Hello friends, this is Doug Batchelor, how about an amazing fact? Final plans have been approved and construction has begun for the new Freedom Tower to be built at the former site of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. When completed, this will be one of the most scientifically sophisticated buildings of the 21st century. The many new safety features will include 3-foot thick reinforced concrete walls for emergency stairs and elevator shafts. It will boast a dedicated set of stairwells exclusively for fire fighters and a computerized sprinkler system. Special filters throughout its ventilation system will help limit a potential biological or chemical attack. Additionally, many of the lower windows will be equipped with a tempered glass resistant plastic.
The Freedom Towers' upper levels will contain a massive vertical garden known as, “Gardens of the World”. Call it a tribute to the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the original 7 wonders of the ancient world. The spire on top will be an intense beam of light that will be lit at night projecting a brilliant beacon over a thousand feet up into the sky. At 1776 feet, the Freedom Tower will dominate the New York City skyline and was anticipated to be the tallest building in the world. But other cities and countries have already renewed the competition for that title. For example, Los Vegas has proposed constructing a super skyscraper called, “The Los Vegas Tower”. If built, the tower will stand at 1888 feet. Likewise, Chicago has plans for another soaring skyscraper called, “The Chicago Spire”.
If constructed, it will surpass the “(inaudible 2:26) Tower” in height, reaching over 2000 feet. Then, the United Arab Emirates, has already begun construction on the “Dubai Tower”. With 194 floors, this magnificent (inaudible 2:39) is expected to climb over 2600 feet, but the actual height is still being kept top-secret. But there’s more, plans are currently on the drawing board for the “Center of India Tower”, in Katangi, India. If constructed, this 224 story colossal pyramid shaped tower will be the highest building in the world. This sounds strangely reminiscent of an ancient age where men wanted to build a tower to reach to heaven. Stay will us friends, we’re going to learn more as “Amazing Facts” brings you this edition of “Bible Answers Live”.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Doug: It’s amazing but we do have lines open, and if you want to get your Bible question on tonight’s program, this would be a really good time to pick up your phone and dial that toll free number. We’ll do our best to search the word of God together we’ve got the Bible on several concordances at our fingertips on the computer to find the answers, that’s why the phone number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297. This is the best use of talk radio in my opinion, talking about the word of God and what is truth. If you have a question, call us now, 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And my name is Jëan Ross, good evening listening friends, let’s start with a word of prayer. Dear Lord, again we thank you for this opportunity to open up your word. We ask that you be with us, be with those who are listening, and those who will call in. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You opened the program Pastor Doug, talking about the Freedom Tower, and then some other buildings that are claiming to be the highest, or hoping to be the highest in the world. Not too long ago, I had an opportunity to be in New York, and we were there ground zero, and I saw the picture of the Freedom Tower that they proposed to put up there, just a colossal building, it’s going to be tremendous.
Pastor Doug: Absolutely, yeah. And I was on the roof of the World Trade Centre, 3 times in 1999 because we did Amazing Facts the special evangelistic program there and it still gives us, kind of a mixed bag of feelings. Remember that we were praying over the city from the roof of the World Trade Centre, but it was so high up there, and since then we’ve been back, and been to the top of the Empire State Building, and even though that is 70 years old, it’s still a very high building.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Very impressive.
Pastor Doug: And so when you consider that their talking about buildings now that are 2600 feet, the Freedom Tower is going to be taller than the World Trade Centre. This tower in Dubai, they’ve already begun construction on this one, 2600 feet, and of course, they’ve haven’t released the actual size, there’ll probably be an antenna on the top, and some say, that may even reach to over 3000 feet. It’s reminiscent of the story in the Bible after the flood, when they are on the plains of Shinar, man began to build a tower, with a goal of it to reach into the heavens so to speak.
I don’t think anyone believe in, that they could build a tower and walk into heaven, but some of it was to make a name for themselves, and that’s why these different countries, and states are racing to have that title, so man can make a name for themselves. And of course that was the Tower of Babel and it was at the Tower of Babel that God interrupted their plans by confusing or confounding the languages, the whole world spoke a uniform language up to that point, and it just created such chaos, that they all began to Babble, and that’s where we get the word, “Babbling”, and the word, “Baby” actually comes from the word babbling because babies babble, and they’re called little babblers or babies. And what’s interesting is you get to Revelation, and one of the characteristics of a counter fit church system in the last days, she is called, “Babylon the mother of harlots”, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s still true, if one of the identifying characteristics of modern Babylon is a confusion of tongues, just as in ancient Babylon, one of the characteristics was, they’re at the tower, a confusion of tongues.
Now for anyone who might have doubts, Pastor Ross and I believe in all the gifts of the Spirit including the gift of tongues, but there is a counter fit for every true gift of God, and a lot of what is happening in some of the churches now, I believe there’s a misapplication of the genuine gift of tongues and what it’s purpose is. And so there might be a lot of our friends out there that would like to understand better, what does the Bible really say about the gift of tongues and how can you know for sure that you’re not getting pulled into some counter fit or manipulation of that gift. We have a free offer just for the asking.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We have the book entitled, “Captured by Tongues”, written by Pastor Doug, and you will find it important, intriguing answering these important questions especially in the light of Bible prophecy and the significance of Babylon. Let me give you the resource number, its 1-800-835-6747, 1-800-835-6747, and call the number and ask for the free offer, “Captured by Tongues”, they’ll be happy to send that out to you. We have 2 internet questions tonight. The 1st one, are there any scriptures that talk about children in heaven remaining children or do they grow up?
