The Importance of Clothing

Man is different from every other creature in regard to clothing. All of God’s other creatures were born with their clothes on, so to speak. The covering they need grows from the inside out. And some animals even shed their old clothes periodically and develop new ones. Man is the only creature whose clothes must come from the outside. Most of us have never felt much of a debt of gratitude to our clothing. But some folks, like firemen, actually owe their lives to what they’re wearing. For instance, in order to survive in the extreme temperatures in the vacuum of space, astronauts need special space suits. These suits supply them with oxygen, maintain pressure, monitor their blood pressure and heart rhythm, and keep their bodies at controlled temperatures. Without the earth’s atmosphere to filter the sunlight, the side of their suit facing the sun might be heated to a temperature as high as 248 degrees Fahrenheit while the other side exposed to darkness may get as cold as -160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Paradoxically, the suit’s life support system has to remove the heat and sweaty moisture generated by the working astronauts. This is usually accomplished by circulating cool water through an undergarment or next to the astronaut’s skin. When Neil Armstrong went on his historic Apollo 11 mission as the first man to land on the moon, his suit was specially designed to provide a life-sustaining environment with relative comfort for up to 115 hours outside the spacecraft or for 14 days in an unpressurized mode. Astronauts must put an enormous amount of trust in their space suits. One described the eerie feeling he got after realizing while outside his space shuttle, there was only one quarter of an inch of material between him and eternity. Now, that’s important clothing!

Friends, you know, the Bible says that there’s a garment we must have or we cannot enter heaven. Stay with us, friends! We’re going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.

[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]

Welcome to Amazing Facts Ministries, Bible Answers Live with Pastor Doug Batchelor. Do you find it challenging to understand the Bible? Are there passages of Scripture that confuse you? Is it sometimes difficult to connect what you read in the Bible with what you’ve been taught? Then you’ve found the right program because the Word of God is a quick and powerful sword against evil! Stay tuned to better understand the will of God for your life. This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible question, lines are open Sundays from 7 to 8 P.M. Pacific Time. Now, here’s your host, the President of Amazing Facts Ministries, author and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.

Pastor Doug: Welcome, once again, listening friends to a fresh edition of Bible Answers Live. And we would invite you to call in your Bible questions. As you can tell from the title of the program, this is a live, international, interactive Bible study. And we’re glad that you’ve chosen to join us. If you have a question, it’s a toll-free call in North America it’s 800-GOD-SAYS—that translates into 463-7287. And if you call now, you have a better chance of getting your question on tonight’s program. And also, we’ll be giving away some free resources—that is a different phone number that takes you to our resource operators. But we’re very glad that you have joined us. My name is Doug Batchelor.

Pastor Jëan Ross: And my name is Jëan Ross.

Pastor Doug: And Pastor Ross is sitting in for Pastor Richard Devitt who’s out tonight and he’s been with us on the program before and we’re glad that you could be here, Pastor Jëan.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, thank you, Pastor Doug. It’s good to be here! You know, that amazing fact that you’re talking about a few moments ago, it reminds us that clothes are far more than just something to cover us.

Pastor Doug: That’s right!

Pastor Jëan Ross: It actually has an important purpose.

Pastor Doug: Absolutely!

Pastor Jëan Ross: And you could…

Pastor Doug: I was going to say in just a minute, we’ll talk about that. Why don’t we begin with a word of prayer?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Let’s do so. Dear Father in heaven, again, we thank You for Your Word. Indeed, it’s a light that shines along our way, showing us the direction to heaven. And tonight, we ask that You’d bless Pastor Doug with wisdom as he answers the questions that come in. We thank You, Lord, for this opportunity to study Your Word and we dedicate this time to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Pastor Doug: Amen.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes, that clothing we just spoke about— the importance of leading that. There is a biblical parallel to that leading to have the righteousness of the robe of Christ. We have a free offer dealing with that tonight. It’s “Who will Sing the Song? Understanding the 144,000.” And if you would like to get this book, all you need to do is call our resource number and that number is 1-800-835-6747, and just ask for the book on the 144,000.

Pastor Doug: You know, all the way from Genesis to Revelation, Pastor Jëan, there’s examples where… Adam and Eve, for instance, when they were naked, God told them that “You need to have garments.” They tried to cover their nakedness by themselves with fig leaves and that’s a symbol for how we try to cover our unrighteousness with our own righteousness. And God said, “No, the fig leaves won’t do.” And He gave them robes of skin. And then, all through the Bible, you can find where Joshua, the high priest, the Lord had to replace his filthy garments with clean ones.

The prodigal son comes home and the father puts a new garment on him. Joseph’s brothers took his royal robe from him. And then you get to the 144,000 in the New Testament and it tells that they are arrayed in white robes. And it reminds me of a parable that Jesus said that there was this wedding feast and the king provided garments. You know, sometimes, people go to a wedding party and it’s often the case that those putting on the wedding provide the bridal gowns for the bridesmaids and the king provided the garments but someone showed up without his garment on. And you can read in Matthew 22:11, “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how was it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. And the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness and there’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

And it’s emphasizing how important it is for us to have those robes that the Lord is offering. And a matter of fact, in Revelation chapter 3, Jesus talks about one of the problems with the church in the last days, Laodicea, is they don’t have the white robes that Jesus is offering free.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Pastor Doug: And so, why don’t you tell us one more time, if someone wants to know more about that white robe and the 144,000, how do we get a hold of that book?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Again, it’s… call our resource number and we’ll be happy to send that out to you. The number there again is 1-800-835-6747. And the book is entitled, “Who will Sing the Song? Understanding the 144,000,” and this book is written by you, Pastor Doug.

Pastor Doug: I did my best. I don’t know everything about it but I think folks will enjoy it. And the price is it’s free!

Pastor Jëan Ross: It’s free!

Pastor Doug: And tonight’s 50% off free.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.

Pastor Doug: So call now and so, we’re having a special holiday offer. And you have nothing to lose!

Pastor Jëan Ross: We’d like to also welcome some new radio stations that are joining us tonight— KOPJ, that’s 89.3 FM in Sebeka, Minnesota. We also have a radio station, KWOL, that’s 103.7 FM in Aurora Grand, California. And then another one, KWRG, 99.9 FM in Rango, Alaska—all the way up there. And another one in New York City, it’s Landfalls, it’s WBLN 104.9 FM.

Pastor Doug: Amen!

Pastor Jëan Ross: We’d like to welcome all of those who are listening at those radio stations.

