- 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. Pastor Doug Batchelor's away this weekend. But this is a live, interactive international Bible study and if you have a Bible related question, we would love to hear from you this evening. But why don't we start the program with an amazing fact. The record for hiding away from family and friends was made by a young Chinese college student by the name of Cheng Lim. He was studying engineering at the University of Michigan, but was doing very badly in physics and math. If his studies did not improve he would have to leave school, quit his job as the janitor at the Ann Arbor First Methodist Church and take the humiliating news of his academic failure back to his father who was a school teacher in Singapore.
Finally, one day in October, 1955, Cheng disappeared. His friends, including the Reverend Eugene Ransom pastor of the church called the police, but they found no clues. Cheng's Methodist friends had another mystery to ponder, strange bumping noises that came out of the church at night. Early one morning, four years after Cheng's disappearance, a pair of private detectives called by Reverend Ransom heard a trap door to the church attic slam. Together with the police they climbed up and they swept their flashlights across the attic, and there crouched above them in the rafters was Cheng. For four years, the attic of the church had been his home. The bumping noises had been Cheng skipping rope to keep in shape. During the day, he slept on padding from a pew, and at night he walked around the church and helped himself to food from the church kitchen. Physically, Cheng seemed unaffected by his hermits experience, but as the police hauled him off to county jail, his four year preoccupation with loss of face suddenly vanished. "I've been a coward," he said, "I'm glad I was found."
Well, did you know, friends, that the Bible speaks of a time when the devil will be forced to sort of live the life of a hermit? The Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 20 beginning in verse one, "then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little while." So here we find the Bible speaking of a time when the devil is bound in something called the bottomless pit. Now, if you study that subject out, you'll actually discover that the bottomless pit is really a reference to the earth in a broken down, desolate condition after the second coming of Christ.
Now, we have a study guide that talks about this 1000 year time period that you find in Revelation chapter 20, sometimes referred to as the Millennium, which literally means a thousand years. It's called 1000 Years of Peace. That is our free gift and we're happy to send that to anyone here in North America. If you'd like to receive the gift, all you need to do is call the number 800-835-6747 and you can ask for offer number 123 or ask for the study guide by name, it's called 1000 Years of Peace, we'll be happy to send that to anyone here in North America. If you're outside of North America and I know we have a number of folks who are tuning in from different countries around the world, we encourage you to go to the Amazing Facts website, just amazingfacts.org or .com, and you'll be able to download the study guide and read it for free right there online.
Well, as mentioned a little earlier, Pastor Doug is out this evening and so working the phones we have a new face to Bible Answers Live. We've got Pastor Aron Crews who is joining me here, and we're just delighted that Pastor Crews is here. Now, Pastor Crews, you're new to California and you've just joined the Granite Bay Pastoral team right here and so we work together, we are colleagues at the church. Prior to you coming to California, I think you've been here, what? About a month, if that?
- Almost two.
- Almost two months. Okay. Prior to that, you were doing pastoral work and where were you located?
- I was located in Michigan. I pastored in Michigan for almost seven years.
- All right. And I know we have a number of folks who listen in Michigan, so some of the people might even know you from that part of the world. But we are just delighted that Pastor Aron is with us and joining us. He's also got a wonderful wealth of Bible knowledge, and so he'll be joining me as we answer these various Bible questions and looking them up. If you have a Bible question, the number to call here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Again, that's 800-463-7297. That'll get you in the queue. We have a number of folks who are waiting for us to take their questions, so we're going to get to it right away. But Pastor Crews, before we go to the phone lines, would you start the program with prayer?
- Absolutely. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to be alive today and to have minds to think critically about what Your Word says. Lord, open our minds to hear Your answers from Your Word this evening. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
- Amen. All right, well Pastor Aron let's go to our first caller for this evening. Who do we have?
- All right, we have Phillip from Arkansas. Phillip, hi. Welcome to Bible Answers Live. What is your question today?
- Hi, good evening pastors. There's a prophecy in Hosea 6:2. It's part of an interesting passage there, but I was wondering, have you guys ever applied that to end-time prophecy especially if you assign one day for a thousand years?
- Okay, well, good question. Let me read it. So those of you who are traveling in your car, you might not have your Bible in front of you. Hosea 6:2 says, "after two days He will raise us up and on the third day, He will raise us up..." Sorry, let me reread that, I messed it up. "After two days he will revive us;" I need to add, "on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live in his sight." Now, it's interesting. When you look at this prophecy here in Hosea, we have a time period after two days and then on the third day we'll be raised up. It's a reference to Israel. That's the most immediate context and deliverance that'll come to God's people. But I think it's quite clear that this is a prophecy not only related to literal Israel, but it's also a prophecy related to Christ because Christ rose from the dead on the third day.
It's also interesting that I believe Hosea, Pastor Crews, mentions that Israel came up obviously as we know, out of Egypt, but there's also a prophecy with reference to Christ, and it says, "I called my son out of Egypt." And of course we know, Jesus when He was still a baby, just before Herod slaughtered the babies in the area of Judea, that Joseph, directed by an angel, took the family down into Egypt, and then Jesus was brought up out of Egypt. So we see a parallel between ancient Israel and we see a parallel with that in the experiences of Christ. And in particular, we have a prophecy here that refers to Christ's death and His resurrection. And of course, Jesus also speaking of His death, He says, "tell that old fox," speaking of Herod, "that I work today, tomorrow, and the third day I'm perfected or completed." So we do have a number of references, but I think this is a clear reference here to the death, burial and crucifixion of Christ. Does that help Phillip?