Pastor Doug: Good question! Well of course, if children stayed children forever, well you know, I better think before I speak here, I sort of wish that puppies and kiddies would stay puppies and kiddies because my kids always want a puppy and when it turn into a dog they want a new puppy, they don’t want the old one anymore. But children will grow up. Malachi Chapter 4 says, “They will go forth and grow up as calves of the stall”. And so in heaven, you know, God always intended that children will grow up, but they’ll grow more slowly, that’s why there’s that prophecy in Isaiah, I don’t remember the verse, I’m just doing this on the top of my head Pastor Ross, but it’s the one where it says, “A child will die a hundred years old”, speaking of heaven, people thought, “Why will children die?” And the King James words it that way, it simple means, “Children will cease to be children at a hundred years old they’ll grow up much more slowly”. It’s interesting when you study the genealogies in Genesis back in the days of Adam sometimes people didn’t get married and have children until they were over a hundred years of age. And so, things, you know, people matured, and they grew, and they lived longer back then, but children will still grow up, it’ll just be a more haste process.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Go a little slower.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, that verse that you referred to, Isaiah 65:20, talking about, “A child shall die at a hundred years old…”
Pastor Doug: Shall cease to be a child.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: The word cease and die, it’s not the best translation there.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So the pace of aging will be quite different. Our next question, is there anything wrong with playing cards not for gambling but for entertainment?
Pastor Doug: Well, of course there are some card games that are just an innocent diversion, like “Uno” is one that comes to mind, I would encourage people to stay away from the typical poker cards, because there’s a lot of cultish symbols, you know, people read cards, the magic tricks, and the gambling. And so kids that might start out playing “Go fish”, it, just getting used to playing with those kind of cards, they can easily transition into the gambling games that do become an addiction. And so I think that folks need to be, if someone wants a good diversion, there are other games other than the typical deck of 52 cards that folks use.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, thank you. If you have a question that you’d like to e-mail to us, you can go to the Amazing Facts website there’ll be a link that you can click on, have questions, type your question in, and we will try and read your question on the air. We’ll go to the phone lines, the 1st caller this evening, Charlie, listening on KFIA, from Taft California. Welcome to the program Charlie.
Charlie: Well thank you. Yes, I’m actually calling for Dan who’s an inmate at the Taft federal prison there, and I belong to a steady group, I go in with ministry. And we were all wondering, we had been studying about Jacob, where God names Jacob, Israel in Genesis 32:28. But then He also names Jacob Israel again in Genesis 35:10, He’s almost like, He forgot that He named him Israel the 1st time. And we were just curious about why that is, and we figured that your program is very popular there in the prison, so we figured that you would be the one that would know.
Pastor Doug: Well, you do me a favour, please and send our greetings to the gentlemen there in the prison we have quite a few inmates that they write us a beautiful letters that are going through our Bible school at Amazing Facts. A lot of people can take our Bible course online, but of course in the prison, many of them don’t have that, and so we mail the lessons to them, and we have thousands of inmates around the country, and I just hope you’ll convey our appreciation to them.
Charlie: Sure.
Pastor Doug: Back to the question about Israel. Israel is 1st mentioned of course in Genesis 32:28. He says, “Your name will no more be called Jacob, which means the deceiver, but Israel, which means overcomer with God”, it means, “A prince or an overcomer with God, Israel. The word L in the Bible means, “God”. Now you find the next reference of Israel, in of course Genesis 32:32, where it says, “This is why they do not eat the shrunken sinew”. And then you find Genesis 35, you were referring to. He says, “Your name is Jacob, your name shall no more be called Jacob, but it shall be Israel”. That could be, because even after God had dubbed him with this name, he was alone when that happened, and people continued to call him Jacob, and God had to remind him, “No, you’ve got a new name, use the new name”. And so it probably is just a reinforcement of the covenant, just as God more than one time told Abraham that, “You will have a son through Sarah”, He told him that several times as though it didn’t sink in.
Charlie: Alright, well thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Thank you, good question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Gilbert, listening on KARM, from Fresno California. Gilbert, welcome to the program.
Gilbert: Pleasure to be talking to you guys. I got a quick question Brother Doug.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Gilbert: Us being Christians and supposed to be good Samaritans. Say if we are walking down the street, or something like that and we see somebody gaining (inaudible 14:25), what should a Christian do besides, you know, (inaudible 14:31-14:34)?
Pastor Doug: Well I’ll tell you a true story that will give you an insight into what my answer is. I was a pastor working on a mission one time, I won’t say where this is. And a young lady came banging on our door and said, “Help, my father’s trying to kill my mother, father had a drinking problem”. And, you know, they don’t train you in seminary for occasions like this typically. So I go over and stand at the door, and inside the trailer I can hear things banging, and screaming, and there’s no time, you know, to call the police or do anything like that, so I just walked into these peoples house, and had to basically, physically intervene between this husband who was an (inaudible 15:18), and was bludgeoning his wife. So I think that, you know, God would expect you to get involved, and to intervene, and to try to protect life, the idea for the Christian is you want to do that which will bring glory to God, and protect and save life. And so if someone is assaulting someone else, you obviously want to do what you can to defend and to save.
Gilbert: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: Jesus comes into the world to save us from the devil and He is going to at some point, violently deal with the devil,
Gilbert: Right.
Pastor Doug: he’ll be cast into the lake of fire, so that’s an intervention.
Gilbert: That’s right. Okay, alright, thank you Brother Doug.
Pastor Doug: Alright thank you, good question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Aileen is listening on WMGM, from Linden, New Jersey. Welcome to the program Aileen.
Aileen: Well hello, I want to ask you a question about fasting.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Aileen: I understand other religions fast for
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Aileen: for breakthrough. I wonder about, when did we ever start, or when did fasting ever start, and how is it that, that especially gets towards the heart of God?
Pastor Doug: Well I’m looking actually right now. I think the 1st reference… in Ruth it talks about fasting, in Judges it talks about fasting.
Aileen: Judges.
