KHCB Broadcast – Pastor’s Q & A – May 18, 2023

KHCB – 05-18-2023 – Full Program Transcript

Announcer: [00:00:00] Good evening. Welcome 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 for you live on the air. Tonight’s guests are Dr. Andy Woods, Senior Pastor at Sugar Land Bible Church. He’s also president of the Chafer Theological Seminary. He has authored and contributed to many Christian books and theological journals. He also speaks on a variety of topics at Christian conferences and churches. Also tonight we have Dr. Jim McGowan, Associate pastor of Sugar Land Bible Church. The church website can be found at SLBC.org.

You can also reach them at the “Pastors Point of View” found on YouTube (Pastor’s Point of View) and Rumble (Pastor’s Point of View) and their website Andy Woods Ministries.org.

If you’re calling from inside the Houston listening area, 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 (877) 999-5422. That’s (877) 999-5422. Or if you’d rather email your question to us, you can send that to questions. That’s plural Questions@KHCB.org and it will 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 Pastors Dr. Andy Woods and Dr. Jim McGowan.

Pastor Jim: [00:02:37] Well, welcome again listening friends. We’re so very happy and excited to be back in the studio this evening to take your Bible questions. And as always, of course, where we will be relying on the Bible for answers, because the Bible is God’s holy Word and the only inspired, authoritative revelation of everlasting truth, which also contains everything we need for life and godliness. And we’re convinced that God wants to speak to you personally through His Word this evening. So when you call in, we hope that you’ll expect to hear from God. And then remember to praise and thank him for the answers that he provides you. As we prepare to go to the phones, please remember, number one, to keep the on air time to one question only and also to turn the volume down before we bring you on the air so we don’t have feedback. And finally, if you could remember to that, once you’ve shared your question, please just go ahead and hang up and listen for the answer that will free up lines for other callers. We truly appreciate your cooperation with that, so God bless you for it. Let’s kick our program off this evening with an email question Pastor. This came in and this individual writes, “If all the sealed judgments are the wrath of God, why is the fifth Seal judgment the martyrs? How can that be God’s wrath if it is believers being killed?”

Pastor Andy: [00:03:58] All right. Well, that’s a great question. How could the Fifth Seal judgment be God’s wrath when it actually kills believers? I would say this it’s the wrath of God because Jesus is opening. In fact, he takes the seven sealed scroll in Revelation, chapter 5, verse 7, and then in Revelation 6, verse 1, he starts to open the seal. So it’s very clearly Jesus bringing these various judgments to the earth that are described in these seal judgments. And it is true that the church-age Christian is exempted from God’s wrath. 1st Thessalonians 1:10. 1st Thessalonians 5, verse 9, Romans 5, verse 9, Romans 8, verse 1. But that promise of being exempted from God’s wrath only applies to the church-age believer. In other words, the person that’s part of the body of Christ that was formed in between the day of Pentecost and the Rapture. So these people that are being killed in the Fifth Seal judgment are non-church aged believers. I mean, these are people that are converted during the tribulation period, after the church has already been removed via the rapture and they’re being murdered, martyred, excuse me, during a time frame when God’s wrath is being poured out and they’re being martyred, really, by wicked men. Um, you see the harlot drunk with the blood of the saints in Revelation 17, verse 6. And these men are that are doing the murdering are those who are not responding to what God is doing during this time period. So it says over and over again these people did not repent. Revelation Chapter 9, verses 20 and 21. That’s really who the Lord is allowing to murder or martyr these martyrs. And so that’s my best explanation as to how, you know, the Fifth Seal judgment could be divine wrath. And yet at the same time, it kills God’s people. So these are non, you know, non-church age believers, number one, that are being martyred. And then number two, they’re really being martyred by godless men who are non-responsive to the things of God and the tribulation, period. And God is allowing it to happen.

Pastor Jim: [00:06:26] Amen. All right. Well, thank you, Pastor, for that great answer. Let’s go to the phones. Thank you for waiting and welcome to the program this evening. What is your Bible question for Doctor Woods.

Caller: [00:06:36] Thank you for being there every Tuesday and Thursday. I enjoy you so much. My question is. The term “elect”. I have I’ve heard and I recently listened to a preacher and I thought he was pretty straight up, but he said God knew the ones that were going to be Christians from the foundation of the world. He was talking about Genesis. And my question is and I want you to give your thoughts on it. The term “elect”, are we still connected?

Pastor Jim: [00:07:24] Yes, we are.

Caller: [00:07:26] Okay. Thank you. Now, my chosen if we were elected to be Christians, then we have there’s no choice involved. And in my mind we could just cut John 3:16 out because we’re all elected to be Christians or we’re not elected to be Christians. Have I made myself clear enough?

Pastor Jim: [00:08:05] You have you have made yourself abundantly clear. And I’m so glad you’re our first caller this evening. If you’ll go ahead and hang up, we’ll do our best to give you a good, godly answer. All right. God bless you, brother.

Caller: [00:08:16] Thank you so much.

