Pastor Jëan Ross: Hello Friends! How about an Amazing Fact?
The record for hiding out was made out by a young Chinese college student, by the name of Cheng Lou. He was studying Engineering at the University of Michigan but was doing very badly in Physics and Math. If his studies did not improve, he would have to leave school, quit his job as janitor at the Ann Harbor First Methodist Church and take the humiliating news of his academic failures back to his father, who was a school teacher in Singapore.
Finally, one day, in October of 1955, Cheng disappeared. His friends, including the Reverend Hujen Ransom, Pastor of the church, called the police – but they found no clues. Cheng’s Methodist friends had another mystery to ponder, strange bumping noises that came out from the deserted church at night.
Early one morning, four years after Cheng’s disappearance, a pair of private detectives, called by Rev. Ransom, heard a trap door at the church slam. Together with police, they climbed up, swept their flashlights above the attic, and there crouched above them was Cheng. For four years, the attic of the church had been his home. The bumping noises had been Cheng’s skipping rope to keep in shape. During the day, he slept on padding from the pews, and at night, he walked around the church and helped himself to food in the kitchen.
Physically, Cheng seemed unaffected by his harmless existence. But as police hauled him off to the county jail, his four years pre-occupation with loss of face suddenly vanished.
“I’ve been a coward” he said. “I’m glad I was found!”
Did you know friends that the Bible speaks of a time when Satan will be forced to live a life like a hermit? Stay tuned for more, as Amazing Facts brings you this edition of Bible Answers Live.
[PROGRAM INTRODUCTION]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hello friends! This is Pastor Jëan Ross. Pastor Doug Batchelor is off this evening but this is Bible Answers Live. It is a live, interactive, international Bible Study and if you have Bible-related questions, we would love to hear from you this evening. The phone line here in the studio is 1-800-463-7297. Let me give that to you again, 800-463-7927. And if you put letters to those numbers, it’s 800-GOD-SAYS (800-463-7297). We have a few lines that are open. So this is a good time to pick up your phone. Give us a call with your Bible-related questions this evening.
Joining me here in the studio in helping with the phone lines is Alan Davis, Vice President at Amazing Facts. Alan, thank you for joining us.
Alan Davis: Hey! Good evening Pastor Ross. It’s good to be here with you. I was kind of musing over this amazing fact that you were giving and you know it is one thing to be a hermit and I hear a lot of cases about being in hiding for long amounts of time but you kind of peaked my curiosity when you said that Satan’s going to be a hermit someday. What did you mean by that?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well you know the Bible speaks about a time when Satan is going to spend a thousand years in isolation.
Alan Davis: Hmm.
Pastor Jëan Ross: But before we look at the Scriptures to explore the subject further, why don’t you begin us with a word of prayer.
Alan Davis: You know I’d love to. Father in Heaven, we just want to thank You for this opportunity to come together. We ask that Your blessing would be imparted to the listeners this evening, no matter where they might be – in their homes, in their vehicles, or even on the internet. Father, we ask that every answer we give would come from Heaven above and be baptized by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Amen. Well, the verse that I’m referring to is found in the last book of the Bible. Revelation 20:1. John writes that he saw an angel coming down from Heaven, having a key to the bottomless pit. And a great chain was in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon. That old serpent, who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years.
So you have the Bible speaking of a time period – a thousand years – sometimes referred to as the millennium. Where it says Satan is bound in something called the bottomless pit. And he is there for a thousand years. He can’t tempt anyone. He is forced to live the life of a hermit. You might be wondering, “Well, what about this thousand year period? What does this bottomless pit mean?” We have a study guide dealing with this important subject. It shows you the events associated with the beginning of the one thousand years, as well as the events taking place during the thousand years, and then important events that happened at the end of the thousand years when Satan is loosed as Revelation 20 says, “from the bottomless pit”. And he goes out to deceive the nations. The study guide is entitled 1,000 Years of Peace and we’d be happy to send that to anyone who gives us a call on our resource line. Just ask for the study guide called 1,000Years of Peace and we’d be happy to send that to you.
Alan Davis: And you know that it’s really a good study guide too because there’s so much confusion about these particular issues surrounding the millennium. And those of you who are interested in having it, please call our resource line at 1-800-835-6747. Again, 1-800-835-6747. Ah, Pastor Ross, looks like the phones are lighting up. Are you ready to go?
Pastor Jëan Ross: We are! We are ready for our first caller this evening.
Alan Davis: Okay, on line three, we have Michael from Henderson, Kentucky. Michael, welcome to the program. You’re on the air.
Michael: Hi! How are you?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Doing well Michael. And your question this evening?
Michael: My question tonight is about, my question is, your church teaches that we must receive the Holy Spirit?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Do we need to receive the Holy Spirit? Well, yes. As a matter of fact Jesus said to Nicodemus, you know the story in John Chapter 3, “except a man be born of water, and of the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” So, everyone who is going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, does have the Holy Spirit working in their hearts, and in their lives. There is another verse that comes to mind in John 6:45 and you have Jesus speaking. And actually verse 44, Jesus says, “And no one can come unto Me, unless the Father that sent Me draws him. And I will raise him up at the last day.” So how does the Father draw people? It’s through the Spirit. Go ahead Michael.