Pastor Doug: Let me see here, Judges 20 is the 1st reference I have found, to fasting. And it says, “And then all the people of Israel that all the people that came to the house of God wept, they sat before the Lord, and the fasted that day until evening”. Now Moses talks about “Holy convocations, and there’s a day to afflict the soul”. Fasting was something that would be done, there’s physical benefit in fasting, but typically, in the Bible is for the spiritual benefit, and that would be to separate yourself from the carnal needs. You remember Jacob sold his birth right… I’m sorry, Esau sold his birth right because he was hungry, and he gave into his hunger rather than his spiritual heritance. And God says, “Put aside your spiritual carnal cravings, seek me”, for one thing, when you’re eating, certain amount of your energy goes actually digesting, and processing food.
After a person has fasted for a period of time, your digestive system sort of goes into hibernation, and most of your blood then is available to the brain, which is, you know, it’s obviously the spiritual organ in the body, God doesn’t speak to us though our lungs or through our liver, He speaks to us through our mind. And so a fasting actually clears the mind, it helps us pray more effectively, and to hear the voice of the spirit more effectively. It’s also a means of humbling ourselves through denial, self-denial. So the 1st reference there is in Judges 20, and it’s also mentioned in Ruth Chapter 2, of course and there’s several references, hundreds of references, matter a fact, I’ve got a 146 references in the Bible for fasting. You don’t hear much about it anymore, do you Aileen?
Aileen: No, but what I’m thinking about is how man ever got that into his mind and heart that, that would get to the Lord?
Pastor Doug: Well let me give you one option, it doesn’t specifically say this in the Bible, but how did sin enter the Bible, what sin specifically 1st opened the door?
Aileen: (Laughing) It was eating.
Pastor Doug: Eating something that shouldn’t have been eaten.
Aileen: Right.
Pastor Doug: And so as a sign of dependence on God and trusting His word, when man says, “Look, I’m not going to eat it all because I’m going to show surrender to His will”, and what was the 1st temptation Jesus had in the wilderness, wasn’t it regarding eating?
Aileen: Yes.
Pastor Doug: The devil said, “If you’re the Son of God, turn these stones into bread”. So it’s a big thing, you don’t hear to many pastors talk about fasting but it’s an important subject.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know there’s also the experience that I’m thinking of, where Jesus came back from prayer, and some of the folks had gone to his disciples with a boy that was demon possessed, and they were unable to cast out the demon,
Pastor Doug: That’s right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: and the disciples wanted to know why.
Pastor Doug: Mark Chapter 9.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And Jesus said, “Well this kind only comes out with prayer and fasting”. So that fasting, that emptying of self, enabling the Holy Spirit to work through us, and use us is important, especially as we’re near the end of time, where this great conflict, this battle against the forces of the devil seems to be growing in intensity.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We need to be fully dedicated…
Pastor Doug: The denial of self and the physical needs of food is like a total surrender, it’s a step that indicates a total surrender and dependence on God. So hopefully that helps a little Aileen, and we appreciate your question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Michael is listening on WMCA, from Brooklyn, New York. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: Yes, good evening Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Michael: Yeah, I have a question on Melchizedek I don’t know who he is really.
Pastor Doug: Well that’s a very good question. The 1st reference to Melchizedek, you find in Genesis 14, and this is where he 1st is introduced, and you have to go there. Abraham is coming back from a victorious battle up around Damascus where he defeats these 5 kingdoms and rescues Lot and his family.
Michael: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: He’s gotten tremendous (inaudible 20:43) from this war, the spoils of war. And on his way home, he asked to pass through an area that was simply known as “Salam”, in this area of Salam in the mountains, a mountainous region, there’s a king named, “Melchizedek”, and he is evidently a priest of the most high God. Abraham pays tithe to Melchizedek.
Michael: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: Now it’s interesting, Melchizedek is a type of Christ in the Bible, because the word Melchizedek means, “King of Righteousness”
Michael: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: And it says, “When Abraham comes to meet him, he brings forth bread and wine”. Well during the new covenant, Jesus our King of righteousness brings forth bread and wine. Melchizedek was a king and a priest, Jesus is our King and He is our High Priest. Furthermore, it tells us that he lived in Salam, that very sport was later known as “Jerusalem”, now that’s where Jerusalem is, Jayrushalom, the city of peace. And so this Melchizedek, this king of righteousness, king priest to whom Abraham paid tithes was a real individual, but he was someone else who had come probably from Mesopotamia, a worshipper of the true God, and he was the senior of Abraham, and Abraham paid tithes to him. Now I can’t prove this, and I don’t have any burden to prove it because I don’t know Michael.
Michael: Okay.
Pastor Doug: But do you realize that at this time when Abraham paid tithed to Melchizedek, the son of Noah, “Sham”, one of the survivors from before the flood was still alive, and if you… Jewish scholars have said, “Melchizedek was Sham who had followed Abraham from the Paganism in Mesopotamia to Israel”, and he was living out his days there, he lived over 200 and over, I forget.
Pastor Jëan Ross: I don’t know.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, all the days of Sham, you could look it up and tell us, but anyway I looked at charts board if Sham was still alive, and it’s intriguing thought, but you can’t prove it.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And then also Hebrews Chapter 7.
Michael: From the part where it’s in Hebrews Chapter 7?
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Michael: It says, “He was without father, without mother, without descend”, some people think of him as Jesus.
Pastor Doug: No, you know, that’s Paul, Paul wrote Hebrews very likely, and what Paul is simple saying there is, “Melchizedek appears in the Old Testament with no genealogy”, most of the characters, you know what people they came from.
Michael: Yes.
Pastor Doug: No genealogy is given for Melchizedek, and so Paul says, “That’s sort of a symbol that he’s a type of Christ”, but he was a real person, because Jesus does not need, you know, if this was the in apparition of Jesus, you don’t need to give the spoils of war to a ghost.
