Guy Talk: Ask your Bible questions, continued

0:00Hi, I'm Bill Arnold. Thank you for listening to this podcast. There are many more podcasts available at myfaithradio.com. Your support makes this possible. Thank you. No reservations needed and walk-ins are welcome. Oh, don't you know it's the Bill Arnold show. It's Bill. And a warm welcome to the Bill Arnold show all the way from Minnesota to Sarasota and all parts in between. It's time for Guy Talk Hour 2. So what have we learned so far, gentlemen? I think Hour 1 went quickly and you also got pizza today. Come on. Thank you Bill. Well, I want to say it's great.

1:00Compliments of people like Kevin and Jean and Janie and Chris and people that have stepped forward and said I want to feed the guys pizza. That's their hearts. Thanks guys. May their tribe increase. So still some questions left over from Hour 1, but I'm looking for your question. I hope you have one. I hope you can send it over on the text line now 877-933-2484. Mike's got a question. My question comes from Matthew chapter 7 verse 22. Matthew 7 verse 22. How can a person do the three things? Prophecy, driving out demons and many miracles without having the power of the Holy Spirit living in them. This makes it clear he never knew those who did these things in his name. Is this a statement Jesus is using to explain that good works no matter how significantly impressive or even impossible can't replace knowing Jesus personally by faith through his saving grace?

2:10Because nobody can prophesy accurately, drive out demons or do miracles unless they are anointed by God to do so. Great question. What a comprehensive detailed question. The last part of the question absolutely we are saved by faith period. So totally agree with the listener on that. The first part, who are these people that Matthew is talking about here? I think you need to go back to 15. And my view of this passage is that Jesus is talking about false prophets here. Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. So by their fruit, verse 20, you will recognize me. Not recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. So I think he's still speaking of the false prophets and therefore the folks that will not enter the kingdom of heaven that never knew Jesus, I think our false prophets were never saved.

3:13Well, there are a lot of people today that use the name of Jesus, but they're not trusting in Jesus. He's not really Lord and Savior. Now, are there miracles, signs and wonders? Well, it appears that way. I don't know the full extent of it, but I know people that have been involved in that before they came to Christ. And yet they saw some real things happen, but even they didn't understand it. It just happened. The point is when you're not ready with Jesus, we still see things happen in this world and we can claim it's from him, but if you haven't submitted to Jesus, you're lost. You have to submit to him as Lord and Savior. So the message that was sent in is exactly right by the listener. If you're not right with Jesus, the rest of it doesn't matter. You're in trouble. But do you think that there are counterfeit prophecies, counterfeit miracles and so forth that the enemy empowers somebody to perform that it aren't a trick like a magician? I've known a couple of things. I think what the person is kidding. There's a number of testimonies out there of people who have gotten into the demonic, into reading, into spiritualization, into sayances and so on.

4:22And they'll tell you that they got to the point where they were accurate in a lot of what they read about people or communicating to dead people. They heard voices. This stuff is real. Remember the Pharaoh's servants threw down one staff and Moses and Aaron threw down another staff and theirs came alive and Aaron's came alive, but then the good one got up the bad one, obviously. I don't think we fully appreciate the power of the other side, the enemy and what they're capable of doing. So yeah, I think there's all kinds of false signs and wonders out there that are not from God, but from the enemy. Go ahead and I was just going to say my limited experience with that is this the devil is a liar and always has been a liar. The demons are liars and always have been a liar. So that those the witches and others I worked with, yes, have Jeff, you're exactly right. They say that. But rarely do they talk about healing of any kind. They talk about casting spells on people. They talk about bringing up the dead to talk to their relatives and things like that.

5:24They're good at performing evil. They're not really good at restoring lives because the devil doesn't have that power. Now I think they can get false ideas out of that. But it's when they really come to Jesus that it makes a difference. So yes, there's real power out there. I want to deny that at all. I've seen it, but I don't believe the devil can heal people that have disease and are dying. Yeah, I want to drill down on verse 21 a bit. Not that's what we started out with. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. In Western culture, we have this ability to proclaim a belief system that bears little correlation with how we behave. So what we say we believe is inconsistent with how we live, but how we live over time will always be consistent with what we truly believe at the core of our being, but this verse, this one verse talks about the importance of not just declaring him Lord, but to live as if he is Lord of your life to recognize your under new management.

