Pastor Jean Ross: Hello, friends. How about an amazing fact? In 2009, doctors in Russia hoped that 28-year-old Artyom Sidorkin had cancer. He was a smoker and he came to the doctors coughing up blood and complaining of incredible chest pain. X-ray revealed a mass in one of his lungs. He was scheduled for surgery to determine the severity of the issue. As surgeon Vladimir Kamashev began to cut into the lung, he discovered something amazing. In the lung tissue, he found green tree needles.
He opened the area further and, to his surprise, found a five-centimeter spruce tree in Sidorkin's lung. "I blinked three times and thought I was seeing things," the surgeon said. "Then I called out to my assistant, "Come and see this. We've got a fir tree in here." The five-centimeter sapling was removed, and Sidorkin is now back at work and feeling much better.
His doctors theorized that he must have inhaled a fir tree bud which grew into the five-centimeter tree and that the tree needles were puncturing the blood vessels in his lung causing him to cough up blood. Did you know, friends, that the Bible says that Christians should also have something living inside of them. Well, stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
Voice-over: You're listening to Bible Answers Live, honest answers to your Bible questions. Our phone lines are now open. If you have a Bible-related question, call us at 1-800-GOD-SAYS. That's 1-800-463-7297. Now, let's join our host, pastor Jean Ross.
Pastor Jean: Hello, friends. This is Bible Answers Live. It's a live international interactive Bible study. Pastor Doug Batchelor is away today, but our phone lines are open and be ready to talk about the Bible. If you have a Bible-related question, this is a good time to pick up your phone and give us a call. It is a toll-free number. That number is 800-463-7297. I'll say it again. You're ready? 800-463-7297. That's 800-GOD-SAYS, if you want to type it in based on the letters of the words.
A little later, I'll be giving you another number which is our resource phone number. You might want to also keep a pen handy, write that down, and you'll be able to call for our free offer for this evening. I started the program today by talking about an amazing fact with reference to a 28-year-old by the name of Artyom Sidorkin who had pain in his lungs. He went to the doctors and they performed surgery on him, and they found a five-centimeter tree sapling growing inside his lung.
Apparently, a fir tree bud had been inhaled by him and had lodged in his lung and started to grow. Interesting that somebody would actually have a tree growing in their lung. The Bible says we need to have something living within us as well. We're not talking about a tree by any means, but we are talking about the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of us needing to have the Holy Spirit in our hearts and in our lives. If the Holy Spirit is living within us, then we have the fruit of the Spirit manifest in the life of the believer.
In Galatians 5:22, we read, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law." Well, friend, what do you think? Do you want love in your heart, joy and peace? The way to obtain that is by having the Holy Spirit abiding in you because not only do you have love, joy, and peace, but the Bible says you have patience and kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
These are the fruit that come along with the spirit abiding in the heart and the life of the believer. How do we obtain the spirit? How do we have that Spirit living within us? Jesus said we need to ask for it. Luke 11:23, Jesus said, "If you've been evil not to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?" Well, there it is. God wants to give us the Holy Spirit, but it comes to those who ask.
This, in insincerity, when we come to the Lord in prayer. We say, "Please, Lord, I need to have that joy, love, peace, kindness, self-control, and gentleness in my life. Please, give me the Spirit." As we submit ourselves to God, He's promised to hear and answer our prayer and we can have the spirit within us. We can have that joy and peace that only comes from being connected with God through the Spirit.
Well, friends, if you want to learn more about how you can have the spirit abiding in your heart and life, we have a book and that's our free offer for this evening. We'll be happy to send this book to anybody who calls and asks. It's simply a phone call away. The book is called Life in The Spirit, and we'll send that to anybody who calls our resource phone line.
Our number, the number for our resource phone number is 800-835-6747. That number, again, is 800-835-6747. That is the resource phone number.
Just ask for the book called Life in The Spirit. I'll be happy to send it to anybody who calls and asks. You can also read the book for free. I know we have some listeners outside of North America. You can read the book for free by going to the Amazing Facts website, amazingfacts.org. Of course, if you have a Bible question, this is a good time to pick up your phone and give us a call.
If you don't get through the first time, don't give up, just stay on the line. We're working a new phone system here this evening and so far, it's looking like it's working well. The number to call here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Again, that number is 800-463-7297, and then just mention to the call screener what your question is, and they'll put you in the queue and you'll get to ask your question on the air. Well, before we go to the phone lines, we always like to begin with a word of prayer.
Dear Father in heaven, thank you that we can spend a few moments together this evening opening up your word and studying. I pray that the Holy Spirit would be with us. We recognize the Bible to be your book and we need the Holy Spirit to guide us to a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches. Be with those who are listening wherever they might be as they're traveling in their car or at home. We pray, Father, that together, we come to a clear understanding of Bible truth, for we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, friends, we're ready to go to the phone lines. Our first caller this evening, looks like we have Carol calling from Mississippi. Carol, welcome to the program.
Carol: Thank you.
Pastor Jean: Your question this evening?
Carol: My question is in the book of Matthew 6:5-13. Jesus is talking to the disciples, telling them how to pray. It says in the 10th verse that, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." If that be the fact, and it's through His will that you pray, then why do we pray for anything else or ask for anything else from God if it's, in fact, the bottom line, it's going to be His will that's done no matter what you pray for?
