Hello friends! This is Doug Batchelor. A family in Virginia was devastated when their beloved dog, a three year-old terrier named Petunia, disappeared from their farm around Thanksgiving in 2003. Despite an extensive search, there was no trace of their beloved pet. So you can imagine their surprise when Petunia turned up eight years later and 2,500 miles away at an animal shelter near Sacramento. Officials are now working with the family to get Petunia home before Christmas. If only that dog could talk, she'd have a story to tell.
You know, the Bible tells us of a few animals that did talk. Stay with us friends. We're going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Batchelor: We do have lines open, and if you have a Bible question, that's why we have this radio program. Any question you have regarding the word of God, we invite you to call in, and we will do our best here in the studio to search our Bible resources we have at our fingertips. With the advantages of modern technology and Bible computer programs, we can search the word of God in a number of different versions and languages, and do our best to find the answers together, believing the Bible is truth.
If you'd like to get your question on tonight's program, we do still have some lines open. Give us a call. That number is 1-800-463-7297. Toll-free number, 1-800-GOD SAYS will bring you into the studio. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross. Good evening listening friends. Good evening Pastor Doug. Let's begin the program with prayer. Father, we thank You that once again, we have this opportunity to study your word. We ask for Your blessing to be with us here in the studio, and be with those who are listening wherever they might be. Guide us into a clearer understanding of Your word. For we ask this is Jesus' name, amen.
Pastor Batchelor: Amen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Pastor Doug, you opened the program by talking about a dog that had an incredible journey. That's hard to imagine. Been gone for a number of years--eight years--and then traveling over 2,000-plus miles, and finally turning up in a different city, and finally reuniting with her family; well I guess that's in process.
Pastor Batchelor: Yeah--you know, and of course according to dog years, that dog would be over 70 years of age now, because she was three years old when she went missing, and eight years go by, can you imagine? I'd like to have a video of that reunion, of what that would be like. And you wish that you could interview the dog and say, "Now tell us, what happened? How did you get from Virginia on the East Coast to Sacramento on the West Coast?" Unfortunately that dog probably won't say much about it. But the Bible does tell us a couple of examples where animals spoke.
Now metaphorically, Job says animals teach us; but quite literally, there's an example in the book of Numbers where animals spoke.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That's right. It's Numbers chapter 22 and verse 28. It says, "And the Lord opened the mouth of Balaam's donkey and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?'" So there we have a donkey speaking to its owner, Balaam.
Pastor Batchelor: And Balaam was so upset he didn't even realize it at first.
Pastor Jëan Ross: He starts talking back to the donkey and he has this conversation. It's quite interesting.
Pastor Batchelor: That's right. And then you've got the example, of course, everyone knows about Genesis chapter 3 where it says that the devil spoke through the serpent to tempt Eve. The serpent was a beautiful, hypnotic--it says it was one of the most subtle of all the animals in the garden. It questioned the word of God saying, "Yea, hath God said..." And that's when temptation entered our world. By the way, that's Genesis chapter 3, the first verse.
But all of us are spoken to by the animal, so to speak, today. Paul says there's this battle between the Spirit and the flesh. We have our spiritual side and the carnal side. People are humans, we are creatures that have certain animal desires. But how do we get the victory so that we're not controlled by the carnal side of our nature, but rather, the Spirit? How can we resist temptations that come?
Maybe you've got a question about this friends. If you are struggling with some temptation--and if you're trying to be a follower of Christ--then you are struggling with temptation, we have a special book that will give you biblical secrets and proven tips to resisting temptation and gaining the victory in those respective areas.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The book is entitled, "Tips for Resisting Temptation". "Tips for Resisting Temptation", written by Pastor Doug. To receive a free copy of the book, give us a call on our resource line. And that's 1-800-835-6747. 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the book, "Tips for Resisting Temptation" and we'll send it to you for free; or go to the website amazingfacts.org and you'll be able to read the book at our free library. That's amazingfacts.org.
Well Pastor Doug, we're going to the phone lines now. We have Rose who is listening from New York on WMCA. Rose, welcome to the program.
Rose: Hi Pastors.
Pastor Batchelor: Evening.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening.
Rose: I have been doing some research on the Shroud of Turin and I wanted to know what your views were on it. Do you think it's authentic?
Pastor Batchelor: Well, I'll share my opinion. This is technically not really a Bible question, though it is a question about a biblical artifact. It does mention in the Bible that Jesus was wrapped in a robe; and it specifically tells us in the Gospel of John that when John and Peter went into the tomb and they saw that the cloth had been folded, then they believed that Jesus was alive. Now that's an interesting comment, because if His body had been evicted, or if it had been stolen, thieves or Roman soldiers would not have taken the time to fold the grave clothes.
But they knew Jesus gave attention to detail. That was like, His nature. So here, He rises from the dead, it's a crescendo of salvation, and He pauses to fold the grave clothes before He walks out of the tomb. He'd just been taught by His mother to make His bed before He left (chuckles).
Rose: I wanted to ask you this question because Isaiah chapter 53, verse 2 says in part that, "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."
