Hello Friends! This is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? Did you know that it was 48 years after tin cans were first introduced before the can opener was invented? Until then, cans were beaten open with a hammer and a chisel. The tin can for preserving food was invented in 1810 by a Londoner, Peter Durand.
Only one year before, French confectioner, Nicolas Appert, had introduced the method of canning food, as it became known, by sealing the heated food tightly inside a glass wine bottle or jar. He could not explain why the food stayed fresh, but his bright idea won him a 12,000 franc prize from Napoleon.
Appert helped Napoleon's army march on its stomach, while Durand supplied the royal navy with canned food. But tin canning was not widely adopted until 1846 when a machine was invented that increased the can production from six cans an hour to 60. Still, there were no can openers, and the product labels would read, "Cut around on the top with a chisel and a hammer."
The can opener was finally invented in 1858 by American, Ezra Warner. But the can opener did not become popular for another 10 years when it was given away for free with canned beef. The well-known, wheel-style opener was invented in 1925 and the easy, pop top lid was invented in France in 1959.
Since aluminum cans made their first appearance in America in 1953, some 74 million tons of aluminum cans--that's about three trillion cans--have been produced. Placed end to end, they can stretch to the moon and back about 500 times. Still, about one-quarter of all cans are recycled. That's some nine million cans every hour, which is good news when you consider that it takes about 200 years for a buried aluminum can to degrade.
Did you know the Bible teaches us that no matter how long a Christian is buried, when their graves are opened up, they will come out with new bodies. Stay with us friends. We're going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Doug: Welcome once again listening friends to a fresh serving of Bible Answers Live. If you have any Bible-related questions, we invite you to call. We will do our best to claim the Word that says if we seek, we will find. If you have a question, it's a toll-free call, and that number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297 will bring you into the studio.
Right now we have some lines open, so pick up the phone and give us a call. You have an excellent chance of getting your question on this program. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Dick: And my name is Dick Devitt. Good evening Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Good evening Pastor Dick.
Pastor Dick: We start with a word of prayer every week, so let's do that.
Pastor Doug: Please do.
Pastor Dick: Father in heaven, again, we come to You with joy and thanksgiving and anticipation, Lord, of hearing from You tonight. We pray that You will speak to our hearts, that You will calm us, and give us wisdom. Help Pastor Doug to speak with clarity as he seeks to answer the questions that come in tonight. Lord, there's something that You want to say to someone tonight; and I pray that You will speak clearly through Pastor Doug. We praise You and we thank You Lord for this privilege. In Jesus' name, amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen!
Pastor Dick: I mentioned before we went on the air that I still use a screw driver to open a paint can Pastor Doug [laughs]. I'm painting in the interior of my house right now and a screw driver has been handy a couple of times to get an old paint can opened.
Pastor Doug: Yes. I've opened a few soup cans with screw drivers or pocket knives.
Pastor Dick: Um-hm
Pastor Doug: Those who are in the Army remember what they call the P-38, so little you could put it on your key chain and work your way around can.
Pastor Dick: That's right, that's right, that's right; but you've got a spiritual application here, right? I know you well enough and we've been doing this long enough. Where are you going with this Pastor Doug? What kind of bodies do we have? Help me with this.
Pastor Doug: Some of our office crew here are engineers. They were laughing when they heard me draw the connection between can openers and the resurrection.
Pastor Dick: Yes
Pastor Doug: I was thinking about the new bodies that we have. Even though a person may be committed to the earth, and ashes to ashes, dust to dust, - -
Pastor Dick: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: - - the saved, when they come out of the graves, not only are they real, but their bodies are infinitely better than what they took to the grave. They are glorified, immortal bodies.
Pastor Dick: Amen, amen!
Pastor Doug: But some people think that when you come forth from the grave, that you're a ghost that is ethereal with no feeling. The Bible tells us that we will have a body like Jesus' glorious body when He rose. And Jesus did His best to emphasize that He was real. He said, "Touch Me, feel Me. A spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see that I have."
And then He ate in front of them [His disciples] to help punctuate the truth that He was real.
Pastor Dick: Right, right
Pastor Doug: In heaven it says, of course, we're going to plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. We're going to build houses and inhabit them.
Pastor Dick: And the Word of God says that Jesus will come again in the same manner that He was taken away, indicating that He will have that physical body. We'll be able to touch Him again. We'll be able to see.
Pastor Doug: Yes. He is a real God. And one of the things that Jesus did is God became flesh and dwelt among us.
Pastor Dick: Right
Pastor Doug: Jesus is still going to be real in the new earth, as we will have real bodies. But there's a lot of confusion. People want to know, "Well, what about the spirit, and when you die does the spirit go to heaven but then you come back for the body later? How does this work out?"
I've really encountered a lot of confusion on the subject of the resurrection and the physical, spiritual body. We have a special book that I don't think we've offered in years that we'll send away for free to anyone who asks tonight.
Pastor Dick: I think you're right. Let's see if we can clarify this a little bit tonight. If you have a question about what kind of bodies we have, what happens to us, you can call us here at the program, of course. We want to make this little book available to you. It's called, Absent From The Body. What does the Bible say about being absent from the body?
You want to add this to your library. So please call our resource operators tonight and ask for Absent From The Body. It is a clear Bible study giving a very clear indication of what happens to us. We don't go directly to heaven. We don't go to hell. We're not out there floating around somewhere. This is an excellent book to help understand this whole issue. So if you'd like a copy, 1-800-835-6747 is the number of the resource operators.
Pastor Doug, we take a couple of Internet questions before we go to the phone, so let's do that now. The first question, "Could you please explain to us 1st John 5:15-17. My friend says that it seems to indicate various degrees of sin and the existence of a purgatory state."
Pastor Doug: Well let me read this for our friends.
Pastor Dick: Okay
Pastor Doug: In 1st John chapter 5, verse 15 it says, "And we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we asked of him. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and he will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death: and I do not say that he should pray about that."
