Trust in Me and Fall as Well

Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. Would you like to hear an Amazing Fact? Beginning as a petty thief smuggling cigarettes and marijuana, Pablo Escobar eventually came to dominate the global cocaine trade through the Medellín cartel, controlling over 80% of the drugs shipped to America. At one time, his immense operation earned him an estimated $420 million a week and the nickname the "King of Cocaine." By the 1980s, approximately 70 to 80 tons of cocaine was entering the US per month making Escobar, according to Forbes in 1989, the seventh wealthiest person on the planet worth approximately about $30 billion.

In spite of his lethal business, he sought to generate public approval by donating to churches and hospitals in Medellín. He built soccer fields, parks, paved roads, and even built a new neighborhood with 1000 homes for families from the slums. His deceptions were so effective, Escobar even succeeded in getting himself elected to Colombia's Congress in 1982. But at heart he was still a ruthless killer. Escobar's criminal empire resulted in the deaths of around 4000 people who dared to challenge his reign, including police officers, government officials, journalists, even judges. Over time, even the government could not be bribed to overlook his outrageous crimes and he went into hiding. In 1993 he was killed in the shootout with police in a middle class Medellín neighborhood. This reminds me, Pastor Ross, of another power hungry killer that deceives a lot of people regarding his real character.

Jëan Ross: That's right, Pastor Doug. As a matter of fact, the Bible speaks of this being, and Jesus has this to say about him, John chapter 8, verse 44, speaking of the devil, "He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he's the father of lies." Well, you have this being that was created, at one point, perfect, but then he becomes a murderer and it says from the beginning he's always plotted to destroy. And of course, ultimately, that was revealed in the death of Jesus.

Doug: Yep. Yeah, he was just motivated by pride. Another passage is in Isaiah chapter 14 and you can read, I think, starting with verse 12. "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you said in your heart, 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God... I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'" He was just power hungry, wanted God's position, but he's tried to deceive people as to his true character. But the devil has no problem killing anyone that gets in his way and that's why Jesus, of course, went to the cross. But some people think, well, if God is a loving God, why did he make a devil to tempt us?

Jëan: That's right. If He knew what would happen, why did He even do that in the beginning? Well, we have a study guide that talks about that. It's called, "Did God Create the Devil?" You need to read this. It's free. All you have to do is call 800-835-6747 and you can ask for offer number 107 or you can dial pound 250 on your smartphone, say, "I'd like that study guide called 'Did God Create the Devil?'" And of course, we'll send that to anyone who calls and asks. Our phone line here to the studios is 800-463-7297, with your Bible related question. Ready to go to the phone lines. Our first call of this evening is Cory listening in Ohio. Cory, welcome to the program.

Cory: Hi, how are you doing?

Doug: Good, good. Thanks for calling.

Cory: Good, good. I enjoy your program. I glean a lot of information about the scriptures from your program.

Doug: Well, thank you.

Cory: My question is, in Revelation 12, verse 1 through 9, it's the story of the war in heaven. heavenly host and threw them down to the earth, how could he have fought with them against Michael and the angels? How could they--if they weren't there? Because those angels are considered as his angels, the ones that he threw down to the ground, from the information that I've received from different sources. And I'm just trying to figure out how he was able to fight with those angels if he threw them down to the ground.

Doug: Yeah, when it says that a third of the angels were cast to the ground, these are the ones cast out with Satan. It's not that Satan defeated a third of the good angels. One third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion and when Satan was cast to the earth--that's actually even in the verse we just read, "I will cast thee out as profane because you have sinned," and Satan was cast out of heaven. One third of the angels were cast out with him and you can also read in Matthew 25, it says, "This lake of fire is prepared for the devil and his angels." And so, I don't know, am I answering what you're asking, Cory? Does that make sense?

Cory: No, the sequence is--something is wrong with the sequence and it says--this is what it says. "And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, then down to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman and there was a great battle in heaven: and Michael and the angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." I'm trying to figure out, who did he throw down to the ground?

Doug: Yeah, this--yeah, this is the--a third of the angels that were fighting with Lucifer against Michael and his angels are the ones that are cast to the ground.

Jëan: Yeah, maybe just to add a little more, you know, there's a feature that we see in Bible prophecy and this might be what might help a little bit. Sometimes, the statement is made in prophecy and then the prophet, in vision, backs up to explain how he got to that point. So, in other words, like you say, in the introductory of Revelation 12, it says the devil with his tail was able to just throw down a third of the stars of heaven, but it's not until you get to verse 8 and 9 you actually find out how He did that. Well, then it goes on to say, well, "There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." And then it goes on in verse 9, "So the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent of old called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." So, it begins with the statement, "The devil was able to deceive a third of the angels and they were cast out," and then it's not until 9, you get the details of exactly how that happened, "While there was a war, and he lost and he and his angels were thrown out."

Doug: All through prophecy it'll give you the headline.

Jëan: That's right.

Doug: Then it goes back and gives you the story.

Jëan: That's right. Kind of repeat and enlarge. So, hopefully, that helps, Cory.

Doug: He would enjoy our study that we're offering on "Did God Create the Devil?"

Jëan: That's right. I think it's in there. We talk about that. Again, the number to call for that is just 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line, you'll see it on your screens if you're watching, or dial pound 250 and say, "I'd like to--'Bible Answers Live,' I'd like that study guide, 'Did God Create the Devil?'" All right, next caller that we have is Brittany in California. Brittany, welcome to the program.

Brittany: Yeah. My question is, is the Torah relevant for Christians today in our modern time?