6:35You're under a whole new governmental system called the kingdom of God and you ought to live like it. Well, I also remember John 6 says what then what must we do for God, the works of God, what does God require his works? And Jesus answers him, the work of God is this to believe in the one he has sent. So in Matthew 7, when you just read whoever does the will of my father will get into heaven, Jesus says, well, what's the will of the father and that is to believe in his son, the one that he has sent. So as the second half of that question accurately describes, we get into heaven through faith and faith alone, not by what works we do. I would just point out another thing because the listener kind of suggested that these folks that say Lord, Lord prophesied and drove out devils and performed many miracles. It doesn't say that they were successful in any of that, right? It just says we were doing this all in the name of Jesus, right?

7:40Well, there's a lot of false prophets who do a lot of things that make lots of predictions and make lots of claims in the name of Jesus who are truly not of the Lord. These are always caution people are caught up in witchcraft, the occult, you know, sciences, you know, all that kind of stuff. I take him always to act 19, you know, the sense of schema. We all know that story. And so the sense of schema, one of the priests, there's seven sons, you know, who are out there. Well, we answer you to the, you know, in the name of Jesus who Paul proclaims, they didn't know Jesus, but they're using his name. And the demon says, I know Paul and I know Jesus, you I don't know and then he beat them all up. That's what happens in my experience with people that get caught up in the witchcraft and other things. They have a certain level of power or they believe they do up to a certain point, but then that very power turns on them and they get severely beaten up. And I'm presently working with a couple of those people right now who are hearing voices who feel worthless, who feel are depressing, their life is over.

8:41And they're in their 40s where the problem is they've gotten to something they shouldn't have been in the first place. And so I'm trying to help them understand, call on the name of Jesus not to answer him, like, you know, Paul does. We're really likely said about the sense of schema, but call upon him as Lord and Savior and be set free. Totally. I think the the command that says you're not to take the Lord's name in vain is much larger than swearing. Yeah, we've talked about before. This is an example of taking the Lord's name in vain. You're claiming the name, but you're not even in the game. And so you're like that. Yeah, it rhymes. So you end up embracing an acknowledgement of the name, but there's no way in which you're living to support their relationship with that name. So when it says again, not everyone has says to me, Lord, Lord, those who do and live like their fallen creature are defaming the name. And if they take into the Lord's name in vain, be careful how you use the Lord's name.

9:44One last word on this, if you are truly born again, if you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you will never hear the words depart from me. I never knew you ever. I'm wondering about the once saved, always saved. I've heard it interpreted that it can be lost, which to me doesn't quite sit right. One of the verses given for being able to lose your salvation is Matthew 6, 14 and 15. What is your take on this? Matthew 6, 14 and 15. 14 and 15. Let me go ahead and read that first. For if you forgive others, their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. I'm trying to figure out how that relates to the question. Well, your sins aren't going to be forgiven then. If you are a Christian today and you're not forgiving, then you won't be forgiven by the Lord.

10:49The problem is that there's so many other verses after the cross. Remember, this was stated by Jesus before the cross. He came as a Jew. He was teaching to the Jews. He taught as one under the law to those under the law. And so everything in the gospels needs to be understood with that understanding. That's first. But just drop that for a second. Because I want to talk about the clear testimony of Scripture is that when you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are saved, you have been forgiven. Period. So I would not directly apply this verse to a new testament born again, believe it, because we stand forgiven. Now that doesn't mean that we shouldn't forgive others, right? That is a principle that's in the gospels and in the rest of the New Testament. That because we've been forgiven much, we should be forgiving towards others. That principle applies to us. There are two types of forgiveness that the Scripture talks about. One's called positional forgiveness, and the other is called relational forgiveness.

11:54When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, God forgives us. We stand in a position of purity. We wear the mantle of Christ's righteousness. We have been forgiven of all of our sins past, present, and future. So it's more of a judicial forgiveness. Relational forgiveness, which may be what this passage could refer to, has to do with when we sin, we break fellowship with the Father and the Son. And that needs to be restored. The relationship needs to be stored. It doesn't mean that our salvation is in jeopardy because we've been positionally forgiven once and for all. But relationally, in order for us to restore our relationship with the Father, we have to ask for His forgiveness. And what we mean by that is acknowledging that we deviated from His standards that He calls us to live by. And that we acknowledge that.

