Hello friends. This is Doug Batchelor. How about an amazing fact? It’s hard to imagine an average size man killing a full-grown bear with a stick, but it happened. On October 8, back in 2008, Jim West was out walking in the woods in British Colombia, Canada. When he heard a noise behind him. Before he knew what happened, he was being attacked by a full-grown black bear. Knocked to the ground, the 45-year old man lay on his stomach trying to protect himself as the bear clawed and bit about his head and his back.
He eventually managed to struggle to his feet and grab the large stick that was providentially nearby on the ground. With that club about the size of a baseball bat, he clobbered the angry bear square on the head. Seeing the bear was dazed by the first blow, Jim kept swaying. Soon the bear staggered and collapsed on the forest floor and died. Conservation officials found and verified the story not to mention the doctors who gave Jim 66 stitches from his close encounter. Did you know the Bible also talks about another man that killed a bear with a stick? Stay with us friends, we are going to learn more as Amazing Facts bring you of this edition of Bible Answers Live.
Welcome to Bible Answers Live brought to you by Amazing Facts Ministries. Are you looking for a clear, concise answer to your most challenging Bible questions? Maybe you are struggling to understand difficult passages or Scripture? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Join us now as we open God’s word to discover His will and find honest, practical answers to your Bible related questions.
This broadcast is pre-recorded. If you have a Bible question, call us Sundays from 7 – 8 pm Pacific Standard Time at 800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297. Now, let’s join our host, author, speaker and evangelist, Pastor Doug Batchelor.
Doug: Welcome listening friends to Bible Answers Live. We are very thankful that you’ve tuned in and are joining the broadcast. If you are listening for the first time, this is a live, international, interactive Bible study. And you are invited to call in now. We have lines open if you have a Bible question. And that number is 800-GOD-SAYS. That’s 800-463-7297. I’ll give you the number one more time. I’ll give you a chance to grab a pencil or something.
If you like to call in with your Bible question, we’ve got the next 55 minutes or so. And we are going to dedicate for that purpose. 800-463-7297 will bring you in to the studio and my name is Doug Batchelor. Pastor Jean Ross is on quick trip to India right now but I’m very happy to have Doctor David DeRose in the studio with us tonight. And David DeRose is not only a doctor; he’s also a pastor. So he is going to help us with Bible questions. And if you have any questions about the Bible and health, I think David, you’ll probably help us with that too, won’t you?
Dr. DeRose: I’ll do my best by the Lord’s grace. For sure, Doug.
Doug: Why don’t you have an opening prayer for us?
Dr. DeRose: Okay. Father in Heaven, we thank you for the opportunity just to seek You in prayer. We believe that You are the author of the Bible. And so we look to You now as we study Your Word. That You would guide us, that You would draw us closer to You, that we would understand Your word and Your person more fully. We ask it all in Jesus name. Amen.
Doug: Amen. So what do you think of that story about the bear and the stick?
Dr. DeRose: Well, I’ll tell you really got our attention and you said that, that wasn’t the end of the story. You’ve got another footnote from the Bible, don’t you Doug?
Doug: Yeah, and I think you know where I’m going. Some of you remember the story of course of David and Goliath. And at first, when David offered to fight the giant, King Saul was very reluctant to send out, you know, basically, a shepherd boy to fight the giant. Now, David was probably not as some have portrayed 7 or 8-years old. He was probably a young man or somewhere in the neighbourhood of 18 or 20, I’m guessing. And by Jewish standards, you weren’t quite old enough to be in the army until you were 20. So because David wasn’t in the army yet, he was probably just under 20.
And the king didn’t want to send him to fight an experienced soldier. And David argued with Saul and said I think I can do it and here is why. And you’ll find this in 1 Samuel 17:34. But David said to Saul the king, “Your servant use to keep my father’s sheep and when a lion or a bear came and took the lamb out of the flock, I went after it and struck it and deliver the lamb from its mouth. And when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and struck and killed it. Your servant killed both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine, meaning the giant, will be like of them.”
So the jury maybe awe a little bit. Did David kill the bear with a sling? And he never really used a sling, it says, “He struck it.” I’m of the opinion when David first went against Goliath, Goliath said, “Am I a dog that you are coming in against me with a stick?” Shepherds often carry a stave and as well as their sling. And I think he probably at that point had to threw his staff down and decided to sling a stone. But I could easily see where this man can and he killed a bear with a stick. David could have done it with a stick.
Dr. DeRose: I mean the text does seem to suggest that. I hadn’t really looked at it that way, Doug. But if he grabbed it by the beard, you are not going to use a sling shot at that close range.
Doug: Hard to get that kind of velocity, I would think. But you know sometimes people read this Bible stories and they think this is too fantastic. This couldn’t have happened. So I love it when I see a modern example of these things that happened in the Bible. And you know in the Bible, when a person is attacked by a bear or lion or a serpent; their often analogy of being attacked by the enemy with temptation. And the Lord gives us power to fight those temptations. He’ll give us the tools whether it’s you know, even in the Lord’s Prayer doesn’t David say, “Thy rod and thy staff and they comfort me.”
Dr. DeRose: With the shepherd in Psalm.
