- [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 Doug Batchelor.
- Welcome friends to "Bible Answers Live." Would you like to hear an amazing fact? All right, listen up. About four hours north of Sydney in Australia, in a national park, a fire is smoldering out of control and it's been doing so for thousands of years. Known as burning mountain, the mysterious underground blaze is the oldest known continuous fire on the planet. Located under Mount Wingen in the state of New South Wales, wingen and means fire in the language of the local Aboriginals. This underground smolder is a coal seam fire, one of thousands burning around the globe. Once ignited, these subterranean fires are almost impossible to put out. Slowly but intensely, they travel like a burning fuse through the coal seam, which is a layer of coal that naturally occurs beneath the earth's surface. No one knows whether it was humans or lightning that first ignited the mountain fire, the Mount Wingen fire. Experts estimate the fires about the size of a ball, 20 to 30 feet in diameter, about 100 feet underground, and it reaches temperatures of 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. Because the fire lacks adequate ventilation, it burns very slowly, advancing at a speed of about three feet per year. More like embers in a barbecue than a typical coal fire. If you visit the national park, only current evidence that you'll see now is some smoke and white ash, ground that's warm to the touch, bearing red rocks, void of plants, and a sulfuric smell omitted as the fire below cooks some minerals of the mountain. Friends, there are many Christians that believe that God has an eternal place of burning. And we're going to talk about that tonight on "Bible Answers Live."
We're so glad that you're here, and you're going to hopefully participate. Tell your friends to participate. Call in with your Bible questions. Pastor Ross is off tonight. So, I along with our engineering team in the studio, we're going to be taking your live Bible questions. And before we do, we're going to have prayer as we always do. Loving Lord, we thank you so much for your goodness and blessings. We thank you for the blessed book, The Bible, that guides us. You've said that thy word is truth, Lord. And we pray that the truth will set us free. Be with us tonight in every aspect of this program. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
So if you have any Bible questions, either on the subject I just mentioned, or on any Bible topic we're talking about living the Christian life, give us a call. Here's the phone number, 800-GOD-SAYS. That's 800-463-7297. Let me say it again for those who may be driving. 800-463-7297, with your Bible questions. We also do offer sometimes free offers. Well, not sometimes, every program we offer free offers, and that's a different number that takes you to operators that will take your request for the free Bible study material.
Now, I asked a question. There are many Christians that believe that God has a place of eternal burning. Does the Bible teach that? We've got a lesson that's going to talk about that tonight. It's called, "Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?" "Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?" But let me give you just a couple of verses that address that subject. There are two extremes when it comes to the subject of hell. One extreme is some people say, there is no punishment of the wicked, and some believe everyone's going to be saved, sort of a universalism. Then there's those who have people riding in sulfur in brimstone through endless ages and a billion years go by, and they're still screaming in agony, burning all over their bodies. And they've only begun after a billion years. Just imagine burning through eternity.
Then there's a Bible teaching that the wicked are cast into the lake of fire and burnt up. Every man is punished according to what he deserves, but they're ultimately consumed. The Bible says that the fire comes down out of heaven, Revelation chapter two, and it devours them. They are consumed. Look at Malachi chapter four, verse one. "For behold, the day comes as an oven; and the proud, yes, all who do wickedly, the proud and the wicked will be stubble. And the day that is coming will burn them up, says the Lord, it'll leave them neither root nor branch." Saying that the root, the branch, burned up. The wicked are stubble, they're devoured.
The Bible tells us the meek will inherit the earth. The saved are not going to be looking at a torture chamber through eternity of lost people, barbecuing, if you will. And there is a place where the wicked will burn. Jesus is clear. He says that, "Don't fear him who can destroy the body, but he can't touch your soul, but fear him who can destroy soul and body in hell." So both the body and the soul are ultimately destroyed in the lake of fire. People are going to be punished according to what they deserve. And there varying works. Not only for the wicked, there are varying rewards, I should say, not only for the wicked, but for the righteous.
If you want to know more about that subject and what the Bible actually teaches, then this lesson is filled with scripture. They're going to put that up on the screen for you again. It's called, "Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?" If you want a copy of that, then you can call our resource number. 800-835-6747. 800-835-6747. We are broadcasting tonight, not only on Amazing Facts Television, we are on the Amazing Facts Facebook page, the YouTube page, the Doug Batchelor Facebook page. And you can watch as well as listen. And again, call in with your questions, 800-463-7297 for your Bible questions.
With that, I see that we've got a couple people that have called in. We have some lines open, great time to call in with your Bible questions. And we're going to talk to Daryl who is calling from Arizona. I clicked it, there he is. Daryl, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live." Can you hear me, Daryl? Let me see, I'll try that one more time. Daryl, there you are, okay. And your question tonight.
- [Daryl] Yeah, my question is, if Eve conceived once in chapter four and verse one and two, doesn't that infer that Abel was a twin to Cain?
- I've heard people say that, but it doesn't always give the age of the second born. For example, it tells us that Noah had Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and it doesn't imply they're triplets. Typically in the Bible, in the case of like Perez and Zerah or Jacob and Esau, it tells you when they're twins. And so, because Cain has mentioned first and says, "The Lord has given me a man child," I think he was the first born, Abel was his younger brother, he came second.
