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.
Doug Batchelor: Hello, listening friends. You want to hear an amazing fact about the world's longest walk? George Meegan, a former British sailor, was the first person to complete the Argentina-Alaska hike mostly on the Pan-American Highway. Beginning in 1977 at the southern tip of South America, it took Meegan 2,425 days to complete the 19,019-mile walk to the northernmost part of Alaska at Prudhoe Bay. During those six and a half years, he took approximately forty-one million steps. He wore out 12 pairs of Italian hiking boots, and he traversed the historically impassable 66-mile Darien Gap where he was shot at and survived a knifing attack unscathed. During his epic journey, he secured eight Guinness World Records. That's taking your life and just saying, "I'm going to see how far I can walk." And, you know, you and I were talking before the program. Not only did he walk, you know, from the southern hemisphere's southernmost point, I mean other than Antarctica, to the northernmost part of Alaska, when he got to Texas because he started in the south and he went north, he decided to see the East Coast of the US, so he walked off the Pan-American Highway all the way over to the East Coast. President Jimmy Carter met him. Then he walked all the way back again and resumed his journey up to Alaska. So he was a glutton for punishment. And along the way, I should mention that, his Japanese girlfriend joined him he had met while he was in the Navy, and she would join him for a little stents of it. They got married, and he had two children during the whole time he was walking. Well, you know, the Bible says that living your life--the kind of life you live is compared to a walk. And of course the first psalm talks about, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the way of the ungodly." And then you've got the scriptures that talk about we want to walk in the Spirit. That means living a life where we are spiritually focused. For instance, Galatians 5:16, "I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." And that means keeping our eyes fixed on God, communing with God, being aware of His presence. Another similar verse, Romans 8:4: "That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." So every day we're making decisions how to walk. It reminds me when Moses admonished Joshua and the children of Israel, for that matter. He says, you know, walk in the law of the Lord. Do not turn to the right hand or the left. And so every day we're sort of going-- we're walking, and the Hebrews use that term to talk about the direction of your life. And we want to have that Spirit-filled life. I think we have a free offer that talks about that.
Jëan Ross: We do. Absolutely. The book is called "Life in the Spirit," and it's about how we can walk by faith day by day following God's guide, following that narrow path that leads to heaven. We'll send it to anyone for free. All you have to do is call and ask. The number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for offer number 155. The book is called "Life in the Spirit." You can also dial #250 on your smartphone, say, "Bible Answers Live," and then just ask for the book by name. It's called "Life in the Spirit." We'll be happy to send it to you if in Canada or in the US--continental US, Alaska. If you're outside of North America, you can just go to our website, just AmazingFacts.org, and you can go to our library there and you can read the book online. Again, we want to thank you for being a part of this Bible study together. Pastor Doug, before we go to the phone lines, let's start with a word of prayer. Dear Father, once again we are grateful for the opportunity, for the time to be able to open up Your Word and study and, Lord, we ask it in Your Spirit. We just spoke about life in the Spirit. We ask that Your Spirit will come and guide us in our thoughts, our words as we search the scriptures, Lord. Be with those who are listening wherever they are. We ask this in Jesus's name. Amen.
Doug: Amen.
Jëan: All right, we're ready to go to our first caller. We've got Gary listening in Illinois. Gary, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."
Gary: In Luke 21:34 it says let not that day of his coming be a surprise. And so I'm wondering why it would be a surprise. In Matthew 24 it says you'll see plagues and pestilence, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, and we see--and we're seeing tens of thousands of people trying to escape Latin America, you know, because climate change is so difficult there. And so why would it be a surprise?
Doug: Well, it clearly is going to be a surprise for most of the world. The Bible says it's going to overtake most of the world as a snare, and Paul says to Christians you should be awake, be sober, be watching because you are not children of the night that that day should overtake you as a thief. But for most of the world--you can read in 2 Peter chapter 3 it says the day of the Lord will come as a thief, meaning--you know, a thief doesn't send a notice when he's coming. He comes when he's unexpected. But most of the world, it's going to take them by surprise, and even Jesus said in such an hour as you think not. So the problems in the world--and I do think we're living near the end. Don't misunderstand. But this is not the first time there's been global problems. So Jesus said it's still going to surprise most people.
Jëan: You know, we do have a study guide that talks about the second coming of Christ and talks about the signs of the soon coming of Jesus. It's called "Ultimate Deliverance," and it's all about the second coming. We'll be happy to send this to you, Gary, or anyone that is listening. Just call and ask. The number to call is 800-835-6747. Ask for the study guide. It's called "Ultimate Deliverance." It's all about the second coming. You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for that by name, "Ultimate Deliverance."
Doug: You know--and you made me think-- reminded me that we also have that sermon book he can read online called "Anything But Secret." Talks about will there be signs, will it be a secret when Jesus comes? A lot of people think there's a secret rapture before the visible second coming, and that book explains that. So why will so many people be surprised? He can just go to Amazing Facts and read in our free book library, "Anything But Secret."
Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is June listening in Nevada. June, welcome to the program.
June: Hello, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jëan. A blessed evening to you. My question is in Matthew 7:21 where Jesus says not all those who say Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of God because Jesus says, "I do not know you. Depart from me, you lawless." Now, the point of my question is, what is the meaning of Jesus saying you are lawless? Does that include--can you explain further does that include the right day of worship as part of being lawlessness?