Doug: Is it okay for a Christian to read the Torah?

Brittany: Mm-hm.

Doug: Yeah. Now, of course, the Torah are sacred Jewish writings and there's a lot that can be learned from that, so there's nothing morally wrong with doing that. You know, by all means there's a good history in there. The Torah is a word that is used to sort of encompass a lot of the Hebrew scriptures, but it may also include some that would not be in our Old Testament, but would be the sacred writings. I think the word "torah" is law, in the greater sense. So, yeah by all means. When you're reading your Bible, you're reading part of the Torah right there. So, hopefully that helps a little bit. Hey, thank you Brittany.

Jëan: All right, we've got Tina listening in Nevada. Tina, welcome to the program.

Tina: Hi.

Doug: Hi, Tina. Thanks for calling.

Tina: This is her daughter. She's standing--she's sitting right here with me. This is Tina. She just gets nervous on the phone which--and now I am a little nervous too, but we are both here. We were just wondering about lots of different religions and one particularly that we had been involved in, you know, before--I guess our question is, why do some believe that they're the only ones, they're the only ones who have the truth and you have to do it, it gives you almost that sense of fear to go off and look in a direction or to keep reading, actually, because the Bible says, you know, "Keep reading, keep seeking, keep knocking," but you have man telling you a whole another thing. And so, I guess what our question is, is that why do some--and some in particular believe they're the only ones that are going to get--?

Doug: Yeah, why do some denominations teach that they're the only ones that are going to make it to heaven? Well, to be honest, I think they do that the same reason that some political candidates can't say anything good about any other candidate because they say, "I'm the only answer." They don't want to give any other options. As soon as you admit to people that you don't have all the truth and they begin to look around, there are some churches that teach their members they are not allowed to look at or read religious information from any other denomination. Now, we don't do that in our church. In fact, you know, I said, I think, during this series, we think the greatest part of Christ's true followers are not members of our church. I hope they all come and join before it's over, but we know there's godly people in many different churches. But when a church says you're not allowed to read anything written by another church, it's like they put blinders on their members so they can't look around and I think the truth--if your church has the truth, it should bear up under investigation.

A couple of years ago, you know, we did a friendly debate at our church here and another pastor said, you know, he doesn't think we need to keep the Sabbath anymore. And I said, "I think we do," and we said, "Well, let's take it to the people and see what the Bible says." And I think that the truth should bear up under investigation. And so, yeah, a lot of these denominations, they say, "If you're not a member of our church, then you're not one of the 144,000 and only members of our church are going to be saved." You know, while I believe my church is the closest to the Bible--I mean, if it's not, I'm in the wrong church, clearly. I mean, you want to be--every pastor should think, my church is as closest to the Bible as I can get, because you--we all want to be as close to scriptural truth as we can be. But I think it's reckless to say that we're flawless. There's a Pope that says that he's infallible. The only one who is really infallible in this world is Jesus.

Jëan: And that's right. Jesus Himself said, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them I need to call and they will come." So, yes. So, see, as seekers of truth, in whatever church, even different religions, if they open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, they will be led into truth. And Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." So, we shouldn't be afraid of the truth. All right, thank you. Next caller that we have is Andrew in West Virginia. Andrew, welcome to the program.

Andrew: Awesome, awesome. So, my question is--say you're seeking employment and it's very, very hard, but every employer wants you to work on Sabbath, that they'll give you Sunday off. Obviously, you need money live. How should you proceed with that?

Doug: Yeah, it's a challenge. And you know, I think that if you're going to seek first God's kingdom, then you just need to settle that that is not an option. And of course, there's millions of people around the world that--I know just in our church are 22 million members, and there's many other Sabbath keepers around the world. They're just resolved that even if it is difficult, that breaking God's commandments are not an option. And God opens doors, it sometimes can be a challenge, but I don't think you need to be afraid. He'll work miracles. He provides for his people.

Jëan: Yeah, and Jesus said, you know, do not worry about what you're going to wear or what you're going to eat, God will provide. So, if we stand up for what we know to be true, God has promised to provide for our needs, for us and our families.

Doug: Yeah, there'll be tests. We're not denying that, you know, you may get tested on your faith, but give God a chance to prove himself God and say, "I'm going to trust the Lord." And you know, if it were me, I think a lot of employers would say finding honest employees is hard. And if you got an employee that says, "I'm not going to break the fourth commandment even if I lose my job," that means that employee is probably going to work when they're there and they're not going to steal your materials from your office or your store or whatever. So, honest employees are hard to find. I just--I trust the Lord, he's going to provide. Thanks so much, Andrew, appreciate your call.

Jëan: We've got Bonnie listening in Oregon. Bonnie, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." You're on the air.

Bonnie: Thank you so much for taking my call. My question is, when we get to heaven, will we still have the same character that we died with even though we've taken our sins to the Lord and asked Him to help us to overcome? What will our characters be in heaven, because the thief on the cross really didn't have much time for character development.

Doug: Yeah, well, that's a good question. But the thief on the cross did have time for heart conversion and we think he went through the steps of conversion, which are, you repent and you confess and then you receive. And he publicly said, you know, we're getting what we deserve, he expressed sorrow and then he prayed and said, "Lord, remember me," and Jesus promised, "You'll be with Me in paradise." I think he accepted that and his heart was transformed. And as soon as we are justified and we're given that new heart, when he comes forth in the Resurrection, he's still going to have that new heart. Now, he may not have had time to, you know, go through the character development of being tempted on his diet or his temper or whatever the problems might have been, but I think the Holy Spirit will compensate at times like that. He'll be in the kingdom. Thank you, Bonnie. Hope that helps a little. By the way, I have a book about the thief on the cross and it's called, "Crucified with Christ." I think you'll enjoy that.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Cindy listening in California. Cindy, welcome to the program.

