BAL 2025, Ep03 - Did Enoch Die or Was He Translated ?

Doug Batchelor: Hello, listening friends. Welcome to "Bible Answers Live." Would you like to hear an amazing fact? On January 15, 1919, the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts experienced a tsunami. Not a flood of water but of molasses. The great molasses flood disaster occurred in the middle of the day when a large storage tank, 50 feet tall and 90 feet wide, filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses burst. The sudden eruption of 13,000 tons of molasses created a deadly wave of sticky, brown syrup 25 feet high that rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 miles an hour. The nearby firehouse was swept off its foundation and the sugary syrup created a swath of destruction half a mile long. As the rushing molasses met with the cold Boston air, it solidified, and many people and animals were trapped in the thick ooze like insects on flypaper. The bizarre disaster killed 21 people, injured 150, not to mention killing multiple horses and dogs. The molasses were being fermented to produce ethanol, the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages. Because prohibition was about to start, the owners of the distilling business wanted to top off the poorly built tank to ensure maximum profits from the alcohol sales. Millions of people today are still stuck in the deadly addiction of alcoholism. Boy, that's a really bizarre disaster, Pastor Ross, a wave of molasses going through a city.

Jëan Ross: I know. Well, it's kind of sad 21 people died, but you can imagine the cleanup after that. How did they get all that gooey stuff swept up? I guess you wouldn't sweep it up. You'd have to use a shovel and kind of scrape it off the ground. And yeah, it must have taken a long time.

Doug: You know, I read about it and--at first, of course, it was warm because they had loaded as much as they could the day before. So, when it burst it flowed, but then it met the January air in Boston. And molasses is slow in good weather. It turned into like--it almost hardened. And I think they were able to chip a lot of it and shovel it, but it took a year to clean it up. And they said for the next, oh, 20, 30 years, every summer you could smell molasses in the neighborhood. It just lingered for a long time. But, you know, sad thing was they were really using the molasses ultimately to make alcohol. You think of all those people that were stuck and trapped and caught in this sticky ooze, and you and I have met people through the years that they are trapped in alcoholism. And I'm surprised that sometimes I meet Christians that think, "Well, it's okay for a Christian to drink a little alcohol." And I don't know if they realize that one out of seven people that drinks becomes an alcoholic. So how much should a Christian support something that destroys one out of seven people that touches it?

Jëan: Well, you know, we do have a book that addresses that. Sometimes there's some confusion. For example, the New Testament read--we read about Jesus turning the water into wine, and people are wondering, "Well, was that an alcoholic beverage?" Well, the answer is no. And, you know, you can read the context, and it explains a lot more. Of course, the word wine in the Bible doesn't always rem--refer to an alcoholic drink. It just could be fresh grape juice. We do have a book that's called "Alcohol and the Christian." We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and ask. The number is 800-835-6747. Ask for the book. It's called "Alcohol and the Christian." Or you can dial #250 on your smartphone and say, "Bible Answers Live," and you can ask for that book and we can send you a digital copy.

Well, Pastor Doug, before we go to the phone lines, let's start with a word of prayer. Dear Lord, we are so grateful that we do have this time where we can open up Your Word and study. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and truth will set you free." And, Lord, that's our desire, to learn truth from Your Word. So, bless this program tonight. Be with those who are listening wherever they are. In Jesus's name, amen.

Doug: Amen.

Jëan: You know, Pastor Doug, we didn't mention it, but let me mention it again. If you have a Bible-related question, here is the phone line. It's 800-463-7297. That's 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297. If you don't get in right away, just stay on the phone. Somebody will answer your call, and we'll get you lined up. All right, first caller that we have then is Anthony in New York. Yeah, you're on the air.

Anthony: Yeah. Well, let me get right into it. My question is from 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. Well, it kind of starts before that, but I'll just read 14. It says, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." So, my question is very simple. What does it mean that she will be saved in childbearing? I heard someone intimate that--you know, that this just shows that the wife is supposed to stay home with the children and things of that nature. I wasn't too sure about that, but I just kind of want to know what that means, this verse.

Doug: Yeah, well, I think in part. You remember one of the curses that God pronounced. He had a curse for Adam and He had a curse for Eve, and He said, "In pain you will conceive and bring forth children." It's interesting the word conceive there is not just giving birth. Conception happens 9 months before birth. And some have thought, was that morning sickness? And so--and then, of course, there's pain in childbirth itself. But Paul is saying here, "You'll be saved in childbearing." It's not just in the--you know, God will, I think, add a blessing in the actual delivery process, but I think that through the process of mothering that there's something redemptive that they experience and, you know, God's presence is there to help them and guide them and sanctify them, so—

Jëan: Yeah, and if you look--if you go back in Genesis and you read the account, it says God cursed the ground for man's sake. So, beginning there, you know, it produced thorns and thistles, and it says you're going to have to work the soil in order for it to produce in the sweat of your brow. So, there was a benefit. There was a blessing, and there is a blessing in work. And God designed that Adam was to work, and that's still true today. Just like there was a blessing in work, there is a blessing in--for the mother to give birth and raise children. There is character development in both cases, both working as well as raising your children. It doesn't mean that the dad does not have a part to play, he very much does, but the prime responsibility of raising the children falls on the shoulders of the mother. She's the one that creates the atmosphere, provides the guidance for children being raised.

Doug: Yeah, some of the commentators I was looking at while you were sharing there, they're saying that, you know, the love of a mother for a child teaches them something also of the love of God for His children and having children they see that.