Doug: Yeah, and some people have a version that would say Christ is warning. He said, you know, don't think just because you say Lord, Lord--he's going to declare to a lot of people, "Depart, you workers of iniquity." And in the original Greek iniquity means lawlessness or sinfulness. Well, it certainly when people are sinning, they're breaking the law, but that would not be restricted to necessarily one commandment. But it's just a life of lawlessness, but it would certainly include people who know the law and ignore it. So there's--yeah, lawlessness is going to be--it's like Paul says. In the last days, evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse. Last days people will be unthankful, without natural affection, disobedient to their parents. That's lawlessness.
Jëan: All right, very good. Next caller that we have is Jerry listening in Texas. Jerry, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."
Jerry: Hey, good evening, guys. This is the first time to having seen you guys on Amazing Facts. It is an honor. You're preaching right now. In fact--anyway, my Bible question refers to the Exodus journey. We know that God took care of His people and the cattle more than likely ate manna. Did--this probably refers to maybe Exodus 30:34. Where did they from--get incense and wine from caravans that were traveling by the camps of the children of Israel during the Exodus period?
Doug: Yeah, and that's a great question. You know, they weren't growing grapes, and you sort of have to be stationary to have a vineyard. You can't be wandering through the wilderness with your vines. So where did they get some of these things that were used? You read in the second book--second chapter of Joshua in the exchange between the spies and Rahab he says, "We have heard." They knew everything. They knew not only about what happened in Egypt. It says they knew about their winning their battles with the Amalekites--or rather the--Og and Bashan, kings across the Jordan, and so it's pretty clear that there was a lot of trade going on. And then you read the Ishmaelite traders are the ones who picked up Joseph. They went through the desert and sold him in Egypt. And so there were caravans that were trading. And when you've got customers where you got a-- you know, a 200--what do you call it? They may have been up to 2 million Israelites, and they did have gold when they came out of Egypt. So they had money to buy and they had sheep to trade. I'm sure that they were just trading and buying some of these things. Not everybody had everything because they did complain when they got hungry, but they had enough wine and incense for the temple.
Jëan: And it specifically mentions here in Exodus 30, it talks about frankincense. We know that frankincense was something that came through the trade routes. It wasn't in the area of--where Israel was or in the desert. So there was some interaction with some of the trading groups that came through. Good question, Jerry. Next one that we have is Joan calling from Australia. Joan, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."
Joan: Hello, thanks for taking my call. I just got a question. There seems to be a debate on whether duck is clean or unclean. Can you please help?
Doug: Yeah, you know, from my research I come to believe that geese and swans and duck, which are all in the same family, are not in the clean category. The only fowl that were clean to eat are what you would call foraging fowl, and they've got the--you know, the feet like a chicken, turkey, pigeon. They don't have webbed feet like a seagull, or a duck, or a swan, or a goose. And, you know, those animals often grub around in the muck a lot of a pond and a lake. So I know--I even have Jewish friends who would disagree with me, but then there are Jewish friends who do agree with me. So I do not believe that duck were clean, and I was thinking when in doubt, do without. I mean, not too many people are going to die because they don't get enough duck to eat. But yeah, I think duck's unclean. Thank you. Appreciate that, Joan.
Jëan: We do have a study guide that talks about God's free health plan. It's what the Bible says is good stuff to eat and what you don't want to eat, and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number, again, is 800-835-6747, and you can ask for the study guide. It's called "God's Free Health Plan," one of the Amazing Facts study guides. Also you can just dial #250 on your smartphone, say, "Bible Answers Live," and then say, "God's Free Health Plan." We'll be able to send that to you.
Doug: You know, I was thinking and I was looking it up, Leviticus 11:18: "And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle are unclean." Also says it in Deuteronomy 14:6. I was trying to find the verse, that's for Joan's question about ducks. So if swan are unclean, then probably geese and duck are unclean.
Jëan: Okay, thank you. Next caller that we have is MK, listening in Iowa. MK, welcome to the program.
MK: Thank you. There's a few members of our church that we've gone to the head deacon and we've gone to the pastor over the kids running and making so much noise in the sanctuary during the sermon, and this week the pastor scolded the congregation for complaining about this and he said he didn't see a problem with the noise in the sanctuary. He said we don't come to church for God, that we can do that in our own closet. We come to socialize with one another. How do we deal with no reverence in the sanctuary?
Doug: That's a good question. Now, first of all, I don't want to get into a debate with your local pastor, but I'll tell you the Bible does tell us that when we come before the Lord to worship him, there should be reverence. Now, let me say something. I don't want to make this overly complicated. A lot of churches use what you would call a multi-space facility for their worship service. It's becoming more and more common that, you know, churches are sometimes used once a week. And so people have started using like a multipurpose room or building, or they rent a multipurpose room. And, you know, it might be used for school during the week and it's used for church service or so forth and people--some have church in their home. What we do is we let people know that when we enter into the worship service on Sabbath, we should especially be aware of God's presence. It's a holy day. It's a place that's set aside for holy purpose, and there should be reverence there. Now, that doesn't mean you can't greet someone and say, "We're glad to see you." And you want to make visitors feel welcome. But you're right. You know, kids should be taught. My wife and I, I think we got a reputation in our church for telling the kids, "Please don't run. Stop running." You can plow into some of the old folks and hurt them because kids get excited and they got all this energy pent up and--but yeah, parents need to watch their kids and—
Jëan: You know, Pastor Doug, you're right. It's a--it can be a bit of a challenge. We got to keep reminding folks, and we want to be balanced. You know, we don't want to become a place where people feel afraid to greet the person sitting next to them. But we do want to have a spirit of reverence, and I think that is important, making that clear how we go about that. Well, I think each church needs to consider what can be done. I know we've spoken about it in our church, especially as the church has grown. There are special times where we want to bring people's attention, quiet things down, focus on what's happening. And so it's an ongoing work that has to be done.
