Jack Worm - From Rags to Riches

On a brisk day in 1949, Jack Worm, unemployed and broke, was walking along a San Francisco beach when he spied a sealed bottle on the shore with a piece of paper inside. Curious, he broke the bottle on a rock and unrolled the fated paper which read, "To avoid confusion, I leave my entire estate to the lucky person who finds this bottle, and to my attorney, Barry Cohen, share and share alike. Daisy Alexander, June 20, 1937."

Jack felt the amazing note deserved some investigation. It turned out the will was no joke. Daisy Alexander was a real person. She was born Daisy Singer of the Singer sowing machine family and had inherited some $12 million dollars of the family fortune. Two years before her death, she had written her simple will, corked it in a bottle and tossed into the Thames river near her home in London.

Oceanographers believed the bottle made its way down the Thames, across the North Sea, then above Scandinavia, Russia and Siberia, through the Bering Straits and into the Pacific Ocean, where it drifted south until it finally, after a 12-year ocean voyage, washed up onto that San Francisco beach.

Daisy Singer Alexander left no other will, so the courts accepted the theory that the heiress had written the note 12 years earlier and had thrown the bottle into the Thames river in London, from where it had drifted across the ocean to the feet of Jack Worm, who had been walking along the beach because he was out of a job and bankrupt.

Mr. Worm received $6 million dollars of Daisy's fortune and an additional $80,000 a year income from Singer stock. Amazing!

Did you know Jesus has written you into His will and promised a fantastic inheritance? But perhaps you think it's too good to be true. Stay with us friends. We're going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.

[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]

Pastor Doug: Welcome listening friends, you've found your way to Bible Answers Live. We wanted to welcome you this Memorial Day weekend to this Bible answer international study. If you have a Bible-related question, we'd encourage you to call in. It's a toll-free phone call. That number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297.

It's a free phone call and lines are open, so if you want to get your question in to the program tonight, it's a good time to pick up your phone and give us a call. We know that we have a lot of our listeners that are on the road tonight that may be traveling or camping; and we hope that, through providence of God, you've found your way to this broadcast.

At the beginning of every program, we start with a word of prayer. Pastor Jëan Ross right now is in England preaching the Word of God there. He will be back in, I think, two weeks. In the meantime, you be praying for me because with our engineering staff I'll be manning the phones. And so let's pray about that right now.

Father in heaven, thank You so much for this privilege and opportunity to be able to proclaim the Word of truth through this amazing technology of radio, and even through the Internet. We're praying that, through Your Spirit and Your angels, You will arrange appointments where people will hear just what they need to hear to touch and change their lives; and that the power of Your Word will be felt. Also, take control of the calls and the questions that come through, that all will bring glory to Your name. And it's in that name we pray, amen.

Well listening friends, I'm sure you would agree with me that it would certainly be very good news to be walking along the beach and discover a will; that all you had to do was pick it up and apply and inherit a fortune! Some people don't realize that, in the Word of God, there is an incredible inheritance that is available to anyone who will act on their faith and accept what Jesus has offered.

The Bible tells us that, through Christ's sacrifice, we can become heirs of eternal life and that nothing in this world is even worthy to be compared to what God has in store for those that love Him. That's the promise of God's Word by the Apostle Paul. And there is a kingdom. This world is not all there is. If you think that happiness comes from the abundance of things you possess in this life, this is nothing compared to the inheritance that the Lord has in store for you!

There is a kingdom, there is a heaven, a paradise that will last forever. Maybe you'd like to know how that you can inherit that and cash in on this will that Jesus has signed in His own blood. If you'd like to know more about that, we have a free offer. This is a beautiful book that will encourage you by Joe Crews, and it's simply called, "Heaven: Is It for Real?"

"Heaven: Is It for Real?" by Joe Crews. If you would like a free copy of this book, or maybe you'd like to talk to one of our online chaplains, then call 1-800-835-6747. Now that number is different from the number to ask a question. This is our resource number, 1-800-835-6747. Keep a pencil handy because there are other books and offers we have through the program; and we'll make that available to you.

Before we go to the phones, we have a couple of things we'd like to do. One of those things is I'd like to remind you that this best-selling book, the Da Vinci Code, is now on the big screen and it's already breaking records. For you who have heard a lot about this, you may already know the Da Vinci Code is a book and a movie now that is directly challenging and assaulting the Word of God, claiming that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

We have a book that will help encourage you in that, or it would be a great witnessing resource. We're encouraging people to buy these in quantity and then give them out--they're very inexpensive--people that come out of the theaters that might be thinking that this big secret of the Da Vinci Code, that Jesus really was married to Mary Magdalene.

There's been this big coverup of history. There's a book that they would pick right out of your hands if you gave it to them; and they'll find the truth about Christ, His divinity and His relationship with Mary. And it's a book called, "The Truth About Mary Magdalene." This has already been a best-seller, even before the Da Vinci Code came out. It has been reprinted with a beautiful cover, and it's what the Da Vinci Code doesn't tell you. "The Truth About Mary Magdalene."

If you go to the website, it's very simple, marytruth.com; or if you even go to amazingfacts.org, you'll find it there at our homepage as well. You'll find out about this ideal witnessing resource to combat the evil influence. I'd go so far as to say it's a blasphemous influence of the Da Vinci Code book and movie. And I wouldn't say much about it because there's all kinds of things our there; but when 40 to 45 million people read something or watch a movie, it is having an impact on the culture and the thinking.

