Hello friends, this is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? When Robert was born in Alton, Illinois in 1918, he weighed a normal eight pounds, six ounces. He drew attention to himself when at six months old, he weighed 30 pounds. A year later at 18 months, he weighed 62 pounds. But Robert wasn’t fat. He was tall!
He continued to grow at an astounding rate, reaching six feet, two inches and 195 pounds by the time he was eight years old. When he was 13 years old, he became the world’s tallest Boy Scout at seven feet, four inches. Eventually, Robert Wadlow’s height of eight feet, 11.1 inches qualified him as the tallest person in modern history.
His clothing required three times the normal amount of cloth, and his size 37 shoes cost $100 a pair. That was a lot of money back in 1930. When Robert turned 20, the international shoe company provided his shoes for free and hired Robert and his father to promote the company. The father and son team visited over 80 towns in 41 states and travelled over 300,000 miles together on their good world tour for the shoe company.
His father had to modify the family car, removing the front passenger seat so Robert could sit in the back and stretch out his long legs.
Even though Robert was enormous, he was a gentle giant and very good-natured about all the shocked stares he received as he travelled. He tried to maintain a normal life and enjoyed stamp-collecting and photography.
Robert’s unique size was attributable to an overactive pituitary gland, which produced much higher than normal levels of growth hormone. Today’s modern medicine can compensate for such problems, but back in the 1930s, there was no therapy available.
As a youth, Robert enjoyed good health. But when he got a little older, his large feet troubled him. Bad circulation because of his size, he had little sensation in his feet and he didn’t feel any chafing until blisters formed. While making an appearance in Michigan in 1940, a fatal infection set in. On July 15th, Robert Wadlow passed away in his sleep.
At the time of his death he weighed 490 pounds. Robert’s body was brought back to his hometown of Alton, Illinois for burial where over 40,000 people attended the funeral. The 11 foot long, 1,000-pound casket required 20 men as pall-bearers. Robert’s gravestone simply reads, “At rest.”
Even though Robert was twice the size of the average man, his emotions and desires were just like you and me. Stay with us friends, and we’re going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live!
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Welcome to Amazing Facts: Bible Answers Live with Pastor Doug Batchelor. Do you find it challenging to understand the Bible? Are there passages of scripture that confuse you? Is it sometimes difficult to connect what you read in the Bible with what you’ve been taught? Then you’ve found the right program.
The word of God is bread to the hungry, light to the blind, and a powerful sword against evil. If you have a Bible question, lines are open, so call now 1-800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297. Now here’s your host, the president of Amazing Facts, author and Pastor, Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug: Welcome once again friends, to Bible Answers Live. For those who may be tuning in for the first time, this is a live interactive Bible study that is going across the ocean and across the country around the world, and you can participate in North America by dialing a toll-free number. That number is GOD-SAYS.
If you have a Bible question on any area of the Bible then we invite you to call. That number is 800-GOD-SAYS 463-7297. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Dick: And my name is Dick Devitt and Pastor Doug, as we normally do, we’ll have a word of prayer as we get started so let’s do that.
Heavenly Father, again we come to You with thanksgiving in our hearts, joyed Lord by what You are doing and looking forward… anticipating Your ministry to us, and to our listeners tonight. Please Lord, speak clearly to Pastor Doug, empty his mind and his heart of things of this world, and give him wisdom and discernment as we listen to the questions that come tonight. May we hear from You, and from the word of God. We thank You and we praise You, Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen.
Pastor Dick: Well, Pastor Doug, I’m sure the National Basketball Association would have been interested in that young man that you just spoke about. But you must have a spiritual emphasis here on this amazing fact tonight - just what’s on your heart?
Pastor Doug: Well, sometimes we look at the outward appearance and we neglect to realize that people – humans – at heart are the same. Whether they are dwarfs at four feet tall, or 11 feet tall.
Pastor Dick: The Lord said we look on the outer, but He looks on the inside.
Pastor Doug: God looks on the inside. Yeah. And when Jesus came as our example, sometimes we forget that Christ did have that human side that was 100% human and yet 100% divine. And so that might be hard to understand but He wants us to relate to Him.
Pastor Dick: Yes.
Pastor Doug: You see, Jesus not only became a man so that He could die for our sins and give us an example of how to love each other. He came for us to know that He knows how we feel. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:15, “We don’t have a high priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. But He was, in all points, tempted like we are, yet without sin.”
You see Jesus, the Bible tells us, took on the sinful nature of man. He took on the same sinful flesh that we struggle with, yet He never sinned so He could be a faithful example and our High Priest.
And there may be people out there that sometimes feel like, you know, the divinity of Jesus keeps Him from understanding our humanity. And they need to know that Jesus does understand exactly how you feel. He knows by experience and He knows because He’s all-knowing.
And we have something to offer, that will help you understand something of the mystery of how Christ could become a Man and yet still be fully divine.
Pastor Dick: As we do every week, we offer a book from the “Amazing Facts” library, and tonight is a very special book that we have not offered very often in the eight years that we’ve been doing this program. It’s called, “Christ’s Human Nature,” and it deals with just this issue of proving that Jesus Christ lived His life here on earth just as you and I did – or you and I do.
And so we want to make this available to all our listeners this evening. If you’ll call our resource operators and ask for “Christ’s Human Nature,” they’ll make this available to you. They’ll send it out to you tonight. 1-800-835-6747, 835-6747 is the number. Ask for “Christ’s Human Nature.”
Pastor Doug, as I mentioned just a minute ago, we are entering into – we are in our eighth year. October marks our eighth anniversary that you and I started this program and boy, what a joy! What a privilege!
Pastor Doug: Time flies when you’re having fun!
Pastor Dick: You and I joke often before we go on the air and when we get done with the program that this is the fastest hour in radio. It just flies by because we’re talking with people and going into the word of God.
Pastor Doug: And it’s not scripted!
Pastor Dick: And it’s not scripted.
Pastor Doug: We don’t know what the calls are until the Lord arranges it and so that’s exciting.