Cindy: Good evening, pastors. Thank you for taking my call.

Doug: Thank you. And your question.

Cindy: My question is about the prophecies in the Old Testament and New about the sun turning dark, the moon turning to blood, and the stars falling, earthquakes. I've heard from pastors that these already happened in the 17 and 1800s, but it seems in Revelation that maybe these are ahead of us, from Revelation 6:12, the sixth seal. So, are these things that could still be in front of us?

Doug: Yes and yes. This is one of those prophecies where I think you've got a dual application. God sometimes shows us, historically, the fulfillment of these things. After the 1798 period that is given in Revelation and Daniel, it says that the sun would be dark and the moon would turn to blood and the stars would fall from heaven. Those things happened on a grand scale globally. Big Lisbon earthquake was felt, sent shockwave all around North Africa and Europe and it's still recorded by the seismologist as one of the biggest and a great human loss of human life.

Jëan: Seventeen fifty-five.

Doug: Yeah. These things happen historically, but they're going to happen again in quick succession just before the Second Coming because one thing that didn't happen, says, "And the heavens departed as a scroll." And so, that's still to come. So, isn't that what you understand?

Jëan: Yeah, absolutely. I'm just looking at it. You know, what's significant about that is you look at the date 1755 and then you have 1780 and then you have 1833. Right around that time, it's after the Protestant Reformation is already taken off, people are beginning to study the scriptures, in particular the prophecies of the Bible. And as they were studying these prophecies, recognizing that the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel 8:14 was coming to an end, then there was this great earthquake, the Lisbon earthquake. Something else passed that is interesting. At the time, Lisbon was the capital and Portugal was the capital of the slave trade around the world and a judgment came upon this city, and then, of course, North Africa, Europe, and even as far as the Americas. And then the dark day, May 19, 1780. And then, probably the most spectacular star shower was in—

Doug: That's the one that was in--it's--was November 12.

Jëan: Oh, that's 12.

Doug: Yeah, it was November 12, 1833, and so this is the 190th anniversary. Sorry, I got my events mixed up. They called it a Leonid meteor storm. I'm looking at it in the Library of Congress. It's--and history is—

Jëan: Remarkable, yeah. Yeah. So, yes, it had a historical application. Could it have a future application? Well, when you read about what happens just before Jesus comes, it seems as though all of nature's turned upside down. There's a great earthquake that the Bible speaks of at the end as well, so.

Doug: Sun will go dark, moon will look like blood because the skies will be filled with smoke. It's all going to happen again. Thank you so much. Appreciate your question. And who's next?

Jëan: All right, we got Gary listening in Illinois. Gary, welcome to the program.

Gary: Thank you. In Genesis 1:26 it says, "Let them have dominion over the earth." Does that mean we're to be good stewards over the planet or have the option to run the planet straight into hell like we're currently doing by using coal and oil?

Doug: Well, to answer your question, yes, people should be good stewards of the planet. In fact, in Revelation, I think it's chapter 16, verse 11, it says, "God will destroy them that destroy the earth."

Jëan: Chapter 11.

Doug: 11, verse—

Jëan: Probably 16. We might have got that backwards.

Doug: We're dyslexic, a little bit sometimes. Yeah, it says that "the nations were angry and the time of Your wrath should come and that You should destroy those that destroy the earth."

Jëan: Yes, Revelation 11, verse--I'm looking at it right here.

Doug: Yeah, so we should be good stewards of the planet and dominion was given to the planet--given to Adam and Eve of the planet and they were to care for the creatures and tend the Garden. And even now, I think, you know, Christians should be responsible stewards of everything, their time, their words, and the world that God has made. As far as possible, we should do our best.

Jëan: Revelation chapter 11, verse 18.

Doug: That's it. Thanks so much. Appreciate that, Glenn.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have--I think that was Gary. We've got Glenn now listening in Ohio. Glenn, welcome to the program.

Glenn: Good evening to you and thanks for taking my call.

Doug: Absolutely.

Glenn: Scripture is Luke 17, verses 20 through 22. My question is, what did Jesus mean when He said, "The kingdom of God is within you"?

Doug: Yeah, well, the--and He says here, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." When Jesus began His ministry, He said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." I think John the Baptist said the same thing. And if you read in Acts chapter 1--I forget, it may have been Philip that said to Jesus, "Lord, will you, at this time, you know, establish Israel as a kingdom?" And He said, "It's not for you to know the times and seasons." So, they even misunderstood there. There's two aspects to the kingdom, Glenn. You've got the internal kingdom where you invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life and sit on the throne of your heart, that begins right now. But there is a time when Christ comes to receive the kingdom, and this world that He has ransomed, He will get it back. And so, that is the physical kingdom of God will be set up here on earth at the end of the 1,000 years, the spiritual kingdom is already available and it's within reach for everyone.

Jëan: Yes, you know, if somebody surrenders their life to Christ, they become a citizen of the kingdom. If Jesus is ruling in their heart, we call that the kingdom of grace. And eventually, the kingdom of grace will give way to the kingdom of glory when Jesus comes a second time and the earth is finally recreated at the end of the 1,000 years. So, two parts of the kingdom as you mentioned. All right, great. Next question that we have is--let's see, we've got James in Texas. James, welcome to the program.

