Hello friends! This is Doug Batchelor. Would you like to hear an amazing fact?
On September 1st, 1859, the Carrington Super Flare, the largest solar flare in modern history, struck the earth causing the most powerful geomagnetic storm ever recorded. For one thing, this made the Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, so powerful, they were visible from the Caribbean Islands. And they were so bright over the Rockies that many thought it was morning. On a more serious note, this solar storm also caused failures of telegraph lines across Europe and North America. In an instant, the communication system on which millions depended was fried. It’s believed that if a solar flare of this scale hit the world today, it would suddenly wipe out the Internet and modern communications on a global scale.
The Bible teaches there was another time when an international communications breakdown resulted from heavenly phenomenon. Stay with us, friends. We’re going to learn more as “Amazing Facts” brings you this edition of “Bible Answers Live.”
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Welcome to “Bible Answers Live” brought to you by Amazing Facts Ministries. Are you looking for a clear, concise answer to your most challenging Bible questions? Maybe you’re struggling to understand difficult passages of Scripture. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Join us now as we open God’s Word to discover His will and find honest, practical answers to your Bible-related questions.
This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible question, call us Sundays from 7 to 8 P.M. Pacific Standard Time at 800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297.
Now, let’s join our host, author, speaker, and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Doug: Welcome, listening friends, to “Bible Answers Live.” And for anyone who might have a speaker, you can tune in. If you’ve got a telephone, you can call in. If you’ve got a question, the number is a free phone call. It’s 800-GOD-SAYS. 800-463-7297. Now is the perfect time to call in with your Bible questions because there is a number of free lines! One more time, that phone number. 800-463-7297 that brings you into the studio with your Bible question. And my name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross. Good evening, listening friends. Pastor Doug, let’s begin the program with prayer.
Father, once again, we thank You that we can study Your word together. We ask for Your blessing upon this program. Be with those who are listening. We pray for wisdom as we search the Scriptures. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen!
Pastor Jëan Ross: Pastor Doug, you opened the program by talking about a major communication breakdown. It was an interesting fact you shared— the solar flare— but then you mentioned a communications breakdown that was initiated from heaven. Are you not talking about the sun or some other planet in space?
Pastor Doug: No, I worded that carefully. I think you knew where I was going. Yup, there was a major communication breakdown. If you read in the Bible in the Book of Genesis chapter 11. It says there was a time when the whole language… the whole earth spoke one language. And it came to pass that as the people journeyed from the East, they found a plain in the land of Shinar. And there they dwelt and they said, “Let’s build a tower that it’s top reaches to heaven. Let’s make a name for ourselves.” But in verse 5 it says the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said indeed, “The people are one and they have one language. And this is what they began to do. Now, nothing that they purpose will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down there and confuse or confound their language that they may not understand one another’s speech. And so the Lord scattered them abroad from there all over the face of the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore, the name of it is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there, the Lord scattered them abroad across the face of all the earth.” And of course, that was later known as Babylon. And the reason that you call a baby a baby is ‘cause babies babble. And you know, when we say someone is babbling, that harkens back to Babylon.
But if there was a major communication breakdown, you could say their Internet went down, or their satellites, cellphones, something went down that suddenly, they couldn’t understand each other. Now it’s interesting here because man was rebelling against God. God had told them to scatter across the world to multiply to fill the earth they didn’t want to do it. Maybe they were afraid of another flood so they were building a tower to save themselves. Or they’re instituting some man-made worship through this tower like they do with the pyramids you find around the world where they offer sacrifice on the pinnacle.
But this is sort of the counter of what happens in the New Testament. Here in the Old Testament, you have the language of man being confused because of disobedience. In the New Testament at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is poured out and suddenly the disciples were able to communicate once again in all these different languages that they did not formally know. Now, maybe we’ve got some friends that are listening and wonder where does Babylon fit in to future prophecy, and what is meant by Babelene, and what is this gift of tongues?
It seems like the curse of Babylon or Babel was reversed at Pentecost and they were able to freely communicate. Jesus said, “I’ll give you the ability to speak at other tongues.” And God still blesses with that supernatural ability to communicate. And we believe in all of the gifts of the Spirit here, but probably one of the gifts of the Spirit that is the most misunderstood in the church and is often misapplied is the gift of tongues.
We may have some friends listening out there that are wanting to know what does the Bible really teach on the subject of tongues. And we have a free offer for those who are interested!
Pastor Jëan Ross: We have a book entitled “Understanding Tongues.” And it’s free if you call our resource line. The number is 800-835-6747. That number once again: 800-835-6747. And you can ask for the book “Understanding Tongues” and we’ll be happy to send it to you. Also, you know, Pastor Doug, we’re streaming this program again this evening live on the Internet! So anyone who is close to their computer, they can go to live.amazingfacts.org. That is live.amazingfacts.org. And you’ll not only be able to hear us but you’ll be able to see for what it’s worth here in the studio!
Well, with that, we’re going to go to our first caller this evening. Pastor Doug, we have E. Frank who is listening in New York, New York. E. Frank, welcome to the program!
E. Frank: Yes, thank you Pastor Ross and Pastor Batchelor. My question for you, gentlemen, tonight is as follows. I’m just interested in finding out with the world, tumultuous the way it is, acts of criminality throughout our country and political embargos being raised upon the US again through Israel and other ways… Do you think that based on the Book of Revelation, we’re going through a sequestered form of tribulation as stated in the Book of Revelation? Or as of yet we have not seen the revelation come upon us according to the Book of Revelation we have not reached the point of Great Tribulation. And will we see the Great Tribulation in our lifetime? Because I really don’t believe we’re in that point in time right now.