Pastor Dick: We started with seven stations back in October of 1995 and now, we are on well over 100 stations around the United States and Canada, on the internet, and we are broadcast live out in Guam. We want to say hello to our folks, our friends, out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Pastor Doug: Well, you know, one thing I don’t know if I should share this or not but our first program, we were so afraid we weren’t going to get any calls. We actually called a few friends and said, you know, “Give a call and a Bible question because nothing will be worse than going on the air, and not having any questions to answer.”
Pastor Dick: I remember.
Pastor Doug: It’s been a long time.
Pastor Dick: That’s right. Our phones are all lit up now and we’re going to go to the phones in just a couple of minutes.
But we have grown, as I’ve said, from seven stations when we first started to well over 100 stations and the other phenomenon I think, Pastor Doug, is that from the small market stations – from the little stations in small towns – we have grown to these major stations in huge cities. Why don’t you name some of the cities that we’re on?
Pastor Doug: Well, we always get a lot of phone calls from the East Coast and WWVA.
Pastor Dick: Yes.
Pastor Doug: We’re just getting ready. We’re going now pre-recorded in San Francisco major station and the 1640. And we’ll be going live there first of the year.
Pastor Dick: And WMCA in New York City.
Pastor Doug: Yes, and we’re expanding. Sometimes we’ll have to drop a smaller station, so we can get bigger stations that reach a bigger footprint.
Pastor Dick: Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, here in Sacramento where we’re located, or on the air in Western Europe.
Pastor Doug: Across North America by virtue of 3ABN Satellite. I’ve heard it many parts of the country.
Pastor Dick: And Radio74. Tell us about Radio74.
Pastor Doug: In Europe. All across Europe, people can listen to the program, and it’s based out in Switzerland.
Pastor Dick: That’s exciting! That’s exciting!
Pastor Doug: Amen.
Pastor Dick: And every once in a while, we’ll get a call from somebody who’s listening to us on the internet from England and other places in Europe. We’ve had several of those calls and we’d like to hear from our folks spread around the world. Give us a call when you’re listening to the program.
You know, if you do the math, Pastor Doug, one of our producers did this for me – if you do the math and you figure out the number of questions that we answer each evening and the number of programs that we’ve done over the eight years, we’ve probably answered more than 5,000 or 6,000 questions during the eight years.
Pastor Doug: I know one question we’ve answered several times is “Who did Cain marry?” and “Will my pets be in heaven?” Those are couple of our popular questions.
Pastor Dick: Well, praise the Lord! We are rejoicing.
Amazing Facts also has a series, or rather, a group of evangelists who do work around the nation and we have a series of meetings that’s going on in Sacramento area for the people who are listening on KFIA. We want to mention those meetings…
Pastor Doug: Please do, in one of the south suburbs of what you’d call Sacramento’s Elf Grove.
Pastor Dick: Elf Grove, that’s right. And the meetings are being held at the Holiday Inn Express on Laguna Boulevard, right off of Highway 99. People in the Sacramento area will know where that is. If you head south on 99 to Laguna Boulevard, it’s off to the right at the Holiday Inn Express.
The meetings are starting tonight and they’ll continue tomorrow night. Byron Courbet is the evangelist who is carrying on the series called “Revelation of Hopes.” So please come and join Byron Courbet, and let the folks know that you heard about it here on Amazing Facts.
We take an internet question or two before we go to the phones. First one, “How do I know,” I like this question Doug. This is a good test for us. “How do I know that I am living by faith?” In other words, “How do I know if I am really truly trusting God to resolve some issue in my life, or if I’m being presumptuous and assuming that just because He says all things are possible to those who believe, that He will actually resolve my problems?”
Pastor Doug: Well, ultimately, our knowledge about whether we’re living by faith or not, is not going to be based on a feeling, but trusting a promise in His word.
We could ask it this way, Pastor Dick, “How do I know I’m forgiven?”
Pastor Dick: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Do I wait to feel forgiven? Or is it because God says, “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you.
Pastor Dick: Yes, yes.
Pastor Doug: To cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” Do I believe that when I’ve done my part in coming to Him in faith, that He will cleanse me? And He says it. The Bible says God cannot lie, and I believe it and it becomes reality.
And it’s the same way with living by faith. Do we take Him at His word?
Pastor Dick: We don’t know by the size of the bank account, the new car in the garage, the paid off mortgage, the good health – we don’t know by any of those things. We know because God says it, and I believe it.
Pastor Doug: That’s right.
Pastor Dick: Right?
Pastor Doug: A matter of fact, sometimes we know better when we don’t have those things that we’re living by faith.
Pastor Dick: Right, right. Okay, second question, “Is it okay to marry someone who has had an arranged marriage, in order to get a green card assuming that they get a divorce?”
Pastor Doug: Well, at the heart of this question, a person would naturally need to ask about the character of someone who would get married, simply for the purpose of maybe helping somebody with his citizenship.
Pastor Dick: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: And I think there’s an ethical challenge there. Marriage is a very sacred covenant before God where you’re making promises. And if a person can, in such a flippant way, make those promises to help someone immigrate, then I’d really worry about them making promises to me of such a sacred nature.
Pastor Dick: Good point. Okay.
Pastor Doug: Better move on with the phones now.
Pastor Dick: Let’s go to the phones. We’ll take the Bronx, New York first. Barry is listening to us tonight on WMCA. Welcome Barry.
Barry: Oh, hi Doug. I’m so happy to be on. I have a couple of questions about circumcision.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Barry: You can address that? One of my questions is just quickly, I read in the Bible that Abraham got a circumcision and I’m assuming Jesus also did. I wonder why God wants someone to snip off part of his organs, it’s like so beyond me. I mean, it’s gross, it’s just gross!
Pastor Doug: All right. Well, let me tell you that is not uncommon for people to wonder if it’s something that’s barbaric. A matter of fact, if you read in Exodus, it appears that Zipporah, the wife of Moses, and Moses had a contention about that. Finally, God said to Moses, “If you’re going to lead My people, and as an example, then you need to practice this right.”