Pastor Jean: Well, that's a good question. When it comes to prayer, Jesus told us that we need to pray, "Thy will be done." That's part of what we call the Lord's Prayer. Yet, the Bible also tells us that in the Lord's Prayer, in addition to just praying "thy will be done," the prayer continues and Jesus says, "Give us this day our daily bread. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil," so there were some other things that were also included in that prayer. Then, of course, it finishes off with, "Thy will be done."
Now. When we come to prayer, we are to bring to God in prayer our requests, our needs from the Lord's prayer that we just looked at there in Matthew It's clear that God is concerned about our physical needs, "Give us this day our daily bread." He recognizes that we have physical needs, we have bills that we have to pay, and we can bring our requests to God if it is for healing or health or if we're interceding on behalf of somebody else. All of that is appropriate in prayer.
After we state what we feel we might need, we always recognize God's love for us, and we submit to what His will is. His will is best. It is good for us to bring our request to God and present them. There are times sometimes where we might come to the Lord in prayer thinking that we know what we might need, but as we spent some time in prayer bringing our request before the Lord, the Holy Spirit might convict us that maybe this is not the very best thing that God would have for us.
In the process of bringing our requests to God, we get to know what God's actual will might be in that particular area of our life. Prayer, at its core, is opening your heart up to God as you would to a friend, maybe sharing with Him everything that might burden you, even your joys and your sorrows and your hopes and your dreams, it's bringing it all to God and speaking to Him as you would to a best friend. That would include bringing your requests, but always acknowledge God's will and His love for you and say, "Lord, Your will be done." Does that help a little, Carol?
Carol: Basically, I lost my husband two months ago.
Pastor Jean: Sorry to hear that.
Carol: The first prayer to ask for healing, and I knew that wasn't going to happen. The second prayer was to ask for-- just him not to have to struggle and that didn't happen. My third request was to ask that he not suffer, and he did on his last hour, which had to be my decision to make. I thought the last simplest request, "Why couldn't it be answered?"
Pastor Jean: Well, you know that's a good question. Sometimes, we do ask and it seems that God does not hear. We live in a world with sin and as a result of sin, there is suffering. We think of those who are experiencing this tragedy even this evening while we talk out there in Florida with the hurricane, and we wonder why. Why does God allow these things? God does not always explain Himself. The promise is that one day, we will understand.
We also know that God loves us and at times, we can't see His love through the circumstance, through the trial, through the difficulty, but we still need to hold on to the promise that He loves us, that He hears our prayers, that He knows what's best and we cling to Him. One day, all of these questions will be answered, that God will explain to us why, but in the meantime, really, the best thing for us to do is to hold on to His promises, don't give up, just keep trusting the Lord.
There are many examples in the Bible of people who have gone through difficult times and they cried to the Lord in prayer and it seemed that God did not hear their prayer, and yet their faith was tried and they held on to God and God sustained them and brought them through whatever it is that they faced. Carol, I can just imagine how painful it must be for you to go through the loss of your husband, but I want to just encourage you now more than ever. Claim the promise of Jesus, that He will never leave you or forsake you.
Believe that He loves you. Ask Him to give you peace and one day, all of those questions will be answered and you will see that He is a God of love and He is able to do all things if we hold on to Him. Carol, can I have a word of prayer with you?
Carol: Sure.
Pastor Jean: let's just pray. Dear Father in heaven, we want to lift up Carol in a special way as she's gone through this very difficult experience of losing her husband. Sometimes, Father, we ask why. Why do you allow these things? Why is there pain and suffering? Yet, your word reveals that you are a God of love and we don't always understand why, but you promise one day we will, but until then, Lord, we just ask for courage, peace. We can hold on to your word that you do hear our prayer and you will answer. We pray for Carol, we just pray that you give her strength and courage. Draw close to her, Lord. Give her peace, for we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Carol: Amen.
Pastor Jean: Carol, thank you for calling and just hold on to the Lord. He will sustain you.
Carol: Thank you.
Pastor Jean: Thank you for your call. Friend, if you have a Bible question, our phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. We have about three phone lines still open. That number is 800-463-7297. If you call and you don't get through immediately, just stay on the line, we will get to you as soon as we can. Our next caller this evening is Mike, and he's listening from Minnesota. Mike, welcome to the program.
Mike: Thank you. I really enjoy your program.
Pastor Jean: Thanks for calling.
Mike: My question has to do with the Hebrew calendar. I believe the Hebrew calendar this year is somewhere like 5707. Anyway, it's approaching the 6,000-year mark. Supposedly, it's coming back to the day of creation. My question is this. To God, a day is a thousand years and a thousand years to God is a day. These are six days to Him. The seventh day, which is a couple hundred years down the road, would be the Sabbath, right?
Pastor Jean: Yes.
Mike: Somewhere along the line, I picked up that the millennial is God's Sabbath. Is that correct?
Pastor Jean: Well, that's a great observation. Yes, in the Bible in 2 Peter, we read that a thousand years is as a day and a day is as a thousand years to God. Now, that's different than prophetic time. When you're studying prophetic time in the book of Daniel and Revelation, then one day is equal to one literal year, but we do find that principle also in 2 Peter where it says a day with the Lord is like a thousand years. There is a principle that we see in the scripture: work for six and then rest on the seventh.
God created the earth in six days, and then He rested on the seventh day. God told the children of Israel that they were to work their fields for six years and then their field was to rest the seventh year, so we find that principle. It is interesting to note that the earth is about 6,000 years or coming up on 6,000 years-- and I'll talk about the age here in just a minute, but according to Revelations, chapter 20, when Jesus comes the second time, that the righteous are taken to heaven and they're in heaven for a thousand years.
