Transcript

KHCB – 12-15-2022 – Full Program Transcript

KHCB Announcer: [00:00:00]  And we welcome you to our weekly Question and Answers program, a program where you can call us with your questions about the Bible, a scripture, or the Christian way of life. And our guests will answer that question live on the air. Tonight’s guests are Dr. Andy Woods, senior pastor at Sugarland Bible Church. He’s also the president of the Schaeffer Theological Seminary. Dr. Woods has authored and contributed to many Christian books and theological journals and speaks on a variety of topics at Christian conferences and churches. He’s also accompanied tonight by Dr. Jim McGowan, associate pastor at Sugar Land Bible Church. The church is located at 401 Matlage Way. That’s off of Highway 90 University Boulevard. The church website is SLBC.org. They’re also announcing the prophecy conference February 24th through 25th in 2023. The speakers will be Dr. Andy Woods, Oliver Melnick and Don Perkins.

KHCB Announcer: [00:02:17] The conference is entitled “From Rapture to Eternity – A Biblical Journey”. The topics of the cover will be the Rapture, Premillennialism, the Jewish wedding system, Daniel and the Tribulation, The Mark of the Beast, Satan’s Agenda for the Jews, the Messianic Kingdom, the Eternal Order and more. You can also meet the speakers at a special Shabbat banquet on Friday night. For more information, you can go to the church website SLBC.org and click Ministry highlight for the Prophecy Conference. If you’re calling from inside the Houston area for the Question and Answers program, you can dial 832-922-4444. That’s 832-922-4444. If you’re calling from around the KHCB network outside the Houston area, you can dial toll free 877-999-5422. That’s 877-999-5422. Or if you’d rather email your question, you can send that to Questions. That’s plural – Questions@ KHCB.org and it’ll appear on our computer screen here in the studio and we’ll forward it to our guests. We ask that you not mention any denominations or personal names because our aim tonight is to answer questions relating to the Bible. And now to get us started, here are our guests, Dr. Andy Woods and Dr. Jim McGowan.

Pastor Jim: [00:04:08] Well, welcome once again, listening friends, to KHCB’s Question and answer program. We’re excited to have another opportunity to take your questions this evening. And as always, we will not be leaning on our own understanding, but on the wisdom that comes from above. Contained in God’s Holy Word, the Bible, the only inspired, authoritative revelation of everlasting truth. The only dependable, reliable and trustworthy source of Godly wisdom containing everything we need to know that pertains to life and godliness. And hey, folks, this is the last question and answer program for the year. Can you believe it? The last one for 2022. So we want to take this moment to just say Merry Christmas and we pray and hope that you have a wonderful and happy New Year in 2023. Now, just before we go to the phones, let me remind you, please do this for us. Make sure that when you come on the air that you keep it to one question if you’d be so kind. Also, remember to turn the volume down before we bring you on the air so that we don’t have feedback and echoes. And please be so kind as to hang up once you have given us your question and listen for the answer and you’ll be able to hear it perfectly then. And that will help us out tremendously by freeing up another line for the next caller. So thank you for helping us with that housekeeping. So let’s go to the phone, shall we? Thank you for calling the program this evening. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [00:05:38] Okay. Yes. So this is a question I’ve had for a while. So, in the Book of Samuel. So after this, after David, this is after Saul has waged war against the Amalekites and has been killed by them. So, David, when the Amalekite who killed Saul reports to David, David responds by telling him that he has killed the Lord’s anointed and that should be punishable by death. But it’s not a moment taken at this point. Hasn’t Saul basically been, like, exiled by God from his position at that point because of his previous disobedience? So, how – isn’t he no longer the Lord’s anointed at that point?

Pastor Jim: [00:06:19] That is a great question. Thank you so much for calling the program, Pastor. How do we handle this situation where this servant comes in and thinks he’s going to get some kind of reward for having killed Saul? And David responds in a way that he doesn’t expect?

Pastor Andy: [00:06:34] Well, you know, it’s interesting when you go back to First Samuel 16, I want to say verses 13 and 14, in fact, those verses are so critical to this question. Let me just go ahead and read those. It said “then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel went to Ramah” and then verse 14 says, “Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul in an evil spirit, from the Lord terrorized him”. So, actually Saul lost his anointing to rule all the way back in first. Samuel 16. So as you go from first Samuel 16, right up until the suicide of Saul, Saul was the person running the country, but he was doing so without the anointing of God. And yet David, two times, had an opportunity to kill Saul. Once, I believe in chapter 24 of Ist Samuel and another time in chapter 26, you know, of  Ist Samuel. And so David is just practicing what he, he’s practicing what he preaches. In other words, when he expressed dismay over this individual that killed the Lord’s anointed. You know, David, practice that same principle. I mean, he had an opportunity to kill Saul twice, but didn’t. And this is true. Even though Saul was running the nation without the anointing of God. So, you know, it is true that this particular decision was made, but that’s something David himself put into practice in chapter 24 and chapter 26. And so David just has a mindset that, look, I’ll become the king when God makes me the king. And even though Saul is running the country without God’s anointing, that’s not my problem, that’s God’s problem. And he very interestingly, you know, didn’t come against Saul, even though he had many opportunities to do so. And he actually punishes this man, you know, who did come against Saul. So, yeah, it’s an interesting principle.

