- [Announcer] It is the best selling book in history. No volume ever written has been more loved and quoted, and its words sometimes simple and sometimes mysterious should always be studied carefully. It is the Bible, the Word of God. Welcome to "Bible Answers Live," providing accurate and practical answers to all your Bible questions. This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this, broadcast call 800-835-6747. Once again, that's 800-835-6747. Now, here's your host from Amazing Facts International, Pastor Jean Ross.
- Hello, friends, this is pastor Jean Ross. Pastor Doug is out this evening, but this is "Bible Answers Live." And how about an amazing fact? One of the most outstanding flights ever made by any war pigeon took place on October the 18th, 1943. On the day before the flight, the British 56 infantry division had requested air support to assist them in breaking the stubborn German defense lines in the heavily fortified village of Calvi Vecchia in Italy. However, soon after the message was sent, the British suddenly succeeded in making a surprise breakthrough. Without warning, the German resistance collapsed completely, and the English troops quickly overran the little town. The British quickly realized that this unexpected victory would be disastrous for them unless they could get word through it once to call off the American air support that they had so recently requested. If not, they would certainly be massacred by U.S. planes as they're now occupied the very possession that they had asked to have bombed. It was at this point that they discovered that they could not get word of their danger to the airfield. All communications had broken down in the hectic advance. There was no choice now, but to rely to send their urgent message on one of the pigeons always kept on hand for just such an emergency. G.I. Joe was the pigeon chosen to carry this life or death message. Flying swiftly over the battle-torn land, the pigeon flew the 20 miles back to the U.S. air support base in 20 minutes, arriving just as the planes were warming up to take off for their mission to Calvi Vecchia. The successful completion of the historic flight saved the lives of more than a thousand British soldiers. After World War II, G.I. Joe was housed at the U.S. Army's Hall of Fame in New Jersey, along with 24 other pigeon heroes and was awarded the Medal of Gallantry. The only bird or animal in the United States to receive such an award. In March of 1957, he was placed with the Detroit zoological gardens where he died on June 3, 1961 at the age of 18. Now, did you know friends, that the Bible also talks about a lifesaving message that was carried by three angels? Well, stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of "Bible Answers Live." Well, you know, Pastor Carlos, we introduced the program by talking about G.I. Joe, this pigeon that had this life and death message, an urgent mission, and it was a timely mission. He had to get that mission back to the air base, to call off the air support. Now in the Bible, we read about an urgent message. It's also a timely message.
- Yep.
- And it is something to do with the second coming of Christ. Where do we find this urgent message?
- I think that the message you're talking about is the three angels message in Revelation chapter 14.
- That's right, the three angels messages of Revelation chapter 14. Revelation 14 is an interesting chapter. It begins by describing a group of people called 144,000. And then you have this urgent message, the three angels message. And then right after the proclamation of the three angels messages, you have a prophetic picture of the second coming of Christ. Jesus' picture, coming in the clouds of heaven, and He's coming to reap the harvest of the earth. So the message that just precedes the second coming of Christ is what we call the three angels messages. Now, I've got it here in front of me. So let me read, at least the first angel. We don't have time to read all of them, but let me read the first angels message. And you find that in Revelation 14:6, and this is what it says, "And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those that dwell upon the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment has come and worship Him that made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.'" See, here we find the first angels messages calling people to worship God as the Creator. It's announcing there's judgment hour that is about to begin or has begun. It's also interesting to note that this message has to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people because the second coming of Jesus is gonna affect every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
- Amen.
- The second angel talks about Babylon. Says Babylon's fallen, and then the third angels message is where we find the most fearful warning anywhere in the Bible. It talks about the beast power that says "If anyone worships the beast or his image or receives his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." Very important warning that we find during that third angels message. So there might be some of you who are listening and you might be wondering, wow, never heard about the three angels messages. I wanna learn more. Well, we do have a study guide. It's one of our classic Amazing Fact study guides. It's called "Angel Messages from Space" and it deals with the three angels of Revelation chapter 14. We will be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. Now, Pastor Carlos, you're gonna give us two numbers. The one is the number people need to call if they want to get this free resource, it's called "Angel Messages from Space." And if you can't exactly remember that title, just ask for the study guide about the three angels messages, and they'll send that to us. So what is the number for the free resources and what is the phone number if people have a Bible question they wanna call right into the studio now?
- Great, so if you wanting this free offer, you can call 1-800-835-6747, 1-800-835-6747, or if you wanna call us and give us your Bible question, you can also call us at 1-800-GOD-SAYS or 1-800-463-7297.
- Now I think 1-800-GOD-SAYS is just the abbreviation of 463-7297.
- Yep.
- The phone number that we have there. All right, well, Pastor Carlos, before we go to the phone lines, we always wanna begin with prayer. You know, we recognize the Bible is God's book, and if we're gonna understand it correctly, we need the Spirit to guide us. So why don't you start with prayer.
- Father, we thank you again for the blessing and the opportunity to come together and open your Word. We ask a blessing for those that are calling, and may You give us discernment and wisdom so that it may be Your Bible and Your Word that answers not a human answer, and we may be blessed. So we ask and beg these things in Jesus name. Amen.
- Amen. All right, Pastor Carlos, who do we have first?
- All right, first we have Martha from Chico, California, Martha, you are on the air. Good evening.