We call that the millennium, but it just means a thousand years. During that thousand-year period, the earth is at rest. It is broken down by the presence of the Lord, and the devil and his angels are bound in what they call the bottomless pit, Revelation, chapter 20. There is that thousand-year rest for the saints, they're in heaven, the earth is desolate and empty, like the field on the seventh year when the Israelite was to let their field rest. It is interesting that we find that principle repeated in scripture.
Now, how old is the earth? Is the earth exactly 6,000 years or is it still a 100, 200 years away? We don't know. I don't think it's a hundred years away. The way you reach the age of the earth is by adding up the genealogies that you find in the Bible. Adam had Seth and then it goes on, and Seth had a son. It gives you the age when their first born son was born, so you can add up to work out how old the earth is.
It doesn't tell what month the son was born, it just says the year when the son was born, so it could be the first year or first month of that year, or it could have been the last month of that year. There is that unknown factor, which if you add up over all the generations, it could be several years if not decades that it could move. As best as we can tell, the earth is about or coming close to that 6,000-year mark, starting with creation, following all the genealogies that you have in the Bible.
Nobody knows for sure when that 6,000-year mark will be reached. If someone does say that, "I know the day and the hour when Jesus is coming," well, that's a concern because Jesus said, "No man knows the day or the hour," but we can see when it's near.
Mike: Yes. In other words, the Hebrew calendar is not accurate for sure, I mean--
Pastor Jean: It's not-- I mean it's--
Mike: It hasn't been proven accurate, in other words. I thought it was.
Pastor Jean: No, they used the same names and ages that we have, of course, in the Bible, in the Old Testament as well. What's not known is the month within the year when the son was born, so if you look at that, there is a difference. It's very difficult to pinpoint an exact date and say, "Well, the earth is 6,000-years-old, but the principle is good. It's a good principle.
Mike: Yes. It seems to be common sense since the Sabbath is-
Pastor Jean: Is a day of rest, yes. Absolutely.
Mike: - a symbol of creation and salvation. It just seems to make sense that when 6,000 years is done with, that's the millennial for the next thousand years.
Pastor Jean: Sure enough, that makes sense. You know, Mike, we have a study you'd like. It's on the 1,000-year period. It's on the millennium and it's called A Thousand Years of Peace, and we'll be happy to send this to you if you would just give us a call. I'm going to give you the resource number here. Write that down and just call that number and say, "I want the study guide called A Thousand Years of Peace," and we'll send that right out to you. I think you'd find it very interesting.
A lot of scripture talks about this principle that we're talking about, the 6,000 years and then the 1,000-year rest. The number to call is 800-835-6747, that is the resource phone line. Ask for the study guide, A Thousand Years of Peace, and we'll get that right out to you. By the way, anyone can call and ask for that, it's not just you, Mike, but anyone can call and ask for that. If you have a Bible question, our phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. It's 800- 463-7297. If you don't get through right away, just hold on, stay on the line, and we'll get to your call as soon as we can. Going to our next caller, we have Gardner who is listening from New York. Gardner, welcome to the program.
Gardner: Good evening, pastor. When you're witnessing to someone regarding the Sabbath and they bring up Romans 14, maybe 5, that one man esteems a day and we shouldn't be judging people about what the day that they keep or what they eat. What should be our response? What is that Scripture saying and what is it not saying?
Pastor Jean: Okay. Good question. Let me read it. I have it right here. It's Romans 14. Probably you're thinking about verse 5 and 6. It says, "One person esteems one day above another. Another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day observes that to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day to the Lord, he does not observe it. He who eat eats to the Lord where he gives thanks, and he does not eat to the Lord, he does not eat, therefore, and gives God thanks."
The principle that Paul is talking about here in Romans, let me give you a little bit of a background, they were Gentile believers in the Church at Rome who had received the Gospel and they, as a result of Paul's teaching, had accepted Christ. They were part of the Christian community, and yet there were some within the church who had a Jewish background who were insisting that the Gentile believers follow the ceremonial laws given in the Old Testament which included circumcision.
It also included keeping certain ceremonial feasts and observing certain ceremonial sabbath days. I'm not talking about the seventh day Sabbath, they're talking about the ceremonial days. It also included not eating certain things on certain days. The Jewish Christians were trying to convince the Gentile Christians that they needed to abide by the ceremonial laws.
Paul is making it quite clear, and he says that each person be convinced in their own mind. He actually has a lot to say if you look in the book of Galatians and some of the other New Testament books. Paul has a lot to say about those Jewish Christians who are trying to force the Gentile believers to keep the ceremonial law. Paul is not talking about the seventh day Sabbath, not talking about the moral law. He's not talking about the health principles that we find in Scripture.
You're reading the Old Testament that God gives a clear list of animals that are clean to eat and animals that are not clean to eat. The reason the animals are not clean to eat is because those are the animals that are unhealthy for a person. That's the principle behind that. What we're reading about here in Romans 14:5-6 really was connected with those ceremonial Sabbath days which could fall on any day of the week. It could be on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday because it was connected to a particular day of the calendar, not a particular day of the week. That's what it's been referred to there.
Gardner: As soon as you said ceremonial law, I knew exactly what the answer was because you guys had done a great job in teaching me the difference between the ceremonial and God royal law.
Pastor Jean: Very good.
Gardner: As soon as you said ceremonial, I had my answer. Thank you, sir.
