Jean Ross: Hello friends. How about an amazing fact? There are some really incredible stories about the detecting abilities of dogs. Their ability to sniff out drugs, food stuffs, and other plant materials that are being illegally transported are well known. However, one dog's detective ability has proven quite astounding. Dox was a police dog that worked for a homicide investigation unit in Italy. He was famous for helping to track down criminals with his extraordinary sense of smell. One day, a man had been murdered at a jewelry store. Dox came on the scene, sniffed around and then led officers on the scent trail that ended at a door at a basement apartment.
The officers extensively questioned the man that lived in the apartment only to be convinced that he was innocent but Dox had other ideas. Back at the jewelry store, the police wanted to try for another trail but Dox was not interested in another trail. He nosed around the store until he came up with a button. He then led officers back to the same basement apartment where they just come from. While the policemen apologized for the intrusion and the man again asserted his innocence, Dox went to the closet door, nosed it open and pulled out a raincoat off its hanger. Well, you probably guessed the story. The rain coat was missing a button and it was the very one found at the jewelry store. With this evidence before him, the suspect admitted his guilt and Dox's reputation remained intact.
Friends did you know that the Bible says that a day will come when all unsolved crimes will finally be solved? Stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Jean Ross: Good evening friends. This is Pastor Jean Ross. Pastor Doug Batchelor is out this evening but this is a live program of Bible answers live. If you have a Bible related question, the number to call is 1800-GODSAYS, that's 1-800-463-7297. We have a few phone lines that are still open. The number again is 1-800-463-7297 and sitting in Pastor Doug Batchelor's seat this evening is Doctor DeRose. Doctor DeRose, welcome to the program.
Dr. DeRose: It's great to be with you Jean.
Jean Ross: I know that oh, it's been several weeks now but you also filled in for Pastor Doug when he was out of town and delighted to have you back with us.
Dr. DeRose: Well there's no way to really fill in for Doug but it's always great to be here and being able to open God's Word together.
Jean Ross: Amen. Would you start the program with a word of prayer?
Dr. DeRose: Sure.
Father in heaven, we thank you that you're our loving Father, that you want to make Your Word clear to us, that You want to show us practical things from Your Word. Please guide us in the hour that we have together. Make this truly a life changing hour because we come in contact with you. We ask it all in Jesus name. Amen.
Jean Ross: Amen. Well again friends, we're just delighted to you've chosen to join us this evening. We're gonna be looking in to God's words in just a few moments, taking your Bible questions. And the fact that doctor De rose is with us this evening, if you have a question relating to health and perhaps what the Bible has to say about health, this would be an ideal opportunity for you to call in with your Bible questions. We opened the program talking about a dog by the name of Dox that had extraordinary sense of smell. And it appears from the story that he was pretty bright as well He had been able to solve these difficult crimes. You know what? It reminded me of a passage or Scripture when I read this. Jesus said in Luke chapter 8 verse 17, "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be made known or come to light." And the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." So the Bible speaks about this coming judgment when every case and every person will appear before Christ.
How can we be ready for that judgment? What do we have to do to prepare for that? And we have a study guide entitled "Case Close." It's an Amazing Facts study guide that talks about the judgment. You know, Doctor DeRose, when we talk about judgment, often there is a sense of fear and anticipation on what's gonna happen on the judgment. Am I going to be found innocent? How can we prepare for that? And of course, our only hope in the judgment is in our advocate of Jesus, who represents us before the father. How can we have Jesus represents us in that judgment? Call for that free offer. It's "Case Close." It's an Amazing Facts study guide. The number to call for that free resource is 1-800-835-6747. That's our resource line, 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide "Case Close." talking about the judgment, more importantly, how can you be ready to face the judge? The number here to the study if you have a Bible question or a health question is 1-800-463-7297.
With that, let’s go to the phone lines. Our first caller this evening is going to be Sandra. And Sandra is calling from Illinois. Sandra welcome to the program.
Sandra: Thank you both pastor and doctor. My question is regarding Jeremiah 29:11. How does one know and get to the plan that Jesus has for one's life?
Jean Ross: Jeremiah 21:11.
Sandra: No. 29:11.
Jean Ross: Alright, 29:11. Do have it there in front of you?
Dr. DeRose: I have it here, Jean.
Jean Ross: Would you--
Dr. DeRose: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
Jean Ross: So the question you have then is how can we find out what God's thoughts are for us.
Sandra: No, the plans he has for each life. How do we get in touch with that?
Jean Ross: Well, you know God leads us step by step. Rarely does he give a person a full picture of all of his plans for somebody but he unfolds his plans day by day, moment by moment as we follow his leading. Now you know we need to win out when we wanna know God's plan. God know God's will. We wanna search the Scripture. We wanna spend time in prayer or we wanna seek the council of other godly man and woman and then we need to recognize that God's providence opens certain doors, close a certain door and we wanna trust his leading. If we trust in Him today and we follow what we know to be right today, God will unfold His plan and His will for us for the rest of our life.
Dr. DeRose: There's a great text that really goes along with what you're sharing, Jean. It's John 7 verse 17. Jesus is speaking, he says, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." So the point there, Sandra, is God reveals His will to you as you follow it. It may seem something totally unrelated to the big picture of your life but when you're faithful in these little things, you're walking with Jesus, following his council he promises he'll guide you into all truth. That's what the Holy Spirit was given to do.
Jean Ross: Does that make sense?
