Something More Than Temporary

Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. Would you like to hear an amazing fact? In 1846, San Francisco was a small sleepy settlement with about 200 residents. But then the discovery of gold in the northern California Hills in 1848 triggered one of the greatest migrations in history. By 1852, San Francisco became a booming city of about 36,000, filled with makeshift tent houses, hotels, stores, saloons, gambling halls, and yes, even some churches. By 1875, approximately one quarter of California's entire population resided in the city proper. Sadly, only about one out of five people that embarked on the gold rush died within two years and less than one in 100 found enough gold to make the grueling trip worthwhile. The Bible says there is actually a city paved with gold that is definitely worth the pilgrimage. What do you think, Pastor Ross?

Jëan Ross: You know, it's interesting, whenever you go to do a little research on the gold rush, there's so many stories, people went through so much trials to get here. They brought their families, they came with the wagon loads and faced attacks by the American Indians. They ran in terrible weather crossing the mountains, and yet just that drive for gold just kept them going. It is sad, as you mentioned, that the vast majority of the people didn't strike Bonanza. Really, the ones who made a lot of money were the ones who supplied the mining.

Doug: The merchants.

Jëan: With tents and gear. So there were some that scored. Everyone's looking for the gold.

Doug: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I heard one little side story connected with a gold rush that the ships that were coming in bringing the 49ers that would either come from Australia or go around South America and they were coming up, all the sailors jumped ship and the captains could not get crews to sail away. And you can see some of the very old pictures of the San Francisco Bay filled with abandoned sailing ships because they just couldn't get people to sail away. They all wanted to come in. And so, it's just a remarkable time in history.

But you know, the Bible tells us that there is gold that we should be driving for. It's of course the gold of God's love. Jesus said, "Buy of me gold refined in the fire." But you read in Hebrews 11, verse 8, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, for he waited for the city that has foundations whose builder and maker is God." And then it describes that city, Pastor Ross, in Revelation 21, verse 18. "The construction of its walls was of Jasper; and the city was pure gold, like glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned in all kinds of precious stones." And then it describes these different stones. You go to verse 21, "The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each individual gate was one pearl and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass." And so there is a city of gold that's worth us making a pilgrimage to.

Jëan: And you know, we do have a study guide, actually, a book, an amazing facts book that talks about this very real city. This new Jerusalem is called "Heaven Is It for Real?" And this is free. We'll send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number to receive the gift is 800-835-6747. And you just ask for offer number 189 or ask for it by name, "Heaven Is It for Real?" I'll be happy to send that to you if you're in North America. If you're outside of the US and you'd like to read the book, just go to the Amazing Facts website. Just amazingfacts.org. Click on the free library, you'll be able to read it there. But if you'd like to get a hard copy, call and ask, we'll be happy to send it to you. Also, there's one other way that you can be--receive this, is through text. If you'd like to get a digital copy of the gift, you just need to text the number, #250. Say "Bible Answers Live" and then just ask for it by name and we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks.

All right, well, before we go to the first caller, let's start with a word of prayer. Dear Father, we thank you once again that we're all here, able to study your Word and we ask your blessing upon this program. Be with those who are listening wherever they might be. And as we always ask, Lord, we know the Bible is your book. And so we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us so that we can come to a clearer and a full understanding of your will for our lives. And we ask this in Jesus's name, amen.

Doug: Amen.

Jëan: First caller this evening, we've got Brittany listening in California. Brittany, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Brittany: Yeah, my question is, how is a Christian supposed to deal with certain political regulations that are completely against the Bible presented by the government?

Doug: Mm, okay, good question. Well, it's not the first time in history that's happened. You can look in the Bible, of course, when the government told the mothers in Egypt to kill their baby boys. Well, Jochebed said, I can't do that and she put Moses in a basket. And then the government, you know, they told Daniel that he should not pray to anyone but the king and he had to stand up for his faith or, I should say, kneel down for his faith. And then in Daniel 3, you got something similar. King of Babylon is telling them the government laws, to bow down and worshiped, and the disciples, many of them died because they would not follow the laws of Rome that said to worship Caesar. Now, we should always obey the laws of the land as long as they're not in direct conflict with the laws of God. And so as far as possible, Christians should be the very best citizens. But if there's ever a political law or principle that violates a biblical principle, we always stand, you know, with God and his Word first. So I hope that helps a little, but great question.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is James listening in Tennessee. James, you're on "Bible Answers Live."

James: Thank you, Pastor Ross, and thank you, Pastor Doug. Y'all have helped me so much with the three angels’ message and it's just been a blessing. But yeah, my question today is 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 4 and starting with verse 10, it says, "And with all of them who deceive and for unrighteousness in them they perish and for this cause God will send them a strong delusion, so they will believe a lie." And it's saying God for this cause will send them a strong delusion, so they'll believe a lie. Who is God referring to? And if every good gift comes from God and everything is good, good, good, why would He send His people a strong delusion so they will believe a lie.

