Episode 46

Pastor Paul: Hi everyone, welcome back. I'm Pastor Paul LeBoutillier, here with my wife Sue. We're back with more Bible questions. What do we have first? Sue: The first one comes from Sue, and she said, "I'm hearing a lot about demonic forces in the last days. Is this to happen before rapture, or will demonic forces be released during tribulation?" Pastor Paul: Well, there's maybe some definitions that we need to start with here. The term last days is not just a term that refers to the final days of the age. The last days really began when the church was inaugurated in Acts chapter 2, and the Holy Spirit fell upon the assembled believers. And we are in the last days. We've been in the last days for the last 2,000 years. And we will be in the last days until Jesus returns. So that's the first thing concerning really kind of her question. I think she probably meant it more in terms of in the final days of the last days. But demonic activity has been around for a long, long time. We see a lot of it in the New Testament, I believe because of the rise in paganism in the land where Jesus walked. And I think we're going to see a rise in demonic activity today as we get further and further away from biblical Christianity. But as to her question, is this to happen before the rapture, yeah, it has been happening, and it will continue to happen before the rapture. And although the Great Tribulation will be turned up in terms of demonic activity, really satanic activity, you know, that is a unique time period in human history. As for the rest of the time, the time that we're living in right now, again, the further away you get from Christianity, you can expect a heightened and increased activity in demonic oppression and possession. That's just the way things go. Sue: Mm-hmm. It's the way of the world. Sue: Yeah. Fay says, "Is the prophecy spoken of in 1 Samuel the same as the New Testament gift of prophecy or akin to Apostle Paul's desire that we all prophesy?" Pastor Paul: Yeah, the gift of prophecy is the gift of prophecy. It's an anointing by the Holy Spirit upon an individual to speak a word or a message from the Lord to whoever is listening, you know. So the gift of prophecy really doesn't change from that particular standpoint. As to her comment about is it the same thing as the Apostle Paul's desire that we all prophesied, that's an interesting statement. Of course, she gets that from 1 Corinthians, where the Apostle Paul is speaking to the church in Corinth who was enamored with spiritual gifts, and Paul wrote to them saying, There's nothing wrong with you desiring spiritual gifts, but if you're going to desire spiritual gifts, desire gifts that are going to build up the body of Christ and do good to the general populace of believers. That's why he said, I desire or I wish that you all prophesied. Or rather, he said that you should, you know, I wish more of you prophesied or something to that effect. So I don't think Paul's statement should be taken for a once-for-all statement that he wished that all Christians would prophesy. That would be something akin to all of us trying to be the same part of the body, which ends up a little misshapen. He was really just encouraging the Corinthians, if they were going to desire spiritual gifts, to desire those gifts which build up and encourage others, not just self or make me look good, you know, that sort of thing. So yeah, prophecy is prophecy. Sue: Gotcha. Okay, Saya says, "Hi, Pastor Paul and Mrs. Sue. I am so thankful for your teaching. How should I deal with a fellow believer who can sometimes be a bit rude? After speaking with this person, I often feel hurt or disrespected, but they don't seem to realize that they're hurting others. I don't like it when people ask about my personal life and then judge me based on their own understanding." Pastor Paul: That is a question that, like most people, we'll deal with at some point in their church life. Sue: Absolutely. Yes. Pastor Paul: Absolutely. Most people will deal with that without question. The question is, how do you deal with it? And that's really what Saya is asking here. Well, you know, you really have two options. You can avoid that person, you know, you can refuse to convey any personal information, even when asked. You can kind of say, well, you know, that's personal, and I'd rather, you know, not talk about that. There are people, there are people in this world who just don't have good filters, and they don't realize many times that they're being judgmental, or they grew up in such an atmosphere of judgmentalism that it's just like a knee-jerk response. And, you know, we've all learned to kind of identify people in our lives who are that way. Yeah. And I personally, you know, everybody needs to pray and ask the Holy Spirit, how would you have me to deal with this? And the Holy Spirit might give you some creative ideas, but in my personal life, if I was dealing with someone who I thought was being constantly judgmental toward me, I would stop sharing, personally. Sue: Sure. Pastor Paul: I just wouldn't share, you know. Or I would make my questions very, or responses rather, very vague, and that sort of thing. Yeah, that's what I would do. But, you know, everybody's