whole. I'm not talking about the political structure of Israel. I don't know if the current government of Israel is going to accept the Messiah and come to a full realization of Christ as being the fulfillment of that.
I believe that before Jesus comes, there will be a number of Jews who are seeking truth that'll come to the realization that the Messiah has come, and it is Jesus, and he is coming again. I think they will play a part in joining with those who are proclaiming the second coming of Christ. I think there will be a revival amongst the Jews. That's something that we begin to see happening in the world. I don't think it's by any means reached its fullness, but I believe there will be a revival amongst Jews. The nation as a whole, the whole political structure of Israel, will they become Christian? I don't know. I don't think so. It's just based upon where we are, but there will be revival amongst individual Jews. That's what I believe.
Phil: Thanks a lot. Appreciate that.
Pastor Ross: Yes, thanks for your call, Phil.
Pastor Marshall: Phil, I was just going to let you know, if you call our resource line 1-800-835-6747, we have a little book put together by Doug Batchelor entitled, Spiritual Israel. I think it talks about some of the stuff Pastor Jean is talking about- [crosstalk] a little more in detail for you.
Pastor Ross: That'll b a great resource. Just give us a call again on our resource phone number. That number is 800-835-6747. Ask for the book called, Spiritual Israel, and we'll be happy to send that to you, Phil, or anybody who calls and asks. Well friends, you hear the music playing in the background. We're not going away. We're just simply catching our breath, and we'll be back for more Bible questions.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Ross: Hello, friends. This is Pastor Jean Ross. Pastor Doug is out this evening, but this is Bible Answers Live. A live, interactive, international Bible study. We have some phone lines that are open with your Bible question. Give us a call. It's a good time to pick up the phone and call before all the lines fill up. The number to call is 800-463-7297. We don't claim to have all the answers, but we've got some powerful Bible resources in front of us, and we're happy to study with you. The number again is 800-463-7297. I'm going to say it one more time. I want to give you a heads up to get ready. Here it is, 800-463-7297.
Pastor Marshal, sometimes people will call in and they will ask a question relating to a verse, and I want to just mention this question now because I know folks ask about this. In Genesis 2:17, and it says, "God said to Adam and Eve in the day that you eat there of, you shall surely die." The question is, "Why didn't they died that day when they ate that forbidden fruit?" Well, that's a good question. If you look at the literal rendering of the word die, used in Genesis 2:17, it literally means dying you shalt die.
The day Adam and Eve ate of that forbidden fruit, they began to die spiritually, and of course that followed with literal death that occurred sometime later, and if a sacrifice had not been found, at least the promise be made of a sacrifice, which was Christ, doubtless, they would have died that same time. Another thought relating to that verse is that although the verse says, "In the day you eat there of you shall surely die." It is interesting to note that nobody is ever lived over a thousand years. What does that mean? Well, Methuselah, the oldest man who lived and died. Of course, you have Enoch that was taken to heaven without seeing death and Elijah, but Methuselah died at 969 years.
He felt shorter that 1,000-year mark, 2 Peter 3:8 says, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day." In one sense, at least in a prophetic sense, everyone who ate of that fruit, and we all have spiritually eaten, or disobeyed, or sinned. Nobody's ever lived over a thousand years except for Enoch and Elijah, but they never tasted death.
Pastor Marshall: I'm so thankful that Christ gives us hope that one day we can live past a thousand years.
Pastor Ross: [laughs] Absolutely. In heaven there's no time frame, right? [crosstalk]
Pastor Marshall: There are no time frame. No limit.
Pastor Ross: That's right. After thousand years, we've just began. That glorious life of eternity with Christ. If you have a Bible question, the phone line is 800-463-7297. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: We've got Vicky from California. Vicky, you're on the line, Bible Answers Live.
Vicky: Hi, thanks for taking my call.
Pastor Ross: Hi, Vicky.
Vicky: My question is about verses Exodus 15:26 or Deuteronomy 7:15, where basically they say, "If you diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord, and obey his commandments, and so on and so forth." That God will put an end of the diseases of Egypt upon you and take sickness away from you. There's so many verses like that. God's promises are true or they're not? Since he knows all about epigenetics and how lifestyle changes can come to genetics, when people get sick are we to assume that we or they are not right with the Lord somehow?
