BAL 2025, Ep01 - Why Did God Throw Satan to the Earth Instead of Somewhere Else ?

Doug Batchelor: Hello, friends. You want to hear an amazing fact? A conservation park in South Africa has a special resident. It's a crocodile named Henry that has the distinction of being the oldest-known crocodile in the world. Born in 1900, Henry turned 124 in December 2024. He was first captured in the Okavango Delta, Botswana back in 1985 after reportedly preying on both livestock and children. His ferocity had earned him infamy among the locals, but you'd never know it now. Since he settled at Crocworld, he began receiving regular meals. He developed a very calm demeanor in captivity. Henry seems to be thriving. He weighs 1,543 pounds and he's 16.4 feet long and still growing. Henry is not alone in the conservation park. There are several other female crocodiles, and since his captivity it's believed that Henry has fathered over 10,000 offspring. No one's quite sure how long a crocodile might live like this under ideal conditions. Pretty amazing, huh, Pastor Ross?

Jëan Ross: That's right. You hear of giant turtles or tortoises, I should say, that live over 100 years. But a crocodile; wow, that's news to me.

Doug: Yeah, and I heard he's not the heaviest. The heaviest crocodile was one named Lolong, and it weighed over 2,000 pounds and was 20 feet .8 inches long. Can you imagine that? And you've probably seen when the wildebeest and zebra are trying to cross the rivers, there are crocodiles that take down these huge animals. Well, here's one 124 years old, and it makes me think about a prophecy in the Bible that says there's another very old reptile that's not so docile and gentle.

Jëan: That's right. Also scales.

Doug: Yeah, you can read about that in Revelation chapter 12, verse 9. Talks about a war in heaven, and it says, "So the great dragon was cast out. The serpent of old," this old serpent, "called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." And here, of course, it's giving us a clue in this verse. It says Satan is also called the devil and the serpent and the dragon. It's all the same character. And it says that there are angels that are cast out with him. I think another place, it tells us in Revelation about this dragon drew a third of the stars of heaven in his tail. Those are the angels that--the evil angels that were cast out of heaven along with the devil. Now, I heard a sermon online this week that helped inspire this question, and the pastor is basically saying, yeah, God made the devil to test us. And I thought, "Oh, no, please." The Bible says everything God makes is good and that God doesn't tempt anyone, and the Lord is not willing that anyone would sin. Why would he make someone that would tempt us to sin? The Bible tells us that God made a beautiful angel, who was free, that chose to be an enemy of God in his freedom. And folks misunderstand why is there evil in the world, and once they understand this question about how did evil come--if God is all-powerful, if God is good, then why is there a devil? Didn't He see this coming? This lesson that we're going to offer answers those questions, and we hope you not only read it but then share it with a friend.

Jëan: The study guide is called "Did God Create the Devil?" That is the one that answers this very important question. If God is love, where did sin and sorrow come from? If you'd like to receive that, just call and ask. The number is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line, and you can ask for the study guide "Did God Create the Devil?" You can dial #250 on your smartphone, say "Bible answers live," and then ask for that study guide "Did God Create the Devil?" Some very important information. It'll answer a lot of questions.

Well, talking about questions, we've got people standing by with their Bible questions, but before we go to the phone lines, let's start with a word of prayer. Dear Father, we are so grateful that we have this time where we can just turn our attention to Your Word. Lord, we ask Your blessing upon this program as we search the Scriptures. Be with those who are listening, whether they are in their car or at home, and just, Lord--lead us, guide us into a clearer understanding of Bible truth for we ask this in Jesus's name, amen.

Doug: Amen.

Jëan: Our first caller this evening, we've got Glenn and Linda from Ohio. Glenn and Linda, welcome to the program.

Glenn: Good evening, and welcome to Ohio. Thank you for taking my call. My Scripture is Isaiah chapter 60, verse 2. But in verse 1-- a beautiful accolade about the city of peace, Jerusalem. But instantaneously when we go to verse 2, there is a sudden darkness over this land and the people. My question is, what is that darkness?

Doug: All right, very good. And let me read this for our friends, Glenn and Linda. It says in Isaiah 60, verse 1 and 2, "Arise, shine; for your light has come. And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, darkness--the darkness shall cover the land, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you, and the Gentiles will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising." Now, this is partly a Messianic prophecy because when Christ came as the Messiah, the Gentiles--you've got the wise men that--you know, they say, "We three kings." You sing that song. They came following a star that was showing the Messiah, but that's an allegory for Jesus being the light of the world and the Gentiles came to that light. And I understand that within 100 years of Christ dying on the cross, there were now more Gentile Christians than Jewish Christians. So, the Gentiles had come to the light. And so, this was a light that Israel had looked forward to and--what is that prophecy of Balaam? Says, "A star will arise out of Jacob." And there's several prophecies that talk about this light. The darkness that it's speaking of there is--well, when a person doesn't have truth, they're in darkness. Jesus says they're the blind leading the blind. It's talking about the light of truth.

Jëan: I think we can also apply this, Pastor Doug, to a future prophecy when the Bible tells us--in Revelation chapter 18, it describes an angel coming down from heaven and the earth is illuminated with his glory and he cries with a loud voice, "Babylon is fallen." It's at a time when spiritual darkness covers the earth and God has a people in the last days that are proclaiming His truths and revealing His character, His glory so--talking about the earth being lighted up with the glory of God.

