Hello friends! This is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? On February 12, 1908, over 250,000 cheering spectators gathered in Times Square to witness the start of the longest automobile contest in history, a global race from New York to Paris. This international event included 6 cars and their teams from France, Italy, Germany and the US. The ambitious course would take them from New York City to Albany then Chicago, on to San Francisco to Seattle, cross the Pacific by ship to Japan, then to Vladivostok Russia, Omsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Berlin and finally Paris.
The starting pistol was fired and off they went. The American car built by the Thomas motor company had a 4 cylinder 60 horse power engine that could reach a maximum speed of 60 miles an hour. The lead place was exchanged several times by the German, Italian and American teams. Now keep in mind this torturous race began in mid winter back at a time where there were few maintained roads. No snow plow, no radios, unreliable maps, no regular gas stations or food stops for the competitors. Furthermore this was long before 4 wheel drive and the open cabs where exposed to the elements. When possible they had follow railroad tracks, this was a bone jarring experience bouncing over all the railroad ties over hundreds of miles with no shock absorbers.
Much of the time they would launch out across open country, frequently getting lost for days and having to back track. Each team had 2 drivers and a mechanic because breakdowns and fixing flat tires was a common experience. More than once horses where hired to pull the cars through the deep Iowa snow, or the Siberian mud. Once or twice the teams even stopped to help rescue each other. On they pushed and finally after 169 days and over 22,000 miles, on July 30, 1908 the American team, driven by George Heuster arrived in Paris to win the race. Of the 6 teams that started the grueling contest only 3 made it to Paris. The Germans took second place and the Italians third. Incredibly the winning American driver George Heuster was not even supposed to be part of the epic race. He only appeared in Times Square to deliver the Thomas flyer cart to the starting line.
When the chosen mechanic withdrew at the last minute, George was asked to fill in. On a whim he changed his clothes, climbed aboard and made history. Before the race was over George had become the driver and was the only original member of the American team to finish the historic race. George had also become the first person to drive across the United States during the winter in an automobile. Over 100 years later, that world record still stands and the feat has never been equaled. Friends did you know the Bible speaks of the Christian life as a great race? Stay with us we are going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of, Bible Answers live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Welcome to Bible Answers Live brought to you by Amazing Facts Ministries. Are you looking for a clear, concise answer to your most challenging Bible questions? Maybe you’re struggling to understand difficult passages of scripture. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Join us now as we open God’s Word to discover His will and find honest, practical answers to your Bible-related questions. This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible question call us Sundays from 7 to 8 pm Pacific Standard Time at 800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297. Now, let’s join our host, author, speaker and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Welcome listening friends, we are so thankful that you have tuned in for a fresh installment of Bible answers live. Any of you who are joining this for the first time, this is a live international, interactive Bible study. We are on 300 stations in North America and via the internet around the world and we invite you to call in tonight with your Bible questions. We do still have our lines open, now is the time to pick up the phone with your Bible query. That number, toll free number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS that translates-1-800-463-7297 and you got a good chance of getting your question on tonight’s broadcast if you give us a call now. Pastor Ross is out tonight and I am Doug Bachelor and we’re going to start our program with a word of prayer.
Loving Lord we are very thankful of the gift of truth that you give us in your word and your word is truth. We pray right now Lord that you will honor your promise, that as we seek we will find and as we search in the blessed book help us to find the answers for the many questions people may have in their hearts and souls. Bless us so that we are all transformed to be more like Christ as a result of our program tonight. We pray in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well friends I have a lot of fun digging up these amazing facts and the story of the great race, Hollywood actually made a very inaccurate movie about that, this scenario. But it really did happen that there was this great race between these various countries, and it was amazing to me about George Heuster. Who was not even supposed to be part of this historic race? He was just delivering the car, volunteered at the last minute and ended up being the only one from the American team that was able to endure the incredible grueling, torturous, epic trip. All the way from New York, driving cross country, stuck countless times, countless flat tires, all kinds of pot holes, and running off the road, and mud and snow, and to be able to plough your way - all the way to Paris.
It is just an amazing story. You need a lot of endurance and determination to finish a race like that and only half of those that started did finish. It makes me think of those verses in the Bible that compare the Christian life to a race. 1 Corinthians chapter 9:24, “do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize. Run in such a way that you might obtain it” and again Hebrews 12:1 and 2, “therefore also since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus. The author and finisher of our faith.”
Friends have you decided to begin that race, to take off and make your way to the promise land? With Jesus going before you, you can lay aside the weights that slow you down and run that r ace with endurance. We have a free book that we would like to give you. It is a beautiful Bible study guide called “No Turning Back.” Illustrated color, filled with amazing facts. If you have enjoyed this program you will enjoy this. And it talks about how to put your hand to the plough as Jesus said and not look back. To run that race and obtain the crown. If you would like to get this free study guide “No Turning Back” it will encourage your faith. I don’t know why you would say no when it’s free. “No Turning Back” Call this number 1-800-835-6747. For questions tonight it’s the studio number, a little different, that’s 1-800-463-7297 and if you miss that just remember the acronym GOD-SAYS.