Pastor Doug: And if anyone listening at these new stations would like to call in, we’ll try and give your call a priority because we want to say hello to those who are on the new frequencies!

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. We have a couple new Internet questions that have come in, via the email.

Pastor Doug: Alright.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Are you ready for that?

Pastor Doug: We’ll see!

Pastor Jëan Ross: The first one is, “Do you think God will let Satan appear in the heavens with power before the Second Coming to deceive people?”

Pastor Doug: Good question. You know, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24, there will be many false christs and false prophets. You can also find this in Mark chapter 13. Someone’s wondering, “Will Satan be able to impersonate perhaps even the Second Coming?” Well, obviously, he can’t reproduce the resurrection because only Christ has the power to resurrect the dead. And so, while he may create illusions in the last days to impersonate Christ, he won’t be able to impersonate the part of the Bible that says, “Every eye will see Him,” because Jesus said there will be no question when He comes back. It will be like a lightning that splits the heavens from the east to the west and it’ll be a trumpet sound that is heard around the world.

Satan, no doubt, will create some illusions. Some have wondered if Satan’s going to appear coming in a UFO. I’ve heard all kinds of theories about different ways that he might try to impersonate Christ. I think he’s going to use the media.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right!

Pastor Doug: And maybe even appear in the Holy Land or something. But we don’t have to worry about him though. How do you say? Counterfeiting the real event, he just does not have that power. The Bible says Christ is coming with every angel in heaven and like a lightning from the east to the west. Satan wouldn’t be able to do that.

Pastor Jëan Ross: And the Bible also tells us that Jesus’ feet won’t touch the ground at the second coming but we will be caught up to meet Him in the air.

Pastor Doug: That’s right! And when the false Christ comes, he’s going to walk around and try and do some work, no doubt! It makes me think about when the magicians of the Pharaoh, they could impersonate the miracles, or should… they could counterfeit the miracles of Moses to an extent but there was some limit. They couldn’t counterfeit all of them. And I think there’ll be aspects that Satan tries to counterfeit but he won’t be able to counterfeit the evidence we see in the Bible.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right! The next question, “What does the Bible say about those who believe in astrology or fortunetellers?”

Pastor Doug: Well, first, I want to clarify that astrology is different from astronomy. Astrology is the legitimate study of the heavens and the heavenly bodies and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. It is a good Science. Astrology is the, I believe, counterfeit belief that the positioning of the stars in different parts of the universe have some kind of impact on events on earth. And when you really think about that, scientifically or spiritually, there’s really not a thread of evidence that any of that would happen. And when I was growing up, our family believed in astrology and my mother even used to write horoscopes for songs and magazines and I asked her one day if she really believed it. She said, “No.” And so, here, she was making up these readings and people were reading it thinking, “Oh, this is what the astrologers are saying!” And she just concocted these things in her head.

And so, yeah, and of course, in the Bible it talks about astrologers and soothsayers and fortunetellers as part of the work of witchcraft. And you can find examples of that in Isaiah 47:13. And remember, it was the astrologers that could not interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream found in Daniel chapter 2 and chapter 4 and other places. So, hopefully… oh, we have a lesson! If people want to know more about that, we’ve got an Amazing Facts study guide. We’ll send you a free copy, “Does God Inspire Psychics and Astrologers?”

Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright…

Pastor Doug: All you have to do is ask for it.

Pastor Jëan Ross: And if you’d like that free lesson study guide, again, let me give you that number. It’s 1-800-835-6747. And I think we’ll go to the lines here.

Pastor Doug: Okay.

Pastor Jëan Ross: We have a caller calling from Los Angeles, and she’s listening on KTIE, and it’s Chaka. Welcome to the program! Your question, please.

Chaka: Hi, how are you?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Fine, thank you!

Pastor Doug: Fine! Thanks for calling.

Chaka: You’re welcome. I don’t understand the verse. It’s the chapter 12 in Matthew and verse 32, “Whosoever speak a word against the Son of Man, they shall be forgiven. But whosoever speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven either in this world, either in the world to come.” I don’t understand.

Pastor Doug: What part? Are you not understanding what the sin against the Holy Spirit is or the part about in this world or the world to come?

Chaka: Not being forgiven, also in the world to come.

Pastor Doug: Alright. Well, first of all, forgiveness is offered in this life. Christ is offering, you know, the Bible tells us that after we die, then the judgment in the book of Hebrews, “It’s appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment.” We do not appeal for salvation in the world to come. There will be some who are in the resurrection who find that their faith in God, even though they may not have known all about the Gospel because they lived up to the light they have, they’ll find there in the kingdom. And so, they don’t know that they’re forgiven until they get there. They don’t understand a lot of it.

So even in the world to come, God’s mercy is going to be revealed to people. But it’s only in this life that people really find forgiveness. And so, those who grieve away the Holy Spirit, they aren’t forgiven in this life. And Jesus says they won’t even realize it in the world to come because it’s through the Holy Spirit we repent and find forgiveness. And if we grieve away the Holy Spirit, it’s like we’re burning the bridge upon which we must cross to get to heaven. The Holy Spirit is the Vehicle upon which we obtain forgiveness and conviction and repentance. So grieving away the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin and that is a sin that cannot be forgiven because it is a sin for which there is no repentance.

Chaka: Yeah. And that can be any sin grieving the Holy Spirit?

Pastor Doug: Yeah. Well, it’s a persistence of rebellion against God. I mean, the Holy Spirit strives with us. There’s examples in the Bible of people being forgiven for a murder. There’s examples of Manasseh who even murdered his children, and it appears he was forgiven. And of course, there’s, you know, adultery with David and a number of other sins. But all of those things can be forgiven. But if a person grieves away the Holy Spirit and if there is sin in a person’s life and they continue to tell themselves it’s not that important and that voice that brings conviction gets softer and softer until we don’t hear it anymore.

A matter of fact, we have a book that deals, Chaka, with the subject of the Holy Spirit. And if you would like to request a free copy of the Amazing Facts book about the… it’s “Life in the Spirit,” we’ll send that to you for free. “Life in the Spirit” by Joe Crews.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Thank you again, Chaka, for the call. And again, that book is, “Life in the Spirit” and you can get that by calling our resource number. The number is 800-835-6747. We’re going to go to our next caller. It’s Tara calling from Fort Myers, Florida and she is listening on the Internet. Welcome, Tara, to the program! Your question, please.

Tara: Thank you, good evening!

Pastor Doug: Evening!