Doug: Yeah. And the Psalm 23, the sword is the symbol of the word of God. Maybe you’ve been attacked by a bear every now and then, friends. And you’d like to know how do I win when the devil going around like a roaring lion or a bear attacks. The word of God has some answers for you and we have a free offer for anybody that would like this. And maybe you know someone that is struggling and you could share it with them as well. It’s a book called Tips For Resisting Temptation. Tips For Resisting Temptation – it’s a series of practical guidelines with scriptural examples and support for what do you do when are tempted or you keep falling with the same problem. And just about everybody out there can say, “That’s me.” You keep making the same mistake and you repent and you say, “Lord, how do I get the victory over this?”
We’ll send you a free copy. Why would you pass that up? Tips For Resisting Temptation. The phone number to call is 800-835-6747. And this is for the offer, 800-835-6747. And if you like to call in with you Bible question, that’s 800-GOD-SAYS, for the studio, 800-463-7297. And of course Amazing Facts website is very simple, amazingfacts.org or if you type in amazingfacts.com; that will bring you there too. With that, are you ready? We’ll see what happens with the telephones.
Dr. DeRose: Let’s go for it.
Doug: All right. I think, first, we are going to talk to Justin who is calling from Lafayette, Louisiana. Justine, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Justine: How are you all doing tonight?
Doug: Doing well. Thanks for your patience. And your question?
Justine: My question is in Genesis 1 and chapter 2, I wanted to know if you guys see any difference on how God created in chapter 1 and the law of God in chapter 2?
Doug: Well, are you wondering if there are two different individuals who doing the creation? Or are you talking about because chapter 2, it talks more about the details of creation?
Justine: So that’s what I wanted to know, did you guys think that chapter 2 is a detailed description of chapter 1?
Doug: Yes. My understanding is that, you know when you read a newspaper, Justine, you’ll see the headline. Sometimes the headline will tell you about the story. Then as you read down, you’ll get the fine print of the details of the story. The Hebrews often wrote that way, where they’ll give the big picture with the opening sentences or the opening paragraph then they’ll backup and they’ll give the details of that big picture. So in chapter 1, God kind of gives the big picture that he created everything and He talks about how He created everything in 6 days. Then he backs up and gives more detail about the creation of man in particular and naming the animals and so forth. So it’s all one creation but He’s kind of backing it up and giving the details.
Dr. DeRose: This was actually common, Justine, in antiquity. There are other accounts and other cultures where they would give two descriptions of the same event. And chapter 2 really leads up to the fall so it explains some of the things that were not yet, after you know, during the creation week, it sets the stage really to understand more completely what happens in chapter 3.
Justine: Okay. Well, I asked it because I’m a Bible reader. I was saved, I believe Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins.
Doug: Amen.
Justine: And I believe that the Holy Spirit leads me when I read. And I just wanted to share with you all what I’ve seen and read in Genesis 1 and 2. And verses 20-21 in Genesis 1, “On the fourth day, God says, let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and the fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created them and saw that they were good.” And in Genesis 2:19-20, it writes how out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air. In chapter 1 verses 20 and 21, it’s written that God created the fowl of the air by the waters bringing them forth. And in chapter 2:19, it is written that out of the ground, the fowl of the air were formed by the Lord God. And throughout in chapter 1 of Genesis 1, it begins with, and God said, and God saw, and God called. When chapter 2 begins, the heavens and the earth was finished and all the host of them. And on the seventh day, God ended His work. And He blessed the seventh day and sanctified it and God rested from the work He created and made. Now, on chapter 2:4, it begins with, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Verses 3 and 4…
Doug: Let me just… we may not be able to go into all what you are sharing because we’re really trying to stick with your question. What are saying, that you think that there are two separate creations here?
Justine: What I’m saying is that the Lord God is talking about Jesus Christ in chapter 2. And in chapter 1, it’s talking about God the Father. That’s what I’m saying.
Doug: Well, if you read in the New Testament, where it says all things that were made were made by Him. That’s speaking of Jesus, right?
Justine: Yes.
Doug: So will that include chapter 1 and chapter 2 if it says all things that were made, were made by Him?
Justine: Yes, I mean, He was because when God made man in chapter 1, He says, “Let us make man; and that include God the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit.
Dr. DeRose: That’s my understanding too.
Doug: Yeah, I think so. I think that….
Dr. DeRose: I think we are on the same page.
Justine: What I’m trying to get into is saying that verses 3 and 4 and our chance in distinguishing how God created and when He rested. And in verse 4, the Lord God created the heavens and the earth. Just distinguishing how God is the Father and the Lord our God is Jesus Christ that help me to understand in the Scripture when the Lord is speaking.
Doug: Yeah.
Justine: When the Father is speaking, Jehovah is God Almighty the Father; Jesus is Lord God, the Son, King of kings, Lord of lords.
Doug: Well, I think that it’s true that Jesus is also Jehovah. And in other words, when you study what are the characters of Jehovah are in the Bible. You will find they are identical to the characteristics of Jesus. It says, “Jehovah is our only Saviour” and then it says, “Jesus is the Saviour.” So that is just one of the names for God, Father and Son. We thank you Justine for sharing but we need to get someone else a chance here. So we are going to talk to Efrank who is calling from New York, New York. Efrank, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Efrank: Thank you Pastor Batchelor and Pastor Ross for taking my call. I have a question that I’ve been trying to ask for many weeks now but I have not been able to actually address it correctly. And in the book of Romans 13, it states that we should abide by all the laws and governing powers. But my question tonight is in regards to how… if you find a saved partner innate who has attained salvation and you are not saved but you wish to marry with her. And she has indicated that in one word or the other you can actually receive salvation through the marriage bond. My question is this, is it advisable to marry that person?