Michael: Yes.
Pastor Doug: You know what I’m saying? So I’m sure Melchizedek was a real person.
Michael: Okay, thank you very much.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Just to come back with Sham Pastor Doug. Looking again, Genesis Chapter 11, it looks like Sham was 600 years old when he died.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, that would have put him plenty of time to…
Pastor Jëan Ross: So there was plenty of time...
Pastor Doug: Overlap with Abraham.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. Our next caller is Gary, and he is calling from Portland Oregon. Welcome to the program Gary.
Gary: Yes, my son whom I witnessed accepting Jesus Christ, and know that he did, I know in my heart that he did recently committed suicide and I wanted to ask about the prays, as from the body present with the Lord, when I read about the 2nd resurrection meeting Christ in the sky the dead in Christ shall rise 1st. I want to know if people, when they die, go instantly to the kingdom, or if they wait in the grave like Daniel, when Christ comes again, I’m not sure about that part.
Pastor Doug: Well 1st Gary, let us just tell you that our hearts go out to you, and
Gary: Why thank you.
Pastor Doug: it’s heart breaking. Just this week, I’m a pastor, and one of our families lost an 18 year old, 19 year old boy, and we in the Batchelor family lost one of our sons, and we know that it’s, even with the assurance that you have, and the hope we have, it’s still is a terrible vacuum that’s left.
Gary: Yes, I understand that.
Pastor Doug: But to answer your question more specifically about death. The Bible is very clear that those that die sleep until the resurrection. In 1st Thessalonians Chapter 4, it says, “The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, the dead in Christ will rise 1st”, and that is also parallel for a passage that says, in 1st Corinthians 15 that, “Each one happens in there order. Those that are Christi rise at His coming” extremely clear. And then you already quoted Daniel Chapter 12, where he would sleep and stand in his lot at the end of the days. And so there’s many, many references, matter a fact, in John Chapter 6, 3 times, it refers to the resurrection as the last day. So what do we do with the verse, it says, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord”. Because a Christian or a believer, when they die, it is a perfectly dreamless sleep, there is no consciousness, their next conscious thought is the resurrection and the presence of the Lord.
Gary: That’s what I’ve always thought.
Pastor Doug: So there’s, you know, as far as they’re concerned, when we lay a loved one in the grave, we can rejoice for them because there next conscious thought, it may seem, you know, a thousand years might go by, but for them, it’s a moment, a twinkling of an eye, and they come out of their graves with a glorified body,
Gary: I understand that.
Pastor Doug: but it hasn’t happened yet. We in this world, we live in a dimension of time, see God is, God is able to take prophets back in time, or take them into the future, but we live in a dimension of time here in this world, and as far as we’re concerned, well the resurrection hasn’t happened. Some pastors try to comfort people by saying, “Well they’re up in heaven now enjoying everything”, but the Bible really doesn’t teach that, the Bible teaches that we will go to the kingdom together when the Lord comes. And we have a study guide we’d be happy to send you for free, and it has lots of scripture on this subject, and it’s simply called, “Are the Dead Really Dead?”
Pastor Jëan Ross: Gary if you’d like to like this study guide or for anyone listening, just call the resource number 1-800-835-6747, ask for the study guide, “Are the Dead Really Dead?” and we’ll be able to send that right out to you.
Pastor Doug: And that will free up a couple of lines. We’re getting ready to take a break in just a moment friends, and again the offer is, if you want to call in, we got a couple lines open so give a call, 1-800-GOD-SAYS, that’s 1-800-463-7297. We also want to remind our friends that this program, we hope will be used by the Lord as a catalyst, we only can air this once or twice a week depending on where you’re listening. Most places it’s live, some places it’s pre-recorded, there are people around the world that listen on the internet, but we want this program to be a catalyst to take you to the internet where we have so many more resources that you can look up many of the books that we offer. You can actually, you can order them there, you can read them for free online, those of you who teach in your church, or you teach in a class, or a Bible study, if you’d like some tremendous Bible study materials, Amazing Facts has their Amazing Facts study guide, we have the “Historical of Prophecy Bible Study Lessons”, we have our “Advanced Prophecy Series”, dealing with things like, “The Mark of the Beast, and America in Prophecy, and the book on tongues that we’re offering tonight”, all of these things can be seen online, and some of the most popular Bible questions that people ask.
There’s a link there, click on “media”, after you go to “Amazingfacts.org”, click the media link, and you’ll see the archives of hundreds of the more popular questions, so you could be listening all the time. We have our T.V programs there most of what Amazing Facts does is on T.V, all of our North America, and around the world via satellite. We were recently in India and met people there who are watching the programs, and so you can watch live streaming at the website, so please take advantage of “Amazingfacts.org”, and utilize the resources there. We also have some new websites that are up and running right now, many questions that are coming in on things such as “The punishment of the wicked in hell”, new website called “Helltruth.com, helltruth.com”, and you’ll find a lot there, a lot of misunderstanding about so many Bible doctrines. So go to the Amazing Facts website friends, and take advantage of this virtual tree of life that’s there. Now we’re not done, we’ll be back in just a moment.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug: We’re back listening friends, and we know some of you have joined us since we last introduced ourselves. This is Bible Answers Live it is a live international, interactive Bible study, and you can participate by listening, by praying for us as we do our best to find the answers in the word of God, or call in your Bible question I think we still have 1 or 2 lines open. That number is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297. You got 2 pastors in here trying to help answer your question. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross, Pastor Doug we’re going to go to the phone lines. Cony is listening on 88.5 from Kennewick, Washington. Cony, welcome to the program.
Cony: Thank you Pastor Doug. My question is simply, I wonder if Mary, the mother of Jesus did go on to have more children?