Tara: My question is in reference… I heard Pastor Batchelor on the television one morning make a reference to a Scripture in the New Testament that discussed that Christians should not enjoy watching barbaric acts. For example, as in movies and so forth. I know there’s a Scripture reference in Philippians that talks about that we should focus on things that are pure and noble, and so forth. But I’m looking for the Scripture reference for not…

Pastor Doug: Oh, I think I know what you’re talking about.

Tara: Okay.

Pastor Doug: Pastor Jëan might help me. You’re talking about… I interrupted you but I jumped ahead anticipating…

Tara: Go ahead, no. Go ahead.

Pastor Doug: “Those not only that do them but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Tara: Right.

Pastor Doug: And that’s, I think, the verse. Let me… give me a second to look that up here.

Tara: Okay.

Pastor Doug: And…

Pastor Jëan Ross: I think we’re looking at Romans 1:32.

Pastor Doug: You found it [laughing]!

Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing] Oh, it was just fast.

Pastor Doug: “Knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death. Not only do the same but are also having pleasure in them that do them.” And so, people who vicariously have pleasure in watching others murder, commit adultery, whatever the sin might be, well, they’re participating in the sin by proxy.

Tara: And that was Romans what? I’m sorry.

Pastor Doug: 1:32.

Tara: 1:32. Okay, I think that answers my question.

Pastor Doug: Alright. Well, bless your heart. Thank you.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Thank you, Tara, for calling. We will go to our next caller and again, this person is listening on the Internet. It’s Antoinette from Florida. Hello, Antoinette. Welcome to the program! Your question, please.

Antoinette: Hi, Pastor Doug and Pastor Ross.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi!

Antoinette: My question comes from Daniel 9:26 and 27—the second-half of 26 and the second-half of 27.

Pastor Doug: Okay.

Antoinette: “And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with blood until the end of the war, desolation is determined.” I don’t understand that part. Can you explain that to me, please?

Pastor Doug: I’ll do my best in the short 3 minutes we’ve got budgeted here.

Antoinette: Okay.

Pastor Doug: Well, first of all, the prophecy in Daniel 9 is talking about several things. One is, when will the Messiah come?

Antoinette: Right.

Pastor Doug: And then it’s talking about how much time are left for the Jewish people. You’ll notice at the beginning that says, “70 weeks are determined or cut off for thy people.”

Antoinette: Right.

Pastor Doug: How much longer will be given to the Jewish nation? And it says, “After the Messiah’s cut off, the people of the prince who will come…” you’ll notice “the prince” there is a small “p.”

Antoinette: Right.

Pastor Doug: “…shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” The Roman power destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. And it says, “The end shall be with a flood.” A flood, in the Bible, didn’t always mean water. It meant a judgment and it could mean armies overwhelming… a wave of armies that would overwhelm were sometimes referred to as a flood. It talks about, in Revelation, that the wicked covered the earth like a flood—Gog and Magog. And so, I think it says, “Clouds some places,” it’s just like the sand.

So it’s telling us about how the Roman power would completely overwhelm the land of Israel, Jerusalem—destroy the temple and it was desolated.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Jesus also talks about this in Matthew 24:15. He actually says that, speaking of Daniel, the prophet, who’s ever really lived to understand. He’s referring to that same event of the destruction of Jerusalem that happened in 70 AD. That’s Matthew 24:15.

Pastor Doug: That’s right. Good point!

Antoinette: And how about the latter part of 27, “And on the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate.”

Pastor Doug: Well, let me read the first part of 27…

Antoinette: Okay.

Pastor Doug: …so we keep our continuity. “And He will confirm the covenant with many for one week,” that’s the Messiah…

Antoinette: Right.

Pastor Doug: “But in the middle of the week, He’ll bring an end to the sacrifice and offering.” Three and a half years after Jesus was baptized, that’s the half of that last seven years—a week in prophecy is… a day in prophecy is a year.

Antoinette: Yeah, right.

Pastor Doug: He caused the sacrifice to cease. Remember when Jesus died on the cross that the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom showing that the purpose for the sacrificial system was fulfilled in Christ. He was what it all pointed to. And then it goes on to say, “And on the wing of abominations shall be the one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined shall be poured on the desolate.” That is a continuation of the thought of what was going to happen to the nation of Israel.

You remember when Jesus said to the women who were weeping as He went to the cross? He said, “Weep not for Me but weep for yourselves for the hour is coming in which they’ll say, ‘Blessed is the womb that did not bear, the breast that did not nurse,’” and Christ was also… when He wept over Jerusalem. He said, “You knew not the hour of your visitation so these desolations would come.” I’m paraphrasing here because I think you know what I’m talking about.

Antoinette: Right.

Pastor Doug: But these two verses are really talking about when the Messiah would come, the Jews will have completed their greatest work in introducing the Messiah to the world. You know, it would be perfect for you, Antoinette. We have a lesson that deals with this. We’ll send you for free. And it’s the lesson called, “God Sets the Date for the Judgment.” And it deals with Daniel chapter 9 in some detail. Would you like a free copy for that?

Antoinette: Yes Sir.

Pastor Doug: Alright. Just call the resource number and ask for our lesson on Daniel 9 and the operators—our shippers—will know what that is.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Again, the title for that lesson is, “God Sets the Date for the Judgment,” and the number to call is 800-835-6747.

Pastor Doug: Pastor Ross, we know, we’ve re-done our lessons and the name of that lesson is “Right On Time,” it’s the new title [laughing].

Pastor Jëan Ross: Oh, okay.

Pastor Doug: [Laughing] I knew I thought we renamed that. It’s called, “Right On Time.” So you can ask for that. We’ll know what it is either way.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. Well, let’s take our next caller. Thanks for the call, Antoinette. Our next caller is calling from Sacramento, right here. It’s Diana and she’s on line 7. Welcome to the program, Diana!

Diana: Oh, good evening, gentlemen!

Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening!

Diana: Pastor Doug, I really want to thank you for the lesson I learned on 3ABN about the different… three different phases of accepting the Lord or not accepting and what happens afterwards.

Pastor Doug: Okay.

Diana: But my question, actually, is dealing with that 1,000-year period where I’m assuming the world is like steel?

Pastor Doug: Yeah. The world is desolate during that time.

Diana: Right. What… is there nothing going on? I mean, like the ones that were not received in heaven when the Lord came to…

Pastor Doug: Well, if you look…

Diana: Do you understand? [Laughing]

Pastor Doug: Yeah, I think I do.

Diana: Sorry.

