Something but the Past and Done

Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. Would you like to hear an amazing fact? During his travels in 1298, Marco Polo spoke of a bird in Madagascar that was so big it could knock over an elephant. Three hundred years later, early Arabian explorers returned from the coast of East Africa with accounts of gigantic birds three times as big as an ostrich. At first, their stories were dismissed as fables, but then they brought evidence: huge eggs up to three feet in circumference. They were, indeed, the eggs of a giant flightless bird from the island of Madagascar that would, thanks to Marco Polo, become known as the elephant bird or Aepyornis maximus. The elephant bird, now extinct, was the largest bird that has ever lived. It's estimated to have weighed up to 1,100 pounds and stand up to 11 feet tall. The last sighting of a live bird was in 1649, shortly after the French settled in Madagascar. The early natives described the elephant bird as a shy giant that was probably driven to extinction by people raiding their nests for the extraordinary eggs. One of the largest intact specimens is 35 inches in circumference around its long axis and probably had a capacity of more than 2 gallons. I was calculating, Pastor Ross, that would probably be about 150 omelets from one egg. It was much bigger than any dinosaur egg that's ever been discovered. In fact, some biologists calculated that these eggs of the elephant birds were the largest examples of a single cell to have ever existed on earth. It's sad when such an epic creature goes extinct but the Bible says that some day all the wicked are going to be extinct and the beautiful creatures are going to be restored.

Jëan Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. You are talking about a big bird. Of course, you mentioned ostriches and they are big and you've seen them, I've been in Africa, we've gotten up close to ostriches. Actually, I've ridden an ostrich before, but to imagine a bird this size, as described here, it would be really neat to have been able to see it, but I think the last sighting, you say, was in the 1600s?

Doug: They think about 1649. And, you know, in the pictures that we just showed for those who are watching the video of the radio program, there was actually a picture of a very young David Attenborough holding one of the eggs that they had kind of pieced it back together from a broken specimen. They--you know, they're out in the desert and it's calcium and it lasts for hundreds of years. So they put one back together and they're just absolutely enormous. And they believe this is where the Arabian legend of what they called the Roc, the R-O-C--it was this giant bird-- that's where those legends came from. So, there really were some megafauna, big birds. That's where "Sesame Street" got it, huh? Something that used to live. But you know, the Bible tells us that someday the wicked will be extinct and all of the beautiful animals restored. And God's going to make a new heaven and new earth. You know, it says, "Blessed are the meek; they will inherit the earth." You can read in Psalm 37, verse 35 and 36: "I've seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found." Someday he tells us all the wicked are going to be gone and God's going to create a new heaven, a new earth, and, friends, that's why Jesus came. He wants you to be in that kingdom with Him and He's prepared a mansion for you. And we have a book that talks about it if you'd like to know more about the home that God has prepared for the saved.

Jëan: A book, free offer, is called "Heaven, Is It for Real?" And of course, it's for anyone who will call and ask. The number to call is 800-835-6747. That is our free offer number. Just call that number and ask for "Heaven, Is It for Real?" If you have your smartphone handy, you can dial #250, say, "Bible Answers Live," and you can also ask for it by name, "Heaven, Is It for Real?" We'll be happy to send it to you if you're in the US or in Canada. If you're outside of North America, you can still receive this by just going to our website, AmazingFacts.org, and you'll be able to read it there.

Well, Pastor Doug, before we take our callers, we have a number of folks who are waiting with their Bible questions, let's start with prayer. Dear Father, we thank You that we do have this time once again to be able to open up Your Word and study. There is power in the Word and so, Lord, we just pray for Your blessing be with those who are listening and pray that You guide us as we search the scriptures together. And we thank You, Lord, in Jesus's name, amen.

Doug: Amen.

Jëan: Okay, well, we're ready to go to our first caller. We've got Pam listening in L.A. Pam, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Pam: Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross.

Doug: Evening. Thank you for calling.

Pam: You're welcome. My question is, is it okay to pray to the Holy Spirit, to ask the Holy Spirit to lead me and to guide me?

Doug: Well, the Holy Spirit certainly is God the Spirit, you know, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit all comprise the Godhead, sometimes called the Trinity. And I don't know that there'd be anything wrong with it. But typically, in the Bible, you've only got a couple of examples of people actually praying to Jesus. Usually, prayers are directed to the Father in Jesus's name. And I'm trying to think of a prayer to the Spirit. Well, it says, "The Spirit and the bride say come." That's not really a prayer. Can you--I don't know, Pastor Ross, I can't think of someone praying directly to the Spirit.

Jëan: I don't think so. I mean, usually, like you say, prayers are directed to the Father in the name of Christ and we are praying, asking for the Holy Spirit, but not necessarily praying directly to the Holy Spirit, although the Holy Spirit, the Bible makes it clear that He does hear our prayers, He does intercede, He does move upon our hearts to reveal to us what we need to pray. But I was thinking the one, for example, when Stephen was being stoned, he cried out and he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit." So there we have a prayer to Christ, but I don't know if there is a mention in scripture where it's specifically a prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Doug: No, you know, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I would, you know, wonder why would someone want to, as opposed to praying to the Father through Christ or even praying to Jesus, but certainly there's nothing wrong with praying to the Holy Spirit.

Jëan: You know, we do have a book talking about the Holy Spirit. It's called, "Life in the Spirit," and we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book. It's called, "Life in the Spirit." You can also dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for the book by name: "Life in the Spirit." Thank you, Pam. We're going to go to Jeff in Washington. Jeff, you're on "Bible Answers Live."