12:54And we thank Him for our already forgiven us positionally. And we ask that our relationship with Him be restored. I think, Greg, you a while back. Hit the nail on the head. I'll never forget this. You said, look, people can come forward in all our call and say the right words. But only the Lord knows the heart. That's right. I think the problem is in the churches, I've been involved in Lutheran Evangelist's admission on my ministry. And we've been to a lot of all our calls. I've watched that. And I agree with it. I have no problem with that. But the danger is we have to help people understand that it is not simply getting your sins forgiven. So you've got to heaven when you die. It's so you can also be a disciple of Jesus right now. And that's what we don't talk about enough. And therefore most people don't know their call to be disciples. Now that's not the basis then of their salvation. That's because of their salvation. But I don't think most buy into that. And as a result, we have a lot of people that are doing things. But they really don't know whether they're doing it. And they really don't feel that Jesus is with them. And maybe that's why disciples are trying to low up. Yeah, so here's one, for example, I'm in Colossians 2, verse 13 and 14.

13:58When you are dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God that's the unsaved you, God made you alive with Christ, that's your salvation. He forgave us of all of our sins having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness which stood against us and condemned us. He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Yeah. Christian, you stand forgiven positionally as you describe before God. Period. Here's a comment. It's because they haven't repented that their unsaved salvation isn't asking Jesus into hearts. It's repenting of sins and making Jesus Lord. Comment. Yeah, they did. In the church, unfortunately, we've often made the process a two-step proposition. In other words, we receive Jesus as Savior and enjoy the benefits that accrue to our account. But we're not yet ready to make them Lord of our life.

14:58And so somewhere down the road, when we feel the crisis enough, then we might capitulate, bend our knee, and say, okay, you're Lord of my life. But the person who submitted that comment is absolutely right that it does take repentance. Not a matter of just asking. First of all, asking Jesus into your life isn't found nowhere in scripture. It says, you receive him. That means you're receiving something you didn't earn. When you ask him into your life, you're the arbitrator to determine whether or not he's built up a good enough case for you to finally receive or to bring him into your life. So it says to receive him. So when you receive him, you're getting something that you didn't deserve that you acknowledge is given to you as a gift. I always like the imagery of falling into your knees and raising up your hands. Like when the police stop you until you get on the ground and raise your hands. We're surrendering. How would you know that time? We don't need to go into that now, but the reality is, I don't think most people think in those terms.

16:04And we have to help people understand that when you surrender, you give up all your rights and you give it all over to Jesus. Take a look at Romans 10, 9 and 10. It says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, Lord means that he has authority over your life. And believe, which means to trust and rely on and cling to in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Yes. For with your heart one believes and is justified and with your mouth one confesses and save. For everyone that says, Scripture says everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. So it's not a two-step process. You're receiving him as not only Savior, but as Lord. Not Savior today, maybe somewhere down the road Lord. Now does it happen that way? I'm not against somebody who rededicates their life to the Lord. Neither. And who may be living in a state of numbness for a period in their life until they finally come to a clarity about,

17:10I made a mistake of trying to run my life myself if I proved anything. I'm impossible for me to manage my life. I have to receive Jesus now as my Lord. So I'm not against rededication. But the initial process was never meant to be two steps. It's one, Saviorship and Lordship all wrapped up into one confession. We're going to take a short break and be back with lots more guide talk. If you have a question, please text it over 877-933-2484. It is my deepest desire that you take the very first step of faith by placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. If you've got questions about what it means to begin a relationship with Jesus, text the word faith to 41224.

18:11We're back with guide talk. Greg B. Tom P. Jeff V. Wyatt M. Bill A. We're all here. We're here to take your questions, 877-933-2484. Our one, I think we were asked about Moses and why did God want to kill him. And then in Exodus 424, it doesn't say that it was because he didn't circumcise his son. And that was disobedience. And that wasn't that why he wanted to do Moses? Yeah, so it wasn't killing him. It was not letting him into the promised land. So that was the consequence. So let's get that straight. And yeah, I mean, the account of him not being led into the promised land comes right after the account of him striking the rock when he was told to speak the rock. So I think if there's a cause and effect here, I'm going to put the cause on the account of him disobeying God taking credit.

19:13Must we bring water forth for you again or whatever he says in numbers? And also messing up God's picture of salvation, if you will, in striking the rock. So I guess I'm going to go with that one. All right. My next question comes from Chris. And that is this. After someone dies, is it acceptable to have all the ashes scattered about? I don't think it matters. I don't either. Because you're given a new immortal body, not one that searches throughout the universe to find all of the ashes to put you back together. That body is dead. Now, will we be able to recognize each other? We've talked about that on the show before. Yes, we will. But we're given a body like Christ. So it's not a matter of trying to resurrect what we once were in the form of some bodily fluids or ashes or whatever.