Pastor Andy: [00:08:18] Yeah. This here is one of the most debated controversial issues, you know, really in the whole Bible. I’ll take you over to Romans 8, verse 29. It says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son so that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And whom he predestined, He also called and whom he called, He also justified and whom he justified, He also glorified.” So there’s a tension between, you know, do we choose God or does God choose us? Some point out that the word foreknow there in Romans 8:29 and 30 precedes the whole discussion of predestination or election. So one view is that God, you know, basically through omniscience, knows who’s going to pick him and he picks those who pick him. That’s one way of handling the tension. That’s not the way I choose to handle it. I simply acknowledge that God’s ways are higher than our own. And the truth of the matter is, you know, there are passages that look like God chooses us, but there are other passages that make it look like we choose God. He quoted John 3:16 as an example. So, my own view on it is I just let the I just live in the tension, understanding that there are some things, you know, that are higher than my intellect and my ability to grasp.

Pastor Andy: [00:09:51] And so I really I don’t know if I want, at the end of the day, a Bible or a God that I understand perfectly because that means God’s no smarter than me. And so which means he wouldn’t be God. So I accept both doctrines personally. Now, others don’t. They say, you know, you know whom God foreknows those are whom he chooses. He picks those who he knows through omniscience are going to pick him. That’s one possibility. You know, my way of thinking is it’s like you enter Heaven and there’s as you’re entering Heaven’s Gate, there’s a sign on the outside that says “Whoever wills may enter”. And so you enter. And then you look back at the same gate on the opposite wall and it says, “Welcome you who are chosen from the foundation of the earth”.  So I kind of like to use that as, you know, just thinking that both concepts are true and let’s just live with attention. And maybe one of these days when I’m out of my normal body and I’m not restrained by, you know, the limitations of my intellect, maybe one day God in heaven will explain the whole thing to me.

Pastor Jim: [00:11:07] Yeah, but guess the important thing is not to come down on one end more than the other, which so many people want to do. That’s where you run into some problems, I think.

Pastor Andy: [00:11:16] And what’s interesting is I have my responsibilities, you know, preach the gospel to every creature. The Bible says, go make disciples of all nations. He doesn’t say get hung up on election and non-election. I mean, whatever’s happening there, that’s God’s role. It’s not my role. And so I’m supposed to be more focused on what I’m supposed to be doing.

Pastor Jim: [00:11:35] Well, and if we again, if we come down on the side that you were mentioning, then there’s no motivation to preach the gospel. There’s no motivation to evangelize because, you know, God already knows, but we know that can’t be true because we’re commanded over and over in the scriptures to preach the gospel. So, well, we hope that’s helpful to you. And again, thank you so much for such a great question. To kick off our program this evening and back to the phones we go. Thank you so much for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [00:12:04] Hello, Can you hear me?

Pastor Jim: [00:12:05] We sure can.

Caller: [00:12:07] Here’s my question is, I work on Sunday and I wonder, can I take communion by myself at home and can I know myself at all by myself at home? Because I’m not able to go to church on Sunday to take communion with a group of believers. And I want to know, can I take communion at home by myself?

Pastor Jim: [00:12:31] Hey, thank you so much for calling the program. That’s another great question, Pastor.

Pastor Andy: [00:12:35] Yeah. I mean, you know, I don’t I don’t really see why you can’t.  I don’t.  It probably isn’t God’s best for you because God wants us to live in a community. And whenever communion is described in the Bible is described as a group. But, you know, at the same time, you know, people have limitations. They can’t do it on Sunday. You know, what you might think about doing is finding an actual recorded church service, for example, at our church, we do it once a month and we have online, you know, the actual service online. So you might consider finding a church like that or hopefully your own church has something like that where you can actually go online. And, you know, even though it’s a recording, you can actually participate in a communion service.

Pastor Jim: [00:13:25] Yeah, Yeah. Another option to you is also you could get together with a couple of your other Christian friends and you could have a service. You know, ideally you’d like to do it on a Sunday because that’s when most people meet for church. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it on Sunday. So find a group of believers, maybe some friends that you have, and get together and have a have your own communion service. I think God would be pleased. Yeah. Amen. All right. Thank you so much for calling the program. And back to the phones we go. Thank you again for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Speaker6: [00:13:54] Hi, Good evening, Pastor. Yes, I have a question regarding Mary, the mother of Jesus, and how to deal with church history. I know historians denied the term “Mother of God”. But I guess the question is if Jesus right, He is God, both man and God. Is it safe to say that Mary is the mother of the second person of the Trinity, in a sense of the mother of God? I just kind of, you know, just a little confused here. If you guys can help me out and understand better. Um, and just in relation between God, Jesus and Mary.

Pastor Jim: [00:14:35] All right. Great. I think we can probably answer the question for you. Thank you so much for calling the program. Pastor?

Pastor Andy: [00:14:40] Well, you know, I guess the confusion about Mary, Mother of God, people think that Jesus became God through Mary’s womb. But the truth of the matter is, Jesus has always been God. He’s the eternally existent second member of the Godhead. And yet, through the Virgin conception, humanity was added to deity, pre-existing deity. And so, Jesus, there’s no subtraction, there’s no substitution. It’s an addition. So Jesus, at the point of the Virgin conception became the God man, and the Holy Spirit decided to use Mary’s womb to pull that off. So in that sense, she’s not the mother of God, but she’s the mother of the God man in the sense that, yes, the Lord used her womb for at the point of the Virgin conception for Jesus to become the God man.