Doug: Yeah, that's a great question. And when you read this verse just on the surface, it sounds like why, you know, everything is true-- God is truth. Why would God send a lie? It's similar to that place in the Bible where a prophet is describing a dream. And he said, "And God said, I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets." That's Micaiah talking to Ahab and Jehoshaphat. And basically, what it's saying there is when they reject truth, Ahab rejected the truth, then light when rejected, darkness comes in. And if you read the rest of this verse here, going back to 2 Thessalonians, it says that "For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they might have be condemned who did not believe the truth." So, what's left if you reject truth? The only thing you got left is a lie. And so, it's basically saying they've rejected the light. And so God is allowing them to believe a lie. God doesn't want anyone to be lost. And there's a verse I think in Hosea chapter 4, Pastor Ross, verse 6 where it kind of says the same thing that if we reject the knowledge.

Jëan: Yeah, Hosea chapter 4 verse 6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from being priest for me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children." It's talking about the judgment that comes upon Israel.

Doug: So, it's not that they're being punished because they don't know, it's because they're rejecting truth. They're rejecting light. The only alternative is the vacuum is then filled with darkness. And so God doesn't send it. It just comes consequentially.

Jëan: You might say God allows it because He withdraws truth, like you said, it's only error left. Thank you, James. Good question. Next caller that we have is Allen also listening in California. Allen, you on "Bible Answers Live."

Allen: Good evening.

Doug: Evening.

Allen: Thank you for taking my call. I'm calling from Bakersfield, California. My question is, it's the first part of Daniel 9:26 says, "And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off." That's the New King James Version, "But not for Himself." So that's pretty self-explanatory. Jesus died for us. But then every other translation says, "Messiah shall be cut off and have nothing." But how can those two things mean the same thing?

Doug: Well, you're talking about two translations, and they sound different like--by the way, the King James and the New King James are very similar. It says, "But not for Himself." Christ, He did not--He was not cut off for his sin, He was cut off for our sin. And so, I think that the King James, New King James, which you know, many scholars except, I think it's more accurate, but either way, with either translation, it's basically saying that Christ is not cut off for His sin, He's cut off for ours.

Jëan: And you know, I think there are four ways in which that phrase has been translated because of the original language there it can go. It's very similar. The one is the one that you mentioned in the King James where it says and-- "but not for Himself," but literally means "and nothing to Him." And some translate that as "there will be no help for Him" or "no help with Him." Others translate it as, "And He shall not be," meaning that He shall perish, "but not for Himself" is also a meaning connected with that phrase. So, depending upon which translation you go with, there's some slight variations there. But I think the point is still clear when the Messiah is cut off.

Doug: And even, you know, if the Messiah is cut off and it says, "and shall have nothing," they took everything from Him, so you can't argue with that either. But the point that I think is so incredible, it says that He'll cause the sacrifice to cease. And when Jesus was cut off, the veil was rent in the temple, bringing to an end the sacrificial system.

Jëan: You know, we have a study called "Right on Time" that deals with Daniel chapter 9 and gets into the various time prophecies that you have. It's very interesting. It's a great study. We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. Just call 800-835-6747 and you can ask for the study guide. It's called "Right On Time," and we'll be happy to send that to you. It's 800-835-6747. You can also just dial #250 on your smartphone. Say "Bible Answers Live" and then you'll be able to download it there as well. Next caller that we have is Joan in Australia. Joan, welcome to the program.

Joan: Hi, thank you for taking my call. How are you?

Doug: Doing good. Thank you for calling.

Joan: I hope you can understand my question. It's kind of a little bit--but it's I'm just trying to get a picture of Job 1, verse 6 when, I understand, when there was the sons of God. My question is, are they the council or are they the sons of God that write the books of life? And is it just Old Testament and it doesn't happen anymore where Satan had access to go along with them.

Doug: There's a little bit of mystery around the sons of God and who they are. I think there are places in the Bible where it speaks of the angels as the sons of God. It's also talking here in Job, I think it's talking about maybe the, you know, this is heavenly meeting, but it's not in heaven, a celestial meeting where God is there, and Satan comes from the earth. So, it's not on earth. The sons of God there are some kind of representatives of other worlds. Now, the reason we say that is because one of the titles for Adam who was the leader of this world, he's called the son of God. You look in the genealogy of Jesus in the book of Luke chapter 3. And it says, "And Enosh was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God. Adam was not born; he was created to be the leader of this world. Now God, you know, no doubt has intelligent beings that are leaders of other worlds and describes the 24 elders around his throne in Revelation. Some have wondered is this who they are. 1 John chapter 3 says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called sons of God." And Isaiah says that we are sons and daughters of God, believers. Christ said that the wicked, they are sons of their father, the devil. So, the term sons of God, it floats a little bit in its definition in the Bible.

Jëan: I think in the immediate context in Job, though, it appears as though these sons of God would be the representatives of other worlds. Hebrews speaks about God created the worlds, and he uses plural, and it appears that Satan came to this gathering claiming to be the representative of the earth. And it's interesting that God allowed him, and God said, "Where did you come from?" He said, "Oh, from walking up and down on the earth" claiming that as his kingdom. And then God said, "Well, there's someone in your kingdom that really belongs in My kingdom." And that's where the story of Job is--you read on and tells you the story of his experience. So I think we can say that these sons of God would be the representatives of other worlds and, very possibly, they could also be the 24 elders that you read about in the book of Revelation. And also I believe in the Old Testament. It refers to God ruling before his elders gloriously, which is the same idea.