Pastor Doug: Well it tells us in Mark Chapter 3… I’m sorry, Mark 6:3, “Is not this the carpenter, the Son of Mary, the brother of James, and Josses, Judas, and Simon, are not His sisters with us?” Well there’s no question that Jesus had at least half-brother’s, and sisters, and it names the boys, it doesn’t name the girls, it says, “Sisters” so there were evidently at least 2 of them. And I always like to think He had 2 sisters, four brother’s, that would mean that’s 6, and Jesus would be the 7th, isn’t that fun to think about, a nice Bible number? Were they Mary’s children? Most scholars think that these were children that Joseph had prior to marrying Mary,
Cony: Okay.
Pastor Doug: and here’s the reasons for that. 1st of all, Joseph was evidently older then Mary, he died before Christ began His ministry. Joseph is not mentioned, at least he doesn’t speak, and there’s no reference to him after Jesus is 12 years of age, and He goes to the temple. There’s only a fleeting reference in Luke where it says that, “Jesus went home and he was subject to them”. So probably for a little while after Jesus 12th birthday, Joseph was still alive, but by the time Christ begins His ministry, Joseph never appears, and evidently he’s passed away. Furthermore, it would be very unusual for Jesus to commit the care of His mother to John at the cross, which you find in the gospel of John. If His brothers were Mary’s children, they naturally would have taken in their mother.
Cony: I see.
Pastor Doug: but probably they were Joseph children from his 1st wife that evidently passed away. The other thing is that it would have been very unusual if Jesus was the oldest of these 6 children, or 7 children, if he, the oldest always stayed home, he was the 1st born, he would get the inheritance, usually took over the fathers business, it was often the youngest that took off, as in the Prodigal Son and Jacob,
Cony: Yes.
Pastor Doug: the oldest stayed at home. So for Jesus to leave the family business and become an itinerant preacher, would have been a great insult back in His day, but the youngest, they would let them venture out. So there’s a number of scholars, matter a fact, I think the conventional wisdom among the scholars is those were probably the half-brothers of Jesus, and the only child that Mary had was Jesus.
Cony: Okay, thank you so very much.
Pastor Doug: Alright, hope that helps a little bit, thank you.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Our next caller is Lebone, calling from Hamilton Anterior, Canada. Welcome to the program.
Pastor Doug: Hi Lebone, how you doing?
Lebone: Good. Listen, I got a little question about Matthew 24:15, what’s this about speaking of the most holy place? Now I know that’s figurative and that there’s not going to be a temple in the last days. What do you think of that anyway?
Pastor Doug: Matthew 24:15 let me go there real quick.
Lebone: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand”. Well of course in the Old Testament, the holy place was in a physical temple, and it was the presence of God. The temple in the New Testament times is a type of the church. Paul says, “What don’t you know that ye are the temple of God?” And of course Jesus said, when He was preaching, “Destroy this temple and in 3 days I’ll raise it up”, and John says, “He spoke of His body”, his body is the temple and the church is called “The body of Christ”. And so that wicked one that wants to defile the holy place, he’s taking the place of God in the church of God that is the great abomination of desolation. That’s why it talks in… is it 2nd Thessalonians Pastor Ross, then this wicked one who opposes and exalts himself above all that is good, 2nd Thessalonians Chapter 2?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: I forget the verse, but 2nd Thessalonians Chapter 2, tells us, “This wicked one will sit in a temple of God, showing himself that he is God”, this is the abomination of desolation in the holy place. This beast power places himself over the church of God, takes the prerogatives of God, it’s not talking about a physical secret room somewhere that somebody is going to, you know, defile somehow. The New Testament’s very consistent that the church is a spiritual church right now, a spiritual temple. We are living stones, there’s a spiritual priesthood, we offer spiritual sacrifices, we don’t need to offer lambs anymore, Jesus is the lamb, that’s why the veil ripped from top to bottom when Christ died on the cross, in the temple. Does that help a little?
Lebone: Yeah it does. So there’s going to be no new temple in the last days eh?
Pastor Doug: No, I don’t think so. For one thing, just think about it right now, if some of my friends say… and keep in mind listening friends, I’m a Jew, if anybody would love to see another temple, it would be me, but I’ve been to Israel a couple of times, if they bulldoze the “Mosque of Omar”, which is the location where the temple would be built, it would cause World War 3. And so the temple that it’s speaking of there in 2nd Thessalonians, is speaking of the spiritual temple now. I don’t believe
Lebone: Okay.
Pastor Doug: they’ll be any temple rebuilt, no.
Lebone: Alright.
Pastor Doug: Okay,
Lebone: okay.
Pastor Doug: thank you very much Lebone.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Michael is listening on WGOD, from the Virgin Islands. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: Good night Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: Evening Michael, I bet you got nicer weather out there, then we have here.
Michael: Yeah, it’s lovely down here.
Pastor Doug: And your question tonight?
Michael: My question is, it speaks of “Lucifer being the head musician in heaven”.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Michael: Does the Bible speak of him playing any musical instruments?
Pastor Doug: Well the reference you’re talking about is in Ezekiel 28:13, where it’s speaking of Lucifer, and it says, “You were in Eden, the garden of God every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, the topaz, the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, sapphire, turquoise, emerald with gold”, and then it says, “The workmanship of your tendrils and pipes”, that pipe there is like flutes, or like pipes in a pipe organ, “was prepared for you on the day you were created”. And this was sort of the Hebrew way of talking about your beautiful voice, musical voice. And so did Lucifer play an instrument? I have a feeling that his voice was so splendid and spectacular there was no instrument that could compare. This was the highest angel, the highest of God’s created beings, and the sound he made with his voice probably was more splendid then any instrument.
Michael: Okay. Does it have any other… because I’m trying to do this project in school? So does it speak of any of the, besides David, musician in the Bible?