- [Martha] My question is in regards to the six seals in Revelation 6. Now, I'm not sure 'cause I just started to study this morning. I'm not sure what the first seal, the conqueror, relates to, but then the others where it talks about conflict and scarcity and widespread death, etc. I'm wondering if these cannot be applied to what our world is going through today or if this is something that's still in the future.
- Okay, yes, good question. In the book of Revelation, we find three series of sevens. We have the seven churches, we have the seven seals, and we have the seven trumpets. And then later on we read about something called the seven plagues and that's a separate item, but the seven churches, the seven seals, and the seven trumpets, they cover roughly the same time period of Christian history from the time of the early church, we're around 31 AD, when Jesus ascended to heaven and the apostles began to preach all the way through to our time. You can find that addressed in these series of sevens. So the seven churches deal with church history, the seven seals deal with experiences that God's people go through during the Christian era, and the seven trumpets deal with wars or judgments that come during that time period, specifically talking about the first seals of the seven seals find this in Revelation chapter six, the first seal describes the first century of Christianity from about 31 AD through to 100 AD. This is the time of the apostles. You'll notice the opening of the first seal describes a rider on a white horse and he's given a crown and he's going forth conquering and to conquer. It's the symbol of the gospel, going forth, being preached by Paul and others, even one of the disciples, Thomas went all the way to India to preach the gospel. So that white horse represents that first 70 years when the gospel was spreading so rapidly throughout the Roman empire, the next is a red horse and the red horse is a symbol of persecution that came upon the Christians from about 100 to 313 AD. Terrible persecution that came from pagan Rome. And the reason for that is because the Christians refused to acknowledge the emperor of Rome as a deity or as a god. And so they faced all kinds of opposition. So red is a symbol of blood. It describes that time of trial, that persecution that came upon the church. The next horse just real briefly is described as a black horse that describes the time period after 313, when you had the legalization of Christianity, and over the centuries that followed, all kinds of pagan practices found their way into the Christian Church. That leads into the dark ages as we know. And during the dark ages, which is the fourth horse or the fourth seal, it describes the time of death and famine. And this was really a description of what was happening in Western Europe, in the Christian nations of Western Europe at this time. There was a terrible plague called the Bubonic plague known as the Black Death that killed an estimated quarter of the population of Western Europe. That's one in four people died from the Black Death. So there was a terrible time that happened there during the dark ages. The next seal talks about the reformation persecution. So the seals have a historical application. However, there are different aspects of the seal that we find echoed in the seven last plagues. And we know that the seven last plagues is yet in the future. Jesus said one of the signs of the last days would be an increase in pestilence. And Pastor Carlos, it seems like we're seeing an incredible increase in disease. And of course, we're in the midst of a global pandemic.
- Pandemic.
- So I think that is one of the signs that we are nearing what the Bible says, we are nearing closer to the second coming of Jesus. Does that help, Martha?
- Yes, it did. And I thank you for your time and your wisdom and I really appreciate it.
- All right, thank you for your call.
- All right, next we have Brittany from here, Sacramento, California. Good evening, Brittany, you're on the air.
- [Brittany] What does the Bible say about persecution?
- All right, what does the Bible say about persecution? Well, persecution comes to those who are standing up for what they believe to be true. Now there is good persecution, but there can also be bad persecution. There are those who stand up for things that are not true and they might face opposition or trials of persecution. But from a Biblical perspective throughout Christian history, those who have stood for the truths of the Bible, they did face opposition. At sometimes the persecution was terrible, at other times, it wasn't as intense. But if we were standing up for Bible truth, we will face opposition because those who are opposed to the light, they don't want you to be sharing your faith, they don't like that. And so yes, those who try to live a godly life will face trials and persecution. Jesus faced trials when He was on the earth, His disciples faced trials. And in the last days, according to the three angels messages, the Bible speaks of those who are true to God, they also will face persecution and trial, but God will sustain them and carry them through. So yes, the Bible does talk about trials and persecution coming upon believers.
- Does that help, Brittany?
- Yeah, that's great. I'm going through that now because I have this class assignment and it's driving me crazy because I'm only spending 3+ days worrying about it and it's starting me nuts.
- Well, you're right, there are all kinds of things that we face from day to day, some more important like a class assignment. If we're getting a grade, that's an important thing. And sometimes we just gotta say, "Lord, I need your help." And the Bible tells us to cast all our cares upon Jesus for He cares for us. That doesn't mean we don't have to do our part, right? We always wanna do the best we can. So we do everything we can and then we leave the results with God. We just put our trust in Him. Thank you for your call, Brittany. Who do we have next?
- Next we have Jose from Puerto Rico. Good evening, Jose.
- [Jose] Thank you. My question is regard the Jesus suffering. If Jesus' suffering is a byproduct of our transgression or our requirement for our salvation. And the question is anchored in the, for example, Isiah 53, the reason for His suffering. As a servant.
- Okay, all right. Thanks for your call, Jose. I think we cut off there just a little bit at the end, but I think we've got the gist of your question there. Christ suffering or His persecution on the earth, was that in order to obtain salvation for us, or was that an example of His righteousness? Both. I think on the one hand, all of our problems, everyone has sinned and come short of the glory of God. We're in need of righteousness. And of ourselves, we cannot produce righteousness, but Jesus lived a perfect life from His birth till His crucifixion, perfect life, a perfect life of righteousness. Not only did He die for our sins, but He also lived a perfect life for our salvation as well. So when we accept Jesus, a personal Savior, not only are our sins paid for, but His life of righteousness stands in the place of our lives of unrighteousness, and we stand before God just as if we have never sinned. So yes, the trials that Jesus went through were very real and we can claim His life of righteousness on our behalf. And that's the, the public truth, the theological term there, Pastor Carlos, justification, where we're accepted before God just as if we have never sinned, we are clothed in Christ's robe of righteousness.
