Hello friends, this is Doug Batchelor, would you like to hear an amazing fact? Have you ever heard your parents say, “If your friends told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?” apparently, some do. On March 11
th, 2011, a California high school student, visiting the Golden Gate Bridge on a morning field trip, climbed over the railing and jumped, evidently urged on by a dare from fellow classmates. Miraculously, the teenager survived the 220 foot plunge into San Francisco bay that kills dozens of people each year.
Landing on the water after a 200 and 20 foot free fall, is like landing on concrete after a 100 foot drop, most jumpers die a grizzly death with massive internal injuries, broken bones, and skull fractures, some die from internal bleeding, while others drown in the cold water. But amazingly, the 17 year old lived, and a statement from his school said, “He suffered no severe injuries beyond bruising and tenderness, he was rescued by a certain surfer who paddled over and towed him ashore”.
California high way patrol officer, Christ Rarden said, “It’s a miracle in itself, the majority of folks do not survive this type of fall”. “UNDSUR”, Unified School District Super Intendant, Bilmik Dermit said, “He didn’t think the teen was trying to commit suicide, but instead, jumped after others students from the high school in Snow McCountney dared him. Suddenly, the shocked classmates saw the teen go over the railing.
Someone leaps off the iconic bridge on an average of once every 2 weeks. In 2010, 32 jumpers died, most of those deaths suicides. About 98 percent of those plunges end up being fatal, the other 2 percent are seriously injured. Did you know the bible says, “That the devil once dared the Saviour to jump from a high precipice but Jesus did not fall for the temptation?” Stay with us friends, we’re going to learn more, as “Amazing Facts” bring you, this edition of “Bible Answers Live”.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Doug: Hello friends, welcome to another edition of Bible Answers Live, and if you have a bible question, we’ve got some lines open, pick up your phone right now and call with your bible question. That toll free number is 1-800-GOD SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297, and also keep a pencil ready, we’ll be giving out some addresses on the internet that will take you to different bible study resources, of course, it’s easy to remember, “Amazigfacts.org”, there is a plethora of bible study material there. But my name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross, good evening listening friends, Pastor Doug, let’s begin the program with prayer. Dear Father, once again we thank you for this opportunity to study your word, we ask for your presence and your blessing to be upon this program. Be with those who are listening, wherever they might be, and we ask for your guidance through your spirit, in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Pastor Doug, you opened the program by talking about a dare to jump of the Golden Gate Bridge. Have you ever been dared to jump off a bridge?
Pastor Doug: I have and I did
Pastor Jëan Ross: Did you jump? (Laughing)
Pastor Doug: I did but it was, I think the bridge was only about 15 or 20 feet high
Pastor Jëan Ross: So not too bad.
Pastor Doug: on Miami Beach. Yeah, you know. How about you, did you ever follow a dare when you were?
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I probably did, I don’t think I’ve ever jumped off a bridge as a result of a dare but I’ve probably done some rather silly things as a result of a dare.
Pastor Doug: That says something about, you know, how much young people want to be accepted, that they’ll go to lengths of, you know, even risking their lives. I’ve heard about some students that are doing this insanely dangerous thing, where they go out in busy traffic and they lay down in a truck lane, knowing that, “If the truck goes directly over them, they would be harmed” and, or some kids have been killed doing that. But, you know, the bible talks about “The devil tempting us all the time” to do things, to try and get the approbation of the world or the attention of others and, you know, making us think that we’re going to get some benefit by listening to his temptations. And this idea of the young man jumping off the bridge, I’m very thankful he did not die but it makes me think about the story. When the devil took Jesus up to a very high pinnacle on the temple, and you read about this in, it’s in “Matthew 5, verse 7” as well as other gospels, “And the devil took Jesus up into the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple”, which Josephus tells us, “was very high”, and he said to Him, “If you’re the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He’ll give His angels charge over you and in their hands they’ll bare you up, less you dashed your foot against the stone” but Jesus said to him, “It is written, you shall no temp the Lord your God”. So Christ met every temptation with the word of God. Now, all of us face temptations every day, we’re not tempted to jump off a bridge, but we’re all temped to do things that involves sin and sin is deadly, and to some extent, we are playing Russian roulette, whenever we give in to temptation because the penalty for sin is death and it’s a very dangerous thing to toy with, that disease. Now, everybody out there listening really needs to take advantage of the bible tips for resisting temptation and having victory over temptation. And we have a free offer we’ll send to anybody that askes, a book that just, it assembles the bible tips for gaining victory over temptation. One, for instance is what Jesus did here, “the scriptures”, that’s what Jesus used, but there are many others and tell us about it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The book is entitled, “Tips for Resisting Temptation”, “Tips for Resisting Temptation”, if you’d like to receive that book, give us a call at our resource number, its 1-800-835-6747 and, you know Pastor Doug, this book has good news, the good news is, “That we can resist temptation”. God has given us a certain weapons that we could use against those temptations to gain victory.
Pastor Doug: That’s right. Everybody listening out there, we all know someone who may have struggled with anything, from drugs, to drinking, to alcohol, to all kinds of problems, and that, you know, we’re all, in by nature, sinaholics, and Jesus can give us the victory, and there’s things that can make it a lot easier to, when you’re faced with temptation, so send for the free book, one more time the.
Pastor Jëan Ross: It’s 1-800-835-6747, and the book written by Pastor Doug is “Tips for Resisting Temptation”, we’ll be happy to send that out to you. Well, let’s go to the phone lines. We have Robert who is listening in Indiana, listening on the internet. Robert, welcome to the program.
Robert: Thank you, good evening.
