Never More Present Than When It Hurts

Jëan Ross: Hello friends. Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." Let's start with an amazing fact. In 1960, Leonid Rogozov, a young Russian surgeon, volunteered to join a Soviet Antarctic expedition as the team doctor. After a long journey, they eventually reached the remote Antarctic station thousands of miles from civilization where the team planned to spend several months doing research. But then, April 29, 1961, Rogozov began to experience terrible pain in his abdomen which just kept getting worse. To his dismay, he finally realized that he was suffering from acute appendicitis and immediate surgery was needed. The problem was that he was the only doctor at the base and the nearest surgical facility was thousands of miles away. To make things worse, bad weather conditions made evacuation impossible. He was left with no other option but to operate on himself. With the assistance of two others, neither of whom had any medical training, Rogozov set up a makeshift operating room at the base and began a two hour surgery on himself. Using local anesthetic and a mirror to see what he was doing, Rogozov successfully removed his appendix and he made a full recovery.

Well, friends, this story reminds me of the biblical lesson that we need to have patient endurance as well when facing trials and tribulations. The apostle James tells us, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those that love him," James chapter 1, verse 12. Remember, friends, that despite the trials that you might be going through today, having faith in God and trusting in His Word will see you through every trial and will lead to ultimate victory at the Second Coming of Christ. That's why Jesus said, "...He that endures to the end, the same shall be saved."

Well, friends, I want to welcome you again to "Bible Answers Live." My name is Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug is out this evening, but our phone lines are open. If you have a Bible related question, we would love to hear from you tonight. Our phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297. That number, again, is 800-463-7297. That'll bring you here into the studio. If you also have a email question, you can just email that to "Bible Answers Live" email at amazingfacts.org and you'll be able to get your email sent to us as well.

We have a free offer we want to tell you about. It is a book written here at Amazing Facts and it is free for anyone who calls and asks. It is called, "Deathwatch in Siberia," and it goes along with our opening fact, talking about enduring trials. And in this case, for Christ. You'll be blessed by reading this book. It's free. Just call 800-835-6747 and you can ask for offer number 114 or ask for it by name, "Deathwatch in Siberia." There's another way that you can get the book, just dial pound 250 on your smartphone and say, "Bible Answers Live" and then ask for the book by name, "Deathwatch in Siberia." We'll be happy to send it to you. If you're outside of North America, go to the website AmazingFacts.org and you'll be able to download a digital copy of the book and you'll be able to read that right now. So, take advantage of that wonderful free offer.

I see we've got some callers waiting for their question. But before we go to the phone lines, let’s have a word of prayer. Dear Father, we are so grateful for this opportunity once again to be able to open up Your Word and study these very important truths from scripture. Lord, the Bible is Your book. We ask for the Holy Spirit to come and guide us, lead us all into a clearer understanding of Your Word, for we ask this in Jesus's name, amen.

Well, our first caller this evening, Jinetlee, is listening in New York. Jinetlee, welcome to the program. You're on "Bible Answers Live."

Jinetlee: Hi, Pastor Ross. How are you?

Jëan: I'm doing well. Thanks for calling.

Jinetlee: Hi, I started to read the book of Jonah and listening to stories of Nineveh and seeing how Jonah was--at the beginning, everyone was saying, "Don't punish me because of him," and I almost feel convicted as an American with everything that's happening. I was just wondering if this is just kind of some panic or, you know, if we should be taking this a little more serious and repenting.

Jëan: Yeah, absolutely. I think Jesus made it clear in Matthew chapter 24, He gave us certain signs connected with His Second Coming. The Bible speaks of wars and rumors of wars, there's pestilence, diseases, all of these are warning signs. But I think one of the greatest signs that Jesus gives is that when this gospel of the kingdom, He said, "Shall be preached unto all the world as a witness unto all nations, then the end will come." So yes, we see these things happening in the world. If anything, I think it should inspire us and motivate us, as Christians, to proclaim the gospel to the world. Now, that might be in your neck of the woods, in your neighborhood, to your friends, to your neighbors, to live out your faith because this gospel's go to all the world and then the end will come. And that's happening through technology, through media, through satellites, through the internet. The gospel is being preached to the world. So, yes, the sign of Jonah is absolutely one of those signs, could very well be the natural disasters and the earthquakes that we see in the world. Does that make sense, Jinetlee?

Jinetlee: Yeah, yeah. I'm seeing it. I've just been feeling more called to tell my friends to start picking up the book and it's a good book, it's an interesting book.

Jëan: It is a very interesting book. It's a great book because it also illustrates the gospel. Not only is it talking about warnings of judgment, but it's also a gospel invitation. You see God's mercy for those in Nineveh and actually sending Jonah, despite his reluctance, to actually preach this warning message. A number of important lessons there. Thanks for your call. Next caller that we have is Gary and he's listening in Illinois. Gary, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Gary: Thank you. In Revelation 13, it talks of two beasts. The second beast has political and religious power like the first beast. So, my question is, is the second beast--does it have anything to do with the Christian nationalism movement that we're seeing right now?