Pastor Jim: [00:08:57] I do think it’s very interesting that David, when he does have the opportunity to kill Saul, that he refers to Saul as the Lord’s anointed. He refers to him that way. So he was going to respect the office even though Saul wasn’t living the office out the way God had intended. So I think that’s a good philosophy. Let God be the one that deals with the issues.

Pastor Andy: [00:09:19] And this whole thing, interestingly enough, is a type of Christ current position. He has been anointed as king. Yes, that probably happened at his resurrection or his ascension, but he is not yet reigning as king. And what is Psalm 110, verse one say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool”. So right now he’s waiting on the timing and the providence of God, the father, to depose Satan, which he will do in the events of the tribulation judgments, I believe. And Satan will be bound in the abyss during the thousand year reign, and only then will Jesus return and reign. So Jesus is just like David. David is a type of Jesus. David. Jesus is waiting at the father’s right hand until the right time, when Satan or a Saul-like character, an illegitimate ruler will be deposed. So this is just a wonderful section of Scripture showing us what our attitudes should be towards people in authority. And also, it’s a great picture of Christ. You know, we would call his present position or his present session.

Pastor Jim: [00:10:31] All right. Thank you so much again for calling the program. That was a great question and we know that was helpful to you. Okay. Let’s go to their email, if we could. This questioner asks in first Corinthians 15 four, Paul says that he, that is Jesus, was buried, that he was raised, and on the third day, according to the scriptures. And then he says, my question is what specific scriptures in the Old Testament talked about Jesus being buried and risen from the grave?

Pastor Andy: [00:11:01] All right. Well, I think we have a specific answer to that question in the Book of Acts chapter two verses 24 through 29, where Peter is preaching on the Day of Pentecost at the advent of the church. And he says in verse 24, But God raised him again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for him to be held in his power. Resurrection, in other words. And then he starts quoting the Old Testament beginning in verse 25, and there he’s quoting Psalm 16. Verses 8 through 11 were 1000 years beforehand. David wrote this for David says of him, I saw the Lord always in my presence, for He is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue was exalted. Moreover, my flesh also will live in hope because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow your holy one to undergo decay. You have made known to me the ways of life you will make full of gladness with your presence. And then here’s what Peter says in this sermon. After quoting Psalm 16, he says, Brethren, verse 29 of Acts two, I may confidently say to you regarding the Patriarch David that he both died and was buried in his tomb, is with us to this day.

Pastor Andy: [00:12:34] In other words, this isn’t –  this Psalm was written by David, but it’s not talking about David. It’s talking about someone coming out of the grave. And Peter felt that this was a direct, you know, Messianic prediction about Jesus. So apparently Peter thought Psalm 16 verses eight through 11 was an Old Testament prediction about the resurrection of Christ. I think you have another one in the book of Isaiah chapter 53 – verses 10 and 11. That famous passage about the suffering servant ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. But it says in verse 10, Isaiah 53. But the Lord was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief. If he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and he will prolong his days and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand as a result of the anguish of the of His soul. He will see it and be satisfied by his knowledge. The righteous one. My servant will justify many as he will bear their iniquities. So you’ll notice that Isaiah 53 earlier, it talks about his death, but this talks about him seeing good days, prolonging his life, the good pleasure of the Lord to prosper him. And so I would take that as another messianic prophecy about the resurrected Jesus.

Pastor Andy: [00:14:12] And I would say this – the whole Old Testament points to the resurrected Jesus because there are many Scriptures that talk about his death. Daniel 9  Chapter 26, for example, says he would be cut off, but other passages like Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7, Isaiah 11 verses 1 through 4, 1 through 5 – many passages we could quote, talk about him ruling and reigning in his kingdom. So how can he be cut off and die and yet rule and reign in his kingdom? Well, obviously, by implication, he had to rise from the dead. So when Paul in I Corinthians 15, verse 4 says he was buried, he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures, I mean, what scriptures is Paul talking about? He’s talking about the Old Testament Hebrew Bible, because there was no New Testament yet. It was just being developed, as Paul wrote. And I think these are some of the passages that Paul had in mind, Psalm 16 verses 8 through 11, Isaiah 53, verses 10 and 11, Daniel 9:26 being cut off and yet ruling and reigning – Isaiah 9, 6 and 7. So by implication he had to rise from the dead. So hopefully you found that helpful.

Pastor Jim: [00:15:31] And isn’t it fascinating you remember when one of Jesus’s appearance on the road, the Emmaus Road, when he was speaking to the two disciples and he they didn’t know who he was. It’s very interesting how he reprimanded them. And it says that he began to expound to them all the scriptures concerning himself.

Pastor Andy: [00:15:51] And how they were slow, too slow to believe what the scriptures themselves said. So yeah.

Pastor Jim: [00:15:57]  Of course, it’s all there.

Pastor Andy: [00:15:58] It’s all there. And of course we’re reminded of Paul there in Acts 17 verses 1 through 3. I think he went into the synagogue there in Thessalonica and talked about Jesus had to die and rise from the dead. And he, you know, from their own scriptures – Hebrew Bible is speaking to a Jewish audience, is explaining these things to him. So we think these are some of the things that Paul had in mind.