To go to Gods book, it’s 1-800-GOD-SAYS. Now I would like to also remind you that a lot of what we share from our study guide and material, you can get for free. As well as audio messages, video messages, Bible study materials and resources, by going to the Amazing Facts website. It’s so easy to find, you just type amazing facts in Google. We are the first on the list and it is Amazingfacts.org. You will see tons of Bible study resources there, you will learn about this ministry. We are now on our 45th year and have been sharing the gospel using Amazing Facts as the spring board to introduce people to Jesus. We trust that you will be blessed. Well we are going to go to the phones and start with talking to Hector, who has been waiting patiently calling on the internet from Chicago Illinois. Hector you’re on the line.
Hector: Good evening.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Evening.
Hector: The question I had was that I wanted to better understand the full version of Revelation and what each one of the represents.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well you know we try to budget about 3 minutes per question, you asked a question. Those horsemen represent, well let me back up as this will make it a little easier to understand. There are 404 verses in the book of Revelation. Out of those 404 verses about 300 of those verses which is about 278 are found word for word in one of the other parts, principally the Old Testament. If you read in the book of Zachariah, it talks about these horses that go out. They got a red horse in Zachariah chapter 1:8 and you read through that. Revelations four horsemen of the apocalypse are connected with Zachariah. To understand the vision of Revelation, you got a lot of seven. Revelation tells us about things that are shortly going to come to past. Chapter 1 introduces Jesus he has a message for John. He is telling him the history of Gods people through a series of visions, different aspects or dimensions of that history. The religious history of Gods people is given through the religion of seven churches.
The church began like the church of Ephesus and ends up lukewarm like Laodicea. Then it’s got the seven seals, now the four horsemen of the apocalypse are the first four of the seven seals vision. Then you got the seven trumpets which is a military history of the church. The four horsemen or the seven seals, that is a political history of the church. So you got the religious history, seven churches, political history, seven seals, military history, seven trumpets. And that’s very simplistic but just let me give you one of the horses for instance. The first horse is the white horse and he goes forth saying, “concurring unto concur.” Well that represents the church into early ages that was going forth concurring for Christ they had an explosive growth during that time. And you track the horses and it ends up with the horse of death.
A paler horse that is light a person and they die and all of their blood is gone. That was a time when the church went through great spiritual death so to speak. Jesus then says in the message to the seven churches “you got to name that you live but you are dead” and so you will find parallels for these ages of the churches, and the four horsemen in the other visions. It is really given the church keys to understand what was going to happen from Jesus first coming, when John had his vision, to the second coming. And of course Revelation ends the world’s made newer in heaven, new earth, new heaven. You know I can recommend a Bible study website that will have more for you Hector.
Hector: Sure.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Amazing Facts has a Bible study site that is especially dedicated to prophecy that is called Bibleprophecytruth.com. As a matter of fact it is the second most popular Amazing Facts website thousands of people go there for materials. You have got videos on prophecy, books on prophecy, audio on prophecy and I think just about all of it is free. Time lines and charts, its Bible prophecy truths and you will find a lot more there, hope that helps a little. I don’t have a study specifically on the horsemen but I think you will find stuff there at our website, I appreciate your question. Alright Kobe is next, calling from Columbia Canada is that right Cologne? Kobe you’re on the air.
Kobe: Cologne yes.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Cologne yes that’s right I am sorry. I know where that is, I have been there.
Kobe: Well have you!
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah, is that the Okanagan Valley?
Kobe: Yes it is.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah beautiful place.
Kobe: It is beautiful absolutely.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I have spoken in Colonia.
Kobe: Oh awesome, wonderful. How are you this evening?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Very good, how can I help you tonight?
Kobe: My question is regarding the name of Jesus. I am not sure if you are familiar with the Counsel of Nicea, under Constantine?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: A little bit, I haven’t got it memorized but I know some of what happened there.
Kobe: Okay, yes. Well the original name of Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua right?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Right.
Kobe: And I was wondering if the counsel of Nicea had anything to do with the change, because I understand like they tried to combine paganism with Christianity and doing so they involved some fellow worshipping the church. But they changed the name also from Yeshua Chritos, I am not sure if you are familiar with that.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Are you wondering is it important that we call Jesus Yeshua as opposed to Jesus, isn’t that the real question?