20:14I mean, it just stands to reason. If somebody is blowing the bits in a war, eaten by a shark or whatever, it just defies imagination to me. Well, the angels are going to find you wherever you're at while the pieces and put you together. It's not what the scripture really says because the scripture actually says you're given a new immortal body. I've heard that taught though. I've heard that taught that God's going to reassemble all the molecules of your old body. And I think you're absolutely right. We get a new glorified body immortal body as 1 Corinthians 15 describes it. One that is like Christ. He remember his, his body was changed from an earthly body to a new glorified body before he walked out of that tomb. And so he is the first fruits. And if there's a first, there's more. We are that more and we will receive a body. So we shall be conformed to the image of Christ in glory. I'm reading through Jeremiah right now. And you guys know at the very beginning of Jeremiah, what's the Lord say Jeremiah?

21:16Before you were conceived in your mother's womb, I knew you. Did he have a body before he was in the womb? No. But the Lord says I already knew you. The Lord has no difficulty in reassembling us or creating a new body because he knows us. And the body in the end has nothing to do with it in that sense. There are certain religions that have restrictions or prohibitions against cremation, which is the heart of the question. Islam, for instance, cremation is strictly prohibited. Orthodox Judaism strictly forbidden as the body is deemed a holy vessel that must return to the earth for biblical views. Eastern Orthodox Church, for instance, strongly opposes cremation. The high faith requires burial, prohibiting cremation. Jehovah witnesses the same. So there are religions that strongly believe that. And sometimes that I think while teaching is flows into our own Christian experience, but we have to go back again to scripture. What does the scripture actually say?

22:17I think there's two main reasons why Christians traditionally have not burned our dead, but rather have buried our dead. And that's the practice of in Judaism. They would bury their bodies, wrap them in spices, remember. And then after a while when the body decayed, they would assemble the bones and put it in an osher wary. And then that would be the permanent burial of the body. And the pagan nations in the first century are the ones that burned their dead. And so Christians, because of that primarily, and because of the belief about the resurrection, that somehow the body needed to be preserved in some way, I think that's the two main reasons. But I think biblically what we've been talking about, I don't know that there's no biblical mandate of what you do with the body. The body returns to the dust from which it came. When you die, Paul says, you're absent from that body and present with the Lord. So you are already up in heaven at the resurrection when we receive our glorified bodies,

23:17the dead in Christ shall be resurrected first and receive their glorified bodies. It has nothing to do with their physical earth tent, as Paul calls it, that's sitting six feet under, or wherever scattered over an ocean or whatever. At one time though, Protestantism and Catholicism, those traditions, they oppose cremation. It's now though widely accepted in those faiths, provided it doesn't signify a denial of the faith in the resurrection. My sister was a Roman Catholic, a believing in Jesus Christ, Roman Catholic. She was cremated, and the priest that oversaw the service as well as the wake had no objection with it whatsoever. So that's changed over time. Have you ever seen a Riverside cremation? I did when I was in a Paul. Unfortunately, when was blowing in my direction. Which is not good, because I still remember the smell. They were cremating the bodies.

24:17You cannot totally cremate a body with a fire over logs. We have an efficient way now. When they put people in those ovens and then 30 minutes, it's gone. They can't do that there. So I understand in the early days where the church said, no, no, no, no, because you still got hands left over, you got feet left over, you got parts of the body left over, and where I was at, they threw all the body parts in the river. And then down the river, you had women washing their clothes, you had kids playing the water, and the body parts. Now the reason I say that, and I bring that up as this, I don't think there's ever been a good theological reason for not cremating, except that it was not a practical thing in the ancient days, because they couldn't consume the whole body. Health reasons back then. Health reasons. Now we can do that. And to think why it's so close to dinner. No comment. Okay. I'll be over soon, Bill. Get that car ready. All right. Next question is this. A friend of mine says, Christ is the new covenant. He replaced the law with faith.