Doug: Well, you know Paul tells us that we should not be not unequally yoked together. So a person who has surrendered to the Lord and is a believer, why would they want to deliberately marry someone that hasn’t made that same commitment?
Efrank: Well, Pastor Doug, I had a situation where a gentleman approached me in the subway train. He actually said that he was from an agency named “Coral Industries” that was a non-denominational, non-sectarian, non-humanitarian industry in Manhattan. And that he actually, he looked like Humphrey Bogart. He said he didn’t practice any type of religion. And he said that he had a genealogical Biblical convalescent book. And pointed to a cultic cross with travel symbols of the number 7, 4 horse shoes. And he stated that you know perhaps it is a good idea if I would intermarry with someone who actually believes in God purely. He also stated that you know he tried to work during when Abraham being was the mayor of the city, here in New York. And he… they couldn’t accomplish the goal of saving souls.
Doug: Tie down that into your question. It seems like we are kind of going around the back.
Efrank: Yeah, this gentleman approached me and said you should leave whatever you believe in and come join us to attain salvation because the world is getting worse. And I said, well I believe in the Bible even though I’m an openly baptized Catholic and I’m a fourth degree Knight of Columbus. I really cannot accept the fact that you are trying to offer me salvation through your agency. I believe that, you know that the Scriptures speak of the blood of Christ. And they indicate the path that we should follow so we can actually attain salvation.
Dr. DeRose: There’s no salvation any way other than through Jesus. I mean, you are exactly right and it’s an individual decision. So I mean, this kind of things come up all the time and I wanted just, you know, reaffirm you, Efrank, that basically you’ve made a stand and saying I’m following Jesus, I’m following the word and that’s really what the show is all about, isn’t it Doug? That’s our focus.
Doug: That’s right. And salvation comes from a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s true that a husband or a wife can have a sanctifying infiltrate with their spouse. But it says father or son will not deliver one another because of the righteousness each person, it’s through their personal accepting of Christ that they are saved. And you are right, there are a lot of folks out there that have different theories and ideas and some very interesting ones but the Bible is the only safe path. Thank you, Efrank. David is calling next from Georgia. David, welcome to Bible Answers Live.
David (caller): How are you doing?
Doug: Doing well.
Dr. DeRose: Good.
David (caller): Well, I’ve got some gloom light up from down around here so.
Doug: Okay.
David (caller): I have a question I’m following I’d like to share something. The question is once we get our income tax refund; should we pay our tithes with it?
Doug: Well, that depends. If when you first received your income, if you were paying tithe on the gross. Then if you get some of what you have already paid tithe on back, you’ve already tithe on that income. If a person is not tithing on the percentage that is being held back by the government and then you get a return while you haven’t paid tithe on that income yet.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah. And one of the other questions that brings up, I mean it’s Deuteronomy 14:22, that we should tithe on all our increase. Some feel, well, I’m benefiting from the services of the government and so I pay tax on that which is. I mean I pay tithe on that which is tax. So when they get the return, like you said they don’t pay any tithe back. But if you go the other way, you pay the tithe when you get the refund.
Doug: And that’s a good point, of course it’s a very relevant question. What’s the date today?
Dr. DeRose: 14th of April.
Doug: That’s a very relevant question but sometimes people think, well, you know the money spent on taxes; that are not income for me. But really your increases that you use for buying your gas, your food, are services that you need for life. Taxes are a service also that we pay for just like any other expense. And because we are glad that there are people that are in the military or that take care of our streets. That’s one of our expenses for life. Was that an answer to your question David?
David (caller): Yes.
Doug: Okay. Did you say you have a follow-up question?
David (caller): No, but I would like to share something, Doug.
Doug: You want to share, is it real quick?
David (caller): Yeah.
Doug: Okay.
David (caller): I used to work as a cashier at a convenience store about a couple of years back.
Doug: Uh huh.
David (caller): But then I got laid off because you know how bad the economy is, right?
Doug: Right.
David (caller): And I was unemployed for 18 months and this past October, I’ve got me another job. And for the length of time I spent unemployed, was able to the length of time I did not pay my tithes when I was working at the convenience store.
Doug: Well, that’s interesting the way that providence works those things out, huh?
David (caller): Uh huh.
Doug: Have you seen… we have a free lesson we’ll be happy to send you and it talks about the principles of tithes and that you find in the Bible; both old and new testament. And it’s called… what is it called? In God We Trust. We’ve got so many resources, I forgot. In God We Trust. We’ll be happy to send you a free copy of that if you just call the resource number, that’s 800-835-6747 for anyone who would like to know more about what does the Bible say about tithe and offering. One more time 800-835-6747 and the book is called In God We Trust. Thank you David for your question. Talking next to Carlos who is listening on satellite radio from Houston, Texas. Carlos, you are on the air.
Carlos: Thank you for my call. Last week was the first time I heard your show. And you guys… I caught the tail end of a question I just wanted to re-ask it.
Doug: Okay.
Carlos: Because it was very interesting, I want to hear about it. Like you said last week, it’s preached all over the churches. And I always thought if you died unsaved forever and ever and ever and ever you suffer. But last week, I heard, no. You are going to be consumed, that’s it. It’s over once you hit the fire. And that sounds interesting because it is comforting to me knowing that a couple of friends of mine who have passed away. I’m pretty sure that’s where they are heading. I don’t know how I could be happy if I’m a zillion years from now happy with the Lord. And I’m thinking at the back of my mind, “Oh, my God my friends are still suffering.”