Cologne: That’s the question because I am wondering if Jesus is a Pagan.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright well keep in mind when you read the New Testament, in the Old Testament you will find the name Elisha. If you go to the New Testament it’s Elies. In the Old Testament you will find the name Joshua, when you get to Hebrews four and you read about Joshua calls him Jesus. So it is using the Greek word because it is written in Greek. For instance you have got the name John, in the Old Testament its Jonah. In the New Testament you have got the name Judas, in the Old Testament you have got the name Judah. You have got Mariam and then you have got Mary. So all of the names in the Old Testament, when you read the New Testament it’s got the Greek emphasis to it. The Old Testament is in Hebrew. Now here is the real question where asking, is when we pray and when we talk to God and read the Bible, are we required to pronounce things in the original Hebrew or does God speak to everyone and allow them to speak to him in their native tongue? So if you want to address Jesus as Yashua, and there in nothing wrong with that, but I will not condemn a person using the Greek pronunciation because if that is the only Greek word you can speak, God is not going to condemn you.
Kobe: Okay, but in Acts chapter 4 there is a scripture that says, Acts chapter 4:12 “salvation is found in no one else. There is no other name to man under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s a good point. My question would be is Peter emphasizing there, that it is the pronunciation of Jesus name or is it the person behind that name though whom we are saved? Is saying the name like a magic word like abracadabra, you got to pronounce it right or you don’t get the magic charm? Or is the emphasis in the character of the individual behind the name? See when you go to the book of Revelation, you will find that Jesus actually goes by a Kaleidoscope of names, not just Revelation but through the New Testament he is called the good Sheppard, the living water, the door, a lamb of God, he is called the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last.
You can go on and on but Christ is described in so many different names. His earthly name was Jesus, but he existed before Mary and Joseph was given that name by the Angel. He is called Emanuel in Isaiah he is called the Bright morning star. So you have got all these different names, the fairest of 10,000. So I would not get hung up, there is a group out there today that is just absolutely enslaved to the pronunciation of these names as though there is some magical power. It’s like is God is up in heaven listening to someone pray and they are praying with their heart, spirit and in truth, they are sincere and they say in Jesus name at the end of their prayer instead of saying, in the name of Yeshua. Do you think that the Lord plugs his ears and says “I know you are my child but you didn’t say my name correctly so I can’t answer your prayer?” I think that it is really obscured to portray God that way.
Kobe: What I am saying is, like Jesus, shouldn’t it be translated Joshua? I am sorry I meant Yeshua, shouldn’t it be translated into Joshua?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah well there would be no harm in that. My name, when I go around the world as I have travelled all over the world, you should hear the different ways that people say my name and you know what, I am never offended. They call me duck, like quack, quack a duck and I go and I work with the Native Americans, they call me dog, but it doesn’t offend me. So I don’t think the Lord is hung up on if we are saying it with the right accent. By the way the name Jesus does mean God is savior in Greek. It’s the Greek equivalent of the same name in Hebrew. So because you got a Greek God named Zeus, the word for God in Greek, you will often find that sound in any word that uses the world God, so I want to try and hang it on and connect it with Zeus.
Anyway I have a book I will give you, I wanted to take some time with this because it’s a lot of people who have questions about that. I got a book I will be happy to send you Kobe and it’s called “The name of God.” I wrote it and some of the information I just shared plus a lot more about the history of the change of the name and we talk about the word Yahweh in there, it is in that book. I will send it to you and anyone who wants a free copy, it’s called “The name of God” and just call the toll free number and this is our resource line. Get a pencil, its different from the studio line, it is also 1-800-835-9747 and ask for the name of God. Thanks for your call Kobe and now we are going to talk with Martin who is calling from Brooklyn New York. Welcome Martin! You’re on the air.
Martin: Hello and thank you for taking the call. You know since people are still sinning against the Lord, m y question tonight is how can they turn away from sin?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright, how do we turn away from sin? Well first of all the Bible tells us that you are transformed into the image of what you look at. We become like what we are surrounded by and if we turn to Jesus and we look at him the goodness of God leads us to repentance. When we see how much he loves us, we love him because he first loved us. First we got to look at his love for us and so as we consider Gods sacrifice love for us, as we consider the goodness of God. IT leads us to repent from and turn from our sins and then we need to believe by faith that we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us. You know I use to drink, smoke cigarettes, use drugs, curse and things I won’t mention. And God has set me free and changed my heart and my life through his power.
Now I still have a long way to go, I am not claiming perfection but I have seen the incredible changes that God has made in my life. I have got confidence that he can finish what he started and he can do that for you. You know I have a book that I will send you and it is called “How to resist temptation” and I think that is really what you are talking about Martin. How do we resist temptation? How do we turn from our sins? I will send you a free book on that subject if you call the toll free number 1-800-835-6747 ask for the book, “Tips for resisting temptation” or you can just say Pastor Doug’s book on resisting temptation and we will send it to you. It’s got Bible principals, and everybody I think would benefit from this.