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Robert: My question is particular to “Daniel and the kings that ruled in those chapters”. Nebuchadnezzar, actually the emperors of Rome, and Alexander the great, I know from history, that at various times they commit, they said “They were gods” I know Alexander particular. Why is it not identified in the bible, in Daniel, that they ever committed blasphemy
Pastor Doug: Well.
Robert: If they claim to be God. Like the Roman emperors.
Pastor Doug: Okay. The Lord, in Daniel is outlining the heathen kingdoms of the world. The first vision in Daniel 2 is an idle, and so, these kingdoms of the world are portrayed as an idle, they represent idolatrous religions, and it was very common for them to take on divine names and do all kinds of things wrong. God used some of these heathen nations to really punish the children of Israel and His people through history, when they wondered from Him. And sure, Nebuchadnezzar and king Darius wanted to be worshipped as a god but Daniel would not do that and he went to the lion’s den. Alexander the great, after his visit to Egypt, he saw how the pharaohs took on divine titles, and he thought, “Well, it might be easier for me to subjugate these people if I claimed divinity” and of course the emperors of Rome, so you’re right. Many of the pagan monarchs claimed divinity; they found it was easier to get the people to fear them.
Robert: But God never says they committed blasphemy in the word.
Pastor Doug: Well it does. Actually, if you go to “Revelation chapter 13”, and it talks about, I think that’s where it says, “Names of Blasphemy”, and I think it’s in also, “Daniel chapter 7” where it says, “He’ll speak great words against the most high”, that means, “A person, kind of putting themselves in the place of God”, I think that’s “Daniel 7th, 25”, “Where out the saints of the most high”
Robert: That’s the little horn, that’s not the Roman emperors; they’re talking about the little horn.
Pastor Doug: Well, if you look in “Revelation, chapter 17” Babylon, that woman
Robert: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: she sits on 7 hills, and it says, “She’s full of names of blasphemy”. And those 7 hills she sits on, represent the 7 kingdoms of antiquity that persecuted God’s people being, Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Medo Persia, Greece, Rome. And so, you know, the whole batch of them were pagan. Why are you concerned that it doesn’t specifically excoriate these kings from not.
Robert: Because the book of Daniel, to understand Revelation
Pastor Doug: Right
Robert: you have to understand Daniel, they should, they really should be the same book, side by side. So if Daniel does not attribute blasphemy to them, Revelation will not show either.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, you know, we do have in “Daniel chapter 5”, you have the story in the throne room, (Inaudible 11:03) and the hand that appears and writes on the wall (inaudible 11:05-11:07) and you’ve been weighted in the balance and you’ve been found wanting, and judgement came because of the evil practices that was prevalent in Babylon that was specifically for (inaudible 11:18) but I think it’s true of any kingdom that
Robert: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: exalts itself above God, and of course the crowning act of defiance, was when he took the vessels that have been taken from the house of God and began to drink and worship his gods with those vessels, and so that same scenario would apply to all of these heathen nations that rebelled against God.
Pastor Doug: You know, we have that bible study that talks about the anti-Christ, and in that bible study, it deals with blasphemy Robert. And we’ll send you a free copy of our amazing facts bible study on “Who is the Anti-Christ?” and it goes to Daniel and Revelation, I think that’ll be all.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The study guide again is “Who is the Anti-Christ?” receive it, call 1-800-835-6747, that’s 1-800-835-6747 and we’ll be happy to send that out. We have Rose who is listening in New York, New York, listening on WMCA. Rose, welcome to the program.
Rose: Hi Pastors.
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Rose: Jesus told us what signs to look for before His 2nd coming.
Pastor Doug: Yup
Rose: Like earth quakes and so on? Now we’ve always had earthquakes and, but never like this. My country, Haiti, and so many others, and now Japan, and I’m wondering, I don’t hear to many sermons in the book of Revelations and the mark of the beast or how to prepare our self for the end time events. I mean, is it because that they were not filled with sermons? And I wanted to know your thoughts on that.
Pastor Doug: Well it’s interesting, I’m writing a letter right now. I sent out a Facebook message to my friends, Friday, and I quoted for “Matthew 24”, where Jesus said, “There’ll be earthquakes in diverse places”. I think there are many signs right now. There’s another radio host that answers bible questions, he’s predicting the end of the world in May, and you know, one of the signs Jesus gives us is false prophets. And so, I think we’re seeing the confluence. You read in “Luke 21”, it says, “The sea and the waves roaring”, well, that tsunami that just swept through, many of the northern lowlands there in Japan, is the sum extent of fulfilment, as was the earthquake in Indonesia. On more thing Pastor Ross, I just sent this to my friend Pastor Ross earlier today, I don’t know if he, you got this?
Pastor Jëan Ross: I saw it. Fascinating chart
Pastor Doug: From the
Pastor Jëan Ross: You talking about the earthquake?
Pastor Doug: national, yeah, from the geological survey. It shows a tremendous spike and the intensity of earth quakes, earthquakes that are over 6 or 7 on the rector scale. You know, they’ve been sort of, they average out, over the last hundred years, it’s a record you can see, I think it’s a USGS website, and it shows an incredible spike in the last 8 years of major earthquakes that are beyond normal. And Christ tells us that, you know, “All these are the beginning of labour pains”. So these signs, there’ve always been wars and rumours of wars, but the intensity and the frequency will increase near the end, and that’s what’s happening.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, there’s a little word here that has caught my attention, in “Luke 21, verse 11” were, “It gives earthquakes as a sign of the time”, it says, “There will be great earthquakes in various places”
Rose: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: we’ve always had earthquakes, but one of the signs of the time, is that there would be great earthquakes. Just look at what’s happened in the past, I don’t know, 2, 3 years, and the earthquakes that have been gigantic. I think that’s a fulfilment of this verse.