Pastor Ross: No, I don't think so. There are basic principles that the Bible's very clear on, that if we follow certain health guidelines, given to us in scripture that we will be healthier than if we didn't. There's many examples of how that has are born true in our life, but even if somebody is healthy and they follow all of the Biblical principles, that's not a guarantee that they'll never get sick, or they will never suffer with cancer or some type of disease that ultimately might even bring their death.
I know many faithful Christians who follow the health message so diligently and then out of the blue, they will get sick with some disease and often ask the question why. We live in a world where there is-- unfortunately, the consequences of sin hurts the innocent, and there are times that we bear the consequences of sin. It could be a genetic connection or there's not always a reason why, sometimes it might run in the family. We can definitely prolong our lives, and at least the quality of our lives by being healthy and eating healthily, but it's not a guarantee they will never get sick or suffer.
I think the whole story of Job illustrates that principle that because we're living in a world of sin, good people suffer and sometimes good people die. We might not have all the answers here or now, but we know one day they will all be answered. The Bible says, "All things work together for good for those that loved God." I'm just thinking of some of the folks who have suffered these different things, and yet their faith was strong, and despite their suffering, they were a great example and encouragement to others. We don't always understand why God allows these things to happen.
Pastor Marshall: Pastor Jean.
Vicky: Yes.
Pastor Marshall: Oh, sorry about that Vicky.
Vicky: What do we do think of these verses then? His promises.
Pastor Ross: I think they're definite promises. God spoke to Israel as they came out of Egypt, and he said, "If you follow these principles, you won't get any of the diseases that the Egyptians had for the most part." The vast majority of their diseases were brought upon based upon their lifestyle, but not all diseases is caused by lifestyle. There is that genetic component, and we have many examples of folks who live very healthily and yet they get sick and might die. It doesn't mean God's word is not true, but it does mean that we can trust in him. Hold onto him in faith irrespective of the situation that we are going through.
If we follow the principles that he has given us in scripture, and we do get sick, we can just trust ourselves in his hands and say, "Lord, I've done everything you've asked me to do. I'm going to trust in your leading." Somehow, God will be able to glorify him through our experience if we learned to trust in him.
Pastor Marshall: Vicky, going back to the verse in 26. He says, "I will put none of these diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians." You look at the Egyptians and what they did, and what God chose to do. God's choices never to do that though. He doesn't want to put these things on us. Now, that doesn't mean that we-- Not because of him might experience some of these things because of sin. We always have an advocate to the Father, and we can go to Christ, and he takes care of us, but I think the point of the verse that we're looking at is what Pastor Jean is talking about, and that is that God's plan is not to do this to us. Sometimes we think that this is God's fault.
Pastor Ross: God's bringing it on us.
Pastor Marshall: God's bringing it on us, and God clearly in these verses saying, "Listen, if you'll follow me with your whole heart, this is not my plan for you. I don't want you to have to experience this." But we do live in a world of sin, but we can't blame God. We can't put that all on God.
Vicky: Right.
Pastor Ross: Vicky, we got a study guide. You might have seen it, I'm not sure. It's called God's Free Health Plan, and it does talk about what the Bible says about health and how we can follow these principles. As I mentioned before, it's not a guarantee that we won't be getting sick, but it definitely will increase the quality of our life. Over average, if you look at the statistics, those who follow these Biblical principles lived 10 to 15 years longer than those who don't, and the quality of life is much better. In each situation though, we need to learn to trust in God and believe that he's going to work all things out for good.
Pastor Marshall: That's right. You can just call to get that resource, Vicky, at 1-800-835-6747, and you can just ask for that resource and we'll send it right to you.
Pastor Ross: All right. Well, thanks for your call, Vicky. If you have a Bible question, the phone line is 800-463-7297. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: Pastor Jean, we've got Truman, Bridgeport, Connecticut. Truman, you're on the air, Bible Answers Live.
Truman: How are you doing, sir?
Pastor Ross: Doing well. Thanks for your call.
Truman: Thank you for answering my call. Listen, I can read it, 1 Timothy chapter three when he talks about husband of [unintelligible 00:39:42] pastors overseas. It must be the husband of but one life, and they go on everything and the opinion is like a man. He, the husband of the one wife. My question is, can women be Pastors?