- Amen. And that same power that was manifested in His life is also given to us to participate in the divine nature.
- And the theological term for that is called sanctification.
- Sanctification.
- So not only does He forgive us, but He transforms us.
- Amen.
- And then that leads to our final hope, and that is glorification.
- Glorification.
- Glorification is when Jesus comes again, when these mortal bodies put on immortality. Of cause that's the great hope of the Christian.
- Amen.
- Thanks for call, Jose. Who do we have next.
- Trent from Austin, Texas. Hello, Trent, you are on the air. Welcome.
- [Trent] Just wanna let you know, I'm a former AFCOE student from 2015. So it's good
- Oh, good
- [Trent] To talk to you again, Doug.
- All right, great.
- [Trent] Yeah, so my question is in Ezekiel chapter 40 through 48, there's that long prophecy of the vision that Ezekiel had about a third temple being built. And I was wondering, is that the one that's being talked about that's being built in on the new earth during the millennium or in heaven in the millennium or what temple's that supposed to be exactly? Okay.
- [Trent] And how do we know.
- All right, there's two parts to that temple that's being described. The temple described that we find Ezekiel is really a description. Now bear with me, is a description of the church triumphant. The characteristics given of that temple is a description of God's people empowered by the Holy Spirit, going forth to the nations of the world, preaching the gospel. There's a great revival that takes place. So that temple has a symbolic application. Now, if Israel had been faithful and they had fulfilled all of the requirements that God had placed, perhaps in a very real sense that temple could have existed here on the earth, but the covenant required an agreement on both sides. And unfortunately, Israel fell short in that, they eventually rejected the Messiah, and as you know, Christ ended up being crucified. But in the Bible we find five different types of temples or sanctuaries. You have the heavenly that you read about in Hebrews, you have the earthly, the one that Moses built in the wilderness, you read about in Exodus. And then of course you also have another temple that Solomon built. And then the one that was rebuilt after the seven years of Babylon in captivity, that's all the earthly. And then Jesus said, speaking of Himself, destroy this temple. I mean, three days I will raise it up again. So Christ is described as a temple. And then the Bible says, "No, you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit." So if the Holy Spirit is working within us, we're a temple, a temple for God. And then I think the one that connects with this passage in Ezekiel, the Bible says, "Know you not that you're living stones." Speaking of the church and Christ is the cornerstone we all built up together. So this temple description here is a description of God's people, especially in the last days that are taking the everlasting gospel to the world. Hope that helps, Trent.
- All right, next we have Efrank from New York.
- [Efrank] Yeah, yeah, yeah, Pastor Ross and Pastor Carlos, I have a question for you gentlemen tonight that I'm concerned in regards because I've been believing for many, many years in celebrating Easter in a Christian way, which I discovered was not Christian by believing in figures like the Easter bunny, Easter candy, and other pagan beliefs. And my question for you gentleman tonight is, is it written in the Bible that those things like the Easter bunny and other fictitious characters are not found in the Bible and they are not Christian because it leads to a form of paganism, because I always thought that maybe believing in a very fictitious rabbit that's giving candy on a certain period of time of the year was not such a bad idea. But when I read the Bible, I saw that those were pagan beliefs.
- Yeah, well, let me say something about that, Efrank. Thanks for your call. All right, so first of all, does the resurrection of Jesus have anything to do with Easter eggs or rabbits or bunnies? And the answer of course is no. The whole idea of Easter, you don't find the word Easter in the Bible. Now in the king James Version, you'll find the word Easter, but more accurate translation of that is actually a reference to the Passover. You'll find that in the New King James and other translations today had used the word Passover. So during the middle ages from 313 AD onwards, as Christianity was legalized in the Roman empire, there were a number of pagan practices that came into the church in an attempt to try and draw in the pagans. And even some pagan holidays or pagan icons eventually got Christian names. Even some pagan statues were renamed after certain Bible characters, but they were actually Pagan's statues. So when it comes to Easter or it comes to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, yes, there are some pagan trappings that you find there. Now, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, I mean that's a wonderful thing and the Bible celebrates His resurrection from cover to cover in the Old Testament, in symbols and types, and in the New Testament, you have the stories of the resurrection of Jesus. The Bible does tell us though that baptism is the symbol that God has chosen, baptism by immersion to celebrate His resurrection, death to the old, resurrection to the new life. But to remember the resurrection of Jesus around the Passover is by no means wrong, but I think we need to be careful in trying to place some value on these pagan ideas that have kind of come into Christianity. We do have a book, Pastor Carlos is called "Baptized Paganism," and we'll be happy to send this to anybody who calls and ask. And it'll kind of give you some of those pagan origins of some traditions that have found their way into the Christian Church. And I think you'd find that interesting if you were to read that. Just call and ask for the book "Baptize Paganism."
- 1-800-835-6747.
- All right, thanks for your call Efrank. Who do we have next?
- Jeff from Arizona you are on the air. Welcome, Jeff.
- [Jeff] Hey, good evening, guys. Real quick before I ask my question, I'm not a Seventh-day Adventist, but we are basically 99% identical.
- Okay.
