November 2023

Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul – November 2023 Teacher: Pastor Paul LeBoutillier Calvary Chapel Ontario Pastor Paul: Hi, everybody, believe it or not, it's November. And it's time for our next Q&A. Sue: It’s almost the end of November. It's almost December. Pastor Paul: That's true. Well, I'm trying not to hurry it too much here but we are well into November. And we are here to give you some answers to questions that you've been posing to us throughout the course of this month so far. And those questions come through our YouTube channel, through emails that come to our office, many other number of ways. I'm Pastor Paul. I'm here with my wife, Sue, and we're going to do our Q&A for you for this month. So we have some good questions. Sue: I think we do. Pastor Paul: I think, some challenging ones, too. Sue: When I look over the questions, I think is sometimes a lot of people feel the same way and maybe don't know how to put it into words. But let's start with the first one. This actually just came in just today from our YouTube channel. And Taylor asked a really good question, “If Israel was rejected by the Lord, and the Covenant was broken by the Israelites (many times), then why are Christians supporting Israel today?” Pastor Paul: You know this is a very valid question, at least in the hearts and minds of people. Here's the problem. It starts off from a false premise. Taylor begins to ask the question by saying, if Israel was rejected by the Lord, which brings up the assumption that Israel was rejected by the Lord, but I would encourage Taylor and other Christians who have thought this way to look up what Paul says in Romans Chapter 11, verse one, where he says, I asked then has God rejected His people. And then he answers the question by no means. And he even uses himself as an example. He says, I'm a Jew, I am from the tribe of Benjamin. So if God had rejected his people, I shouldn't be here with faith in Jesus Christ. So here's the other part of Taylor's question that is based on a false assumption. He says, if they also broke the Covenant, if the Covenant was broken by the Israelites, and then he goes on to say, many times, then why should Christians be supporting them? Well, here's the problem. There are different Covenants when he says, The Covenant. Well, yes, the Mosaic Covenant was broken many times by Israel. The Mosaic Covenant was this, God said, Here's my law, keep my law, and I will bless you in the land. Did Israel break that Covenant? Yes, many times. That should never, however, be the basis of anyone thinking badly of or rejecting Israel, because that's not the Covenant that counts. The one that counts is the Abrahamic Covenant, which cannot be broken. Because when God made the Covenant with Abraham and his descendants, it was a one sided Covenant. And Abraham was put into a deep sleep during the cutting of that Covenant, for a very specific reason. And that is that he couldn't participate in the making of the Covenant. God simply made it a one sided thing. And there were several things God said in that Covenant such as, I will bless you, and I will bless those who bless you. Furthermore, I will curse those who curse you. And then he went on to say, and all the nations of the world will be blessed through you. So God made a Covenant with Abraham and his descendants called the Abrahamic Covenant, that Covenant has not been broken, because God would have to be the one to break it. And he has not, and will not. So the reason we support Israel today is because God made a Covenant that is unbreakable with the nation of Israel. And we know that those who curse Israel will be cursed. And so we just don't want to be on the other side of that. Sue: Well, I feel like you could do an entire hour long teaching on this, but that is a fantastic answer for three minutes. That's great. Here's another big question. Steve wrote and said, “Why did God create us?” Pastor Paul: And that's probably a natural question, and the Bible never sets out to answer it. I mean, God never reveals in His Word, any sort of specific reasoning behind creating mankind. We have to basically pull clues from the Scripture, and or from what is revealed concerning the attributes and the nature of God and one of the things we know about God is that He is completely self-sufficient. And what that means is, he needs nothing. So right away, we have a partial answer to this question. We know that God did not create mankind because of some innate need within himself. In other words, he didn't say well, I'm really lonely, or I want some people to kind of hang out with or something like that. There was none of that going on. So there are obviously other reasons and reasons that for God's own purposes, He chose not to share with us in His Word, so that that's the best we can do. The Word doesn't give us an absolute answer to the question. Sue: All right. We're really bouncing around with questions. Here's the next one from an anonymous asker, “What are the accepted roles for women in the church? Is it acceptable for women to teach Sunday school or preach in front of the church?” Pastor Paul: The only thing that Paul addresses is the issue of a woman taking the authority of teaching in front of men or teaching men, that's the only thing that is specifically addressed. We find no reason in the world why a woman couldn't teach a Sunday school class particularly with children, because women are expected to teach in the home. The Bible even talks about women teaching, even in the Old Testament (son pay attention to your mother's teaching, and so forth). So, again, the only thing that is forbidden is a woman teaching a man. And the reason is, is because that