25:17This sounds wrong. What do you say? I agree that he did replace the covenant. He said, basically, he is the new covenant. Now he totally fulfilled the law. So he fulfilled the Old Testament law, and then gives us the new covenant. And he is that new covenant. In that new covenant, it is his shed blood that saves us. It is not by us following the law. But that's different than being a disciple and trying to do the right thing and follow the law for humanitarian reasons and honor the Lord, but not for salvation reasons. Yeah. There are six covenants that's discussed in the Bible. There's God's covenant with Adam. God's covenant with Noah, which was unconditional. God's covenant with Abraham, which is also unconditional. God's covenant with Moses. God's covenant with David. And then God's covenant with Jesus. When it comes to the covenant of Jesus, it foretold in the prophets, and it was inaugurated through Christ, this unconditional covenant promises eternal spiritual renewal, full forgiveness of sins,

26:18and an intimate relationship with God's law is inscribed on our hearts, and involves the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, enabling obedience, universal knowledge of God, and inclusion of all nations in redemption. So that's the new covenant that what the Bible actually speaks to. Yeah, I mean, there's a number of places in the New Testament where God describes that the old covenant of the law is done. It's been fulfilled. The Romans forces, the righteous requirements of the law have been fulfilled in us. But even more in Hebrews, it talks about this old covenant of the law, and if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, there'd be no need for a second covenant, but there was a need for a second covenant. This covenant is by faith, and it replaces the covenant of Moses with the new covenant of Christ. So I actually agree with the listener of the comment that the listener was quoting that says that the mosaic covenant is done,

27:20we have a new covenant. Now, you got to remember, one of the aspects of this is that when he says the old covenant, if nothing was found fall of the old covenant or that it's been replaced, it's not the Abrahamic covenant that God is talking about. It's the mosaic covenant, but yes, we are Christians or the, you know, we're not under the law. The law has been fulfilled. Christ has consummated or completed the law, and that law is completed in us. So yeah, we now live by faith. The righteous shall live by faith. And you might want to write these down. These are the biblical locations of that new covenant in Christ. Jeremiah 31 versus 31 through 34, Ezekiel 36, 25 through 27, Luke 22, 20, Hebrews 8, 10, Luke 1 Corinthians 11, 25. So all of those passages referred to the new covenant in Christ, just as you said, Jeff, about a replacement of the mosaic law.

28:20All right, we're going to take a short break and come back. Lots more guide talk ahead. Let me know a question you have. 877-933-2484. We'll be back. We're back with guide talk, Greg B. Tom P. Jeff B. Looking for your questions, 877-933-2484. We were just talking about remains. And another comment came in that said, pastors teach the earthly body raises up. And the spirit already in heaven is reunited for the glorified body. Yeah, this is, it's, this rising up needs to be defined because when it says, for example, in 1 Thessalonians 4, 16,

29:20the dead in Christ shall rise first. It's not a physical ascension of the earthly body. Like the listener pointed out, the dead in Christ are in heaven already. Rising, if you go through 1 Corinthians 15, which is the great resurrection chapter, it equates this word rising with the resurrection. So it has nothing to do with the physical ascent of an earthly body. It has to do with the resurrection or receiving our new glorified body. So nothing has to rise up from the ground at the resurrection. The resurrection is about receiving at Greg as you described it. This new glorified body that God will give each of his believers. All right. I was in an Uber with a Muslim from Ethiopia and got a little hung up on the fact that he thought we worshiped three gods. What's the best way to explain the Trinity? Oh, that's interesting.

30:21That was like all the time we have for today. Well, no, we'll be back next week. No, that's a great question because that's asked repeatedly. And of course, every illustration you use breaks down if you take it to an extreme. But one of the ways in which I describe it to my men and my ministry is I bring in a picture of water, I bring in a cup, a bowl, and a pot. And I say, now let the liquid in this picture represent God. If I pour this liquid God into each of these three receptacles, are they still God? Yes, they are. They're just bound by the receptacle, the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. But they're all God. St. Patrick, the 17th, we just celebrated St. Patrick's Day and he used as a teaching tool the three leaf clover that they're three distinct leaves, but they're one clover. He uses that. And then there are lots of other illustrations. But what we have to remember, we're not worshiping three gods.

31:22We're worshiping God who operates in different functionalities. The father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. I like that. I'll be using that soon in my sermon. Well, I actually bring it in a picture with all of that. I will do that. I'll be visual. I love it. This is one of the common attacks, if you will, by Muslims on Christianity that we are polytheists. We believe in three gods. In fact, on the dome of the rock in Jerusalem, which is a Muslim shrine on the temple mount in Jerusalem, where the temple stood, there's a number of sayings on the outside of that dome of the rock building. But one of them is this. God has no son. Yep. On the temple mount where God's temple stood, on the Muslim shrine, it says God has no son. So this is a common complaint. Now, in Deuteronomy, it says, the Lord your God is one. So the Bible is very clear that Christianity is not polytheistic.