Doug: That's right. Jesus is the light, and then he says to the church, "You are the light of the world." We're to reflect that light. Good question, Glenn and Linda, thank you.

Jëan: Next caller that we have is Brittany in California. Brittany, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Doug: Hi, thanks for calling.

Brittany: Yeah, my question is, how should a Christian defend their faith while this world is so evil with the latest problems and just, you know, constant issues?

Doug: Yeah, good question, and that actually segues well with the former question talking about--says the Gentiles will come to the light--your light. Jesus said we're to let our light shine. Now, how do we witness in a world that is in many ways given over to evil? And Christ said in the last days it's going to get worse. He said the love of many will grow cold, and Paul said in the last days evil men will arise, and wickedness will get worse and worse. And so, we're seeing that compounded darkness, but fortunately, where sin abounds grace abounds more. God is going to compensate by giving His people more grace and more light to let it shine.

Three things you can do if you want to witness for someone: one, be a good example. There's technically four things. One is, be a good example. In your life, try to live out the teachings of Christ and display Christlike character. People will watch that. So, every day your life is a sermon. Two, if people are willing to listen, share information with them. Now, you can't force a person, but if they're willing to listen you can give them Bible studies, share Amazing Facts study guides with them, give them links that they can look up on the internet. You can sit down and visit with them and share your faith. The Bible says we should be ready to give an answer. The third thing is you pray for them. Pray that you can be a good witness and then pray for those you're witnessing to. Fourth thing is continue to do the first three patiently. Be consistent. "He that endures to the end will be saved." So, we need to pray that God helps us have consistently. I remember when King Darius threw Daniel in the lions' den. He said, "Your God, who you serve continually, He will deliver you." God is looking for consistency. So, there's some very important tips, I think, Brittany. You follow that and you can be a witness even in a wicked world.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Martha in California. Martha, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Martha: Thank you, pastors, for being available to take our calls. I appreciate it. And my question tonight stems from Ecclesiastes 12:7 but also Genesis 2:7. Ecclesiastes 12:7, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Now--and then in Genesis 2:7 it talks about when God is creating Adam and He breathes the breath of life into his nostrils and then Adam becomes a living soul. So, this--it's kind of my understanding that once a person dies and the breath of life is gone, the soul literally ceases to exist. Is that correct?

Doug: Yeah, and it's not that you cease to exist. When we say the soul ceases to exist, people think, "Oh no, what about my eternal life?" What the Bible teaches is that you stop being a soul. Soul is not the right word. When a person dies, God has who you are backed up on a hard drive in His mind or wherever. So, it's not like you stop being. But you're not a conscious soul that's floating around disembodied, you're unconscious until the Resurrection. Now, for a saved person--well, let me back up before I say that. The word there that's used in Hebrew, both in Genesis and in Ecclesiastes, is the word ruach, and it means breath, the breath of life. God breathed into his nostrils, and he became a living soul. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon says when a person dies, you sort of have creation in reverse. When you separate the body from the breath of life, they cease to exist. They die, and the breath of life goes back to God who gave it. Now, that breath of life that God gives all of His creatures, not just humans, is the power of life. Here's an example. Job 27:3, "As long as my breath is still within me and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils--" well, who would ever think of the Holy Spirit being in your nose? It's talking about the breath of life that all these creatures breathe.

So, when a person dies, if they die in a saved condition--you read in the Bible absent from the body, present with the Lord. The next conscious thought of a saved person when they die is the Resurrection, but that doesn't happen till the Second Coming. They're sleeping. Jesus said, "My friend Lazarus is asleep." That's John chapter 11. So, there's a lot more verses I can share, but you're on the right track. We have a study on that.

Jëan: We do, it's called "Are the Dead Really Dead?" And it deals with the subject of what happens when a person dies. We'll send it to anyone for free. All you have to do is call and ask. The number is 800-835-6747. That is our resource phone line. You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and then ask for the study guide. It's called "Are the Dead Really Dead?" And we'll send it to you. You can read it and share it with somebody else. Thank you, Martha. Next caller is Ronald in Oregon. Ronald, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Ronald: Thank you, Pastors Ross and Batchelor. You can't imagine what--how much you mean to me.

Doug: Oh, well, thanks so much for calling.

Ronald: My question, I have trouble complying probably a little bit with Matthew 5:43 and 44 versus Matthew 7:6 and kind of like to get a--maybe a little inside information on that.

Doug: All right, it--well, let me read this for our friends. In Matthew chapter 5:43, "You've heard it said that you should love your neighbor and hate your enemies, but I say to you, 'Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those that hate you, pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you might be the sons of your Father in heaven.'" And then you said you want to put that up against Matthew 7. What was the verse?

Jëan: Matthew chapter 7, verse 6. I got it right here, Pastor Doug. "Do not give that which is holy to dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn again and tear you to pieces."

Doug: Oh, yeah, okay. Yeah, I don't think there's a conflict there. When it says love your enemies, the Lord wants us to love everybody that he died for. But because you love a person doesn't mean that you throw away something precious that would be appreciated by someone else. In other words, your life is made of time. Time is the stuff life is made of. If we don't have time, we don't have anything. And you can love everybody, but there are some people that will continue to take your time and your energies and they will not bear any fruit. They're just--they're doing it for the wrong motive. You can still love them, but don't waste your time on them.