Doug: You’ve made a very good point. There’s untold people who have been driven to insanity. I mean you think about a parent who has a child that dies in an evidently loss condition. And if they think while they walk the earth and through eternity, their child is going to be tortured where you know, they are just there continually. God basically has to perform a miracle to keep them alive, to keep burning them.
Carlos: Right.
Doug: And that the Lord is portrayed as the save. Now there’s the other extreme, and the other extreme is that you know, everyone is going to be saved and there is no hell. The Bible is clear, there is a lake of fire. There is punishment for sin. But it says that after everyone has rewarded according to what they deserve; they are consumed, they are devoured, they perish, they burn up. Those are the phrases that the Bible uses.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah, I mean, two other quick thoughts for you too, Carlos. You look at Genesis 3, “God was not going to have eternal sinners.” That’s why Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. So that sin would not last forever. There’s not going to be sinners and sin for eternity. The other thing is what did Jesus suffer on the cross? If Jesus was paying the price, He didn’t suffer in hell for eternity. He died that second death and then rose again.
Doug: If the penalty for sin is everlasting torture, Jesus is not still being tortured. So, how could He pay? So but He paid our penalty which is death.
Carlos: Right.
Doug: Yeah. And this is what the church taught us for years. It was during the dark ages you know, that kind of Greek mythology began to influence of the biblical teachings about the punishment of the wicked. And some of their church leaders found they could exploit the fear of the people and that God wants us to serve Him because we love Him. Not because we are afraid He is going to torture us forever. It’s hard to love somebody who says, “Love me or I’m going to burn you forever and ever.” Go ahead.
Carlos: I’m glad you cleared that up because that is a good… I wish they preach more of that. I’ve never heard this version, I like it.
Doug: Well, you know this is one of the things that have kept me away from God is I went to a Religious school growing up. And I thought if God is going to take some teenager, because I was a teenager at that time, and burn Him through eternity because of my sins and whatever. I thought how can I love a God like that? How can I believe in a God like that? I learned the Bible truth on this subject, it changed my whole perspective on God. You know, you really should… we don’t want you to base your faith on a sound bite that we give you at a radio program. Can we send you a free study on this subject?
Carlos: Oh, absolutely. Please do.
Doug: I tell you what. Just take this phone number down, it’s 800-835-6747. That’s 800-835-6747 and we are going to send you the study guide Is The Devil In Charge Of Hell? Is The Devil In Charge Of Hell? And it talks about the punishment of the wicked and everything the Bible says on that subject. I appreciate your question, Carlos. Thank you very much. And the next we are talking to Alon in Newark, New Jersey. Alon, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Alon: Hi. My question is about when Noah is in the ark.
Doug: Yes.
Alon: I’ve been told by some people that a lot people thought he was crazy because one of the reasons was that it had not rained on earth yet. Is that true?
Dr. DeRose: Yeah, the Bible actually makes it clear in Genesis 2 that we have spoke about earlier in Genesis 2:6. That there wasn’t rainwater in the earth, it was a mist that went up from the earth and watered the whole phase of the earth. This gives us some insight into why Noah wasn’t taken seriously. That people didn’t trust the word of God. They’ve never seen it rained before; they thought he was crazy.
Doug: Yeah.
Alon: Yeah. Thank you so much for clearing that up.
Doug: Absolutely.
Alon: That’s in Genesis 2 verse?
Doug: 6.
Alon: Okay. I really appreciate that. And I really love your program.
Doug: Well, thank you for calling in. And tell your friends and your enemies. You know, by the way that makes me… that reminds me, doctor, that people doubted in Noah’s day. That these flood of water would ever come and so they didn’t prepare. Jesus tells us in Mathew 24, I think it’s also in Luke 17 or 21 that “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days when the Son of men comes. And in the same way the world was destroyed by a flood of water back then. It is going to be destroyed by a flood of fire in the end.” And so, that will happen. I think we have time for one more caller before our break. We are going to talk with Steven who is calling from Saint Louise, Missouri. Steven, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Steven: Hi. Good evening, Doug.
Doug: Good evening.
Steven: And good evening to your friend there.
Doug: Doctor DeRose.
Dr. DeRose: Thank you.
Steven: I was wanting to ask a question about the name Benjamin. And the reason I was calling and asking of this because I was listening to your program on the internet about the Revelation 7 passage.
Doug: 144,000. Yes.
Steven: Yeah. Where they give the different names and the different meanings and how they added up to the whole picture of salvation. And I was wondering, where would I find the meaning for the name of Benjamin in the Bible? I haven’t been able to find that.
Doug: Well, the first reference is in Genesis… what do I have here… chapter 35:16, I believe. And it says that, “His mother, when she was dying, she named him Ben-Oni.” Now, the word “Ben” in Hebrew means “son of” So you’ll see Ben, lots of the times in the Bible. Benjamin means son of my right hand. Now, you are not going to find in the Bible words as Benjamin means son of my right hand. But you just do a word search in Hebrew word search.
Dr. DeRose: A lot of Bible has margins too with that.
Doug: Mine has it right on the margin, son of the right hand.
Dr. DeRose: Genesis 35:18.
Steven: Okay. Can I ask one other quick question?
Doug: We got about 30 seconds.
Steven: On the name of God, I found two different, I found “Given Good Fortune.” I found a “Troop Comer.” Can you kind of elaborate on that?