James: Yes, thank you for taking my call tonight.

Doug: Yes, and we're glad you're calling. Your question.

James: Yes, I'm trying to get the truth about a kind of a urgent matter. Some people say that the death decree is the end of probation and some say that is the mark of the beast. Can you tell me if that's in scriptures, when the death decree--I mean, not death decree, the end of probation is, because I can't find it anywhere and it's kind of confusing me.

Doug: Yeah, yeah, good question. You're not going to find the phrase in the probation, you'll find the teaching. Now, for instance, is it Revelation 22 where Jesus said, "Let him that is just"--you might want to look that up real quick. As far as the decree, it doesn't call it a decree, it's called a decree--in Daniel 3 a decree is made by Nebuchadnezzar. A decree is signed by Darius in Daniel chapter 6 as a death decree, unless they worship a certain way. Revelation alludes to the same kind of law, it doesn't use the word decree. And it says in verse 17 of Revelation 13, "No one might buy or sell except the one who has the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Well, it stands to reason that if they're going to enforce a law that no one can buy or sell, there'll be a decree that states that.

Jëan: And we have that verse that I think you're referring to, Revelation 22, verse 11. Jesus says, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; he that is holy, let him be holy still, and behold, I come quickly..." So, that is made before Jesus comes. And then Daniel chapter 12, verse 1, it says, "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands over the sons of thy people; and there will be a time of trouble, worse than the world has ever seen... But at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one found written in the book." So, you have the close of probation, you have a time of trouble, the seven last plagues, the end of which is the death decree, but Jesus comes before that death decree can be enacted.

Doug: Yeah, and when you read about the seven last plagues it says instead of repenting, they don't repent, they curse their God. Yeah, so there's no repenting, their probations close during the seven last plagues. That's probably the best we can do now. The other idea about probation closing would be when Noah and his family boarded the ark. There were seven days when life went on, but their probation was closed, the door was shut, and it'll be that way near the end of time.

Well, friends, we got 13, 10, 9 seconds before our break, but we're going to take more questions in the second half that's coming up. Don't forget, also, check out amazingfacts.org. A lot of resources there. Don't go away. More questions to come.

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

Doug: Hi, friends, Pastor Doug Batchelor. This morning, my wife Karen sent me on a mission. She said, "When you're taping your announcements this morning, tell people about my favorite Amazing Facts app." It's called the "Amazing Facts Radio" app. You simply type that in, "Amazing Facts Radio," you can download the app and you can listen to good Christian music, Bible reading, sermons all day long. Keep your faith focused in heaven through the day. Check it out if you haven't done it yet, the "Amazing Facts Radio" app. You'll be blessed.

Announcer: Doug Batchelor was the teenage son of a millionaire father and show business mother. Yet, he was living in a cave. He had everything money could buy, everything but happiness. But all of the fun and excitement he enjoyed left his life out of control. His search eventually led him to a cave above Palm Springs that became his home. While Doug scavenged for food in garbage bins, his father owned a yacht, a Learjet, and an airline. But in his cave home, he discovered a dust covered Bible. As he began to read, he soon learned of his true purpose in life. "The Richest Caveman," is the extraordinary true story of Doug Batchelor that tells how a rebellious teenager who once lived in a cave became a tremendous soul winner for Jesus Christ. It's a thrilling testimony of the transforming power of God's Word. To order your copy of, "The Richest Caveman," call 800-538-7275 or visit afbookstore.com.

Announcer: In six days, God created the heavens and the earth. For thousands of years man has worshiped God on the seventh day of the week. Now, each week, millions of people worship on the first day. What happened? Why did God create a day of rest? Does it really matter what day we worship? Who was behind this great shift? Discover the truth behind God's law and how it was changed. Visit SabbathTruth.com.

Announcer: You're listening to "Bible Answers Live," where every question answered provides a clearer picture of God and His plan to save you. So, what are you waiting for? Get practical answers about the good book for a better life today. This broadcast is a previously recorded episode. If you'd like answers to your Bible related questions on the air, please call us next Sunday between 7 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. We're glad that you have stayed tuned. And some of you who joined us along the way, this is "Bible Answers Live," live, international, interactive Bible study. You can participate and call in your questions. Once again, it's 800-463-7297. My name is Doug Batchelor.

Jëan: And my name is Jëan Ross and we're going to go to Jim. Jim is listening in Indiana. Jim, welcome to the program.

Jim: Yes, hello.

Doug: Hi, thanks for waiting.

Jim: We were doing a Bible study the other week and somebody brought up about Adam and Eve running around naked. I said, "No, they was clothed with the light of God," I guess. How do you explain that to somebody?

Doug: Well, I'll have Pastor Ross look something up for me while I share some other verses with you. In Revelation where he talks about clothes with white robes--is that 7--I forget. But if you look in Mark chapter 9, when Jesus is glorified on top of this mountain, with Elijah and Moses appear, says, "His clothing became exceedingly shining, white like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them." I think another passage in Matthew it says that "his clothes became like the sun." That's what it's--yeah, that's in Matthew--what is it, 16 or 17? Yeah, verse 3, and then when Moses came off the mountain after talking to God, he had to veil his face. So, he had to cover his face with clothes because it was so bright you couldn't look on his face. Adam and Eve used to talk to God face to face. They had garments of light. It was, you know, no artificial fabric, but they were just shimmering with God's glory, made in the image of God, and when they sinned, those garments of--robes of light went out.