You know, we do have a book, Pastor Doug, it's called "Who are the Sons of God?" and it deals with the subject, and we'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks, the number is 800-835-6747. That is our free resource phone line. As for the book, it's called "Who Are the Sons of God?" We'll send it to you. You can also just dial #250 on your smartphone, ask for it and you'll be able to download it that way as well. Thank you, Joan. Thanks for calling all the way from Australia. We've got Steve in Missouri. Steve, welcome to the program.

Steve: Yeah, Pastor Doug, Pastor Ross. I listen to your show pretty regular, and just yesterday, as a matter of fact, it was recording. But a man called in and said, "When Jesus comes back, how could every eye see Him if the earth is round?" Well, a lot of times we're just not smart enough to figure out what God is capable of doing. First of all, the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once. We can't understand that. Okay, but I'm going to say, when Jesus comes back, he's not going to be over there in China and China is going to call us and say, "Hey, the Lord's here. He'll be there in a little bit." Now I'm going to go through about four verses and see what you think, okay?

Doug: All right, let's hear it.

Steve: All right, I'm going to start out with Revelation 6, verse 14, "And the heavens departed as a scroll." A scroll rolls out. Okay, rolls out like a "scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Now I'm going to jump over to Revelation 16, verse 20, "And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." So, things are really happening. And now I'm going to go to Isaiah 40, verse 4, "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain." Okay, now I'm going to stay in Isaiah 13:13. That's where I'm going to go now. Okay, 13:13. "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and earth shall remove out of her place, and then the wrath of the Lord's hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." So that's definitely when he's coming back is when that's going to happen. Now, I'm going to go to Isaiah 24:19.

Doug: Okay, we got to wrap this up pretty quick because we want to get to the question.

Steve: Okay, this is the last one 24:19. "The earth is utterly broken down, earth is clean dissolved, and the earth is moved exceedingly." So, it sounds to me like this earth's going to roll out like a scroll where everybody could see at one time.

Doug: Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah, well, there's no question that the earth is going to go through tremendous turmoil, but I don't think you need to bend over backwards to try to destroy the earth and make this verse fit. When it says every eye will see Him, it means on the day of the Lord, every eye will see Him. Every eye of everybody alive, as Christ goes around the world and it says we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, it says He's coming from the east. I'm just understanding the same way that the earth rotates and He's going to sweep around this circle of the earth. Everyone will see Him that day. Doesn't mean the same moment as He comes, the dead in Christ will rise. They're caught up to meet Him. We're transformed, we're caught up to meet them, and then He takes us back to glory. He says, I'll take you to the places, the mansions I've prepared. So, you know, no question that the earth is going to be in great turmoil, but I don't know that the earth is going to disintegrate so that everybody sees Him at the same moment. Anyway, that'll be, I just want to be ready however that happens.

Jëan: You know, we do have a book talking about the Second Coming of Christ. It's called "Anything but Secret" and it talks about these verses and some of the events connected with the Second Coming of Christ. We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks 800-835-6747. Ask for the book anything but secret. Also you can dial #250. Say "Bible Answers Live" and ask for it by name. Next caller that we have is Lee, listening in North Carolina. Lee, welcome to Bible Answers. You are on the air.

Lee: Oh, hi. Thank you for taking my call. My question, please, is the role of the Holy Spirit in heaven. Like, I know that Jesus comes back to get us and brings us to the Father. So, I also have read about the Holy Spirit being taken away slowly from the earth. Maybe during the tribulation. I was just wondering when it's all said and done and we're all in heaven, what's the role of the Holy Spirit and how did He get there? Thank you.

Doug: Yeah, good question. Well, you know, Jesus said, "It's expedient that I go, and if I go, I will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and He will be with you." And then Christ, when He tells us "I'm with you wherever you go" in Matthew chapter 28. Well, how is God with us? God is with us through God the Spirit. Jesus said, you know, "He will take of My Father and give it to you." And so even in heaven, we will have God's Spirit and presence with us all through the cosmos wherever we might roam through God the Spirit. And so, communication with God wherever we are is probably going to transpire through the Spirit because I do believe that God has a place in time that He sits enthroned, there is a center to His kingdom somewhere, a capital. Says He Himself will dwell with us. We will see His face. But as we go to worlds unknown, and we travel or anywhere in the world. If we're building our mansions and country homes, God's still with us through His Spirit. So, I think the work of the Spirit's going to be still very real. It'll be different in that it's not there convicting us of sin because there's no sin then, but it will still have the peace in the presence of the Spirit.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Taiwan listening from Alabama.

Taiwan: Hello, hey, pastors. I just wanted to ask in Hebrews 4:5 and again in this place, they "shall not enter My rest." I wanted to see if that's the Sabbath he was referring to.

Doug: No, in a word. In Hebrews, he's talking about, you know, the rest that we have through salvation in Christ. The children of Israel looked upon the Promised Land as the rest. Instead of wandering, and even as they first entered, they had to fight the Canaanites. Finally, when they were all subdued, they could go to their homes and plant their vineyards, and they called that entering their rest. So it's compared to the Sabbath in Hebrews 4. But it's--Hebrews here, the writer we believe is Paul, he's talking about Joshua in the Old Testament bringing them into rest, how David was speaking in the Psalms of the rest that we have in the Lord. And the Sabbath is a symbol of that rest. But he's really talking about Jesus. Said--when he says, "I swore in My wrath, they will not enter My rest." The people that didn't believe in the wilderness did not make it to the Promised Land. They lost faith. And again, then he quotes, "They shall not enter My rest." Again, he's quoting from verse 3 in the same passage. So, hope that makes a little sense. But he uses the Sabbath here in sort of a symbolic sense. He does say "There remains therefore a Sabbath for the people of God." And I think that's talking about, of course, there is a Sabbath day, but there's also a Sabbath rest that we have in Christ.