Pastor Doug: Okay. Good question. When you read in Matthew 24 about this Great Tribulation, Jesus is quoting from, a matter of fact He says, “Whoever reads the prophet Daniel, let him understand.” If you go to Daniel chapter 12, it talks about when Michael stands up, he says “There will be a time of trouble such as there never has been since there was a nation even unto that same time.” Jesus speaking of two things: One, following the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus said there would be a Great Tribulation during the destruction of Jerusalem. And then during the Dark Ages of the church, there was a great tribulation that came upon the people of God with a tremendous persecution, like the Inquisition was part of that. Millions died for their faith. And then there’s going to be a Great Tribulation. The ultimate Great Tribulation is the Seven Last Plagues in Revelation chapters 15 and 16. You know, we haven’t seen that yet. I mean, you think about the plagues that fell on Egypt and what that caused the idea of that happening again is, you know, it’s pretty serious. And we haven’t seen that yet.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, Pastor Doug, there’s something else related to that. In Revelation chapter 7, John in vision see four angels holding back the four winds of strife. And then another angel is seen coming from the direction of heaven coming from the east, and he says with a loud voice to the four angels who were holding back the winds of strife, “Do not let them go until we have sealed the servants of God on their foreheads.”
So prior to the Great Tribulation, the outpouring of the Seven Last Plagues, there is this sealing that takes place. What’s interesting is it does seem, based upon what’s happening in the world today that those winds of strife are beginning to blow. And God is still holding His hand over things and we know that probation is not yet close for the world. The plagues have not yet began to fall. But we can see the signs that something. Even people who are not religious seem to sense that something significant is about to happen.
Pastor Doug: Absolutely. So, I appreciate that and I’m trying to think, we don’t really have a lesson that talks so much about the plagues, but we do have the one that talks about the signs of the Second Coming and that would be “The Ultimate Deliverance.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. E. Frank or anyone wanting to learn more about signs related to the coming of Jesus and how Jesus will come. We have a study guide called “The Ultimate Deliverance.” If you’d call our resource line, 800-835-6747, and ask for the study guide “The Ultimate Deliverance.” That number again is 800-835-6747.
We have Dennis who is listening from Minnesota. Dennis, welcome to the program! Dennis, you’re on the air.
Dennis: Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross.
Pastor Doug: Evening!
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening.
Dennis: My question’s about the Millennium, the thousand year period. I wanted to know where is Satan at this time has the White Throne Judgment happened? Where are the saints at this time? Are there people living… wicked… or saints during that time. They’re re-procreating during that time? I was kind of wanting you to fill me in. I’m a little confused.
Pastor Doug: Well, you know, there’s a lot of confusing things taught about the Millennium, and that is a good question. First of all, most of the information, not all, but much of the information about the Millennium comes from Revelation 20. And it talks about Satan being bound. What confuses people, one thing, it says he’s bound in the bottomless pit. And, you know, why the King James translators chose those English words for the word “abusos” it says, Satan was bound in the “abusos,” and we all have heard someone say the abyss. And it’s talking about the deep, the darkness… That’s the same word that is used in Genesis to describe the world before its creation. The earth was void and without form. It was an “abusos.” And you also find that in Jeremiah chapter 4, I think it’s verse 23…
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: …where it says “I beheld the earth and it was without form…”
Pastor Jëan Ross: …form and void…
Pastor Doug: But this time, when Jeremiah says the earth was without form, he’s talking about the future, because he says it’s broken down by the presence of the Lord and by His fierce anger. And he says all the cities were laid waste. So, during the 1,000 years, Satan is bound, the bottomless pit is the world after all of the saints are raptured out of it. The dead in Christ alive are caught up… I’m sorry, the dead in Christ are caught up… those who are alive that belongs to Christ are caught up. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. I’ll come receive you unto Myself and take you back” essentially to the mansions He’s prepared. So we basically evacuate the world. Behind Christ’s coming, destruction is left. And the wicked are devoured by the brightness of His coming, according to, I think it’s 1 Thessalonians. And so during that 1,000 years as planted as an abyss, it’s a dark “abusos,” that’s what the word means. It’s not… people think there’s some wormhole out there in the cosmos were Satan is being tossed and forever falling downward a bottomless pit. But, you know, one more example in Luke chapter 8, those… that demoniac… When the demons were in that man, they said, “Don’t cast us out into the nothingness, into the “abusos.” That means no one to tempt, no one to manipulate. And so, during the 1,000 years, Satan and his angels are confined to this dark, destroyed world covered with the slain of his rebellion, and those righteous are living and reigning with Christ in heaven!
Dennis: That’s a good place for Satan [laughing].
Pastor Doug: Yeah, he’s got to be a workaholic with nothing to do.
Dennis: Yeah, that’s great.
Pastor Doug: So… What’s that?
Dennis: Well, Satan and the wicked will all perish after that and never be known again?
Pastor Doug: Yes, you read in Revelation 20 at the end of the 1,000 years, the New Jerusalem comes down… And then it tells us Satan is loose from his prison because he’s now got all the wicked who are resurrected for judgment to tempt. It says that he is loose for a season. He tries to rally all the wicked against the City of God. And then you have the Great White Throne Judgment. God then rains fire down out of heaven upon them and burns them up. Now, that’s a summary. You’ve got more of that, Pastor Ross?
Pastor Jëan Ross: I was going to mention we have a study guide dealing with the subject of the Millennium, “The One Thousand Years.” And it’s a broad, deep subject focused on Revelation chapter 20. And we’d encourage anyone wanting to learn more about that to call our resource line. Ask for the study guide, “A Thousand Years of Peace” and we’ll send that to you.
Pastor Doug: How much does it cost?
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, the price is right. It’s… just call. That’s what’s required.
Pastor Doug: That’s right. So is someone going to be knocking on my door tomorrow if I ask for that lesson?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Not if you call and ask, no!
Pastor Doug: Not tomorrow, anyway [laughing].
Pastor Jëan Ross: And you can also go online. Go to amazingfacts.org and you can read the lesson there and you can enroll in our free correspondence Bible course.
Next caller is Virginia, and she’s listening from Bronx, New York. Virginia, welcome to the program!
Virginia: Hi Pastor. I just have a question on the significance of figs in the Bible. The Lord constantly referred to it. He cursed one. I see it in the Old Testament. I’m just curious about that.
Pastor Doug: You know, that is a good question. Of course, Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. That’s where figs first appear in the Bible. Figs are one of the most numerous trees in the world, where you’ve got the conifers growing in the northern and southern regions up by the poles. You’ve got the… the figs seem to grow around the middle of the earth all over the planet, wherever… there are from India to South America to Africa… you’ve got hundreds of varieties of figs. But it was a fig tree that Jesus cursed because it had leaves but no fruit. And it represents the nation of Israel’s self-righteousness. They had all the flowered leaves of, you know, the trappings of religion, but they did not have the fruits of the Spirit. And so, in Matthew 24, Jesus said, “Behold, the fig tree and all the trees, and when their shoot is tender, you’ll know that summer is near.” Some have wondered if this is a prophecy talking about Israel having some kind of resurgence before Jesus returns. But the fig tree and that big tree in Daniel… no, it doesn’t say what kind of tree it is, but some have wondered, is it a giant fig tree? In Daniel chapter 3… no 4.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Four.
Pastor Doug: …the big tree in Daniel chapter 4. So, many have wondered if the fig tree is the symbol of Israel. And sometimes, fig leaves without the fruit represented self-righteousness. Jesus came to Israel looking for fruit, and He saw the religion but not the fruit. And so the tree was cursed, and some have understood that meant the curse fell on the nation, not the people.
Virginia: Okay.
Anyway, that’s a quick study. I’ve got an article you can read for free at the Amazing facts website. It’s called, “Fig Leaves and Pharisees.” And it’s still there under… you go to the Amazing Facts website and look under the… or you could just search, “Fig Leaves and Pharisees,” but it’s under our magazine or article archives.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, thanks for your call, Virginia. We have Dwayne who’s listening from Ohio. Dwayne, you’re on the air.
Dwayne: Good evening, Pastors.
Pastor Doug: Evening!
Dwayne: In chapter… chapter 2… Peter chapter 2:4…
Pastor Doug: Okay. 1st Peter chapter 2?
Dwayne: 2nd Peter chapter 2:4.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Dwayne: It says, “Where if God spared not the angels that sinned, but passed them down to hell and delivered them unto chains of darkness to be served until judgment.” Are they there now? And is Lucifer the only one out tormenting everybody?
Pastor Doug: Well, Lucifer is an angel. All of the angels are waiting for judgment in this world. They have been basically sequestered on this planet. This planet is something of a graveyard. It’s a lesser house of sin. Jesus calls the devil the prince of this world. And so that place of darkness where the devils are held is here. You remember, when Jesus began His ministry…
Dwayne: Are they in chains now?
Pastor Doug: Well, they’re chained to this world. That doesn’t mean they can’t sin. I mean, it doesn’t mean they can’t tempt anyone.
Dwayne: Oh, okay. Okay.
Pastor Doug: For instance, when Christ began His ministry, He went into a synagogue and a demon-possessed man said, “Jesus, have You come to torment us before the time?” They know they’re reserved, waiting for judgment. The devil used to go to and fro through the universe trying to find other worlds to tempt and he’s isolated to this planet right now.
Dwayne: Okay.
Pastor Doug: And so I think that’s what it’s saying.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And you know, also, the word there that’s translated from the Greek referring to hell, it represents the domain of Satan… sort of darkness, wickedness, death…
Pastor Doug: That’s Hades, is it right?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hades… It’s also, well, it’s “Tartarus.”
Pastor Doug: “Tartarus.” Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: But it represents a sort of darkness and wickedness. And so you have the wicked angels, Satan’s angels, bound on this earth in that conditional wickedness waiting for final judgment.
Pastor Doug: We appreciate your…
Dwayne: Can I give you another… a real quick one?
Pastor Doug: Okay, go quick.
Dwayne: John 12:25. “He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life shall… in this world… shall have eternal life.” So does that mean that…
Pastor Doug: Yeah, a quick answer for that…
Dwayne: …you’re not supposed to love your life now?
Pastor Doug: No, what it means is that if you live your life… Jesus is saying that if we live our lives selfishly for now, for our gratification in this life, He says you’ll lose everything. If you let go of your life now— that’s what it means by losing your life for Christ’s sake— He then gives it back to you, and we get to live for Him. That’s where happiness comes from. That’s why Jesus said, “It’s more blessed to give than receive.” The first thing you give is your life. You’re more blessed if you give your life to Christ than if you try and live a selfish existence.
Hey, we appreciate your question. We’re going to keep moving here because we’ve got a few lined up.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We’ve got Roy who’s listening from New York, New York. Roy, welcome to the program!
Roy: Yes, good evening, brothers.
Pastor Doug: Evening!
Roy: I have a question. It’s kind of minor but it’s intriguing. In Matthew 10:3, when they were naming the ten apostles, there’s one verse which says… I might be saying it wrong. Lebbaeus, surname Thaddeus?
Pastor Doug: Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus. Yes.
Roy: Yup. Well, I’ve researched. That is supposed to mean another name for Judas, which was one of the apostles. But I don’t understand the first one. What is it? What‘s that mean?
Pastor Doug: Well, some of them had two names. It’s just like Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddeus. People were often like Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, they would… a common name was also given another name to help identify him. And you might be right. There were two Judases that were apostles and obviously, this is not Judas Iscariot because he is in the same list later on.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, something else about that… I’m just actually looking at a commentary on that particular verse and you could look at various Greek manuscripts. They render it slightly different. Some say Thaddeus… or Lebbaeus called Thaddeus. So it appears as though he was referred to as Thaddeus for the most part, but his real name was Lebbaeus. So maybe almost like a nickname that he had.
Pastor Doug: I think his name… you read in Luke 16 and it tells us that Lebbaeus Thaddeus was Judas the brother of James, because the list of apostles in Luke 6:16 has that one name is switched there. So he probably had another name. They wanted to deliberately not confuse him with the traitor. But he had the same name. And Judas was one of the most common names. Judas is really the Greek way of saying, “Judah.” And the Jews or the sons of David, all from the tribe of Judah, it was one of the most common names. It was like the name John [laughing]. Similar to Jëan.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: Hey, we appreciate your question, Roy. I hope that helped a little.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We’ve got Christina who is listening from Bronx, New York. Christina, you are on the air!
Christina: Yes. Good evening, Pastors.
Pastor Doug: Evening!
Christina: I have a question. It’s on Genesis 6:2-4 about the sons of men… yeah, the sons of men.
Pastor Doug: The sons of God who knew the daughters of men?
Christina: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Are you wondering who they were?
Christina: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: This is your lucky day. I don’t believe in luck, though.
Christina: Some people say they…
Pastor Doug: We get this questions a lot…
Christina: Well, I don’t know about that.
Pastor Doug: We wrote a book on this that we’ll send you for free. It’s an easy… it’s a little booklet. It’s a sermon book. But you’ll find it inspiring and informative. Quickly, I’ll answer you but I want you to also call for the free book on it.
These sons of God were the descendants of Seth. After Adam and Eve, Cain took his wife and they went to East. Seth and Adam and Eve stayed closer to the Garden. Their children did not intermarry. The children of Seth were loyal to God. They were called the sons of God. It says in the New Testament in John, 3rd John chapter… 1st John chapter 3, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called sons of God.” So believers are called the children of God. And so when the children of Seth intermarried with the daughters of men, who were the daughters of Cain. The holiness that they had maintained through separation was lost. And then it says, “The thoughts of men’s hearts were only evil continually.” Through intermarriage, they got into all kinds of trouble. And so please, Christina, send for the book, “Who are the Sons of God?” We’ll send that to you… free.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The number to call is 800-835-6747. And just ask for the book, “Who are the Sons of God” and we’ll send it to you. Again, 800-835-6747.
We have Steve who is calling from Walla Walla, Washington. Steve, welcome to the program.
Steve: Hi, Pastors!
Pastor Doug: Hi! Hey, we’ve got about two minutes before our break, Steve. Can we help you in that short time?
Steve: Oh, I got that one?
Pastor Doug: Sorry [laughing].
Steve: Okay.
Pastor Doug: You got that time slot, sorry.
Steve: So, what kind of qualifications does Jesus have to be our sacrifice… our Lamb? Like, I don’t get it.
Pastor Doug: Well, first of all, the only thing that could die for the creation that had rebelled is the Creator. And the Bible tells us…
Steve: I don’t get that, like…
Pastor Doug: Christ…
Steve: …can’t anyone save us?
Pastor Doug: Well, one man might feasibly… one sinless man might feasibly die for one sinful man trading places…
Steve: I’ve heard that answer before but…
Pastor Doug: But how can one man die for the sins of an entire race of people unless he is the Creator, or his life somehow merits the value of all those creations? And the only life that could cover that would be the life of God Himself because He is the source of every other creation. And Christ lived a perfect life. So He basically… He embraced the suffering of the whole world.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, there’s degrees in life. We don’t consider the life of maybe an ant equal to the life of a man, and we shouldn’t. And so likewise, the life of God is so much greater than the life of man because God made all things and we come from God. And to have the Creator lay down His life as a sacrifice for those who He made, that’s an incredible sacrifice and His life is well-qualified to take the place of the lives of all who have ever sinned.
Steve: Isn’t it when we go to heaven, He’ll answer our questions?
Pastor Doug: Will the Lord answer questions for us in heaven?
Steve: Yes?
Pastor Doug: Well, I believe so. It tells us that, you know, we’re going to commune… He’s inviting us… “Come, let us reason together.” I think that when we’re in the kingdom, He will.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, the good news is even though we might not fully understand how that sacrifice of Christ covers our sins, the good news is we can accept that sacrifice of Christ. And we can look forward to being saved and asking God all of these aspects that might be difficult for us to understand now.
Pastor Doug: Absolutely. Yeah, we appreciate your question, Steve. We do need to go to our break in just a moment. And for our friends that are listening, don’t forget, we have a free offer we’re making available tonight dealing with the subject of the gift of tongues. If you’d like to know more about that, it’s called, “Understanding Tongues.” A lot of churches wonder, what is this speaking in tongues? Is it still relevant today? Is it one of the gifts of the Spirit? If it is supposed to be a gift, then where does it fit in? And how is it utilized? How does it manifest? All you’ve got to do is call that toll-free number and we’ll send you a book, “Understanding Tongues.” 800-835-6746. And it’s a free gift. You’re listening to “Bible Answers Live.”
Hey Pastor Ross, you know, there’s a website we haven’t told anyone about lately. We did a little Youtube video a few years ago on the subject of the name of antichrist. If you look that up, you’ll find it. We’ve had 250,000 people have viewed that video. And it leads to a website. Everyone wonders about 666. What does that number mean? And who is the beast and what is the mark of the beast? There’s a website called 666truth. 666truth. People will find it, I think, very interesting. Some of the titles there: Who is the Antichrist? 666 and the Mark, The USA and Bible Prophecy. We’ve had a little antichrist quiz and the truth about 666. And so friends, just take a drink of water, a breath, go visit 666truth. Don’t go away, we’ve got more Bible questions coming your way and stay tuned!
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug: Welcome back, friends! You’re tuned in to “Bible Answers Live.” And we trust that some of you maybe joined us along the way. This is a live international, interactive program! And you can listen here on this station, on the Internet, and we’re streaming on the Internet tonight. If you want to see what goes on here in the studio, the address… just type in live.amazingfacts.net. We’ll bring you to the streaming, and…
Pastor Jëan Ross: It’s .org.
Pastor Doug: Oh .org. Thank you. I’m glad you’ve corrected me. Sometimes, I get mixed up during my sermon that I ask them, I say, “Folks, why didn’t you stop me?”
Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing].
Pastor Doug: Save me from myself! Alright, yeah live.amazingfacts.org. And that’s the streaming address. And yup, my name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And my name is still Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug, let’s go straight to the phone lines. We’ll get as many calls in. Chris listening from Toronto, Canada! Chris, welcome to “Bible Answers Live!”
Chris: Hello! Hi Dr. Doug Batchelor!
Pastor Doug: Evening!
Chris: I wanted to ask you a question about Queen Sheba if she had a baby because I know in the Bible, I don’t see her having any baby with King Solomon. But they were saying that she had a baby named Menelik?
Pastor Doug: Yes, there’s a famous legend that’s mostly embraced in Ethiopia…
Chris: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: …that Solomon and Sheba had a romantic interlude and there was a baby and that later they gave the Ark of the Covenant… Solomon gave the Ark of the Covenant to this illegitimate child of Sheba’s. There’s not a fragment in any Scripture…
Chris: Yes…
Pastor Doug: …about that. This is a legend that rose up actually, probably three or 400 years after Christ, after Jerusalem was destroyed. Now one reason we know that’s not true is just the whole story about the Ark being sent down to Ethiopia by Solomon. Well, you can read in the time of Hezekiah, the Ark was still in the temple because it tells what was in the Ark. And Hezekiah comes hundreds of years after Solomon. So there’s nothing in the Bible that supports that. There’s nothing in the Bible that tells us that Solomon needed, you know, 1,001 wives. He already had a thousand. He did not need one more in the Queen of Sheba.
Chris: Yes. Yes.
Pastor Doug: And so…
Chris: There’s no relations to Haile Selassie?
Pastor Doug: You know, they all loved to say that. And you know, it’s very romantic and he was a great emperor of Ethiopia but you really can’t prove that there’s any bloodline. Now, I think you can make a case that the Ethiopian eunuch that Philip preached to did bring the gospel down to Ethiopia.
Chris: I feel that’s the case.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. But and then so you know there are some different legends grew up around that but you don’t find anything in Scripture or any real legitimate history that talks about Solomon and Sheba. Hollywood made a movie about it, but Hollywood also has Moses having an affair…
Chris: Yes…
Pastor Doug: …with the Pharaoh’s wife. So you know, none of that’s in the Bible.
Chris: Yes.
Pastor Doug: That’s Hollywood’s take on things. Hey, I appreciate your question.
Chris: Thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: You’re welcome. I don’t know that we really don’t have a book on that subject, but…
Pastor Jëan Ross: No, I don’t think we do.
Pastor Doug: We have a lesson that has the Ark of the Covenant on the cover talking about the Ten Commandments.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. “Written in Stone” is what it’s entitled. If you’d like to receive more information on that, give us a call on our resource line, 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide dealing with the Ten Commandments, “Written on Stone.”
Our next caller is Greg, and he’s listening from Ohio. Greg, welcome to the program.
Greg: Good evening. Is this Pastor Doug?
Pastor Doug: It is! And your question?
Greg: What a pleasure to speak with you.
Pastor Doug: Likewise.
Greg: My question is on Genesis 9:3. It’s very short. I’ll read it. It says, “Every moving thing that shall be meat for… every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you even as the green herb have I given you all things.” And my question is that until Noah came out of the ark, people never ate any meat at all, correct?
Pastor Doug: Well, there’s no record until after the Flood…
Greg: Alright…
Pastor Doug: But God does make a distinction between and clean and unclean animals…
Greg: Right!
Pastor Doug: …before they got on the boat.
Greg: Right. And that was my… after studying Genesis and it was that between the time of Adam and Noah… that the clean animals were for sacrifice only, and that between the time of Noah and Abraham, basically the people could eat what He says all things that moveth. And that when the dietary laws were set down, that that was one way of God to… another way to distinct Israel from everybody else and the only the things that were fit for God would be fit for people.
Pastor Doug: The… well, what you find is in Genesis 7:2, when Noah is basically placing things in the ark. God says, “Of every clean beast you shall take to you by sevens, the male and its female the beasts that are not clean by two.” And so it’s believed by most commentators. So the reason that some beasts were classified as clean and others as unclean is only clean beasts could be eaten. And so later, and there are quite a few different animals in that clean category. The Lord is saying of all these creatures, meaning the clean ones, you can eat them. Because all the vegetation had been destroyed. But just suppose that God had said you can eat of the unclean animals and here you’ve only got two of the unclean animals, you eat one of them and they are extinct immediately. And so it really was talking about the clean beasts.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Also, just to add to that in verse 3, Genesis chapter 3, every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you. And then there’s sort of a qualification of that following, “I have given you all things even as the green herbs.” Now the green herbs there is also translated as vegetation. Obviously God does not expect us to eat everything that grows…
Pastor Doug: Poison ivy… [Laughing].
Pastor Jëan Ross: You can’t eat anything that grows. That wouldn’t be good. [Laughing] So there is a distinction with reference to the plant kingdom— what you can eat and what you can’t eat. And likewise we find there is a distinction between the animal kingdom— the animals that are fit to eat and the animals that are not fit to eat. One assumes in verse 3 that Abraham had a very good understanding as to what animals are considered clean…
Pastor Doug: You mean Noah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …and what animals… Sorry, Noah. What animals are clean and what animals are unclean because he was offering the clean animals for sacrifice. So, you know, if you look at before and after, this is not God saying that anything that moves including, you know, hamsters or whatever else could be eaten. No. There is a distinction.
Pastor Doug: I’ve never used that as a word picture before…
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I was trying to picture something in my mind… it would be outrageous… [Laughing].
Pastor Doug: Yeah, I would not want to eat a hamster. [Laughing].
Pastor Jëan Ross: …for the hamster because my daughter’s hamster died this past week. That’s probably why. [Laughing].
Pastor Doug: I hope he’s not in the freezer. [Laughing].
Pastor Jëan Ross: No, it’s not in our freezer. [Laughing].
Pastor Doug: Alright. Well, hey, we appreciate your question, Greg.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we do have a study guide dealing with the subject of what God’s plan is for us to eat. It’s called, “God Free Health Plan.” And we’ll send it to anyone wanting to know more about the subject… how to live healthy and longer. The number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide, “God’s Free Health Plan.”
Our next caller is Charles, and he’s calling from South Carolina. Charles, welcome to the program.
Charles: Good evening, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross. My question is concerning God’s timeline.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Charles: I think I remember you saying in a previous broadcast that Adam was formed in 4,004 B.C.
Pastor Doug: Well, let me just clarify what you’ve heard me say is that Bishop Ussher had a famous chronology where he added up the ages in the Bible. He came up with 4,004, and I don’t know that. And many would disagree, give or take a few years. But it’s approximately 4,000 or 6,000 years ago from now.
Charles: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: 4,000 B.C, somewhere around there. No one knows exactly how long Adam lived before sin, or if the age of Adam… or if you’re born or you’re created to be eternal, does God start measuring your age from before sin or after, when you begin to die? And so, there’s some ambiguity about when you start dating things. So probably Adam and Eve did not live very long before they sinned in the Garden. They hadn’t had any children yet…
Charles: So, my question is if we do happen to go with the 4,004 year theory, would that mean that the year 1996 or recently would mark about the 6,000 years that people go on by the 4,004 B.C. view?
Pastor Doug: Well, approximately, if you… yeah, if you started…
Charles: Okay.
Pastor Doug: …4,004… 1996. You subtract 4 from 2,000, it would be approximately 6,000 years from Creation.
Charles: Okay, I sure appreciate that. It helps me a lot. I appreciate it, Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Alright, you’re welcome. Thank you.
Charles: Okay. Bye-bye.
Pastor Doug: Bye-bye.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We have Melissa who is listening from New York. Melissa, welcome to the program!
Melissa: Good afternoon, Pastors. On chapter… Proverbs… chapter… on the Book of Proverbs chapter 26, I mean… I’m sorry. On the Book of Proverbs 22:6, it clearly states, “Train up a child in the way he should go, so when he is old, he will not depart from it.” My question is in the media such as the music industry, the actors, and also the regular people who are not famous, for example, there are some singers and actors, they were born and raised in the church. And as they get older and they participate in the media and get famous, they depart… they don’t go to church or anything. It’s not only for the famous, it’s also for the regular people, too. Can you explain that, please?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, the premise there of Solomon…of course, he is making a general statement that the foundation that you lay for your children when they’re young… If families do their best to lay a strong spiritual foundation, it will help young people as they grow up to remain true to it. This is an often misapplied verse that when a person… they’re not going to come back to the Lord until they get old. It says, “When he is old, he will not depart from it.” It’s saying as they get old, they’re staying with the truth. Now this is a promise you can also claim that if you give them a good foundation, sometimes they wander during their youth… they’re trying to figure what’s going on or want to find out for themselves, and they realize the world has nothing to offer and then they come back. But this isn’t saying that every Christian home— you raise up your kids going to church, they’re all guaranteed to come back. Oh, you know, you’ve got Elvis Presley and probably a hundred of others I can name that grew up going to church. And they never seemed to migrate back. And you know, that doesn’t mean that everybody who’s born into a Christian home and goes to church when they were young automatically will be saved later in life. You give them the right foundation and there’s a principle… there’s a good chance that they will see clearly. I don’t know if that’s making sense.
Melissa: Okay, so… I’m sorry. It seems kind of clear to me. But one of my peers… he also stated that it’s not only the child’s fault, it could be the parents’, too, because God gave the children to the parents for the parents to train the child. And sometimes, the parents don’t give them that good structure…
Pastor Doug: That’s right.
Melissa: That’s how the child goes astray. That’s what she told me.
Pastor Doug: Well, there’s one more thing, and this is part of the reason you hear me hesitate. I don’t want to say anything to discourage a parent. But keep in mind, the best parent in the universe is God. And God made Adam, and Adam got into trouble. Adam had two boys, or had three— Cain and Abel and Seth— two out of three were good. There’s no reason why Cain, with the same mother and father and with the same opportunities, turn into a rebel. And as far as we know, he died a rebel. And so, Adam and Eve probably gave the same training to Seth and to Abel and to Cain, and yet Cain killed a brother. That must be heart0wrenching for them. So every child has freedom. God made Lucifer a beautiful angel but he made him free. Lucifer went bad. So, God makes all His creatures free and parents should do their very best to raise their children with principles of truth and then you pray for them and there’s a wonderful promise and opportunity to overturn. But it’s not an absolute rule. It’s what I guess I’m trying to say. You know what I mean? There are exceptions because we all have freedom. Okay, thank you very much for your question, though.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Jacqueline, and she is calling from Canada. Jacqueline, welcome to the program.
Jacqueline: Yes. How are you?
Pastor Doug: Good! Thanks for calling.
Jacqueline: My question is about Revelation 11, reading from 3-11. And it’s about the two witnesses. It says in verse 3, there’s two witnesses, and in verse 8, their bodies shall lie in the streets. And then in verse 11 they shall rise again three days. Is this whole chapter symbolic? Is it something that’s going to happen? Is it something that we could see when it happens or is it just symbolic?
Pastor Doug: Yes, it is symbolic and it is something that has happened.
Jacqueline: Oh okay.
Pastor Doug: You know, there’s so much symbolism here. First of all, those two witnesses. The first thing we’ve got to address is who are they? That represents the Word of God.
Jacqueline: Oh okay.
Pastor Doug: The Word of God is sometimes called the Law and the Prophets. We might call it the New and the Old Testament. It’s a sword of two edges. We always see this dual nature in the Word of God—that double-edged sword. Moses and Elijah are a symbol of the Word of God. Moses was the greatest law-giver Elijah the greatest prophet. That last thing you find in the Old Testament, it says, “Remember the law of Moses. Behold, I send you Elijah.” In Revelation 12:17 with the woman that keeps the commandments of God, the Law, and she has the testimony of Jesus— the spirit of prophecy. So you get the Law and the Prophets, the Law and the Prophets, the Word of God, Moses and Elijah. These are the two witnesses. There was a time when the first atheistic nation was born, and it was the nation of France that basically rejected God. They burned the Bibles in the streets. They outlawed the Bible. And basically the Word of God was defamed, it says, for three days… three and half days… and that’s what happened during this time.
Jacqueline: Oh okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You, it seems you just have to add to that, Pastor Doug, this beast as the Bible describes that comes from the bottomless pit as you mentioned is France. But specifically during the days of the French revolution, it says that they will be outlawed or their bodies will be lying on the streets for three and a half days— that’s three and a half literal years. And there was a decree during the French revolution that passed banning the Bible. And that decree went into effect November 10, 1793, at exactly three and a half years later, June 17, 1797, that decree was overturned, allowing people to have the Bible. And during that three and a half year period, Bibles were piled up on the streets of Paris and they were burned. The Book was outlawed.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, and with really the French revolution, you had the burst of… you call it the Age of Reason, but it was also to some extent they call it “atheism.” People had said “We don’t need God.” Speaking of Jesus, they said, “He killed the rich.” And you know, one of the great atheists, Voltaire and others, their teachings spread and ultimately blossomed into the Communism and atheism that you saw in the Soviet Union and today in China. That slowly is eroding. But it was a big fulfillment of prophecy with the birth of this. By the way, it says it’s spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. Well, you know how they… Egypt was known for the Pharaohs saying, “’Who is the Lord?’ and the recognition of God that I shall let Israel go.” And Sodom for sexual promiscuity and France is still known for that today.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know something else interesting… you mentioned Voltaire, he published a book and he said in a hundred years Christianity would be dead. He made this prediction. The amazing thing is when Voltaire died, his house was eventually bought by a Bible Society and they used his very printing press to print thousands of copies of the Bible and distribute them around the world.
Pastor Doug: The very place where he made that prediction…
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: …became a Bible depository. Anyway, so that’s… now, do we have a lesson that deals with that? Not specifically the French revolution, I don’t think…
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, we do have a book talking about the Bible that probably gets into the history. And Pastor Doug, you wrote that book…
Pastor Doug: “The Ultimate Resource.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: There it is. “The Ultimate Resource.” If you’d like to call for that, Jacqueline or anyone, to receive this book on the Bible, the number is 800-835-6747. You can ask for the book “The Ultimate Resource.” That’s 800-835-6747.
We have Enoch who is listening from Orlando, Florida. Enoch, welcome to the program.
Enoch: Oh hey, guys. My question is about King David and Psalms. When he was writing his Psalms, did he predict, you know, Christ being crucified, like before crucifixion existed or something like that?
Pastor Doug: Absolutely. You can look in, I think, Psalm 22 is a great example where it’s called the Messianic Psalm. In other words, David… By the way, Jesus was known as the Son of David. So David was talking about one of his soon… not soon-to-be but one of his ancestors that were coming about a thousand years. And he describes the events of the scene of the crucifixion. It talks about them gambling for his clothing. Verse 18: “They part my garments among them and they cast lots for my vesture.” And there’s another psalm where it talks about them piercing his hands. So, a number of these psalms were Messianic Psalms…
Pastor Jëan Ross: The verse you were referring to is Psalm 22:16 where it says, “For dogs have surrounded me…”
Pastor Doug: Oh, there it is…
Pastor Jëan Ross: “…the congregation of the wicked have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and my feet.” And the next verse says, “I can count all my bones.” So, we know that none of Christ’s bones were broken on the cross and His hands and feet were pierced. This is just an incredible psalm. There’s so much in this.
Pastor Doug: The first words in the psalm…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Speaks of Christ.
Pastor Doug: …it’s what Jesus said on the cross. Jesus said, “My God, my God. Why have You forsaken me?” So the very words Jesus said on the cross, He was pointing people to this Psalm.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: I appreciate your question, Enoch. And you know, we do have a study guide that talks about how Jesus was the fulfillment of so many Old Testament prophecies. That’s the Amazing Facts study guide that talks about the Gospel that He was the fulfillment of that. And a matter of fact, if you go to Bible Universe— bibleuniverse.com— we have a series of lessons. They are called the Historical Lessons. And the Lesson No. 4 goes into the prophecies about Jesus and the Gospel.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay, thank you for your call, Enoch. Our next caller is…
Pastor Doug: Supreme sacrifice. I’m sitting here trying to…
Pastor Jëan Ross: …trying to think of…
Pastor Doug: …the two of us together almost make a whole brain.
Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing].
Pastor Doug: That’s why we are both here. [Laughing].
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Almost make a brain, you said.
Pastor Doug: Almost a whole one.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Ed and he is listening from Chicago, Illinois. Ed, welcome to the program.
Ed: Thank you guys. Good evening. I have a quick question about the Psalms again.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Ed: I know the Psalms are not a prophetic book. But I’m wondering, specifically, maybe Psalm 91. When they talk about how God will protect the people. My question is who does that apply to? Or when is it going to kick in? When is it going to… yeah, I know God protects us every day— that I understand. But there are so many good Christians, good people who die, you know, due to violence or many other things. And I’m wondering, you know, how do you go about that specific psalm… the Psalms in general?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, well all of the Psalms have promises in them. Form the 23rd Psalm that says, “Though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for You are with me.” He doesn’t say there would be no evil. He says, “I’ll fear no evil.” And all the devil can do… the devil can’t really encompass us with death. All he can encompass us with is the shadow of death. You know, sometimes, we’ll have some menacing shadow pass by but it can’t touch us. Well, Christ said, “Don’t fear him who can destroy the body, but he can’t touch your soul.” If we belong to Christ, yeah there’s people out there who might hurt our bodies, but like Psalm 91, if you’re hidden in Christ, the devil can’t touch you. What really matter and what’s going to last forever is the devil can’t touch you because we are in the shelter of God. And there are also some miraculous examples where no plague comes near your dwelling… you know… you think of the plagues that went on Egypt and God protected the Israelites. And in the Last Days, the Seven Last Plagues are then going to come upon the world. God is going to take care of His people during that time. And so that’s certainly a time, Ed, when we would apply Psalm 91.
Ed: You would say that that applies towards the end of the time.
Pastor Doug: Well, yeah, I think that all through history every Christian has been able to claim the promises in these Psalms.
Ed: Alright.
Pastor Jëan Ross: But this Psalm, in particular, as Pastor Doug mentioned has a special application, I think, to the End Days. I mean, just, if you read there, it says, “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at your right hand but will not come near you. Only with your eyes you will look and see the reward of the wicked.” The outpouring of the plagues is the reward of the wicked. Then it goes on and it says, “No evil will befall you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” So that’s a promise that we can hold on to that when the plagues are being poured out, God’s people will be safe. They’ll be protected.
Pastor Doug: It’s kind of like the story of Rahab when she made a covenant with Joshua’s messengers when the walls of Jericho fell, the entire city collapsed except her house, which was on the wall. And because she saw a thousand fall at her right hand and her left hand but it didn’t touch her because she made a covenant with Joshua. But friends, you and I can make a covenant with a Joshua, and Joshua— the way you say that in Greek is Jesus, and the way you say Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua or Joshua. We can make a covenant with Jesus, and we don’t have to be afraid of the plagues that may be coming because our house will stand, the world around us falls.
Listening friends, we are about out of time for tonight’s program. But before they take us off the air, I just want to remind you that everything we do from week to week is entirely listener-supported. We’d love to hear from you. You probably hear Christian broadcasts that say things like these all the time, but it is true, we’re only on the air because folks like you listening are moved by the Spirit to say, “I want to do something besides listening. I want to keep this program on the air.” It’s so easy, you can just go to our website. Click words as “Contact Us.” The website— amazingfacts.org. Amazingfacts.org. And also tell us if you enjoyed the program. We would like to just connect with you. God bless until we study together again.
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