got to figure out what works best in their circumstances, in their culture. Some cultures, you know, are not like the United States of America here. You know, like in the Japanese culture, people just don't say no. You know, that's just not acceptable socially to respond to someone's question by saying no. Here in America, we do it all the time, and we don't think anything of it. I'm assuming this person probably comes from a culture, yeah, different from ours here in America. So, you know, you've got to do what is acceptable, I suppose, in your culture. But, you know, yeah, I would probably stop talking to such a person. Sue: Sure. Okay, George says, "I'm currently going through your commentary on 2 Kings. In the second chapter, Elisha asks Elijah for a double portion of his spirit. Later on, the prophets say that the spirit of Elijah now rests upon Elisha. What do these two statements mean? Can we also pray for a double portion of a godly man's anointing?" Pastor Paul: Well, you can pray for anything you want. Sue: Sure. Pastor Paul: Doesn't mean God's going to give it. And by the way, Elisha didn't pray for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. He was told, well, he asked Elijah. Elijah actually said, what can I do for you? And Elisha said, I want a double portion of your spirit. And Elijah responded by saying, that's a toughie that you've asked for. But if you watch as I am taken away, then you will get it. What does it mean? That's the first thing George is asking. What do these two statements mean? It simply means that Elisha received a double anointing. The anointing is something we refer to as a work of the Holy Spirit upon the life of a believer to be and to do. In Elijah's case, he was a prophet. He also was a worker of miracles and that sort of thing. And Elisha was asking for a double portion of that anointing. Sue: Which often in the Old Testament meant a favorable portion. There would be a son who would be given a double portion. Pastor Paul: Sure. Sue: It's like more favor. Pastor Paul: Yeah, more. I want more. I want more. And he received it. And so can we pray for a double portion? If I look at some great godly man, can I say, Lord, give me a double portion of that anointing? Yeah, you can pray. You will receive what the Lord gives you. Sue: What he determines. Pastor Paul: Ultimately. That's what the Bible tells us, that God gives gifts as he determines. Sue: Right. Yeah. Greetings, Pastor Paul and Sue. I've been blessed by your ministry, and I pray God's blessing on you guys. "Where was Daniel when his friends were thrown into the fire by the king's command?" Pastor Paul: Well, the Bible doesn't say. He obviously wasn't there, or he would have been tossed in as well. You know, Daniel was a highly regarded official of the king of Babylon, and who knows? He could have been sent on a mission to go do something, to go give a message from the king to a certain part of the province. The Bible simply doesn't say. But obviously, Daniel wasn't there, and we don't know where he was. Sue: CJ says, "I have a question regarding Satan. Is there a significance in the way he is described in Ezekiel 28, verses 13 and 14, and does this give us an insight as to the role he played in heaven?" Pastor Paul: Well, Ezekiel 28 is an interesting prophetic passage that we believe gives us insight into the enemy and how he appeared prior to his fall or his rebellion in heaven. And I want to go ahead and read these verses, because that will probably help for those that may not be aware of them. It simply says this, you were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering. Sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle, and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created, they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you, you were on the holy mountain of God. In the midst of the stones of fire, you walked. So yeah, I would say from this description, we can learn some things, although there's so much we don't know about the angels, and particularly the guardian angels, these cherub angels that literally were guardians of the throne of God. We know that Lucifer at that time was in the garden of Eden. We know that because it says it. We know that he was beautiful. And we have really no reason to believe that beauty declined when he fell. It goes on to describe his coverings, and it's just resplendent with all these precious stones and metals, like gold and so forth. And we know from this passage that he was an anointed guardian cherub, and that he walked among the stones of fire. We're assuming this is all part of the throne room of God, and that Lucifer was created to be one of the angels that was closest to God. But that's all we know. What we know is what we have in this passage. It doesn't give us a great deal of insight into Lucifer's role in heaven other than he was an anointed guardian cherub. Sue: Mm-hmm. That's all we know. Pastor Paul: Yeah. Yeah. Sue: Okay. Well, Chris says, "Hello, Pastor Paul and Sue. Hope you guys are doing well." Pastor Paul: We are. Sue: "When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, Satan quoted Scripture to him each time. Obviously, the enemy is well-versed in Scripture. Yet there is