Jeff: All right, thank you for taking my call.

Doug: Absolutely. Thank you for calling.

Jeff: I have a question about--it has something to do with Daniel chapter 9, the 70-week prophecy, and also Daniel chapter 7, verse 25 speaks about this little horn power was to seek to change times and laws and because they usurp God's authority by removing the 70th week to a unspecified time, you know, it's futurism, wouldn't that also be changing times?

Doug: That's a good point, yeah. You know, the beast power is seen in Daniel chapter 7, also in Daniel chapter 8 for that matter, and in Daniel 9 too. It's the early stages of the beast, anyway. And futurism takes the last week of Daniel 9 and it just sort of shifts it down to the end of time and floats somewhere, wherever they want it to be, you know, wherever they say the secret rapture will take place, that's when that week begins. No example of carving up a prophecy like that and so, yeah, they are changing a time in that respect. It also means, of course, that beast power is establishing new holy days and moving the standing holy day. So they're taking times and laws that are holy and shifting them around. But I'd never thought of that. What do you think?

Jëan: Yeah, I think any time you start tampering with the Word of God you're in trouble, and especially that prophecy. And what's so beautiful about the 70 weeks, it actually identifies when Christ would come and it describes His ministry and talks about His death and His Resurrection, then His Ascension, and the gospel going out to the Gentile world in 34 A.D. And the sad thing is they take that last week and they apply it to an Antichrist power that they believe will appear in the last seven--you know, during the Tribulation, these seven years of Tribulation, but it's not biblical. It's actually a prophecy pointing to Jesus, and they take that same prophecy and they try and apply it to an Antichrist power at the end, which is kind of sad.

Doug: It is, it's heartbreaking.

Jëan: Yeah, it's an important prophecy. It's a great study. We do have a study guide that talks about that and it's called "Right on Time!" and it deals with the 70 weeks of Daniel chapter 9 and we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747, and you can ask for that study guide. It's called "Right on Time!" Or dial #250 on your smartphone and ask "Bible Answers Live," and then say, "Right on Time!" That's the name of the lesson. We'll send it to anyone who calls and asks. We've got Brittany listening in California. Brittany, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Brittany: Hi, hey.

Doug: Hi, how are you doing? And your question tonight?

Brittany: Yeah, my question involves Revelation 11:19 which says, "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within His temple was seen the ark of the covenant." I was wondering how does that even relate to our time with all the end

times events and the global outcry with Israel and just all the crazy going ons with--and the end

times events slowly coming to a head even with political craziness with the president and government and all the madness.

Doug: Yeah, let me read this first, Brittany, for our friends that are listening. It says, "And then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in the temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail." Now, looking at other places in Revelation, just before the Second Coming, there's lightning, noises, thunderings, earthquake, and a great hail. Talks about a great hail falls upon the wicked. It's not so much the ark as what's in the ark. The ark is a container for the law of God, and it tells us that, you know, at the end, the law of God's going to be exalted when something's in heaven. It's interesting, Pastor Ross, Jesus said, "Heaven and earth would have to pass away before one tittle of the law would fail." And that's because man can't take away the heavens and there's a copy up there anyway, the heavens will be open, it's there. But there may be some prophetic significance here. What do you think?

Jëan: Yeah, I mean, the whole passage, you read Revelation chapter 11, it talks about the sounding of the seventh trumpet. There's actually several themes that you find in Revelation 11. It talks about the two witnesses and then, following that, talks about the sounding of the seventh trumpet and it talks about the nations being angry and the time of the dead that they should be judged. And then it says, "And I saw the ark of the covenant in heaven." So, this is a description of an event described in heaven. The sounding of the seventh trumpet, really, historically, began at the end of the 2,300 days, which is in 1844. We don't have time to get into all the details, but we're living in that special end time period, and it's interesting, in 1844 or shortly thereafter, it was a significant year. Not only religious but also in scientific advancements. Very interesting study just for the year 1884, but after that, people began to study the Word of God. They began to realize the importance of the Ten Commandments, not that we are saved through obedience to the Ten Commandments, but we are saved in order to obey. And they realized the fourth commandment, one that has to do with the Sabbath. So, right around that time, the law of God was being studied, the Word was being studied, the Second Coming, and it all ties into what we read about under the seventh trumpet.

Doug: Yeah, it's also, I think it hearkens back to when, on the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times, they blew seven trumpets and the last--that last trumpet was the fall of Jericho and God's people taking the Promised Land. So, you're seeing that this is what's happening just before we get to go to the Promised Land. So, well, good question. Thank you, Brittany.

Jëan: We've got Gary listening in Illinois. Gary, welcome to the program.

Gary: How do you do.

Doug: Yeah.

Gary: Seeing that we're already experiencing prophecy come true on climate change and political perilous times, would practicing the great commission be the most important expectation from God?

Doug: Yeah, you know, Jesus said, "The gospel of this kingdom," this is Matthew 24:14. "The gospel of this kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness." That's the Great Commission, "And then the end will come." It's interesting you would mention what you said about what's going on with the political unrest and the world. We just read that there from Revelation 11 where it said, "The nations are angry. The time of Your wrath has come, that the dead should be judged and You'll destroy those who destroy the earth." And you know, we see a big uptick of war right now and war on a level that--more sophisticated man gets with artificial intelligence and the weaponry, it becomes more lethal. And, yeah, you just wonder how much longer. Can't be much longer before Jesus comes. But yeah, we should be emphasizing the Great Commission. Thank you, Gary. Appreciate that.