Pastor Jean: You got it. All right. Thanks so much for your call, Gardner. We appreciate it. Our next caller is Sharon listening from Michigan. Sharon, welcome to Bible Answers Live.
Sharon: Well, thank you for taking my call tonight. I really appreciate it.
Pastor Jean: You're welcome. Thanks for calling.
Sharon: The question is, Jesus told His disciples that He would not eat or drink with them until He came into His kingdom. After He was resurrected, He appeared to the disciples. Does that mean He ate and drank with them a few times? Does that mean He came into His kingdom at that point or did He come into His Kingdom when He went up to His father?
Pastor Jean: Okay. Good question.
Sharon: Through our Father.
Pastor Jean: Yes, good question. When Jesus thought of His public ministry, you remember when He went about preaching, He said, "Repent." This is also something that John the Baptist said. He said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," and that confused some of the people, of course, three and a half years before Christ's crucifixion. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Some people thought that that meant that Jesus had come to establish a kingdom on the earth.
What they misunderstood, it wasn't really until after the resurrection that the disciples even understood this, is that there's two phases to Christ's kingdom. There is the first phase that we call the Kingdom of Grace. When Jesus came and he said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," He was ushering in a Kingdom of Grace. What that means is, if we receive Jesus as our personal Savior, as our Lord and our King, we are a citizen of the Kingdom of Grace.
If Jesus rules in our heart and lives, then we're part of His kingdom, but the Kingdom of Grace eventually will give way to the Kingdom of Glory, and that occurs when Jesus comes again the second time as King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19 talks about Jesus coming and He's wearing many crowns, and He has a white robe, and He has written on His side, "King of kings and Lord of lords." Jesus is coming as a King.
That is the Kingdom of Glory, and it's that point that the redeemed will be changed. In a moment and in a twinkling of an eye, they will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. When Jesus said, "I will not drink of the cup until I drink it anew with you and my Father's kingdom," Jesus was referring to the Kingdom of Glory that would begin when Jesus comes the second time. Even though Jesus met the disciples after the resurrection, there was still the Kingdom of Grace.
He did eat with them, but He didn't drink of the fresh grape juice at that point. The last time He drank grape juice with the disciples was there at the Last Supper in the upper room, but when we get to heaven, and it's part of the Kingdom of Glory, then yes, Jesus will sit down with us and we will drink that fresh grape juice, and that will be a sign that the Kingdom of Glory has begun.
Sharon: Okay. Wonderful. He's going to have the full feast upon us, right? [laughs]
Pastor Jean: That's right. It's called the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Sharon: Okay. The Kingdom of Grace and then the Kingdom of Glory.
Pastor Jean: Correct.
Sharon: Wonderful. Me and my friend was discussing that. We were over the road truck drivers. We go back and forth with questions with one another.
Pastor Jean: Good.
Sharon: Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
Pastor Jean: Hey, while you're on the phone, I'll just tell you one other quick thing related to Christ's ministry. There's also three phases of the ministry of Jesus. When Jesus was on the earth, He fulfilled the phase of being our sacrifice. Now, Jesus is in heaven and He's fulfilling the phase of being our priest, our High Priest. When Jesus comes again, He comes as our King. He is our Sacrifice, our Priest, and our King. Each of those three phases have different time periods.
When Jesus said on the cross "It is finished," His sacrificial work was finished. When Jesus says in heaven, "It is finished," it's at the end of His priestly phase, and now He comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. There's three phases to Christ's ministry as well.
Sharon: Okay. Wonderful. Sacrifice--
Pastor Jean: And priests.
Sharon: Okay, what was it again?
Pastor Jean: Sacrifice.
Sharon: Head Priest and King. Okay.
Pastor Jean: Correct.
Sharon: Very good.
Pastor Jean: Wonderful. All right, thanks--
Sharon: Thank you very much. You have a wonderful blessed night.
Pastor Jean: All right. Thank you so much for calling, Sharon. Friends, we're not going to take another call just yet. We can hear the music play in the background. The program is not over by any means. We're about halfway through and we're going to take a quick break. It will give a chance for some of the stations to identify themselves, and then we'll be back with about another 30 minutes of Bible Answers Live. Get ready if you have a Bible question to call and be a part of the program.
[music]
Voice-over: Stay tuned, Bible Answers Live will return in a moment.
[music]
Female Speaker: I really wanted to start a new devotional habit, but life got in the way. The next thing I know, we're a month into the new year and I'm like, "What's the point of starting?" Then I saw 365 Amazing Answers to Big Bible Questions. Each day is a single study, so you can start anywhere on any day and not miss a thing. They're crisp, clear, and enlightening.
Voice-over: Get yours today by calling 800-538-7275 or visit afbookstore.com. Amazing Facts, through your faithful support, has had a major impact on some of the largest non-Christian locations in the world. Beyond the Great Wall, the printing and translation of our books and video materials are in constant motion.
Male Speaker: [Chinese language]
Voice-over: The Amazing Facts Chinese language website is now one of our most visited websites. We also translated thousands of pieces of literature for these nations. What started out as hundreds of followers is now in the hundreds of thousands. The impact of your funds invested in sharing the everlasting Gospel in these foreign lands will be felt for years to come.
Doug Batchelor: Every week, we hear the most incredible stories from all over the globe of lives that are being changed and hearts that are being transformed by the power of the word. None of it could happen without your teamwork with this ministry. God bless you.