Pastor Jim: [00:15:44] Yeah. I think that was just excellent there. She’s the mother of the God man. And she supplied the man side of the of the equation, so to speak. Amen. Thank you so much for calling the program. We hope that was helpful for you. And back to the phones. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:16:08] Yes. My question ties in with the previous question about the Tribulation Saints, folks who get saved during the tribulation. And if they are martyred, martyred, will they go to be with Jesus in heaven, with the church age saints, and then come back with us in the Second Coming?

Pastor Jim: [00:16:35] All right. Very good question. We appreciate that. So go ahead and hang up and we’ll give you a good answer here. God bless you, Pastor.

Pastor Andy: [00:16:42] Well, you know, it’s important to keep Israel and the church separate. You know, those that go in the Rapture are those that are alive on the earth at the end of the church age before the tribulation period even starts. And they’re taken to the father’s house for seven years. And then we return with Jesus in our resurrected bodies, which we receive at the point of the Rapture at the end of the tribulation period. There is something different, though, for Tribulation martyrs who are not part of the church. They’re not part of the body of Christ. When you go over to the Book of Revelation chapter 20 and you look at verses 4 and 5, it describes two resurrections – One at the beginning of the thousand year kingdom, one at the end of the thousand year kingdom. And this is what it says in Revelation 20, verse 4, it says, “I saw the thrones. And they that sat upon them and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God and those who had [not] worshiped the beast or his image.”

Pastor Andy: [00:17:58] Excuse me. Excuse me. I left out an important word. “Those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark upon their forehead. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years”. So the martyrs in the Tribulation period, they’re. They’re not participants in the rapture, right? They’re resurrected at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom. And that resurrection, as far as I can tell from the chronology, takes place a little bit after the Second Advent of Christ. Yes, Revelation 19 comes before Revelation 20, and it’s in Revelation 19 that the church age saints are returning with Christ at the end of the tribulation period. So it’s kind of tempting to just kind of force everybody into one resurrection, you know? But you have to understand that God is a God of variety and He’s able to take like a talented author, different subthemes and relate them all together into one story. And so that’s why you have a different resurrection for Tribulation saints than you do church-age saints.

Pastor Jim: [00:19:09] Amen important to keep that distinction, isn’t it?

Pastor Andy: [00:19:12] And we would call that rightfully dividing the word of God.

Pastor Jim: [00:19:14] Amen, brother. All right. I have an email question here, Pastor. This individual writes in, “Please discuss first, Timothy 1:4 and Titus 3:9. And help me to understand whether or not I’m being advised against searching my family history or if I’m just being advised against heated discussion and disagreement when the topic is family history.” All right. First, Timothy 1:4 says, “Nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies”. And Titus 3:9 says, “but avoid foolish questions and genealogies”. Et cetera. So, Pastor, can you help us with that?

Pastor Andy: [00:19:57] I really don’t think these verses are saying, you know, you can’t have a family, you know, search your family tree, your family history. Your genealogy. I think really what it’s talking about is the controversial controversies that were coming into the body of Christ very early on in Ephesus, where Paul or Timothy was when Paul addressed him. And also on Crete, where Paul, the island of Crete, where Paul addressed Titus. And people were kind of getting involved in these sort of…we’re not given a lot of information about it, but issues where the Bible doesn’t speak clearly on and it was, you know, generating controversy. It was generating pride and really all Paul is saying there is just stay away from that kind of stuff. I mean, don’t get into these long-winded discussions about, you know, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin or something like that. When the Bible doesn’t clearly say it one way or the other. Over in second. Timothy 2:23 It says, “But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations knowing that they produce quarrels”. I think that’s what when I read this discussion about genealogies, I think that’s what Paul is upset about. You know, he’s not saying, you know, just, you know, have no knowledge of your family history. So I wouldn’t develop from that a rule that I can’t search my family history from those passages. I think he’s just dealing with speculative theology generating strife. Stay away from that kind of stuff.

Pastor Jim: [00:21:35] Yeah, And it’s interesting, of course, if you look in Jewish history, in the Old Testament, it was pretty important that you knew what your family tree was, wasn’t it? Especially if you were a Levite, if you were a priest. So I don’t think God is saying, you know, don’t, don’t investigate your genealogy.

Pastor Andy: [00:21:52]  Luke 1 or Luke 2. Anna Tribe of Asher . I think it’s Anna, Anna or Simeon, one of the two. But the tribes of people are given all the time. All the time. Yeah.

Pastor Jim: [00:22:03] All right. I have another email question. Pastor says, “Why do some teach the Judgment Seat of Christ is a separate judgment for Christians. I don’t read in the New Testament to separate judgments.”

