Honeycomb Worms

The micro-cities are situated in places where the wave action will swirl up tiny pieces of sand and broken bits of sea shell. The feathery worms then catch these particles, and then like miniature masons, they cement them one grain at a time to the tube openings. To do this, God has created these little creatures with the perfect formula for producing a sturdy, underwater adhesive.

After catching a grain of sand, the worm will secrete two little dabs of glue onto the particle, then stick it onto the edge of the two. It holds it there for about 25 seconds and then it wiggles it to make sure the glue is set, then it lets go. This amazing glue is designed to set up and harden within 30 seconds after the worm secrets it. One grain of sand at a time, these clever little creatures build big, reef-like colonies that look like stacks of organ pipes.

Now, after years of studying the honeycomb worms, scientists from the University of Utah have succeeded in duplicating the miraculous adhesive; and they've invented an underwater superglue. Doctors have long sought a medical adhesive to repair moist bones that are shattered in accidents or in battlefield injuries.

The traditional method of repairing shattered bones is to use mechanical connectors, like wires, pins, nails and screws for support until they grow together and they can bear weight. Up until now, there has never been a glue that would work in the wet environment of the body during surgery. The new glue will help doctors repair bone. After the bone regrows, the non-toxic glue gradually dissolves.

Did you know that the Bible speaks of another superglue that will keep families together? Stay with us friends. We're going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.

[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]

PASTOR DOUG: And we do have lines open. If you have a Bible question friends, that's what this broadcast is for. It's a live, international, interactive Bible study. Just call the toll-free number; once again, that's 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297 with your Bible questions. My name is Doug Batchelor.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: My name is Jëan Ross. Good evening listening friends, Pastor Doug. Let's begin with a word of prayer. Dear Father, we thank You once again for this opportunity to study Your Word. And we as Your blessing upon the program. Be with those who are listening wherever they might be; and we pray, Lord, for wisdom as we search the Scriptures for answers. For this we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

PASTOR DOUG: Amen!

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Well Pastor Doug, welcome back. You've been gone for, what, three or four weeks? And we're delighted you're back but, where were you?

PASTOR DOUG: Well you know, I sometime am hesitant to tell people, because when you run a rerun--we've had to run a few pre-recorded programs--we just assume that everybody buys in as it's for the content. But I have been gone for awhile. You've done some of the programs in my absence, and I sure appreciate that. But I was in Australia for about four weeks.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm

PASTOR DOUG: And doing some meetings in the Sydney area. Right downtown, Sydney, Australia, we did some evangelistic meetings at the convention center. And then went to the events at the theater complex and did a full series of evangelistic programs. Had a great time.

And it was, kind of, hard to come home because there, right now, it's going from summer to spring and the days are getting longer, and I had to come back here to Northern California where we're going from fall to winter, and the days are getting dark and--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Wet, short, rainy

PASTOR DOUG: Yeah. But we had a great time there and we've got a lot of dear friends in Australia that tune into Amazing Facts, and they send their greetings. But I'm glad to be back and glad to be able to do another live broadcast with our friends listening here stateside.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Absolutely, yes. Well you opened the program by talking about these tiny little worms that have this superglue that can actually work under water. But then you said there's a superglue in the Bible. Well, what are you talking about?

PASTOR DOUG: You know, there is. Matter of fact, the Hebrew word is, "dabaq." Sometimes that word is translated, "cleave." And that word really means "to cling," "adhere," "bond," "to abide fast," "to keep fast," "to stick." And here's where you first find that used: "Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother and he shall be glued unto his wife."

The word is "cleave unto his wife," but it's "dabaq;" "and they shall be one flesh." God wants these marriages super-glued together. And it's not just between a man and his spouse. Even through the Bible, it says we ought to be glued to the Lord.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm

PASTOR DOUG: Joshua said, and Moses used the word the same way, "But take diligent heed to do the commandments and the law, which Moses the servant of God charged you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments, and to 'dabaq,' 'cleave,' 'glue' unto Him, and serve Him with all of your heart and all of your soul."

So the Lord, He tells us that we should be glued to our spouses and our families, that glue of love; and also in our relationship with our Lord. This is the superglue, it's love. You know, Jesus said in the last days, families are going to fall apart because love grows cold.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm

PASTOR DOUG: That glue of love breaks down. But when we've got the Holy Spirit and God's love, it'll super glue our relationships. And maybe our friends want to know more about that.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: We've got a study guide just dealing with the subject of how to have a glued marriage, a happy home. It's a study guide called, Keys for a Happy Marriage, and it's free. If you'll call our resource line, we'll be happy to send that out, 1-800-835-6747. Again, that number is, 1-800-835-6747.

That is the resource line, and ask for the study guide, Keys for a Happy Marriage. Just great resources there that, well, even if you have a good marriage, it can help to make it even stronger.

PASTOR DOUG: You know, one more thing we could maybe mention at the top of the program is, you and I are getting ready to take a trip--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: That's right

PASTOR DOUG: --and we're going to be going...it's now from Australia to just about the other side of the globe, to England. We'll be flying into London in about a week and doing a one-week revival. So we won't be out of the saddle here for long. But any of our friends that want to know more about this, it's going to be a live, streaming revival, meaning, you listening right now friends, can participate in this.

Anybody that gets the Internet can tune in to Streams of Light. And it will not only be streaming around the world on the Internet, but it will be broadcast live on 3 Angels Broadcasting Network. It's basically a revival series.