Anyone out there who struggles from sin and you want to have more obedience and victory in your life, get the book, biblical principles on tips for resisting temptation. Thank you for that call, we are going to talk to George. I like when we get a call from Australia. Welcome George! You are on the air.
George: God bless you both, thank you for having me on the air. My question is related to the 10 commandments. I am reading under the Exodus New King James version. The specific path that I am referring to has got to do with showing mercy to thousands. This is the second commandment under the 10 commandments.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You want to know what that mean, showing mercy to thousands?
George: Yes how is that interpreted?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: well you have got to really finish the sentence here. It says showing mercy under thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. First of all I really enjoy this verse because this is the key to keeping the 10 commandments in the middle of the 10 commandments. It says love me and keep my commandments. Jesus really quoted from that, it says “If you love me” in John 14 “keep my commandments.” And so it’s through love that we obey God. If I love my wife I am not going to cheat on her or be unfaithful. If I love God, I am not going to insult him by making him to look like some cow, or adultery. If I love my neighbor, I am not going to kill them, or lie to them, or steal from them.
So love is the fulfilling of the law, if we love God and our fellow man, we keep those commandments. So he says showing mercy under thousands, it means thousands through history, thousands around the world that love God and keeps his commandments, he is merciful to them. And it says of course prior that, it says visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children onto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. That is basically saying those that disobey God, it’s not that the children are suffering for the disobedience of the parents, but the parents have modeled that disobedience to their children and sometimes that cycle of defiance and rebellion last three or four generations. So I don’t know if I am answering what you are asking.
George: No you have, those leading to an understanding that it was probably the gateway to heaven in terms of the numbers that are going through the heavenly goal.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Oh I see in showing mercy on the thousands of them that love me?
George: Yes.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I want to say it’s only thousands that are going to have mercy. I think that when he is contrasting those that are punished for their rebellion, it says “visiting the iniquity of the fathers and the children of those that hate me” but contrast to that is showing mercy to thousands. I think that would mean thousands in ever culture and in every time.
George: Now I understand from what angel it is coming from. That thousands there referring to now. The other thing I wanted to quickly mention was that the times time and the half going through and reading all the information you have available and I wanted clarification that 1844 period and 73 period were clarified with the times time and the half in the book of Revelation.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah you will find an interesting time period mentioned and of course George you and I know what we are talking about because I can tell you have been studying prophecy but some of our listeners maybe haven’t studied this before. But in the book of Daniel, you find it in the book of Ester, you find it in the story of Elisha and you find it in Revelations. There is a time period of 1260 days in a Jewish year there were 360 days in the lunar year and 30 days in the month they used for calculating and that equals 3 and a half years.
They called one time, which meant one year, a times meant a couple or a pair of years and the divining of time meant half a year. So you are going to find this period, 42 months, 1260 days, 3 ½ years, several times in Bible prophecy. By the way, that’s how long Jesus taught and that represents a period of rejection and rebellion. You know you ask a big question George. Can I also suggest that you go to our website that is Bible prophecy truth because I really don’t have time to give that the attention it deserves? So give me a call and let me know what you think, we got other resources there it is called Bibleprophecytruth.com. I am going to see if I can take one more call before we go to our first break from Robert. He is calling from Palm Springs California. I know where that is, Robert you on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Robert: Yes Doug, how are you?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Doing well.
Robert: Okay my question is, a lot of times I am in debates with these fellow Christians that absolutely don’t believe in the Sabbath and then your quiet extensive experience. What do you think is the strongest scripture to confirm the Sabbath in the New Testament? I know that Hebrews 4 – 9 is a strong one, I also know that Matthew 2420 is, but what is your opinion?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well there is a lot of evidence when you just stack it up. The fact that it is one of the 10 commandments and nothing in the New Testament says that the 10 commandments have been abolished. It is kind of ludicrous when you say of course God doesn’t want Christians to kill, to lie, to steal and to worship ideas but there is 1 commandment we are suppose to forget about or it has been changed and that’s the only commandment that begins with the word remember. When a young man came to Jesus and he says “Good master what must I do to have eternal life?” Christ says keep the commandments and he says which ones and Jesus began to name the 10 commandments.
