Hello friends, how about an amazing fact? Icebergs generally range from about three to 250 feet above sea level. The largest icebergs come from the Antarctic, but the tallest icebergs come from the North Atlantic. The tallest iceberg ever recorded was 550 feet high, about the height of a 55-story building. The largest iceberg ever recorded broke off the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctic in March of 2000, called Iceberg B-15. It was almost half a mile thick and its area was about 4,500 square miles, roughly the size of the state of Connecticut. It was the largest iceberg ever found by the US National Ice Center since the center began tracking them about 25 years ago. Icebergs this large are sometimes referred to as ice islands.
Arctic icebergs are generally smaller than Antarctic icebergs because the Arctic doesn’t have vast uninterrupted spans of open ocean, which allow for the formation of huge ice sheets from which these massive icebergs break off. Icebergs are virtually indestructible by men. In theory, they would take about 1,900 tons of TNT to destroy an average-sized North Atlantic iceberg. To melt such an iceberg, it would require combustion of nearly 2.4 million gallons of gasoline. Just think about how much it would take to melt the B-15 iceberg!
Friends, did you know that the Bible speaks of a time when not only the icebergs will melt, but the earth itself will be on fire? Stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hello friends, you’re listening to Bible Answers Live. This is Pastor Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug Batchelor is out this evening, but this is a live, interactive, international Bible Study. If you have a Bible-related question, this is a great time to go to your phone and give us a call. It’s toll-free, 1-800-463-7297. That is 1-800-GOD-SAYS. You might want to put that number in your favorites so you can give us a call on Sunday evenings with Bible questions that you might have. 1-800-463-7297. Working the phones for us this evening is Brad. Brad, thank you for jumping in and helping out.
Brad: Certainly.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Would you be able to begin the program with a word of prayer?
Brad: Yes. Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the opportunity to have this program. Be with those listening and guidance for us in the studio here as we answer their questions in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Amen. Well, before we take the Bible questions Brad, we want to let folks know if they’re close to their computers they can join us live via the web and not only listen to the program, but they can actually watch us here in the studio as we look up Bible answers. What’s their web address? Live.AmazingFacts….
Brad: AmazingFacts.org.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, great. Well we opened the program by talking about icebergs. It’s quite incredible, the size of some of these icebergs and what it would take to try and destroy them. It’s really only the sun that can melt these giant icebergs, and they float for years around the oceans.
But the Bible speaks of a time when there will be an intense heating up of planet earth. This is far more than global warming Brad. This is something catastrophic. Matter of fact, let me read it. It’s 2nd Peter chapter 3, beginning with verse 9, and you’ll see what it’s about here in just a moment. It says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Now, what is the promise that Peter is referring to?
Well, that’s the promise of the coming of Jesus. Jesus said to His disciples in John 14, “Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me.” And then He said, “In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” And He said, “If I go, I will come again,” that’s the promise.
Peter says the Lord is not slack concerning His promise. But then he goes on in verse 10, “But the day of the Lord," that’s the second coming, “will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise." And here’s the point, "the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that are therein will be burnt up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conduct and godliness?”
So the Bible says that when Jesus comes the earth will melt with fervent heat. Perhaps you’d like to learn more about the coming of Jesus: When is that to happen? Does the Bible give us some signs as to the nearness of the coming of Christ? We don’t know the day or the hour; but Jesus did give us signs to know when His coming is near.
Also you might be wondering, “Well how do I know if this is the genuine second coming of Christ? Or maybe it’s the devil trying to impersonate Christ’s coming.” We don’t want to be deceived. We have a study guide that we’d like to send you dealing with the subject of the second coming of Christ. It’s entitled, The Ultimate Deliverance. If you’d like to receive that study guide for free, just call our resource line. The number is 1-800-835-6747.
You can ask for the study guide, The Ultimate Deliverance. Or if you can’t remember that name, just ask for the study guide on the second coming and we’ll be happy to send that out to any of our listeners this evening. Again, if you have a Bible question, the number to call here to the studio tonight is 1-800-463-7297. We’re going to go straight to the phone lines. Who’s our first caller Brad?
Brad: Our first caller is Dennis from Crosslake, Minnesota. Dennis, you’re on the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Dennis.
Dennis: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Welcome.
Dennis: Hi Pastor Ross.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi.
Dennis: I’ve got a question about that fervent heat.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Dennis: In Genesis, when God was creating the earth, He had so much heat or brightness to Him that He lit the earth without the sun being created yet.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Dennis: And in Revelation, when He comes the second time, His brightness will be so bright that the ones in Christ, of course, will be drawn up--caught up with Him and then given their glorified bodies and so they will be able to withstand the light. But the wicked will all be burnt up. Am I not correct so far?
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re correct.