- Yeah, I get what you're saying. But if you apply a day for a thousand years to it, you could see where the third millennium would be after 2000 years since Christ's baptism. We would be starting that third millennium when Jesus would rise up-
- Yeah, no, I think you... Yeah, I think you're onto something for sure. You know, Peter tells us that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day. We know the earth is inhabited for about 6,000 years. And then Jesus comes, and then we have that 1000 year millennium or that 1000 year Sabbath. And we actually spoke about that in the opening. So we believe that we're living very close to that 6,000 year mark, and soon Jesus will come and for the redeemed, they will be raised up. They will live in the presence of God. So I think you can apply this prophecy to final redemption as well as to Christ.
- Amen.
- All right, great question. Thanks for calling Phillip. All right, who do we have next?
- All right, next we have Dennis calling in from Minnesota. Hi there Dennis, what's your question today?
- Hello, Pastor Ross. Pastor Crews. I've been wondering for a long time on Genesis 3, when the Earth got cursed because of sin by Jesus Christ. It's obviously been deteriorating ever since, with the flood and all. And it seems like our solar system seems to be too, because the sun doesn't seem to be as powerful as it was even in my 70 years of existence. Is the rest of the whole universe or the solar system that we live in cursed? Is it just the earth or is it the rest of the creation?
- You know, that's a good question. I mean, the Bible specifically mentions after the fall of Adam and Eve that God cursed the earth and most specifically the ground, for man's sake and it produced thorns and thistles. But what about the rest of our environment? Could that also was affected by sin? Well, you know, if you look at our solar system, it does seem that, you know, we live in a solar system that to some degrees there's violence. You have asteroids, you have the service of the moon that has kind of broken down Mars, it's got storms that rage on the surface of Mars. The Bible does not specifically say more than just our earth, but it is possible that our earth is sort of surrounded by these planets. We have the sun at just the right distance so that we could have life on earth. It seems as though our little solar system was created and set up just for earth. So could the consequences of what's happened here on earth spill out to at least those planets within our solar system? Possibly. Although the Bible does not directly come out and say that, but it is an interesting observation. It's a good point. Well, thanks for your call, Dennis.
- Thank you.
- All right, who do we have next?
- Next we have Angela calling in from Illinois. Hi there, Angela. What is your question?
- Hello. Hi, Pastor Ross.
- Hello.
- And Pastor Crews. Exodus 24:9-11. And it talks about Moses and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu and the 70 elders. But in verse 10 it says, "and they saw the God of Israel." Did they actually see-
- Did they see God?
- Yeah, did they?
- Well, they saw Him at a distance, they didn't see Him closely. I mean, they saw Him at a distance just as the children of Israel to some degree saw God in the fiery cloud that came down on Mount Sinai. They saw enough of God to actually describe at least what He was on, because it says, if you read the verse there, it talks about under His feet, there were paved works of sapphire stone like the very heavens in its clarity. So they had a picture of God's glory, but it was at a distance and I think they didn't clearly see the face of God because the Bible tells us, "no man can see God and live." And when it came to Moses, who was a lot more righteous than these gentlemen, God said, "you can't see My face, but I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and I'll pass by and you'll at least see My back." So yes, they did see God, but at a distance. They couldn't see the direct features of God. Maybe there was a glory shining forth that appears that way, a light shining forth from God. They witnessed Him seated on His throne and the paving stones.
- Oh, okay. Thank you.
- All right. Great question. Thank you Angela.
- Okay, bye.
- Bye bye.
- All right, next we have a caller, Jerry, calling in from Texas. Hi there Jerry, welcome to the show.
- Hey, Pastor Crews and Pastor Ross. Always ask some questions I appreciate that mentioning about the sapphire throne of God. Though my question I guess relates to Exodus 25:8. Before sin existed, was there a sanctuary in heaven? We know that Lucifer and probably Gabriel sat upon the throne of God, the covering cherubs, but was there a sanctuary before sin existed?
- Okay, good question. Well, we know there are parts of the sanctuary that existed forever. For example, God's law. The foundation of His government that you know, in the earthly, which is a shadow of the heavenly, you have the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat that serves as the throne of God, at least in the most holy place under which are the ten commandments which form the foundation of God's government. That was always in existence. The tables of stone that were placed in the Ark of the Covenant was a copy of the great original that was in heaven. However, the functioning of the sanctuary prior to sin, God's throne room. But you know, there was a modification you might say that took place because everything that was revealed in the sanctuary as it relates to Moses was to point forward to the plan of redemption and how God was going to save mankind all the way from the work of the priest to the sacrifice to the various articles of furniture in the sanctuary. And then of course, the movement of the priest, the high priest into the most holy place for a judgment. And then he was going to come out from the temple on the day of atonement, he'd lay his hands on the scapegoat, which would be taken to the wilderness. So all of that ties into the work of redemption. It is interesting to also note that during the 1000 years, we know that the heavenly sanctuary is in heaven, but in the earth made new, when everything is created, the end of Revelation and John describes that he saw no temple therein. Well, this is after the earth is recreated. In other words, the work of the sanctuary has met its ultimate fulfillment, the purpose of which was to bring redemption to people. That doesn't mean there's a demolition of the sanctuary, but its function is now complete. It's served its purpose. So God has a throne room, God has a dwelling place. It's always been. Maybe there was a modification to that throne room for the plan of redemption. And then we find that after all things are made new, at the end of the thousand years, the earth is recreated, there is no need for a sanctuary to function because sin has been taken care of. Does that help?