Work with people who are going to respond. And so that would be one example of not casting your pearls before swine. Even if you were to say you're talking about money, if you're going to donate to a ministry just because they're asking and you're supposed to love everybody and you know that one ministry is unproductive, they're not really doing anything good, and there's another ministry that is winning souls, who would want to invest in that which is unproductive when you can invest in that which is productive? So don't cast your pearls before swine or give that which is holy to the dogs. Sometimes I've seen Christian ministers waste their time arguing with people that just like to argue for the sake of arguing. You're wasting your time. You're casting your pearls of truth before swine.

You can love those people, you can pray for them, but, you know, if you've given them a chance and you just--you see that they're just gobbling up your time, the devil's using them to distract you, don't let it happen.

Jëan: You know, I think it's a good point, Pastor Doug. We want to be as prayerful in our witness as possible. We always want to pray for people, and we always want to be a witness if they're open to it, but we also want to be where the Spirit is working. So, one of the things we teach people in evangelism is as you're doing Bible studies, as you're reaching out and connecting with people, you want to be looking to see whose hearts are open to the moving of the Holy Spirit.

Doug: You know, an example of that the--good point. And an example of that would be, why did Jesus say nothing to Herod, but he did speak to Pilate? Herod heard the preaching of John the Baptist. Herod rejected the preaching of John the Baptist. Jesus had nothing to say to Herod, but He did talk to Pilate about what truth was and who He was and He answered many questions. So, Christ would not cast His pearls before the swine of Herod when Herod had killed John the Baptist and didn't listen to Him.

Jëan: Okay, great question. Next caller that we have is Jacob in Washington. Jacob, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Jacob: Hi, Doug Batchelor.

Doug: Hi, Jacob.

Jacob: My question is, why did--why did God throw Satan down here instead of somewhere else?

Doug: All right, that's a great question. Why did God--it says in Revelation Satan--when there's this battle between Michael and the dragon, that the devil was cast out and he was cast down to the earth. Why didn't He put him in a garbage dump of the universe somewhere else? Why to the earth? The reason is because when the devil came down to earth, and he tempted Adam and Eve and Adam and Eve listened to the devil--the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 6 that whoever you obey--you are the servants to the one you obey. And God gave the dominion, the leadership of this world to Adam and Eve. And when they sinned, they basically handed the keys of the world to the devil. So, God restricted the devil to this world, and that's why we have all these problems in the world, is because our first parents decided to listen to the devil instead of God, and now you can see the results of that. Great question. You would enjoy our "Cosmic Conflict" DVD. Your parents can probably let you watch it on YouTube. It's free there.

Jëan: That's right, you can also call and ask for the study guide that we mentioned a little earlier. It's "Did God Create the Devil?" And it talks about the subject. The number to call is 800-835-6747, 800-835-6747 or dial #250 in you--if you're in North America and you can ask for that study guide, "Did God Create a Devil?" And we'll be happy to send it out to anyone who calls and asks. Thank you, Jacob. Next caller that we have is Juan in Ohio. Juan, welcome to the program.

Juan: Okay, so my question is based on Genesis 1, I think it's verse 6 and 7. This is going to be a funny question, man. Is space water? Is it space--like it says, water above and water below so that we have water and space.

Doug: Yeah, that is a great question. It says that God separates the waters below from the waters above, and I--and you've got this firmament. Now, you can have water in space if it's vaporized. Water is an interesting substance in that it can be solid, liquid, or gas. And in its gas form, you can have air that looks like space that has a certain humidity level. But what the Bible is really talking about here is it seems like there were--was like an envelope of water above the earth and a lot of creation scientists believe that because it appears, and even paleontologists see it, that at one time the temperature of the earth was more uniform all around the planet because the rays of the sun were polarized. It's like when you've got cloud cover it doesn't get quite as cold as when the clouds dissipate. And God separated the waters above from the waters below, meaning the sea and the lakes, so forth, and the area between was called the firmament or the heavens. It's not space like outer space, it's more like the atmosphere around the planet. It's interesting. If you look at earth from the space shuttle or even from the moon, you can see that there is this veil that surrounds the earth of blue air. It's got an envelope around it.

Jëan: Now, of course some folks feel--and you're right, Pastor Doug, I think there's something to it, that maybe there was sort of an ice shield, a water shield around the atmosphere. Some folks feel, "Well then, how can we send rockets to space?" Well, quite possibly that's where a lot of the water came from at the time of the flood. Talks about the windows of heaven being opened and you had all of this water that fell, and the ice turned to water and you had the rain coming down and then the water from beneath the fountains of the great deep. So, we don't have that protecting layer anymore and we've got extremes in temperature. You find ferns growing and tropical plants in some very cold areas today. At least going back, you know, fossilized remains of tropical plants in cold areas. So, there was a time when the earth was a lot more warmer all around.

Doug: And the reason you would have those enormous coal beds, even in like Siberia, is there must have been a lot of vegetation to produce that that got buried suddenly. So good question, Juan. I hope that helps a little bit.

Jëan: Next caller that we have is April in Florida. April, welcome to "Bible Answers Live." You're on the air.

April: Good evening, Pastor Doug. Good evening, Pastor Jean. In the book of Genesis during Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham was speaking to the Lord and the--Abraham was testing the Lord, "50--with 50 righteous people, 40 righteous people, 30, will you still destroy the city?" So, then Abraham realized he was testing the Lord. On the same token, Samuel told Saul, "You cannot test the Lord of Israel." So, I'm wondering about those two Scriptures.