Dennis: Okay, so my question is when He rose from the dead…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Dennis: …and Mary Magdalene was the first one. He said, 'Well, of course, I haven't ascended to the Father yet.' But then after that He did, and He came back and He was on the earth for about 40 days, according to my understanding; and He had maybe seen at least 500 people according to what I understand. Why didn’t they burn up?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good question. Well, Christ veiled His glory, even after His resurrection. He veiled His glory in order for Him to be able to communicate and interact with sinful human beings. Now, the Bible does tell us that there was an angel that came down from heaven. And remember, there were the Roman soldiers that were stationed to guard the tomb of Christ. The glory of the one angel caused the Roman soldiers to fall to the ground as though they were dead; and then the angel rolled away the stone and called Jesus and Jesus came forth from the dead.
Christ evidently had veiled His glory, even in the resurrection. When He comes the second time however, His glory will not be veiled. He will come with His own glory and the glory of all of the holy angels with Him. And you’re right, the wicked will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming.
Dennis: Is there any other times that He has veiled in the Bible that I don’t know of?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well you know what? With reference to Christ’s glory, we do find in the gospels instances where the glory of Christ shone through His humanity. Perhaps you remember the story where Jesus was cleansing the temple and He drove out those who bought and sold and changed money. There was something about Him. His glory flashed through His humanity.
And on another occasion when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus said, “Who are you looking for?” and they said, “We’re looking for Jesus of Nazareth.” And Jesus said, “I am He.” When He said that, His glory flashed through His humanity and they fell to the ground, and then they got up and arrested Him. So, there are instances where Christ’s glory flashed through His humanity. But if He came with all of His glory shining, like you say, everyone would be consumed, at least the wicked.
Dennis: Wow. What power.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes, tremendous power. Power that created the universe is at His disposal.
Dennis: Yes. Thank you very much for that explanation. I totally understand now.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Great question. Thanks for calling.
Brad: Our next caller is Andrew. Andrew’s in Asheville, North Carolina. Andrew, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi, Andrew. You’re on the air.
Andrew: Thank you. Thanks for taking my call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Andrew: Alright. Yeah, I just want to know how Jesus’ divinity was kept a secret to allow Him to start His ministry at 30, in light of, you know, the virgin birth. As far as I know, it was public knowledge and, you know, wouldn’t that have caused people to come in and seek Him out, you know, prior to Him starting His ministry?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Oh yeah, that’s a good question. The virgin birth was made known, at least some of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus. Not everybody believed. You had the Jewish leadership that didn’t necessarily believe that He was the Messiah. But then also the way that Christ, as He grew, He didn’t attend the typical schools that young boys would go to. He wasn’t educated by the rabbis of His time. He lived a very quiet life. Even in His manhood from the age of 18 all the way up to 30, Jesus was a carpenter. He worked in the town of Nazareth and He worked alongside Joseph until, we believe, the death of Joseph. So you’ve got 30 years that went by.
There was probably quite a bit of excitement around the birth of Jesus, but as time progressed and Jesus didn’t push Himself into the forefront, into the limelight, to some degree that began to wane. Now, there were some people that cherished the hope that Christ was the Messiah, one of which was John the Baptist. John the Baptist had never actually met Jesus, but he had heard about the birth of Jesus. John was about six months older than Jesus and, of course, a cousin of Christ. When the Holy Spirit led John to begin preaching, the Holy Spirit guided him and told him--God told him that Jesus would be baptized by him. The Messiah would come and he would baptize the Messiah. So, he began to herald the coming of Jesus; and it was John the Baptist that prepared the way for Christ.
Andrew: Okay. Alright, thank you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, thanks for your call, appreciate it. If you have a Bible-related question, our phone lines are open. The number to call is 1-800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 1-800-463-7297. Brad, who’s next?
Brad: Our next caller is Joseph listening on WMUZ in Inkster, Michigan. Joseph, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Joseph. You’re on the air.
Joseph: Hello?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes, hi. Welcome to the program.
Joseph: Yes. I have always heard that the mark of the beast is like a bar code on the hand or forehead, and that you cannot buy or sell anything without it. And then I’m thinking of your study on the mark of the beast. It was telling about the changing of…
Pastor Jëan Ross: It says something different, sure.
Joseph: …gaps (Unintelligible) and…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Joseph: …(Unintelligible).
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Joseph: And that’s how you receive the mark of the beast. And I was wondering how that leaks into buying and selling?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay, good question. Well, let me read the verse for our listeners. Probably the verse you’re referring to is found in Revelation chapter 13, and verse 16 and 17. It says, “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or in their foreheads; and that no man might buy or sell, except he who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
Now, in the book of Revelation we find two groups of people at the end that receive a mark. The one group received the seal of God, they’re described in Revelation chapter 7, and they received the seal of God in their foreheads. The other group, they received the mark of the beast, and the mark of the beast can be received in the forehead or in the hand.
Now remember, Revelation is a symbolic book. The key issue at the end of time that is highlighted in Revelation revolves around worship, who are we going to worship? Two groups of people are brought to light with reference to worship. You have one group in Revelation chapter 13 that end up worshiping this beast power. There is another group that's described in Revelation 14 who worshiped God as the creator. So the thing that Satan wants more than anything else is worship. And Satan will get worship anyway that he can.