Now of course it is only through God’s spirit and the power of Christ that we can live these obedient lives, we are not saved by words but the law when we do love the Lord Christians to obey. Then we got Acts chapter 16 I think its verse 13 where Luke says “on the Sabbath day we went out of the city by the river where prayer was customarily made” and all through the New Testament you see Jesus as his custom was. He went into the Senegal on the Sabbath and stood up to read the scriptures. You see the Apostles and all through the Bible you see the early church all kept the seventh day Sabbath and it was until 300 years after Christ that began to change. So I think you have got all the way back to Genesis, where Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man that, that is there is Genesis too, the very beginning of the Bible. You know we do have a number of websites on that and you can just get our free book on when God said to remember. We’ve got to take a break, friends, and we will be right back in just a moment.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hello listening friends! We are back. My name is Doug Batchelor if you have joined us along the way, this is Bible Answers Live and Pastor Jean Ross is off for the night so I will do our best with our crew to negotiate the phones. Before we go back to the phones and our next question, this program is typically one hour a week live, but a lot of stations air the program during the week. Some air old broadcast and the answers are still the same Bible answers, but there is a lot more material that you can connect with by going to the Amazing Facts website and you will see a number of other Bible study links, it’s really simple, amazingfacts.org.
Now we have a very important announcement we want to share with everybody, if you have enjoyed the Amazing Facts programs and we have been around for about 45 years this year, something very exciting happened. The spring of this year Amazing Facts launched a 27/7 program across North America, it’s called Amazing Facts TV and we are now blazing from space. Anybody who is up in Canada, down through Mexico, in the Caribbean, across the 49 continents of the United States, I don’t know they may even get this in Hawaii. Can get a small satellite package which is the glory star package, you will not only get Amazing Facts, you will get a bouquet of other Christian programs but you will get Amazing Facts also 24 hours a day. You will get Three Angels broadcasting. You will get the Hope Channel, Molinder broadcasting and a number of other Christian programs. So if you would like to find out how to get this 24/7 Amazing Facts television program you can go to our website. There is an announcement there that tells you how to connect to that information and to start enjoying. By the way the programming is free once you get the very simple satellite system, you will get the programming for free and until the Lord carries as long as he allows. Just wanted to let you know about the Amazing Facts TV channel, alright I think it’s time to go back to the phones. I want to find out who has been waiting patiently. Going to talk to Carlos calling from Queens New York on WMCA, welcome Carlos you are on the air and thanks for waiting.
Carlos: No problem, thank you. I guess I will go straight to the question. Is it okay to have more than one wife, I kind of already know the answer.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Did Kane have more than one wife?
Carlos: No is it okay to have more than one wife now and the reason I am asking is because I was having a discussion with someone about that. As it says the husband of one wife but it doesn’t say that you can’t have more than one wife back then. The only thing I can think of real quick is that when Christ comes to marry the church he is not marrying brides he is marrying a bride. Other than that there are no other pictures so I need your help.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That’s a good point, I am going to have to use that one. The Bible says husband love your wife as Christ loves the church. He doesn’t say love your wives and when God made man in the beginning, he said it’s not good for man to be alone so God made a wife for man. He didn’t make a heron for man. What ended up happening is little by little as war began to proliferate and the men were dying off in those contests. You can read about this in Isaiah chapter 4:1. Were it says seven women will take hold of one man saying we will get our own food, make our own break, make our own referral but let us be called by your name. They couldn’t have families, they couldn’t have children and there is no social security if there is no children or grand children to take of you and so men began to do like a buck in the field. He had a whole heron of wives, but all through the Bible when you read about that happening, look at the misery that it brought into Abraham’s family when he took a concubine Hagar. It just called all kinds of strife in division.
Look at the problems, the sibling rivalry between Rachael and Liam got along fine until they tried to share a husband and then they spilt there husband even further by given their hand made to their husbands. Jacob ends up with four wives all fighting on where he is going to spend the night, it was just miserable. Years and years of misery and the jealously among the boys so King David because he had all these wives he thought one more wouldn’t make a difference and he took someone else wives. Salomon started out majestically but he took a number of wives and his wives it says “led him towards their pagan Gods” and kind of made a fool of him in his old age even though he was the wisest man that ever lived. So when you look at the wreckage in Bible history whenever they did practice polygamy God never endorsed it.
By the time of Jesus the Jews had gotten the victory over multiple wives. You don’t hear about them having several wives at one time, a matter of fact John the Baptist was put in jail because he gave King Herald a hard time for taking his brother’s wife and he only had one. But he took his brother’s wife. They had straightened that out by the time of Christ. There is nothing in the Bible that supports polygamy anymore than it supports slavery. This was something that God winked at during their times of ignorance because there were so many more women than men that God made laws to protect the extra wives but it was never his will. Just like divorce was not his will but Jesus said “because of the hardness of our hearts” he made laws regarding divorce.
Carlos: That’s what I told them, okay.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Hey I would offer you a book but I actually don’t have a book on polygamy. It sounds like you are on the right road Carlos and I appreciate your question. Going to talk next with Karen who is calling from Saint Petersburg Florida, listening on the internet, welcome Karen! You’re on the air.