Doug: It seems like Abraham's testing the Lord. For one thing, God is not asking him to. I think God was glad that Abraham was interceding in Lot's behalf, but, you know, we're not supposed to tempt the Lord. And I think Abraham was praying, and he kept taking his prayer a little further, saying, "Oh Lord, you know, could You--would You spare the city? What would it take for You to spare the city? What--if there were 50 righteous, would You spare the city that they might still be salt and light and witness?" God said, "Yeah." "What about 45? What about 30?" I think it goes down to, I think, ten finally. So, he's basically--Abraham is interceding. It testifies there must not have been ten righteous in the city because the angels went to Lot and said, "You need to get out of dodge because God's going to destroy this place."

Jëan: All right, very good. Thank you, April. We've got Andrew in California. Andrew, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Andrew: Oh, yeah, we've been listening to you for so many years now. First time calling, but--my question is on Hebrews 10:14 where it says that through one sacrifice we've been perfected and being made holy. So like I was talking--or hearing someone talk about it saying that since Jesus already sacrificed for us and all our sins are forgiven and that's forever, do we still keep asking Jesus to forgive us when we make a mistake or do we just trust that the Spirit changes us and then we just try to keep the law because we love God?

Doug: Well, we should always try and keep the law because we love God. Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." But the Bible also says--John tells us that if any man sins--and he's speaking to believers. If any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father. That means someone who will defend us. But Solomon says whoever confesses and forsakes his sin, and John the Baptist began preaching. Again, he's talking to God's people. He says, "Repent." Jesus began preaching. He said, "Repent." Peter said, "Repent." And so, when we sin, we should repent. David was a believer, Spirit-filled. He sinned with Bathsheba. He laid on his face for 7 days. Of course, it was a pretty grievous sin, but--yeah, there should--repentance should go ahead of, you know, forgiveness. And, you know, once we come to the Lord, He forgives us, He accepts us. We're His child. We're adopted. But in our ongoing relationship, I don't ever doubt Karen's love for me, and I hope she feels the same way. She might even be listening right now. But though we professed our love to each other in the beginning, I've had to apologize several times, and she forgives me, and vice versa. So, in any ongoing love relationship, you want to nurture that. If there's an offense, you apologize, you repent.

Jëan: You know, there's a verse in the Bible that tells us, 1 John 1, verse 9, it's a very well-known verse, "If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So, there is a work for us to do. When Peter got up, filled with the Holy Spirit the day of Pentecost, the people said, "What shall we do to be saved?" He said, "Repent and be baptized." So, there is a work. In order to receive that sacrifice that has already been made, we have a work to do and that is to repent and to confess our sins.

Doug: Yeah, now the verse there in Hebrews has been sometimes misapplied where it says Christ died for us once, and they take that to mean that there's nothing more that is to happen in the plan of salvation, but this--the battle between good and evil is still going on. Jesus is our high priest. He is in heaven before the Father, interceding--Paul--it says in Hebrews, same book, he ever lives to make intercession for us. And so, as we're repenting and turning to God, he continues to intercede.

Jëan: You know, we do have a book, Pastor Doug, that might be interesting on the subject. It's called "Three Steps to Heaven," and it talks about what we need to do in order to receive that grace that God wants to give us. It's free, but we need to receive it by faith. If you'd like to get the book, the number is 800-835-6747 and you can just ask for it. It's called "Three Steps to Heaven."

Doug: Program's not over. We've got the best half yet to come. Tell your friends to call in. "Bible Answers Live" in just a moment.

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

Victoria: I grew up with my mother and father and my four sisters. We grew up poor, but it didn't feel like it 'cause, you know, we had each other. The family was Catholic. My parents didn't practice, so we did not go to church every Sunday. I didn't have an understanding of God as a child, but I remember someone telling me because I did something bad that, "You better behave or God's going to get you." That was my first introduction of God. I didn't know who He was, so I didn't like it. When I was 16, me and my mother had a disagreement and I was told to leave the home. I lived at friends' houses, relatives' houses, just who would take me in at that time. To me it was like an adventure. "Where am I going to go next?" Between the age of 16 and 23 or 24, I was homeless, but after a while, I had to find a place to live. There was a pantry store. Someone had told me to go there and ask the lady there.

So, the conditions were--to live there was you had to do chores, which I was fine with, but you had to go to church, and my thought was, "Well, church hasn't killed anybody yet." Going to church was very slow. I would fall asleep, lot of the speakers were very monotoned, but after a while, I started to listen in church and started following along, asking questions. I was going to that church, I believe it was about 10 years. So that whole time, I knew Jesus loved me, but I did--really didn't attain anything else. That's when I came across Amazing Facts and it was Doug Batchelor preaching, and I learned so much. In just that one session and learning about the Sabbath, Pastor Doug delivered it with so much Scriptures. I learned more in that than the whole 10 years up to that time I learned in the nondenominational church.

Pastor Doug mentioned that if you go to this website, that you can find a church locator and find the church nearest to you. I had a friend who just opened up a restaurant. We knew each other for 4 years and we never had a religious conversation. And I saw my friend walking up the steps of this church. So, the next time I came into town, I came into the restaurant, and without even saying hi I just said, "What church do you go to? What time is service? I know it's on Sabbath. What time is service?" She was like, "It's at 10. Why?" I was like, "Okay, I'll be there." And I showed up the next Sabbath, and she met me at the door. The same time Amazing Facts was teaching me, God had prepared a friend for me, someone I can go to church with. What God has done for me is show me the truth.