Even if he has to force somebody to worship him, Satan will accept that kind of worship. God cannot accept worship that is forced because He’s a God of Love. So at the end of time, Satan is going to use economic incentives and certain laws and decrees to try and get the whole world to worship him, except for those who have the seal of God in their foreheads. They refuse to worship.
Now, what’s the significance of this mark being "in the forehead" or "in the hand"? In the Bible, especially in prophecy, the "forehead" represents the mind. We choose to serve God in our mind. That’s why the seal of God is received in the forehead, or in the mind. We choose to serve Him.
The "hand" in Scripture represents your labors, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all of your might." So there are two groups of people who receive the mark of the beast. Those who really believe that what they’re doing is right and that this new form of worship needs to be enforced, they are those who simply go along with these new rules and laws because they want to be able to buy and sell for economic purposes. Thus, you have a group receiving the mark in their forehead and you have a group receiving it in their hand.
Again, the key issue at the end of time revolves around worship, who are we going to worship? You know Joseph, we’ve got a study guide that deals with this whole subject and goes in much greater detail than we actually have time on the program to get into. I think you mentioned you saw that study guide. For those of you who might be wondering about this subject, we have a study guide entitled, The Mark of the Beast, a very important subject highlighting the book of Revelation and some other passages in the New Testament.
We’ll send you that study guide for free if you would call our resource line. It’s 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide, The Mark of the Beast, and we’ll be happy to send that out to you. Who do we have next, Brad?
Brad: Our next caller is William. He’s listening on XM radio from Barstow, California. William, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi William. You’re on the air.
William: Hi. Can you hear me?
Pastor Jëan Ross: We can hear you, yes. Get real close to your phone.
William: Excellent. Hang on, I'll switch it over.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright.
William: Alright, so my question is, I was reading John this past week and I’m writing down my questions that I have. The question was, why does Mary ask Jesus before He started His ministry to do something so simple as change water to wine for a wedding? And the following question would be why is it that Christ tells her, 'It's not my time yet,' knowing it’s not His time yet, and then He goes and performs the miracle anyway.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
William: I couldn’t make sense of that when I was reading it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure. Just get the context of this. You’re referring to the story that’s recorded for us in John chapter 2, and Jesus and His disciples are invited. This is just when Christ begins His public Ministry. He and His disciples are invited to a wedding in a place called Cana of Galilee. In Bible times weddings continued for several days.
It was typically the responsibility of the groom’s family to provide the wine for the wedding and the bride’s family would provide some of the other things necessary. But it was a great embarrassment to the family if the wine fails at the wedding. Somehow Mary, the mother of Jesus, was involved in part of the catering responsibilities for this wedding. Evidently, it was family members that were getting married.
So there’s a problem. They began to run out of wine, so Mary comes to Jesus and she says, “The wine has failed.” Now, from the way she asked the question and from the response that Jesus gives her, it becomes clear that she wanted Jesus to do more than go out and get some wine from people who might be selling. Thus, she wanted Him to reveal Himself as the Messiah, or to do something to magnify who He was.
Jesus says to her, “My time is not yet come.” Then He goes and He takes care of the problem, but He doesn’t do it in a public way. He doesn’t do it the way Mary probably had in mind. He quietly tells the servants to draw out water and take it to the governor of the feast and, of course, the water then is made wine. As people began to taste this and said, “Where did this come from? This is fresh, this is sweet, this is the best kind of juice we’ve had.” And they began to look around for Jesus and Jesus and His disciples have quietly left.
So Jesus did not make a public scene. What’s interesting is though at the end of His ministry, just before His betrayal and crucifixion, Jesus then said to His disciples, “Mine hour is now come.” Also in the miracle that Jesus performed, He was demonstrating to His disciples what His ministry and mission was really all about, turning the water into wine symbolizes Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
Remember when Jesus died on the cross and the Roman soldier thrust the spear up into the side of Jesus? it says, “Water and blood came out.” Turning the water into wine is a symbol of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and is an object lesson that Jesus gave to His disciples right at the very beginning of His public ministry.
William: Okay. but He didn’t do it publicly so as to bring any attention on Himself. The wedding was able to continue and that's my point.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
William: Okay. Yeah, that makes sense.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, He didn’t get up and make a big announcement. He just told the servants, “Go get some of the wine, fill up those six stone water jugs, and then draw out and give to the governor of the feast.” It wasn’t until the governor had tasted this, then he began to wonder, “Boy, where did this come from?” So it was done quietly. Then when they began to ask, Jesus and disciples, you know, made their way out.
William: Alright. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Thanks for your question William. If you have a Bible question, the number to call is 1-800-463-7297. That’s 1-800-GOD-SAYS. Brad who do we have next?
Brad: Our next caller is Aaron listening on the internet in Citrus Heights, California. Aaron, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Aaron. You’re on the air, just down the road from us here.