Sandra: Thank you. Yeah, thank you.
Jean Ross: So it's just a moment by moment (inaudible 8:33) experience, walking with Christ and trusting Him. Thank you for your call. Next caller is Madeline and she's calling from Ohio. Madeline, welcome to the program.
Madeline: Thank you very much. My question was I wonder what the Bible says about how many times you're supposed to go to someone to witness to them before you'd have no part with them.
Jean Ross: Well that's a good question. How often should you try and share your faith? You know sometimes when a farmer goes out to sow the seeds he might casts seeds on different types of soil. Sometimes the seeds will spring up immediately. Other times it might lay dormant for awhile. And perhaps it needs just the right, you know, environmental conditions, just the right amount of moisture and the right amount of dirt before it actually springs up. So when it comes to witnessing, we cast the seed, we share our faith as much as we can with as many people as we can. We don't know what's gonna happen to them. We don't know their situation. As things unfold, perhaps something we had said would resonate with them and they would come to a point of conviction on making a decision. Now, having said that, we don't want to overdo it. If you understand what I mean, we don't wanna push somebody away just because we are so relentless but we also need to seek the appropriate opportunity and time to share with them.
Dr. DeRose: You know there's a number of texts that come to mind that relate to this but probably one that, Jean, speaks to my heart is the story of Manasseh, the king, the wicked king of God's people. Historically, how the Holy Spirit kept working with him and kept... And one of the great witnesses to Manasseh was the prophet Isaiah, who history tells us Manasseh actually killed. So we're always to be open to the Holy Spirit's guiding for us to share but like pastor Ross illustrated, we're not just to you know cramp things down people's throats.
Jean Ross: That's right.
Dr. DeRose: And cause them to really run away when they see us.
Jean Ross: We don't want to choke on the truth. You know there's a verse in Ecclesiastes chapter 11 verse 1 that I particularly like, let me read it. It says "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shall find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight for thou knows not what evil shall be upon the earth." Of course, the Bible is not telling us to literally take our bread and throw it on water but in the Bible, bread represents the Word of God. Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. In Bible prophecy, water represents people, multitudes and nations--Revelation chapter 17. And so when we cast our bread upon the waters, we share our faith. We witness to as many as we can. We might not see the results immediately for the Bible says, "You shall find it after many days." You don't know what evil is coming upon the earth. You don't know what situation a person might find themselves in when the things that we have said might come back to their mind and they would be receptive to turn in to Christ. So in our witnessing efforts, don't give up. You don't want to push somebody away--and maybe that's what you need to pray for wisdom in the Holy Spirit--but we also don't wanna get discouraged and think, "Well, there's just no way that this is making any difference in this person's life."
Sandra: Thank you very much. And I might... So I heard--I don’t really know that this is fact or not--but I've heard that Jesus thought that you should go to someone two to three times before you just kind of (inaudible 12:01) to them so that's not, is that something that he thought? Or...
Jean Ross: You know not an individual type of witnessing situation. We always need to be reaching out to people. Now, it is true if you're in the type of public evangelism setting and you're working in a particular area and you give a message to a group of people, there is a point in time if they reject that message that you need to move on and share with others. Just because you don’t have that much time and you wanna share it with as many people as possible. And in that sense, there is a point in time where you need to move on. But on an individual basis, when you're witnessing with a family member or a friend, we want to continue to be reaching out to them. Sometimes we can’t even witness with words and that's where we need to witness with our lifestyle. And hopefully by the way we live we can be an ambassador for Christ and reveal the love of Jesus.
Sandra: Thank you so much for helping.
Jean Ross: Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Our next caller is Robert and Robert is listening on the internet from Indiana. Robert, welcome to the program.
Robert: Good evening.
Jean Ross: Good evening and your question this evening.
Robert: It's in Matthew 25 verse 5.
Jean Ross: Matthew 25 and we're looking at verse 5 and 6. Do you have that there in front of you?
Robert: Yes, it says "While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. In verse 6, "At midnight, cry has given. Behold, the Second Coming, Christ is coming, go out to meet him." Well, they're all sleeping in verse 5, who gives the cry in verse 6?
Jean Ross: That's a good question. You know the cry has always come... Of course, this is a parable that Jesus is telling. It's called the parable of the 10 virgin, the 10 maidens, and it's really representing the church at a time period just prior to the coming of Christ. There is this spiritual sleep. This (inaudible 13:56) condition that the church finds itself in but then there is the cry, "behold the bridegroom comes. Jesus is coming." And that causes a stir and revival within the church. Who makes the cry? I believe it's the Holy Spirit that moves upon the people but it's really the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God. It is always the Word of God that brings conviction and brings revival in the hearts and the lives of individuals. So God has got people, who He is using and whom He will use in a mighty way to preach and teach and share the Word of God and it's the word of God that will bring conviction.
Dr. DeRose: The other powerful connection is with Elijah. If you look at the very last verse to the Old Testament, Robert, Malachi 4 verses 4 and onward, especially verse 5 it says, "I will send Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." The Elijah message prepared for Jesus first coming. There will be a similar Elijah message--and Elijah means Jehovah is God. He's the Lord--so it's this message that comes, motivated by the Holy Spirit, through God's people. It's a manifestation of the prophetic gift people elevating the word that actually give this loud cry message. So Elijah gives a human face to the Church, if you will, with a prophetic gift giving this message that arouses these sleeping saints as well.