Pastor Doug: No, I think I do and this is just…

Diana: You guys just did it on your lesson this Sabbath.

Pastor Doug: On the TV program.

Diana: Correct.

Pastor Doug: Yeah. In Revelation 20, friends, is where you find the prophecy about what we call the millennium or the 1000 years. This is the principal chapter and it tells us Satan is bound for this period of 1000 years. The 1000 years begins with the resurrection of the blessed. It says, “The rest of the dead don’t live ‘til the 1000 years are finished.” Jesus says there’s two resurrections—the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of damnation. That’s why He said, “Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection.”

When the Lord comes, you look at what’s happening, it says, “Those that are alive are raptured up to meet the Lord in the air. The dead in Christ are caught up to meet the Lord. The wicked are destroyed by the brightness of His coming, and the rest of the dead don’t live ‘til the 1000 years are finished.” So the condition of the world, Jeremiah chapter 4 describes it as, “All the cities are broken down.” Isaiah says, “The earth is covered with the slain and there’s nobody to lament or mourn them.” And so, the world is in a desolate state during that time. Some people think that we spend 1000 years, the righteous reigning over the wicked—heaven forbid! The Bible’s very clear. We live and reign with Christ in glory during that time—not reigning over the wicked. We’re not exposed to any of it…

Diana: So is Satan wandering the earth?

Pastor Doug: Satan and his angels are bound. The bottomless pit is… the word is “abussos.” It’s the same word that is used in the Old Testament—it’s actually the Greek version of the Old Testament—to describe the world before God create it when it was void and without form.

Diana: Okay.

Pastor Doug: And so, it’s describing this world after the destruction of the Second Coming and the very… the implosion and explosion of the planet when Jesus comes back, it is a total ruin. And so that’s what it’s going to look like when Jesus comes back and we are living and reigning with Him in heaven.

Diana: Okay, so when He comes back the second time, He is going to come back to receive…

Pastor Doug: That’s when His feet touch the Mount of Olives and…

Diana: Right.

Pastor Doug: …the dead in… the dead who are wicked are resurrected and there’s a judgment—they’re called Gog and Magog. And you know, we have a lesson…

Diana: Okay.

Pastor Doug: …that we’ll send you.

Diana: Right.

Pastor Doug: Would you like the free lesson on the 1000 years?

Diana: I sure would. Yes.

Pastor Doug: Yeah. If you call the number that Pastor Ross is giving and ask for our lesson on “The 1000 Years of Darkness,” let me see whether it’s in… I want to make sure I’m giving you the right title for our new lesson.

Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re looking up the title for that…

Pastor Doug: I’m looking up the title. You can give the phone number [laughing].

Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing] Alright. Let me give you the phone number while we get that title. As I’ve said we just changed the names of our study guides. To get this free offer, which we will tell you in just a minute…

Pastor Doug: “A Thousand Years of Peace.”

Pastor Jëan Ross: You got it! “A Thousand Years of Peace.” Alright.

Diana: Great!

Pastor Jëan Ross: The number you need to call, Diana, is 1-800-835-6747. And the title is, “A Thousand Years of Peace.”

Diana: Thank you very… that part is always been confusing to me. Thank you very much!

Pastor Doug: You’ll enjoy the lesson. And you know, I might also add that anybody who’s out there, if you’d like a copy of that lesson, just ask for it. If you don’t understand the millennium—and boy! There’s a lot of confusion on this subject!—this lesson will make the teaching very clear and it is all thoroughly Bible-based. And forgive us if we don’t know some of the lessons. We’ve had the old lessons for 30 years. We’ve re-done our covers, updated some of the titles and I’m trying to still learn what all the new titles are.

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. Well, thanks again, Diana, for calling and I think we have time for one quick question?

Pastor Doug: Let’s see if we can squeeze one more in before the break.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Let’s go to Susan in Lincoln City. Susan, are you there?

Susan: Yes.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi, welcome to the program! We’re going to have to take your question rather quickly. We have just a few minutes left before the break.

Susan: Okay.

Pastor Jëan Ross: And your question is?

Susan: “He that regards iniquity in his heart, the Lord will not hear him.”

Pastor Doug: Okay. You want to know what that means?

Susan: Well, I feel like my prayers are not answered but I have confessed, you know, whatever iniquity I have committed. But I don’t feel like my prayers are answered.

Pastor Doug: Do you… you have no prayers answered? Or do you…

Susan: Not like that…

Pastor Doug: …feel like any of your prayers are answered?

Susan: I really don’t feel like they are.

Pastor Doug: Well, now there are several criteria for answered prayer. And you know, there’s a book I’ll be happy to send you for free and it’s called, “Keys to Answered Prayer.” I just wrote it. It’s, I think, the newest book that we’ve got out and I’ll send you a free copy of that, Susan, “Keys to Answered Prayer.” But very quickly, pray in faith. In other words, when you pray, believe that God is going to hear your prayers. Then also regarding the Scripture that you just quoted, if there is any area in your life where you are living out of harmony with God’s revealed will that can obstruct the answers to prayer. You would want to, of course, pray for forgiveness for the sins…

Susan: Yeah.

Pastor Doug: …and God promise us that if we repent and confess, He will forgive our sins and then pray according to His will. Sometimes, don’t forget, prayer must be persistent. Don’t give up quickly. Sometimes we pray over something. Elijah prayed seven times before the rain came. And oh, I hate doing this to you because it’s a good question, Susan, but we are taking a break and the music is chasing us into that, right now. Please ask for the book, “Keys to Answered Prayer,” we’ll be happy to send it to you. And read that and I trust that God will answer your prayers.

For our friends who may have just joined us, we are just getting ready to take a break. We have another half an hour of Bible questions. If you have a Bible question you’d like to ask, it’s a free phone call in North America, 800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297. You can also listen on the Internet. Simply go to amazingfacts.org, also find out about all our other resources there and free offers and books. We’ll be right back!

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Welcome back to Bible Answers Live with Doug Batchelor. Because this is a pre-recorded broadcast of our Sunday night program, call from 7 to 8 P.M. Pacific Time on Sundays with your Bible-related questions. Receive clear, practical answers from the Bible about prophecy doctrine, biblical principles. Call 800-GOD-SAYS, 800-463-7297. Now, join us as we open our Bibles for more Bible answers live with author and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.

Pastor Doug: Welcome, listening friends, and if you’ve just tuned in, this is Bible Answers Live and as you can tell from the title of the program, it is a live, interactive, international program. You’re welcome to give us a call. My name is Doug Batchelor and…

Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross.