Michael: Acts 10:44 says that Peter baptized…do you know the…?
Alan Davis: Yes. Let me read the verse. Acts 10:44 says that while Peter was speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell upon all of those who heard the Word. So you’re wondering, how does the Holy Spirit relate to the preaching of God’s Word as it connects to salvation?
Michael: Yes. Yes, sir.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. Absolutely, you know we can’t understand the Word of God without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit that inspired the prophets of old who penned the Scriptures. And it’s that same Spirit that opened our hearts and minds, and guides us as we study the Scriptures or as the word is preached. Without the working of the Holy Spirit, there can never be genuine conversion, which results in a change of life. So, yes, we need to ask for the Holy Spirit. Every time we open up God’s Word, ask for the Holy Spirit. Say, “Lord, please send Your Spirit to guide me to a clearer and fuller understanding of Your Word.” It’s really the Holy Spirit that the Bible speaks of as the oil. And it’s the oil that provides fuel in the lamp. The lamp is the symbol of the Word of God. In order for us to understand the Word, we need the oil and that is the Holy Spirit.
Alan Davis: You know Pastor Ross we’re talking about conversion. And Michael, one of the things conversion involves is this idea of dealing with the sin problem. The Lord said He wants to deal with the sin problem in our lives. 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write into you that you sin not.” And Galatians 5:16 says “Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Romans 8:1 also says, “There’s therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit” so we see that the purpose of the Spirit is to actually bring us into a closer relationship with Jesus. Titus 3:5 says, “By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
Pastor Jëan Ross: You can’t get away from it from Genesis to Revelation, the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of people is essential for us to do the things that are pleasing in God’s eyes. You know, we have a book dealing with the Holy Spirit. It’s called Man’s Flicker or God’s Flame. Man’s Flicker or God’s Flame. Talking about being filled with the Spirit and what that leads to.
Michael, we’ll send you the book for free if you call our resource line or anyone wanting to learn more about the need of the Holy Spirit, and how we get the Holy Spirit. What are we to expect when we receive the Spirit? Just call and ask for the book Man’s Flicker or God’s Flame.
Alan Davis: And Michael, you can call again 1-800-835-6747. Hope that helps you.
Pastor Ross: Who’s our next caller?
Alan Davis: Jëan, our next caller is Megan on line 5 calling from Lansford, South Dakota.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Good evening, Megan. You’re on the air.
Megan: Hi. Thanks for taking my call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yes. And your question this evening?
Megan: My question is on Genesis 2:10-14. I’m wondering … Moses is here describing where these rivers are located. And I was just wondering how he’s doing that, he’s writing that after the flood.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. Genesis was written as probably best we can tell, a number of scholars feel it was written during the 40 years that Moses spent as a shepherd prior to the Exodus. And probably at that time period Genesis was written. So it happened, you know, many years after the flood and you think the flood would’ve, would definitely have changed the landscape. Most likely, the rivers that’s being referred to here by Moses, were rivers that were familiar to the people of his day. And he was using familiar rivers as giving them an understanding or an idea as to where the Garden of Eden was located. And if you kind of look, you know, one of the rivers, we know where that is. Some of the others are a little harder for us to figure out. But it was roughly in the area of present day Iraq in the Middle East. Somewhere in that vicinity is where the Garden of Eden was. Of course the vegetation and the climate was very different than it is today.
Alan Davis: And you know Megan, just something else to consider is Moses was raised in Egypt for forty years and he was trained in all the wisdom and the knowledge of the Egyptians who had a very good understanding of the surroundings of that part of the world. But then, the next forty years he spent learning from God Himself as a shepherd. So, I don’t think it’s beyond reason to think that God revealed all these things to him.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hope that helps Megan. Thank for your call. We don’t have a book specifically on that but it is interesting that when one studies the book of Genesis – how God created all things and how He’s concerned about all people. We do have a book dealing with creation versus the teaching of evolution. And we are happy to send that to anyone who calls and asks for a book called When Evolution Flunked the Science Test. Interesting title. When Evolution Flunked the Science Test. If you want to learn more about what the Bible has to say about Creation, call and ask for the book.
Alan Davis: Okay! Alright! Thank you very much for your call Megan. Next on the line is Vincent, 13 years old, calling from California. Vincent, good evening! You are on the air. How are you?
Vincent: Hi! I’m good. I’m good. How are you guys?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Doing well! Your question this evening?
Vincent: I’m glad to be on the air. My question is why did God show up back in the day like Biblical times but how come God doesn’t show up now?
Alan Davis: You mean when, for example when God spoke from Mt. Sinai?