puts her in a position of authority and headship. And that is a violation of God's purpose within marriage for the man to be the head and the woman to be in a role of submission. And so if she were to get up in church and to teach men, that would be a reversal. Sue: Now just to clarify, when you and I hear the term, the phrase, Sunday school, we think of children's ministry. Because in our culture, we don't have adult Sunday school classes. So let me just clarify what about a woman leading or teaching in an adult Sunday school or small group and mixed adult mixed gender situation? Pastor Paul: I think the Apostle Paul's statement about a woman not teaching or having authority over a man would apply to any sort of a setting, Sunday school, Sunday morning, Wednesday night doesn't really matter. Sue: All right. Sara asked, “My church has always decorated with nativity props for Christmas. Now a new person in our congregation is saying that the props are considered idols. I would like to hear your thoughts. I never looked at it that way. It is causing some strife in our church. Thank you.” Pastor Paul: I can imagine. Here's the interesting thing about all of the Christmas trappings, and so forth, that are considered to be part of idol worship, or pagan worship. Nobody would come to that conclusion without someone telling them that those things are pagan. You don't look at like a Christmas tree or decorations or candy canes or something like that, and just naturally go, that's idolatry. It just doesn't happen. So, I would encourage Sarah to, first of all, walk in understanding toward this person from the standpoint that they've been influenced, and they've been influenced negatively, and they've been influenced erroneously. In other words, they've been given error in their thinking, and now they've been convinced that any Christmas trappings have to do with some sort of expression of idol worship, and they don't have anything to do with it. We are celebrating and we and I'd say Christians, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. And that's what they mean for us. And so to just simply say that something is part of idol worship is ridiculous. Well, think of it this way. In pagan belief, there was a god that ruled the sun. So if you go out and you decide to do a little sunbathing, I could say to you, you're worshiping. That's idol worship. Well, that makes about as much sense as taking Christmas trappings and saying, this is idol worship or involved in idolatry. It's ridiculous, and it has no basis in fact. Sue: Cathy said, “Are we supposed to pray for the dead like Catholics and Mormons? If we don't know if they are saved, should we pray for them to be saved?” Pastor Paul: The Bible says that after death, comes judgment (in the book of Hebrews), so there's nothing in the Bible that would even hint at the idea that we should pray for those who are departed. Jesus told a story in the book of Luke, where two individuals died, and there was an immediate place where they went, depending on the kind of a life they lived and their faith level and so forth during this life. So, everything that we see in the Word would say, no, there's no praying for departed individuals. Sue: All right. So, Grant from Central Florida greeted us saying, “Hello Pastor Paul and Miss Sue. And I just have to say here first, I don't think I've ever read that before and after watching The Blind and they call her Miss K, I love that. So I just feel really special that they called me Miss Sue. Pastor Paul: Because you don't get called Miss Sue very often? Sue: No, once in a while. But anyway, he said, “I've been listening to your sermons for almost five years now and have gained much insight on God's love for us. I would like to do a deeper study of End Times. Other than Daniel and Revelation, which books would you recommend to dive into?” Pastor Paul: I would recommend Ezekiel and Zechariah. And that's the short answer and there're just another really good End Times. Sue: Perhaps Thessalonians would be another good. Pastor Paul: Yeah, from the New Testament. Paul deals in Thessalonians Chapter 4, with the catching away of the church. Sue: Jean said, “In light of what has happened in Israel, and what is happening in the world in general, where do you believe we are in the end times?” Pastor Paul: Well, I personally believe that we're nearing the end of this period of time, referred to as the last days. And I only say that, because it seems like the stage is being set in that direction. I tend to think that we're toward the end of that time period. The Bible says no man knows the day or the hour. And that is obviously true. And I wouldn't even presume to do any sort of date setting, but it just seems like we're getting close though. That's as far as I'll go. Sue: Good. Serain Jackson said, “Does the Bible prohibit the use of contraceptives?” Pastor Paul: Well, the Bible doesn't mention anything about contraceptives, because contraceptives from the standpoint of what we have today didn't exist. Family planning was a much simpler process back in the days when the Bible was being written. The book of John does make reference to children born according to human decision or a husband's will. And which tells you that there were people who made a determination to have a child, to get pregnant and to kind of hold back anything they might be doing to keep themselves. I remember years ago, my grandmother, who was born by the way in 1900, but I remember my grandmother talking about when she and her husband decided to have a child and she referred to it as throwing caution to the wind. And I thought that was awfully cute at the time. But that was kind of life back then. They had to be more cautious