Jëan: Okay, very good. All right. Well, thank you, Anthony. Good question. We're going to go--let's try Glenn and Linda, if they are ready, in Ohio. Glenn, Linda, welcome to the program. Are you there?

Glenn: Yes, we are and thank you very much for taking our call. Good evening to you. It's zero where I live right now, so I hope that my question will be above zero. It concerns Enoch. In the Bible it says that Enoch walks with God and that led to him being translated and he didn't see death. I think there might be a mix-up in the translation of that part of the Bible because elsewhere in the Bible it says that Enoch died. In the 13th--the 11th chapter of Hebrews, verse 13 it says, "All these died," and his name is included in that all these. Can you help me?

Doug: Yeah, I appreciate that. In Hebrews he's going through and he's talking about people, the faithful fathers and mothers that had died in faith. They're examples of faith. Paul, I think, identifies that Enoch is an exception because even in his talking about Enoch it says that he was not for God took him. So--and then you also read that in the Old Testament where it says, you know, he walked with God, and he was not for God took him. So, I think Enoch is the exception that Paul is making in Hebrews 13--11:13.

Jëan: And I think the emphasis there is that those who died, died in faith. Not necessarily meaning that all died because obviously Enoch wasn't, but those who died, died in faith; and that's the emphasis in the passage. Not necessarily that every single person listed died but rather those who died, died in faith, which would be true of everyone except Enoch and Elijah. All right, thank you.

Doug: By the way, yeah—

Jëan: Go ahead. You're going to add something.

Doug: Well, I was going to say Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, but that doesn't help my argument. So, I'm going to drop it.

Jëan: Yeah, Moses did die and was resurrected. All right, let's see. Yulani is in Washington. Yuliana. Yuliana, welcome.

Yuliana: Hi.

Doug: Hello. Thanks for calling.

Yuliana: My question is God says to rest on Saturdays, but why do we go to church?

Doug: So, God says rest. Well, actually God doesn't say rest on Saturdays. He says rest on the seventh day, and we know that Jesus rose on the first day, which is--you look at any calendar and that's Sunday. The seventh day would be the day before that, which is Saturday. And so biblically the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath.

Jëan: So, she's wondering probably, Pastor Doug, if we need to rest on Sabbath, why do we have to get up and put on our nice clothes and go to church? Why not stay home?

Doug: Yeah. Well, in the commandment--this is one of the Ten Commandments. It says you shall not do your--it's talking about your labor, meaning your la--regular labor, but it calls the Sabbath a holy convocation. And then you look at the example of Jesus, it says as His custom was. Is that Mark chapter 2? It's also in Luke--is it Luke 4? As His custom was, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read the Scriptures. So, gathering together for worship. And it even says in heaven. In Isaiah 66 it says that, "From one Sabbath to another, all flesh will come together to worship before Me." So, gathering together to worship is part of Sabbath-keeping, but that doesn't mean the whole day you're in church. There's also time for rest, good time also to visit maybe people who are shut in or need encouragement or give Bible studies as Jesus said the Sabbath is a day for doing good, and probably a good day to weather permitting, get out in nature. But--hopefully that helps a little bit, Yuliana.

Jëan: The verse you're referring to, Luke chapter 4, verse 16, says that, "As--" Speaking of Jesus, "As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read."

Doug: Very good. Thank you. And we do have a--both a magazine and a study guide on that.

Jëan: That's right. It's called--the study guide is called "Forgotten Day of History." And we'll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. And the other magazine is entitled--I'm trying to think of the name there, Pastor Doug.

Doug: "The Day of the Lord."

Jëan: "Day of the Lord." That's right. Excellent magazine. Next caller that we have is Elizabeth in Colorado. Elizabeth, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Elizabeth: Hi. Yes. My question is, what is the song for the 144,000?

Doug: Well, you know, it--it's a song of redemption. It doesn't give the words to the song. But after the children of Israel--let me back up. Everything you find in Revelation--virtually everything you find in Revelation you'll find the genesis of it in the Old Testament, and there's so many things in Revelation that are referring to something else in the Old Testament. Of course, there were 12 tribes in Israel, and they had 12 judges, and so you end up with 12 times 12,000 in Revelation. Talks about when the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and when they were delivered, they sang the song of Moses, and Moses taught them a song too in Deuteronomy at the end. And so, it's a song of deliverance and--that they sing because they've experienced this great liberation, this deliverance. You know, when we're happy, we sing a song. So, the 144,000 have come through great tribulation and they have this song of deliverance they sing. Doesn't give us the exact words, but we do have a book that talks more about the 144,000. And I think one of the keys to their song is in their names. When you look at the names of the 144,000 it's the names of the 12 tribes, but they're given in an order that is unique to only Revelation and each name--like the word Judah means "I will praise the Lord," and then it says, "He--for He has looked on me." When you put their names and their definitions together, it tells a story. It's probably similar to the song of the 144,000.

Jëan: All right, we do have that book. It's called "Who Shall Sing the Song?" And it's about the 144,000. The number to call is 800-835-6747. You can just ask for that book by name. You can also dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for the song about--the book about the 144,000. Thank you, Elizabeth. Next caller that we have is Savin Adele listening in Canada. Savin, welcome to the program.

Savin: Hello, pastors.

Doug: Evening.

Savin: I have a question. Why was Jesus angry at the people in the temple?