Vincent: Yes, for example like that but how come He does not do that anymore?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, we find in Scripture, God communicates His will through various means. Sometimes, face to face as the experience in the Old Testament where God spoke to the children of Israel from Mt. Sinai. But most times, God communicates His will through His prophets. And the Bible is the writing of the prophets, they received God’s will, and then they wrote it down for us. So, nothing stops God from appearing if He chooses to do so. But God would rather have us follow the revealed will in the Scriptures that He has declared. Now we know that, based on Bible prophecy, Jesus is going to come the second time. And when Jesus comes again, it says, “Every eye will see Him” in Revelation 1:7. So, it’s gonna be very evident when that time comes. God will reveal Himself. Christ will come in the clouds of Heaven and all the holy angels, there’s going to be no doubt who He is when that time comes. There will be a great earthquake, the dead in Christ will be raised. It will just be a glorious event for the saved. It will be a fearful event for the lost. But God wants us to put our confidence not in something we see, or even something we feel. God wants us to put our confidence in His Word. Trust in the Bible. That is the foundation of our faith.
Alan Davis: And you know Vincent, if you look in Isaiah 1:18 it says, “Come let us reason together.” In other words, He wants to use the intelligence He’s given us. He doesn’t say, “Come let us use our emotions and feel these things” just as Pastor Ross had said. And if you have your Bible you can look at Hebrews Chapter 1. It says God in sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken unto us by His son, that is Jesus Christ. And so we look at that. Then we have to look at the life of Jesus. So we see that in the Gospel as we see it in the entire Scripture both in the Old and the New. And you can really get a picture of God even though He might not appear right before your face.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, Vincent, we have a set of study guides just for young people and I think you would just enjoy this, called Amazing Adventure. It’s a great series – interactive, colorful, and it deals with a number of these questions about God and what is His role for our life, how do we obtain salvation? What is the importance of baptism? When am I ready to be baptized? If you never heard about that series of lessons called Amazing Adventure, I encourage you to go to the website, amazingfacts.org, and just look up Amazing Adventure. I think you’d really enjoy that.
Vincent: I think I would enjoy that. I appreciate your time telling me the truth and giving a good understanding of the subject. I really appreciate it.
Alan Davis: Good! Well, thank you for calling Vincent. We appreciate your call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Thank you Vincent. Study hard.
Pastor Jëan Ross: If you have Bible-related question, we have one or two lines still open. And the number here to the studio again is 800-463-7297. Again, 800-463-7297.
Alan Davis: Alright! Next on the line is Carlos listening to us on XM Radio from Houston, Texas. Carlos, you’re on the air. Good evening!
Carlos: Hi! I also have a question on Genesis. And are we to look on the geographic as Moses wrote them or as maybe someone that lived prior to the flood, views it. And the reason I ask this is because it’s like you have repeated parallels in Genesis, and in the New Testament like I would get, you know the tree of life would be Jesus Christ. Okay? And also in Mt. Moriah, Abraham almost sacrificed the son. Would it not make sense that the tree of life was planted right there in Mt. Moriah?
Pastor Jëan Ross: You know, that’s an interesting point. We don’t know for sure. With the reference to the rivers that we read about in Genesis, it makes sense that these rivers that Moses used under Divine inspiration to give his readers an idea as to where the Garden of Eden was located. If these rivers didn’t have a modern significance at least at the time when Moses wrote, then really, that wouldn’t really help the reader at his time. Was there a possible deeper significance to the tree of life and some of these things? I think so. Yeah. Now, I do believe there was a literal tree and God said don’t eat from that tree. But when you look at that from a prophetic sense, eternal life comes through Jesus. He is our tree of life. He brings spiritual life. So, I think there is a deeper understanding or a deeper application for a number of these various stories that we have in the Old Testament and some of the symbols. It’s an interesting study.
Carlos: And if you look at Israel on the map, it’s in the center of the world.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right!
Carlos: Three continents connect to it. I mean, of all places, God decided, “Hey, I’m gonna give this place that has to be in the center of the world to Abraham, my faithful servant.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Right. Absolutely!
Carlos: It’s just amazing!
Pastor Jëan Ross: And of course, you also realized as you mention that Israel is sort of at the crossroads of the world. It connects these three continents together. And the purpose for God giving that land to Israel was so that when people would pass through Israel, they’d come to a knowledge of the true God. So it was very strategic as to why God give that piece of land, His purpose behind that. Good question. Thank you for calling Carlos.
Alan Davis: Alright. Next on the line is Ariston listening to us in the internet, from Winlock, Washington. Good evening Ariston. You’re on the air.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi! You’re on the air.
Ariston: Hi! Thank you for inviting me on the program tonight.
Alan Davis: Well, thanks for calling in. How we may help?
Ariston: Well first, I want to know, what did you say again? What did you call me again?
Alan Davis: Your name is Ariston? Is that correct?
Ariston: No, my real name is Tristan.
Alan Davis: Oh! Tristan. Okay. What’s your question this evening?
Triston: Can you explain the blood moon that we heard about? The first one this year was just April 19th. And then September 28th. And then two more next year.