Pastor Andy: [00:22:17] Well, one of the great discussions in theology is, is there going to be multiple judgments or is there one general judgment? And we believe that there are multiple judgments for one very simple reason. When you look at different judgments in the Bible, they’re described differently. And it’s impossible to harmonize all the details. So there’s a judgment in the wilderness that’s described in. Ezekiel 20:33 through 38, and that is for Jewish Tribulation period survivors to determine, you know, which ones are believers and which ones are unbelievers. Unbelievers are cast off the earth into Hades, and it’s the believers that enter the kingdom after they first pass under the shepherd’s rod. Then there seems to be a parallel judgment taking place called the sheep and the goat judgment. In Matthew 25, 31 through 46, after Jesus returns and sits on David’s throne, the ethnos, so this would be the Gentiles. The nations are gathered before him. And that judgment is to determine which among these survivors are believers and which ones are unbelievers. Unbelievers are called goats. They’re cast off the earth in the Hades, and the believers are called sheep, and they enter the kingdom in their mortal bodies and repopulate the earth. Then there’s a totally different judgment at the end of the Millennial Kingdom.

Pastor Andy: [00:23:44] It’s called the Great White Throne judgment. It’s described in Revelation 20 verses 11 through 15. And there there’s no separation as in the prior two judgments. It’s only unbelievers. And as their names are not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, unbelievers of all ages are really thrown into the lake of fire forever. But then there’s another judgment that’s described in 1st Corinthians 3, verses 11 through 15. That’s the Bema Seat judgment that’s described differently than all these other judgments we’ve mentioned. And this is where people’s works, not us. See, these other judgments involve people. People are separated. Believer from unbeliever. Or unbelievers are thrown into the lake of fire. That’s not what’s going on in 1st Corinthians 3, 11 through 15. No person is put through a fire, but our works are put through a fire, you know, to ascertain in their quality and whatever is left after the fire finishes its job is part of apparently rewards of some sort that we will receive above and beyond salvation. And so why do I think there’s different judgments in the Bible? Because they’re described differently. Now, I have a whole chart on this where I explain all the differences in these judgments.

Pastor Andy: [00:25:09] If people go to the Sugar Land Bible Church website and they go to our Daniel series and look at what we said in Daniel 12, verse 3, There’s a sermon there called Resurrection Unto Reward. And I have the opportunity there to explain all the differences, you know, in these various kinds of judgments. But that that Bema Seat judgment is found in Paul’s writings. It’s not found in any of the other writings that I mentioned earlier. And Paul was the apostle for the church. He filled out, you know, mystery realm doctrine for the church. And so that becomes one of the reasons, you know, why we you know, why we think that this is only for the church age believer. Paul in verse 1st Thessalonians 4, verse 17 says, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So therefore, we will always be with the Lord.” And so we believe that this particular judgment takes place in heaven subsequent to the rapture of the church. So I hope that helps a little bit.

Pastor Jim: [00:26:17] All right. I think you did a thorough job on that one, Pastor. Thank you. And since we’re on such a roll, I have another email question for you here. This one says, “Many homes are now struggling with absent fathers. Single moms are trying to raise the children. Can you comment on this? We want godly fathers, but they’re not around.”

Pastor Andy: [00:26:37] Well, the truth of the matter is, we’re living in a fallen world. And we’re all living in less than perfect circumstances. I mean, God’s perfect standard for marriage is for a man and a woman to procreate. Genesis 1:26 through 28 be fruitful and multiply. And then two, Ephesians 6, verse 4, Deuteronomy 6:4 through 7. Many passages. What is it, Proverbs 22, verse 6, to raise up children or godly seed in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. And you know, to really do the job the way God wants it done takes a man and a woman to do that. That’s right. But the truth of the matter is not everybody comes from ideal circumstances. And that’s not just true with this issue. It’s true in any issue. I mean, we work in jobs, for example, that aren’t perfect or ideal because we’re living in a fallen world. And so, what do you do when you’re trying to do your best in less than ideal circumstances in this area of child rearing as a single mother or for that matter, in any area of life? What you do is you ask God for help. And Paul, in 2nd Corinthians 12, verse 9 writes, God said to him, My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. In the book of Philippians chapter 4 and verse 19, it says, My God shall supply all of your needs according to his glory and his riches in Christ Jesus. So, you know, if you find yourself in imperfect circumstances, less than ideal circumstances, then ask the Lord for grace and trust him for that. And he’ll help you through that with single parenting or any other issue.

Pastor Jim: [00:28:35] Amen Amen. Great answer, Pastor. All right. We got time before the station break for one more email question. Here it is. My question is “what are good works according to Matthew 5:16” and I’ll let you just take that one.

Pastor Andy: [00:28:50] Okay. Well, the good works, according to Matthew 5 verse 16, is being salt and light, because that’s the subject of the whole paragraph in Matthew 5 verses 13 through 16. And yes, unbelievers are capable of good works because Jesus on the final judgment, is going to confront people who are going to say, Did we not do this in your name? And do we? Did we not do that in your name? He’ll say, Depart from me. I never knew you. That’s in Matthew 7:21 through 23. But the good works that unbelievers do are of a different variety because they come from a different source. They are not fruit that lasts. Jesus says that he has appointed us to bear fruit and fruit that would last in John chapter 15, verse 16. So yes, unbelievers do good things in the eyes of their fellow man, but the only way we can produce abiding fruit is for us, as the branch, to stay connected to the vine. Amen who in this case would be Jesus Christ.

Pastor Jim: [00:29:56] Amen Well, all right. Well, folks, we’re about to take our station break, but we would ask you to stick around with us because when we get back, we’ll be having our prayer for the nation. So we’ll see you in just a moment. God bless.