Just did an evangelistic series in Australia, but this series is really devoted to people who have made a commitment to Christ and maybe they need a little spiritual defibrillator to wake them up, and to give them an injection of some adrenalin to go along with that superglue. And so that's called, Streams of Light. There's a website called amazingfacts.tv. There's a lot more information there, amazingfacts.tv.

And, before we go to the phones, I might just mention, we still have about half of the lines open. So pick up the phone and give a call. You've got a good chance of getting your question on tonight's broadcast. Who's first in line Pastor Ross?

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: We've got Joe calling from San Antonio, Texas. Joe, welcome to the program.

JOE: How are you doing guys?

PASTOR DOUG: Good

JOE: Hey um, I'm kind of nervous so bear with me; but I did want to thank you personally for your ministry. I'm just growing so much, and I encourage anybody who's hearing to continue listening. My relationship with Christ and Biblical knowledge has just increased so much; but--

PASTOR DOUG: Praise the Lord!

JOE: --I thank you for that.

PASTOR DOUG: Thank you

JOE: My question is on 1st Corinthians 14:13. I came from a very charismatic church, a very tongue-speaking church; and I've received your literature on something about tongues. And I've read that and I think I have a good understanding of tongues now. But when I come across here...and I always want to have a good foundation to be able to explain certain Scriptures to my friend--and he always brings this up--and 14:13 seems to be indicating that there's a tongue that's used for praying, not just for being a witness towards God, like in Pentecost and the rest of the examples that you discussed in Acts. And I wanted you to talk about that a little bit. And then, if you could also give me an example of maybe how this interpretation works, like, one person comes up and, and, 14:13--I can read it real quick. It says, "Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret." And it makes me think like, "Does he not know what he's saying himself?" Or if you can talk a little bit about that, I'd appreciate it.

PASTOR DOUG: Alright, I'll do my best. First of all--and by the way, there is a book--you sound like you've, maybe, already read it before our other friends, Joe. It's a book called, Understanding Tongues. And if people want a free copy of that, they can call Amazing Facts; or, they can read it for free right there at the amazingfacts.org website.

But the Corinthian church, Paul only speaks about tongues to the Corinthian church, and only in 1st Corinthians. To have the historical context, the church of Corinth was a seaport. This is in the middle of the Roman empire of the Mediterranean and it was a melting pot of people from all over the Roman empire that spoke a regular quilt, a kaleidoscope of different languages.

And many of the poor were coming to Christ. You know, it's not always the educated and the religious leaders that were converting to Christianity. Jesus said it was the poor in spirit, and it was also the poor economically, that typically followed Him. So there was a lot of slaves that came to Christ and they would go to the services there in Corinth.

And people were all speaking in their native tongues, praying, sharing, giving testimonies; and the bulk of the people maybe didn't understand. And so Paul had to take some time to say, "Look, if someone is going to preach, pray, prophesy in an unknown tongue,"--and that word

"unknown" there is supplied, it's not in the original. It just means a language the others present don't readily recognize. "Then they should have somebody prepared to interpret."

The word "interpret" means, translate. So he's simply saying here in verse 13, "Wherefore let him that speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret." Now when you go from Greek to English, sentence structure sometimes sounds strange, but a more modern translation would read, "Let him that speaks in a foreign language pray that there may be an interpreter." Very simple.

I go all over the world and I preach and teach, and I often have to have a translator because I'm speaking in a Tamil audience; or a Telugu audience; or Tagalog, if you're in the Philippines. And one reason you know that is all through 1st Corinthians 14, the emphasis is on understanding.

He says, for instance, in verse 9, "So likewise, ye except you utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for you'll be speaking into the air." Obviously, God knows all things. So the emphasis through this chapter is, if you're going to speak, either speak to yourself or make sure there's a translator, because what profit is it if you speak 10,000 words in an known tongue?

Paul said, "I'd rather speak five words with my understanding that another person might be edified, than 10,000 in an unknown tongue."

JOE: So you could say that um, they were praying in different unknown languages and, but it was worldly, earthly languages--

PASTOR DOUG: Exactly.

JOE: --and he's telling them just pray that you can interpret it so we can understand what you're praying.

PASTOR DOUG: Right. He was saying exactly that. There's different people praying in different languages.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: And you know, he uses the same analogy when he talks about singing in verse 15. He says, "I will sing in the spirit, I will sing with understanding also...else when you sing, how will somebody say Amen who's listening?"

So he's clearly referring to understanding--not necessarily, as some might think--"Well, you're praying and you don't understand it and you need an interpreter to interpret what you're praying." Rather, "Those who are listening, they need to understand so that they can say, "Amen" so they can be blessed and edified--"

JOE: Amen

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: --not only in prayer, but he also uses the example of singing.

PASTOR DOUG: You know, what really helps, Joe, is whenever you're in the Bible and you see something like this, you say, "Alright, where in the Bible is an example?" And all three times in the Bible when they spoke in tongues, there were at least two different language groups present; and it was for the purpose of communicating truth.

In Acts chapter 2 it says, "We do hear them speak in our own language the wonderful works of God." In Acts chapter 19 it says, "And they spoke in tongues and prophesied." That means they preached; they knew what they were saying. So wherever they speak in tongues, they knew what they were saying. And there's no example I can think of in the Bible of anybody praying and not knowing what they prayed--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm

PASTOR DOUG: --not recognizing...you don't see Jesus or anyone doing that.

JOE: Right. I appreciate the help guys. I just want to leave you with a little word of encouragement from myself, that it's just such a miracle that God is working through you guys; and I pray for you guys all the time. And just leave you with that encouragement

[Cross talk]

PASTOR DOUG: Well thank you Joe.