Jëan: All right, we got Bruce listening in North Carolina. Bruce, welcome to the program.

Bruce: Hello, Pastors. I've got--this'll be fast. I got two questions. What Bible programs do you two personally use? Logos is my go-to but I also have e-Sword. And my second question is, is when I watch Pastor Doug preach, he's got stickers on the inside cover of his Bible. I often wonder how he used them or what were they for.

Doug: Yeah, okay, two good practical questions. Yeah, Pastor Ross and I use Logos. I use Logos quite a bit and I also use e-Sword. That's a free program you can download. On our phones we've got--e-Sword has a phone application. The Blue-Letter Bible, Olive Tree is another good program. And then if you're studying the Bible on the internet, there's Bible Gateway, and all of them have reading through the Bible apps where you can read through the Bible. And what was the one you use for reading out loud?

Jëan: It's called Dwell.

Doug: Dwell?

Jëan: Mm-hm.

Doug: And yeah.

Jëan: Bible-reading program, also an app. But you know, there are different-- there are some free resources. Of course, if one has Logos, there's--it does cost and, depending which version you have, you can spend quite a bit of money. It's very in-depth and it has a lot of features, but there are other free programs, I think e-Sword is one, that you can really have a great study, and it's got the Strong's Concordance. You can look up different translations, you can search a word in the original language. So there's a number of great features to help in Bible study.

Doug: And the little tabs you see when I'm preaching, I just--I buy these at Walmart. They're little markers and it helps me quickly find a passage in my Bible and I usually print my scriptures that I'm going to read in the front of my Bible because when you're doing television, time is very important, very valuable. You spend a lot of money for a minute. And so, I try not to waste a lot of time turning pages while people are just waiting. I have it all ready to go to quickly. So I pre-mark things that I know I'm going to read in advance. Thanks. Nice practical question, Bruce.

Jëan: We've got Glenn listening in Ohio. Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Glenn: Oh, good evening and thank you for taking my call.

Doug: Thank you, Glenn.

Glenn: In the Bible, there's a--the parable of the talents where a person was given ten talents, another person five talents, and a third person one talent. And as time went on, they were questioned about what they did with their talents. And the ten talents and five talents, they invested them or put their talents at risk, and they were given bountiful increase. The person with the one talent did not invest his, and not only did he lose that talent, but he ended up with nothing. So we're talking about investing and gambling. There's a situation where someone, the pastors, the board puts money aside for their pastor for their retirement and they invest that money. They put that money at risk in the stock market. But then there's somebody who wants to play the lottery and they put their dollar and buy a lottery ticket and they call that gambling. And I was just thinking the Bible kind of exonerates investing your money but what do the person who is—

Doug: Buying a lotto ticket.

Glenn: Investing in a lottery ticket.

Doug: Yeah, that's a good question.

Glenn: He's using the baby's milk money. I think that that may be the difference between an investment and gambling. If you use the baby's milk money, wherever you use it, does that make sense?

Doug: Well, I think I understand the question, but there is a big difference between playing the lottery. Now, if you're gambling, if you go to a casino or you're playing the lottery, your chances of winning, you've got a better chance of getting struck by lightning. It's very, very remote. And if you go gamble, we know that the casinos exist because the house always wins. Very few people come away in the long term with money from a casino. They usually lose. When you're investing carefully in the stock market--which is what banks do. Banks are always investing in stocks and bonds or treasuries, whatever. Over time, the value of real estate, it goes up and down but, in the long haul, it goes up. It's a much, much safer investment. And when Jesus talks about them investing, you could even, you know, put your money in the bank and you'll get at least minimal savings and that's why Jesus said, "Well, you could have at least," to the--what did he call? The lazy servant? He said, "You could have at least given it to the bankers and gotten interest." So God expects us to invest and trade and grow. He wants us to do it wisely. I had a friend who's a farmer. He said, "Farming's a gamble." And we'd all starve if they didn't do it, so usually it pays off, but sometimes you have a bad year and you can have losses. You can have seven years of plenty and a few years of want. So the Lord wants us to invest and use good judgment, but when you get in the realm of gambling, it's a reckless speculation and that, I think, the Bible condemns.

Jëan: Okay, thank you, Glenn. We've got Lee listening in Texas. Lee, you're on the air. Welcome to the program.

Lee: Yes, sir, thank you. My question for tonight is are there other signs a person has done the unpardonable sin?

Doug: Yeah, how do we know if a person has committed the unpardonable sin? Well, for one thing, typically, they don't hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to them, they don't feel a sense of conviction or any desire to repent and be at peace with God. And the devil, I think, sometimes tries to convince people they've committed the unpardonable sin when they haven't and they become very discouraged and hard on themselves and the devil would like for them to just give up hope, but God is almost always willing to forgive a lot more than we're willing to ask. And He's very patient. Now, there'll be a time at the end of time when Christ stands up and probation closes and the saved are saved and the lost are lost, but most of the time if a person is asking about committing the unpardonable sin, they haven't committed it because they've got a desire, a yearning, a conviction, of the Spirit working in their heart.

Jëan: You know, we have a book called—

Doug: About the unpardonable sin.

Jëan: I'm trying to think what the name of the book is, Pastor Doug.