Jëan: That's right. When we look in Revelation chapter 7 talks about those who are arrayed white robes, speaking of the redeemed. And then we have in Acts chapter 1, verse 10 talks about an angel wearing white apparel, dazzling white brightness. And I think in the verse itself in Genesis when it talks about Adam and he suddenly realized they were naked, it gives the idea that at some point in time they weren't naked and they became naked and they suddenly realized it. So, that would imply then that at some other time they were wearing something.

Doug: Why would they try to cover themselves?

Jëan: Yeah, why would they suddenly say, "Oh, we're naked"?

Doug: And then, it's not like God didn't say, "Oh, you shouldn't be ashamed to be naked." God said, "You should be ashamed. Your garments are too small." He made bigger ones, because in the book of Genesis it says they made aprons of fig leaf and it says they were small and God gave them tunics of skin. So, not only was it the wrong material, but it wasn't enough. So clearly, the clothing in heaven, it's not, you know, it's not wool, it's not skin, it's not polyester. These are some supernatural garments of glory that they had.

Jëan: You know, one of the verse, Psalms 104, verse 2, God says, speaking of God, "[You] cover yourself with light as a garment..."

Doug: There you go.

Jëan: And if we're created in God's image, God wears light and Adam and Eve had this garment of light.

Doug: That's a good verse.

Jëan: Okay, thank you, Jim. We have Joan listening in Australia. Joan, welcome to the program.

Joan: Hello, how are you? Thank you for taking my call. Repetition is the key, "Bible Answers Live." My question tonight is Jeremiah chapter 3, verse 9. Can you please explain to me that verse and who is she? Is she the people or the developing people of God?

Doug: Alright, let me read this for our friends listening. In Jeremiah chapter 3, verse 9 it says, "So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with trees." It's talking about when the people of God, yeah, they--when--the stones and trees, it means they made idols out of wood, they made idols out of stone, and they worshiped them. God consistently called that harlotry. In fact, in the book of Hosea it specifically says that Israel had played the harlot with her idols. So, because God said, "Do not make graven images in the second commandment. I'm, you know, I'm a living God. Any image you make of Me is going to diminish your concept of My greatness." Whenever they started worshiping idols like the pagan nations around them, He said, "You're giving your love to another God," and it was called harlotry.

Jëan: And in Revelation chapter 17, you have a woman, her name is Babylon, and she's described as a harlot. So, whenever a church leaves the truths of God's Word and forms an alliance with political powers or begins to worship idols, in this case, spiritually she's described as a harlot.

Doug: Yeah. And in this passage in Jeremiah, it talks about both Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judah followed suit and they got involved in idolatry too in the time of--well, Solomon did before he died, but then got really bad during the time of Manasseh.

Jëan: And both kingdoms would judge for that at some point. All right, thank you, Joan. We got Betty Lou in California. Betty Lou, welcome to the program.

Betty Lou: Thank you. My first question of the first text is Acts 9:36 where Peter goes and raises Dorcas. It calls her a disciple. So, there were women disciples. Then, we go to Luke 24:13 and onward for two disciples were on the way to Emmaus and Jesus joined them and they didn't recognize him. Now, they didn't usually put women's names down, and if there were women disciples, why could not this other disciple had been Mrs. Cleopas? And they went to their home together and they asked Jesus to stay with them. Am I wrong in believing that?

Doug: No, you're absolutely right in believing that there are women disciples. Now, of course, the word disciple is different from apostle. There were no women apostles, the 12 apostles were all men. And then, when Judas was replaced in Acts chapter 1, they replaced him from among two men. Could this other woman--or could this other disciple, Cleopas, it couldn't have been Cleopas and his wife. Well, it could have been, it doesn't say in the text whoever they were. It says, "The same hour after Jesus revealed Himself to them," that they turned around and went back to Jerusalem together. So, all we can do is speculate about what the name or identity of the other one was, but there's nothing in the text that says it wasn't his wife and there certainly were women disciples. Mary Magdalene was a disciple.

Jëan: Just to add to that, Jesus in the Great Commission, He said, "Go and make disciples of all nations." So, that obviously includes both men and women.

Doug: Yep, absolutely. So, I hope that helps Betty Lou. Thank you.

Jëan: We've got David in Alaska. David, welcome to the program.

David: I've been abused and I'm mentally ill and my question is, will God put people to sleep if they can't handle the end-time persecution?

Doug: Well, let me read you a verse that I hope will bring you some comfort and maybe some peace of mind. You go to 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and let me--just give me a second here. Here it is, yeah. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 13. Thank you. "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you are able to bear it." So, either God is going to, you know, get you out of the way of the temptation or make sure that whatever temptation or trial comes you are able to bear it. So, don't worry that you're ever going to be given something by God that you can't handle with His grace. But there are going to be some that, you know, He loves that He'll lay to rest. Where is that prophecy that says, "And none considers it, He takes them away to avoid the trials to come"? You know what I'm talking about? Some people are laid to rest and it's because God loves them. "Blessed in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints." And then even in Revelation it says, "Where the souls under the altar rest, until the other fellow servants might be martyred as you were." So, you know, God sometimes lets people go to sleep so they won't have to go through trials they can't handle.

Jëan: And I think the point that you mentioned, pastor, that you look in scripture, whenever one of God's disciples faced a trial and they stood for the right, they were always empowered to handle that trial. And of course, we have many martyrs who gave their life, frail--you know, women who you might think, well, I don't think they can handle trials, but yet they did, they became like a lion in the face of persecution and had this holy boldness and this peace and their life was such a testimony. And when they gave their life there was this calmness--many actually sang while being burned at the stake. Now, that's humanly impossible, so God sustained them in a miraculous way.