JOE: (unintelligible) you guys day in and day out. Good night guys.

PASTOR DOUG: Bless your heart and please do keep us in your prayers. We sure appreciate that.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: And again, we just want to remind our friends of the book, Pastor Doug, that you mentioned earlier um--

PASTOR DOUG: Understanding Tongues

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Understanding--we changed the name here. Understanding Tongues. It's free. Call our resource line, 1-800-835-6747. And if you have a Bible question, we still have a few lines that are open. Give us a call here in the studio, 1-800-GOD-SAYS; that's 1-800-463-7297. Our next caller is Jim, and Jim is calling us from North Carolina. Jim, welcome to the program.

JIM: Thank you. I had--it's just a simple question. It's who is the bride of Christ? And I ask this because I've been reading a book on the magnificent disappointment. And about halfway through the book, when John was taken up to the mountain, He showed him New Jerusalem and said it was the bride of Christ. And that comes in Revelation 21, 9 through 11--

PASTOR DOUG: Uh-huh

JIM: --then again in Luke 12, 35 through 37 mentions that He doesn't come for the virgins until He's coming from the wedding.

PASTOR DOUG: Alright well, there's no conflict there. Who lives in the New Jerusalem?

JIM: I hope we do.

PASTOR DOUG: Alright. So it's the church that lives in the City. And so, the Lord is not calling the emeralds in the gold in the walls His bride. Jesus didn't die to save minerals. He died to save people. You know, probably the way to describe it is, after a groom builds a beautiful mansion for his bride and his bride is up there on the hill in the mansion, and he's talking to a friend and he looks wistfully up at the mansion and says, "There's my bride," well he's not talking about the building. He's talking about who's in the building.

When it says that the New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ in Revelation, it's after the church has been caught up. So it's understood this is their home.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: You know, we also have the New Jerusalem being the capitol of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is inhabited by the saints. But Christ receives in Daniel chapter 7 a Kingdom, and dominion, and power; and as a symbol of that Kingdom that Christ receives from the Ancient of Days, God the Father in Daniel 7, that is a symbol of this Kingdom and His bride, that being the church that populates His Kingdom.

So the New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ, in that it is this Kingdom that Christ receives, which is populated by the church.

JIM: The part that kind of confused me was Luke 12, 35 through 37 where He says, "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding."

PASTOR DOUG: Well, in the Jewish wedding, I understand what you're saying. Now, in the Jewish wedding, there was a contract that was made where the bride may not have even been there. And then he would come to get the wife.

JIM: When his house was finished.

PASTOR DOUG: Yeah, exactly. It's like in John chapter 14. You know, I thought of one more verse that's actually in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it calls it the New Jerusalem. They used to call it Mount Zion. And it says in Jeremiah 6:2, "I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and a delicate woman." Mount Zion is where Jerusalem was.

So God compares Jerusalem to His people in the Old Testament and to His bride, or the church, in the New Testament. It's a pretty consistent symbol. And by the way, we also, Jim, have a lesson specifically on that we'd be happy to send you. It's called, The Bride of Christ. Actually it's called, Clothed with Light.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Clothed with Light, yes.

PASTOR DOUG: It's on the bride of Christ. It's called, Clothed with Light.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: And it's an Amazing Facts study guide. If you'd like to receive it, call our resource line, 1-800-835-6747, and ask for the study guide, Clothed with Light, and we'll send that out. Chris is our next caller; and he is calling from West Virginia. Chris, welcome to the program.

CHRIS: Hello, good evening

PASTOR DOUG: Good evening

CHRIS: I just want to say uh, Pastor Doug, we thank you for your time and effort you put in to minister to God's people. And we just thank you from the bottom of our heart.

PASTOR DOUG: Well it's a privilege, thank you Chris.

CHRIS: And the question I have, I've been studying on the Sabbath truth and some Scriptures concerning the Sabbath. And I'm, kind of, hung up on the part about...there's some Scriptures in the New Testament that talks about the Sabbath day's journey.

PASTOR DOUG: Um-hmm

JIM: And from what I can gather, it was about, like a quarter of a mile that the people of Israel could only, you know, go about a quarter of a mile on the Sabbath day. And I guess that was for gathering food, or whatever the case may be; but I just really, kind of, if you could, kind of, give some Scriptures about, you know, as it pertains to going to worship? Um, you know, I'm kind of isolated from a church, and I don't...if you could just, kind of, elaborate on that it would be helpful.

PASTOR DOUG: Yeah, no problem. Let me take a minute and talk about that. You know, it refers in the Bible to "a Sabbath day's journey," or "about a Sabbath day's journey;" and I don't even remember what that reference is, actually.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Acts chapter 1, verse 12, it talks about that.

PASTOR DOUG: There you go, Acts 1:12. And there's no command in the Bible that tells how far you can go on the Sabbath day. Luke is simply referring there to, there was a tradition of the Pharisees about how far you could walk on the Sabbath day. They had a lot of man-made laws. Luke is simply using that to give an estimate of a distance.

He wasn't using it to endorse the law. And so it was a man-made law. No where in the Bible does it command how far you can or can't walk on the Sabbath; because the principle of the Sabbath is one of rest, but it's also one of ministry. I know some people that, on the Sabbath day, they go out in nature and they might walk several miles in nature, and it's invigorating.

The idea that of the Sabbath is to experience re-creation; and certainly, a vigorous walk on the Sabbath is good for you. But the Jews had a bunch of man-made laws, and they had measured off a distance--I think it was about two miles the distance between one end of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives.