Jëan: All right, thank you. Next call that we have is Lee listening in Texas. Lee, welcome to the program.

Lee: Yes, thank you for taking my call tonight. I have a question that's been on my mind for many, many years now and hopefully I can finally get some--finally get the answer to it. My question is Jesus always said that He and the Father are one. So, everything that God knows that He would know as well. So, if that's the case, why did Jesus say that He didn't know the date and time of His return when He's supposed to know? I mean, He knows everything that God knows. Did He lie about that, or He just couldn't say anything about it?

Doug: No, I think that when Christ spoke of His Second Coming, He made that statement that the angels don't know, but the Father only. Christ on earth had divested Himself of a lot of His supernatural knowledge. And when Jesus was on earth, He did not know. And think about it for a moment. If He did know a date, how would He tell the disciples that he was coming in, you know, 2050. I'm just making that up. They didn't even keep time like that. It would have made no sense to them. They didn't understand that calendar we use today. So, I think Christ said, look, you know, here now on earth, I don't know, but you can be certain that Christ now glorified at the right hand of the Father. God the Father is not holding an envelope like people at some awards ceremony and saying I can't tell you when you're supposed to come back, it's a secret. No, Jesus is omniscient. He knows everything now. But when He was a human on earth, He laid aside a lot of His divinity. So yes, I'm quite sure Jesus knows now. Hey, you know, Pastor Ross, we're going to take a break and don't go anywhere. More questions coming in just a moment.

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Announcer: Amazing Facts: Changed Lives.

Charlie Green: My life was in turmoil. My wife and I were fighting all the time. I got away from everything and everybody. I don't know, it just--I always had this emptiness in my heart. I don't want it filled. I just felt like I went my whole life, you know, just searching for something, and my father died, and that ruined me a lot. My father didn't believe in suicide, and I didn't want to live, but rather than disrespect him, I decided I would just become so mean that someone else would do it to me and I wouldn't have to. So, I joined the army thinking what better place to get killed than in the army. And while I was in the army, my daughter got injured. She was in an accident, and she was blind and paraplegic. And it's just like I felt the whole world was coming down on me. And one morning I just really got mad, and I gave God a cussing like you wouldn't believe. I said, I'm not Moses, not Abraham. You know, I don't--but I put my sandals on just like they do. And I'm a man. I don't want to know why this is happening to me. I just want to know that it's happening for a reason. If you tell me right now that this is all for a reason, then you can stack it on me from here to the end of time and I will never complain again. And that little TV came on. It had been sitting there just static all night long, and there is this minister when he pops up and he says today's lessons from the book of Job. God only lets those suffer that he loves the most. And I said, "Well, that's all You have to say, Lord. I appreciate it." From that day forward, I knew that He was there, and He was in my life and that He would help me.

I went to prison just almost immediately after that. I was in prison for aggravated assault. I was in one of the worst prisons in the state of Tennessee. It was full of gang activity. I got my throat cut, 52 stitches. My neck, I could take those fingers and stick them all the way through out my mouth. I'd gone to the library that day because it was really about the only thing to do. But I ran across this little book called "The Richest Caveman." This book is hilarious, but it is great. I'm sitting there with this big beard. I'm thinking, hey, I know what it's like, look like a caveman. But I'm not an educated person, I guess you'd say. But I'm a simple guy. I'm just really a simple guy. And that's what I loved about Doug Batchelor because this guy is just straight out as you can get. And my wife and I, we've kept contact through all these years and so much has gone on. And I told her, I said, "Listen, now, this is the center of my world right now." And I said, "I really want you to be involved in it with me. I need it." And I said, "You will too if you ever just take hold of it." I told my wife, I said, "Listen, they've got this Amazing Facts Bible study going here. And this is the best way for you to get this information. And I think, except because it's broken down and they give you questions and to make you look for these things, you know. So, it's not anyone telling you, you find it on your own and they teach you to actually use the Bible.

She was there faithfully every Wednesday until we decided, you know, she wanted to be baptized also. She saw it coming around. The choice was made in October the 4th, 2014. My wife and I, we were baptized in the water at the same time, and we started our walk together, I guess you'd say. I went through everything that a man could possibly go through, I guess, from marital trouble, loss of family members, death in my family, my children were harmed and my daughter was handicapped for life, I went to prison, but still I kept my word to God that He could stack it on me as much as He wanted, and I'd never question Him again, and I didn't, but I can say this much, He never put nothing on me that I couldn't handle and He walked with me through it all. And I'd like to say that--to anyone who is in prison, not to give up, don't lose hope. Put your faith in the Lord and study and seek Him and He will seek you. And my name is Charlie Green, and I want you to know that you and Amazing Facts have changed my life.

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, to "Bible Answers Live." And if you've joined us in route, this is a live international interactive Bible study, and you can participate by listening or calling in with your Bible questions. Think we still have some lines open. The number is 800-GODSAYS. That's 800-463-7297. I am Doug Batchelor.

Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross, and we have Nel listening in California. Nel, welcome to the program.

Nel: Thank you, Pastor John and Pastor Doug. My question has to do with Achan. My question is, is why didn't God forgive Achan because I believe it was Joshua, when he asked him, he said, you know, "Confess now what thou hast done and give God the praise." And Achan seemed to have confessed immediately. So, I was wondering why he and his family were still killed.

Doug: Well, Achan did not confess until they cast lots. He waited to the last moment, and basically the lot fell on him. So, you know, God, basically, you know, he got caught with the chocolate chips around his mouth, and then he said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm guilty." So, his repentance wasn't really heartfelt. His repentance was after God sort of fingered him and said, "You're the one." And the reason his family probably was judged with him is they were accomplices. They all knew it was hidden in the tent. They were, you know, is probably dug a hole under the rug or I don't know how he did it, but they all knew about the stolen booty, and they helped him keep it a secret. And it also reminds us that our decisions can affect our families for their salvation as in the story of Noah or their destruction as in the story of Achan. And so, yeah, I think that they were probably complicit with what was happening. We don't know that there are any little children in this family. They may have been older kids that were of age.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Dan in North Carolina. Dan, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Dan: Yes, good evening pastors. Thank you so much. Pastor, I got a question that I don't know if it's been approached before. Maybe yes, maybe no. But my wife and I are of radically different religious beliefs. And my basic question is, how would one define unequally yoked in the case of separating?

Doug: Yeah, well, did one of you change faiths after you got married?

Dan: No, we were--and that is my mistake actually. I was who and what I was, and she was struggling. She really didn't know where she wanted to be. And I have tried progressively to, not aggressively but progressively to introduce her to my thoughts, my beliefs, that which I hold true and it's—

Doug: Don't feel like you're making progress, yeah.

Dan: Yeah, she becomes offensive. Now it's to the point where I can't bring up anything. It turns into drama, and I don't want that.

Doug: I want to make sure we keep it, you know, this is of course, a Bible question program. It'd be easy to transition into counseling. Let me tell you what the Bible says. The Bible says that in the event that you've got a believer that is married to an unbeliever, if the unbeliever, let's assume that your wife is not believing the truth--it may be you that doesn't believe in the truth, So I don't know what your different faiths are--but if they're willing to dwell together, they should not divorce. And that's 1 Corinthians chapter 7. So I recommend you read the whole chapter there because he talks about when people of opposing faiths find themselves married. And especially if there's children involved, you know, you want to create as much harmony and peace as you can even though no question there, it's going to be difficult.

Jëan: Now, that's a different story, though, if you're dating someone and you're thinking about marrying them and you're dating a person or you're engaged to a person that is of a different faith. Well, you know, you probably won't--you don't want to proceed with that marriage until there is a unity of belief. Otherwise, it's just going to cause problems.

Doug: Yeah, but he's telling us that that's what happened. Now, they're married.

Jëan: Yeah, they're married.

Doug: Once you've said, "I do," you made the covenant. You kind of went in eyes wide open. Someone said, "Before marriage, go in with your eyes wide open and after marriage, keep them half shut to the faults of-- to your spouse."

Jëan: You know, we do have a book Pastor that you wrote. Is called, "Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage," and you address these issues. And the number to call for that is 800-835-6747. Once again, it's free. We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks what does the Bible say about the subject of marriage and remarriage. 800-835-6747. You can dial #250 on your smartphone. You'll be able to read a digital copy of that lesson or that book. Next caller there is Glenn in Ohio. Glenn, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Glenn: Thank you very much pastors for taking my call. My call--concerns the triunity of the Godhead and the Holy Spirit. You know, there's an interesting subject I believe about why Jesus told the apostles he had to go so that he could send the Holy Spirit. I think that'd be an interesting subject we'd love to hear talked about. But the triunity of the Godhead, Elohim, came to Christianity from--sun worship. My thought about it is I believe that there's God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the omnipresence of the Godhead. In other words, there are millions of people that were not neglected when the Holy Spirit manifest Himself as a dove at Jesus's baptism. So, I believe there's the Father, the Son, and the manifestation of the omnipresence of the Godhead. I never hear that word. Can you help me or how does that thought fit?

Doug: Yeah, so I think what you're asking is, is the Holy Spirit a unique separate person? Or is he just the way that the omnipresence of God the Father and Son is demonstrated? Well, when in Acts chapter 5, when Ananias and Sapphira lied regarding their donation that they made, Peter said you've not lied unto men, but when you lied to the Holy Spirit, you lied to God. And so, Peter defines lying to the Holy Spirit as lying to God. So, when you look at the definitions of God, you find that the Holy Spirit also fulfills the definitions, that He is grieved, He's given an individual personality. That's part of the reason Jesus said, "Go baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." So you've got--it's distinct. You find the Holy Spirit at the beginning, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and you have the Spirit giving an invitation in the end of the Bible where it says the Spirit and the bride say come. So, the Holy Spirit is a separate person. And you know, this is, it's a difficult subject and I won't pretend it isn't. And we need to really take our shoes off when we talk about this because when man starts describing and defining God, we're way out of our league. But based on what is revealed, I think we can say with confidence, you've got three distinct persons in the Godhead. And I have a book on that, that it's called "The Holy Spirit Trinity: One God or Three." And you'll be blessed by that Glenn, please look at it.