Jëan: Well, yes, it does. But let me just back up a little bit and talk about these two beasts. Revelation chapter 13, you're referring to. The first beast that's described, beginning in verse 1, and it goes through until verse 10, it describes a beast that arises up out of the sea and it talks about this beast and gives descriptions. Now, beast in Bible prophecy represents a political power, a nation. And in this case, the first beast represents a political power, but it's unique because it's--God talks about it--it's got blasphemy or blasphemes against God. So, it's both a political and a religious power. It is sort of a combination of church and state. And Protestant reformers throughout history have identified this first beast, of Revelation 13, is representing the rise of the Papal power or the Vatican, especially during the 1260 years of Papal supremacy, from 538 until 1798. But there is a second beast that's referred to here, "Coming up from the earth and he had two horns like a lamb," this is verse 11, "but he ended up speaking like a dragon." That second beast has been identified as the United States in Bible prophecy. So, as the first beast was receiving what's called the deadly wound, that occurred at the end of the 1260 years of Papal supremacy in 1798 where the political power of the Papacy was removed, another power was arising. Well, that power, of course, was the United States. It was gaining momentum. It was growing to world prominence. And the United States, different from the Papal power, was based upon Protestant values, the freedom of religion, separation of church and state, which was different from that of the Papal power of the Vatican.

But as time goes on, it says it has two horns like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon, meaning there is a change that takes place within the United States. And I think there's going to be a bit of a backlash, you might say, to the moral decay that we see in our society. Those who are convicted or feel like, wow, you know, we need to get America back to God and, to some degree, we agree with them because we see the sin and we see, just, the immorality that's taking place around us. But you can't force people to worship God. It's got to be a freedom of choice, a decision they make. However, they're going to go to extreme. And eventually, according to Bible prophecy, certain laws will be enforced that restrict religious worship and that sets up the mark of the beast that you read about here in the same passage. So, does those--is--does the religious right or the Christian Coalition or the Ecumenical movement that we see in the United States, does that have something to play in this? I believe so. And I think as time goes on, we'll see this even clearer. Does that make sense, Gary?

Gary: Boy, it talks really, very, an awful lot.

Jëan: All right, well, thank you for your call. You know, we do have a study guide that we'll be happy to send to anyone who wants to learn more about the United States in Bible prophecy. It is called, "The US in Bible Prophecy." Pretty simple name. If you'd like to receive that, just call and ask. The number is 800-835-6747. As for the study guide, it's called, "The United States"--or, "The US in Bible Prophecy." If you'd like to receive a digital download of that study guide, dial pound 250 on your smartphone. Say, "Bible Answers Live," and say, "I'd like to get the study guide, "The US in Bible Prophecy," and you'll be able to download that lesson right there. Next caller that we have is Henry listening in New York. Henry, welcome to the program.

Henry: Yes. Hello.

Jëan: Hi. And your question?

Henry: My question is, when you die, does it matter where your body goes?

Jëan: When you die, does it matter when you--do you mean if you're buried or cremated?

Henry: Right. I know when Jesus Christ died, they buried Him in the tomb. When Lazarus died is different, but, like, if I die today, well, does it matter where my body goes?

Jëan: All right, well, that's a good question, yes. Well, first of all, in the resurrection, for the believer, you know, they're going to be resurrected to eternal life when Jesus comes the second time. We receive, at the Second Coming of Christ, whether we are resurrected from the dead or whether we are alive and changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, we receive immortal bodies, very different than the bodies that we have now. So, God doesn't need anything of the leftovers of this body that we currently have in order for us to be recreated, to have our immortal bodies. So, you know, from a biblical perspective, if you look at the tradition that we see in scripture, most people were buried, but if you're buried for a long enough time, there's not anything left but maybe some teeth and a few bones. Again, that's not something that God needs to recreate you at the Second Coming of Christ.

There are a few examples in the Bible, I'm thinking of Jonathan. He was eventually cremated. They gathered his body and they burnt it. Of course, we believe that Jonathan will be resurrected. He loved the Lord. He was faithful. And then, of course, there were many Christian martyrs throughout the Dark Ages who faced persecution. Many of them were burned at the stake for their faith in God, for their willingness to follow the Bible, and we believe that they will also be resurrected at the Second Coming of Christ. So, does it really matter? No, I think that's something you might want to decide, maybe talk to your family, and reach a decision. But from a biblical perspective, God doesn't need any of these bodies when He recreates us. So, hopefully that helps, Henry. Thank you for your call. We've got Jaymee listening in Idaho. Jaymee, welcome to the program.

Jaymee: Oh, it's so good to talk to you. Thank you for taking my call.

Jëan: You're welcome. Thanks for calling.

Jaymee: My question is about Revelation 3:10 where it says, "Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." And my friend is telling me that this is belonging to the pre-trib and the Rapture because He will keep us from the hour of temptation, and so we're not going to have to worry about the tribulation. We're going to be raptured off and not worry about it. So, can you explain this scripture to me so I can explain it to her?

Jëan: Yeah, happy to. So, when you look in Revelation chapter 2 and 3, you have Christ's message to the seven churches. There's a series of sevens in the book Revelation. Seven churches, seven seals, and seven trumpets. And each of these series of sevens represent the Christian era, starting with the time of the disciples and it goes all the way through to those who are alive on the earth when Jesus comes the second time, and they focus on different aspects during the New Testament era. For example, the churches focus on the condition of the church during the Christian era.