Pastor Doug: Does it speak of… say that one more time.
Michael: Does it speak of any other musicians in the Bible besides David?
Pastor Doug: Besides David? Yeah, well it talks in the Bible about Jubal in Genesis, who was the 1st one to make, I think the organ. There’s 2 brothers, was it Jubal and Jabal? Yeah, it says in Genesis 4:21, “His brother’s name was Jubal”, by the way, that’s where we get the word, “Jubilee or Jubilation”, his name became synonymous with rejoicing. He’s the father of all those who played the harp and the flute. And so, yeah there are a number of references, Asaph had played instruments, and then you’ve got… there in Solomon’s time, they had a number of musicians. So I think there’s several references to people who played musical instruments in the Bible, most of them were in the Old Testament.
Michael: Okay.
Pastor Doug: You got the daughter of Jeff who played the tambourine.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You got Merriam who also…
Pastor Doug: Yeah
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah.
Michael: Okay, thanks a lot Pastor Doug.
Pastor Doug: We’re glad to help you with your homework.
Pastor Jëan Ross: (Laughing)
Pastor Doug: Thank you Michael, God bless.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Philip is listening on WMCA, from New Hide Park, New York. Welcome to the program Philip.
Philip: Hello Pastor Doug and hello to your panel.
Pastor Doug: How are you doing?
Philip: Very good. Could you please give me some practical advice through biblical reference, how I can progress and overcome all of my anger?
Pastor Doug: Well I’ll give you some principles and promises. Of course, you know, in Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger”.
Philip: Amen.
Pastor Doug: And again Proverbs 25:15, “By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaks the bone”. In other words, you can get farther in overcoming someone by gentle persuasion. And then of course, in the New Testament, Paul talks about, “Outburst of wrath”. Let me find that for you.
Philip: okay.
Pastor Doug: You found it Pastor Ross?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Are you thinking about Ephesians Chapter 4, verse 26-27?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, read that for us.
Pastor Jëan Ross: “Be angry, but sin not: let not the sun go down on thy wrath”
Pastor Doug: Yeah, there you go.
Pastor Jëan Ross: And then of course, 1st Peter Chapter 3:9, “Render not evil for evil”. And then one in particular that I like, Proverbs 16:13, it says, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty”.
Pastor Doug: You’ve got Colossians 3:8. Now this is important, that’s why we’re taking time with a lot of people struggle with anger, Colossians 3:8, it says, “But now put off all of these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, and it’s something that by the grace of God, and through His Spirit, we can lay aside”. And then when you ask for the mind of Christ, that gives you the victory over these.
Philip: Amen:
Pastor Doug: Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness, and anger, clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you”. Now God will never ask us to do anything without helping us do it. In Ephesians, when it says, “Let it be put away”, keep in mind, God said “Let there be light and there was light”. If you claim that as a promise, let it be put away, say, “Lord…”, get on your knees Philip, by your bed, open your Bible, put your finger on that verse. Say, “Lord, let all this anger be put away from my heart”, and watch and see what God does.
Philip: I look forward to doing that, and I thank you, because I feel what you’re basically saying, that patience and humility are the twin actions that can lead towards a more humble life, and a life free from anger,
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Philip: because as I raised my daughter, I could see at times that she would come up and be puffed up with that same thing, and I realized, it was coming out of me.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. Kids will, they’ll model their parents, and especially if they see their parents getting upset, and fighting, and angry, they end up doing it with their siblings, they do it with their friends at school. And so you want to demonstrate the Spirit of Christ, and the only way to do it, is as the Spirit comes into your mind, He helps subdue those emotions, and that’s one of the gifts of the Spirit, the self-control. Hope that helps Philip.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We also have the promise, Philippians 4:13, “That we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us”.
Pastor Doug: Through Christ.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Victor is listening on KNDL, from Brentwood, California. Victor, welcome to the program.
Victor: Hi, how are you?
Pastor Doug: Good.
Victor: My question is in relating to the term of, “The Son of Man, relating to God”, I mean I know it’s talking about God, but I don’t understand the term itself, because like in the book of Ezekiel, through the whole book, he relates to Ezekiel as the son of man. He talks to him as, you know, when He’s talking to him, He’s telling him that, you know, “You’re the son of man”, you know, whatever the phrase is, verse is. And I don’t really understand it, God…
Pastor Doug: Well that is a good question. The term “Son of Man”, when Christ uses it, He deliberately refers to Himself as the “Son of Man”, because Jesus love the concept that He joined Himself to the human race, through the incarnation, and He loved to remind us, “Yes, I am a hundred percent God, but I am also the Son of Man, I became a man to save men”. But in Ezekiel and other places in the Bible, Psalms, I think the reference “Son of Man” is found a 196 times in the Bible
Victor: Wow.
Pastor Doug: so it’s a very common phrase. But you know, we would say humans, people, folks, there’s so many different words, one of the terms in Hebrew 4, people was the son of man, and there’s no great spiritual application every time you find that in Ezekiel.
Victor: Okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, I think there’s something else interesting about that phrase. In the gospels, you find Jesus referred to as “The Son of God”, but not too often.
Victor: Right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: When Jesus speaks of Himself, the phrase that He likes to use more than any other is “The Son of Man”, over and over again. Jesus identifies Himself with us, and I think that’s kind of neat.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Victor: So what you’re saying is I came to earth as a man and I’m just one of you guys type of thing?
Pastor Doug: Yeah. And sometimes when a man had a baby, he says, “God has given us a son of man”, and the word Adam actually meant “Man”.
Victor: okay.
Pastor Doug: And so it’s like, it’s another way of saying, “A son of Adam”.
Victor: okay.
Pastor Jëan Ross: In other words, Christ identifies with us, He knows what we’re going through, He was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sins. So He understands, He’s able to help.