So take advantage of that resource please. Before we go to the phones, we want to answer some Internet questions. I'm just going to take one tonight because I've already talked too long. And the question is, "What about Easter Sunday? It says that Jesus supposedly died on Good Friday and that He rose the third day. They call that Easter Sunday, but the Bible says He was in the grave three days and three nights. How can it be three days and three nights between Friday and Sunday? Maybe three days, but not three nights."

Well that is a common question that is based upon a misunderstanding. People often read in Matthew 12 where Jesus said, "As Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights." It's the only place in the Bible that verse is found.

The "heart of the earth" is not talking about the tomb. It is a reference to when Jesus would be in the clutches of the devil and begin suffering for the sins of the world. In the same way that Jonah was a captive of the whale wherever the fish took him, Jesus, beginning Thursday night, was arrested by the Mob; He began to suffer for the sins of the world, not when He was on the cross, but they began to beat and abuse Him Thursday night.

So you have Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night. For three days and three nights, Christ was in the "heart of the earth," meaning the clutches of this wicked world, suffering for the sins of the world. And we have another book that we'll send you a free copy if you'd like to know more about this.

It's called, The Sign of Jonah, written by yours truly. The Sign of Jonah; and if you'll call our resource number, 1-800-835-6747, tell them you'd like to read The Sign of Jonah. It explains that verse in much more detail. I think it's time to go to the phones friends. So we're going to begin by talking to Antoinette calling from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and listening on the Internet. Welcome to the program Antoinette.

Antoinette: Thank you. Hi Pastor Doug.

Pastor Doug: Hi

Antoinette: What does it mean to pray in the Holy Spirit, according to Jude 1:20; and does Isaiah 28:11 prove speaking in tongues?

Pastor Doug: Alright, well there's really two questions there. First of all, I don't believe a genuine Christian should ever want to pray in anything other than the Holy Spirit. There are people who are religious that pray for other reasons. Jesus talked about people who prayed to be seen of men. They pray long prayers to impress others, but the prayers don't get any higher than the ceiling because they're not praying to God. They're praying to be seen of men.

So, in the Bible--and let's face it--sometimes people pray over their food, or their good night prayer, and their prayers become repetitive, habitual. The Lord wants us to pray in the Spirit. Our prayers should be fervent, real and from the heart, that we're really communicating. We're not going through a ritual of reciting certain words over and over again we're not even thinking about.

So praying in the Spirit means real prayer, as opposed to praying to be seen of men, or ritualistic, habitual prayer, where we're just saying the same thing over and over again.

Antoinette: Okay

Pastor Doug: So if you think about it, what would be the opposite of praying in the Spirit? Praying without the Spirit. Should a Christian pray like that?

Antoinette: No

Pastor Doug: Alright. So some people assume praying in the Spirit means speaking in tongues, which is, I think, the second part of your question. I would respectfully disagree. I think when Paul and Jude are talking about praying in the Spirit, they mean praying spirit-filled prayers. You read the prayers in Daniel chapter 9 and the prayer of Hannah. She prayed with such fervency; she was probably swaying back and forth and crying. Eli thought she was drunk!

Antoinette: Right

Pastor Doug: That was a spirit-filled prayer. She wasn't speaking in tongues, but it was an intense prayer.

Antoinette: Right

Pastor Doug: And I think this is what the appeal is of these verses, to pray in the Spirit.

Antoinette: How about Isaiah 28:11?

Pastor Doug: Let me go there real quick. I hadn't opened that up yet. Isaiah 28:11; and what specifically about this are you wondering?

Antoinette: Um, because I've heard this is the Scripture that proves speaking in tongues, or praying in tongues, or whatever. So I just wanted to run that by you to see what you thought?

Pastor Doug: Oh, no. Let me read this for our friends. Isaiah 28:11, "For with stammering lips and another tongue he will speak to this people." This is really a reference back. Do you remember when God called Moses and God said, "I want you to go tell Pharaoh, 'Let My people go'"?

Antoinette: Right

Pastor Doug: And Moses said, "You know, I haven't spoken Hebrew in 40 years. I've been here in Midian. My tongue is slow." And God said, "Who makes the tongue? I will give you the ability. I'll be with you. I will be with your tongue." And, certainly we know the record, that He was.

Antoinette: Right

Pastor Doug: In the book of Acts, it is true that God gave the supernatural ability to the disciples to speak in languages they did not formerly know. And so, I believe in the gift of tongues. I think it's often a misapplied gift. They say that you know someone has the Holy Spirit by whether or not they speak in tongues; but the fact is nowhere are we told to judge people based on the gifts of the Spirit. They are to be judged based on the fruit of the Spirit.

Antoinette: Right

Pastor Doug: You'll know them by their fruits, not their gifts.

Antoinette: Right

Pastor Doug: You know, I have a book on this. It's called, Captured by Tongues. Antoinette, if you call the resource number, 1-800-835-6747, we'll send you a free copy of Captured by Tongues. And I go through a lot of the verses on tongues. I'm not sure I mention Isaiah 28:11, but a lot of the others. You can also read it for free online.

If you go to amazingfacts.org; and to go to the free library, you can find Captured by Tongues and just read it right there. Anybody. Thank you for your question. Next we're going to talk to Mike, who's calling from Minneapolis, Minnesota, listening on WMEQ. Welcome Mike, you're on the air.

Mike: Hi Pastor Doug.

Pastor Doug: Hi, thanks for waiting.

Mike: Happy Memorial Day.

Pastor Doug: Thanks, you too.

Mike: I have a question here. How do you respond to people who say that the laws of God are no longer binding? Now before you answer, I want to tell you how this came about.