So, the church went through different phases. The early church was pure, they were faithful to the Word. Then you have the church of Smyrna that was a persecuted church and they were persecuted by the Romans, by pagan Romans, and that continued until the legalization of Christianity in 313. And then you see a compromise that begins to take place throughout the Dark Ages all the way up until you get to the church of the Reformation and the truths of God's Word are beginning to be--are understood and people are studying. But then you get to the sixth church, which is the church of Philadelphia, and that's where the verses that you're asking about. The church of Philadelphia represents the Christian church from about 1800, maybe a little after that, 1805, 1810, there's no hard date there, but around 1800 through to about 1850, that's roughly the time period. And for the church of Philadelphia, it's very interesting, Jesus encourages the church, but He doesn't give any word of rebuke, whereas the other churches, all of them, except for Philadelphia and Smyrna, they receive a word of rebuke, but Philadelphia doesn't. In other words, it was a good church, it was doing the right thing. And if you look in history, in the early 1800s, there was a great revival in studying the Word of God, both in the United States and around the world. The Bible was translated into more than 1500 languages, Bible societies were established, missionaries went out to Africa and to Asia and to the furthest parts of the world. There was a great revival. And here, this church--in the church, Jesus says, "I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole earth." Well, it wasn't for the church of Philadelphia to go through the final Great Tribulation, it's for the next church, the church of Laodicea. Now, we're living in the time of the church of Laodicea today. And according to Revelation chapter 12, verse 1, it says, "When Michael stands up, 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, this Great Tribulation that the Bible speaks about is yet in the future. The church is not raptured away before the Tribulation, but they are preserved through the Tribulation, just like the children of Israel when they were in Egypt. When the ten plagues came upon Egypt, the children of Israel, they were protected from the plagues and they were delivered out after the plagues had done their work. So, likewise, at the end of the seven last plagues, Jesus comes and the righteous are delivered and taken to heaven. So, that's the context there if you look at the seven churches. So, it's not talking--the church of Philadelphia is not talking about a Rapture time period. It's rather talking about the church in history in the early 1800s. Jaymee, does that make sense?

Jaymee: And it's protecting us through that Tribulation and not taking us away from it.

Jëan: That's right. And if you look at the examples in scripture, God always protects these people through trials. He doesn't always deliver them from trials. For example, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they went through the fiery furnace, but Jesus was with them. Daniel went through the lions' den, but, you know, God protected him. So, yes, the righteous will be on the earth when the plagues are poured out, but they will be protected and delivered from those plagues. And a wonderful psalm that I think speaks of this time is Psalm 91. And if you want to read that Psalm, it talks about how, "No plague shall come, neither dwelling," and it's talking about the judgment that will be coming up on the wicked at the end of time. All right, Jaymee, thank you so much for your call. Great question. We've got Oscar listening in New York. Oscar, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Oscar: Yeah, thank you, yes, sir. In book of Matthew speaks about the tares and the wheat. So my question is--my question is this. Are the tares those who say that Jesus is not divine or who deny Jesus is God?

Jëan: Okay, so are the tares those who deny God or say Jesus is not God? Yes, that could definitely be part of it. Really, what's being described here is two groups of people. You have those who are the wheat and you have those who are the tares. The wheat represents those who are true to God, those who are faithful, those who follow the teachings of the Bible, those who are surrendered to Him. They are considered the wheat. But there are tares. And tares could include those who claim to be Christians, but, as you said, they don't follow with their complete heart, they're not fully surrendered, but out of convenience they might consider themselves a Christian. They might even go to church. But their heart is not right with God. They would be considered a tare. And then, if you read on in the parable, it says, "The time will come where God will separate the wheat from the tares. The wheat is gathered and placed in the barn, but the tares are gathered and thrown in the fire." And then Jesus says that's the way it's going to be at the end of the earth. He'll send His angels and they'll gather the righteous from the earth, but the wicked will be destroyed with the glory, or the fire, of God at the Second Coming of Christ. So, there's a lot of categories that could make up the tares. It's anybody who denies the truth of Jesus but also refuses to follow the Bible or the teachings of Christ or His law. That would also fall into that category of the tares.

You know, we do have a study guide that talks about the Second Coming of Christ and gives a little more information about this separation between the wheat and the tares. We'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. It is called, "Ultimate Deliverance," and it's about the Second Coming of Christ. We'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. Again, that study guide is called, "Ultimate Deliverance." The number to call is 800-835-6747. Ask for this study guide, "Ultimate Deliverance." You can also dial pound 250 and just say, "Bible Answers Live," and ask for that study guide by name, "Ultimate Deliverance." We'll be able to send you a digital download. Thank you, Oscar. We've got Charlene listening in the Virgin Islands. Charlene, welcome to the program.

Charlene: Hey, good evening. All right, my question is, the little black cloud that Elijah saw in Mount Carmel in his fight with Ahab and the priest, that was a sign that rain was on its way to end that three year drought, but was it also the chariot of angels coming to pick up Elijah in the same way that the little cloud is a sign of the Son of Man coming, in Matthew 24?

Jëan: Yes, well, there's kind of a connection between that. So, the small cloud--now, just to give the context of the story, you have the showdown between Elijah, the true prophet, and you have Ahab and the prophets of Baal, and the people were invited to Mount Carmel. And, at first, Elijah said, "Well, you know, you offer your sacrifices to Baal and the god that answers with fire, you know, we'll know he's the true God." And of course, all day long, they try to get Baal to pour down fire, but, of course, Baal is a false god. Nothing happens. Finally, Elijah rebuilds the altar that had been broken down. He places the sacrifice, the wood, water is poured on the altar. Elijah prays a simple prayer, fire comes down and devours the fire. Those false prophets are put to death.