Victor: Okay.
Pastor Doug: Adam was the son of God, Jesus was the Son of God, everyone else, everyone else is a son of man, or been reborn by Christ.
Victor: Right, okay. Alright, thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Thank you Victor.
Victor: Bye.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Donna is listening on WMCA, from Westchester, New York. Welcome to the program Donna.
Donna: Yes, hi Pastor Doug and Jean. My question is in reference to 1 Kings Chapter 13.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Donna: It’s just a few questions. I just like to know why, what was the reason old prophet lied to the man of God, what was the purpose of that, that he said “He can go ahead, and eat, and drink”? And how come the man of God was, didn’t question it, he just said, “Okay”, and he went back? And then why did God speak to the man, to the old prophet that lied when lying is a serious sin, like in Acts, people were struck dead for lying, and he spoke to him, giving him reference to the man of God, of how he was going to die? And then the old prophet said, “The man of God was disobedient”, when he know that he deceived him.
Pastor Doug: You know you’re asking several, first of all, several questions, they’re good questions because this chapter, this whole story about the man from Judah, a prophet, and he’s unnamed, we never know his name, is a difficult passage. There’s a lot of very interesting dynamics. 1st of all, this old prophet lies and he tells a true prophet of God, that God said, “You’re supposed to come to my house”. The true prophet gets in trouble because God told him personally what He wanted him to do, and he put aside that personal revelation of God, and listened to hearsay. We’ve got to be careful not to follow what others tell us rather then what God tells us to do His word directly. Many people will put their own interpretations on something and we can get in trouble.
Donna: Yes.
Pastor Doug: The fact they got spoke through this old false prophet, or the prophet who lied, shouldn’t surprise us, because God also spoke through Balaam the prophet, who was a greedy prophet. God spoke through Anus the high priest, who condemned Jesus, he said, “Don’t you know that one man should perish to save the whole nation?” Which was sort of a prophecy, the nation of spiritual Israel is saved because of the perishing of Christ, or the death of Christ. So God can talk through a donkey if He wants to, you know what I’m saying?
Donna: Yes.
Pastor Doug: So that shouldn’t, you know, shock us, it’s a principle you see through the Bible. Any other thoughts on that Pastor Ross?
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know Pastor Doug, I think it’s very significant here, this story, because the old prophet claimed to be speaking for God, and the prophet that came up from Judah ended up losing his life, it’s a serious thing, even if someone claims to be speaking for God, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to go against something that we have from the Bible.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, that’s right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: In the last days, false prophets will arise, will deceive many.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Donna: Right.
Pastor Jëan Ross: We can’t turn around and say, “Well, you know, he said he was a prophet so that excuses us from studying and doing what we know to be right”.
Donna: Right. Did you find it strange that the man of God just said, you know, when he said, “I’m a prophet to and the angel spoke to me”. Do you find that odd that he didn’t want proof or anything, that he just said, “Okay”, and he went back with him?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, my take on that is he was hungry, he was thirsty, he was tired, and God had told him, “Don’t eat, don’t rest, don’t drink water in this place”, and he was ready for a break, and he didn’t want to challenge what the old prophet had said, so he just accepted that.
Donna: And then just going down, like to verse 26, it seems like the old prophet is surprised when he like, it is the man of God that was disobedient to the Lord, when he know, he deceived him. So why did he make, like a statement like that?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, well that’s the very point, this old prophet was sort of a conflicted individual, he knew that he was deceiving the young man, matter a fact, he said, “Bury me on the bones of this prophet, because he was a prophet of God, and it was like saying, “Maybe I can absorb some of his resurrection, but…
Donna: Right.
Pastor Doug: I hope that helps a little bit Donna, it’s a good question.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Thanks for calling Donna. Our next caller is Stanley, and he is listening on the internet calling from Irving, New Jersey, Irvington, New Jersey. Welcome to the program Stanley.
Stanley: Hey, how’s it going?
Pastor Doug: Good.
Stanley: It’s my 3rd time talking to you guys.
Pastor Doug: Bless your heart, thanks for calling.
Stanley: Actually I’m constantly calling you guys. Hey listen, this pertaining to the unpardonable sin.
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Stanley: I believe it’s on Matthew Chapter 12:31. I know what you teach on that, and I’ve listened to so many, I read your books on that, but this one here, I’m looking on at it, and it kind of bothers me a little bit, I need you to help me out with that.
Pastor Doug: Alright, which one particular, you want to go to Matthew, you want to go to the verse in Matthew?
Stanley: Well that’s the one I found right now, just talk and talk about it, but I don’t know if there’s any better one. (Laughing) But I don’t know if there’s anything clearer, but this one says right here, “Wherefore I say unto you, all men have sinned, and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him, but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come”. But the thing about it here that’s bothering me, is the fact that it says, “Speaketh a word against”. But according to what I’ve been learning that you’re teaching… and it makes sense, don’t get me wrong… is that it has to be a consistent rejection of the Holy Spirit that is supposed to… Mom, I’m on the phone with Batchelor, hold on. Yeah, I’m sorry, my mother kind of bosses me a little bit. Yeah, but…
Pastor Doug: Careful. (Laughing)
Stanley: (Laughing) Yeah, it’s constant rejection of the Holy Spirit that’s going to pretty much (Inaudible 51:45) the Holy Spirit. But this one here says, “Speak against”,
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Stanley: that’s just a little bit different from.
Pastor Doug: Well give… and I’m not asking you to commit the unpardonable sin, but give me an example of how a person, what would be the context of that? Does a person say, “Holy Spirit you’re no good” or something like that,
Stanley: (Inaudible 52:12) (Laughing)
Pastor Doug: or, and then all of the sudden, that’s not for, but they can say it about Jesus, and they can say it about the Father, because it says, “All manner of sin might be forgiven”, but they can’t say it about the Holy Spirit, that would seem strange wouldn’t it?