Pastor Doug: Alright

Mike: I was listening to a radio program--a Christian radio station--and a program similar to this. And people were...caller after caller was matching this minister verse-for-verse about on subjects like people don't burn in hell forever; and the Sabbath should be on Saturday rather than Sunday. Finally at the end, cornered, this minister said, 'Well there are certain laws that were uh, that they, that'--

Pastor Doug: They're not binding huh?

Mike: Yeah like, for example, he said back in the days of the Bible, and then even in Jesus' day, they would stone people to death who were caught in the act of adultery. He said we don't do that anymore. He said, should we? So the implication is then we don't have to keep the Sabbath law anymore.

Pastor Doug: Alright. Well let me go back and address some of what you've said here. First of all, there are different laws in the Bible that God clearly describes. The distinction that God made between the Ten Commandments and the other ceremonial laws and ordinances is very clear.

The very fact that God spoke the Ten Commandments with His own voice, wrote them with His own finger, placed them in the very center of the holiest place on the planet--I mean, the Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy of Holies, which was in the holy temple, which was on the holy mount, in the holy land. And that was all the target of that holiness was the law of God, the Ten Commandments.

Under a theocracy, when the government, where it was where God was their King, they did fulfill the execution for a number of those laws. One of them was adultery. Not only did they execute people for breaking the Sabbath, they executed people, of course, for murder; they executed people for adultery, and for idolatry. So, would we say today that, well, obviously, since we don't kill people for committing adultery, adultery must be okay? That would be silly, right Mike?

Mike: Right

Pastor Doug: And then, of course, it is true there are some of the ceremonial laws, like circumcision and the sacrificing of lambs, that were part of the old covenant that were nailed to the cross. But the Ten Commandments was written on stone. The ceremonial laws were written by the hand of Moses on paper. And there must be a big distinction made between those two.

Jesus died for our sins. Sin is the transgression of the law. For someone to say the law is not binding, well why not just--Jesus didn't even have to die then, if the law is not binding. And,

"Where there is no law," Paul says, "there is no sin." So, you know, if there's no law, then there's no sin, then who needs a Savior anymore?

Mike: That makes sense.

Pastor Doug: So it's a really a diabolical doctrine, when ministers are telling people that God's Ten Commandment law is not binding. In any event, I hope that helps a little bit.

Mike: Yes

Pastor Doug: You know, we have a book we'll send you on that that answers that better too. It's called, "Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?" and maybe that will help a little bit. Thanks for your question Mike. Next, we're talking to--is it Hartley--who's calling on the Internet from Arlington, Texas. Is it Harley? I'm sorry.

Harley: Yes

Pastor Doug: Hi, how are you?

Harley: Fine. How are you? I just have a real quick question. It's regarding--I think it's a misunderstood text on James 5:15, where it says, "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." I'm doing a study with somebody and, you know, they happen to believe that, you know, like, if somebody is in a coma and they pray for their sin, that they will be forgiven and they will be saved. I'm having a hard time trying to, I guess, disprove that.

Pastor Doug: Well, I know a lot of people misunderstand that verse regarding prayer for healing in James. In James chapter 5, he's talking about sickness that could be directly connected with sin in the life. And when we pray for that person and they are willing to forsake their sins, they will be healed of that sickness.

Let me give you an example. You look at verse 19, chapter 5, verse 19, "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converted the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins." So the context of this passage is dealing with people who are suffering the results of sin.

So someone who is sick because of a sin in their life, they can pray for forgiveness for that sin, and they could be healed from the results of that sin. But this is not a verse that is giving a comprehensive promise that, "if you go through this ritual, no matter what you're sick from, you will be healed;" because if that's true, then why did Paul have a thorn in his side of some sickness where he was afflicted? It never was healed.

Harley: Right

Pastor Doug: Why did Elisha die of a lingering sickness? And he had a double portion of Elijah's spirit.

Harley: Right, and this--

Pastor Doug: So it needs to be read in context. It's talking about specific sin.

Harley: Right. And this doesn't mean either, right, that we can pray for other people's sins?

Pastor Doug: Well no. You can pray and intercede in behalf of others for their forgiveness. I mean, that's why Jesus said, "Father, forgive them." There's nothing wrong with asking God to forgive the sins of others. When Stephen was stoned, he said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." And in John it says if any man see his brother that sins a sin that is not unto death, you should pray for them, that they would find forgiveness.

Harley: Okay

Pastor Doug: Now those are people who are seeking victory and forgiveness.

Harley: Okay. But still, it is the individual who needs to make, I guess, the final decision? I mean, it was the Lord, right?

Pastor Doug: Yes

Harley: Because it says, "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick." It doesn't mean because I pray for his sin, he is saved now?

Pastor Doug: Well no--well first of all, you would assume that if God miraculously heals them, they are in a saved condition. Notice it says, "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." There's a connection here between the healing and the forgiveness at one event. The anointing of the elders, you have that one thing happening. Does that make sense, Harley?

Harley: Yeah, yes it does. I know it doesn't mean that because I pray. It's because I have a friend who's in a coma and they're praying for him. And now they're saying, 'Well you know, he's saved because I prayed for his sins and they're forgiven.' And, you know--

Pastor Doug: Well we can't play God--

Harley: Right

Pastor Doug: --and intercede, I mean, that's really the Lord's decision.

Harley: Right

Pastor Doug: And I do believe God can heal someone from a coma. I mean, He's done that before, [cross talking] but--

Harley: Yes. Oh yes, yes, right. I believe that too, but they're taking this text and making that application to it.