to keep themselves from getting pregnant. And when they decided to have a baby, it was like well, okay, here we go. So, no, the Bible does not prohibit the use of contraceptives because that's just family planning. Sue: Next question is, “Which books of the Bible are unknown as to who wrote them?” Pastor Paul: This is always an interesting question when I get it, and I get it somewhat regularly. And I always would love to ask the person why do you care? Why do you care if we know or don't know, the author's name? There's one book in the New Testament really, that is questionable, and that's the book of Hebrews. There's a few other that people depending on who you talk to might say this is debatable. In the Old Testament, we're not always sure who wrote. We think we know, but we're not always sure who wrote because sometimes there's no author's name given. And honestly, it doesn't matter. The Bible is the Word of God, regardless of who penned the words and the reason is because we're told in the scriptures, that the scriptures are themselves God breathed. In other words, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the biblical writers were carried along in their writing. And so it honestly doesn't matter as far as which books of the Bible are unknown, I didn't take time to nail. You could Google that, I suppose. Sue: Well, the second part of this question is another hour long message. So let me hear you do it in three minutes, “Without quoting the Bible, how can someone prove the Bible is true?” Pastor Paul: First of all, it isn't wrong to quote the Bible to prove that the Bible is true. Even in a court of law, someone can be questioned who is up on trial. They themselves can be questioned, and their answers can be considered part of the evidence as to whatever the case might be about. So just because you can't, you don't have to take the Bible out of the equation. But there are other elements of the scripture, and so forth. As far as proving the reliability, veracity, historicity of the Bible as being true, and those things are prophecy, looking back at the geography of what the Bible talks about, knowing that those places, many of them still exist by the same name today. Historically being able to prove that these things, going to other extra biblical sources to corroborate the history that is laid out in the Bible. There are several ways. I would encourage this person to go to our YouTube channel or on our website, and look for the topical series about how you can know the reliability of the Bible. How can you know the Bible is reliable? And there I did an entire teaching on this. And I think that was over three minutes, but that's okay. Sue: Sven says, “If a person is a believer but doesn't lead others to get to know Jesus, would they still enter heaven? I feel inadequate in knowing the Bible. I've no doubt that I may be in the future be more confident to lead but what would happen if I died today?” Pastor Paul: Sven, I want you to hear me and I want you to hear me very clearly. Your salvation is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ alone. It is not based on what you do, or what you don't do in your life. Now, what you do and what you don't do, after getting saved, that will play into the rewards you get or don't get. But your salvation is not, and never will be predicated on your performance. It is predicated on Jesus's performance. It's on His work. It's what He did on the cross that saves you. You simply receive that as a gift. But your personal performance does not alter your salvation, and cannot threaten your salvation ever. And that's an important thing for believers to know. Sue: The next question is from India, maybe Sunil, “I'm truly blessed by your ministry. I've recently listened to your entire REVELATION series. My questions are number one, who will populate the earth during the Millennial Kingdom? My friend claims that 144,000 will carry physical bodies, which I can't agree with.” Pastor Paul: I'm not really sure what they mean by that. My friend claims that144,000. The 144,000 are human beings. But who will populate the earth during the Millennial Kingdom? Now remember, the Millennial Kingdom is a 1000 year period during which Christ will reign on the earth. And we will reign with him during that time. Who's going to populate the earth? Those who populate the earth are those who still have mortal bodies, those who survived the Great Tribulation and the Jews who survived. So whether Jew or Gentile, there will be human beings, mortals who survived the Great Tribulation, they will go into the Millennial Kingdom. And they will over a 1000 year period of time, repopulate the earth. Sue: All right. And secondly, the question is, “Jesus's temptations were real, but COULD Jesus have sinned?” Pastor Paul: Well, Satan sure thought there was a possibility, otherwise, he probably wouldn't have brought the temptations that he did to Jesus. We know, however, that Jesus did not possess a sinful nature. So I personally don't think so. From my standpoint, from my limited understanding, and believe me, it's so limited, it doesn't appear like Jesus could have. But there was something that Satan felt like he could exploit in the human part of Jesus. So he sure gave it his best. Sue: Here is from a YouTube viewer, and I'm sure you'll be able to clear this up, “If God prohibited consulting ancestors through mediums, why did he allow or make it possible for Samuel to communicate with King Saul? There are people particularly in the African culture, who claimed to consult their ancestors for guidance and protection against “evil spirits” and for many of them results of victory can be seen in their lives. Doesn't this contradict what Jesus