Once we understand what’s involved in circumcision, well first of all, it may on the surface appear to be something barbaric but science has proven the statistics. You know, we have four boys in the Batchelor family, and we’ve had to evaluate whether to do this or not, and it’s been more of a health issue than a ceremonial issue. And doctors will freely admit that there are less cases of certain forms of disease among circumcised males.
But beyond that, in the Bible it represents that a cutting away of the flesh, the strongest desire that a man has is that desire to procreate – sometimes called sex. And the consecration of the body to God means, I will not be led by the flesh but I will be led by the Spirit. Beyond that, it’s a covenant of blood and God said that through Abraham, the Promised Seed would come.
So circumcision symbolized that it’s obviously a vehicle through which the promised seed of the Messiah would come. It was a consecration of that family.
So there’s a lot of things that it symbolizes here, Barry. You know, if you read in Romans 2:28, Paul says, “For he is not a Jew that is one outwardly, neither is the circumcision outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart.” It means in our hearts, not be controlled by the lower nature, “which is not of the latter whose praise being not of man.”
So you find in the New Testament, it takes on a more spiritual meaning. Hope that helps you a little bit, Barry.
Pastor Dick: Let’s go next to Pinole, California. Serena is listening on KNDL. Hi Serena.
Serena: Hi, how are you, Pastor Doug?
Pastor Doug: Very good. How can we help you tonight?
Serena: Well, I had a question on the scripture in the book of Leviticus.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Serena: Chapter 23:1-4.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Serena: I have a friend, she has been keeping the Sabbath, and she is questioning it. She is thinking maybe it’s a feast day, but she’s been keeping it and I have no question of the Sabbath or the validity of it.
Pastor Doug: All right. For our listening friends, I won’t read all of Leviticus 23 because it’s quite a passage but what it does is it simply itemizes all of the days, both the annual and the weekly Sabbaths that were to be recognized. And at the beginning of the list, it talks about the seventh day Sabbath beginning with verse 3 – “Six days shall work be done but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation.” That means we are to convene and come together. You’ll do no work on that day.
He’s going through a litany of all of the sacred days, including the weekly Sabbath. That doesn’t mean they’re all the same or of the same nature. Right on the surface, we see there’s a major difference there’s only one that was a weekly Sabbath. The others were annual feast days.
The weekly Sabbath was given at creation. And the Bible tells us that, you know, the Sabbath was made for man. Well, that would obviously be back in the Garden of Eden – Exodus, I’m sorry, Genesis chapter 2 – and beyond that, even before they get to Mount Sinai, God calls the seventh day Sabbath His law. That’s Exodus 16.
The other ceremonial Sabbaths came afterward, and they were shadows of the plan of salvation. But obviously our coming together for corporate worship and our need for a day of rest did not cease with the sacrifice of Jesus. Indeed, Isaiah 66 says even in heaven, all flesh will come to worship before Him on the Sabbath.
So just because it’s in the list with the other ceremonial Sabbaths doesn’t mean that it was a ceremonial Sabbath.
Serena: Exactly. Well, she was just questioning it because it was talking about the feasts and then it says, “Six days shall work be done but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest,” and then it goes on to say in verse 4, “These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations.” That’s why she was questioning it.
Pastor Doug: Well, it obviously makes a distinction. See, it mentions the Sabbath then it says in verse 4, “Now here are the feasts,” and it starts a different list.
Serena: Right.
Pastor Doug: So it does separate even in this chapter – the weekly Sabbath from the annual feasts. Okay?
Serena: Okay.
Pastor Doug: Hope that helps.
Serena: Thank you very much, Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: We got a book called “The Feast Days and Sabbaths” that has more of that if you call our resource number. They’ll send you one out.
Serena: Okay, great.
Pastor Doug: And we have a website. You know, there’s been so many questions on this. We have a new website up called very simply, Sabbath Truth – www.SabbathTruth.com – and I think, Jëan is sitting here, we also have .net, .org, dot anything. Sabbath Truth, you’ll find it.
Serena: Okay, thank you so much, Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Thank you. Bye-bye.
Pastor Dick: Thanks for the call, Serena. Let’s go next to Leesville, South Carolina. Darren is listening on WBAJ. Hello Darren.
Darren: Hello. Hello?
Pastor Dick: And your question please.
Darren: Yes sir. I wanted to ask you all what you feel, if there is a connection between a couple of verses – this is concerning the mark of the beast – I studied this for some number of years and I’ve got a good bit of material from the Seventh Day Adventists on this.
Pastor Doug: Okay. Well, try to summarize your question. You’re touching on the subject that is broad as the airport runways.
Darren: Sure it is. Yeah.
Pastor Doug: So pick one facet and we’ll try and focus on that, okay?
Darren: Sure, okay. Well, to begin with, the religious leaders in Jesus’ time, they accused Him of blasphemy because He said He was the Son of God.
Pastor Doug: Right.
Darren: But we know that He is the Son of God, and so that was not true of Him that…
Pastor Doug: False accusation, yes.
Darren: Right. And so the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, He says, is the only sin that will not be forgiven of men. And so here in Revelation, we find in chapter 13 that that beast in verse 16 causes all, both small, great, rich and poor, free and bond to receive the mark in his right hand or in his forehead. And that no man might buy or sell so he had to have that mark. For the name of the beast or the number is a name.
Now, the material I got from the Seventh Day Adventist taught me that of this mark and what this, you know, meant which was very enlightening and I loved to have that and I’m so proud to have it. But anyway, in chapter 3 of Revelation, “To the church of Laodicea,” in verse 18, “the Lord says to the church, ‘I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that you may be rich, white raiment that you may be clothed and eye salve to anoint your eyes that you may see.’” You know, is this a connection?
Pastor Doug: Is there a connection between Revelation 13 where he talks about the eye salve and Revelation – I’m sorry, Revelation 3 and Revelation 13?
Darren: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Well, I believe there is a connection because, first of all, the eye salve represents spiritual discernment. Jesus said, “If the blind leads the blind, they’ll both fall in a ditch.” And the church of Laodicea is largely spiritually blind.