And some of the Pharisees were so legalistic about this Chris, they had a ball of string that they would take with them. They would tie it off in one place if they were planning on the Sabbath to make it a walk, and they'd unroll the ball of string to see if it was within the right measurement. They were very fastidious about keeping the Sabbath; but it was made-made laws.

So, there is no command in the Bible about how far you can get. Now, especially for us today, you walk out your door and you sit in your car with a key-less entry; and then you press your remote control garage that opens the door; and then, you know, you've got your heated seats; and you can drive two hundred miles and uh--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: busy

PASTOR DOUG: --become very, yeah, no exertion at all.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: (Laughs)

PASTOR DOUG: So, the idea is a practical one. You don't want your traveling on the Sabbath to be distracted with worldly cares, or to be strenuous, or non-restorative.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm. You know, we do have a study guide, Pastor Doug, dealing with the Sabbath. I don't know if it actually addresses a Sabbath day's journey in there, but it does talk about the Sabbath. There are probably some folks wondering, "Well, what does the Bible say about it?" It's called, The Lost Day of History. And to get that, call our resource line, 1-800-835-6747, and ask for the study guide called, The Lost Day of History.

PASTOR DOUG: Hope that helps Chris, and we'll be happy to send that to you if you don't have it.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Our next caller is Abraham and he is calling from New Jersey. Abraham, welcome to the program.

ABRAHAM: Hi, how are you?

PASTOR DOUG: Doing well, how can we help you tonight?

ABRAHAM: Alright. My question is, we live in the time that we know that the mark of the beast is waiting at the doors. And me, myself, I understand what the mark of the beast--I mean, what I'm saying is, the meaning and turn out for that. But can you explain it somehow, so that people that listen as, you know, don't get this so to speak, because we heard a lot of rumors like, it's a chip, you know, I mean, it's, they're using all kinds of (unintelligible), and all kinds of, I mean, so many wars that is going on--

PASTOR DOUG: Right

ABRAHAM: --out there. But we understand that Revelation has to do with worship. Behind the scene is the devil. So I'll give you, you know, if you can, you know, kind of, explain it so that the listeners can hear?

PASTOR DOUG: I'll do my best. Now the challenge, Abraham, is of course, in the three or four minutes per call that we try to budget, I see we're coming up to a break here in a moment. It's going to be hard to give a, what I sometimes do in two hours when I'm doing a full presentation, but a quick summary would be, you're right. There are a lot of myths out there.

People think the mark of the beast is a computer chip; or they think it's the bar code in the forehead; and all kinds of kooky, zany ideas. The key to understanding it is found in Deuteronomy chapter 6, where it says, "These words, that I command you today, shall be in your heart. You'll write them on the doorposts of your house."

And he says, "They shall be as frontlets between your eyes and it will be a sign upon your hand," meaning that we need to have the law of God in our actions, that's in our hand; and the worship of God in our foreheads. Those that do not have the law sealed in their hearts and their minds--see, everyone in Revelation has a mark. People always think of the mark of the beast, but everybody is marked in Revelation.

It says that one group has the seal of God in their forehead, their Father's name in their forehead. The other group has the mark of the beast in their forehead. And those that don't have the mark of the beast do have their Father's name, and that's in Revelation chapter 14. So the seal of God, first of all, is the Holy Spirit. Secondly, the seal of God is the law of God in our hearts; because if we've got love for God, we'll have His law in our hearts. And that's what that great command is: to love the Lord with all your heart.

And in the law of God, is the seal of God. Now we've got a lesson that explains both the seal of God and the mark of the beast. And if people want to know what that mark is, it is not a computer chip. We've got a lesson; and you better put your seat belt on before you ask for it. But it's called, The Mark of the Beast.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: The Mark of the Beast. You know, one other quick thing on that, Pastor Doug. I think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing on the plain of Dura. Nebuchadnezzar had built this golden image. Everybody bowed down to that golden image. They put their hands on the ground, and as they bowed down to worship, their foreheads, they would bring it up against the ground. So you've got the hands and the foreheads in worship.

PASTOR DOUG: The foreheads. That's a good little point.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: And, that's really the issue involved here at the end of time. The study guide is, The Mark of the Beast. To receive it, call 1-800-835-6747, and ask for the Amazing Facts study guide, The Mark of the Beast.

PASTOR DOUG: Do we have time for another call? We've got one minute. Tell you what, why don't we talk about England? I don't want to cut someone off after one minute. I don't think a minute is enough.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Yeah, well tell us a little more then about Streams of Light.

PASTOR DOUG: Alright, yeah. We're going to be taking a special meeting. If you missed it at the beginning friends--see? I knew that music was going to come and catch us. We're not done. We're going to take a break, but before we go to the break friends, we want to tell you that we're doing a very special revival in England. Matter of fact, I heard that in one day, after they opened the doors to register that all the seats were gone--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: All the seats were gone.

PASTOR DOUG: --2,300 seats, or something like that.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm. Birmingham, England.