Jëan: 800-835-6747. Ask for the book called "The Trinity: One God or Three." We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. Again, it's 800-835-6747. You can also dial #250 on your smartphone. Say, "Bible Answers Live," ask for the book by name and you'll be able to get a digital download and read that right there on your phone. Next caller that we have--thank you, Glenn. Next caller we have is Bret--Brent in Georgia. Brent, welcome to the program.

Bret: Good evening, pastors. How are you all?

Doug: Doing good. Thank you. And it's Bret, if I'm not mistaken.

Bret: Yes, yeah. So I'm interested in Proverbs 23, verses 20 and 21, and really looking at that and it talks about over-indulgence and gluttonous. And so, I guess looking at that, will there be obese people in heaven?

Doug: I'm sorry. Well, I shouldn't laugh. I think I'm just thinking, will we have obese bodies in heaven? No, I don't think so. Is it possible for an obese person to be saved? Is that maybe what you're asking?

Bret: I know that's possible. I guess—

Doug: Yeah, I don't think in the Resurrection, anybody's--you see, obesity is--technically, it's an unhealthy condition, and so I don't think anyone's going to get a glorified body that's unhealthy. Does that make sense? I don't know if we've ever had that question.

Jëan: Yeah, I mean, there's different factors for obesity. I mean, one could just be temperance, but they could also be medical reasons. There's other factors that come into play. So, yeah, there are health risks, of course, as we know, it can shorten a person's life if they're obese, but that's not preventing someone from receiving Christ and being saved. But like you say, Pastor Doug, I think everyone is going to have that perfect body when Jesus comes, and I don't know too many obese people that think it is a good thing for them to be struggling with weight. So, they're looking forward to that brand-new body as well if they're a believer.

Doug: And let's suppose you have a person that's you know, 100 pounds overweight, which would be unhealthy. And they find the Lord and they come to the Lord, and they start, you know, working to make changes in their lifestyle and they die before they get there. Well, you know, it's a process, and so they'd certainly be saved. But then there's the other question is gluttony a sin? And I think we need to say the lusts of the flesh, whether it's sexual or drug addiction or gluttony. Those are all sins that should be overcome.

Jëan: All right, good question. First time we've had that one. Next caller that we have. Let's see calling from New Jersey and it's Spendjani. Spendjani, welcome to the program.

Spendjani: Thank you, Pastors for taking my call. How are you?

Doug: Doing great. Thanks for calling.

Spendjani: No problem, so my question today is about Genesis chapter 22. Why did God refer to Isaac as Abraham's only son when obviously he had Ishmael first?

Doug: Yeah, good question. I think it's because having Ishmael was not God's plan. God's plan was that through his son, Abraham's son with Sarah, the Messiah would come. When Abraham and Sarah became impatient because they thought, oh, well, you know, Sarah's getting too old, she's beyond the age of bearing. We're going to help God out. We're going to get this Egyptian slave and use her as a surrogate. And then, you know, Abraham and Hagar have the son, Ishmael. Ultimately, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away. And it's kind of hard for us to understand this. But God basically said, "Put her away" and the word is divorce. So, the son that God was going to bring the Messiah through was Isaac. Now, Abraham married after Sarah died and he, through a woman named Keturah, and he had several other sons. But when he offered his only son, Isaac was a type of Christ and God so loved the world, He gave His Son. God doesn't have several divine sons. He only had Jesus. Isaac was a type of that.

Jëan: And I think Isaac's the only one of Abraham's children that was a miracle birth through Sarah.

Doug: Yeah, good point.

Jëan: Whereas all the others were sort of--and I think as you said, that's a type of Christ Jesus, of course, there was a miracle birth with Mary, and it also is a reference to that it's God that would fulfill the promise. It was a man that was to fill the promise. So in that sense, Isaac is different from the other sons that Abraham had.

Doug: I think Paul addresses that too. One was a child of kind of works, and one was a child of faith. So, I hope that helps a little bit and good question, thank you.

Jëan: Richard in Arkansas is listening. Richard, welcome to the program.

Richard: Hey, thank you for having me. How are y'all doing tonight?

Doug: Great. Thanks for calling.

Richard: I just have one quick question. I'll make it short for y'all. What does the Bible say about our pets being in heaven?

Doug: Yeah, that is a good question. We've had that from time to time because a lot of folks, like myself, Pastor Ross has probably had beloved pets and, you know, usually humans outlive them unless you get a turtle, a tortoise or something. You had a parrot for a long time.

Jëan: We did, they live long.

Doug: A long time.

Jëan: I'm laughing at that, Pastor. Like some of these turtles or tortoises can live like 200, 300 years. They could outlive you and your children.

Doug: They don't have a lot of personality though. But anyway, and so, you know, we wonder, is there any hope for them? We love some of these pets and we'd love to see them again. Are they gone forever? You know, the Bible, I have to tell you the Bible does not specifically address it. What the Bible does say is there will be animals in heaven. So, we know that, and then the Bible says that the eyes have not seen, the ear has not heard, neither has entered into the heart, meaning the imagination of man, what God has prepared for those that love him. So, I think when we get to heaven, there'll be a lot of amazing surprises and among those surprises that are joyful, we may find that God is resurrecting our beloved cat or dog or parakeet or whatever it was and that they're going to be there with a glorified body. We don't know that, but certainly not beyond Him. That's as close as I think we can come. Now, we've got a friend, Steve Wahlberg, he wrote a book, "Will My Pet Be in Heaven?" And I think he ends up with the argument that yes, if it was a good pet. Now dogs, maybe not cats, but dogs will be in there. I'm going to get all these letters from cat owners now.