said in Mark 3 v24?” Pastor Paul: About kingdom divided against itself. First of all, God did allow Saul to, I don't want to say contact, I'll say this, God allowed Samuel to speak to Saul. There happened to be a medium in the room. But if you really read that passage clearly, you will see that that medium was being confronted by something that she had never seen before. And she freaked out when she saw the Spirit of Samuel, there in the room. So this was something that was not your typical sort of a medium situation. Just for anybody who's tuned in and listening to this. A medium is someone who speaks for the dead, who consults the dead, and allows them to speak through them usually to someone who is living. People go to a medium to consult the dead. This is also referred to as a necromancer. And this story in the Bible is something that goes way beyond the typical form of mediums and spiritists and that sort of thing. But it is not meant to be a proof text that mediums are real or genuine, because they were forbidden in Israel. God said, you must eliminate the mediums from the land. And God even said through Isaiah, when people tell you to consult mediums, shouldn't you to consult your God? And so I would say to this individual, first of all, God is very clear in the Old Testament that people are not to consult mediums. Secondly, what God did through Samuel, and Saul, was it broke all the rules that was not a typical medium situation at all. So there's nothing in the Bible that teaches that we should do this. Now, he also mentions in this note that there have been some people who have done this consulted their ancestors for guidance, and they've gotten good results. Well, listen, Satan can counterfeit such things and can even give insights that in the short term are going to have a positive effect. But in the long term, you will be bound and his ultimate end is to steal, kill and destroy. So I would not be carried away by some idea that this is a successful way, or good way of determining guidance, or protection against evil spirits, because Satan will come back and get you a big time. Sue: All right. Here's another one, “Thank you Pastor Paul and your wife for allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us through you. My question is, what does the Bible instruct us as believers about the age difference between marriage partners? Is there any biblical reference concerning age gap or older or younger?” Pastor Paul: This is a very easy question to answer. The Bible does not mention anything about age difference between marriage partners. That’s it. Sue: All right. Next question is, “Do angels have a sinful nature?” Pastor Paul: We don't know. There's nothing in the Bible that specifically answers that question. We know that angels were given free will. They were given a choice. We know that those who chose to go against God to go with Satan were given over to their sinful decision and they were literally became demons. Whether or not that qualifies as a sinful nature, I wouldn't use that term. I think that's unique to human beings. Sue: The next person said, “My question is, when do we need to make restitution and when is it not required? Do we need to make restitution for lies, which didn't cause any harm to the other person we lied to?” I don't know how you would do that. Pastor Paul: I don't know how you would make restitution for a lie. I mean, if you lied to someone and the Lord's convicting you after you've confessed it to Him to go to the individual to whom you lied and to ask for forgiveness, then I would do that. But I don't think restitution comes into that sort of a situation. Forgiveness, maybe. But the main question here is, when do we need to make restitution and when is it not required? Well, we're not living under the law. Under the law, there were rules for restitution. And there was, if you stole or hurt or broke something that belonged to somebody else, you'd have to return the item and then make restitution and beyond that at times. We're not living under the law. We're living under the leading of the Holy Spirit, so if the Lord is leading you to make some kind of restitution for a wrong that was committed maybe before you were a believer or even after, then you should do it, but you should do it by the leading of the Lord. The requirement now is not according to law, it's according to the leading of the Spirit. Sue: Right. And as parents, if you're talking about children, there are a lot of times when a mom or dad might be, it might be really profitable to help your kids make restitution for something they've done wrong. But if it's profitable, the Lord shows you to do that. Pastor Paul: That’s right. Sue: All right. Edwin says, “In James 5:19, it says, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and bring someone back. Here James is talking to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem. And the verse tells us that it's possible for a believer to wander from the truth and come back to life in Christ. But a verse in the book of Hebrews 6:4-6, tells us that it's impossible for believers who have fallen away, same as wandered from the truth to be restored backing in is not the falling away in the book of Hebrews the same as wondering from the truth in the Epistle of James. How do I reconcile both these verses?” And I think this is a really good question. Pastor Paul: Well, it is a good question. Edwin, forgive me, but I can tell you haven't listened to my teaching in Hebrews Chapter 6 because it is not the same thing. What the writer of Hebrews is describing in Hebrews Chapter 6 is not the same thing as wandering away from the truth. What was going on in the book of Hebrews is the author was addressing Jews