Doug: Yeah. When Jesus went into the temple--and this happened on two occasions, once at the beginning of his ministry and once in the week before he was crucified. He went into the temple, and people would come for the feast. They'd come sometimes from hundreds of miles away. Many of the Jews would come from around the Roman Empire. They were to bring their sacrifices. But they couldn't bring their sacrifice lamb with them hundreds of miles, so they'd get to Jerusalem, and they'd buy them. And some of the priests had kind of created a monopoly where you had to use temple money to buy your sacrifice. You had to exchange the money there in the temple. You couldn't use Roman money because it had Caesar's head on it and that was idolatry. And you had to buy their perfectly inspected sacrifices, and there was greatly marked up and there was haggling over prices, and they smelled the animals and they heard the birds cooing and the cattle lowing. And Jesus walked into the temple courtyard, which was supposed to be a sacred place of prayer, and they turned it into a flea market and a bazaar. Lots of noise and smells. And Jesus said, "Take these things hence. Take them out of here. For you--my Father's house is to be a house of prayer," that's from Isaiah 58, "and you have made it a den of thieves." So, it says He made a whip of cords. It doesn't say He whipped anybody. I think all He had to do was say it and hold it. They got the idea and everyone--all the money changers ran out. Jesus could not have been very frightening because it says the children gathered around Him immediately after that. So, the wicked ran, and the children came.

Jëan: Was as if the divinity of Christ sort of flashed through his humanity. And those wicked leaders, those people that were making money and buying and selling, they saw that divinity and they were just filled with fear and almost stumbled over themselves to get out of the way.

Doug: He did actually throw over their tables. The Bible says He flipped over the tables of the money changers and told them, "Take these things out."

Jëan: All right, thank you. Good question. Next caller that we have is Dwensky in Florida. Dwensky, welcome to the program.

Dwensky: Yeah, thank you for having me. My question is in Genesis 6, verse 4 when it talked about there was giants on the earth in those days and also afterwards. When they say that, how tall do you think Adam and Eve were when it comes to those back in the days?

Doug: Yeah, well, all I could give you is an estimate. I've read one commentary where it says that Eve may have been 18 feet tall and Adam 20. And I know we think, "Wow, where do you get that?" Well, for one thing, we look at the fossil record of ancient mammals and they were huge. I think I did one last week on armadillos, and they had armadillos--a typical one now weighs, you know, 20 pounds, but they had armadillos that weighed as much as a car. There were sloths that were 13 feet tall on these big mastodons, saber-toothed tigers twice as big as a tiger now. And so, you look at the massive size of the mammals before the flood and the vegetation that produced those coal beds and how the atmosphere must have been different, and the age of man was so much bigger or longer then that it makes sense that he was bigger too. And so, the exact size is not given in the Bible, but I think by today's standards Adam would have been a giant. I think the tallest man in modern times was 8 feet tall. Waldsworth or Waldo, I forget. Anyway--but yeah, there's no real Scripture that says how tall he was. Tells us Goliath was roughly 9 1/2 feet. And there was a king of the Amalekites--no, not the Amalekites. The king of the Anakim who was--he had a bed 13 feet tall--long. So, if he fit his bed, he was pretty tall.

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

Josh: Hi. Thank you for having me. Doug, I am an annihilationist just like you, but I--my question pertains to the lake of fire because I--I've done some research on the term lake of fire and apparently, it's a nickname the Jews had for the Dead Sea. And so, if that's the case, that means that God is going to destroy sinners in the end by drowning them as opposed to burning them. So, I guess my question for you is, is in fact the lake of fire a reference to the Dead Sea? And if that's the case, then is God going to drown believers as opposed to destroying them with actual fire?

Doug: Yeah, the reason that the Dead Sea was sometimes nicknamed lake of fire is because it was on the borders of Sodom and Gomorrah that were destroyed with fire--literal fire and brimstone. So, it does talk about fire. God will rain fire and brimstone out of heaven, is that Revelation 20, on them. So, I think the lake of fire is spoken of. And for our friends listening, my friend Josh when he says he's an annihilationist, what that means is he believes in hell, but he believes that the wicked, like I do and Pastor Ross, will ultimately be annihilated. It says that they are burnt up, second death. They are no more, no more pain, and God makes all things new. The idea of the wicked being tormented through endless ages, suffering with no end we do not think is biblical. By the way, we have a lesson on that as well. So, I think the lake of fire is a literal lake, to answer Josh's question.

Jëan: The study guide is called "Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?" Actually, a very interesting study. We'll be happy to send this to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. And you can ask for that study guide "Is the Devil in Charge of Hell?" You can dial #250 on your smartphone. You'll be able to order the lesson that way as well, actually get a digital download of that study guide. Our next caller that we have is Robert in Washington. Robert, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Robert: Yes, I was just wondering--I just was reading tonight in Matthew 3:15. We know that Jesus was sinless, but then he says to John for him to baptize Him because it would fulfill all righteousness. So, what does that mean?

Doug: Yeah, well, when John saw Jesus coming to him for baptism, he's mystified because he knews-- knows that Jesus is the sinless Son of God that will take away the sin of the world. That's how John introduced Him. He's wondering, "Why are You ba--wanting me to baptize You? You're sinless. You should baptize me." Jesus said, "Permit it," or suffer it, "to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." So, Jesus sets an example for us of being baptized; and I think Christ was not baptized for His sin, but in the same way that Jesus died for our sins not because He sinned, but He died in place of us. There are some people who cannot be baptized like the thief on the cross. I think Jesus was dying--was being baptized and basically not only as our example but--that He could give us credit or give someone credit for His baptism. And also, Christ began His ministry at His baptism. When He came out of the water He was not only washed in the water then the Holy Spirit came down, He was baptized in the water in the Spirit. He said to us, "Unless you're born of the water and Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." So, He gave us an example of what to expect through baptism. The heavens are open, the voice of the Father says, "You're My son." We are adopted. There's a lot of parallels there.