PASTOR DOUG: It will be in Birmingham, England, and it's December 2nd through the 5th; and anyone listening can log on and participate in this revival series. It's called, Streams of Light. If you want to know more about it, go to the website, that is amazingfacts.tv. And, matter of fact, while you're at amazingfacts.tv, you can also be watching a spectrum of Amazing Facts television programs. That's, of course, in addition to our regular mother ship website, amazingfacts.org. We'll be right back.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

PASTOR DOUG: Hello listening friends. If some of you have hopped on along the way, this is Bible Answers Live. It is a live, interactive Bible study; and we invite you to listen in. We hope that you can pray in and, if you'd like, you can call in. And we do have a couple of lines open. That number one more time is, 1-800-GOD-SAYS, which is an acronym for 1-800-463-7297. My name is still Doug Batchelor.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: And I'm still Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug, just before the break, you mentioned Streams of Light there in England. What are the dates for that? I don't know if we mentioned it.

PASTOR DOUG: December 2nd through the 5th. Now there's five meetings because we'll be meeting each nite, and that's England time; so it'll be earlier, of course, here.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Seven-thirty England time.

PASTOR DOUG: Right. And then in 90-minute programs all told, it's going to be very exciting. Then there are two on Sabbath, two programs on Sabbath, two broadcasts. If you miss one of them, they'll be archived on the Streams of Light website. Just go to amazingfacts.tv and you'll see more information there.

And we hope you'll pass that link onto your friends. If you know anybody that needs some encouragement in the Lord, a revival; maybe you know someone who has backslidden a little bit and they're reaching out for God. You might send them the Streams of Light link. Just go to amazingfacts.tv and they can tune in. And pray for us as we travel.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Absolutely.

PASTOR DOUG: We don't presume that we can bring revival. It's the Lord that does it; and we just pray that the Lord will use us and it will happen.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Our next caller is Yunello calling from Farmington Hills, Michigan. Yunello, welcome to the program.

YUNELLO: Hello, yes, how are you doing?

PASTOR DOUG: Very well, and your question tonight?

YUNELLO: My question is on tithing. My question is, the difference between Old Testament tithing and New Testament giving; because, from reading the Word of God, I don't see a necessity in tithing, like the 10 percent, but most churches say that it's required for Bible believers to give that 10 percent. From what I see, it looks like the New Testament believers, they gave everything; and just gave to everyone who had need.

PASTOR DOUG: Alright, that's a good question, and you're right. Actually, New Testament giving is much more than 10 percent. But tithing is kindergarten for any believer. It's a bare minimum.

The principle of tithing is found in the New Testament. You'll find, for instance, in Matthew 23:23, it's kind of easy to remember, where Jesus is talking. He's in that debate with the scribes and Pharisees, and they were very exacting about tithe. He said, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin." Those were herbs that they grew in their garden and they would count out pieces of parley and they'd say, "Okay, and one for the Lord." So they were very particular.

And He said, "you've omitted," Jesus is speaking here; He said you pay on your herb garden but you've, "omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these you ought to have done," and notice what He says at the end, "and do not leave the other undone." In other words, don't neglect tithe-paying, but don't forget the priorities of judgment, mercy, and faith.

So another reason that we believe that the principle of tithe is still in effect for New Testament Christians, but like I said, it's actually beyond that, is because anything that you find among God's people before the time of Moses in the Levitical law, is typically an ongoing principle.

And you find where Abraham paid tithe. He lived long before the Ten Commandments or the Levitical ceremonial laws. Abraham paid tithe when he paid it to Melchizedek. I actually don't remember that verse, Pastor Ross, where he paid tithe to Melchizedek.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Well it's mentioned in Hebrews chapter 7, 1 and 2.

PASTOR DOUG: Well there you go. That's another New Testament reference to what Abraham did. And then Jacob, when he fled, he said if God would safely bring him back, "a tenth of all that You give me I'll restore to You." "Tithe" means, "a tenth." And so, you've got at least two examples even before Moses where they believed in the principle of tithe.

And then of course, what really begs the question is, if God had a system for the support of mission work and ministry around the world in the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament, if He has not substituted it with a different system--tithes and offerings were the system in the Old Testament--we still have offerings today. I don't think God has deducted the tithe. So, you know, we have a lesson we could send you on that, Yunello.

YUNELLO: You said some awesome stuff about Melchizedek.

PASTOR DOUG: Yes

YUNELLO: I thought that was very true. But there's only one thing that I was contemplating on when you were talking about it, was, when you said Abraham gave the tenth to Melchizedek.

PASTOR DOUG: Yes

YUNELLO: I was reading it in Genesis and what I saw was that, yes, he gave that tenth; but he offered it, not as a requirement, but out of just willing heart. And then I go on to 2nd Corinthians 9 where he says, "...give not grudgingly, nor of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

PASTOR DOUG: Exactly. And, by the way, I'd be very suspicious about joining any church that has tithe police. If the pastor is going around and asking to see their check stubs and see what their income is, making sure that they pay a tithe, it should be from the heart. Even among the children of Israel, it was something that was to be done from the heart, as part of worship.

I don't believe there was any penalty anywhere that was exacted on those who neglected their tithe. They had laws about, you know, adultery, what the punishment was for different things. But tithe, it was a command of God, but it was one that was to be followed willingly. We're also commanded to love the Lord--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm

PASTOR DOUG: --you know what I mean?

YUNELLO: Yes

PASTOR DOUG: So, the principle of tithe, I think, is still in effect. If every Christian would take a tenth of their increase and just make a commitment to say, "We're going to use this for mission work and ministry around the world," the Gospel would have a lot more fuel. But you look in the New Testament and it says, they were going way beyond that. They were selling their houses and lands, liquidating and placing that at the Apostles' feet. It was a lot more than just a tenth.

Yeah, like i said, I just don't want people to think that it's less than a tenth now that we're in the New Testament, because as we near the end of time, we don't need less love. I think we need more; not less sacrifice, more. Does that make sense?