Aaron: Yeah, I had a question, and church was nice the other day. But anyway, I had a question in regards to the Gospel of John chapter 1, verses 12 and 13; and then also in the Gospel of John chapter 3, verses 3 through 5. It’s the issue of being born again, like, when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus. I’m talking to a friend who believes he’s a Christian, but he doesn’t see the need to be born again because he thinks that we were born as all God’s children, a part of a--well, I won’t say the name, but a relatively famous Christian cult group, as the rest of us would put it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Aaron: And I’m having a problem explaining it to him.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure. Well, let’s take a look at one of the verses you mentioned, John chapter 1, verse 12. It’s speaking of Christ and his mission. It says, “As many as received him,” that’s Jesus, “to them gave he the right to become the children of God, to those who believe on his name.”
Now, this passage is very clear. In order for us to become the children of God, there is something we need to do. We need to believe in His name. The result of believing in the name of Jesus or believing in Him as your personal Savior and surrendering yourself to Him, the result of that is being born again. As Jesus said to Nicodemus in John chapter 3, “Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Nicodemus, of course, was puzzled by this and he said, “How can a man be born when he is old?” This is in John chapter 3. Jesus then responded and said, “He that is born of the flesh is flesh,” that’s our natural birth, “he that is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
So we need to be born of the Spirit. We need to be born of above. All of us have been born of the flesh, but in order for us to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to be born of the Spirit. We need to have that new heart. We need to receive Jesus as our personal Savior. That’s a pretty important and fundamental belief, with reference to salvation. Christianity is recognizing that we’re a sinner, recognizing our need of Jesus as our Savior, and then coming to Him and confessing our sins and asking Him to cleanse us and create that new heart within us. God will never force the will of His creatures; unless we willingly do that, God can’t really create that new heart within us, or He won’t.
Aaron: Yeah, yeah. And He says, “Of the water and of the Spirit. So some people--I've heard people interpret that you have to be baptized and then also say the sinner's prayer, or say the sinner's prayer.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Aaron: I don’t know. I have heard…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, "to be of the water"…
Aaron: And that’s…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah, “to be born of the water” does represent baptism. Remember the context. You have John the Baptist who is baptizing in the Jordan, and then you have the disciples of Jesus who also baptize people. Baptism is the public declaration that we’re on God’s side. That is important. That’s important for our own spiritual growth. That is also important as an example and a witness to others. So baptism, water baptism, baptism by immersion, is an important part of coming into that saving relationship with Jesus. But not only are we to be baptized, that’s sort of an external thing; more importantly, we need to be baptized of the Spirit, or to be born again of the Spirit. That changes the heart.
Aaron: Yeah. And that’s through prayer just…
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s coming to Jesus and saying, “Lord, please, I acknowledge that I'm a sinner. I acknowledge my need of You. Please forgive me, please give me Your Spirit. Please change my heart, Make me more like Jesus.” When we confess our sins, 1st John chapter 1, verse 9, God has promised that He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So we can claim that promise and come to God in prayer.
Aaron: Okay, thank you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re welcome. Thanks for your call Aaron. For anyone wanting to learn more about this very important subject, how can you come to Jesus, how can you be born again, we have a book we’ll be happy to send you. It’s called, Three Steps to Heaven. Call our resource line, 1-800-835-6747, and you can ask for the book, Three Steps to Heaven. We’ll be happy to send that out to you. I think we have time for maybe one more caller, Brad, before we go to our break here. Who do we have next?
Brad: Nathan, listening on WLBI in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Nathan is on line 9. Welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Nathan. You’re on the air.
Nathan: Hi Pastor Ross, very happy to hear from you. God bless your ministry.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Thank you. Thanks for calling.
Nathan: I’ll make it quick because my phone’s dying but…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Uh-oh.
Nathan: Alright. So I’m just a four-month, born again Christian. I have a friend that I ran into. He saw a bracelet I was wearing and it says “Jesus” on it. He kind of waited and later asked me, “Well, if you believe in Jesus, answer this: Why does it say in the Bible that God says He’s a jealous God?” And I don’t understand. I didn’t know how to answer him.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. There are different, you might say, phases of jealousy. There is a fleshly, sinful phase of jealousy, a selfish aspect of jealousy, but there is also a love aspect of jealousy. And it’s the love aspect of jealousy that is being spoken of when God refers to Himself as being jealous. For example, a parent might be jealous over their child because of their desire for their child to be protected, to be safe, to be in a good environment because they love the child. Matter of fact, they would give themselves for their child in order to preserve the happiness and the safety of their child. There is that aspect of jealousy where they watch over their children, where they’re very careful with the influences and others around their children that might be a threat.
That’s the kind of jealousy that the Bible speaks of when it says, “God is jealous over us.” He watches over us, He cares about us, He loves us. And the devil, when he comes up against God’s people, it’s good to know that we have a jealous God who loves us and will come to our defense, who will stand up to defend us. Now, let me see, is Nathan--was it Nathan that we were speaking to? I think we might have lost him. Well Nathan, hopefully that helps. You know, this idea of jealousy, depending upon which side you’re on, it can be a comfort or it could be a fearful thing. This is a godly jealousy that’s based upon God’s love for us and His concern for us as His children.