- I believe Sabbath is Saturday, yes, absolutely, baptism by immersion, everything. We're pretty much identical. Question I have is to do with soul sleeping. So in Matthew, what is it? Matthew 27:38, I think it is where the thief on the cross tells Jesus, "Hey, Master, you know, don't forget me." And Jesus said, "Today you'll be with Me in paradise." So is the term paradise is that speaking of Him actually as one of the very few that are in heaven?
- All right, good question. What about that passage that you find, it's actually in Luke, where it talks about Jesus saying to one of the thieves on the cross, I think Carlos is looking up the verse for us there in Luke. So there's two there's on either side of Jesus. The one is saying, "If you are the Christ, then come down from the cross and save us." That's what one of the thieves was saying. Apparently both of them at first were saying that. But as the one was listening to what was happening, observing what was happening, conviction took ahold of him. And he finally turned to the other thief and said, "You know, we are getting what we deserve, but this Man," speaking of Jesus, "He has done nothing wrong." And then the Holy Spirit even illuminated his mind more because he finally turns to Jesus and he says, "Master, remember me when You come in Your kingdom." Now it's important for us to note, the thief was not expecting to receive his reward that day. He said, "Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom." Jesus then responded and said, "Assuredly I sound to you today, you will be with Me in paradise." Now in the original Greek, there are no punctuation. There's no commas in the original Greek that came many years later. And depending upon where you put the comma, that can change the context of that verse, the words that Jesus is saying. You see, Jesus was not saying that the thief would be with Him in paradise that day, because you read on Sunday morning, the resurrection, Jesus said, "I've not yet ascended to My Father in heaven." So Jesus didn't go to heaven the moment He died on Friday afternoon, but rather what Jesus said to the thief that day, that He would remember him when He comes in His kingdom, He gave him the assurance. Why is that so important? When you accept Jesus as your personal Savior, you have the assurance that very moment, that day, you can have the assurance that God will remember you. Now, of course, we wanna stay connected to Jesus, we wanna trust in Him, but we can receive that forgiveness that very day. We don't have to wait, there's no time where we need to prove that we are genuine with God. We can, by faith, claim the promise that He wants to give us and that's what Christ was emphasizing to the thief that day.
- Amen, and that's Luke 23 verse 42 and 43.
- Thanks, Jeff.
- All right. Next we have Judy from Texas. Good evening, Judy.
- [Judy] Hi, good evening, pastors. Thank you so much for being there to answer our questions.
- Happy to do it.
- [Judy] I have a question about Genesis 3:6 when the serpent is enticing Eve in the garden. And it says, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and the tree to be desired to make one wise, she took up the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat." Does this mean he was with her when the serpent was doing his thing.
- Oh, okay, good question. The answer is no, he wasn't at the tree when Eve was talking to the serpent. Apparently Eve sort of wandered off by herself for a little while. We don't know how far Adam was from Eve, but when it says her husband with her, it's referring to in the garden, her companion, her friend. So she took of the fruit and she gave it to Adam. And we know Adam wasn't there because she brought it to him and she gave it to him and she said, "I've eaten of the fruit, you need to eat of the fruit." And eventually Adam took and ate. So he wasn't there at the moment when the devil tempted her, but he was in the garden with her. And that's the reference or that's the emphasis of that verse that we find there. Does that help, Judy?
- Helps a lot. Could I pop in a real quick one? My daughter and my son-in-law argued with me about how do we know Saturday is the seventh day.
- Okay.
- [Judy] 'Cause anybody could have named Saturday Monday or Sunday Monday. I'm having a hard time convincing them.
- All right, let me see if I can answer this, we got just a few seconds before our break. Yes, the seventh day of the week is Saturday. We know that because Jesus died on Friday and that's called the preparation day. He rested in the tomb on Saturday and He rose on Sunday, which is the first day of the week. So if you just look at the experience of Jesus and then of course you can ask any Jew, what day of the week is the Sabbath? And they'll say it's the seventh day, it's Saturday, and of course the whole nation of Israel has been keeping, at least the Orthodox Jews have been keeping the seventh day as the Sabbath. So if you look at the Jewish nation, you look at the Bible, you look at the experience of Jesus, it makes it quite clear. There's no doubt as to which day of the week is the seventh day. That would be, as we know it today, Saturday. Well, friends, you hear the music in the background. The program is not over, we're just taking a short break and we'll come back with more of your Bible questions. So don't go far, we'll be right back.
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- [Narrator] Throughout recorded history, tales of ghosts and spirits can be found in folklore in nearly every country and culture. Egyptians built pyramids to help guide the spirits of their leaders. Rome sanctioned holidays to honor and appease the spirits of their dead. Even the Bible tells of a king that used a witch to contact the spirit of a deceased prophet. Today, ancient folklore of spirits and apparitions have gone from mere superstitions to mainstream entertainment and reality. Scientific organizations investigate stories of hauntings and sightings, trying to prove once and for all the existence of ghosts. Even with all the newfound technology and centuries of stories all over the world, there is still no clear cut answer. So how do we know what's true? Why do these stories persist? Does it even matter? We invite you to look inside and find out for yourself. Visit GhostTruth.com.
- [Announcer] You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His plan to save you. So what are you waiting for? Get practical answers about the good book for a better life today. This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the air, please call us next Sunday between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM Pacific time. To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. Once again, that's 800-835-6747. Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live."
- Hello, friends, welcome back. This is "Bible Answers Live." My name is John Ross and with me this evening is Pastor Carlos. Pastor Doug Batchelor is out this evening, but we are taking your Bible questions live. And if you have a Bible related question, the phone number to call is 800-463-7297. Again, that number is 800-463-7297. That'll bring you right in here to our studio and we will try and answer as many questions as we can. Okay, we're gonna go to the phone lines. Who do we have next?
- We have Chi from New York. Welcome, Chi, you are on the air.
- [Chi] Thank you so much. I want to know what the Bible says is in 1 Peter 3:19-20.
- All right, well, why don't I read it for those who are driving. Verse 19 says, "By whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who formally were disobedient when once the divine long suffering waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared, in which few that his eight souls were saved through the water." So you're probably wondering about these spirits in prison.
- [Chi] Yeah, I was trying to minister to one of my friends and he brought up this classic scripture. I couldn't explain it.
- Oh, okay, great question. Well, in order to understand what Peter is talking about here, we need to read the previous verse, which is verse 18. So I started reading verse 19, but I'm gonna start now in verse 18 and you'll get the context and then it begins to make sense. It says, "For Christ also suffered once for sin, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit." Now I wanna pause right there. The subject that Peter is addressing here in this passage is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit that made Christ alive. And then he says in verse 19, "By whom, by whom," that is the Spirit, "By whom He," Jesus, "went and preached to the spirits in prison that were disobedient in the days before the flood" or in the days before Noah. And you can read the rest of the verse there. So what's been addressed here is that Jesus was resurrected by the same Spirit that He preached to the antediluvian world. So those living before the flood, the Holy Spirit was preaching to them. And it was Christ through the Spirit that was preaching to them. And how do we know that? Well, we read the account in Genesis where the Bible says, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man, but his days shall be 120 years." So during that time period, the Holy Spirit was striving with those before the flood, but they hardened their heart. Now it was the Spirit of God, it was in essence Christ through the Spirit that was appealing to them, asking them to come to repentance. They refused and so the Bible goes on in verse 20 to tell us that only eight souls were saved, that would be Noah and his family. So it's not talking about when Jesus died, His disembodied Spirit somehow went down into hell to the people that were there before the flood. There's a whole doctrine that's been built on a misapplication of the phrase, the first verse in verse 18, which talks about the Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit that being emphasized. And the Holy Spirit did speak to the people before the flood.
- Yeah, I think there's a great verse also in Isaiah 42:6-7. It says talking, the Father about the Son. "I have given you as a covenant, as light to the Gentiles," and Isaiah 42:7 says, "To open blind eyes and to bring out prisoners from the prison."
- Ah-huh.
- So it's the prisonment of the mind to slavery to sin.
- That's right.
- That's liberating us.
- And of course that's part of the mission of Jesus said, "I've come to set the captors free."
- Amen.
- Well, He didn't break down any prison doors, but spiritually speaking, He set the captives of sin free.
- Amen.
- And that's really, what's been addressed here in the verse. Does that help, Chi?
- Yeah, it's helped a lot. Thank you so much.
- Ah, you're welcome, thanks for your call.
- All right, thank you very much. Next we have Jerry from Rocky Place, Georgia. Good evening, Jerry to "Bible Answers Live."
- [Jerry] Good evening to you.
- Hey.
- [Jerry] I'm just wondering about John, the gospel of John 10:34 is what I was wondering what y'all thought about, but you might wanna start with 33, 34, and 35.
- Yeah, all right, thanks, Jerry. I'm gonna read it for those who are driving in their car. I'll start over here in verse, let me start in verse 32 just so we get the context. Jesus answered them. Christ is having a discussion with the religious leaders of His day. "Many good works I've shown you from My Father, for which of these do you stone Me?" And then they respond, verse 33, the Jews answered and said, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy and because You being a man make Yourself God." So Christ would refer to Himself as being the I AM or Christ would sometimes say, I am the Way, the Truth, the Life and the religious leader said, "Ah, this is blasphemy. If you claim to be able to forgive sins, or if you claim titles that belong to God, well, biblically speaking, it's blasphemy." Now it was not blasphemy for Jesus for He is God, He is the son of God. But there was this dispute. And verse 34, "Jesus answered them and said, 'Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods.' If he called them gods to whom the Word of God came and the scriptures cannot be broken, do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world 'You are blaspheming' because I said, 'I am the son of God?'" So He's referring to an Old Testament passage, I believe in Psalms.
- Yep.
- Where it refers to people as being gods. But it's with a small g, it's not a capital G, it's not referring to the divinity, but there was certain rulership or lordship. Another word for translation that is lord or overseer. So Christ is saying, "You're condemning Me because I'm calling Myself the Son of God and yet I have been sanctified by the Father. My works prove that I am the son of God." And He says, "But you claim to go by the law. But the law refers to people as being rulers or overseers or lords, and yet you're wanting to condemn Me for being a ruler or an overseer or a Lord?" In essence, Jesus was just turning the situation back on them because they were accusing Him of something that He didn't do.
- And that's in Psalms 82:6.
- Did that help a little, Jerry?
- Yeah, that helped some there, but I just wondered about, of course, I got the old King James Version and gods, when it says ye are gods there, it's an all capital letter.
- Right? When it's translated the New King James and even actually overhearing John, it's all small case gods. So it's not referring to the one and only true God. Remember the pagans, the nations surrounding Israel, they also had deities or gods and that overseers and lords. And I think a better word there for God if you go back into the original Hebrew has to do with rulership or lordship.
- Yeah.
- That's really been reflected.