YUNELLO: I agree with you. It shouldn't. It's not about, like, because the bible talks about, in Galatians, "...use not liberty for the occasion of the flesh, but by love serve one another."

PASTOR DOUG: Exactly.

YUNELLO: But what I'm saying is in Romans 5, it talks about, you know, the love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost, so therefore with that love, we can't...we're convicted to give more. We're persuaded. It's not of, "Oh, because God is going to give us anything;" because, "Oh, because it's not only just pleasing God," but we want the Kingdom to go forward. It's not something that these people about, "Hey, you know, do this and you'll be blessed," or, "Do this and you'll receive something;" but just do it, you know, out of the goodness of your heart without expecting nothing.

PASTOR DOUG: Alright, just one more point before we leave this is, when you've got a command in the Old Testament; for instance, they had commands about circumcision. When you get to the New Testament, when that command is negated, there was very clear commands from Paul where he said, "Look, circumcision is nothing, uncircumcision is nothing; but keeping the commandments is what matters." All through the New Testament they make it very clear that circumcision is no longer mandatory. But the silence in the New Testament, no where does it say tithe is no longer an obligation.

The very fact that it never says that, and that whenever tithe is mentioned, it's mentioned as if it's still in effect, leaves us with the conclusion that it must still be in effect. If our government never issued a law that says the speed limit has been raised to 80 miles an hour, it would be dangerous to assume it has been changed.

You'd probably hear a lot of notice about it being changed. And since this was a universal law among God's people in the Old Testament, if He was going to change it in the New Testament, there would be some explicit command.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm

PASTOR DOUG: But the silence is evidence that it's still in effect. So I hope that helps. By the way, we do have a study guide--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: We do.

PASTOR DOUG: --that deals with that subject.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: It's called, "In God We Trust?" And to receive that, call our resource line, 1-800-835-6747. Our next caller is Don, and he's calling us from Guam. Don, welcome to the program.

DON: Hi, can you hear me?

PASTOR DOUG: Loud and clear Don. Can you hear me?

DON: Yes sir. Alright, so I once inquired if there was any reference in the Scriptures to abortion, other than the, perhaps, Ten Commandments, telling people if uh, perhaps, Jesus...any reference to it. Because, there's been a lot of talk, or debate, about whether abortion is simply a healthcare medical procedure. And since we've talked about it so often through the years, it seems like a lie for anyone who has kept track of it to keep saying it's a simple, medical healthcare procedure.

PASTOR DOUG: Well, the closest thing to abortion and a case of it in the Bible, is in the Mosaic law where it says, "If two men strive, if there's a fight, and a woman is hurt with child so that her fruit departs from her..." well that's an accidental abortion; the one woman gets between two men fighting and she's pregnant, and she miscarries.

But that, really, is not a good verse to apply to someone deliberately saying they're going to go to a doctor and terminate their pregnancy. One of the best things I can find is when David and Bathsheba had their forbidden interlude and she discovers she's pregnant. She doesn't say to David, "I've got a fetus." She doesn't say, "I've got this human mass that's now growing." She says, "I am with child."

And it was pretty early in the pregnancy because David was going to try to pawn off responsibility on Uriah. So it must have been pretty early in the pregnancy if he thought he might get away with that. And it says that she declared she was with child.

DON: Pastor, is it appropriate then to, perhaps, teach the new generations about this issue of the seriousness of unborn children, and then to what extent, without it getting too political?

PASTOR DOUG: Well absolutely. The Bible is very clear that life is sacred. Jesus died to save human life. At what time does human life begin? The only place that you can pin the needle down on the continuum of time is at that point of conception. Human life is sacred. When the egg of the woman and the sperm of the man unite and that magical thing happens--

[Cross talk]

DON: What environment, what setting would it be appropriate to teach the new generations about this issue, just between parents and children? Between religious leaders, pastors and their--

PASTOR DOUG: Well I think that it's appropriate to teach the truth on this principle in a broad spectrum of environments. Of course, I think it should start with children. I think it's appropriate to teach it in church. I do in mine. And I think it's something that should be vigorously discussed in the government right now. I'm disappointed with the trends to just treat abortion as though it's an inconvenient form of birth control.

DON: I appreciate you answering, Pastor.

PASTOR DOUG: Alright, absolutely. Hey, thanks a lot Don. I'm glad to get a phone call from our friends in Guam.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Our next caller is Vincent and he is calling from Honolulu, Hawaii. Vincent, welcome to the program.

PASTOR DOUG: Hi Vincent, are you on now?

VINCENT: Yeah

PASTOR DOUG: Hey, welcome to the program. Do you have a question tonight?

VINCENT: Yes

PASTOR DOUG: And your question?

VINCENT: My question is how did Noah put all the animals in the ark?

PASTOR DOUG: Well, for one thing, the Lord brought the animals supernaturally. In other words, I don't think that Noah and his boys had a two-year rodeo, a roundup, where they were trying to corral everything from turtles to cheetahs. I believe that the Spirit of God moved upon these animals and brought them to the ark; and probably Noah and his sons then brought them in and put them in the various chambers that they had prepared.

Now they spent about 120 years preparing the ark and they probably had chambers that were prepared according to God's instruction for all the different-sized animals. I think the Lord also made the animals uh, He calmed them so that some of them that might normally be ferocious were very subdued as they came to the ark and came to Noah.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Now of course, remember the Bible also tells us, Vincent, that God didn't have to bring in all of the dogs in the world into the ark. It was just male and female; and they didn't necessarily have to be full-grown animals, like, maybe a young elephant, or two young elephants versus full-grown elephants. So, there were things God could do to get all the species in the ark.