Friends, you’re listening to Bible Answers Live. Now we have just a few moments, Brad, before we’re coming up on our break. The program is only halfway through. If you have a Bible question, this is a good time to get to your phone and give us a call. We have, looks like, two lines open. The number to call is 1-800-463-7297. Again, that’s 1-800-463-7297 if you’d like to get your Bible question on tonight’s program.
Then just before the break I’d like to tell you about one of Amazing Facts’ websites. I have it open. I’m looking at it right now here in the studio. It’s BibleUniverse.com. Some of the things that you’ll find on this website, probably the flagship aspect of this website, is the Amazing Facts' study guides. We have these study guides dealing with different Bible subjects and topics. You can go to the website and you can study it right there online. It’s BibleUniverse.com. Well friends, we’ll be back in just a few moments after some announcements.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hello friends, you’re listening to Bible Answers Live. Pastor Doug Batchelor is out, but I'm Pastor Jëan Ross. Our phone lines are open. If you have a Bible-related question, we would love to hear from you. We have about a half an hour of live, interactive Bible study. The number to call here to the studio is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297. Brad, we’re going to go straight to the phone lines. Who’s our next caller?
Brad: Our next caller is Andy. He's listening in Hawaii. I believe he is on the big island. Andy, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Andy.
Andy: I’m on the small island.
Brad: Oh.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re on the small island, alright. I believe we just got a station over there that’s carrying Bible Answers Live. I think this might be their third week.
Andy: It has been a long time, a long time…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Oh.
Andy: …AM/FM.
Pastor Jëan Ross: I see. Well, maybe we’re thinking of the wrong island there. Anyway, well hey, we’re glad you called us. What’s your Bible question?
Andy: Yes. I'm talking to a friend of mine who studies the Bible from eight to 12 hours, eight hours a day. He's a graduate from Andrews University. He said that he has found that salvation is a gift from God, the people who asked for it. And once they get it, they've got it; and this is a gift from God and God can’t take back what He’s given. It doesn’t matter what they’re doing, how many (unintelligible), what they’ve got, God has given it and He cannot take it back once He has given it. Once they're saved--in other words, once they're saved, always saved. What do you think?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure, well that’s a good question. Let me put it this way. Right now, in Northern California we have one big fire that’s burning. Actually, it’s not very far from my house. Earlier or last week I was standing on our deck, actually watching flames in golf trees. There were houses in the way and people needed to be evacuated. Well, let’s just assume that there’s somebody living close to the fire who doesn’t have a car, and the fire is coming and they need to get out of the way. So somebody chooses to give them an automobile. Here’s the car. All they need to do is get inside and drive away. They need to use that which they have been given.
But if they say, “No, we got the car, I’m fine. I’m not going to go anywhere. I’m not going to get inside. I’m not going to start the engine. I’m not going to drive the car,” the fire is going to destroy them. So salvation is being provided; Christ has given us salvation. But if we don’t take a hold of that, if we don’t apply that to our life, if we don’t actually trust Jesus and remain in Him, how is He going to be able to carry us all the way into the Kingdom? How is He going to deliver us from sin and death?
So there needs to be this abiding, trusting. We have to remain in Christ Jesus. Paul says in Romans chapter 8, verse 1, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” So in order for us to receive all of the benefits and the blessings of the gift of salvation, there is something we need to do. We need to remain in Christ. Now, if we walk away from Christ, the gift is still available, but we don’t receive the benefits of that gift because we haven’t made it our own.
Andy: How about the things that people (unintelligible) the people who have needs to be met and then this is what kicks them out? You know, the promises of their needs being met and on time, and it comes late: one year late, 10 years late, 20 years late, 30 years late, and this drives people away.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So you mean people receive Jesus but then trials come their way and their faith is tested, and due to whatever circumstance they might let go of Christ? Is that kind of what you might be referring to?
Andy: Could you repeat that please?
Pastor Jëan Ross: So you’re saying then, let’s say somebody receives Christ and they receive the gift of salvation, but because of the cares of this life, or maybe just different trials, or maybe somebody does something to them, whatever the case might be, they end up letting go of the hand of Jesus?
Andy: Because of the needs that are not met and then it drives them…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Drives them away from Christ?
Andy: …because of things that they need…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Andy: …that are just not there.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, you know what? Everybody’s faith will be tried. No matter who you are, your faith in Jesus will be tried. Matter of fact, Jesus said this, He says, “You shall have tribulations in the world, but fear not; I have overcome the world.” So when trials come and the devil is trying to tempt us to let go of Jesus, to walk away from Jesus, that’s the time that we’re going to hold onto Jesus even more, for He has promised to deliver us. He will never forsake us. He will never leave us as long as we hold onto Him. That’s the promise we got to hold on to everyday.
Everyday we commit ourselves to Christ. We ask Him to give us of His Spirit, and then hold onto him. You know Andy, the book that I mentioned a little earlier, Three Steps to Heaven, talks about not only receiving Jesus, but also abiding in Jesus. I think you’ll find that interesting. Maybe you can share that with your friend. To receive that book for free, call our resource line. It’s 1-800-835-6747. You can ask for the book, Three Steps to Heaven, and we’ll be happy to send that out. Who is our next caller?