Doug: Well, I thought that God also was a “Troop Cometh”
Steven: Yeah.
Doug: You know what? I don’t have my list of 144,000 names. Did you request the free book?
Steven: No, I haven’t.
Doug: Let me send you that book. Here is the number, 800-835-6747. Ask for our book on the 144,000. We’ll send it out to you for free, Steven. You are listening to Bible Answers Live. Well, David, we are going to be taking a break in just a moment but we like to remind our friends here at half time that most of what we talk about, they can also find the resources for on the internet. You know the program is only one hour a week. Unless they are in the one of the stations that is doing it on daily basis because they are doing some re-runs. But they can be looking at these resources and studying this material by going to our mother ship website which is amazingfacts.org. And there in that website you’ll not only find the links to many other very valuable Bible study websites. But you’ll also find a lot of these free resources that we are offering. But we do send you a hard copy when you request one. But in many cases, you can read these books and study these lessons online by going to amazingfacts.org. We are going to take a brief break and we’ll be back.
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Doug: Welcome back listening friends; If you have tuned in along the way, you are listening to Bible Answers Live. This is a live, international, interactive Bible study and you can join us by calling in the toll free number. We have lines still open, 800-463-7297. That’s 800-GOD-SAYS; it’s the acronym. And that’s 800-463-7297 brings you in to the studio with your Bible question. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Dr. DeRose: And I am Dr. David DeRose.
Doug: And Dr. DeRose is sitting-in for tonight because Pastor Jean Ross made a quick trip to India to our evangelism colleagues there. But we are always glad to have Dr. DeRose in our studio. He is a very gifted teacher, preacher, evangelist and a physician.
Dr. DeRose: It’s a privilege to be with you, Doug.
Doug: All right. We are going to go back to the phones. And I think next we’ve got Bradley who has been waiting patiently for several minutes. Bradley, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Bradley: Well, Pastor Doug, my question is on Exodus 31:18, the two tables of stones that God gave to Moses.
Doug: Okay.
Bradley: Now, I’ve heard you say that there was six commandments one and four on the other. But I believe those are five and five. If you look at the verse and add the letter “s” on the finger, that might make more sense.
Doug: Okay. Exodus 31, and you say what verse, 18?
Bradley: Yes.
Doug: “And when He had ended speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tables of the Testimony, tables of stone written with finger of God.”
Bradley: Now, if you say His fingers, it’s like handing someone two Bibles. You’ve got four fingers on one side, your thumb on the other. And you know we are made in the image of God, so I believe it was five and five. What do you think?
Doug: Well, you know the reason that most scholars believe it was four and six; I know that doesn’t work mathematically. It seems it’s an odd division. It’s because the Ten Commandments are sort of divided where you had the first four commandments or 40% was really dealing with man’s relationship with God. And the last 60% was talking about the horizontal relationship with man with his fellow men. When Jesus gives the Lord’s Prayer, do you know that’s divided the same way? You’ve got three petitions between men and God and the last four petitions are dealing with men’s needs – man and man. And so because it’s talking about, you know, who to worship, the name of who you worship, how you worship and when you worship Him is in the first table. And this is how the rabbi’s typically have divided it. The second table has man’s relationship with his fellow men, honouring your parents and so forth. But you know what? The reason there’s no verse in the Bible that says divide them this way that is because something that as far as I know has been a traditional understanding.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah, the other thing about Exodus 35… excuse me, 31:18 is that word for finger in the Hebrew is singular and the point there is that God actually had so much invested in the Ten Commandments that He personally wrote it with his own finger.
Doug: Yeah, I don’t know that He even used two fingers to hold the pencil. It seems like He burned and etched it in with His own digit.
Dr. DeRose: That’s what it sounds like.
Doug: So, it’s kind like an ark world or something like God can do that.
Bradley: I was thinking, if he picked up two tables of stones, then his fingers would have actually… each one would have ark loaded one of the commandments in the stone. And He would have handed it to Moses.
Doug: Oh, you think He was doing it simultaneously like one table with one stone and…? I see what you are saying.
Bradley: Yeah, two hands and five fingers on each hand to pick up to two tables of stone. You have four fingers on one side, thumb on the other. So that’s why the writings on the front and the back because…
Doug: Well, another way that He might have done it is… and you know this is also something. The bigger question is the second thing you just said. Because it says on the front and the back. Was it for… in other words, one table of the Ten Commandments had a complete copy with four on the front and six on the back or whatever, five and five. So where there two copies? Or was it that He divided the ten between two sides of two stones?
Bradley: Yes, that way. If you picture yourself picture picking up two heavy Bibles. You are going to have four fingers on one side and your thumb on the other. And that’s the way He would have handed the table of stone to Moses.
Doug: Well, it wasn’t heavy for God. I promise you.
Bradley: Well, I was just saying for us, if we pick up something heavy. We are going to use all our fingers to grasp it.
Dr. DeRose: The reason Pastor Doug makes the point about the two tables both have in the Ten Commandments is in the old covenants in antiquity. There’ll be a copy for both the Lord and also the subject.
Doug: The two parties.
Dr. DeRose: Yeah, the two parties.