Jean Ross: Does that make sense Robert? Does that help?
Robert: Yeah, that's helps. Thank you.
Jean Ross: Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Our next caller is Loretta and she's calling from Tennessee. Loretta, welcome to the program.
Loretta: Yes, thank you. Good Evening.
Jean Ross: Good evening.
Loretta: I've got a question about speaking in tongues.
Jean Ross: Yes.
Loretta: Well, actually, it's probably more about the people that speaks in tongues. My question is speaking in tongues is not a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, correct?
JEAN ROSS: It could be a manifestation of the Holy Spirit just deepening upon how we understand that.
Loretta: So okay well let me (inaudible 15:58) but referring to the speaking in tongues unintelligible.
JEAN ROSS: Okay.
Loretta: And nobody's interpreting, nobody knows what anybody is speaking.
JEAN ROSS: all right.
Loretta: That's what I'm referring to.
Jean Ross: Okay.
Loretta: That is not of the Holy Spirit, correct?
Jean Ross: You know, the Bible tells us that God is the-- not the author of confusion--but the author of truth. so you know if there is confusion in the Church and people don't know what a person is saying or what that means to them or how do they apply that to their life then we need to ask ourselves, "Is this confusion of God or isn't it?" And if you look at the Bible description of what happened when people receive the gift of tongues in the New Testament in Acts chapter 2 and onwards, it was really given the purpose of sharing the gospel with others. You have for example on the day of Pentecost with the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples God gives them the ability to communicate the gospel in languages that they had not formally trained in. There were people gathered in Jerusalem from different parts of the empire and these people heard the apostles preach in their own language.
Loretta: My question--
Jean Rose: So the person or the purpose of the gift of tongue's to communicate the gospel.
Dr. DeRose: The other point though, Loretta, that support--and I think in fairness--is in 1 Corinthians 14, when you're reading about the misuse of the gift of tongues in the Corinthians church, these people actually had the genuine gift to the Holy Spirit but it was being misused.
Loretta: Uhum.
Dr. DeRose: So like Pastor Ross pointed out, yes, the Holy Spirit was given. It's a special gift of tongues so the people could communicate the gospel in languages that were not their mother tongue but it was being misused at 1 Corinthians 14. And there are many churches today that do not meet the criteria as Pastor Ross mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14. If you see that criteria not being fulfilled, you can't just say they don't have the Holy Spirit but you can clearly say, if they do have this gift from the Holy Spirit, is being inappropriately used.
Loretta: Okay. Now my question is this. For those who don't have the Holy Spirit and this manifested things by speaking in tongues, can we assume that it's an evil spirit?
Jean Ross: So if you don't manifest speaking in tongues, do you have the Holy Spirit?
Loretta: The way that the Bible
Jean Ross: Is that what you're asking?
Loretta: Is that an evil spirit?
Jean Ross: Well, there's many Christians that have been spirit filled that have never spoken in tongues.
Loretta: Okay. I understand that. I'm happy to hear that.
JEAN ROSS: Right.
Loretta: But for those who speak in tongues and they say it's the manifestation of the spirit, (quote?) spirit--it's not the Holy Spirit--is that an evil spirit?
Jean Ross: Well, you know there's really two sources of spirit: the Holy Spirit and you've got the evil spirit. But I wouldn't say just everybody who speaks in what we would commonly consider as tongues today has been influenced by an evil spirit sometimes this can be to some degree self--a brought upon somebody's self--almost like self-type hypnosis, possibly so.
Loretta: Okay. Well, how do you know the difference?
Jean Ross: I'd be very careful. You know, test everything by the Bible.
Dr. DeRose: Amen.
Jean Ross: To the law and to the testament. If they speak not according to this, there is no light in them. And the Bible does tells us you know how that we ought to test the Spirit to see if it is of God or if it's not of God. So I would take every type of experience and put it to the test of the Bible. Does it meet the criteria that's given in Scripture?
Loretta: Okay. So--
Dr. DeRose: Ephesians 4, Loretta, Ephesians 4 does make it clear that all the gifts would be present to the end of time, to Christ second coming and so there will be genuine manifestations of the gift of tongues but Pastor Ross and I agree with you, much what goes under the umbrella of tongues is not the biblical spiritual gift. We don't have to judge where that's coming from, whether a person's deceived, whether they have worked themselves up into an altered state but historically researchers tells us there are these experiences much like what's happening in Christian churches that are called the gift of tongues that happened in secular settings and happened in spirit worship and also happened in settings where people are not saying they're worshipping any God at all. So we can’t just label people as--really, let's put it this way: judge not that we be not judge.
Loretta: Okay.
Dr. DeRose: But hold to the truth, practice it yourself and God is faithful.
Jean Ross: You know we have a book dealing with this very subject and it's spoken about tongues. It's "Captured by Tongues." The book written by Pastor Doug Batchelor. Loretta, I think you'll find it very interesting. It deals with these very issues that we've been talking about. To receive the free copy of this book, just call our resource line 1-800-835-6747 and ask for the book "Captured by Tongues,'' 1-800-835-6747. And we'll be happy to send that out to you. The number here in the studio, friends, if you have a Bible question is 1-800-GODSAYS that's 1-800-463-7297. Our next caller is Bart calling from California. Bart, welcome to the program.
Bart: Hi there gentlemen.
Dr. DeRose: Good evening.