- It's actually the word Elohim. Is the word that shows up
- As ruler, lord.
- Okay.
- Judge.
- Judge, to judge.
- Yeah.
- Okay, well thanks, Jerry. Who do we have next?
- Christopher from Huntington Park, good evening, you're on the air.
- [Christopher] Good evening, Pastor Ross.
- Yes, welcome.
- [Christopher] I have a question, it's regarding the mixed fabrics.
- Okay.
- [Christopher] I just want to know if they're part of the ceremonial laws or the moral laws, and if they are part of the ceremonial laws, are they done away with?
- Okay, great question. All right, let me give you a little background for those who might be listening. In the Old Testament, we have different categories of law. You have, for example, the moral law, we call that the Ten Commandments. Of course the Ten Commandments are still binding. It's still wrong to steal, or kill, or committed adultery, it's always been wrong. Eve broke one of the 10 commandments, actually more than one when she took of the fruit that God said don't take and eat. She broke the commandment that said thou shall not steal, she coveted. That's the 10th commandment she gave to her husband who ate. Thou shall not murder or kill. So you can look at all different types of Ten Commandments that she broke. So you got the moral law, the Ten Commandments. It's always been in effect. You have the civil laws. The civil laws govern the nation of Israel. The principles of the civil law, if followed by civil authorities, tend to a more prosperous, happier people. Many of the nations of Western Europe, the Christian nations, especially the Protestant nations that were founded on Protestantism, they prospered because they followed a number of the principles found in the civil code that we find in the Old Testament. Not all of it applies today because God was the direct King or Ruler of Israel, it's a little different in our situation. Then you have the health laws. And of course the health laws would relate to being healthy and practical. And yes, you don't wanna eat those things that are unclean, and there's some practical aspects of that. And so of course that's applicable today, but then you have the ceremonial laws. And the ceremonial law had to do with the priesthood, it had to do with the sanctuary, it had to do with the sacrifice, but they were also connected with the ceremonial laws, some additional customs that the people were to follow here specifically. One of the regulations not to wear clothes of mixed fabrics. And the reason for that is because God wanted to make a distinction between His people and the pagan nations around them. One of the things the pagan nations would do is they would have mixed fabrics in their clothing. They would shave their beards in a certain way as a sign of worship for the dead. There were many different customs that God said, "No, don't have any part of it. I'm gonna separate. You're gonna be a different people." Now we can take the principle of that and we can apply that today. Should Christians dress differently than the world? I believe so. Not that we should be fanatical, but they should be a cleanliness, there should be a modesty that is found with Christians that is different from the world. So you can apply a principle there, but no, there is nothing wrong in having a shirt made of cotton and polyester, other than it's probably uncomfortable. I don't know, but it seems like everything nowadays has got a little bit of polyester in it, but no, you're not breaking any Biblical law by doing so. Does that help, Christopher?
- [Christopher] Yeah, can I ask a quick question?
- Yeah, real quick.
- [Christopher] When you say about the mixed fabrics, are you saying that we cannot mix plant with animal fabrics?
- No, no, you can. I mean, today we gotta be practical. Some fabrics do very well when you mix them. You're talking about like wool and cotton?
- [Christopher] Well, I'm talking about like spandex. Can we wear spandex with cotton and polyester.
- Oh yeah, yeah. I think the principle here is there needs to be a distinction between the dress of the Christian and the dress of the world. And that was the point that was being emphasized by these ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Christ or God wanted the Israelites to look differently and to dress differently than the pagan nations around them. And so that's why we have these principles, practical principles that were applied. But today, no, there's nothing wrong in wearing clothes of mixed fabric, but we do wanna follow the principle of modesty.
- [Christopher] Okay, okay. I appreciate it, thank you.
- All right, you're welcome, thanks, Christopher.
- All right. Next we have Sherry from Wisconsin. Good evening, Sherry. You are on the air.
- [Sherry] Hi, pastors. My question is in Job 3 about Leviathan.
- Yes.
- [Sherry] And I'm wondering if that creature is related to the creatures in Revelations or was there, it's my understanding that Job was one of the first books written.
- Yes.
- [Sherry] And if that's true, was there a world before us that threw the creature in the bottomless pit?
- Okay, yeah, let me see if I can give you a little more information. When you're reading the book of Job, you read about several creatures, the one being Leviathan and the other one called behemoth. These are two animals that we don't have an exact likeness today. If you look at the characteristics, for example of the behemoth, it really looks like some kind of a dinosaur. He's got big round legs that look like the legs of an elephant, but he has a big thick tail and he's got a long, strong neck and he lives by the reeds. So what Job he's referring to is animals that existed before the flood. Many of these animals were destroyed in the flood. And of course we had the fossil record to back that up. And Leviathan for the most part could have been some kind of a seagoing dinosaur that existed before the flood. We just got the fossil remains of that. Job, being an old book, it's possible that there were still stories around of these great monsters or sea creatures, maybe even at the time some survived the flood. And they were around, of course today they would be extinct. So no they were real animals. Although in the book of Revelation, you also read about different creatures and beasts, but those are symbolic. For example, it talks about one beast that has seven heads and 10 horns. Well, there's no animal today that has seven heads and 10 horns. So that's clearly symbolic, but what's described here in Job, it sounds like a real animal that existed. And if you go back to the fossil record before the flood, yeah, there were these giant animals that lived on the earth and in the sea.
- [Sherry] Job asked God about being prepared to rise against leviathan
- Yeah, in other words, who can go up against Leviathan? I mean, he was a great powerful sea-like creature and who can try and take it on. Now, it is interesting that a dragon in the Bible symbolizes the devil. Leviathan was a giant reptile of some kind. Maybe it was a symbol for the devil, but in the context of Job, it was a real animal. 'cause he goes on not only talk about behemoth and not only talk about leviathan, but to talk about other animals that are very common even today. So it's a description of some of these creatures that God made that lived before the flood. And I think that's the point that's been emphasized there. So thanks for your question.
- All right, next we have Becky from Texas. Good evening, Becky, you're on the air.
- [Becky] Yes, hello, how are you doing?
- Hi, Becky.
- We're blessed.
- [Becky] Yeah, my question is concerning when there has been a gender change surgically and you know the person as a male, but then has become a female. And--
- Are you wondering what would be the proper Christian approach or response
- [Becky] Right.
- To a person like that? You know, it's kind of interesting that we even have these discussions today. I mean, 50, 60 years ago, you couldn't get, oh, maybe you could, I don't know, what surgeries to try and change your gender. I think the bottom line is God loves everyone and God can reach everyone, and homosexuality, although it is a sin that the Bible condemns, it can be forgiven and a person can repent. And I know of people who have lived their lifestyle, but they come to know Christ and they have confessed their sins and they've changed their lifestyle. I think we wanna build a relationship with a person to try and win them over to Christ, but there's a delicate balance between respecting them, but not necessarily agreeing with those things that they are doing that is wrong. And it's not just this particular area of sin, but any sin. I know people who wanna honor their parents, but perhaps their parents are doing things that are wrong or a violation of the Ten Commandments. How do you walk that line between honoring your parents and yet not participating or supporting or endorsing the things that they're doing that you know is wrong? And so that's where we need to pray for wisdom and guidance on an individual basis. We want to be Christ-like in the way we interact with people. Jesus ministered to them, and I think we need to see in every person, a soul that Christ died for. In other words, we wanna reach every person with the good news of salvation and try and encourage them. So you've gotta pray for wisdom. That that is a tough question, a difficult situation. And each case is gonna be a little different, Pastor Carlos, but I think that's where we need to pray and ask God to guide us and help us.
- Amen. Just loving them and letting the Holy Spirit do the work in their heart.
- Let the Holy Spirit do what only He can do. Well, thanks for your call, Becky. Who do we have next?
- Abigail from Georgia. Good evening and welcome to "Bible Answers Live."
- [Abigail] My question is if Elijah went to heaven, like the heaven where God dwells, did he see God? Even if the Bible says that no man saw God or has seen Him.
- Okay, yes, Elijah was taken to heaven. He was taken up to where God is because you're reading the gospels that Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus in the Mount of transfiguration. So if Elijah and Moses were in heaven, of course, Moses died, he was resurrected according to Jude, and he was taken to heaven. If they're in heaven, I'm sure they they're able to see God. The verse you're referring to is in John chapter three, where Jesus says, "No, man has ascended up into heaven and come back down except the Son of Man," and He's speaking about Himself. So what Christ is referencing there is that He's the one that has brought the truth from heaven, He's the one that has come to earth to reveal what God is like in His fullness, in His glory.
- Excuse me, pastor. I'm so sorry to interrupt,
- yeah, go ahead.
- [Becky] But I'm talking about the one John 1:18.
- Which one?
- [Becky] John 1:18.
- John 1:18. Okay, let me read the verse just before, talks about the law came through Moses, but grace and truth came from Jesus Christ. "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten of the father who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." Again, that reference to seeing God. It's not just seeing God, but it's seeing to reveal God. In other words, nobody has revealed God but the Son. That's the spiritual application of that. For example, the disciple said to Jesus, "Show us the Father and it suffices us," and Jesus says, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." So when it's saying no one has seen the Father, it's not just visually, it's not just seeing Him, but it's seeing and revealing, seeing to show the Father. Only Christ can show us what the Father's really like.
- Oh, okay. Thank you so much for answering my question, guys.
- All right, you're welcome.
- All right.
- Thanks for calling.
- Next we have Milo from Rhode Island. Milo, you are on the air.
- [Milo] Hey, how are you?
- Blessed, how are you? Sorry.
- [Milo] Question in regards to companionship for a young adult male. I'm in my mid twenties, recently born again and seeking for a companion in this world. Just wanted to know whether God will provide one for me or do I have to do the soul searching myself.
- Oh, okay, good question. Of course, there's nothing wrong to seek a companion, to seek a spouse. Marriage is honorable, it was something that God gave, but we do wanna be very wise and careful in choosing a spouse. And that's where we wanna pray and ask God to lead. Marrying the wrong person can be, as many people know, it can be a very difficult thing. Marrying the right person, someone who loves the Lord can actually enhance your spiritual growth with Christ and draw you closer to Him. So what part do we have to play? I think we wanna pray for guidance and wisdom, but there's nothing wrong in getting to know people or befriending people. Some of the guidelines that the Bible does speak of, it says don't be unequally yolked. So don't go out looking for somebody that doesn't believe in Christ, or is not a Christian, or who doesn't hold your religious beliefs, or doesn't understand the Bible in the way that you understand it, because you're creating problems for yourself. So find a good Christian person, somebody that loves the Lord, somebody that shares your ideals and there's nothing wrong, Pastor Carlos. I know have some folks who are happily married, wonderful Christians and they found each other on a Christian,
- Dating site.
