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 answer 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 Jëan Ross.
Jëan Ross: Hello, friends. Pastor Doug is out this evening. But how about an Amazing Fact? Though close allies during the tumultuous period of the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams found themselves on opposite sides of the political spectrum in the later years of their lives. However, despite their differences, a sense of mutual respect and admiration endured. Their philosophical differences did not overshadow their shared commitment to the principles that had ignited the birth of the United States civil and religious freedom. In an uncanny twist of fate, their lives became further intertwined as they approached their final moments. On the 4th of July in 1826 Thomas Jefferson took his last breath at Monticello, his beloved home in Virginia. Remarkably, just hours later John Adams passed away at his residence in Quincy, Massachusetts. This extraordinary coincidence was heightened by the fact that that marked the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, a document both men had worked on and which carried their signatures. The alignment of their deaths with this historic milestone stands as a profound reminder of the enduring principles that they championed and which lay at the core of the nation's foundation civil and religious liberty. You know, friends, the Bible tells us that the United States was to rise up and that it would be founded on two Christ-like principles. We find in Revelation chapter 13 a description of a beast power that comes up from the earth. It has two horns like a lamb—
Aron Crews: But it speaks like a dragon.
Jëan: It speaks like a dragon. Let me read those verses. You find that in Revelation chapter 13 and beginning in verse 11. "Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb but he spake as a dragon. And he exercised all the authority of the first beast in his presence and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he performed great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men." Now, if we allow the Bible to interpret itself and you look at the various clues in the very passage, this power represented as coming up from the earth is none other than the United States of America. It came just in time. And even though it was founded on the principles of civil and religious freedom, according to the verse there is going to be a change that occurs in this nation.
You know, Pastor Crews, Amazing Facts has a magazine that I think everyone needs to read. It's called "America in Prophecy," and this is our free gift to anyone who is watching or listening. We'll be happy to send it to you. All you need to do is call. The number is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for that free gift. It's "America in Prophecy." We'll send it to you. It's one of our most popular magazines. Read it and share it with somebody else. Again, that number is 800-835-6747. And if you have a Bible question, this is a live program this evening, the number to call is 800-463-7297. Again, that's 800-463-7297. My name is Jëan Ross, and working the phones for us is Pastor Aron Crews, not a stranger to "Bible Answers Live." You've helped out before. You are our young adult pastor at the Granite Bay Hilltop Church. So thank you for joining us here at Amazing Facts.
Aron: Great to be here.
Jëan: Now, of course, before we go to the phone lines we always want to begin with prayer because we recognize the Bible is God's book. So why don't you open with the word of prayer?
Aron: All right. Let's pray. Dear heavenly Father, Lord, as we spend this next hour answering questions from Your Word, we ask that Your Holy Spirit guide us as we direct people to what Your Scripture says and what it means for us today. So we ask for You to guide us in Jesus's name. Amen.
Jëan: Amen. We're ready to go to the phone lines. Who's our first caller for this evening?
Aron: All right, let's get going. Our first caller today is Junith calling in from Nevada. Hello, Junith. Welcome to the show. What's your Bible question?
Junith: Hello. Yes. Good evening to you both. My question is, what would have happened to the destiny of Adam and Eve and the devil when Adam and Eve were not deceived by the devil?
Jëan: All right. Well, good question. What would have happened if Adam and Eve did not fall prey to the devil's deceptions? Well, of course the Bible doesn't tell. Now, we do know that God created a perfect world; and Adam and Eve, they were complete and perfect and God had a beautiful garden which was their home and had they remained loyal or faithful to God they would have fulfilled His purpose. God said, "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." The earth would have been populated with human beings living immortal, eating from the tree of life, and worshiping, and praising God, and having an opportunity to communicate with the angels. How different this world would be had Adam and Eve remained faithful. What would have happened to the devil if Adam and Eve remained loyal? Well, the Bible doesn't say. I mean, I think there was a probationary time given even to the devil for him to try and prove his case. Had Adam and Eve not fallen, I don't know, maybe the end of the devil would have come sooner. But in giving it to the devil's temptation, the devil claimed the earth as his sort of got a foothold, you might say, in the universe and we see the great controversy between Christ and Satan, good and evil playing out in our world and of course that's even playing out in our hearts and lives.
Aron: That's right. Well, while the Bible isn't crystal clear on what would have happened to the devil if Adam and Eve didn't sin, we do know that if Adam and Eve didn't sin--it says in Genesis 3, verse 22 that because they sinned they were--had to exit the Garden and they could no longer have access to the Tree of Life; Right? But at the end of the book of the Bible we have Revelation and at the end it says all those who do His commandments that are washed white in His robes get to have access again to the Tree of Life; Right? So we can guess and speculate about what would have happened or could have happened, but we know today what will happen to those who are faithful to Jesus and accept His sacrifice, that we will get access again to the Tree of Life at the Second Coming.
Jëan: Amen. So the Bible begins with the story in a garden and it ends in a garden both containing the Tree of Life. Who's our next caller?
Aron: All right, our next caller is John calling in from Nebraska, hello, John. Welcome to the program. What's your Bible question?
John: Good evening, gentlemen. Thanks for taking my call. My question is on the seven last plagues. And I told the girl chapter 17, but it's chapter 16 of Revelation. And my question is, are the seven last plagues going to be in order as they are listed in the Bible here? I have the King James Version.
