Pastor Doug: Hello friends. This is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? In May 1996, Karen Watson age 20, gave birth to a 5 lb. 12 oz. baby boy in Albany, Oregon. This would not be so remarkable except for the fact that Karen had no idea she was even pregnant. Karen was en route by train to a wedding in Missoula, Montana. During the train ride, Watson became increasingly uncomfortable. Someone eventually called ahead and they were met by paramedics in Albany at the train stop to see what was causing Karen's mounting physical distress.
Minutes later, Watson gave birth to a healthy baby boy. This event took her completely by surprise. Though, she had admitted some doctors had diagnosed that she was suffering from anemia, maybe a thyroid condition but certainly not pregnancy. Of course, this was not the first case of a woman unexpectedly giving birth. But it's hard to comprehend how a slender 105 lb. Watson never even dreamed that the extra 7 pounds she had gained could be a 5 lbs. 12 oz. baby boy. What makes this even more amazing is that Karen Watson is a pre-med biology major at UC Davis with plans to go in to family practice.
Did you know the Bible talks about 7 miracle baby boys that surprised their mothers? Stay with us friends. We're going to learn more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
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[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Doug: Hello, listening friends. Let me tell you a story about 30 years ago, I was living in a cavern up in a hill listening to a battery powered radio and someone was trying to answer a caller's question about the Bible. And they were struggling to give them a clear Bible answer. And I thought to myself honestly, if God allows me, I would love to have a radio program someday where people could call in and we could share Bible answers for those who are searching. So this program really is an answer to prayer that I prayed 30 years ago. And now we've been on the air for 10 years and it is a privilege to be able to study with you tonight. This is Bible Answers Live. It is a live international interactive Bible study. And it's very simple. If you have a Bible question, call the toll free number. Ask your question. We will do our best to search the answer and Bible resources at our finger tips to find accurate answers. Lines are open right now. So pick up your phone and give us a call. The number again is 1-800-GOD-SAYS, 1-800-463-7297. And my name is Doug Batchelor.
Pastor Ross: My name is Jean Ross. Good evening friends. Pastor Doug, let's start with a prayer.
Dear Lord, we thank You for this opportunity to study Your word. We ask Your wisdom and Your guidance be with those listening, Father, and be with those who call in and be with us in the studio as we find Bible answers. For this, we ask in Jesus name. Amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen.
Pastor Ross: Pastor Doug, you mentioned a brief story there when we came back on the year after the amazing fact about your experience of listening to a radio calling show where Bible answers weren't being clearly given. Now, I’ve heard that story before and didn’t you hurry down to a payphone to try and call in to answer someone's question?
Pastor Doug: Yes, I actually gave the reader's digest version. The answer I heard the host giving was, in my opinion, so abominable. It was... These people were left with no hope that I actually drove 12 miles down to the nearest telephone and called the radio station and got on the air. And I rehearsed the same question that it come in when I was listening. It was a one hour program. I managed to get down before it was over. I got down and I called in and I try to, in the format of a question, answer the people who had called back earlier. It just grieved me so much that they were given so little hope.
Pastor Ross: Right.
Pastor Doug: And the... So I guessed that felt as real passion way back then to try to help people learn the truth. That the Bible and the truth of the Bible are so precious. And a lot of people simply don’t understand it because they don't read it.
Pastor Ross: Right. They don’t understand it. Well, we're grateful for this opportunity to be able to share Bible answers for those listening. And the amazing fact that started the program dealt with a remarkable birth from a woman who didn't expect it. And then of course, we have some miracle births recorded in scripture.
Pastor Doug: That's right. If you look at it friends, there are examples in the Bible, 7 of them, a nice Bible number, of women who were declared barren and then they miraculously had these babies. All of the babies were baby boys. And of course, we all know about Sarah who is what? 90 years of age when she gave birth to Isaac. Then her daughter-in-law, Rebecca, was also barren and she gave birth to Jacob and Isaac. And then you've got Rachel who was barren and Jacob prayed and she gave birth to Joseph, later Benjamin. Then you've got the wife of Minoa who is Samson’s mother. And she was barren, an angel came and she had this baby boy. There’s another woman, we don’t know her name. It just calls her a great woman of Shunam or the Shunamite woman. And through the prayer of Elijah, she was barren, she was old, she had a baby boy. Hannah with Samuel, we know her the first chapter on 1 Samuel she had this baby boy as a result of her prayer. And then the last one was in the New Testament, once again with old Elizabeth and Zachariah having John the Baptist and then the most miraculous birth was Mary. The difference is Mary was not barren. There’s no evidence that she was or gonna be barren but she has this baby boy as a virgin.
So all these baby boys in the Bible go pointed to Christ. They were all types of Christ: Isaac was a type of Christ as a sacrifice Jacob, father of the 12 patriarchs Joseph, sold by his brothers as a slave, is a type of Christ Samson who stretched out his arms and laid down his life, he's a type of Christ The Shunamite woman, her son died and was resurrected like Jesus Samuel was a priest, a judge and a prophet of Israel as Jesus is our high priest, our judge and our prophet And finally, John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets. But they were all types of Jesus. Now, with that background, you go to the last book of the Bible, Revelation, and it tells us about a woman who is laboring, chapter 12, to give birth to this baby boy who is caught up to God's thrown and the devil hates this baby boy. He wants to devour it. That woman and that prophecy outlines the history of the New Testament church from the first coming to the second coming. And it really helps us identify God's church in the last days. I’m hoping that people that they've been… That their curiosity has been peeked now and they’ll want to ask for this free offer explaining who is this woman, in Revelation 12, who has this surprise baby boy.