[Cross talk]

PASTOR DOUG: Yup, that's right. That's a good point. That would save a lot of room if you could have a baby elephant as opposed to a full-grown one.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Right

PASTOR DOUG: Someone did some research one time. I think it was the Moody Bible Institute. They did a study on if you took two of all the major categories, you could very easily fit them; because the average-sized animals, like a sheep, they're not that big. You could very easily fit them on the square footage, the space that they had available in the ark. And so, good question Vincent. Are you in Honolulu, Hawaii?

VINCENT: Yeah

PASTOR DOUG: Oh I wish I could trade places with you. That would be nice, or at least join you there. Hey, appreciate your phone call.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Our next caller is Marie and she is calling from Queens, New York, listening on WMCA. Marie, welcome to the program.

MARIE: Hello, good evening

PASTOR DOUG: Good evening Marie, and your question?

MARIE: Yes, my question is on 1st Samuel 28, and verse 7. And my question is about Saul.

PASTOR DOUG: Okay

MARIE: "Then said Saul unto his servants, 'Seek me a woman that has a familiar spirit.'" And when you reach over in verse 11, "The woman said, 'Who shall I bring up?' and he said, 'Bring up Samuel.'" And then the woman cried in verse 12, she cried with a loud voice; and then she said in verse 13, "I saw gods ascending out of the earth." And the next verse where she said um, in 15 it says Samuel saw Saul and said, "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?" I would like to know if this is real, because this woman has a familiar spirit; so I would like to know did she really speak to Samuel, and if Samuel really spoke to Saul?

PASTOR DOUG: Alright, good question. We have this question periodically because it is a confusing verse. The natural question someone might ask here is, this woman--who is a witch--and God, very clearly, forbids mediums that consult spirits. And Pastor Ross, you might find one of those verses where it says it's forbidden, don't suffer a witch to live, or a medium, or--

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Leviticus 20:27

PASTOR DOUG: Thank you. Leviticus 20:27. It was forbidden. The idea that this person has the power to resurrect a deceased prophet of God...you know obviously, the devil doesn't have the power to give life. And the devil--

MARIE: I know that.

PASTOR DOUG: --he doesn't have power over God's saints, to raise them up. One of the keys I think to understand this, Marie, is in verse 14 of chapter 28.

MARIE: Right

PASTOR DOUG: When Saul says to her, "What form is he of?" Now the fact--

MARIE: Yes [Cross talking]

PASTOR DOUG: --that he is having to ask the woman what does he look like means Saul did not see the apparition. Saul heard it, but he didn't actually see it. He had to take her word for it that, oh yes, it's a man covered with a mantle. Well, everybody knew what Samuel the prophet looked like.

MARIE: Right

PASTOR DOUG: He was probably one of the most visible people in the Middle East at that time. He had been a prophet since he was a kid until, what, like 100 years of age. So, it was easy to fabricate that. And then the message that this apparition gives, it's not actually Samuel. It's a devil impersonating, or posing as, Samuel the prophet. He gives a total, hopeless message.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: You know, we also have a cross-reference--

[Cross talk]

MARIE: It says he talked to him. He said he talked with Samuel. He said, "Why did you disquieted me?" In other words, "Why did you disturb me?"

PASTOR DOUG: Yeah, well of course, this demon is masquerading as Samuel and he's deceiving Saul to give him a totally hopeless message; as a matter of fact, so hopeless Saul kills himself the next day.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Let me give you another cross-reference for that Marie, 1st Chronicles chapter 10, verses 13 and 14. It says, "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;" so that's referring to this story, "And inquired not of the LORD."

So, when a king would go to the prophet, he would inquire of the prophet what does the Lord say. But in 1st Chronicles it says that this was not God communicating through Samuel. This was, by no means, something God was involved in. This was the spirit of the devil.

PASTOR DOUG: Good point.

MARIE: So okay, just an interesting one to you. So in Luke chapter 9 when it says the transfiguration of Christ, it talks about Jesus talked with Moses and Elias. Wasn't that true?

PASTOR DOUG: Yeah. When Moses and Elijah--and you'll also find that in Mark chapter 9, it's in three Gospels. When Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah on that mountain, that really was Moses and Elijah. And by the way, of course, Jesus is not a witch. You've got Peter--

MARIE: No, no, we know that.

PASTOR DOUG: --yeah, and then you've got Peter, James, and John that were all three witnesses, and this is not happening in a cave in some witch's house, this is happening on a mountaintop in full visibility where nobody is pulling strings and there's no smoke and mirrors.

And of course, Elijah want to heaven in a fiery chariot, so we know he's there. And then if you read in the book of Jude, verse 9, it says Michael the archangel comes to resurrect Moses. And so, we know that Moses and Elijah are both in the Kingdom; so, no question that that was really them. Whereas the message that came from this apparition that claimed to be Samuel, that was not the Lord speaking.

MARIE: That was not really Samuel? This is not Samuel's ghost

[Cross talking]

PASTOR DOUG: No. That wasn't Samuel at all. Matter of fact, we have a lesson that's called, "Are the Dead Really Dead?" And I think it addresses this specific story in that lesson. We'll be happy to send you a free copy, Marie.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Marie, call 1-800-835-6747, and ask for the study guide, "Are the Dead Really Dead?" and we'll send that out. And friends, if you'd like to get your call in this evening, we've got a few lines still open. Give us a call at 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that's 1-800-463-7297. Our next caller is Christian calling from Detroit, Michigan. Christian, welcome to the program.