Doug: Like a contract, they say, “here’s a copy for you; one copy for us.” But that’s an interesting question. And you know, because the Bible is not explicit about saying how many commandments were in each tablet. All we can really do at this time is speculate. But I would like to over you if you are interested, Bradley. We have a study guide yours for free. We’ll send it to you; it’s called Written in Stone. And if you’d like a copy of that, it deals specifically with the Ten Commandments. And its just pages of illustrated Bible studies, references and its very enjoyable, very popular - Written In Stone. We’ll send you a free copy. The number is 800-835-6747, and we’ll send that to you. Thank you very much Bradley. We are going to talk next with… I think let me see… Fred has been waiting patiently from Smyrna, Tennessee. Fred, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Fred: Good evening, Pastor Batchelor.
Doug: Good evening.
Fred: It’s a pleasure to talk to you. I would just like to thank for your ministry. It’s been a real blessing in my search for the truth.
Doug: Well, it’s a pleasure. Thank you.
Fred: Question I have, I’ve listened to most of your shows either live or through the archives. And I haven’t heard this come up before. It’s Revelation 3:7-8 and the message to the church of Philadelphia. It mentions the key of David. And I was curious if you had any insight on what that is and if it has any significance for present times.
Doug: Well, since Dr. DeRose’s first name is David, I’m going to let him take a crack at that. He probably has done some research on your name.
Dr. DeRose: Well, why don’t we jump to Isaiah 22:22 and that’s an easy verse to remember. Isaiah 22:22, and it’s actually paralleling that what we just looked at in Revelation 3. It says “The key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder so he shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none shall open.” Well, who is being spoken of here? It’s interesting it’s speaking. I believe prophetically as we see in Revelation of Jesus as we’ve seen many times in the Old Testament that there are different people who are types of Jesus. And so really, this is one of the characteristics of Jesus that He actually is basically a key of salvation. The key of entrance into the house of David, the family of God as I understand it.
Doug: Yeah. Often, universities will have a key in their logo because they realize that knowledge opens understanding. And knowledge really can…the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And Jesus came to give us that knowledge. So that’s the knowledge of salvation and Christ holds the keys, Fred. By the way, that verse in Revelation 3:7-8 is almost the parallel of what you just quoted there in Isaiah 22:22. Someone once said that… what is it? Out of the 404 verses in Revelation, 278 can be found almost word for word in the Old Testament. And this is another example.
Dr. DeRose: It’s amazing; you can’t understand the Book of Revelation unless you take the whole Bible.
Doug: Those are the keys to unlock it. Hope that helps, Fred. I appreciate your call and your question. All right. Next, we are going to be visiting with Lyn who is calling from River Side, California. Lyn, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Lyn: Hi. Good evening, Pastor Doug and David.
Doug: Good evening.
Dr. DeRose: Good evening.
Lyn: Hi. I just wanted to thank you, Pastor Doug. I used to be a Mormon.
Doug: Blessed to hear it.
Lyn: I am in Venice now. But I tried to witness to my family and we talked about a lot of issues like polygamy. But you know when I speak to my dad, he gives me a hard time and he talks about how the Bible… how God allowed men in the Bible to have multiple wives. I just wanted to know what you have to say about that?
Doug: Well, there’s things you know, they ask Jesus one time and they said why did Moses make a document or make a provision for divorce. And Christ said, that was in God’s perfect plan but because of the hardness of your hearts, He did this. And because of the hardness of people’s hearts, God made the laws to protect the slaves. It wasn’t that He was endorsing slavery. He just recognized men are doing this so He needs to make laws to protect them. And in the same way, it was never God’s law for men to have more than one wife because you’ve got Adam and Eve.
Dr. DeRose: That’s right.
Doug: So that’s He’s perfect plan made provisions for multiple wives. But look at all the trouble they’ve got into.
Dr. DeRose: Amazing, isn’t it?
Doug: Yeah, I mean you look at Abraham, he took an extra wife and eventually God told Him to put away Hagar. And Jacob, he not only, he got kind of roped into marrying two sisters and then they roped their handmaids into becoming surrogates. And all kinds of unhappiness came into the family because of that strive.
Dr. DeRose: So, another great text is in Acts 17, Paul is on Mars Hill. And he says in Acts 17:30 “The times of this ignorance God winked at.” So just because God winked at certain things didn’t change things right away. It doesn’t mean we should take license. Go back to the very beginning like Pastor Doug said we see God’s intention. Marriage – one man, one woman.
Lyn: Okay. And just one more question?
Doug: Yeah.
Lyn: Pastor Doug, what would be your advice for me to try to witness to my family because all of the times we get very hostile and then they don’t want to speak to me and then for weeks we don’t talk because they are mad of the religious change. Is there… so I just keep on… because if I know the truth and I don’t try to share it, is that kind of look like a sin?
Doug: Well, you want to share when people are receptive. Otherwise it’s like trying to force the petals of a flower to open before their time and it just kind of kill the flower. So there’s three things you can do. 1 - it sounds like you are doing your best, be a good witness personally in your life. Show them the positive changes. 2 - if they are open, gently share information. You might do that verbally. You might do that in the form of a book or a DVD or something. And 3 – which is the most important: pray. Pray that the Lord will soften their hearts that will be open. That God will reach them and be patient or should I add that as step 4. Sometimes we want things to happen quickly and we forget that God looks at history differently. And just pray and then be patient. Give God time to work and sometimes they hear us.
Lyn: Right.
Doug: You don’t want to argue because that... you know, that never goes very far. You can’t convince that person against their will.
Lyn: Alright. Thank you so much.
Doug: Alright. Thank you. We will be praying for you too, Lyn. God bless you. Alright. Talking next with Jeff who is calling in College Place, Washington, listening on 88.5 FM. Jeff, you are on Bible Answers Live.