Pastor Batchelor: Yes.
Rose: And if you look at the face on the Shroud, it seems to fit Scripture, so that got me wondering.
Pastor Batchelor: Yeah I've seen the Shroud, I looked into it, and you'll hear conflicting reports. Some have said that the carbon dating places it at around 1,200 A.D. Others say that the carbon dating has been tainted because the Shroud was once rescued from a fire and you can even see the fringes were burned, so they can't use typical dating methods. I've heard all kinds of stories. And some will claim that there are miracles that have happened through the Shroud.
It is an intriguing artifact. Most of the artifacts that you find and the relics scattered around the world are very dubious. You know, they'll say, "Everybody has got a splinter of the cross." All these churches say, "We've got a splinter of the cross." Some churches even claim to have a few drops of the breast milk of Mary. Now how they got that, I don't know. But there are all kinds of crazy claims of relics.
The shroud is a very intriguing claim because it does seem that it was not something done by an artist trying to create a great forgery. It does look like the grave cloth of somebody, that their body was anointed with some kind of myrrh or oil, and then the fabric took the impression, like a photographic plate might. Whether it was the shroud of somebody who had been crucified, or the actual grave clothes of Jesus um--you know in one sense, it doesn't matter, Rose, because we're not saved by a relic like that.
Rose: Right.
Pastor Batchelor: I know there are stories in the Bible where some people took handkerchiefs from Peter. And Peter just couldn't reach everyone, and so they took hankies from Peter. And folks thought that if they could touch the handkerchief they'd be healed. Some were; and a lot of preachers have taken advantage of that. They send out xerox handkerchiefs in the mail and tell people to wrap up their money and send it back in the xeroxed handkerchief. I mean there are all kinds of people that have relics and the holy oil that they bless. I think the Lord wants us to live by faith and not by good luck charms.
Rose: Okay. Thank you very much.
Pastor Batchelor: You're welcome. Thank you. Appreciate your question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is calling from Orlando, Florida. Makuhe is listening. Makuhe, welcome to the program.
Makiah: Oh hey, it's Makiah. Yeah I was going to ask, as soon as someone is forgiven for their sins, is their name written in the Book of Life automatically?
Pastor Batchelor: Yes. I believe that when we accept Jesus and accept His salvation, we pass from death to life. And I think our names are entered in the Book of Life. Now the reason I say that, our names are not entered in the Book of Life as we walk through the golden gates in heaven, because in Revelation, Jesus is threatening one of the churches that, if they didn't repent, their names would be taken from the Book of Life. So their names had to be placed in the Book of Life in order to be taken out. Do you see what I'm saying?
Makiah: Yeah.
Pastor Batchelor: And Pastor Ross, is that the message to the church at--
Pastor Jëan Ross: Church of Sardis.
Pastor Batchelor: Sardis, yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I was looking at another verse where Jesus was talking to His disciples, and He says, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this," assuming the disciples had power over evil spirits, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
Pastor Batchelor: There you go.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So where would your name be written in heaven? Well, the Lambs Book of Life.
Pastor Batchelor: I just remembered one more verse. I don't remember the verse. I remember it in my head, where Moses is pleading for the children of Israel. And he said, "Take my name out of Your book." So Moses' name was in God's book at that point, or he wouldn’t have said that. So yeah, I believe that when a person accepts salvation, we've accepted the covenant, that our names are entered in that Book of Life.
Makiah: Alright thank you.
Pastor Batchelor: Alright, good question Makiah. Appreciate it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We've got Marty who is listening from Chicago, Illinois. Marty, welcome to the program.
Marty: Hello--good evening Pastors.
Pastor Batchelor: Evening, thanks for calling. Your question?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening.
Marty: Yeah my question is, where dinosaurs are mentioned in the Bible, I want to hear your opinion about how do we reconcile the age of the dinosaur to the Bible, something like that.
Pastor Batchelor: Well first, I'd actually start out by asking a question this way: Where do you get the age of the dinosaurs?
Marty: Right, I mean based on modern science, they put millions of years ago like, for the dinosaurs.
Pastor Batchelor: Yeah I realize that. Modern science lately has been kind of turned on its ear with a number of recent discoveries that have really brought the dating methods into question. One of them, I think, was in 2005 when they found soft tissue and blood cells in the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. And up until then, they believed the longest that soft tissue can survive was 10,000 years; and so they're totally mystified. If their dating methods are correct--and of course, there are no scientists in the world today that say that they can prove their dating methods are accurate--it's all a theory, because no one is 30 million years old to say, "Yup, sure enough, it's accurate."
The dating methods have really been brought into question. I believe that dinosaurs did live contemporaneously with the other great mammals and humans.
Marty: Okay.
Pastor Batchelor: They're found in different layers because during the flood of Noah--oh I've got so much I could say about this Marty, I just feel like I'm going to erupt. I'm amazed. Just in my short life, I used to believe in evolution.
Marty: Me too.