Pastor Doug: Yup, that and even the turmoil Rose, in the Middle East right now, you know, we’re seeing unprecedented turn overs in the governments and that’s going to affect, its evidently affecting the oil market, which is affecting the international economy, as is this nuclear problem they’re having in Japan right now. So, yeah, we’re living in exiting times and I don’t know what the average Christian out there thinks the worlds supposed to look like just before the 2nd coming, but I have a feeling, it’s going to look very much like this.
Rose: Right.
Pastor Doug: And folks need to wake up.
Rose: I just hope to wish that a lot of, I would hear a lot more sermons about the end time events because I know, a lot of people don’t know what the signs are and to prepare themselves.
Pastor Doug: Well, you know, we have a study guide that we’ll send to anybody, and it’s our study guide on the 2nd coming. It also goes through some of the popular signs. Pastor Ross, maybe you could mention that?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes. Call our resource line 1-800-835-6747 and ask for the study guide entitled, “The Ultimate Deliverance”, “The Ultimate Deliverance”, talks about the 2nd coming of Christ. We also have a book that talks about the 2nd coming, that we’d be happy to send out, called, “Anything but Secret”, and that also talks about the signs of the 2nd coming as well. The number again is 1-800-835-6747. And those of you who are listening, we do have a few lines still open, give us a call at 1-800-463-7297, that’ll get you right here to the studio, that’s 1-800-463-7297. We have Jason who is listening on the internet from Road Island. Jason, welcome to the program.
Jason: Hey, how you guys doing?
Pastor Doug: Good!
Jason: Good! I got a quick question from. I guess the reference of “morning stars” from, in Revelation and in Isaiah. “Revelation 22, verse 16”, Jesus says, “I’m the morning star”. In “Isaiah 14, verse 12” (inaudible 16:53) of what translation you’re looking at, you can get Lucifer, or in Isaiah, it says, “The morning star”. I was, my question is specifically. What is the difference between these 2 references besides the fact that one’s referring to Satan and ones referring to Jesus? And is there something fundamentally different between these 2, the wording of morning star here?
Pastor Doug: Well, the morning star is not really a name; it’s a reference to a light of hope
Jason: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: I’ll give you another, kind of an equal problem. Jesus is called, “The lion of the tribe of Judah”
Jason: Right
Pastor Doug: And then you’ve got a verse that says, “Be on your guard, the devil is going around as a roaring lion”. Well there is no contradiction there; there are characteristics of the lion, the majesty of the lion and the kingship among the beasts, so to speak, that, you know, is compared to Jesus. But when it tells us, “the devil is like a roaring lion”, it’s talking about the attribute of a lion to stalk people and to surprise in stealth.
Jason: okay.
Pastor Doug: So, the idea that “the devil before he fell was bright”, doesn’t conflict with that same term being used for Christ.
Jason: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: It’s an attribute.
Jason: Got you.
Pastor Doug: So does that make sense?
Jason: It does, it does.
Pastor Doug: You said you had a 2nd part on that question or.
Jason: I kind of used the 2 of them together.
Pastor Doug: Okay, so we were talking about the same thing really, in Isaiah 14 and Revelation 22.
Jason: Exactly. Okay.
Pastor Doug: Well I appreciate that Jason. Yeah, it’s a good question, there’s not really a conflict, the word ,”Morning star” is talking about the hopefulness, before Lucifer fell, he was a messenger of God. We would have all liked him,
Jason: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: he was perfect back then, but then he went bad.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, there is a verse in “Revelation chapter 1, verse 20” that tells us, that stars in prophecy represents angels. You can also find, that’s Revelation chapter 1, verse 20, then also in “Revelation chapter 12”, where it says, “The dragon, or Satan was able to deceive a third of the stars of heaven”
Pastor Doug: They could be good or bad tales.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So stars often represent angels in prophecy. Our next caller is Paula, and she is calling from New York, New York, listening on WMCA. Paula, welcome to the program.
Paula: Thank you. Pastors, I have a question? I want to just find out, what the bible says about women preaching? I know in Corinthians, it talks about “how a woman dishonours her head if she prays without her head uncovered” but, is it just for that time or it,
Pastor Doug: Well.
Paula: that culture, or does it apply to now?
Pastor Doug: There’s no question, but you’ve got a lot of examples in the bible of God speaking through women, there were women prophets. Where you really see a distinction, at least in my mind, in the bible, is while there are a number of women involved in ministry, and God has called every believer to be a spiritual priest, every believer has gifts of ministry. There is a distinction made between men and women, when it comes to the role of a prophet, an apostle, a pastor, there is really no example in the bible of God calling a woman to the capacity of a priest, or apostle, or an elder, or pastor. So, you know, they’re sort of synonymous. Men should be the servant leaders in the family, they should be the priest of the family, and the church of course, is an extension of that, but that doesn’t mean, just as in our family, in the Batchelor pad, Mrs Batchelor might lead out and worship, she might be teaching the kids and doing all kinds of things but ultimately, I’m looked to as the priest of the household. And in a church, God can use men or women to teach or speak but men are called to be ordained as pastors and, I’m just, you know, there’s a number of examples of that in the bible. I sometimes fall back to a distinction made, where Amram and Jochebed were unusual parents, they were from the tribe of Levi, they had 3 kids, all 3 of their kids, and were triplets, all 3 of their kids were prophets, Miriam, the oldest, then Aaron, then Moses, all 3 were prophets, God spoke through all 3, but only the boys were served in the capacity of priest, only the boys would offer sacrifice. So you don’t have a woman in the bible, offering an animal as a sacrifice.
