Hello friends! This is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact?
Ancient sailor folklore is filled with frightening stories of monster rogue waves. These towering, solitary walls of water would appear out of nowhere in calm weather and crash down on unsuspecting ships. As probable as it might seem, recent studies from wave measuring instruments on oil platforms have proven these rogue waves are real.
Surfers consider a 40-foot wave enormous. But they pale in comparison to the colossal rogue waves that can tower up to 100-foot high. Recently, an oceanographic research ship was scuttled by a mysterious rogue wave off the coast of Northern California that struck from nowhere in a calm sea. These freak waves have been known to capsize large vessels if they’re broad-sided. And if met head on, they can buckle a ship in half.
An 80-foot wave can exert a force of 100 tons and these have been known to crumple the bow of a steel haul vessel. Rogue waves have become a real concern for the shipping industry and for ship builders in particular. Much research, including satellite surveillance and ocean buoys, is being directed towards finding out the cause of these destructive waves and providing a warning system for their detection. The waves can occur during a storm, but can also appear unexpectedly under a clear sky and a calm, glassy sea. They can be caused by the collision of currents and winds or by the convergence of two wave fronts that unite their energies.
Recently, in 2005, two large crew ships were heavily damaged by rogue waves around the horn of South Africa. Models have been constructed to digitally study the effects of such waves on modern crew ships and the results were not good. A large crew ship, broad-sided by a 100-foot rogue wave, would probably capsize. Since these waves might occur at night, there would be a little warning of their approach. Ship designers have a real problem. But you know, the Bible says about 4,500 years ago, God designed a sturdy ship that withstood the onslaught of history’s worst storm.
Stay with us, friends! We’re going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of “Bible Answers Live.”
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Welcome to Bible Answers Live brought to you by Amazing Facts Ministries. Are you looking for a clear, concise answer to your most challenging Bible questions? Maybe you’re struggling to understand difficult passages of Scripture. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Join us now as we open God’s word to discover His will and find honest, practical answers to your Bible-related questions.
This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible question, call us Sundays from 7 to 8 P.M. Pacific Standard Time at 800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297. Now, let’s join our host, author, speaker, and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug: Welcome, listening friends! And we are glad you are listening. You are participating now in an international radio program designed to help us study the Bible together. And it’s live, and you can call in with your Bible questions. We have lines open right now. It’s a toll-free phone call. That’s 800-GOD-SAYS; that makes it easy to remember the numbers— 463-7297. And if you pick up the phone and call in your Bible question right now, a very good chance of getting on tonight’s program. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And my name is Jëan Ross. Good evening, listening friends and Pastor Doug. Before we get to the Bible questions, let’s start with prayer. Dear Father, we thank You once more for this opportunity to study Your word. We ask Your blessing upon our time. And Lord, we know that the Bible is Your Book. And we ask for Your Holy Spirit to give us wisdom as we search its pages. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen!
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we talked about big waves. The thing that comes to mind is, of course, a tsunami and all of the disastrous consequences of a giant wave. But you also mentioned that there was a ship back in history, and I would guess it wasn’t made out of steel, but it withstood the greatest storm the world has ever had.
Pastor Doug: That’s right! You know, I think it’s interesting, Pastor Ross, that for years evolution has said, “You know, the dinosaurs slowly died out.” But the more they looked at the geological evidence, they changed their theory and they said, “You know, it seems like everything… these fossils were all piled up in this massive piles that are laid down quickly by sediment like a flood.” And then they adopted this “asteroid” theory. They said, “Well, something caused a global tsunami or wave that washed around the world and exterminated all the species because it looked like there was this massive flood.” And of course, they couldn’t believe that it’s just what the Bible said—that God sent a flood and that these animals lived contemporaneously. But it is true.
The Bible tells us that… and it is interesting that you go to the different cultures of the world. I’ve been all over the world as you have been virtually. Every culture has some story in its history of a massive flood that seem to nearly exterminate life except for one righteous family, or one family that was preserved. Whether it’s the epic of Gilgamesh in Babylonia or the story of this Hawaiian chieftain named Noe; it’s very interesting—Noe. And… who came, saved some of the animals in his big canoe when there was this massive flood. And it’s all over the world! They’ve got these stories. But according to the Bible, the dimensions that God gave Noah, the ratio is still today the very best and strongest ship building dimension ratio that can be used for sturdiness and it’s used by a lot of boats and cruise lines today. And it’s the same dimensions that you find in the book of Genesis. And Moses was not a shipbuilder, I mean, he lived in the desert most of his life. So this has to be given to him in a divine way.
And you know, the Bible tells us that in the same way God cleansed the earth with a storm back in the days of Noah, Jesus said, “That’s how it will be in the last days.” Instead of the earth being washed by water, it’s going to be washed by fire the second time. By the way friends, that’s 2 Peter 3. And then Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 7 that the only way to survive this storm is to build on the rock—that’s the only way. And the storm comes to the wise man, the storm comes to the fool—everybody’s going to face the storm—and if we want our ship to be unsinkable during that time, then we need to have Jesus as the Captain of the boat. And we need to put our foundation down on the rock. And that’s the rock of truth in His word.
And tonight, we have a free offer. It is the first in the Amazing Facts Bible study series. We know once people get this first lesson, they want the entire series. And so we hold this out and try to encourage people—I almost used the word “tempt.” We try to encourage people to request this free first Bible study lesson. If you’ve ever really wanted to understand the word of God, friends, beautifully filled with facts, Amazing Facts color illustrated; and it’s very interesting to read. We’ll send it to you for free.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call, 1-800-835-6747, and ask for “Is There Anything Left You Can Trust?” That’s the first Amazing Facts study guide. Pastor Doug, there are a total of 20 plus lessons—24 lessons…
Pastor Doug: 27 including the advanced…
Pastor Jëan Ross: 27 with the advanced…
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …one. Just a great resource for anybody wanting to know their Bible better. 1-800-835-6747, that’s the resource line, and ask for “Is There Anything Left You Can Trust?”