who were going back to the law to escape persecution, and as a means of being acceptable before God. And that is not wandering away from the truth. James is talking about someone who just through laziness or whatever, they just begin to wander, and pretty soon they're kind of in this wilderness. And he's saying that we should bring them back to a place of embracing and understanding the truth. Again, Hebrews is talking about a completely different issue where people have rejected the Gospel that they once embraced, and have gone back to the Mosaic Law as a means of being righteous before God. And the Apostle Paul makes it clear that that's not possible, no one will be declared righteous he says in Romans Chapter 3, through the law, and so those are completely different things. So I don't reconcile them as talking about the same thing at all. Sue: So in summary, it would be good someone if this question resonates with them to go and listen to those two passages in your teachings. Pastor Paul: Yeah. And particularly the Hebrews Chapter 6 passage, because that I think it clears up a lot there. Sue: Tamara says, “I recently met a saved woman who told me that some people in her neighborhood were casting spells on her and the ministry that she heads up causing her to experience extreme sickness. I was always under the impression that we who are in Christ Jesus that no weapon formed against us shall prosper unless the Lord allows it. Satan can't touch us… right? Can you clear this up for me, please?” Pastor Paul: Well, there are so many dynamics here that are unknown. First of all, this neighbor says that her neighbors are, or this lady says that her neighbors are casting spells, and it's causing her to experience sickness. That's an assumption. How does she know that her sickness is a response, and that she's just getting sick because people get sick in this fallen world? So, there's an assumption going on here. So, Tamara’s question is based on a lot of assumption. Now, concerning this statement about no weapon formed against you shall prosper. First of all, that was a promise made to Israel in a very unique situation, and that's not something that we can quote and claim all the time. However, when it comes to the issue of Satan, there is a reality here concerning what this person is saying that Satan must go through the Lord. Satan can't indiscriminately touch us unless we have given him a foothold. In the Bible, Paul specifically says, I believe it's in Ephesians. I think it's Ephesians. I could be wrong, could be Galatians, so don't quote me on that, but he says do not give the devil a foothold. So, obviously, he's telling us here, that there's things that we can do in disobedience to the Lord that can bring an invitation or a freedom to the enemy to do something to harass or something in our lives. So, we do have to be careful, because that is a possibility. But under normal circumstances, Satan just can't indiscriminately just put a whammy on somebody, just because he's kind of in a bad mood. As believers, we are protected. And at the same time, we're told to be careful to watch out for Satan, because he wants to take believers out. But that's going to happen primarily as we give him footholds and believe his lies, and that sort of thing. So, again, I think that you need to be careful when you're dealing with things in the spirit realm to not base your belief system on assumptions. I think it's dangerous. Sue: Sure. It's very good advice. Richard said, “I had a very close friend who was a baptized believer for many years. He took his own life. Is he covered by grace and able to spend eternity in heaven with his Lord and Savior?” He writes more, I'll finish this. “He's suffered a spinal cord injury about 10 years ago and tried pretty much every treatment to improve his pain, including many, many prayers. His nerve pain was increasingly difficult for him, and he just wanted to go home and not be a burden to his wife or daughter.” So it's actually a fairly touching situation of suffering. Pastor Paul: We are saved by putting our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. I know I sound like a broken record when I say that. But I'm going to keep repeating it until it gets through people's hearts. We are saved by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. God knows what this man was going through. God knows what was going through his heart and mind at that time when he took his own life. God knows. And I trust that God will take care the situation and do exactly what's right. But I am not going to give an inch on this whole idea that I put my faith in Jesus, I believe He died for me, but then I did something wrong and now I'm no longer saved. I'm not going to go there because that brings it all back to salvation by works. And that is a contradiction of Ephesians 2:8-9. So, I'm not going to be…there are Christians who will say, oh ya, this guy's going to hell. And they'll just, that's it. He took his own life. He's going to hell. He's a murderer. He murdered himself. And they will say that, and they're going to have to answer for their statement one day. But all I'm going to say is, we're saved by grace through faith, this not of ourselves. It is the gift of God. And God knows what was going through that man's heart and mind. Sue: Well, I'm holding on to that. That is fantastic. Michael says, “We love Calvary Chapel and have been following daily for the last three years. My question for Pastor Paul is, we're told that after being released from the Babylonian captivity in 538 BC, the Jewish people never again worshipped pagan idols. In Daniel, we learned that in the period of 175 to 164 BC Antiochus Epiphanes forced the Jews to worship pagan