Pastor Jim: [00:16:24] All right. Well, let me take a moment to give our phone numbers out. Again, we do have some free, free lines available. So if you’re in the local Houston area, you can call 832-922- 4444. And if you’re outside the local area, you can call toll free at 877-999-5422. So again, if you’re in the local area, 832-922-4444 or toll free at 877-999-5422.  And I see that we now have a caller on the line. So let’s go back to the phones. Thank you so much for calling the program this evening. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [00:17:09] Yes, really, my question is out of the Deuteronomy 28 chapter, and I’m trying to understand, I’m studying the 28 chapter to find out the mystery of it. And then verse 46, where it says. It’s talking about the curses say they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder. And upon that seed forever. That was puzzling me – “Forever”. And what it says in 48. Therefore, thou shall serve thy enemies which the Lord shall send against thee and hunger and thirst and nakedness, and in want of all things. And he shall put a yoke of iron upon by neck until he has destroyed thee. Now, when we look at modern day Jewish people, none of these curses fit them because we are still living today. And the way I see it, if you need anything, you have to get it from your enemies. And I notice that they sell food to Europe. They own their own water companies. They make their own clothes. But I have never seen yokes of iron in history on their necks. But I have seen no on some people’s necks. But not the modern day Jewish people. So what about these curses? My question is, why don’t these curses fit modern day Jewish people?

Pastor Jim: [00:18:53] All right. That’s a great question. Thank you for calling the program. Pastor, what’s going on here in Deuteronomy 28 and how does that apply to the Jews today?

Pastor Andy: [00:19:03] Well, Deuteronomy 28 is part of the Suzerain Vassal Treaty structure. You know, that God gave to the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai and part of a Suzerain Vassal Treaty. And every Suzerain Vassal Treaty that we know of from this time period follows this pattern. There was a blessings for obedience structure, and then there were curses for disobedience. So what you’re going to find and also there’s a parallel passage in Leviticus 26. And so those two passages need to be read together. But Deuteronomy 28 verses 1 through 14 is the is the material physical blessings for obedience.

Pastor Andy: [00:19:48] Beginning in verse 15, going through the end of the chapter, verse 68 are the curses for disobedience. And they’re terrible curses, they’re physical, they’re material. It involves servitude in other nations. And apparently these when you drop down to verses 50, for example, 49 and 50, these curses would kind of roll like a snowball and they would climax in a foreign power that God predicted as Israel was disobedient to him, evicting them from their own land. Now, you know, the caller says that, you know, these don’t apply to the Jewish people, but I’m here to tell you that they do. You know, historically, you go back to 722 BC, that’s when the Northern tribes were scattered by the Assyrians and then the remaining Southern tribe of Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. And then from there you go about 40 years subsequent to the time of Christ, you have the Roman invasion of Israel and A.D. 70, and that pushed the Jewish people into what’s called the Diaspora, where many of these prophecies for 2000 years were fulfilled. In fact, I just got back from Rome and in Rome at the Coliseum, there’s something called the Titus Arch, and it’s actually a picture engraved there on the Titus arch. You can Google it and check it out. It’s a picture of the Jews basically in a place of servitude, you know, under the Roman authorities. And the Roman Colosseum was largely built with the wealth from the Jewish temple that Titus, you know, of Rome, had destroyed in A.D. 70. And all history, you know, points in this direction. And so these prophecies have been very real for 2000 years for the Jewish people. They’ve been persecuted everywhere they’ve gone. Now, today, it’s a little different because God says at the very end of time, at the end of the age, they would be miraculously gathered into their own land – in unbelief. They would actually be enjoying a season of prosperity and peace on the eve of the Northern invasion spoken of in Ezekiel 38 and 39. So, you know, maybe we look at the Nation of Israel and these prophecies of national cursing are not being applied exactly today to the Jewish people. Well, that’s because we’re living in the End Times and God said Israel would be regathered and brought back into our own land.

Pastor Andy: [00:22:35] But I can guarantee you, for 2000 years of history, these prophecies have been a reality, you know, for the Jewish people. I would say to some extent, the Jewish people are still under these, even though they’ve been regathered into their land because about two thirds of UN resolutions, you know, we just covered a couple of those today on our program, our podcast pastor’s point of view. Go against the Jewish people. Yeah. You know, the United Nations is always taking positions against the Jewish people. In fact, we went over an article today. I think it’s going to be posted for tomorrow. If people are interested, they can just go to Andy Woods Ministries, either where they get their material on Rumble, YouTube. We have it in podcast format. But the United Nations just made a decision that they’re going to annually not celebrate, but curse. May the 14th, 1948, Israel’s birthday in modern times. And they’re going to commemorate or memorialize the event as a catastrophe, you know, not as a blessing. So to some extent, you know, even though Israel has been regathered into her land, the Jewish people are still under these curses. They’re not under them, perhaps exactly like Deuteronomy 28 says. But I can guarantee a historically in the Diaspora, particularly post 80, 70, pre-1948, the Jewish people have been under those curses. I mean, my goodness, just look at what the diabolical Adolf Hitler did to the Jewish people via the Holocaust. So, you know, Deuteronomy 28 is real stuff and it’s real history. And it’s, I would say, it’s applicable with some exceptions, for reasons I’ve tried to explain even in modern times.

Pastor Jim: [00:24:29] Yeah. And again, the curses, I’m of the opinion that all of the curses that we see in Deuteronomy 28 actually did come upon Israel. So if you go look at how the Assyrians treated their enemies, by the way, the Assyrians are the ones who actually invented crucifixion. For example, many of their neighbors were used all kinds of horrible methods of dealing with them. So, I think you can historically demonstrate that all of these things that are mentioned were in fact done. So in any case, it’s worth investigating.