Jëan: All right, well, thank you, Richard. Next caller that we have is Elizabeth in Colorado. Elizabeth, welcome to the program.

Elizabeth: Thank you.

Doug: Hi, thanks for calling.

Elizabeth: Hi; my question is, will Jesus forgive Pontius Pilate? Because in the Bible it says when he first went to Pontius Pilate and they sent him over there, that Pontius Pilate didn't find anything wrong in him.

Doug: Yeah, well, you know, in the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate, Jesus does say the one who turned me over to you has the greater sin. He didn't say Pilate was sinless. Pilate said Jesus was innocent and in spite of the fact He was innocent, he said, well, to make you happy, I'll beat Him and then let Him go. And well, if you think He's innocent, why are you going to beat Him? And then because a mob is crying for His blood instead of calling out the guard and saying He's innocent, I'm going to protect Him. He hands Him over because he's worried about his career and how it's going to look to the Romans if there's a riot. So, I think Pilate caved and I believe he's going to be lost. And I think, you know, Christ is merciful in the judgment. He realized Pilate was pressured into it and God takes that into account. But I don't think Pilate's going to make it based on what the Bible record is. And it's not in the scripture, but in Christian history and Roman history, it seems to say he was eventually banished to Spain. I believe it was Spain and he committed suicide. So, his wife warned him in a dream, "Don't have anything to do with that just man." And Pilate knew he was just, and he still condemned Him. So, I think he's guilty.

Jëan: And that almost makes it worse. He knew that Christ was innocent and yet he's still condemned to death, he murdered Him, so. All right, thank you, Elizabeth. We've got Jo in New Mexico. Jo, welcome to the program.

Jo: Good evening, pastors. How are you?

Doug: Good, thank you, Jo. Appreciate your calling.

Jo: And thank you for accepting the call. I was wondering, where was Daniel when Hananiah and Ananias and--those guys were in at the golden temple--the golden statue, where was Daniel?

Doug: Yeah, that's a good question. It's a little mysterious. My idea and Pastor Ross has just got done teaching a series on Daniel. My understanding is that Nebuchadnezzar, knowing that Daniel had told him his golden kingdom would not continue, might have sent him off on business in another part of the kingdom. I don't think it was an accident Daniel was not there. But you got any thoughts?

Jëan: Yeah, it's almost as if Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, which are their Hebrew names, because when they came before the king, he gave them a second chance, which you'd think he wouldn't have done to anyone else. But it's as if he suddenly realizes, "Oh, man, I forgot about these guys, and they're good, you know, they're good, loyal." So, he said, "Well, we'll give you another chance. When you hear the music, bow down." And of course, when they said, "Oh, king, don't, you know, you don't have to give us another chance. We worship the God. We're not going to bow down." Well, then he got furious and then, you know, the furnace was heated seven times hotter. So, it almost appears as though, yes, he remembered Daniel and maybe sent him off some errand, but he forgot about his three friends, and yet they were just as faithful as Daniel. What a story. I mean, can you imagine if we didn't have that great story, Daniel chapter 3. So yeah, they were very loyal just like Daniel.

Doug: I heard one Bible scholar say that the Lord accomplished through those three young men on the plains of Dora that day what He had been wanting to do through the Jewish nation for 1000 years, to be a light to the Gentiles. And they stood up and showed the power of Jehovah. And then of course, the king sends out a declaration to the whole empire about the God of Daniel and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Anyway, thanks, good call.

Jëan: And of course, Daniel had his time too in the next kingdom and Darius where he was put in the lions' den. So he had to stand up too. All right, next call that we have is Eric in Michigan. Eric, welcome to the program.

Eric: Hey, how're you guys doing tonight?

Doug: Good. Thank you for calling.

Eric: I'm looking for clarification of my thought process due to my limited understanding. I've been running parallels with the operating system of the sanctuary, comparing it to the disciples and how they were taught through Jesus. And I noticed when you come into the courtyard of the sanctuary, the first thing you come to is the altar, which is where it would be where Jesus or, you know, would be sacrificed in the New Testament, so you'd be starting at the cross in the New Testament. But the next thing you come to in the courtyard, I believe is the laver where you have water baptism. And then after the water baptism you go into the holy place where you have the 12 loaves of shewbread which would be the 12 tribes of Israel. You're learning, you know, there's a learning process going on there where you'd eventually be sanctified. Well, of course, the Old Testament, I understand that, you know, men chose not to obey. So, then you go into the New Testament and then if you're starting at the cross, when Jesus was resurrected, I believe he was taught for, I think 40 days. And then after that 40 days, the disciples got the water baptism. And then after the water baptism, you have the Pentecost where the Holy Spirit came down on top of them. I guess is the center line is like the center of the Bible. And if you go into the past or into the future, you're in a teaching situation. If you go farther into the past or the future, you have the water baptism. It's almost like it's laid out. And then of course, you have, if you go even farther into the past or into the future, you end up with being you're sanctified because you would be in the holy place, being sanctified or in the future.