Pastor Batchelor: I grew up believing that it was just unquestionable science and that a person was just a mental dwarf if they didn't accept evolution as fact. Then I was listening to all the reasons through the years how the dinosaurs died out. And they just had everything under the sun. They said it was a volcanic gas, and it was overpopulation of the first mammals eating them out of house and home, and all kinds of theories. But the more they studied the fossils, the more they realized that the dinosaurs all died in some kind of a catastrophe that buried them rapidly with mud and silt. That's how you get a fossil.
If the dinosaur dies and lives on the ground and a thousand years go by, the bones are all scattered one from another. They've got to be covered to be kept together. And then they said well an asteroid must have hit the earth and caused a global flood. Well to me, why don't they just say, "Well, it could have been Noah's flood, but we hate to admit it."
So the evidence is that there was a major flood. And then the other thing is that the carcass of the mammals and the carcass of reptiles, they bloat and float and sink differently; and so you're going to find reptiles will die and sink differently. They're constituted differently. They will be on the lowest levels and then the silt continues to settle.
Mammals on the other hand, they bloat and float when they die. They would stay on the surface a lot longer, and then they would settle and you'd find them in a whole different strata. So all of this is what we're finding in the geologic record. But I do believe that mammals and dinosaurs lived together. Some have wondered in the book of Job, chapter 41:1, it talks about this great sea monster called Leviathan...
Marty: Okay.
Pastor Batchelor: ...and there are other references to it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You also have in Job 40:15, just the chapter prior to what you mentioned Pastor Doug, that talks about this beast named Behemoth. It talks about him eating grass like an ox. And then it says his tail is like a cedar tree. And it's this massive creature that eats grass and has a strong tail, and he's tall and big. Well there's no animal that we know of today that is big and eats grass and has a tail like a cedar tree.
Marty: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: An elephant has just a little string for a tail. But some of these dinosaurs could very well be described here, having a tail like the cedar tree and eats grass.
Marty: Is that the only place mentioned in the Bible?
Pastor Batchelor: One more verse, Isaiah 27, verse 1, "In that day the Lord with His sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent shall he slay the dragon that is in the sea." The dragon? Well dragons are typically thought of in the reptile category because the Bible often calls lizards dragons too. So here's this great reptile in the sea; and these are the only fleeting Bible references you'll have.
It's not just dinosaurs Marty. You can find a lot of evidence in the fossil record for giant mammals, everything from the mastodon to--they had sloths that were 10 feet tall and giant beavers that were 12 feet tall. They found these enormous mammal skeletons. So all of the animals before the flood, they were somehow decimated, or smaller versions seemed to exist after the environment changed. But I believe the Bible record. I believe it's scientific and I believe it's consistent with truth.
Marty: Have you known if the dinosaurs are mentioned in the writings of early civilization, like the Sumerians, or something like that?
Pastor Batchelor: Yeah actually and virtually, all of the primitive histories, the early writings of Egypt or the Epic of Gilgamesh and different ancient writings, they refer to China, you can see it in their art, they refer to these great dragons. It's even in the South American art. And so I think there's a lot of evidence for that.
Now, we do have a book, we can't send this to you for free but it's affordable. If you go to the Amazing Facts website, it's an illustrated book called, "Dinosaurs in the Bible". It's somewhat in comic form, meaning that it's written out with stories that take you from page to page, but it has some fascinating facts in it and kids love it too. But if you go to the Amazing Facts website, you can order our special book on dinosaurs. I think you'd enjoy that Marty.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Just go to www.amazingfacts.org. We have Aaron who's listening from Sacramento. Aaron, welcome to the program.
Aaron: Hi. This question is in regards to, I had an interesting experience this week where someone came to my door and gave me another testament of Jesus Christ. I was sort of baffled and they were telling me all this information, and the only thing I knew was Galatians 1:8, which says, "If an angel teaches another gospel, let him be accursed", I'm sort of paraphrasing but--
Pastor Batchelor: Right.
Aaron: I guess the question is how to discern between knowing it's false, whether it's true or false, what a person's presenting to you if they come to your door or if you're in discussion somewhere, and they're presenting something other than the Bible, and saying that it's equal to or greater--because they basically said that the Bible has been corrupted over the years, which I don't find believable because of the record so--
Pastor Batchelor: Well, when a person starts questioning the truth of the Bible, then right away you're heading down the wrong path, because it's in the Bible that it says, "Thy word is truth." Jesus said it's the truth that sets you free. As soon as a person starts picking and choosing which verses are in the Bible, then you're heading down a dangerous road. The book I think you're referring to is probably the Book of Mormon.
Aaron: Yeah, I just didn't want to say.
Pastor Batchelor: Well I appreciate that. Our screeners do their best and they're doing just what we want them to do to encourage people not to itemize. We don't want to pick on a denomination, but it's hard to really answer your question without being more specific here. I'd like to say that the Mormon people are just some wonderful, loving people. They've got great values for work and for family that I really admire.