Pastor Ross: All right. Well, that's a good question. If you look at the context during 1 Timothy, it's giving certain criteria for the position of an elder or a bishop. It's a different names are given. The church in many ways is an extension of the family. The family unit is extended in the church, the church is referred to as the family of God. If you look at the structure of the family, we find that the man, the husband is to be the head of the family. He's to be the spiritual leading. In the Old Testament, it was the father that would bring the sacrifice on behalf of the family to the temple.
In the church, we also see God calling, again, men to take that spiritual leadership role in the church and I think it's very clear here in 1 Timothy 3 certain criteria that's needed. Now, having said all of that, that doesn't mean that God does not have a purpose or a plan for women in ministry in the church, he does. There are different gifts that God has given to women, different gifts that God has given to men. A man can't do a woman's job in ministry in the church as effectively as a woman neither can a woman do a job that God has given a man in the Church as effectively as the man. God is giving different talents, different gifts, and if we recognized that we can work harmoniously together to build up the church.
[crosstalk]
Truman: Hallelujah. Thank you, Sir. Thank you.
Pastor Ross: Absolutely. Well, thanks for calling. We do have a little book that I think you'll find interesting. It's called God's Role for Women in Ministry. It deals with this passage and some others. We'll send that to you for free if you give us a call, Truman. Pastor McKinsey will give us that number.
Pastor Marshall: Yes. Truman that's 1-800-835-6747. You can just call that number, that's our resource line and we'll send it right to you.
Pastor Ross: The book is called God's Role for Women in Ministry. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: Pastor Jean, we've got Jacqueline from Detroit, Michigan. Jacqueline, you're on the air. Bible Answers Live with Pastor Jean.
Jacqueline: Hello.
Pastor Ross: Hi, Jacqueline. Thanks for calling.
Jacqueline: Well, thank you. I have Psalms 94 and I have verse 20.
Pastor Ross: Psalm 94:20. Do you want me to read that or do you have it there?
Jacqueline: This is, "Can unjust leaders claim the God is on their side, leaders these who commit injustice? They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But Lord is my fortress and my God is the mighty rock where I can hide. God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them."
Pastor Ross: Yes, and your question on that?
Jacqueline: I'm trying to figure out is he trying to say that is this about the government that taking two things that injustice and trying to make people feel like they're the victim instead of them being the victim?
Pastor Ross: Okay, well, yes, that's a good question. The question is does this verse here that we're reading about in Psalms 94, does it apply to political powers as well as individuals? Well, I think yes, both. First and foremost, it refers to individuals that are persecuting God's people. These are believers who are facing trials and difficulties for their faith. Throughout history, there have been Bible believing Christians that are faced opposition for their faith, even today. There are Christians in different parts of the world who are being persecuted because of their faith and their love of the scriptures and the desire to do God's will.
This verse is telling us that there is a day of judgement. That God is aware of the persecution that comes upon his people. Not only is that true of individuals but I believe it's also true with reference to political powers and, of course, political powers is made up of individuals. There is a final day of reckoning, there is a day of judgement. Sometimes we might wonder why God does not judge sooner but we trust him to know what's best. Sometimes there is suffering and the righteous might say, "Lord, why do you allow this to happen?" But through that suffering, they might be an example. Their faith might be an example to another.
For example, we have the story of Steven who was stoned for his faith. He was persecuted and God allowed him to be stoned but through that experience we find Saul eventually being converted and becoming the Apostle to the Gentiles. Sometimes God will allow suffering to come and ultimately he'll work all things out for the good of those who put their trust in him. Yes, this verse can refer to both individuals and political powers. Thank you for your call, Jacqueline. It's a good question. If you have a Bible-related question, friends, our phone line is 800-463-7297. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: We have Doug in Sacramento, California. Doug, you're on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Doug: Yes, I'm here.
Pastor Ross: Hi, Doug and your question this evening?
Doug: Yes, hi. It's regarding the tithes. I did a little bit of a study on this. One thing I don't ever hear and I grew up in church most of my life and it's kind of a generalization, maybe some pastors do preach it but I didn't really hear Pastors preach on the different types of tithe that they had back in Leviticus where the tithes, the fruit of the field and the vegetation. Then there was the first tithe, and then there's the tithe where you basically you have a party. Actually the first tithe is that you take your fruits and vegetables and then you throw a feast and you do that like the first and third year if I remember it correctly and then the second and fourth year you take those-- it was a while since I did it.