Doug: I grew up mostly in New York City. I was sent to many different boarding schools. Most of these schools told me that there was no purpose in life. And I saw in my home people were not very happy, and I would think about suicide.

Sharing a personal testimony can be one of the most powerful ways to win souls to Christ. That's why I'd like to invite you to discover and share a new presentation of my "Richest Caveman" testimony. It's now available on a special DVD from Amazing Facts. We've even included the award-winning "Kingdoms in Time" documentary that recently aired on the History channel. To get your copy of "The Richest Caveman," visit afbookstore.com or call 800-538-7275.

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: We are back, and we are live, and you're welcome to call in with your Bible questions. We have a couple of lines open. Good chance you'll get your question into the best--second half of the program. That number, again, is 800-GOD-SAYS. That is 800-463-7297. This is "Bible Answers Live," a live interaction--interactive Bible study. My name is Doug Batchelor.

Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross, and we've got Jett listening in Florida. Jett, welcome to the program. You're on the air.

Jett: Hello, my question is, how did Noah survive on the ark without air or, like, how did--where did the air come from?

Doug: That's a good question because if you read it--and Pastor Ross might look up the reference where it says the window was 1 cubit. When you read about the construction, it tells about Noah making a window that was a cubit. And a cubit's only about 18 inches, but--and it may be more than a cubit, I don't remember, but it wasn't very big. But it's basically talking about either a series of windows all around the ark that size for ventilation and that--it also needed to provide some light. I'm sure they maybe had some artificial light, maybe oil lamps or whatever in there as well. But with all those animals in there, there's a lot of breathing creatures. You'd need to have--have to have a good convection. So, we believe that this was a series of windows that went around the top that provided light--some light and some air and yet still shielded from the rain as you would have with a window where--with an eave.

Jëan: You know, it almost sounds like it when you read it. I'm looking at--this is New King James Version. Genesis chapter 6, verse 16, it says, "You shall make a window in the ark, and you shall finish it a cubit from above." So, it talks about the height from the top, but it doesn't say how wide it is. Almost seems like the grounds--from the top. So, around all the way. Yeah, it would seem to be something like that, and that's all it says. And then it goes on to talk about the door. That's Genesis chapter 6, verse 16.

Doug: Yup, good question. So, you know, there--there's actually a museum. I think you were there with me, at the ark museum in Kentucky? Is it Kentucky?

Jëan: The Ark Encounter.

Doug: And they've actually got kind of a live life-size model of the ark, and it all makes sense when you go there and look at it.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Uni from California. Uni, welcome to the program.

Uni: Hello, Pastor Batchelor and Pastor Jëan Ross, and thank you for taking my call.

Doug: Well, thanks for calling.

Uni: So, before I ask my question, I just want to say I've been watching your Q&As for, like, the past year. And the two questions that really came into my mind was one person asked if they sell their soul or they make a deal with the devil, can they repent, and your answer was yes; and another person asked can an ordinary person be delivered from unclean spirits, and your answers was yes. So, I was just wondering and also suggesting, what does the Bible say about conversion from paganism to God? And was wondering if you can do a sermon on--of all the people in the Bible who worshiped pagan gods that converted to God, even to those who didn't, like Jezebel.

Doug: Yeah, well, you have--of course, in the New Testament you've got a lot of examples of people. Paul went through Asia and, I think, it was in Ephesus they were burning their pagan books and witchcraft, and that's about as pagan as you get. And he was preaching and people that were worshiping the goddess, Diana. He and Silas, I think, got thrown in jail over that one. And so, you see a lot of pagans that were converting to belief. And then in the Bible you get people like Naaman who was--you know, he was from the Syrians up there in Damascus, and yet he converted and became a worshiper of the true God. Now, people ask that question. They say you're not supposed to lie. Of course, not. But what if you make a vow--and you shouldn't break your promises--but what if you make a vow to give your soul to the devil? Well, I think when you give yourself to Christ, that old person dies spiritually, and you are born again. You become a new person and, you know, that promise, making the decision--you know, there's actually a place in the Bible where if someone made a vow and the father felt that it was a foolish vow, he could overrule the vow and say, "You know, they're too young." Or even a man for his wife, he could overrule it. And I think that if we make a foolish vow, in His love, God can overrule that. And I know a lot of young kids in their youth, they're listening to rock records and sold their souls to the devil and then later they learn about Jesus and they repent and they become productive Christians. So, I think God forgives us for saying dumb things.

Jëan: All right, well, thank you, Uni. Next caller that we have is Joshua in California. Joshua, welcome to the program.

Joshua: All right, so I want to be as charitable as possible with this question because you always say, Pastor Doug, not to build doctrine off of just one Scripture. And so here we are. John 20, verses 21 through 23. And my question about it is, did Jesus give humanity the ability to forgive sins?

Doug: All right, let me read this for our friends. John chapter 20, verse 21, and let me--I know what verse you're talking about--oh, here it is. Says, "When He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So, Jesus said to them, 'Peace be to you. As the Father sent Me, so I send you.' And when He said this, He breathed on them, and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" Now, does that sound like God is giving humans the ability to forgive sin in general? No, I think that what Christ is saying is, as the Father sent Jesus, we point people to Christ who forgives. In accepting Christ, they accept that forgiveness. In rejecting Christ, they reject that forgiveness, and they are not forgiven. And so, it's not that you and I get to go, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you're saved, you're forgiven, you're lost, your sins are retained." No, God would not want that because God's not willing for anyone to perish, the Bible says.