[music]
Voice-over: Every Bible question you have answered moves you one step closer to the fullness of God's will for your life. What are you waiting for? Get the answers you need for a fuller, richer, more confident life. You're listening to Bible Answers Live. This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the air, please call us next Sunday between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM Pacific time. To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. Once again, that's 800-835-6747. Now, let's join Pastor Jean Ross for more Bible Answers Live.
Pastor Jean: Hello, friends. Yes, this is Bible Answers Live. If you have a Bible-related question, we'd love to hear from you this evening. Our phone lines are open. The number to call is 800-463-7297. That number again is 800-463-7297. If you have a Bible-related question, I've got my computer in front of me and we have our Bible software open so we can study the word together. That number, one more time. Are you ready? 800-463-7297. If you call and the line is busy, just hold on. We'll get to you as soon as we can. 800-463-7297. Our next caller this evening is George, and George is listening from Washington. George, welcome to the program.
George: Hi. Thank you, Pastor Jean. How is it going?
Pastor Jean: Going well.
George: Yes, I listen to your show and I like it a lot. My question tonight is, what are your thoughts or what will the Bible say on the fate of Pontius Pilate.
Pastor Jean: Yes. Pontius Pilate, of course, we know he didn't really want to crucify Jesus, but He actually came out to the Jews and said to the leaders, "I find no fault with this man," but he succumbed to peer pressure when Jesus said-- or rather when Pilate said about Jesus, "Behold your King." The religious leaders, the Jews said, "We have no king but Caesar." In essence, what they were implying to Pontius Pilate, if you don't crucify Jesus and you let Him go, we're going to report you to the higher authorities that you're acknowledging a different King."
I think that was the last thing that turned Pontius Pilate's mind where he finally gave in and Jesus was crucified. He had Christ crucified. Yes, he had his opportunity, but he hardened his heart. Unfortunately, if one commits the unpardonable sin, that of hardening one's heart against God, there's not a whole lot God can do if the person has hardened his heart against the Holy Spirit. I think that was the case of Pontius Pilate.
George: I see. He had his moment. Of course, Jews at that time, the [unintelligible 00:33:00] and the appearance of Jesus must have stricken-- like so many other Bible characters at that time. It would just be overwhelming. If your heart knew, it would, "Yes, I guess he had a chance to say, 'Stop everything, no, no, no."
Pastor Jean: He could have. He had the power. The religious leaders couldn't force him. Had he stood faithful right at the beginning when he said, "I find no fault with Him." If Pilate would've just insisted that Jesus was innocent, he probably could've turned the crowd somewhat. You probably would have never convinced the religious leaders, but maybe some of the crowd, but no. When he gave them that little bit of leeway, when he allowed them to beat Jesus, that was the last straw. Of course, there was no turning back from there. Terrible thing, Pontius Pilate's biggest opportunity.
George: You don't think he'll make it to the--
Pastor Jean: No. We have no record in the Bible of him coming to repentance.
George: Right. I have to agree with you. He had his moment. Okay. Well, keep up your good work, and thank you for answering my questions.
Pastor Jean: All right. Thanks for your call, George. Friend, if you have a Bible question, our phone lines are open. The number to call is 800-463-7297. Again, 800-463-7297. Next caller is John, and John is listening from Texas. John, welcome to the program.
John: Yes. Hi. Hi, Pastor Jean. I got a question for you. It has to do with Revelation 20:4-6. Specifically, this is the first resurrection.
Pastor Jean: Correct.
John: According to those verses, who participates in that first resurrection?
Pastor Jean: All right. Let me read it for you. You might know the verse, but there might be others out there that's listening on the road. I'm just going to read those verses. Revelation 20:4. We turned your phone down just a little bit, John, because we had some wind noise. We'll turn you up here in just a minute. Revelation 20:4-5 says, "And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was committed to them, then I saw the souls who were beheaded for they witness to Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not worship the beast, nor his image, who had not received his mark on their foreheads or in their hand, and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."
That's the millennium. Then it says, "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished." Then it says, "This is the first resurrection," verse 6 says, "Blessed and holy is he that is part of the first resurrection over such the second death has no power." Here, when we read about this first resurrection, it's referencing the righteous. They are resurrected when Jesus comes the second time.
Those who lay down their life, all the redeemed throughout all ages are resurrected with the second coming of Christ. 2 Thessalonians talks about that. They are called up to meet the Lord in the air. All the wicked are destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming. There is a first resurrection for the righteous at the beginning of a thousand years. There is a second resurrection that occurs at the end of the thousand years, and that's for the wicked.
The wicked are resurrected at the end of the thousand years for what the Bible speaks of in Revelation 20 as being the great white throne judgment. At the conclusion of that, the wicked mount their attack upon the New Jerusalem that has come down out of heaven and fire comes and devours the wicked, and that's called the second death. That's why in Revelation 20:6, it says, "Blessed and holy is he that is part of the first resurrection over such the second death has no power."
There's two resurrections. The first occurs at the beginning of a thousand years for the righteous. The second is at the end of a thousand years and it's for the wicked. At the conclusion of that judgment, when the wicked mount their attack upon the New Jerusalem, fire devours them, that is the second death. Does that help, John?
John: Okay. Well, yes. You know what, Pastor? I just thank you for-- I think you're trying to be as honest as you can because those people that are a part of the very-- because it says the dead in Christ rise first.
Pastor Jean: Correct.
John: Then we who are alive will be caught up.
Pastor Jean: Correct.
John: These people who were already dead were those who didn't take the mark of the beast during the tribulation. I think you did a good job talking about exactly when the rapture takes place and the first resurrection. You were very good and you didn't mince any words. I take my hat off to you, Pastor. You did a good job.