Pastor Jëan Ross: SO in other words Pastor Doug, you’re saying, let’s just say a family and, well, maybe the mother in the family is more spiritual then the father and she takes a role in leading the children and so on, that doesn’t excuse the father or the husband from his responsibility to be the spiritual priest so to speak, of the family? In the judgement, he can’t say, “Well, my wife did a better job than I did, so just kind of let that go”.
Pastor Doug: Yeah that’s right, and a lot of men have sort of been slack on the area, but men really should take that role. And God is called our Father in heaven, you know, it’s not because God is plumed like we are but there’s a role there, that men should take that and there is really a missing, there is a vacuum for male leadership. Now I’m probably wondering from your question Paula, I apologize. You still there?
Paula: I’m here, I’m still wondering if, so if a church is being led by a woman, is it false teaching then?
Pastor Doug: Well, if you’re talking about a church that is ordaining a woman as a pastor, I don’t think that’s consistent with the bible. If you have women who are doing, using their spiritual gifts in a church, that’s a different issue. You know, I have a book on it, can I send you a free copy?
Paula: Sure.
Pastor Doug: It’s called, and it just goes through a lot of the scriptures, so I think you’ll appreciate it. It’s called, “Women in Ministry”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call is 1-800-835-6747, and that book again is called, “Women in Ministry” and just ask for it, we’ll be happy to send it to you, 1-800-835-6747. Our next caller is Zack and he is listening in Chico. Zack, welcome to the program.
Zack: Hi there.
Pastor Doug: Hi. How can we help you Zack?
Zack: I’ve been listening to your program for a little bit now, and I just got a question about the end times here.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Zack: You’re talking about the earthquakes and, you know, the tsunamis being signs. So would it be okay for us to accept them as signs of God and that they are just happening or should we be looking for a scientific explanation for what’s going on, and trying to fix it, rather than just accepting it as revelations?
Pastor Doug: Well, I think there probably are scientific.
Zack: And I just, I just have one real quick follow up question to actually relate it to that.
Pastor Doug: You want to ask that now?
Zack: If these signs are, if these are signs of the end times, and what would stop people from just giving up and accepting the way things are, rather then, trying to find an explanation to it, and trying to fix it. And in that way, is religion harming us?
Pastor Doug: Alright, good question. Well 1st of all, there is one of the signs that’s given in Revelation, where it says, and I think this is “Revelation 11” where it says that, “God will, He’ll also destroy the earth”. Now Jesus said on the last days, “accept those days be short and no flesh will be saved”, sounds that things are going to get so out of hand, that man is going to self-destruct. Does that mean, a Christian should throw his hands in the air and say, “Well good, there’s signs of the end, so let’s just let it all get as bad as it can”. No, I think that every Christian ought to do everything he can to care for the environment, God originally made man, put him in a garden, and He said, “Tend and keep the garden” so we’re stewards of this planet. But when God says, “Something is going to happen”, it doesn’t mean that we’re to absolver ourselves of any responsibility, to make things as good as we can, as long as we can. You hear what I’m saying Zack?
Zack: Yeah, kind of, but it sort of a conflicting message, because right there in that same verse, you mentioned that, you know, at the end of Revelations, it will basically be a self-destruct for humanity. So
Pastor Doug: Yeah it doesn’t mean, yeah, it doesn’t mean that, when God says “Something’s going to happen”, it doesn’t mean that
Zack: If that belief makes voting in Christian Politicians dangerous? Since they would believe that, you know, in the end, it’s basically going to be a self-destruct and have them accept that.
Pastor Doug: I don’t think any Christian politicians think that we shouldn’t do our best, to make the best of the world. Everything that Jesus said, talks about our, doing our best to preserve the world, and to preserve the environment and make life better for everybody.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, the reality is, that the earth, especially according to what the bible says, “We’ll be seeing the world around us. Even the earth is getting old. “Roman chapter 8, verse 22” says, “For the whole creation growneth and travaileth in pain together until now”. and we see what’s happening in the volcanoes and the earthquakes and, the, you know, there’s just so many people in the planet right now, and these environmental changes that are taking place. Our old world is starting to feel the effects and the consequences of sin, and we want to do everything we can to preserve it, and to do the best we can , but, you know, that’s what’s happening around us, we can see it.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, I think that, we see that there’s going to be problems with humanity, there’s going to be problems with the environment, there may be plagues. Well, because Jesus said there’s going to be plagues in the last day, doesn’t mean, as Christians, we shouldn’t do everything we can to find cures for disease. That’s what I think; maybe that’s where, what Zack is saying. And so, in my opinion, a Christian that has a balanced world view, a knowledge that ultimately, the world is going to end, doesn’t mean that Christians should be flipping about caring about humanity and these different things, I think that we ought to do everything we can to improve life, to prolong existence, to relieve suffering and. Our music’s coming up for a break Zack. Hey friends, just before we go to our break, I want to remind you, Amazing Facts has a, wait before I do that, what, is there anything we can send Zack that talks about what I’m discussing? Well, we have the book (inaudible 28:04) offered on “Signs of the End”, and “A Christians Attitude”, that might be the best thing.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, the book again is entitled, anything
Pastor Doug: Ultimate.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, there’s the study guide called, “Ultimate Diligence”, and we also have a book called, “Anything but silent”, talks about the 2nd coming of Christ and some of the signs. The number is 1-800-835-6747.
Pastor Doug: Friends, we have a website we like you to check out, “Amazingfactstelevision”, not only can you get it on satellite, it’s on the internet, just go to, “Amazingfacts.tv”, “Amaziongfacts.tv”, and if you like what you see, send the link to your friends. Now the music here does not mean we’re going away, we’re taking a break, we’ll be right back.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug: We’re back listening friends, and if you joined us along the way, this is “Bible Answers Live”. It’s a live international, interactive bible study, and we would be delighted if you wanted to call in with your bible questions, I see 2 lines opened, who will be 1st? It’s a free phone call. If you have a bible question, call, 1-800-463-7297, that’s 1-800-GOD-SAYS, or 463-7297. And I’m still Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And I’m still Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug, you mentioned a website, just before we took our break. I want to say something about that website, I’m looking at it right now, matter a facts, you preaching. It’s “Amazingfacts.tv”, “Amazingfacts.tv”, you can go to that website, and you can watch 24 hours’ worth, of Amazing Facts programming, just a great resource.