Pastor Doug: Alright. Well, are we ready to see who’s online?
Pastor Jëan Ross: We are. Michael is listening on KARM from Fresno, California. Michael, welcome to the program!
Michael: Yes, thank you for taking my call. I have a question. It’s about the Second Coming. I listened to this one person and he claims that the Second Coming is October 21st, 2011. Now, you know, the… you know, of course, the Bible says, “No one knows the time,” but according to the studies he’s done, it’s not what he says, it’s what the Bible says according to… when that time was supposed to happened. And I want to know, is this true or is this something that he’s just, you know, calculating himself?
Pastor Doug: Well, let me just… I’m pretty sure I know who you’re talking about…
Michael: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: …and this is not the first date that he has set. I believe in…
Michael: Correct, correct.
Pastor Doug: …1996, he said another date…
Michael: Right, right.
Pastor Doug: And he had all the same arguments. Well, let me tell you what Jesus said, Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour, knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven but My Father only.”
Michael: Right.
Pastor Doug: And so, you know, that to me seems to be a slam dunk statement from Jesus that if anybody starts telling you, “I’ve got inside information,” Christ did tell us there are signs—general signs—so we can know when His coming is near.
Michael: Right.
Pastor Doug: But when people begin to try to calculate a date, you know, that’s really absurd. Christ wants us to be ready now. He doesn’t want us to treat this Second Coming like it’s the income tax date.
Michael: Right.
Pastor Doug: And if you want to wait ‘til the last, you know, week to try and get right with the Lord. So every date thus far that people have set obviously has failed. And I think it just weakens people’s faith when people start setting out specific dates and, you know, some people are getting excited about the Mayan calendar. And they say that’s 2012 and I remember 1986 Christians said, you know, all the planets are getting ready to line up and…
Michael: Right, right.
Pastor Doug: …and that’s when He’s going to come. And I mean, you know, and then people started trying to calculate the first invasion of Iraq and Israel and make something out of that. And Hal Lindsey wrote a book that still is popular called “The Late, Great Planet Earth.” And he said 40 years after nation of Israel is established—1948 - 1988—the end of the world.
Michael: Right, right.
Pastor Doug: And so, it’s just it goes on and on and on. And this is what Christ said, “And such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man comes.” And so when everybody’s getting all excited about a date…
Michael: Right, yeah. Right.
Pastor Doug: …that’s usually [laughing]… that’s probably a good time to put money in the stock market.
Michael: [Laughing] yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we have a study guide dealing with the subject of the Second Coming.
Michael: Right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: It’s called, “The Ultimate Deliverance.” And I believe, Pastor Doug, in that study guide, we also addressed the subject of when will Jesus come.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, the signs—general signs.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The signs.
Michael: Okay.
Pastor Doug: So we can… now, I do believe the coming of the Lord is very near. I frankly think it’s…
Michael: Right.
Pastor Doug: …you know, in the next decade or at least this generation but…
Michael: Wow!
Pastor Doug: …yeah, I want it. You know, when someone starts setting dates…
Michael: Yeah, it gets… I’m just a little skeptical because, you know, some people calling in and they say… well then, in response to that, he goes, “Well, it’s the people whose eyes are closed don’t know that this is the real date coming and that is going to hit them.” So I mean, I’m just…
Pastor Doug: Well, last time he set a date…
Michael: I know.
Pastor Doug: …the next day on his radio program, he never even apologized.
Michael: Right, right.
Pastor Doug: He never said, “You know, I was all wrong.” He just went on like nothing happened.
Michael: Yeah, right. And I’m just… okay.
Pastor Doug: So [laughing]…
Michael: Okay.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Hey, I appreciate it, Michael. And let’s just keep looking up, the Lord said, and He will come.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Next caller is Mark, listening on WIGA from Knoxville, Tennessee. Mark, you’re on the air.
Mark: Yeah. My question is about Mark 6:4.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Mark: Is it best to leave preaching to family members to strangers?
Pastor Doug: You know, that’s not a bad… that’s a good subject to consider. We should preach to our family, first and foremost, by our example because they’re going to look at how we live even with more scrutiny than what we say. If they’re open… and let me just back up and say there’s three things we can do to reach anybody—our loved ones or whoever. One is if they’re open, share information. That could be Bible study; that could be sitting down and just discussing with them. It could be in the form of a CD or DVD or something to share information if they’re willing to listen or hear or read.
Some people are not open to that and you pray for them. Prayer is the second thing. It’s very powerful for your loved ones and your family. And sometimes it just requires patience but God does answer those prayers. And the third thing is be a consistent example. If you have been inconsistent then write a note or tell them you’re sorry and you want to be a better example. And try your best to…
Mark: I went through a period where I was backslidden, can credibility be repaired?
Pastor Doug: Well, it can. It just requires consistency over time. COT, consistency over time, you’ll rebuild trust.
Mark: You have to be perfect?
Pastor Doug: No. And I don’t think your family expects you to be perfect. And they don’t want you to expect them to be perfect. But you want to be consistent. You know, the Bible says that Daniel served God continually. So you don’t want it to be once a week.
Mark: So if I backslide for a few years, even that can be repaired, like drinking and..?
Pastor Doug: Well, absolutely! Yeah, you can… look at the examples in the Bible of people like Peter and Paul. I mean, Peter (Paul) was killing Christians and he finally gained the trust of Christians and Peter was probably a cursing fisherman. He said, “Jesus, depart from me. I’m a sinful man.” And he was. And so, you know, the Lord changed their hearts and they gained respect and credibility. So, yes, you can! And when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you and you become a new creature, people will notice especially those in your family.