idols. As the Bible does not contradict itself, there must be something I'm not seeing. Can you please clarify?” Pastor Paul: Well, what we don't see is we don't see the heart. And God sees the heart. You cannot force someone to worship a pagan idol. I know what Antiochus Epiphanes did. I know what he did. But even though people may have gone through the motions to save their own skin, that doesn't mean they worshiped a pagan idol. Worship comes from the heart. When prior to the Babylonian captivity, they worshiped pagan idols from the heart. They truly worshiped those idols. Afterwards after that captivity, they didn't. And what Antiochus Epiphanes did, was this outward sort of a demand that cannot affect the heart. I mean, what if the government today told people, you can't worship God anymore? We're not going to let you. And well, here's the punishment if you do. Well, they can't stop us from worshiping God because worship is in the heart. I don't need any externals to worship God because it's happening in here (pointing to heart). By the same token, other externals out here don't affect my worship either. So, it's not a contradiction at all because worship comes from the heart. Sue: BG, said, “Thank you for helping so many of us understand the Bible. My question, is it biblical for us to repent for the sins of unbelievers while standing in the gap for them?” Pastor Paul: Yeah, it actually is. We see this biblically. We see Nehemiah doing it. We see Daniel doing it, and there are biblical examples of, now in their case, they were confessing sins on behalf of the nation of Israel, as God's Covenant people. So, there might be some differences there. But there are some examples of praying and confessing the sins of those who are, in fact, unbelievers. I don't know if I would call it standing in the gap for them. And honestly, God hasn't revealed to us all of the details, all of the insights that may come from when we confess on behalf of others. Job offered sacrifices for his children thinking maybe they did something wrong. So, there was some kinds of, I would call it more intercession than I would anything else. Probably it is biblical to intercede for unbelievers. Sue: Jesper Johannesen says, “I'm a born-again Christian baptized as an infant without full immersion. My parents were not then born-again Christians but became so later. For many years, I've been in doubt and have heard so many explanations on whether I should be baptized again. Am I baptized at all in your opinion?” Pastor Paul: Well, my opinion doesn't matter so I'm not going to answer that part of it. But Jasper, I can tell you that I had the same experience. I was baptized as an infant, sprinkle baptized, and when I came to the Lord at about age 24, 25, I made the decision to be baptized by immersion as an adult, because the Bible knows nothing of infant baptism. It doesn't mention infant baptism. It certainly doesn't mention sprinkled baptism. The word baptize literally means to dunk or to dip or to immerse. So, I would say pray about it. But if you've come, you say you're a born- again Christian, wonderful, that's glorious. If I were you, I would eliminate your quandary by just going ahead and getting baptized now as an adult, because baptism is an act of obedience largely on our part. Well, you can't do that as an infant. You can't obey and be baptized. And frankly, people baptized their children for unbiblical reasons. They did it because they believed, many people believe, that it guaranteed them a spot in heaven later on. So, I would go ahead and just get baptized as an adult. It's like, why not? Sue: That's good. Neha asks, “Was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira forgivable? In other words, does blatantly lying to the Holy Spirit cost you your salvation considering they were both in on it and didn't feel any remorse for doing what they did?” Pastor Paul: Absolutely, the sin of Ananias and Sapphira was forgivable. Our salvation is not dependent on our sins or lack thereof. It’s predicated upon the work of Jesus on the cross. So just because Ananias and Sapphira lost their lives does not mean that they lost their salvation. Paul talks in the book of 1 Corinthians about some people taking communion wrongly. And he said, that's why some of you are sick, and some have even died. Well, it doesn't mean those people were lost. Sue: Don't you think that confusion lies in, like in this case, Ananias and Sapphira, they physically died. And the confusion lies in the difference between them physically dying and then what about the spiritual? Pastor Paul: Well, we tend to think of physical death as the end anyway, even as Christians. And so it's like, wow, they were killed for something they did that obviously they were unsaved or whatever. No, not at all. I totally believe that we'll see Ananias and Sapphira in heaven. Sue: Her second question is the “Indwelling of the Holy Spirit - Does that happen the moment a person becomes a believer? And if yes, are there verses to substantiate this? I heard a preacher saying that we need to ask for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and I'm questioning this.” Pastor Paul: Well, I don't know what that preacher said. And he could have been referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But yes, we receive the Holy Spirit when we become a believer. If you read through the New Testament, the letters of Paul, you'll see this. He talks about the fact that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior that we receive the Holy Spirit. He comes to indwell us. However, there is another work of the Holy Spirit that God wants to do in the life of the believer, and that is the baptism. And it is something that