Doug: That's right.

Jëan: All right, thank you, David. We have got Steve listening in Oregon. Steve, welcome to the program.

Steve: Yeah, I've got recently got "The Days of Noah" DVD set and I've watched it dozens of times and they have answered numerous questions I've had been--I've been plagued by for years, but one question's left me with--at the end of the--all four DVDs, all of the main characters are on foot traveling through the forest over hills and crossing streams, heading towards one mountain top that is covered by a huge rainbow colored, halo-looking cloud. Is that the end of the days of Noah's story or is there another DVD that finishes the production I can request? Is that huge rainbow-colored halo-type cloud the New Jerusalem coming down? I'm confused like, fireball-type asteroids are impacting the earth. Is it too late to be saved or should we be heading towards this rainbow type thing?

Doug: Well, I--first of all, I was a contributor to that DVD series. We did not produce it, it was produced by our good friends at Layman Ministries and Jeff Reich. And I'm pretty sure that what's implied there is that they are going towards a place of safety and it's just prior to the coming of the Lord. You don't need to worry about where to run right now because when that day comes, just like a pillar of fire led God's people through the wilderness, angels are going to guide us during that time. And says He'll give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways, 1,000 may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come near you. So, God is going to preserve His people. I never worry about, you know, am I going to know where to run and hide in the last days? My concern is, I just want to be faithful day by day to be doing what God wants me to do. But thanks so much and I'll tell our friends at Layman's Ministries that you've been blessed by the series.

Jëan: Next call that we have is Linda listening in West Virginia. Linda, welcome to the program.

Linda: Thank you for taking my call. Pastors, I want to tell you first of all, I really appreciate y'all's ministry. I have learned so much and I'm going on 74 and I've seen a lot in my lifetime with--I call them my family, my aunt. And I was wondering about demons because, my mom and my brother, we went to my aunt's house and she was a pretty bad alcoholic and she wanted to get saved on her deathbed, she had cancer, bone cancer. And mom took a couple of preachers, and this was when I was 25 and I'm going 74 now, and when we got there the preachers coming around with Bibles praying and her voice changed and it was like a demon coming out of her. Pastors, is that possible? Because, I was there and I heard it.

Doug: It is possible, to answer your question. And I don't know that every person struggling with alcoholism is demon possession because the drug itself is a very powerful thing and the devil, I'm sure, takes advantage of that. Jesus can save people from alcoholism. I've seen it, you know, many, many times. And you know, you can read in Mark chapter 16. Jesus said in verse 16, "He that believes and is baptized will be saved; he that does not will be condemned, these signs will follow those who believe: in my name they will cast out devils; and they will speak with new tongues; and they'll take up serpents," meaning if, you know, if they get bit by a serpent, it's not going to hurt them, "and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; and they'll lay hands on the sick, and they'll recover." So, everything that Jesus lists here, the apostles did. There's no listing of them being poisoned, but it may have happened and then they survived it. So, I do believe that the power of God is still there, and we can pray and ask God to set people free from sin and temptation, and sometimes it may be a more direct demonic obsession or possession.

Jëan: Well, yes, it's--just to add to that, pastor. Like, it's very real. I know you've been in Africa, you've done meetings, I've done meetings in Africa, and you know, maybe we don't see it as much in the US, although there are times where that happens even here, but I remember one--in one occasion in particular and just like what the lady described on the phone, there was a spirit there, a demonic force, and everyone knew it and the voice changed and kind of supernatural strength and it's scary. You can kind of feel the hair on the back of your neck. So, the Bible says we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, there are demonic forces out there.

Doug: Absolutely.

Jëan: Now, of course, God protects us. We are grateful for that. We don't have to walk around in fear, but I think that is a warning. We don't want to give ground to the devil.

Doug: Yep, absolutely. Well, thank you, Linda. I hope that helps a little bit. And we got time for a couple more before our break.

Jëan: Yeah, we got Steve from California. Steve, welcome to the program.

Steve: Thanks for taking my call. So, I wonder if you could help me with a--verses 1 John chapter 2, verses 7 and 8, I was reading my Bible study this morning and I'll just read you the first line from each of those verses seems to be a contradiction. It says in verse 7, "Brethren, I write no new commandment to you." And in verse 8 it says, "Again, a new commandment I write to you." I wonder if you can help explain it.

Doug: Yeah, well, sometimes in Hebrew writings they used some irony where they would kind of juxtapose two thoughts that sounded like their opposite. Let me give you another example. King Solomon said, "Do not answer a fool or you sound like him." Then he says immediately after that, "Answer a fool according to his folly, or he'll be wise in his own eyes." And you're thinking, well, make up your mind, answer him or don't answer him? And what he's basically saying is that no matter what you do, you're not going to win when you're trying to communicate with a fool. And so, if you don't answer him, he thinks he's right; if you do answer him, then you look like him. Well, here John is doing something similar. He's saying, "Don't forget the original commandments." "That which you've had from the beginning. It's the old commandment which is the word you've heard from the beginning. And again, a new commandment I write you." So when he said, "I write no new commandment to you," it's another way of his saying, "I'm not asking you to forget the foundational commandments. So, I'm not writing these new commandments to you to forget the old ones." But he says, "Then again, there's a new commandment which is in Him, because darkness is passing away, and the true light is shining." In other words, I think he's saying that Christ came to magnify the law and make it honorable. Jesus didn't really take away the law, He showed that the summary of the law is love.