Pastor Jean: Thank you, John. We appreciate your call. Yes, that's what the Bible says with reference to the second coming of Christ. By the way, I think you might enjoy that study guide called 1,000 Years of Peace. It talks about the first resurrection, it talks about the second. It gives you all the Bible references. The number to call if you'd like to receive that is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide called 1,000 Years of Peace. Again, 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line.
Friends, if you call that number and you can ask for that study guide, you might as well also ask for the free Bible correspondence course. Yes, we will send you these great lessons dealing with these important Bible themes for free through the mail. You can study them out, filling the little Christian sheet at the back. Mail it back to us, we'll grade it so you will find out how you did on your test and we'll send you out the next set of lessons.
At the conclusion of our Bible course, you actually get a certificate showing that you completed all 27 lessons and it's free. We'll be happy to share it with anybody who calls and asks. Our next caller is Phil, listening from New York. Phil, you're on the air.
Phil: Could you hear me okay?
Pastor Jean: I can, yes.
Phil: Great. First of all, you guys are doing a great job. I'm astounded at the knowledge that you have. It's very impressive. My question, sir, is this. When Moses is on Mount Sinai speaking to the Almighty, he says, "Can you give me a name? If the people are to believe me, I have to give them a name," and the Almighty simply says, "I am that I am." That being the case, where does the name Yahweh come from?
Pastor Jean: Okay. Good question. In the Bible, we find God referring to Himself using not so much a name as we think of names, but rather God referring to Himself by characteristics. Depending upon the situation, depending upon what truth about God's character needs to be emphasized, that came along with the name. There's many examples. God is referred to as the Almighty. God is referred to as the Deliverer.
God is referred to as the "I am that I am," and Jehovah Jireh, "The Lord is the one who saves," and it goes on and on. There's many different names that we find in the Bible referencing God. Specifically, the "I Am that I Am," the children of Israel were in captivity at this point for about 400 years. The question was, "Well, Does God see? Does God care? Is God still able to deliver? Is he still near us.
When Moses went back to the children of Israel and gave them the name, "I Am that I Am," that was illustrating the fact that God did hear their cries. God is a very present God to deliver them from their enemies. That was a very special name. It was a name that conveyed God's plan to bring deliverance. It's also interesting that Jesus referred to that name as the "I Am."
In the New Testament, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the door." One time, Jesus said, "I am," and the religious leaders wanted to stone Jesus because they recognize that he referred to himself by the same title that God spoke of there at the burning bush with Moses. There are many different names that we read about God in the Bible, but often, it's connected with a particular character trait that God wants to illustrate through that name.
Phil: Okay, that was an excellent answer. I do appreciate it. Again, you really know your stuff. I thank you so very much, sir.
Pastor Jean: Thanks. Thanks for your call, Phil. We do have a book called The Names of God, and it actually goes through this and gives a number of verses connected with different names used in the Bible. We'll be happy to send this to you, Phil, or anybody else that calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. 800-835-6747. If you have a Bible question, the phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Our next call is Barb. Barb is listening from Washington. Barb, welcome to the program.
Barb: Good evening. Yes. I have a question concerning angels. I was wondering, does the Bible mention how many angels there were before a third of them were cast down?
Pastor Jean: Good question. No, the Bible does not give us a specific number, but it refers to the angels in symbolic terms. A thousand times 10,000 and thousands of thousands. Now, when the Bible speaks of the angels that way, and by the way, you can read this in Revelation 4:5 speaks to the angels, it is a thousand times 10,000 and tens of thousands. It's not really trying to give us a specific number, meaning we shouldn't try and add up all these thousands. It just means a great number of angels. There are many angels.
If we stop and think about it, we have about 7 billion people on the planet, and at least for those who are faithful to God, we believe there is a guardian angel on the earth. We also know that there are angels in heaven. There are many angels. Having said that, based upon Revelation 12, with reference to the dragon, Satan, it says that a third of the angels, in Revelation chapter 12, it refers to them as stars fell. One-third of the angels of heaven joined Satan's rebellion when his name was still Lucifer and rebelled against God. A third of the angels joined his rebellion. The good news is, God has two-thirds of the angels that are still faithful and loyal to him.
Barb: Right. It doesn't matter the amount, just we know we have more.
Pastor Jean: There are many. There's many. The comforting truth is we got a guardian angel if we put our trust in Him, and the angel is with us.
Barb: Yes, so I just wondered if I missed something like there was a certain number or whatever.
Pastor Jean: No, the Bible doesn't give us an exact number for the angels.
Barb: All right. Thank you. That will save me from trying to hunt that down.
Pastor Jean: All right, no problem. Thanks for your call, Barb. God bless. Bye-bye. Our next caller is Danny listening from Citrus Heights, California. Danny, welcome to the program.
Danny: Hello, ministry of [unintelligible 00:44:18] [chuckles]. How are you doing?
Pastor Jean: Doing well, thanks.
Danny: I have a question. I attended church and they minister from the NIV. I was raised on the old King James Version of the Bible. My father was basically raised in the fire. You probably know what that means. I was taught that the closest thing to the root of the Bible is the King James Version. I mean, because they said that the more you translate, the weaker the definition or meaning of the word becomes. I don't know that. I'm no scholar or pundit. I know my word but I don't know if I stopped attending my church-- because when they open up their NIV, I open up my King James Version or my electronic King James Version of my phone.