Bart: My question is concerning 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 14, the first part where it talks about Adam not being deceived. The reason why I asked is because for instance, I discover that many people believe that's pertaining when he ate of the forbidden fruit but leading in the context of the topic, which Paul is speaking to his brother Timothy when he wrote this letter, I see it where he is addressing two issues: the issue of women's speaking and the matter of authority and of course he's using Adam and Eve as an example. So the way I see it is that it appears to me he establishing a timeline of particular point in the timeline of the event which appears to be the part where Eve had replied to the Serpent. You know the act of speak, speeching. What is your people's view point on this?
Jean Ross: Well, if you're looking specifically... Well, let me read the verse that you're looking at. That's 1 Timothy Chapter 2 verse 14, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing." Now if you look at the verse just previous to this which should be verse 12, "But I suffer not a woman to teach, or to usurp authority over a man, but to be silent. For Adam was first formed, then Eve." Paul is addressing or speaking to Timothy about certain ways things ought to be done in church. And Paul is making it clear that spiritual leadership has been placed upon the shoulders of the man, and it's really dealing with the issue of authority. Who bears spiritual authority? And in the home, the husband bears spiritual authority. God is placed that responsibility upon the man. It was in the Old Testament that the man on the house, that was the representative for the family he would bring the sacrifice to the temple. He would represent his family. That’s same principle we find in the New Testament where God has given spiritual authority and He has placed that upon the shoulders of the man. And then he goes back to Genesis and it deals with the fall as part of the reason why God established this type of system and he address the issue with Eve and Adam. So Eve was deceived by the serpent. Adam was not deceived in that. Eve brought the fruit to Adam. Adam knew where the fruit had come from but in his love for Eve, he chose to disobey God and to share in whatever faith would happen to Eve. He should have trusted in God. He was not deceived but rather his love for Eve lead him in to sin. So that's kind of the point...
Robert: I understand--
Jean Ross: --that Paul is addressing there.
Robert: Yeah, I understand where you're coming from but I also look at it in another way. If it was... We have to ask ourselves first of all, "What do they both do in common and what did Eve do that Adam did not?" If both ate of the fruit, the forbidden fruit, they both transgressed. If that was the case, if verse 14 was referring to that, it seems to me that Paul would not be able to discriminate between man and woman.
Jean Ross: Right.
Robert: Why is he discriminating against the woman only? Because I see it--as he is talking about the beginning of chapter 3 of Genesis when she spoke--and the way I see when he says that Adam was not deceived, I see it as Adam was not deceived in to giving in to the temptation of speech. You look at the fact that the serpent, Satan, had asked, you know, a specific question was significant because it appears that he's touching on a you know sensitive subject He knows what button to push on Eve but then the fact that he ask a question is also significant because when you ask a person a question, what are you doing? You’re prompting a verbal reply.
Jean Ross: So just to summarize what you saying here is that part of the reason we have this passage here by Paul is because Eve responded to the temptations of the devil and spoke to the serpent.
Robert: Right. If you look at the topics, the two issues, he's talking about women's speaking, 'speech.' I think that's why he says they should be silent.
Jean Ross: Well, I think it's pretty clear if you look back the account in Genesis that you're right, Eve did speak to the serpent. She was deceived and speech was involved. Whereas if you find Adam, Adam did not actually have direct contact with the serpent but the devil influenced Adam through his wife. And that's part of the reason why we find the structure that God has placed spiritual leadership upon the shoulders of the man both in the home and then also in the church.
We gonna try and take one more call, friends, before we come up on our half an hour break here. And let’s see if we can get a quick call in. We have Adrian who is calling from Oregon. Adrian, welcome to the program.
Adrian: Hi. I was wondering about 1 John 5:16.
Jean Ross: All right. Do you have it there in front of you?
Adrian: I don't but--
Jean Ross: We can... We don't wanna cut you in a minute.
Adrian: I know what the question is though. I mean I was just wondering what the sin leading to death is and...
Jean Ross: Let's read it here for everyone.
Dr. DeRose: "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that you shall pray for it."
Jean Ross: So your question?
Adrian: So I'm wondering how do you know whether or not someone has sinned that sin unto death and whether or not you should pray for them or for that...
Jean Ross: Well, first of all, let's quickly define what the sin unto death is. Jesus said every sin shall be given a man except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or sometimes referred to the unpardonable sin and that would be the sin unto death that we find here in John. John is referring to you know... There comes a point in a person's experience where they have so hardened their heart from the influence of the Holy Spirit that really the Holy Spirit can't reach them any longer. They closed the years and they become spiritually dead. That would be the point of committing the unpardonable sin. We don't quite know when that happens though. I mean in some cases it might be evident but most of the time, we're not quite sure how the Holy Spirit is influencing or touching that person's heart or we need to pray and pray that the Lord would reach them and do the best we can to be a positive witness for them. In some cases, it might be very obvious and in that case, John is saying you know... I'm not saying pray for that type of situation but then again, it's difficult for us to know. I'd say pray and allow the Lord to lead and convict the hearts of individuals. Well, friends, we're coming up with just our half an hour break. We have a few important announcements and then, we'll be back with more Bible questions. Stay tuned.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Jean Ross: Hello friends. Welcome back to the second half of Bible Answers Live. This is a live international and interactive Bible study. And if you have a Bible question, we love to hear from you this evening. Filling in for Pastor Doug is Doctor DeRose. And if you have a question related to health, we would love to hear from you this evening. The number to call here to the studio is 1-800-GODSAYS, that's 1-800-463-7297. That number again is 1-800-463-7297. Join the program I'll also give you another number. That is our resource line. We'll be giving you some materials that we believe will help you in your study of God's words. So keep a pencil handy, we'll give you those numbers as the questions come up related to those topics. So let's go to the phone lines. Our next caller is Patrick and he is calling from the Cayman Islands, listening on the radio. Patrick, welcome to the program.
Patrick: Hi. Good evening.
Jean Ross: Good evening, Patrick, and your question this evening.
Patrick: My question relates to Hebrews chapter 9 verse 12. I was in a crusade and the pastor said that Jesus literally took blood back to his father in heaven based on the old sanctuary where the priest used to catch the blood and (inaudible 31:55) to animals and sprinkle. And I just don't believe that.
Jean Ross: Okay. So is Jesus literally--
Patrick: Yeah, he's saying basically the Scripture says, "Neither by blood are of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once to the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Now, he's saying based on that Scripture that Jesus literally took blood from earth when he was killed on the cross back to his Father in heaven.
Jean Ross: Right. You know the Father does not need the blood of Jesus before him in Heaven in order for Him to believe or accept the blood that Christ shed on the cross for our sins. The Father is very much aware of what Jesus has done for us. He appears now before the Father as our advocate and He pleads the merits of His blood, His sacrifice. So you know you have the experience in Jesus from the resurrection and He appeared to first of all Mary Magdalene and then later on he appeared to the disciples. He was not bleeding. His hands were not oozing blood but He appears as our advocate pleading His blood on our behalf before the Father. And that's really what's been illustrated here in Hebrews 9 and that is the whole point of what Jesus is doing as a high priest.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah, I mean this is the key thing the whole book of Hebrews is speaking about Jesus being greater than all the Old Testament figures that pointed to Him. So really, Jesus death on the cross, that is the blood that allows a greater way for us to approach the Father.
Jean Ross: And you'd also recognize that all of the blood of the animals, that would be read about in the Old Testament, they were all shadows of the blood of Christ. And you'd have to have animals in the Old Testament that were shed, many animals There was a continual flowing of blood through the Old Testament sanctuary but when Jesus dies on the cross, his sacrifice and his blood that were shed is sufficient to atone for the sins of all mankind. There is no need for a continual shedding of blood of Christ. His one act is sufficient.
Dr. DeRose: That's right.
Patrick: Well, I was trying to say to him. I was like saying you know the old ritual was a shadow. A shadow doesn’t really mean that it's the same thing. You know, it's a shadow of what is to come. I just didn't buy it 'cause there was no Scripture to support it, anyway, to say that there was someone catching his blood on the cross when he was dying.
Jean Ross: Right. Right.
Patrick: So...
Jean Ross: Yes.
Patrick: Thanks for your clarification on that. And I figure much that's what I believe what you said.
Jean Ross: Absolutely.
Dr. DeRose: There's another one good text just worth mentioning on this subject in Hebrews 10 verse 19, Paul’s writing there. It says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,” that doesn't mean that we're taking his blood literally to get in there. Its Jesus death on the cross just emphasizing that point. Thanks Patrick.
Jean Ross: Thanks for your call. Our next caller is Paul and he is calling from Tennessee. Paul, welcome to the program.
Paul: Hey. God bless you guys. I just was flipping the channels and caught you. I don't know if I ever heard your program before but it sound interesting.
Jean Ross: Well, we're glad you joined the program.
Paul: Yeah. Yeah. You know it's too bad that you know I run out of programs you know here and there I run the road and ‘cause you know programs like this, I love to listen to, you know.
Dr. DeRose: Praise the lord.
Paul: But anyway, I was just hoping to bring a little clarification maybe to the gift of tongues.
Jean Ross: Sure. What’s the question?
Paul: I was just gonna make a comment ‘cause that's what I heard. That's the question I came in on the person that was talking about that, the question on tongues.
Jean Ross: Yes.
Paul: Yeah, there's so much confusion out there. You know we need more clarification. We know who the author of confusion is, right?
Dr. DeRose: That's right.
Paul: He's our enemy but yeah, Paul, like Paul said, he said when we... I believe tongues, according to Scripture, what Paul says--and one (awesome man?) of God, he went to heaven, he went to the third heaven and God, all this Revelation knowledge, and just awesome to read his epistles--but he said that tongues, for one thing is for (inaudible 36:23) because it's a gift to the Holy Spirit so it's a language that comes from Heaven, from the Holy Spirit. He says when he speak in tongues, we speak mysteries. And the God... That's why people don’t understand it is because it takes interpretation which is equal to prophecy, of course. And then to also add to that, I think it was Jude who said that to build up your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Jean Ross: Now of course, yes, you're right. We need to pray in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit intercedes in our prayers and makes our prayers acceptable to God. You look at the gift of the Holy Spirit as given on the day of Pentecost as we mentioned earlier. It's really was a remarkable gift. I'm looking at Acts chapter 2. And if you look over here in verse 5, it says, "They dwell at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. When this was noised abroad,” speaking of the apostles, “the multitude came together and were confounded because every man heard them speak in his own language." So the gift of tongues is given to just a handful of followers of Christ and now they are able to preach the mysteries of the gospel. They can communicate the good news in languages that they never learned. And people were astounded by this. And that's why Paul says if there is somebody in your assembly or in your church that speaks in an unknown tongue, you need to have somebody interpret that tongue because really he's (inaudible 38:00) himself. If I speak in a language that nobody else that understands, I might be (inaudible 38:03) myself but I'm not speaking with wisdom so that another can be (inaudible 38:08). For that reason, you need to have somebody translate it. You know, we find that happening in Corinthians particularly there were people travelling through, people's speaking different languages. People would get up and pray in their language and nobody could really understand what they were saying. So that's why you need an interpreted kind of help with that.
Dr. DeRose: Pastor Jean, I so appreciate you pointing us back to Acts 2 because everywhere in Acts whether it's Acts 2 in Jerusalem, whether it's Acts 10 in Caesarea with Cornelius, whether it's Acts 19 in Ephesus with the gifts of tongues as again manifested it's always in a crossroads of civilization when they need a gift to speak foreign languages that they didn't know. And so that's really clear in the New Testament that tongues were given to communicate the gospel to people who they couldn't speak to otherwise. When you get to 1 Corinthians, it's a messed up church. They were divided. They weren't using the gifts properly and sure someone could thought, "Hey, look at this great gift the Holy Spirit gave me." They're speaking in a tongue that no one else understands in the church. This is not building up the church. It's missing the whole point so I think you're hitting it right on. IF you want to see the biblical gift of tongues clearly, go to the books of Acts 1 Corinthians keeps us straight as well.
Jean Ross: You know, Paul, I think you'd appreciate that book. I know you're driving but if you can remember this number. Its 1-800-835-6747, 835-6747 or you can go to the amazing Facts website. You can actually read this book online. It's called “The Gift of Tongues” or “Captured by Tongues.” I think we've changed the name to “The Gift of Tongues." And it deals with this whole subject. It talks about the New Testament church, how the gift was used, how do we identify today the genuine gift of tongues from the counterfeit. I think you'll find that very helpful. Our next caller is Patrick. Patrick--well, we did Patrick from the Cayman Islands--let’s go to Shawn who is in Tennessee. Shawn, welcome to the program.
Shawn: Good evening. I guess I have a concern because it's been told to me, somehow if I could sort of relay or paraphrase what I've been told that basically a baby--and you know in the womb is not considered officially a soul yet until that baby is born--it’s simply a manifestation because you know how they say, flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven. And that somehow I was told--I don't know if it's correct, this is why I'm saying if you could verify this--that, you know, a soul... Of course, first of all I understand it only exist as long as there is breath in the body. And God has to give, I guess, the spirit of breath to the body and also as so considered an existence as long as you know its flesh and blood that has breath and the spirit or whatever giving accountability, in other words, for sin, and that I guess going back to the case, with the baby in the womb.
Jean Ross: Well, let’s… let me intercede you real quick. Let me take you to the first reference that we have in Scripture of a soul and this does seem to help especially in your particular case: does a baby have a soul? Genesis chapter 2 verse 7, talking about the creation of Adam, "And the Lord God formed man out of the dust from the ground," that's the first point you wanna note, "and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life," that's the second point. And then it says, "Man became a living soul." So in order to be a living soul there are two things that are necessary you need the dust of the ground or the body, and you need the breath of life. Now it is true a baby does not breathe air from the atmosphere in the way that a born baby would but does a baby need air? Does it need oxygen in order to live? Of course, the answer to that would be yes. It receives air. It receive its life through its mother so from a biblical description of what is a living soul, you would need to reach the conclusion that indeed the unborn baby is a living being, a living soul as the Bible defines it in Genesis 2:7.
Shawn: Well that sorts of help me better with understanding ‘cause I kind of thought all along that, that it was that, a baby does have a soul but somehow this other person that challenge me about that--and he wasn't advocating abortion necessarily--but he doesn't believe that babies can be held accountable until… If they're born, I guess that's a different thing (inaudible 42:46).
Jean Ross: Well, that is a different question what the age of accountability. You know the Bible does address that.
Shawn: Right.
Jean Ross: But here's one of the thought on that, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and spoke of this miraculous birth that she was to have, he said that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and that Holy thing,” speaking of the unborn Christ. So it's interesting that the angel Gabriel refers to the unborn Christ, Jesus in the womb of Mary, as that holy thing.
Shawn: Yeah.
Jean Ross: That's more than just, you know, flesh and bones and blood.
Shawn: Yeah, (and understanding?) even God told Jeremiah, you know in the beginning there, "I knew you before you or even in the womb."
Jean Ross: Absolutely. Yeah, God formed (inaudible 43:30).
Shawn: So he does have a purpose for every life even whether it’s born or not yet.
Jean Ross: Absolutely. God has a plan.
Shawn: Yeah.
Jean Ross: Thanks for your call, Shawn. We appreciate that.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah, in fact we've got another caller Shawn that's actually calling what looks like a similar question. Why don't we go to Victor?
Jean Ross: Victor is calling from Queens, New York. Victor, welcome to the program.
Victor: Good evening gentlemen. Thank you for taking my call. I do know that there is a similarity between my call and the previous caller but mine has to do with the words ‘soul and spirit.’
Jean Ross: Okay.
Victor: Both words appear numerously in the Bible. And I’ve utilized my concordance to see if I could distinguish between the two but I'm just not satisfied. Could you help me distinguished the two?
Jean Ross: Sure, well let’s begin with Genesis 2:7, the very verse that we spoke about. The point that I wanna make here speaking about the first reference to soul, it says, “Man became a living soul.” It does not say God gave Adam a living soul but rather that Adam became a living soul. So in order to be a living soul, you need to have the body and you need to have the breath of life. Now that breath of life is more than just the oxygen that we breathe. It’s the spark of life. It’s the essence of life that only comes from God, that sometimes in Scripture is also referred to as the spirit, the spirit of life. Now, God has given life to all living things on earth human, animal, and plant. We all share that spirit of life, that spark of life that God has given to us. So in order to be a living soul, we have to have a body and we have to have that spirit or that spark or that breathe of life within us. You know in the Bible the word ‘breath’ can also be translated as spirit both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. So that breath of life, that spark of life is something that comes from God. And when a person dies, the body returns to the dust, returns to the earth. And that spark of life, the essence of life that God has given to all living things, that returns to God and that's what the Bible says the spirit returns to God. What happen to the soul? The soul ceases to exist as we find numerous places in the Bible that speaks of that. Does that make sense, Victor?
Victor: It does make sense. I was hoping that you would include the term of emotion in that because a friend of mine was talking about the emotion being in the soul.
Jean Ross: well, you know that--
Victor: I have difficulty with that.
Jean Ross: We don’t find so much that... The soul can also be the person, the being, you know, we would use it even today (inaudible 45:58) in to the (mall?) this morning and there wasn’t a soul there. Well, obviously we're not talking about ghost. We’re talking about people. A living being is a soul. The spirit is that spark of life that God has given us but we also have a spirit in that we can reason, we can think, we can direct. And I think in that sense, the spirit would refer to our emotions, with our thoughts you know the essence of who we are. You know he might have a good spirit within him that might mean that he's got a good heart. He’s caring or he's compassionate. It means an awareness of ourselves.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah, I mean this whole topic is so important to understand because really and I appreciate the emphasis, Victor, when we don't realize the totality of man. This is actually one of the reasons why there have been such neglects in the Christian church or history. As a physician, I realized the importance of realizing the soul as being a living person because when you start to say, “Hey, look. The only important thing is something spiritual or ethereal," then people begin to neglect the body or abused the body. And we know in history, people have even whipped their bodies thinking that it would make them more spiritual. This is not the picture we get in Genesis 1 and 2. God created us as a whole people emotionally, spiritually, physically. And it's really critical to recognize what a soul really is.
Jean Ross: You know, we have a study guide dealing with this subject. It's called--It's an interesting title—“Are the Dead Really Dead?" And it speaks about the soul, what happens to the soul at death. It also talks about the spirit. For anyone wanting to know more about the subject, give us a call on our resource line 1-800-835-6747 and you can ask for the study guide "Is the Dead Really Dead?" It deals really with the subject of the soul. I know there's a lot of confusion about that but it is an important subject that we need to understand what the Bible have to say about that. Our next caller is Andrew. And Andrew is calling from Michigan. Andrew, welcome to the program.
Andrew: Hi. Thank you very much. What's your name again?
Jean Ross: My name is Jean Ross and I'm with Dr. DeRose.
Andrew: Hi. Hi to both of you. This is my first time on the show. Actually, first time listening to the show so I appreciate--
Jean Ross: Great.
Andrew: --you having me in. I would actually--
Jean Ross: And your question.
Andrew: --Yeah, I was in the car. I was on my way home and I heard the radio and I heard that you are a physician. And if you have a health related questions according to the Bible, you can give a phone call and so that's why I'm calling. I feel God's been leading me to a fast, a 7-day fast. I fasted before but never to that level and I'm just... In that past couple days, just looking at it as much research as I can on the internet just trying to learn as much as I can about it. So I just wondering if you might be able to shed some light on that in general or maybe offer any recommendations for someone wanting to do something like that.
Dr. DeRose: I would be happy to do that, Andrew. First of all, one of the points that I make—although, we read examples in the Bible of people fasting great lengths of time. Of course, Jesus himself fasted for 40 days--there's really no reason for us spiritually too fast for 40 days. Jesus really did that for us but having said that, if you look at fasting, there are medical benefits from it. and we ran a program here in California called “New Start” and in the “New Start” program, we often have people go on medically supervise fast for people that have a blood sugar problems, blood pressure problems. Fasting can be extremely powerful. There are spiritual benefits to fasting as well. And the Holy Spirit may convict you that you should go on a fast but here's a couple of concerns: First of all, people that do take any kind of medication, especially if it's for blood sugar--they have diabetes perhaps or blood pressure--fasting can be extremely dangerous. It's dangerous actually because it is so powerful.
These people, if you don't make alterations in their medications, they can get in a real serious trouble. And so for a person on medications, they need to be in touch with a physician before embarking on a fasting program of any duration. The other point, as far as the 7-day fast, I usually tell people when they start to fast that they feel God's prompting them to go on a fast, if they don't have any medical reason why they can’t do it, make sure they drink plenty of water during that fast. If they start feeling weak, take some juice. Or juice fast is a type of fast that can be done. And if it seems like you're not having the energy, mental clarity or whatever kind of symptoms, then go ahead and kind of begin to eat lightly. Just kind of simple practical guidelines for fasting could be powerful but there's some dangers as well.
Andrew: Right. Second question in response to that, some of the research I was doing on the internet said that if you're body was very toxic, it would be very dangerous to fast. And not so much that malnutrition is the problem but the toxicity in your body can really begin to cause a problem if you stop to eat it. Is that true or (inaudible 50:58)...?