Jëan: Also, the context here, Jesus is not talking specific to individuals. He's speaking to the church and He's giving the church--and, of course, the disciples at the time, they are the church and the church was to grow. He was giving the church as a whole certain authority. Not an individual, not Peter alone or one of the apostles, but as a church. The church is to represent Christ in the proclamation of the message, and there are times when the church needs to discipline a member. Maybe somebody is living a life that is contrary to the gospel, and in order to reach that soul, the church would bring them before the church and warn them and ask them to come to a point of repentance. If they receive that warning, they can be reconciled. Sometimes the church needs to disfellowship them and no longer are they part of the church. And so, this verse is definitely referring to also the responsibility, the authority that God has given to the church, again, for the purpose of redeeming people, not arbitrary choosing who's saved and who's lost.

Doug: An example of what you're talking about is a difficult verse in 1 Corinthians 5:5 where there was someone in the Corinthian church that was--actually, he was sleeping with his stepmother, and the church said, "Look, you're supposed to be a believer. You've got to dismiss him from the church. It's a terrible witness." And he wasn't repenting evidently. And it says to deliver him to the devil. Well, the church together made a decision to say, "Your sins are not being forgiven until you repent." And they put him out of the church. So, in that sense, absolutely right. He's speaking to the church as a whole.

Jëan: Right, thank you, Joshua. Next caller that we have is Jerry in North Carolina. Jerry, welcome to the program.

Jerry: Hello, pastors, and thank you for your ministry.

Doug: Yes, thank you.

Jerry: My question is in the Gospels; Jesus is tempted by Satan for 40 days and 40 nights before He starts His ministry. Then we don't really see him in the rest of New Testament until Revelations 12--chapter 12 where he's fighting in heaven and he's thrown to the earth. Where is he now, or where was he then?

Doug: Yeah, well, if you look--I'm sorry. That's a good question. You know, does the devil have a headquarters? People wonder, you know, is he down in some cavern? A lot of medieval literature seems to imply the devil's down there in Hades, and they get that from Greek mythology. But you read in the book of Job, and in chapter 1, verse 6, it says, "There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' And he said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, from walking back and forth on it.'" Not in it. Satan roams the world like a roaring lion, Peter says. So, he's--he left Christ. He didn't give Jesus his direct attention at that point. And who knows if there is a physical place devils gather, but evidently the devil lives on the earth somewhere.

Jëan: All right, thank you for your call. Next caller that we have is, let's see, Hector. Hector, welcome to the program.

Hector: All right, I have a remark on two different verses, which is Genesis 2, verse 7 and 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 23. They--each of them say different things.

Doug: Genesis 2, verse 7, "So the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Now, what was the other verse you wondered about?

Hector: And 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Doug: And so, are you wondering if they--these two verses conflict with each other?

Hector: Exactly.

Jëan: Let me read the verse.

Doug: Go ahead.

Jëan: "Now may the God appease Himself, sanctify you completely; that He--that--and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless until the coming of the Lord."

Hector: Exactly. See, in Genesis you see that human being possess like two parts, two elements, which is the breath and the body, and then now in 1 Thessalonians you see three parts.

Jëan: Okay.

Doug: Yeah, well, here you've got spirit. It's talking about the--your life and who you are. The word is you--keep in mind Genesis, you're using Greek-- I'm sorry, Genesis, you're using Hebrew. Here in the New Testament, you're using Greek. So, for one thing you got two different languages. I believe the word here is--and I might have to look it up. I think it's pneuma, which is going to be--yeah, it is. It's pneuma, which means wind. And so, it's talking about, you know, your inner being, who you are, your soul, your life, your body. Be preserved, blameless at the coming of the Lord. Paul is the--he's speaking to people who are coming from a non-Christian background where they talked about the spirit of man and the body and the mind and they had all these things, and Paul is saying, "Whatever it is, all of it, let it be found blameless at the coming of the Lord." So, he was removing all doubt by disencompassing everything they understood to be your essence.

Jëan: I think also part of the reason is there was a teaching that was prevalent in the early days of Christianity that kind of came from paganism. The idea is that there was this separation between the soul and the body, meaning that you could worship God in your soul or your spirit, that sometime referred to soul, spirit, but you were free to kind of do what you wanted to do in the body. So, you could live sinfully, that's your body, that's the flesh, that doesn't count, as long as you're worshiping God in your soul. Here, Paul is very clear that it's not only your soul or your spirit, but your body belongs--your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You want to glorify God in your body. And so, he's really making that connection that it's not just this soul type thing, the spirit type thing that worships God, but it's your entire being.

Doug: Yeah, matter of fact, that was probably the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, this idea that you can separate the two things. So, hope that helps a little, Hector. Good question. Thank you.

Jëan: We got Chad in Pennsylvania. Chad, welcome to the program.

Chad: Yes, hi, guys. Wow, thanks for having this program and thanks for taking my call. So, my original question was, does God need to be praised? I'm not sure if I've phrased that correctly. I think the better question is, why does God need to be praised since God doesn't actually need anything? But why does God need to be praised? If He's omniscient, all-powerful, all-knowing, why would us mere mortals or humans need to remind Him of that? And I'll hang up and listen to your answer.