Karen: Thank you, I have 1 question I guess. There is a point in the New Testament where Jesus is talking to Judas and he said to Judas “what thou must do, do quickly” before Judas betrayed him. I was just wondering, why do you think Jesus said to him “Do it quickly?” Was it because of the emotional pain?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well probably, Jesus even after Jesus washed Judas feet. Judas had a chance there, I think he felt something dwelling up within him. He wanted to confess to Jesus and repent. Christ at the last supper said that the one who is betraying me is sitting at the table with me and he didn’t betray Judas, he was giving him a chance to come clean and he continued to harden his heart. When Christ finally washed his feet and he still would not repent of what he had resolved to do, Jesus finally said look, Christ had read their hearts and he had made up his mind to betray him and if you know that someone is going to kill you, you might say can you do it quickly, get it over with. You wouldn’t want to be prolonged, I think it was breaking Jesus’ heart and Jesus was saying “look if going to do, you have made up your mind now get it over with.”
Karen: That makes a lot of sense, thank you very much.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I appreciate it, that’s a good question and it is just so sad when you think there could have been so much more about Judas if he had repent as Peter did and surrendered to the Lord. He was a bright and a talented Apostle but he hardened his heart. Talking next with Deziree who is calling from Mount Vera New York, Deziree you’re on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Deziree: Hi, I had a question about chapter 3:16.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Chapter 3 of Genesis?
Deziree: Yes sorry, Genesis chapter 3:16, what did god mean and their desire should be to thy husband and should rule over them. What does that mean?
Well after the sin, God needed to establish an authority for peace in the family and so God was telling Eve that the mean are to be the servant leaders in the family and in the church for that matter. And so it said your desire will be to your husband and it is true that women often look to their husbands for some security and stability. And he was to be the leader in family and then you see from that point on through the Bible history. That only mean fill out the part of the priest hood. You know of course everybody comes to Jesus directly, but you only have mean offering as sacrifice, you only have men serving as pastors, apostles, elders in the Bible.
And so the Lord was establishing his patriarchal system in the beginning. I don’t know if I am answering you question. It doesn’t mean that a man should be dominating or abusive, but in the Christian family at some point if there is any kind of disagreement someone needs to have the tie breaking vote. I don’t ever want any husband to take that statement in meaning they should abuse that leadership. It is suppose to be a spiritual leadership and if any husband is wondering what does that look like. Well it says husbands love your wife as Christ love the church. Christ was the leader of Apostles, but look at how he served. See what I am saying? He set an example of humility and leadership. Husbands should lead with humidity, they should lead with service, but they are to lead in their families, they are to be the leaders.
Deziree: When he says “rule over the women” did this happen after sin or before sin?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: That was after sin. After you read the serpent which is the beginning of chapter 3 and this is now, a matter of fact I will read verse 15. He says “I will but enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, it will bruise thy head” and God is speaking to the serpent “and you shall bruise his heel.” So this is the curse and man was cursed also, and God told Adam that “from the ground you are taken and to the ground you are going to return. Curses the ground for your sake and sorrow for you shall eat from it all the days of your life.” In other words you are going to have to go out there in the sweat and the sun on the ground and pull the weeds, and harvest and plant and even the Bible talks about go forth bearing precious seed weeping. So it’s a lot of work doing the farming but then you come and rejoice later. You know the whole world experienced an interruption of Gods perfect plan because of sin and part of that was that in sorrow women would bring forth children.
Now I have got a book that may answer your question in more detail, your specific question Deziree. As you are talking about that relationship between men and women, what God establish in the beginning and I have got a new book that I wrote. A lot of people have had questions about how do you fit in this relationship between men and women and how do women get involved in the ministry with all of their gifts. We have a book called “Women and Ministry”. We will send you are free copy if you just call that toll free number, its 1-800-835-6747 Deziree. Ask for the book “Women and Ministry”, one more time 1-800-835-6747. Going next we talk with Dale, calling from Sacramental California. Welcome Dale! You’re on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Dale: Hello I hope your well.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Doing well, and your questions tonight?
Dale: I love the way in my life, somebody said, I don’t know when it was but they said that the 3 sons of Noah, Ham, Shem and Japheth. Were representative of the 3 races of man, the black, the whites and the Asians. I don’t know why someone would think that and I am not sure what you would say about that.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah that is actually an ignorant, and I don’t mean ignorant as an insult, I mean they just don’t know. That is kind of an ignorant conclusion for someone to look at the different races of the world as there are actually many different races in the world. But anthropologist have sort of categorized them into three major classes and then they see that Noah had three sons and they just put two and two together and they feel that must be the answer.
Dale: That is crazy!
Pastor Doug Batchelor: But you don’t have the vision of the tribes of the world until you get to Babel. It’s not Noah’s sons in Genesis 9, when you think about it Noah had one son that was Asian, and one that was African, and one that was white.