But the Book of Mormon, the history of it really is, it was a novel that was written by a pastor named Spaulding, that was picked up by Joseph Smith, who later said that it came through an angel with golden plates. The reason it's full of biblical language is because it was written by a pastor and they were surrounded with Indian ruins, and he wrote it for the people in, oh is it Bellflower, New York? I think that's where it was. You can read--a lot of this information is online.
You know one of the biggest problems is, for years, the Mormons had said that the American Indians are the lost tribes of Israel. Now with DNA dating, they're finding out that the American Indians have absolutely no DNA connection with Israelites. What they do have is they've got a very strong DNA connection with the people of Mongolia. And a lot of our Mormon brothers and sisters really struggle with accepting DNA evidence now because of that; because the whole story of the Book of Mormon just implodes if these Native Americans are not one of the lost tribes of Israel.
But that's not even the best reason. The best reason is the Bible has to be the bottom line. And if there's a conflict between the Bible and something else that claims to be the sacred truth, then the Bible needs to be the anchor that everything else is judged by.
Aaron: Yeah.
Pastor Batchelor: I've got a book I can send you for free that talks about the Bible and its dependability Aaron. It's called, "The Ultimate Resource". Would you like a copy?
Aaron: Uh yeah.
Pastor Batchelor: It's free. You can't beat that. No one will knock on your door and bother you.
Aaron: Yeah I would.
Pastor Jëan Ross: (laughing) Give us a call Aaron on our resource line. That's 1-800-835-6747, and ask for the book, "The Ultimate Resource". That's 1-800-835-6747. We'll send that out to you. You can also read it at the Amazing Facts website. Next caller is Sullivan, and he's calling from Toronto, Canada. Sullivan, welcome to the program.
Sullivan: Good evening Pastors. How are you doing?
Pastor Batchelor: Doing well, and your question tonight?
Sullivan: My question is, I've heard quite a few people refer recently that they've had a visitation with Jesus Himself, and they've had conversations with Him and in certain cases, He has instructed them to do certain things. I'm just wondering how biblical that is, since Jesus Himself said to Moses you cannot comprehend My glory and be in a human, fleshly body, body of sin. How can we comprehend His glory on this earth?
Pastor Batchelor: Alright, that's a good question. I've got to divide the question. It's pretty clear that Christ is in heaven now and He is not coming back down to earth until you have His literal second coming, or it's even after the 1,000 years. He says, "If any man says 'Here is Christ or there' believe it not." But the other part of that question is, if a person has an individual vision or dream or Jesus speaks to them, can the Lord speak to them through a dream or vision, and I'd have to say yes.
God can take a prophet into vision, just as He did John. Stephen, when he was stoned, He saw Jesus standing on the right hand of the Father. Christ appeared to Stephen. He appeared to Paul. So if the Lord appears to someone individually or in a dream or a vision, that's different than a person saying He has physically come to earth. Christ said if they say He is there or here or in the desert, do not believe it, because Christ is going to be at the right hand of the Father until He comes back to reclaim His bride.
So as long as we divide the two, a physical coming from a dream or vision, those are two different things. Jesus can still speak to people and give them a vision of His glory, but in our mortal condition, we can't handle His glory.
Sullivan: Absolutely. That's absolutely correct. But I've heard one preacher saying, you know, he had a visitation from Jesus where Jesus put His hands on his shoulder and said, "I want you to go and preach the gospel." And now, that minister is physically ill and nearly blind and not very well physically. He had had some challenges. So I was just wondering, if somebody did have a visitation from Jesus, would they not be kept in that realm of glory of protection where Jesus Himself would keep them until His day, and use them for His honor and purpose as He has commanded them to do so, personally?
Pastor Batchelor: Well the exception would be, you've got the example of Paul, who had a visit from Jesus, and he was handicapped with his sight at least for three days. He got most of it, I think, restored, but when Jacob wrestled with the angel, he was kind of handicapped afterward.
I'm not going to question whether or not this man did or did not see a vision of Jesus. That's between him and the Lord, if God shows Himself to someone in a dream; and then you'll know them by their fruits. I would be surprised if the Lord visited someone and said, "I want you to go preach", and then laid them so low physically they couldn't preach. So, it's hard for me to comment on a specific person's experience. I hope that helps a little bit with some Bible background Sullivan. And we're going to see if we can squeeze in one more call until the break.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We've got Steph who's listening from Seattle, Washington. Steph, welcome to the program.
Steph: Hi, I have a question about King Saul from 1 Samuel chapter 12.
Pastor Batchelor: Uh-huh
Steph: He was suppose to wait seven days for the prophet Samuel.
Pastor Batchelor: Yes.
Steph: When Samuel didn't show up, he did the sacrifice himself. And my question is, how was Saul suppose to know to not do the sacrifice? How was he suppose to know that it was more important to wait for Samuel than for the sacrifice to take place at that time?