And this is what’s happening with the people in Revelation 13. That beast has the whole world worshipping, of course, with the exception of those that have the seal of God. Everyone else is worshipping the beast.
You also go to Revelation 14. It says, “There are some who do not worship the beast and his image,” and those are the ones that have their eyes opened. So there is that analogy.
Darren: Yes. So I believe this is more of a spiritual mark here and a spiritual kind of thing?
Pastor Doug: Let me give you a clue that I think is very helpful for me. When it talks about “in the hand and in the forehead,” you always need to interpret Revelation by going back in the Bible.
When Moses spoke one of his most profound statements – I think it’s called “The Mishnah,” is it?
Pastor Dick: The Mishnah.
Pastor Doug: Where he said, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one. Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart.” After he says this, Darren, he then says, “These words that I’ve commanded you today shall be in your heart.” Now right after he says that, he had just finished quoting the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5.
Then in Deuteronomy 6 he says. “These words I command you this day shall be in your hearts. You shall write them upon your hand. They shall be frontlets between your eyes,” in your hand and in your forehead. Three times in Deuteronomy you find that and even in Exodus chapter 9:13.
So those that do not have the law of God in their hearts and in their hands and in their heads will have the mark of the beast in their hand or their forehead. And you can also find in Isaiah chapter 8:20, “Bind the testimonies. Seal the law among my disciples.” So that is the seal that’s in God’s people.
You know, you’ve asked a big question, Darren. We have a ‘Study Guide,” and I don’t know if it’s the same one you have, called “The Mark of the Beast” that we’ll send you, if you don’t already have that, by calling the resource number.
Pastor Dick: 1-800-835-6747, Darren. 800-835-6747.
Pastor Doug: Good question.
Pastor Dick: And ask for “The Mark of the Beast.” Call us back after you’ve gotten the lesson and we’ll talk more about it.
Pastor Doug, let’s go to a first-time caller in New York City. CJ is listening on WMCA. Hi CJ.
CJ: Hi. Hi to Pastor Doug, God bless you.
Pastor Doug: God bless.
CJ: Thank you. I’m having a bit of a problem. I’ve been 26 years in the Lord and the Lord has blessed me with ministry to the Jewish people and to the homosexual community.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
CJ: And my previous work in the airlines, there were tremendous amount of mostly men that were gay. And the problem I’m having is in Romans 1, which when I read it’s very clear, you know, that God says, that this is a sin and it’s an abomination. And it speaks about the women, you know, leaving the natural use of the woman so all of that.
And I’ve tried to explain this many, many times to these men who grew up in Southern Baptist homes, and all that and go to very liberal churches down and everything.
Pastor Doug: Right.
CJ: But their question back to me is that you read through Romans 1, is the list of sin for all of us in the whole chapter? So then, my question essentially is, what then is the difference that I can say to them about what they do?
And I’ve explained well, if I’m heterosexual and I’m not married, I am not supposed to live an impure life and be with a man until God has ordained me with a man, not with anyone but a man, in marriage.
Pastor Doug: And so they’re wanting to know, what’s the difference between that and their specific sin?
CJ: Yeah, that and one other thing. The whole listing of all the different sins in Romans 1.
Pastor Doug: Well, at the heart of this question, CJ is, is there a difference? Are there varying degrees of sin? And the obvious answer to that is yes, there are varying degrees of sin.
Jesus talks about the one who turned, who betrayed Christ to Pilate. His sin was greater than Pilate’s sin. And you know, finally, pronouncing the death penalty. And so, Jesus tells us many times in many ways that there are varying degrees of value of life between a sparrow and a human, and types of sin. There are even different words that are used.
I think the translations come out sin, iniquity, transgression there are variety of ways that the Bible talks about sin. The strongest terms in the Bible are used, CJ, in identifying the sins of homosexuality. Some sins in the Bible did not have a death penalty associated with them whereas, this particular sin did have a death penalty associated with it.
Now, I’m not trying to say we’re going to implement that as Christians but it is very serious.
Pastor Dick: One of the things that homosexuals tend to do is to refuse to repent that is, refuse to change. They claim, “God has made me this way, therefore, it’s okay for me to be this way. Why should my sin be any greater than anybody else’s?”
Pastor Doug: And they’re casting the blame on God, too.
Pastor Dick: They’re casting the blame on God and they’re not being responsible or accountable for their own actions, and acknowledging that yes, indeed, they need to make a change in their lifestyle. And that’s one of the reasons that it is as strong as it is because it’s…
Pastor Doug: You know, we actually have a booklet that may be helpful. Gary wrote a book – Gary Gibbs – called “Return to Sodom,” and it talks a little bit about the gay agenda. He normalized something the Bible says is not right.
Now I need to say – and we’ll get a lot of questions on this – they estimate roughly two percent the accurate estimate is close to two percent – one to two percent – of the population struggles with these tendencies. And there are going to be a lot of people in heaven who struggled with these tendencies but they have overcome.
The same way, a heterosexual will struggle with temptation with the opposite sex, and resist by the grace of God. And so I don’t want anyone who’s struggling with homosexuality to despair. Anyone who practices known sin, whether it’s the heterosexual or the homosexual, they’re out of God’s will.
Pastor Dick: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: And I think this is what CJ is asking and you know, we all need to be faithful.
Pastor Dick: 1-800-835-6747. The book Pastor Doug just mentioned is called “Return to Sodom” by Gary Gibbs. If you’ll call, CJ, that number – 835-6747, 800-835-6747 – ask for “Return to Sodom.” It may help you. Pastor Doug?
Pastor Doug: Yeah. We don’t mean to cut you off, CJ. We’re going to take a break now and the music is relentless. It comes on the clock. And for our listening friends, before we go to our break, we’d like to encourage you to check out the Amazing Facts website. It has a broad spectrum – a plethora of information – at Free Library books.
You can download sermons, you can download studies, and we want you to check it out. AmazingFacts.org, AmazingFacts.com will take you there. And as we’ve said, we have a new website out. We get so many questions on the subject of the Sabbath. Just type in SabbathTruth.com and you’ll have a lot to learn there. We’ll be back in just a moment.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
We are back listening friends to Bible Answers Live with Doug Batchelor. You can call right now with your Bible-related questions and get clear, understandable down-to-earth answers straight from the Bible about prophecy, biblical principles, and misunderstood passages. Call now 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297.