Jëan: And we do have a book. It's called "Baptism: Is It Really Necessary?" It'll give you a lot more of the Bible verses there. The number to call is 800-835-6747 and ask for the book "Baptism: Is It Really Necessary?" You can also dial #250 and you'll be able to get it that way as well. We got Marc in Oregon. Marc, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Marc: Well, hello there. This is my first time.

Doug: Well, thank you for calling. Welcome.

Marc: Yes, I'll make it simple. I had a question. I've been doing some re-evaluing of my life and doing some studying and I come across, King James Version, St. John 14, verse 20. And if you could explain that a little bit because I read it and it sounds a little different to me, but I was wondering what you thought.

Doug: Yeah, well, let me read it for our friends, and right now I'm looking at the New King James. They're very similar. "At that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in Me, and I in you." And what is Jesus saying? Well, all through the New Testament you'll notice that Paul frequently says that we are in Christ. That means that our lives are resting in faith in Christ, that we are abiding in Christ. I think Paul uses the phrase in Christ more than anyone else. And so, when it says that Christ is in the Father, it means that they're one, they're united, they're together. And He wants us to be one in Him; that we're melded together, that we are united. And it's like an intimate term. And so, Jesus said, "If you've seen Me, you've seen My Father. The Father is in Me, and I'm in Him." It's hard for us to kind of comprehend that; but He represents the Father, and Father represents Him, and when we become Christians we represent Christ.

Jëan: All right, maybe time for one more caller before the break. We got Susie in California. Hi, Susie. We got just a few more seconds. And your question.

Susie: Yeah, yeah. Good evening, pastor. Yeah, my question is, is it sin to cook on Sabbath day? Does it consider labor?

Doug: Is it a sin to cook on Sabbath? Well, you should probably get all of your baking and boiling done, according to what the Bible says in Moses' writings. Get as much done as you reasonably can. You got to make a salad or something. It's more practical to do that day to keep things fresh. But get as much out of the way as you can. Hey, we've got to take a break. We'll be right back.

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

Announcer: Amazing Facts: Changed Lives.

Darrell: I grew up in a neighborhood in Northwest, D.C., a neighborhood called Petworth. I went to a private school, and I didn't fit in well at school because I was from an inner-city neighborhood. I didn't feel well at home because I went to a private school. I've always been a people-pleaser, so I would do what they did. And if they started drinking, I started drinking. They started smoking marijuana, I smoked marijuana. Once I became aware of girls and what male-female relationships were all about, I was off to the races with these guys. So, we started partying every weekend, and we stay out till all hours of the evening. My homework didn't get done. My grades suffered because of it. And as soon as I went to college at a Catholic university here I started smoking hashish, and back in those days you could smoke in class. I loved the way it made me feel. I didn't have to worry about--I fit in. I was fun. People liked being with me. I was--kind of the life of the party. I came out of my shell.

And shortly thereafter in my mid-20s, I was working at one of the biggest computer companies, after graduating college, one of the biggest computer companies on the planet at the time. And I had money, I had women, I had, you know, a car every 2 years. My job performance started to suffer. Nothing else was the same in my life. I started missing work. I would get hired, maybe even be promoted. I did really well 3, 4 months in, 5 months in. You know, say 4 to 6 months I would lose the job. I've for--gotten more jobs than I can remember. I needed to smoke on a daily basis all day every day and that cost money.

So, then I started getting into stealing. I'm stealing from family and friends. And when that ran out and people would stop--were not trusting me anymore, I started to rob people. My family didn't want anything to do with me. My friends didn't want anything to do with me. People--when I called people, they didn't answer the phone. When I knocked on the door, they didn't answer the door. I was purcha--I purchased a house and--a young lady and I purchased it together and we were going to move in together and that fell by the wayside because I started smoking and I started just taking things from the house and selling them. I started taking her personal items and selling them. I started stealing from her purse. I started stealing from stores. I mean, pizza delivery guys were like an ATM. Nothing mattered. I've been homeless about four or five times in my life and each time was drug-related. Each time I chose to do drugs rather than to live with this person that--whoever it was I was dating.

During all this time, my sister and her family, they would engage me, they would take me to church. I met this woman who happened to be going to my church, and I didn't even know, and she was taking Bible studies from her brother-in-law and her sister who were church leaders. They heard about a seminar by Doug Batchelor in Amazing Facts called "The Prophecy Code." I learned about this--the true meaning of the Sabbath. I learned about my health issues and the die--and what--how diet and exercise can positively affect my health and my li--my well-being. I learned about forgiveness from God. For me, I took to Pastor Doug right away because of the way he spoke, his cadence, his--the way he talked was so--it was just like he was talking to me. He gave out the--his book "The Richest Caveman." And when I read that book, I was astonished at all the things he had been through. His story was not exactly like mine, but it was a lot like mine. So, I just identified with him right from the start.