They always say it's 10%. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally for giving, my believe in the New Testament what they say, "Give generously," but I just don't see the relevance of the 10% from the Old Testament how they say that that's applicable today. Then the seventh year they didn't do anything because they let the fields just lie and then the other thing about it too, one other thing is that the land that was given to them that's where their tithes from whereas today we're not given land or anything like that to tithes from. I just have a hard time reconciling the Old Testament tithes with today's modern tithe and being 10% all the time, every time.
Pastor Ross: Let me try and give that a try. It's a good question, Doug. How do we relate the Old Testament principle of tithing today? Especially in the Christian sphere, the church. How does that work? Well, first of all, the first reference that we have of tithing goes before actually pre-dates the Exodus. The first reference that you have of that is all the way back when Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek after this victory that was won. Melchizedek was the priest of God and a king of a place called Salem, eventually named Jerusalem in that area.
The principle of giving or returning a tenth of our increase is found way back in scripture. During the time of Israel that principle, was clarified with referenced to our first fruits bringing that and of course, it was an agricultural system back in those days. It was only obvious that you would be paying a tithe on your harvest that you receive from land. Today, it's a little bit different. We recognize God's blessings in returning a tenth, at least, and we encourage more but at least a tenth of our increase. That's the idea to sustain the Lord's work, that doesn't mean that's all we give.
Of course, we see an example in the New Testament of this when there was a need in the early Christian church and an appeal was made to the believers. They gave not only an increase of 10% but those who could sold land and brought the funds and later to the feet of the apostles to use for the work of Evangelism and mission in taking the Gospel to the world. There is a principle in New Testament that is sustaining the work through our tithes and offerings. I guess the point is here in returning a tithe is acknowledging God's blessing to us but it's also an expression of our faith in him, trusting that he will sustain and meet our needs.
God knows our needs and he has promised to meet those if we are faithful in recognizing his leadership. There is a principle we find in the New Testament, it is actually broader and deeper than that in the New Testament. The Bible says that God wants us to give cheerfully and with a willing heart, not grudgingly. When we do return our offerings to the church, our tithes, and offerings to the Lord's work we want to do so willingly. We do have a study guide called In God We Trust that deals with this and gets into the scriptures in the New Testament relating to this principle. We'll be happy to send that to you Doug or anybody who calls and asks.
Pastor Marshall: That number is 1-800-835-6747. Just call 1-800-835-6747, it's our resource line and you can get that free offer, Doug.
Pastor Ross: All right. Who do we have next? We got a few minutes here.
Pastor Marshall: We've got Robert from Walla Walla, Washington. Robert, you're on the air, Bible Answers Live.
Robert: Yes sir, my question is just before Jesus comes, we have a husband and wife on the earth, they are believers and the woman is six months pregnant. How is God going to handle that?
Pastor Ross: [laughs] Robert, I think this is the first time I've ever heard this question, it's a good one though. What happens to those who are with the child, those who are pregnant when Jesus comes? Well, what we do know from the Bible is that an unborn child is just as much a child prior to birth than after birth. The Bible is clear on that, life begins not after birth but before birth so I think it's quite possible that-- I don't know the Bible doesn't say but I would assume that that life is precious especially to a believing husband and wife and parents that that child is probably raised in the new earth or in heaven during the thousand years--
Pastor Marshall: I'm sure that delivery Pastor Jean is going to be different.
Pastor Ross: It will be a painless delivery as it'll be free from the curse of sin. When that happens or how that happens, the Bible doesn't tell us.
Robert: Well, thank you very much.
Pastor Ross: All right. Good question, Robert. Thanks for calling. If you have a Bible question, we have just a few more minutes. We'll try and get your call on the program tonight 800-463-7297. Who do we have next?
Pastor Marshall: Our next caller is Floyd from Antelope, California. Floyd, you're on the air, Bible Answers Live.
Floyd: Hi.
Pastor Ross: Hi, Floyd. Thanks for calling, get real close to your phone.
Floyd: Okay.