Mark: What if you was once a Christian and then you fell away and got into drinking and then came back? See, my sister was…
Pastor Doug: It makes people more suspicious and it may take more time but again, being faithful over time, being consistent over time, you can rebuild trust. And that’s just… that’s the best thing. It’s just to keep your eyes…
Mark: What do you think Mark 6:4 really is trying to say?
Pastor Doug: Well, let me read it here. Mark 6:4, “But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor but in his own country and among his own kin and in his own house,’” meaning that when you are in a hometown where people see, you know, how human you are that even if God should call you, people say, “Well we know this is Jesus. That was Joseph’s son. He worked in the carpenter shop. We saw him as a kid.” Let me tell you, it’s a principle, Mark, that… do you know people in Oregon import kelp seaweed from Maine? And people in Maine don’t want to eat their own seaweed because they see it washed up and stank on the beach all the time. And so they import seaweed from Oregon.
And so, everybody want something exotic and foreign. And the idea that you will believe a person from your hometown is suddenly a profit, people have a hard time accepting that. That’s what Jesus is saying. So, hopefully that helps a little bit. And it means like Mark may have dropped offline. Is there something we can send him for a gift on if a person is trying to regain their credibility and just..? Oh, “Three Steps to Heaven.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: There we go.
Pastor Doug: We got a book…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Great resource…
Pastor Doug: …we’ll send you, Mark. It’s called “Three Steps to Heaven,” and just call the resource number.
Pastor Jëan Ross: 1-800-835-6747. Ask for the book “Three Steps to Heaven.” Pastor Doug, I’ve got to ask you that story about seaweed being imported from Maine. That’s a true story? [Laughing]
Pastor Doug: Well, I’ve never [laughing]… I’ve never bought any seaweed in Maine or Oregon but I heard it and I’ve been repeating it. I sure hope it’s true.
Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing] It makes sense. Alright, our next caller is David and he is listening on 3EBN from West Warwick. David, welcome to the program!
David: Thank you for taking my call. The apostle Paul writes that “The wages of sin is death.” And the apostle John says, “There are the sins that does not lead to death.” Could you explain that for me, please?
Pastor Doug: Well, I think that when John is saying that there is a sin that does not lead to death that would encompass all sin that is repented of. The sin that does lead to death is the sin that is not repented of. And the unpardonable sin is when we grieve away the Holy Spirit and lose our capacity to repent. So a sin that is not repented of is the unpardonable sin.
David: Right.
Pastor Doug: As a matter of fact, before we forget that… well, we’re not done with your question, David. But we do have a book we can send you called, “The Unpardonable Sin,” if you’d like a free copy.
David: Sure.
Pastor Doug: Okay, so when we’re… does that help answer the question regarding that verse in John?
David: So John is really speaking of the sin that you don’t repent of or you do repent of it?
Pastor Doug: Well, God will forgive all sin except the unpardonable sin. That’s where Jesus says, “All manner of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven except sin against the Holy Spirit.” Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. And so, that’s basically—and I’m telling you—you know, the book bears it out with a lot more evidence and development. But basically, that’s when you grieve away the Holy Spirit because you refuse to listen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, with reference to that text where Jesus says, “All sin will be forgiven except the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,” if you look at the biblical definition of “blasphemy,” it’s “claiming to forgive sin,” and number 2, it’s “putting yourself in the place of God.” And I think when a person begins to excuse their sins or begins to rely upon their own judgment versus depending upon the judgment or the word of God, they’re moving in the direction of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. The Bible talks about having your conscience seared. You get where you just lose the capacity to be convicted of your sin.
Pastor Jëan Ross: There’s nothing more God can do.
David: Alrighty.
Pastor Doug: Hey, we’ll send you that book. Just call the toll-free number.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747, and the book is “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”
Pastor Doug: Yup.
Pastor Jëan Ross: 1-800-835-6747. Our next caller is calling… Robert. He’s calling from Bloomfield, New Jersey. Robert, welcome to the program!
Pastor Doug: Pardon me, Robert. Hang on, one second. Pastor Ross, you know, the name of the book is actually “Point of No Return.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Pastor Doug: And it’s about sin against the Holy Spirit. But I keep thinking, “Wait! That isn’t right. It’s called the ‘Point of No Return.’” So we trust that David is still listening.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Again, it’s 1-800-835-6747. I hesitated on that, Pastor Doug, trying to think of a book…
Pastor Doug: We don’t have this.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …that had that title. But it’s on that subject, “The Point of No Return.” Robert, welcome to the program! You’re on the air.
Robert: Good evening, Pastor Ross and Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Evening!
Robert: My question’s concerning the millennium—a thousand years.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Robert: I know Revelation talks about that in Revelation 20. And there was really one source where he says that’s your speculation because he said the apostles never talked about it, Jesus never talked about it, and there’s nowhere—anywhere—else in the Bible but in Revelation 20. So it’s more symbolic than anything else. I want to know where else in the New Testament, and in the Old Testament, it talks about the thousand-year reign of Christ whether it’s in Heaven or on earth. Or is it that existent at all or is it just symbolism?
Pastor Doug: Well, there are a lot of Scriptures. And before we forget, we do have a lesson that talks about the 1000 years.
Robert: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: And we’ll send you a copy of that if you call the resource number. But just to get back to your question, if you look in Jeremiah chapter 4, for instance, verse 23, here the prophet describes the condition of the world when it’s vacated. And this is during the 1000 years. And he says here, “I beheld the earth and behold it was low and without form and void and the heavens had no light. I beheld the mountains and lo, they trembled and all the hills move lightly. I beheld and lo, there was no man and all the birds of heaven were fled. I beheld in the fruitful place was a wilderness and all the cities were broken down.” This isn’t talking about back in creation. It says there are “cities that are broken down at the presence of the Lord and by His fierce anger. For thus, hath the Lord said the whole land shall be desolate. Yet, I’ll not make a full end,” meaning there’s a period of time when the world is desolate. And then if you want to know what that period is, you go to Revelation where the thousand years is mentioned many times.
Now, it makes sense when you think about it because according to Bible history, the earth is right now, about 6,000 years old. I’m not talking about the…
Robert: Okay.
Pastor Doug: …age of the earth or evolution. I’m just saying you add up the ages in the Bible and the date for creation is about 4,000 B.C. Well, right now, the world would be about 6,000 years old. God says, “A day with the Lord is like a thousand years,” right?
Robert: Right.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, that’s in 2 Peter 3. God, all through the Bible, works on our principle of 6 days you work, 1 day you rest. For 6 thousand years, God has been sowing the seed of the Gospel; for 1000 years, we will live and reign with Christ. So the pattern makes sense biblically as well as what you find in Revelation. So it’s… I don’t think it’s just speculation.
Robert: Yes, but didn’t Christ and the apostles ever allude to that?
Pastor Doug: I believe so.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, John, of course, wrote the book of Revelation.
Pastor Doug: He’s one of the apostles.
Robert: Oh, okay.
Pastor Doug: So, you know, we’ll send you the lesson on the thousand years and I’m trying to remember the title.
Pastor Jëan Ross: “A Thousand Years of Peace.”
Pastor Doug: There you go. “A Thousand Years of Peace,” and just ask for it. It’s filled with Scriptures and I think really strong biblical evidence for this period of time.
Robert: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747. And Robert, the study guide is “A Thousand Years of Peace.” Our next caller is Wilkerson, calling from Dover, New Jersey. Wilkerson, welcome to the program!
Wilkerson: Good evening, Pastors.
Pastor Doug: Evening!
Wilkerson: God bless your program. I love it, I owe you and I listen…
Pastor Doug: Praise the Lord!
Wilkerson: …going to work and to church every time. I have two questions if possible.
Pastor Doug: Well, let’s see how long they take.
Wilkerson: Okay, one is for my daughter. She’s 13 years old. And she was reading Exodus 34:7 where it mentions…
Pastor Doug: “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin and that will, by no means, clear the guilty. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the 3rd and 4th generation.” Is that the one?
Wilkerson: That’s the one. She got stuck on that verse.
Pastor Doug: Is she concerned about “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children?”
Wilkerson: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Well, first of all, there’s a law in the Bible—and you’ll find this in Ezekiel 18 I think, Pastor Ross, where it says, “The son will not bear the iniquity of the father and the father will not bear the iniquity of the son.” And so, God does not punish children for the sins of their parents. When you find here in Exodus 34, you’ll also find this in Exodus 20. It says, “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children,” it means that the fathers—the parents—by their behavior, reproduce those patterns in their children. You’ve heard it said many times that, you know, families end up with generations of behavior that are cyclical. You know, for instance, parents that drink are very likely going to have children that will struggle with alcoholism.
Wilkerson: That’s true.
Pastor Doug: And if there’s abuse in the family, it can be passed on for generations. But the good news is, if you look in the Ten Commandments, he says, “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the 3rd and 4th generation of them that hate Me. But showing mercy unto thousands,” and I believe it’s the Septuagint that says, “thousands of generations of those that love Me and keep My commandments.” So, yeah. People tend to reproduce their behavior in their children but God forgives.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That verse is Ezekiel 18:19 and 20. And you know, we have three words that we find in the Bible that we often speak of as sin. You’ve got sin, transgression, and iniquity. And sin literally means “to miss the mark;” transgression is “the breaking of God’s law;” but iniquity is sort of “selfishness, it’s obeying towards self.” And that is something that is carried from generation to generation. Children learn it by observing their parents.
Wilkerson: Right.
Pastor Doug: You’ll notice in the first part of Exodus 34:7, it says, “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.” But when it comes to what is visited upon the children, it just said “iniquity.”
Wilkerson: Okay.
Pastor Doug: So, God is very merciful. That’s the main emphasis of that verse. You said you had a second question?
Wilkerson: Yes, if possible. It’s for myself. Did God say that… most people have about Judas’ death, it was… he was hung—he hung himself?
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Wilkerson: However, act is… on the book of Acts, the description is different.
Pastor Doug: Well, in Acts it says, “And falling headlong.” When Judas hung himself—and this is what most scholars believe—he hung himself from a very high tree. It doesn’t even say tree; he could’ve hung himself from the wall or something. And evidently, the rope broke and his body fell. And when it hit the ground, it wasn’t pretty…
Wilkerson: Of course.
Pastor Doug: …and it describes that in the book of Acts. But he hung himself; the vine or the rope, whatever he used, broke after he was dead presumably and then he also compounded the death by hanging with a fall. So that seems consistent with both verses.
Wilkerson: Okay. Alright, thanks for your… thank you for your help…
Pastor Doug: Alright, Wilkerson. We appreciate your call.
Wilkerson: …and your program.
Pastor Doug: God bless.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Let’s try and get one more call in before the break. Roy is listening on WMCA from New York, New York. Roy, welcome to the program!
Roy: Oh, yes. Thank you, gentlemen! Yeah, mine is considering the mark of the beast basically, Revelation 13:17 and one other one. But my understanding—I’m a little confused on some issues but my understanding is that if admission on Sunday law is past rest day that would constitute it? Is that correct?
Pastor Doug: Well, when you ask the question, “What is the mark of the beast?” you almost need to answer the question—if you’re going to figure out what the mark of the beast is—who is the beast and what is his mark? And in Revelation 13, it talks about the beast but there’s several chapters in the Bible—Daniel 7 and 1Thessalonians, this wicked one. There’s a number of lessons that deal with that. Roy, we’re afraid this was going to happen in a set of important subject. Tell you what, we’ll send you two lessons. We’ve got one on “Who is the Antichrist or the Beast?” and then “What is the Mark of the Beast?” If you call our resource number, we’ll send you both those lessons for free and it’ll give you those answers in detail.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747. Ask for the lesson, “What is the Mark of the Beast?” or “The Mark of the Beast” and “The Antichrist…”
Pastor Doug: Who… yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: “Who’s the Antichrist?” And we’ll be happy to send that out to you.
Pastor Doug: Well, listening friends, we’re just going to take a break now. And I hope you’ve got a pencil or pen handy. We give away a lot of resources. Many of these you can read for free if you just go to the Amazing Facts website; and the address is amazingfacts.org. You’ll find there’s a library there, there’s archives, TV programs—a plethora of material. We’ll be back in just a moment.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Welcome back to Bible Answers Live with Pastor Doug Batchelor. This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible-related question, you can call us from 7 to 8 P.M. Pacific Standard Time on Sundays and receive clear, honest answers directly from Scripture. Call 800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297. Now, please join us as we look to God’s Word for more Bible answers live with author and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug: Welcome back, listening friends! If you joined us somewhere along the way, this is Bible Answers Live and it is a live, international interactive Bible study and we just really enjoy our time together. And we can guarantee you, friends that this is something of a rodeo in that we don’t know what exactly is going to happen next. We just pray the Holy Spirit guides us in our answers. We claim a promise that God will help us remember the things we’ve studied before and guides you in the questions to that collectively, we all better understand what is truth—Jesus is the Truth that sets you free. That’s why we do this. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross. You know, Pastor Doug, we had to end that call early. We were speaking with Roy and he asked what the mark of the beast is. We wanted to mention a website… actually YouTube video…
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …that deals with the subject of the beast.
Pastor Doug: Yes. Of course, in the same chapter where it talks about the beast—the mark of the beast. It ends by giving this mystic number that’s very popular—666. And it seems like everybody knows that that’s a unique number. We did an amazing fact once, not too long ago, on the number 666 and you know, you just… if you go to the supermarket and your bill comes up to $6.66, I mean, even the cashier kind of gets the hair up on the back of the neck.
So people know there’s something with that but they don’t understand it. And so, after we did this amazing fact on 666 a few weeks ago, we had a lot of phone calls. People were very interested and so we made a YouTube video. But we didn’t just make a video—the talking head. We got some animation graphics mixed in with the video. And if you just go to YouTube—and you got to be careful when you’re on YouTube—but we do have something there that in one week, 20,000… no, 22,000 people as of today; 22,000 people have gone. It’s called, "666 Revealed;” “666 Revealed,” and at the end of the YouTube video—it’s only 3 ½ to 4 minutes—at the end of the video, it directs you to t website called 666truth.org where we have videos that explains “What does 666 mean? Who is the Beast? What is the Mark of the Beast?”
People have a lot of questions. Part of the reason we did this is there is so much misinformation; so much goofy stuff—I don’t know any other word to say it. There’s some really goofy things out there dealing with the beast and the mark of the beast. And you know, it just… it’s almost laughable sometimes. People think that the beast is some Hollywood celebrity and it’s just totally away from the Bible. And so, check out and link it to your friends, too. Get the word out there because, really, when you send them to that YouTube video, “666 Revealed,” you’ll see it has got a road sign on the picture there—the thumbnail. Then really, you’re sending people to get Bible studies.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And if you go to the website that you can find by watching the YouTube video. You know, Pastor Doug, right on that website, it says “WARNING!” You don’t beat around the bush when it comes to exposing who the beast power is or what the mark of the beast—it’s all there!
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Somebody wants to study it and read it, it’s there with all of the Scriptures so a very important resource…
Pastor Doug: It’s kind of fun, too, because there’s an Antichrist quiz and there’s even a device on the website where if a person wants to know what their name equals when you convert it to numerical value.
Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing]
Pastor Doug: And you can type in all kinds of names and using the Latin numerical values, it will tell you what the names are. Mine came to like 7-5-5 or something. I was really worried, you know [laughing]…
Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing]
Pastor Doug: What it’s going to come to. I tried every derivative of my name, friends—middle name, everything in it—doesn’t come to 666 so I just want you to know that [laughing].
Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing] Alright. Well, we’ll go to the phone lines now. John is calling from Sacramento. John, welcome to the program!
John: Hello!
Pastor Doug: Hi, John. You’re on the air!
John: How’s it going, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross? Yeah, I was going to briefly mention something about which you just mentioned. Going on to YouTube, I did see that revealed… “666 Revealed” you had and there was so many others and I want to let listeners now to be careful for that because I was kind of getting consumed with that and…
Pastor Doug: Yeah. There’s some strange stuff out there.
John: Yeah. But my question—I had to tie up a quick question. I just recently started doing Bible studies and I wanted to ask you what qualifica… is there like specific qualifications a person needs to hold Bible study at his house as long as he’s following the Ten Commandments by, you know, exactly by the word and not concerning other things? I just wanted to find out if you had any specific advice or any guide.
Pastor Doug: Well, everybody can open their home to Bible studies. Some people have the gift of hospitality and they’ve also got the gift of teaching or preaching. And… but even if a person is not a teacher or a preacher, you can help facilitate Bible studies. I know a fellow one time that gave Bible studies and led a lot of people to Jesus and he could not read. And what he did is he had his Bible marked by a Pastor where their proof verses were. He would go from person to person and say, “Could you please read this to me?” And he’s have them read all these different proof texts and they were giving themselves a Bible study as they read to him. And so, you know, anybody can give a Bible study if your heart is right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And of course, one of the best ways to learn the Bible and to learn truth is to share to somebody else.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
John: Yes. I tried to encourage my friends like instead of going out to the club and whatever on Friday nights, like you know, to just engage in some Bible studies where… before Sabbath and I tried to, you know, I tried to help those by encouraging them a Bible study but actually want to sound like I know what I’m talking about. So I kind of leaped to your website, Sabbath Truth…
Pastor Doug: Yes.
John: …to have a study guide for like how it was, you know, change and all that stuff. But I wanted to find if you actually have books or guides that teaches about having… how to have a good Bible study set up, you know, to where you can discuss different points.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, you know, you can go to the Amazing Facts website and there is a link there to our online school and you can actually print off our historical lessons and you can actually go through it. It’s a Bible study and it goes through the different teachings of the Bible—the foundational truths and you should…
Pastor Doug: Yeah…
Pastor Jëan Ross: …share that with the group.
Pastor Doug: And…
John: Yeah, I think I can… because I use my cell phone in going online and I usually go on your… all of your websites and use those study guides…
Pastor Doug: Yeah. The Bible Universe website has two or three study guides you can download. Of course, we got them in Spanish and many different languages but that’s one place there as well.
John: Okay.
Pastor Doug: And, yeah, we’d encourage you. You know, you don’t have to have 20 people. You can start with just 2 and just…
John: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: …you know, couple people and you can have a Bible study.
John: Okay. Well, thanks…
Pastor Doug: Hey, keep up the good work! It will strengthen your faith as well as reach others.
John: I hope so.
Pastor Doug: Appreciate it, John. God bless.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Lorie, and she is calling from College Place, Washington. Lorie, welcome to the program!
Lorie: Hi. I have a question—is it wrong to have sex before marriage?
Pastor Doug: Well, in a word, yes. If you’re going to be a Bible Christian, one of the Ten Commandments is about adultery but that also encompasses something called fornication. And sex is reserved for the bonding of a man and a woman within the covenant of marriage. Obviously, you know, any culture that has promoted or allowed sex before marriage, children are born into this situations where they don’t have the bookends of a family that really are best, which is a father and a mother. And, you know, there’s a… the Lord can bless and there’s a lot of unideal situations especially in America now with blended families or single parents families. But that’s not God’s perfect plan. And so, you know, history has just shown us that self-control and waiting—if people are living a promiscuous life, then the honeymoon isn’t really much of a honeymoon. It’s not the exciting privilege that has been reserved and so that is God’s original plan.
Lorie: Can you give… is there any verses that I could go to for reference.
Pastor Doug: Where is that verse that says, “Flee fornication,” and the Bible talks about that we should keep our bodies pure?
Pastor Jëan Ross: It’s 1 Corinthians 6:18. It says…
Lorie: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …“Flee fornication, every sin that a man does is without the body. But he that commiteth fornication sinneth against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18.
Lorie: Okay.
Pastor Doug: And that woman caught in adultery in John 8:1—it begins with verse 1—they were ready to stone her for that. And then, of course, in the Law of Moses, it says that if a man or a woman was sleeping with each other before marriage that they either had to get married or there was a severe punishment. And that punishment might mean that a huge settlement was paid by the family of the young man to the family of the woman, or if it was rape, it was they would be stoned to death. And so, you know, there’s some very serious social guidelines that God attached to that physical intimacy was to be reserved for marriage. But you know, the fact is where…
Lorie’s Boyfriend: Where is that one found in the Law of Moses?
Lorie: This is my boyfriend.
Pastor Doug: [Laughing] Well, you can find that in Exodus and…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, you also have it in New Testament repeated both in Acts 15:29, and this is specifically referring to non-Jewish believers. It says that they are to abstain from fornication—that’s Acts 15:29—and then also Acts 21:25, where it’s been repeated. Another verse is Romans 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 5:1. So there’s a number of references in the New Testament that speak concerning the danger of fornication and staying away from it.
Lorie: Okay. Thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Alright. I hope that helps a little bit. And we do have a lesson that talks about “Keys to a Happy Marriage.” We’ll be happy to send you a free copy of that and it’s got a lot of these Bible principles. And I heard your boyfriend asking for some Scripture references, it’s filled with the references there.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s 1-800-835-6747, that’s the resource line and ask for the study guide, “Keys for a Happy Marriage.” And we’ll be happy to send that out. Kale is listening on KFIA from Ranch, Cordova. Kale, welcome to the program!
Gayle: Hi. Thank you so much for answering my call! This… I’d like to direct to Pastor Doug—first, I thank God for your search for truth sincerely. It’s inspiring and touching for my husband and myself. I’ve enjoyed reading “The Richest Caveman” several years ago and reading your books as they’ve come up. Just as I heard Lorie, I was wanting to suggest to her the truth about Mary Magdalene, Pastor Batchelor’s book; the woman at Jesus’ feet, I have just recently re-read this study twice in recent few weeks and that alone because it’s a wonderful book for any woman or man I believe living in the world today…
Pastor Doug: Well, I appreciate that, Gayle.
Gayle: ...that’s so full of sins and our lifestyles, we have so many different ideas coming from so many directions, to have clear focus on Bible truth…
Pastor Doug: That’s right.
Gayle: But…
Pastor Doug: I don’t want you to run out of time before you get your question in.
Gayle: Oh, okay. In one of the early Bible studies, 6800—it was either 600 years or 800 years—of Satan’s being able to connive and whip his tail further and become a greater counter-splitter. Where does… where do I… what Bible reference can I use for—is it 600 years, Pastor Batchelor or 800? And where may I look?
Pastor Doug: Were you talking about during the Old Testament time or—I’m not sure what you’re saying.
Gayle: Yeah, it was in one of the very [inaudible 00:43:54] studies in your mails studies. The very beginning studies for…
Pastor Doug: On the… in the online Bible study course where it talks about 6 or 800 years of Satan.
Gayle: Yes.
Pastor Doug: You sure it wasn’t the 1260 years?
Gayle: No.