Stanley: Yeah no, but it’s, when you see the situation that was happening, because these people said that “He was working for the devil”, and Jesus said, “It was the Spirit”…
Pastor Doug: Well what they were doing, is they’re confusing the work of the Holy Spirit with the work of Beelzebub the devil.
Stanley: Exactly.
Pastor Doug: And so it’s not recognizing, or accepting the work of the Holy Spirit that is the issue at stake. It’s not that they should speak and say, well you know say some bad things about the Holy Spirit, but the resisting of the Holy Spirit, speaking a word in the Bible is a lot more than just uttering something, it means
Stanley: Okay, okay.
Pastor Doug: “Their behaviour, and their conversation, and their lifestyle to resist the working of the Holy Spirit”.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely.
Stanley: I see, so now, when I look at the word, “Speaking a word against”, I shouldn’t just think about utterance only?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, it’s talking about the direction of the life, it’s not just saying “Abracadabra”, and they all of the sudden you’ve lost eternal life because you’ve said the wrong thing to the Holy Spirit, God is not that Pity. I mean we’ve all heard stories about people who’ve shaken their fist at God, and said, “Leave me alone”, and God was merciful and got them back.
Stanley: Because I was thinking about…
Pastor Doug: Not that I recommend anyone does that.
Stanley: Yeah, I was thinking about when you said, “At all, any idle word that you say shall be used against you in the day of judgement”, I was thinking of all these things. I was like, “Wow! Does what you say mean something to God?”
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Stanley: That’s what I was thinking, that’s why I saw that.
Pastor Doug: It certainly does. Now we have a book that deals with this subject, we’ll send you, it’s called, “Man’s Flicker or God’s Flame”, have you seen that one yet Stanley?
Stanley: I actually haven’t, I haven’t read it yet, but I have it.
Pastor Doug: Well when you read that, because I can’t improve on that book by Joe Cruz, it’s very good.
Stanley: Yeah, Joe Cruz is really good.
Pastor Doug: Hope that helps a little bit.
Stanley: Thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Okay, God bless Stanley. Try and get a couple more calls in if we can.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright, Carl is listening on WDDO, from Orlando, Florida. Carl, welcome to the program.
Carl: Hello sir.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi.
Pastor Doug: And your question?
Carl: My question is this. In Isaiah Chapter 11, it speaks about the “Wolf (inaudible 54:31) and things like that”
Pastor Doug: Yes, that’s verse 6.
Carl: Yes, now is that in heaven?
Pastor Doug: Yes, because you read on here, and it says, “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and a leopard shall lie down with the kid and a calf and a young lion and a fatling together and a little child shall lead them, the cow and the bear will feed their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion will eat straw like an ox”
Carl: I see.
Pastor Doug: So, I mean this describing not just some rare instance where a wolf has been trying to get along with a lamb,
Carl: Okay.
Pastor Doug: it’s talking about a whole different economy in the world, and a whole different ecology
Carl: Okay.
Pastor Doug: where there’s total peace in creation
Carl: Alright, but also if you continue to read, when you get to verse 10, it says that, “The Gentiles were (inaudible 55:26)”. So my question is, would Gentiles be in heaven to?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, there are Gentiles in heaven.
Carl: Gentiles will be in heaven.
Pastor Doug: Well there are Gentiles that are converted into Spiritual Jews.
Carl: But…
Pastor Doug: Let me read this for our friends that are listening because not everyone has a Bible. “And in that day shall the root be of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people”, that of course is Christ Christ is the Son of Jesse, or the root of Jesse. “And it shall be the Gentiles, and to with the Gentiles shall seek”. The Gentiles that have come to the kingdom are there because they have sought Christ, and His rest shall be glorious. All through the Bible, it talks about heaven as the ultimate rest.
Carl: So, you know, I’m kind of confused there because if you’re saying, if the Bible is saying “To it shall the Gentiles seek”, that mean, that they haven’t been there yet.
Pastor Doug: No I think it’s just telling us, that even in heaven we’re going to all come before the Lord, we’re going to seek His face even while we’re there just because that’s the greatest glory, It’s not like they’re trying to figure out which way they go. Even in heaven we’re going to seek His face.
Carl: You see because I… okay, my understanding of a Gentile is an unbeliever.
Pastor Doug: Well God is saying in Isaiah, this prophecy from Isaiah is originally given to the Jews to let them know that there will be Gentiles in the kingdom, seeking the face of God. You know, I think the best thing we’re going to be able to do here Carl, we’re about to run out of time, and I want to make sure I make an offer before that happens. We have a book, if you haven’t read it yet, we’ll send you a free copy, it’s called, “Spiritual Israel”, and it talks about some of these issues we’re discussing right here, about the Jews, and the Gentiles, it’s written by myself, and another Jewish brother, Steve Wohlberg, and I believe that would be a blessing. I don’t know if we have 1 minute? Oh! That’s it I knew the music was going to catch up to us. Listening friends, we apologize if we did not get your calls tonight, thank you for your patience, we’ll do our best to do better next time, but we have run out of time for this broadcast.
Again, you can hear a lot of answers by going to the Amazing Facts website, click on the link that says, “Media”, go to Bible Answers Live, and we’ve got archives that have a lot of answers. You can also get a lot of Bible answers by going to the streaming video, the studies that you’ll find there as well. And keep in mind friend, especially during this time of year, we would appreciate a gift to keep us on your station, we’re totally listener supported, and don’t forget, we are a 501C3 non-profit organization, and it is tax deductible. So bless your heart, you might give a Christmas present to Amazing Facts, and until we meet again, remember, it’s not the details, its Jesus the truth that will set you free.
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