Doug: Let me jump in and tell you what I do think, and you may be overthinking it. Is that okay? I do think the sanctuary outlines the process of salvation. And I was with you when you said, you know, first thing there's one door, Christ is the door. First thing you encounter then is sacrifice, the altar. It's the cross. The children of Israel-- And see, the sanctuary is tracing their journey to the Promised Land. The children of Israel, they sacrificed the lamb. Then they went through the Red Sea, that's baptism. In the wilderness then, they had bread, and that's the 12 loaves, 12 tribes, 12 apostles. It's talking about God's Word and Jesus is the bread. You've got the light. They had a pillar of fire in the sanctuary. God guided them, and it's a symbol for, you know, the Spirit. Then you have the altar of incense. This is prayer. So, you have the three disciplines of the Christian life are in the sanctuary. The bread, we read our Bibles, the light, we let our light shine, and the prayer, we commune with God. So, in the wilderness, you've got those three principal disciplines of the Christian life. There's a lot more to it, but I'm just simplifying it. And then the whole idea is you go to the third phase which is glorification in the presence of God and having him dwell in our minds. Thy Word I've hid in my heart. So, you got justification in the courtyard, sanctification in the holy place, glorification in the most holy place. So just think of it in simple terms. I know that I've heard some studies on the sanctuary that they can write a whole encyclopedia on it. It's a deep, deep subject, but probably more than we can accomplish in little sound bites of our answer time. So, I didn't mean to cut you off, but you were getting pretty deep there.

Jëan: You know, we do have a study guide talking about that. It's called "God Drew The Plans"—

Doug: And our new magazine that's much deeper, yeah.

Jëan: And as you said, Pastor Doug, there's many different facets and parts to the sanctuary and its application. So, call and ask for that. The number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide. It's called "God Drew the Plans," it's on the sanctuary. The Amazing Facts magazine is also entitled, what is that? "Amazing Sanctuary," I think that's just what it is. "Amazing Sanctuary." So, you can ask for that as well.

Doug: I think Eric would like that because it gets a little deeper into the symbolism of the sanctuary, the time prophecies connected with it. Do we have time for one more?

Jëan: Rebekah in Pennsylvania. Rebekah, we got about a minute.

Rebekah: Okay, real quick, so my question is about the Lord's Prayer. One line says, "Lead us not into temptation." So, someone said it was anti-Christian to say the Lord's Prayer because of that line because God does not lead us into temptation, Satan does. So, what do you think about, how do you interpret that line?

Doug: You know what? It's actually not the best translation. It's basically saying, lead us away from our natural tendency towards temptation. So, we're saying, "Lead us not" meaning lead us away from temptation.

We're going to bid farewell. God bless you to those listening on the satellite radio. We'll be back next week to study with you. For those who are listening on land-based stations, don't go anywhere. This is when we come back and do our rapid-fire internet questions that have come in.

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Jëan: And hello back, welcome back, friends, to our email questions. And if you have a Bible-related question, you'd like to email us, it's just balquestions@amazingfacts.org. All right, pastor, here we go. Some great questions tonight. Cynthia is asking, "What were the laws before the Ten Commandments were given? After all isn't sin the transgression of the law?"

Doug: Yeah, some folks say that, well, before the law was given where there's no law, there's no sin, then, you know, how did they know right from wrong? The Ten Commandments were written down in the time of Moses there in Exodus chapter 20. But they existed, they've always existed. It has always been wrong to worship other gods. It's always been wrong to take innocent life. And how do we know that? Well, when God says to Cain, sin lies at your door and Cain commits murder, he knew murder was a sin. When Joseph says--now, Joseph lived long before Moses--when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife. And Joseph said, "How can I commit this sin of adultery and sin against my master?" Joseph knew that adultery was a sin. And so, you could go through a litany of sins that they understood it was lawlessness before the Ten Commandments were given. The law was still there. It just wasn't codified yet.

Jëan: Okay, we've got Alex, who's asking "Does the Bible say that Adam and Eve ate of the tree of life before they sinned, and if so, why didn't they become immortal?"

Doug: Yeah, we would assume they did eat from the tree of life. And evidently, it's something you do more than once in eternity because God says that the tree of life is in the New Earth and that there's different kinds of fruit intimating that we would come that, you know, different varieties or different, flavors, I'm not sure, but it says there's 12 different kinds it sounds like 12 times a year. So, well, you know, we'll come different times. We'll eat the fruit, and it must perpetuate life for a long time because Adam ate from the fruit. He lived 900 years. Whereas, you know, today we have three-score and ten as an average. So, we think he did eat, but it evidently something that you do ongoing. I don't think our eternal life is so much coming from the fruit. Like if you get too far out in the cosmos and you miss your meal, you're going to die. I think we have eternal life, but we're going to want to keep eating from the tree.

Jëan: All right, last question we have here is "What would have happened if Judas Iscariot had repented of his sin? After all the Bible predicted that he was to betray Christ.

Doug: Yeah, well, of course, if he had genuinely repented, I think he would have been forgiven, but he reached the point of no return when he betrayed Christ. It says, "Satan entered him." He went out and it was dark. Don't let that happen to you, friends. Listen to the voice of the Spirit. We'll study God's Word with you again next week. God bless.

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