Pastor Doug: Pastor Ross is sitting in for Pastor Dick Devitt who is out tonight and I think we might be ready to go right back to the phones.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Let’s go to Marvin listening on the Internet from Spokane, Washington. Marvin, welcome to the program! Your question, please.

Marvin: Yes. Where did Christ Jesus’ sacrifice [inaudible 00:31:13] policy about that? Man is supposed to be the leader. Isn’t it?

Pastor Doug: Yes.

Marvin: Because I was… my case, my wife is supposed to inspire me. Can she take over and supplement what I don’t know how to lead?

Pastor Doug: Well…

Marvin: What’s the policy about that—the woman, can she take over when a man can’t fulfill it?

Pastor Doug: That’s a good question, Marvin. Let me share with you—I just studied that this week in our church. There are areas. Now, men should be the priest-leaders in their family. But there are areas where you can give the authority to your wife. And the very fact you’re giving it to her doesn’t mean you’re no longer the authority or the leader in the family. In my family, I don’t even own a checkbook. My wife—I’ve basically just… she’s better with finances. She has that gift so I trust her with that. She’s got… she’s a lot better with the laundry than I am but I help wash the dishes.

Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing]

Pastor Doug: I mean, there’s… and matter of fact, I do a lot of the cleaning, too. So, you know, you have an understanding of what your different gifts are and you might delegate those. And there are some men who stay home and the woman might do more of the principal work. As long as they have an understanding and she is respecting his spiritual leadership…

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Pastor Doug: …in the family. You know, there’s a lot of different arrangements based on what the gifts are. So there’s nothing wrong with that, Marvin. It doesn’t mean that you’re not the man if your wife has gifts in some areas where you don’t have them.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. Absolutely!

Pastor Doug: Is that how it works in your family, Jëan?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes. Well, we try to make it that way.

Pastor Doug: Yeah [laughing].

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s how it works [laughing]. Alright, well, thank you again, Marvin, for your call. We appreciate it. We got…

Pastor Doug: Oh, by the way, Marvin. If you like that free lesson we have on “Keys to a Happy Marriage,” we’ll send that to you for free—“Keys to a Happy Marriage.”

Pastor Jëan Ross: Let me give you the number for that, Marvin. It’s 800-835-6747 and just ask for the study guide, “Keys to a Happy Marriage.” We’re going to go to Merly. She’s also listening on the Internet, Bronx, New York. And Merly, welcome to the program! Your question, please.

Merly: Yes, hi there! Good evening, Pastor Doug Batchelor and Jëan Ross. How are you today?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Good!

Pastor Doug: Thank you for your patience.

Merly: No problem. Thank you! I just have a… I wanted to know if there was a Bible Scripture. I was in amazingfacts.org today and I was glancing through the videos and the booklets, and so on and so forth. I saw this particular video that says, “God in Government.” Now, my question, pretty much, pertains to the pledging of the flag. When you pledge the flag, would that be considered a church/state had the saying where in… is it giving it exaltation to the flag when you do something like that or is there something in the Bible stating, you know? This is the question I’ve been asking for quite some time. No one seems to be able to give me an answer on this.

Pastor Doug: Well, I don’t know that I can give you any Scripture that talks about a flag per sé.

Merly: Right.

Pastor Doug: But I’ll do my best. And that video you’re referring to, “God in Government,” is a sermon I did a couple of years ago addressing some of the church/state issues about a very…

Merly: I haven’t ordered… I’m sorry to interrupt you. I haven’t ordered the video but I just saw the title of it. I’m like, “Oh!” [Laughing]

Pastor Doug: It made you think.

Merly: Yes.

Pastor Doug: Well, let me try to answer your question. I personally do not believe that there is any moral dilemma for a Christian saying the pledge of allegiance because there is not a conflict between being a citizen in a country—the Bible tells us that we are to respect the governing powers—and being a citizen in heaven. Some people are benefitted with what they call “dual citizenship” and it is possible, of course, to be a citizen of the kingdom of heaven and yet know that we still operate here on the kingdom below and we should respect our government especially in the United States where we’re able to practice our religion freely. So the pledge to the allegiance is simply saying that you do respect the laws of the land. You plan… and patriotism is not a sin.

I don’t believe a Christian wants their priorities flip upside down so they get so involved in the politics and earthly governments that that becomes… that eclipses that they are an ambassador of another kingdom. But there’s no moral dilemma or no moral violation for saying the pledge of allegiance. I mean, after all, it says, “One nation under God.” It’s recognizing the authority of God and I still say that…

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Merly: I see what you’re saying.

Pastor Doug: …even though I’m in California [laughing].

Merly: [Laughing] So you’re saying because it says, “under God,” they’re just giving recognition to God even though the nation isn’t under God and they’re still… I understand. I think I understand what you’re saying.

Pastor Doug: Yeah. Well, you know…

Merly: It’s a really touchy subject, I think.

Pastor Doug: It is a touchy subject.

Merly: Yes.

Pastor Doug: I don’t believe that we’ve crossed the line yet where God has withdrawn His blessing from our country. You know why? Because we still have freedom to worship.

Merly: Amen! [Laughing]

Pastor Doug: Even though there’s a lot of wickedness in high places…

Merly: Yeah.

Pastor Doug: …and there’s a lot of areas where I think the government is endorsing immorality in the name of freedom…

Merly: Right. Okay.

Pastor Doug: …and that’s unfortunate, still, the most important freedom is the freedom—we are a country without a pope or without a king—meaning that we’re not being ruled by totalitarian government and we have those freedoms to worship according to the dictates of our conscience…

Merly: Right.

Pastor Doug: …which is a very precious thing that we should honor.

Merly: Okay. Okay.

Pastor Doug: I’ve been around the world and I’m not going anywhere else.

Merly: Oh, okay [laughing]. That sounds good, thank you very much. I appreciate your opinions…

Pastor Doug: Alright.

Merly: Thank you again.

Pastor Doug: God bless, Merly.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Thank you for your call, Merly. We’re going to take our next caller right away. Frank is joining us from New York City. Hi Frank. Thanks for joining the program! Your question, please.

Frank: Okay. Genesis 6:3, “And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever but he indeed is flesh, and his days shall be 120 years.”

Pastor Doug: Okay.

Frank: Okay. Is this when man… when God said they’re going to live 120 years, was this where it started?

Pastor Doug: No. Well, first of all, man lived much longer than that for several…

Frank: Oh, of course, we know that. No worries…

Pastor Doug: Do you have your radio on in the background? You might want to turn that down.