Doug: I think it used to be called "Beyond Mercy," and now it's just called "What is the Unpardonable Sin?"

Jëan: There you go. That's easy enough. If you'd like to receive that and learn more, the number to call is 800-835-6747. You can just ask for the book. It's called, "What is the Unpardonable Sin?" We'll be happy to send it to anyone in the US or in Canada. Again, if you're outside of North America, just visit the website, AmazingFacts.org. Our next caller that we have is John, listening in Michigan. John, welcome to the program. Well, actually, it's Aaron. Aaron, welcome, from New York.

Aaron: Good evening, Pastors.

Doug: Evening.

Aaron: Revelation 21 says that "There will be a new heaven and a new earth, and the first heaven and the first earth will pass away. And that the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them." What I got from this is that God will leave the heaven where He dwells in now and make a new dwelling place on earth. But someone told me that the first heaven and the first--no, the first heaven is only the atmosphere around earth and God will never leave His headquarters from where it is now. Which of these two ideas is right?

Doug: Well, when John says, "The first heaven and earth pass away," the Jews had three words they used for heaven. Sometimes, they'd use the word heaven and they're talking about the air where the clouds are and the birds fly. That's in Revelation where it says, "God separated the waters above from the waters below, and He made a heaven and atmosphere." And they called that the first heaven. Second heaven is where the stars are. Third heaven is where God dwells. Paul says, "I was caught up to the third heaven." But in Revelation the context says he--when he says, "First heaven was passed away," he's talking about the former. The one--the earth and the heaven that existed first is gone. So we got a new atmosphere, a new world, and God, we know He's going to dwell with men because it says, "And the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven." God is in the city. God Himself will dwell with us. He's moving the capital of the universe to our planet because we're made in His image and we will dwell with Him. So I think it's pretty clear that God is going to, ultimately, move. Christ has become a human. He's joined Himself forever to our race, and He's going to move down to this world. Yeah, that's--you'd enjoy the free offer about "Heaven: Is It for Real?" that we're offering today.

Jëan: Yeah, that one or I thought of another one also, called, "A Colossal City in Space."

Doug: There you go. That'd be good too.

Jëan: Talks about the Revelation 21 and the new Jerusalem. The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. You can ask for that study guide, "A Colossal City in Space." If you haven't called and asked for the free offer, "Heaven: Is It for Real?" you can ask for that as well. You can dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and then just ask for it by name. It is "A Colossal City in Space," and "Heaven: Is It for Real?" We've got John from Michigan. John, welcome to the program.

John: Hi, how are you? Thank you for taking my call. I appreciate your show. It's helped me a lot.

Doug: Amen, thank you.

John: My question is regarding the Sabbath. I've--you know, I grew up Christian school and just recently this, you know, Sabbath awareness came up in--my job has, you know, they've switched my schedule to where I work weekends and nights and I'm having a hard time making the transition because I have so many people relying on my income and I'm just kind of lost.

Doug: Oh boy, that sounds like a challenge. Well, you know, the first thing is and I'm not saying it's easy, but the first thing is you have to make up your mind, "Am I committed to obey what God says," whether it's the Sabbath or any commandment. And you know, there'll be pressures. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were pressured. They were going to lose their job and their lives if they did not pray to the graven image or bow before it. They said, "We can't do that." And Daniel was going to lose his job and his life if he prayed to anybody but the king. That would break the first commandment, "Don't have other gods." You need courage also in keeping the fourth commandment. Now what to do is, you know, you might go to your boss, I don't know all the circumstances, and we can certainly pray that God work things out, but you can just tell your boss, you know, this is a conviction. I'm an honest worker but, you know, I want to keep my Sabbath. Fortunately, in North America, there are a number of laws on the book--books, that help people through, or that guide employers to respect the religious convictions of their employees. Now, some circumstances are different, but I'd just have a heart-to-heart or write a letter with your boss. If you walk in, face to face, is better, and just tell him why this is really important to you and it's creating quite a struggle because you love your job but you love God also and you want to keep His commandments.

Jëan: And, you know, if you are attending a Sabbath-keeping church, sometimes you can go to the pastor there and--I know we've done it a number of times. We'll write a letter on behalf of that person stating that they do attend regularly, it's the day of worship. We, you know, appreciate their boss or their work accommodating them in any way possible. And of course, you need to be willing to even work at different times so that you can get your Sabbath off.

Doug: Yeah, very good. Thank you for your question, John. I hope that helps a little bit. By the way, friends, we're not done. We're coming back in just a moment with more questions.

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

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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: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers Live," and some may have tuned in along the way. This is a live international interactive Bible study. We're so thankful to meet the people that call in with their questions from around the world, and we'll do our best to see if we can find biblical answers for you regarding the Word of God or the Christian life. My name is Doug Batchelor.

Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross, and Pastor Doug, it's nice to also greet those who are joining us online. We have folks who are watching on YouTube, also on Facebook, on amazingfacts.tv, and so a number of folks tune in every week. Some might be watching this after the live broadcast so we want to greet all of you. We also want to greet some of those radio stations that have taken on "Bible Answers Live" this evening. Those who are listening on KJAT from Arkansas, we want to greet you, as well as KFHL in Bakersfield, California. So, it's welcome to those who are listening, and if you have a Bible question, give us a call. The number is 800-463-7297. Next caller is Sam listening in Ohio. Sam, welcome to the program.

Sam: Hi, Pastors.

Doug: Hi.