Pastor Batchelor: Alright. Good question. First of all, Samuel told him to wait and--I don't have the reference here at my fingertips but, it's also earlier in the book of Samuel. He said, "Wait for me. I will appear to you at Gilgal." And he didn't wait; and only a priest was suppose to offer sacrifice. Hey we've got to take a break. Friends, you're listening to Bible Answers Live.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Batchelor: We're back friends. You're listening to Bible Answers Live. If you've joined us somewhere along the way, this is a live, international, interactive Bible study and you're invited to call in with your questions. Free phone call. You've got your pencil ready? 1-800-463-7297 for your Bible questions. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug, just before we go to the phone lines, probably about four weeks from now, maybe five weeks from now, you're going to be doing a very special series from the Maryland area, close to Washington D.C. dealing with reclaiming your faith. I know our listeners probably know someone who used to attend church that has sort of wandered away. This program is really geared to try and reach out to those people.
Pastor Batchelor: Absolutely. You can watch it on the internet, it'll be streaming live on the Hope Channel, or it'll be on DirecTV on the Hope Channel there. It's called, "Reclaim Your Faith." The idea is if you know somebody that has sort of drifted, maybe backslidden, wandered, hasn't been attending church, and you'd like to encourage them to re-dedicate themselves to the Lord, we're going to have four presentations that deal with the main reasons that people often get discouraged, distracted, and stop attending.
The dates are January 13 through 15. Friday night, two on Saturday, one on Sunday, presentations to help people reclaim their faith. Invite them to your house for some soup and bread and turn the programs on, or watch online.
Pastor Jëan Ross: For more information about the program, you can go to the Amazing Facts website, amazingfacts.org. Click on the link that says, "Reclaim Your Faith" and you'll be able to learn more information. At the website Pastor Doug, you're going to be able to watch some video, and then also all of the broadcast times and information is available. It's all there. Alright, we've got Ernest who is listening from Trenton, New Jersey. Ernest, welcome to the program.
Ernest: Yes thank you. I'm studying the Bible systematically, starting with Genesis. And I notice that each day ends with an evening and a morning. But when you come to chapter 2 in Genesis, verses 2 and 3, there's no evening and a morning, and I was wondering why?
Pastor Batchelor: Well, when you get to chapter 2, it's saying that the heavens and the earth were finished; and then it's telling us that the six days of creation are obviously 24-hour days. When you get to the seventh day, God doesn't make anything, and so He doesn't mark it the way He did the others because He creates one more day as a time of rest.
Now, you read later in the Bible--and of course it says in Genesis 2, verse 1 the heavens and the earth were finished, and on the seventh day God ended His work. He blessed the seventh day. He rested the seventh day. First time in the Bible you find a number mentioned three times is right here. It says the seventh, the seventh, the seventh. It's interesting. You get to the end of the Bible and it says the beast power is identified by 666. But this was the time for rest.
Later in the Bible, it says, "From even unto even will you celebrate your sabbaths." And so this first Sabbath, or this first day of rest, we know it also had an evening and a morning because later it tells us that the evenings marked the end of the day.
Ernest: So evening would be uh, you said an evening to evening is the same thing--
Pastor Batchelor: Well it's at sunset. I believe it's the Gospel of Mark, is it chapter 2--where it says, "...And at evening when the sun had set...." So they called sunset the evening.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The verse you're referring to Pastor Doug is Leviticus chapter 23, verse 32, which says, "From evening unto evening," depending upon the translation, "you shall celebrate your sabbath." It would be "even to even", or "evening unto evening." That would be around sunset.
Pastor Batchelor: And the other verse, it was Mark 1:32, "And at even, when the sun did set..." and Sabbath was over. Mark 1:32 was the other verse I was thinking of.
Ernest: What verse was that now?
Pastor Jëan Ross: The first one is Leviticus 23:32.
Ernest: Okay.
Pastor Batchelor: And the one I gave you about evening being sunset is Mark 1:32. And when you put the three of them together, it's pretty clear that that first seventh day was also a 24-hour period with an evening.
Ernest: Yeah, I was just wondering that it was mentioned in the first six days but there was no mention on that Sabbath day.
Pastor Batchelor: You know, the first couple chapters of Genesis are just phenomenal. When you break them down mathematically, you could spend years looking at it. It's such a perfectly written, inspired manuscript that it's just incredible. Hey I thank you for your question Ernest. God bless, hope it helps a little. You'd also enjoy the book that we have that we were just offering called, "The Ultimate Resource" , talking about the Bible and how to study it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call for that resource is 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the book, "The Ultimate Resource". Cameron is listening Leduc, Canada. Cameron, welcome to the program.
Cameron: Good evening--for me--I don't know about you guys. How are you?
Pastor Batchelor: It's evening here but uh yeah, we're doing great. Your question tonight?
Cameron: My question is just about the Bible itself. I'm a baby in Christ, and I was just wondering--there are so many different Bibles out there. It seems that one will come out every new year, the revised issue. The Bible that I choose to read from is the King James Version, but there's the NIV. When you flip them open, like an NIV or the New King James Version, they'll have a man-copyrighted logo on it.
Cameron (continued): And I mean, the King James Version that I read out of isn't copyrighted. I researched it and it doesn't say that it's copyrighted by man's hand. How can man put a copyright on something that is God's written word? Isn't there a place in Scripture that says that whoever changes the words in this Bible will be forever condemned? Like I understand that, as we continue on futuristically, words do change, but meanings do change too. Like, "apparel" back in the day meant long-fitted garment, and now "apparel" means clothing--
Pastor Batchelor: So is your question about why are there so many versions?