I thank God that I went to that "Prophecy Code" seminar because it was my introduction to the truth. And I even go to YouTube and catch the--some of the seminars--other seminars that they've had, you know, over the years, and I do it because I still feel a connection. It's like my roots, it's like my foundation was built on Amazing Facts. And I like the free offers they give. I can imagine the call taker on the other end when I call the 800 number, "Hi, girl. How are you?" "What--which free gift would you like today?" I can't imagine life without getting those free offers because those books are just so well-written. It's like they're written for me. I do really appreciate Amazing Facts and Pastor Doug Batchelor because they brought--they helped bring me to where I am today. My name is Darrell. 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. announcer: This broadcast is a previously-recorded episode. If you'd like answers to your Bible-related questions on the air, please call us next Sunday between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific Time. To receive any of the Bible resources mentioned in this evening's program, call 800-835-6747. Once again, that's 800-835-6747. Now, let's rejoin our hosts for more "Bible Answers Live."

Doug: Welcome back, listening friends, to "Bible Answers Live." We are back and ready for your questions. If you have a question, give us a call. We have lines open right now. 800-GOD-SAYS. That's 800-463-7297 with your Bible questions. And our screeners will get you in line, and we'll do our best to answer your program in the last half of the show tonight. My name is Doug Batchelor.

Jëan: My name is Jëan Ross, and we have Deeann listening in Washington. Deeann, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Deeann: Thank you. Can you hear me?

Doug: Yeah.

Deeann: Okay, thank you so much for taking my call. So I was recently made aware in the past couple of days that there was one of the states here in the United States--I don't know if I'm supposed to mention it, but—

Doug: Oh, that's fine. Yeah, North Dakota. There's nothing wrong with--we tell people to avoid mentioning denominations, but yeah, we--but yeah, we like to keep the questions focused on the Bible. You can mention a state. That's fine.

Deeann: Okay, anyway, so I heard that it just barely failed, that they were trying to push through a Sunday law. And so that got me thinking, why are they doing that? Because everything that I've ever read in the Bible--I mean, I got out my concordance and I was looking up, you know, trying to find support for Sunday and, I mean, everything I find is that--it says that Saturday or, you know, that the Sabbath, Saturday, is the Lord's Day, not Sunday. So, I guess my question is, am I missing something, or why would they be pushing through a Sunday law when it's not biblical?

Doug: Yeah, well, the--you know, the founding fathers of our country, going all the way back to Plymouth and Jamestown, they had laws about--they believed that Sunday was the Sabbath so they said, you know, "We're going to enforce keeping of the fourth commandment." They had the day wrong, but they had the concept right. But you're not supposed to force it. Roger Williams was the one who said, you know, you shouldn't be putting people in the stocks, in the street or punishing people because they do not keep one of the first four commandments.

We should have freedom of religion. If a person is being forced to keep the Sabbath--Sabbath is a spiritual thing. You can't force a person to love God. You can't force worship. And so the first four commandments are really between each individual. The last six commandments the civil government should enforce: respect for marriage, property, life, so forth. Yeah, so in the early days of the country, in order to give people time off, a number of governments they had all these blue laws. I guess they were originally written on blue paper so they called them blue laws, and they were laws about what you could and couldn't do on Sunday so that people would not be distracted from worship. And most of the states had blue laws. A number of states have repealed them. Some states still have them. Some things are open and aren't open on Sunday.

So, I heard North Dakota their arguments for why to do it was they said, "Well, we need to make sure there's a day when people aren't forced to work 7 days a week, fam--for family time, and, you know, we shouldn't be focusing on merchandizing all week long." And so they were trying to bring about some of the moral arguments for why it would be good to have a Sunday law. And I heard during COVID a lot of people were saying the environment's recovering. There's environmental reasons for taking one day off. And don't drive your car and let--you know, let the environment rest. So that's the logic behind it. Of course, I don't agree with it, but--anyway, anything to add to that?

Jëan: Well, you know, we do have a book, one of our study guides. It's called "Written in Stone," and it's all about the Ten Commandments and kind of highlights, as you mentioned, the first four versus the last six and what responsibility the government has in enforcing the Ten Commandments or what portion of the Ten Commandments. So, a great study. We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide. It's called "Written in Stone." And dial #250 on your smartphone. You can just ask for it by name. We'll be happy to send it to you. Kayla in Texas. Kayla, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Kayla: Good evening to you both. I appreciate your program, and I actually have my children watching the program right now. So praise God. Yeah, it's--for a Christian who rededicates their life to the Lord, what promises from the Word can assure us that we are accepted back into the fold, that it's not too late for us?

Doug: Well, you have some stories for one thing. You've got the parable of the prodigal son; that, you know, he spent evidently years squandering his father's inheritance but he finally came to his senses, came home, and he was warmly welcomed back. You've got Peter who denied the Lord, and first thing Jesus said when he rose from the dead he told Mary, "Go tell the disciples and Peter." And Peter, you know, he went out and wept bitterly. He repented of denying the Lord. And then you got the story of David who wandered from the Lord in a big way, drifting into not only conspiring, really murdering a friend through enemy soldiers but then stealing his wife and trying to do a cover up; and he repents, and you read that in Psalm 32 and 51. You've got a lot of examples, and I'm sure there are also verses that talk about--yeah, you got in Eze--where is it in Ezekiel, Pastor Ross? If a wicked man turns from his sins and does what the righteous man does, all his wickedness will be forgiven; and if a righteous man turns from his good works and does what the wicked man does, his righteousness is forgiven. So the Lord is pretty clear that He welcomes us back.