Sam: My question is from Luke chapter 21, in verse 24. The end of that verse says, "Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." And I was wondering what this times of the Gentiles means.

Doug: Yeah, boy, that is a--that is a great question. It's also--the answer has different advocates for different views. And it could actually be one of the examples of a dual prophecy, where there's more than one. So, it's very clearly talking about that Jerusalem, right on the surface, you see the disciples had asked Jesus, He said there would not be one stone left upon another in the temple. So the context of His answer, He's talking about the temple being destroyed, the Romans destroying Jerusalem, the Jews being carried off in captivity, especially in Luke because Luke, on the way to the cross, Jesus tells the women, "Don't cry for Me, but cry for yourselves because," you know, "you'll say, 'Blessed are the barren that did not bear.'" So He was telling the people in Jerusalem that judgment was coming. And so it says Jerusalem would be trodden by the Gentiles. Well, that happened. The Romans took it and it bounced around between the Crusaders and the Arabs and everybody in between, and the English. Until, miracle of miracles, 1948, they became an independent nation again. So I think right on the surface, historically, you see something happening here. But then there's those who say Jerusalem being trodden by the Gentiles is also talking about the persecution of the church and the ultimate liberation of the new Jerusalem and victory over the evil. So, it could mean both and I don't know if you have any thoughts on that, Pastor Ross?

Jëan: I agree. I think it's definitely--it just seems, just reading it as it is, talking about literal Jerusalem, it's talking about the literal destruction in 70 A.D., and it's talking about the Gentiles, until their time be fulfilled, and historically we can see, yes, that did occur. The Jews are back in Jerusalem, back in Israel. But yeah, there could be a broader application as you mentioned, a spiritual connection there. We've got Susie listening in California. Susie, welcome to the program.

Susie: Hello. Good evening, Pastors.

Doug: Evening.

Susie: And thank you for taking my call. My question is can I be saved without reading my Bible? Because a lot of my church leaders had told me that Bible couldn't save me.

Doug: Well, you know, what we're saved by is faith in Jesus, and the Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Now, back when Paul wrote that, not everybody could read but some could, and everyone could hear, with the few exceptions of people that were deaf, and so it's saying that, you know, as we read and/or hear the Word of God, there's power in His Word. If a person's not able to read, maybe they can hear it read. Fortunately, today, there's a lot of different apps where the Bible can read to you or you can find, you know, apps and things that'll read the Bible. But the Bible keeps us from sin, the Bible shows us the character of Christ, Jesus is revealed in the Word, and so it's, you know, I can't understate the importance of the Word of God to both bring us conviction and comfort with the Holy Spirit speaking through it. So am I answering what you're asking?

Susie: Should I continue to read my Bible then?

Doug: Absolutely, yeah.

Susie: What I was conscious about, you know, my church leader, she told me about that.

Doug: What did the leader tell you, not to read your Bible?

Susie: Yeah, because he cannot save me--it couldn't save me. My Bible cannot save me. That's what she told me.

Doug: Well, you know, if you've got a church leader telling you not to read your Bible, I'd be looking for another church. The--yeah. Christ is revealed through the Word. The Bible's the foundation for what we believe. God speaks to us through His Word. We are saved because of what we read in the Word and faith in it. So in many ways it's the Word that saves us and reading the Bible, like I said, can't be saved without faith, and faith comes by hearing the Word.

Jëan: And when Jesus was tempted and He's our example, He quoted from scripture. He said, "It is written, it is written." So if He read the Word, Revelation, the last book of the Bible, says, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein," so for a Christian, one who is able to read the Word, they need to read the Word. Matter of fact, when the Word is read, there usually follows a revival. For example, the Protestant Reformation when they were able to translate the Bible into the language of the common people, there was a revival that took place. So there's power in the reading of the Word.

Doug: Absolutely. We're encouraging all of our friends and members of our church to get into a Bible-reading program. Read through the Bible in a year, and it just strengthens your faith.

Jëan: All right, thank you, Susie. We've got Robert listening in Washington. Robert, welcome to the program.

Robert: Hi there.

Doug: Hi.

Robert: Hello. I'm just wanting to know, I guess, had the people note about Psalms 1:1 to 3. I just was wanting to know if you could explain that a little bit more like about the counsel of the ungodly, the sitting in the--or standing in the path of sinners, and the other one--

Jëan: The seat of the scornful.

Robert: I was wanting to know if you could explain that a little bit more.

Doug: Sure, yeah, we'll take a--it's a great verse. We'll do our best to quickly expound it. And this is from Psalms, the first Psalm, written by David, verse 1 to 3, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf will not wither; and whatever he doeth shall prosper." So it's talking about someone that they don't-- first, you notice, they're walking. And then they're standing. It's like they're walking by, and then they're standing listening, and then ultimately, they're sitting. And when you're walking by and you see the ungodly, keep walking because if you stand and listen, pretty soon you're sitting with the scornful. It's like a progression. And it says that we should flee temptation, walk away from it, or actually, run from it like Joseph ran from Potiphar's wife. But this person, they will not walk, they will not stand, they will not sit, with the scorners, the sinners, the ungodly. But their delight is the opposite of the ungodly, the law of the Lord, the truth, the Word of God. And they meditate on it, day and night. Moses said surround ourselves with the Word of God. And then, pictures him as a tree planted in the wilderness, and I used to live in a desert. It was easy to find the oasis in the desert because it's the only green spot. If that tree--it can be in a desert, but if it's got a stream of water by it, it will flourish. It's got a continual flow of nourishment. And so, God promises that for those that delight in His law and turn from sin.