Cameron: The Bible, yeah, yeah, so many versions and why that man can put a copyright on it, and the King James Version does not have a copyright on it.
Pastor Batchelor: Alright. Good question. A quick answer would be you're right on target. The King James is what you call "Public Domain." Copyright law in America has sort of evolved, but the King James was already a public document. The only way publishers can make a lot of money on the Bible is if they have a new translation that they could say is the personal work that they can copyright. So the New King James, the New International Version, and a number of others, they are copyrighted by either Thomas Nelson or Zondervan, or one of the Bible publishers; and there is the economic side of that.
There are advantages to some of the modern translations in that most of us don't speak, on a regular level, in King James English. Now right now, as I study and answer questions I've got my King James Bible open in front of me, but I also do look at the other versions because there are a few sentences where they are archaic, and they're translated more accurately in some of the modern translations. But, you also need to be wise that there is also the monetary deal that, every now and then, publishers come up with a new translation because they can copyright it.
It's like you can have a public domain song that's been around, like Amazing Grace. Some artists can make a new arrangement of Amazing Grace where if they change enough of the music and if they change enough of the tempo, they can say it's a new arrangement--they can copyright their arrangement of Amazing Grace, even though the song is public domain. Copyright law is very interesting; and they make a lot of money on it that way. So yeah, there is that element of greed. You're right, it is unfortunate.
I can also understand why Bible publishers would need to be able to recoup their investment of making a new translation. It's very expensive. So in our book that we just mentioned earlier, we'll send you a free copy of that Cameron. "The Ultimate Resource" talks a little bit about that.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call is 1-800-835-6747. That is the resource line. Cameron, ask for the book, "The Ultimate Resource", or for anyone who's listening. Just a great resource on the Bible. "The Ultimate Resource". We'll be happy to send that to you. Nathan is listening from Texas. Nathan, welcome to the program.
Nathan: Hello, good evening.
Pastor Batchelor: Evening
Nathan: My question is regarding Zechariah chapter 12, verse 10. And the reason I'm asking this question is because I read your little booklet on Spiritual Israel. I really enjoyed how you were able to show from the Bible that Spiritual Israel, how it's grafted into literal Israel, and about the olive tree and everything. I remember hearing you say one time--I think it was in Central Study Hour where you said that. And I believe this also, where in the last days, where there's going to be a revival in the Jewish community. Now I'm wondering if this verse kind of gives a picture of that in the future during the latter rain.
Pastor Batchelor: Let me read the verse to our friends that are listening because some are driving down the road. Would that be okay Nathan? Zechariah 12:10: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." And I do think that this can also be looked upon as a prophecy that the day will come that God is going to pour out His Spirit on the Jewish people, and they will recognize that Jesus was the Son of God; that there will be a large remnant of literal Jews that are going to come to Christ and accept Him as Messiah. I think there are many now, but I think that there will be many, many more. So is that what you're wondering Nathan?
Nathan: Yeah I was wondering about that because, well you know, I'm Jewish myself and I came to know the Lord, my Messiah, four years ago.
Pastor Batchelor: Praise the Lord!
Nathan: So you know, I mean, I just feel a burden for my people. Just seeing this verse, it kind of gives hope.
Pastor Batchelor: Absolutely, and you pray for them. And I believe that God is going to bring a revival to the Jewish nation, that we're going to see a great work done among them. By the way friends, I forgot to mention earlier in the program, we are streaming here from the studio also. If you'd like to just log on and shake our hand, you can go to live.amazingfacts.org. Is that right? live.amazingfacts.org, and we're streaming a little video from the studio here.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, we've got Chris also from Toronto, Canada. Chris, welcome to the program.
Chris: Hello? Hi, how are you doing Doug Batchelor?
Pastor Batchelor: Doing well.
Chris: My question is, what does the Bible say about genetic engineering?
Pastor Batchelor: Well you're probably not going to find the words "genetic engineering" in the Bible.
Chris: But you would find what, um?
Pastor Batchelor: Let me tell you the closest thing I think you're going to find. Goliath--you probably didn't think I was going there--Goliath had a son...
Chris: That had six fingers and six toes.
Pastor Batchelor: ...that had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, and there's a word I can't repeat that doctors use for this extra digit, the medical term they use to describe that, but it's often a result of inbreeding. And some have speculated that the Philistines, they had a few people--now keep in mind, there was a race of giants that lived in the mountains of Hebron when they first conquered Israel. They were called the Anakim.
Some of the Anakim may have survived and intermarried with the Philistines. Evidently, they were trying to breed Goliath with a--do a little genetic engineering and have an army of, kind of some navy seal Philistines or something that would be the special forces. But David and his friends--there was at least five of them--that were taken out by David and his mighty men.
Chris: Yes.