Jëan: Yeah, we believe that they will be listed in order as given. Now, they probably will be overlap and all of the plagues will not take place universally immediately. I mean, if you look at them, the first one is a terrible sore that comes upon those who have the mark of the beast. That will probably begin in different places around the world. And then the second plague is the sea turns to blood. This couldn't happen universal immediately. Otherwise, you know, you'd have people running out of water very quickly because the third plague says water turns to blood. So it begins in one place and then sort of spreads around the globe, the terrible sores of breaking out on the different people. And then the fourth plague talks about an intense heat. So yes, we believe that these plagues are sequential as given here in Scripture. The final plague brings you right up to the Second Coming of Christ and judgment that comes upon those that have the Mark of the Beast, those who have warred against God and against these people. Now, there is something interesting to add to this. At the end of time, there's going to be--everyone's going to be divided up into two groups. Those who have the Mark of the Beast, according to Revelation 13 they're the ones who suffer under the plague. Then you have those who have the seal of God in Revelation 17. They're the ones who're protected. God protects them during this terrible time. So for the believer we need not fear for if we are trusting in Jesus we'll be sealed and we'll be protected when these seven last plagues get poured out. Some theologians feel that it could probably take place within the period of about a year because the Bible says a plague shall come in one day. One prophetic day is equal to one literal year. So just a lot of interesting things.
You know, we do have a study guide that talks about the Second Coming of Christ and the 1000 years known as the millennium that happens right after Jesus comes, and it's called "1000 Years of Peace." And we'll be happy to send that to anyone who wants to learn more about what the Bible says about the Second Coming of Christ and what happens right after Jesus comes. Just call and ask. The number is 800-835-6747 and ask for the study guide. It's called "1000 Years of Peace." Thank you for your call, John. Who do we have next?
Aron: All right, next we have Gary calling in from Illinois, Gary, hi. Welcome to the program. What's your Bible question for us?
Gary: Thank you. In Revelation Jesus critiques seven churches. Only the church of Smyrna and Philadelphia he doesn't criticize. Are there any churches in the present day that are representative of these two churches?
Jëan: Okay. Well, good question. Well, of course the seven churches you find in Revelation chapter 2 and 3 in a prophetic sense represents seven phases of the Christian church. Beginning with the church of Ephesus and then you have the church of Smyrna and it goes all the way down to the church of Laodicea, which is really a description of the church today. It's in a spiritual lukewarm condition and there is a call for revival, a special Laodicean message you might say. But in addition to these broad categories of seven phases of the Christian church, it is true that different churches might exhibit different characteristics. In other words, you can have a church in a particular area that is suffering severe persecution and they might be very similar as described to the church of Smyrna, a church during a time of terrible persecution. Jesus didn't give any word of rebuke. He just encouraged them to be faithful. The church of Philadelphia was also a church that went through some persecution, but they really wanted to find the truth. They were committed to the truth and proclaiming the soon coming of Jesus, and there's no word of rebuke given to the church of Philadelphia. So yes, they refer to seven time periods of Christian history, but different churches can fall into these different categories as well.
Aron: Yeah, and over beyond that, which is a great answer, we have over and over in each one of the churches it says this phrase: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Right? So just like you're saying, any church where--I would go a step further and say any individual; Right? If you have ears to hear, to read what the message of Jesus is to these churches, if these messages apply to you, well then we need to take it to heart and listen to what the Spirit is trying to tell us through these ancient messages that become ever so relevant through the Holy Spirit today.
Jëan: All right. Very good. Well, thank you for your call, Gary. Who do we have next?
Aron: All right, next we have someone who has got a great name, I think. Aaron calling in from New York. Hello, Aaron. How are you doing?
Aaron: I'm doing fine, Aron.
Aron: Yeah. Nice to hear you. What question do you have for us this evening?
Aaron: Several times when I listen to SDA preachers and teachers as they talk about the articles of furniture in the sanctuary, I hear them say that the altar of sacrifice is before the laver. But recently I heard that they say that the priests cleanses themselves at the laver before they do their work at the altar of sacrifice. My question is, which one of those pieces of furniture is actually first?
Jëan: Okay, good question. Well, first of all, just from a geographical layout in the sanctuary just for those who might not be familiar with it, the Old Testament sanctuary or the tabernacle is divided up into three parts. You have what's called the courtyard, and then you have the first compartment called the holy place, and then half the size of the first compartment is the second compartment known as the most holy or the Holy of Holies. So three divisions of the sanctuary. And all of this served as the shadow and a type of the ministry and the plan of redemption, Christ's ministry and the plan of redemption. So in the courtyard you have the sacrifice. That's the altar of burnt sacrifice, and then you have a basin filled with water. And it's true. The priest would have to wash prior to him doing the service, but before he actually entered into the sanctuary to sprinkle the blood from the sacrifice on the altar of incense he would also have to wash his hands and his feet. So there was a cleansing both at the beginning of the service but also prior to him entering into the holy place. There was also a work of cleansing.
Now, all of these different articles of furniture has spiritual significance. Of course, the altar of burnt sacrifice symbolizes Calvary. It's the death of Jesus. He is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. The laver symbolizes baptism. It is a washing, a renewal. It is also a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus because just as a person is baptized, they go under the water and then they come up out of the water, Christ is baptized, an example for believers; but it is a symbol of death, burial, and resurrection. I mean, Jesus rose from the dead, then He ascended into the heavenly sanctuary there to minister as our high priest. So the courtyard in the earthly tabernacle represents the earth and the work that Jesus does here on the earth. The holy place work represents the work that Jesus does or did when He arose and ascended to heaven. He is our mediator. He is ministering on our behalf in heaven. But the final phase of this work as our high priest occurs in the most holy place, and sometimes it's described as a time of judgment. You're reading Daniel chapter 7 about a judgment that's set in heaven and the ancient of days is there and the books are open and Jesus comes in before the ancient of days of the Father and there is a pre-advent or pre-Second Coming judgment that takes place, and that's what symbolized in that most holy place of the sanctuary. So the earthly was a shadow of the heavenly and a demonstrated God's plan of redemption.