- Yeah, single site. So nothing wrong with that. God can work through that as well, but you do wanna pray and ask God for guidance and wisdom and then just lay it all before the Lord and say, "Lord, is this the one that you want me to marry?" And the Holy Spirit will lead. God will convict us if our hearts are sincere and we want to do His will. All right, I think we have time for one or two more, Pastor Carlos.
- All right, let's go quickly. Jerry, from Paradise, Michigan. Good evening, you're on the air.
- [Jerry] Yes, hi. Can you hear me okay, 'cause I'm calling from off grid?
- Yeah, no, we can hear you.
- [Jerry] I've heard all my life the saying that God helps those who help themselves, but I've heard recently that it's not scriptural and that it's more truthful to say God helps those who cannot help themselves. Can you shed any light on the truth of either of these or are they in supposition?
- Sure. Yeah, absolutely. The thought God helps those who help themselves is not found in the Bible. I think that was Benjamin Franklin if I'm not wrong or one of those famous writers that mentioned that. But you know, the principle we find in the Bible is that God helps those who recognize their need of help. He doesn't just help those who can't help themselves, He helps those who recognize their need of help and they turn to Him for help, that's the key. So in one sense, yeah, you do need to help yourself in that you need to turn to God. Those who don't turn to God, they don't receive the help that God wants to give them. But at the end of the day, if we turn to God and we trust in Him and we ask Him for help, especially in spiritual things, He will help us without a doubt, He will help us. So hope that helps a little bit, Jerry, yeah? God will help those who recognize their need and turn to Him for help, that's the condition. I think we have time for one more.
- One more. Marlin, Good evening, you're on the air.
- [Marlin] Hello. Thank you for taking my call, Pastor Carlos, Pastor Ross. My question was that I heard in one of pastor Doug Batchelor's sermons to the children from a few years back, that there is a varying amount of time for your duration in hell based on like what your sins were. It all results in death. But the amount of time that you spend there changes depending on your sins. And I was wondering where that came from.
- Okay, yes. Let me share a few thoughts. Of course, the end result of all sin is death and that is eternal death, but God does reward both the righteous and the unrighteous according to their deeds. There are varying rewards. You find in Luke 12:48, it says, "Those who have committed things deserving stripes and did not know they were given few stripes, but those who knew better," and I'm paraphrasing 'cause of time, "they were given more." So God is fair and just even in the punishment of the wicked, but He's also gonna reward people on the other side, on the good side, based upon their service, and their devotion, and their love for Him. Everyone gets eternal life, but there are still varying degrees of reward that we read about in Revelation chapter 22. So Luke 12:48 and Revelation 22. Friends, don't go away. We'll be right back.
- [Announcer] Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California.
- Hello, friends, welcome back to one of our best parts of "Bible Answers Live." We're gonna try and answers many of your questions that have come in via email. So Pastor Carlos,
- Yes.
- How many questions do we have this evening? Let's go for it, what's the first one.
- We have about five questions here. This is Connie. She's asking my nephew says the Bible is fictional. How do you know there is a God?
- How do you know that there's a God? Well, first of all, you gotta read the Bible. The Bible reveals to us that there is a God. How do you know the Bible is true? Well, the Bible reveals prophecy, prophecy reveals the future. And if you look back in the Bible and you can see how accurately the Bible predicted things that took place, that'll strengthen your faith in the Word of God. And when you trust the Word of God, it'll lead you to the God of the Word, which is God, the Savior Jesus Christ.
- All right, next, we have a question from, let me see if I do this correctly, Nnozi.
- Okay, very good.
- Did I do that right?
- I think so.
- Why didn't God forgive satan and what sin can we partake in today that God cannot forgive?
- Okay why didn't God forgive satan, and is there a sin that we can commit that God cannot forgive? Well, satan committed that sin that God cannot forgive, and the Bible refers to that as the unpardonable sin. It is the sin against the Holy Spirit. It's when a person hardens their heart to the point where they don't even hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit, their conscience in essence has been deadened. The Bible tells us it's the goodness of God that leads a person to repentance. So if we've rejected the Spirit of God that leads us to repentance, how do we come to a point of repentance? And if we don't repent, how can we be forgiven? So yes, there is a sin for which there is no forgiveness and that is the sin of rejection against the Holy Spirit or the unpardonable sin. satan has committed that sin.
- Next is from Jesami. In the book of Job it talks about the sons of God gathering before God as well as satan. Who are the sons of God?
- Okay, short answer on this one, the sons of God are the representatives of the unfallen worlds. Psalms talks about the elders as a group of people that are there in heaven. How do we know that they're the representatives of the unfallen worlds? Because you're reading Job that the devil shows up and God says, "Where did you come from?" And he says, "Oh, from walking up and down on the earth." So we know this gathering was not on the earth, it was some other place, probably in heaven. And the devil came representing the earth and saying, "Well, you know, that's my domain now, that's my kingdom." And God says, "Well, if you notice there's someone in your kingdom that really belongs in My kingdom" and you have the whole story of Job. But we believe these sons of God are these representatives of these different realms, these worlds that you read about in Hebrews chapter one.
- All right, last one quickly, what did Christ mean when He said we must be born again?
- To be born again we have to accept Jesus as our personal savior, we confess our sins, we ask for the Holy Spirit to do a work in us that only He can do. And just as surely as we do that, God is faithful, He'll forgive us and He'll cleanse us. Friends, thank you for joining us for "Bible Answers Live," look forward to seeing you next week.
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