Pastor Doug: Hello friends. How about an amazing fact? The medieval knight was one of the three types of fighting men during the middle ages, knights, foot soldiers and archers. The knight was the equivalent of a modern tank. He was covered in multiple layers of armor and could plow through enemy lines of foot soldiers standing in his way.
Knights were also generally the wealthiest of the three types of soldiers. And this was for good reason. It was very expensive to be a knight. His horse, armor, shield and weapons cost a fortune. A knight wore a linen shirt and pair of pants that had wooden block sewn into it and was covered with a suit of chainmail made of over two hundred thousand tiny metal rings all linked together.
Knights also covered their chest, back, arms and legs with plates of metal. A bucket-like helmet with a hinged metal visor protected the knight’s face and head. A suit of armor weighed between forty and sixty pounds. Some knights even protected their horses with armor.
The knight’s principal weapons were his sword and lance or spear. The sword was about thirty-two pounds and was worn on the knight’s left side in a case fastened around his waist. His lance was a long wooden pole that had a sharp metal end. It enabled him to engage the enemy while still on horseback.
He also had a shield made of either wood or metal. On average, it took about five years to make a coat of armor and about an hour for the knight to put it on. But once in his armor, the knight was almost impenetrable to his enemy.
Did you know friends that Christians also need to wear a coat of armor? Stay tuned for more as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Doug: Welcome listening friends to Bible Answers Live. And if you have just tuned in, this is a live interactive Bible study program. And we have lines opened if you would like to call with your Bible questions. That number is 800-GOD-SAYS. 800-463-7297. And right now is a good time to pick up the phone with Bible questions and give us a call. One more time, that number is 800-4637-297. Give us a call. If you have a Bible question we’ll search the Word together. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross. Good evening listening friends. And once again, let’s begin the program with a prayer. Dear Father, we thank You that we have this opportunity to open up Your Word and study. We know that the Bible is Your Word and we want Your Spirit to guide us as we search the Scripture for truth. So be with us this evening. Be with those who are listening wherever they might be. For we ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Pastor Doug: Amen.
Jëan Ross: Well, Pastor Doug, we opened the program by talking about medieval knights and just the amount of work that they went through to make sure that they were protected as much as possible when it came to battle. They were trying to make sure that they were able to withstand the arrows of the enemy and the attacks of the enemy. And as Christians, we also need to be able to withstand the fiery darts as the Bible says of our adversary.
Pastor Doug: That’s right. Yeah. The cost for military armor piercing bullets … what you call it bulletproof equipment is still pretty expensive.
Jëan Ross: Yes.
Pastor Doug: But you know back then when your life depended on it. And it was pretty intimidating when they saw a row of knights charging at them with their lances. And furthermore, the lance was pretty good for one or two charges and then eventually the tips would break off when they actually hit somebody. Then they jumped from their horses, but they probably left a crater from the ground when they jumped from their horses because they were heavy. You think about how much that sword weighed, how much that armor weighed, those guys. And then you look, you’d probably see some suits and armor. They weren’t even very tall. And so those guys must have been strong.
Jëan Ross: Right.
Pastor Doug: To be able to fight with all that on. But it makes us think about you know even back in the time of Paul. In the Bible, the Romans wore armor. Probably not as complete as what they had in England or in France but it talks about this armor in the Scriptures.
And you’ll find this in Ephesians 6. And you can start with verse 11. “Put on the whole armor of God that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God. ” Telling us don’t miss any parts that you might be able to withstand the evil day having done all to stand.
And then Paul goes on to itemize, having your loins girded with truth. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel. Taking the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. The Spirit, the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit and praying always with all prayer. In this list, he really gives us some spiritual equipment that we need for being victorious in the battles of life.
And maybe our friends out there would like to know how do we apply this armor of God? It sounds like a lot of metaphors here and symbols. How do you apply that in a real way to your lives practically? How can you put on something that will protect you against the fiery darts of the enemy? We have a free book we’d like to send you that will tell you how to do that. And it’s called The Armor of God.
Jëan Ross: To receive this book, just give us a call on our resource line and you can ask for the book called The Armor of God. The number to call is 800-835-6747. Again that number is 800-835-6747. And ask for the book called The Armor of God. And we’ll be happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks. If you have a Bible related question, our phone lines are now open. And the number to call here to the studio again is 800-463-7297. We are going to the phone lines. We have Chris who is listening in Kentucky. Chris, welcome to Bible Answers Live.
Chris: Thank you. It’s good talking to you guys.
Pastor Doug: Likewise.
Chris: First off, I would like to thank Amazing Facts for leading me from tattoo artist to evangelist.
Pastor Doug: Well, that’s a little bit of a transition. Bless your heart. Thank you.
Chris: Yeah. But my question is, my neighbor asked me tonight. And I know that one of the definitions of sin is to know good, to know to do good and do it not.
Pastor Doug: Aha.