Pastor Ross: The free offer that we have is simple entitled, "The Bride of Christ." It's an Amazing Fact study guide and it deals with Revelation chapter 12. Pastor Doug, you mentioned the baby boys of those how had miraculous births were a type of Christ but we also find in Bible prophecy and symbols, a woman can represent a church.
Pastor Doug: That’s right.
Pastor Ross: So that's a clue when studying Revelation chapter 12. To learn more, call the resource number 1-800-835-6747. Ask for the study guide "The Bride of Christ." And we'll be happy to send that out to you. We have two internet questions that's come in for this evening. The first one: Acts chapter 15 verse 20 tells Christians to abstain from things polluted by idols and that which is strangled and from blood. Does this text forbids Christians from receiving blood transfusions?
Pastor Doug: Well, some of our listening friends may know that there’s a small group of Christians that believes that this prohibition you find in Leviticus 17:12 and in Acts chapter 15 that speaks about not eating blood is then that is to translate it over in to you can't allow blood transfusion. But I don’t believe this is the intention of the Bible writers. It was a dietary principle. It was a health principle because disease can be transferred from one animal to another via the blood. But in most cases and you know all conceived that there are people who have received disease by bad blood transfusions. But 99% more have had their life saved by getting a transfusion and they're not eating pig blood or chicken blood or anything like that. They’re not eating it at all. By any definition, when you get something given intravenously, you're not eating it. It didn't go into your mouth. It’s infused and it’s the same blood type and it gives life. And so I think it’s a whole different principle and it’s misapplication of scriptures to say that a child should die for lack of simple blood transfusion because they read this is the Bible about not eating blood of animals. I think that's a distortion.
Pastor Ross: You know, just to speak about blood, blood gives life to many and through transfusion, many have had their life extended. Spiritually, we receive life through the blood of Christ and his atoning sacrifice.
Pastor Doug: It's a blood transfusion from Jesus. It saves us.
Pastor Ross: That’s right, through his work.
Pastor Doug: Yup.
Pastor Ross: The next question: How could Jesus be circumcised 8 days after birth in the temple in Jerusalem when Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt?
Pastor Doug: That’s a good question. This springs from a very common misunderstanding that is based on the typical Christmas card. Many people looked at a Christmas card at the mangers seen and we always see what characters?
Pastor Ross: You've got the shepherd there, the wise men all in the manger.
Pastor Doug: And the (inaudible 11:03).
Pastor Ross: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: In the manger... [Laughs] but in reality if you read in the Bible that it was the shepherd that came to the stable and saw Jesus and the animal (trout?). But when the wise man came, they probably never saw the shepherd’s ‘coz it says they came in to the house. So somewhere between the birth of Jesus. It tells us it was 8 days later. They then took him to the temple in Jerusalem. He was dedicated. He was officially named. He was registered. There’s no dispute in history about the existence of Jesus. History supports that. Ana and Simon in the temple commented on his birth. They went back to their home in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary were residents of Bethlehem but formally that's why they come down to register in their home town. Then when the wise men came--and it could have been anywhere from a month to a year and a half later--and met with King Herod, then the angel warns Joseph to flee to Egypt. So the naming and the circumcision did happen 8 days later. They did not go back to Nazareth until after they came home from Egypt.
Pastor Ross: And they went to Egypt sometime after the 6 months of Jesus been dedicated at the temple.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Pastor Ross: It could have been months, maybe even a year later than that.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, one reason people wondered if it was a year or a year and a half because Herod killed all the baby boys 2 years old and under based on his interview of the wise men. So someone speculated that the wise men saw the star right at Jesus birth the same band of angels that appeared to the Sheppard appeared formed as a star. And that was the signal they began their journey and we don’t know how long their journey was but it's certainly months.
Pastor Ross: To get to Palestine. Friends if you have a question that you'd like to send via the internet, you can do so by going to the Amazing Facts website. There is a link ‘Contact Us’ and click on the link and there is a place where you can type in a Bible related question and we appreciate these questions. We like to take two of them at the beginning of each program. We’re gonna go to the phone lines. Jason is listening on the internet from Montreal, Canada. Jason, welcome to the program.
Jason: Hi.
Pastor Doug: Hi. How are you doing, Jason?
Jason: Hi Doug. It's been a pleasure. I've been studying the Amazing Facts Bible studies for so long now and I really feel that I'm one with Christ and I'd really like to ask you questions.
Pastor Doug: I'll do my best.
Jason: Thank you. I've been dating my girlfriend now for about 2 years and we're both joined in Christ. I know that within marriage, sex is only related to marriage but in regards to kissing and other types of flirting between couples, is there any biblical restrictions on that?
Pastor Doug: Well, that's a very good question. I don’t believe there's a biblical prohibition against a man giving a woman a kiss as a social kiss. Jacob when he met Rachel for the first time, he kissed her and they weren't married yet. As a matter of fact, it must have been quite a kiss ‘coz he wept afterwards. But that's what it says, he kissed her. She was his cousin. ‘Kissing cousins,’ I guessed that's where that word comes from. But let’s face it, I think everybody knows that there is the you know in the Middle Eastern cultures, even the male kiss each other on the cheek or the neck but then there's a more sensual kiss that is calculated to set a bunch of processes in motion that can get young people into trouble, get old people in to trouble too. So that kind of kissing it just can really arouse temptation if you know what I mean, Jason.
Jason: Right.
Pastor Doug: And I think that if a young couple are going to date, according to what's appropriate biblically and to maintain self control, you don’t want to be fooling with Mother Nature because you can start heating something up that you don’t know how to cool down.