Doug: All right, good. Hey, thanks so much, Chad. Yeah, you would think, "Well, is God creating an audience to applaud Him? Is He so vain that He needs to make these creatures that say, 'Well, you know, just continue to bow and applaud and praise Me?'" No, I think that it's actually the other way around. God makes creatures that He knows their only fulfillment will come in giving. And what's the highest object that anyone could give to? It would be praise and glory and thanks to the Creator. And we're just designed where we do not find our fulfillment. See, God wants us to be blessed, and Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive, and we find our greatest blessing--when we're saved, we'll find our greatest blessing in giving praise and thanks and glory to God. It--it'll--we'll find fulfillment in that. God does not start to blush when we praise Him and say, "I need a little more of that." He knows that we--until we find our happiness in that, we're not going to understand who He is and we're not going to be fulfilled.

Jëan: Yeah, the Bible says that God is love. We're created in the image of God. And love is manifest in giving, in recognizing that. And so, our love is demonstrated in our praise and worship of God and our greatest joy is found in loving God, in worshiping Him. So, does God need our praise? No. Do we need to praise God? Yes. If we want to live and be everything that God has purposed for us to be, we need to express our love to Him, and we do that through praise. So, it's really for our benefit.

Doug: I know I heard a--I was actually in a college class and the professor was talking about the commandment where God commands us to love Him and, you know, he painted this picture of some, you know, great, big, Hulk-like monster that has a club and He says, "Love Me," you know. Well, it'd be impossible to love somebody that it's going to, "Love Me or I'm going to throw you in hell." And so, when God commands us to love Him, it's not because He is a thug saying, "If you don't love Me and keep My commandments, I'm going to destroy you." He's pleading with us from His heart and saying, "You will not be happy, you will not be satisfied until you love Me." Because we are created to love. And until we do that, we're going to be unsatisfied.

Jëan: Right, next caller that we have, Alla in California. Alla, welcome to the program.

Alla: Hi, first of all, thank you so much for your wonderful ministry, and I give your website address and your information whatever I see person ready to come to God. My question, 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 10, 11 and it talk about spirit of Christ was in prophets. And my question, is spirit of Christ the same that Holy Spirit or it is different spirit, or what is it?

Doug: Yeah, it has to be the Holy Spirit because you can read where Jesus said, and He's quoting from Isaiah 61, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me." And so, when Christ was anointed, He was anointed with the Spirit of God. That's what the word Christ means, the anointed. The word Messiah is the Jewish word for the anointed. So, when it says the Spirit of Christ, talking about the Spirit of God that had come upon Christ, be in you, it's God the Spirit.

Jëan: And Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come as His representative. And so, when you have the Holy Spirit, Christ said, "I will be with you always." Well, He was there through the Holy Spirit. And so, the Spirit brought the presence of Christ. So, it's hard to separate and say, you know, no, the Holy Spirit's not representing Jesus because He is. And they connected, and yet they are distinct beings, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Again, we talking about the Godhead, and this is a deep subject. We only have what the Bible is revealed, but—

Doug: We do have that book we can offer that's called "The Trinity: One God or Three."

Jëan: That's right. That's a great book. We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book. It's called "The Trinity: One God or Three." And you'll be blessed by reading that. You can dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for the book that way as well. Darla in Idaho. Darla, welcome to the program.

Darla: Thank you for taking my call and thank you for your ministry. I appreciate it so much. Both you pastors are wonderful. So, my question is this. I don't remember the Scripture, but I just read it a few days ago and it said that there's silence in heaven for half an hour.

Jëan: Revelation 8, verse 1.

Darla: Revelation 8, verse 1. Okay, so now, does that mean that when Jesus leaves heaven to come and get His loved ones and then back again, does that take an hour--or half hour?

Doug: Good question. What does that mean? Why half an hour? It seems like an odd time. In Bible timekeeping, if you use prophetic time where a day is a year, then--and that's--you can see several examples of that in the Bible. It says, "I've appointed you a day for a year." If that's the case, then an hour is going to be about 15 days. So, there's 360 days in a Jewish year. So, you've got to use the Jewish year. You find these times given several times in Revelation. For one time it says 42 months, another time it says 1,260 days, and another time it says a time, a times, and the dividing of time. They all add up to 1,260, which would--only way you get 3 1/2 years is if it's a 360-day year. So, I'm not trying to get too deep here, but if the Jewish year is 360 days, a lunar calendar, then 1 hour is 15 days exactly. Half an hour would be about seven. That's why it says silence for about half an hour. So, this is talking about, like, a 7-day period. And some have wondered, is there silence in heaven because--a couple of things. One, is Christ now coming to redeem the saints and there's no angels in heaven because He's coming with all the holy angels? And is there also silence because there's a great judgment that's about to come upon the wicked? And so, Pastor Ross?

Jëan: Yeah, I don't think that it's 3 1/2-day journey for Jesus to come to the earth and then another 3 1/2-day journey to get back to heaven. You know, we think of it in that way because if we take a trip it's going to be the same amount of time coming back. But Jesus can come in a flash. Angels can travel between earth and heaven in an instant. It almost seems that Christ comes quickly and then He takes the scenic route back, a 7-day journey back to heaven. Not that it's because it's so far away, but maybe God is teaching us some things or we experiencing something special during that 7-day journey. Maybe it's our anticipation is growing because we heading to our heavenly home. So yes, about a 7-day journey back to heaven after Jesus comes.