Pastor Doug: Well they're looking for threads of hope and so they're coming up with some desperate interpretations. But that's not safe to assume that you can pray for someone else, who basically has gone to sleep.--

Harley: Right

Pastor Doug: --Maybe they were in a lost condition when they went into their coma.

Harley: Right

Pastor Doug: I think that that's wishful thinking. It's risky. I hope that helps a little bit Harley. We're going to try and get a couple more questions in before we go to our break. Next we're talking with Robert, who's calling from Alaska. And your question, Robert?

Robert: Hi Pastor Doug. My question is about homosexuality. I know the Bible teaches that homosexuality is not God's will, that it's a sin. But I have some people that I know that are homosexual; and they keep asking me why it's a sin in God's eyes, if they're in a committed relationship? And I don't understand how to explain why it's a sin?

Pastor Doug: Well, does being in a committed relationship automatically mean that something is okay? What if two people divorce their spouses without Biblical grounds, and they get together and they say, "But we're in a committed relationship"? Is that relationship blessed, even though one is a man and one is a woman?

Robert: No

Pastor Doug: So using the "committed" card does not endorse something that may be forbidden by God. And God's Word clearly forbids the perversion of homosexuality. There may be people who are tempted with that, or they have those tendencies. And if they're resisting those tendencies and following the Lord, God can save them. But if a person is practicing something that God calls a perversion, that's sin.

Robert: Yeah, but their question to me is why does God call it perversion, and I don't understand how to answer them.

Pastor Doug: Paul, in Romans chapter 1, he says even nature itself teaches us. It doesn't matter how uneducated or primitive the culture of the world is, they figured out that men and women make a team; and that's how you procreate. It's a real simple thing to figure out. Men and men, sexually, is a perversion. The perversion means it's taken out of it's intended use.

It doesn't matter if they have these desires. That doesn't make it right. Some people have desires for little children. Are we going to say, "Well that's how they've been made, it's not their fault"? Some people, it's, you know, awful to think about, they've got desire for animals; and so we should say, "Well you know, that's how God made them, so what's wrong? If the animal, and this guy and his sheep that are happy, why? They're committed, it doesn't...."? I mean, some things are perversion. And you can't just say, "As long as they're committed, it's okay."

So the homosexual community, it has been desperately coming up with some creative attempts to try to validate something the Bible clearly forbids. And God's Word isn't going to change. I don't want to be unloving or sound uncompassionate for people who are struggling with this, but God's Word isn't changing. But the grace of Jesus can help these people get the victory. I know--

Robert: Okay, thank you.

Pastor Doug: Alright. I hope that helps. Thanks Robert. Oh, by the way Robert, we've got a book on that too. It's a book called, Return to Sodom. It's dealing with some of what is happening with the homosexual and gay agenda globally right now and trying to normalize that lifestyle. We'll send you a free copy if you'd like that, Return to Sodom. That's written by Gary Gibbs.

Oh, three minutes. Can I do one more question? I'm going to try. Talking to Chuck, calling from Davenport, Iowa, from KRQC. That's where he's listening. Chuck, you're on the air.

Chuck: Hi Pastor Doug

Pastor Doug: Thanks for waiting.

Chuck: Yes, thank you for taking my call. My question refers to John 3:16, where it talks about anyone who believes in Him will not perish. My question is, what is Biblical belief? And I ask the question thinking about those people who really have no interest in the things of God, or are occasional church goers, who, if you ask them, would say, "Oh yes, I believe." But you see no fruit, you see no interest, that kind of thing. So how can you,--

Pastor Doug: Good question.

Chuck: I feel like I have to tell them, 'You're not a Christian,' to tell them how to be a Christian.

Pastor Doug: Yeah. There are some people who use the word "belief" in a cheap way. In other words, James says the devils believe and tremble; so just believing that Jesus exists, or even believing that He died, doesn't automatically save us.

The key to understanding John 3:16 is going back a few verses. Jesus talks in verse 14 about as Moses lifted up the serpent. When people who had been bitten by the venom of these serpents in the wilderness, looked in faith at this bronze serpent that was on a pole, to the shepherd that meant a defeated serpent.

A lot of shepherds back then kept a stick and they would club these serpents that would wound the sheep, and then lift it up with the stick and then carry it away. So a serpent lifted up on a stick meant a dead or defeated serpent. And it's by looking in faith through the death of Christ, when He is lifted up, that the serpent was defeated by His death. And by believing that, we're healed.

Now the reason the children of Israel also knew, is because they were healed by looking and believing. Those who would not look in faith didn't find healing. You know, I also like--Chuck, I know I'm about to run out of time before our break--but I just wanted to remind you. In Daniel chapter 6, when he comes out of the lions' den, it says the lions did not hurt him because He believed in His God.

Well, Daniel's belief was seen in action. And it was an action where he put the Word of God ahead of the laws of men, and he acted on his belief, and even put his life on the line. That's the kind of belief that's missing today. It means to "be live." Whoever "be lives" in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

Friends, you hear the music in the background. That just means we're getting ready to take a break. If you want to check the website in the meantime, it's simply amazingfacts.org. And we have a virtual tree of life there filled with resources for you and your personal study. Take advantage of that.

Also, don't forget to check out bibleuniverse.com. You can sign up for our free, online prophecy Bible studies; and you can learn a lot about Bible prophecy. We'll be right back.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

Pastor Doug: Welcome back, listening friends. This is Bible Answers Live. If you have just tuned in, this is a live, international, interactive Bible study. You're invited to call in your Bible questions. We have some lines open. And that number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that's 1-800-463-7297. Please keep a pen, pencil or a piece of chalk handy because we're also going to give out our resource number and there are chaplains available for counseling there.