Jason: I understand.
Pastor Doug: So that's like the old fashion story when you bring her to the door with the father, mother watching out the window. You kissed her good night and that's it. [Jason laughs] You get by yourselves and start doing that, you can get into trouble.
Jason: That’s right.
Pastor Doug: All right.
Jason: Well, thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Well, I'm glad to hear you believing in being equally yoked. That’s of course another very important facet of biblical dating. By the way, you look at Proverbs 30:19, one of the mysteries that Solomon describes is the way of a man with a virgin. And that's sort of in the context of dating.
Jason: Okay.
Pastor Doug: All right.
Jason: Thank you very much.
Pastor Doug: Thank you.
Pastor Ross: Our next caller is Robert and he's listening on the internet from Alaska--Soldotna, Alaska. Robert, welcome to the program.
Robert: Good evening.
Pastor Doug: Is that an Eskimo word?
Robert: Yes.
Pastor Doug: I was just guessing.
Robert: Yeah, don’t ask me what it means ‘coz they (inaudible 16:14) here what it means.
Pastor Doug: [laughs] Okay.
Robert: My question is in Revelation chapter 8, the first 4 trumpets each affect the earth, the sea, the rivers and the heavenly body. And the case that's symbolic most of the time of most of the commentators I've read to that's symbolically. But when you get in to Revelation 16 on this plagues, the first 4 plagues affected the same thing: the earth the sea, and both the second trumpet and plague, both turned the sea into blood and the rivers and the heavenly bodies. I've read those are taken literally. What biblical principles do we have to take one symbolically and the other literally?
Pastor Doug: Well, before we go to your question, just an insight I’d like to add. On the first four days of creation, do you realized that the same elements were involved as the first four trumpets and the first four plagues?
Robert: I haven't thought of that.
Pastor Doug: You've got the heavenly bodies. You’ve got the waters. You’ve got the vegetation. And when the 7 last plagues fall, what you have, almost, is creation in reverse. The world, you know Paul says, "The whole creation growns and travails under its burden of sin". And when God and His holiness created this perfect world, now the world is basically imploding and you see creation in reverse with the plagues. Now, your question is how can we take one symbolically and one literally speaking of the trumpets and then the plagues?
Robert: Yes. The same...
Pastor Doug: That' is a good question. It challenged some of the great minds that I know. I’ll take a stab at it and share with you some from scripture and some you know, this is just by permission, my own thoughts. I do think that the last 7 plagues are literal because for one thing, the plagues had fell on ancient Egypt. They marked the Exodus for God's people, right?
Robert: Yes.
Pastor Doug: They were literal plagues before they were delivered. Now, there were 10 plagues that fell on ancient Egypt but it was the last 7 plagues that did not hurt the Israelite. The Israelite had no problems with the last 7 plagues. In the same way, God protects His people in the last days from the 7 plagues. So I think they are literal. They do happen just before Christ comes to deliver us from this creation that is imploding prophecy all seems to tell us: if Jesus doesn't come, no flesh would be saved. Why? Because the plagues are falling everywhere. That’s why it says in Psalm 91 "No plague will come near your dwelling." Why do we need that promise? Cause they're very real in the last days. Does that makes sense?
Robert: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Now back to the trumpets. The trumpets seemed to be giving… They're a part of a trilogy that covers the history of the church. The first 7 churches in chapters 2 and 3 are the religious history of the church from the second coming to...or from the time of John to the second coming. The 7 seals are the political history of the church from the first coming and the second coming of Jesus. The 7 trumpets, it seems to outline in military history from the first coming to the second coming. Now, I'm gonna go out on a limb. I got a lot of dear friends that I respect that think may also be a literal fulfillment to some of those trumpets through all of them. And I know, Pastor Ross, you've heard that too. It creates a lot of hermeneutical challenges when you start making things literal and spiritual. But you know, there may be something to that I'm not ready to slam the door on that possibility. But I haven't heard anything very convincing yet.
Pastor Ross: Let me just add something about the plagues in particular, we do take the plagues as being literal however, specifically these 6 plagues.
Pastor Doug: Right, yeah.
Pastor Ross: Talks about the great river where the river’s drying up that is often understood symbolically as preparing the way for the coming of Jesus.
Robert: Oh yeah, that's why I understood that. That’s why I mentioned the first born obviously the second 6 trumpets are obviously symbolic.
Pastor Doug: Well, I'll just throw something up before we leave that. We don’t want to take too much time. I read an article that's called "When Rivers Run Dry." There was actually a saying it was a secular article in Newsweek magazine Turkey is gobbling up the Euphrates before it gets to Iraq. And in their irrigation and they are having real problems with the Euphrates river running dry. So there maybe dual application there. I just thought it was very intriguing.
Robert: Right.
Pastor Doug: I hope we help a little bit, Robert. I guess we're saying we don’t have all the answers on the 7 trumpets there.
Robert: Okay. Well, thank you for your time.
Pastor Doug: Thank you. Appreciate it.
Pastor Ross: Pat is listening on KFIA from Sacramento, California. Pat, welcome to the program.
Pat: Hi.
Pastor Doug: Evening. How can we help you, Pat?
Pat: Ok, I'm trying to get my question together. What I'm trying to ask is when the Bible speaks of one into the world and preaching the gospels they're preaching about Jesus but is that the same as Jehovah? Are they the same if you're preaching about Jesus, is that the same as preaching Jehovah or...?