And then, of course, in verse 17, "All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not leading to death." Well, there are varying degrees of sin. The Bible tells us there are varying degrees of punishment. There are three words used for sin in the Bible that could be translated as what we would call "sin", "transgression" and "iniquity". There's a kind of sin where a person sins because of the weakness of the flesh; then there's the deliberate sin; and presumptuous sin.
So there are varying degrees of sin. Sinning against knowledge, a person is more culpable for that than those who sin in ignorance. Are their varying degrees of punishment? Yes. There must be varying degrees of sin. In this verse some are wondering, "Well what sin is he talking about?" Well we know there's one sin that there's no forgiveness for that. Jesus tells us in Matthew that there's the "unpardonable sin."
Pastor Dick: Um-hmm, um-hmm
Pastor Doug: So praying for somebody who has turned from God, who has sinned against knowledge and walked away from the truth, John also says you should not even bid them God speed.
Pastor Dick: Um-hm
Pastor Doug: Then, of course, there are those who sin through weakness, and we should pray for them. But this says not a Scripture that can be used, I think, to support the idea of purgatory, that you are to pray people out of this limbo, or this holding area, where we are punished and purged, there's really no support for that. [Cross talk] Our booklet tonight will help also [cross talk, unintelligible]
Pastor Dick: Will help them, that's right, that's right. Okay, good. Let's go to the second question. "At the second coming, what will Adam and Eve be judged on, eating the fruit or the lives that they lived here on earth?"
Pastor Doug: Well, we believe that Adam and Eve will be judged on how they responded to the plan of salvation. They sinned just like we sin. Their sin was, in some respects, more serious, in that we are born with these natural tendencies to sin. They were not.
Pastor Dick: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: Here they're talking to God face to face and they sinned in the presence of that great knowledge, that light. But God offered them salvation. The very fact they were covered
with the skins of something that died, that's where we get the sacrificial system. And they were clothed with the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, a type of Christ's covering.
So unless we see otherwise in the Bible, we believe that Adam, and we trust, Eve, accepted the plan of redemption and will be forgiven. They were in the camp of Seth after Cain went the way of men.
Pastor Dick: Right, amen. Alright, good. Let's go to our phones and take our first caller for the evening. Doug is on a cell phone in Rocklin, California, listening to KFIA, our home station here. Hello Doug.
Doug: Good evening gentlemen. I got a simple question for you.
Pastor Doug: Okay
Doug: There's a trend in many churches, in fact, many denominations to ordain women preachers. And, you know, some say, "Well, it's just a sign of the times," or, "It's just a cultural thing." But I'm wondering, does the Bible specifically bar, or encourage, women to that position in the church?
Pastor Doug: Well preaching and teaching, there's nothing in the Bible that says that women cannot use the gifts of the Spirit that involve communicating truth, and that's really what we're talking about there. Ordination is a different dimension. In the Bible, we have examples of women who are using their gifts as prophetess, which is a teaching, preaching gift.
And, of course, we could cite many. You've got Hannah, who, in her own respect, uttered prophecy in her prayer; you've got Deborah; you've got Huldah; you've got Anna; in the New Testament, the daughters of Philip; so there are a number, Miriam. But none of the women who were prophets were priests.
I like to remind people that Amram and Jochebed had three children that were all three prophets. Miriam, Aaron and Moses were all three prophets, but only the boys served in capacity as priest. The priest is a patriarchal, father-like position in the church; and God does make a distinction between the roles of men and women, just in the very way that we are wired in our thinking.
Those responsibilities in the family transition into the church family as well. So biblically, I can't find a precedent for women being ordained as pastor or priest. Hope that helps Doug.
Doug: Appreciate it.
Pastor Doug: And by the way, I've got an article online. If you go to the Amazing Facts' website, it's one of our articles, not a book. You can download it or read it, and it's simply called, "Unisex in Jesus?" It talks about some of these biblical definitions.
Pastor Dick: That's AmazingFacts.org Doug.
Doug: Thank you
Pastor Dick: Okay. Thanks for the call, good night. You're listening to Bible Answers Live. We want to take our second call for the evening. We'll go to Kissimmee, Florida and talk with Wendy who's a first-time caller. Hi Wendy.
Wendy: Hi, how are you?
Pastor Doug: Good, and your question?
Wendy: Yes, I have a question. For the tithe, do you give it from the gross, or do you give from what you receive?
Pastor Doug: Well, let's think about this. Tithe is supposed to be paid on your increase. And that means that what your increase is for your work. Let's suppose you sell T-shirts - -
Wendy: Okay
Pastor Doug: - - and if it costs you $5.00 to buy a T-shirt and you sell a T-shirt for $10.00, your increase on selling one T-shirt is only $5.00. You pay on that increase. See what I'm saying?
Wendy: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: When you get your paycheck, one of the things that is deducted are expenses that have nothing to do with earning your paycheck. In other words, if a person waits until they pay all of their monthly bills before they pay their tithe, a lot of people would have nothing left. If you want God to bless the 90% that 's remaining, then pay the tithe first, put God first.
When your paycheck has your insurance and social security and taxes deducted, those are expenses, just like groceries, see what I'm saying? They're not expenses that you spent making your money. They're just living expenses. So in our family, we pay our tithe on our gross.
Some people say, "Well Doug, I'll pay on my net and then when I get my Social Security, I'll pay on it, and when I get my tax return I'll pay on it." But I always rather put God first and not make Him wait. [Cross talk] So I think God will bless you more. Pay it up front. There are even examples in the Bible where sometimes God's people paid a double tithe.
Wendy: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: And so for us to pay on the gross is a small act of faith.
Wendy: Great. Thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Okay, and by the way, we have a lesson that we can send. If you ask for our Bible study guide on tithe, we'll send you a copy of that, okay?
Wendy: Great
Pastor Dick: Wendy, just call our resource operators at that number that I gave a few minutes ago, 1-800-835-6747, and ask for the lesson on tithe and we'll send it out to you tonight. Thanks for the call. Let's go next to Brooklyn, New York. Shaun is listening on WMCA. Welcome Shaun.
Shaun: Hi, good day
Pastor Doug: Good evening
Shaun: Your first question spoke about the different degrees of sin.
Pastor Doug: Yes
Shaun: So you said, like, if you sin willfully, like willfully against knowledge, what is that?
Pastor Doug: Well, if you look in the book of Hebrews chapter 10, verse 26, here the apostle tells us, "If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, But just a certain fearful expectation of judgment." In other words, if we know the truth and we deliberately sin in the face of knowing what God wants, well then what more can God do for us?
Pastor Dick: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: We're a lot more guilty if we sin against knowledge, than if we sin in ignorance. You can also read in Acts chapter 17, verse 30, there the apostle says, "At the times of this ignorance God winked at." In other words, God may temporarily close His eyes when we sin in ignorance because we don't know.
I always like to use the illustration of polygamy, just because we know there were many Godly leaders in the Old Testament that had many wives at the same time. They lived in an age in a time where there was so much ignorance; and so many men were killed off in wars that there were sometimes 15 women for every man. So men took many wives, and it was not God's will, so He winked at their ignorance.
But if a Christian tries to do that today, they know better. We have the New Testament revelation on that.
Shaun: Yeah
Pastor Doug: See what I'm saying?
Shaun: Yeah, yeah. But I mean someone who does that, like, they are lost?
Pastor Doug: You mean if someone deliberately sins willfully, does it mean they're lost?
Shaun: Yeah
Pastor Doug: Well, if you persist in sinning willfully, then you're living a life of rebellion and yes, you're lost. The Bible tells us in Isaiah chapter 1 if we refuse and rebel, we will be devoured by the sword; but if we repent, He'll cleanse us white as snow. So there are two choices. You come to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. He cleanses you. Or you maintain a life of rebellion, and you'll end up self-destructing.
Shaun: Okay
Pastor Doug: You know, everybody sins knowingly.
Shaun: Yeah
Pastor Doug: When Eve took the forbidden fruit, God said don't do it or you'll die. Well, she chose to deliberately disobey, and so did Adam. But we've all got our excuses and rationalizations for sin, but most people know when they're doing something wrong. And so if there's no mercy for knowing when we're doing something wrong, we're in trouble.
But God is merciful. The most dangerous thing is when we persist, we end up abusing our own conscious where we lose our capacity to repent. Did you understand that?
Shaun: Yeah
Pastor Doug: We lose our capacity to receive God's forgiveness when we continue to sin against knowledge.
Shaun: Okay
Pastor Doug: You know, there's a book we'd like to send you, and we'll send it to you for free Shaun. It's called, Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning? That's a very thought-provoking book. I first read the title, I thought, "I don't think I want to even read this."
Pastor Dick: [Chuckles]
Pastor Doug: But it's an outstanding book by Joe Crews, Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning?
Pastor Dick: Again, call our resource operators Shaun, 1-800-835-6747. The call is free, and we'll send the book out to you. It's free and we'll send it out to you this evening, 1-800-835-6747. Thanks for the call. Pastor Doug, that opens up about three or four lines. If anybody has a Bible-related question and you'd like to talk to Pastor Doug, call us now here at the studio. It's 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297.
Pastor Doug: If I didn't know better I'd think there was a Superbowl or something [laughs]
Pastor Dick: Boy, there must be some big thing going on around somewhere. I don't know what it's all about, but - -
Pastor Doug: Call tonight friends. It's half price [laughs]
Pastor Dick: [Laughs] Let's take our next caller for the evening. We'll talk with Christine who is in St. Johns, Newfoundland, listening to VOAR. Welcome Christine.
Christine: Thank Pastor Dick. I have a question for Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Okay
Christine: First of all let me say, I've been listening to your program every Sunday up here and it's amazing. That's the only word I can tell you. You make the Scriptures ring so true; and so many times people call in with the exact question I have in my mind for that week and I get the answer without even having to call.
Pastor Doug: Well praise the Lord. What was your question tonight?
Christine: What I'm calling about tonight is, I've been ill for a little over three years now and, basically, I'm almost bedridden. And through the Bible it tells me over and over to pray and you, "ask, and you shall receive;" - -
Pastor Doug: Um-hmm
Christine: - - to pray, believe, and you shall receive, and that God doesn't give us any burdens that are two heavy for us to bear.
Pastor Doug: Right
Christine: And I have been praying. I know healing is not necessarily a "yes"--you know, God doesn't necessarily say "yes" to us; Joanie and Frances is a prime example of that. But I've been praying for a diagnosis because they can't even diagnose or tell me what's wrong with the problems I have. I haven't been able to even get a diagnosis.
Pastor Doug: Hmm, that's frustrating isn't it?
Christine: It is, and I'm going back in the hospital tomorrow for another series of tests, an MRI and stuff, and, you know, it's really hard, Pastor Doug, because it's very stressful on me. It's stressful on my husband, and I have a grown family. My baby is 23. And everybody has been (unintelligible) for this three years, you know. And uh - -
Pastor Doug: Hmm, well, I tell you what - -
Christine: - - it's really hard to hang on to hope.
Pastor Doug: Well I tell you what, why don't we pray about that right now?
Pastor Dick: Um-hmm
Christine: Oh, I'd really appreciate that.
Pastor Doug: And, let me say, of course, God always hears your prayers. There are some simple criteria for answered prayer. One is, of course, pray in faith.
Christine: Okay
Pastor Doug: The other, of course, the Bible says if we regard iniquity in our hearts, He will not hear us. In other words, if there's some area in your life where you know that you're deliberately living out of harmony with God's revealed will, you should ask Him to forgive you and bring that area back into harmony.
Christine: Yes
Pastor Doug: And then, part of answered prayer is waiting.
Christine: Yes
Pastor Doug: You know, you've probably heard this before, but before we pray, I should read to you 2nd Corinthians 12:7. Paul also had an affliction in the flesh. And he says, "Lest I be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelation, a thorn in the flesh was given me, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me." Sometimes God allows suffering to prepare us spiritually.
Pastor Dick: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: "Concerning this thing," Paul says, "I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he said, 'My grace is sufficient for you: my strength is made perfect in weakness." So the final thought is when you do pray, leave it with the Lord, and say, "You know God, if You want to, You can deliver me; but if You don't want to, then I'm going to say, 'Your strength is made perfect in weakness.'"
Christine: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: But why don't we pray right now Christine, okay?
Christine: Okay
Pastor Doug: Father in heaven, we just want to join together with our listeners and Christine here in the studio and abroad, that You will work a miracle and demonstrate Your power. And I would pray that, as a result of the testing process tomorrow, that a very clear diagnosis will be revealed so that she can know how to either accept, or to move forward with treatment. Give the doctors wisdom. I pray that Your angels will be about her even now, and answer her prayers. She prays in faith, and in Jesus' name, amen.
Pastor Dick: Amen
Christine: Thank you very, very much Pastor Doug and Pastor Dick. I'll keep praying for you guys too.
Pastor Doug: I'd appreciate it and you call us back. Let us know how it goes.
Christine: Oh I will, I will.
Pastor Doug: Alright, God bless Christine.
Christine: Thank you
Pastor Dick: And the other side of it Christine, also, just remember the Lord says, "Pray without ceasing."
Pastor Doug: That's right
Pastor Dick: So don't give up on it, okay? God bless and thanks for the call. Call us back and let us hear from you. We'll go next, Pastor Doug, to Queens, New York. We want to talk with Nathaniel who's listening on WMCA. Nathaniel, welcome to the program.
Nathaniel: How are you doing? Good evening.
Pastor Doug: Good evening. And your question?
Nathaniel: I have a question. It's kind of long. Let me try to hurry up and explain. I've been married for about nine years now.
Pastor Doug: Okay
Nathaniel: I have two children. My wife is in the Army Reserves. She was recently sent to Kuwait in October.
Pastor Doug: Uh-huh
Nathaniel: Just having a lot of problems in our marriage in the past. I cheated on her once. This was, maybe about six years ago. She forgave me for that. We went on. We had two children after that. Still, you know, I was struggling with my Christianity in the beginning, a lot of problems.
Pastor Doug: Um-hmm
Nathaniel: We tried to work it out and, you know, she claimed to forgive me, and we moved on. Now she gets over to Kuwait and she says she has time to think, and she realizes marriage is not what she wants. Prior to going over to Kuwait, she recently accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, but now she's saying it's about marriage, it's not what she wants. I even found out she was carrying on a, not a sexual relationship, but a relationship with another man over in Kuwait, another soldier.
Pastor Doug: Well, what is the question? And I'm not trying to be insensitive Nathaniel, but I want to know how I can help you?
Nathaniel: Okay, yes, here's the question. I understand what God says about marriage, that it's a permanent thing. I'm praying every day in accordance to God's will for my marriage to stay together. That's my prayer every day. Is there any reason why God wouldn't answer--well I know He's going to answer, but why He wouldn't keep my marriage together? Is there something that will keep Him from doing that, - -
Pastor Doug: Alright. I'm going to answer - -
Nathaniel: - - given the things I've done in the past already?
Pastor Doug: Let me answer your question with a question, so bear with me.
Nathaniel: Okay
Pastor Doug: I want you to think. Who was praying for Adam and Eve, that they would not sin?
Nathaniel: Who was praying for Adam and Eve, that they would not sin?
Pastor Doug: When sin first entered the world through Adam and Eve, was anyone praying for them, that they would not sin?
Nathaniel: No one, not to my knowledge.
Pastor Doug: So did they sin because no one was praying for them? Did God want them to sin?
Nathaniel: No
Pastor Doug: But they did. And now here's the answer. It's because He made them free, and love cannot be forced. There are a few things you can do to try to salvage your relationship. Of course, you can pray that God will touch her heart.
Nathaniel: Uh-huh
Pastor Doug: You can make yourself as attractive as you possibly can, and I'm not just talking about physically. I mean, you want to take care of yourself; but I'm talking about in your demeanor, in your communications. You don't want to be whining. You don't want to be pitiful. You could write your wife if you'd like to salvage your marriage and say, "I'll wait for you," and, "You're going through, obviously, a lot of changes now. And I'm just going to trust you and wait."
And you don't want to accuse or write jealous letters. So you do what you can to pray for her, that God will touch her heart through circumstances; and then in your communications, you be as attractive and Christian as you can be. Don't preach to her about, "What you're doing is wrong and it's unbiblical." She knows that.
Nathaniel: Okay
Pastor Doug: If you haven't done it already, write her a letter and articulate your apology from your heart for the things you've done to hurt her.
Nathaniel: Oh I have, I have.
Pastor Doug: You've done that, okay.
Nathaniel: Yes I have.
Pastor Doug: There's a lesson that we'll send you for free if you'd like, Nathaniel. We're just about to take a break here and I don't want to lose the call. It's a lesson on Happiness for Husbands and Wives. If you call the Amazing Facts' phone number that Pastor Dick is going to give, we'll send that to you.
Look at it. It'll give you some Bible background on keys to a happy marriage that are very applicable for your situation. And that number Pastor Dick?
Pastor Dick: 1-800-835-6747 Nathaniel, 1-800-835-6747. Just ask for the marriage book, or it's called - -
Pastor Doug: Happiness for Husbands and Wives is the title.
Pastor Dick: Happiness for Husbands and Wives, and we'll send it out to you tonight.
Pastor Doug: We're going to take a break here friends. We have a couple of announcements. We want to remind you that if you've not yet check out the Amazing Facts' website, it is one of the most popular Christian websites that's out there. We get millions of visitors a year. It's simply AmazingFacts.org.
A lot of resources. You can hear streaming video, TV sermons, these radio programs are archived, free Bible study resources, a great place to go if you're a teacher or preacher. In the meantime, keep in mind, you can also go to BibleUniversity.com and go through a Bible study course. We'll be right back.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug: Welcome! For those who have just tuned in, this is Bible Answers Live. It's a live, interactive Bible study that is going around the world via the radio waves, and as well as the Internet. If you have a Bible question in North America, you can simply call 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that's 1-800-463-7297. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Dick: My name is Dick Devitt, and we want to go right to the phones Pastor Doug and talk with Sharon who is in Clovis, California, listening on KARM. Hi Sharon.
Sharon: Hi, how are you? God bless you.
Pastor Dick: Thank you
Sharon: I love the music on KARM, and I love God. And marriage is so holy.
Pastor Dick: That's a great station isn't it?
Sharon: Yes, it's on all day long.
Pastor Dick: That's wonderful
Sharon: Anyway, my question for you is, okay, I was married when I was real young. I was married for 30 years, and my first husband died of brain cancer.
Pastor Doug: Um-hmm
Sharon: We have two grown children. So I was alone for like 10 or 11 years, and I remarried. The marriage was never consummated. Am I, in God's eyes, bound to this man?
Pastor Doug: Well - -
Sharon: I just want your opinion. Am I bound to him, even though we never consummated the marriage? I divorced him because there were too many problems and so it was never consummated - -
Pastor Doug: Yeah, you were feeling some conviction and you want to know?
Sharon: I'm wondering if God--I want to know if I'm still bound to him by God's laws, because the Bible says if a divorced woman remarries, they commit adultery.
Pastor Doug: That's a very good question. Let me tell you why. I think I hear where you're coming from. Let me answer this. First of all, there are two things biblically that constitute marriage. One is the vows, the public promises. A promise is a promise.
Sharon: Right
Pastor Doug: Then there's another thing. Some people got married in the Bible, matter of fact, Adam and Even didn't have a ceremony with a lot of guests in attendance. The Bible says that Isaac took Rebekah and she became his wife.
Sharon: Right
Pastor Doug: And part of the Mosaic law was that if a man took a woman and they had relations, and neither of them were married, if they were married, it was a death penalty. If neither of them were married, he was to pay a dowry and they were married.
Sharon: Oh
Pastor Doug: So the act of intimacy did consummate a marriage biblically. So you've got two components there. What you're asking me really is, one of those components is missing, is it still a marriage, or was it still a marriage.
Sharon: By God's eyes, am I free from him, or - -
Pastor Doug: Well, you're divorced now, aren't you?
Sharon: I legally divorced him. To me, he lied to me. He did not tell me - -
Pastor Doug: Well, yeah, you don't even need to go into that because I don't want you to fall into the trap of feeling you need to justify the reasons. Let me give you a Bible story, two Bible stories quickly. King David took another man's wife, killed the man, married Bathsheba. They did not have biblical grounds for that marriage.
Sharon: Right
Pastor Doug: They were punished for what they did. And it says that God punished David for taking Uriah's wife. But you know what, Uriah was dead now. Where's she going to go? So David kept her as his wife, and then it says God blessed David's wife and gave them a baby, who ended up becoming the next king and an ancestor of Christ.
So, even though what they did was wrong, God forgave them and finally considered them as married. Then you have the Samaritan woman. Jesus said, "You've had five husbands. You're living with someone you're not married to," and yet, He reveals to this woman He's the Messiah.
What I'm saying is, while I run into, as a Pastor, a lot of bad behavior in marriage situations and bad choices, praise the Lord, it, evidently, is not the unpardonable sin, because there are cases in the Bible where God forgives these people and gives them a new beginning.
Sharon: Right. Marriage is so holy to me [cross talk]
Pastor Doug: Yeah. But if you made promises in the presence of God, a promise is a promise. Now, I don't know what the circumstances were under which you dissolved it and I'm not going to judge you. I hope you had pastoral counsel before you did that. There are biblical grounds for divorce, and those would be, primarily, unfaithfulness.
But we'll send you the same lesson, if it's okay Sharon, that we offered a minute ago, Happiness for Husbands and Wives. It has a lot of good studies on marriage.
Pastor Dick: Sharon, just call our resource operators, 1-800-835-6747. Ask for that booklet and we will send it to you tonight. So make the call tonight, 1-800-835-6747. Pastor Doug, let's go to Comfort, Virginia. We want to talk with Bud who's listening to us on the Internet. Hello Bud, welcome to the program.
Bud: Hello there, and that's Comfort, West Virginia.
Pastor Dick: Oh I'm sorry.
Bud: That's quite alright. I hope everything is going fine with you Pastor Doug. My question has to do with Genesis chapter 1, verse 1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Pastor Doug: Okay
Bud: Now I've had several people say to me that Jesus created the heavens and the earth. Can you elaborate on that please?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, I'll do my best. If you go to the Gospel of John, chapter 1, let me read this to you. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Now, as you read the Gospel of John, you quickly discover that one of the names that John uses for Jesus is the Word. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He's speaking of Jesus.
He was, in the beginning, with God. "All things were made through him; without him nothing that was made was made." In other words, all things were made, were made through the Word, or through Jesus. Then if you go to the book of Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 2, let me go there real quick so I can read this to you more accurately. It tells us, uh--oh wait a second. I think I want Hebrews chapter 1, verse 2.
Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son," who would that be Bud? Jesus, right?
Bud: That's right. That would be Jesus, but - -
Pastor Doug: Right, now listen, "whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds." Through His Son, He made the worlds.
Bud: Are you saying "world" or "worlds"?
Pastor Doug: Well, the verse says here "worlds," but that would certainly include our world. I think there are other planets.
Bud: You think there are other planets out there?
Pastor Doug: Yes, I believe that.
Bud: The other planets out there, do you think they're, how do I want to put that, angels on there, or are they just other beings like that?
Pastor Doug: I believe there may be many other beings besides angels. The universe is just about infinite in its scope; and for us to think that the only intelligent creation is here on earth, I have a hard time accepting that. Let me give you one more verse, Colossians chapter 1:16. "For by him all things were created, that are in heaven, or that are on earth," and here this is talking about Jesus, if you read the previous verses.
Bud: Okay
Pastor Doug: So God the Father created all things through Jesus.
Bud: Alright
Pastor Doug: And so in the beginning when it says, "God created the heaven and the earth," remember a little later it says, "God said, 'Let us make man in our image.'" God the Father, Son and Spirit were united in the work of creation, where Jesus was the Chief Architect, you might say. Does that help a little?
Bud: That clears things up a little bit because I, you know, the understanding I've always had was that, I was always thinking of God the Father.
Pastor Doug: Well, most people picture that when we picture it; but you get to the New Testament and we see that God the Father committed this creative privilege to God the Son, Jesus. I hope that helps a little bit Bud.
Pastor Dick: Thanks for the call Bud. We really appreciate it. We'll go next to Los Angeles, California and talk with Daniel who's also listening on the Internet. Daniel, welcome.
Daniel: Hi Pastor Doug
Pastor Doug: Hey, how can we help you tonight?
Daniel: Oh yeah, I just wanted to know if you could explain Job chapter 40, verse 15?
Pastor Doug: Job 40:15, alright. Let me read that for our friends. "Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; he eats grass like the ox." Are you wondering what this creature is?
Daniel: Yes. What were the implications and the [tape cuts off briefly]?
Pastor Doug: You know, most scholars believe that this was speaking of a hippopotamus. Some have wondered if it was talking about an elephant. But I'm looking at two commentaries in front of me right now, and they're both leaning towards it being an elephant or a hippopotamus because it talks about them eating grass; and they are both vegetarians and they're huge.
Daniel: Yeah because some of my friends have implicated, you know, the existence of dinosaurs and, you know....
Pastor Doug: Well there is another verse in Job where it talks about the Leviathan. And most people don't say that the behemoth is a dinosaur because this was a creature that was contemporaneous with Job. But before the flood, it speaks of these creatures called Leviathans; and some have wondered if that was a biblical description of some of these great reptiles.
Daniel: Oh I see.
Pastor Doug: So it is possible. It is also interesting, it speaks in Isaiah of dragons and it talks about fiery serpents.
Daniel: Yes
Pastor Doug: Fire-breathing serpents. You've heard the expression of "fire-breathing dragons."
Daniel: Yes
Pastor Doug: I've actually seen some studies where they wonder. There are actually beetles called Bombardier beetles that mix two chemicals and it blows out fire. They wondered if some of these dinosaurs had that capacity. We don't know. But it's interesting to think about.
Daniel: Oh okay
Pastor Doug: Alright, hey, thanks a lot Daniel. By the way Daniel, we have a magazine. We can't give it to you for free, but it's pretty reasonably priced. If you go to the Amazing Facts' website, we've got something called Dinosaurs. And it's a magazine you can order. It's illustrated with, oh, probably 100 illustrations, talking about dinosaurs in the Bible.
Daniel: Okay
Pastor Doug: And a lot of people have really enjoyed that.
Daniel: Okay then, thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Alright, God bless.
Pastor Dick: Alright Daniel, that's AmazingFacts.org and we appreciate the call. Let's go next to New York. We want to talk with Louis who is listening on WMCA. Hi Louis.
Louis: Hi
Pastor Dick: And your question please?
Louis: At times, I close my eyes at night. I see visions, I see bright colors, and Africa and South America. I wonder if God led people to other countries in the Bible by visions. If yes, does that mean God has called me to the mission field?
Pastor Doug: Well, that's a good question. Let me see here. Macedonia, here it is. You know where I'm going?
Louis: Yeah, Acts
Pastor Doug: Yeah, in Acts chapter 16, Paul had a vision at night and, "A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him saying, 'Come over to Macedonia, and help us.'" I am not the Holy Spirit, so I don't know what God is telling you, but if you are troubled and if you're feeling the call of God to go to some foreign mission field, the next thing to do would be to get on your knees and say, "Lord, if this is what You're wanting me to do, confirm that. Through providence, have the doors open up."
I know many people have said, "Lord, I'm willing to go, but I just need to know it's You," and the phone rang. I remember praying one time about a call, if God wanted me to go somewhere; and with absolutely no indication, all of a sudden I got a call from Cyril Miller. The Conference President called and said, "Doug, we want you to come to Texas."
Pastor Dick: [Laughs]
Pastor Doug: That was right after I prayed. So God will do that for you. And if He wants you to go, don't buy a ticket and hope on a boat or plane or train unless you know that God has opened the doors.
Pastor Dick: Um-hmm
Pastor Doug: Don't go just by the visions. That could be your conscience or anything.
Pastor Dick: Right
Louis: Yeah, got to wait on the Lord.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, He'll let you know. Something will happen that will make it clear.
Louis: Well, you miss the will of God, you lose your reward in heaven.
Pastor Doug: Well yeah, you don't want to miss out on what God is calling you to do. Not only that, but He'll grow you and He can hopefully bless others.
Louis: Alright
Pastor Doug: Alright, God bless Louis and appreciate your question.
Pastor Dick: Louis, thanks for the call. Let's go to Savannah, Tennessee. George is listening on WDMX. Welcome George.
George: Hey, Pastor Doug
Pastor Doug: Yes
George: When Daniel's friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were thrown in the fire, where was he at?
Pastor Doug: Well, that's a good question because Daniel was so prominent in the earlier story, and all of a sudden, he's never mentioned in the narrative about the golden image. It's believed that one of two things probably happened. One, because Daniel was superior in rank--it tells us that in chapter 2--to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, he may have stayed in Babylon to administrate in the absence of the king.
Very rarely did a king vacate the capitol without some authority staying there; and since Daniel was prime minister, he was probably managing affairs in the king's absence, because Nebuchadnezzar was at the plain of Dura. The other option is that he had been sent on some business of the king; or he knew that the king was having this dedication of a golden image.
Daniel told him that it was the head of gold. The king was taking his dream and making the whole thing gold. In other words, he was disobeying God in this dream, and the king probably knew Daniel is not going to enjoy this party, he doesn't pray to statues. And so the king may have deliberately left him off the invitation list.
Pastor Dick: Um-hm
Pastor Doug: I said two, there are really three options that are typically accepted.
George: That will work. I appreciate it.
Pastor Doug: Alright, thank you.
George: God bless
Pastor Doug: God bless
Pastor Dick: Thanks for the call George. Let's go next to New Market, Alabama. Carl is listening on WOCG. Carl, your question please?
Carl: Yes. I'd like Pastor Doug, if he would, to elaborate a little bit on Revelation chapter 10, verse 7.
Pastor Doug: Revelation 10, verse 7.
Carl: Yes
Pastor Doug: Let me read this. "But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as he declared to his servants the prophets." You want me just to elaborate on that verse a little bit?
Carl: Yeah, just a little bit. I need to quit smoking and I have family members that need to quit, and maybe a prayer for us?
Pastor Doug: Alright, well I'll pray for you. Let's take this one step at a time because it is not much connection between this verse and your smoking, - -
Carl: Okay, what now?
Pastor Doug: - - except in that this verse is really telling us that when the plan of salvation is complete--the mystery of God is sometimes called the "mystery of godliness"--it says, "God became a man to save men."
Carl: Yes
Pastor Doug: And when the seventh trumpet sounds, it tells us it's the second coming; and the option for being saved is over. So that's when the mystery of God is complete. As He had said to His prophets, it's called, "the day of the Lord." You go to the book of Joshua. And it says they marched around the city of Jericho six days, and they blew seven trumpets. On the seventh day, they blew seven trumpets and the city fell, and they took the Promised Land.
When this seventh trumpet blows in Revelation, it's saying the end has come, - -
Carl: Okay
Pastor Doug: - - and we're going to take the Promised Land.
Carl: Okay, I understand.
Pastor Doug: You said you're struggling with smoking?
Carl: Well, I'm not, uh, 32 years, but my aunt, my brother, and uh - -
Pastor Doug: Are you still smoking?
Carl: Yeah, but it's time I quit.
Pastor Doug: Well listen, I used to smoke. I can help you.
Carl: Yeah I know.
Pastor Doug: Did you used to smoke Dick?
Pastor Dick: I used to smoke.
Pastor Doug: So we've got two ex-smokers going to tell you you can do it!
Pastor Dick: You bet!
Carl: Yeah, I know I can do it. I've got will power and I need to use it.
Pastor Doug: Well you need the power of God; and He'll also work with your will, that's true.
Carl: God has, He's been with me - -
Pastor Doug: Would you like to quit right now?
Carl: - - most of my life. Well I can't--right now?
Pastor Doug: Well, yeah. I'm not going to pray for you unless you want to quit now.
Carl: Okay, right now.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Let me tell you what to do. This works. Do you believe that God wants you to quit?
Carl: Well I'm on my knees, okay.
Pastor Doug: Do you believe God wants you to quit?
Carl: Yes, I believe He does.
Pastor Doug: Will God help you do what He wants you to do, Carl?
Carl: Yes He will.
Pastor Doug: Okay. After we pray, I want you to throw away any cigarettes that you own.
Carl: Okay
Pastor Doug: Then God will release His power in your life, but you need to take a step of faith. You draw near to Him, He'll draw near to you.
Pastor Dick: The ashtrays too.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, the receptacles.
Carl: Well, will it be okay if I chew tobacco for awhile?
Pastor Dick: No.
Pastor Doug: Well, you're wanting to cut off a dog's tail one inch at a time.
Carl: Well, I mow grass in the summer and it'll just be temporary, but uh - -
Pastor Doug: Well, it's up to you, but if you really want the victory over tobacco, you can have it tonight.
Carl: Yeah, yeah
Pastor Doug: You want to be free? Jesus said He can make you free indeed.
Carl: Yes, I know.
Pastor Doug: Well here's your chance. I mean, God is watching. If you would really want to be free, He's ready to set you free, but you've got to mean business.
Carl: Well, I can give the chewing tobacco away I guess.
Pastor Doug and Pastor Dick: Sure you can.
Carl: I thought of that tonight.
Pastor Doug: I wouldn't give it away. I'd flush it. I would make your toilet an altar.
Carl: No [chuckles]
Pastor Doug: Alright well, listen, I'll have prayer with you. You're on your knees now?
Carl: I'm on them.
Pastor Doug: Okay. Father in heaven, we want to pray, and we're joining together and asking that You will activate Your power in Carl's life. He has indicated an interest in being free from tobacco and I can sense the struggle in his life right now. Lord, help him to know that You can take away the desire. You can set him free, that this is a proven poison that is hurting his health, and hurts his witness as a Christian. So please be with him Lord. Break the chains. Jesus came to set the captives free, and we ask You to do that for him right now, Lord. And then give him the grace, when he gets off his knees, to throw away the tobacco and to be free indeed. And from this day forward, he never needs to chew or smoke or snuff anything again. So I pray, Lord, You'll just liberate him from these demons that have held him and his family in bondage; and help him know that they can breath freely again. We thank You for hearing this prayer, because we ask in Jesus' name, amen.
Pastor Dick: Amen
Carl: Amen, thank you.
Pastor Doug: Hey, I don't want to be hard on you Carl, but He did it for me. And I monkeyed around for a long time.
Carl: Yeah
Pastor Doug: I played those games. I said, "I'll cut back and I'll throw some of them away." I was using snuff for awhile and, hey, you know, you just got to dump it out and say, "Lord, save me." And I haven't had a cigarette in my mouth in 26 years. So He can do it for you.
Carl: Well thank you for that and I'm glad I found Joe Crews on the radio.
Pastor Doug: Oh praise the Lord.
Pastor Dick: Amen
Pastor Doug: Alright, you take care Carl.
Carl: Thank you
Pastor Doug: Bye bye
Pastor Dick: Alright.
Pastor Doug: Well Dick, I feel impressed to say before we go to the next call that there are others who, I think, were resonating with this. They want to be free from smoking. We seldom talk about that on the program.
Pastor Dick: That's right
Pastor Doug: And some of you who are listening, if you want to buy into that prayer, I just feel impressed to say it's meant for you too. You can be free from cigarettes tonight. If you believe that God wants you to quit, then you need to ask, "Will God help me do what He wants me to do?" And the obvious answer is Yes.
You can join in that prayer, throw away your cigarettes, and never have to smoke again. I've seen people where He's just taken the desire away.
Pastor Dick: Amen
Pastor Doug: He can do it for you!
Pastor Dick: Amen!
Pastor Doug: Alright, who's next?
Pastor Dick: This is Bible Answers Live you're listening to, a production of Amazing Facts. We invite you to call us if you have a Bible-related question. Pastor Doug, we'll go to Oakland, California. We want to talk with Sekana who's listening on KNDL. Welcome Sekana.
Sekana: Good evening
Pastor Dick: And your question please?
Sekana: Yes, thank you very much. I wanted to ask Pastor Doug, I listen to his answer to the question, which I didn't hear the first question. I just tuned in when he was explaining what the Bible says about women's ordination.
Pastor Doug: Yes
Sekana: My question now is, because I heard the part when he said the Bible does not--there's no clear indication in favor of women's ordination in the Bible.
Pastor Doug: Yes
Sekana: My question now is, how do the Christian churches justify what we are now seeing categorically now in Christian churches on women's ordination? Or women's ordination in almost, you know, every church organization, regardless of which church name or denomination is.
Pastor Doug: It's becoming increasingly more common, and you're asking me how do they justify that?
Sekana: How do they justify that? The Bible is the basis of life and practice.
Pastor Doug: The real problem is that, some are saying that the statements in Scripture regarding the ordination of women were cultural for that time and they really don't apply today. But that is a dangerous approach to say because, first of all, they're accusing Jesus of not choosing any women apostles because He was capitulating to custom. But Jesus died because He would not give in to popular custom.
So it's a dangerous accusation to make. And then some of the other statements are that now that Christ has died, in the Bible when it says, "There's neither Jew nor Greek, male or female," that statement means that, "All of those laws regarding the distinction between men and women, those laws have all been abolished, and now we're sort of unisex in Jesus and it doesn't really matter."
And I just would have to respectfully disagree with that. I don't think that's a safe Bible interpretation. So, obviously, it deals with a different interpretation of Scripture; and I think that if you go with the very clear statements in the New and the Old Testaments, you can never come to that conclusion. I hope that helps a little bit, and I would encourage you to read the article that I referred to called "Unisex in Jesus?" at the Amazing Facts' website.
I don't mean to rush past this call, but we want to move on. We're almost out of time. We did have a question on that subject already tonight.
Pastor Dick: We are. Let's talk with John in San Diego, California. John, welcome to the program.
John: Good evening
Pastor Dick: Good evening
John: Yeah, by the grace of God, also I haven't had a cigarettes in three years.
Pastor Doug and Pastor Dick: Praise the Lord!
John: But my question is, I like to read a lot of theoretical physics and they're always referring to the big bang theory. I was wanting to know if there was one, or did God create the world when He created Adam and Eve? Or did He just find the world and put light on it and made this our planet, or is the world five billion years old, like they say, or is it like they think anyway? And were dinosaurs and all that on them?
Pastor Doug: Well, first I want to tell you John, we have a book that we'll send you, if you want, and it's called When Evolution Flunked the Science Test. So just put that on the burner. You can ask that after we go off the air. We'll give you the number again.
John: Okay
Pastor Doug: Secondly, there are a couple of views. One view that I believe is that when it says in the Bible, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," that's not saying six thousand years ago God made all of the cosmos and the stars and the matter. I believe there may have been other universes, or galaxies I should say, long before this planet was actually formed.
When God came to this part of the universe, it says, "The earth was void and without form." I believe it may have already been here. I don't know how long. And it tells that He started creating this world out of the chaos six thousand years ago. So that's my view. Some people believe He actually created the matter of the planet six thousand years ago. I have no burden to argue with them about that. I could be wrong.
John: Yes
Pastor Doug: In any event, I hope that answers your question. If it does, we're going to try and get one more call in. Does that help?
John: Yes, it sure does Doug and I thank you; and what was the name of that book again? I'll call for it.
Pastor Doug: When Evolution Flunked the Science Test.
John: Okay, thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Alright, thank you.
Pastor Dick: John, thanks for the call. New York, Rosie is listening on WMCA. Rosie, we have about two minutes.
Rosie: Yes. My question is that I have two teenage daughters who are interested in dressing their best. Is there any biblical advice you can give me in terms of their wearing jewelry and makeup? I was brought up in a conservative environment and I'm not certain what I should say to them.
Pastor Doug: Well, are these girls Christians?
Rosie: Yes they are.
Pastor Doug: I have a book that I've written and it's called, Jewelry: How Much is Too Much?; and I will send you a copy of that for free and you can pass it between your daughters. But let me quickly give you some principles. The Bible tells us that the children of Israel made the golden calf from their earrings. And it used to be interesting; it said, "the sons and daughters." Well today, it is the sons and daughters too.
When God punished them for that, He said, "Break off your ornaments so I can know what to do with you." When Jacob went to meet with the Lord, he told his family to bury their idols and their jewelry because they were going to meet with God. Frequently in the Bible, the jewelry was synonymous with their drifting away from God and getting involved in pagan worship.
So, I think it's very clear. And then, of course, the only cases you have for makeup in the Bible, it tells us that Jezebel painted her face and she got thrown out of a window; so that's obviously bad for your health. But I think Christians should look as natural and healthy as they can.
I'm sorry we ran out of time for that call Rosie. Ask for the book, Jewelry: How Much is Too Much? Or you can read it for free online. Call the toll-free number and we'll send it to you.
Pastor Dick: 1-800-835-6747 is the number to call. Ask for the book on jewelry and we'll send it out to you tonight, 1-800-835-6747.
Pastor Doug: Listening friends, thank you again for participating. Remember, this is a listener-supported program. We've tried to reserve our time for your questions. But if you've been blessed, it's because somebody just like you has supported Amazing Facts. We get no denominational support. No organizations or industries. It's all just listeners and viewers like you who keep us going.
So we appreciate hearing from you. Let us know if the program has touched your lives. Drop us a line. Most of all, we do what we do because we want you to know it's not details. It's all about Jesus, who sets you free.
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