Also, we have free resources we give away. But right now we want to get back to our phones. Let me look and see who's been waiting patiently here. Going to talk with Archie, who is listening on the Internet, calling from--I can't say that--Indiana somewhere. Hi Archie, you're on the air.

Archie: Hi

Pastor Doug: How do you say your town?

Archie: Wolkaville [?]

Pastor Doug: Wolkenville [?]

Archie: Wolkaville [?]

Pastor Doug: Wolka--well I told you I couldn't say it. And your question?

Archie: [Chuckles] Yes, my question is in Judges 11, verse 31, a certain man was going to war with another country and he made a vow to God that whatever comes out of his house he would sacrifice to the Lord as a burnt offering.

Pastor Doug: This is Jephthah.

Archie: Yes. And whenever he got done, he was victorious and he comes home in peace. And his daughter comes out of his house first; and which, obviously, very upset him. And then in verse 39 further on, it says, you know, after she lamented her virginity in the mountains and everything, she come back after two months, and he did as what he had vowed to God. He did not sacrifice her to the Lord, did he?

Pastor Doug: No. He didn't sacrifice her at all. This is an often misunderstood verse. Jephthah made this vow that whatever came through his gates he would offer as a burnt offering to his Lord. In Bible times, they had ranches; and they had their goats, and they had their sheep, and they had their cows, their domestic animals. And it was not uncommon to have these creatures come out and meet you when you come home.

I used to have goats when I lived up in the hills. When I came home, they ran out to meet us. He thought, "Whatever comes out to meet me, I'll offer." Well, the Bible tells us that they already had a law that all the firstborn were offered to the Lord. But instead of humans, they could offer an animal as a substitute.

The problem was, when Jephthah made this vow and his daughter was the first one out of the gate, so to speak, he knew then that he was going to have to consecrate her to the temple, to serve God the way Samuel did, but she would never marry. And he would have no more offspring.

And so, for him to consecrate his only daughter and have no offspring was one of the worst things that could happen. Now you might be saying, "Doug, how do you know that?" It's the same way Hannah brought her son. Every year, Hannah came up to see Samuel and she brought him a coat. You notice as you read on in this verse, it says that the daughters of Israel went up to bewail the virginity of the daughter of Jephthah. And that's verse 40.

They went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah. They went to see her because now she's at the temple and she can never marry. You'll also read in the Bible, in the book of Luke, it talks about Anna, who served the Lord in the sanctuary for 80 years. And she had never married from her widowhood.

So there are a number of examples in the Bible how this was done. Jephthah did not offer his daughter as a burnt offering. He knew that he would have to consecrate her to the Lord; but to offer a human offering to the Lord would be very offensive to the people of Israel, because humans are unclean.

If a donkey came out of his gate, he would not have offered a donkey. Instead of a donkey, he would have offered a cow, because you cannot offer an unclean animal.

Archie: Right

Pastor Doug: So he was just saying he would make a sacrifice to the Lord of whatever came out of his gates.

Archie: And the reason why he was so upset is because his daughter would be a virgin.

Pastor Doug: He would have no offspring--yeah. You notice she's not bewailing her life on the mountain. She's bewailing her virginity because she could never get married now.

Archie: I see. And that makes a lot more sense to me because, you know, it just, I knew my God would not do that.

Pastor Doug: No. A lot of people have gotten upset reading this. You're not the only one; because they think, "Was God endorsing human, burnt sacrifice??"

Archie: What it sounded like when I read it--and that's the reason for the question--but, you know,--[cross talk]

Pastor Doug: And keep in mind, Jephthah was a judge of Israel. He was the spiritual leader at that time. He knew better than to offer human sacrifice to the Lord.

Archie: Yeah.

Pastor Doug: Hope that helps. You notice it says she was his only daughter. It's emphasizing he would have no offspring.

Archie: Alright. Thank you very much.

Pastor Doug: Thank you. Good question Archie. Next we're going to talk to Joaquin who is calling from Sun Valley, California, listening on the Internet. Joaquin, welcome to the program.

Joaquin: How are you doing Pastor?

Pastor Doug: Good, and your question?

Joaquin: I've been doing a study about the fall of Lucifer and man. And actually, I read The Story of Redemption; and it says that the war in heaven and the fall happened before creation?

Pastor Doug: Yes

Joaquin: And I was curious. I understand that Lucifer was cast to the earth but, and this story, uh, where exactly was Lucifer cast to, if creation had not begun yet?

Pastor Doug: Well I'm not sure that the war in heaven all happened in one day. I think the war in heaven, in other words, for our listeners what we're talking about is where Lucifer, who was once a beautiful angel, rebelled against God and he wanted God's position. You can read about that in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.

In Revelation 12, it talks about where Michael and His angels, it erupted into a conflict where they, basically, evicted from heaven Satan and his angels, that are commonly called demons now. And at the end of that war or that battle, they were ultimately cast to the earth.

Joaquin: Right

Pastor Doug: Now keep in mind, Revelation--it starts here in Revelation 12--it's talking about this woman who wants to have a child.

Joaquin: Um-hmm

Pastor Doug: By the end of the chapter, the child is born, He lives His life, He's caught up to heaven, and who is that child?

Joaquin: Jesus

Pastor Doug: You notice how quickly it covers the 33 years of His ministry in one verse?