Jëan: You know, I was also thinking Exodu--Ezekiel chapter 18, verse 21. Twenty-one to twenty-three is the verse you were referring to. But another Bible story, you got the story of Mary Magdalene. The Bible says Jesus cast seven devils out of her, and it's possible that that didn't all happen at the same time. In other words, she might have slipped back. So there is redemption and people can be converted and come back to the Lord absolutely.

Doug: Yeah, and like the Pharisee said, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner." The thief on the cross when Jesus died. The Bible is full of stories of God's patience and redempten--redemption.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Ely in Kansas. Ely, welcome to the program.

Ely: Hey, good evening, guys. God bless you all. My question for tonight is, is the Holy Spirit God? Because I don't really understand that. Can you be, like, very specific?

Doug: Yeah, we'll do our best. You know, you could probably launch into a 30-minute study right now on that, and we don't--won't have time for that. But what are the characteristics of God? Well, we know the Holy Spirit is omnipresent, which God is. He's all-knowing, and He's omniscient. He's omnipotent. And Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit not as an it but as a He. "When he, the Spirit of truth, has come--" It says that the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus, and you read that you can grieve the Holy Spirit. You don't grieve an it or a power source. And so you look at what the characteristics of personality are and the Holy Spirit has those characteristics. He leads us. He's a comforter. He comforts us. He can be grieved. And indeed Jesus said all manner of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven. We can sin against God the Father and the Son. But said don't blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Christ identified the Spirit as separate. And then Jesus when he--the Great Commission, he says baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. You see the Spirit there in creation in Genesis, the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters; and the last verses in the Bible, the Spirit and the bride say come. So from cover to cover in the Bible you've got God the Spirit is evident.

Jëan: We do have a book. It's called "The Trinity," and it explains the subject, give some—

Doug: "One God or Three." Yeah.

Jëan: Yap. Some great Bible facts there. So call and ask for it. It's called "One God or Three: The Trinity." The number to call is 800-835-6747 or you can dial #250 on your smartphone. Thank you for your call, Ely. Next caller that we have is Felix in Florida. Felix, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Felix: Thank you. Thank you. It's an honor, a great honor. The question is, is the--what's the dynamic between the soul and the spirit? Are they one and the same or are they two distinct entities? Because I understand that even the animals have the same breath and the same soul. So I suppose the question is the difference between the soul and the spirit. So are they interchangeable?

Doug: Yeah. Well, a good question. It is a--it's a deep question. You know, sometimes one word can be used a couple of different ways in the Bible. Sometimes in the Bible when it says sons of God, talking about angels. Sometimes it says sons of God and it's talking about believers, and you have to look at the context. Sometimes in the Bible an angel means an angel, a cherub or a seraphim. But then somebody called King David an angel. Well, he's not a seraphim or a cherubim. The word spirit in the Bible in Greek it's the word pneuma, which means wind; and that's often talking about the breath or the wind of God, the breath of life, which that breath of life is in an animal and in humans. Doesn't mean it's conscious, it's just the power of life. And it says God breathed into Adam, he became a living soul there in Genesis. So, when God's breath of life entered into Adam, he became a living soul. When you take the breath away and the ashes to ashes, the body turns back to dust, you don't have a living soul.

You know, it's kind of like a person said if you get some nails and you get some boards and you put them together you can make a box. It doesn't become a box until you assemble it a certain way. Then if you disassemble, you pull out the nails and you set the boards in one pile and the nails in another and you say, "Okay, where's the box?" Well, it stops being a box when you have the two together. So, the combination of the breath of life and the body makes a soul. So, animals have that. The spirit, meaning the consciousness, the self-awareness of man, the word is sometimes used that way when Paul talks about body, soul, and spirit. And he's really using it the way the Greeks might sometimes use the word spirit. But I don't know if that helps or confuses things. Animals do have the breath of life, of course.

Jëan: We do have a study guide. It's called "Are the Dead Really Dead?" And it talks about the spirit and the soul and gives you a lot more Bible verses. We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and ask. The number, again, is 800-835-6747. And dial #250 on your smartphone and ask for the study guide "Are the Dead Really Dead?" Thank you, Felix. We've got Melinda in California. Melinda, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Melinda: Hi. Good evening. This is Melinda from Southern California. I have a question, Pastor Doug. Does it say in the Bible that we can't sue a person?

Doug: No, it doesn't say you're not allowed to sue. Paul in 1 Corinthians, I think, is it, Pastor Ross, at chapter 7 where he said believers go to court with believers and that before the unbelievers, and this is to your shame. Christians should, as far as possible, not sue. In fact, you know, Christ said if someone sues you to take your shirt, give them your cloak. That doesn't mean there aren't times when--you know, you've got a house and you've got it insured and fire burns up the house and the insurance company doesn't want to pay, there's nothing immoral with your going into court and saying, "Look, you need to fulfill the contract and replace our house." So, if it comes to that, you need to do something like that. If you take my shirt, I'm probably not going to sue you to get my shirt back. Jesus says just let them have your shirt, you know. So, it--it's--they're different circumstances.

Jëan: And the verse you're referring to is 1 Corinthians chapter 6. It's actually from verse 1 through to verse 7. And, again, as you mentioned, it's really the context. He's talking about believers. These are supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ in a church and yet they taking each other to court, and Paul says, "Well, if there's a disagreement, you know, speak to the pastor, speak to the elder. Can't you resolve it without having to go to court?" So that counsel is, of course, very valid, and that's different in what you said, Pastor Doug, when it comes to business, or it comes to somebody not fulfilling their contract. Yeah, there's nothing wrong in going to court in that case. However, you have--we live in a sort of sue-hungry society today where it seems like everyone's trying to make money and there is a lot of fraud and a lot of greed and a lot of suing happening, and I think as Christians we need to, you know, be faithful.