Pastor Doug: All right. Good question. Jehovah is one very important but not the only name of God. He identifies Himself in different ways at different times through history. Now, let me tell you what the Bible says in the Old Testament some of the characteristics of Jehovah are. In the beginning, it tells us Jehovah creates the heaven and the earth, right?
Pat: Uhuh.
Pastor Doug: You go to the New Testament, it says it's speaking of Jesus the word all things that were made, were made by Him. So if everything made was made by Jesus and in Genesis 1 says that "God, Jehovah, creates everything." Then maybe they're one and the same. All right, let’s keep going. The Bible tells us to only worship Jehovah and yet we see in the New Testament on a couple of occasions where both the disciples and the angels are worshipping Jesus. Well, maybe they're one and the same. The Bible says there's no savior but Jehovah in the Old Testament. You go to the New Testament and we realize that Jesus is the only name by which we are to be saved. So when you start identifying... I’m just giving you a small sample here. Some of the characteristics of Jehovah, we keep reading them, we find out, “Hey these are the same characteristics of Jesus. Jesus is Jehovah.”
Pat: Oh.
Pastor Doug: Now, I’ve got a book I've written. We'll send you a free copy and it’s a book that really deals with the conundrum of the trinity. But I do talk about Jehovah in there and some of the same scriptures that I'm sharing. If you call the resource number, then we'll send you a free copy. Will that be okay, Pat?
Pat: Oh, yes it would. Greatly.
Pastor Ross: Pat, the number to call is 1-800-835-6747. Ask for Pastor Doug Batchelor's book on “The Trinity” and they'll be happy send that out to you. Again, 1-800-835-6747. Our next caller is Timothy and he's listening on WMCA from Brooklyn, New York. Timothy, welcome to the program.
Timothy: How you doing?
Pastor Doug: Very well. How can we help you?
Timothy: Alright, I have a quick question on how does God view women as ministers and pastors because I was reading in my Bible, I'm not quite sure... I can't find the verse at this time but I know I was reading a little early. And it says something about a woman should safe in church, should be sitting down and you know listening and being quite. And the man is supposed to be like the head just like Christ is the head of the men.
Pastor Doug: Right.
Timothy: But you know nowadays, I see women prophesying and preaching and you know they have good words and they have intelligence just like men. I just want to know which is the outlook. Is that supposed to be done or is it not?
Pastor Doug: Well, I tell you where I draw the line biblically. My understanding, and I read the Bible is women are called to many different aspects of ministry. Now I'm wording this very carefully.
Timothy: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: Job chapter 2 verse 28, "It will come to pass afterward” when Peter reads this in Acts, he says in the last days, “That I'll pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters will prophesy."
Timothy: Okay.
Pastor Doug: So obviously women are given the spirit for the purpose of prophecy. And prophecy doesn’t always mean foretelling the future or something.
Timothy: All right.
Pastor Doug: But you don’t find, so that women are called... Women may do evangelism. omen can teach. Women can do a lot of things that involved the gifts of ministry. You do not find an example in the Bible of a woman serving in the capacity of an elder, a pastor, a priest, so I cannot find a biblical precedent for a woman being ordained as a pastor. This just you know Jesus when he chose the apostles, he chose 12 men. He also had women had ministered to him, that's at his feet, that was first at the tomb, proclaimed his resurrection but they were never called, he never laid hands on them as pastors, apostles, priests, elders. That is a patriarchal, or a masculine role.
Timothy: Okay. So the women today just preaching, they're not supposed to be or...
Pastor Doug: Well, now see what I'm saying is a person being ordained as a pastor is different than someone speaking upfront in the church.
Timothy: Okay.
Pastor Doug: So there are women who have taught upfront in a church. They (inaudible25:54) he's given them a message and I don’t think Paul's words are a mandate against that.
Timothy: Okay.
Pastor Doug: But just like I said, I can’t find a biblical precedent for the ordaining.
Timothy: Alright, thanks a lot. Can I just get a one quick question in?
Pastor Doug: You know Timothy if you try calling back, we've got a lot of folks lined up and I wanna be fair.
Timothy: All right. All right.
Pastor Doug: Thanks, I appreciate that.
Pastor Ross: All right. David is listening in WMCA from North New Jersey. David welcome to the program.
David: Yes, Pastors. How are you doing tonight?
Pastor Doug: Very well. How can we help you tonight, David?
David: Yes. The word you know Holy Spirit' is that you know... I'm trying to find out, is it a he or an it and what's the interpretation of it in Greek language?
Pastor Doug: Well, the phrase Holy Spirit sometimes translated Holy Ghost it is found hundreds of times in the Bible but probably the most clear example of what you're looking for is found--and I think it's in John chapter 14, is it Jean? when he the Holy Spirit has come. He will lead you to...
Pastor Ross: John 16.
Pastor Doug: John 16, thank you. John chapter 16, it uses I think the male article for talking about the Holy Spirit. The gender of male when he the spirit of truth has come. And you know some might argue that well that sort of a generic term biblically God made male and female mankind--
David: What is the word in the Greek language?
Pastor Doug: Well, in the Greek language, it’s “Pneuma.”
David: Pneuma?
Pastor Doug: That’s where you get the word pneumonia or pneumatic tools. It means wind or air.
David: Oh, I see. One more thing, I know you’re up with a break but the King James rendered it also some passages.
Pastor Doug: The Holy Spirit.
David: Yes, some passages says ‘it.’
Pastor Doug: Which passage are you thinking?
David: Somewhere in Romans. I don’t know… Romans chapter 8, somewhere in Romans chapter 8.