Now join us as we open our Bibles for more Bible Answers Live with author and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug: We are back, listening friends. This is Bible Answers Live and if you would like to call in with a Bible question, the number is 800-GOD-SAYS. If you don’t get through right away, try it again hit the redial button and as calls are completed, new lines open up. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Dick: My name is Dick Devitt and we want to get to the phones right away, Pastor Doug. Go to Detroit, Michigan. Michael is listening on WOCY. Welcome Michael.
Michael: Yes, how are you doing? And basically my question I’m inquiring about people that are deceased and you bury them, what the Bible has to say about how many times you should visit them, and if you move or something, whether you should bear the cost to move them and so forth, with the grave site.
Pastor Dick: Good question. I don’t remember ever having that question so I’ll take a stab at it.
Michael: Okay.
Pastor Doug: From my knowledge of the Bible, and I’ve read the Bible many times but I don’t claim to have it memorized, there’s nothing in the Bible that requires us to visit the resting place of the loved ones.
Now Jesus talks about, and He ridicules those who embellished the tombs of the prophets, which were beautiful and whitewashed on the outside and full of dead men’s bones. I mean, Jesus told it as it is. And there’s nothing wrong with somebody wanting to go to the cemetery out of respect, and to update a flag at the grave of a veteran who gave his life, or to visit a family member and to just, you know, bask in the memories. It’s maybe a thing to do to respect their memory. But they obviously are not communicating with you.
The Bible’s clear, the dead don’t communicate with the living. And I don’t believe that there’s anything in the Bible that would require us to relocate their remains. I don’t see any example of that in the Bible except there was when Saul and Jonathan were burnt, they finally moved their bodies and they buried them.
Pastor Dick: And Joseph was taken.
Pastor Doug: That’s right, that’s right. Good point. Joseph’s body was, he never was buried. They kept him embalmed and they brought him from Egypt back to the Promised Land and buried him there.
Pastor Dick: Right.
Pastor Doug: Good point. So there’s no requirement to move the remains if you move.
Michael: Okay, and as far as like, you know, upgrading the headstone and so forth - and then all you know, it can get pretty expensive like basically you’d probably better put your money to better use through other ways.
Pastor Doug: Well, out of respect for loved ones, it is good to have a legible headstone that will last a few generations. We just bought a headstone for my father who passed away about a year ago. It took a long time to get the family to agree on what to put there.
But you know, even though my dad was a multi-millionaire, we bought a comparatively modest headstone, because we wanted it to represent the kind of life he lived.
Michael: Beautiful. Basically in the Bible, they more or less buried people and not cremated them, am I right?
Pastor Doug: Typically, with a one or two exceptions, everybody was buried in the Bible. A couple of individuals were embalmed as mummies were – that was Jacob and Joseph – but the remainder of them were buried. Some in the ground, some in – like Jesus – in a tomb but one or two were cremated. And that’s pretty rare. That would be Jonathan was cremated and Saul.
Michael: So in the Bible, it’s probably customary where they came to the grave site after someone was buried…
Pastor Doug: You know, I don’t find an example in the Bible, and I could be wrong, where they went to the tombs to pay their respects. I’m sure they did, but I can’t think of a story in the Bible that articulates that.
Michael: Other than Mary going to Jesus’ tomb?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, but that wasn’t really to pay respect. They were going to finish embalming Him.
Michael: Okay.
Pastor Doug: They had not finished. The Sabbath began before they could complete the embalming process and they came back for their spices.
Michael: Okay, so basically it’s just for respect.
Pastor Doug: Yes, and there’s nothing wrong with that especially Veterans Day, you want to honor the memory. Okay?
Michael: Okay, great. Thanks for your time.
Pastor Doug: Hope that helps a little bit, Mike.
Michael: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: God bless.
Pastor Dick: Thanks for the call, Michael. Let’s talk with another Michael in New York City listening on WMCA. Hello Michael.
Michael: Oh, hello. Thank you for taking my call, Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: You’re welcome. Get real close to your phone.
Michael: I am.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Michael: Okay. My question is this. It’s actually two-fold. What are the safest and most accurate translations of the Bible with particular focus on the scholarships on let’s say Greek and Hebrew text into Latin?
Pastor Doug: Well, you’ll get a varying group of opinions on that, so what I’ll be giving you now is my opinion and Pastor Dick may have some slightly difference. I think we’re pretty much together on this.
I think the most accurate translations are going to come from the manuscript known as the Textus Receptus. Some of the newer versions like the NIV incorporates segments from the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus. And you’ll find that they’re even missing entire – some translations missing very precious stories and verses.
So the King James Version, the New King James Version, I think the New American Standard version utilize the Textus Receptus. And that would be my order of favorites.
Michael: Okay. And then I have a follow up also, if I may?
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Michael: You know, basically I’ve heard like certain Bibles like the King James for one may have taken the liberty to just totally ignore the apocryphal, not even mentioned it as a historical book, not as an inspired book, mind you – but earlier Bibles in english had at least mentioned somewhere that you know, there are these books that connect…
Pastor Doug: The Old Testament and the New Testament.
Michael: Exactly. I’m not saying that they should have, that they are inspired but at least that they should be mentioned that they exist.
Pastor Doug: Well, that’s you know, I think some versions of the Bible – some modern translations – do mention the apocryphal books and the Maccabees in particular do tie together the Old and the New Testament.
Some of the apocryphal books in the Bible are called ‘apocryphal’ because they’re of very dubious origin. It was believed that some of them were, you know, manufactured long after the supposed authors had died. And they were left out of the Protestant Bibles. You’ll find them in some of the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. But there’s no harm in a publisher--
Keep in mind, the Bible writers did not mention them per se but translators and publishers could put notes in that explain that now there are other books. And that’s just up to the varying publishers, Tyndale, Holman, Zondervan, and that’s you know, at their discretion so we can’t really control that.