Brad: Our next caller is Michael listening on WMUZ in Fenton, Michigan. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: Praise God, glory to God. God bless you guys and your listeners. I’ve got a question. I don’t know where it is in the Bible that Jewish people, when they cry out to God in the last days, when they finally realized that Jesus is Lord and they cry out to Him, that’s when Jesus comes back.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You mean the Jews as a whole nation?
Michael: Yes. I guess the nation or Israel, or, I don’t know, I don't know. I would love to know where the…[cross talk]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah. Well if you can find that verse, let me know. You know, there will be many Jews saved. I think there’s still a lot of Jews who are Jews; but as things begin to unfold as we near the end of time, I think many of them under the conviction of the Holy Spirit will make their decision to follow Jesus and receive Him as their personal Savior. But will the national, as a whole, receive Jesus and become a Christian nation? I don’t think so. Think of the evidence that God has already given them. Jesus came. He performed miracles right in their midst. He even raised the dead.
And the crowning act of His divinity was when He rose from the dead. He did all of that in their sight; and still as a nation, the Jewish leadership refused to acknowledge Him and accept Him as their Messiah. There were many of the Jews that did receive Jesus. Of course, you have the apostles that spread out. There were many Jews throughout the Roman empire that receive Jesus and many of the Gentiles. But I don’t think there’s anything more Jesus can do to convince the nation, as a whole, to receive Him. The greatest evidence of His divinity has already been revealed to them.
Michael: Yeah, I guess I’m not really saying that the whole nation, but on the general idea, a lot of the Jewish people, they don’t believe in Jesus. So it wouldn’t be all of them…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Michael: …we know that; but would it be a large portion of them would turn their hearts to the Lord, you know? And then Jesus would come back…
Pastor Jëan Ross: I think there will be. I think there will be, and here’s why. We know from prophecy that certain laws have to be passed before Jesus comes. When these laws that have to do with worship are going to be enacted, it’s going to really polarize the world. There are those who are going to say, "Yes, these laws need to be followed." People can’t buy and selling these that receive this mark of the beast and what Revelation describes it. But there will be others who say, "God never accepts forced worship." Even people that are non-Christian, when these issues are brought before them, those who have a sincere heart will make the decision for the truth and they will make to stand with God’s commandment- keeping people at the end of time. Many of those, I believe, will also be Jews who will make that decision.
Michael: Well I wish they would hurry up and do that because I sure would like for that heaven to come down and we can get started with that!
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely, yeah absolutely.
Michael: Okay, thanks very much. God bless you guys.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Thanks for your call Michael. Who do we have next?
Brad: Our next caller is Tom listening on KFIA in Rocklin, California. Tom, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Tom. You’re on the air.
Tom: How are you?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Very good.
Tom: Actually, I’m listening in St. Catharines, Canada.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Oh, alright, alright. We saw the "CA." We thought it was…
Tom: WDCX, Buffalo.
Pastor Jëan Ross: "CA" is California, but there it’s actually Canada. I’m glad you’re listening all the way up there.
Tom: Sure, hallelujah!Sorry, what did you say? I didn’t hear you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: I’m glad you’re joining us all the way from Canada.
Tom: Oh thank you, sir.
Pastor Jëan Ross: What’s your Bible question?
Tom: It was actually a confirmation.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Tom: In Isaiah chapter 30, verses 25 and 26, it says, “And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of His people, and heals the stroke of their wound.” I was thinking, you’re talking about the icebergs melting and the sun being seven fold, the brightness, would that not be the fervent heat that burns up all the elements?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well you know, I think you’re on the right track. The Bible tells us that when the New Jerusalem descends from God out of heaven--you can read about this in Revelation chapter 21--the New Jerusalem comes and it settles upon the earth. Actually, according to Zechariah, Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives and the Mount of Olives opens up and forms this great valley, and the New Jerusalem comes to rest in the valley. It’s at that point that the wicked are all resurrected for the final Great White Throne Judgment that you read about in Revelation chapter 20. They then mount their attack upon the New Jerusalem and the Bible says, “Fire comes and devours them.” So there is this intense heat. The wicked are destroyed in these fires.
That’s referring to Isaiah chapter 30, verse 25. It’s referring to this time period when the wicked are finally destroyed, and Christ binds up the wounds of His people. In other words, those who have suffered at the hands of wicked men, they are rewarded; they receive eternal life; and Christ has prepared a city for them; and they have a home inside the New Jerusalem, and so on.
But it’s also interesting that one of the plagues that you read about in the book of Revelation is “intense heat.” So before Jesus comes, there is this intense heat that will strike the earth. The sun will burn hotter. I think this verse could also refer to that, to some degree.
Tom: Because it says, “On the day of great slaughter,” right?
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Tom: Like just before that, I was going to say. All those chapters, even 34, it talks about the fury of the Lord. And, you know, it talks about in Ezekiel, I think, their eye sockets are getting burned. It’s like Armageddon basically here on the nations?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right, right; and that’s the final destruction of the wicked. As they come up against the city, fire pours down upon them and they are consumed. It’s a very graphic description where it says, “Their eyes are consumed even in their sockets,” it says. But the fire, that just devours them.