Doug: Well, good, appreciate that, Darla, thanks so much.

Jëan: Lupe is in Washington. Lupe, welcome to the program.

Lupe: Oh, hello. Thank you for taking my call. My question is, since I don't belong to a church--or my family we don't go to a church, but can I still take Communion at home with my family even though I don't belong to a church?

Doug: Oh, Lupe, can I ask you, are you--do you not belong to a church because there's no church within traveling distance, or what prevents you from going to a church?

Lupe: Or--well, I mean, there is a few churches around here, but we just--as far as being religious, we're just really getting--trying to get, you know, with my family reading the Bible and coming together and getting to know Christ and—

Doug: Well, that--that's wonderful that you're doing that. And I don't want to discourage that, but the next step, of course, is to be in fellowship with other people that are doing the same things, studying the Bible, trying to draw closer to Christ. And assuming--unless you're, you know, in a very remote area. And we meet people sometimes that there's just, you know, no people around. But if you've got other believers around, you're going to find strength in meeting them and fellowshipping. And you can even contact Amazing Facts, and we can--depends on where you are, we can sometimes recommend good churches in the area. So, you're asking about taking Communion by yourself. I've heard of missionaries that were, you know, isolated and they were the only believers, was the husband, wife, and the family, and they would do Communion on their own, but it's preferable that you celebrate Communion with people. You know, Jesus, part of the Last Supper was He washed the disciples' feet. So, you know--and in our church, we had a Communion yesterday and we have--you know, women will pair off. They'll actually wash the feet, and then we have the bread and the grape juice. And then sometimes couples will wash one another's feet, and they'll pray together, and we do--we actually go through what you call a full communion where we do foot-washing and the Lord's Supper. So theoretically you could probably eke that out at home. I think you'll be missing something if you don't fellowship. Hebrews chapter 10, "Do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and all the more as you see the day approaching."

Jëan: You know, we do have a book, Pastor Doug. It's called "The Search for the True Church." And, Lupe, you might enjoy reading this. Gives biblical principles. When one is looking for a church, you want to find a church that teaches the Bible. And you'll enjoy those biblical principles found in the book. Just ask for it. It's called "The Search for the True Church." The number to call is 800-835-6747. That's 800-835-6747. You can dial #250 on your smartphone and just ask for it by name, "The Search for the True Church." We've got Jeremy in Trinidad and Tobago. Jeremy, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Jeremy: Right, hi, good night, everyone, good night, Pastor Doug. So, my question is just a follow-up of the 1/2-hour time silence in heaven. Even when, you know, this Jesus, you know, told us to pray that our flight may not be during the winter or during the Sabbath. So, my question is, why did Jesus, you know, told us to pray that our flight may not be on those times?

Doug: Yeah, so Christ when He described the events connected with the end of the world, among the many things that He said to the disciples, and you'll find this in Matthew chapter 24, verse 20, and He said, "Pray that your flight be not in the winter or on the Sabbath." And here He says why. "For then will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until that time or ever shall be." He says that those that are in Judea flee into the mountains. And so, if you've got God's people that are fleeing persecution and they're in the mountains; well, in the winter time there's no food in the fields. It's going to be a lot more difficult just to survive the elements. And obviously, you wouldn't want to be taking God's holy day of rest to flee for your life, that--this is also, I think, one more verse in the Bible, Pastor Ross, that reminds us the idea that Jesus came to do away with one of the commandments. He was thinking about His people still keeping the Sabbath even down at the end of time because He said they should pray not only that they don't have to flee in the winter but not on the Sabbath day. And some say, well, that's because the Jews would shut the gates on the Sabbath, you couldn't get out. Well, that's not true, not during the Roman time. The gates of Jerusalem were still opened and--but a very good question. And yeah, God wants us to be thinking now about what's going to be coming in the very near future and preparing now in our faith.

Jëan: Our next caller that we have is Jamie in Idaho. Jamie, welcome to the program. We got about a minute.

Jamie: Hey. My question--good to talk to you guys. I know there's no having children in the Resurrection, but why not on the new heavens and the new earth once everything comes back to heaven and earth that it's restored as it was in Eden?

Doug: Yeah. Well, good question. You know, God created marriage. That was part of His original plan. But with Adam and Eve, He said, "Be fruitful and fill the earth." Some people have been confused because they read in the King James Version, it says replenish. And we think of replenish, meaning replace something that was once there before. But it just means fill. Be fruitful and fill the earth. Well, in the Resurrection, there's going to be millions of people. And so, the earth is now going to be populated with the redeemed. Now, some people who are so used to marriage and those relationships were saying, "Well, when we get to heaven, if you've had a wife that you love or a husband that you love, does God give you divorce papers?" No, you can be with whoever you love in heaven, but there--there's not going to be marriage as we know it down here. Don't think God's leaving something out. Friends, I promise you. You just get there. I guarantee it will be an upgrade. No one will be disappointed. If you are, I'll give you your money back. God bless, friends. Hey, thanks so much for staying with us. Check out everything we offer at amazingfacts.org, and we'll study together again next week.

Announcer: Thank you for listening to today's broadcast. We hope you understand your Bible even better than before. "Bible Answers Live" is produced by Amazing Facts International, a faith-based ministry located in Granite Bay, California.