Pastor Doug: You know, I saw an interesting statistic, if you can trust some of the graphics that you see on Google or Yahoo, that the ratio of people that are getting their media from the internet. I suppose, the television is just exploding exponentially. And so, a lot of people, of course, “Amazing Facts Television” is on satellite across North America, were many cable stations, as well as being on “3ABN, Hope Channel, ABC Family, and a number of other networks”. But we’re on 24 hours a day on “AFTV satellite”, which is on “G19”, and we’re on 24 hours a day, anybody that has the internet, can watch Amazing Facts TV. It’s real easy, it’s “Amazingfacts.tv”. And tell your friends about it, it’s just gospel, evangelism programming.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, we’re going to go to the phone lines. We’ve got Frank who is listening in New York, New York, on WMCA. Frank, you’re on the air.
Frank: Yes, good evening Bible Answers Live, and good evening Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Frank: I just would like to ask this question. I’ve heard many past callers ask, and ask this specific questions, “If animals have souls or if animals are saved”, but I just want to ask this specific question tonight. So animals have the ability to understand God’s conscience, like us? And do animals, can animals be saved because I remember, there was this Catholic saint, he’s saint, I don’t want to mention that word, the religion, but his name was Saint Francis of Assisi, he believed that “animals can be saved, that animals had a conscience”.
Pastor Doug: Right. Well, you know, the real conundrum there, is while we can do all kinds of tests that measure different kinds of intelligence among animals. You know, in the sea, dolphins and whales are extremely intelligent, and even, they found out that crows, that the covet family, those birds will get a stick and they’ll use it to fish or grub out of a hole, if that stick doesn’t work, they get a sharper stick and a thorn, and just very intelligent. What they’re thinking, what kind of abstract thoughts are going around their head, you’d almost have to be Dr Dolittle, a psychic version of Dr Dolittle, for anyone to say with authority, “I know what animals are thinking”. So that’s something of a mystery and people can just speculate about. There’s no question, of course, God made the animals, the bible tells us, “If you ask the beast of the field”, where is that verse? In “Job”, it says, “And they will tell you”, you know, if you ask the birds and they’ll tell you, “Which of these does not know that the Lord has done this?” So it makes it seem like, you know, the birds and animals that are praising the Lord with their song, that they have some kind of a general consciousness, a joy about God.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s “Job chapter 12, verse 7”
Pastor Doug: So we know, God’s going to have animals in the new earth Frank, you’ve got, you know, it says, “The lion will lay down with the lamb”, and there’ll be, “A wolf and a kid together”, a kid meaning “the little goat”. But whether these animals will be resurrected from this life, I’m doubtful that He’s resurrecting all of them. I’ve heard some make a good argument that the Lord may resurrect certain beloved pets for people. Matter a fact, we’ve got a book by our friend Steve Wohlberg, and it says, “Will my Pet be in Heaven?” and I don’t think that’s a book that we can give away in general, but if they go to the Amazing Facts website, they’ll find it, it’s a very affordable book.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Again, to find that, just go to www.Amazingfacts.org, and there is a library there that you can search. The book again, “Is my pet
Pastor Doug: Will my pet be in heaven.
Pastor Jëan Ross: “Will my Pet be in Heaven?”
Pastor Doug: And Steve tries to use some bible arguments, to, I think suggest they will, but the jury is out for me on that
Pastor Jëan Ross: (Laughing)
Pastor Doug: I just don’t know
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, there’s not a whole lot.
Pastor Doug: Nothings too hard for the Lord, but
Pastor Jëan Ross: There’s not a whole lot of biblical evidence, to suggest that Christ shed His blood for cats and dogs, and I mean, they’re wonderful creatures, they do bring companionship but you know, some mean animals have got a really mean streak
Pastor Doug: (Laughing)
Pastor Jëan Ross: And some of the, the way these wild animals go and, you know, there’s
Pastor Doug: Some of the
Pastor Jëan Ross: something going on there.
Pastor Doug: The whole creation, sort of been affected by
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Pastor Doug: Anyway, I don’t know if that helps or not Frank, but we appreciate your question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is David and he is listening in New Jersey, listening on WMCA. David, welcome to the program.
David: Hi, how you doing?
Pastor Doug: Doing well, and your question?
David: Good. A few months back when I saw a program about the “Levitical Diet”, and you guys are talking about, not you guys, but Pastor Doug, you were talking about, how, you know, certain fish we shouldn’t eat, you know, ones with fins or scales, and it was very, very good, but, and I stopped eating some fish because of that, but Deuteronomy, I figured “Deuteronomy 12 or Deuteronomy 15” talks about, you know, “When you enter the land of promise, you can eat any meat that you left after”. I was wondering how those things fit together?