Chris: But she asked me, you know Jesus also said the only way to the Father is through Me. So she asked me what about all the Jews who don’t believe in Jesus. How are they gonna be saved? If they fall under the definition of the saying if you know to do good and do it not.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. Of course there are going to be people, there were people before Jesus was born that will be in heaven. And Jesus hadn’t died on the cross yet. And so, the Lord looks on the heart. It is only by Jesus that anyone gets to heaven but there will be some in heaven that don’t know till they got there. That was it is because of the sacrifice of Jesus they are there.
So there are people who have lived that Paul talks in Romans 1 about people who are living up to the faith they have because they see a law of God written in nature. In the Old Testament, you’ve got the story of Naaman who is a Syrian. And he had leprosy and Elijah healed him. And Jesus tells a story of the Canaanite woman. That Elijah stayed with and you know she’ll be in the kingdom.
So God says many will come from the east and the west and sit down in the kingdom with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; of course that’s the symbol of the Jews. So there are going to be other people saved who followed the light that they had. Now, the Jews… you know the temple doesn’t save anyone or the sacrificing of lambs does not save anyone.
Even in the Old Testament when they sacrificed lambs, that was a symbol of when God’s Son was going to be sacrificed. Nobody gets to heaven by their good works. Everybody that is there is because of the sacrifice of Jesus because He bought them forgiveness. But there are some people that have followed the light that they have and maybe they didn’t hear about the name of Jesus yet. And I think God is going to show mercy to them. But that’s the exception that’s what we’ve got to do with evangelism.
Chris: So do you believe that the Jews today even if they heard about Jesus don’t accept him. Do they have a shot at heaven?
Pastor Doug: Yeah, of course. But they are not saved by virtue of being Jews. See, God is not a racist. God doesn’t save someone because He looks at their skin or their DNA. That’s why Paul said he is not a Jew, which is not one outwardly, but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly. Now, God does have a special plan for the Jewish people and the Jewish nation. I mean because He made a promise to Abraham. But Jesus also told to some of the Jews. I mean the apostles were all Jewish right?
Chris: Yes.
Pastor Doug: I mean at the same time Jesus told to the Scribes and Pharisees you are children of the devil. Well, they certainly are not going to heaven just because they are Jewish. Jesus told the parable about the Jewish Publican and Jewish Pharisees that want the temple to pray. One trusted in his work, and one trusted in God’s mercy. The Publican was forgiven; the Pharisee was not. So both of them are Jews. So both of them weren’t saved or lost by virtue of being Jewish right?
Chris: right.
Pastor Doug: They are saved and lost based on their trusting in God’s mercy. Paul said that salvation comes to the Jew first. Why? Because unto them were committed the oracles of God. God gave the Jewish nation the truth in the Scriptures. And so they were really the guardians of the truth. Well, most of the Bible was written by Jews. You know I got a book that I’d like to send you and it’s called Spiritual Israel, that I wrote with a Jewish friend of mine called Steve Wohlberg. And if you like we’ll send you a free copy or anyone that calls.
Jëan Ross: The number to call is 800-8356-747. And again, the book is called Spiritual Israel. Just call and ask for that and we’ll be happy to send that to you Chris or anyone who wants to learn more about what the Bible has to say with reference to literal Israel and Spiritual Israel and how to understand that. Our next caller is Joe. And Joe is listening from Colorado. Joe, welcome to the program.
Joe: Hey, good evening fellows. I just got to say first off you guys are awesome. I love Amazing Facts and the resources. And God bless you all for everything you are doing.
Pastor Doug: Well, thank you. Bless your heart. Your question, Joe?
Joe: Thank you, sir. Yes sir. I have an inquiry on I guess God as the Trinity and the place of the Holy Spirit is a study that has my faith in my hands for quite a bit. And I just… sir, there’s just so many Scriptures that I’ve read regarding that and the Holy Spirit doesn’t seem to be mentioned in it. It seems to be a lot of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is not mentioned. And I completely believe in the Holy Spirit and everything like that but it just seems to be that whenever our Lord is identified. It’s normally our God the Creator and His Son Jesus Christ. I’m just having a very difficult time. I was just always taught the Trinity; three in one- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And when I put myself to prove it and study it just wasn’t there, sir.
Pastor Doug: Well, let me help you a little bit. So your question is I guess you’re asking is the Holy Spirit God?
Joe: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Okay. Keep in mind that when we talk about God: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have different roles. So when you read about them in the Bible you are going to read them fulfilling other roles. And they may not be always mentioned in the same verse. There are times even after when Jesus came when the apostles are writing and they talked about God the Father.
They don’t mention Jesus and there are times they talk about Jesus, they don’t mention God. And there are times when they talk about the Spirit without mentioning either. And first of all, let’s establish the Holy Spirit is not electricity or some force of God because it continually refers to the Holy Spirit as He. Not only did the apostles refer to the Holy Spirit as He, Paul said the Holy Spirit can be grieved. Well, grieve is when you hurt the feelings of somebody but you can’t grieve a force. Jesus said when He, the Spirit, has come, He will lead you into all truth. And He said I’m going, that I might send Him, He is the Comforter. And so the things that we will identify as a personality, God applies to the person of the Spirit.