Pastor Doug: I’m not disagreeing with you but I was just trying to find the reference so I could read it in its context. And sometimes the Holy Spirit is identified as "it" because he is the most difficult to describe of the Trinity. I mean sometimes the Holy Spirit is depicted in a form of a dove, water, fire, wind. He’s very ethereal and hard to identify. So it doesn’t surprise me that maybe used as an "it" sometimes.
Listen friends, we’re gonna take a break. Before we go to our break, I wanna remind you that this program is really to tantalize you to study the word. We don’t get enough time to each question. We’re gonna be back with more in the moment. But go to the website, amazingfacts.org. We’ve got a lot of archive Bible questions there, a lot of Bible study, free literature you can read at the library. You can watch a video and much, much more. amazingfacts.org
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Pastor Doug: We're back listening friends. If you have just tuned in, this is Bible Answers Live. As you can tell from our label, it’s a live international Bible study. And we love to have you participate and call the toll free number with your question, 800-GODSAYS, and 800-463-7297. Please get some tool with which you can write, a pencil or a pen because we’re gonna be giving out not only this phone number but some websites that have really valuable Bible study resources. Some of our websites you can find as links at the amazing facts website, which is simply: amazingfacts.org. You can watch a video of Bible study prophecies by going to a website, a brand new series we produced called the most amazing prophecies. You can listen to the audio or the video. People have questions about what do numbers mean in the Bible. What are the symbols of Bible prophecy? We have a website called prophecycode.com. What am I forgetting?
Pastor Ross: More we got popular ones dealing with the subject of the Sabbath, sabbathtruth.com. Also, helltruth.com is another one.
Pastor Doug: A lot of people wondered about that, we’ve got one the truth about death.
Pastor Ross: That’s the one I’m thinking about. Yeah.
Pastor Doug: --.com
Pastor Ross: Yeah, that’s people--
Pastor Doug: There’s a lot of misconceptions in Christianity about where do you go when you die? Do you rest? As a matter of fact, the Catholic Church just released a retraction of limbo. Did you see that?
Pastor Ross: No, I didn’t.
Pastor Doug: Just this weekend, the Pope they said that limbo. They found some very delicate way of basically saying they were retracting their teaching of limbo that they had for I don’t know, a thousand years.
Pastor Ross: Wow.
Pastor Doug: So there’s a lot of confusion on that subject and we would invite you to go to truthaboutdeath.com.
Pastor Ross: Dealing with that. You know Pastor Doug, let me bring up one other thing that some of our listeners might be aware of but there’s some very interesting development over the past few weeks in reference to Amazing Facts and another very well known and loved media ministry, 3ABN.
Pastor Doug: Yes, if our friends are tuning in on Thursday night during the live broadcast, 3ABN is one of our affiliate stations that we probably have listeners right now who are hearing this, listening on 3ABN radio program and they also do a lot of television broadcasts by 10 satellites now around the world. And we have been praying and talking with 3ABN and it’s looking like there’s going to be a merging of our ministries. That doesn’t mean you won’t be hearing Bible Answers Live or that Amazing Facts or 3ABN are gonna lose their identity. But really combining the aspects of our ministry to complement each other to be even more effective in preaching the gospel around the world. So we’ll be giving you more information, you’ll find an announcement at both the 3ABN and Amazing Facts website about this partnership of ministries. And again, go to just amazingfacts.org.
Pastor Ross: Okay. Let’s go to the phone lines. Our next caller is on the cell phone Ethylene. Listening on WMCA from New York, New York. Ethylene, welcome to the program.
Ethylene: Hello.
Pastor Doug: Hi. Welcome to the program. And your question, Ethylene?
Ethylene: Yes, my question is about John the Baptist and Jesus, they were cousins but yet they have no direct acquaintance before the baptism. Could you show a little light on that to me please?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, that is something of a mystery. It appears Mary and Elizabeth did meet while Mary had just conceived and Elizabeth was several months along, I think 6 months along, they were cousins through the mothers. We don’t… I’m not sure exactly how far removed but by the time the boys were born, there’s no record in the Bible of them interacting. I don’t think it’s safe to say that it never could have happened but until the baptism of Jesus, there is no record in the Bible of them interacting. And there’s been a lot of speculation on could they have spent time together. Keep in mind, Jacob and Rachel were cousins but they didn’t meet until Jacob was over 50. So you know in Bible times, they didn’t have the internet to keep in touch.
Pastor Ross: Another reason why I think there wasn’t much interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist was because of the work they did. No one could have said while this was just something that John and Jesus had come up with.
Pastor Doug: There were evolution that create this whole messiah thing.
Pastor Ross: Right. But John did his work, right up until the baptism of Jesus and then John, his influence decrease while Christ influence increase.
Pastor Doug: And again it says when John, after his birth, it seems like very early it sees he went into the wilderness at an early age. And some have speculated, and I think there’s some truth to it, that he began to study with the (inaudible 35:35), these very biblically entrenched group that they called them ‘a sect’ that were living down by the Dead Sea. They’re probably the writers of the Dead Sea scroll, very religious, very austere. And he now may have spent some time with them.
Ethylene: Okay.
Pastor Doug: So that's... I hope that helps a little bit, Ethylene. That’s probably all we can do with the limited information that we have on their relationship. Appreciate your call.
Pastor Ross: Our next caller is Seth and he’s calling from Houston, Texas. Seth, welcome to the program.
Seth: Hi. Thank you for having me. I just have a quick question. Is there anywhere in the Bible where we can track the lineage of oriental people?