Joaquin: Right

Pastor Doug: So Revelation 12 is covering a long span of time. The war in heaven did begin before the creation of our world. By the time Satan is setting up his office here, it's after Adam and Eve have listened to the devil, instead of God. Satan had no right to set up his headquarters on this earth, until Adam surrendered dominion by obeying the devil.

Joaquin: I see. So--

Pastor Doug: So you're covering a big span of time here from when the war started. Matter of fact, the war is still going on.

Joaquin: Okay. So--well at least the, concerning the war where Lucifer was cast out of heaven, so it may have started before creation; but when he was actually cast, I, I - -

Pastor Doug: Right, when he was cast to the earth. You notice it says, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth" in the same chapter? There must be people down there for the angel to pronounce woe to the inhabitants.

Joaquin: Right

Pastor Doug: Does that help a little?

Joaquin: It does, it does. Thank you very much.

Pastor Doug: Thank you, good question. Alright, we're going to move along and talk to Steve who is calling from Modesto, California, listening on KADV. Welcome Steve, you're on the air. And your question?

Steve: Hello Doug

Pastor Doug: Hi

Steve: I had a friend at work and both him and I, we had watched a DVD that you had put on. And it came down to the part on where Satan, or uh, was tempting Christ, the temptation of Christ,--

Pastor Doug: Uh-huh

Steve: --that Satan came as a glorious messenger of light. And you had used Matthew 6:24; and he could not find anywhere in the gospels that there was anywhere that Satan had showed up as a glorious messenger of God, until I had gone to my Pastor and he gave me 2nd Corinthians 11:14. And I was wondering if there was any more texts to use that I could show him?

Pastor Doug: That's a good question. It does not say in any of the gospels--in fairness, I need to just make it clear--it doesn't say that Satan, when he appeared to Jesus, looked like an angel of light. Of course, if we do a little common sense and reasoning, it would not have been much of a temptation if Satan appeared with red leotards and a goatee and horns and a pitchfork and bat wings and said, "Hi, I've got some propositions. I'd like to encourage you to listen to me." Who would listen to a creature looking like that?

So he did not appear as some ghoulish monster.

Steve: No

Pastor Doug: Of course, you've quoted 2nd Corinthians 11:14, which is great; he's transformed into an angel of light. You could also go back to before Lucifer fell. When you read in Isaiah 14 we just quoted, or Ezekiel 28, he was perfect in beauty. And so why wouldn't the devil want to use his glory and his beauty for deceiving Christ?

Steve: Yeah

Pastor Doug: Yeah--you know, why would he want to look ugly and sinister if he's going to tempt Jesus to listen to him?

Steve: Yeah

Pastor Doug: So, it's just reasoning. But there is no verse in the gospels that say what the devil looked like when he appeared to Jesus. We can only assume that he put on his best deception.

Steve: Um-hmm

Pastor Doug: Does that make sense?

Steve: Yes it does.

Pastor Doug: And you know what? I've never found a commentator, a Bible commentator, that disagrees with that.

Steve: Yeah

Pastor Doug: I've seen paintings. You've got to be careful.

Steve: Yeah

Pastor Doug: You look at some of the artwork and you'll see the--you know--it's hard for an artist to paint the devil where he looks like an angel and you know who he is. So they always paint the devil to look very demonic when he tempts Christ in these art depictions.

Steve: Yeah

Pastor Doug: And that's what confuses people sometimes. You can be sure he didn't look like that.

Steve: Okay

Pastor Doug: Alright?

Steve: Okay

Pastor Doug: Thank you very much, good question. Next, we're talking with Erick who's calling from Huntsville, Alabama, listening on WOCG. Welcome Erick, you're on the air.

Erick: Hey, how are you doing Pastor Doug?

Pastor Doug: Good, how about you?

Erick: I'm doing fine. I had a question about, is there any Biblical evidence of women pastors or women deacons? I had a friend of mine who supported this and he came up with Romans 16:1. And he said that was interpreted to say that Phebe served as a deacon, which to me was, kind of, contradictory of, I think, 1st Timothy 3, when Paul was describing the office of a deacon. And I was wondering if that was so? He was saying that it was mistranslated, that, you know, in 16:1 it says, "servant," but he was trying to say it was a deacon. Is that so? Is there any Biblical evidence that women served as pastors, or is that Biblical?

Pastor Doug: Well we're asking, actually, a couple of different questions because the role of pastor is definitely different from the role of deacon. That's why they have separate services and names. First of all, I always like to make this little speech before I answer this question.

And the speech is that God does call women to ministry. But there is no example in the Bible for any woman ever being ordained as a priest, pastor, apostle, elder. Those are exclusively male roles Biblically.

In the same way that the role of the father is different from the role of the mother, I mean, God even physiologically made fathers and mothers different in their roles. I've never met a father who could nurse a baby. There are reasons that we're made that way. And in the same way, in the church the roles of men and women are different.

Now I know some people might think that this is very antiquated, but I just see it in the Bible. God established a church to have a patriarchal leadership, where you have men as servant leaders in the family. Now, women are called to ministry because you've got women who are teachers and prophetesses in the Bible.

There are spirit-filled women. "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," the Bible says. But Jesus, when He called the 12 apostles, He, even though He had a number of women that followed Him, Luke chapter 8, He never chose any woman to be an apostle.

And it wasn't because He was buckling to traditional pressure. It's just that I think the Lord originally designed that men should be the servant leaders in the family, and in the church. Now "deaconess," that one time when it appears as "deaconess," it is the word, "servant." And obviously, men and women should be servants in the house of God, and the family of God.