And so the Spirit is the hardest person of the Godhead to understand because you and I, you know if we close our eyes and say picture Jesus, you have some form that will pop into your mind that typically looks like some of the paintings that we’ve seen probably. Or if even I say picture the Father. Folks often picture some grey haired bearded man sitting on a throne somewhere but when you say picture the Spirit. He appears as fire, He appears, He is referred to as wind, He is referred to as water.
But in the very beginning of the Bible it says the Spirit of God moved upon the waters. You go the very end of the Bible and it says the Spirit and the bride say come. So the Holy Spirit is from cover-to-cover, first and last chapters of the Bible. And of course when Jesus said baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. He actually allocates a separate identity of baptizing in the name of the Spirit as part of the Triune God.
Jëan Ross: You know we have another verse that mentions the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit all at one time that highlights different aspects of God. For example, say in Corinthians 3:14. Paul writes the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. So there you got it and he listed it a little differently. First mentions Jesus, and then the Father and then the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Doug: You know we have a book, Joe. I did a study on this because a number of people ask about it. And I did a study and there’s a book that we’ve not offered until recently. We’ll send you a free copy and it’s a book I wrote called Holy Spirit - The Need. Holy Spirit - the Need. And it talks about, is the Holy Spirit a person? Is the Holy Spirit God? It answers all that and it gives you verses. I’d like you to look at that and give us a call. And let us know what you think. We’ll send you a free copy.
Jëan Ross: The number to call is 800-835-6747. And again, the book is called The Holy Spirit - The Need. Again, I think it’s the first time Pastor that we are offering that book. It’s again 800-835-6747. It’s free. Ask for the book on the Holy Spirit - The Need. Our next caller is Chantal. And she is calling from Oregon. Chantal, welcome to the program.
Chantal: Thank you. Good evening.
Pastor Doug: Good evening.
Chantal: I’m calling about Philippians 1:6.
Pastor Doug: Okay
Chantal: I’d like you to talk a little bit more about the phrase in particular with the words , “He who began a good work in you.”
Pastor Doug: Aha.
Chantal: Could you explain that a little bit?
Pastor Doug: Well, I’ll do my best. Let me read it for others who maybe driving down the road. And it says “being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Just as it is right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart.” So Paul is basically saying that we don’t have to doubt that the work of sanctification that God is doing in us.
If we continue to cooperate with Him and surrender our lives daily to Him, you know Paul says I die daily. As we surrender our lives daily to the Lord, the Lord is going to continually teach us through experience. Through the communion of the Spirit we just talked about. Through the study of the Word, through the examples of others, He’ll transform us into His image. The Bible says by beholding we are transformed and we become changed.
And the Lord is called the author and finisher of our faith. Now, He doesn’t just start a book; I’ve got some books started but I never got past the title. But God finishes the books He starts. And He’s writing His stories in our lives. Then as we surrender to Him everyday, He will finish it. We can be confident of that. Now, I don’t know if you have anything to add or does that answer what you’re asking, Chantal?
Chantal: Yes. I thought you might be going in a different direction. I thought you maybe admit something else but that‘s good. I understand.
Dough: Alright. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate your calling.
Chantal: Thank you.
Pastor Doug: God bless.
Jëan Ross: We have Jeremiah who is listening right here from Sacramento California. Jeremiah, you’re on the air.
Jeremiah: Hey, how is it going tonight?
Pastor Doug: Doing well.
Jeremiah: Good. Glory to God. I have a question about Satan and his powers. I understand that he can work miracles and what not. But I’m wondering can Satan know or predict the future? And the reason why I ask it is because I often, very often have dreams and then I see him in the path and sometimes I have a dream and then I wake up and then it all happen right then and there. So I’m wondering could this be the works by Satan by any chance?
Pastor Doug: Well, I don’t want to… you know it will be hard for me to give a definitive answer on your dreams because that’s really between you and God. I’m not very good at analyzing dreams. I don’t have that gift. But I will tell you that if you and I can sometimes put two and two together and predict the future. Some people, you know, weathermen with satellites and patterns can predict the weather before it happens because of patterns.
The devil is very smart and he can sometimes predict things and get it right. Not only that, the devil reads the Bible. And he knows about the prophecies that God has. Now let me give you two examples. The devil impersonated the prophet Samuel after Samuel died, his demons came back and he foretold King Saul and his son would die the next day. Well, they did die the next day. Of course you know quite a few soldiers died the next day. The Philistines had a massive and enormous army that overwhelmed them. So you know that wasn’t a wild prediction.
But the devil knew that someday the Savior was coming. He knew God was coming to the earth in the form of a man. He didn’t know exactly when. He thought it might be in the time of Moses that the Saviour was coming. So he tried to kill all the baby boys and he missed Moses. He thought that the Saviour was coming maybe during the time of David or after the time of David and so he killed the descendants of David during the time of Queen Athaliah. And then when Jesus was born, the devil knew that the Saviour was coming and he tried to kill all the baby boys on Bethlehem. So Satan has known.