Pastor Doug: Well at the division, at the tower of Babel, now some have tried to create an argument that the 3 sons of Noah were the originators of the 3 major races in the world. And that’s really absurd when you think about it how that no one’s wife could have 3 boys that were you know so different. Probably what happened is after the dispersion from the tower of Babel, the different groups began to isolate and you know that’s why we have some of the different racial differences in distinguishing characteristics around the world. It’s because of long periods of isolation. I have been on the South Pacific quite a bit and you can see distinct differences between Polynesians and Samoans and Phrygians and those of Papua New Guinea, we’ve been there. So it's just because they spent many generations marrying and inter-marrying in a smaller pool, certain characteristics become more dominant. So some of the tribes that migrated away from the tower of Babel went into what we would call the East. And DNA seems to confirm that at least from Mongolia, many of the American Indians can they’ve got genetic links with people with Mongolia. It’s the closest link.
Seth: Okay you’re (inaudible 37:42) with American Indians you said?
Pastor Doug: Yes, absolutely.
Seth: Okay. That’s interesting. I was just very curious because it shows a lot of other cultures that oriental people you don’t hear a lot of in the Bible.
Pastor Doug: There is a very strong link between the eastern Asian culture and what you would find in American Indian culture and especially in Mongolia.
Seth: Okay. All right. Well, thanks a lot.
Pastor Doug: Thank you very much. Appreciate your question.
Pastor Ross: Our next caller is Lisa listening on KPRZ from San Diego California. Lisa, welcome to the program.
Lisa: Hi. Good evening.
Pastor Doug: Evening.
Lisa: I had a question that’s been kind of heavy in my heart which is I have some recently found out my mom has a mental illness. I wasn't really sure what’s going on but there is quite a bit of issues and everything and I had to go through a lot to find out what it was but it’s some, it’s called borderline personality disorder. And it's a kind of thing that can be really hard for other people to see. She was living with my grandmother until recently and my grandmother started to try to witness this as well and she reported that she was being abusive towards her. I had a really hard time with that. I still do. But since she removed her from the house, she had to go through authority to do this. And my question is basically I wanna know how you honor your mother and father under circumstances like this.
Pastor Doug: Well, that is a good question, Lisa. And of course I can tell it’s heartfelt. It’s a sensitive subject. The Bible tells us to honor our father and mother. And honor does not always mean agree with because you’ve got situations periodically where you’ve got believing children and disbelieving parents. I was in that scenario where I would honor my parents, I would respect them but sometimes they'd ask me to do something or to engage in something that was against my convictions biblically. And you’re not dishonoring them you can disagree as an adult and respect them. As far as possible as a Christian you want to be able to forgive your parents. They are human. That's also good for your own soul and to minister by your example to respect them and if there is a mental problem, to recognize that. You know sometimes as parents aged, it often becomes where the parents take care of the children in the latter phases of life, sometimes children need to take care of their parents. Jesus talks about that when he chastise the scribes of Pharisees because they made a big deal about people making dedicating their states to the temple but even if that meant they didn’t have to take care of their parents in their old age. And he says you’re violating the fifth Commandment that says honor your father and mother. And preference for saying, “Look, I can’t help my father and mother because I’ve pronounced (inaudible 40:47) on my assets” and they all go to the church. So Jesus put a big emphasis on using our time and resources to care for our parents when they do have challenges in their age. So you know I hope that helps a little bit, Lisa. And we’ll certainly keep that situation in prayer. You know I also think, Pastor Ross, honoring the father and mother, we always think of daddy and mommy but I think it’s also a broad command that means honor the elders in our community. Respect for elders and aged is almost disappearing.
Pastor Ross: That’s right. It’s a sign of rebellion in our society when people disregard their old people—
Pastor Doug: The wisdom of the elders.
Pastor Ross: Right. Our next caller is Monica listening on WMCA from Manhattan, New York. Monica, welcome to the program.
Monica: Yes, Pastor Doug. Good night. This is Sister Monica. I like to ask you a question. And this is taken from Matthew chapter 24 and verse 34.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Monica: It's (surely I say?)--
Pastor Doug: You’re cutting out on us Monica. I heard you say Matthew 24:24 and we don’t know… Try pressing that one more time on the phone, press Monica’s number.
Pastor Ross: Monica, are you there?
Monica: Hello.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, we had somehow you got disconnected. We got you back here.
Monica: Oh, I’m sorry.
Pastor Doug: So you’re asking about Matthew 24:24 where it says.
Monica: No, Mathew 24 and verse 34.
Pastor Doug: 34. Okay, go ahead. “This generation will not pass away till all these things will be fulfilled.”
Monica: Right, and my question is what did our Lord mean by saying this generation?
Pastor Doug: Okay good. In the Bible, a generation is typically considered to be about 40 years. One reason we believe that is because of the unbelief of the Israelites when they came to the borders of the Jordan, that generation was not allowed to enter in. They wandered for 40 years. Then, Monica, when you get to the book of Judges, you’ll notice that everything seems to happen in segments of 40 years of peace, 40 years of captivity it was segments of 40 even 80, which are two 40’s. The reign of David, the reign of King Saul and the reign of Solomon were all 40 years. Moses life is divided in 3 sets of 40, 40 years in Egypt, 40 in the wilderness, 40 leading the people from Egypt to the promise land. So 40 is a generation. Christ makes this prophecy that speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem this generation would not pass away till these things were fulfilled. The prophecy that Jesus makes is AD 30, exactly 40 years later in 70AD the Romans came in, destroyed Jerusalem and level the temple not one stone was left on another. So Christ prediction about not one stone being left on another, a generation went by and it was fulfilled.
Monica: Okay.
Pastor Doug: I hope that helps a little bit.