32:25Monotheistic. It's monotheistic. Like Islam is, by the way. But then yet there's this mystery of how can God have a son? Well, the question is answered by an understanding of the incarnation of God in the flesh, in the form of Jesus Christ. So Jesus is God incarnate and walked the earth, the earth that He created. I like the example. You're one. You get, we're all one person. But we are body soul spirit, right? So we have a body, we have a soul spirit. I think the physical metaphors to understand the trinity, all fall short. But I think most people can understand that I'm body soul spirit. Well, we're kind of a three-part being. By the way, we're made in the image of God, who is also a three-part being, if you will, so father's son, holy spirit. So look, we could spend the next year discussing it and theologians trying to wrap our heads around the idea of eternity.

33:25But just know this. Christianity is not polytheist. We serve one God who came to this earth that He created in the form of Jesus Christ. A little clarification on a question. If we are alive and caught up in the rapture, is our earthly body changed in the twinkling of an eye to a glorified body? Yes. Where, boy, when were they got the, oh yeah, that's right in 1 Corinthians 15, where it says, I tell you a mystery, we will not all sleep, we will not all die. But we will all be changed, meaning we will all be glorified in a flash in the twinkling of an eye, just as the listener pointed out. That's what 1 Corinthians declares. That's if you're alive at correct. Yeah. The rapture. All right, will we have free will in heaven? If so, will it be likely that we could sin against God like the fallen angels did? And how would it be dealt with? I think what we're going to have is free will of choice, but we're not going to be choosing sin because no sin can be a part of heaven whatsoever.

34:34But we still have free choice about how what we do, where we go, who we engage in conversation with. That's all an exercise of free will. We're not going to be robots walking around. And, but we are now living in a resurrected, glorified body that is incapable of sin. I agree with that. It's kind of like, do you believe Jesus has free will in heaven? And almost everybody would say, well, of course he does. Well, so will we. Well, then why won't we sin? Greg, you described it. I think pretty well. Remember, we'll have the mind of Christ fully at that time. But an earthly example, maybe we'll help. Do you have free will to place your hand on a hot stove? Yes, of course. We do. But would you ever do that? I did. He just destroyed my analogy. But would you purposely do it?

35:35No. No, okay, purposely. Would you ever purposefully put your hand on a hot stove? Well, of course not. No, you're not going to do that. And I think that is a picture of what it will be like to be in a glorified body. Well, yes, we have the free will to do it. But why in the world would anybody ever do it? It would just would never make any sense. So I don't know, that imagery probably falls short in many ways. But that's the best I got. All right. Next question is this. What is a contemporary definition of the word covenant? It's a rather archaic word. Can it be updated? Well, covenant is, there are two types of covenants. There's unconditional covenant and a conditional covenant. A conditional covenant is one in which somehow whoever the covenant is with has to meet certain conditions. An unconditional covenant is directly from God. It's a commitment to a mode of action that is irrevocable and that God establishes.

36:42So another word for covenant would be what do you think, guys? Well, a agreement, a promise, a pact. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I don't... I get what they want to do. They want to change it because the word seems old fashioned or something. But the word is actually all over scripture. And so I think it aptly describes this promise that God has made in the different covenants with man. So it's really based on what God has promised is a major part of each of these covenants. What's interesting, we still do covenants today that we might call them contracts. But at the end of World War II, when the Japanese surrendered on the ship, they surrendered unconditionally. And so it was the winners who dictated all the terms. Those that surrendered accepted all the terms and agreed to live it. And if they didn't live in it, then the victor said, we're going to come after you.

37:43Yeah. And that's the same concept of a covenant. The most common and direct synonym for covenant in the Bible is testament as an old and new testament. Yeah. Representing, you know, a binding agreement, a contract or pact between God and His people. Other theological synonyms include things like a promise, an oath, a treaty, a bond, or a vow. Those are other words for the term covenant, but they mean the same thing. All right. I just tuned in. Do you go to heaven right after death, if you're a believer, or do we wait until after the judgment day? Right after. Paul, there's a couple of passages where Paul says that in Philippians it would be better for me to depart and be with the Lord by far, departing meaning death. And elsewhere, he says absent from the body at home or present with the Lord. So I think we can know from the New Testament that the moment you die and your soul leaves this earth tent,