He studies the prophecies. He quoted the Bible back to Jesus. And so the devil knows, a matter of fact it says in Revelation 12; Satan knows he has a short time so that’s one prophecy he knows. That there’s an end to his existence and that Jesus is coming.
Jeremiah: Okay. Are there any Bible verses or anything that maybe will touch more on whether he actually like knows the exact future? I guess what I’m talking about is not so much predicting but knowing exactly what happens and the way it happens.
Pastor Doug: Well, Satan is not God. He doesn’t know exactly what is going to happen.
Jeremiah: Okay.
Pastor Doug: One reason I say that is because Jesus said that no man knows the day or the hour. I know the devil doesn’t know the day or the hour of Christ’s coming. But we have a lesson we can send you that goes into more detail about the power of the devil. What he knows and what his limits are. And we’ll be happy to send you a free copy of that, Jeremiah. It’s called Did God Create the Devil?
Jëan Ross: The number to call is to 800-835-6747. You can ask for the study guide Did God Create the Devil?. Again, 800-835-6747. And we’ll send that to you Jeremiah or anyone who calls and asks. I think you’ll find that interesting. Go to Sandy who is in California. Sandy, welcome to the program.
Sandy: Hi.
Pastor Doug: Hi. You are on the air.
Sandy: My question is what form is Jesus in right now in heaven? The spirit form or human form?
Pastor Doug: Both.
Sandy: Both?
Pastor Doug: Now let me tell you why I say that. When Jesus rose from the dead and He appeared to the disciples on several occasions. He appeared by the sea when they were fishing then He ate with them. He appeared in the upper room and He ate with them. He appeared on the road to Emmaus and He ate with them. And He told them touch me, handle me, see … a spirit or a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones as you see that I have.
So Jesus went to great lengths to try to explain to the disciples that He wasn’t an apparition, that He wasn’t a ghost. You see Adam and Eve before sin, they lived in four dimensions. You and I just live in three. After Adam and Eve sinned their ability to see angels and that fourth spirit world, they lost it. They lost the spiritual side of their nature. Jesus in His resurrection got a glorified spiritual body.
But we sometimes think that spiritual bodies are somehow phantoms or vapor or mist or something and they are not real. Jesus took on human form and He still has that. He became one with us for eternity but He also has a hundred percent of His spiritual powers. He can see angels. He can go through walls. When He appeared to the disciples they had shut the door and suddenly He appeared again. You know what I’m saying?
Sandy: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: So He obviously has powers that we don’t have but He made a great emphasis that He was real. So that’s why I say Christ is real. And you know if you are in heaven right now you can probably reach out and touch Him. I mean if we want to be destroyed by His glory. But yet He’s also spirit. He can see the angels and interact with them. And He could travel the speed of thought. Things we can’t even understand.
Sandy: Yeah.
Pastor Doug: So it’s a mistake to think you are either real or you are a ghost. And there’s something else the Bible describes Him in between the two. You can be both spiritual; a spiritual body and be real.
Sandy: Hmm.
Pastor Doug: You know we have a lesson that talks a little bit about that. And that’s our lesson. Are the dead really dead kind of explains the spirit and the body and some of those issues. If you like a copy we’ll send you one.
Sandy: Okay. Can I ask one thing? Is He bound to the sanctuary or can He travel to other worlds?
Pastor Doug: Oh, I don’t think Jesus is quarantined. His principal work is He lives to make intercession for us. But you know Jesus doesn’t just stay there all the time. I’m sure He goes and carries on His other divine duties. Even on earth, the priests, when they were serving as priest they didn’t do it twenty-four hours a day.
Sandy: Hmm. Well, thank you.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Thank you. Appreciate your questions, Sandy.
Jëan Ross: Appreciate your call. The number to call here if you have a Bible related question is 800-463-7297. Gordiner is listening in Yonkers, New York. Gordiner, welcome to the program.
Gordiner: Well, yes good evening. My question pertains to Revelation 12:4 and 12:13. I understand the Bible symbols of a woman being the church. And I understand 12:4 that the dragon stood before the woman to devour her seed. Now, that’s Satan using Herod to kill all the children... Is that correct?
Pastor Doug: Yes, I think that’s a reference to that.
Gordiner: Trying to get to Jesus. Trying to kill Jesus, right?
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Gordiner: Okay. But now in the Revelation 12:13, the back part of this said the woman which brought forth the man-child. I don’t understand how the church brought forth Jesus. I would think that Jesus was the one who brought the church.
Pastor Doug: Alright. This is actually referring back to a prophecy and Pastor Ross might want to comment on this too because he has a special love for Revelation. But if you go back to Genesis 3, I think it’s verse 15. The first prophecy in the Bible is where God says to the woman that the seed of the woman, meaning the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent.
And there are seven women in the Bible that have miracle babies. Very quickly, it’s Isaac’s mother; Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Samson’s mother; they were barren and God miraculously gave them children, the Shunammite woman, and John the Baptist’s mother, and of course Mary. All of the baby boys in the Bible are types of Christ.