Dale: I meant that one son went East, one went North and one went South and then they became races.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: No they didn’t scatter until you get too Genesis 11 at the tower of Babel. They were still inner marrying up until the tower of Babel and it’s at the tower of Babel, several generations after Noah that they kind of scattered, And they don’t scatter in three directions, they scatter in one hundred directions. Look at all the different languages in the world today.
Dale: They were all still one race in the tower of Babel and then they scattered?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: When you think about it Noah and his wife did not have three children that looked one was blond with blue eyes.
Dale: That’s not what I mean. What I mean was Noah and his wife had children but the three were like symbolic or representative of what eventually became three races.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Well the races of the world did decent from Noah you can also say all the races of the world descended from Adam. This is a crude illustration but let me say this Dale and let me help a little bit. National Geographic did a cover article about three years ago about the DNA history of dogs and they said the title article is from “Wolf to woof” and it’s got a picture of a wolf and some little puddle or something. And it shows that all of these different dogs in the world, their DNA can all be traced back to two wolfs. Wolf-like dogs anyway, and you look at the bizarre variety that you find in the dog world because of isolation and breeding.
I mean you got everything from hairless dogs to the dogs that nothing but a ball of hair. You have got dogs that enormous and dogs that are just microscopic and then you got dogs that are just layers and layers of wrinkles and others that are breed for racing. There are such a variety of dogs and that illustrates just how genetics works and that happened to humanity. As the different tribes of man scattered around the world, they developed different unique features. But it’s a myth to say that all the men in the world go back to an Asian, a Caucasian and a Negro because really I have travelled around the world.
You go to Australia and there are Aborigines there which are different and you go to Java, and Indonesia and the Philippines and the Polynesians and all over the world. You just got a Hodge podge of races. Sometimes because the Anthropologies have tried to categorize them in these three major categories, it has nothing to do with Noah’s three sons. So does that make sense Dale?
Dale: Yeah actually that does.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I appreciate your question. Again I don’t have a book. I like to always offer something as a follow up when I can but don’t have anything specifically on that. I do have an article I wrote on Babylon and the tower of Babel and you can find that at the Amazing Facts website. Talking next with John who is calling from Jersey City New Jersey listening on WMCA, hi John! You’re on the air.
John: Hi good evening. I am having a problem here with chapter 6 of Genesis, verse 2 down to verse 5, or 4.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah let me read this for our friends as we get this question asked about once a month I would guess. It’s a good question but I don’t mind answering it. It says “the sons of god” now this is of course after the original sons of Adam. Cane killed able and Cane when off with his wife, his sister which he married. He began to procreate, have children and Adam and Eve had other sons like Seth and his descendants and they began to grow. And it says that “the sons of God” now these are the descendants of Seth, “as long as they stayed separate and did not intermarry with the descendants of Cane, they remained loyal to God” because like Adam and Eve and Able they were sacrificing to God, they believed in worshipping God according to the truth. But they began to notice that Cane’s daughters were very beautiful, and it says “they took the wives of all they chose and they began to freely intermarry with the daughters of Cane” and then when they did that wickedness filled the Land.
You can read about that, it says in verse 5 “God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and every imagination of the thoughts in the heart was evil” thus some have wondered if these sons of God represent falling Angels or aliens, what does that mean? And the term ‘Sons of God’ in the Bible is really just talking about the descendants of Seth. The daughters of man where the descendants or the daughters of Cane and you can find a lot of scriptures in the Bible that help support that. For instance 1 John 3:1 and 2 “Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called sons of God” believers are called sons of God. Romans 8:14 “for as many are lead by the Spirit, these are the sons of God” Adams genealogy when you read about Luke, it says “Adam who was a son of God” and Ephesians 1 5 “having predestined us by the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will” we are adopted.
We become sons of God. So I can read you probably a dozen scripture that say who these sons of God were. Now some of that ask, why does it say that their children where giants, how did that happen? Well it’s a simple rule of genetics that when you got two groups that are separated and they begin to intermarry, they usually have genetic vitality. You get genetic defects and weakness by people marrying within the same tribe or bloodline too much. It’s like marrying you cousin, or you brother, or your sister, you are going to be prone to birth defects and weakness. But you get genetic vitality by marrying outside of the family or clan. All the descendants of Cane and Seth were giants, they were mighty men. It doesn’t mean they were aliens. So I don’t know if that helps a little bit?
John: Yeah it does help quiet a little bit, but then I am reading below the comments here and you find out here that the sons of…
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Some think the sons of God were fallen Angels or even evil spirit, or some have said they were aliens. I think that those commenters were off track in that verse. If you read Matthew Henry’s commentary, he is a very faithful solid old Bible commentator. Adam Clark, you read some of the original commentator’s they never came up with those conclusions. They read the other verses in the Bible that tell us who the sons of God are and they didn’t come up with these concoctions that they were aliens or evil Angels.