Michael: Okay. I appreciate that, Pastor. Thanks for your time.
Pastor Doug: All right. God bless.
Michael: God bless you.
Pastor Dick: Thanks for the call, Mike.
Michael: Okay, bye.
Pastor Dick: Bye. To Littlerock, Arkansas. We’re going to talk next with Patricia who is a first-time caller. Welcome Patricia.
Patricia: Hi!
Pastor Doug: Hi, how are you doing?
Patricia: I’m doing good. My question is in 1 Corinthians chapter 11:1-16. It talks about the covering of women’s head.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Patricia: I was kind of curious, you know, for both men and women. What exactly does it mean for men, and what does it mean for women? I mean, does it mean that you know, guys weren’t supposed to wear baseball caps or does it mean that, you know, women aren’t supposed to shave their heads? What exactly does those verses mean?
Pastor Doug: Well, I think one of the keys to understanding this verse is you go to verse 16 of 1 Corinthians 11 and it says, “If any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom neither the churches of God.”
Part of what’s being dealt with here is a custom. The covering of the head was to be a symbol of respect. The Bible seems to indicate a woman’s hair is her glory. And women wearing with long hair was understood to be something that is beautiful and glorious. And when a woman comes into the presence of God, now keep in mind, what it’s talking about is not a woman always covering her head. It’s talking about when she prays or prophesies.
So this is in a setting of worship. Out of her respect to God, it was a custom to cover the head. Many women today don’t have long hair. The style is shorter hair, which brings me to another point.
If you look, for instance, in Deuteronomy 22:5, it says that there should be a distinction in the hairstyles of men and women. Well, not only the hairstyles. It’s just, specifically, it’s talking about dress but the principle is there should be a distinction in the appearance of men and women. That’s Deuteronomy 22:5.
But if you go back to 1 Corinthians 11, you’ll also notice it talks about the man and his head covering. “Nevertheless, neither is a man without the woman, neither is a woman without the man.”
Customs change. Today, if a man goes into a church with a baseball cap on, it’s considered disrespectful.
Patricia: Right.
Pastor Doug: You know, I don’t have much hair on top of my head for anyone that wants a visual picture. So I wear a baseball cap quite a bit of the time. You get to where you forget it’s on because it’s, you know. And I’ve walked in the church before and I felt embarrassed. I realized I had my cap on. I’m talking about during the week when I’m working.
Patricia: Right.
Pastor Doug: But if you go to a Jewish church and you walk in without a yamaka on – my mother was Jewish – that’s considered disrespectful. So what we’re looking at here is customs, aren’t we?
Patricia: Right.
Pastor Doug: And so you know, if I’m going into a Jewish synagogue, and I just did a Jewish funeral, I cover my head. I wear a yamaka. If I’m in a Christian church, it’s considered terribly offensive to people if I were to put a hat on.
So a lot of this had to do with modesty and custom. And if anyone feels a conviction that they should – any ladies feel that they should – not cut their hair, grow it long and cover it in public worship, then I have no burden to change their mind. Okay?
Patricia: All right.
Pastor Doug: Hope that helps, Patricia.
Patricia: Okay, thank you.
Pastor Doug: Bye-bye.
Pastor Dick: Bye-bye. Let’s go next to San Francisco, California. Elliot is a first-time caller. Welcome Elliot.
Elliot: Yes, hello.
Pastor Doug: Hi! Thanks for calling. Your question?
Elliot: Thank you. Yes, my question is I’m in Matthew and – Matthew 11 – and Jesus is giving a reply to…
Pastor Doug: What verse are you in?
Elliot: Oh, I’m sorry. I’m in Matthew 19:11.
Pastor Doug: All right.
Elliot: And Jesus replied…
Pastor Doug: Did we just lose our caller? All right, one more time. Elliot, are you there?
Elliot: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Okay, you got disconnected. It’s because we’re looking for a new government in California.
Elliot: Oh!
Pastor Doug: Anyway, trying to blame El Niño or something. One more time, in Matthew 19:11 as you were explaining.
Elliot: In 19:11, Jesus is replying not everyone can accept this word but only those to whom it has been given. And I’m wondering if this is a reply to Moses’ permitting a divorce or if you can divorce your wife from another. All right, it states in there, let me see.
It states in 8, “But it was not this way from the beginning.” Number 9, “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Pastor Doug: Well you know, I think He’s applying the statement in Matthew 19:11 not to what He formerly said but to what He’s about to say. You notice in the next verse, what He says about Moses is very cold – I shouldn’t say cold – it’s very to the point. And it’s just saying, the next verse, he talks about men who are made eunuchs of men – men who make themselves eunuchs and then who are born eunuchs. Now that’s the part that is something not everybody understands.
Elliot: Right. What does He mean?
Pastor Doug: Well, there are some people who are made eunuchs of men. If you read in the book of Daniel, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were made eunuchs. And that’s talking about a man who is being castrated because they served in the palace of an Eastern king where there is a harem. Nobody could serve as an adviser for the king, and be exposed to the harem.
And so, you never hear about Mrs. Daniel or Daniel’s children. He was a eunuch. He was made a eunuch of men. Some people are born eunuchs. They’re born without the interest in the opposite sex and then there are those who make themselves eunuchs. And that could mean either physically or they just choose not to marry. The term simply mean they choose to remain single.
Paul made himself a eunuch, meaning he chose not to marry for the kingdom of God’s sake. But Paul said not everybody can do this and this is what Jesus is saying. This is not for everybody.
Elliot: Well now, is that in relations to 1 Corinthians 3:1 and 4 where it’s talking about milk?
Pastor Doug: Well, let me go there real quick.
Elliot: That’s where it led me to.
Pastor Doug: 1 Corinthians 3?
Elliot: 1 Corinthians 3, yeah, one to four. And it talks about the giving of milk and he’s not ready for solid meat.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Elliot: It had no relation to that?