Tom: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: It talks about the great day of slaughter. That’s this final judgment that comes upon the wicked.
Tom: In verse 27 of Isaiah 30 it also says, “His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: There you go.
Tom: So whoever said God is light, God is love, and God is also a consuming fire, so it could be actually (unintelligible) like, there’s not like…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, He is a devouring fire to sin, and to those who choose to cling to sin. The righteous, they are drawn to the glory of God. The wicked, they are destroyed by the glory of God. You read in Revelation chapter 6, the last part of the chapter, with reference to second coming of Christ, it says, “The wicked turn to the mountains and to the rocks and they say, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” So on the one hand, the righteous are looking up and saying, "This is our God, we waited for Him. He is saving us," and the wicked are turning to the mountains saying, “Fall on us and hide us! We can’t even look at His glory.”
Tom: Right. That was great. I love Jesus.I’m just saying I thank you for your insight of this. Are you saying that the sun being seven fold, that is not the fervent heat? I just want to confirm if the sun--because it’s…
Pastor Jëan Ross: It’s referring to the final destruction of the wicked at the end of time. And yeah, it’s described as being the sun having seven times greater heat. You can’t even imagine what that would be like. Right now…
Tom: Oh.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …we’re having close to a 100-degree temperature. I couldn’t even imagine 700 degrees. That’s just, you know, that's incredible; but that’s a description of the destruction of the wicked at the end of time.
Tom: Hallelujah, glory be to God!
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright.
Tom: Have a great day sir.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Thanks for your call Tom. For anybody else wanting to learn more about the second coming of Jesus, that’s the great Christian hope, we’d like to send you our free study guide called, The Ultimate Deliverance. You can get it by calling our resource line. It’s 1-800-835-6747. If you have a Bible question, the number to call here to the studio is 1-800-463-7297. Brad, who’s next?
Brad: Our next caller a first-time caller, Dorothy. She is listening in on WMCA in Queens, New York. Dorothy, welcome to the program.
Dorothy: Thank you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Dorothy, and your question this evening?
Dorothy: Oh yeah, it’s like a trick question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay.
Dorothy: I want to know who walked for 30 days without eating.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Who walked for 30 days without eating?
Dorothy: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hmm, do you have the answer to that question?
Dorothy: No, I don’t. That’s why I’m calling.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay [laughing]. We know Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.
Dorothy: Yes. The answer is 30.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And we know that Elijah ate a meal that an angel gave him and then he went in the strength of that meal, I believe, for 40 days.
Dorothy: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: I don’t believe it was 30; and that was walking. That was almost probably running, but that was supernatural strength that he had obtained from that meal that the angels gave him. Now, I don’t know of anybody that fasted for 30 days in Scripture.
Dorothy: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Does that help a little bit?
Dorothy: [Laughing] I think it’s a tricky question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay, could be. You might have to go back to the person who asked the question and get a little more information about it.
Dorothy: Okay. Then I’d like to ask you another question on...
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Dorothy: …Solomon.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Dorothy: When the ladies had asked, was it three days apart or three days each?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Are you talking about the two mothers that brought the baby to Solomon?
Dorothy: Yes, the two harlots.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So you want to know what was the distance...
Dorothy: Between the days.
Pastor Jëan Ross: …the birth of the children?
Dorothy: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, that’s a good question. I would have to look that up. I’ll tell you what, maybe I can have Brad--he’s working the phone lines. Maybe he can look that up for us. If he can find the answer I’ll announce it on the air, Dorothy, before the program ends. Would that be alright?
Dorothy: Yes.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We’d want to make sure we get that right if it’s three days.
Dorothy: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So he’ll look that up for us.
Dorothy: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Who do we have next then?
Brad: Our next caller is Chad listening in on XM Sirius Radio in Virginia. Chad, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Chad. You’re on the air.
Chad: Morning. I personally hang onto Jesus. He hangs onto to me when I surrender my will to His will.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Amen.
Chad: Here’s my question. Now, in 1st John chapter 4…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Chad: …it says in verse 7, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” And in verse 8 it says, “For God is love.” There’s a lot of unbelievers in the world. Do you agree?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes.
Chad: But when an unbeliever or an atheist or agnostic says they love, or "I’m in love with you," or they love their car, or they love their job, what kind of love are they talking about? If God is love, then what love are they speaking of?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. The only way that we would understand the love that God is referring to when He says, “I am love,” is by looking at what God did for us. He demonstrates His love for us in creating us. But even more powerfully He demonstrated His love for us in giving us His son. Through the sacrifice of Jesus we see that God loves us more than we could even begin to imagine, or comprehend, that the creator God would take upon Himself humanity, become a servant, live a difficult life here on this earth, be mocked by those that He made, and finally be crucified, separated from His father, bearing their sins so that He could give them eternal life. That is a demonstration of love that the universe marbles at. So the word “love” is used in all kinds of ways.