we need to come before the Lord and receive and open our heart to because the baptism of the Spirit is for empowering, whereas the indwelling of the spirit comes when we put our faith in Jesus. And that is how we’re born again. Sue: And I feel like you covered that really nicely on Sunday, John Chapter 20. And that would be maybe a good thing for listen to. Pastor Paul: Go back and listen to John Chapter 20. We talk a lot about indwelling versus baptism. Sue: Irene said, “Been following you guys for a while now. And my query is about the Israeli and Hamas issue. Is there anything of what is currently happening a fulfillment of prophecy?” Pastor Paul: Well, I talked about this in a short video that I put on our YouTube channel. And I said that no, I don't believe that what is happening currently between Israel and Hamas is an actual fulfillment of prophecy in the sense of some sort of last days, prophetic sort of deal. It is an ancient war that is going on. It's an ancient hatred and animosity. And it is part of, I think, wars and rumors of wars, that we would experience in this time period known as the last days. There are some elements of what's happening in the world, however. I believe that the rampant anti- Semitism that is rearing its head in the world today is part of the hatred that we're going to see fulfilled prophecy in toward the end of the Great Tribulation. Sue: The next question is a little bit similar. Bonnie said, “I have had a discussion with my nephew about end times. His pastor is teaching that there's still one thing that needs to be completed before the rapture happens. We must go make disciples of all nations. This pastor says that the Bible still needs to be translated into hundreds of languages and predicts that will take until 2033 -- THEN the rapture could happen. I've been taught at my church, and I believe I've heard Pastor Paul say that there's nothing else that needs to be fulfilled and it can happen at any moment.” Pastor Paul: We're living in a day and age with the internet and satellite technology where the gospel is getting into the entire world. And, who's to say, when they say the Bible still needs to be translated into hundreds of languages that assumes that you have to have a Bible in your hand to get saved, which you don't. I was talking to Morigi just today, and he was telling about how as they share the gospel with people in some of these remote areas, the gospel is conveyed in stories that are just given orally, and the kinds of stories that a mother can retell to her children while she's preparing food and so forth. And these people are so poor, they don't have a Bible, but they've heard the gospel and the Bible and what the Bible says is being propagated through those people groups. So, yeah, there are some areas where the Bible still needs to be translated into some languages. But we also forget to that there's a lot of people in the world who are multilingual, and yes, the Bible might not be in their language, but that doesn't mean they can't read a Bible, or understand it from another language. So, I think there's a lot of assumptions going on in this statement that's being conveyed. Sue: You know that reminds me when I was in India about 10 years ago, and we stopped at a village or really remote village and I watched this method of evangelism in person. I just thought it was so brilliant. Our leader who was Indian went to the Swami of the village and said, tell me the story of your village. And so he told a story. Now let me tell you the story of my kingdom. And it was his way of leading in say, you tell me story. Now I get to tell you a story because I listened politely. And I just thought that is brilliant. I was very impressed by that. Pastor Paul: Creating open doors. Sue: Sure. Sally said, “Will unbelievers be in the millennial kingdom? And if so, will they be saved?” Pastor Paul: Once again, you got to remember the Millennial Kingdom is a period of 1000 years. I don't think when the Millennial Kingdom begins, there will probably be any unbelievers because Jesus you know, this big war will have gone…Apparently, over the course of 1000 years, some will doubt and there will be unbelief. Because we know that at the end of the 1000 year period, Satan will once again be released and will be allowed to deceive the nations one final time. I'm assuming that he will get a hold of the hearts of those who are unbelievers. Now, the Bible doesn't say that specifically, it doesn't say, and lo, there will be unbelievers at the end of the 1000 years, doesn't say that. What it says is that Satan will get a hold of some people's hearts. I'm assuming he'll be able to do that because they have unbelief in their hearts. So that's the best answer I can give you. Sue: Sure. David Bohn says, “First, thank you for your Bible teaching. I have a question regarding 1 Corinthians 12. When our works for the Lord are done out of obligation, will they be wood, hay and straw consumed by fire? Some days my service to the Lord is out of discipline and other days, my hearts filled with joy and a desire to serve. But without those days where my heart isn't involved. I might not reach those days filled with joy in service.” Pastor Paul: The Bible doesn't talk about our work, and whether or not it's joyful, or whether it's done out of obligation. What the Bible talks about is whether we've been faithful. Jesus is going to say well done good and faithful servant. And so, the issue is faithfulness. And sometimes we do things, not because we want to, or we feel all warm and fuzzy about it or inspired, we do it just because we're being faithful. And that's what God is looking for is faithfulness. Sue: That's good. Ken and Rhonda Clarke said, “Thank you for your word that my wife and I are enjoy as part of our morning devotions. I have a comment regarding your thoughts on 2 Peter 2:11 and Jude 8 and 9. I've been trying to get understanding of why the angels caution themselves not to speak wrong of dignitaries, etc. Could it be that all these “dignitaries” are a part of God's creation and we should not speak wrong or condemn any part of God's creation? I've been thinking that perhaps we need to separate the “created” from the “sin,” voice our disapproval of the sin but not speak evil of the sinner. I would like to receive your thoughts on this.” Pastor Paul: When they talk about this, they're talking about spiritual powers. 