It’s interesting there are no miracle baby girls in the Bible mentioned. I’m sure there were but they are not referenced. Because these miraculous baby boys were different types of Christ. Hannah, is one I left out. So when it says the woman brought forth the child. The church was supposed to introduce the New Testament, the apostles. When they proclaimed Jesus, they were at Pentecost. They were introducing/presenting the Messiah to the world back then. So we got I think about thirty seconds before the break. Pastor Ross, anything you want to add.
Jëan Ross: You know just to add a verse to that, Colossians 3:16. The apostle Paul is referring to Genesis 3 where he is speaking about that verse talking about the seed of the woman. And he says that seed of the woman is indeed Christ. So Colossians 3:16 brings that to view.
Gordiner: Thank you.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Thank you very much. Appreciate your call. And we do have a study guide that talks about that Clothed With Light. It’s about the bride of Christ to the church, that woman that brings forth the man-child.
Jëan Ross: The number to call and ask for that study guide is 800-835-6747. And the study guide is entitled Clothed With Light. Again, that 800-835-6747, that is our resource line. And our phone line here to the studio is 800-463-7297.
You are listening to Bible Answers Live.
Friends, you can hear the music playing there in the background. We are not finished with our program yet. We’re just coming up on a short break here in a few minutes. Just before we take the break though I want to let you know listening to Bible Answers Live that we do have a website, amazingfacts.org filled with all kinds of great resources. So don’t go away too far. But take a look at our website amazingfacts.org
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Doug: We are back listening friends. This is Bible Answers Live and if you have a Bible-related question then we invite you to give us a call. We have a couple of lines still open. That number one more time 800 free phone call of course 463-7297. 800- this is for North America. You can also get us on the Internet, but that is 800-463-7297. My name is Doug Batchelor.
Jëan Ross: My name is Jëan Ross. And we are going to the phone lines but just before we do that. We are very excited about one of the websites that Amazing Facts recently released. I think it was back in August that we actually released this website Pastor Doug. We have been tweaking it Biblehistory.com.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. This is great, friends. If you want to see the whole Bible at a glance, the history with pictures, it’s illustrated and it’s a timeline. You can put your mouse on it, move it back and forth. Click on the section about the Exodus. You can click on the patriarchs. You can click on Noah, and there’s a big Noah movie that just came out this weekend. You want to find out about when Noah lived and how his life overlapped the lives of Abraham and Methuselah. Then you can see all of these at a glance. You can click on any Bible characters and it tells you more. It’s got like an encyclopedia built into it. And the Scripture references, and it’s got Bible prophecies. And it goes all the way from creation to the second coming, covering all of Bible history in a timeline that’s visual. You can see, easy to use. You can move your mouse around and just wherever you want in Bible time. Biblehistory.com. Biblehistory.com. Back to the phones.
Jëan Ross: Alright. We have Michael who is listening in Kentucky. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: Hey, Doug Batchelor. How are you? I am… I like Amazing Facts. I listen to you a lot, often times.
Pastor Doug: Well, we appreciate that. Now, what’s your question tonight, Michael?
Michael: It is can a person… let me see right here. Can people be saved after the rapture occurs?
Pastor Doug: Okay. Well, let’s talk about this. The Bible tells us that there are really three kinds of views about the rapture. One group believes that the tribulation happens after the rapture. So the rapture occurs and then people are living during the tribulation. And then, you know some say you may be saved during that time or because of the preaching of the Jews. Other Christians believed in the middle of this tribulation that the rapture occurs. And others believe that the tribulation happens before the second coming. And we are in that group. We believe that the great tribulation is something that is going to happen before Jesus comes.
So when Jesus comes according to the Bible. It says that “the heavens are dissolved with fervent heat. It will be as lightning shining from one end of heaven to the other. There’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth if people are not ready. All the tribes of the earth will mourn for they will see Him coming in the heavens. And He’ll send his angels to gather His elect from the four corners of heaven.”
And so the idea that people are still being saved after the second coming, the second coming is the most climatic event. See we don’t believe in the secret rapture. And if you go back about a 120 years, no Christians, Catholic or Protestant had this idea of the left behind stories. That was not the belief of most Christians. It just goes back a 100 years. It is a relatively new idea that was made popular by some books by Hal Linsey: Late Great Planet Earth and by the left behind books. And I don’t believe it’s biblical that’s all there is to it.
The Bible tells us “he that endures to the end will be saved.” Endures what? The tribulation. And Paul said, “It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God. When the Lord descends from heaven with a shout the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and the wicked are destroyed by the brightness of His coming.” So how can people be saved after that? Jeremiah 4:23 “The cities are broken down there’s no man alive after the second coming.” So there’s many, many verses. What’s a good… probably you can…
Jëan Ross: I was going to mention we got a book called Anything But Secret.
Pastor Doug: That’s right.
Jëan Ross: It talks about the second coming of Christ. And it’s just filled with great passages or Scriptures that I think could be just an excellent resource for anyone who would want to study about that.