Jeff: Hello, Pastor Doug.
Doug: Good evening.
Jeff: How are you doing?
Doug: Doing great. How are you?
Jeff: I’m doing good. I was thinking about the book of John and how it represents the divinity of Christ most of it. And as an answer that now where He healed the blind man, he was born blind. And instead of speaking to him or just touching him, He reaches down and spits into dust of earth and makes some clay and sticks over to his eyes and tells him to go wash and he can see. And I was really struggling with that for a while why He did that. And one day, it just kind of hit me because I was thinking about it that He was showing His divinity. And that He created men at one time in the Garden of Eden. That He made his eyes, even born blind, so He just prayed at him there.
Doug: Well, you are on the right track. I think Jesus is God the son. And He made man from the dust of the earth the fact that Jesus chose to heal this man’s eyes that way. This reinforces His divinity. Now, what’s a doctor has to say about that?
Dr. DeRose: Well, actually to me, the even more amazing story about spitting healing eyes is in Mark 8. I just kind of it aside but it fascinates me because I didn’t appreciate this for so long. And Mark 8 is another story and you remember when Jesus first heals this man’s eyes. It says he saw a man like tree is walking. And you say, “Why did you do it two stages?” We now know in science that you don’t just see with your eyes, you see with your brain. So He apparently did heal his eyes but the man needed his brain’s healed to. And Jesus did both. To me, that fascinated me as a physician.
Doug: That’s right. Because there are people who maybe have had surgeries but have never learned to see. The doctors might restore the eyes but the brain has to learn how to process all that information.
Dr. DeRose: Exactly.
Jeff: I have another one, real quick. If you don’t mind?
Doug: Okay, get real close to your phone. We can barely hear you.
Jeff: Okay. When Jesus on the Resurrection Day, when Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, it says, “There was an angel sitting where His head was, and one sitting where His feet were.” And that just reminded me of the Ark of the Covenant. And I just want to get your ideas on that. Why was one at the feet and one is at the head? They probably were touching wings in the middle of the queue or I don’t know.
Doug: Well, that’s interesting. You know, I never thought of that. And that’s a beautiful word picture. I’ve always just thought about the angels that are by the throne of God in heaven. It’s easy to understand why they would be sitting at His feet. I suppose it’s just because they were flanking the place where He was as it was kind of a hallowed ground. But you know Jesus, He suffered from head to foot. And that they wounded His head, they wounded His feet. And I don’t know, I like the idea of what you said about the angels like the Ark of the Covenant. They are like covering angels.
Dr. DeRose: A beautiful picture.
Jeff: It’s kind of a glowering.
Doug: Yeah.
Jeff: With God’s mercy, evident mercy seen.
Doug: Yeah.
Jeff: That’s what’s seen in Christ and mercy through Christ.
Doug: Well, thank you, Jeff .
Jeff: Was it a good idea?
Doug: Yeah. We appreciate that and thank you for sharing that. All right, we are going to talk next to someone in New York. Dean is listening on WMCA from New York City. Welcome, Dean, you are on Bible Answers Live.
Dean: Hello. Good evening.
Doug: Good evening.
Dean: My question is from Mathew 8 with Jesus rebuking the wind and the wave. I guess as a foundational question, we can establish that Satan has no authority over the weather. Let’s say that, you know, things like the raging storms and things like that.
Doug: You know what? I would respectfully disagree. I think when you read the book of Job that at one point when God withdrew His protection, it seemed like Job was able to do something to the wind where it knocked down the…
Dr. DeRose: You can say it was Satan was able to…
Doug: I’m sorry. Thank you. Yes. Satan was able to do something with the wind where Job’s children were. And Satan also brought fire down from heaven and burnt up his shepherds and their flocks. So, you know, like a lightning storm or something. So I think Satan can, you know, even men knows how to seed the clouds now. I think the devil can do things with the weather.
Dr. DeRose: But there’s no question that what’s happening in this story is Jesus is showing that He is ultimately over everything.
Doug: He has the power.
Dr. DeRose: That’s right.
Doug: But I think there may also be a question. Christ was asleep in one storm and the storm came out of nowhere and it’s almost like the devil wanted to swallow Him up.
Dr. DeRose: Now, it does raise that question.
Dean: That’s my question is that one, the word rebuke in first that there’s sort of wrong doing that you are correcting some sort of evil or bad actions. So when Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves. I was wondering like how can you correct that hasn’t have an intention of inertly is an evil. But you are saying that it is possible that Satan had authority over the storm and sends it against the boat?
Doug: Well, let’s first establish weather is like our dreams. Our dreams most of the time are a natural occurrence of our brains, sort of defragmenting during the night. It says a dream comes through the multitude of business. I think that’s Ecclesiastes. But sometimes the devil can influence a dream. And sometimes the Lord can influence a dream. But most dreams are natural occurrence. Most weather, I don’t think that God is manipulating the weather. It says the rain and the sunshine come on the good and the bad. And to some extent it’s just the circuits of the air and the convection and following the laws that God established for weather. So, you know, but this storm it almost seemed like the supernatural storm like the one in Jonah. Except the one in Jonah, the Lord sent. And this one might have been the devil trying to swallow up Jesus when He was vulnerable. I don’t know.
Dean: Yeah, my only key is the word rebuke. If you know, rebuke winds and waves if they don’t have an intention.