Doug: And because we tape our services every now and then--I mean, this is different from what was just being asked, but, you know, sometimes a baby will cry and that's normal. But, you know, a lot of churches have a mother's room where you can take them out and--they have to learn it takes time to teach kids to, you know, learn to sit still and give them something healthy to do to keep them occupied. But they certainly shouldn't be running around the sanctuary during the services.
Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Dave, listening in Alaska. Dave, welcome to the program. You're on the air.
Dave: Thank you, quick question, basically I--this was inspired by a caller a couple of weeks ago and I didn't get on--get in the show on time because I've got mental illness, anxiety, depression, and others that were really triggered when I became a Christian about 30 years ago. Okay, here's the question. Here's the concern summed up. During the end time in Revelation when there's the close of probation and we have no intercessor in he--praying for us, do we have to worry about being lost by accidentally sinning?
Doug: No, because by the time that happens-- and, Pastor Ross, correct me. But by the time probation closes, the saved are saved and the lost are lost. So it's not like you're going to have to worry about sinning. You know, when--just think of it this way. Once we get to heaven, will we need Jesus to intercede for our sins in heaven? Well, no, because we've been transformed. We've got new hearts, and we're going to have no desire to sin and we're not going to need an intercessor. Well, the Lord is bringing that about. Before he comes back, his people are going to be sealed with the Holy Spirit and they're going to have the seal of God that's in his law as well and we're--I think we're not going to have any desire to sin.
Jëan: Well, you know, when probation closes, there is the verse that we read in Revelation 22 where Jesus says he that is holy, let him be holy still, he that is filthy, let him be filthy still. So when probation closes, one group has the seal of God and the other group has the mark of the beast. They have made up their mind. Their faith has been tested. They've been proven to be faithful to the Lord, and God in a special way with the Holy Spirit will guide His people and they'll be secure. All right, well, thank you for your call there. Appreciate that. We've got Lee, listening in Texas. Lee, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."
Lee: Yes, pastors, hello. My question is, is the mark of the beast both spiritual as well as is it physical? Because when the mark of the beast is in force and people do accept it, those that take it anyway, shouldn't they have like some kind of a bar code or card or something that's proof that they have--that they actually do have the seal?
Doug: Okay, yes and no. Now, what I mean by that is because there'll be a law that you can't buy or sell, will the government or the world powers be using some kind of card or recognition or, you know, they--I don't think anyone's going to have a barcode stapled to them. It's going to be internal in who you worship and the works you do. That's why it's the hand or the forehead. Your thoughts, your actions worshiping the beast either in worship or in behavior. But when it comes to the buying and selling, it wouldn't surprise me if they use some kind of technological card or device or one of those RFID inserts. I don't know what they'll use, but they'll do something to, you know, measure--right now they don't even need that. They have facial recognition that is so sophisticated, artificial intelligence. You know, in China now people are going through school and they're checking their attendance by their face. They just stand in front of this thing, looks to the face, they go to their class.
Jëan: Well, even now it's possible to purchase things through your iPhone if you have the face recognition on your cell phone, whatever it is, as confirmation if you purchased something. So you can buy with your face. You don't need a computer chip anymore.
Doug: I know--my face is bankrupt. So I wouldn't be able to buy anything with it. All right, hey--hope that helps a little bit, but--yeah, I think it's mostly in your worship and your actions. There may be something physical as well as far as monetizing it.
Jëan: Yeah, we do have a study guide called "The Mark of the Beast." The Bible speaks about the beast's power and the mark. It's important for us to understand what this is. We'll be happy to send the study guide to anyone who calls and ask. The number is 800-835-6747. Call and ask for the study guide called "The Mark of the Beast." Also, you can just dial #250 on your smartphone and, again, ask for that study guide "The Mark of the Beast." We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. We've got Richard listening from Tennessee. Richard, you're on "Bible Answers Live."
Richard: Hi, my name is Richard, and I have a question about--actually, good after-- good late afternoon, pastors. I have a question about Isaiah 66, verse 24. It mentions about midway in the verse for their worm shall not die. Just wanted to know what is the-- that talking about the worm shall not die.
Doug: Yeah, well, first of all, Jesus quotes that in the New Testament. He says speaking about those that are lost--you can read in Mark chapter 9, verse 48 it says, you know, if your right hand offends you--you just back up a little bit. He says if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out for it's better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye. Of course, he's using an analogy here. No one in heaven is going to have one eye. Rather than having two eyes be cast into hellfire where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. In another time he says if your right hand offends you or if your foot offends you, that's actually verse 45, the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. It's also in verse 46. Christ is quoting from the last verse in the book of Isaiah there. Outside of Jerusalem there was a dump called Gehenna. It's in the Valley of Hinnom. The Valley of Hinnom was a place where they actually had set up pagan gods at one time, and so it became the dump. The Jews didn't want anyone to revere that spot anymore and they would fill it with their garbage, and they kept fires going in there to keep the gases down and burning old baskets or clothes, whatever was in there. So it was smoldering. And there was old fruit and even dead animals that were thrown there if it was an unclean animal. So there was maggots. And it's using that analogy to just say, you know, the fire is not quenched. You don't ever put the fire of a dump out. You want it to burn. And the maggots are eating until there's nothing left to eat. So the maggots, you know, they're not killed and the fire is not quenched. They're just doing their thorough work is what it's talking about.