Pastor Doug: Well, Jesus said spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
Elliot: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: And what He’s talking about here is there are some things that we have to be spiritually mature enough to be able to handle. Christ said some things to the crowd and he’d expound on them to the apostles, and He said some things to the apostles and He knew the crowd couldn’t handle it.
So you know, you give spiritual meat to those who are able to digest it. Hope that helps a little, Elliot. We need to probably go on to the next callers.
Pastor Dick: Let’s go to Dallas, Texas. David is listening on KSKY. Hello David.
David: Hello brother. I’d like to know, do you believe in the concept fondly referred to as the rapture? If so, when during the seven-year tribulation period do you think it might occur?
Pastor Doug: All right. Let me define the term because different terms mean different things depending on the listener.
David: Okay.
Pastor Doug: You used to be able to say, “I’m happy and gay!” but you got to be careful now because terms change.
David: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: The word ‘rapture’ means ‘to be carried away with force or power.’ We do believe very much that we will be ‘caught up’ to meet the Lord in the air. That’s what that means – to be raptured or to be caught up to meet Him in the air.
David: Right.
Pastor Doug: We do not believe the Bible teaches that that will be a secret. When Christ talks about His coming, He says that there’ll be a shout, a trumpet, a roar, a voice, an earthquake, every eye will see. It’s not a secret.
And so, do we believe in the rapture? Absolutely. Do we believe it’s a secret? Definitely no.
David: Do you have an idea as to when it might occur in the seven-year tribulation period? Some people are pre-trib, some are mid-trib, some are post.
Pastor Doug: Right. I first need to address something you said that it’s a common conception. Can you show me anywhere in the Bible where it says there are seven years of tribulation?
David: I think it goes back to the 42 months in Revelation that it refers to.
Pastor Doug: Well, actually I think what you meant it’s actually going to the 70 weeks in Daniel chapter 9. Some people take the last week off…
David: Okay.
Pastor Doug: And say that’s the week of the tribulation. But the rest of the prophecy time transpires before the birth of Christ. So it is strange.
David: You don’t really believe there will be as such a seven-year?
Pastor Doug: I believe that there’s going to be a tribulation.
David: But the Bible does not…
Pastor Doug: You don’t find the phrase ‘seven years tribulation’ anywhere in the Bible. Most of the tribulations in the Bible are three and a half years such as with the persecution of Christ, the famine in the days of Elijah, and a number of other cases I might cite.
Even in Revelation, it talks about 1,260 days – that’s three and a half years – where the woman flees in the wilderness. So just wanted to mention that. I don’t want to labor that point because it may be seven years of tribulation, we don’t know. But the bigger question I hear you asking is, “When does the rapture take place in connection with that?”
David: Right.
Pastor Doug: I hope you don’t mind, before I answer that, I want to make sure you do a thorough study. I’m going to give you a free book. It’s called “Anything But Secret” and it deals with the rapture and the tribulation. And anyone listening out there, if you want to understand this subject, we’ll send you one copy for free, “Anything But Secret.” Pastor Dick will give the number in a minute.
David, I believe that the tribulation takes place before the second coming. And the reasons are Jesus said, “You will be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. He that endures to the end will be saved.” Daniel chapter 12 says that “At that time, Michael will stand up, and there will be a time of great trouble such as there never has been.”
There are many, many verses that imply we are here on the earth during that time. And we need to ask this question, David, in Revelation chapter 15 and 16, you’ve got the seven last plagues. That is the great time of trouble. The Bible calls that ‘The Great Time of Trouble.’
Were the children of Israel in Egypt when the plagues fell on Egypt?
David: Yes.
Pastor Doug: The answer is yes. But He protected them through it.
David: Right.
Pastor Doug: Was Noah in the world when the flood came?
David: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. He saved him through the flood. He saved Daniel through the lions’ den. He saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego through the furnace. I believe that God’s people will be in the world and He saves us through tribulation. Paul says, “It is through much tribulation we enter the kingdom of God, not from it,” because it’s in tribulation the church shines the brightest. So I am of the group and there are a lot of – there are about three groups out there and you recognized it – I am in the group that believes that the tribulation comes before the second coming.
David: Okay.
Pastor Doug: That’s why it says, “At midnight, the bridegroom comes.” It’s at the darkest hour.
David: Right.
Pastor Doug: Right?
David: Thank you.
Pastor Doug: Hope that helps and send for that book.
David: I’ll do it.
Pastor Dick: All right. Thanks for the call, David. The number that you can call – “Anything But Secret” is the name of the book – the number is 1-800-835-6747. We’ll send it out to you tonight, 835-6747.
Pastor Doug, let’s go to Middletown, California. Bruce is listening on KFIA. Hi Bruce.
Bruce: Hi, God bless you guys.
Pastor Doug: Thanks for your patience.
Bruce: Hey, can I say hi to a friend I met in Switzerland I met at Jerusalem?
Pastor Doug: Okay, real quick.
Bruce: God bless you, Rene, if you’re listening and I hope you are. He is a really good Christian and we prayed together, ate together, stayed in the same Christian house…
Pastor Doug: Amen. Real quick question, we’re running out of time.
Bruce: It’s Jeremiah. The way it’s treated in chapter 20 starting with verse 1.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Bruce: [inaudible] that she’s officer of the temple but, I mean, this is the middle of Jeremiah. He’s prophesying a lot but now they’re having him beating and putting him in stocks. Now, is there a Jewish law that gives them the pretense that they think they can do this to a prophet? Where does it come from in the scenes?
Traditionally, it goes on in every prophet’s life and the other thing is at the bottom of chapter 20, where the cadence of the words changes to a song or a psalm. What is the difference between the prophecies that’s written about, and then when it changes the way that it is written in print?
Pastor Doug: Well, that’s not uncommon. Keep in mind, please disregard the verses to the left as you’re reading. There were no verses in the original when they were written on scrolls. Those were added long after the time of Christ to simply find different passages.
Sometimes people wonder why halfway through a chapter, it seems that, like you said, the whole cadence changes. Well, there was a break probably in the scroll that was written, that explained that he now was going to segue into a prayer, a psalm, a chant.