And then, there was a three and a half year drought leading up to the showdown at Mount Carmel. Then, Elijah goes and he prays because they need rain, and he prays seven times and, finally, a small black cloud is seen on the Mediterranean and is making its way towards the land of Israel and that is a sign that an abundance of rain is coming. And so, Elijah runs down, and he tells Ahab, "You got to get to the city," actually runs in front of the chariot, and there is a massive downpour of rain that, you know, just breaks the drought that was in Israel.

Now, is there significance to that small black cloud and the rain? Yes. In the Bible, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is called the rain, the former rain. It occurred at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, and they were empowered to take the gospel to the then-known world. But there is another outpouring of the Holy Spirit just before the close of probation. Again, calling people to repentance, restoring true worship, a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It's described in Revelation chapter 18 as an angel that comes down from heaven and the earth is illuminated with his glory and he cries with a loud voice, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen," and God will pour out His Spirit upon His people, there will be a great revival amongst God's people, but it'll also awaken persecution against them. That is the last proclamation of the gospel just before probation closes, the seven last plagues fall, and then Jesus comes to deliver them.

So, Elijah proclaims an abundance of rain. He then faces persecution by Jezebel. He flees out into the wilderness, but God sustains him, his faith is tested, and then he is delivered. He is taken to heaven without seeing death. That is a parallel of the experience of God's people in the last days. They receive the latter rain; they proclaim God's last warning message. Yes, persecution comes, probation closes, their faith is tested, but God delivers them, and they are translated to heaven without seeing death, those who are alive at that point. So yes, a definite parallel in those two stories. Does that make sense, Charlene?

Charlene: Yes.

Jëan: All right, let's see. We got Cedric listening in Florida. Cedric, welcome to the program.

Cedric: Thank you, Brother Ross. How are you doing today?

Jëan: I'm doing well, thank you.

Cedric: So, my question for you, my brother, is regarding to Matthew 27, verses 24 and 25.

Jëan: Okay, let me read it for those who are listening and then ask the question about it. Matthew 27, beginning in verse 24, it says, "When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water, he washed his hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it.' And all the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and our children.'" All right, and your question on that?

Cedric: We--should we be careful what we pray for?

Jëan: Well, yeah, we do want to be careful of what we pray, but this was not so much a prayer from them, but declaring that, you know, we don't want Jesus. Even if it means that His blood is going to be on us and our children, we don't care. We don't want Jesus. Now, of course, unfortunately, that was fulfilled. That judgment did come upon those who crucified Christ and upon that generation. Forty years later you had the Romans in 70 AD that came and surrounded the city of Jerusalem and by the end of that, not only was the city completely destroyed in the temple, but thousands and thousands of Jews were killed and many more were taken as slaves back to Rome and scattered throughout the Roman Empire. So, it was a terrible thing.

Now, why did all those bad things happen to them? Well, if you reject God's protection, you're left at the control of God's enemy, the devil, and the devil hates God's people. And so, when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah--remember, when Jesus looked over Jerusalem, He wept. He said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kills the prophets, and those that are sent unto you. How I've longed to gather you together, even as a hen gathers the chicks under her wings, but you would not come." As a result of them rejecting Jesus, God's protection was withdrawn and the Romans came upon them, and that verse was very literally fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And of course, throughout history, throughout the last 2000 years, it seems as though the Jewish people have faced all kinds of persecution and trials. Now, that doesn't mean that individual Jews, of course, they can be saved, individual. Doesn't matter whether you're a Jew or Gentile, if you receive Jesus, you're part of Abraham's seed and you are saved. But as a nation, as a people, they have faced lots of persecution over the past 2000 years.

Friends, we're taking a short break, but we'll be back with more Bible questions.

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Jëan: Hello, friends. Welcome back. This is Pastor Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug is out of town this evening, but this is a live, interactive, international Bible study. And so, we welcome your Bible questions. If you'd like to call into the program this evening, the number is 800-463-7297. That's 800-463-7297. Or just remember 800-GODSAYS. That'll bring you here to the studio. I'm also going to give you another number, that is, the free resource phone line, and we'll be giving out a number of valuable resources to help you in your study of the Word of God, so take advantage of those free resources. We're going to go to the phone lines. Our next caller is Larry listening in Michigan. Larry, you're on the air. Welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Larry: Hi there, Pastor Ross.

Jëan: Hi, thanks for calling.

Larry: I got a couple of scriptures, if you could read them for people who might be driving, but it's Matthew 24:16 through 18, then 1 kings 17:2 through 6. Jëan: All right, let me look at Matthew 24:16 here. You say 16 to 18?

Larry: Yeah.

Jëan: Okay, Jesus is speaking, He says, "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him not--let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes." All right. And what was the other verse?

Larry: 1 Kings chapter 17, verses 2 to 6.

Jëan: 1 Kings chapter 17, verse 2, it says, "Then the word of the Lord came to Him, saying, 'Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.' So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the brook Cherith, which flowed into the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook." Okay, and your question about that?