Pastor Andy: [00:25:02] And look at the Titus Arch. You’ll see it.

Pastor Jim: [00:25:05] Absolutely right. All right. Thank you for that call. Back to the phones we go. Thank you for waiting. What’s your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:25:14] What’s the difference between a disciple and a follower?

Pastor Jim: [00:25:17] Hey, that’s a great question. Thank you for calling the program, Pastor. What is the difference between a disciple and a follower?

Pastor Andy: [00:25:25] Well, I’m of the opinion that they’re basically one in the same. I think the word Disciple, Mathitis in Greek, actually means one who is a one who is a follower. So, you know, you can be a disciple of anything. I mean, Paul was a disciple of Gamaliel. But Jesus called 12 particular men to be his special followers. And as we are saved by faith alone, through grace alone, God begins to put a calling on all of our lives, I believe, to follow Him in the walk of discipleship. In other words, he wants to make us into little Christs, not in the sense that we’re deity or have the same abilities he had to predict the future or whatever, but in the sense that we take on his character in our daily interactions, in our daily lives. So we’re all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, those of us who have trusted in his son for our provision in terms of our eternity. But there’s a special walk that he now calls us to into the Walk of Discipleship, which means to be a follower. So in that sense, I would take him as one in the same.

Pastor Jim: [00:26:45] And I would also recommend, caller, that you go out to the Sugar Land Bible Church website and go to our sermon archives, and I would really encourage you to go pull up Dr. Woods study on the Book of John, where he’s going to introduce you to some things, even beyond being a disciple, such as being a friend of Christ. And that’s something you might want to check out. All right, Pastor, we have an email that just has come in. Let’s share this with you. This individual is looking at what’s happening in the world right now and all the sinfulness. And then he says, you know, the Bible says that we’re supposed to obey those that have the rule over us. And then he says, well, you know, with all these things that are happening, you know, how can I do that? And he says, I have a pastor also that says that the pastors are the ones that are going to give an account of the Christians in their congregations. So he he’s a little confused. He wants to know if we can provide him some help there.

Pastor Andy: [00:27:41] Yeah. You know, looking specifically at this question, he talks about all the evil going on in the world and he says, How can I even vote when all sins are equal? Well, I would say the reason you should vote as a Christian is the same reason you should be involved in all areas of life in this world art, entertainment, media, law, medicine, education. Because the Christian is the salt and light of the earth. And how can you function as the salt of the earth when you’re still in the salt shaker? So I would put voting, you know, into that same category. He mentions the fact, well, you know, who do you vote for? You know, aren’t all the political parties equal sinners? Isn’t there sin everywhere? And that’s true. But Jesus made the point that some sins have a greater consequence than others. And Luke 12:47 through 48, Jesus said, “and that a slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, he will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it and committed deeds worthy of flogging will receive but a few.” So notice that all sin is sin, but some sins bring a greater consequence than others. And so that’s how you really should look at the different party platforms. What do the two party platforms stand for? There is no such thing as a perfect political party or candidate, but I think you can do an analysis and you can see, you know, that perhaps one of those party platforms is a lot closer to Biblical truth than the other. And so although there’s sin in both parties, I always make the make it a habit to vote for the one that I think is most faithful or closer to the Bible than the other.

Pastor Andy: [00:29:43] It’s like, let’s go back to the Civil War era. One of the political parties was in favor of slavery, another one wasn’t. And so how do I make a decision who to vote for when there’s evil in both parties? Well, I look at the Bible and I say slavery is wrong. And so I’m going to vote for the political party that’s against slavery rather than the party that’s in favor of it. So, this is the kind of analysis we’re called to do in voting. It’s the kind of analysis we’re called to do in every area of life. And when we just say, well, everything’s evil, let’s withdraw, I don’t think we’re really functioning as salt and light. And then this particular question raises the issue – aren’t pastors accountable or don’t they have to give an account of Christians in their congregations?

I think the pastor’s accountability is declaring the whole Council of God’s Word, because once he declares the whole Council of God’s Word, he, according to Acts 20 verses 26 and 27, he is innocent of the blood of all men. In other words, his accountability is declaring the message. The way people respond to it, they’re accountable for it. But the messenger delivers himself essentially by declaring everything that God has said. And so that’s, I think, a better understanding of pastoral accountability rather than making the pastor accountable for every single decision that his individual sheep, you know, may be making.

Pastor Jim: [00:31:17] Yeah. Amen. All right. Well, we have one more caller waiting. So before the break, we’ll go ahead and take that call now. So, thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Pastor Andy: [00:31:28] Good evening. Revelation 10 identifies an angel with one foot on the land and sea, declaring time will be no more. What is that referring to? And also in that same chapter says, The mystery of God is complete. And when is the grace dispensation in? Is it right before the coming of the Lord or does it go the grace dispensation in right prior to the seven year tribulation? Does it continue until after the tribulation grace dispensation?

Pastor Jim: [00:31:51] Great question. I appreciate that.

Pastor Andy: [00:31:54] Okay, We got time to answer it? Well, you know, the grace dispensation. The truth of the matter is, grace is not a dispensation, because grace is found from Genesis to Revelation. You know, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, for example. What is unique to this age is what’s called the Church Age. The body of Christ, where Jew and Gentile are united together as joint heirs in in a spiritual man, metaphorical man, metaphorical temple called the body of. Christ. And that particular age ends with the Rapture of the church. And then what will follow is the final seven years on Israel’s clock. Let’s see. He asked about the mystery of iniquity. No, the mystery is complete. I would – the mystery of God’s will is complete. I’m trying to find the exact verse that he was quoting there on that particular point. I think it’s there in verse 7. It says, But in the days of the Voice of the Seventh Angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to his servants, the prophets. So I would say this, that there’s a telescoping view of the judgments. In other words, Seal judgment number 7 unleashes the 7 trumpet judgments, and trumpet number 7 unleashes the 7 bowl judgments. And so by the time you get to the opening of the 7th Sealed scroll, we know that it’s a done deal because Seal 7 will unleash the 7 trumpets and the 7th trumpet will unleash the Golden Bowls of Wrath, Revelation 16. So that’s what it means when it says it’s finished. The judgments haven’t been carried out yet, but it’s a done deal because the last judgment in each set will release the next ones, which will lead right up to the end of the Book of Revelation. I mean, that’s basically my understanding of the angel, you know, saying the mystery of God is finished. I think he asked about the angel there in Revelation 10:1 and 2, it says, I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was upon his head and upon his face was like the sun and his feet, like pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book which was open, and he placed it, placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land.

Pastor Andy: [00:34:40] Now, I don’t really know what to do with that. A lot of people make that Jesus. I don’t necessarily do that. I just think it’s an angel that has feet, one foot in one domain, one foot in another domain. And he’s calling upon John to take in a little book, which is going to be sour to his stomach, but it’s going to taste sweet. In other words, he’s called to prophesy again about the other things spoken of in the Book of Revelation from Revelation chapter 10 onward. And it’s sour in the sense that it brings judgment.  But these prophecies are also going to be very sweet in the sense that at the end of this season of judgment will manifest God’s glorious kingdom on the Earth. And I think I think that’s just an ordinary angel there. And he’s got one foot in one domain and one foot in another domain, explaining that John’s prophecies are going to have global, worldwide implications for the entire cosmos, because it’s going to result ultimately in the redemption of the cosmos, because we’re moving into the 1000 year kingdom, the sweet part of this and then the eternal state that follows.

Pastor Jim: [00:36:01] Amen. All right. Well, thank you for calling the program. We hope that was helpful to you. We’re going to kick it back over to Brother Noah for our station break. But stick with us. We’re going to be back in a few seconds for our prayer for the nation.

KHCB Announcer: [00:36:17] Proclaiming Jesus Christ in all seasons. This is KHCB-FM Houston 105.7. And also including in the network. Lockhart at 88.3, San Marcos 88.5, Austin 90.9, Beaumont 104.9, and Port Arthur 106.7. The KHCB network – Keeping Him Close By. Thanks for listening.

Pastor Jim: [00:37:15] All right, Welcome back to KHCB Question and answer program. We’re going to pause at this time for our prayer for the nation and we would encourage you to join with us if you’re in a position where you can do so safely. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.  Abba Father, we’ve entered that season in which we stop to remember the incarnation, the miraculous birth of your precious Son, our Lord Jesus. And so we come now with worship in our hearts, praise on our lips, and genuinely thankful hearts for the provision you made for our salvation through the birth of the Lamb of God. Your perfect sacrifice who takes away the sin of the world! And as sons and daughters of God made so by grace, through faith in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, and as recipients of your infinite love, which is ever lastingly and abundantly lavished upon us, we come to your gracious throne to pray for our nation because you have so instructed us, and therefore we pray beseeching you, Abba Father, for a spiritual revival of truth and integrity among all levels of government. We pray for our Executive Branch of government that in the New Year just ahead, they might make Godly decisions and cooperate with your divine plan and will. Not only for themselves, but for all the people they serve.

Pastor Jim: [00:38:56] We similarly pray for our Legislative Branch of government, and we pray that you would please help them as they formulate new laws and make legal decisions that will impact not only our generation but also future generations to come should Christ’s imminent return tarry. Please move on these men and women and motivate them to make decisions for the good and betterment of all the people. We pray also for our Judicial Branch of government.  And Abba Father, we ask you to please guide them in their rulings and place within them the conviction to make wise and Godly choices. We pray for our state and city officials that they will be inspired to lead in such a way that profits all the people they serve at each level of government, whether it be local, state or federal. Please bring conviction upon them and remind them of their sworn duty to uphold the laws, regulations and principles which they swore with an oath to defend. Father, please also protect all of our law enforcement officers, the men and women faithfully serving in our military and all the first responders who put their own lives in jeopardy to save and rescue others, bless them and bring them home safely to their families.

Pastor Jim: [00:40:34] And finally, Father, help us to continue to develop Christ likeness in our attitude and behavior toward others, especially as we contemplate this Christmas season. Help us to be salt and light to those around us who are blinded by Satan and dead in trespasses and sins. And may they come to place their faith and confidence in your most wonderful gift – Jesus, your one and only beloved Son and the Savior of their souls. Jesus – in whom dwells all the fullness of deity Jesus – the true reason for the season. And this we pray in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, Maranatha and Amen. Thank you so much for joining with us and our prayer time. Let me give our phone numbers once again as we prepare to take more questions. If you’re in the local Houston area, you can call 832-922-4444. And if you’re outside the local area, you can call toll free at 877-999-5422. But if you would prefer, you can also email your question to the station here at Questions plural Questions@ KHCB.org. All right.

Pastor Andy: [00:42:06] Well, real quick, Brother Jim, can I interject something, please? It’s something that the caller asked about and Deuteronomy 28 that we didn’t get to. He asked also about Deuteronomy 28, verse 46 that says There shall come a sign and wonder on you and your descendants forever. And he wanted to know what that meant. Yes, the Hebrew word there forever is Olam. Olam is an interesting word. It can mean eternity. Yes, as in Psalm 90, verse two, God is described with that Hebrew word. But it also can mean for an age, a long but defined period of time. And you see it used that way in Exodus 21, verse 6, related to the slave who likes his master and is the time comes for him to be let free. And he says, no, I want to continue on as a slave because my master is kind to me. His ear is to be pierced. And then an awl is to be placed in that ear and it says there forever. That’s an Exodus 21, verse 6. That’s the same Hebrew word Olam. So obviously Olam doesn’t mean forever and ever and ever there it’s a long age, but a defined period of time. And I think that’s how the expression forever is used in Deuteronomy 28, verse 46. In other words, these cycles of discipline will come upon the Jewish people for a long time, but that time period will be defined. Because there’s coming a time in history where Israel will move back and will be in the faith again. They’ll receive the Messiah that they rejected 2000 years ago. And those covenant penalties expressed in Deuteronomy 28 will be lifted.

Pastor Jim: [00:43:56] I’m so glad you remembered that. And so we would say that the Hebrew word for eternity, Olam is not a technical word. So context is going to dictate how it’s to be interpreted, Correct? All right. Well, great. That’s helpful. That helped me. Let’s go back to the phones. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:44:16] Yes. Thank you for taking my call. I’m a believer in Jesus wholeheartedly, but my work’s like I really can’t think of one good thing that I’ve ever done. I’ve lived to try life and selfish life, but I just wanted to know if you can go to heaven with limited good works and I’ll hang up and listen.

Pastor Jim: [00:44:59] Well, thank you so much for calling the program. I, I believe you probably asked a question that a lot of folks out there were wanting to know the answer to also. So thank you for that, Pastor.

Pastor Andy: [00:45:09] Well, I would say he just did a good work right there. He called in.

Pastor Jim: [00:45:13] Without even knowing.

Pastor Andy: [00:45:14] Without even knowing it, called in and was honest and spoke highly of the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, so maybe he’s done more good works than he gives himself credit for. But, you know, the truth of the matter is, our good works don’t get us into heaven.  Paul is very clear in Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9, famous verses where he says, For by grace, you have been saved through faith and that is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not as a result of work, so that no one may boast. And in first Corinthians 3, verse 15, you have the example of the man who is in Heaven. He he’s not well rewarded because there’s reward that the Lord wants to give us in Heaven at the Bema Seat judgment, above and beyond, you know, salvation, that salvation is a done deal. But he wants to reward faithfulness. And there’s a man there who’s like, he’s standing there and he can still smell the smoke on his garments because his good works, he really didn’t have any good works. But he’s still in heaven. He is saved, the Bible says, as one escaping through the fire. So good works on the front end and good works on the back end don’t justify anybody. That’s faith alone in Christ alone that justifies the good works become significant because once you get into heaven, the Lord wants to give you a full reward. And some will be, some will be more rewarded than others. So that’s your motivation for living a godly life not to get into heaven, but to be fully rewarded once you’re there.

Pastor Jim: [00:46:53] Yes. And I love the fact that once we place our faith and trust and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can claim the promise of Romans that says there is therefore now no condemnation. And so, you know, the Lord isn’t up there with a big stick waiting for you to do something wrong. Not at all. And as you said, you know, for believers, works are with in reference to rewards that we’ll receive in Heaven, not for any to provide any sort of merit for us because Jesus did it all on the cross. We didn’t bring anything to the table but our dead selves. And he raised us from the dead and we believed in Jesus. Amen. All right. Thank you for calling the program. Back to the phones we go. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [00:47:44] Yes, sir. Ephesians, chapter 1 verse 1. The question is, is this talking about everybody? Was it just talking about His chosen?

Pastor Jim: [00:47:59] Can you give me the verse again? I didn’t hear that.

Caller: [00:48:02] Yes. This is Revelation 13:8 and Ephesians 1:4.

Pastor Jim: [00:48:09] Okay. Ephesians 1:4 and Revelation 13:8. Okay.

Caller: [00:48:13] Right. So this is, this is two different people I’m looking at here in Revelation 13:8 it says and all that dwelt on the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb from the foundation of the world. But in Ephesians 1:4, it says, as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be wholly and without blame before him in love. Now, that’s two groups of people right there. Am I right? So, the people in Revelation 13 – they are not chosen, no matter what. And that’s the whole earth. So who are these people here in Ephesians 1:4 that are chosen?

Pastor Jim: [00:49:10] All right. That’s a great question. Let’s see if we can provide you an answer here. Thank you so much for calling the program. That’s a very good question.

Pastor Andy: [00:49:19] Well, Revelation 13, verse 8 is talking about unbelievers.

And it’s interesting that Romans 8 says, for those whom God foreknew, he chose so God one, you know, possible interpretation of this is God sort of looks down through the corridors of time and he sees who’s going to reject him. And based on their own free will, they’re following the beast and they’re rejecting him. And so they’re not chosen by God. That’s a possible understanding. And then you go over here to Ephesians chapter 1, verse 4, and you have a completely different set of people that have trusted in Christ. And God looks down through the corridors of time, progonosgo, He foreknows he can see what they’re going to do and because they’ve trusted, you know, they will trust in the Messiah, that group is chosen by God. So, you know, coming to these complex issues of election verses free will, you know, I’m not sure if I have the final say on it or the right answer, but, you know, that’s how I chose to choose to reconcile these passages.

Pastor Jim: [00:50:31] Amen. Amen. All right. Well, we hope that was helpful to you. Back to the phones. We go. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:50:39] Hi. I am calling and I do not, please, do not take this as being disrespectful.  But I would like to know, is Mary in the line of the lineage of David? And I’ll hang up and listen.

Pastor Andy: [00:50:55] I mean, it’s her genealogy in the Bible? I can’t remember.

Pastor Jim: [00:51:01] Hey, no problem. We all have slips of memory. I know, I do. So thank you so much for taking time to call the program. We appreciate that. Is Mary in the line of David is the question.

Pastor Andy: [00:51:13] Yeah and I certainly don’t take what she said as being disrespectful. I mean that’s just an honest, honest question when you go to Luke’s genealogy, because there’s two – you have Matthew chapter 1, which is the genealogy of Jesus through his legal father, not his biological father, because he was born of a virgin. His legal father, Joseph and Joseph is connected to David. And then you have the Lukan genealogy where it’s sort of tracing the genealogy of Jesus through his mother, Mary. And what you’ll discover is David is in both. So, notice Luke 3:31 it says the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, I think is how you pronounce that, the son of Nathan. And then it says the Son of David. And then it talks about David’s father, the Son of Jesse. So, there it is. David apparently is in both Joseph’s genealogy, Matthew chapter 1 and also Mary’s genealogy Luke chapter 3. If you want to know where David is in the Matthew 1 genealogy, I believe you’ll find it there in Matthew chapter one. Oh my goodness, there it is. Thank you, Lord, for showing me the right verse there. My eyes just hit the right verse there. Verse 6. Jesse was the father of David, the King. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba, who has been the wife of Uriah. And so it’s kind of neat that the Davidic, you know, because the Messiah has to come from the line of. David Yes, the Davidic Covenant mandates that second. Samuel 7:12 through 16. It’s interesting to note that David is in both genealogies, the Matthewian genealogy linking the genealogy of Jesus through Joseph and also the Lukian genealogy linking the the genealogy of Jesus through his mother.

Pastor Jim: [00:53:36] Mary Amen. Yeah, that’s good stuff. And it’s interesting that Joseph is giving the legal line and it’s very, very fascinating when you look at Jewish law that Jesus was his adopted son, and as an adopted son, he had all the legal rights that a natural born son would have had. So he had he had the legal right as an heir of David. But there was a glitch back there with Jeconiah. And we also have to have. But and that’s really good because when we come over to to Luke’s genealogy, we see the direct lineage, which was the right lineage in the sense that there was no hindrance to Jesus being the Messiah and the son of David coming through Nathan’s line. So fascinating.

Pastor Andy: [00:54:26] Because you might be able to argue, well, you know, Jesus was virgin born, so Joseph wasn’t his biological father, so maybe he’s disqualified from David’s throne. Well, not so fast, because David is also in the genealogy of Mary. That’s his mother. So either way, you slice either way, you slice that he’s the heir of David. Sure. Yeah.

Pastor Jim: [00:54:50] Amen. All right, well, let’s go back to our email box, shall we? Here’s a question. This says, In Genesis 1:26 through 28, God says, Let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish. Then in Genesis 2:2, quoting And on the seventh day, God ended his work, which he had done. But in Genesis 2:7, after God rested, it says, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. Does this mean that God made them before he made Adam? So, gosh, that’s a quandary.

Pastor Andy: [00:55:37] Pastor Yeah, and there’s a lot of contradictions that people try to develop like this between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. And let me just give you the general principle here. And once you understand this, the contradictions will disappear. Genesis 1 is the chronology is the proper chronology of exactly what happened on days 1 through 6. And it’s there we learn that man did not come into existence until the sixth day of creation. Now you get to Genesis 2, and Genesis 2 is not re-hashing the chronology. All it’s doing is amplifying what happened on the sixth day. So, Genesis 1 is about the 6 days. Genesis 2 is about the sixth day. And once you see that all of these, you know, alleged chronological problems, you know, mostly disappear.  What I would argue. So that’s generally how I’d handle a question like that.

Pastor Jim: [00:56:41] All right. Appreciate that. Here’s another email. This individual says Proverbs 22 :6 does not designate anyone as the person being addressed. And I was just wondering if it could be the source of the African proverb, which says “it takes a village to raise a child” since Ephesians 6:1 through 4 and Colossians 3:18 through 25, both designate that responsibility to parents.

Pastor Andy: [00:57:11] All right. Now this idea of it takes a village to raise a child that doesn’t come from the Bible. That is a Marxist idea.  In fact, one of our political leaders whose name will remain nameless, wrote a book, you know, it takes a village to raise a child. And basically coming from a Marxist, non-nuclear family perspective, the Bible knows nothing of this idea that it takes a village to raise a child. What the Bible does, is it places the authority for the rearing of children under the parents of that child. And that’s a principle that’s as old as the great Hebrew Shema.  Shema is Hebrew, which means “listen”. In other words, listen, Israel. And when you go to Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 6 and 7, you’ll see exactly where authority rests. It doesn’t rest with the village. It rests with mom and dad. So Deuteronomy, chapter 6, really 4 through 6 says Hear Oh Israel, the Lord, your God is one. You should love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind. These words, which I’m commanding you today, shall be upon your heart. You, that’s Mom and Dad shall teach them diligently to your sons, and she’ll talk of them. When you sit in your house and when you lie down and when you rise up, it’s very clear that parents have the authority over the rearing of children. And you’ll also see that in the Book of Joshua, Chapter 4 verses 19 through 24, where they were to set up there in Jericho. Not Jericho, I’m sorry, the Jordan, the 12, I think it was 12 stones as a monument.

Pastor Andy: [00:59:09] And why were those stones there? Eventually the kids are going to ask their fathers, Hey, Dad, where do these stones come from? And Dad. That’s your opportunity to communicate what God did there at the Jordan.  And what he did a generation earlier at the Red Sea. And that’s how the knowledge of the Lord is going to fill the whole earth. So these – So, then you get to the New Testament and you get to the book of Ephesians chapter 6, and I believe it’s verse 4 and it says, Fathers, you know, not the village fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  Now, of course, as parents, we have other influences on our children. We have our schools and our teachers in the school system. But we have to understand that the authority rests with the parents. And when the parents send their children to a school to learn math and reading and writing, they’re delegating that authority in an instance. But the authority still rests with the parents. And so that is a Biblical philosophy on parenting. This idea that, you know, it’s a big village that raises children, thereby reducing the authority of the nuclear family. That’s not a biblical idea. That’s a Marxist Communist idea.

Pastor Jim: [01:00:34] All right. I think we have one more caller. So let’s go to the phones for our last call for the evening. Hi. What’s your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [01:00:42] Yes, how are you doing? Good to see you can explain Ist Corinthians chapter 10. It would be verse 13 and 20. And I was particularly interested in maybe some other verses that you might know about communion dining with, with the Lord’s table and dining with demons. So you could just talk about that. I’d appreciate it.

Pastor Jim: [01:01:23] All right. Thank you so much for calling the program. We appreciate it, Pastor.

Pastor Andy: [01:01:27] Okay. Verse 13 of Ist Corinthians 10 says No temptation is overtaking you, such as common demand. God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you’re able, but will make the way of escape also so that you may endure it. So, you know, Paul here is dealing with Israel’s mistakes and he’s telling the Corinthians not to make the same mistakes Israel made. And he’s given us the power not to make those mistakes, because any temptation we come under, there’s always a way of escape, believe it or not.  And then you drop down to where was he, verse 20. He says, No, I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to become sharers and demons. Now, when you go to Corinth and I’ve been there, there’s the ancient temple there, a pagan temple where the pagans would go into their religious rituals. And Paul says, as a Christian, do not be involved in those practices, because what’s energizing that pagan temple are demons. And the Christian really has no part with demons.

Pastor Jim: [01:02:46] And they had come out of that.

Pastor Andy: [01:02:47] Yes. And he says, don’t go back to it.

Pastor Jim: [01:02:50] That’s what he’s saying.

Pastor Andy: [01:02:51] And I can’t remember the exact temple, but it’s like the Temple of Apollo or something like that. The archeological remnants of it are right there in the city of Corinth. Then he’s saying, you know, you know, why would you go back into that system? It’s demonic. And you, as a Christian, have no part in these doctrines of demons.

Pastor Jim: [01:03:12] Yes, that’s exactly right. Well, friends and neighbors, we want to tell you how much we love and appreciate you for all of the wonderful questions that we’ve gotten during the year 2022. It’s just flown by. And we thank you so much for taking the time to be a part of this program. And we just like to take a moment quickly to close the program out with a prayer for those who may not know Jesus Christ. So would you join me in prayer? Heavenly Father, we want to just come before you right now to lift up those who may be listening, who have not yet come to the place where they have actually placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Father, we know that your word is faithful and tells us that when we proclaim the Gospel that the Holy Spirit does His job of bringing conviction. And so, Father, we pray that during the course of this program, something that was said may have been used and will be used by the Holy Spirit to bring new life to someone who’s listening. May this Christmas be the Christmas that folks who do not know Jesus find what it means to be a believer, accept it, trust it, and just put their faith in Christ. Father, we thank you so much that you loved us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And so, Father, that’s the wonderful message of Christmas that we, dead in trespasses and sin with nothing to bring to the table. We can come and we can put our faith in Christ for what he did for us at Calvary on that cross. And if we will trust him for the safekeeping of our souls, we have eternal salvation. And we will find ourselves fellowshipping with you for all eternity. May that happen to many? We pray during this Christmas season. In Jesus name. God bless you all. We pray that you have a wonderful end of the year. We’ll see you next year.

KHCB Announcer: [01:05:16] And once again, we’d like to thank you for tuning in to our weekly Question and Answers program. Our last program for the year. Tonight’s guests have been Dr. Andy Woods, Senior Pastor at Sugar Land Bible Church and president of the Schafer Theological Seminary. Father Guest has been Dr. Jim McGowan, Associate Pastor at Sugar Land Bible Church. The church website is SLBC.org. The church is located at 401 Matlage Way, that’s right off of Highway 90 and University boulevard. You can catch him also on pastor’s point of view on Rumble and YouTube. You can find many of Dr. Woods’ articles and conference seminars at his website https://www.andywoodsministries.org/. Thank you so much for listening.