Aron: All right. Thanks for your question, Aaron. Moving on to our next caller, we have Glenn calling in from Ohio. Welcome, Glenn, to the program.
Glenn: Thank you for taking my call. I appreciate it, and good evening to you.
Aron: Good evening.
Glenn: When the apostle Paul came on the scene, he was going about arresting people that were worshiping a false messiah until lo and behold he discovered on the road to Damascus that that false messiah was the true Messiah and he started his missionary journey. In the letter J was not in the English language until the 17th century. There was no such name as Jesus back when Paul did his thing. What name did he preach under? And if the answer is Yeshua, I would like to know who it was that changed the name and why.
Jëan: Yes, Jesus is an English adaptation of the Hebrew or the Aramaic Yeshua, the Aramaic name. Now, the reason we use English or the English pronunciation of the name of Jesus is because we speak English. If you speak Spanish, you will pronounce the name of Jesus differently. Or if you speak Hindi, you'll pronounce the name of Jesus differently. So depending upon what language you are speaking, there is a name specifically given for Jesus and it's adapted, I should say, from that original Hebrew word with variations. Now, it's important for us to understand who we're talking about. We need to know who Jesus is. Of course, Jesus knows all of the languages of the world. He knows when a person is sincerely calling out to him in prayer. Whether they use the name in English or in Hebrew or Aramaic or if they use the Spanish name of Jesus, Jesus knows that they're referring to him. And I think that's the most important. Remember Jesus not only has the name Jesus, but he's also referred to under different names or titles in the Bible. He is referred to as the Word. Jesus is referred to as the living bread, as the way, the truth, and the life. So there's different words that describe aspects of who Jesus is, but we use the name Jesus just because it's the English version of His name.
Aron: Yeah, and I mean, when Paul was going around, if he was speaking to the Greeks he would say Jesus. Right? In the Greek. If he was speaking to the Hebrews, he would use--you know, he would say that name in Hebrew Yeshua. Right? And I don't know if he knew any more languages, but I'm sure he would try his best to transliterate into other different languages.
Jëan: All right, thank you.
Aron: All right, our next caller is James calling in from the great state of Texas. James, welcome to the program. What's your question?
James: Hello, pastors. Yes, my question is for Hebrews chapter 11, verse 3. Did God create other life on different planets other than ours?
Jëan: Okay. Yes. Let me read the verse for those who are listening. Maybe they're driving in the car. Hebrews 11 and 3 says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made with things that were visible." Your question was, does God have other intelligent beings on other worlds?
James: Yes, because when He speaks of this world He says the world, but He's saying the worlds, plural, other than--more than one.
Jëan: Yes, now, this is one verse, but there are others that have a reference to the idea of other intelligent beings other than angels that are out there in the universe. We don't know how many worlds there are--I mean, inhabited planets but from Scripture we understand that our planet, earth, is the only one that fell prey to the devil's deceptions. The devil was able to deceive a third of the angels. They joined his rebellion. Read about that in Revelation 12. But isn't reference to anything about the other created beings joining Satan's rebellion. So it's just a third of the angels that joined him. And then of course the inhabitants of earth deceived by the devil. So they are these unfallen worlds as mentioned here in Hebrews and some have wondered that the 24 elders that you read about in Revelation chapter 4 and 5 if they might be the representatives of groups of unfallen worlds. So the Bible isn't getting to the exact specifics, but there's hints to that. I'm also thinking of the passage in Job where it says at the time of the creation it says the stars sang for joy and Job speaks about a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Him and the devil came representing earth. So from these different passages of Scripture; yeah, we believe there are unfallen worlds.
Aron: Yeah, Paul talks about-- that we're a spectacle to men and to angels, and in Ephesians he talks about how we manifest--through the church the wisdom of God is manifested to the heavens. Right? So there's these little glimmers, as Jëan was sharing, that yeah, there seem to be other unfallen worlds that are certainly not coming in and, you know, sneaking and visiting us physically, but they're looking on to see the grace of God working in the life of those who are following Jesus.
Jëan: That's right. It seems that our world is quarantined because of Satan. The only ones that have access to the world is the angels and then of course God himself. The unfallen worlds, they can witness what's happening but they don't interact with us. Good question. Thank you, James.
Aron: All right, our next caller is calling in from New Jersey, and it's Peter, hello.
Peter: The question is based on Genesis 1, I think it's verse 9. Is it more ideal to have a vegetarian food diet than a meat-based diet? I went to a vegetarian diet. I feel much better health-wise, and I wanted to ask you if you guys are vegetarians would you share some foods that you guys--that we could eat, you know, maybe like French toast or pizza bagels or cheese omelets. Maybe you can share your wisdom on it. Thank you.
Jëan: Yeah, without getting too specific about, you know, different recipes, but I think from a biblical perspective it's pretty clear that the original diet that God gave in the beginning was fruits and nuts and vegetables--or grains, fruits and grains and nuts and vegetables were added after the fall, but that is the ideal diet. You know, the medical world will tell you that with the vegetarian diet your body functions the best. It's built for that. And you can also just see in the world of athletics a number of endurance sports, runners, and swimmers, and cyclists, many of them are going, believe it or not, to a vegetarian diet because—
Aron: Some even vegan.
Jëan: Even vegan, yeah. Finding that that actually provides more energy and it's more sustained energy by eating a plant-based diet. So yes, it's there in the Bible. I'm a big advocate of eating a plant-based vegetarian diet. I am a vegetarian myself. I'm born and raised a vegetarian actually. Never really eat meat. I know you, Aron, are probably a vegetarian, too.
Aron: Yeah, I'm vegetarian as well, raised as one and--yeah, you mentioned a few vegetarian foods of which were pizza, bagels, and such. Well, those are vegetarian. It's also important to have an essential part of a vegetarian diet, vegetables and fruit. I know growing up as a vegetarian and, you know, being in a community where I have many vegetarian friends it's quite amazing how vegetarians like to eat anything but vegetables sometimes; Right? So we need to be balanced, you know, holistic in our diet, getting the grains and the fruits and the vegetables to be properly filled with nutrition.
Jëan: And a matter of fact try it. You're wondering, "Well, what is vegetarian diet good for me?" Well, we know it is. And if you're wondering, try it. Test it and see. Just go for a--set aside 3 weeks and say, "I'm not going to eat any flesh foods for 3 weeks, I'm going to increase my salad content, and I'm going to eat more vegetables and beans and plant-based foods." And see how you feel. Just give yourself a 3-week test. And I tell you, you'll feel different, you'll feel better. All right. Thank you for your call. You know, we do have a study guide--just thought of it. It's called "God's Free Health Plan." It's one of the Amazing Facts study guides, and it talks about the biblical plan for health. And we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. The number is simply 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. Just ask for "God's Free Health Plan" and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. What do we have next?
Aron: All right. Next we have Rebecca calling in from Michigan, where I used to pastor for about 7 years. So, Rebecca, welcome to the program.
Rebecca: Hello. How are you guys doing?
Jëan: Doing well. Thank you for calling.
Aron: What's your question for us, Rebecca?
Rebecca: I have a question in Philippians chapter 4, verse 13. I understand the basic concept of what Paul is teaching. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." I need a more broader understanding of what he was meaning.
Jëan: Okay, well, first of all, I think he means what he says right there. If God asks us to do something, even though from our human perspective we might think, "Wow, this is impossible." From our perspective Paul is reminding us that in Christ, through Christ, trusting in Christ all things are possible. And that's an important lesson. If God asks us to do something, He will give you the power to do it. I think of the story of Peter. The disciples are in the boat and there was a terrible storm and they looked out and they saw the form of somebody walking on the water and they thought at first it was some sort of a ghost, but it was actually Jesus. And when they realized that it was Jesus walking on the water, Peter said, "Lord, if it is you, call me. Bid me to come to you." And Jesus said, "Come." And Peter got out of the boat and he walked on the water. As long as he kept his eyes fixed upon Jesus, Peter did that which humanly is impossible to do. But then you read further in the story when he took his eyes off Jesus; well, what happened? He began to sink and he cried out and said, "Lord, save me." And I think there's a lesson in that for us. If we keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus--when we say keeping our eyes fixed upon Jesus, it means keep your thoughts centered on Christ and His Word. If we are centering our thoughts and our lives on Jesus and his teachings, the Holy Spirit enables us to do something which we cannot do in and of ourselves. You can take the words of Paul and claim them. "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." And of course it's in the context of doing the things that God asks us to do. This is not a promise for us to say, "Well, you know, I'm going to become a millionaire because I can do all things through Christ who strength." That might not be God's will for your life. But if God is asking you to do something, you can trust that He's going to give you the strength to do it.
Aron: Yeah, and in the specific context, if you read the two verses before, he says, "Whatever state I am in, to be content: I know how to be abased, I know how to abound, everywhere and in all things I've learned to be full and be hungry to abound and to suffer need." Right, so that means if you're in a condition where you're in a really difficult time in your life, right, you can make it through through Christ. Right? Any situation that you're going through of difficulty in particular, Christ can give you strength to get through that.
Jëan: You know, we have a book that I think-- we don't always offer it, but it's a great read and it's just packed with Scripture. It's called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." We live in a world of sin. We have carnal human natures. And if you can be honest with yourself, if you want to live the Christian life you're going to find a struggle taking place the devil doesn't want to let you go and sin is always present, but we can overcome we can resist, we can be victorious if we follow the example given to us by Jesus by claiming the promises of the Bible and looking to him. We'll send that book for free to anyone who calls and asks. It's called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." I think every Christian needs to read this book if you want to know what the Bible keys and promises for victory in living the Christian life. The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. Again, you can ask for the book written by Pastor Doug. It's called "Tips for Resisting Temptation." We'll be happy to send that to you if you're in North America or in Canada. Now, if you're outside of North America and you want to read the book, just go to our website AmazingFacts.org. You can read the book for free. It's there online at the free library. We just going to take a short break and we'll be back, friends, with more Bible questions in just a moment.
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Announcer: 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 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. Once again, that's 800-835-6747. Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live."
Jëan: Hello, friends, and welcome back to "Bible Answers Live." If you're just joining us, this is a live interactive international Bible study. And if you have a Bible-related question, we'd love to hear from you this evening. The number to call for that is 800-463-7297. That's 800-GOD-SAYS. That's 800-463-7297. Now, we're going to give you another number. It's the free offer. We're going to give you some additional study material, and to get that it's just 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line, and if you'd like to receive any of the free information that we share with you, you want to call and ask for that. You know, Pastor Aron, we want to kind of greet some of our friends who are tuning in. We have folks listening not only on land-based radio stations but on satellite. We also have people watching on the internet, on our various television networks. So who do we want to greet this evening?
Aron: Yeah, all over the place, but specifically those who are tuning in on KASK in Vacaville, California. That's not actually too far down the road here. And from KARM tuning in on Visalia here in California as well. So just a shoutout to those who are listening on those broadcasts.
Jëan: All right, again, if you have a Bible question, the number is 800-463-7297. We're going to go straight to the phone lines. Who do we have next?
Aron: All right, we've got Henry calling in from New York. Welcome, Henry.
Henry: Yes, bless both of you, pastors. My question is, is there written anything in the Bible anybody who lives--alive today, can they prove that they were ascended Solomon or David?
Jëan: Okay, does the Bible say anywhere that somebody can trace back their ancestry to David or Solomon? Well, not directly. However, it's important for us to realize that David and Solomon came from the tribe of Judah, and the tribe of Judah was one of the tribes that stayed in the vicinity of Jerusalem--in the area where Jerusalem is. The ten tribes of Israel were conquered--the northern kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians. They were dispersed amongst the various other nations. That's where the Samaritans come from. They intermarried with some of the other nations there. However, the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, which was a smaller tribe, and most of Levi, they stayed in the area of the southern kingdom. Judah was a very big tribe. And when Jerusalem was conquered in 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar, the Jews went into captivity for 7 years. But many of them returned back to Jerusalem. They rebuilt the temple, and that's where Jew comes from. The name Jew comes from the tribe of Judah. So there are Jews today that perhaps can trace their ancestry to the tribe of Judah. Maybe they can even trace it back further. The Bible's not clear. There's no genealogy specifically, but it does lead us down to the time of Christ there were Jews from the tribe of Judah at that time.
Aron: All right. Well, hey, thanks so much for calling in, Henry. Our next caller is Mark calling in from Oregon. Welcome, Mark. What's your question?
Mark: Good evening. If there are no time prophecies in the Bible after 1844, which I do believe, how do we reconcile this to someone who says the Bible predicts Israel's return as a nation in 1948? What's the right answer to give?
Jëan: Yeah, good question. When it comes to a specific time prophecy, you are correct. The longest time prophecy that we have in the Bible is Daniel 8:14. Under 2,300 days then the sanctuary shall be cleansed. We know from Daniel chapter 9 that the starting point for that time prophecy was the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, which went into effect--the first was by Cyrus, but it was really the third decree by Artaxerxes which allowed the Jews not only to rebuild the temple but really the city and create their own form of government. That marked the beginning time period of the 2,300 days. 457 BC was that date. You add 2,300 to 457, recognizing there's no year zero when you go from BC to AD, you end on the date 1844. We know that to be the longest time prophecy. However, there are still other prophecies that we have in Scripture that might not have a specific date attached to it. I don't believe that 1948, even though that might be very well the date when Israel--the modern nation of Israel was formed as a government, that specific date is not referenced in Scripture. There are other historical incidents that occur that might not have a specific date connected with it. Certain events that even take place in the future that don't have a specific date. I'm thinking for one that would be the close of human probation before the seven last plagues are poured out, the enforcement of the mark of the beast. These are things that are going to happen in the future, but there's no specific date that you can point to. The last date based on prophecy, 1844.
Aron: Yeah, the--after the time of Jesus and once the Jewish nation corporately as a group of people rejected Jesus as their Messiah, the Israel that we find in Bible prophecy really refers to all of God's faithful people. Right? Whether--whatever your ethnic heritage may be, the true Israel of God are those who follow Jesus. And just a verse for that real quick is Galatians 3, verse 29. It says, "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise." So whatever happened in 1948 where Israel as an ethnic people group, as a political nation got restored back to that land there, that's a nice thing to happen for them as a nation. However, that doesn't seem to be any kind of a fulfillment in Bible prophecy.
Jëan: Especially in the time period as we see there in Scripture. All right, thank you. Thanks for your call, Mark.
Aron: All right, our next caller is Cindy calling in from California. Welcome to the show, Cindy.
Cindy: Thank you. Good evening, Pastor Ross and Pastor Crews. Thank you for taking my call tonight. I was wondering, could you explain God hardening Pharaoh's heart between each plague before the exodus?
Jëan: Okay, good question. Before I answer this, Aron, maybe you can look up the verse where it says Pharaoh hardened his own heart as well. So the verse speaks about God hardening Pharaoh's heart, but then there's also a verse that talks about Pharaoh hardening his heart. So there's a part that God played in the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, and that was bringing the plagues upon Egypt. How Pharaoh responded to the plagues was his own personal choice. So in one sense God hardened Pharaoh's heart by bringing him to a point of testing, and how he responded to the testing, well, that was up to Pharaoh. Somebody's once explained it this way. They think of the sun and the sun shines with the same heat, and if you have wax and you have clay the sun--the heat of the sun will harden the clay but it will melt the wax. It's the same sun. And so likewise, as the plagues fell upon Egypt there was those whose hearts was melted. They recognized that they were sinners. But there were those who hardened their heart like Pharaoh and most of the Egyptians. However, there were some Egyptians that actually came up out of Egypt with the Israelites. So there were some that their hearts were humbled through that experience.
Aron: Yeah, the sun can shine upon wax and it melts, and the sun shines upon clay and it hardens. Right? In Exodus 8, verse 15, this is the first time it references Pharaoh's heart being hardened and it says that when Pharaoh saw that there was relief he, that is Pharaoh, hardened his heart and did not heed them as the Lord had said. Before it ever says that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, it actually says multiple times that Pharaoh hardened his own heart; Right?
Jëan: In response to those plagues. You know, sometimes in the Bible you--God is recognized as the one doing something even though He might bring a person to a point of decision. The ultimate decision is up to the person, but God will bring them to that situation, and that's what is happening here with Pharaoh.
Aron: Yeah, that's right. Great question, Cindy. Thanks for calling. Our next caller is Howard calling in from Oklahoma. Welcome, Howard, to the show.
Howard: Thank you. I was pondering Revelation 12, verse 7 where it says there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought the dragon and the dragon fought. Was that like a little war where angels are killing each other and everything or is that more of a war on words and ideals or whatever? Kind of like the Republicans and Democrats are battling it out to--you know, can you shed a light on that because—
Jëan: Sure. Absolutely
Howard: I see later on in Job, you know, after this--after you just get out of heaven Satan just pops in there like, Hey, fellas, you know, I just come from earth," you know, whatever.
Jëan: Yeah. All right. Well, first of all, there's definitely a battle of ideas and the devil's making accusations against God. For one, he's saying that God isn't really fair. We don't need His law. Maybe even said that God is not a God of love because He expects us to be obedient to His commandments. So there was a clash of ideas, a clash of thoughts. There was open discussion without a doubt because a third of the angels joined Satan in his rebellion. So there was a lot of talking taking place. But at some point when this rebellion really broke out, speaking of Lucifer in the Old Testament it says that he wanted to take God's throne. So that was his final goal. He wanted to be like the most high, and I think at some point the devil and his angels were driven outside of heaven. I don't think they left willingly. They were actually pushed out. I don't think any of the angels lost their lives. We don't know what type of battle was involved. I'm sure they didn't use weapons of some kind, but they were physically removed from heaven and then they kind of went through the universe looking for another place that they could call home. And right around that same time the earth is being created and the devil says, "Here's my chance. Let me try and tempt Adam and Eve." So that is the battle that you read about in Revelation chapter 12.
Aron: Yeah, and how we can know that it's really more so a battle like you were kind of mentioning over sort of like the Republicans and the Democrats and idea over--a battle over ideas and how to run the universe is the name-- the titles given to the dragon. It says in Revelation 12 that--in verse 9 that the great dragon is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. Right? And so here the word devil actually means one who slanders. Right? So in the very name of Satan devil is slander. That's gossip. Right? And then it echoes back to the serpent of old. That's Genesis 3, and in Genesis 3 we don't see Satan, you know, suffocating wrapping his tail around Eve but rather he's selling her on a new version of God. "God is lying to you. You can't trust Him." Right? So he's attacking the very character of God and making us believe that we shouldn't obey His commands.
Jëan: Clash of ideas. Although, you know, there was--the Bible says he was cast to the earth. So there was something involved there. You know, we do have a study guide. It's called "Did God Create a Devil?" And we're happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. You might be wondering, if God is a God of love, why did He allow the devil to be in existence? Well, call and ask. The number is 800-835-6747. Ask for the study guide. It's called "Did God Create a Devil?" And we'll be happy to send it to you here in the US or in Canada. If you're outside of North America, just go to our website. Just AmazingFacts.org. Who do we have next?
Aron: All right, next we have Robert calling in from California. Hi there, Robert. How are you doing?
Robert: Oh, great. How are you? Thank you.
Aron: Great.
Robert: My question is about the 144,000 in Revelation. I just want kind of clarification. At the very, very, very end, they are basically the purists of the pure that have survived everything and-- as I understand it. At the very end when Jesus comes, will there be people saved or alive other than the 144,000 that will go to heaven?
Jëan: Okay, good question. Well, let me just give for those who are listening, a little bit of background of the 144,000. You read this in Revelation chapter 7, and leading up to that the last verse of Revelation chapter 6 describes the Second Coming of Christ and it ends with the question. It says, "The great day of His wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?" So the question is asked, who's going to be able to stand when Jesus comes? And then Revelation chapter 7 describes a group of people who have the seal of God in their foreheads, and we understand that the seal of God has to do with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is a reflection of His character in particular manifest in obedience to His commandments because Revelation 12:17 says here are those who keep the commandments of God, and they have the testimony of Jesus. So obedience in the last days motivated by love becomes a critical part of the seal. So at the end of time you only have two groups of people: those are the mark of the beast, and those with the seal of God.
Now, the 144,000, they serve as God's end-time apostles, you might say. You have 12 apostles that helped launch the early Christian church. Here you have 12 times 12 times 1,000: 144,000 representing a large group of people who are taking the three angels' messages to the world, and as a result of their preaching and sharing the everlasting gospel there are more than 144,000 literal people that are sealed and standing when Jesus comes the second time. Revelation goes on. Revelation 7 talks about a great multitude from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people that is standing when Jesus comes that are resurrected--many of which are resurrected, but those are the seal of God they're alive. So we can get too worried about the number 144,000. You know, the tendency is for people to start counting, and they do the math and they think, "Wow, if only 144,000 people are going to be alive and translated to heaven when Jesus comes, what are my odds?" But we got to recognize Revelation is a symbolic book, and if you read on in the chapter 12,000 from each of the tribes there is spiritual significance even to the numbers that we find in the Book of Revelation. We need not worry whether or not there's going to be enough room for us. If we receive Jesus and surrender to him, we can have the promise of being sealed and being amongst those who are ready for Jesus when He comes.
Aron: Amen.
Jëan: All right, thank you. Next caller.
Aron: All right, our next caller is Ginger calling in from Texas. And Ginger, she is a first-time caller. So hey. Welcome, Ginger, to the program.
Ginger: Well, thank you very much, and good evening, pastors. I--my question is, I have a--I believe it's the second commandment. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Well, I do love my neighbors, and I am a recent widow and been blessed by my husband and the Lord. And these temporary neighbors who are renting from my neighbor are not so nice. They help themselves to my property and to whatever they want, and I pray for them every night and I'd like to know how I cannot fear and not be angry with them. And even as I said, I pray every night for them. So please help me.
Jëan: Yeah, absolutely, Ginger. Well, you know, being a Christian is not always easy. And, of course, we meet difficult people and we've got to pray for grace, how to work with them. First of all, you know, you can pray for them, you can be the best example. If they taking advantage of you, there's nothing wrong in you explaining to them that this is not allowed to happen. And, you know, if you have to ask them to move or have them moved if they're renting from you, whatever the case might be, you can do so. You don't have to live in fear. But despite that, you need to still pray for them, which you do, and you need to love them. The Bible says that we can go to Jesus with all of our cares. We can cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. So there is a balance of the one we don't want to be taken advantage of, and there are laws in our land to help protect us and there's nothing wrong in seeking for help in order for--if there are laws to protect you. But at the same time, individually we don't want anger to eat us up because the one who really is harmed with anger is the one who is angry at the other, kind of eats us up from the inside. So that's where we pray and say, "Lord, give us a forgiving spirit." And let the spirit of Jesus guide you. And then just make wise choices. Maybe speak with a godly friend and say, "You know, what do you think would be the right thing for me to do in this situation?"
Aron: Yeah, the verse that you were quoting earlier about casting all our cares upon Jesus is 1 Peter 5, verse 7, if you want to mark that in your Bible and keep going back to it. And also I'd recommend reading Matthew chapter 5 and 6 where Jesus has some words to say about what we should do to our enemies. Right? To pray for them. And He also talks about if we're fearful or anxious and what we should do. Right? And ultimately we are to put first the kingdom of heaven, cast all our cares upon him, and he'll continue to provide for us.
Jëan: All right. Thank you for your call, Ginger. Who do we have next?
Aron: All right. Next we have Dana calling in from Nevada. Hello. Welcome to the program.
Dana: Yes. Thank you for taking my question, which is when Jesus died on the cross He was resurrected. What happened to His mind? He was half human, half holy or divine unlike us who when we die we don't go to heaven. Our mind--where did His mind go?
Jëan: Okay, yeah, what happened to Jesus when He died? Well, first of all, He wasn't half human and half divine. I mean, I understand what you're saying. He was 100% human and he was 100% divine. However, Christ did not use his divinity when He was on the earth. He relied upon His Father just like we need to rely upon our Father. That's why when the disciples asked Him and said, you know, "When are you coming back?" Jesus said, "The only one who knows is my Father in heaven." Well, Jesus knows now obviously, but that hadn't been revealed to him by the Father. And as Jesus grew as a child He learned, He learned the very things that He had instructed Moses to write. He grew in knowledge and wisdom, and so He laid aside His divinity. When Jesus came to the earth He was divine, but He laid it aside. He didn't use His divinity for himself. It was a blessing for others. So when Christ died on the cross and He was placed in the tomb He was not conscious. He was not aware of what was happening. That divinity had been laid aside. And when He was resurrected and He came to life, then He was conscious of what was happening around Him. So Jesus was not away from His body when He was in the tomb and He was witnessing things and still conscious of what was happening. He was dead, and the reason we know that is because the Bible says the wages of sin is death. And Jesus paid the penalty for our transgression. It was real death that Christ experienced. So there is a mystery. We don't understand how Christ could be 100% divine, 100% man. There is an act of faith in just accepting what the Bible says. Some of these things will probably be further explained when we get to heaven, but from the Bible it's pretty clear that when Jesus died He was dead and He rose again early Sunday morning.
Aron: Yeah, one thing I want to add is in John chapter 20 and verse 17 after Jesus has resurrected Mary is there. Right? And Mary is just so excited to see Jesus that she clings to him. She grabs hold of him, and Jesus responds to her and he says, "Do not cling to Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father." Right? So here Jesus is making clear that, "Hey, while He was in the tomb, He was not whisked away to heaven." Right? Or in hell. He was in the tomb.
Jëan: Okay. Thank you. Good question.
Aron: All right. Our next caller is Giselle calling in from Massachusetts. Welcome, Giselle. What's your Bible question for us?
Giselle: Hi. Yes. My question is in Psalm 119, verse 2. It said, "Blessed are those who keep His testimonies." But I don't know what that means, to keep His testimonies.
Jëan: Okay, good question. Now, when you look at the Bible, it's the Old Testament and then also the new, but beginning with the Old Testament the Old Testament is really divided up into two parts, especially for the Hebrew mind, for the Jew. The first part is what they refer to as the law, and the law was the first five books written by Moses. And then there was what they called the prophets also referred to as the Testimonies, and that was the writings in the rest of the Old Testament. So you have the law and the prophets. That's what the Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses every truth is to be established, to the law or to the testament. If they speak not according to this, there is no light in them, the Bible says. So the testimonies refers to the writings of the prophets. Now, the New Testament is really an extension of the prophets. So you still have those two divisions. You have the law, the first five books written by Moses. You have the Old Testament writings of the prophets, and really the New Testament is an extension of the writings of the prophets. So we still have those two witnesses or those two testimonies. So when David says blessed are those who keep His testimonies, it's not only His law but it's also those who hearken unto the prophets. The Bible says, "Hear His prophets, believe them and you shall prosper." So the testimonies in a broader sense are what God has given His people as revealed through the writings of the prophets.
Aron: That's right. Yeah. Thank you so much, Giselle, for the question.
Jëan: You know, just one more thing just to add to that, you know, we find the same thing for God's remnant people in the last days. Revelation 12:17 talks about those who keep the commandments of God, that's the law, and they have the testimony of Jesus, that is the spirit of prophecy according to Revelation 19:10. So they also obedient not only to the Ten Commandments, to the law, but also to the rest of Scripture; that which has been revealed through the prophets, through the spirit of prophecy.
Aron: Good point, good point. All right. On to our next question, we have Mo who is a first-time caller calling in from our very own California. Welcome, Mo, to the program.
Mo: Hello. Thanks for taking my call. My question is, why are the most churches nowadays still breaking God's rules, regulations, and commandments of collecting tithing? Because my understanding is that tithing was--the only one permitted to collect tithing was the high priest out of the tribe of Levi, and the only people that were supposed to pay the tithing was the 11 tribes of Israel to the 1 tribe of Levi, you know, and that high priest that was the only one allowed to collect it had to go through a ritual ceremony and had to be between the ages of, I think, 24 and 55 and had to come out of the bloodline of Aaron.
Jëan: Yeah, let me jump in, Mo, while we're going to run out of time. Good question, though. Why do Christian churches encourage folks to give tithe? Well, if you look at the New Testament example, tithe is actually really the beginning of the giving. The Bible speaks of the church of Acts where it says people saw land and houses and they freely gave to the work of the proclamation of the gospel. But in New Testament times, if the church is going to fulfill its mission of taking the gospel to the world it needs to have support from the members. And the tithe principle that we find in the Old Testament is really just the starting point. In addition to tithes, we also find offerings. Now, it is true we don't have a temple and we don't have a high priest as the Jews did, but we do have a heavenly temple and our high priest is Jesus. And even though we can't ascend up to heaven and place it in His hand, when we give it to the furtherance of His work we are giving it to Christ. And so yes, we still return our tithes to the high priest Jesus, but we do so by supporting the work of the proclamation of the gospel. So we are in harmony with what happened in the Old Testament with a spiritual application, which is a little bit different. You know, we do have a study guide that talks about this and has a lot more Scriptures. It's called "In God We Trust." We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. Again, that number is 800-835-6747. Again, just ask for that study guide. It's called "In God We Trust." We'll send it to you if you're in the US or in Canada. If you're outside of North America, just visit our website.
Now, friends, you hear the music in the background. We're going to say goodbye to those listening on satellite, but for the rest of you stand by. We're going to come back with some email Bible questions.
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Aron: All right. Welcome back. We have 2 minutes here to wrap up with some email questions. Thank you all those who have been emailing in questions. You can email questions into BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. So some of the questions we have for today is Violet. She emailed in and asked, "In reading the Old Testament, I noticed that Israel is involved in many wars. We preach that God is love, so I do not understand why these wars were happening. Can you please explain?"
Jëan: Okay, good question. Yes, the Bible does contain war, but in addition to war it does also contain acts of judgment. For example, the ten plagues that came upon Egypt. You have the army of the Egyptians destroyed in the Red Sea. You've got the flood that destroyed the wicked. You've got fire that came down on Sodom and Gomorrah. So there are times where God will act as judge. In order to preserve truth, He might bring judgment upon some wicked nation or city. That is God doing the work, and in the case of Israel going to war they were obeying a commandment given specifically by God and God was very specific on which nation they were to attack and what they were to do. So it was an act of judgment. However, individually the Bible tells us that we need to trust ourselves to God. Jesus said if somebody strikes you on the one cheek what do you do? You turn the other. The Bible says, "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord." We are to love our enemies. So on a personal application, absolutely we need to trust ourselves to God and love and pray for those that persecute us.
Aron: All right, next question, we have Zach who asks, "Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Christ in paradise. Was the thief part of the first fruits when Christ resurrected?"
Jëan: Okay. Well, good question. Well, first of all, where the thief says to Christ, you know, "Lord, remember me," it's important to note the thief said, "Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom." So the thief was an expected to receive a reward that day. Jesus gave him the assurance that day, "You will be with me in paradise. Verily I say unto you, you shall be with me." So the promise was that he would be remembered when Jesus came the second time. That's when the thief was to receive his reward. Now, was he part of the special resurrection? Probably not because he was asking that Christ would remember him when he comes in His kingdom. However, the Bible doesn't tell us who were the ones part of that special resurrection that occurred at the time of Christ's resurrection. They were taken to heaven, and I guess we'll have to wait until we get to heaven to find out who exactly they were.
Aron: That's right.
Jëan: Well, you know, friends, I'm looking at the clock, Pastor Aron. I don't think we have time for another question. Again, we want to thank you so much for emailing your questions to us here at Amazing Facts. We look forward to studying further again next week. Tell your friends and visit the website AmazingFacts.com. Till then, God bless.
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