Pastor Batchelor: So, other than that, the other thing I think of when I think of genetic engineering, but it's not really that. It's when Jacob has his vision about how he could make his flocks to multiply more than Laban's. Very strange. I haven't met any scholars that have a good answer on how he was able to get the striped and the speckled ones to multiply more.
Chris: Yeah. What about Moses? Like when Moses said you're not suppose to mix different animals, and not only animals.
Pastor Batchelor: Oh yeah, well yeah. I think Moses is talking about not crossing your--
Chris: Crossbreed.
Pastor Batchelor: Yeah, well don't mix your seed. And he's principally talking about farming seed. You want to keep your seed pure; and then he talks about not wearing the linen or woolen garment.
Chris: Is that a reference for today too?
Pastor Batchelor: No because I almost think the Lord wants us to do certain uh, I don't want to use the word "genetic engineering," but pollinating and improving on varieties of plants. Do you know you would not have a banana today--bananas have no seeds. The only way you get a banana is by crossing two Asian fruits that are not edible...
Chris: Yes.
Pastor Batchelor: and then you plant samplings from those. So every banana is a form of genetic--well it's not genetic engineering like in a laboratory, but it's a form of cross-pollinating these two plants. So, there are great varieties of apples now, red delicious and others we wouldn't have if wasn't for some of the grafting in and cross-pollinating. But, you're right, science is now doing things.
They're really hyper-engineering, and maybe engineering some of the nutrients out of crops, in order to make them pest-resistant and durable for shipping. Who knows how far that's going to go? But I don't know that I could preach that there's a moral problem. I do think that there's a problem when you start genetically engineering people that are made in God's image. Hope that helps a little bit Chris. We really don't have a book we could offer you on that.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well have Robert listening from Bloomfield, New Jersey. Robert, welcome to the program.
Robert: Good evening Pastor Jëan and Pastor Doug. My question is about Solomon's temple. A lot of people say that there were two temples, one built by Solomon, and there was a second temple. But I'm under the impression there were three temples: one built by Solomon, then it was sacked and destroyed by the Babylonians; and then when Nehemiah and Ezra returned to Judea, they built another temple; and then I understand that Herod built a temple. So what was it? Was there--
Pastor Batchelor: Well, there were three temples. You're on the right track. The first temple was really the tabernacle in the wilderness because they did have the Ark, the candlestick, the bread, they had a Holy Place, Most Holy Place, but it was a portable temple, but that was the tabernacle in the wilderness.
Then Solomon built the first permanent temple on Mount Moriah, and it was just glorious. When they came back from the Babylonian captivity during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, they built the third temple. That temple was then greatly refurbished. It was still really the same temple. That temple was greatly refurbished by Herod. Now Herod did not change the location. He did not change the essence of the Holy Place. What Herod did is he greatly expanded the courtyard and the rooms around the courtyard so it became a lot more acreage.
Chris: Did he create a new temple?
Pastor Batchelor: No, and one reason that's important to know is, when Ezra and Nehemiah built their temple, a few of the old, old men that were young children when they saw Solomon's temple, when they saw the new temple being built they wept because it seemed inferior. But God prophesied. He said the glory of this last temple will be greater than the glory of Solomon's because God's Son came into that temple.
So when Jesus started teaching in the temple, that was more important than having the Ark in the temple. The Ark had been hidden during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and it never was in the third temple. When Ezra and Nehemiah built the temple, the Ark wasn't even in there anymore. But God told them through a prophet don't be afraid, the glory of this temple will be greater, because God sent Himself into that temple with Jesus when He taught there. So that was the same temple that Herod embellished or refurbished.
Chris: Okay. That's what I wanted to know. Thank you Pastors.
Pastor Batchelor: Alright, good. Appreciate that. God bless.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We have Anita who is listening from Oregon. Anita, welcome to the program.
Anita: Hi--good evening
Pastor Batchelor: Good evening, and your question?
Anita: My question is, I love the Lord with all my heart, and I believe that if He came today, I'd be saved; but my question is, can my salvation be lost because it takes longer for Jesus to come because He's waiting for someone else to give their heart to Him?
Pastor Batchelor: That's a good question. You've got two questions there. Is Jesus waiting for others to give their heart to Him? There is a verse in 2 Peter chapter 3 where it tells us the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but is long-suffering, or very patient, with us that people should come to be saved. He's long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So the Lord does linger wanting as many as possible to get on that ark of salvation.
Your other question is really, "Can you loose your salvation?" And I praise the Lord that you are expressing that you have an assurance and a confidence now.
Being a Christian, I think God wants us to have the joy, the assurance; but at the same time, we don't want to have an arrogance that we cannot be lost, that there's no possibility of our turning away, because there are verses that say you're still free. God has not taken away your freedom. But if you love the Lord and you trust the Lord, then you can be confident He'll finish what He has begun in your life.
I do not believe what some--you know the brief cliché for this is the, "Once saved, always saved." I don't believe that once you're saved you can't be lost, because God doesn't take away your freedom. Now, I do have a book we could send you on that Anita, and it's actually an encouraging book; but it says, "Can a Saved Man Choose to be Lost?" Did I answer your question?