Pastor Ross: There we go and your question this evening?
Floyd: The question is if Moses walked up on the burning bush and it was not consumed, why is it that when the dead rise and in corruption and they're put in the lake of fire, that they will not be harmed [unintelligible 00:52:06]
Pastor Ross: All right, good question. The question is related to the bush that was burning and then the destruction of the wicked at the end of the thousand years in hell fire. Why is it that the wicked are destroyed in the fires of hell and yet the bush was not consumed when the Lord appeared to Moses. Well, the fire in the burning bush that appeared to Moses, that was a representation of God's glory. The Bible speaks of God as being a consuming fire, his glory is sometimes revealed as fire. There was this big pool of fire that guided Israel during the wilderness wanderings. That's a little different from what happens to the wicked in their final destruction in the lake of hell fire.
They are not destroyed because they are abiding in God's presence, they’re destroyed because of their rebellion against God. The fires that destroyed the wicked is quite different from the fire that was burning in the bush. The fire in the burning bush was a revelation of God's glory, only those who are pure can abide in his presence. The wicked are destroyed in this glorious presence of God and the fire that destroys the wicked actually purifies the earth. 2 Peter talks about the elements melting with fervent heat and the works that are there being burnt up. It's talking about this final cleansing or purifying at the end of the thousand years. We do have a study guide that talks about this.
Pastor Marshall: It's entitled Hell Fire, A Twisted Truth Untangled and Floyd you can get that by just calling 1-800-835-6747, that's our resource line. Anybody out there listening can get this, 1-800-835-6747.
Pastor Ross: All right. We're going to try and take one more caller before we run out of time this evening, who do we have?
Pastor Marshall: We've got Ronnie Pastor Jean.
Pastor Ross: Do we have Ronnie on-- let’s see- it’s not going through there.
Pastor Marshall: No.
Pastor Ross: We're going to try that one more time, hang in there, Ronnie. We’ll try this one more time. Let's see if we can get a line four, there we go. Ronnie, you on the air, we have like two minutes.
Ronnie: Yes.
Pastor Ross: Yes, your question?
Ronnie: I was hearing the person who answered the phone just a few minutes there, something happened, technical difficulties I guess--
Pastor Ross: We got you right now, what's your question? Because we're going to run out of time?
Ronnie: I just wanted to know how do you decide what the laws are to be obeyed in the Old Testament like the Torah kind of thing like we all fast. I guess you don't force it because you're not going to marry people who rape you or you're not supposed to make or are you supposed to make to [unintelligible 00:54:48] on your clothing [unintelligible 00:54:49]-
Pastor Ross: Sure, yes, let me try and quickly answer that in the time that we have remaining. There are a number of old testament laws that related to the nation of Israel and there were principles that the Israelites had to follow as God's people in the Old Testament. A number of those principles are applicable in the New Testament but they are at times clarified or explained differently. In the New Testament, we have what we called the new covenant. The new covenant takes principles that we see in the 10 Commandments and applies them in a different time and different circumstance.
The Old Testament statutes were applied to the nation of Israel. It had to do with civil government, it had to do with family relationships, it that had to do with ownership of property, it had to do with the sacrificial system and the priesthood in the sanctuary. All of those met the fulfillment in Christ. He now is our priest and we have a heavenly sanctuary and it's not a literal nation of Israel anymore but it's those who have chosen Christ, they are spiritual Israel so the application of some of those principles are different in the New Testament as in the Old Testament.
Now, there's a lot more we can say about that but just in a nutshell we need to look at the New Testament teachings of Christ and the New Testament teachings of the apostle in order to come to a clearer understanding of how we apply different statutes or principles in New Testament time.
Pastor Marshall: I like how one person said it Pastor Jean, one time, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
Pastor Ross: There you go. If you want to understand the application in the New Testament time period of these principles, look at the life of Christ and look at what the apostles taught in the book of Acts and Romans and alike and we’ll come to a clearer understanding.
Well, friends, as you can hear the music playing there in the background, we have run out of time this evening. We want to thank you for participating in our live Bible study with your Bible questions. If we didn't get to your phone call today, please give us a try next week as we will again open up the phone lines and take more Bible questions. In the meantime, please visit us at amazingfacts.org. Until next week, God bless.