so much Scripture that is end-time prophecy that reveals what will happen in the end. I'm wondering if the devil knows how it works for him in the end." Pastor Paul: Well, I trust he does. I trust he does. And we know that in the book of Revelation, he will even know when it's about to all conclude. The Bible tells us that he knows his time is short, and so he's gonna do his best to rage and take as many down as he can. I think a lot of people naturally wonder, if Satan knows how it's gonna end, what's the purpose? Why doesn't he give up? Why doesn't he just give up? And the thing that people fail to understand is that Satan is literally given over to his malevolent personality and his malevolent purpose. He has been given over. You know, the Bible talks in the book of Romans 1 about people being given over to a particular behavioral bent when they refuse to repent and refuse to acknowledge God. And that literally means they come to a point where they can no longer help themselves, right? Satan is way past that. I mean, he is who he is. There's no changing. There's no going back. There's no repenting. Satan is evil. He doesn't just act evil, right? He literally is the personification of evil. He cannot do other than what he does. He cannot do other than lie. He cannot do other than tempt and destroy and steal and kill. It's simply not possible. So knowing that his end probably only just makes him madder, but it doesn't... He is beyond reason in that respect. You can't say, Satan, did you read the thing? Do you know how it ends for you? Let's talk this out logically. Let's reason this out and maybe you should just give up now and we'll get on with the millennial kingdom, you know, sort of a thing. No, it's just simply not going to happen. Sue: Doris says, "Hi, Pastor Paul and Sue. I thank God that I came across your YouTube channel and website. Did Jesus really descend to hell between his burial and before his resurrection? If yes, what did he do there and for what purpose? And are there Bible verses that state this?" Pastor Paul: Yeah. No, Jesus did not descend into hell in the literal sense of... And see, there's a lot of implications that go along with this. There have been people who have taught in the past that Jesus descended into hell and there he suffered further from his suffering on the cross, and then after he finished the suffering in hell, then he was raised again. The belief or the idea that Jesus descended into hell comes from the Apostles' Creed, and in that Creed, it literally says he descended into hell. But essentially, that's a bad translation of simply the idea that he descended into the place of the dead. And, you know, Jesus tells us, I believe it's Luke 16, where the place of the dead was where people were kept living. Their bodies had died, but they were kept living. He tells us the story of a diseased beggar named Lazarus and also a very rich man who received Lazarus' beggings, but refused to give him anything to eat. Both men died, and Jesus tells us they each went to their own place. It was kind of the same holding place, but one was a place of comfort and the other was a place of torment. And yet there was this chasm between the two, which wouldn't allow anyone to pass from one to the other, but yet somehow they could see one another. Crazy. We don't really get it. The point is, Jesus told us that in the Old Testament and during Old Testament times, people did not go to heaven when they died. Jesus made it very clear when he said no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended, referring to himself. So we know that prior to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, people did not ascend into heaven. They went into this holding place that Jesus talks about in Luke 16. So that is that place of the dead, if you will. Well, they're not really dead. Their bodies are in the ground. Their spirit and soul is in this holding place, okay? But the Bible refers to it as the grave, right? Sometimes it refers to it with other names in the original language, which can be translated hell. But do not think that Jesus went or descended into hell. He descended into the place of the dead, I believe, to preach the gospel and to bring those people who died in faith to heaven. I believe now everyone goes to heaven because Jesus has opened the way for heaven. But I think that's why he went there. He descended into the place of the dead so that he might take those who died in faith to heaven, to be with the Lord. And now, when we die, as Paul says, we depart and we go to be with the Lord. Sue: Right. That's good. that's a really misunderstood passage. Pastor Paul: It's a hugely misunderstood passage. I've been getting questions like that for a long time. Sue: Yeah, so it's time we answer it. Pastor Paul: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Sue: And that wraps it up for this time. Pastor Paul: Okay. Sue: Well, that is episode 46 for this time. We thank you for your questions, and if you have a question that you would like to send along, please do. Just email us at questions at lifebibleministry.com, and we will get to it just as soon as we can. We'll be back again. We hope to see you then. Until then, God bless. Pastor Paul: Bye-bye.