Pastor Doug: And you know why it’s important to understand this Michael, is the devil wants people to think well if you are not ready when Jesus comes you do have to go through the tribulation but at least you are going to get a second chance. The devil wants people to procrastinate getting ready now because in reality there is no second chance. When Jesus comes it’s over and that’s the end. That’s why Jesus says watch, watch let not that day overtake you us a thief, that’s Mark 13. So anyway, we’ll send you that book for free, Anything But Secret.
Jëan Ross: The number to call is 800-835-6747 and ask for the book Anything But Secret. Again, 800-835-6747. The next caller is Kennedy and he is calling from Paradise California. Kennedy welcome to Bible Answers Live.
Pastor Doug: I think its Kenny.
Jëan Ross: Oh, sorry Kenny.
Kenny: Did Jesus Christ create all the angels at one time? And if not, did the angels enjoy the privilege of having something to do with creating other angels?
Pastor Doug: Well, that’s a good question.
Kenny: I thought of that. I don’t think there’s an answer but I want you to give it a shot.
Pastor Doug: Well I don’t know that the angels have creative ability because you know the Bible only talks about God making all things through Jesus. And all things that were made, were made by Him. You find that all in Hebrews 1, Colossians and in the gospel of John 1. But it is possible that the angels were not all created on the same day. The Lord may have done it in swarms. I don’t know.
Kenny: My thought was Jesus gave human beings the privilege of recreating/reproducing themselves. Maybe, I don’t know just maybe they have the same, that kind of a being would be created. I don’t know it. It just makes an extenuation of God’s love to them to recreate a being. I don’t know. What do you think?
Pastor Doug: Well one possible maybe that if the Lord made the angels in stages where He didn’t make them all on the same day, He may have brought the other angels in when He made the next batch and let them watch. But the Bible is pretty clear that all the things that were made, were made by Christ. So Jesus, I think made the angels. I don’t think they procreate. Because Christ also said they neither marry or are given marriage. They are called ministering spirits. And that’s an interesting question Kenny. I appreciate that. It’s appropriate that it came from Paradise California.
Jëan Ross: Next call is Tracy and she is listening in Minnesota. Tracy, welcome to the program.
Tracy: Hello.
Pastor Doug: Hi Tracy.
Tracy: I’m listening to your program every night. I just want to know if there’s any other thing you can read besides the Bible to know more about God because I get nervous and delusional about things because about the past or about the present on how God can help me.
Pastor Doug: There’s a lot of good things that you can read beside the Bible. There’s a number of very good devotional books. One of my favorite books is a book called Steps To Christ. There’s a great book that was written by John Bunyan called Pilgrim’s Progress. That’s a very inspiring book for a person in their Christian walk. There are of course you know there’s good Christian material, mountains of it written by good Christian writers. And so yeah, there’s a lot of good inspiring things. You know where I’d recommend you start Tracy. Go to the Amazing Facts website. We’ve got a lot of books that are there that you can read, that many of them are free. You can click where it says free library. You can download and read them or you can order them, but just go to amazingfacts.org. I appreciate your question. That by the way opens up another line so we do still have a few lines open. For tonight’s program friends, if you Bible questions its 800-463-7297.
Jëan Ross: Next caller is Aaron. Aaron is listening from Carmichael California. Aaron, welcome to the program.
Aaron: Hi. I have a question about an English translation of the Bible, the Geneva Bible that predates the King James Version.
Pastor Doug: Yes.
Aaron: My only inquiry is I heard about like pilgrims used it when they came over here, and they preferred that. And I have it on a Bible app and it was like 1599 version. It seems to read pretty well but I was just curious is there any insight on that?
Pastor Doug: I think the Geneva Bible was a good Bible and [??]. And I think that you’ll probably find that the King James Bible leaned on the Geneva Bible quite a bit. I was just reading the book called the History of the English Bible Translations that was talking about that. I wish I could remember everything I read about the Geneva Bible but yeah it was a good Bible.
Jëan Ross: It was liked in particular by the reformers because in addition to the Scripture itself there were little commentaries that were made that helped to explain different passages, the Scripture. The Geneva Bible became known as the Bible of the Reformers and a number of your protestant denominations. For example you mentioned the Puritans and some of the others. They really appreciated the Geneva Bible. And the King James was heavily based on the same manuscripts theologically that the Geneva Bible was based upon.
Pastor Doug: So I’m sure there are reprints of the Geneva Bible. You can probably go online and read it for free.
Aaron: Yeah, I read it on the Bible app. I downloaded it on my phone. I just happened to see it and I heard about it. And it seems to read even like today. I feel like it reads well even in today's English pretty well.
Pastor Doug: Well, keep in mind you know I’ve been to England and looked in a glass case at some of the original King James Bible and you can barely read them. So even the King James Version has been updated into more modern English. You are probably reading an updated version of the Geneva Bible too. Because whenever you saw the letter “S” it would look like an “F.” it was interesting how they did it way back then. But I appreciate your question Aaron.
Jëan Ross: You know we have a book talking about different Bibles and Bible translations where they come from. It’s called The Ultimate Resource. I think you’ll enjoy that Aaron or anyone who calls and asks for it. The number to call is 800-835-6747 and ask for the book The Ultimate Resource. Our next caller is Vesros from Brooklyn New York. Vesros, welcome to the program.