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Pastor Jim: [00:31:00] All right. Welcome back to KHCB’s Question and Answer program. And we’re going to pause just for a moment for our prayer for the nation. So we would encourage you to join us if you can do that in a safe way. Let’s go to the Lord, shall we?

By way of introduction to our prayer time this evening, I’d like to share some excerpts from remarks made by President Ronald Reagan at a prayer breakfast in Dallas, Texas, on August 23rd, 1984. So many of the words I’m going to say here are directly from him, and I thought they were apropos to lead us into our prayer time. Here’s what he said. “Those who created our country, the founding fathers and mothers, understood that there is a divine order which transcends the human order. They saw the state, in fact, as a form of moral order and felt that the bedrock of moral order is religion. Religion played not only a strong role in our national life, it played a positive role. And it was broadly acknowledged that religious leaders had a right and a duty to speak out on the issues of the day. They held a place of respect and a politician who spoke to or of them with a lack of respect, would not long survive in the political arena. It was acknowledged then that religion held a special place, occupied a special territory in the hearts of the citizenry. The climate has changed greatly since then, and since it has, it logically follows that religion needs defenders against those who care only for the interest of the state. The truth is, politics and morality are inseparable. And as Morality’s foundation is religion. Religion and politics are necessarily related. We need religion as a guide. We need it because we are imperfect. And our government needs the church because only those humble enough to admit they’re sinners can bring to democracy the tolerance it requires in order to survive. A state is nothing more than a reflection of its citizens. The more decent the citizens, the more decent the state. If you practice a religion, whether you’re Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or guided by some other faith, then your private life will be influenced by a sense of moral obligation. And so too will be your public life. One affects the other. The churches of America do not exist by the grace of the state. The churches of America are not mere citizens of the state. The churches of America exist apart. They have their own vantage point, their own authority. Religion is its own realm. It makes its own claims. We poison our society when we remove its theological underpinnings. We caught corruption when we leave it bereft of belief. And all are free to believe or not to believe.

All are free to practice a faith or not. But those who believe must be free to speak of and act on their belief to apply moral teaching to public questions. If we look back through history to all those civilizations, great civilizations, those great nations that rose up to even world dominance and then deteriorated, declined and fell, we find they all had one thing in common. One of the significant forerunners of their fall was their turning away from their god or gods. Without God, there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we’re mired in the material that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society, and without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under. If I could just make a personal statement of my own, I have understood and known better than ever before the words of President Lincoln when he said that he would be the greatest fool on this footstool called Earth, if he ever thought that for one moment he could perform the duties of that office without help from one who is stronger than all.” And with these things in mind, Abba father, and fresh in our hearts, we come to acknowledge that you, O Lord, are indeed sovereign over your creation and that there is no greater or higher power than yours.

Pastor Jim: [00:35:54] So we ask you, ABBA Father, to save, protect, strengthen and fortify our leaders. But also and more importantly, at each level of government, whether it be local, state or federal. Remind and convict them regarding their responsibility to fulfill their sworn duty to defend and protect the United States of America. And finally, Father, remind your children that it is our great privilege to not only inherit heaven, but to bring others along with us through our personal witness. In the name of your Holy Son, Jesus, Maranatha, and Amen. Thank you so much for joining us during our prayer time. And let me give out those numbers again. So because I noticed that we don’t have many callers at this point in time. So once again, if you’re in the local Houston area, please call 832-922-4444. That’s 832-922-4444. If you’re outside the local area, you can always call toll free at 877-999-5422. Again 877-999-5422. And if you prefer, you can send us an email question at questions that’s plural Questions@KHCB.org. So with that in mind, I see we have a caller waiting. So let’s go back to the phones. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Doctor Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:37:31] Hello? Can you hear.

Pastor Jim: [00:37:32] Me? Yes, go right ahead.

Caller: [00:37:35] My question is, I don’t know what book it’s in. I’m trying to find out what book it’s in. I know it is in Ecclesiastes or Romans. I’ve seen it. I’ve read it. But I forgot what book it says. What lies? Nothing lies ahead but that. They will see. I’m trying to find out what book they see, what lies ahead. Did the only thing that lies ahead is dead. I’m trying to find out what book that’s in.

Pastor Jim: [00:38:04] All right. So we’ll see if we can find that. Is there is there is your question just where it’s located?

Caller: [00:38:10] Near where it’s located? Yeah.

Pastor Jim: [00:38:11] Okay. Well, we’ll see if we can’t find that for you. We might have to come back after the next question to do that. But stand by and we’ll see if we can. God bless you. Thanks for calling. Okay. All right. Well, Pastor, while we’re let’s see here, we got let’s do this. Let’s let’s do an email question. And while you’re answering that question, I’ll try to see if I can find that. Okay. So the question here is, “is it possible for Scripture to have a literal and spiritual meaning and the example they use is the Beatitudes”.

Pastor Andy: [00:38:41] Okay.

Pastor Jim: [00:38:42] All right. And while you’re doing that, I’ll try to find an answer here.