Doug: Yeah, you know, a lot of lawyers--don't want to disparage all the lawyers, but a lot of lawyers they get these deep-pocket settlements and they--people are inspired to sue. They say, "Well, you know, that person got $3 million for," whatever it was. And usually it's something incidental, and a third of that goes to their lawyers and so it's created this cycle of people becoming very litigious in our society looking for deep-pocket lawsuits.

Jëan: All right, next caller that we have is Ron in New Mexico. Ron, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Ron: Well, thank you. Thank you, pastors. I'm a Bible-believing Christian. The Bible is God's owner's manual. It's the only true and trustworthy standard for living. It is not infallible, and I often run into others that say, "Oh, the Bible is infallible." Well, was there one demoniac or was there two? Did Paul see something, but he didn't hear anything, or did he hear something, but he didn't see something? It depends on which chapter of Acts you're reading. So how do we respond to people who say the Bible is infallible when there are human errors that God permitted to be in it?

Doug: Well, I believe the Bible is God's perfect Word of God. The two examples that you gave there when it says in Mark and Luke that there was one demoniac and then you read in Matthew and he says there were two, I don't think that's a contradiction. I think what's happening there is you're actually--you're getting the truth in that there was probably one that was more notable and outspoken, the other one was lingering more in the background. Matthew included him, but Luke and Mark really focused on the one man that the devil was speaking through. So, I think you can reconcile stories like that. And even the story where Paul talks about his conversion, he said the people there they heard a voice and other place it says they saw a light. And I think as he's telling that story, he's talking about, well, you know, maybe they heard a noise but some didn't know what the voice said and they knew that Paul had this dramatic vision. I don't see those as conflicts.

Now, having said that, there are places, there are difficult spots, and I'll admit that, in the Bible where, you know, there'll be one place where it says that a king was 4 years old when something happened and then later it says he was 40. You will have in translations where people found a manuscript and they couldn't read what the old manuscript said and they didn't know was that a zero or was it a one, and the--just there's little things like that. But in my experience, rather than highlight those things you are far better off believing too much of the Bible than questioning the Bible and starting to say, "I'm going to pick and choose what parts I believe are accurate." And so in that sense I think the Bible must be looked upon as the unfailing Word of God.

Jëan: You know, we do have a book, Pastor Doug. It's called "The Ultimate Resource" and it's about the Bible. Talks about where the Bible came from and translations and manuscripts. Just a lot of good information. We'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800-835-6747. You can dial #250. It's called "The Ultimate Resource" and it's all about the Bible. All right, thank you, Ron. We've got Mark in Kentucky. Mark, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Mark: Yes. Can you hear me?

Doug: We can.

Mark: Yeah, I was wondering, is it wrong to go to church on Sunday? Because the late great Billy Graham always said--after his preaching he'd say, "Get into a good church on Sunday." And I was wondering a lot of Adventists I've--I have on my town they look down upon me because I go to church on Sunday. Could you help me with that, please?

Doug: Yeah. Well, first of all, let me say for the record there are going to be millions of people in heaven that went to church on Sunday. Billy Graham also said there are a number of Adventists that did meetings with him, meaning that they would cooperate with some of the area churches in inviting people to a Billy Graham crusade in the community. Now, I can see where there could be some dilemmas with that, but I just know there were. And Billy Graham knowing that, he would say in those events, "See to it that you go to church this weekend." And I heard him say that with my own ears in Sacramento. So, he would sometimes know that there were Sabbath-keeping Christians in the crowd and he would be sensitive to that. Billy Graham often said, you know, "I've got to work with a lot of churches in a lot of different backgrounds. Try not to highlight things that are going to separate." And so he was sensitive to that.

But sin is knowing to do good and not doing it. Now, while I said there are going to be a lot of Christians in heaven that went to church on Sunday, there's not going to be anyone in heaven that knew God's will and deliberately did something other than His Word. Sin is knowing to do good and not doing it. And if we know what God's Word clearly says and it's been made plain to us and the Holy Spirit's convicted us and we go against what we know to be true, that's sin. So--I mean, you know, King David I expect to see in heaven. He had way too many wives. Evidently that wasn't something he was convicted about because everybody was doing it back then. It just--I don't know if it ever dawned on him or his son Solomon. Now, if I get too many wives, I'm not going to make it. I know better. So, Abraham had slaves. Well, it was ubiquitous back in his time. Everybody had slaves. We know better now. And so when we know what the truth is--it says sin is knowing to do good and not doing it, Hebrews 10:26. So hopefully that makes sense. Yeah, whatever it is, when God reveals truth to you, you should walk in the light. Jesus said if you know these things, happy are you if you do them. All right, thanks.

Jëan: We've got Viemma listening from Washington. Viemma, welcome to the program.

Viemma: Hi. I have a quick question. We've been considering having a garage sale, and I would like to know if we should be paying tithe on that. Because we normally pay tithe, but I didn't know on something that you already owned and had paid for if that would be the same.