Doug: Yeah, that’s a good point. Any thoughts on that?
Dr. DeRose: No, I mean I think it’s an interesting point you bring up. I was looking at the Greek here and I can’t tell you that it really settles the issue for me one-way or the other.
Doug: All right. We’re going to study on that one deeper, Dean. I appreciate your question, that’s quite provoking. Going next to talk to Kenny who is calling from Austell, Georgia. Listening on the satellite radio. Kenny, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live.
Kenny: Hi, fellows. I appreciate you taking the call.
Doug: Absolutely. And your question tonight?
Kenny: Yeah, it’s in Revelation 19:10 and covered again in Revelation 22:18.
Doug: Okay.
Kenny: Its word John fell down, you know, before the figure that was given in some of the biblical information there.
Doug: The angel, yeah.
Kenny: Yeah, the angel says, “Do it not” Okay, because he says, “I’m a servant just like you are. I work for the same guy you do.” Right?
Doug: Uhum.
Kenny: Okay. Well, throughout my Bible learning, I’ve had a thought to me that, that is indeed the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Not necessarily about Jesus Christ. In other words, that was Christ speaking through the entire book. And since we have a division here where we go from Christ, he was servant of Christ. Does that subdivide the book of the Bible?
Doug: Well, if you look in the first verse of Revelation, it says… are you going?
Dr. DeRose: Yeah.
Doug: In the first verse of Revelation, it says that the Lord… the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servant’s things which must come shortly to pass. And He, Jesus, sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John. So it seems like the message of Revelation went through the stages of God, Jesus, angel to John. And so John was making a mistake of bowing to pray to the angel which was, you know, was it could have been Gabriel or I don’t know which angel it was. And we are not supposed to worship angels. Even angels don’t worship angels. We are just supposed to worship God. And so the angels said, you know that’s breaking the commandment, the first commandment and it says, “ Don’t have any other gods and only worship the Lord.”
Kenny: Yeah, that’s pretty clear there. I think it could be just my fault in the way I’ve understood it. The entire, you know, most of my biblical life.
Doug: Well, the messages are correct, is from Jesus. But I think John…
Kenny: The whole thing. I mean, the whole, you know, both sides of the book but I understand that. How you’d write quickly while I have you about the weather question there before me. Do you remember when Christ came in to Jerusalem and some people run up and say don’t call Him the King.
Doug: Right. Yeah.
Kenny: And Jesus says…
Doug: The stones will cry out.
Kenny: Don’t forbid them. If you do, even the rocks will cry out. Okay? Well, that gives you that sort of goes hand in hand with the weather thing. And you’ve got to remember like you said that Satan can do anything in the world like God does except salvation. He cannot do salvation. Everything else he’s capable of, you’ve got to remember that.
Doug: Yeah, there are limits on the devil’s ability but you know it says in the last days, the beast power will bring down fire from the heavens. So they are certainly some power there. Alright. We’ve got time Kenny for your question. I think we’ve got time maybe about for one more question. We are going to talk to Sandy who is calling from Illinois. Sandy, you are on the air with Bible Answers Live. We’ve got two minutes.
Sandy: Yes, sir. Sign of Jonah of three days and three nights.
Doug: Yes.
Sandy: Sister and Christ was upset but we’ve covered it, I’ve gotten Pastor Cruz’ book. Her concern and snag is the perpetual covenant looking for resources where it can be guided into all truth.
Doug: All right. Well, for our friends listening in Mathew 12 when Jesus said “For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish” and this verse 40. 3 days and 3 nights, the son of man will be in the heart of the earth – 3 days and 3 nights. And so I say `’Wow!” Jesus died Friday and He rose Sunday. That’s part of three days but it’s only two nights. Well, the heart of the earth is where people get mixed up. Part of the earth is not talking about between the earth is talking about in the midst of the world. For 3 days and 3 nights Christ was suffering for the sins of the world that started Thursday night after the Last Supper. Jesus said now is the hour when He told the disciples that Judas was coming, and He begun suffering then. And of course, He suffered, died, rose again.
And we’ll be happy to send you the book. Sandy, we’ve got a book called The Sign of Jonah. And we’ll send you a free copy of that. It’s got all of the resources. I know you read Pastor Crews book. This has got some additional verses and studies on the subject of Jonah. Very important study friends because Jesus said no sign will be given but the sign of Jonah. There’s a whole lot more to that than just the 3 days and 3 nights. Jesus was asleep in a storm, in a boat. And they will come up and say Lord we are perishing.
Jonah was asleep in a storm, in a boat. And the captain woke him up and said, “Arise old sleeper, carries not thou that we perish. And Jesus was sacrificed that we might have peace and they needed to toss Jonah over board so that they could have peace, a lot of parallels between Jonah. Jesus told the Jewish nation that they needed to repent or that generation would be judged. Generation is 40 years. Jonah said that in 40 days, that Ninevite will be destroyed if they didn’t repent. And Jesus said, the Ninevites did repent but the Jewish nation did not accept the Messiah and they were judged 40 years later. The temple was destroyed, a whole lot there in The Sign of Jonah, friends.
If you like a free copy of that, just call 800-835-6747. We’ll send you The Sign Of Jonah. 800-835-6747. You can tell from the music that is creeping up behind us that we are running out of time. But you can continue to study, go into the website, it’s simply amazingfacts.org. We’d love to hear from you also. God bless, friends. You can just click the contact button and we’ll stay in touch. Talk again next week.
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