Larry: So, we know the flesh is actually the fruit, not meat, but my question is, is the Lord going to take care of us like that too, then, when we have to flee? Like, because I know--because with, you know, Israelites didn't have to worry about changing their clothes, shoes.

Jëan: Right. When the children of Israel were delivered and taken from Egypt to the Promised Land, throughout the wilderness wanderings, God provided for them both food, manna, and He also provided for them all their water. It spoke about water coming from a rock. And here you find God taking care of His prophet Elijah when he had to flee out, when there was this terrible drought and he was being persecuted by Ahab and Jezebel. God provided for him. So likewise at the end of time. God is going to provide for His people. The Bible says that your bread and water shall be sure, meaning that God will provide your needs. Doesn't mean that you're going to, you know, have a ten course meal every day, but your bread and your water will be sure. God will provide and take care of His people. And you know, I'd rather be in the mountains in a desolate region with bread and water and with the blessing and the hope of the Second Coming than living in a palace surrounded by all the dainties and then receive the seven last plagues and end up losing your eternal life. So, a little bit with God's blessing is a much better than a lot without God's blessing. So, yes, God promises to provide and take care of us in that time of trouble. Does that help, Larry?

Larry: Yes, it does.

Jëan: Okay, thank you. You know, I mentioned a Psalm a little earlier that is good to read. Psalm 91 I think describes the experience of God's people during the plagues when they are poured out and how God will provide for them and take care of them. It's another wonderful promise in scripture. Our next caller is Kim, listening in Iowa. Kim, welcome to the program. You got a question.

Kim: I do have a question. I'm not quite sure how to phrase this. I was just wondering if it's biblical or not to bring your pets into the sanctuary for your worship service.

Jëan: All right, is it okay to bring—

Kim: This is happening at—

Jëan: At your church? Now, you're talking about like, you know, like dogs, I guess? Bringing a pet dog to church? Well, you know, I think in the case of a service animal, you know, if a person is blind and they need a service animal to guide them when they come to church, usually those dogs are very well trained. They've been trained to be in public places. They behave, they're quiet, they will sit beside the person, and they serve a very specific purpose, that of guiding a person that has a disability, in this case, somebody that is blind. But just to bring dogs and cats and birds into the sanctuary, just for the sake of bringing them to church, I think we want to be careful. First of all, the church is a holy place, and we want to treat it with reverence. We don't want to be running around in the church. We got to tell the children, "Don't run in the sanctuary. This is a holy place." We usually dress up when we go to church because we are entering into the presence of God. It's an act of worship. We don't talk loudly in the church. We talk quietly and we talk reverently because we are aware of God's presence.

So, taking all that into consideration, we probably don't want anything in the church that is going to distract from the reason why we are there, that of worship. And to bring a pet to church or a dog or some animal that might bark or others will see it, or children will be distracted by it, I don't think it's a good practice. Now, if you're doing a children's story and you're illustrating the children's story and you bring a little baby chick in and, you know, you show the children the chick and you talk about the animal or so on, and then you take it out, that's probably fine. But on a regular basis to bring your pets to church, I would discourage that. I know sometimes folks are very attached to their animals and they want to take them everywhere. But when it comes to church, I would say, you know, leave them for a couple of hours at home or in a safe place where they're taken care of. That way, you're not a distraction to other people that come to church. Does that help, Kim?

Kim: Yeah, it does. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Jëan: All right, thanks for your call. Our next caller that we have is Lyn, listening in Arizona. Let's see. Lyn, welcome to the program.

Lyn: Yes, thank you. Hi, there, Pastor Jëan.

Jëan: Hi. Thanks for calling.

Lyn: Listen, this--a lot of people may not even observe this, but back in--when I was younger, and I'm 60, always--well, I'm 67 now, and when I was younger, like, in my 20s and I went to church with my family, we were dedicated Christians--but make a long story short, on Easter they celebrated three days, you know, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and he rose on Monday, because a lot of businesses I remember, even when I was 20, and, you know, would close on Easter Monday. And my dad had an insurance agency, and he closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday for several years. And what do you say about that?

Jëan: If you look at the, you know, the Easter weekend or the Passover, if you look at the biblical record, of course, Jesus died on Friday. He died about 3 in the afternoon, and He was then placed in--or He was on the cross and He said He--right around 3 o'clock, I think closer to a little after that, Christ died. Then He was placed in the tomb. He was there Friday evening, He was there all day Saturday, and then He rose early Sunday morning. So, you know, that's the biblical account and you can, of course, read that in the Gospels, that makes it pretty clear. Now, what we call Easter today doesn't exactly fall on those same days because, you know, dates in the calendar move from day to day, just like your birthday. It moves. The 25th of December moves throughout the week if it's based on a date on the calendar. But, you know, the medieval church was the first to kind of select a weekend close to the Passover and said, "All right, we're going to celebrate Easter on this weekend," and they came up with the idea of something special on Sunday.

Now, it's probably okay to talk about the Resurrection, absolutely, and the death of Christ, that is important, but no way in the Bible does it tell us to make those days holy days. The only day holy, within that weekend, was the seventh-day Sabbath, but that came because of the Ten Commandments. But Friday is not a holy day, neither is Sunday a holy day, nor Monday if, you know, your calendar--first day of the week starts on Monday. But to remember the death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ around the Passover, around Easter time is--there's nothing wrong with that. So, yeah, if you're going to follow the Bible, Jesus rose on Sunday morning, early in the morning, as the Bible says. Hope that helps, Lyn. Next caller that we have is Robert, listening in Washington. Robert, welcome to the program.