Anita: Well, kind of. I just wondered, sometimes--and it's a very selfish question--if He's waiting for someone else to be saved at the cost of, possibly, my salvation? Totally selfish and...
Pastor Batchelor: Oh, I see what you're saying.
Anita: ...totally selfish.
Pastor Batchelor: Well you know, what you ought to do is say, "Lord, I want to love whatever you love, because I want to follow You. And if You love these souls so much that You're wanting to wait for them, help me love them so that I'd want to wait for them too."
Anita: Thank you.
Pastor Batchelor: I have to pray for that too, because my selfish feelings are--it's like Paul said, "I'd prefer to depart and be with the Lord, but it's more needful for you that I stick around." That's a paraphrase. Anyway, hey I appreciate that. If you'd like that book we're talking about, "Can a Saved Man Choose to be Lost?"--
Pastor Jëan Ross: Call our resource number. It's 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the book, "Can a Saved Man Choose to be Lost?" We'll be happy to send that to you Anita. We have Dennis, who is listening from Minnesota. Dennis, welcome to the program.
Dennis: Oh thank you. I have a question, Pastor Doug, about 1 John 5:16, and I'm a little confused. Does it say in there that there is a sin that you should not pray for?
Pastor Batchelor: Yes, let me read it for our friends that are listening. You and I know what we're talking about, but I want to read it. 1 John 5:16, "If any man sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it."
If a person is involved in deliberate, presumptuous sin, we should not ask for forgiveness for sin that is deliberately entered in to. In the sacrificial system, they had sacrifices for sins of ignorance, but there was no sacrifice for a sin of presumption. In other words, for a person to say, "Well Lord, I want You to forgive me. I'm living in adultery right now, but I plan on continuing to live in adultery, but I want to just have Your salvation at the same time I do."
Dennis: Ohh.
Pastor Batchelor: You can't really pray for a person to have salvation or experience salvation; or, of course, the unpardonable sin. If someone has committed the unpardonable sin, then it's like you'd kind of have to say, "Your house is left unto you desolate" and shake the dust off your feet at that point; but you and I don't know when that is. Most of us don't look at a person and see a sign on their head that says, "Reject. He's committed the unpardonable sin."
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we can't ask God to do something that uh, well, He can't do. You know, If we're going to be asking God to forgive us of our sin, and yet we are determined to continue in our sin, how is God going to be able to forgive us? There has to be repentance, and repentance is a willingness to turn away, recognizing our need of God, and that we need His help. So, if somebody is living in sin and making excuses and they make no plans to change their behavior, how can God forgive them for that?
Pastor Batchelor: Yeah. And then there's an example in the Bible of Elijah, where you might want to pray that God would bring that person through whatever trial they need to bring them to repentance, to get their attention, whatever experience they need. But until they come to repentance, He can't save them, so that's the important thing to pray for. Appreciate your question Dennis. God bless.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We've got Howard who's listening from Arkansas. Howard, welcome to the program.
Howard: Hi guys, I'm a first-time caller but I just wanted to ask two questions. Why (inaudible, voice dropped) commanded in Yahweh’s word? And then why do we celebrate Christmas and Easter when they're not in the Bible and we don't keep like, the Feast of Lights, Hanukkah? How come we don't do that?
Pastor Batchelor: Alright well, you've got two questions here. I think you dropped out, but I know you are asking why don't we keep the feast days, such as Passover; and the other part of the question, why do we celebrate Christmas and maybe not Hanukkah or the others.
First part of the question, the ceremonial laws, such as the annual feasts that the Jews had, it was not required, once Christ came, to keep them. That's why Paul says in Romans, "If a person is going to keep the day, keep it unto the Lord. If you're not going to keep the day unto the Lord, you don't keep it." I would put Christmas in that category. There's no command for us to remember Jesus' birthday. If a person is going to celebrate the 25th of December, that's not the day He was born. It's probably as good a day as any, even though Jesus was probably born in the fall, to remember that Gift, and to exchange gifts; but if you're going to do it, do it unto the Lord.
You can read where it tells us in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Purge out the old leaven, that you might be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." So it's telling us that Jesus is the Passover Lamb, so for us to keep the old Passover feast, or the old Feast of Trumpets, we would really be trying to embrace the shadows of what they represented, instead of the very substance, which is Jesus. Howard, I hope that helps a little. If you can remember, Howard, I know you're driving down the road, we have a book that's called, "Feast Days and Sabbaths". We'll send you a free copy of that. "Feast Days and Sabbaths". Pastor Ross will give you that number.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number is 1-800-835-6747. Ask for the book, "Feast Days and Sabbaths".
Pastor Batchelor: And as you can tell, we're being chased away now by our closing music, but before you turn the dial, thank you for tuning in friends. Also, please do go to the website. You can be listening to Bible Answers Live all week long, as well as the other Amazing Facts programs. And keep in mind, we are a non-profit organization. We'd love to hear from you. Go to amazingfacts.org. Help us stay on the air. God bless!
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