Jëan: You know, we have a book. I was just thinking about it for the previous caller, but also it ties in with this one. It's called, "The Ultimate Resource," and it's about the Bible. Of course, you find the law in the Bible, so all the blessings in studying the Word of God, and we'll send this for free to anyone, just call and ask. It's called "The Ultimate Resource." It's one of our books, and it's all about the Bible. The number to call is 800-835-6747. You can ask for that book or dial #250 on your smartphone and say "Bible Answers Live," and ask for "The Ultimate Resource." We've got--who do we have next? Let's see. We've got Jean in Connecticut. There we go. Jean, welcome to the program. J

ean: Hi, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross, thank you very much for--and take my call.

Doug: Yeah, your question?

Jean: Yes, sorry. I'm asking about Revelation 11, specifically verse 2. I'm just wondering what the holy city in--the verse is referring to, and what does it mean when the outer temple is being given to the Gentiles?

Doug: Yeah, well, I'll tell you a little bit and then Pastor Ross will pick it up. Probably 50% of Revelation is drawing from the prophets in the Old Testament, namely Zechariah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. There's a passage in the end of Ezekiel where Ezekiel is told to measure a temple. And a lot of people wonder, "What is this temple? And it was never built and why was this temple that he measures never built?" Well, you get to the New Testament, Jesus said, "Destroy this temple made with hands and I will make one without hands," and He spoke of His body, the church. And so the measuring of the temple is not talking about measuring bricks up in heaven. It's talking about an evaluation or judgment of God's people.

Jëan: Yeah, absolutely. And if you look at it says, "Measure the temple but leave out the court." There were three parts of the temple. You had the courtyard and then you had the holy and you had the most holy place. The courtyard represents the earth, that's where the lamb was sacrificed. Jesus came to the earth, He died for our sins, He's the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. But then Christ arose and He ascended to heaven, there to minister as our priest, our high priest. Well, that ministry of the priest was in the holy and the most holy place, after the sacrifice had been made. So when it says, "Leave out the court," it's referring to the earth, and it says the Gentiles would tread it underfoot for 42 months. Well, that is an interesting time period there. That's 1,260 days. There were 30 days in a Hebrew month and you do the math, 42 times 30, 1,260. So you've got a time period of 1,260 years, one prophetic day equals one literal year, and that time period actually met its fulfillment during the Dark Ages where the truths of Christ's high priestly ministry was being substituted by manmade traditions, by the established church, but at the end of that time period, 1798, and then leading into 1800s, you had the Reformation, you had the Word of God being translated, and that really culminated in the study of the Word of God and the truths of Christ's high priestly ministry. So that, that's also a reference to that 1,260 or 42 months time period that you read about in that verse.

Doug: Yeah. Well, I think our lesson that talks about the Antichrist talks about that time period, and maybe our brother would be interested in that.

Jëan: Absolutely, just call and ask. It's called, "Who Is the Antichrist?" That's the name of the lesson. The number is 800-835-6747, and you can ask for it, and we'll send it to you. Dial #250 on your smartphone, and say "Bible Answers Live," ask for that study guide called, "Who is the Antichrist?" All right, thank you. And next caller that we have is T.C. in Arizona. T.C., welcome to the program.

T.C.: Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate it, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jëan. My question is we celebrate Jesus's birthday every year in wintertime, but the Bible plainly states that He was born during the first census which would be in the fall. Why do we celebrate, even as Christians, the birth of Christ in the winter when He was born in the fall?

Doug: Well, you're absolutely correct. There are three reasons in the Bible and one you just stated from history. Now, of course, we know that Mary and Joseph came down during the census of Augustus Caesar. Well, the date for the census is not in the Bible but the history does have that date and they did not issue the census in the middle of winter when people would be traveling during the worst time of the year. It says shepherds, of course, were in their fields. They wouldn't be in the fields in the coldest time in Jerusalem or Bethlehem, and then it also tells us that Jesus began His ministry when He was 30. He ministered three and a half years, and He died in the Passover, so He dies in spring. You go back 33 and 1/2 years, that means He's born in the fall, so it's really clear that Christ was born, we don't know the date, but sometime in the fall. So here's the question: if a Christian knows that He's born in the fall, we don't know exact date, most of the world is recognizing the birth of Christ in December and, of course, you know, if you go to southern hemisphere, December's hot. It depends on where you are. Some places, it's not a white Christmas. So the real question is are you supporting paganism by doing it in a date that has some pagan trappings or can you use it as a witnessing opportunity because the world is thinking about the birth of Christ and exploit it for Christ to try and make something good of it? I'd say that's one of those issues that a person needs to just decide and feel comfortable about it. If they're grieved that it's wrong, don't do it.

Jëan: You know, I think one of the things too about the 25th of December, I think it's, you know, we know Christ was not born on the 25th of December, and I don't think it's right to treat that as a holy day or a sacred day. But around that time of the year when people are thinking about the birth of Christ, you can know-- probably good to take advantage of that. And we do a concert around that time of the year where we sing the Christmas carols and we have—

Doug: Invite the neighbors and--

Jëan: Yeah, invite friends to come. People are open to it at that time of the year. Great opportunity for sharing and witnessing and, of course, it is a very significant event that Jesus was born, so there's nothing wrong in singing about it. But that doesn't mean that there's something holy about the 25th of December.