Robert: Hello, Pastor Ross.

Jëan: Yeah, welcome.

Robert: Was interested in knowing about Revelation 10:10 and 11. I know Revelation is a specialty of yours. I guess I want to focus on verse 11, although you might have to explain verse 10, though. I was interested in what it means by, "You must prophesy again about many people, nations, tongues, and kings." Might need to talk to--about verse 10, too.

Jëan: Sure. I'll be happy to. Yeah, let me give the background. Thanks for the question. I do like the book of Revelation. It's one of my favorites. Revelation chapter 10. You find at the beginning of the chapter an angel coming down from heaven. The angel has--represents a messenger or a heaven brought message, and he has a little book that's open in his hand, and he sets his one foot upon the earth and his other foot upon the sea. And then he lifts his hand towards heaven and swears by Him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and things that are there in the earth, and the things that are there in the sea, and the things that are therein, that there should be time no longer. But at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, when the angel begins to sound, then the mystery of God will be revealed.

Now, the whole chapter Revelation chapter 10 is a description of a great advent awakening that began in the early 1800s, but really culminated around 1843, 1844 when people began to study the little book of the prophet Daniel in the Old Testament. And based upon their study of the little book of Daniel, in particular Daniel 8:14, they read about something called 2300 day prophecy. Now, one prophetic day equals one literal year, and 2300 days is literally 2300 years. They also found in Daniel chapter 9 that the starting point of the 2300 years was with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, which went into effect in 457 BC, 457 BC. And so, they just did the math and, based upon the calculation, that time period would end 1844, 1843 they initially thought, but further calculations--they realized 1844. Well, they thought that the cleansing of the sanctuary that was spoken of in Daniel chapter 8, verse 14 was the cleansing of the earth by fire at the Second Coming of Christ. So, they thought Jesus was going to come.

And of course, this led to a great religious awakening. That's why, when you read on in Revelation chapter 10, John is told to take the little book out of the angel's hand, which represents the book of Daniel, to eat it up. It would be sweet in his mouth, but it would make his stomach bitter. To eat the book means to study it, to receive it. Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and they were unto me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart..." So, to eat the book means to study it, it means to receive it. But then, after they had that sweet hope of the soon coming of Christ, when Jesus didn't come as they had expected, they were bitterly disappointed. It was only then that they began to realize that the cleansing of the sanctuary wasn't Jesus coming back to the earth, but rather that Christ was doing His final cleansing work, taking place in heaven, called the judgment, the pre-advent judgment, when a cleansing work was to take place on the earth, the cleansing of the heart from sin, the cleansing of the church from error, the proclamation of the truths of scripture. That's why you find in verse 11 of Revelation chapter 10 after the book is eaten, then the message is given to John and John's playing the part of these early advent believers. "You must prophesy again."

So, they began to realize that their mission wasn't over, it had scarcely begun. What was it that they were to prophesy? Well, if you look in Revelation chapter 14, beginning in verse 6, you have what we call the three angels’ messages, "The everlasting gospel that is to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God, give glory to Him, the hour of His judgment has come." That ties in with what we read in Daniel. And then, of course, it talks about Babylon is fallen. We need to worship the Creator, Babylon is fallen, and warns about the beast's power and its mark. So yes, Revelation chapter 10 is a great study. I just kind of flew through it, but that gives you the context. So, it met its fulfillment around 1843, 1844 more specifically if you want to date for Revelation chapter 10. Robert, does that help?

Robert: Yeah, thank you. That makes a lot of sense.

Jëan: All right. Thanks for calling. Next caller that we have. Ava-Joe in Georgia. Ava-Joe, welcome to the program.

Ava-Joe: Hi, good evening, Pastor Ross. How are you?

Jëan: I'm good. Thanks for calling.

Ava-Joe: Thank you for having me. I've been listening to you guys and I really appreciate everything that Amazing Facts does for the entire world. But my question is, for those that are taken with God when Jesus first comes, I know that the wicked will perish, but will they be resurrected for the second judgment or do they just remain perished?

Jëan: All right, now, are you talking about--you're talking about the righteous when Jesus comes the second time, they are resurrected and taken to heaven or are you talking about a special resurrection?

Ava-Joe: The second--the judgment. The second--the judgment of damnation.

Jëan: Okay, all right, yes. Let me give you the context. So, the Bible tells us that when Jesus comes the second time, you've got three categories of people, you've got the dead, you've got the dead righteous, and you've got the dead unrighteous in their graves, and you've got the living righteous and you've got the living wicked. So, maybe four categories. So, when Jesus comes the second time, the living righteous will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, they'll be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. The graves of the righteous dead will be opened and they will be resurrected with their immortal bodies. Together with the living righteous they will meet Jesus in the air. And then, the wicked dead, who are in their graves, they remain in their graves. But the wicked who are alive when Jesus comes a second time, they are destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming.

So, you have the righteous with Jesus in the air and you have the wicked all destroyed on earth. Then, the righteous go to heaven for 1000 years, according to Revelation chapter 20. Talks about the Millennium, 1000 year reign with Christ, and the righteous will be with Jesus in heaven. At the end of the 1000 years, the New Jerusalem, Revelation chapter 21, the New Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven, and it's at that point that Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives and it opens up and forms a great valley. That's Zachariah that talks about that. The New Jerusalem comes to rest, and then all the wicked are resurrected. Revelation chapter 20 calls this the second resurrection.