- There was no adultery in heaven before... There was no adultery before the ten commandments so that wasn't a law then.
- Well, you know, if you think about it, there's a principle that governs all of God's law. The first four commandments have to do with love for God, the last six have to do with love for our fellow man. Now, it's true, adultery was not the sin related to the angels, but that was definitely a sin that could be related to mankind and there are other intelligent beings. We believe that, you know, Adam and Eve and the inhabitants of earth, were the only ones that could procreate in their own image. And that was unique. So yes, that commandment relates to us, but I think there is a spiritual application, that of betrayal. And of course, Lucifer is guilty of that. He betrayed his trust to God or trust in God. So the principles of love for God, love for our fellow man is of course the foundation of which God's government is based.
- Oh, you guys have such knowledge. Of course, it's given to you by the Holy Spirit. Thank you guys, continue to do your work.
- Well, thanks for calling Jerry. We're happy we can share and we're all learning together. We like studying and there's always something new to learn. Friends, if you have a Bible question, the number to call is 800-463-7297. Again, that's 800-463-7297 if you have a Bible related question and we'll be happy to take your call on the air. Pastor Crews, who do we have next?
- Yeah, next we have Gregory calling in from Mississippi. Hi there, Gregory.
- Hey.
- Thanks for calling.
- Can you hear me?
- Yeah. Hi, what's your question, Greg?
- My question is, is it okay to go fishing on the Sabbath?
- Okay, is it okay to go fishing on the Sabbath? Well, let me put it this way. It is okay to be in nature on the Sabbath, but on the Sabbath we want to lay aside our own personal interests or activities that would take away from centering upon Christ and upon worship. So yes, when you're in nature and you're witnessing the beauty of nature and the beautiful creation around you, that's a good thing to do on the Sabbath. But if your focus is on trying to catch the big fish, that's probably not the right activity to do on the Sabbath, focusing on fishing or maybe somebody wants to go surfing on Sabbath and they say, Well I'm in the ocean, I'm out in nature with the waves. So there are certain activities that we want to lay aside on Sabbath so that all of our focus, our attention could be on what the Sabbath principles are, that is rest, that is an opportunity for us to build a relationship with our fellow men, our family, but also to worship. That's the centrality of the Sabbath, is worshiping God, worshiping the Creator. So I would say, you know, I'm not a fisher, are you? Do you fish Aron?
- I don't fish.
- You don't fish. Okay.
- No.
- I know that it's a pretty compelling sport and a lot of folks enjoy doing that but you know, just knowing other sports that people can be involved in, that's probably not the activity that one wants to be engaged in on Sabbath. I'd do that on another day of the week.
- Yeah. Something I want to add is, when there's ever questions regarding the Sabbath, I like to go back to the command itself, right? And build whatever answer that we're developing from the actual text. So if we turn to Exodus 20:8-11, I'll just kind of read through some of the fourth commandment here. It says, "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," right? Just as Pastor Jean was saying, right? The emphasis is on, this day is different.
- It's God's day.
- It's God's day, right? So if there's commonplace things that you do the other six days, perhaps fishing is one of those things, then maybe on the seventh day you want to say, "Hey, I want to treat this day holy because it's God's day and do something a little different." And the command goes on, "six days, you shall labor, do all your work, with the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God, in it you shall do no work, you nor..." and then it goes on to give long list. So to me, the summary of the fourth commandment is the day should be treated holy and then it's a day to be treated and kept restfully, right? But it's a twofold rest. You take rest and then you give rest. You extend rest to those within your sphere of influence, right? The stranger within your gates, your children-
- Even your animals.
- Even your animals get a rest. So when we apply these principles, I think we can think through any question about the Sabbath and find an answer.
- All right, well thank you, Gregory. That's a good practical question that a lot of people are wondering about. What is appropriate to do there on the Sabbath? You know, we do have a study guide for anyone wanting to learn more about the Sabbath. Is it still binding on Christians in the New Testament? We have a study guide called, The Lost Day of History. It's free, we'll send it to you. All you have to do is call 800-835-6747 and we'll be happy to put it in the mail and send it to you. Again, that study guide is called The Lost Day of History. And you know, Pastor Crews, we have a website that Amazing Facts has put together. It's called sabbathtruth.com and it's just jam packed with great resources. There's sermons, there's bible studies there. So if you want to learn more about what is the Bible saying about the Sabbath? Take a look at the website. It's sabbathtruth.com, I think you'll find it very interesting. Who's our next caller? Terrence? Is that Terrence in North Carolina?
- Yeah, we've got Terrence. Hi there. Are you there Terrence?
- Yes, Pastor Crews. How are you?
- Hi, I'm doing well. Welcome to the show. What's your question today?
- Question for Pastor Crews and Pastor Ross is Revelation 20:10, "and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night, forever and ever." And my question is, is that literally forever and ever or is that just-
- Figurative language? No, I think it's literal. They're going to be tormented forever and ever until they are no more. Now, I want to make that clear. You know, the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death and in the judgment, everyone is rewarded according to their work so not everyone receives the same punishment. So some will suffer a little longer before they are completely destroyed in the lake of fire. And the devil himself being the author of sin and suffering, he'll probably suffer the longest. But all sinners, including the devil and his angels, they come to an end and they are destroyed because the fires that destroy the wicked eventually go out because it says God creates a new heavens and a new Earth and the lake of fire actually takes place on the earth. If you're reading Revelation chapter 20, it talks about the wicked mounting their attack upon the new Jerusalem, the golden city and fire coming down and devouring them, so that occurs on the earth. But once the fire has accomplished its work and they are forever no more, they are destroyed forever and ever, they can never be resurrected, then the fire, of course, has done its job and God is able to recreate the earth. So forever and ever means as long as life shall last. Now, we're not talking about, you know, long ages of suffering here. It appears at least a day and a night that they'll be suffering. And the Bible doesn't say how long. It's not going to be a long time because God's going to create a new earth and you're not going to have the wicked suffering forever. But they will receive a just penalty for their actions. Does that help, Terrence?
- Yes, it does. Thank you very much Pastor Ross.
- All right, great. Good question. You know, we have a study guide, actually the one I think we offered called 1000 Years of Peace touches on that a little bit because the whole subject there is talking about Revelation chapter 20. And we also have another study guide called Is the Devil in Charge of Hell? You know, Pastor Crews, this is a subject that has brought a lot of confusion to people. It's verses like this that you say, well, how long do the fires of hell burn? Do they burn without end? Well, you've got to put a number of Bible verses together, but the Bible makes it pretty clear that the wicked are destroyed. The wages of sin is death. Jesus said we have two choices. We can have everlasting life or we have death. It's not life in a place of torment throughout eternity, it's death. So yes, there is a fire, there is a hell fire. The wicked are destroyed in the fire. They do suffer according to their works, but they all are destroyed. The Bible says that the wicked turned to ashes.
- Yeah, in fact there's one verse in particular that's directly, I believe, related to Revelation 20:10, which has as its focus the devil, right? If we turn back to Ezekiel chapter 28, there's a prophecy concerning the devil about his fall from heaven. And it says here in Ezekiel 28:18, 19, it says, "I turned you to ashes," speaking of the devil, "upon the earth, in the sight of all who saw you." Verse 19, "all who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you. You have become a horror and you shall be no more forever."
- Now that's a pretty clear verse. It talks about the devil. So it's not just talking about, you know, bad people here, but it's talking about the devil himself, the author of sin, that he's turned to ashes and it tells us where. It's on the earth. And then it tells us of his final fate. You shall be no more. Well, you know, that's good news for the believer. We're not always going to have to deal with the great tempter, the adversary, the one who is causing sin and suffering and pain. The Bible also speaks about God wiping away every tear from the eyes of those who are saved. So the time comes where there'll be no more pain and God will make all things new. And friends, the most important truth that we can understand is that Jesus has made a way of salvation. None of us need to be outside that city of gold when those fires fall and the wicked are destroyed. Through Christ and through His atoning sacrifice, we can have everlasting life. And friends, that's good news. If you'd like to learn more about how you can make sure that your heart is right with God and that you can receive the gift of eternal life, we want to encourage you to call and ask for our study guide. It's called Ultimate Deliverance, and it's talking about salvation. Ultimate deliverance that comes through Christ, through what He has done for us, and that's really good news. So yes, there is a judgment, the wicked will be destroyed. There is a hell, it does not burn people forever. But then God creates a new heaven and a new earth. And you know, that's good news that we find in the Bible. God is going to make all things new.
- Amen.
- Well, friends, if you have a Bible related question, the number again is 800-463-7297. I'm looking at the clock past the air and we don't have time to take another call. We're coming up on our mid show break, but we've still got another half an hour of Bible questions, so if you've got a question about the Bible, just call us and we have a couple of lines that are open, so this is a good time during our break to give us a call. The number is 800-463-7297. Now, I'd mentioned just a little earlier that Pastor Doug is out of town today. And you might be wondering, well, where is he? Pastor Doug and Pastor Carlos who sometimes also helps with Bible Answers Live, they're actually in Mexico City both this weekend and next weekend, and they're doing a special revival series that will be broadcast. It's actually going to be broadcast and Pastor Doug's going to be preaching, Pastor Carlos will be translating to Spanish for him. And that's going to be taking place on 3ABN Latino and it's going to be later in the week, I think it starts on Wednesday evening. So friends, if you're interested in that, we want to encourage you to check out 3ABN Latino. They're going to be carrying it live. It's going to be a great revival series actually coming from Mexico City, one of the most densely populated, one of the largest cities on the earth. So make sure you tune in and find out more about that. Again, if you have a Bible question, the number is 800-463-7297. We're not ending the program, we're just going to take a short break and we'll be back in a few minutes to answer your Bible questions. We also have some interesting information and some announcements that we'll be showing you during the break so don't go too far away. We'll be back in about a minute and a half.
- Stay tuned, Bible Answers Live will return shortly.
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- 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 host for more Bible Answers Live.
- Hello friends. Welcome back to Bible Answers Live. My name is Pastor Jean Ross and joining me is Pastor-
- Pastor Crews.
- Pastor Aron Crews is joining me on the phone. We're glad he's here. A new face to those of you who watch Bible Answers Live on a regular basis and we are delighted that he's helping out this evening and I'm sure we'll be seeing him again during our upcoming Bible Answers Live program. Now, if you have a Bible question and we've got one line open that I can see, so give us a call, it's 800-463-7297, 800-463-7297. We also want to greet those who are watching on AFTV, Amazing Facts Television, also those listening on the various land-based radio stations, also on satellite radio. And also we have a number of folks watching on, I believe, the internet, YouTube, and Facebook. And so we want to welcome all of you and also those who are watching the program in the rebroadcast phase on various other networks. So Pastor Crews, who's our next caller?
- Yeah, we've got Robert calling in from Washington. Is that Washington DC or Washington State, Robert?
- Well, Washington State, Northwest Pocket here.
- All right, well, welcome. What is your question?
- Well, I hear quite often as I'm on Facebook mainly, that a lot of people believe that Christ is going to set up His earthly kingdom, the millennium will be here on Earth and of course, they've got their Bible verses to explain that. So how would you go about saying that, well, you are wrong, we go up?
- Okay, well, good question. Well, if they've got Bible verses that explain somehow that Christ is going to rule here on this earth over the wicked during the thousand years, I'd like to see that. It is true. The Bible does speak about Christ ruling on the earth, no doubt about that. But the sequence of how things play out, the Bible's pretty clear. Let me begin with one verse, the great promise in John chapter 14. Jesus said, "let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house, there are many mansions." Where? In My Father's house. Where's the Father's house? Well, it would be in heaven. "In My Father's house, there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would've told you. I go to prepare a place for you, in the Father's house, and if I go and prepare a place, I will come again unto you to receive you unto Myself that where I am, there you may also be." So at the second coming of Christ, Jesus is coming to take the redeemed to the place that He has prepared for them in the Father's house. All that, of course, would be in heaven. So when Jesus comes the second time, there are several things that take place. The righteous are changed. The righteous living are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye they get their immortal bodies. The dead in Christ are resurrected and they are caught up to meet the Lord in the air and Christ takes them to heaven. The wicked are destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming, 1 Thessalonians speaks of that, as well as Revelation chapter 19 near the end. So the wicked are all destroyed with the coming of Christ, the righteous are taken to heaven. And for a thousand years, the righteous are in heaven and they're involved in judging. The Bible refers to them as ruling. The aspect of rulership that's so significant is that of judgment. And they're involved in judging the wicked, even the angels, the wicked angels, during that thousand years. Not determining who's saved and lost, God does that, but they have something to do with reaffirming the decision God has made, but also the rewards of, or the judgements that come upon the wicked. And then at the end of the thousand years, according to Revelation chapter 21, it describes the new Jerusalem coming down from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And then Jesus sets His foot on the Mount of Olives, which is in Zachariah. It opens up and forms a great valley, and the New Jerusalem comes to rest and all the wicked are then resurrected for the great white throne judgment that you read about in Revelation chapter 20. At the end of that, and I'm just giving you a synopsis, at the end of that great white throne judgment the wicked actually mount an attack upon the golden city. Fire comes and devours them. Then the earth is recreated and the righteous then will inherit the earth. That's the promise, the meek shall inherit the earth. So they're not ruling over the wicked during the thousand years here on the earth, they're in heaven. And at the end of the thousand years is the final great white throne judgment.
- Yeah, a couple things to add. And that's a great summary of the thousand year period here. In Revelation 20:5, it says that "the dead," speaking of the wicked dead, it says, "did not live again until the thousand years were finished," right?
- Right.
- So here on the earth, there's no humans alive. Then what we see right before Revelation 20, in Revelation 19, this is a picture of the second coming. Jesus is coming on a white horse with a sword symbolically coming out of His mouth. King of kings, Lord of lords. This is the second coming. And we know from the rest of the scripture, at the second coming that's when all of the righteous are resurrected, go to heaven. So when it says they reign with Christ for a thousand years, this reign happens in heaven, while the wicked are sleeping, they're dead, they're resting awaiting the end of a thousand years.
- Now, of course, people wonder, well, who're they reigning over if they're reigning with Christ for a thousand years? And the point that I want to emphasize, the most significant part about reigning, when a king sat upon his throne and he was reigning he was acting as a judge, it was a judgment. So the redeemed will be involved in a judgment during the thousand years. Paul says, "know that you shall judge angels," how much more things pertaining to this life? So anyway, there's just a quick overview. Hopefully that helps, Robert. You might want to get the study guide called 1000 Years of Peace. It's just jam packed with scripture and I think you'll find it an interesting study. Who do we have next?
- All right, next we have Jerry, calling in from California, our very own state. Hi there, Jerry, what is your question tonight?
- So actually that call prompted another question.
- Sure.
- So that question is, what do you guys think is the timing of, or do you even believe in the rapture as pre-tribulation or post-tribulation?
- Okay, good question. Well, of course, the word rapture does not appear in the Bible but the idea of being caught up, that's where it comes from, the rapture is to be caught up. The Bible is clear that when Jesus comes the dead in Christ are raised and the living, together are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And maybe you can look that verse up in first Thessalonians. So the Lord comes, Jesus comes the second time, the dead are resurrected, the righteous are changed, and together we are caught up to meet Jesus in the air. But the wicked are destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming. So the wicked are all died. So the rapture occurs at the second coming of Christ, which occurs when Jesus comes the second time. So there is a tribulation. The Bible in Daniel 12:1, talks about a terrible time of trouble that is worse than the world has ever been, but that precedes the second coming of Christ. And that's when the seven last plagues are poured out that you read about in Revelation chapter 16. Now, God's people are protected during that time. God provides for them. We need not fear, God will take care of His people, but they're on the earth, just like the children of Israel were in Egypt when the plagues came upon Egypt and then they were delivered out of Egypt and they went to the Promised Land, so the righteous will be on the earth when the plagues come during this time of trouble, but they're protected and they're delivered out from the earth and they go to heaven for a thousand years. So that's kind of the context there Jerry, does that make sense?
- So I guess you guys believe post-tribulation?
- We believe that the time of trouble precedes the second coming of Christ.
- All right. Many believe that it happens pre-tribulation, but I'll move on to my next question.
- Sure.
- So my original question, sorry to change up-
- Oh, no problem.
- So my original question is, can we lose our salvation?
- Okay. Well, it's probably up to us you might say. If we're trusting in Christ, the Bible says that no one can pluck us out of the Father's hand. Actually, Jesus said that. So if we're trusting in Christ and we have a living relationship with Jesus, we need not fear. We are safe and secure. But when one receives salvation, accepts Jesus as his personal Savior, his free will doesn't go away. We still have freedom to choose, so we can choose. And the apostle Paul says, "I die daily." It is a daily surrendering of ourself to Christ. We can unfortunately, if we choose, we can walk away. God's not going to force us to be saved if we no longer want to be saved, right? I mean, we have that freedom of choice. But if we are choosing Him and surrendering to Him, we need not fear, we are secure. He's going to hold us in the palm of His hand.
- Yeah. And I think sometimes the question asks, can you lose your salvation? Sometimes it's like a pen, right? Can you lose your pen? Sometimes we view salvation as an item. Something that's, oh, I dropped it. We have to remember that salvation is a relationship. We get it through a relationship with Jesus, right? And as you were mentioning earlier, God doesn't take away our free will. Once you're married or once you're in a relationship with someone, for you to say, "ha, I've got you now, you can never leave me," right? God's not like that. He's not going to force you to stay. So salvation can be lost in the sense of someone can walk away from a relationship with Jesus.
- Yes. Now, I don't know why somebody would want to do that, but they are free to do that, although Christ doesn't want us to do that.
- Yeah. And one more helpful thing. I think if you read the book of Hebrews, you find all throughout the book of Hebrews, lots of warning passages about walking away from Christ. One of them is in Hebrews 3:14, where it says, "for we have become partakers of Christ." Notice, "if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." God wants us to hold onto Him until the end.
- And one other verse. Jesus said in Matthew 24, "he who endures to the end," the same "shall be saved." So to be a Christian today requires endurance, it requires faith and belief in God. You know, we do have a book that deals with the subject. It's called Can A Saved Man Choose To Be Lost? That's the title, Can A Saved Man Choose To Be Lost? We'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. You'd like to learn more about that subject? The number again is 800-835-6747. Call and ask, Can A Saved Man Choose To Be Lost? And we'll be happy to send that to anyone in North America. Who do we have next?
- Next, we've got Keith calling in from Michigan. Hi there Keith, what's your question?
- So the question I have is, if Satan no longer has access to the tree of life, how is God sustaining him and how was he not destroyed when the flood came?
- Okay, good question. Well, we do know that the angels are in a different dimension than we are. They are spiritual beings. So that means they don't have flesh and blood as we do. We do know that they have abilities to appear and they can even appear as dead loved ones, they can possess a person, you call that demon possession, they can travel quickly. They can't read our thoughts, but they can put ideas in our mind, so to speak. The Bible says only God knows the heart of man, but they can tempt us. So there is that dimension that we can't see. Now, I think maybe before Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were open, they were able to see the angels. But Adam and Eve were created unique. They were created in a different format than the angels. And by then partaking of the tree of life, that was a symbol of their faith and obedience in God and it sustained their life here on the earth. So the devil has a different type of life, a different sustenance you might say, that preserves his life. But the clock is ticking, the devil will be destroyed. His life can come to an end. He couldn't have been destroyed during the flood because he's a spiritual being. Although maybe the devil was afraid when he saw everything happening here on this planet. The rain and the storm and the volcanoes and everything else that was happening. But as a spiritual being, he can't be chained with a physical chain or be bound or held physically. So it's just a different dimension than we are. But he will be destroyed. Does that help, Keith?
- Oh okay. Yeah, it does.
- All right, great. Thanks for your call. Who do we have next?
- Yeah, next we have calling in is Jonathan. Another caller from Tennessee. Hi there Jonathan, are you with us?
- Hey, good evening. I can hear you very well.
- Yeah, thanks for your call.
- Hey, good. Enjoying the discussion so far tonight. Hey, so my question is regarding kind of interpreting the second coming of Jesus. So I guess I would phrase it this way, didn't Jesus lose His omnipresence on earth? If so, how is it that He will be seen by every eye as it is stated in Revelation 1:7?
- Yes, good question. Well, when Jesus comes the second time as He's coming to the earth, the earth is still turning. So the Bible doesn't say that everyone's going to see Jesus at exactly the same time, but it says everyone on the earth will see Jesus when He comes. So as Christ approaches the earth, and of course Jesus is coming with all of the angels, it's going to be very dramatic and glorious event. As the earth turns, everyone's going to see Jesus. Perhaps at the second coming of Christ, Jesus circles the earth before the righteous are caught up to meet Him. We don't know for sure how Christ is going to do that but yes, everyone living will be able to see Jesus when He comes the second time. Of course, there's two responses. The righteous look up and they say, "this is our God, we waited for Him, He'll save us." The wicked turn to the mountains and the rocks and they say "fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits up on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb." That's Revelation chapter six. All right, thank you Jonathan. Who do we have next?
- Yes, next we have a caller from Texas. I think it's-
- Fredine. Fredine, is that correct?
- Yes. Hello, good evening.
- Hi, welcome.
- Hi, thank you pastors. So my question is, earlier someone called in and they were asking about, do people or you know, Satan... Do they burn literally forever? But my question is in regards to the degrees of punishment, because I always hear it said that some people that have done greater sin, they burn for longer. And I'm thinking to myself, I know this scripture does kind of hint at that, but how does that work if we're all mortal beings? How does one person burn longer than the other?
- Okay, well, that's a good question. Let me give you a verse. Maybe you can look it up for me Pastor Aron. Jesus says, "He who knew the will of his master and did not do it, will be beaten with many stripes. He who did not know the will of his master and did not do it, will be beaten with few stripes." So there are degrees in punishment that's going to be meted out for the wicked. Not everyone receives the same reward. Did you find that verse?
- Yeah, that's Luke 12:47.
- Luke 12:47. And the Bible does tell us in Revelation that when Jesus comes... Revelation 22, that He'll reward everyone according to their works. So there are degrees, there are varying rewards. As far as how will that actually happen? Well, when the wicked are resurrected at the end of the thousand years, you know, I don't think they're going to have exactly the same type of bodies that we have now. I don't think they're going to have to go plant and find food to eat and find water to drink. It seems as though they're resurrected in a form where they can actually see what's happening in the golden city. They'll be able to see the angels, they'll even be able to see the devil. So it's a little bit of a different form than we have now. And apparently, the fire that destroys the devil and his angels, it's not just a regular fire because the devil can't be burnt with the fire that we know today. So it's a special fire that purifies and cleanses the earth. So it's going to be a little different at the end of the thousand years when the wicked are resurrected.
- Yeah. We know the ultimate punishment for all the wicked is death, right? The wages of sin is death. I mean to use an example of today, in many places there's a death penalty, right? There's different kinds of ways that the punishment of death can be inflicted, right? Lethal injection, electric chair, you know, just being shot. So we know that the ultimate punishment is death, but the process to get to that death can be different.
- Can vary.
- It can vary in intensity and duration. So how God's going to do it exactly-
- The Bible doesn't tell.
- The Bible doesn't tell, but we know that it's going to be just and fair.
- Absolutely. Well, does that help a little bit, Fredine?
- Yes, it does actually give me a new perspective. I was thinking while I was on hold that maybe it's kind of like when you're cooking a chicken, if you cook it on low, it takes a longer time to go to the organs, right?
- Yep.
- But if you cook it on a higher heat, kind of like with Nebuchadnezzar when he was like turn up the fire seven times hotter, it should kill them on the spot, and it should get to their organs faster than if it was on a lower heat. So I don't know. I guess we won't know that part, but at least we do know that there is like different levels-
- There is, yeah. Good question. Now, the good news of course is none of us need to have firsthand experience of that fire, right?
- Amen.
- Because God has provided a way of escape and we can praise Him for that. We can receive Him as our personal Savior. Who do we have next?
- Yes, we have Cha'kyra. I'm sorry if I'm mispronouncing.
- Cha'kyra, there we go.
- Cha'kyra calling in from Minnesota. Hi there. What is your question this evening?
- So in Psalms 82:6 it says that we are Gods, can you explain what that means?
- Okay, very good. Well, let me read the verse here. For those of you who might not have their bibles in front of them, it says, starting verse five, "they do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all of the foundations of the earth are unstable." It says as, "I said, you are gods, and all of you are the children of the most high but you shall die like men." So the word there "gods" can also be translated as rulers or lords or those who might hold dominance over others. So of course, God does hold that position, He is the Ultimate Ruler. But there were also others that claimed themselves to be rulers over others. They claimed themselves to be worthy of recognition, but the reality is they're going to be destroyed. That's what the next verse says. Even if they are princes, it says, "and there'll fall one of the princes" when God rises up to judge them. So there's no escape even of those who claim to be in positions of influence or power or lord over others.
- Yeah. It's certainly true that we are made in the image of God and in the likeness of God. So we are like Him in a variety of different ways.
- All right. Does that help a little bit, Cha'kyra?
- Cha'kyra, and-
- You've got our thank you.
- One time at church, there was a pastor and he said that his name was Elijah Mighty God. Is that okay for us to say?
- You mean the phrase Almighty God? Yes. If we are referring to the God of heaven, absolutely. I think we want to be careful. The Bible tells us don't take God's name in vain. And when we talk about God and we talk about the Almighty God, we want to do that humbly and reverently, we don't want to do that in jest. And that title Almighty God only belongs to one, and that is the Creator God. That's the God that we worship and serve. So yes, there's nothing wrong in saying Almighty God, but we want to do it reverently and in the proper circumstance. All right, who do we have next? What about Joe in New York? Joe, are you there?
- I'm glad you're there to help people.
- Hi, welcome to the program.
- I had a question about the Bible when it talks about Satan blinding the minds of the people of this world. Does that mean like they were born blind and they can't see till God awakens them up or they choose to be blind? It says there's foolishness to them that don't believe or Satan keeps blinding them or he blinded them before they were born? Like when they're born, you're blinding him or what?
- Okay, of course... Okay, we're talking about spiritual blindness here, we're not talking about literal blindness. But when it talks about the devil blinding a person, what happens is if you hear the truth, if you have access to the truth or the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and you reject that, you harden your heart, very often that gives access to the devil to present a lie. And in doing that, your heart is even hardened and you are even more blind. Jesus said of the religious leaders of His day, He spoke of them as being the blind leading the blind. Now, He's talking spiritually because they had rejected the truth that Jesus had come to give. They rejected the teachings of the scriptures and they had their own manmade traditions and they were considered spiritually blind. And so yes, if we reject truth, our hearts are hardened and we're opening ourselves up for more deception. Paul actually says, and maybe you can find that verse, "because they receive not a love of the truth, God shall send them strong delusions that they shall believe a lie." So if somebody rejects truth, their hearts are hardened in disobedience. So hopefully that helps a little bit. Did that make sense, Joe?
- So that comes after they harden their heart or they're born blind so a natural man can understand or obey the things of God?
- Yes. So we are naturally born with a selfishness towards self but God still speaks to us and God tries to reach us because He's not willing that any should perish but He wants all to come to salvation. And depending upon how we respond to that, how we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God's Word, that determines whether we are going to spiritually have our eyes open to see more truth or we're going to be blinded by the deceptions of Satan. So it's what our response is that gives access to the devil. I think we have time, maybe for one more caller. Who do we have?
- Yeah. Let's go with Frank, calling in from Montreal. International caller. Hi there Frank, welcome.
- Thank you very much. Good evening pastors. Thank you for taking my call.
- You're welcome.
- So back to creation. Did God create death? Because God, when He was speaking to Adam and Eve He said, "if you eat the fruit you will die." I believe that was the first time death was mentioned in the Bible.
- Yes. Did God create death? Well, the absence of life is death, and the Bible says God is life. So whenever somebody is separated from God or they chooses to rebel against God, the natural consequence of that is death. I've heard it, somebody once explained it that if you have a light and you have it plugged into the socket in the wall and you have electricity flowing through, you're going to have light, the light's going to shine. But the moment you unplug and you pull the plug out from the wall, there's no electricity flowing and so the light goes out and you're in darkness. So if we're plugged by faith into Christ, if we are trusting in God, we have life, especially eternal life. But if we reject Christ, if we reject eternal life, the end result is darkness and death. So it's not that God creates death, death is just the natural result of rebellion against God for without God there is no life, the only other alternate would be death. Stay with us, we're going to take some Bible questions in just a moment.
- 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. We have about two and a half minutes. For those of you who are listening on land based stations, we had to say goodbye to those who are on satellite radio, but those who are watching on the internet and also land based stations, we've got some of your email Bible questions that have come in and so we're going to try and give an answer to as many of these questions as we can in the next two minutes. What's the first question?
- Yeah, the first question we have here is, what will we be doing in heaven throughout all of eternity?
- All right. Sometimes people think, well, is it going to be boring in heaven? Are we just going to sit on a cloud and play a harp? No. The Bible says, "eye has not seen nor ear heard. Neither has it entered to the heart of man the things that God is preparing for those that love Him." So we can't even begin to imagine all of the exciting and fun things we're going to be doing in heaven. We do know that we're going to be building our own houses in the earth made new, and we'll be inhabiting them and we'll be going up from one Sabbath to another to worship before the Lord. We are going to have friendships. We might even be able to travel to other worlds and travel through the universe. So we don't know, the Bible doesn't tell us exactly what we're going to do, but the Bible does say it's going to be better than you can even imagine. What's our next question?
- Yeah, we have Judy and she wants to know where in the Bible does it describe angels having wings?
- Okay. Well, we have a couple of references. Revelation chapter four describes God's throne room and it talks about these four living creatures. You read in Ezekiel, they are spoken of as Cherubim and Seraphim, and they have six wings. Two wings they cover their feet, two wings they fly, two wings they cover their face. So these are angelic beings and they have wings. We also know that the angel Gabriel when he appeared to Daniel, in response to Daniel's prayer, the angel said, "I was caused to fly swiftly." So apparently the angel can fly. We know Gabriel is an angel. So yes, there are references to wings in in the Bible that these heavenly beings have, but these wings are not the kind of wings that we think of here that you need to be able to flap to get airborne. They can fly in space. What do we have next?
- Yeah, great answer. Next question is, why did God choose to cast the devil to the earth?
- Okay. Why did God choose cast the devil to the earth? Well, He didn't choose to cast the devil to the earth. But when the devil came and tempted Adam and Eve, the devil claimed, because Adam was given dominion over the earth when Adam sinned, that dominion passed from Adam to Satan, and Satan claimed the earth as his. Matter of fact, Jesus said that the devil is the prince of this earth. But when Jesus died on the cross and He rose again, He became the second Adam, now He is our representative. The devil has lost that dominion.
- Amen.
- So he is here on the earth going around like a roaring lion. Friends, thank you for joining us. We look forward to visiting again next week. God bless.
- Bible Answers Live, honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions.