Lost Again

Doug Batchelor: Hello, listening friends. Would you like to hear an Amazing Fact? On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, heading to Beijing, China, with 227 passengers and 12 crew aboard. About 38 minutes after takeoff, while over the South China Sea, the Boeing 777 aircraft dropped from air traffic control radar. The Malaysian military picked up the aircraft 17 minutes later, observing that it had attempted a nearly complete U-turn but there was no response from the cockpit. After flying back over Malaysia, the jet mysteriously turned and eventually disappeared from radar as it headed south into the most remote section of the Indian Ocean. The disappearance of Flight 370 triggered a massive multi-international search by air and sea in Asia and the southern Indian Ocean that's estimated to have covered some 46,000 square miles.

The search that began in 2014 was finally concluded on June 9, 2018, costing an estimated $160 million, making it the longest and most expensive search in history. In 2015, a few pieces of debris believed to be from the plane washed up on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, confirming it had crashed into the sea. Still, the plane's location, black box, or none of the passengers were ever found, nor did they ever discover the reason for the disaster. You know, that just--that's heart-wrenching when you think all those people's lives that were shattered and no answers. And there was actually years before--a year and a half before they found any debris and they, you know, there are all kinds of conspiracies and--had it been hijacked or was it a blackmailing plot, and, as I just said, it was heart-wrenching for the families involved. But you look at all of the time and the money that was spent searching for the lost.

Jëan Ross: You know, it's important for them, whenever these disasters occur, especially in aviation, they want to find out the cause of what caused the accident so that they can learn from that. They can modify things, sometimes they have to change things related to the plane. In this case, was all of that money and time, they come up with maybe theories but they don't have any concrete evidence to support an idea, and so they haven't learned from that experience. And to think about it, the amount of money and the amount of time--well, you remember, I remember it well, when the plane went missing and everyone was pretty confident at first with the modern technology and with the satellites and being able to trace things, they--everyone thought they'd find the plane, but it just kept going on and on.

Doug: And the black box, it's, you know, developed--it is extremely--it's indestructible, virtually, and it emits a locating beacon and--but it was such a remote place and they think so deep they never found it. But it makes me think about, you know, all that time and energy spent to save the lost, but it wasn't really the most expensive search because the Bible tells us about the most expensive search. The most expensive search cost the most expensive thing and that would be the life of the Creator. Nothing's more valuable than that. And if you say you've got a mountain of diamonds, what's worth more, a mountain of diamonds or the one who can make a mountain of diamonds? So, the Lord sent His Son into the world to seek and to save the lost. By the way, that's Luke 19, verse 9 and 10. Jesus said, and this is in the story of Zacchaeus: "TODAY SALVATION HAS COME TO HIS HOUSE, BECAUSE HE IS ALSO A SON OF ABRAHAM; FOR THE SON OF MAN HAS COME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST." And then in chapter 15 of Luke, Jesus said in verse 4: "WHAT MAN OF YOU, HAVING A HUNDRED SHEEP, IF HE LOSES ONE OF THEM, DOES NOT LEAVE THE NINETY-NINE IN THE WILDERNESS, AND GO AFTER THE ONE THAT IS LOST UNTIL HE FINDS IT? AND WHEN HE FINDS IT, HE LAYS IT ON HIS SHOULDERS, REJOICING." And this is how desperately the Lord yearns to redeem His lost children.

Jëan: Think about the amazing thing about the plan of redemption, it cost so much and yet so many people spur this great gift, even though it's at infinite cost and, of course, we have to respond, the price has been paid but by faith we need to receive that gift of salvation. We have a book that's called, "THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN." What do we do to benefit from this great seek and save, this mercy mission from heaven? We'll be happy to send this to anyone. Just call and ask, "THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN." That's our free gift today. Call: 800-835-6747. Ask for Offer number 102, and we'll be happy to send it to you anywhere here in North America. If you're outside of the US, we want to encourage you to go to our website, just AmazingFacts.org, and you'll be able to read the book right there online. Well, we have many folks lined up with their calls, Pastor Doug, but let's start with prayer and then we'll go to the phone lines.

Doug: Yes.

Jëan: Dear Father, we thank You once again that we have this opportunity to study Your Word together and, Lord, we ask Your blessing upon this program. Guide us into a clear and full understanding of the Bible as we study together, in Jesus's name, amen.

Doug: Amen.

Jëan: Well, we're going to go first to Debbie in Canada. Debbie, welcome to the program. You're on the air.

Debbie: Hi, Pastors, how are you?

Doug: Doing great. How are you?

Debbie: I'm very well, thank you. I have a question and it's about when Moses was told that he was not allowed to cross over to the Promised Land. Now, in Deuteronomy 3:26 and 4:21 it says the Lord was angry with him, but we have a debate going on, on the YouTube, and there's three of us that think three different things and was wondering if you could tell us which--well, not so much which one is right but why he wasn't allowed to cross over?

Doug: I hope you'll all still be friends after I share my answer and I could be totally—

Debbie: [laughing] Oh, we will be.

Doug: All right, so you're talking about when it says: "THE LORD WAS ANGRY WITH ME ON YOUR ACCOUNT, AND WOULD NOT LISTEN TO ME. SO THE LORD SAID, 'ENOUGH OF THAT! SPEAK TO ME NO MORE OF THIS MATTER.'" So he was pleading that he could physically lead the people into the Promised Land. And so are you wondering why was the Lord angry?

Debbie: Yes, what was He--like, we--one of us are saying it's because he killed the Egyptian soldier. One of us are saying because he broke the first set of Commandments, and the third one is saying because He told him to speak to the rock and, instead, Moses struck the rock.

Doug: Yeah, and that's a correct answer is in Numbers 20, verse 12, it says: "THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES AND AARON, SAID, 'BECAUSE YOU DID NOT BELIEVE ME, AND HALLOW ME IN THE EYES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, THEREFORE YOU SHALL NOT BRING THIS ASSEMBLY INTO THE LAND THAT I'VE GIVEN THEM.'" God had told Moses to--they were pleading for water again. He told Moses to go and to speak to the rock, but Moses got angry and he struck the rock twice and said, "Shall we bring you rebels water from the rock?" And he basically made it sound like he and Aaron were doing it. Took the glory for himself and he lost his temper. And, you know, God said, "It's not you that's been leading them all this time; it's Me." And He says, "Because you didn't sanctify Me." Now, to mitigate that, keep in mind why God said you couldn't physically bring them into the Promised Land. The Lord let Moses see the Promised Land from the top of Mount Nebo. He could look over and God enhanced his vision where he saw it all. And then God resurrected Moses and you read that in Jude verse 9, so that he could witness their being led over. So he saw it from heaven, with the Lord at his side. So, it was a tough sentence but Moses also represents Jesus. And when it says He was angry with me for your sake, that's what it says regarding Christ. Says that the Lord basically took the anger that belongs to us and put it on Jesus. So Moses is a type of Christ in this story as well.

Jëan: And of course, Moses did eventually stand in the Promised Land at the time when he--

Doug: Mount of Transfiguration.

Jëan: Yeah, Mount of Transfiguration, they were there. So he did ultimately walk in that land. All right, thank you, Debbie. We've got Camora listening in Georgia. Camora, welcome to the program.

Camora: Hey, I have a question. I'm young and I'm considering college after high school and my mom and a church sister and another church sister is working on trying to get me to college. Like, how do I know, like, which college to go to?

Doug: All right, so, well, when you're trying to make decisions and you've got several potentially good choices and you want to know what is God's will for me, then there are several criteria. The Bible tells us, and by the way, I've got a little book. We'll send you a free copy if you'd like, and it's called "How to Know," or "How to Determine the Will of God." And it's designed especially for this kind of question. But--and I won't give you all--everything in the book, but it's basically get good Christian counsel, look for providential openings, find which of the options lines up best with the Word of God, pray that God's Spirit will give you peace, and then also it says in Psalms 37 that as you surrender to the Lord, He gives you the desires of your heart. So, He may place a, you know, special burning desire on your heart for a specialty, and one college does more in that specialty than another. That would be another sign. So there's about a dozen ideas in the book about how do I determine the will of God and they're all Bible based. Then you could send for a free copy of that and we'll be praying for you, that God tells you what to do, Camora.

Jëan: The book is called, "Determining the Will of God," and for anyone wanting to get the book, you can-- well, two ways to get it. One, you can call 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the book, or there is a second way. Just dial #250 on your smartphone and say, "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for the book. It's called, "Determining the Will of God," and we'll be able to send that to anyone who calls and asks for it. Next caller that we have is Ron, listening all the way over in Switzerland. Ron, welcome to the program.

Ron: Hi, good morning.

Doug: Hi, how are you doing?

Ron: A lot of my evangelical friends point out to me numerous Old Testament Bible texts that seem to support the notion of Jews as a race remaining favored under God's protection forever. And I always thought that these Old Testament prophecies were conditional and would be annulled if conditions attached to them were not met, in other words, repentance, turning from sin to Messiah as prophesied in Daniel 9, but I haven't seen that happening. So, most Jews that I know aren't even Jewish. They're atheists. So my question is "HOW SHOULD ONE READ OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES CONCERNING ISRAEL? AND ARE THERE ANY SCRIPTURES THAT MENTION THE MODERN STATE OF ISRAEL?"

Doug: It's a complex answer. First of all, the main purpose of Israel was to introduce the Messiah to the world, which they did. They were the guardians of the Scriptures. Paul says in Romans that the oracles were committed to the Jews. And Jesus told the woman at the well, "Salvation is of the Jews," meaning that, you know, the Messiah came through the Jews, but then with the death of Christ and the stoning of Stephen, it came to the place where the Lord opened the door to the Gentiles. Paul said, you know, "It's--it was necessary that we preached to the Jews first but seeing you rejected, lo, we turned to the Gentiles." So as they went from place to place, as the Jews might reject--some accepted, like in Berea, but if they rejected, then they just went to the Gentiles. And then Paul makes it clear, he says, you know, "Now, Gentiles can be grafted into the stock and promises of Israel." That's Romans chapter 9, 10, 11. But it says in Romans 11: "Has God cast off Israel? God forbid."

God still has, I think, a special eye on the Jewish people. That doesn't mean anyone is saved by virtue of their DNA or their heritage. It's those that are of faith. Paul says, "He that is Christ's, he is Abraham's seed." And it's not everyone that says, you know, they're a Jew. Jesus said, "They'll come from the East and the West and they'll sit down in the kingdom with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and some of the natural children will be in outer darkness." So it--we're only saved by faith, Jew or Gentile.

But are there any modern prophecies about Israel? Well, you know, there--some have wondered when it says there in Daniel and I'm just saying what some have thought, Daniel 11, where it says that the king in the North is going to come against the holy country, the glorious country. They wonder, "Well, is that an illusion to Israel or is it talking about the church?" And then you have in Luke 21 where it says Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles unless the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled. And many have thought, "Well, when they were reestablished as a nation in 1948, that was certainly pretty remarkable. It may be, in the same way, God chastised America to get-- to turn us back to him with 9/11." You know, even Billy Graham said, "Maybe God's trying to get our attention." It may be this recent attack, and the Lord loves His people and sometimes He allows trials that we'll turn to Him. So, that may have sounded like a convoluted answer. We have a book on this called, "Spiritual Israel," and there's also that great book, "The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem."

Jëan: That's right. Well, let me tell you about that free offer. It's called, "Spiritual Israel," and again, this is for anyone who'd like to learn more about what does the Bible say about Israel, especially in our time. To receive that, just call 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book. It's called, "Spiritual Israel." You can also dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," ask for "Spiritual Israel," and we'll be able to get that to you. Thanks, Ron. Next caller that we have is Anna listening in Oregon. Anna, welcome to the program.

Anna: Evening, Pastors.

Doug: Evening.

Anna: My question is from Ezekiel 34, verses 23 and 24, and I was wondering if Ezekiel was talking about Jesus when he says that David, "My servant David, he shall feed them and be their shepherd"?

Doug: Yeah, I think this--let me read it for everybody here and this is in Ezekiel chapter 34, verse 23: "I WILL ESTABLISH ONE SHEPHERD OVER THEM, AND HE WILL FEED THEM-- MY SERVANT DAVID. HE WILL FEED THEM AND BE THEIR SHEPHERD. AND I, THE LORD, WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND MY SERVANT DAVID A PRINCE AMONG THEM; I, THE LORD, HAVE SPOKEN." This is what you would call a dual prophecy. I do believe that David will be in the new heaven and the new earth where it says, "The meek will inherit the earth." And God's--you know, David, he always looked at the people of Israel as his sheep. When a terrible plague came, he said, "Lord, what have these sheep done? Take this out on me and my father's house." So I think David will have a position of leadership in the earth made new, but more than that, I think it's talking about Jesus, the Son of David, who is the Good Shepherd. And Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd," and He is the Son of David, so in a bigger sense I think it's talking about Christ.

Jëan: And probably, again, the book that we mentioned just previously called "Spiritual Israel" would probably talk on this as well. So, again, to receive that it's 800-835-6747. Or just dial #250, say "Bible Answers Live," ask for the book. It's called, "Spiritual Israel." We've got Glenn listening in Ohio. Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Glenn: Good evening and thank you for taking my call.

Doug: Yes, sir.

Glenn: You know, Paul in his book of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 was pretty specific when he said: "THE DEAD IN CHRIST RISE, AND THEN WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN." So there's 4000 years of people that are-- that existed before the Jesus era. My question is what resurrection will they be in?

Doug: Yeah, the--you can read in Revelation chapter 20, speaking of the general resurrection, and it describes there are two resurrections. Now when I first read this, I thought, "What? I thought everyone just got raised at the end for judgment." But Jesus says, and I'm quoting two different verses. Jesus says in the Gospel of John the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth. "They that have done good, the resurrection of life." Then He says, "And they that have done evil, the resurrection of damnation." Two different resurrections. And you read in Revelation chapter 20 and this is talking about, you know, the Millennium, and it says that, ah, let me see, I want verse 5. "THE REST OF THE DEAD LIVE NOT AGAIN UNTIL THE THOUSAND YEARS ARE FINISHED." Well, who are the rest of the dead? Well, it says the dead in Christ rise when Jesus comes. So all believers from the time of Abel and Adam, all the way to the Second Coming, with, you know, a few exceptions like Enoch and Elijah and Moses, they sleep until the Second Coming when the Lord descends from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. And they rise. The wicked do not come out of their graves. It says the rest of the dead, they come out after the thousand years. And then He goes on and says, "BLESSED AND HOLY IS HE THAT HAS PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION." Well, where you've got a first resurrection, you must have a second. First resurrection is the righteous, second resurrection is the lost. We have a study guide.

Jëan: We have a study guide talk about it. Important subject. So it's called the "Ultimate Deliverance," talking about the Second Coming of Christ and it talks about that resurrection of the righteous at the Second Coming and then the resurrection of the wicked at the Third Coming at the end of the 1000 years. So actually, two study guides. The one's called "The Ultimate Deliverance," talking about the Second Coming. Then we have another one called "1000 Years of Peace," talks about the Millennium and then what happens at the end of that. The number to call is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. Ask for that study guide, "The Ultimate Deliverance," and also "1000 Years of Peace." Or dial #250, say "Bible Answers Live," and just ask for those resources. Next caller that we have is Steve listening in Oregon. Steve, you're on the air.

Steve: Yes, I've recently received one of your DVD programs expounding on the millions and billions of stars and galaxies in our universe. And also stating in the kingdom to come we will be able to visit other worlds. If I understand this correctly, could it be possible if what we might be witnessing today of UFOs that are from other worlds that did not flunk the test of sin that Adam and Eve failed?

Doug: First, I'd say do we believe there's intelligent life in other worlds, unfallen worlds? I think absolutely. And you can read in the book of Hebrews chapter 1, the 2nd verse of the book of Hebrews, it says: "GOD HAS IN THESE LAST DAYS SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON, WHOM HE HAS APPOINTED HEIR OF ALL THINGS, THROUGH WHOM ALSO HE MADE THE WORLDS." And it's plural there. And then you read in Revelation about all the creatures on Earth and all the creatures above are praising God. Book of Job talks about this heavenly meeting that is not on Earth, where Satan also comes among them and he says, "I've come from the Earth." So is there intelligent life outside of planet Earth? Absolutely, the cosmos is virtually infinite and God is infinite, so I think it's silly to say we are the first time God thought to create anything, you know, 6000 years ago. But the unfallen worlds, I think our planet is quarantined because of sin. The only interaction we have is with the hospital staff, that'd be God and the angels. So I don't think, you know, if there's UFOs and people are seeing things, it could be optical illusions or it could be demonic. I mean, Satan can--he's an angel of light. Sometimes, Satan can create illusions and delusions. So, I hope that helps a little bit, but what do you think, Pastor Ross?

Jëan: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I'm looking, Pastor Doug, do we have a book talking about UFOs? We might have to get one because we do get a lot of questions on that, yeah. 'Course, the Bible does say--

Doug: You know, I have a sermon--I'm sorry, go ahead.

Jëan: I was just going to mention the Bible does say that the devil can transform himself into an angel of light, so wouldn't be very hard for him to, you know, use these UFOs, and if you look at, at least the popular idea of what a UFO is or an alien, it always presents them as very strange and, you know--

Doug: They're skinny with big heads.

Jëan: Yeah, I mean, they're not exactly angelic beings, so.

Doug: You know, I have a sermon online if you just YouTube "Doug Batchelor. Is there life in other worlds?" And it's a few years ago. It's not looking much better then but it's actually, I think, a good message, taking what the Bible says about that.

Jëan: All right, great, thank you. Junith in Nevada. Junith, welcome to the program.

Junith: Hello, a blessed evening to you both, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jëan. I have a question. I cannot find, I don't know if I missed the mark but I'm looking for the fruit. What is that fruit which is the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Is that an apple? Is it another kind of fruit? Thank you.

Doug: Yeah, thank you, Junith. You know, people often picture--they talk about Eve eating the apple, and I understand Apple computer, you know, it's a picture of an apple with one bite out of it--it's--

Jëan: It's always red, a red apple, for some reason.

Doug: So, you know, that's become sort of a logo for Eve eating the forbidden fruit, but nowhere in the Bible does it call it an apple. The old English word for any kind of fruit would be "apple." And even when the Bible talks about the apple of your eye, it means at the center. So it wasn't the typical McIntosh or Red Delicious or Fuji apple. No, no, it's not--it doesn't say what kind of fruit it was. For all we know, it looked like a cross between a pineapple and a pear and a banana. We don't know. It probably was beautiful. It says it was, you know, good to look at, very attractive. I think it looked much better than the average apple. Doesn't describe the color, though, doesn't describe the shape. It may have even tasted great at first, like all forbidden fruit, right? Taste good at first. But the effect of that was devastating to the human race. So, no, it's not a sin to eat apples. You know, that's why they say with a man and you got this lump in your throat, they call it the Adam's apple because he took the fruit that Eve gave him and I guess a piece got stuck there. That's the story, anyway.

Jëan: All right.

Doug: Thanks, Junith.

Jëan: Next caller that we have is Anastasia listening from Canada. Anastasia, welcome to the program.

Anastasia: Hi, hi, Pastor Doug, hi, Pastor Ross.

Doug: Hi, how are you?

Anastasia: I'm good. I hope you're doing well. My question was about the four creatures that John saw in the vision. Are they symbolic or are there actually, like, four creatures in heaven today in front of the throne with eyes all over them?

Doug: Yeah, well, I think--I think they're symbols, and Revelation plays on a lot of the symbols you find other places in the Bible. And it's in Ezekiel chapter 1, he describes these four living creatures that are almost identical to the creatures that you find there in Revelation. And there's been great debate and discussion on what these creatures represent, you know, they'd be kind of bizarre, as one's got, like, you know, a man's face and they got wings and eyes and--hooves and wheels within wheels and there's a lot of symbolism in there. And Pastor Ross, he and I maybe have a slightly different view on this but I think both may be applicable. Many of the church fathers believe that these four creatures are different attributes of Jesus, that you see in the Gospels where, you know, the lion is Jesus being presented in the book of Matthew as a King. It was written for the Jews. He's the Messiah. And in Mark, it was appealing to the Gentiles, the Greeks, and Jesus is portrayed the speed and the vision of the eagle. And Mark is a very quick Gospel, if you've read it. In Luke, you've got the physician. There you have Jesus, the man. And in John, you've got Jesus who is the sacrifice. And so, that's one way some people have viewed it. Hey, friends, you hear the music. We're taking a break. Just came up and hit us. We'll be back; don't go anywhere.

Announcer: Stay tuned. "Bible Answers Live" will return shortly.

Female: We were living in Phoenix at the time, a big metropolitan area, and you started watching the Millennium series and so then we would pick a topic for the weekend and we would do a Bible study together and so we just experienced that kind of revival and reformation. And so we were changing lifestyle habits and we got pregnant with Niko in 2011.

Male: And we were like, you know, we just can't get past that the principle is saying that we should come to Canada.

Female: About a month after we had been here, a little bump popped up on Niko's--right in here, his cheek. So I take him to the family doctor, and the family doctor was like, "Oh, it's probably just a--

Niko: A cyst.

Female: A cyst. So on December 21, he--we went in, thinking it would just be a day surgery. We had planned to leave by, like, noon and be on our way. The plastic surgeon came out after the surgery and told us that it was not a cyst. It became very clear once they went in there that it was a cancerous tumor and--

Male: With a very—

Female: --poor prognosis. It was very scary. So a lot of this year has been chemo treatments which will leave him not feeling well or his immune system gets wiped out. So then we have to do a lot of church at home, so Amazing Adventures, right? We watched a lot of that for home church and that's been really interesting and fun for him and his brother, and us as a family, to watch and we're so thankful for stuff like that to be so that we can still have a Sabbath experience even though we have to be home. So it's been good for our hearts to see him really connect with Pastor Doug.