Doug: Yeah, well, a tithe would be on your increase. A garage sale, you're selling something that has value. You've invested in and it would be increase, but--keep in mind increases in everything. What I mean is let's suppose you spend $10 advertising your garage sale in the local paper and you make $50 in selling your items, your profit has been $40. So, you pay tithe on your income. That's $4. We can handle that, and then God will bless you. He says, "I'll open the windows of heaven." So, it doesn't make sense, friends, but take my word for it. Nine-tenths will go farther than ten-tenths. Ninety percent blessed will go farther than one hundred percent cursed, so—

Jëan: We have a study guide. It's called "In God We Trust," and it talks about biblical principles of giving. Just call and ask for it. It's 800-835-6747. You can dial #250 on your smartphone. Take advantage of these free offers, friends. There's just a lot of great Bible material in each of them, and we'll send it to you for free. We've got Ray in Arizona. Ray, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Ray: Good evening. Thanks for taking my call. My question is, when Adam and Eve sinned against God, were they cursed to hell or did they repent and get forgiven?

Doug: Yeah, good question. Well, from what we see in the Bible, we believe that Adam did repent. God established the sacrificial system way back in the beginning with Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. It talks about Abel brought a lamb as God had instructed. Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin with fig leaves. God said, "That will not do." And it says He gave them coats of skin. Now, this is where we understand that God established the sacrificial system. And is it Revelation? Talks about the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. I forget the verse. Is that chapter 4? And so there at the foundation of the world God established the sacrificial system. Adam and Eve, I believe, embraced that. They will be forgiven. I expect we will see them in the Resurrection of the just. So, there's no explicit word in the Bible that says Adam and Eve will be saved and go to heaven, but the evidence is that they repented of their sin and that they'll be saved.

Jëan: Revelation chapter 13, verse 8 is where it refers to the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Thank you, Ray. We've got Kara in Texas. Kara, welcome to "Bible Answers Live."

Kara: Hello. My question is, how will we know the signs of the end?

Doug: Oh, good question. Big question. How do we know the signs of the end? Well, Jesus tells us there's--well, several places. Matthew chapter 24, Luke chapter 17, Luke chapter 21, Mark chapter 13, and the apostle Paul 1 Timothy and 1 Thessalonians, they give you several signs. Even in Revelation you'll find some signs. Some of these things our Christ said. Of course, there'll be wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet. We've had wars and rumors of war since the time of Jesus, but the way they accelerate. The natural disasters--Christ talks about earthquakes. He talks about plagues. That's--that would be a pandemic, a plague.

And so, the--you know, before a baby is born, the mother will feel some contractions. She feels some discomfort, and there are some pains. That's sort of normal with pregnancy. But then just before delivery there's an increase--a sudden intense increase in the pain and the frequency and the intensity, and the doctor knows that as the contractions get closer and get more severe, you're going to have a baby. Paul says the whole creation groans and labors, it travails, waiting to be delivered. And so, we see as we near the end of time the natural disasters seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity. The wars are getting bigger and more devastating like World War I and World War II. So that's one sign.

Now, one of the big signs for me--you read in Daniel 12, it said, "Many will run to and fro, and knowledge will increase." Look at how knowledge is exploded with AI and TVs and radios and how different it is from people 100 years ago. The way we live and we fly around the world in a couple of days, that's one thing. And then another thing, Jesus said the gospel of this kingdom will be preached in all the world then the end will come. Well, now through radio, TV, internet, and, you know, tapes and so forth, books, the gospel is going into every corner of the world, then the end will come. Thank you, Carla. We have a book that talks about some of the signs of Christ coming, and it's in our study guide rather.

Jëan: All right, it's called "Ultimate Deliverance," which is talking about the Second Coming of Christ. The number to call is 800-835-6747 or dial #250. Next caller that we have is Denise in Rhode Island. Denise, we got about a minute. Your question.

Denise: My question is I was reading Genesis today and--Genesis 4. Seems like lots of people today are asking about Genesis. Why do people believe that they have eternal life when it says plainly that God sent them out of the Garden of Eden with a angel protecting the entrance of the tree of life? It seems like we don't have it, but so many people believe that we have eternal life even though it says here plainly that God is protecting us from getting access--having access to it.

Doug: Yeah, you're on the right track because God said that we don't have eternal life. He said, "In the day that you sin thereof, you will surely die." And He set up a cherubim to guard the way with a flaming sword to the tree of life and He said, "Lest the man eat from the tree and live forever."

Jëan: All right. Well, Pastor Doug, we have a few email questions. So, we want to try and get that in before we run out of time. Question one it says, "Can you please explain the special resurrection and the general resurrection?"

Doug: Yeah, though--Jesus indicated that--when he was being tried, he told the high priest, I think this is Matthew 27, he said, "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great glory." So, there was a special resurrection. Those involved in the persecution of Christ in the trial condemning him are going to be brought forth to see him come.

Jëan: All right, another question. Roni is asking, "Is it wrong for a Christian to learn self-defense?" He's not talking about wanting to be involved in competitive sports but just worst-case scenario if you need to defend yourself.

Doug: You know, I think that it's almost natural for young men to wrestle. We've got boys. You've got boys. And so, you know, wrestling, fighting, some of that--I think, you know, you sure don't want to ever have to use that, but it's probably not a bad thing to go through the exercise that's involved in it. If a person's taking a course where they're learning jujitsu and they're learning to wrestle and grapple, don't want to do anything that's going to hurt somebody deliberately. As far as possible, I think a Christian ought to try to turn the other cheek and practice what Jesus said and be a peacemaker. Anyway, friends, you can hear the music. God bless. Go to AmazingFacts.org. There's more there. We'll be back 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.