Jëan: Yeah, and even to add to that a little bit more, when it talks about the worm--well, actually the word there is maggot. It's talking about a place of rejection. It's where you throw the garbage. The fire that's going to destroy the wicked at the end of time is not going to leave worms living in the flames while the wicked are being, you know, destroyed with the fire. The fire is going to purify the earth.
Doug: Malachi says it turns it to ashes.
Jëan: That's right, so the phrase there where it talks about the worm not dying or the maggot, it's talking about absolute rejection of the lost. They have no hope of salvation. They're in essence cast into the garbage pit. They're thrown into the dump, and that's the idiomatic speak. We also find that repeat in Job 25:6, Psalm 22, verse 6, Isaiah 14:11. So these are the phrases that talk about utter destruction or rejection. All right, hope that helps. We've got Junior listening in the Caribbean. Junior, welcome to the program.
Junior: Yes, good evening, pastors. So pastors often refer to Michael the archangel as Jesus Christ, but there are still references I've come across in the Bible, one in the Daniel where it says Michael, one of the chief princes when he came to help Gabriel, and then the other one is when there was a dispute over the bones of Moses and then Michael said, right, "The Lord rebuke you." So I'm thinking if it was indeed Jesus, then he's also Lord. He wouldn't have said, "The Lord rebuke you." He could just say, "I rebuke you." So could you elaborate on that for me, please?
Doug: Yeah, well, let's take them one at a time. So in Daniel chapter 10, Pastor Ross might look that up, but--talks about Michael, one of the first or one of the chief. The way that translates in Hebrew is first of the chief or first of the highest of the messengers of God. The very word Michael means who is as God and archangel means greatest messenger. And so the very name Michael the archangel means the greatest messenger who is as God. Now, people get confused about this because they always think Michael is just some, you know, powerful angel like Gabriel. Never refers to him like Gabriel. Look for instance it says in--where is it? 1 Thessalonians 4, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel." The Lord has the voice of the archangel, and that means the greatest messenger. And in Daniel chapter 12 Michael will stand up, the great prince. Jesus is that great prince, which stands for the children of thy people. Who is the great intercessor that stands for us? That's Jesus. And then in Jude verse 9 where it says that Michael came to get the body of Moses, that's because Jesus is the resurrection. You might hear and you're asking, "Well, why did he say the Lord rebuke you?" Well, when Christ was on earth and he was tempted by the devil, he said, "The Lord rebuke you." So, you know, Jesus does it in the name of the Father, that he is rebuking the devil. So most commentators--maybe not all, but I'd say 30% of the commentators like Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, and many others, they believe that Michael is what you would call the pre-incarnate title for Christ. And then you get to Revelation 12 and it says Michael and his angels fight with the dragon and the dragon and his angels fall. The dragon is a symbolic name for the devil. It's safe to assume Michael is the symbolic name for the chief of righteousness, which is God--Jesus.
Jëan: And the verse you referred to a little earlier where it says that Christ when He comes He'll have the voice of the archangel and then it says that voice is the voice that raises the dead, Jesus said that is the voice of the Son of God. That's the voice of the Son of man that will raise the dead at the end. So if it's Christ's voice that raises the dead and Jesus is said to have the voice of the archangel, well then Michael must be a name referring to Jesus.
Doug: Yeah, if A equals B and C equals B, A equals C they say.
Jëan: You know, we do have a book called "Who is Michael the Archangel?" And we'll be happy to send it to anyone. I see here, Junior, you're in Caribbean, but you can maybe go to our website, just AmazingFacts.org, and you'll be able to read the book there. For those in the US, just call 800-835-6747 and ask for the book "Michael the Archangel" or dial #250 on your smartphone and say "'Bible Answers Live.' 'Michael the Archangel.'"
Doug: Yep, very good. Well, Pastor Ross, I'm looking at the clock. We're probably going to come up on our mid-break. And it's hard to cover a question in 24 seconds, but it is a good time to remind people you do hear us repeatedly reference the main mothership website of this ministry. It's called AmazingFacts.org. There's radio, television, books, videos. It's everything to feed your soul. So check out AmazingFacts.org. We're coming back in just a moment.
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Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers Live." And for anyone who may have tuned in along the way, this is as the title suggests a live international Bible study and you're invited to join us by just listening in. You're also invited to join the conversation by calling in with your Bible questions, and the number is 800-GOD-SAYS. We're also broadcasting this on the Amazing Facts Facebook page, the Doug Batchelor Facebook page, the Amazing Facts YouTube channel, and Good News Television, and-- a lot of the stations carry these programs. You might not be able to call in if you're listening to one of the many rebroadcasts like our friends in Michigan that do this in Strong Tower Radio. They play it all through the week. So anyway, we're glad that you're listening, and my name is Doug Batchelor.
Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross. And if case--in case you are listening to a rebroadcast or a rerun of this, if you'd like to call in with your Bible question we are live at 7 o'clock Sunday evening Pacific Time. So feel free to give us a call.