38:43it is immediately with the presence of the Lord. I absolutely agree. Yep. All right. My daughter is 18. She mentioned she's ready to start looking for a boyfriend. Can you point me to some programs or books that might help her find a godly boyfriend or her future husband? Yeah. There are a number of resources out there for what to look for in a mate or what to look for and somebody that's more than a friend. And so my recommendation is that she, you know, Google, even Amazon.com and they have lots of resources like that. You just have to determine who published it and who is it biblical. And so you always take it through the lens of the Bible, but there's some great advice on what to look for, honor, integrity, commitment, being able to cherish you, to love you unconditionally. That's a tall order. I mean, we're all in the process of becoming it, not having arrived. But we'll see evidences of that in the relationship that this young man or young lady will have that will be able to be witnessed without them having to declare it.

39:54I've always, you know, it meses me today to young people how many different levels there are before you call yourself really dating. When I grew up, it was just, you aren't, you know, but they have all these levels, but it's a deeper level of commitment. You find out more about each other. You find out how they respond to crisis and how they respond to the faith. Do they love the Lord? Does their life give evidence of that love? Those are some of the qualifications. I think are absolutely necessary to find somebody that will cherish you and care for you as Christ would cherish you and care for you. If you find that book, will you help me and my grandson and my son get that book? It's like with two granddaughters that are now teenagers and starting to date. And my son's a nervous wreck over it and I'm not really happy either because I know a human character, but it is understanding those things. And I try to teach a lot of that in premarital and dating when I had, you know, when confirmation kids. But if there's a fine, if there's a real layout of those terms, I'd like to see those.

40:57Yeah. Or you just don't let your daughter date until she's 30 like I did. No, no. The main thing is that the Bible says that you should not be unequally yoked. Yes. Which means what does light have in common with darkness? So make sure the biggest thing is to pray for a godly man, a believer in Christ Jesus, to come along. And I would argue one of the best ways to help that is one pray. But two, bring her to church, have a robust relationship with a local church. And that's a great spot to meet a young man who loves the Lord. My grandson, Bo, is 22 years old. He teaches Sunday school, involved with her revived ministry. Wonderful. He lives at our house, working full time. He and I talk about this a lot. When we're away from grandma and everybody else, it's just Bo and I, we talk about dating and about what he's supposed to be doing is a Christian.

41:57And how he can help determine where there's young ladies at in a walk with the Lord. And I issue willing to say no. If he's inappropriate, or can he say no to her and it's respected? A comment came in that Christian book.com would probably be better resource than. You know, anything else? Yeah. Good resource. All right. We'll take a short break and be back with more guide talk. Let me know what your question is. 877-933-2484. We'll be right back. Hi podcast listener. You know, I'm Bill Arnold and my theme song says, What's for dinner? And like when I'm grilling, I'm paying really close attention. And I know that ideal second to get the food off the grill. Like all good and ideal timings in life right now would be an ideal time to be a cheerful giver to faith radio.

42:57Give now to support this podcast so that more people in more places might come to saving faith in Jesus and grow in their relationship and become a fully devoted follower. Click the link in the show notes or give now at myfaithradio.com. Welcome back to guide talk or guys who talk. The guys who are talking today are Pastor Tom Parrish, Professor Dr. Dr. Greg Borgon and Jeff Verdorn. All right. In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 29-4, and in the New Testament, Romans 11-8, people are given eyes that don't see and ears that don't hear. Aren't all meant to be saved? Yeah, that's God's heart. We know Peter says that God wishes none to perish, but all to come to repentance.

43:58And so that is God's heart. When you see a number of places in scripture, it says God hardens. It's always an unbelief, number one. So for example, one of the examples is in Romans 1 where he gives them over to their depraved minds. It's an unbelief. They've already rejected him as the creator of all, and they are worshiping and serve in created things rather than the creator. So God gives them over to the world. Or he hardens for something other than salvation. A lot of people point to Pharaoh that God hardened his heart. But remember, he was already refusing to let the Israelites go. God hardens his heart in a couple of places in his stubbornness to make it basically through these ten plagues. But that instance has nothing to do with salvation. And then finally, there is a judgment that has come upon Israel because they rejected the Messiah.