So, the righteous are resurrected at the First Resurrection at the beginning of the 1000 years, and the wicked are resurrected at the end of the 1000 years called the Second Resurrection. That's what we call the Great White Throne Judgment, Revelation chapter 20. And then, at the end of that judgment, the wicked mount their attack upon the New Jerusalem, fire comes down and devours them. That is the final destruction of the wicked, otherwise known as the lake of fire. It is where the wicked and the earth is cleansed from sin. And then, Jesus makes a new heavens and a new earth. So, that's kind of the breakdown of the First Resurrection and the Second Resurrection. Does that make sense?

Ava-Joe: Yes, thank you so very much.

Jëan: All right, you're welcome. You know, we do have a study guide that talks about the 1000 years. It's called, "1000 Years of Peace," and anyone wanting to learn more about this, you read about it in Revelation chapter 20. The number to call for that is 800-835-6747 and you can ask for that study guide. It's called, "1000 Years of Peace." The number, again, is 800-835-6747 or you can dial pound 250 on your smartphone and just say, "Bible Answers Live" and ask for it by name, "1000 Years of Peace." We've got James listening in Michigan. Detroit, Michigan. James, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

James: Hello, Pastor Ross. How are you and thank you for taking my call.

Jëan: I'm doing well. Thanks for calling.

James: Good. My question is, was Satan cast out of heaven before the earth was created or after the earth was created?

Jëan: Okay, the war in heaven that you read about in Revelation chapter 12, it says there was--let me just read it. It's right here. Revelation 12, verse 7. It says, "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought..." So, there's war in heaven between Michael. Michael is the prophetic name of Jesus. They're not saying Jesus is an angel. Michael just simply means--refers to Jesus in the prophetic sense. So, Jesus and His angels fought with the dragon, or Satan and his angels. So, one third of the angels joined Satan in his rebellion against God. We know that from Revelation chapter 12, but eventually the devil was cast out of heaven and he sort of went around the universe looking for a place that he could kind of establish as his headquarters in his rebellion against God. Right around that time, and the Bible doesn't tell us how much time passed between the war in heaven and the creation of earth. It probably wasn't too long.

But after the devil and his angels are cast out of heaven, then God creates planet Earth, and the devil looks, and here's Adam and Eve and he thinks, why, if I can only get them to side with me, then I can make the earth my headquarters. And that's when he came and he appeared as a serpent in the garden of Eden. And of course, you know the story, he is able to deceive Adam and Eve to trust--or distrust God, disobey God, and to believe him. They were deceived. Of course, that opened up the floodgates of sorrow and death. But God did not abandon mankind. Of course, the plan of redemption also began through the sacrificing of the Lamb, which ultimately pointed to Jesus that would take away the sins of the world. So, yes, Satan is cast out of heaven before Creation. We don't know how much--or how much time elapsed, but then he was able to come and deceive Adam and Eve. Does that help, James?

James: Yes, thank you so much. That answered my question. I appreciate the call and thank you for Amazing Facts.

Jëan: Oh, you're welcome. Thanks for calling. Next caller that we have--let's see, Glenn in Ohio. Glenn, welcome to the program.

Glenn: Good evening, sir. Thanks for taking my call.

Jëan: Absolutely.

Glenn: You know, as a young lad, I learned a lesson. That is, when reading the Bible, if it seems to run into a conflict, I need to remember that I don't understand. That's the answer to the conflict because there are no conflicts in the Bible.

Jëan: Right, we got to study further.

Glenn: But in reading Genesis 6:6, there seems to be a conflict, and I'm just interested in an explanation for something that questions the omniscience of God.

Jëan: Let me read the verse and then let's talk about it. Says, "And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." So, your question is?

Glenn: He repented.

Jëan: He repented, yes. There's different words that are sometimes used. I'm reading from the New King James. If you read the King James it says that God repented. The idea there, meaning that He was sorrowful or He was pained. The word repentance, again, depending upon the context where it's used, it's not that God repented from anything that He did wrong, because God's perfect, but pain came to the heart of God. He was sorry when He saw the way man was treating man. Because the Bible says, violence filled the earth and every imagination of the heart was evil continually and God was pained. He was sorry about what had happened on the earth. So, it's not a regret.

Glenn: But He knew that it was coming.

Jëan: He did. God knows the end from the beginning and yet He still allowed it. And why did He allow it? Because God respects freedom of choice. I mean, He knew that when He created Adam and Eve, that they would eventually rebel and that it would cost the very life of His Son, that Jesus would have to die. And yet, God still continued to create man. So, freedom is very important to God. And why is freedom so important? Because God can't accept worship that is not freely given. God can't accept love that is forced. It has to be freely given. We have to choose. But there's a risk. If you love someone and you give them freedom to choose, there's a risk that they're not always going to do what you want them to do. So, even though God knew that would happen, He still allowed freedom, allowed them to make their choice, but then He pledged Himself to provide a way of salvation so that we can live forever.

Glenn: It says a lot about free will.

Jëan: It's very important.