Doug: Always feels a little funny to preach about the birth of Jesus in July.

Jëan: Yeah, it would feel a little odd, wouldn't it?

Doug: It'd just feel like it's out of sync, somehow. But nothing wrong with that, technically. I don't know if that helps. We do have a book called "Baptized Paganism," that talks about some of the pagan trappings of these things and you might enjoy that, T.C.

Jëan: The number is 800-835-6747, and you can ask for the book. It's called, "Baptized Paganism." Dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible Answers Live," and ask for that. And Anastacia is in Canada. Welcome to the program, Anastacia.

Anastacia: Hi, my question is about when Elijah was on Mount Horeb and he fled from Jezebel. She was threatening to kill him. Okay, so my question is, is that who was in the earthquake, the fire, and the wind, if it wasn't the Lord? And I know there's a deeper meaning to that story, and I just don't know what it is, so can you explain it to me?

Doug: Yeah, well, just for our friends listening, let me give you the background so we understand the question Anastacia's asking. Elijah gets frightened when Jezebel threatens his life after this Mount Carmel experience. He ends up going through the wilderness all the way back to Mount Sinai where Moses had gone. And by the way, it's interesting that Moses spent 40 days, 40 nights up on Mount Sinai, Elijah spends 40 days and 40 nights going to Mount Sinai, and Jesus spends 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. And up on the mountain, the Lord speaks to him and, while he's there, there's an earthquake. It says, "The Lord was not in the earthquake." And there's a fire, and "the Lord was not in the fire." And there's a great wind. Then he says, "The Lord is not in the wind." But then there's a still small voice, and God is speaking to him through the still small voice and saying, "Elijah, what are you doing here?" And I think he's saying there that sometimes, you know, we look for God to speak through dramatic events, and the Spirit typically speaks to us in a still small voice. Elijah had just come from a fire coming down from heaven and the slaughter of the prophets of Baal and a great rainstorm after a drought and all these, and he's saying, "You know, it's the Holy Spirit that changes people's hearts. It's not going to be the fire and rain."

Jëan: And you know, I think absolutely, Pastor. Just another thought on that, he was somewhat discouraged because he thought he was the only one. I mean, he'd already had the Mount Carmel experience and then Jezebel is threatening his life and he was wondering, "Man, am I the only one that still worships the Lord?" And God said, "No, I've got 7,000 that haven't bowed the knee to Baal." And we might not always see God working, but the Spirit of God is working, and He's working in a powerful way. But maybe not with open display. Sometimes there is. I mean, fire is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the wind is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, but it's through that still small voice, through the convicting voice of the Spirit to the conscience that lives are changed.

Doug: Yeah, and he didn't need to be afraid of an earthquake or a fire or a mighty wind if God was with him, and he didn't need to be afraid of Jezebel.

Jëan: That's right.

Doug: Yeah, so that was part of the message. Good question. Appreciate that, Anastacia. All right, who's next, Pastor Ross?

Jëan: We've got Marlon in Tennessee. Marlon, welcome to the program.

Marlon: Oh, hi, Pastors.

Doug: Hi.

Marlon: Pastor Jëan Ross and Pastor Doug Batchelor, thanks for taking my question. So my question, I just googled, like, what does the Bible think about or behaving like or living like a sloth?

Doug: Yeah, well, the scriptures actually have quite a bit to say about the importance of work. You know, we talk from time to time on the program about the Sabbath and folks think about the day of rest, but part of that commandment says, "Six days thou shalt work." They always think about the "Thou shall not work on the seventh day," but they forget, "Thou shalt work on the six days." So, God wants us to be working, and you can read in Proverbs 18:9: "He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer." And so, the Bible has a great deal to say about industry and being a worker and not to be lazy or slothful. The King James uses the word slothful, because, of course, a sloth is a very slow-moving creature, and so it became sort of a metaphor for someone who's lazy.

Jëan: And here's a verse, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 10. And it says, "For if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."

Doug: Yeah.

Jëan: So, yes, it's good to work, right? It's good to provide for your needs and the needs of your family, so it's commendable in scripture. All right, we've got Susan listening in South Carolina. Susan, welcome to the program.

Susan: Thanks. Hi, Pastor Doug and Pastor Jëan. I hope you're doing okay tonight?

Doug: Thanks for calling.

Susan: My question is--I had a customer ask me this question the other day. Why did Adam wait until after the fall to name Eve, "Eve"? He called her Woman in the beginning, and then after the Fall he called her Eve.

Doug: Well, I think he actually named her before the Fall. It's not recorded until after there, but Adam's the one who named all the creatures. God gives Eve to Adam, so He takes her from his rib or makes her from the rib, on the sixth--the day of creation, and I'm assuming that he gave her her name before the Fall. We don't know, the Fall may have happened a month after Creation. He probably didn't wait a month before he said, "What's your name, by the way?" You know, "You're my wife, what's your name?" So I think it's just stating it as after-fact, that, oh yeah, by the way, the name that he gave to the woman was Eve. But the Bible often does that. It gives the details later, after the headlines. So, any thoughts on that?

Jëan: Yeah, it's, you know, where Adam I think where it talks about a woman, of course, when Eve came to Adam, he said, "This is now woman." But then when God came, looking for Adam and Eve, and God says, you know, "Why are you hiding? Did you eat of the tree I told you not to eat?" And then he says, "Well, the woman that You gave me." Doesn't use her name "Eve." He says, "The woman." And then, of course, afterwards, you discover, yeah, the reason her name is Eve is because she's the mother of everyone else, right? She gave birth to the human race from there on.