Doug: And they can email questions that we'll answer other times.
Jëan: Yeah, just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org, and you can email us your Bible question. Our next caller that we have is Lillie listening in Florida. Lillie, welcome to the program. You're on the air.
Lillie: Hi, my question is, should Christians carry a concealed weapon?
Doug: Well, if it's okay, I'll rephrase it a little bit. I would say, is it wrong for a Christian? It's not that--certainly not every Christian needs to carry a concealed weapon, but would there anything be morally wrong with a Christian carrying a concealed weapon? You know, Jesus is pretty clear. He said if you live by the sword, you die by the sword. So you certainly don't want to be advocating, you know, taking of life, but there's also nothing wrong with a person having--if you're in an area where it's dangerous and you might be able to warn off either a predator--you know, I go to the hills. I carry a gun because there are bears. Pastor Ross has been to our place. There's bears everywhere. And I would even shoot a gun in the air and it'll scare them off usually, but there's wild animals up there. So certainly nothing wrong with using one in that. But some people live in cities where, you know, they may feel convinced that it would give them some added security. Hopefully they'd never have to take human life, but it might be used to protect. So I don't see a moral dilemma. I think every person needs to pray through that issue, but you can't use the Bible to say, you know, with all that God said about David and Goliath and the sling and the children of Israel and the Philistines oppressing the children of Israel because they had no swords. So you can't really advocate seeing as any moral crime in a person owning a weapon.
Jëan: And of course there are Christians that are involved in law enforcement and, you know, they carry a weapon so that—
Doug: It's a tool.
Jëan: That's right. It's how it's used. All right, well, thank you, Lillie. Good question. Michael in Alabama. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: Thank you both big time for accepting my question. Before my question, my heart really goes out to that previous male caller whose name and location I've forgotten with anxiety disorder, possibly a second mental illness after he accepted Christ Jesus. That's another subject for another time that I would love to get into about Christians with mental illness and how Christianity has treated them over the centuries. But the thing is I have had two mental illnesses myself, severe depression and then OCD after I accepted Christ Jesus. I certainly don't blame Him for those. But really I want to apologize for sounding anxious while I tried to call two weeks ago. It's because of those illnesses and because I was not able--you all had the audio turned down within your recording studio and I was not able to ask you if you would clarify your answer. Once again, this is asking you if you would clarify an answer you gave to a caller last May about the so-called mark of the beast. You made it sound as though--and you probably didn't intend to, as though the so-called mark of the beast is the Holy Spirit interprets anytime we sin even if we don't mean to, even if it's unintentional or unpremeditated or whatever as our having--a Christian having the mark of the beast inside her or him. Now, I've looked in once again--well, I read last time Revelation chapter 13, verses 16 through 18, and I don't see that any place. Please clarify that, if you would, because I'm worried about my afterlife destiny. I'm worried about whether or not Jesus Christ will accept me after I die.
Doug: All right, well, first of all God wants you to have peace in your relationship with Him. I can't count how many times in the Bible, someone said it's 365 times that Jesus said fear not or something similar. Do not be afraid. God doesn't want us to live in a state of fear. Jesus is our example. A Christian is supposed to model the behavior of Christ, and Jesus had perfect peace. Paul says God gives us a peace that passes understanding. And when you accept Jesus and you invite him to be the Lord of your life and you keep your eyes fixed upon him, he's going to guide you and you're going to be in the kingdom. You just need to follow him day by day, stay in communion with the Holy Spirit. Now, then you asked a question about the mark of the beast, and we were saying what the Bible says is-- it talks about the mark in the hand or in the forehead. Let the Bible interpret itself. Moses said that we must have the law of God, and this is Deuteronomy chapter 6. Said, "These words I command you shall be in your heart." That's a metaphor, the Word of God in our heart, the law of God in our heart. And Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." And he said write them for a sign upon your hand. They will be as frontlets between your eyes, in your head, and in your forehead. Those that worship the beast will have the laws of the beast in their hand or in their forehead. So it's a question of do you obey God or man in the last days. Same thing, you know, when Nebuchadnezzar told all the children of Israel to bow down and worship his idol. That breaks the commandment of God. Are you going to obey the law of Babylon or the law of God? Same thing in the last days. There'll be a big conflict between obeying the law of this beast power which will conflict with the law of God, and we have a lesson on that we can send.
Jëan: We do, it's called "The Mark of the Beast," and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. Just call 800-835-6747. Ask for that study guide. It's called "The Mark of the Beast." Or dial #250 on your smartphone and say "Bible Answers Live" and then say, "The Mark of the Beast," and we'll be happy to send that lesson to you. You won't be receiving the mark of the beast if you say mark of the beast. You'll just be receiving the lesson on the mark of the beast. You know, Pastor Doug, it's important to note that the key issue in the book of Revelation talking about end-time events revolves around worship. The devil wants the whole world to worship him and he uses this beast power, and we worship the one we obey. So if we can obey God and keep His commandments, we worshiping Him. The first angel's message says worship the Creator. If we worship the beast's power by setting aside God's law, knowingly and purposely doing so, we're worshiping a different power, and that's the real issue that comes to light. All right, next caller that we have is Christie--let's see. Krista listening in Idaho. Krista, welcome to the program.
Krista: Good evening, pastors.
Doug: Evening, thanks for calling.