Frank: Okay, hold on one second.

Pastor Doug: Because sometimes, there’s a delay and that creates confusion for people. But… are you there, Frank? I didn’t know how far away his radio was [laughing].

Pastor Jëan Ross: [Laughing]

Frank: Hello. Hello?

Pastor Doug: Alright, Frank.

Pastor Jëan Ross: There he is!

Frank: I’m sorry [laughing].

Pastor Doug: Let me do my best to answer your question.

Frank: Sure.

Pastor Doug: When God gave that word, “My Spirit will not always strive with man. His days will be 120 years…”

Frank: Right.

Pastor Doug: …right after this is when God calls Noah and says He’s going to destroy the world. It’s believed by most scholars that it was 120 years…

Frank: Right.

Pastor Doug: …from when God called Noah until the flood came…

Frank: Okay.

Pastor Doug: …because Noah lived 900 years and Seth and…

Frank: Yeah, right. Sure, sure.

Pastor Doug: …Shem, Ham—they all lived hundreds of years beyond 120.

Frank: Right, right.

Pastor Doug: So, hopefully that helps a little bit.

Frank: No, it don’t. It didn’t because what I got confused was now, if… can you please read Job 42:16?

Pastor Doug: Alright. You talking about how long Job lived?

Frank: Yeah!

Pastor Doug: So what’s the problem?

Frank: It says he lived 140.

Pastor Doug: Yeah?

Frank: How come it was meant…this is where I got confused. How come it says 120 here?

Pastor Doug: Now, well… see, the point I’m making is God did not set the limit of man’s lifespan at 120 years. God said there is 120 years for man to repent before the world is destroyed. “My Spirit will not always strive.” And then you go to, I think it’s 1 Peter, Pastor Jëan, where it says, “By that same Spirit, God preached in the days of Noah.”

Frank: Okay…

Pastor Doug: And so, it’s saying for 120 years, God strove with the people in the days of Noah before the flood. He was not limiting the lifespan to 120 years. I mean, one of the longest lived people—Moses, of course—120 years. Moses’ brother, Aaron, lived 123 years and then even after Noah, Moses and Aaron, and Miriam, you’ve got a high priest, Jehoiada, who, I think lived 130 years. So they had some long-livers [laughing]. Yeah, “long livers” and “long kidneys.”

Frank: Right. And I say… forgive me, I’m sorry that I’m not going against your word but I just got confused right there, you know.

Pastor Doug: Yeah.

Frank: Of course, when He said 120, and I didn’t really, you know, quite went to the whole thing yet.

Pastor Doug: You know, it’s very interesting because I heard a scientific study this week where they’re saying that there’s evidence that men may have lived centuries—scientific evidence—long ago. And it’s interesting that almost all of the ancient cultures say that they’re early leaders and kings live very, very long lives. It’s a very interesting study. So, evidently, there’s Bible… historical and scientific support that something’s happened in our environment that shortened man’s lifespan, not lengthen it.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely!

Pastor Doug: Of course, reason, medicines help. Yes. Now, I’m rambling [laughing].

Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Frank, again, thank you for your call. It was a good question. Let’s take our next caller, Thomas. And he is listening on KVVP and Thomas… Thomas, welcome to the program! Thomas, are you there? Hi! Thomas?

Thomas: Yes.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Welcome to the program! We can take your question.

Thomas: Thank you. I’m a first time caller and I’m calling concerning a prophet. I want to know if a prophet or a prophetess says something that is contrary or rather, what they prophesy, what they say doesn’t come to pass… and I have an example here and it said, “I also saw that Old Jerusalem will never be built up.”

And I was asking I could say the name but you know probably who I’m talking about. And this was in the book called “Early Writings” on page 15, and it says 1948, Old Jerusalem has been built up and is still being built up. So what I want to know is this person is probably a prophetess of God and they’re saying [inaudible 00:41:20] happen what they say, that will make them a true prophet of God. And I’ll hang up and I’ll listen to your answer and I appreciate your answering this question. I enjoy your program.

Pastor Doug: Alright, thank you very much. Well, let me read to you something from Deuteronomy 18:22, “When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is a thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him.” But it goes on also to say that, “If a prophet prophesies something that does happen but then he says, ‘Let’s go follow other gods,’ that is a false prophet.” Because you know, let’s face it. There are some prophets out there that have been able to, you know, predict certain events for whatever reasons.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah.

Pastor Doug: Sometimes the devil will inspire a prophet to prophesy something. The devil will make the event happen and then people say, “Wow! Look, it happened!” And they say—I think, who was it? Jeane Dixon who seemed to predict, was it Kennedy’s assassination? And all of a sudden, she became very popular. Well, most her other prophecies fell flat.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Pastor Doug: But she used astrology. And so, basically, worshipped other gods by doing that. Well, that’s a false prophet. Now, Thomas was asking about something more specific. Are other prophecies conditional? For instance, Jonah walked up and down the streets of Nineveh and he said in 40 days, the city will be destroyed. And of course, the condition for that was the sins of the people.

When the people repented, and God said, “Look, I’m going to forestall this judgment,” which He did. And so, there are examples where prophets have made predictions that were… they had criteria for fulfillment—they’re conditional prophecies.

Pastor Jëan Ross: And everything a prophet said is not necessarily inspired all the time.

Pastor Doug: Yeah.

Pastor Jëan Ross: There are things that they said that would not definitely were inspired necessarily…

Pastor Doug: Well, let me give you an example. Nathan, the prophet, came to David one time. And David said, “I want to build a Temple for the Lord.” Nathan said, “Go for it, the Lord is with you.”

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Pastor Doug: And then, later, the word of the Lord comes to Nathan and says, “Now, by the word of the Lord, I’m telling you, David is not supposed to build the House but Solomon is.”

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Pastor Doug: So he had to go back to David and say, “Well, I was speaking from my own wisdom before but now, the word of the Lord has told me don’t build the House.” Samuel, the prophet, was told to go anoint a king in Bethlehem and when the oldest son of Jesse stood before him, Samuel said to himself, “Ah! Surely, the Lord’s anointed is before me.” And God said, “No, that’s not him. You’re looking on the outside. You’re supposed to look on the heart.” So prophets were people. And sometimes, they said things of their own. If it wasn’t a “Thus saith the Lord,” well, then, it’s not a prophecy.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. And prophets need to be honest and a true prophet is honest. They’ll acknowledge, “Well, this is not from God but this is what I think.”