Vesros: Good evening.
Pastor Doug: Good evening.
Vesros: Yes. Thank you for taking my call. I have a question in the book of Judges 11. I would like to know if Jephthah really offered his daughter as a sacrifice?
Pastor Doug: In the book of Judges 11 it talks about Jephthah making a vow and he says to the Lord that if God would give him victory over his enemy, that when he came back he would offer to the Lord whatever came out of his gates as a burnt offering. That’s just so everyone gets a picture of what he’s saying. He used to live in the hills and had a few goats and whenever he goes home they would run out to meet him. Of course they were always thinking of food and maybe they are hungry. A lot of these small farms, you know everybody has their own goat, their cow, and their camel. That’s why it even says in the Sabbath command you let your donkey, your oxen rest.
Jephthah expected when he came home as they typically do that their family chickens, the goats and the sheep and would all come out and meet him. And he thought if you give victory, as much as I need my household domestic animals I will offer unto you the first thing that comes out of my gates. He didn’t anticipate the first thing that came out of his gate is his daughter.
And it says Jephthah did what he vowed unto the Lord. He did not kill his daughter because all the first-born son’s were consecrated to the Lord but you weren’t supposed to kill them. You would offer another animal in their place or there was a donation that was made to the temple for the first-born. God never accepted human sacrifice. He even stopped Abraham from doing that. But what he did do is the same way that Hannah brought Samuel to the temple when she gave him to the Lord and gave him to the service of God. Jephthah’s daughter could never marry.
She was consecrated to the service of God. That’s why you read later in Judges 11 it says, “ the daughters of Israel would come up yearly and they would mourn with Jephthah’s daughter about her virginity.” It says they spent four months in the mountains mourning with her about her virginity. Meaning, she would never marry and never have children. So the family line of Jephthah died out because his daughter could never marry. So he did not offer her as a burnt offering but he gave her to the Lord. And she served the rest of her life in the temple.
One more person in that category when you read in the New Testament when Simon takes up Jesus in his arms; Ana, a woman who served God, it says from her widowhood she stayed in the temple 80 years. See here is a woman who had given up herself for the Lord. She never married again. And they would do that. So I appreciate your question. And no, Jephthah did not burn his daughter but he was mourning the she could never marry.
Jëan Ross: The next caller is I believe Catherine, from Alabama. Catherine, welcome to the program.
Catherine: Thank you. My question is, I’ve always wondered about the angels reference to the Bible but I don’t see where there’s any documentation that of the creation of the angels. In Genesis 1, it says God created man in His own image. In the image of God created He him, male and female. And I was always wondering if that references or documents the creation of angels because later on it says and then God made man. And the other thing it says is when it says “God created man in His own image, male and female.” He created them. And God blesses them basically that they can have dominion over everything. He also said “I have given you every herb bearing seed.” And then later on it says “and every tree and the richest fruit of the tree yielding seed.”
Pastor Doug: Is your question where does it reference God creating angels?
Catherine: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Alright, if you look in the book of Job 38.
Catherine: Hmm.
Pastor Doug: And go to verse 4. God asks a question. He says, “where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurement? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon the line like a tape measure. To what was it’s foundation fastened or who laid its corner stones? When the morning star sings together and all the sons of God shouted for Joy.
So here, it’s saying in the book of Job which is probably the most ancient book in the Bible. That when God laid down the foundations of the earth and He made the world it says “all the sons of God”, and that’s one of the words used for angels, shouted for joy. The Bible tells us they are ministering spirits that were created. They existed before our world was made because as long as God has been around and He has got work to do He used His ministering spirits.
Jëan Ross: The verse you were referring to Pastor is Hebrews 1:7 where it speaks of the angels being made as ministering spirits, Hebrews 1:7 and then Hebrews 1:14.
Pastor Doug: Yeah. And in order for Lucifer to be a fallen angel that would be tempting Adam and Eve way back in the Garden of Eden. And obviously he wasn’t made fallen. He was made good and he was good for a long time. But he eventually fell and it talks about the war in heaven in Revelation 12. Where Michael and His angels fought with the dragon and his angels. So this cosmic battle took place before our world was made. Jesus said I saw like lightning fall from heaven when it was Lucifer. And so the angels had to exist before our world was made. You know that study that Did God Create the Devil will also explain it where the angels.
Jëan Ross: The number to call for that study is 800-835-6747. You can ask for that study guide Did God Create the Devil? Or friends, you can go to the Amazing Facts website, it’s amazingfacts.org. And you can sign up for our free online Bible study course. That’s amazingfacts.org or Bibleuniverse.com. Our next caller is Joe and he is listening in Georgia. Joe, welcome to the program.
Joe: Hey, what is the definite mark of the beast for those who follow God and to those who don’t?
Pastor Doug: Yeah. You want to know definitively what that is?
Joe: Yes.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Let me first tell you what it is and what it isn’t. A lot of people when they hear the mark of the beast in the hand and in the forehead they assume that means it’s going to be some kind of computer chip inserted under the skin. That’s a more recent theory. I remember when the barcodes first came out people said it was a barcode that was put on the hand. Or it is a tattoo of a 666 on the hand. Or people thought it was special credit card. Or you’d memorize a pin number. Or it would be in your hand.
To understand what that means, you look into Deuteronomy 6. It’s the Great Mishnah where the Hebrew say, ‘Hear Israel the Lord our God is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul. And these words that I command you today (Moses in chapter 5 of Deuteronomy gives the Ten Commandments). These words I command you today shall be in your hand. They shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (that was the Hebrew way of saying the forehead).
Three times in the Old Testament it talks about the law of God must be in your hand and in your forehead. And some of the orthodox Jews took that to mean you’re suppose to take little pieces of the law and they would call them phylacteries. And they take leather strips with the law and they put them on their hand or they hang them on their foreheads. God didn’t want them to do that any more than when Moses said these words shall be in your heart. They were some how to open our chests and stuff the Ten Commandments in there or stuff the Bible in there. In the heart: means in the affections. In the head: means in the thoughts. In the hand: means in the actions.
Those who worship the beast and his image, they are going to have the law of the beast in their mind and in their hand as opposed to the law of God. Real quick Joe … you see in Daniel 3 when Nebuchadnezzar makes his golden image and those that don’t worship the image would be killed. Very similar to the wording you’ll find in the book of Revelation. They had to choose. Are we going to break the commandment of God about idolatry or obey the commandment of Babylon? You go to Daniel 6 and the king of Persia makes a law that you are only to worship the king of Persia or be killed. Daniel had to make a decision do we obey the law of God or the law of the king of Persia? They were in conflict.
In the last days, this political religious power is going to make a law that will force people to break one of God’s laws. And those that choose to obey the law of men instead of the law of God will receive the mark of the beast. Now we have a lesson on it we’ll give you.
Jëan Ross: Joe, let me give you a number to call and for anyone wanting to get more information on this. The number is 800-835-6747. We have a study guide called The Mark of the Beast. And we’ll send that to you. We also have a book called The Beast – Who Will Worship the Beast? And we’ll send you that as well. 800-835-6747. Our next caller is Floris listening in Texas. Floris, welcome to the program.
Floris: Okay.
Pastor Doug: Good evening.
Floris: Good evening.
Pastor Doug: And your question?
Floris: Well, my question was that some people don’t believe… well, they believe just by saying words out of their heart they do believe in Jesus, repent in Jesus, confess Jesus as the Saviour. And I’ll say that’s a good one but they don’t believe to get into the water and be baptized into the water. I believe it is true but a lot of people don’t believe it because I don’t know. I always say to myself if God says love one another, if that’s the commandment by God He doesn’t go back on His words what He just said.
Pastor Doug: So we’ve got about three minutes Floris. So are you asking about is baptism necessary and still important?
Floris: Yes. Yes, is it important or not? That’s my question to you.
Pastor Doug: Alright. Absolutely. Let me just give you a couple of verses. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3 “unless you are born of the water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Born of the Spirit of course is God’s choice. Born of the water, He is speaking of baptism. The last words of Jesus should be a big priority for Christians and the last words are “go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them.” So obviously it’s important.
In Mark 16 Jesus closes the gospel there by saying, “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Whoever believes not, will be lost. And so, baptism was you know, a very important command. You can… what was the day of Pentecost, Peter was preaching. They said, “men and brethren, what shall we do?” and Peter said, “repent and be baptized, every one of you. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise is unto you and your children and as many as the Lord God will call.” And that’s in Act 2, I think its verse 32. So you are on the right track Floris that teaching that baptism it’s like you are not saved by being baptized. Just like a wedding doesn’t make a marriage, but you are not married without the wedding. Baptism is the public ceremony where we demonstrate that we believe that we’ve been cleansed by the Lord. Does that make sense?
Floris: That does make a lot of sense but I know there’s a lot of people, they don’t believe. They just say come into my heart, believe and say repent.
Pastor Doug: That’s the starting point. They need to go on. Well, if a guy tells a young lady I love you and it just stops there. And he just always says I love you and then we’re never getting married. Well, you know that love is never complete. So there’s got to be more to it.
Jëan Ross: You know we have a book on this subject called Baptism – Is it Really Necessary? On the subject, Jesus said you have got to be born of water and of the Spirit. We’ll send that to you Floris or anybody wanting to learn more about what does the Bible say about baptism. The number to call is 800-835-6747. Ask for the book called Baptism – Is It really Necessary?
Pastor Doug: Absolutely. Thank you for your call Floris and anyone else. If you didn’t get through tonight, don’t give up on us, give us another chance and God willing, we’ll talk more about the Bible next week. And we like to reserve the last 10-15 seconds to remind you, a lot of people say, “Oh, this program is such a blessing Pastor Doug. And I want to say, “Well, are you helping us to stay on the air? Because its only people like you, there’s no big organization, no denomination. It’s the listeners that keep Bible Answers Live on the air. Drop us a note, amazingfacts.org click donate. And God Bless! We’ll talk together again next week.
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