Krista: Yes, Pastor Doug. Right quick before I ask my question, I want to share with you that nearly 20 years ago I was quite depressed and felt quite lost. And one night I was channel-surfing, came across one of your programs and then I found myself watching your programs regularly and opening up my Bible, and, praise God, 20 years later my faith has only grown.
Doug: Oh, praise the Lord. And see, I'm glad to have a testimony that things got better when they accepted Christ.
Krista: It sure did.
Doug: Thank you, Krista.
Krista: Yes, not only was it your programs, but there were some wonderful cooking shows that led me in the right direction, so praise God, yes. But tonight my question is could you please explain 1 Corinthians 15:29, baptism for the dead.
Doug: Yeah, that's a great question. So Paul, of course, in 1 Corinthians 15--the whole thing is dealing with the resurrection. Some of the Corinthians were thinking either it already happened or that it wasn't going to happen, and he spends quite a bit of time talking about that. And so he says in verse 29, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?" This is one of those examples where the problem is more in the punctuation. Keep in mind, friends, the original Greek had no punctuation. The translators had to figure out, "How do we break up this sentence?" And it's like the wife that calls her husband and asks if she could buy something. He says, "No price too high." Well, she thought he said no price too high, and he said, "No, price too high." And where you put the comma can completely change it. So where you put the commas in this completely changes it. Now let me punctuate this. I'll try and put the--as I said, the emphasis on the right syllable. I'll try and emphasize this in the right place. "Else what shall they do who are baptized," comma or even period. "For the dead if the dead do not rise at all," comma, "why then are they baptized," period. "For the dead," question mark. Paul is simply saying for if the dead do not rise, why get baptized, for the dead? And so it's what you'll call a rhetorical question. He's using some hyperbole here saying, you know, if people are getting baptized, if they don't believe in the resurrection, why are you getting baptized? If it's not for you to be raised, it's for the dead to be raised? So I think this is a place where it just gets confusing. Now, there's one church that believes you should get baptized for the dead. One person gets baptized on behalf of someone else instead. Ninety-nine point nine percent of Christians don't believe that because everything else in the Bible says that it's an individual's choice to be saved, that you don't get baptized in behalf of someone else. And so, you know, it's appointed unto man once to die, after that, the judgment. You can't die lost and then have someone burn candles, say prayers, and get baptized for you, and save you if you've gone to your grave with a bad record. Every man will be judged according to their works and not according to someone else's baptism. So, you know, once a person understands that basic fundamental truth, then you have to say, "Well, what does this verse mean?" It's an issue of punctuation.
Jëan: All right, we do have a study guide that talks about baptism. It's actually a book. It's called "Baptism, Is It Really Necessary?" And we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. The number to call is 800-835-6747. Or dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for that. It's called "Baptism, Is It Really Necessary?" I will send it to you. Read it. Share it with somebody else. You will be blessed. Next caller that we have is Linda, listening in Washington. Linda, welcome to the program.
Linda: Thank you for taking my question. In Revelation 17:1, what are the seven bowls, B-O-W-L-S?
Doug: Yeah, all right, thanks. I appreciate that. We're going to be--I think we're going to mute you because you got a little background noise there. Yeah, Linda, when it talks about the seven bowls-- it also uses the word vials. These are containers, and these are the seven containers that you see in Revelation 15 and 16 where the plagues are poured out. So one of the angels who had been pouring out the plagues, he comes and he talks with John and he's now telling about this great harlot that we have introduced in Revelation 17. Is that your understanding, Pastor Ross?
Jëan: Yes, so the bowls are just a tool, and it's symbolic. Remember, Revelation is symbolic. Paul gets to speak of the angels pouring out the wrath of God upon the earth, and that is the seven last plagues. So symbolically one of the angels that was pouring out one of these plagues upon the earth is the one that's actually talking to John in Revelation 17 explaining to him more details about the woman by the name of Babylon. Now, again, Revelation is not always written in strict chronological order. You have the plagues that occur after probation closes and just before the coming of Christ, but it doesn't always follow that exact sequence as we have it laid out by the chapters in Revelation. Usually, Revelation is written more topical. So it'll deal with the subject pretty much from start to finish and then moves on to a different subject. So we got to bear that in mind.
Doug: Yeah, and then if you look in the Old Testament, it talks about pouring His indignation upon the wicked, and that's in Zephaniah 3:8. And then it talks about pouring His Spirit upon the righteous. So it often uses the word to pour things out on a nation or an individual. Thank you, Linda.
Jëan: Next caller that we have is Phil, listening in New York. Phil, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."
Phil: Okay, thank you very much for taking my call. My question is, do you gentlemen think that woke culture and Marxist globalist ideology are connected to the satanic one-world system of the Antichrist?
Doug: Yeah, well, I think most of us have kind of a general idea. The word woke is sort of still being defined by what's going on in the culture these days, but--yeah, my personal--now it's--you know, you're not going to find woke. Samson woke up and found out that he had lost his power. So I mean, you know, woke in the Bible is probably not going to mean the way we're using it in our culture today. But it's my personal belief that what we would call the woke agenda is not of the Lord. It's--you know, people are becoming so hypersensitive to people's, you know, gender feelings that they're pressing this on everybody else. And it's just all misguided guilt, and they're missing the real object of guilt, which is sin, and the solution, which is Jesus.