Jëan: I think maybe another way to put it is, "The new commandment that I'm telling you is the old commandment." So, John is saying, you know, "If people are talking about a new commandment, the reality is that new commandment is really the old commandment that you read about to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself."

Doug: Kind of like where Jesus said, "You've heard it said by them of old," speaking of an old commandment, "that you shall not commit adultery." And then He said, "But I say unto you do not look on a woman to lust in your heart." So, did He do away with the old commandment? No, you're not supposed to commit adultery, but He gave a new insight. It goes beyond the action. It includes the attitude. I think John's doing the same thing here. So, thanks. I hope that helps a little bit, Steven. And let's see, we move on to--who is it? Rosemary?

Jëan: Yeah, Rosemary, welcome to the program. California.

Rosemary: Hello. Hi, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. I have a question regarding witnessing. Now, I have a passion for witnessing. I really want to witness to my neighbors, the new city I moved in. But recently, I was--from discouraged from passing out pamphlets. A person told me that that's not a good way to witness, that they'll be thrown away, people don't read these days. What is the better way to witness if I'm discouraged to witness using pamphlets?

Doug: Well, people do still read pamphlets. I've met folks that have had their lives changed by reading books and literature and little "Amazing Facts" prints and sells thousands of these pocket--"Amazing Facts Tracks," we call them. They're little pocket-sized pamphlets that they just cost a few cents apiece and people can give them out and they'll talk about salvation and different present truth. It's true. It's like fishing, you know, you reel in the line empty a lot. When you're passing out literature, you need to just figure that, you know, maybe 1 out of 50 will read it, but that 1 out of 50 that reads it, it changes their life in some way. So, you're scattering seed, not every seed you scatter is going to sprout. And, you know, I'm guessing that some of the people that are discouraging you, they may even be folks in the church. And I would ask them, "Well, what are you doing to witness?" You know, you're better doing something that has minimal results than doing nothing with no results, and you're better doing something wrong than doing nothing very well. And there's a lot of folks that criticize witnessing efforts and they're not doing anything. But you know, today, you know, we're using media. Of course, we use publishing still at "Amazing Facts," but we also use media. The internet is very effective. Tech people are texting using WhatsApp. All kinds of ways to witness these days. And—

Jëan: Even Facebook.

Doug: Yeah, that's right.

Jëan: People are posting, you know, encouraging statements or verses. Yeah, sure.

Doug: So--but literature is not--it's still a medium for communication, so you can still do that.

Jëan: All right, very good. Next caller that we have, Doug listening in California. Doug, welcome to the program.

Doug: I'm Doug, I'm listening.

Jëan: I know, you're right there.

Doug: Hi, Doug, you're on the air.

Doug: Hi. So, I have a question. Once you accept Jesus Christ in your heart, do you--do you need to be baptized?

Doug: Well, if you've never been baptized, once you accept Jesus you don't necessarily need to get baptized immediately, because Christ said in Matthew 28, "Go therefore, teach all nations." So, prior to baptism there should be some teaching where a person understands the foundational basics of, what does it mean now to be a Christian, I've accepted Jesus's sacrifice, and then be baptized, and then there's more teaching that comes afterward.

Jëan: You know, we do have a study guide talking about baptism. It'll answer this question for you. It's called "Purity and Power," and just call and ask for that. It's 800-835-6747. Ask for that study guide, "Purity and Power," or dial pound 250 and we can send it to you that way as well. All right, the next caller that we have is Paul in Australia. Paul, welcome to the program.

Paul: Hi, good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross.

Doug: Evening. Thanks for calling.

Paul: So, my question is this. Genesis chapter 4, verse 16 to 17. They say that Cain has killed Abel and then they went out from the presence of the Lord and marry his wife. And from that time, from that period, it's just four people, Adam and Eve and then you get Cain and Abel, and Abel is dead. Where did Cain find wife from?

Doug: Yeah, that's a good question. A lot of people wonder about that. They start reading through the Bible--and if you go a little further, you may not have read this yet, but if you read in Genesis chapter 5 it says that Adam had sons and daughters. Genesis 5, verse 4, "After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters," probably quite a few. So, when it talks about Cain and Abel and one murdering the other, it doesn't say they're the only children Adam and Eve had. Those were probably the two oldest boys and they may have been the only ones at that time, but Adam and Eve had also had sons and daughters and they married their sisters. I know that always seems a little odd to us, but keep in mind, Abraham married his half-sister and Jacob married his first cousin and it was not odd. Both Adam and Eve, they were brother and sister, if you think about it. And so, that's what happened. And by the way, again, that's Genesis 5, verse 4, they had sons and daughters, many others.

Jëan: Okay, maybe time for one more. Richard in Michigan. We have about a minute, Richard.

Richard: Okay, I want to know if I've lost my salvation. I got saved, got baptized, and in Revelation it says he'll spew you out of your--His mouth if you're not doing what he wants.

Doug: I don't believe you've grieved away the Holy Spirit or you wouldn't be calling and anxious about your salvation. There's a free book that you can call and ask for and just ask for Pastor Doug's book on the unpardonable sin. I think it'll bring you some comfort and also some knowledge about, you know, what does that mean? So, have faith, Richard. The Bible says, "Where there's life, there's hope." You're alive. Reach out for that door of mercy and start following the Lord.

Jëan: The number to call for that is 800-835-6747. Just ask for the book. It's called—

Doug: It's on the unpardonable sin.