Jesus makes it clear that Angels don’t marry or even if they given in marry, Angels are spirits. So the idea of Spirits having intimate relations with humans is truly bizarre when you think about it. So I would toss that one. Hey thank you very much John, it is a good question. We often get that as people start reading through the Bible, they go wow what does this mean. Alright who is next, going to talk to Marcus calling from Newark New Jersey on WMCA. Marcus you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Marcus: Hey Pastor Doug how is it going?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: I am blessed.
Marcus: Alright I just have a quick question. I was wondering, I have heard two different points of views on the new world order. I have heard a lot of preachers say that the world is going into this new world order with this new world curse. You can even see it in the news, from time to time they will talk about it. But I have also heard especially in the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had with the statue, you know the very end of that dream represented that there will never be another world government or order. Until the coming of Christ’s kingdom there will never be another world government like Rome or Greece. So I was just wondering because I have heard two points of view from my church. Will there be a world order or is that just a conspiracy theory?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Alright good question, the first time I really heard a public official use the term new world order is the President Bush Senior and just about every president since him has dropped the line once or twice when it comes to presidents talking about this new world order. Each president may mean sometime a little different by that, but not talking about uniting the governments, they are really talking about a new order where there is a global economy and peace. Now some of them are thinking that somehow the United Nations are going to be this representative body. Others are thinking the United Nations is sort of failing and they are looking to the European Union.
So each politician when they use the word new world order they may mean something a little different by it each time. You do find in Revelation and in Daniel that there is never going to be a one world government before Jesus comes back, but it seems there is going to be a one world economy. Think about it, if the beast power can control what people buy and sell around the world, it causes all around the world to worship a certain way or they can’t buy or sell. While there are still kings, leaders and presidents of the different empires it seems like they have welded the economics of the world together. That’s what is happening now with everything from the euro. You have three major currencies in the world today you got the US dollar, the euro and the Chinese currency. You know I hope that helps a little bit, we have got more Marcus if you go to our website on Bibleprophecytruth.com. I am going to see if I can squeeze one more call in. Anthony has been waiting patiently on the line four, calling from Coatesville Pennsylvania. Anthony are you there?
Anthony: I am here Pastor Doug! How are you doing?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Good thanks for your patients, and you question.
Anthony: My question is regarding prayer, is it necessary to say in Jesus name amen, or to say thank you for hearing my prayers blah, blah, blah?
Pastor Doug Batchelor: You know Jesus is clear, he says that “whatever you ask the father in my name it will be done.” Again that does mean that just saying his name that in itself has magical power, but it does command us to pray in his name. You know what I would compare it to is, if I go to a stranger and I am asking for a favor and they don’t know who I am, but I bring them a letter from their best friend someone who they love and its signed by their best friend. I say “look I have come in the name of Henry and here is a letter from Henry and it’s a recommendation from Henry that you help me with this problem.” And they love Henry I am coming in Henry’s name, now all of a sudden they listen to me. But before they wouldn’t give me the time of day, do you know what I am saying?
Anthony: Understood.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: So when we come to the father, of course God knows everything, but we are coming in the name of Jesus. We are saying Lord please hear this prayer, not because I deserve it, I have been alienated from you by sin but because of your love for your son. Please honor my request for his sake. That’s what it means actually to pray in Jesus name. It also means to be praying with the mind and the Spirit of Christ with the same attitude that Jesus had. Does that make sense?
Anthony: It makes perfect sense, I agree with that. I just needed to hear someone else’s point of view or a different way to say it.
Pastor Doug Batchelor: Yeah well hopefully that helps a little bit. By the way we do have a book that deals with the subject of prayer, it is called “Teach us to pray,” if you would like I will send you a free copy. As a matter of fact any of our friends that call the toll free number which is 1-800-835-6747, ask for the book, it is written by Doug Batchelor whoever he is, called “teach us to pray.” And I go though the Lord’s prayer, and there are a lot of principals there that I think you will find a real blessing. Well friends I don’t want to insult anybody by taking another caller and cutting you off before you get to articulate your question. We are just about out of time, but I would like to take the last couple of moments and offer you something. Amazing Facts does have a lot of free Bible study material and resources that you can find at our website.
It is simply called amazingfacts.org also you may have heard my announcement by the new Amazing Facts television channel. That is Amazing Facts TV and you can get it, you can get a whole kaleidoscope of Christian channels. You can go to our website and you will find more information there on how to order the Glory Star package and you will get Amazing Facts TV programs 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I have got it at my home, also remember we are supported by you, So if you have been blessed and encouraged by this program we would love to hear from you. You can donate at our website and I hope you will do that, Amazingfacts.com. God bless, until next week.
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