45:00And so they are experiencing a hardening in part until the fullness of Gentiles comes in. Scripture says. And so there is something there, but I think it's generally speaking. God, even of Israel, says they're always seeing, always seeing, always hearing, never believing. Have they not heard? Of course they've heard. So they've rejected him with full knowledge and full understanding of the claims that God has revealed to them. Nicely done, gentlemen. All right. Regarding these people who die and come back to tell a story of heaven or meeting Jesus, is this a possible dream or real? I've interviewed a lot of these people and what I've discovered is this. Dreams do not change the trajectory of your life. You come out of the dream and you say, that was really incredible. Or about that, but it doesn't drive you to a new way to live. It doesn't change your heart toward people in terms of forgiveness or unforgiveness,

46:03where I'm finding these near death experiences when they're genuine. Now, can somebody of a near death and not be genuine? I suppose. But the ones I've talked to, it dramatically changed their life. And I'm talking to these people three, five, seven, ten years after this occurred. And they still can't stop talking about it and it has changed. And I had one little girl say to me, my daddy is a different man since he had his heart attack. So the reality of how it changes people, I believe, makes it real. On the other hand, people can imagine a lot of things. I know that can happen, but I've never seen an imagination or dream change somebody permanently in the way they live. Doesn't that speak to God's amazing grace? Those are real. And I believe with you, Tom, that many of them are. They have similar characteristics. But it goes to extremes to turn us from our ways and to live differently. And who's to say that it doesn't use something like that as a major turning point?

47:07Because he knows that we're incapable of ourselves doing unless something dramatic is done. Which speaks again to his grace and what you just said a few minutes ago. He's not wanting anybody to perish. And so I don't think it's an impossibility. If you're really interested in this subject, there's two books that I strongly recommend. The first is called Imagine Heaven by John Burke. He looks at like 1,500 of these cases and looks to see what all of them have in common. And he's very analytical, very biblical in his investigation of all these cases. The second one is the new book by Lee Strobel, who I am a big fan of Lee Strobel's. He has a new book out called Seen the Supernatural, where he investigates near death experiences and counters. And he only is looking at cases that has external corroboration to the story. And he does an amazing job at looking at some of these cases. And so, yeah, Lee Strobel, Seen the Supernatural.

48:10What we were talking about resources for a young woman looking to date. Rosella sent over something that made me smile. It was a sign she saw at Hobby Lobby. And it's titled Rules for Dating My Daughter. Number one, have a job. Number two, understand I don't like you. Number three, I am everywhere. Number four, you make her cry. I make you cry. I got to get that book. I love that book. All right, well, we're almost out of time, guys. Can you believe how fast that went? What should we talk about on the list here? I guess I don't know what you mean by the list. Like we have going on at the station. If anybody's ever interested, I think the biggest thing to do to end the show bill would be to tell people if you're ready to come into a relationship with Jesus. If you are ready to make that decision, have questions about what that means, what that looks like. You're not alone. We're here for you.

49:10You can text the word faith that's F-A-I-T-H. Text that to 41224. And we'll get somebody connected with you. We'll send you some resources. And we'll get you equipped to better walk this path so that you're not in it by yourself. So hopefully this program has maybe stirred you towards that today. And yeah, just know that we love you. We care about you and you're not alone. And if you're in the kingdom, I will see you on the streets of gold someday. And if you're not in the kingdom, I want to see you in the kingdom. Amen. So give your life to Christ. If today you just stumbled onto the station and you heard us gab, it's been a really wonderful two hours. But most importantly, it's an audience of one. It's between you and God and God loves you. And is giving you an invitation today. Today is your day of salvation. Amen. I hope you experience nudging you. Say yes. All right. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for listening.

50:15Programming like this is made available through your support. Information available at myfaithradio.com. Coming this Easter in epic four-part audio podcast series, The Christ. My hour has not yet come. My son, your hour was written before time. Starring David O'Yellowow, who claims to be a king, Tom Palfrey. My kingdom is not of this world. Paul Walter Hauser. He is the light, the true light. With narration from John Rhys Davies and Patricia Heaton, The Christ, wherever you listen to podcasts. Bart Millard, lead singer of Mercy Me, says there was a season when his faith felt anything but strong. Literally feel like I was hanging by a thread. Even the stuff as simple as God is good all the time. All the time God was good. Like saying these things. You know, I didn't believe that. That's what would get the biggest amen if I said in front of a crowd. So if I did the right things on the outside, no one would interfere with the inside. In one of the hardest times, Bart learned God's love is secure.

51:15And so is his identity in Christ. Here Bart Millard's story on this week's episode of The Unfolding on Apple and Spotify. And at myfaithpodcasts.com.