CHRISTIAN: Thank you Pastor. I have just a quick question. It's about the anti-Christ. I don't remember exactly where is the verse, but the Bible says, "he will think to change the time." So I don't know exactly if this [is] referring to the...when people say, "after Christ or before Christ." What, exactly, the Bible is referring to?

PASTOR DOUG: Alright. The verse I think you're talking about is Daniel chapter 7, is that verse 25 Pastor Ross, where it says that, "he," the beast power, "will think to change times and laws." Now, nobody can change God's times and laws, but the beast power thinks to, or attempts to. And when you get the study on, "Who is the Anti-Christ?" we go into identifying who is this beast of Revelation 13 and Daniel chapter 7. And it also, in the lesson on the mark of the beast, it explains what are some of the times and laws that he thinks to change.

Now, I see another question coming up on this subject, so I may as well broach it now. There is only one of the Ten Commandments that is both a law and a time, and that is the Fourth Commandment that deals with the Sabbath. And our friends who listen on a regular basis

know that we here at Bible Answers Live believe in all Ten Commandments, including the Fourth, which says the seventh day--that we commonly call Saturday--is the Sabbath of the Lord.

That has never been changed. Nowhere does God say, "I'm now changing this to a new day." There's no command in the Bible. And so this is one example where apostate Christians decided, on their own volition, to attempt to change one of God's times and laws; but there are others beside that. All kinds of feasts and holidays have been established by the beast power that have no foundation in the Bible. But the heart of it is that Commandment.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: You know Pastor Doug, it will be good to mention a website that Amazing Facts has called, bibleprophecytruth.com. And there is a section there on the anti-Christ. You can click on it and study it right there.

PASTOR DOUG: That's right. Oh, and of course, there's that website, Sabbath Truth.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Sabbathtruth.com as well, an excellent resource. Our next caller is Marcia; and we're going to see if we can squeeze in a few more calls. Marcia calling from Michigan. Marcia, welcome to the program.

MARCIA: Yeah good evening Pastors Doug and Jëan Ross. How are you guys doing?

PASTOR DOUG: Real good Marcia, and your question tonight?

MARCIA: Yes, the question is it has something to do with that international Sunday law again. My pastor said recently the Jews are going, you know, when they pass the national Sunday law and international, Jews won't be allowed to keep Saturday as the Sabbath, but they have to be Jewish. What I'm wondering is, since Muslims keep Friday as their sabbath, do you think that they'll be allowed to keep Friday as the sabbath (inaudible) Muslim, or?

PASTOR DOUG: Well you know, I'm not sure exactly how some of these last day events are going to play out when it comes to worship. And friends who are listening, I think the heart of Marcia's question--she's a regular listener--we've talked about the issue in the last days between the beast and those who have the seal of God. It says they're forced to worship.

So something is going to happen when there's universal worship being compelled. And you think, "Well what will happen to...you've got your Sunday-keeping Christians and religions; you've got your Sabbath-keeping religions; and then you've got Friday-keeping religions." Those are the three primary days that Muslims, and Protestants, and Catholics, and Jews around the world keep.

What's going to happen? What scenario is going to set the stage for this universal worship that's going to be compulsory? Once again, friends, you need to get that study guide that talks about...well you know, we've got a book by Gary Gibbs that would also be more specific.

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Um-hmm

PASTOR DOUG: "The Beast: Who Will Worship It?"

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: That's right

PASTOR DOUG: We can send a free copy of that to Marcia. And do we have time for one more call Pastor Ross?

PASTOR JËAN ROSS: Yes. Let's squeeze one more in. We've got Gregory who is calling from the West Indies. Gregory, welcome to the program.

GREGORY: Good evening

PASTOR DOUG: Hi Gregory, we've got about one and a half minutes. What can we do?

GREGORY: Yes, good evening. I'm calling concerning the elect and reprobate that God created. According, for example, to Romans chapter 9, where he said God said that He created some vessels for wrath, for His wrath, and the others for His glory. And also he said before Jacob and Esau was born, He loved Jacob and He hated Esau. And I think those represent all mankind, the two camps of mankind. And I read in another place where he said in Romans 9 He would have mercy on whom He would have mercy; and He would harden whom He would choose to harden [Cross talk]

PASTOR DOUG: Okay, now what you've done--and I'm going to have to cut you off or I won't have time to answer--

GREGORY: Yes

PASTOR DOUG: --before we go off the air, is what you've done there is you've raised the most controversial issue in Christendom. It's about the subject of predestination. First of all, the verse that you quoted there in Romans is in Malachi chapter 1, verse 2, where he said, "Was not Esau Jacob's brother? And yet I loved Jacob and I hated Esau, and I laid his mountains and his heritage waste."

He's talking about the people of Esau that followed in the footsteps of their father. They were carnal, willing to sell their birthright for a pot of beans. God is not willing that any should perish. God does not arbitrarily say, "I think I'm going to make some people to burn and other people to live forever." God doesn't want ANYONE to perish.

That's why Jesus said, "Whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely;" and God, who would have all men to be saved. There are a lot of verses, of course, Pastor Ross, that indicate that God wants everyone to be saved. But those who reject that offer, then they are appointed as vessels to destruction.

Oh listening friends, big subject. We ran out of time. We have a book called, "Can a Saved Man Choose to be Lost?" that deals with that. Just go to amazingfacts.org. God bless until next week.

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