Jëan: Well, you know, there is probably something we can learn from what's happening in the world around us, is how that people can be shut down if what they're saying goes against what is accepted as is truth. In other words, the cancel culture. A time is going to come when even just reading the Bible or preaching the Bible is going to be considered hate speech based on these parameters that they have. So we can see how all of this is going to kind of tie together as we come closer to the end.
Doug: Yeah, so we're kind of bordering now on what's happening culturally and politically with biblical things. So it's probably the closest we can get, Phil. Hope that helps a little bit. Thank you.
Jëan: Next caller that we have is listening California, Nessa. Nessa, welcome to the program.
Nessa: I've been watching you guys for a while, and I've been waiting to ask you guys a question. How do you know when God is talking to you through a dream?
Doug: Yeah, well, first of all, if God is giving you a message through a dream, then God will be sure to either give you the interpretation or bring you somebody, as He did with Joseph and Daniel, that can interpret what the dream means. Now, God spoke to Joseph the father of Jesus in a dream and said--the angel was very clear in the dream. He said, "Get up and flee because Herod is going to hurt the child." And God spoke to Joseph in a dream and said, "Don't be afraid to marry Mary because she's a virtuous woman." And so God then gave the interpretation right in the dream. Sometimes you'll have a bizarre dream and you don't know was this from, you know, eating too much salsa last night or, you know, is it a message from the Lord. And, you know, I just say that if God is giving you a dream and it is from Him, it'll either be clear to you or He'll send someone to help you interpret it. But He won't leave you forever wondering why you didn't follow the dream and you didn't know what it meant.
Jëan: Yes, and also remember that dreams come and go. They're not all from the Lord. I think the Bible says out of the multitude of the day a person will often dream. So just things that are happening in your life. It might be a very powerful dream. You might wake up and think, "Wow, that made a--" And it doesn't necessarily mean it's from God.
Doug: Yeah, and one more thought that I just realized biblically, God gave Joseph dreams when he was young. He did not understand them till he got older. So you may just have to wait and you'll say, "Ah, now I know what that dream meant," so—
Jëan: All right, very good. Next caller that we have is Anthony, listening in Washington. Anthony, welcome to the program.
Anthony: Hey, can you guys hear me?
Doug: We do now. Thanks, Anthony.
Anthony: Hey, pastors. Thanks for taking my call. I really appreciate it. And, Pastor Doug, before I ask you my question, shout out to Greg Sereda, aka Bible Flock Box, for introducing me to you and your ministry.
Doug: Oh, praise the Lord, yeah. We had a good time with Greg in Poland last year.
Anthony: Yeah, I saw. So I have a question that has to do with filmmaking. I'm currently writing an action-mystery TV show that talks about human trafficking and other heavy topics. Just starting it out. My question is for someone that wants to get into independent filmmaking like me, what advice would you like to give?
Doug: Well, first of all, as a Christian I'd say you just want to pray that you are open to God's will. So anything you do, you just say, "Lord, I want to make sure I'm in Your will." I got on my knees today about a different opportunity and said, "Lord, is this Your will?" So you always have to ask, "Lord, what project do You want me to work on next, and how shall I do it?" And just be seeking divine guidance. It's probably the most important thing. And make sure that, you know, whatever you're doing, that it's in harmony with the principles of truth and the principles of Christianity. But it sounds like you're wanting to do filmmaking that's more of a documentary style that will have a noble cause, is that right?
Anthony: Not necessarily a documentary.
Doug: So would it be like dramatic recreations?
Anthony: You can say that again. It's just like a TV show that is a little bit fictional, but it just talk about a very real and serious world issue that we're dealing with.
Doug: Yeah, well, you just have to have--like I said, the Holy Spirit needs to guide you in that. And you know what? The--there's always a temptation for Christians to sort of drift over to the Hollywood style of communication. I do believe--you know, obviously Amazing Facts believes in producing videos and documentaries to teach truth. We try to stay away from the--you know, just creating fictional things because I just find the closer we stick with the Bible and what we do know, the better we are. But anyway, it'll look for--in the multitude of counsel there's safety, Anthony. So get good Christian counsel and follow the Word.
Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Robert listening also in Washington. Robert, welcome to the program.
Robert: Hello, Pastor Ross and Pastor Batchelor. I'm sure you've been asked this once or twice about--in Matthew 11:13 all the prophets and the law prophesied until John, then it seems like they stopped or something.
Doug: Well, they didn't in that John the Baptist died. And then you get to Acts chapter 2 and where the Holy Spirit is poured out on the apostles Peter said, "This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel. 'I'll pour out My Spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters will prophesy,'" and so God had not eliminated prophecy after John the Baptist because then you go to Paul, and Pastor Ross will have to help me-- I think it's 1 Corinthians 12. One of the gifts of the Spirit is prophecy. One of the gifts you'll find in the church. And so--and Philip had four daughters which did prophesy. Of course, that could mean they did teach too, but--yeah, you find not only did Jesus say Elijah will come. Future. He said Elijah has come. John the Baptist was sort of a--he came in the spirit and power of Elijah. But then Jesus said Elijah also will come. So it seems like there'll be another Elijah-like prophet or group of prophets before the second coming.
Jëan: A couple of verses like you mentioned. Romans chapter 12, verse 6 speaks about the gift of prophecy. Also, 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says, "If I have the gift of prophecy and have of love." 1 Corinthians 14:1. So there's several. It's one of the gifts God has given to the church.
Doug: So thank you. And we talk about modern psychics and astrologists?