Pastor Doug: No. 6 or 800 years that Satan was able to…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Oh, we do have a verse in Revelation chapter 12 and it’s verse 4, talks about, you mentioned, the dragon’s tail—and of course, that’s Satan. It talks about him deceiving a third of the angels of heaven. It doesn’t give us a time…
Gayle: No, I shouldn’t have brought that…
Pastor Jëan Ross: …period there.
Gayle: …into it. It was in that early days when Lucifer, okay, the 6—or something about Lucifer and the 6 or 800 years that we know he’s been on earth. I’m sorry…
Pastor Doug: Well, not… you know what? It is 6000 years.
Gayle: I’m sorry.
Pastor Doug: Is there… yeah, I know what you’re talking about. Yeah, we just mentioned that earlier tonight in the program that since man was created—and man was created about 4000 BC when you add up the ages in the Bible—that would be just about 6000 years ago. Man probably fell shortly after—seems like we lost our sister here, I don’t know what happened—but man fell shortly after he was created because Adam and Eve hadn’t had any children yet. And so, for that last 6000 years, Satan, when man sinned, he surrendered dominion. Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Pastor Doug: To… so I’m sure that’s the reference that she’s talking about.
Pastor Jëan Ross: 6000 years… Our next caller is Sharon, listening on the Internet from New Jersey. Sharon, you’re on Bible Answers Live!
Sharon: Hi. I wanted to know what the difference between the great and small trib… time of trouble is.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. In the Bible, you’ll find, of course, it tells in Revelation chapter 13 about a time where men cannot buy or sell if they don’t get the mark of the beast. And then it also says that whoever doesn’t get the mark of the beast should be killed. Obviously, it’s more serious to be killed than not to be able—these economic sanctions—not be able to buy or sell. And so, the pressure of the beast’s power is going to come in stages. The first part being, you know, they’re not allowed to be engaged in normal commerce—preventing buying and selling. And if that doesn’t get the Bible Christians to capitulate their faith, they’ll ultimately be a death decree. And so the small time of trouble is during that period where there’s this pressure and probation is still open. The big time of trouble is when probation closes and the 7 last plagues fall.
Sharon: I was…
Pastor Jëan Ross: And the reference for that is Daniel 12:1.
Sharon: What’s the abomination of desolation then?
Pastor Doug: Hey, we’ll send you a book on that…
Sharon: Okay.
Pastor Doug: …because there’s no way that we can explain all of that. It will be free but to explain all that in 2 minutes… but I’ll tell you real quick. Back in the days of Jesus, He said, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded with armies, know the abomination thereof is near”—and that’s in Luke 21 I believe. And then, if you look in Matthew 24, Jesus says, “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place, let those that be in Judea flee to the mountains.” So the first abomination of desolation was the Roman power when they desolated the Holy Place of the Temple and destroyed the Temple. But in the last days, there’s going to be a dual fulfillment. There’s another abomination of desolation that’s coming in the future. Jesus—a lot of what He said about the fall of Jerusalem is paralleled with the last days. What happened to literal Israel is going to happen again to spiritual Israel.
Sharon: Okay.
Pastor Doug: So we will send you a lesson for free—a book called “The Abomination of Desolation” if you just call and ask for it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747. The book is “The Abomination of Desolation.” Pastor Doug, the verses you mentioned is Matthew 24:16 and Luke 21:21.
Pastor Doug: I appreciate your giving those references.
Pastor Jëan Ross: No problem. Judy is listening on KFIA, Sacramento, California. Judy, welcome to the program!
Judy: Thank you. How are you this evening?
Pastor Doug: Very well, Judy!
Judy: Great…
Pastor Doug: And your question.
Judy: Well, my question is regarding—in the book of Jonah—regarding Nineveh.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Judy: I have two questions but the one is in Jonah. Now, after Jonah decided—took it upon himself—not to go and follow God’s command to go to Nineveh…
Pastor Doug: Right.
Judy: Can you tell me after he was delivered from the belly of the fish and when the Lord spoke to him the second time and said, “Get up and go to the great city,” now can you explain the part about the plant?
Pastor Doug: Yeah. Well, when Jonah gets up—and this is Jonah chapter 3—he gets up…
Judy: Right.
Pastor Doug: …and he goes through Nineveh, he preaches in 40 days, “Thus saith the Lord, ‘Nineveh will be overthrown.’” That’s chapter 3 verse 4. Well, after he does a good job preaching, he goes up and down the city. He tells everybody where to spread. He says, “Look, I want a front row seat to watch the destruction of these Ninevites because the Ninevites were pagans and they were enemies of the Jews. Jonah’s a Jew! So he goes up on the hillside to overlook the city and he wants to see it get destroyed but as the time comes, God doesn’t destroy it and he starts getting irritated. Well, he’s also baking out there in the sun and a plant grows up—gourds grow very quickly like a squash plant. And it has broad leaves and then it grows up there and it gives him some shade and he’s very happy for it while he’s waiting there, watching the destruction of the city to come.
And… but then, a worm, in one night, eats at the gourd and it dies—it withers—and he’s lost his shade and he’s so grieved about this gourd dying. And then God speaks to Jonah. He says, “Wait a second! I’ve decided to show mercy on a 120 thousand people that don’t know the difference between the right hand and their left hand in Nineveh and save them and you’re grieving about a plant. How much more important are these people and even all the animals in the city than a plant?”
And so, God was trying to show Jonah his selfishness. And the book of Jonah is a very interesting book because everything in the book listens to God except Jonah—the sailors listened to God, the Ninevites listened to God, the fish listens to God, the worm listens to God, the plant—everything listens to God and they obey God but Jonah. And Jonah is sort of like a type of the Jewish nation and even the church. He’s got the truth but he doesn’t have the right attitude. So, it’s kind of a very interesting study.
Judy: Right.
Pastor Doug: Hey, I’ve got a book. You know what? Wrote a book on the book of Jonah. And it’s an easy read; I’ll send you a free copy, Judy. All you’ve got to do is make one more phone call and it’s not a trick phone call. Nobody’s going to knock on your door and pester you. But just get your address, we’ll send you the book.