But the ordained role--you know what I always like to look at for me, Erick, that is sort of a slam dunk? Amram and Jochebed had three children. All three of their children were prophets, Miriam, Aaron and Moses. But only the boys were priests. Never in the Bible do you have a woman offering sacrifice. That was a priestly role.

And the modern pastors, when they do communion, it is something of a priestly role; but that is not to subtract from the gifts that women have for ministry.

Erick: Oh okay.

Pastor Doug: Did that make sense?

Erick: Yeah, absolutely Doug. I was just trying to see if it's appropriate because nowadays you see more and more women as pastors--

Pastor Doug: Oh I know.

Erick: I was trying to see if there was some Biblical support for that.

Pastor Doug: Yeah. My dilemma is I've got the Bible, and I want to go by the Bible, and I can't find it.

Erick: [Chuckles]

Pastor Doug: And, you know, I keep asking people. I've got some friends who are great theologians; and I say, "Okay, where is the verse where a woman is ordained as a priest, a pastor, or an elder?" And then there's silence. And they say, "Well, that's because they were following traditions." Well if we say that about everything else in the Bible, we would get rid of everything.

Erick: Right, absolutely.

Pastor Doug: I hope that helps. Oh, by the way, if you go to our website, I have an article I wrote called, "Unisex in Jesus?" and it's an article on the Inside Report section of the website. You can download that and read it. Thank you for your question Erick. Talking next to Valentina who's calling from Los Angeles; and you have a question Valentina?

Valentina: Yes, hi Pastor Doug.

Pastor Doug: Hi

Valentina: My question is I was baptized on Easter with my son.

Pastor Doug: Uh-huh

Valentina: After this, I have been having some major problems with my brother's family. And now my family and I got invited to my nephew's fiancee's sister's engagement party; and the party is on Friday night. Now if I go, will I be breaking the Sabbath law? And if I not go, will I make the situation worse with them? What shall I do?

Pastor Doug: Well first, you want to ask what does the Lord want. Then you ask, "Can I be a witness?" Every now and then, I am invited to participate in a wedding that would be on Sabbath, or some part of it. If it is a Christian, spiritual service and I can go and be a witness, then I'll do that, to be a support.

But, you know, let's face it. Some weddings, as soon as they get done with the vows, they break out the booze and everybody starts dancing, and it turns into a hootenanny.

Valentina: Um-hmm

Pastor Doug: That wouldn't be appropriate. And so I've excused myself from occasions like that. And sometimes, you know, it creates problems even in the family because they're relatives; and they have some wingding on God's holy day. And I tell them, "You know, I love you and I'd like to support you, but God comes first. I'm going to go to church and I don't feel comfortable doing that."

We just need to put the Lord first. God says, "I will honor those that honor Me." And your friends and family may tease you if you make that distinction. But, you know what? If they get

into a pickle, if they get into trouble, they're going to call you because they know you have convictions.

Valentina: Yeah

Pastor Doug: So, you'll have to answer the question about what kind of a service this is going to be. If it's going to be a sacred service, well then it might be something appropriate on a Friday night. If it's going to be a party, then--

Valentina: The person that's inviting the priest--he will just talk a little bit and after that, as usual, they are going to have a party, you know, dancing.

Pastor Doug: Yeah, they're going to take out the booze and the dancing.

Valentina: Yes. May I stay just for that part and leave after that?

Pastor Doug: Well you know, that might be a way to show support, to say, "You know, I want to be here for the sacred part, but when the party begins I need to excuse myself." You have every right to do that. And you know what? You can bring them a gift and bring them a card and say, "We love you, but I'm just sorry I can't stay."

Valentina: Yeah, okay--when the Pastor will bless them--so after that, I can leave, yeah?

Pastor Doug: Well you pray about what you think the Lord wants you to do, but that may sound like a solution.

Valentina: Okay

Pastor Doug: Alright?

Valentina: Alright. Thank you very much Pastor Doug.

Pastor Doug: God bless. Ohhh who are we going to talk next here? I think Ben has been waiting patiently. Ben, Florence, Alabama, listening on WOCG, welcome to the program.

Ben: Hello Pastor Doug. How are you doing?

Pastor Doug: Good

Ben: I have some Scriptures I need to read--I need to get some understanding on. Genesis chapter 1, verse 26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:" And in chapter 3, verse 22, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us." Why is He saying, "us" and "our"?

Pastor Doug: Well, God is several individuals. And the Father and the Son are joined in the creation of man. You know, the Bible says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." And then you go to the gospel of John, and it says, "In the beginning was the Word," and, "All things that were made were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

In the same way the Father has committed judgment to the Son, the Father evidently committed creation to the Son. There was a joint effort in creating our world.

Ben: So is he talking about Jesus?

Pastor Doug: Yeah. Christ existed before He came to earth. Jesus didn't suddenly come into existence when Mary had her baby. He existed before that. That's why Christ said, "Before Abraham was, I AM."

Ben: But isn't Christ God?

Pastor Doug: Christ is God the Son. Think of God--this may sound primitive--but think of God, sort of as a last name. You've got God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. And Jesus is God the Son.

[Cross talk]

Pastor Doug: He's a separate--go ahead.

Ben: Oh, but it doesn't say "Trinity" in the Bible. It just says [cross talking, unintelligible]

Pastor Doug: No. The word "Trinity" is not in the Bible.