Monica: Yes, very much. God bless you.
Pastor Doug: God bless you. Thank you, Monica.
Pastor Ross: Max is listening on the internet calling from Brooklyn, New York. Max, welcome to the program. Max, are you there?
Pastor Doug: Max is on the internet so it might take a second for him to register. Are you there Max? We’ll give you another chance.
Max: Yes, I’m sorry.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Max: Yeah, hi. My question comes from Matthew chapter 5 verse 22.
Pastor Doug: Okay.
Max: I was wondering what was the word ‘raca’ or ‘raka’ means when Jesus said “Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger to the council?”
Pastor Doug: Yeah, ‘Raka’ means that you are vain or useless. I’ve got a footnote in my Bible and I’m assuming that that is a transliteration from the Greek. So if you tell somebody that you are useless, the Lord is basically saying everybody is of value in God’s eyes. Now some people wonder about that because other places in the Bible, Jesus tells people “Oh, fools and slow of hard to believe” and so why is Jesus being a hypocrite? One place he’s saying don’t dare call anybody a fool and then later, oh then he calls them fools. And it was a different word that’s used the way I understand it. And the word ‘raka’ really means you’re worthless that you’re useless and God puts extreme value on every soul. Jesus paid for every soul so to call somebody worthless or useless, Jesus said don’t ever do that cause I paid a big price for everybody.
Max: Okay.
Pastor Doug: All right.
Max: Thank you.
Pastor Doug: Thank you. Another happy customer.
Pastor Ross: Steve is from Westland, Michigan. Steve, welcome to the program.
Steve: How you doing?
Pastor Doug: Good. How can we help you, Steve?
Steve: It’s not a real important question. I want to see your point of view on it because I was told two different things on this question. It’s about paradise like when Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Today you'll be with me in paradise".
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Steve: Some people believed, which I do, that he went down instead of going into heaven and released the captives of the Old Testament and brought them into heaven.
Pastor Doug: Right.
Steve: And one reason I believe that because after he rose from the dead, he said to Mary, “Do not touch me, I have not yet ascended to my father” but he told the thief on the cross, "Today you'll be with me in paradise".
Pastor Doug: Right.
Steve: What’s your view on that?
Pastor Doug: Well, first of all, the verse in 1 Peter where it talks about Christ preached to the people back in the days of Noah, it’s saying through the same spirit, Jesus preached to them. It has nothing to do with Jesus going down to some place of torment and giving people who are lost a second chance to respond...
Steve: No, I don’t believe that.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, but there are people who believe that. But when Jesus said to the thief, “You will be with me today in paradise,” a lot of the confusion comes in the way that the King James translators punctuated that sentence. Let me read it to you the way that it had appears then let’s punctuate it more accurately. Jesus said "Father,”--Oh, no, sorry-- Luke 23:43, Jesus said "Verily, I say unto thee, Today you will be with me in paradise.” There is no punctuation in the original Greek manuscripts. The English translators had to punctuate it and they didn’t know where to put the comma so they guess, “We’ll put it before today.” If you put the comma after today, it changes everything. Jesus is saying "Verily, I say unto thee today, you will be with me in paradise.” I’m telling you today, you will be with me then. The thief could not have gone to paradise with Jesus that day because biblically a day begins and ends at sundown. We don’t even know if the thief died by sundown. I’m trying speed up his death before Sabbath--
Steve: By breaking his leg.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, and furthermore Sunday morning, he says to Mary don’t cling to me or don’t touch me because I’ve not yet ascended to my father. And the Bible says the father is in paradise. So how can Jesus be in paradise with the thief Friday afternoon if he hasn’t gone himself by Sunday morning?
Steve: Yeah, that’s why I’m getting… The thing I was thinking when you look at the story the rich man and Lazarus, he was saying that he saw him at far off and He was separated.
Pastor Doug: Yeah, well in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, it’s typically thought of as a parable and it’s… I don’t think it’s safe to build theology about you know physical events based on metaphors and parables. But yeah the thief will be with Jesus in paradise. Christ is saying "I’m telling you today, even though I don’t look like a lord and I don’t look like a king, you’re gonna be there".
Steve: You see, that’s why I said, to me that question is not of great importance because questions like that can wait for me until I see Jesus personally and I can ask him and find out the truth you know--
Pastor Doug: Yeah.
Steve: --about things.
Pastor Doug: Pastor Ross.
Pastor Ross: And it’s the thing about this verse is a question the thief ask Jesus just in verse 42 of Luke 23, the thief said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom." So the thief wasn’t expecting to go to paradise that day, he was expecting Jesus and the kingdom a certain coming.
Pastor Doug: Good point. Good point.
Steve: It’s just interesting Matthew talks about the (grace?) being opened, you know.
Pastor Doug: Yes, Matthew 28.
Steve: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: Well, I appreciate that. I hope that helps a little bit. You know we mentioned the website a few minutes ago, Pastor Ross, talking about truth about death and if you go to that website, truthaboutdeath.com I believe and .org, Steve, there’s a lot of information there on that specific question about the thief on the cross and Christ promised to him.
Pastor Ross: We also have a study guide dealing with that subject.
Pastor Doug: Yes, why don’t I think of that?
Pastor Ross: And if anyone wants to receive it, it’s entitled “Are the Dead really Dead?” just go to the call the resource number 1-800-835-6747 ask for the study guide “Are the Dead really Dead?” and we’ll be happy to send that out to you. Gill is listening on WMCA from Queens, New York. Gill, welcome to the program.