Glenn: And I'd like to call another time and ask you something about free will. And the reality and the truth and the wonderness of God. I agree with you, sir. Thanks for the explanation.

Jëan: Thank you for calling, Glenn. We appreciate it. All right, the next caller that we have is Darryl, listening in Canada. Daryl, welcome to the program.

Daryl: Thank you, pastor.

Jëan: Yeah. Thanks for calling.

Daryl: I have a grandson, five and six, and then two twin girls due in July.

Jëan: Oh, congratulations.

Daryl: Thank you. My question is, how will God--like, if Jesus was to return today, how would God deal with the resurrected bodies of the babies, born and unborn?

Jëan: Okay, well, I think all of the children that'll be resurrected, or maybe that'll be alive at the Second Coming of Christ, they, along with the adults, will receive glorified bodies. However, they will receive glorified baby bodies, you might say, or glorified teenager bodies, or wherever they are in life. So, if it is a baby and the baby receives a glorified baby body, whatever that is, of course, we don't know, but the child will grow up. Isaiah says that "they shall grow up as calves in the stall," and it talks about children that are playing in the streets, playing with the animals. So, there will be children in heaven. They'll probably grow a little bit slower than they grow here on the earth, but eventually children will grow up. So, it'll be kind of neat to see how these children grow up in heaven as they learn in a perfect environment, in the presence of God, the presence of the angels, perfect love. If ever you could choose where you want to grow up, you'd want to grow up in heaven. So, yes, God is going to take care of the babies, the children, those who are resurrected when He comes again.

You know, we do have a book that we'll be happy to send anyone talking about heaven. It says, "Heaven: Is it for Real?" That is a free gift. We'll send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. You can just answer the book, "Heaven: Is it for Real?" You can dial pound 250 on your smartphone and say, "Bible Answers Live," and then ask for that book, "Heaven: Is it for Real?" Time for one more caller before we take a break. Angela, we got just about a minute. What is your question? Angela from New York.

Angela: Yes, okay. So, my question is, I, you know, I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, but my question is, why isn't He in the Old Testament, but He's in the New Testament?

Jëan: Okay, good question. Well, Jesus is in the Old Testament. He is all over the Old Testament. He is sometimes referred to as the angel of the Lord, the messenger. The word angel means messenger. It was Jesus in the pillar of fire that led the children of Israel. It was Jesus in the type of the sacrifices, the lamb, in the priests, in the whole service. It was Christ that was leading His people. And so, yes, Jesus is in the Old Testament. Matter of fact, all of the Old Testament prophecies point to Jesus. Of course, Jesus appeared to Moses at the burning bush, and He gave Himself the name "I Am." That's why Jesus, when He was in the earth, He said to the religious leaders, "Before Abraham was, I am." He used that very same name that was used at the burning bush. So, yes, Jesus is in the Old Testament in all different places.

All those of you who are listening on satellite radio, we are going to say goodbye, as we're going off satellite radio just a little earlier before the rest of the stations. For those of you listening on land-based stations watching on AFTV, we'll be right back.

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. Those who have stayed by on the various land-based radio stations, also watching on the internet and on Amazing Facts TV, we're going to take some of your email questions. We want to thank the many who have sent us questions via email. If you'd like to email us a question, it's just simply BALquestions@amazingfacts.org. That's BALquestions@amazingfacts.org.

All right, Johnny's asking the question, "Does the principle of tithe apply to gifts received?" Well, it depends. The principle that we find in the Bible is that we are to tithe on our increase. So, if we receive a gift, an unexpected gift, and, you know, we want to thank the Lord for that gift, it's appropriate. Now, that doesn't always mean if it's a tangible thing that somebody gives you. Of course, you can't tithe on that, a car or whatever it is you might receive. You might wish to give a special offering at church, a love offering, in recognition of the gift that God has given. If it's money that somebody has given you, yes, you are able to tithe on that. So, pray for the Spirit to lead you, but it's always a good thing to recognize God as being the true giver of all things and return your tithes to Him.

All right, Terry's asking, "Is it true that the Ten Commandments are written on sapphire stone?" Well, the Bible doesn't tell us for sure what type of stone was used upon which the Ten Commandments were written. We do know in the Bible that blue, the color blue, is often associated with God's law. The priests were told to make a hem of blue at the border of their robes and that was to remind them of the law of God. When they washed their hands and they washed their feet, they would see that blue and remind them about obedience. So, blue is often associated with the law of God. Was the Ten Commandments written on a sapphire stone? Possibly. I, you know, the Bible is not absolutely clear on that. I think one day we will know and that will become true.

All right, next question that we have is, "The Bible says the wages of sin is death. Is it talking about the first or the second death?" When the Bible says the wages of sin is death, it's talking about the second death. Now, the first death is the death that we die now. For the believer, death is described as a sleep in the Bible and when Jesus comes the righteous are going to be awakened from that sleep. That's why Jesus said, with reference to Lazarus, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth," when he was actually dead. Now, true death, as the Bible describes, is the death that the wicked experience at the end of the 1000 years. There is no hope of resurrection. They are forever separated. There is a judgment associated with that final, second death, so that is the ultimate reward for sin. That is the wages of sin, which is death.

Friends, thank you so much for joining us here at "Bible Answers Live." Look forward to talking some more next week. God bless.

Announcer: "Bible Answers Live," honest and accurate answers to your Bible questions.