You know, people can love ice cream, and they can love their wife or their husband; but the kind of love that God has is so deep and so broad, that’s why the apostle John says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us.” It’s so great, all he can do is call our attention to it and he says, “Behold it, look at it, receive it.” In the Greek--just on a side note here-- in the Greek there are different words that are used for love. We don’t have that in English. But the love that God has for us is described as an “agape love.” It’s a very special kind of self-sacrificing love. A brotherly love is "philos love." You have the love for a man and a woman, "eros love." But the love that God has in an agape love. It’s a self-sacrificing love demonstrated through the life of Christ. Chad, are you there? We might have lost Chad. Try and hit line 6 again and see if…
Chad: I’m here.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re there, okay.
Chad: Yeah, I'm here.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Did that make sense?
Chad: It made sense, yeah. But now in verse 3 it says that, Every spirit that does not confesseth that Jesus is not the Christ, or see, it says, “and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God..."
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Chad: "…and this is that spirit of antichrist.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Chad: So he’s saying, basically, anybody who doesn’t believe in God is the antichrist.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Anyone who doesn’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came to redeem us, to save us; Paul says, “There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.” So somebody who refuses to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and that He actually took upon Himself humanity, came in the flesh in order to save us, what more can God do to try and save that person?
Chad: Um-hm, so there are many antichrists. So everybody that’s not born of God, born of the Spirit of God, is the antichrist.
Pastor Jëan Ross: The spirit of antichrist is rebellion against God.
Chad: Right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: It is not submitting to God’s way; and yeah, it’s manifest in different ways and different forms.
Chad: Right, if God be for us, who could be against us? And then in verse 4, greater is he that's in me than he that's in the world...."
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Chad: Satan is in the world, but Christ is in my heart.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. And Jesus overcame and that’s why we have hope.
Chad: Amen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Well thanks so much for your call Chad, appreciate it. We’ve got four minutes left I think. Let’s see if we can get a couple more callers in before we run out of time. Who do we have next?
Brad: Our next caller is Steve. He is listening on WMCA in New Jersey. Steve, welcome to the program.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Steven.
Steve: Hello?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes, you’re on the air.
Steve: Hi Pastor, oh my God, thank you. Thank you for taking my call. I’m such a big fan.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, we’re glad you got through.
Steve: Pastor, I have a question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Sure.
Steve: I have a question about when Jesus is on the cross, and He says to the thief today you will be with me in heaven. And I believe it is in Matthew or Revelation where it says that our bodies and our souls will be reunited? We’re going to get new bodies?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right.
Steve: And that’s going to happen at two different times. But yet, when Jesus is crucified, He goes down into Hades or the depths of hell for three days?
Pastor Jëan Ross: I’ll tell you what, we got about three minutes left. Let me see if I can shed a little bit of light on this verse. The verse you’re thinking about is Luke chapter 23, verse 43 where Jesus is on the cross and there is the thief beside Him. The thief says to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.” That’s important for us to note the question that was being asked.
The thief said, “Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.” That would be the second coming. So the thief was looking forward, by faith, to the second coming of Jesus. Even though Jesus is dying and He’s hanging on the cross, somehow the Spirit is able to help the thief realize that this is the Messiah beside him; and that because of the Messiah’s death, Jesus would come back as King of kings and Lord of lords and that would be the glorious resurrection. So he says, “Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.”
Jesus then responds to him and said, “Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” Now, in the original Greek there is no punctuation. Greek does not have any punctuation, at least biblical Greek, Old Testament or New Testament Greek. The punctuation was added later on. Now, depending up on where you put the comma, if you put it before the word “today” or after the word “today,” that shifts the meaning somewhat. For example, if I read it, “And Jesus said unto him today (comma) you shall be with Me in Paradise,” in other words, Jesus was promising the thief that very day that He would remember him when He came in His kingdom.
Even though he didn’t look like a King when He was hanging on the cross, He gave the thief the assurance that day that his sins were forgiven and that he would be resurrected when Jesus comes the second time. Of course, you want to take that verse, and you want to look at the rest of the Scripture that talks about the second coming of Christ, and the resurrection of the righteous, and the Bible speaks of death as being like unto a sleep, the Bible says that, “The dead do not know anything" [Ecclesiastes 9:5], the hope of the Christian is the resurrection when Jesus comes. So, does that help a little bit with that verse, Luke 23?
Steve: Oh that shed so much light on it, yeah, yeah. I never understood that passage that you explained to me about Luke.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good. I’m glad that helped. You know, before we run out of time let me remind you, Steven, we have a study guide called, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” If you’d call our resource line we’ll send that to you, and it deals with this very verse. So call 1-800-835-6747. That is our resource line. It’s 1-800-835-6747, and you can ask for the study guide, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” and we’ll be happy to send that to you Steven, or anyone who’s listening wanting to learn more about that subject.
Well friends, you can hear the music playing in the background. We have run out of time. If we didn’t get to your call, we do apologize. Give us a call next week and we will try and get your question on the air. Until then, God bless.
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