- [Daryl] Even in the case if he was a twin, he would be the younger brother and came second.
- Well, technically you're right. That's true. But usually, if they had twins, it's hard to imagine, twins are rare. It's kinda hard to imagine that Eve's first child would be twins. But when she names Cain, she kind of names him exclusively, "I've gotten a man from the Lord," she says. And so, she's treating it like an individual event.
- [Daryl] Right.
- So I don't think they were twins, but they certainly were brothers. And of course, that was very sad that Cain rose up and took his brother's life. And the Bible says, "The blood of Able his brother cried to the Lord." Then Jesus, when he talked about the punishment that was coming on Jerusalem, he said, "The blood of righteous Abel, all the way to the blood of Zachariah the son Berechiah, will be demanded of that generation. So there is vengeance that comes from God when innocent blood is spilled. All right, we're going to talk to Anthony. And that frees up another line. Again, if you want to call in with your Bible questions, that number 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297. Anthony is calling from New York. Anthony, you're on the air.
- [Anthony] Good evening, Pastor Doug.
- Evening.
- [Anthony] Yes, if you don't have enough callers, I have a whole list of questions if you...
- Well, let's start with a first one and see how we go.
- [Anthony] Yes, for sure. So my question is based on two verses, Genesis chap...
- Yeah, still go ahead.
- [Anthony] Is the first one. And yeah, and the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil, and now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat." And the key part that I want to focus on, "And live forever." And then the second verse is first Corinthians chapter 15, verse 53, where it says, "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." And so my question is, what is the purpose of this tree of life that it was talking about in Genesis chapter three? What is the purpose of the tree of life in heaven if we're going to be immortal?
- That's a great question. Some people say, "Well, it sounds like that the tree itself has something to do with our living forever, and yet so many other scriptures, you mentioned one in first Corinthians, sound like eternal life is a gift that God just weaves into our very be in the new earth and in the resurrection. So if we fail to eat from the tree of life, will we begin to atrophy and ultimately die? It almost makes it sound like the tree of life in one sense, is going to be a symbol of Jesus. And through believing in Jesus and accepting Him, we have eternal life. Christ, He died on a tree. And He says, "My body is food and my blood is drink." Not that we're literally to turn into cannibals, but Christ is the tree of life. And so I think that when we eat from the fruit of the tree of life, it'll probably be vitalizing in some way, but I think eternal life is a gift that God gives us ultimately. And if we happen to get stuck in some far corner of the cosmos and couldn't get back to the tree, I don't think we'd die. I think that God sustains us. So hopefully that makes sense. Now I'm delving into some of the mysteries. Do you have one more quick question, Anthony?
- [Anthony] Yes, this one is quick. You hear clips and quotes a lot of times that we say. Well, it's not really in the Bible. We hear this quote that says, "God helps those that helps themselves." Is that biblical?
- Well, that's actually a quote from Benjamin Franklin. I do think it's biblical. It is a biblical truth in that, God will tell us what to do. And as we make an effort, as we make a human effort to do what God tells us to do, He then works miracles. So I know an old Christian that used to say, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." And of course he's teasing saying that actually putting in human effort makes you successful. God told the disciples, "I want you to cross the sea of Galilee," and they were rowing, and they came into a storm, and they weren't making any progress. And the Bible says that Jesus came to them while they were rowing. So they were doing what they could humanly do. And then He got in the boat, and instantly, John chapter six, they were at their destination. So I do think that the Lord blesses tenacity, the Lord blesses diligence as Proverbs talk about that. So the principle is true, even though that statement is actually Ben Franklin from "Poor Richard's Almanack." Hey, thank you, Anthony. Appreciate your questions. And that does open another line. With that, we're going to go to Michael. Thank you for your patience, Michael. You're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [Michael] Hello, Pastor Doug. Thanks for taking my question.
- Yes, sir.
- [Michael] My question is regarding the kingdoms of Daniel 6:26 and 2:44. And if those are the same, will the kingdom of Daniel 2:44 last until the end? Will it also last until the end without being destroyed?
- Well, in Daniel six, we're talking about Daniel in the lions den. So you did you mean Daniel six?
- [Michael] Yeah, 6:26.
- Okay, so that's talking about... Let me go here real quick. Yeah, and this is the Kingdom of Persia. That is not the last kingdom that you find mentioned in Daniel.
- [Michael] Well, the kingdom of God is in Daniel 6:26.
- "And I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom." This a Darius' decree, he's a king of Persia, Meto-Persia. He says, "I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom, men must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God." Oh, I see what you're talking about, yeah. "And steadfast forever. His kingdom is the one that will not be destroyed. His dominion shall endure to the end." That kingdom, yes, is the God's kingdom that lasts forever.
- [Michael] Yeah, and if that's the same as Daniel 2:44, will Daniel 2:44 also last until the end without being destroyed.