Jëan: That's right, "Does God Inspire Psychics and Astrologers?" And we--that's one of our study guides. We'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. The number, again, is 800-835-6747. Ask for that study guide "Does God Inspire Psychics and Astrologers?" We'll be happy to send that to you. Next caller that we have is Eric, Eric, listening from Michigan. Eric, welcome to the program.
Eric: Yeah, thank you, guys. My question is trying to place this hour that's within 17--excuse me. Revelation 17:12. My understanding, that comes out to roughly 15 days when the 10 nations or 10 horns would be enforcing Sunday worship internationally. And I'm not sure if I'm completely wrong and that it doesn't belong in front of the close of probation or does it overlap the close of probation because of the days of Noah when there's that week after the door was shut and--you know, because the angels would be protecting us after the close of probation. So I assume the 10 nations wouldn't be in charge on any commentary on that or even the beginning of those 15 days, if that is correct.
Doug: All right, I'm going to let-- we've got about two and a half minutes. I'm going to let Pastor Ross, this is one of his favorite subjects, dive in there. Revelation chapter 17. Where does that one hour fall?
Jëan: Yeah, it talks about ten horns. These horns represent political powers of kingdoms, and then it says there are ten kings who receive no kingdom as yet but they receive authority one hour as kings with the beasts. So there's going to be a unity that occurs near the end where these ten powers are going to unite with the beast power at the end, the papal power, and that's going to take place just before--or the darkness that settles upon the seat of the beast, which is one of the plaques. People realize they've been deceived. So that actually occurs after probation closes. So it's the final movement where the world is being galvanized together in their opposition to God's people. There is going to be a death decree according to Revelation chapter 13. That occurs after the close of probation. The good news is that death decree is never enforced because Jesus comes and delivers His people before that can happen. So those are some of the things that been highlighted here when it's talking about these ten powers. And you're right, one hour is about fifteen days if you do one day equal to a year. Yeah, works to about that.
Doug: Yeah, and the--so there'll be a brief period of time when the nations--the leading nations of the world are going to be given the illusion of power in order to throw their lot in with the beast, and they're going to think, "All right. Well, we'll go on together." And it seems like they're sharing power, but then they realize it was all a sham.
Jëan: It ends rapidly.
Doug: Yeah, that's right. Well, thank you very much. You know, I want to tell our friends that are listening that we do have some study guides that talk about Revelation, and they could sign up for the Amazing Facts Bible school.
Jëan: Just simply if you call the number 800-835-6747 that is our resource phone line, if you just call and say, "I'd like to enroll in the free Amazing Facts Bible school," they'll take care of it. They'll get your mailing address. They'll be able to send you the lessons through the mail. You'll be able to fill them out, send them back. We'll actually have somebody grade the lessons and send you the next lesson. Pastor Doug, people have said after they've gone through the 27 study guides that Amazing Facts has they've learned more in those lessons in just a few months or however long it takes for them to do that than they've lost--than they have learned in years of even going to Bible college, so—
Doug: I hear that over and over again. Absolutely you'll be blessed. We sign off on two stages. We're saying goodbye to our satellite viewers. The rest of you, stay tuned. Rapid fire Bible questions on the way.
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.
Jëan: Hello, friends, and welcome back to "Bible Answers Live." Those of you stayed by to take our email Bible questions that have come. If you have an email question you want to send us, just simply BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. That's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. Pastor Doug, first question. Grace is asking, "Who are the kings of the earth in Revelation 21:24? Does this mean that they will be kings ruling on the earth in the new earth?"
Doug: Yeah, good question. Keep in mind in the Bible, it doesn't use the word president very often because most of the world powers back then were monarchy. So they're talking about the leaders of world powers. It just generically uses the word kings. Right now there are very few monarchies left in the world. There's a few. You will get a new king of England now. I think there's a king of--is it Denmark and that--you know, I think there might be a few others out there in the Emirates that want to get a prince or--that's a king. So--but most of the world now has prime ministers and presidents, but it says the leaders of the world.
Jëan: All right, another question we have. David is asking, "Are the gimmicks and the gaffs used in magic tricks today okay in that they're not connected with black magic or voodoo," or one of those things?
Doug: Yeah, well, that's a good question. You know, when people start doing card tricks, that's--I try to stay away from that just because cards are often used in gambling and just probably not the best association for a Christian. I can't picture Jesus, you know, doing sleight of hand with his cards. But I wouldn't condemn, you know, people have some clown comes to a birthday party and pretends to cut a banana in two and does a trick or something as sort of entertainment. So I think if you're doing a trick and you're showing people how it is done just because it's interesting science, that's one thing. If you're trying to deceive people and getting into the smoke and the mirrors and trying to make it look like magic, that's something different. I think that Christians ought to avoid the appearance of evil.
Jëan: All right, real quick Claudia is asking, "Is there a record of what happened between the old and new testaments in the Bible?"
Doug: Yes--well, not as thorough as we would like. It's called the inter-testamental period. But between Malachi and Matthew, you do have the history of the Maccabees that tells about the Greek oppression of the land of Israel and some of the revolts and how they got their freedom.
Jëan: All right, maybe time for one more, Pastor Doug. Is the tithing system something that came to an end because we no longer have an earthly high priest?
Doug: No, Jesus endorsed tithing. He said we need to keep the priorities right, but don't neglect paying tithe. Matthew 23:23. Listening friends, God bless. We'll study again together next week.
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