Doug: And by the way, he calls her Eve before she's had her first child.

Jëan: Right.

Doug: So, I think she had that name, sixth day.

Jëan: Before, yeah. All right, great.

Doug: Good question. That's a first-time question, I think.

Jëan: Yeah, we've got Terry listening in South Carolina. Terry, welcome to the program.

Terry: Hey, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross, how you all doing?

Doug: Good.

Terry: Thanks for taking my call. All right, so my question is when do you become specifically responsible for a prophet's message? For example, you know, John taught baptism but you couldn't necessarily find that in the Old Testament. So what if I said, "You know what? I'm just going to keep taking my lamb to the temple"? And then you had the instance where he didn't perform any miracles and the other thing was he told his disciples, "Hey, this is the Lamb of God that'll take away the sin of the world," but then a couple of weeks later he was, like, "Hey, can y'all go and check and make sure that's the right guy?" So let's say I was kind of on the fence and I was like, "You know, I like John but I'm just not sure." So what are y'all thoughts on a situation like that, as opposed to when we can look and read everything and see everything they did but what if we was in real time and you had to make a decision?

Doug: Yeah, I was going to say it still happens even in our time where truths are presented that we listen to and we may be convicted and at what point are you guilty for not responding when you hear some new truth? Pastor Ross and I do evangelism. As we're preaching, we, you know, preach things that people thought, "Wow, I've never thought about that before." We can't be their conscience but the way I understand it is once a person understands a truth and the Holy Spirit convicts them that it is truth, then they should not resist the voice of the Spirit. I'm sure when John was preaching, the power of the Spirit was present in his preaching. I mean, the crowds all swarmed out, and Jesus even said to the scribes and Pharisees, you know, "The message from John, did it come from God or from men?" And He'll say they didn't accept his preaching, but the people did. They knew he was a prophet of God. So I think they had evidence.

Jëan: Okay, maybe time for one more. Mia, we've got about a minute. Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." You need to make it quick.

Mia: All right, my question is can we observe the Sabbath day and also go to church on Sunday?

Doug: All right, that's a good-- we'll give you a quick answer to that. There's nothing wrong with going to church seven days a week. You know, our church sometimes has a prayer meeting on Wednesday. So, as far as going to church or gathering together with believers, it should be done many times. It says they broke bread from house to house daily. But as far as what day is the Sabbath, and you wouldn't want to be treating another day like it's the Sabbath, or recognizing it that way, there's no question. I've been to church on Sunday to worship with people or to go to a Bible study but everyone knows what I believe about the Sabbath, it's the seventh day, not the first.

Hey, listening friends, we're about out of time for our almost conclusion of the program. We sign off and say goodbye to our friends listening on satellite first. They're on a different time clock than the other land-based stations. The rest of you, don't go anywhere. Pastor Ross and I are going to come back and do some rapid-fire Bible answers. For the others on satellite, God bless till next week. announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California.

Jëan: Hello, friends, and welcome back to "Bible Answers Live," those of you who are able to stay by for the email questions. If you have an email question you want to send us, it's just simple BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. Pastor Doug, first question, "My son promised that he would never smoke marijuana again, but he broke his promise. If my son confesses, will he be forgiven? Or has my son's probation closed?"

Doug: Yeah, so I think her son made a promise to God and she--and he broke it. Does that mean that we're lost? Well, let's hope not, because a lot of us have made the best of intentions in a promise to God. Every time a person's baptized, they're making sort of a covenant. And many people have broken some of their baptismal vows. Does that mean they've committed the unpardonable sin? God is longsuffering. If you want evidence for that, look at what He did with Israel. Right after He makes the first covenant, they break the covenant. He could have destroyed them. Moses prayed for them. God says, "Okay, I'm going to give you another chance." Well, that acts out in people's lives many times. He was so patient with the children of Israel, they continued to test God and He forgave them.

Jëan: We've got an example in Mary Magdalene as well. It says cast out seven devils.

Doug: That's right.

Jëan: Right, question number two. Here we have Carla, who's asking, "What should I do if I'm covered with tattoos and it's impossible to get them removed?"

Doug: Well, don't lose any sleep over it. You know, the Bible's pretty clear. It says, "You shall not make cuttings in your flesh or tattoo your body. I am the Lord," in the book of Leviticus. But a lot of people out there, especially in our day and age, they, you know, they're tattooed high and low, deep and wide. And then they get convicted and they read the Bible, they come to the Lord. They can spend a lot of time and money and it can be very painful to remove all your tattoos. I just say that, you know, you may want to remove some, just, you know, use your good sense and do what you think the Lord wants you to do, but I don't think that God's going to keep you out of heaven if you came to the Lord after you've gotten tattoos.

Jëan: Absolutely. All right, another question: "Can, or do, angels die?"

Doug: Well, angels are spiritual creatures that were created by God. He can uncreate them because Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 20, Satan and his angels are cast in the lake of fire and they are consumed. It's the second death, and so, yes, the fallen angels, they're going to die. They're kept right now in everlasting chains of darkness for that day.

Jëan: All right, Pastor Doug. "If a woman represents the church in the Bible, what does a man represent?"

Doug: He is the servant of the woman? You know, not every time you find woman doesn't mean church, but in certain times. Hey, God bless, friends. We are out of time. We'll talk to you and study next week.

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