- Well, it's Christ's kingdom is the one. Yeah, that's the same kingdom. I'm reading Daniel 2:44. "And in the days of these Kings, God will set up a kingdom that'll never be destroyed." So the kingdom that does not fall is God's kingdom. It lasts forever.
- [Michael] Right, it sounds like when it says it'll last until the end, that it's a contemporaneous kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar and King Darius, and that it will last forever and not be destroyed.
- Yeah, so you'll see, you're actually onto the main theme of the book of Daniel. You can see in Daniel chapter two, in Daniel chapter three, in Daniel chapter four. I'm doing it in my mind right now. Daniel chapter five with Belshazzar's feast. Daniel six, Daniel in the lions den. Daniel seven, with the visions of the the lion and the bear and the leopard. And then you go to Daniel eight, where you got the vision of the goat and the ram. All of those visions talk about the kingdom, and it's the earthly kingdoms that are at war with God's kingdom. It's kind of like the curse that you see happening there in Genesis chapter three, where it talks about the enmity that would exist between the serpent, the kingdoms of this world, and the woman, God's church. But yeah, and ultimately, the message of Daniel is that God's kingdom will destroy every other kingdom. But I thank you for that. And we've got a study guide on Daniel chapter six and Daniel chapter two. If you look in the historicals of prophecy, we've got one called the millennial man that talks about those earthly kingdoms. Thank you, Michael. We're going to move on here and talk next to David calling from California, somewhere. David, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [David] Good evening, Pastor Doug.
- Evening.
- [David] My question is, when Mary birthed Jesus, did He receive her DNA?
- So if you had poked Jesus in the finger with a pen, He would bleed. And I expect that His blood would've had testimony that He was related to Mary physically.
- [David] I think so.
- Yeah, because Jesus as a baby, it says He became a man. He was born and there was a fetus as He grew in her womb, He was receiving blood and nourishment from her body. There would've been evidence. Now, they say in DNA, you got your mitochondrial DNA, the mother's DNA, the question would be, what would the father's DNA have looked like? So, that's something of a mystery. But, yeah.
- [David] Yes, it is.
- He definitely had... He was human. I think He probably had some-
- [David] Thank you.
- Visual similarities to Mary as well. Thanks for your question, David. Appreciate your patience. And talking next with Wayne. Wayne is calling from Idaho. You're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [Wayne] Thanks, Pastor Doug.
- Thank you.
- [Wayne] Looking at Genesis 20, and I'm seeing where Abraham and Sarah lied to Abimelech and said, "Tell him that you're my sister so I'll be spared."
- Yes.
- [Wayne] In verse 16 after it's all said and done and God has revealed to him, Abimelech says that in verse 16, that, "I have given thy brother 1000 pieces of silver. Behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes unto all that are with thee." What does that mean?
- Yeah, and I think some versions say a veil. Abimelech, he's being a little sarcastic. You see Abraham, he's supposed to have this great faith in God, and yet he doesn't trust that God's going to protect him from the Philistines. And he said, "Your sister..." By this point, he knows that she's his wife. And so he says, "Your sister," and then he says that this will be a veil. Now, when a woman was unmarried, she was supposed to wear a veil. And when Sarah went to dwell among the Philippines, I'm not so sure that she was veiled. He says, "Look, if you're worried about other men looking at her and thinking, she's so beautiful, they're going to kill you for your wife, maybe you should put a veil on her. And so, I think there's sort of a little sarcastic message that Abimelech is telling Abraham in this. It's funny, you should mention this. I read through the Bible every year, I read this story this morning.
- [Wayne] God works in amazing ways.
- Yeah, exactly. It was fresh in my mind. Hey, thanks so much, Wayne. Appreciate your question. You have a good night.
- [Wayne] Thank you, bye.
- Bye-bye. All right, you're going to talk next with Austin. Austin from North Carolina, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [Austin] Oh, hello, Pastor Doug. So nice to speak with you. Sure, missing Pastor Ross.
- Yes, I will. I'll pass that all. I'll let him know.
- [Austin] My question is about Genesis chapter nine, versus 22 through 27. I understand the brothers, Noah's son, the sons of Noah; Ham, Shem and Japheth. And then Ham had a son Canaan. And I know there was an incident where the first brother, Ham, went in and saw his father uncovered. And he came out, and then the other guys went in. And I'm guessing that it's because they turned away with respect that they were proper in that. My question really, pastor is, verse 27, when it talks about how Canaan is the one-
- Gets cursed.
- [Austin] Gets cursed is Canaan. And he would be the servant to all the brothers. And I just don't understand why he, as the son, he's not mentioned is doing anything at all on the story. And I know we're not supposed to have the sins of our fathers, right? So that was confusing to me. Please explain that.
- Evidently, what happened, it says Noah drank wine, and he became intoxicated. I'm not sure that they understood the full effects of what that would do back then. And he was stumbling around in his tent and he was naked. Ham, went in probably with his son who would've been younger. And at this point they had been out of the arc for some time 'cuz Noah's now farming. And Ham, instead of saying, "Oh, this isn't good. Let's cover grandpa up." They walk out of the tent and Canaan begins to mock grandpa that was stumbling around drunk and showing great disrespect for his elders. And so, a curse came from Noah upon him and his descendant, Canaan, who I think was with his father when he went in.
- [Austin] I see.
- Or his father maybe came out and told Canaan what happened and Canaan began to mock him among the clan and the tribe. So the curse fell on him.
- [Austin] How would I have learned that without asking you, I mean?
- Well, I didn't get it through a dream. I actually read commentaries and some other good Bible scholars.
- [Austin] Commentaries.
- Yeah. You look in some, and they're free. Many of 'em are free now. You can go online and you type in this verse and you'll see some of the great commentaries of the Protestant performers.
- [Austin] Oh, very well.
- These guys read Hebrew, Greek and Latin. And they'll also read some of the other Hebrew writer's additional insight on these things. 'Cuz some of it is cultural. They understood that it would only have mentioned Ham, but Canaan must have participated in the bad behavior.
- [Austin] Thank you so very much. Now I can move on.
- All right, good. Sounds like you're reading through your Bible.
- [Austin] That's right.
- All right, good for you.
- [Austin] Thank you so much, pastor.
- Thank you, Austin.
- [Austin] Bye-bye now.
- Appreciate your question. And yeah, if you want to call in with you Bible questions, we still got the best part of the program to go. Call 800-463-7297. 800-463-7297. All right, we're going to talk next with Lynn, who's calling from Pennsylvania. Lynn, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live.".
- [Lynn] Well, hello, Pastor Doug.
- Hi.
- [Lynn] There's something that's got my curiosity going for quite a while. When you read Revelation chapter four verse two and three, and then you go on and you read Revelation chapter five, one all the way through seven, my question is, when John is taken up by the Spirit into heaven and he sees on the throne, heaven, one that sat on the throne and he describes Him. Then I'm thinking, supposedly, nobody has ever seen God, the Father, but then it says in chapter five, that the one that sits on the throne has the book written and then how John weeps because-
- No man can open the book.
- [Lynn] No man was found worthy, right. And then he hands the book to the Lamb. So is that God, the Father, that John is seeing in this vision, or? And then he does see Jesus take from the right hand of He who sits on the throne. So that would be God, the Father and Jesus, wouldn't it?
- Yep, I think it is God, the Father. But you notice, I don't think he's seeing the full glory of God's face there. Moses asked, he said, "Lord, can I see your glory?" God says, "Yes, I'll let you see my glory, but you can't look on My face and live." And so, when God gave the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai, His glory was veiled in thundering clouds and no man could look upon it. And then the Bible says, no man has seen the Father. Now, we will ultimately see God, 'cuz one of the last things it says in Revelation, it says, "And we will see His face." Blessed are the pure in spirit, they will see... Blessed are the pure in heart, they will see God. In our sinful condition, we can't do that. And keep in mind, John is seeing these things in vision. He's probably not literally. So, the Lord may have veiled or blurred the glory of God to some extent so he could see it. But that must have been God, the Father, 'cuz then he's giving the book to God, the Son.
- [Lynn] Right, and also, he must be describing the throne and not 'cuz he said that He that sat was to look upon like Jasper.
- Yeah. Now, do you know if you look in Daniel chapter seven, and we're going to have to cut off for a break here in just a minute, but I just want you to notice Lynn, that in Daniel seven, it talks about the Father and the Son. It says, "I saw one like the Ancient of Days." And then you go to verse 11, "And one like the Son of man comes before Him." So, yeah. Sorry, verse 13, "I was watching and behold One like the Son of man came before Him." So Revelation is very much like an echo of the book of Daniel. So you're seeing both there. Thank you, Lynn, very much for your question. And the listening friends, well be back with questions in just a moment.
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- Every year, 40,000 souls in North America, end their own lives. Suicide is a terrible tragedy. And while it's difficult to talk about, we need to face it together as Christians. That's why in my new book, "Choosing Life," I share the biblical perspective about suicide, answering some difficult questions about faith and salvation along the way, and offering practical tips that should help and encourage others. Jesus wants us to choose an abundant life in Him. Okay, friends, let's start with the basics. We know we're here, but we're not here for very long. So the most important thing would be, if we could learn during this life, how to live forever, this is the central focus of Amazing Facts. Now, there's a lot of wonderful things that Christian ministries do. I believe in Christian education. But if the schools lose the message of salvation, you end up with more educated sinners. I think it's very important for us to build churches. But if the churches lose the message of salvation, they just become buildings and shells. I think it's important to have a medical ministry and build hospitals, but if they separate that from the message of salvation, you just prolong a sinner's life for a little while. That's why for years, Amazing Facts has made it our focus to present the saving truth that sets people free. And friends, we want to thank you for your support and your gifts. We'll do our very best to convert those resources into the currency of heaven. May God bless you and keep Amazing Facts in your prayers.
- [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."
- We are back listening, friends, the "Bible Answers Live." And we're going to go back to the phones here and take some questions. Talking next with Efrank. Efrank, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [Efrank] Yes, good evening, Pastor Doug. I have a question that is always on my mind. This has to do with a person that I know who was involved with Satanism. She was a person that said that she was consecrated to Jesus and said she could not get out of her Satanic cult because her father was a descendant of other Satanists. And so, she also informed me that she owned stock in the 19th century from a, what they call a railway company here in New York city in the Borough of Queens. So, I told her, "Why did you tell me that you're consecrated to Christ and you do not leave if you were consecrated to Christ?" And she told me also that her grandmother baptized her in Christianity. Now, my question for you, Pastor Doug is, can a person who's that way leave the cult and automatically not lose their soul or their life and become consecrated towards Christ and become a born again Christian, and be a Bible believing person?
- Yeah, sometimes people think because my parents were into Satanism or you were part of a cult or you... When I was a kid, in our family, my mother was in show business and a lot of her friends were into the Occult and we used Ouija boards and they were into astrology, and all kinds of things that are unbiblical. But when you seek after God, you're born again. Those old things pass away, and all things are made new. So we don't need to worry about that. So I wouldn't let anything like that from the past concern you. If once a person has accepted Jesus, then the past doesn't matter at all anymore. All right, friends, we're going to go to... Hopefully that helps you, Efrank, with your question. Talking to David in New Jersey. David, and you're welcome to the "Bible Answers Live" program.
- [David 2] Good morning or afternoon or whatever time it is. I'm truck driving and I'm in New Jersey. I'm from Virginia. But it's so good and happy to talk with you Pastor Doug. And I was hoping to talk to Pastor Ross too, but he's not there.
- You'll have to call another time too.
- [David 2] Exactly. I just wanted to say thank you for your ministry. And I became a Christian through your ministry and watching your prophecy seminars.
- Oh, praise, Lord.
- [David 2] So I'm very happy. Okay, my question is, in Psalms 91 verse five to 12. It said as I read that basically, we'll be protected through the tribulations through those verses, is that correct?
- Well, let me read this for our friends who are listening. It says that, yeah, it says, "You'll not be afraid of the terror by night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence." That word, pestilence, means plague. "That walks in darkness. Nor the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 1000 may fall at your side and 10,000 at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes will you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you've made the Lord who is my refuge, even the most high you're dwelling place, no evil will befall you, nor shall any plague come near you're dwelling." And so, God protected the children of Israel when the plagues fell on Egypt. He will protect us when the seven last plagues fall that are described in Revelation in 15 and 16. And so, yes, I believe that this is a promise we can claim. Now, that does not mean, some people might think, "Well, Pastor Doug, does that mean that I never need to take any health precautions if there's a pandemic in the world?" This is not a verse for that. The Bible says, "Don't tempt the Lord." So if there's something you can do to keep yourself healthy, keep yourself healthy. But when the seven last plagues fall, these supernatural plagues from God, He promises to protect His people during that time.
- [David 2] Yeah, verse 11 says the angels will take charge over us.
- Yes, He'll give His angel charge over you to keep you in all your ways.
- [David 2] Okay, that's great. That's what I wanted to confirm.
- Yep, well, thank you.
- [David 2] Well, God bless.
- God bless. Good to talk with you, David, and be safe on the road.
- [David 2] Thank you, sir.
- Bye-bye. All right, well, let's see here. We're going to talk with Jemima, who's calling from Canada. Am I saying that right, or is it Jemima?
- [Jemima] Yes, you said right, Jemima.
- Yes, in your question. Yeah.
- [Jemima] Hi, Pastor Doug. I just wanted you to know that I was so blessed by the previous ministry that you had, the Panorama prophesy.
- Oh, wonderful.
- [Jemima] And I understand more about the Bible, and yeah, it's so nice, Pastor Doug. I watch from the beginning till the end. Anyway.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, guys, for your ministry. And anyway, my question Pastor Doug, is from the book of Proverbs chapter eight verse 26. So it says here, "While as yet he had not made the earth."
- Now, you're in proverb chapter eight, and what's verse?
- [Jemima] Proverbs chapter eight verse 27, sorry. Yeah, 26 to... No, 22 to... Actually, but I was little bit had like confusion here. It says verse 27, "When he prepared the heaven, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep." So my question, Pastor Doug, if this mean that we were angels before, even when God created us? What are we? And it says also here from I... Because somebody had like do... My boss had it with me and they were teaching this. I already was born like Solomon says, and he was in the kingdom of heaven, and they said that we were angels.
- No. Yeah, no, we were never angels before. Let me just give you something to think about, Jemima. When you go to the beginning of chapter eight. Chapter eight is a beautiful soliloquy. It's like a poem of wisdom. These are Proverbs. This is not a doctrinal discourse. It says, "Does wisdom cry out?" Well, of course, wisdom doesn't cry. Wisdom's not a person. "And understanding lift up her voice. She takes her stand on the top of the hill." Everything it's saying here is talking about wisdom and it's using all of these allegories and analogies. It has nothing to do with people being born. It's saying wisdom was there with God in the very beginning when he formed the earth. And that's what you're reading there from verse 27. "When he prepared the heavens, I wisdom was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea it's limit, so the waters would not transgress his command, when he marked the foundations of the earth. Then I wisdom was beside him as a master craftsman. And I," again, speaking of wisdom, "Was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him."
It's all a poem about wisdom if you read from the beginning of this chapter. So the idea that this is saying that we had a preexistence is totally unbiblical. And I'd be very careful about people you're studying with that say that you existed before you were born. That's almost like teaching a form of reincarnation, and that's a very unbiblical teaching. Thank you, Jemima. And if you want to know more about that, we have a lesson that talks about death. And the lesson on death will actually talk about preexistence a little bit. So if you want to know more of about that, we have a lesson called "Are the Dead Really Dead?" And we'll send you a free copy of that. That is our resource number 800-835-6747. All right, thanks for Jemima's call. And we're going to talk to, let me see here. All right, Gibson in Australia. Gibson, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [Gibson] Thank you, how are you, Doug?
- Doing really well.
- [Gibson] That's good. Thank you for taking my question. So my question is just in relation to Acts 2:17. So, would you like me to read that to you?
- Sure.
- [Gibson] Oh, yep. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that'll pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your son and your daughter shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams." So my question is just, does Satan have the power to give people dreams? And are there any examples? 'Cuz I know throughout the Bible, there's always example the God appearing to people in dreams or angels appearing to people. So I was just wondering if Satan can do that as well.
- Yeah, I think that most people listening, I'm expecting Gibson, you've had this experience where you have something called a nightmare. And, I think that in the book of Job, and I remember reading it, I'm trying to remember. It talks about when the hair stood up on my flesh and a bean went by-
- [Gibson] I think that was 4:12.
- I see, yeah, you're acquainted with it. But it seems like one of the speakers in the book of Job, talks about what is a nightmare-like experience. And even in Genesis, it says that a horror of darkness came on Abraham. So God can certainly influence dreams. The devil, if the devil can tempt us, he can probably influence our dreams. He can put suggestions in our minds, we know that. And most of the time, our dreams are not God or the devil. Most of the time, our dreams are our brain simply rebooting, so to speak. And you'll be dreaming about the things that you were doing during the day. And I know if I play a lot of racketball, I might even dream of it in my sleep. So, whatever. And Ecclesiastes says a dream comes through the multitude of business. So, does that answer your question?
- [Gibson] Yes, sort of. So with obviously Job, I think it's Job 4:15. It appeared that he was awake and the Spirit came over him. That told him to show whether like there's an actual example in the Bible of someone Satan actually appearing or giving a dream to someone.
- I can't think of any where a person that has a nightmare, other than like I said, that story in Genesis where it says a darkness came over him. Now, I think that that darkness actually was even divinely inspired. God was about to tell Abraham that his descendants would be captive in a foreign land where they were going to be oppressed 400 years. So, that even may have come from the Lord. But, yeah, good question. I can't find an example, at least not at the tip of my fingers, of a nightmare. But we know the devil can... I think that the devil can certainly influence our dreams. I know several people that say they've woken up during the night and they felt like someone was trying to strangle them or they have a terrifying experience. So, yeah. All right, let me see here. Michael is calling from Florida. Michael, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [Michael 2] Hello, Pastor Doug.
- Hi.
- Hi, yeah, so I was calling because lately I've been, well, loosely looking at work from different Old Testament and New Testament scholars. And one thing I've seen a lot of New Testament and the Old Testament scholars say is that, a lot of the prophecies that are traditionally said to refer to things that are in the New Testament. When I say traditionally, as in like in the tradition of say Protestant churches, or even in Christian churches, modern Christian of them. But those prophecies were actually referring to something else that was a little bit more contemporary to the time of the writers and blah, blah, blah. And usually, when I was growing up in the church, people have said that all these things have a double interpretation. They mean something toward the immediate context of that contemporary time of the writer, but they also refer to something in the future. So my question is, how did we ascertain that rule, that prophecies in the Old Testament, I guess, have like this double interpretation? Where do we get that rule from? 'Cuz to be honest, sometimes it seems a bit arbitrary where and when we invoke that rule. And I just wanted to know, how is it that we know that these prophecies have a double interpretation?
- Good question. First and best and safest way to know is, when the New Testament writers, Matthew, for example, often refers to an Old Testament prophecy. And for instance, he talks about Rachel weeping for her children for they are not. Well, he's quoting an Old Testament prophecy. He's applying it to the babies in Bethlehem being slaughtered. But that prophecy may also apply to when the children Of Israel were ransacked by the Babylonians. You have the story of Jonah. Jonah, Jesus said is a sign. Now, Jesus is a good authority. You'd agree, I'm sure. Jesus said, Jonah's a sign of Him. No sign will be given of the Son of man, but Jonah. Well, Jonah was also a sign of the Jewish nation. They all viewed it that way that they looked like they were done for when they were carried off to Babylon, and yet they came out alive. So, they kind of saw them as because of their rebellion, because they did not prophesy to the pagan nations, that they went through a terrible storm, and because they were neglecting their duty. But the other sailors on the boat and the Ninevites were saved through Jonah. The world is saved through the Jewish nation, delivering the scriptures. But Jonah was a reluctant prophet and the Jews often were stiff nicked. So Christians and Jews have seen a dual application in Jonah.
Let me give you the best example in the Bible. One of the best, I think. In first Chronicles, chapter 17, David is thinking about building a temple for the Lord. And first Nathan, the prophet says, "Go for it. God is with you." Then God says, "Go tell Nathan, you are not to build the temple, but your son is to build it." Now, here's the verse. If you go to first Chronicles, chapter 17, and you start with... Oh, let's see here, verse 11. "And it will be when your days are fulfilled. When you must go to be with your fathers," meaning you die. "That I'll set up your seat after you, who will be of your sons. I will establish his kingdom. He will build me a house. I will establish his throne forever." Now, is that a prophecy about Solomon who did build the temple, the son of David? Or is that a prophecy about Jesus, the son of David, who said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it up?" Or is it both? Now, I think this is a great case where you can argue easily, certainly Solomon, David was thinking about a literal temple, and Solomon did build the temple that David was praying about. But Jesus is really the son of David who built up the house of God. We are the household of God. We are the body of Christ. Hey, you see what I'm saying?
- [Michael 2] Yeah.
- So, the hard part of your question is you said, what is the rule, so you know how do you discern? So it's not arbitrary. I think the best thing is you just look at the context. The best thing is if you can find a New Testament writer who gives a secondary application, then that'd be, I think, the best way to know. So, God says, "I'm going to send a prophet like Elijah." Jesus then says that was John the Baptist, but then Jesus also says, John did come and Elijah did come and Elijah will come. Jesus said, that's a dual prophecy. Not only did Elijah come again, the spirit and power of Elijah was on John the Baptist. Christ said, "And he will come." Meaning, before the second coming, there's going to be another Elijah message that will go. So, when you find a New Testament support, then that's the best way to know, well, they're using two applications for that one prophecy. But there's other places where I think it's obvious, like the one I read in Chronicles. So I know, deep subject, there's no easy answer for that. That's a great question. All right, thank you, Michael. Appreciate your call.
And now, let me just tell my friends here. We have eight minutes roughly in our regular broadcast. We go off the air with satellite first, then I take a couple of minutes more questions for those who are on a land-based station you're watching on TV or Facebook. So don't go away at that point. And we've got a number. If you want to call in with any of your questions or you can email rather your questions, we take some email questions at the very end of our program, and do them in a rapid succession. It's BAL, that stands for "Bible Answers Live." Here's the address, BALquestions. BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. And that's how you can send those final, rapid fire questions we cover, and in the end of the broadcast. Talking next with.... Let me see here. Oh, talk to Matthew in Canada. Matthew, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live."
- [Matthew] Hi, Doug, thanks for having me.
- Yes.
- [Matthew] Question. Before Jesus comes, how many generation will he allow to be living on earth? Or how many generation will any one experience?
- Well, when you say generation, are you talking about like 40 years? The Bible kind of tells us 40 years.
- [Matthew] Yes, according to the Bible 40 years means a generation.
- How many of those-
- [Matthew] Will any one experience?
- How many of those between the first coming and...
- [Matthew] Will anyone experience four or five?
- Oh, well, no, it's already been clearly more than four or five generations since Jesus' first coming. Is that what you're asking?
- [Matthew] So I'm saying, will any one individual experience four or five generations?
- No, not too many people. I think the most is three gene... Well, some people live and see their great grandchildren. A couple of rare individuals have seen great, great grandchildren. But, I still don't know if I'm answering your question.
- [Matthew] No, I want to know how many generations will there ever be before Jesus comes the second time.
- No man knows the day or the hour Matthew of Christ coming. So, we don't know how many generations. Jesus said, this generation will not pass away till these things being fulfilled. He was talking about the destruction of the temple. That happened 40 years after Christ's prediction. So that was one generation, just as Jesus said, this generation would not pass away. How many generations from the first coming to the second coming, the Bible does not reveal. So I hope that helps a little bit. All right, let's see here. Looking, I got a couple time for a couple more questions. Josiah in New York, you're on the air with "Bible Answers Live." Are you there? Sometimes people mute their phones. Josiah, you are on the air. There you go.
- [Josiah] Good evening, how are you doing, sir?
- Doing great, thank you for calling.
- [Josiah] Yes, I have a question based on the book of Revelation the first chapter, verse 13 to 15.
- Okay.
- [Josiah] I don't want to read the... When I read that verse, and the question is, the Bible clearly stated that Jesus is a dark-skinned man. So why is the church portraying Christ as a white-skinned man?
- Well, here it says He's got skin like bronze. So are you wondering about what the ethnic color of Jesus' skin is in Revelation?
- [Josiah] The heart of my question is, why do religion pushes that Jesus is a so-called white man when the Bible teaches that He's a dark skinned man?
- Well, Jesus was a Jew. Do you have any problem with that?
- [Josiah] I have no problem with that, but the Jews of today is not the Jews of when Christ walked around the earth.
- Well, there's no question that the Jewish people over the ages, they've been scattered around the world. There's probably been some mixing. By the way, I'm half Jewish, anyway, my mother was Jewish.
- [Josiah] Based on what? The Bible does not dictate you're a Jew by your mother. When you go to the book of Numbers one verse 18 it says you are of Jew by your father. That's the reason today you don't have a travel, Dana.
- What makes a person a Jew today?
- [Josiah] According to the Bible, what's make a person a Jew, they have to come from Kaza... The term Jew is from the tribe, Judah.
- Well, I mean, doesn't Paul say that if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed. And doesn't the Bible say that he is not a Jew that is one outwardly, he is a Jew who is one inwardly. And circumcision is not circumcision in the flesh, it's circumcision of the spirit.
- [Josiah] Doug, in the book of Galatians, Paul explains to you who are the Jews. He never deviates from the true Jews. 'Cuz when you go and-
- Is a person saved? Now again, I want to reiterate that I come from a Jewish background, but I don't believe a person is saved because of their blood. God is no respecter persons. Do you believe that a person is saved because they're Jewish or because they have faith?
- [Josiah] Yes, God is a respecter of persons because when you go in the book of Genesis, the ninth chapter verse 18, God says, "Jacob, that I love, Esau that I hate." So that's a respecter of person, meaning God hates a particular group of people. And my other question to you, who is Esau today? 'Cuz everybody wants to be Jacob, who is Esau today and why the church is not teaching the biblical nationality?
- Well first, the verse that you quoted there, "Jacob I've loved and Esau I've hated." He's talking about Israel I loved, and the Edomites I hated, because of the decisions-
- [Josiah] So who were the Edomites?
- Well, it's because of the decisions that Esau made to go after the beans instead of the birthright. And so, if-
- [Josiah] No, that's not what the verse said. When you read-
- Well, no, that's what Genesis says.
- Yeah, but Paul elaborates. Paul said even before the children were born, God made his decision. Before they were even born knowing to choose right or wrong, he made-
- No, God foretold what they would do before they were born. And then we saw that acted out in their lives. But at the heart of this, you just said something. You said, God is a respecter of person. And Paul says, God is no respecter of person. Peter actually says that. But whoever fears Him, from every people, He loves. If a person has faith in Jesus, that's what saves them.
- [Josiah] What does that mean, that Jacob that I love, Esau that I hate? Meaning God who have a particular group of people that he love. Did he have a particular group of people that he loved?
- Josiah, I don't want to be rude. I have to mute you just because I got 30 seconds left, and I want to be able to sign off. I hope... And you're welcome to call again, and we can finish this discussion, but the time's not going to allow it. Now, those of you who are watching on TV or you're listening on the internet, don't go away. We're signing off on satellite. We're coming back for some rapid fire Bible questions that have come in via the internet. Stay with us.
- [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.
- Okay, there, you have it. We are back, friends. And for those of you who have stayed by, you're enduring to the end. We're going to be talking about some questions that have come in. All right, first question. When Satan is deceiving some people at the end of times, when he is telling everybody he is Jesus, can Satan duplicate Jesus' pierced hands? Well, I think he can. He's called the... Second Corinthians chapter 11 says, Satan can be transformed into an angel of light. He can create illusions. So if he's impersonating Christ, if he wants to impersonate Christ, it's got some kind of scars in his hands. That would probably be very impressive. What Satan cannot reproduce is coming in the clouds of glory. Jesus never touches the ground again when He comes. It says "We are caught up to meet Him in the air." So anybody walking around on the ground that says that they are Christ, they're either demonic or deluded, but do not follow any false Christ.
Let me see here. Since Jesus is now in heaven at the right hand of God and no longer active on earth, He left a comforter who is active. So we ask Jesus into our hearts or is it the Holy Spirit that comes into our hearts? Christ comes into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that, "I'm going. And it's expedient that I go. The Holy Spirit will come." And then he promises, "I am with you everywhere you go." How is He with us? Through the person of God, the Spirit, we have the presence of Christ. Jesus says He will declare all things to you. The Spirit gives us the very presence of Christ. You will sense Jesus with you in God, the Spirit, 'cuz God is one. Show me one unequivocal or equivocal sentence in the Bible where Jesus says, "I am God," and we must worship Him. Well, there is no verse where he says, "I am God, we must worship Him". But it does tell about people worshiping Him. You read in Hebrews where it says even the angels worship Him.
The Bible says in the 10 commandments, we are to worship only God, Jesus must be God. The Bible says only God knows the thoughts of men's hearts. Yet Jesus new people's thoughts. Jesus must be God. The Bible says there is one God and Savior. Jesus is our Savior. Jesus must be God. And you can read where he rose from the dead, He said, "All hail," and the disciples held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. He received that worship. Unless He was God, they were breaking the commandments of God. So yes, Jesus is God. He said in John chapter eight, "I am. Before Abraham was, I am." That's the same name that Moses used or God gave to Moses rather. All right, let me say, is there a verse that says, "God gives us the freedom of choice and also the angels." When it says, "Choose you this day, who you will serve," in Joshua.
Friends, we're out of time. Send us more Bible questions. You can email them to amazingfacts@bibleanswerslive.org
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