Pastor Andy: [00:38:45] Right. Can the scripture have a literal and spiritual meaning? I would say the answer is no. And the reason I would say the answer is no is we hold to the maxim here. That interpretation is one, although application is many. There is only a single meaning to every single Bible passage. It only means one thing. Now you can of course take that meaning once you derive it and you can apply it different ways. So, the caller here mentions the Beatitudes. Um, you know, you start looking, looking through the Beatitudes, you know, blessed are the peacemakers, for example. Um, what does that mean? I mean, basically what it means is God is impressed with people that bring peace to situations, not warfare. Now, how can you apply that? You can apply that to issues going on in your heart. You could apply that to anger issues. You could apply that to interpersonal conflicts. Um, so, you know, any, any kind of person that takes that meaning and applies it to a situation where it can be applied, is the heart that God is looking for. That’s the heart that God approves of. So I hope that helps. I think what’s happening in this question is they’re confusing spiritual meaning with application. Application is how does that singular meaning apply to my individual life? That’s not a new meaning. That’s not a spiritual meaning. There is one literal meaning, but the application in terms of one’s personal walk can be applied, you know, many different ways. So one meaning many applications. So no, there’s not a literal meaning and a spiritual meaning. There’s only one meaning, but the meaning can be applied in a multi-variety situation. Situations.

Pastor Jim: [00:40:49] All right, great. Thank you so much for that answer, Pastor. And let’s go back to the phones. I see the lines have really lit up. We must have hit a nerve. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [00:41:04] Yeah, my question is about the Angels. Um, I know they have no free will, I will say. And how come Lucifer did the proud? Why He was proud if he had no free will. I don’t know if you understand.

Pastor Jim: [00:41:32] Yeah, I understand. Great question. Thank you for calling the program. Let’s see if we can find you a good Bible answer. Pastor, she’s saying the angels she knows angels don’t have free will. If that’s true, then how is it that Lucifer was able to have pride?

Pastor Andy: [00:41:46] Well, I would say that Lucifer did have free will. I mean, he was. I’m not sure where we get this idea that angels have no free will. In the book of Ezekiel chapter 28, verses 12 through 17, he was corrupted on account of his splendor, on account of his beauty. He was such a magnificent creature. And the way I’m understanding Ezekiel 28:12 through 17, the colors that are described, he kind of refracted all of the different colors of the rainbow and probably even more as he was held up alongside the glory of God. He was, you know, when he was serving his purpose to glorify God, he was a beautiful creature. But the problem is he became corrupted on account of his beauty. And as the Book of Proverbs, what is it, Chapter 16, verse 18 says, 1st Peter 5, verse 5, many other passages. First comes pride, and then comes a fall. Yeah, a haughty spirit precedes a downfall. And that’s essentially what happened to Lucifer. That’s why he fell. And he basically made a choice to become prideful. And so this idea that, you know, angels don’t have free will, I’m not I’m not seeing that in the Bible. I’m seeing it. Lucifer exercising his free will in a way that was rebellious against God caused him to lose his position in the heavenlies. One other passage is Isaiah 14:12 through 15, which may also speak of the Luciferian rebellion. Those are the five “I will” statements of Lucifer before he fell. I will make myself like the most high. He says this kind of thing five times. I will ascend above the stars of heaven. I will sit on the mount of the assembly. And when he says I will, that means he’s exercising his will. Which means he had a free will. So.

Pastor Jim: [00:43:50] That’s right. Exactly right. Well, we hope that was helpful to you. And we do appreciate you calling the program. Thank you so very much. And back to the phones. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods? Hello. Hello? Yeah, Hi. How are you?

Caller: [00:44:07] Yeah, I’m good. How are you guys doing tonight?

Pastor Jim: [00:44:10] Great. What’s your question?

Caller: [00:44:11] Awesome. Awesome. Yeah. So, you know, the Bible’s got some examples of, we would say, carnal Christians or not so good examples like Lot or you had Nebuchadnezzar. So with that being said, I was reading through the Book of Numbers and it looks like Balaam had kind of like a, like a, like a relationship with God there for a second. I mean, I wouldn’t quite say it like that. I’m trying to find a better way to explain it, but God used them to prophesy and then, you know, later on in the book of numbers, he ends up being, you know, executed. So do you think that he was saved or like a believer in God or do you think that he was a non-believer?

Pastor Jim: [00:45:04] All right. That’s a very good question. Thank you for calling the program. Let’s see what we can do to find you a good Bible answer to that. Pastor?

Pastor Andy: [00:45:10] Well, that that right there is one of the other great debated issues in scripture. If you go to the book by Carl Laney, I think is the name of the gentleman and it has to do I don’t have the exact title in my head, but it’s something to the effect that of Answers from the Bible, something like that. But he has in that book, and I’ll try to track it down here. Jay Carl Laney, um, he has a great discussion on this about Balaam, and he kind of is fair and lays out the arguments on both sides. I’m of the persuasion that Balaam actually was saved. You know what was actually a believer. I don’t really have a lot of trouble in believing that believers can act in a sinful way. I think the Bible is pretty clear on that topic. But yes, I’m of the persuasion that Balaam actually was a believer. But to get the full angle on this whole subject, I recommend that book by Jay Carl Laney.

Pastor Jim: [00:46:12] All right. Thank you so much for calling the program. We hope that was helpful to you. And back to the phones. We sure appreciate you waiting. And what is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Speaker12: [00:46:21] Hi, Good night. Can you hear me?

Pastor Jim: [00:46:22] Yes, we can hear you.

Caller: [00:46:24] Okay. My question is, and I’m paraphrasing here, there’s a verse in the Bible where Jesus says, I know you say that you are Jews, but you are not Jews. You are from the synagogue of Satan. So could you shed some light on this verse? Was he referring to some people from his times or the our present time or whenever? Thank you.

Pastor Jim: [00:46:50] All right. That’s a great question. Thank you so very much. Pastor Jesus said that they were a synagogue of Satan, rather. What is what is she referring to there?

Pastor Andy: [00:47:00] Yeah, and before I get to that, let me get this book that I recommended in the prior call. It’s called Answers to Tough Questions from Every Book of the Bible (A Survey of Problem Passages and Issues) by J. Carl Laney. Back to the call and the question she’s speaking of Revelation chapter 2, verse 9 and Revelation chapter 3, verse 9, where Jesus in the seven letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2 and 3 talks about those who claim to be Jews but were not were a synagogue of Satan. My understanding of that is there’s a big difference between believing Jews and unbelieving Jews. You know, when you look at what John the Baptist says in Matthew chapter 3, around verse 9, you know, he says, don’t think to yourselves that you’re okay just because you’re children of Abraham. You know, God can make children of Abraham out of these out of these stones. And Paul in Romans 2:28 and Romans 9, verse 6 is very clear that not all Israel is Israel. So what it’s dealing with is the Jew that God is impressed with is the believing Jew. And when you study Zechariah 13 verses 8 and 9 and Ezekiel 20 verses 33 through 38, what you learn is that in the tribulation period, God’s purpose is to separate the unbelieving Jew from the believing Jew.

Pastor Andy: [00:48:36] And by the time you get to the end of the tribulation period, he will have purged out two-thirds of unbelieving Judaism, leaving only a third to be refined in the fire. And that’s the group that God is going to fulfill his covenants through and kingdom promises through. So with that background in mind, when Jesus talks about Jews that claim to be Jews, though they are not, as persecutors of two of the Seven Churches in Asia minor. He’s dealing with basically people that were unbelieving Jews persecuting the church. It’s the same issue as you go through the Book of Acts. You know, who are the, who are the persecutors of the church? Not every time, but almost every chapter in the Book of Acts. It was unbelieving Israel. And it’s just a statement that God is not impressed with unbelieving Israel. He’s impressed with believing Israel. And so I think that’s why Jesus uses that designation in Revelation 2, verse 9 and chapter 3, verse 9, he’s trying to point out that the persecutors of those churches are genealogical Jews, but they’re not believers, and God is not impressed with that.

Pastor Jim: [00:49:51] Amen All right. Great question. We hope that was helpful to you. Thank you so much for calling the program. All right. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:50:00] Hello, How are you?

Pastor Jim: [00:50:01] Wonderful. How are you?

Caller: [00:50:04] I’m all right. In case you don’t recognize me, this is your former producer Dale. How are you guys?

Pastor Jim: [00:50:10] Hi, Dale, good to hear from you.

Caller: [00:50:13] Yeah, good, good. Good show tonight. I do have a question.

Pastor Jim: [00:50:17] Lay it on us.

Caller: [00:50:19] Okay. So you talked about hard passages, that book reference. So this is about enduring both in the gospel of Matthew, enduring the faith and making that a couple times. I know some people will say that you have to save yourself because you’ve got to endure. But if that’s written to Jews, I took that as meaning that it was it. And being the fact that the church is kind of a mystery, they had no idea. I took that as me referring to the revelation period, the tribulation period that Jews must go through. So I was just kind of wondering your opinion on that verse during [unintelligible].

Pastor Jim: [00:51:02] Do you have the specific reference again? I have it. Okay, Never mind. That’s fine. All right. Dale, you know how we do things. You have to hang up to hear the question.

Caller: [00:51:12] I know. I just want to get in and say hello. And I mean, you guys.

Pastor Jim: [00:51:15] Take care, buddy. Good to hear from you. Yeah.

Caller: [00:51:17] All right.

Pastor Andy: [00:51:18] Yeah, good to hear from Dale. Thanks, Dale, for calling in. Matthew 24, verse 13, it says, “The one who endures to the end will be saved”. And so it’s very easy to take that verse and, you know, develop a theology which says you better make it to the end of your life in faith and good works or you’re not one of the elect. The problem is the verse isn’t talking about that when you put it in its context. It’s talking about Jews, as he mentioned, in the tribulation period. Because if you go down to verse 16, which comes right after verse 13, he says, “Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains”. And then down in verse 20, he says, “But pray that your flight may not be in the winter or the Sabbath”. And then back in verse 15, he says, “Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken through the prophet Daniel”, you know, “let the reader understand”. In other words, this is dealing with a specific group of people in the Tribulation period that have just witnessed the desecration of the temple. And they’ve got to endure till the end. The end of what? The end of the Seven Year Tribulation period. Because it’s at the end of the Seven Year Tribulation period that Jesus is going to return in his Second Advent and rescue the believing remnant. You see that in verse 31, “He will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and will gather his elect”. That would be believing Jews at the end of the Tribulation period, “from the four winds from one end of the earth to the other”. And that’s when Jesus returns and rescues the distressed Jews during this time period from the wrath of Satan.

Pastor Andy: [00:53:15] Remember, in the second half of the tribulation period, Revelation 12 verses 6 through 17, Satan loses permanent access to God’s throne and heaven. And he goes down to the earth with great anger (Greek word for anger orgé), knowing that he has but a short time. So he is launching a spiritual warfare against the Jewish people in the second half of the Tribulation period. In fact, he’s going to use the Antichrist to do it because he empowers the beast. Revelation 13, verse 4. So think about being a Jew living in this time period. What do you have to do? You’ve got to endure till the end to be supernaturally protected by Jesus at the Second Advent. And so that’s what it’s talking about. If you’re a Jewish believer during this time period, get to the end of the Tribulation period as best you can, because only when you get to the end is Jesus going to protect you from the wrath of the Antichrist. The word “save” here is very tricky, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. Save doesn’t always mean I accepted Christ and I’m going to heaven. Saved can mean being protected from something temporal. So, for example, in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 7, it talks about how Noah provided salvation to his household through the construction of the ark. They were saved in the ark. Does that mean they went to heaven because they got in the ark? No. What it means is they were protected from rain. And so if this generation of Jews in the second half of the tribulation period makes it to the end of the seven year tribulation period, they will be supernaturally protected by Jesus through his first personal return from the wrath of Satan and the Antichrist. That’s what it’s talking about.

Pastor Jim: [00:55:09] All right, Dale. There you are, brother. Thanks again so much for calling. Great to hear from you. And back to the phones we go. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Wood? [brief broadcast interruption] Yeah, we can do that. All right, standby.

Pastor Andy: [00:55:35] Name of the book is. And this I brought this up because I just remember he has a real good discussion of Balaam being a believer and unbeliever. And I think he’s fair to all sides of the argument. But it’s answers to tough questions from every book of the Bible. The subtitle is A Survey of Problem Passages and Issues by J. Just the letter J. Carl is his middle name Laney l-a-n-e-y. And I love this little book because it goes through the debated areas of every book of the Bible and shows you where the areas of debate are and what the arguments pro and con are on any major biblical issue that people are talking about.

Pastor Jim: [00:56:21] Sounds like a good book to add to your library.

Pastor Andy: [00:56:23] Absolutely.

Pastor Jim: [00:56:24] All right. All right. Well, very good. All right. Let’s go back to the phones now. Thank you so much for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods? Hello? Caller, are you there? All right. Hello? No. All right. Well, I’m not hearing you. Are you there?

Caller: [00:56:44] I can hear you.

Pastor Jim: [00:56:45] Okay, now we got it. Sorry about that. We had a little technical problem there. So what’s your question?

Caller: [00:56:50] Oh, no problem at all. Yeah. I was just curious in reference to the book of Daniel, what refers back to the time the Tribulation and the treaty that’s signed between Israel and the Antichrist and the drivers behind that and what’s actually pushing this more, so is there something with the Gog Magog piece of that that has happened and it’s pushed them to see the need? Or was there other areas and things that were just happening in that time outside of just the turmoil that we see today? It was driving more of that.

Pastor Jim: [00:57:21] All right. That’s a great question. Thank you so much for calling the program, Pastor.

Pastor Andy: [00:57:25] Well, it sort of depends on where you put the Gog-Magog issue. A lot of people will put it post-rapture pre-treaty and they’ll try to make an argument that the war itself, you know, has sort of paved the way for this peace treaty between the Antichrist and unbelieving Israel. I have a different view on the Gog-Magog war. I think it’s a Tribulation Period event. I think Chapter 38 occurs towards the beginning of the tribulation in Ezekiel 39 is kind of summing up everything at the end of the tribulation period. I have a little book out on that defending it called The Middle East Meltdown. The subtitle is The Coming Islamic Invasion of Israel. So I don’t really see the Gog-Magog war as the way I argue for the timing as something that is setting the table for that peace treaty in Daniel 9, verse 27, What I think is setting the table for it is the current land for peace process where Israel is being forced to give up more and more territory to people that want to wipe her out. I mean she gave up Gaza in 2005 and look at all of the missiles now that are being fired from Gaza, you know, into Israel proper. And now the world community is forcing Israel to give up what’s called the West Bank, better called Judea and Samaria. And if they’re successful there, that’s going to reduce the width of Israel by about less than ten miles. And people tell me you need at least ten miles to shoot down an incoming plane. So it you know, it puts Israel in a place of vulnerability. So I think the perpetual pressure that the international community is always placing Israel on to give up land for peace is putting her into a defenseless position where she is going to be forced to reach out to the Antichrist for her protection. So I see the land for peace process largely as preparatory for what’s prophesied in Daniel 9:27 rather than the Gog-Magog war. So that’s my personal belief.

Pastor Jim: [00:59:42] All right. Well, again, thank you so much for calling the program. We really appreciate it. And we want to thank everyone for calling this evening. And we’re reaching the end of the program, so we’re going to have to sign off. But we want to tell you how much we love and appreciate you. And we couldn’t do this if it wasn’t for you. So pray for us. We’re praying for you and we’ll see you next time on KHCB’s Question and Answer Program. God bless.