2 Peter 2 and Jude 8. When they talk about angels not speaking disrespectfully or wrongly of dignitaries, I believe that they're making reference to spiritual powers, spiritual principalities. I think that in both of the cases of Peter and Jude, they are responding to what was perhaps a common or popular thing among the believers at that time, and that was to have an arrogant sort of an attitude, where they're speaking against demonic powers and principalities in a very derogatory way. And these guys are saying, even the angels don't do that, so don't be arrogant and dumb. I think its Jude that said even the Archangel Michael just said, the Lord rebuke you, rather than getting into this long tirade of calling Satan names and speaking arrogantly and abusively. Even the angels don't speak abusively. So, dignitaries are not like senators. Sue: Sure. So I'm going to leap over a question here and go to Larissa’s question that seems similar, “How does rebuking Satan work? Do we speak directly to him or to God about him? Sometimes I feel like my rebuke holds no authority because I don't know which way to direct it?” Pastor Paul: I have kind of a problem with people doing a lot of rebuking of Satan to be honest with you. We have certain passages in the Bible where demons were spoken to directly by Jesus or Paul. And yet I think that Christians have gone way beyond what they should or what is appropriate. The Bible doesn't tell us to rebuke Satan. It tells us to resist Satan. Sue: Right. And that's exactly what I was going to say is, don't you feel like it's similar to what you just said a minute ago, unless you had ever heard someone teach you this just by reading the Bible. I don't know anyone that would come up with the idea like this is what I'm supposed to do is rebuke Satan. If you merely read the Bible, you would come up with the idea that I'm supposed to resist Satan. Pastor Paul: I mean, Jesus rebuked Satan, but he’s Jesus. So I'm just not a big rebuker. I think that we should speak to the Lord asking God to bind the work of the enemy, asking the Lord to go before us and clear the path. I think that's the way to go. I personally think that talking to Satan is a mistake. Sue: So Anissa said, “I understand that only God and an individual know what is truly in the individual's heart. But when one encounters someone who makes it a point to proclaim that they are a Christian, and they do not refrain from judging others, (even using scripture), but at the same time outwardly behave so contrary to Scripture that it's hard to believe they truly have Jesus in their heart, are those outward behaviors a better indication of the state of their heart?” Pastor Paul: Maybe, or maybe not, that's not ours to judge. It's not ours to judge. If somebody is claiming to be a believer, but their outward behavior is a contradiction of what they say they believe, then you need to pray for that person. That's the kind of the person that maybe James is talking about when he says someone who's wandered from the truth. So, lead them back, bring them back and pray for him. Pray that their lives would be a better reflection of what they believe in their heart. You don't know, we don't know what's going on in somebody's heart. And we should care enough to pray. Sue: Norman says, “Pastor Paul, my understanding is that all man suffer because all people suffer because of the sins Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden. Why is this? Why did Adam and Eve not suffer alone?” Pastor Paul: Well, because it's difficult to explain, but Adam and Eve were our representatives. They were in a way, kind of the corporate representatives of all of mankind that would come after, and they were given perfect environment. They were given everything they needed to succeed, and they chose not to and we are the recipients. Why it wasn't just limited to them, the Bible doesn't explain. Except to say that they represented us in the garden, just as Jesus represented us on the cross. So, we can be just as much the recipients of the blessings of Jesus as we are the curse that Adam and Eve brought. Sue: That's good. That's a good way to think about it. Pastor Paul: Well, that does it. Those are our questions for November. And we can invite you at this time to share any other questions you may have. So that when we get together for our December Q&A, we can answer your question as well. Feel free to email us at office@ccontario.com, or you can go through our website. If you ask a question on YouTube, it's hit or miss. We might see it and we might not. So that's not the best place to ask a question. So, either email us or go through one of the contact forms on our website at ccontario.com, and that's the best way to do it. Sue: So if you live in a country where you're celebrating Thanksgiving, we just wish you a happy Thanksgiving for this week. Pastor Paul: Absolutely. And we look forward to the next time when we can be together. Until then God bless you. Have a good rest of your day and we'll see you soon. Bye, bye. Sue: Bye, bye.