Male: Pastor Doug's Amazing Adventures really resonate with him because he mixes the stories with the Bible and the Amazing Facts about history and Niko really likes history and so we've ran into some people who mentioned that Pastor Doug would be here to, well, to preach, and Niko got excited.

Niko: Like, immediately, I was, like, "Okay, yeah, I want to go."

Male: Depending on how his blood counts are, it affects if he gets chemo certain times, and so you never know in the future what days will line up with what, and it turned out that this week was going to be a 5-day chemo which we were bummed about because that means most likely he won't feel up to coming. So, you know, we'll just watch it from home. Easy enough to do.

Niko: I had chemo and I felt sick but I still wanted to come.

Male: He said he wanted to go, and so I'm a little concerned because you never know when, you know, how he'd feel, and he does throw up on occasion. So that night, he's like, "I want to sit up front and, you know, I think I'm feeling good enough."

Niko: I was real excited that I could actually see him. It just--it would be a good feeling, and something I wouldn't forget for the rest of my life, if I did.

All: We are the Corseys and thank you for changing our lives.

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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."

Doug: Listening friends, we are back for "Bible Answers Live." We're going to take some more questions in just a moment. This is a live international interactive Bible study that you're invited to call in with your questions. We usually budget about 3 minutes per question to cover as much as we can, as many questions, as quickly and yet being as thorough as we can.

Jëan: All right, excellent. Next caller that we have is Russell, and Russell is listening in California. Russell, you're on the air.

Russell: Yeah, my name is Russell and I have a question. It's: "WAS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TOWER OF BABEL AND BABYLON?"

Doug: Great question. Yes, the word "Babel" and Babylon, they're actually connected. I've understood that the term "Babylon" meant, like, gate of heaven, where the word "babel" is connected with the word "confusion" and that's where we get the modern word for baby and babbling, because a baby babbles. In many languages, baby is a bébé, but in any event, the site of the Tower of Babel is the same place where the ancient city of Babylon was built and there was a historian called Herodotus that said that King Nebuchadnezzar, when he was building his temple, they took some of the ancient stones from the original Tower of Babel and they used it as interior fill to build up the ziggurat that Nebuchadnezzar built. And so, they were in the same location and they're in Mesopotamia.

Jëan: And of course, the city of Babel or Babylon has some symbolic significance. You find it very early in the Old Testament and it represents a confusion of religion and opposition to the truth, and then you find Babylon appearing in the Old--well, in the New Testament, in a symbolic form, in Revelation chapter 17. So, Babylon represents the enemies of God and the confusion of religion, whereas Jerusalem would represent a worship of the true God. And the truth is found in the law--I mean, the Word of God. So, sometimes, the Old Testament has been referred to as the tale of two cities, Babylon and Jerusalem. Very interesting symbolism that we see there. Right, next caller that we have is Efrank, listening in New York. Efrank, welcome to the program.

Efrank: Yes, thank you Pastor Ross and Pastor Batchelor, for taking my call this evening. I want to ask a question that I can't really decipher from Scripture. It's something that I've been trying to figure out but I can't figure it out too well. It has to do with the Old Testament and Jesus: "IS THERE ANY SCRIPTURE OR PASSAGES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT THAT INDICATE THAT JESUS WAS GOING TO HAVE A MINISTRY WITH THE 12 DISCIPLES?" Is it predicted in the Old Testament as a fact that that was going to occur or is that the Old Testament and New Testament are different covenants that do not indicate what was going to happen in general?

Doug: Yeah, I appreciate that. You know, probably one of the places that you could look for a parallel in the Old Testament was the Bible tells us that Moses had 12 princes and they chose 12 representatives for the 12 tribes when he was leading them to the Promised Land. And he had 70 elders. Well, Jesus had 12 apostles and He had 70 disciples that He sent out, the Gospel of Luke tells us. I'm trying to think if there was any, you know, it talks about the teaching ministry of Jesus in the Old Testament but I don't know that it says, "And He would have 12 apostles." So there's no specific prophecy that said that, but we do see parallels. We do see King Solomon and David surrounded themselves with leadership in the number 12, or divisions of that number. And there were, like, you know, 12 cycles of priests or they're at 24, that's where you get the number 144,000 is 12 times 12,000. There were--many people count when you look at the Judges, if you include Samuel as one of the judges, there were 12 judges. So, you see that number is a number that represented God's people, and I think even Peter says, "I'm sending a letter to the 12 tribes," and he's using it there to talk to the church, but he calls them the 12 tribes.

Jëan: So the number 12 we find in the Bible represents God's people: Old Testament, 12 tribes; New Testament, 12 apostles. And of course, we find in Revelation chapter 12 that there is a woman representing the church and she has a crown of 12 stars so, again, 12 connected with God's people. All right, next caller that we have is Abby, listening in Utah. Abby, welcome to the program.

Abby: Hi, my name is Abby. My Bible question is: "WHY DO MOST PEOPLE CHOOSE SUNDAY AS THEIR HOLY DAY INSTEAD OF SATURDAY?"

Doug: Yeah, all right, thank you, good question. First of all, in the Bible the Jews did not use the names that we typically use today for, you know, we use names connected with Roman and Greek deities. Sunday, the sun was the principal god that was worshiped, even in the Egyptians. Monday's moon day, Wednesday was Odin's day, Thursday was Thor's day, Saturday was Saturn day. The Bible, they called it first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and the sixth was called preparation day, preparation for the Sabbath, seventh day was called the Sabbath day. But they used numbers. And so, God blessed the seventh day of the week, that's the day we normally call Saturday. Jesus rose on the first day of the week, there's no question that He rose on what we would call Sunday, but did He ever change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? Well, there's no verse in the Scripture anywhere where we are commanded to keep Sunday as a holy day. Some people have looked at a couple of verses in the New Testament that mention the first day of the week and they had gatherings but it also says they gathered every day in other places, so Sunday keeping really came from traditions that began to grow several hundred years after Jesus and the apostles and they're not based on any commandment in the Bible.

Jëan: We have a study guide. It's called "The Lost Day of History," and it talks about the Sabbath and Sunday and how the change occurred. We'll be happy to send that again to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747 or dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and ask for the study guide by name. It's called "The Lost Day of History." All right, we've got John listening in Ohio. John, welcome to the program.

John: Yes, good evening, Pastors.

Doug: Evening.

John: My question is: "ARE THE JEWS THAT WE SEE IN JERUSALEM NOW, ARE THEY THE ONES THAT CAME OUT OF THE EXODUS OR ARE THEY EUROPEANS WHO CONVERTED OVER TO JUDAISM AND MOVED BACK TO JERUSALEM AFTER IT WAS ABANDONED BY THE ROMANS?"

Doug: Yeah, well, what happened is the Romans scattered the Jews and God foretold this would happen. They called it the diaspora. The Jews really--that's where you get the idea of the wandering Jew. Ten of the tribes of Israel were carried off to Assyria long before Jesus was born. And sometimes, they refer to them as the ten lost tribes. Well, they weren't really lost. They largely intermarried with the Assyrians and, you know, they pretty much were absorbed, whereas the Jews and that comes from the tribe of Judah is where you get the word, they were scattered but they continued to live in enclaves. This is where we get the word "ghetto." In Italy, they made all the Jews live in a place called Ghetto and now we use that word to talk about, you know, all kinds of ethnic ghettos but it was really a Jewish enclave because they had to go before dark. They had to be back in their city. Terribly persecuted, but they did largely remain unique and intermarried with other Jews. They were very careful about that. There was some intermarriage with other races. You can tell from Jewish DNA today. But we know with some certainty because of DNA that the Jews and their--you know, they've got some influence and some blood from people they've lived among around the world, but they are the original Jews that were the Semitic people that lived in the land of Israel and, yes, many of them did end up in Russia, in Germany, in Europe and Italy, and everywhere you go in the world now you can find a synagogue just about.

Jëan: And if--I think we mentioned this last week, the largest concentration of Jews in the world today in not in Israel but actually in the United States. And then second would be Israel.

Doug: Hotspots in North America would be New York City, Florida, and in Los Angeles, and then Chicago. So, and then I think 40% are in Israel. The rest are scattered around the planet. But, yeah, they are the Jews of the Bible. Now, are the people living in Egypt now the same ones that built the pyramids? No, that's a completely different race. So, I just thought I'd share that since you're asking.

Jëan: And if you'd like to learn more about what the Bible says about this, we've got a book called "Spiritual Israel," and of course we'll send that to anyone who calls and asks: 800-835-6747. Ask for the book. It's called, "Spiritual Israel," or dial #250, say "Bible Answers Live," and then "Spiritual Israel." Rebecca in Michigan, Rebecca, you are on the air. Welcome.

Rebecca: Hello, how are you guys doing?

Doug: Good. Thank you for calling. What's your question tonight?

Rebecca: I have a question. I'm having physical and mental health problems, adversities and it brings along with spiritual problems. I need prayer and a couple Bible verses to get my mind off it.

Doug: All right, well, ooh, let's see if we can help you with that. We'll pray in just a moment but some Bible verses would be: Jesus said, "LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED." This is John chapter 14. "LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED," neither let it be afraid, "YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME. IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS. I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU." Don't let the troubles of this world frighten you because if you give your life to Christ, this world's temporary. God's offering you a world that lasts forever. The Bible says that God offers us a peace that passes understanding. I recommend you read the book of Philippians. I just finished reading Philippians or I'm almost done. And it's just a book of joy. And it--Paul just says he's bubbling over with joy and why Christians should have joy and peace that passes understanding. So you do that, Rebecca, and let me pray for you right now, and those listening can join as well. Father in heaven, we just want to lift a prayer right now in behalf of Rebecca and give her peace. I pray that You'll just chase away the clouds or any evil influence that might be tormenting her and giving her distress, and I pray Your Spirit will be released in her life and just help her to sense Your presence, Your angels about her, and peace in her heart. We ask in Jesus's name, amen.

Jëan: Amen. Pastor Doug, we have a book. It's called, "Peace in the Midst of the Storm," and we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks, 800-835-6747. "How to Have Peace in a World of Worry."

Doug: Yeah, that's what I was going to say.

Jëan: That's exactly what it is, yeah.

Doug: Yeah, I got the book on worry.

Jëan: We've got a picture of rain on the front, so I thought storm, but it's actually, yeah—

Doug: I think you're getting the sermon mixed up with the book, yeah.

Jëan: I think that's what it is.

Doug: I have a book and it's called, "How to Have Peace in a World of Worry." And that will bring you peace, Rebecca. I think it'll help. It's free if you ask for it.

Jëan: 800-835-6747, again, is the number and, of course, you can dial #250, ask for the book, "How to Have Peace in a World of Worry." We've got Sean listening in Michigan. Sean, welcome to the program.

Sean: Thank you so much for taking my call.

Doug: Yeah.

Sean: I have a question in regard to the timing of the 7th year of the King Artaxerxes. I've often heard it's 457 BC, but someone has sent me, like, an introduction to the book of Nehemiah and it was from, like, a certain analytical Bible dictionary, and it said that that was 458 BC, and I didn't know if there's any way to verify that from other historical sources, but I wanted to make sure it is 457 BC because I know that relates to the same prophecy in Daniel 8 and 9.

Doug: Yeah, well, first of all, when you're looking back 2500 years, if you're 6 months off, you're doing pretty good. So don't--I wouldn't stress over it. But I believe it's 457 in the history that I've read and Pastor Ross, you might have some other references at your fingertips but, you know, I've read a lot of books about this because that year's actually pivotal for pinpointing not only the Crucifixion of Jesus and the stoning of Stephen and the baptism of Jesus but you could even go backwards 30 years knowing that Christ would begin His ministry at 30 and get the birth of Jesus. And so, the only way it works is if it's 457 but that's not the reason we believe it happened. I think that it's documented in history. Now, there were three decrees that talked about restoring and building Jerusalem. The final one is the decree of Artaxerxes. You find it here, I'm looking at it now, in Ezra chapter 7, verse 12. And I'm sure you've seen that, Sean.

Jëan: And I think one of the things in addition to what Pastor Doug said, how we know it's 457, is if you do the math and you go back into New Testament times, we know, based upon the account given by Luke, we know when Jesus was baptized and you trace that back and that was 27 AD, and the only date that'll work if you follow the prophecy in Daniel 9, it has to begin in 457 BC in order for Christ to be baptized in 27 AD and then die in 31. So, all the pieces fit together.

Doug: Yeah, one more thought is the issuing of decrees in Bible times, they did not fax them. So the king might actually sign a decree and it becomes law when he signs them. Ezra may not get it for months because of the mail system from Persia to Israel. They had to come by caravan. I mean, so things did not happen overnight there. So, there's a lot of factors and also, when you begin and end a year biblically, is a little different, the way the Persians did from the Romans.

Jëan: All right, thank you. Next caller that we have is Jerry in Oregon. Jerry, welcome to the program.

Jerry: Good evening, Pastors.

Doug: Evening.

Jerry: My question pertains to the mark of the beast described in Revelation 14. Now, obviously, the context of this is at the end time before Jesus's return and before the Millennium. But it says: "THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE BEAST, THEY WILL BE TORMENTED WITH BURNING SULFUR IN THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY ANGELS AND OF THE LAMB. AND THE SMOKE OF THEIR TORMENT WILL RISE FOR EVER AND EVER. THERE WILL BE NO REST DAY OR NIGHT FOR THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE BEAST AND ITS IMAGE." Okay, that's before the Millennium. Then Revelation 20 talks about the resurrection of the unrighteous and it says: "AND THE DEVIL, WHO DECEIVED THEM, WAS THROWN INTO THE LAKE OF BURNING SULFUR, WHERE THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET HAD BEEN THROWN. AND THEY WILL BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOREVER AND EVER." And then it talks about the unjust going into the lake of fire. This is the second death. So my question is: "ARE THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE BEAST, ARE THEY--THEY'RE NOT--ARE THEY EXCLUDED FROM THE RESURRECTION OF THE UNJUST? DO THEY SUFFER A GREATER TORMENT THAN THE UNJUST IN REVELATION 20 WHO REALIZE THE SECOND DEATH IN THE LAKE OF FIRE?"

Doug: Right, you know, I think what'll solve this is when you understand that Revelation is not written in chronological order and what's happening from one chapter to the next in Revelation, they back up--they cover some of the same time period and it's the same event when it talks about in Revelation 14, "They have no rest day or night." It's talking about the punishment of the wicked. But then it uses different visions to say the same thing. There is only one time when the wicked are cast into the lake of fire, and that is the same time as the devil and the beast and the false prophet and all that follow the devil. Now, proof for that would be is if you look in Matthew 25 where Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats. He says that those that are lost, He says to the unbelievers and the goats, "Depart from Me, cursed, into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels." That's all at one time. So, following the Great White Throne Judgment, there is a decree when all of the wicked are cast into the lake of fire and they are punished according to what each one deserves and it says: "The smoke of their torment, it rises up for ever and ever," and that doesn't mean for ever and ever we're sitting there watching people burn. That'd be a terrible thought. It means it rises up out of sight as far as you can see. And that was a picture they would see often in ancient wars as smoke ascended up forever, meaning out of sight. And that means that there's no reprieve, no second option. It's called the second death and-- but it all happens at the same time.

Jëan: We have a study guide. It's called, "Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?" Talks about the destruction of the wicked and covers these Bible verses. The number to call is 800-835-6747, ask for the study guide that's called, "Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?" You can also dial #250, say "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for that study guide. Madeline is listening in Nevada. Madeline, welcome to the program.

Madeline: Hi. Okay, my question is I've been divorced four times. My first husband got remarried, my second husband got remarried, my third husband stayed with the woman that he was seeing while we were married, so they're girlfriend and boyfriend. And my fourth husband got remarried. I've been alone, single, for 25 years. I'm in my middle 60s. If I met somebody, would it be a sin for me to get married again?

Doug: Well, I don't know. And it's not because I don't know what the Bible says. You know, this is the kind of thing where you should probably talk to a pastor and unpack with him what some of the circumstances were. You know, for one thing, I--divorce is not the unpardonable sin but it usually involves sin as it usually involves selfishness or sin on one or both parties. You've got the woman that Jesus spoke to there, of Samaria, where she said, "I've had--" She had five husbands and she was living with someone she wasn't married to, and He reveals to her He's the Messiah. So, clearly, you know, there's hope in redemption. Now, whether she went home and married the guy she was living with, doesn't say in the Bible, but I'm hoping she kicked him out or married him, because, you know, God means for marriage to be a permanent institution. I'm sure that's what you were hoping for, each time that you got married. I do have a book I wrote that talks about some of the nuances of this and what the Bible says about marriage, divorce, and remarriage, and that's the title of the book. We'll send you a free copy if you'd like, Madeline.

Jëan: The book is called, "Marriage, Divorce, and Re-marriage." The number to call is 800-835-6747. Be sure to ask for that book or just dial #250 on your smartphone. If you're outside of North America, just go to the Amazing Facts website and you can read the book for free right there online. Paul is listening in Tennessee. Paul, welcome to the program.

Paul: Yes, evening, Pastors. Thank you, I just had a question. I was hoping you guys could just provide a little clarity here on a couple of verses I'm confused on. Just wondering why Jesus says in Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living, and then in Romans 14:9 Paul says basically that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. So, any clarity there would be great.

Doug: Yeah, well, when it tells us when God says, "I'm the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I'm not the God of the dead," the Lord does not look upon the dead that are saved as dead. He--Jesus said, "The hour is coming in which all those that sleep in the grave--Jesus said "Our friend Lazarus is sleeping." He looks upon saved people that have what we'd call it death, Jesus says, "Well, they're asleep because I'm going to raise them with a glorified body." So, that I think helps provide an understanding, but when Paul says He's the God of the dead and the living, you know, clearly, there are people that are dead. And so, Jesus is speaking more metaphorically when He says that, you know, there's no dead-- the redeemed are not viewed as dead. Jëan: And of course, the context of that, at least in Mark chapter 12, there were the Sadducees that said there was no resurrection, they didn't believe in the resurrection. And Jesus is saying, "Well, if there's no resurrection, God is not the God of the dead but the God of the living, meaning that He will resurrect those who trust in Him." So Christ is reaffirming the doctrine or the teaching of the resurrection. Doug: Yeah, and it says here when Stephen was stoned, it says he cried out and said, "'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' And when he said this, he fell asleep." I mean, does that really mean that he fell asleep while they were stoning him? Or does it mean he died? But he died in a saved condition so he's just sleeping, waiting for the resurrection. Pastor Ross, do we have a quick question, maybe?

Jëan: All right, we can try. Who do we have, let's see. Here we go: Bobbie in California.

Bobbie: Yes, hello. My question was regarding Revelation 3:9. I would like some clarity on this because I'm not sure what I'm reading.

Doug: All right, let's read that real quick. In Revelation chapter 3, verse 9, it says: "INDEED I'LL MAKE THOSE OF THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN, WHO SAY THEY ARE JEWS AND ARE NOT, BUT LIE-- INDEED I'LL MAKE THEM COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOUR FEET, AND TO KNOW THAT I HAVE LOVED YOU." Well, there was a group of apostate Christians and, you know, true Christians, Revelation calls the children of Israel. Counterfeit, it says the synagogue of Satan. And I don't know if these were some from the tribe-- the Nicolaitans which--a thing God hates, but--

Jëan: Yeah, and it's talking about those who come and worship before your feet. If you look at the timeframe here, it is the church of Philadelphia when there was a great revival in studying the Bible, in studying Bible truth. It did occur in the protestant nations of the Earth, around the early 1800s in particular, and it was recognized by other nations that God was blessing, for example, the United States and the other Protestant nations. And in that sense, it talks about those who are opposed to the truth will come to an understanding.

Doug: Yeah. Very good. Hope that helps a little bit. We needed to give some quick answers. For those that are listening, if you're on satellite, God bless. You have a good evening and we'll see you in study next week. For the rest of you, you stay by. We're coming back for just a few moments of rapid-fire Bible questions.

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." And we want to thank those who stayed by for the email questions that you sent in. If you have an email question you'd like to send us, it's just BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. So, Pastor Doug, here's our first question for this evening. The question is, Robert asks: "Christians say that they believe in God and if He tells us to do something He'll give us the power to do it, but Jesus said that we need to be perfect, as our Father in heaven. How do we do that?"

Doug: Well, it's not talking about being perfect as in, like, a stainless steel robot. If you read that same verse there in the Gospel of Luke, it says: "BE THEREFORE MERCIFUL, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN IS MERCIFUL." God wants us to have a perfect love, a perfect mercy, and to just completely trust Him.

Jëan: All right, another question. Alex asked: "DOES THE BIBLE SAY THAT ADAM AND EVE ATE FROM THE TREE OF LIFE, AND IF YES, WHY DIDN'T THEY BECOME IMMORTAL?"

Doug: Well, immortality, it seems, they needed to continue to eat from that tree because the fact that, I'm sure when Adam and Eve were first created, and the time they spent in the garden, I'm surprised that they would eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and not have eaten from the tree of life. I think evidence that they did eat from the tree of life is that they and their immediate posterity lived hundreds of years, and that's why He tells us the tree of life will be in the new Earth. We'll probably continue to come at least once every couple hundred years, and eat from it.

Jëan: And then our final question here, Kenny's asking from Papua New Guinea: "HOW DO I LOVE GOD MORE?"

Doug: Oh, that's a great question. Well, for one thing, it says that we love Him because He first loved us. And so, as we behold His love for us, our love for Him will grow. The better we know Him, the more we'll love Him. You read in Romans chapter 10, verse 17, it says: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." And so as we read about Jesus and the Word of God and we get to know Him better, that inspires us with love. It's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. As we look at His love and His goodness, that leads us to repentance. And it increases our love for Him. And something else happens is as we share God's goodness and love with other people, then it inspires us to love Him more. When we look at the cross and we see what He paid for us, and His sacrifice, probably the best place to witness and understand the sacrifice of Jesus is by looking at the cross.

Well, listening friends, thank you for your special questions. You can still email questions to us anytime during the week, but for the rest of you, God bless. We'll study His Word together again next week.

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