Pastor Doug: Alright, well I think you might be talking about “Deuteronomy 14”, and it’s talking about “going to certain feasts, and he’s saying that they could use this, there was a special tide that the people would bring to the temple”, and God was saying that, “They can apply some of that to buying the food or drink that they needed along the way”. When He said “whatever the meat you’re soul less savour”, after it, they weren’t suggesting that they could start, you know, butchering buzzards and skunks. He was, the Lord is saying, and Moses saying, “Among the approved animals”. You know, they could buy whatever they needed to sustain them on the way to the feast. So it was understood by all of the Jews that were reading that, that when he said, “Whatever you need”, it was, “Whatever they needed within the approved criteria” but God was not saying that, “Now, they could eat, you know, octopus and things that the bible says, was uncosure”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we also need to remember the reasons, why God gave these health principles, because He wanted His people to be healthy, and it’s very practical, you know, we have scientific evidence today, to back-up the principles found in scripture, with reference to what kind of animals are acceptable to eat and what kind are not. And so God gave these principles for His people to be healthy, that’s really the foundational reason. So
Pastor Doug: Well wait a second.
Pastor Jëan Ross: If those principles were true then, it’s true now.
Pastor Doug: You know what David? I found, I think the verse you’re talking about, in “Deuteronomy 14, 26”, it say, “And you shall bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul less is after, for oxen, for sheep, for wine, or strong drink, or whatever your soul desires”. He specifies 2 of the clean animals there.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well just a little early I that same chapter, Deuteronomy 14, verse 10”, it says, “Whatsoever does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat, it is unclean for you”
Pastor Doug: Yeah, so
Pastor Jëan Ross: Same chapter.
Pastor Doug: Its, I think making it pretty clear that this was not to be applied to unclean food. So does that help David?
David: Yes it does, it does.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Hey appreciate your question. And of course, we do have a study guide that deals with this subject, called, “God’s Free Health Plan”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: For anyone wanting to learn more give us a call at 1-800-835-6747, you can ask for the study guide, “God’s Free Health Plan”, and we’ll be happy to send that out. Our next caller is David, who is listening in Portland Oregon. David or Dave, welcome to the program.
David: Hi, thank you, thank you for taking my question. I just want to know, what day of the week was Christ crucified on?
Pastor Doug: Alright. The evidence we have in the bible, it tells us that it was the preparation day, and the day that the Jews called “The preparation day”, is the day before the Sabbath, or what we would commonly call, “Friday”, and our friends in the Catholic church typically call it, “Good Friday”. And Jesus was betrayed Thursday, the last supper, that was a Passover, the Passover lands on different days of the week, each year because it’s governed by the moon, and Jesus rose Sunday. So now, some people struggle with the verse in “Matthew chapter 12”, where Jesus said, “As Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for 3 days and 3 nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth”, and they think, “There’s a conflict there, Jesus wasn’t in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights”, and so they tried to move the crucifixion day. Is that what you’re wondering about?
David: Yes. So He wasn’t in the tomb for 3 days then?
Pastor Doug: No. Jesus was. No, let me take that back. That scripture is true; Jonah was in the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. When it talks about “The son of man being in the heart of the earth”, the verse there in Jonah, doesn’t say “tomb”, it says, “As Jonah was in the belly of the fish, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth”, and the word “Heart of the earth” there, doesn’t mean “tomb”. Christ was in the midst of the worlds, meaning, “He was bearing the sins of the world for 3 days and 3 nights”, Christ began suffering for the lost, after the Last Supper, Thursday night. When the mob came to arrest Him, Jesus began His sufferings then. And so, Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, Christ was bearing the penalty for sin, 3 days and 3 nights, it really had nothing to do with the tomb
David: So He
Pastor Doug: There’s nowhere in the bible, the heart of the earth is called “A tomb”.
David: So Thursday night, He was put in the tomb?
Pastor Doug: No. I said, the verse in
Pastor Jëan Ross: Its Matthew chapter 12, verse 40
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And let me read that. It says, “For as Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth”.
Pastor Doug: So the phrase “Heart of the earth” means, “He’s in the clutches of this world”, it’s not talking about the tomb. And so, Christ was basically suffering for the sins of the world, in the hands of the devil, 3 days and 3 nights, He was suffering the penalty for sin, and that started Thursday night, the tomb didn’t start until Friday afternoon. So the verse, it’s a misunderstanding, in the heart of the earth.
You know, for instance, in the Lord’s Prayer Dave, it says, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”, nobody believes, that means “In the tomb”, earth means “In the world”. So Christ, who died for the world, loved the world, was suffering for the sins of the world, in the heart of the earth, 3 days and 3 nights, beginning Thursday,.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We have a book.
Pastor Doug: We do.
Pastor Jëan Ross: It’s called “The Sign of Jonah”, it deals with this very question. To receive that, call our resource line, 1-800-825-6747, and ask for the book, “The Sing of Jonah”, written by Pastor Doug. It’s 1-800-835-6747. Let’s see, our next caller is Desmond, and he is calling from Michigan. Desmond, welcome to the program. Desmond you there?
Damon: Hello, this is Damon.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Damon, sorry. Damon, welcome to the program, you’re on the air.
Damon: Thank you very much. And I coached baseball; one of my young players actually asked me last week, “Where the different races came from?”, and I really did not have an answer for him ,it kind of stomped me, and it’s something I wonder as well. Could you, kind of, bright a light on that for me?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, as near as we can tell, it’s an issue of genetics. You will find for instance, if a. hopefully, no one minds my using the analogy. You can look at, just dogs for a minute, everybody knows that the DNA of all the different varieties of dogs that we have in the world today, original with 2 dogs that are probably, very much like a wolf, they can trace the genealogy of the DNA back. When people are isolated for long periods of time, from other people that they get intermarry with, they develop certain genetic characteristics that are, become dominant and distinguished. And for, you know, the 1st few thousand years, after people were scattered from “The tower of Babel”, different groups of people and tribes, congregated in different parts of the world, and pretty much intermarried with, you know, close family and cousins, and certain characteristics became dominant. But we’re all related because once international travel and trade became more popular, people from any part of the world, I mean, you can go and take a person from Scandinavia and he can intermarry with a woman in an Aberigion in Australia, and they’ll have a healthy baby. So it’s just the separation and breeding, that have created the distinction and the racist, just like the separation and breeding, creates all the unique varieties of dogs that we’ve got in the world.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we have a verse, “Genesis, chapter 11, verse 9”, speaking about, “The tower of Babel”, “therefor, the name is called Babel because there, the Lord confused the languages of all of the earth, and from there, the Lord scattered the abroad, over the face of all the earth”. SO when the languages were created, there at the tower of Babel, where God confused their languages, those who spoke common language, gathered together, and they set of. And that’s where you have the different groups, going in different directions. And as Pastor Doug says, “Just basic genetics, certain character traits became dominant in different groups”.
Damon: Well thank you very much, (Inaudible 45:03-45:05) that gives me a very good basis, and a good answer that I can share with this young man.
Pastor Doug: Well thank you very much, appreciate it Damon.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We’ve got Robert, listening from Bloomfield New Jersey. Robert, welcome to the program.
Robert: Hi, good evening
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Robert: Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. I just wanted to ask about the, in Matthew with, in the (Inaudible 45:24). Christ said that, “If you’re stuck on one cheek, turn the other cheek”. And what I was curious about, was would it be a sin to defend yourself and your family by striking back somebody? Or is He saying, “It’s a brother strike John”. Now I’m not quite clear about what it’s meant by that. I mean, is it a sin to defend yourself?
Pastor Doug: Well, 1st of all, when Christ is talking about “someone striking you on the cheek”, that would be, really, more analogist today of someone slapping you, they’re not trying to take your life, they’re upset and they’re angry and they would slap you, and for a Christian, the thing to do is, you know, your life is not in danger
Robert: Okay.
Pastor Doug: you know, some crazy person came up to my on the street, with a knife, I wouldn’t stand there and say, “Well, you can stab me on the right side and then stab me on the left”, that’s not what He’s talking about, He’s talking about, “if you’ve been insulted, or someone feels insulted and they strike you on the cheek, don’t retaliate, overcome evil with good, be kind, be peaceful”. Now, if your families at risk, you really feel, your own life is at risk, Jesus is not saying, “Don’t do what you can, you either flee or defend yourself”. So this was really dealing more with interpersonal relationships, I don’t think Christians
Robert: Okay.
Pastor Doug: should use violence, you know, it’s not a condoning for that, but the striking on the cheek is really, it’s not like someone’s trying to take your life, it was an argument.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And also an act of insult to
Pastor Doug: Exactly.
Pastor Jëan Ross: strike someone on the cheek was an insult.
Pastor Doug: And they did that to Jesus, yeah, and he did not retaliate.
Robert: Okay.
Pastor Doug: So He gives us exhibit A, during His trail; they stuck Him on the cheek.
Robert: Alright, well thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Alright, thank you Robert.
Pastor Jëan Ross: WE have Mary Jane, who is listening in San Carlos. Mary Jane welcome to the program.
Mary Jane: Thank you, I’m thrilled to find you, you’re a very important program to me
Pastor Doug: Well thank you, we’re glad to talk with you Mary Jane.
Mary Jane: I have a question; I saw a quote at the end of a movie, and it said, “The vice of the turtle, will be heard on land”, and then it quoted the “Holy Bible”. If that’s from the holy bible, where is that?
Pastor Doug: Now I am guessing it might be “turtledove”. Because I don’t believe, the word “turtle” appears in the bible. I don’t, no I could be wrong here, let me look here, Pastor Ross is looking too, and I see him shaking his head.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, the word turtle.
Pastor Doug: No, it does say “turtle”, wait a second, I take it back, hang on here. Yeah, here it is, you know what? You’re right. It’s in “Song of Solomon 2, 12”, it says, “In the voice of the turtle, is heard in our land”. Now that’s not a turtle, like a reptile or an amphibian, that is talking about, “the turtledove”. And another example of that would be, let me see here, yeah I think.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, I got another one here, “Numbers chapter 6, verse 10”, it says, “And on the 8th day, he shall bring 2 turtles or 2 young pigeons to the priest”
Pastor Doug: Right, a turtle
Pastor Jëan Ross: Now, we know that a turtle, this was for sacrifice; we know turtles are not clean animals, so you couldn’t sacrifice a turtle, but it’s referring to “turtledove”, which were clean and were used for sacrifice.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. Now, here, I found another verse, “Psalms 74, 19”, “Oh, deliver not the soul of thy turtledove in to the multitude”, a turtledove was a very gentle bird, related to a pigeon or a dove, and they were clean like a quale, they were clean to eat. And so, it has nothing to do with the Tortoise or the turtle.
Mary Jane: It night be “the song of Solomon”.
Pastor Doug: It is the Song of Solomon, was the 1st reference that we were talking about. That’s Song of Solomon 2, 12. It says, “The voice of the turtle is heard in our land”. I’m just, hang on one second here, before you go, you’ve asked a question no one’s ever asked before. Yeah, it says, “Turtledove”, in the “New American standard version”, it’s a dove, it says, “The voice of a turtledove is heard in our land”. That was just a short version
Mary Jane: Well that’s fascinating, thank you so much. I have looked for that, and never been able to find it, I saw that
Pastor Doug: Song of Solomon 2, 12. Happy costumer, we’re glad we could point you in the right direction.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Thank you for calling.
Pastor Doug: Thank you Mary Jane.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Alison, and she is listening in Brooklyn New York. Alison, welcome to the program.
Alison: Welcome, thank you, thank you Pastors.
Pastor Doug: Hi.
Alison: Hi. I was calling in reference to, “Isaiah chapter 3”
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Alison: I wanted to be edified on the whole chapter. And if it’s possible, I can listen responds, to, offline.
Pastor Doug: Okay, well, we’ll tell you what; we’ll try and get some high points for you, and do our best Alison. Pastor Ross is probably reading it before me. Well, let me read part, “Isaiah 3, 10”, “Say to the righteous, that it will be well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It will be ill with him. For the reward of his hands shall be given him”, and that, to me is, I think, a very clear statement in the bible. Jesus said, “Everyone is going to be rewarded, according to his works”, well, we’re saver by grace, it’ll be well with the wicked, it will not be well. I’m sorry, it will be well with the righteous, it won’t be well with the wicked. What did you come up with Pastor Ross?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, I’m just kind of scanning through it here. I think, I agree with you Pastor Doug, the central thrust of this chapter is to be righteous, to do the right thing, to be compassionate, to be caring, to judge faithfully, and our rewards if we do follow that counsel.
Pastor Doug: One final though on this Alison, is in “Isaiah 3, 16”, to the end of the chapter, it issues a prophecy against the daughters of Israel that were proud. And it says “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and with outstretched necks and wanting eyes, walk in men seen as they go, making a jingling with their feet”. And so, it describes some of the women at the time, who had become vain and proud and were, you know, being flamboyant. That he was going to bring a judgement upon them, they didn’t care about the poor, all they could care about, was keeping up with the latest fashions. And he goes through a list of all their different jewels and ornaments and apparel that had become ostentatious. So it’s talking about “humility and God’s blessing on the humble and that there would be judgement on the proud”.
Alison: Okay. Does that correspond to the women of today? Can we take a note of it? A thing, how we should dress? Or.
Pastor Doug: There is, I think a very definite. Well the principle will definitely apply today, to women in all ages, that there should be a modesty and a simplicity. Matter a fact, we’ve got a book that we can send, not only it applies to women, it applies to men. And it’s just talking about Christian adornment and dress, and it’s called, “Jewellery, How Much is too much?”
Pastor Jëan Ross: To receive the book, give us a call at our resource line 1-800-835-6747, and you can ask for the book, “Jewellery, How Much is too much?” We have L, who is listening in New Jersey New York. L welcome to the program.
L: Hi gentlemen, 1st time caller. I wanted to ask you a question regarding “Malachi 3, 10”
Pastor Doug: Okay.
L: it says, you know (inaudible 53:03-53:05). Now is that specifying silver and gold or is it specifying crops. Not confused, I do it, but people just, you know, I do not want them, letting people tell me what that verse means, when in reality, they don’t know what it is. Wanted to get your point of view about that, and also in Mark, where it talks about (inaudible 53:29-53:31), is that necessarily money or is that love or need to go to other people? Thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Good questions. Alright L, let’s see what we can do. In Malachi, talks about bringing your tithe into the store house, tithe according to Leviticus in the bible, was a percentage of your increase, since most of the Israelites were an agricultural society and shepherds, their increase would be in grain or they might pay tithe from their flocks, but a lot of people in the city paid their tithe from food, or from money rather because they did all their trade in money. And so, whatever your increase is. Now on our culture today, things have changed in the last 50 years, most people work on farms, and now, most people live in cities, and so tithe is from the income. Now when you read i9n “Luke”, where it says, and its “Luke and Mark”, “that God will bless you, they’ll heapen your bosom, good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over”. If you were going to be giving someone grain when you 1st poured in the basket, you can actually bang the basket down, it’ll settle it and you can put more in, and running over. And so God is saying, “if we’re generous, He’ll be generous with us” and it’s using the terminology of grain, but it would, it could be money, it’s the same principle. Now, we do have a study guide L, that we’ll be happy to send you, it’s called, “In God we Trust”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Just call our resource line, 1-800-835-6747, you can ask for the study guide, “In God we Trust”.
Pastor Doug: Biblical principles on tithe. Do we have time for one more question?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes. We got Mike, who is listening in Arlington Massachusetts. Mike, welcome to the program.
Mike: How you doing?
Pastor Doug: Good Mike, we’ve got about 2 minutes, can we do this?
Mike: Sure, we can do it in 1.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Mike: Alright. I just want to know, do you think that God has a plan for everyone, or do we just kind of determine our own fate, like about our day, doing our own thing.
Pastor Doug: I do believe that the Lord, I think the Lord has a will for everybody’s life, and we need to just be sensitive to God leading us. 1st of all, most important thing, to knowing God’s will for our lives, is surrendering and saying, “Lord, whatever your will, I’m willing to do it”, and being open to the leading of His spirit, guidance through the word, God will do things for us, through providence, He opens doors providentially, showing us what He wants us to do.
Pastor Jëan Ross: I like the promise that we have in “Jeremiah 29, verse 11”, God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, sayeth the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. So God has got a future and a hope for everyone, and it’s His desire that they receive His instruction and walk in that way.
Pastor Doug: Mike, I hope that helped a little bit. We do have a book, it’s called “Determining the Will of God”, how do we know God’s will for our lives? And it’s a fairly new book I wrote, and went through a number of principles in the bible. I’ll be happy to send you a free copy, one more time, ask for “Knowing the Will of God”. Pastor Ross.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Hey listening friends, you can tell, the music is crawling up on us, before you go, we try to do the best to dedicate the lion’s share of the program to answering your bible questions and to putting these resources in your hands. Keep in mind, we’re entirely listener supported. A lot of people say, “You know Pastor Doug, I was meaning to send something to the ministry, I almost did”, and if we’re going to almost stay on your station, we need you to do it friends; we need to hear from you, if you’ve been blessed, and please let us know, you can go to the website, it’s simply, “Amazingfacts.org”, right there on the internet, it says, “contact us” and we’d love to hear from you. But most of all, we do this program because we believe “the truth liberates people, Jesus is the truth that will set you free”.
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