Pastor Jean: Let me tell you a little bit about Bible translations. It's a good question. We want to make sure that we got the right word in our hands if we're studying the scriptures without a doubt. Let me begin by just clarifying different terms. First of all, when it comes to Bible translations, you have translations and you have paraphrases, and we need to make sure we know the difference. A paraphrase would be somebody taking an English Bible and writing it in different words, maybe more contemporary language.
It's taking the English Bible whether it's the King James or Revised Standard Version, the NIV, and they read a verse and then they'll write it in their own words. Probably the most popular paraphrase Bible that's out there is called the Living Bible, very popular Bible. Now, when it comes to paraphrases, what I suggest these always-- I mean, they might be great inspirational thoughts and devotional ideas that come out, but if you're going to do some serious Bible study, you want to go to a translation. That's the paraphrase.
The other is a translation. Translation is translated from the original languages. The Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew, New Testament is translated from Greek. When it comes to the different translations that are popular today, there's not much discussion with reference to the Hebrew Old Testament, the reason being is you have the Dead Sea Scrolls, and that helps validate the Old Testament. There might be just a few little variations in the Old Testament but not as much as in the new.
It's the Greek that there's been more discussion. When it comes to original Greek manuscripts, there are two families or two types of Greek manuscripts. I'm going to just back up a little bit. The New Testament came about when the apostles would write the letters. They would write letters to a particular church. The church would read the letter, and then a scribe in the church would copy the letter.
Then they would send the original onto another church and the church would read it and they'd copy it and they'd send it to somebody else. They'd read it and they copy it. After the 1st century AD, there were many copies of the letters, and they eventually were gathered together and became the New Testament, at least the Greek New Testament. There were many different manuscripts, and there were two families of manuscripts, the one referred to as the Byzantine text of manuscripts, the other one the Alexandria manuscripts.
This Alexandria turned out to be a Christian Center, and the Byzantine Empire the Byzantine area, which today would be Turkey and Greece, that was another area where there were texts. The King James version is translated from original Greek manuscripts called the Textus Receptus. A guy by the name of Erasmus was the one who compiled these various Greek manuscripts and put them together, and the King James was translated from the Textus Receptus.
There's a number of other good translations that also came from the Textus Receptus. Some of the newer translations like the NIV, primarily, they use the Alexandrian set of manuscripts otherwise known as the NU text or the Nestle-Aland texts. Basically, these original manuscripts, they're very, very close, but there are just some slight variations. What I like to encourage people to do is if you're taking some serious Bible study, recognize the Bible is originally written in Greek and Hebrew, and today, it's so easy.
If you have a computer or you have access to the internet, if you're studying a particular passage or a theme, you can always go to the original Greek or Hebrew words and look at where that word is used throughout the rest of the New Testament, the Old Testament, it would really come to a clear understanding of what the original text is saying. I don't have a problem with the NIV. I personally like to use the New King James or the King James Version, but mostly, the New King James, but I do refer to other translations as well. Again, I just want to encourage people if you're doing serious Bible study, go to the original languages.
Danny: I will. Old King James version or New is pretty much as far as being able to decipher--
Pastor Jean: I like the King James or New King James, and I'll tell you why, because their Bible has been around for so long, it's been examined by so many different great Christian scholars. If there are some words that could be better translated, and they are, in the King James, it could probably be translated a little bit clearer. We know roughly where those are just because it's been around for so long. I gravitate to that.
Danny: Yes, I have a [unintelligible 00:49:39] who's got the Jimmy Swaggart Bible from the Hebrew, so it's pretty good too. At any rate, thank you for clearing that up for me. I appreciate that.
Pastor Jean: Yes, absolutely. We have a book on the Bible that we'll be happy to send you.
Danny: Really.
Pastor Jean: Yes.
Danny: Wonderful.
Pastor Jean: It explains about the various translations. Let me see what the name of that book is. It's a fairly new one, The Ultimate Resources is what it's called. The Ultimate Resource. Let me give you the phone number to call and you can just ask for it. The number is 800-835-6747. 800-835-6747. Ask for the book called the Ultimate Resources. It's all about the Bible. You can read it for free online if you'd like, Danny. Just go to amazingfacts.org, type in The Ultimate Resource, and it's there. Thanks for your call. We've got time for a few more callers. Let's see. We have Seth listening from Michigan. Seth, welcome to the program.
Seth: Hi. I'm calling with a question from Genesis 30:25-43. The verse I'm specifically asking a question about is verse 37 because it says, "Jacob took from fresh rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, and peeled white stripes in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. And the rods which he peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters and in the water troughs where the flocks came to drink so that they should conceive when they came to drink. The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted." I'm wondering why when he puts the rods in front of them, I'm wondering why they conceived streaked, speckled, and spotted?
Pastor Jean: Good question. Sure, yes. Remember the arrangement that he had made with Laban, his father-in-law. He said, "Okay, let me just take the sheep and the goats that you don't really want." Typically, the ones that were spotted and speckled, they weren't necessarily the most priced or the most valuable. Yes, he prayed about it, and in the prayer, God revealed to him something that he was to do, which was to take these rods and shave some of the bark and reveal some of the light spots of the tree-bark, and place that in front of the watering trough.
Now, the wood itself, the sticks itself didn't really have any value in producing speckled or spotted sheep. It was an act of faith on behalf of Jacob when he asked God, and God said, "All right, do this as an act of faith," and God was the one that provided the blessing. There's nothing intrinsically valuable or that separated those sheep or goats from the others. It was more an act of faith on Jacob's part, in doing what God had said.