Pastor Doug: A matter of fact, even Paul sometimes says, “I say this by permission and not by commandment.” In other words, “My judgment is but I don’t have a word from God on this.”

Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely. Let’s go to our next caller. George is listening to us and she’s on a cellphone. Georgia, welcome to the program!

George: Yes. Hello, can you hear me?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi there! Yes.

George: Okay. Hi, how are you? I’m actually… I found Christ about a year and a half ago and He’s changed my life. Thank God for that. But I actually had a very good friend who is from India—very dear friend, very close friend of mine. And she sent me a book, you know, it’s a book and I [inaudible 00:44:52] of the book. But basically, it talked about reincarnation. And her state is that she’s a Sikh. In any case, what my question is to you guys is if you could possibly shed some light on it because I’m a young Christian and I’m… and I…

Pastor Doug: Would you like me to talk a little about reincarnation then?

George: Yeah. In the context of the Bible and if I can get some clarity because, I mean, I read the book. It was actually a psychologist who had a scientific background and who did a case study on this one woman. And it was so compelling and convincing and it sort of confused me. And I was wondering if you could shed some light…

Pastor Doug: Alright, well I…

George: …I’d appreciate that.

Pastor Doug: …am glad you’re asking your question, George. And I’ll do my best. Keep in mind, personally, I came from the background where when I finally came to believe in God, I was into the Eastern religions and I believed in reincarnation. And as I studied the Bible, I even tried at one point to make the Bible say that reincarnation must be true because I didn’t want to give it up. But the more I studied it, the Bible really only say just one reincarnation—and that’s when you’re resurrected for judgment or eternal life.

The idea that you die and come back, and die and come back, and die and come back is very unbiblical. The Bible says, “It’s appointed unto man once to die then the judgment.” Now, one of the promises with this reincarnation ideas is when a person comes… when a person is born and they say, “You know, I seem to have memories from another life.” Well, the Bible tells us that there are evil spirits out there that can plant the impressions in our minds. These fallen angels—evil spirits—have been alive for thousands of years. They know people who have lived before. They can implant memories and ideas and sensations and information in the mind of people who lived—who are alive today—information from Napoleon that these fallen angels knew about.

They can give to people who are living today and they can say, “Hey, I must have been Napoleon in the former life.” But what is really absurd about reincarnation is 99% of the people in the world don’t know anything about their supposed former life, so what benefit is it? If you can’t live… learn from the experience of a life you’ve lived, you’re really not reincarnated. You’re a new person! You know what I’m saying?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

George: Yeah.

Pastor Doug: And so, I guess it’s one of the ways that pagans deal with the fear that they have one life. They say, “Well, I’ll come back.” But the bottom-line is whatever you do in this life…

George: Okay.

Pastor Doug: …you’re going to pay for in your resurrection. That is the one reincarnation.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, and that’s good…

George: Okay.

Pastor Jëan Ross: …news. The good news is that a Christian’s hope is the Second Coming of Christ and resurrection, not coming back to this world in another life form and then just keeping the cycle going.

Pastor Doug: Yeah. The idea that you come back and, you know, one life one time around you’re human, the next time you’re a butterfly or frog, or rock, and… I mean, I used to believe these things and some world…

George: Yeah, I know. It just looks…

Pastor Doug: …religions, they say if you’re good, you come back as a cow. That’s where we get the expression, “Holy cow!”

George: [Laughing]

Pastor Doug: I mean, you know, that’s aspiration.

George: Yeah. No, it just said it was so compelling, the book itself, you know. This is a, you know, again… I mean, the only thing the devil and how he can deceive and I put my faith to Christ first.

Pastor Doug: Let me give you a verse. Let me give you a verse in Isaiah chapter 8. You got your Bible?

George: I don’t, sir...

Pastor Doug: Well, you got a pencil?

George: …I’m in the car.

Pastor Doug: Oh, okay. Can you remember? 8:20.

George: Yeah.

Pastor Doug: Isaiah 8:20.

George: Okay.

Pastor Doug: “To the law and to the testimony”—meaning the Law and the Prophets—“if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah says, “If they’re not going along with Scripture, there is no light.” And you can bet that the devil has inspired some people to write some compelling books—very clever books—that’s why he’s called the deceiver. It could be very convincing. And I used to believe these things so I can sympathize with you but hey, I tell you, it’s a very dangerous belief. The devil laughs when people believe that they just keep coming back until they get to heaven. Some, if they mess up their life, will never get another chance.

A matter of fact, if people mess up their life, then…

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s it!

Pastor Doug: …that’s it, yeah.

George: And that was Isaiah 8:20, is that right?

Pastor Doug: Isaiah 8:20. You can also read Isaiah 8:16, it’s similar.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright…

George: 8:16. Thank you, sirs. Thank you so much.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Thanks again for the call, George. We appreciate it. Our next caller is…

Pastor Doug: One more thought, George, if you’re still there, we’ll send you a free lesson you can read online or order it, “Are the Dead Really Dead?”

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s a good one.

Pastor Doug: That lesson will help you, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” and it explains the state of the dead biblically.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Let me quickly give you that resource number again. It’s 800-835-6747.

Pastor Doug: George, if you’re in the car and you can’t write it down, just remember “Amazing Facts.” If you type “Amazing Facts” into the Internet, it will take you to our website pretty quick.

Pastor Jëan Ross: And that’ll get it. Alright, our next caller is Matt, calling from Dallas, Texas. And Matt, welcome to the program! Your question, please.

Matt: Hey! How you doing?

Pastor Jëan Ross: Good!

Matt: I was actually calling and I heard a previous caller’s question about the… and you’re addressing the grieving away the Holy Spirit. I got friends and family asked me about this. And I got, “How do you know when you’ve done that or how do you know when it’s…” you know, I just don’t know like how you’d even know if you did the unpardonable sin. And I just have… I’m kind of not sure about it.

Pastor Doug: Well, you’ve probably heard the example before about boiling a frog that if you drop a frog into boiling water, he jumps out. But if you put a frog in lukewarm water and very slowly turn up the temperature, you can cook him and he won’t notice because it’s so gradual.

Grieving away the Holy Spirit is something like the boiling-frog-syndrome, in that, little by little, imperceptibly, people… it’s usually through procrastinating listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Slowly, the volume on our spiritual radio gets lower and lower. You know that conviction that we feel when the Holy Spirit says, “That’s wrong. You need to repent. You need to change. You need to turn.”