Dr. DeRose: I will say there are some medical lines of thought that suggest that you got lots of toxins stored in your fat. If you're burning a lot of fat, that that could mobilize the toxins and it could be potentially problematic. I've never seen a problem with it but I think it's something you would consider.
Andrew: Okay.
Jean Ross: All right. Thank you for your call, Andrew. Appreciate that. We got a question dealing with the health in the Bible. In short, Dr. DeRose, fasting is a good thing. It clears the mind. It’s beneficial to the health and I think it does bring a degree of spiritual clarity to our minds especially if you’re praying for something specific. IF you want a clear mind to hear the voice of God, it's a good thing.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah. Skipping a meal usually is pretty safe unless someone has blood sugar problems and taking insulin or some other kind of drug.
Jean Ross: Our next caller is Frank and Frank is calling from New York. Frank, welcome to the program.
Frank: Hey, Doug, thank you so much for taking my call.
Jean Ross: And you're question this evening.
Frank: I have a quick question here. If we're dead and we're waiting for judgment, why in Peter 3--1 Peter 3 chapter 3 verse 18, oh no, verse 19--it says that Jesus went down to preach to this lost spirits. I don't understand that.
Jean Ross: Sure, let's take a look at it. 1 Peter 3:18, let me read it for those who are listening. “For Christ all says one suffered for sins, the just for unjust, they might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh," notice the next part, "but being quickened by the spirit." So the subject of the end of that verse is the spirit, verse 19. By which, referring to the spirit, he also went and preach unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient when (inaudible52:44) suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the arc was still preparing. So what is it that Peter is talking about? He's talking about the spirit and it says "Christ, by the spirit, preach to those who are alive before the flood." Now when did he preach to those who were before the flood? Was it after their death or was it before their death? There is a cross-reference here, a very important verse, Genesis chapter 6 verse 3. Let me read that for you, it says, “The Lord said, ‘My spirit shall not always strive with man.’” This is speaking about a time prior to the flood, "for in that he is flesh, yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." So it was through the Holy Spirit, through the spirit that Christ preached or pleaded to those living before the flood. His spirit was striving with the antediluvian world. So it’s not talking about Jesus at His death going down in to the depth of hell and preaching to those in hell rather, it’s referring to the Holy Spirit through whom Christ preached. Even to those who are alive before the flood.
Dr. DeRose: Ecclesiastes 9 makes it very clear that there's no consciousness in the graves. So Jesus really could not have preached to people that were dead in any meaningful way.
Jean Ross: Does that help, Frank?
Frank: That sounds beautiful. Was it Ecclesiastes, you say?
Dr. DeRose: Yes, Ecclesiastes chapter 9.
Frank: Chapter 9.
Jean Ross: All right. Thanks so much for your call.
Frank: Thank you so much. God bless you guys.
Jean Ross: We appreciate it.
Dr. DeRose: Blessings.
Jean Ross: Our next call is Martin and he is calling from (Antioch?), California. Martin, welcome to the program.
Martin: Hi Pastors. Good evening. My question is from Revelations chapter 5 where it speaks about the (inaudible 54:29) open, "there was no man worthy to open the book," was God included?
Jean Ross: Well, that's a good question.
Martin: Yes, and I have a quick question. Is there any reference, literature, on this on the seal of God?
Jean Ross: What's the last part?
Martin: The seal of God.
Jean Ross: Oh, about the seals of God that would be find in Revelation. Is that the question?
Martin: Yes.
Jean Ross: Okay. Let's go to question number one. Is God worthy to open the book? Well, if you read the whole chapter, you'll find that yes he is but it’s Christ that's worthy to open the book. Let me give you the context for those of you who might not be aware of what's being described. Revelation chapter 5 describes the heavenly thrown room and it describes the Father sitting upon the thrown. There are the 24 elders. There is the Holy Spirit burning before the thrown. The3re's the four living creatures and so on. And there is this scroll, this book, that is held in the hand of the one sitting upon the thrown. There would be the Father. And it’s sealed with the seven seals. Nobody is found worthy to open the book and John weeps because nobody is found worthy to open the book but then somebody says to him, stop weeping John for the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the book. And then John sees the lion of the tribe of Judah and what he sees is a lamb that had been slain. So through the death of Christ--Jesus is of course the lion of the tribe of Judah--he is the lamb that was slain through the death of Christ he has earned the right to open those seals. Now, what is it about that book that only Jesus could open? I believe that that book could refer to the lamb's book of life, a book in which are written the names of those who ultimately will be saved. Those who would accept Christ as their savior. Salvation only comes through Jesus and it's through his atone of sacrifice that we have life. That’s why in vision, John weeps because nobody is found worthy to open the book. You know, the destiny of human race was at stake but Jesus prevailed, he's worthy to open the book.
Thank you for that call. We appreciate it, Martin. Friends, I hear the music in the background. That means we're coming to the end of this program. If we did not get to your call today, we apologize. Give us a call next week. We'll be here the same time, same place. Tune in for more Bible questions. and in the mean time, I'd like to encourage you to go to the Amazing Facts website where we have a (host?) of various resources. The various resources that we've given out this evening that you can read for free on our Amazing Facts library online just www.amazingfacts.org. There's also a number of other great websites that you can go to from that Amazing Facts website to give you further information of various important Bible topics. Again friends, thank you so much for listening. We are a faith-based ministry. We would love to hear from you, until next week.
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