Pastor Jëan Ross: So, the question is what’s the significance of a moon turning red or having the appearance of red or blood? Well, there are a few verses in the Scripture that speak of this. And it’s usually spoken on the context of the second coming. Joel chapter 2 and verse, let me begin in verse 30, Joel 2:30 it says, “I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.” Verse 31, “and the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.” Now, we also find a reference to this in Mathew chapter 24, where Jesus said, talking about events associated with the second coming, He said, “The day will be turned dark, and the moon would appear red.” As if it is turned to blood. And it’s important to note these two signs go together. You have the dark day, and in the evening, the moon has the appearance to be red. It’s not a unique thing for the moon to have the appearance of red. Sometimes, bush fires with a lot of smoke in the air can give the moon this red appearance or as we found out few nights ago, when you have the shadow of the Earth crossing the moon, it has this red color to it. But when you have a dark day, and it’s not just a dark day because of the clouds but a supernatural darkness followed by that evening, this red moon, Jesus says this would be the sign that you have been looking for and it’s associated with the events connected with the end of time and the second coming of Jesus.
Triston: Okay.
Alan Davis: Does that help?
Triston: Yes, it really helped. Thank you very much.
Alan Davis: Alright! Thanks for your call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. Next on the line is Robert calling from Allentown, Pennsylvania. He’s listening to us in the internet. Hi Robert! You’re on the air.
Robert: Hi Pastor Ross! I have a question. I’m a seminary student at a certain seminary in Michigan that I’m sure you’re familiar with it. And we are debating a topic and as part of the debate they played a clip from Pastor Doug from many years ago when Pastor Dick was still on the air. But it was still at the end that he did not have time to fully explain it. And our class was turned to 50-50 and I’m hoping that you might be able to help when it deals with the question. No pressure of whether what happens to children and infants and babies before the age of accountability when they pass away. And Pastor Doug seemed to suggest that he wasn’t ready to say that maybe all of them would go to heaven or heaven would be like a nursery. And our class was split about 50-50 and the only verses I can find are perhaps, maybe 2nd Samuel 12 where David talks about knowing for sure he’ll see his deceased son again in heaven and sort of comforting his wife if that was the case. And maybe there are several passages where you know maybe Jeremiah and Luke where they talked about infants in the womb actually being sanctified before they were born. But other than that, do you have a take? Or something that you can offer that may…?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah. You know, let me add, maybe a little bit too. You mentioned Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 31:15 of course that is quoted in the Gospels referring to the event of the slaughter of the innocents as, sometimes it’s called, that of course is the Decree by Herod to kill all the baby boys two years and under in his attempt to try and destroy Christ. And the prophecy is in Jeremiah chapter 31:15. Now I’ll read it. It says, “Thus saith the Lord; a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” Now of course the Gospel writers used as a reference to the death of all the baby boy two years and under. But the next verse is interesting, “Thus saith the Lord: Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears for your work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord. And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.” So there is a reference to a promised resurrection for those babies that were killed at the time of Herod. And I think the principle can be applied to other children or babies that never reached the age of accountability. God, in His mercy, will raise them up. Now does that mean every single baby that never reached the age of accountability and died will be resurrected? You know, the Bible does not specifically tell us that. However, it is comforting to know if we are a parent trusting in the Lord and our child dies, we can take comfort in these verses and yes, they will be resurrected when Jesus comes. Now, I’m thinking of resurrection, there will be many glorious reunions of mothers and fathers being reunited with their young children and babies. That’s the promise the Scripture gives us.
Robert: I think so too so part of my question as part of the work that I’m doing in seminary in preparation for ministry, is I’m actually serving in a Chaplin capacity. And I’ve had to actually deal with this issue two times. So the question now becomes, if dealing with someone maybe who is not a Christian, and have lost a child, it’s very difficult to know what to say because you want to tell them the truth obviously. My view and the view of, I think probably, my professor in seminary is that we can always count on God to do the right thing, but we do not have a specific verse saying every child goes to heaven. Probably, that is what’s gonna happen but we can’t say for certain that we can sort of err on that side because we know the character of God. That’s sort of kinda what you think?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely! That’s right. I think so. I think that’s safe to say. Now, specifically in the verse, Jeremiah 31:16, it does give you the indication that this promise in a special sense is given to those who love the Lord and who raised up their children to fear the Lord God because the last part of the verse says, “for your work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.” So, that gives you the understanding that these are the parents that tried to raise their children to fear, to love the Lord. So these are the questions…
Robert: But, but would you agree like in David’s case with his son, the whole circumstances surrounding the conception of his son is sin. I mean the whole circumstances from beginning to end is really bad. And yet, he knows for sure that he’s gonna see his son. So I think that can offer some kind of comfort.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah. I think so, too. And of course, God looks at the heart of the parent. He knows their heart. And there might very well be babies in the resurrection or young children in the resurrection that will be given to the mothers or women who never had children themselves. And they longed to have a child but they never did. Perhaps, an angel will place a baby in their arms and give the privilege of raising these children in heaven. So, you know, we don’t know. The Bible is not very clear on that, but I know God will always do the right thing. And He is a God of Love.
Alan Davis: And you know one of the points to consider here, Robert, is well, I would totally agree with Pastor Ross on this, and there is this concept Paul relates his first [??] specifically about the believing husband or wife that can sanctify the unbeliever. I think that would apply on the case of children as well. There’s also an implication though that for example, you indicated that the parents are not believers perhaps they’re quote unquote wicked. Could it be that the child that doesn’t reach the age of accountability just might cease to be, or be as if he/she never were? Could that be? I think God is merciful no matter how.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely! Absolutely! Good question. Thank you for calling Robert. Unfortunately, we do not have a book dealing specifically with that subject that we can offer. Friends, we do have few lines still open. We’re gonna be taking a break in just a few moments. So, I don’t think we have enough time to take another caller before we take that break. But the phone lines are here, the number here to the studio again is 800-463-7297. If you have a Bible-related question this evening, it’s a good time to pick up your phone and give us a call. Again, that’s 800-463-7297. This is Bible Answers Live.
Pastor Jëan Ross:You know Alan, we always, just for our break here, like to highlight one of the websites that Amazing Facts has and a brand new website that I don’t know how long we’ve actually had.
Alan Davis: Oh! Just maybe a couple of weeks. It’s very exciting.
Pastor Jëan Ross:It is called, Is Heaven For Real? Write it down friends, isheavenforreal.com … www.isheavenforreal.com. Why the website? Well, there is a lot of discussion based upon a recent book, and then a movie that is soon to be released, talking about heaven and near death experiences. And this website is committed to sharing what the Bible has to say about heaven and about near death experiences, about what happens to the person when they die. So take a look at it. It’s called isheavenforreal.com. It’s filled with video, and Bible study and just great resources for anybody wanting to study more about this important subject. So once again, it’s www.isheavenforreal.com. You can hear the music playing. We’re just taking a short break. We’ll be back in just a moment.
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hello friends! We’re back. This is Bible Answers Live. It’s a live, interactive, international Bible study. If you have a Bible-related question, we would love to hear from you. The number here to the studio is 800-463-7297. Again, 800-463-7297. That’s 800-GOD-SAYS. My name is Jean Ross, Pastor Doug is out. And working with the phone lines and helping with the Bible questions is Alan Davis, Vice President at Amazing Facts. Alan, I think we’re ready to go straight to the phone lines. Who do we have next?
Alan Davis: You bet, we are. We have Robert calling from Orlando, Florida on WTLN. Robert, good evening. You’re welcome. Welcome to the program.
Robert: Yes, good evening.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Hi Robert! You’re on the air. What’s your question this evening?
Robert: Okay, I got (unintelligible) and I’m reading everything and I’m trying to understand. You know from the beginning to the end of Revelation, God is the same God yesterday, today, and forever. Everywhere I see God chose the elders, the 24 elders around the throne its male… He said that if man decided to be a bishop, everything He chose when He chose Judas He chose the next man when He chose the seventy He chose men, seventy men then the 120 and the 140 every time its male, male, male but now it’s different and even the 66 chapters it’s all male and I’m like why it is different now and I cannot understand what it is He’s trying to tell us?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright! Sure. So, the question is why is it that in the Bible, it speaks so much about men and it does not seem to say a lot about the women? Does God choose women? Good question. Well, the answer is yes. God, does choose women to some very important roles and some important work for example, you have Miriam, who was the sister of Moses. The Bible speaks of her as having the gift of prophecy. She prophesied. You also have godly women in the Bible that served as judges in helping to judge and guide Israel. But when it came to the priesthood, you always find that God laid that upon the shoulders of a man. The priest is the spiritual leader in the church as well as the home. And God has placed that responsibility of the head of the home, upon the man. Also, the Bible is written from a family-inclusive perspective. When it refers to men, it’s not just referring to men but it’s referring to mankind, which is male and female, where it talks about God created man. So, based upon that, God is, by no means, ignoring the woman. Matter of fact God loves men and women equally, they are both made in the image of God. But God has given distinct roles in the church and in the home for men and for women. You know, the thing that you might look at too, Robert, is the fact that, you know, we sometimes, don’t like to read these verses but Paul makes it very clear in 1 Timothy 2 that Eve was deceived by the serpent. But what we have with Adam, is he rebelled. He actually rebelled and he fell. He used that first Adam and Paul talks about it in the book of Romans that Jesus is the second Adam. In other words, where Adam failed, Jesus has to stand up and make it, right?
You know, Adam, the first Adam, is the representative of the whole human race. It is interesting that woman, came from man. In the case of Eve, she came from the side of Adam. But all other men, come from woman. So Adam is the representative of the human race. Jesus is the second Adam. He took the place of the first Adam which fell Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil and provided atonement as well as forgiveness and righteousness. Hope that helps a little bit Robert. Thank you for your question. Who do we have next?
Alan Davis: Alright. Next is Jim, calling from Cadillac, Michigan on WGCP. Jim, welcome to the program.
Jim: Yes!
Alan Davis: Hi Jim!
Jim: Hi! I got a question on Isaiah, the fourth chapter, in its very first verse. It’s got three sentences and I have a question for each sentence.
Alan Davis: Okay. Alright. Well, let me read the verse. For those who are listening maybe driving down the road, I think you’re talking about Isaiah 4:1. And it says, “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own food, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by your name, to take away our reproach.”
Jim: Okay. I know that the seven woman are the seven churches, and that has got to do with Revelation 15, the seven hills, or whatever thing. But the part that I don’t understand, it says the seven women shall take hold of one man. And that one man is Jesus. What do you mean by that?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright! Good question. When it refers to the seven women, a woman in Bible prophecy represents a church. A pure woman, as you read in Revelation chapter 12, represents a true church or a faithful church. An impure woman, for example in Revelation Chapter 17, a woman by the name of Babylon that represents a fallen church or a false church, an impure church. So a woman in Bible prophecy represents the church and the number seven represents completeness or fullness. So the verse says in that day, so it’s speaking of a future event, in that day and I think the time that’s being referred to is our time, the last days. In that day, seven women shall take a hold of one man. Now the one man in the verse is Jesus. In other words, in the last days, there will be many churches claiming to be Christian. They will take hold of that one man, that one man being Christ, claiming the sacrifice of Jesus, claiming to be Christian. But something’s wrong. Well, the next part of the verse says, we will eat our own food, and wear our own apparel. Now, this is interesting. When it comes to eating our own food, The Bible speaks and says men shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. So in the last days, there will be churches claiming to be Christian, but they don’t eat the Word of God, that they have their own teachings and their own traditions that supersede the teaching of Scripture. Well, we don’t really want to do what the Bible says. But still, we want to be called Christians. It also says, we will wear our own apparel. Clothes in the Bible represents righteousness. And so they will be those claiming their own righteousness or setting aside the righteousness of Christ and saying we’re good enough with our traditions and customs, but they still want to be called Christians.
Jim: So, does apparel … is that them putting on righteousness, to make them look like they’re righteous?
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. Right. They want to wear their own garments meaning they are trusting in their own righteousness instead of trusting the righteousness of Christ. You know, there’s a parable that Jesus told in Mathew chapter 22 about a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son. Maybe you remember the story. And those who were invited to come to the wedding, they did not want to come. So, finally the king said to his servants go out to the highways and to the byways, and invite as many people as they could. So all these people came and the wedding hall was furnished with guests. Then it says, the king came in to examine the guests and saw a man who did not have on the wedding garment. And so he said to the man how did you come in here not wearing your wedding garment? The man was speechless. And then the king said bind him hand and foot and throw him out. So here is somebody who claimed to be a follower of Christ but he didn’t put on the righteousness of Jesus. He thought that his own works were good enough. He didn’t need Christ’s righteousness. And that’s what’s happening and what has been described in Isaiah chapter 4. And that’s what’s happening at the time of the end … our time where there are so many different churches claiming to be Christian. And yet they are trusting in their own works, and they are setting aside the Word of God for man-made decisions. A very interesting and timely prophecy.
Alan Davis: You know, we see the same thing in the book of Genesis. You know this concept of taking away reproach. That means taking away the shame. Only through being clothed with Christ’s righteousness can we have that shame taken away. For example, Adam and Eve clothed themselves with fig leaves. And they were clothed in a couple of verses later, we find the Lord God walking through the garden and He says, “Where are you?” And they said, “We hid ourselves because we were naked.” Wait a minute, they just clothed themselves. How can they be naked? Well, they’re naked without the righteousness.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s right. So it wasn’t until they were clothed with the lamb skins that God had made in Christ’s righteousness that they actually now were called by His name.
You know, we have a study guide called ‘The Bride of Christ’. And Jim, it deals with Revelation chapter 5, talking about the Church, and the Bride of Christ. We’ll send that to you for free or anyone who calls and asks. Just give us a call on our resource line and ask for a study guide called The Bride of Christ. Our resource line number is 800-835-6747. Again, it’s 800-835-6747. Ask for the study guide called the Bride of Christ.
Jim: There’s just … I don’t understand. What verse was that you gave me on Luke?
Pastor Jëan Ross: The verse I referred to you was Mathew chapter 22. The whole chapter is the parable. Mathew 22. Take a look at it. It’s an interesting study.
Jim: Okay. What does that mean by the church takes away our reproach?
Pastor Jëan Ross: In other words, there are advantages to being called Christian. And we can see there are many groups today claiming to be Christian churches or claiming to be Christian for perhaps, selfish means. In other words, they want to be Christian to take away their reproach for whatever reason. And so, not everyone who claims to be Christian is necessarily following God. That’s the point of the verse. Okay. Thanks for your call Jim.
Alan Davis: Alright. Next on the line is Michael calling from Denver, Colorado listening to us on Sirius Radio. Michael, welcome to the program.
Michael: Yes. Good evening gentlemen. Thank you for taking my call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: You’re welcome. And your question tonight?
Michael: Yes. Yes. My question is if the Bible refers to a true church, there are several people who believe that the Apostle Peter was the first Pope, if you will, who started quote unquote a true Church. Is there a specific reference to a true church in the Bible?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely! There are several. Before, I give you a couple of verses, let me also just mention that free offer called the ‘Bride of Christ’. It talks about Revelation Chapter 12 there’s certain criteria that the Bible gives, certain characteristics of God’s true church in the last days. But just a couple of verses that help narrow down the true church at the end of time, the last verse of Revelation chapter 12, verse 17, it says, “the dragon, Satan, was enraged with the woman, the Church, and he went to make war with the remnant of her offspring.” Meaning those living at the end of time and then he gives us two characteristics that keep the commandments of God and to have the testimony of Jesus Christ. So God’s people at the end of time will be obedient to His commandments. They will also have the testimony of Jesus, if you look in Revelation 19:10, it says, “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” Meaning, that God’s people at the end of time will be committed to following the teachings of the Bible, the prophecies and Scriptures. But they will have manifest the gift of prophecy as one of the identifying marks of God’s people at the end of time. Then you’ve got Revelation 14:12, Revelation 14:12. It speaks about the patience of the saints. It says, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” So, there’s another characteristic that’s listed there for God’s people at the end of time. I just mentioned a few verses and there are many more. And I encourage you to look at that study guide called ‘The Bride of Christ’. Next, we do have another book dealing with the subject called ‘The Search for the True Church’. And Michael, we’ll be happy to send that to you or anyone who calls and ask. It is a very important question, what does the Bible say with reference to God’s people in the last days? You can ask for the book called ‘The Search for the True Church’. You can also ask for the study guide called ‘The Bride of Christ’. And you can get those from our resource line 1-800-835-6747. Again 1-800-835-6747. Thank you for your call Michael.
Alan Davis: Next on the line is Lincoln, on WMCA calling from Mt. Vernon, New York. Hi Lincoln! You’re on the air.
Lincoln: Hi! How are you?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Doing well.
Lincoln: Good, great. Yeah. Recently, there was some exposure that, from NASA stated that the US Government had known of extraterrestrial life and a couple of military higher-ups had also stated that. What I want to know, have you found anything in the Bible that disputes that or collaborates that there is…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well… you know the Bible does speak about other beings. It calls them angels. The Bible speaks of good angels and the Bible speaks of bad angels. The bad angels are usually referred to as the demons and good angels as messengers of the Lord. So, we know that we’re involved in this great cosmic conflict between the forces of good and forces of evil, Satan and his angels, versus Christ and the true angels. And our planet is sort of the theater of the outworking of the great conflict. And it doesn’t surprise me when people speak of alien appearances. I think it could very well be in some cases, well the devil is trying to deceive people into seeing things or believing things. Trying to influence people. As a matter of fact, when we read Galatians 1:7-8, the Apostle Paul writes and says, “Even if we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you, other than that we have preached to you, let them be accursed.” And then Jesus said in Mathew Chapter 4 that there will be false christs and false prophets at the end of time. Revelation speaks of the spirits of devils performing miracles to deceive the world. So I think as we get closer to the end of time, we’re going to see more of these supernatural appearances. Whatever that might be. Whether it’s a, you know, so-called alien or just a strange appearances or some being that appears and says certain things to people. The devil is doing his very best to deceive so the Bible says don’t be deceived. Be on your guard. Trust what the Bible says. Don’t trust on what you might see or hear.
Alan Davis: And you know really since the end of World War II, we see a lot of things regarding aliens ever since the issues in Roswell New Mexico. I spent 27 years of my life in the US Air Force. I can tell you we never heard of anything like that. It didn’t mean it didn’t happen. Well, above my level or anything, but never heard of anything along those lines. Now, I think you might want to look at this at the perspective as what Pastor Ross said, the devil is deceiving. And you know the whole world is getting set up with these aliens and extraterrestrials and they always look the same. And you know, we’re told that the devil is going to be transformed into an angel of light as what Paul tells us. So, I think in a lot of ways, the whole world, including many Christians who pay attention to this stuff, they’re getting set up to be deceived.
Pastor Jëan Ross: That’s why it says to the Law and to the prophets, if they speak not according to this Word, there’s no light in them. So, who wouldn’t trust in the Word of God? But, having said that, are all these other creatures from other planets coming out to visit planet Earth? No. It could very well be evil spirits or fallen angels. But, there are no other beings from these distant planets that’s coming in UFOs to visit the planet Earth.
Alan Davis: Thank you for your call Lincoln. We really appreciate that. Who would be next? Next on the line is Phil listening to us in XM Radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Well, good evening. Welcome to the program.
Phil: Good evening gentlemen. Thanks for taking my call.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Absolutely. And your question tonight?
Phil: I have a question related here open in Amazing Facts. When you stated that Satan is gonna be loosed for a short time after the thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, he’s gonna go out and deceive the nations, it seems like I heard before in the program that the one thousand years, the Earth is desolate, and nobody will be on the Earth. My question is who will be going out to deceive as nobody’s already here?
Pastor Jëan Ross: Very good question. Let me quickly run through the sequence of events associated with the one thousand years and I’m going to be referring to events that you can read in Revelation chapter 20, Revelation chapter 21. What begins the one thousand year period? It’s the second coming of Christ. Jesus comes and all of His angels. There is a great earthquake, the righteous dead are resurrected, the righteous living changed in a moment in a twinkle of an eye. They’re caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The wicked are destroyed with the brightness of Christ’s coming. Now all the righteous meet Jesus in the air and then they go to Heaven. And they spend a thousand years in Heaven with Christ. That’s Revelation chapter 20 talks about the reign of Christ and the thousand years. During that thousand year’s period, the devil is bound to planet Earth, the bottomless pit as it’s referred to here in the Greek. And that’s just sort of the devil and his angels walking around these broken down cities. For a thousand years, he gets to think about what he has done.
Now at the end of the one thousand years period, Revelation chapter 21 speaks of the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. Now inside the New Jerusalem is Christ and all the redeemed. The glorious scene of the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven, Jesus is in there, all the saved are in there. And then according to the book of Zechariah, at that point, its referred to as the third coming, Jesus will set His foot on top of the Mount of Olives. And it opens up to form a great valley. And the New Jerusalem descends down into that valley. At the same time, all the wicked are resurrected before the great white throne judgment that we read about in Revelation chapter 20. So you have this final judgment that takes place. And at the end of that judgment, everybody acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, even Satan himself just based upon the evidence.
He’s forced to say “Yes, Jesus is the Christ.” But no sooner does he confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then he goes out and he deceives the wicked. Perhaps, he tells them you know that “I’m the one that actually resurrected you. Look at this, if we work together, we can actually take the golden city.” And Revelation Chapter 20 speaks of the wicked gathering around the beloved city, the New Jerusalem. And as they try to attack the New Jerusalem, then the fire comes down and devours them. That’s the final destruction of the wicked. That’s the hellfire that the Bible speaks of. And at the end of the destruction of the wicked, then the Earth is recreated. So Satan is loosed from his pit for a short season, that is when all the wicked are resurrected at the end of the thousand years when the New Jerusalem comes down from God out of Heaven.
Alan Davis: And Phil, just so you know, again our offer this evening is the One Thousand Years of Peace. You can get that by calling our resource line 1-800-835-6747 and just let them know that’s what you would like. Did that help Phil?
Phil: Yes. I’ve heard of it before but I never heard it explained in that order.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Yeah. That’s the kind of sequence we can find in Revelation 20 and 21 and some of the other passages in the new testament.
Alan Davis: You know, again, take a look at that study guide called 1,000 Years of Peace. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Phil: Alright. Thank you.
Alan Davis: Alright. Next on the line is Carter calling from Aldrich, Minnesota on WUSG. Carter, welcome to the program.
Carter: Thank you. Pastor John Ross, I’m calling about...I’ve been through the Bible, I have a particularly troubling area. 2 King 2:23-25.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. What do we do? Yeah. Let me read for those who don’t have their Bible just real quick. Verse 23 says, “Then he went up from there to Bethel”, This is talking about Elisha. “And as he was going up the road, some youth came from the city and mocked him and said to him, Go up, you bald head, go up you bald head. So he turned around and looked at them and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty two of the youth”. And then verse 25 says, “and then he went up from there to Mount Carmel and from there he returned to Samaria”. So the question is why did God allow these bears to maul these young people?
Carter: Precisely... The Bible would have done well without that.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Okay. Good point. Well, the events described here took place shortly after Elijah was taken to Heaven. And when Elijah was taken up to heaven, God had now given a double portion of Elijah’s spirit to Elisha. And so Elisha went about doing the work that Elijah had been doing. However, there is this group of young people who made fun of him and they said go up bald man. And they were actually saying to him, ascend up into heaven the way Elijah did where God dwelt. It was very important that God establish the authority of Elisha. And these weren’t kids, these weren’t, you know, eight year olds, the Bible refers to them as youths. They could have been teenagers, late teens. But they began to make fun of Elisha. And it was important to God to show that Elisha was His spokesman, His prophet, and has authority in Israel. And for that reason, the bears came out and actually mauled 42 of these youths. Well word spread very quickly that Elisha is the anointed of God and has the same spirit of Elijah, and has the same authority. And from then on, these people began to respect what Elisha has to say.
Carter: That actually makes sense. There are other verses in the Bible where we hear about the acts of mocking the prophets. But in my King James Version yet it refers to them as little children, so I guess that’s why I was…
Pastor Jëan Ross: Well, the confusion of it, yes. If you look back in the Hebrew, I’m reading from the New King James Version, it refers to them as youths. I guess the word there in the Hebrew refers to young people. It’s not 5 or 6 year olds because that wouldn’t make sense. These are young men that were acting in defiance to God’s anointed prophet, they were making fun of him. And it was important for God to establish the prophets’ authority. And word spread very quickly, Elisha is somebody that God specifically called and he has the same power and same work as Elijah.
Carter: Alright. Well, that explains it much more to my satisfaction. That certainly makes sense. Thank you very much.
Pastor Jëan Ross: Alright. Well, thanks for your call Carter. And again friends, we want to thank you for spending these last 55 minutes. It’s probably the fastest one hour of the week.
Alan Davis: We enjoyed. Absolutely. We apologize if we didn’t get to your call this evening but call us back next week and we will try to get your Bible questions on the air. Until then, may God bless.
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