Gill: Yes, good evening guys. I would like to ask a question related to Joel 2:28 where it talks about "My sons and daughters shall prophesy in my name." And I wanted to ask you guys if you believe that God can still use people to predict the future because I know of a friend of mine who’s mom has this gift and both of them are born again Christians and one of my closest friend since I was very young. And she’s never been wrong so far when prophesying certain things that have happened from the past.
Pastor Doug: Well, I think there’s plenty evidence, Gill.
Gill: Yes. Women, too
Pastor Doug: That the gifts of the spirit that you find, listed in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 or chapter 14, are still evident in the church that they’re part of God’s plan for the edification of the church. I think we need to be very cautious when someone claims the gift of prophecy. You know God may speak to individuals through dreams or through visions but we’ve got… but when it comes to determining what is Bible truth, we’ve got to make sure that that’s all based on the Bible and not on somebody’s dream because sometimes a person’s dream it, you know, it might conflict with the Bible but I’ve got friends who just within the last week, who've had remarkable dreams about things that gives evidence to truth.
Pastor Ross: We just must make sure that we match that with the Bible. The Bible (inaudible 51:23) anyone’s dreams or opinions.
Pastor Doug: We know our lesson on “Does God Inspires Prophets, Psychics and Astrologers?” that also deals with the subject of how do you know if a prophet or a dream is biblical. Why don’t you tell Gill about that? I bet he knows about that lesson.
Pastor Ross: Gill, if you don’t know about this lesson or anyone listening, this is a great resource. It’s simply called “Does God Inspires Astrologist and Psychics?" and it’s an Amazing Facts study guide that deals with the whole subject of prophets or gifts of prophecy, how do we understand that, what are the biblical test for a prophet. To receive it, just call the resource number 1-800-835-6747, asks for the study guide “Does God Inspires Psychics and Astrologists?” And I’ll be happy to send that out to you. Our next caller is Laura listening on the internet from Oregon City, Oregon. Welcome to the program.
Laura: Hi, good evening.
Pastor Doug: Good evening.
Laura: My question is in the New Century version of my Bible in Genesis 6:4, it says “The Nephilim were on earth in those days and also later. That was when the sons of God had sexual relations with the daughters of human beings. These women gave birth to children, who became famous and were the mighty warriors of long ago.” So my question is who are the Nephilim because they make it sound like they’re not human.
Pastor Doug: That’s a very unfortunate translation. And there are a number of translations that applies something similar. Let me give the background for this verse. This is a new teaching that has been introduced into some of the modern translations that was never understood by the great theologians of the reformation. You could read in Adam and Clark’s commentaries, Matthew Henrys' commentaries and let me tell you what they say. Back after Cain killed Abel, the Bible tells us that Cain and his wife, they went to the land of Nod. They then had nothing to do with the worship of Jehovah. That whole generation that whole race because he had no more interaction with his parents and their family. They became known as the daughters of men and the word men there is Enos. It means mortal. Seth and Adam and Adam’s other posterity, they continue to worship God and do sacrificed the way God had prescribed. I remember Cain didn’t want a sacrifice the way God had said and that’s why he killed his brother. They became known as the sons of God. Keep in mind, In Luke chapter 3, it refers to Adam, the son of God and 1 John chapter 3, it says “Behold, what manner of love the father hath bestowed on us that we should be called sons of God,” believers. Isaiah says you are the sons of God. Paul says you are the sons of God, so the believers of the sons of God. And so it's telling us that as long as the descendants of Adam and Seth remains distinct from the descendants of Cain, they remain Holy. But Cain had some beautiful women in his family tree. And when they began to inter-marry, they not only lost their spiritual identity through being unequally yoked but the children, it says you know, they have a mighty children. That's a simple rule of genetics called "genetic vitality”. That’s nothing to do with aliens or devils having intercourse. Those are really bizarre teachings.
Laura: Okay.
Pastor Doug: And did you noticed what it says right after that, “After the sons of God, the children of Seth, began to inter-marry with the children of Cain, the daughters of men, they lost their holiness and then the wickedness of men was great in the earth and the flood came.” God said “My spirit will not strive with men forever.” So that's I think a really sound interpretation. Modern translations that say that it was aliens or fallen angels, that's really sad.
Laura: Yeah, I just... a friend brought it up to me and I have never heard of a term Nephilim and I’ve looked it up in my Bible. It’s like you know, I’ve never heard of that before. So anyway, I appreciate your answers there and answered my question.
Pastor Doug: All right. Thank you very much.
Laura: Thank you very much. All right.
Pastor Ross: Patricia is listening on the internet from Brooklyn, New York. Patricia, welcome to the program.
Patricia: Hello, my question comes from Roman 3 verse 29.
Pastor Doug: Yes, would you like read that? Or you want me to read it?
Patricia: Go ahead, you can read it.
Pastor Doug: Romans 3:29, “Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the gentiles also.”
Patricia: I wanted to know if Jew is considered a religion or a race and likewise the Gentiles.
Pastor Doug: Good question. The Jew is a conundrum, Patricia, because you can be Jewish by religion and not by race. You can be Jewish by race and not by religion or you can be Jewish by race and religion. So Judaism is a religion. Sammy Davis Jr., who is black by race converted to Judaism so he was racially African-American, he then was Jewish by religion. And then there are people who are Jewish by religion by they don't practice the religion. My mother was Jewish by race but not practicing. I like to think I am as a Christian by race and religion Jewish. So I hope we got your answer and, Patricia, there’s a book. We'll send you a free copy called "Spiritual Israel." It says a lot more about that subject. We'll send you a free copy. Call the number. It will be given in just a moment in the closing announcements. "Spiritual Israel"
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