When Peter preached, it says the people there, their consciences were pierced and they said, “What should we do?” Well, when that voice of conviction gets weaker and weaker and the volume gets lower and lower, we get to where we don’t even hear the Holy Spirit anymore. You don’t know when did the radio get turned off. You never heard it really get turned off. It just got so faint, you couldn’t hear it anymore.

So, to put your finger on the moment when a person grieves away the Holy Spirit is difficult to do that’s why it’s so dangerous for us to procrastinate repentance. That’s why over and over in the Bible, whenever anybody was called to the Lord, it was always immediate. Jesus said, “Follow Me,” they dropped their nets and followed Him. They walked away from the tax booth and they followed Him. “Today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart.”

Pastor Jëan Ross: Amen!

Pastor Doug: “Now is the time of salvation.” Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Come down quickly.” I mean, whenever He calls, He calls us right away.

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.

Matt: So looks like… how would you…

Pastor Doug: How does a person know if he’d grieved away the Holy Spirit?

Matt: Yeah. It’s like… I got confused about like the prodigal son’s parable because you know how the prodigal son was away from, you know, it was a parable about being away from God for a long time and he came back. Like how would… is there like a set time or something like too long is too long or something?

Pastor Doug: Yes. When a person gets to a place where they’re not convicted by sin and they get to a place where they don’t feel a yearning to be holy and to know God, it may be because…

Matt: You’re careless…

Pastor Doug: …they’re different.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Pastor Doug: They’re careless. They’re indifferent. They may have grieved away the Holy Spirit. You know, there’s a book that talks about this and I wish I had offered this one earlier. It’s a classic by Joe Crews and it’s called, “Remember Lot’s Wife.” Remember, Lot’s wife looked back when…

Matt: It’s called what again?

Pastor Doug “Remember Lot’s Wife.” Lot’s wife. Remember Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah?

Matt: Oh, “Remember Lot’s…” okay, I got you.

Pastor Doug: Yeah, “Remember Lot’s Wife.” We’ll send you a free copy of that if you call the resource number.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, we can give you the resource number again. It’s 800-835-6747. And you know, Pastor Doug, often the person who’s worried about whether or not they’ve committed the unpardonable sin is proof that they haven’t committed the unpardonable sin.

Pastor Doug: Yeah. Their conscience is troubled.

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. So the Holy Spirit’s working on their heart. Well, let’s go to our next caller. Earl is listening on the Internet and he’s joining us from Chesapeake. Hi Earl, welcome to the program! And we’ll take your question.

Earl: Hi, good evening, gentlemen.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi!

Earl: My question has to do with Cain and Abel. As we all know, Cain killed Abel and he was banished. But it said after a time, he met his wife where they begat Enoch. And since that time, all the people were basically Adam and his children. My question is, and I can’t quite figure out, where did Cain’s wife come from?

Pastor Doug: It’s a good question. We have that question frequently and it’s because people starts reading through the Bible and they say, “Whoa! It’s right there in the beginning! It says Cain took his wife but where did she come from?” In the chronologies, you’re going to read, if you keep reading the Bible, it principally gives the firstborn son. The Bible chronologies deal with… or the genealogies, I mean to say. They deal with the… it’s a patriarchal culture. They deal with the man and they deal with the firstborn son because they were the ones who carried on the father’s name.

You read in Genesis 5 after Adam begat Seth, the days of Adam were 800 years. And then it says almost as a footnote, “And he had sons and daughters.” Not only did he have Seth and Cain and Abel, “and he had sons and daughters.” Now, it may seem strange but Cain, no doubt, married one of his sisters because back then… well, for one thing, there was no one else in the world to make faces when they did that. And that’s all there was. It was not considered inappropriate to marry close kin until the time of Moses. The genes were not defective because man had come from Adam and if you think about it, Adam basically married… his wife came from… he married one of his ribs.

Pastor Jëan Ross: From his rib, yeah [laughing].

Pastor Doug: [Laughing] So, Cain married his sister. Now, Abraham married his half-sister. He admits Sarah, “Sarah and I have the same father but different mothers.”

Earl: Right.

Pastor Doug: So…

Earl: I’ve read somewhere that incest was forbidden.

Pastor Doug: It wasn’t forbidden until the time of Moses. And the reason it’s forbidden…

Earl: Right.

Pastor Doug: …I’ve got a friend who married his sister but it’s a stepsister and they have no genealogical… different mother and father. But their parents are stepbrothers. And they got married and they’re allowed to do that. The reason you’re not allowed to marry your sister is because there is a genetic weaknesses and if you intermarry within a family, there’s a lot more propensity for disease and defects.

Earl: Okay.

Pastor Doug: So, by the time of Moses, they made laws about marrying. It says, “You’re not to look upon the nakedness of your sister or your…”

Pastor Jëan Ross: …father or mother.

Pastor Doug: “…cousin or…” yeah, so forth.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.

Earl: That’s great. Thank you.

Pastor Doug: Okay.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. I think we have time for another call, Pastor Doug.

Pastor Doug: Yeah, one or two more in here.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Jason is listening to us in Walla Walla, Washington. And Jason, welcome to the program! Thank you for your call. We’ll take your question.

Jason: Hello. I am calling to ask about why everything in the Old Testament is usually attributed to God and sin is only ever mentioned twice when a lot of people preach or talk about the fact that a lot of the things are Satan doing them. How are we to know the difference because I know a lot of people look at that and they’d say God tells them to do all these horrible things and they have a real problem with that.

Pastor Doug: So, your… what… your question is about Satan in the Old Testament or? I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking.

Jason: I’m asking whether God is responsible for all those things He’s attributed in the Old Testament or whether Satan is responsible for some of those and it was just understanding of God at the time.

Pastor Doug: Well, you know, you’re asking one of the big questions of the ages. Ultimately, evil is the source of the devil. I should say, the devil is the father of evil…

Pastor Jëan Ross: Maybe it’s just like when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Pastor Doug: Yeah, or where God says, “I allow evil.” In that passage, when God says “I allow evil,” it means He withdraws His protection and calamity comes.

Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.

Pastor Doug: But it doesn’t mean that God created evil. God created everything good—every good and perfect gift is from God. So Satan is the source of evil and temptation.

Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely!

Pastor Doug: Anyway, you know, we’ve got a lesson that deals with “Where Did the Devil Come From? Did God Make A Devil?” We’ll send that to you for free, Jason. “Did God Make A Devil?” Go to the number we’ve been giving every… during every offer.

For our listening friends, time’s up! God bless ‘til next week!

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