But your first question, I would say, it’s not uncommon that when the prophets bore messages that were not popular, the religious leaders and the kings indeed did not look for some legal license to persecute them. And this is why Christ wept over Jerusalem. He said, “Jerusalem that persecutes the prophets that are sent to you.”
Many of them were stoned and sawn asunder by other religious leaders, and the kings in many cases. Manasseh being one of them, Abijah and others. And so there’s no justification for it except to say Jeremiah’s message of coming judgment was very unpopular. It was politically incorrect.
They were under bondage to the Babylonians and Jeremiah said, “You need to surrender to the Babylonians. God is punishing the nation.” And the rest of the political leaders were saying, “No, God’s going to give us freedom again and we’re going to be great again.” And it was an unpopular message – a politically incorrect message – but it was the truth. And finally, Jeremiah lived to see all those who persecuted him carried off to Babylon or killed and he survived.
Hope that helps you a little, Bruce. It’s a big chapter, big question.
Pastor Dick: Thanks for the call, Bruce. Let’s go to New York. Denise is listening on WMCA. Hi Denise.
Denise: Hi, how are you?
Pastor Doug: Good. And your question tonight?
Denise: Well, I was studying with a young lady recently and of all the questions that we were throwing back and forth to each other, she happened to mention that she thought that Jesus was one of the angels and that He was created. And I said, “I don’t think Jesus was created.”
So I was kind of hoping I could possibly, you know, get some kind of information on that.
Pastor Doug: No, Jesus said in John chapter 6, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” He used the same phrase that you hear at the burning bush, the self-existent one.
And then if you read in John chapter 1:1 through 3 and verse 14, it tells us that all things that were made were made by Him. Now if all things that were made were made by Him, then how can He be made? How could the Creator be a creation?
And so it’s sometimes a mystery for people to understand but Jesus has always been existent. He says in Revelation, “I’m the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” And so, Christ is the great Messenger, but He is not an angel in the sense of a cherub. He is the great Messenger, but He is not created. He is the Creator. Okay?
There’s a few scriptures that hopefully will help a little, Denise.
Denise: Do you have any literature?
Pastor Doug: I do. I’ve got a book that’s on the Trinity because some people who don’t believe in the Trinity also do not believe that Jesus is the Creator. And I combat that using the Bible and this book. And it’s a new book I’ve just got out called “The Trinity” by Doug Batchelor.
Denise: Oh, okay.
Pastor Doug: You call the resource number and ask for my new book on the Trinity. We’ll send it to you free.
Denise: Oh, okay.
Pastor Doug: And anyone else who wants one copy.
Denise: Okay, I thank you so much.
Pastor Doug: Thank you, Denise.
Denise: Have a good night.
Pastor Dick: Denise, good night. That number is 1-800-835-6747, 835-6747. Just ask for Doug’s new book on the Trinity and we’ll send it out to you tonight.
Pastor Doug, let’s go next to New York City. We want to talk with Carl who’s listening on WMCA. Welcome Carl.
Carl: Hello. Can you hear me?
Pastor Dick: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Very well!
Carl: Good. I’d like to know, why is it that the Bible – doesn’t any of the four gospels – doesn’t mention any of the instance in Jesus’ life that occurs from the time He went with His parents to the temple until the time He began His ministry? And I’d like my answer over the air place.
Pastor Doug: All right, I’ll do my best to answer that for you, Carl. While the gospels are somewhat silent on what was happening with Jesus from the age of 12 – of course it tells that He went to the temple when He was 12 – to 29, He began His ministry on His 30th birthday the way it appears in Luke chapter 3 as He began to be about 30. It was when He was baptized.
And the reasons for that, that’s when King David began to reign at 30, Joseph became ruler of Egypt at 30, a priest could not began ruling until 30, and so that was when Christ deliberately began His ministry. He chose the time of His baptism.
But the Bible does tell us, for instance, in Luke chapter 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom,” telling after He left the temple, He “increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.” It also tells us that He was subject unto His parents. The child grew and waxed strong in spirit. This is Luke 2:40. And was filled with wisdom and the grace of God.
So it tells us basically these three things that He was subject to His parents, He grew, He waxed strong and it’s simply, we can believe that He was submitted to His earthly parents when He went back to preach in Nazareth, Carl, they knew who He was. Some people say, “Oh, this is Jesus,” you know.
Carl: The carpenter’s son.
Pastor Doug: They believed He disappeared for years and that He went off and learned at the feet of, you know, Eastern mystics or something like that, which is really sort of an insult to the scriptures. But He was subject to His parents, they knew Him in Nazareth.
Pastor Dick: Pastor Doug, we have about two minutes left. Let’s talk to Mary Jo who is in West Virginia listening on WWVA. Mary Jo?
Mary Jo: Yes?
Pastor Dick: We have about two minutes. What can we do?
Mary Jo: Okay, I was just wondering about the new music the sort of rock and roll beat and it’s so terribly loud, and I go to a really big church and this music is just unbelievably loud. I‘ve looked around and I see people doing all these, not just having their feet but wiggling and all. I just don’t know. Is there any scripture about it?
Pastor Doug: Oh yes. Let me answer you quickly because you’ve asked one of the most important questions of the night. One of the trends in the church that is of great concern to me is the metamorphosis that worship is going through. While there’s nothing wrong with new music, Mary Jo, I mean God says, “Sing a new song.” I write a songs. I wrote one last week.
But the kind of music, obviously there is a godly reverent music and there’s stuff that can be more worldly, sensual, and diabolical. It seems like the churches are now resorting to the music of the world. I’m not talking about the words. The music styles of the world which sort of arouse the sexual rhythms rather than the attitude of praise.
The Bible says, “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent.” Amazing Facts has a new book, Mary Jo, dealing with the subject of music in worship. It’s not a book that we can offer for free. It’s written by somebody else. But if you go to our website then you can order it there or call Amazing Facts. And I recommend it to everybody out there, our new book on music and worship.
Also get Louie Trowels’ book called “Notes on Music.” Ah! We’re out of time. God bless friends, we’ll see you next week. Jesus is the Truth!
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