Judy: Great!
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number again, Judy, 1-800-835-6747 and ask for the book, “The Sign of Jonah.” And we’ll get that in the mail to you. Our next caller is Jane and she’s listening on WMUZ from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jane, welcome to the program!
Jane: Hi guys.
Pastor Doug: Hi!
Jane: My question is—I don’t know if it’s simple but—if someone has a sex change, where do they stand in the Bible? And do you think they have to go back?
Pastor Doug: That isn’t an easy question because, hypothetically, let’s suppose there’s someone there out in the world, they’re totally lost; they’re confused with their gender; they go on and have a sex change. Then they get converted and now, someone who is maybe born a “he” has got, you know, the plumbing rework to be a “she” and they say, “Now, what do I do?” That is a tough one. But you know what? I think the Lord can save people regardless of some of these, like I said, how their plumbing might be mixed up. That’s not how we’re saved. We’re saved based on our faith. But I would think that they would find a lot more peace and satisfaction living out their lives based on how He originally designed them. You know what I mean?
Jane: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: So, you know, part of their repentance I would think would be to say, “You know, I should’ve accepted the way God made me and not tried to force it differently.” And that person would want to live out their life in harmony with nature and how God made them originally. But it is difficult. And, you know, I’m glad I’m not the judge in those situations.
Jane: Alright.
Pastor Doug: I don’t know if I made it easy or harder but I just kind of was thinking out loud so hope it helped a little bit.
Jane: It did.
Pastor Doug: Thank you very much, Jane. And sorry, don’t have a book on that.
Pastor Jëan Ross: No, we don’t have a book. Our next caller is Robert listening on WMUZ from Michigan. Robert, welcome to the program!
Robert: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Evening, Robert! You’re on the air and your question?
Robert: My question is that in the book of Revelation, it states something about having a new earth.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Robert: And I was kind of confused when I got to that part in the Bible.
Pastor Doug: Well, when God says a new earth, He doesn’t necessarily mean that the mass in the planet is new. It’s telling us that God… in the same way when God began creating this world, the mass of this planet was here. It was without form and void—probably look something like a huge asteroid or a moon—no life on it, void chaos. And then God began creating. After the Second Coming of Jesus, the earth is destroyed by the brightness of His coming and the planet again turns into a chaotic mass. I actually read that verse already tonight in Jeremiah 4:23. So, at the end of the 1000 years, when God comes back, the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven to the earth. And God moves the capital of the universe back down to this earth. See, when the Lord comes, we’re caught up, right, Robert—to meet Him.
Robert: Okay.
Pastor Doug: And we go and we live with Him in these mansions He’s prepared in this city—this New Jerusalem. At the end of the 1000 years, He transplants that city back down on earth—it’s got the Garden of Eden in it—and He creates a New Heaven and a New Earth right before our eyes. So the New Heaven means a new atmosphere around the earth. And the New Earth is He creates the world better than it was before—it’s an upgrade! So…
Robert: Okay.
Pastor Doug: You would also enjoy the lesson that we offered earlier tonight on the “Thousand Years of Peace.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: “Thousand Years of Peace.”
Pastor Doug: Yeah. Talks about the New Earth. As a matter of fact, we’ve got that “City on Space,” lesson on Heaven.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. That would be…
Pastor Doug: I said it wrong.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …excellent!
Pastor Doug: What’s..?
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s the old title. Colossal—A Colossal City in Space.
Pastor Doug: There you go! That’s what it is.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s so close.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. “A Colossal City in Space.” We’ll send you that study guide and it talks about the New Earth. Beautiful lesson.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Call 1-800-835-6747, Robert. Ask for the study guide on Heaven, “A Colossal City in Space,” and also for “A Thousand Years of Peace.” Talks about that millennium—the 1000-year period—and what’s going to happen afterwards when the New Jerusalem descends from Heaven.
Pastor Doug: We have time for one more?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Let’s try and do one more. We’ve got Thelma Lou, and she is calling from Tennessee. Thelma, welcome to the program! You’re on the air. Thelma Lou, you there?
Thelma Lou: Yes.
Pastor Doug: We’ve got about a minute for a question. We’re going to try and squeeze one in.
Thelma Lou: Okay.
Pastor Doug: Can you ask it quickly?
Thelma Lou: Yes. The Scriptures say that at death, your spirit goes back to God who gave it, what does God do with our spirit and will our spirit be returned to us in the resurrection? And also, will the unsaved spirits go back to God also?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, in Ecclesiastes chapter 12, when it says a person dies, the body returns to dust as it was and the spirit returns to God who gave it, the word there “spirit” in Hebrew, I think, is ruach, and it means the “breath” returns to God who gave it. It doesn’t distinguish between the breath of good or bad or even man or animals. It’s saying the breath of life of all creatures returns to God who gave it. Do we receive that breath of life again during the resurrection? Absolutely! And when we say spirit in our language, we mean the character—the essence of who you are. That, of course, is re-introduced. I kind of like to think that God has backed up who we are in some kind of a thumb drive or something like that and He saves it somehow. And when He gives us our new bodies, He downloads who you are—without any of the faults and foibles that we might have in this life. And you will have a new body, you’re specially a new creature inside and out.
Hey, listening friends, this is the fastest hour of the week. It just seems like we get started—I don’t know about you, Pastor Ross—but my favorite thing is just talking about the Word of God with new friends. And that’s what happens when we do this program. It’s such a blessing! It goes very quickly. But you know what? We don’t need to end here, friends. We do hope you’ll continue studying through the week by going to the Amazing Facts website. You can listen to archives of this program as well as a lot of other Bible studies. Don’t forget to check out, “666 Revealed” on YouTube, the new video. God bless until we study again together!
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