Ben: Right

Pastor Doug: An example would be, if you look at the baptism of Jesus, Jesus is in the water. God the Father is speaking from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son," and the Holy Spirit is coming down from the Father to the Son. There you've got the three Persons of the Godhead. So is you question really a question about the Trinity maybe?

Ben: No. My question is, I don't understand why He would say, "our" and "us"? Why doesn't He--why, why He wouldn't just say, "me" or,--

Pastor Doug: "Me" or "I"

Ben: --you know, "I", yeah.

Pastor Doug: Yeah, because--

Ben: Talking about Himself, because He created everything. He is God, unless He's talking about the Word, or He's talking about Jesus. And it says, "the Word became flesh," so is He talking about the Word, or is He talking about Jesus? Or is He talking about both? Is that why He's saying "us" and "our"?

Pastor Doug: The phrase "the Word" in the Bible is another title for Jesus and that's why it's capital "W." Christ IS the Word. You would find it that way in Revelation 19 when He's riding on the white horse. It says the "Word of God" is written on His thigh and He's got a sword coming out of His mouth. Christ is the Word of God Incarnate.

But God the Father, the Son and the Spirit, the three of Them compose God. You know, even though it's not specifically your question, I have a book I've written I'll send you a free copy of Ben. And it's called, "The Trinity: Is it Biblical", the teaching of how many Persons compose God. We'll send you a free copy of that if you'd like.

Just call--anyone who wants this we'll send it to you--1-800-835-6747. Ask for the little study book on the Trinity. We'll be happy to send it to you. I hope that helps Ben. We're going to try and get a couple more calls in. And we're going to talk next to Joseph, who is listening from New York, New York, WMCA is the station. Welcome to the program Joseph.

Joseph: Hello Pastor

Pastor Doug: Thank you for waiting.

Joseph: Hey Pastor, when Nathaniel was informed that Jesus came from Nazareth, he said, "What good ever came out of Nazareth?" Now does that mean that Nazareth had a bad name? Was something with that town for him to say that?

Pastor Doug: Evidently, Nazareth had sort of become a by-word among the people there in Israel, the land of Israel, for being a place that did not generate the very best of citizens. It had a reputation--and I've got to be very careful about naming any places in North America--but I think most of us in our communities, we've got parts of town that have a higher crime rate or more drugs.

Nazareth was that part of Israel. And so, that's why Nathaniel said, "Nazareth?" I mean, everyone believed that maybe Bethlehem something would happen because that's where David came from; or from Hebron; or, you know, one of these other holy towns, Shiloh. But Nazareth?!? It kind of was like, really?? That was south of the tracks.

Joseph: How long did they live in Bethlehem, Pastor?

Pastor Doug: Well, Bethlehem was a suburb of Jerusalem, I've been there. And, matter of fact, some people are confused because Jerusalem is often called the City of David; and sometimes, it seems to be referring to Bethlehem. Well they're not that far from each other. The first reference to Jerusalem is Melchizedek, the King of Salem. That's in the book of Genesis.

Bethlehem is mentioned as being inhabited until the time of David in 1st Samuel. So it goes back to a thousand years A.D.

Joseph: May I ask how long did Jesus live there in Bethlehem?

Pastor Doug: Well evidently, before He reached two years of age, the angel gave Joseph and Mary warning that Herod was looking for the child. They fled to Egypt. They stayed there until probably 2 B.C. When Herod the Great died, then they came back and He moved to Nazareth; and He grew up in Nazareth. So--

Joseph: I never understood that route.

Pastor Doug: You know, it is interesting [cross talk]. Evidently, God brought Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem just so Jesus would be born there and fulfill the prophecy. But then after that, He goes up and He grows up in Nazareth; and it also said that He would be called a Galilean because of a prophecy in Isaiah.

Joseph: Is that deliberate? Are you saying His parents did that deliberately?

Pastor Doug: Well I think they deliberately stayed away from the jurisdiction of Herod's family because they had tried once to kill Him. Hope that helps a little bit Joseph, but we're going to try and get one more question in here; and are going to talk with Mark who is listening from Virginia on the Internet. And your question Mark?

Mark: Hello. Yes, my question is Matthew 27, verses 52 and 53, right after the curtain was rent in two--

Pastor Doug: Right

Mark: Or, actually 51, it says that the veil in the temple was torn in two uh, the rocks were split, and then the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep are raised.

Pastor Doug: Yes

Mark: Were they actually resurrected, or what happened there?

Pastor Doug: Good question. Evidently, when Jesus died, the earthquake opened the graves, but they did not come out of the graves until after the resurrection of Jesus. Remember, the Roman soldiers that saw the resurrection are now being paid to say it didn't happen.

And so the Lord now has these witnesses; and it was probably some of the Patriarchs, Prophets and Kings that had known the Lord from the ages of Jerusalem's history, that went into the City and said, you know, "Here, I'm Isaiah, and I'm back to tell you before I go to heaven, Jesus really did rise." Or maybe John the Baptist was one of them. And they probably are the group that composes the 24 Elders around the throne in Revelation.

Oh I'm sorry, we are out of time. Hey friends, I want to welcome a new station. We want to welcome KWRD 100.7 FM, who has been listening tonight. I meant to welcome them at the beginning of the broadcast. And it's reaching Dallas, Fort Worth, Tyler, Longview, and

Oklahoma City. We look forward to hearing from you on a future program, KWRD, The Word, 100.7 FM. Welcome to the Bible Answers Live lineup.

Keep in mind friends, this is listener-supported. We do greatly appreciate your help. And, God willing, we'll be back next week.

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