Jëan: The unpardonable sin. I know we have another one called, "Rescue From Above," but that's the one on unpardonable sin.

Doug: Well, listening friends, just so you understand how this works, we are on hundreds of stations around the country and we are on satellite radio. All these cars with satellite radios are getting this broadcast, they operate on different clocks. We're going to say farewell. God bless to our friends listening on satellite. The rest of you, stay by for a minute. We're going to address the internet questions that have come to us in rapid fire. So, don't go away.

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.

Announcer: "Amazing Facts Changed Lives."

Male: I met my ex-wife, and her family were real big into drugs and it started out with them wanting me to go to the doctor to help get them drugs. And, you know, I'm noticing they're going to the doctor, they're coming back with, like, 60 pills and they're selling these pills for like $1,000 and I'm thinking, wow, this is a lot of money I'm giving these people, so I'm just going to start selling it myself. The problem with that was--and we had all this money, but we was absolutely miserable. She would go out and sleep with other guys to get drugs, and that ended my marriage, but during this time I have to get a job to build back up to where I was at, to open my shop again.

So, I get a job at Food City and when I get this job at Food City, there's my wife now, Rebecca, she's a cashier there. And when I walk in, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. I was like, man, I could never have a girl like that. Wow, she's so beautiful. But as I'm working with her, she's actually kind of mean to me and she's saying, "I don't want anything to do with you. Get away from me," and stuff like that. But, you know, I just keep being nice to her and I keep trying to give her my phone number and it's around Christmas Eve, we'd just been dating for a little while and moved in together. My ex-wife shows up with my three children that I had by her and she's like, "Here's your kids, here's their birth certificates, here's their social security cards. I'm done." And we're starting a family. We have--already have three kids.

During this time we spent the next year watching nothing but "Amazing Facts" on YouTube. I didn't even know they even had a website at this time. I just knew that this little guy on YouTube was super smart, was teaching Bible, and I wanted to follow him. I wanted to be a Christian. I gave my life to God now because of these truths that I'm learning from Doug Batchelor. Just because Doug taught it didn't make me real sure about going to this church. I really didn't want anything to do with it, but I'm--I called the guy up and I'm telling him, and I'm not very nice about it, actually. I'm telling him, "Look, we was thinking about coming to your church." And he's really nice and he's like, "Well, you're more than welcome to. We'd like to have you come." And I'm like, "Well, hold on. I'm going to lay down some ground rules." I'm telling him, I said, "Look here, I'm covered in tattoos and I'm a tattoo artist," and he don't say, "Well," you know, "wow, I didn't know all that. Don't come to my church." He says, "You're more than welcome. We would love to have you. Please come."

He asked me what I want to do and I said, "Well, I want to preach." I said, "I have all these truths. I have all this knowledge, stuff I'd never known before, stuff, if I'd had when I was younger that would have been life changing to me." I said, "I got to share this with the world." I said, "I want to preach. I want to teach." He gives me the book, says, "Study that." Well, now that I'm a Bible worker I'm able to go reach people that most of the normal churches wouldn't even bother to even speak to. I'm able to go out and reach the people who have lived the life that I've lived. I'm able to let them know that I am like you. I've been there. I've done that. I want to show you what my life is like now. I want to teach you this Bible. I want to show you what Jesus can do for you. It's not too late.

Jëan: Hello, friends, and welcome back to "Bible Answers Live." We have just a few minutes to answer your email Bible questions. If you'd like to send us an email Bible question, you can send it to BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. That's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. Pastor, I got a first question from Emily. She says, "Why did Jesus have to be tortured in order to save mankind? Couldn't He have just died?"

Doug: Well, no, because the penalty for sin, while it is death, it is not just death, it is suffering and death. Every man is rewarded according to his works. Jesus not only took the death penalty, He took the pain that we all deserve for our bad behavior. There are varying degrees of suffering that are going to be meted out according to people's sins and Jesus took all of that. So, He took not only death, He took the suffering and the death.

Jëan: Okay. We have Wilma asking, "In Genesis chapter 1, verse 14, it says God created night and day, but then in Revelation 21:25 it says that there is no night in the New Jerusalem."

Doug: Well, it--and it says that there's no night there because you get the presence of God and the Bible says that God is light, in Him is no darkness. Even during the Creation folks say, "Why did God say, 'Let there be light,' and He hasn't made the sun until the fourth day?" Well, it's because that light was coming from the very presence of God. So, if God is dwelling in the New Jerusalem, there is no night there in the city, but there is still day and night. Isaiah tells us even in the new earth, there's still day and night. Says the night is brighter than the day is now and the day is seven times brighter than it is now. So, yeah, there will be still a sun, there'll still be days.

Jëan: Okay. In Mark chapter 12:26 Jesus said the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of the living, not the dead. So, does this mean that they were taken to heaven?

Doug: No, it simply means that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they're sleeping. A person asleep is not dead. They have eternal life. They are going to be in the Resurrection. Jesus refers to them as living beings that still exist, because they're just resting, waiting for the Resurrection along with myriads of others who are saved. We got a book on that, "Are the Dead Really Dead?" How do they get that?

Jëan: That's right. Just call and ask. It's 800-835-6747. And again, you can ask for that book, "Are the Dead Really Dead?" and we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks or just dial pound 250 on your smartphone and you can get that--get it that way as well.

Doug: Well, thank you, friends. Don't forget. Check out amazingfacts.org. We have a plethora of resources there. God bless. We'll study again together next week.

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