Seth: Okay.
Pastor Jean: All right, good question.
Seth: Thank you.
Pastor Jean: All right, you're welcome. Our next caller, let's see. We have Lowe calling from Indiana. Lowe, welcome to the program.
Lowe: Hi, how are you? Thank you for taking my question.
Pastor Jean: You're welcome.
Lowe: My question is, when we take our last breath here on earth, does our soul immediately go to be with the Lord, or does it lie dormant until the first resurrection?
Pastor Jean: Well, that's a good question. Often, people ask if it's the resurrection when Jesus comes and the righteous, of course, are resurrected at that point and taken to heaven, what happens to the soul when a person dies? Let me just talk a little bit about the word "soul." In the Bible, the word "soul" often refers to the whole person. There is the spirit that refers to the breath of life that a person has.
When a person dies, Jesus speaks of death being like a sleep, like an unconscious sleep When a person closes their eyes in death, their very next conscious thought that they have, Jesus is coming, and it's the resurrection. They're caught up to meet Jesus in the air. They're not aware that a thousand years, or 10 years, or 100 years has passed. To them, it's instantaneous. That's what Paul says, "To the absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."
The moment a person dies, the next conscious thought they have, they're present with Jesus. He's coming to the clouds of glory, and they are caught up to meet Jesus in the air. There isn't some holding place where souls go, where they're just rounded up waiting for the resurrection, and then they are reunited with their body. What's the point of having a resurrection if somehow, people are in heaven already? It just doesn't make biblical sense. In the Bible, death is like unto a sleep. When a person dies, their next conscious thought is they are resurrected, Jesus is coming, and they go to heaven.
Lowe: All right, thank you very much. I appreciate your answer.
Pastor Jean: All right. Thanks for your call, Lowe. I think we might have time for one more caller maybe. Yes, we've got, let's see, Ebenisa, listening from Canada. Ebenisa, we've got just about a minute left. What's your question?
Ebenisa: Hello, sir. Good evening, how are you today?
Pastor Jean: Very good. Hey, we've got just a few minutes before we run out of time.
Ebenisa: Okay. My question is on prayers. If there is a challenge in a believer's life, we should go to God in prayer. You fasted, you prayed, you seek for higher anointing, and the problem persists, what can you do? At what point do you take it to be, "Maybe it is God's will for me to live with this problem or challenge?
Pastor Jean: Okay. Good question. Two things. Number one, if we have a need, we ought to take it to the Lord in prayer. Depending upon what the severity of the need is, yes, it's very appropriate to spend time in fasting and prayer for a particular need. God doesn't always answer our prayers the time that we want it to answer it. God will answer it in the best time when He knows it's best for us.
Even if God does not answer that prayer immediately, we need to have confidence to know that God has heard the prayer and we can always ask God for peace through the trial or the difficulty. You probably remember the story where Paul is speaking about some ailment, he calls it a thorn in his flesh and he prayed repeatedly, and the Lord said, "I'm not going to take this away from you, but my grace is sufficient for you," and Paul was sustained through that trial.
Same for us, there are times that we face trials and God does not always answer or remove the trial from our life, but He has promised to give us grace or strength that will sustain us through that trial. We can always ask for peace. The Bible speaks of a peace that passes all understanding. Even in the midst of a trial, we can have that peace in our hearts. We might not even be able to explain exactly what that is, but we know God is with us and we have to have peace that sustains us in those trials.
Bring your request before the Lord, trust in Him that He's heard your prayer, and then allow him to answer your prayer in his time. In the meantime, ask for grace, ask for peace, and he will sustain you. Well, friends, you can hear the music playing there in the background. We have run out of time for today. If we didn't get to your question, don't give up, give us a call next week and we will talk more about the Bible. Again, you've been listening to Bible Answers Live. For more, visit amazingfacts.org. Until next week, God bless.
[background music]
Pastor Jean: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. Bible Answers Live is produced by Amazing Facts, a faith-based ministry located in Sacramento, California.
Voice-over: Amazing Facts began in 1965 with a God-inspired concept.
Joe Crews: Hello, this is Joe Crews, and the Amazing Facts broadcast, facts which affects you.
Voice-over: Each radio broadcast would begin with an amazing fact from science, nature, or history, followed by a Bible message that touched the hearts of listeners from every walk of life. The program was an instant success, and the ministry soon began expanding to include Bible lessons. In 1986, Amazing Facts added the medium of television to its growing outreach efforts, offering soul-winning evangelistic messages for viewers around the world.
In 1994, pastor Doug Batchelor assumed leadership of the ministry, adding the Bible Answers Live call-in radio program, and new ministry TV programs began airing on multiple networks around the world. For 50 years, the driving vision of Amazing Facts has been the bold proclamation of the everlasting gospel, and with a team of evangelist circling the globe and thousands of men and women being trained through the Amazing Facts Center of evangelism program, AFCOE, the ministry is helping God's church see a rich harvest of souls. Amazing Facts. God's message, our mission.
[background music]
Voice-over: If you'd like to enhance your study of God's work, visit our website at www.amazingfacts.org and sign up for our free Bible study course. Make sure to check out our online book store at afbookstore.com which offers thousands of inspiring books, DVDs, and more to help you get the most out of God's word. To take advantage of the offers you've heard on this broadcast, call us at 800-835-6747 or visit our website at amazingfacts.org. Did you enjoy this program? Make sure to tell your family and friends. Tune in next time for more Bible Answers Live, honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions.