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We're on all right, so if any of you Got questions, let me know
Kyle you got any questions no questions, huh? All right. Now you had some questions because your folks were gonna
All right. Let's see He looks pretty bad Here's not look good.
Look at him. He's not good. That's not nice. It's pretty bad. They're like a ghoulish
Ghoulish Yeah I'll find it
See that's a little ghouls is their brains aren't working right in the darkness. They're all you did.
Okay. Okay, so the question is So has a kayak needed with God to extend his life after Isaiah told him he would die
And God then told Isaiah to go back and tell him he would not die. Yeah, what about it?
well there I Think the question is that God sorry God was
Responding to them to what he had to them and not the other way around and relied of what I said earlier Yeah Then what
I was talking about earlier was eternal decrees choosing and salvation and things like that on The human level of course
God interacts with us and we perceive that interaction things like that Did God know that Hezekiah was gonna pray and ask for 15 years or for longer life?
Of course did God decree that that would happen. Of course. He did he ordained that it would happen So he ordained that Hezekiah pray so that God would give it to him.
It was all planned No problem at all, so we don't say that God doesn't interact
The issue of God's eternal decrees and him being reactionary in the eternal decree sense.
That's different That's a different topic That's what I'm having a problem with With some of the people who say that God looks into the future so to speak to see people will do in different circumstances then reacts before the
Foundation of the universe in order to make the universe in such a way that it'll do what he wants to be done
That's the problem but when God interacts with us and he does you know Adam and Eve in the garden of pre -incarnate
Jesus came walking with them and If they were to say something to him God would react and answer them
That's not to say that it's not decreed Or it's not within God's sovereign will or the people don't react in God on the human level like that.
Not at all No problem. I mean they have it in the Gospels. Just read Jesus talking to people
But God's the one who's ultimately in control People don't like that but they want their own control
But we are responsible at the same time Next question whatever
Rob's got one man. We need a light on them.
You look ghoulish too. Okay All right. So on the topic of will of the will
Could you explain because I know people are thinking it total depravity and man's will within Okay So, how does it work man's freedom within his confines of sinfulness?
This is where I appeal to Scripture above Philosophy the Bible says that the unbeliever is a slave of sin
Romans 6 14 through 20 who can do no good Romans 3 10 11 and 12 does not seek for God st
Romans 3 10 11 12 Is that enmity with God? That's Ephesians 2 15 his heart's desperately wicked deceitful cannot be trusted
Jeremiah 17 9 He's deadness trespasses and sins Ephesians 2 1 he is by nature a child of wrath
Ephesians 2 3 he cannot receive or understand the things of God for the foolishness to him 1st
Corinthians 2 14 out of his heart goes murders adulteries rapes pillaging things like that mark 7 22 and 23 and his hearse desperately wicked deceitful cannot be trusted
Jeremiah 17 9 so since the Bible says these things about people what
I Conclude is that if you're a slave of sin a hater of God who can do no good and cannot receive spiritual things and you're
Full of evil and you're dead in your sins and by nature child of damnation Then your free will is
Only capable of operating within what the scripture says about you which is
Hater God can do no good does not seek for God doesn't want to do this cannot that cannot this so therefore we conclude
They can't so I would say that total depravity biblically. This is a reformed position That people are free free.
Will is simply the ability to make uncoerced choices, but they had to be consistent with their nature and so as the revelation of God in scripture says the unbelievers a slave of sin a hater of God doesn't seek for God blah blah blah then he's free to choose those sinful things and If that's the case
That what I'm saying is correct. Then it would not if I'm wrong. We would not need to have verses like God Predestining people to salvation
Ephesians 1 4 & 5 causing them to be born again first Peter 1 3 being born again Not of their own will
John 1 13 being chosen for salvation 2nd Thessalonians 2 13 appointed to eternal life
Acts 13 48 I don't know which ones I've gone over already and verses like that if it's up to the person's free will choice
Then why does God say yet? You have to be granted the act of believing Philippians 1 29 Granted repentance 2nd
Timothy 2 25 our believing is not our work. Our belief is the work of God John 6 28 29
So you see if it's true that sin has incapacitated the fallen nature, excuse me, the fallen nature has incapacitated the sent the unbelievers ability to freely choose
Christ in a good work of redemption and Choosing him then if that's the case, then we would expect to find those verses where God opens the heart
God Grants God this God that that's exactly the case That's why
Jesus says you cannot come to me unless it's been granted to you from the Father John 6 65 And he grants we believe if it's 129 and it's not the case that God grants us believe means that he grants us circumstances and opportunities to exercise our free will if Prevenient grace is put upon us that enables us in a libertarian free will sense to then freely choose
God on our own not what it says it says he grants that we believe and And so that's how it is in Scripture and that's what
I believe That's what free will is Wait now to talk to defining what free will that's another thing.
There's debates on it. You're gonna ask question Josiah So just on a very surface reading it seems like Cornelius would be kind of an exception
Cornelius yeah In acts, okay Doing what because he was seeking
God before, you know encountering the gospel God certainly draws people and they're covenantally affected
God can work covenantally with Israel See God can work with a group of people. He can covenant with them the nation of Israel Jesus was sent only to the nation of Israel not to everybody
Matthew 15 24 and People were by circumcision entered into the covenant of Israel God works covenantally with them people within that realm can certainly desire
God and want God because they're covenantally made aware of these things and they are under the the
Covenant faithfulness of God to that people and they can want and they can desire him And but they're only doing that because God John 6 44
You cannot come to me unless a father draws you so they have to be drawn and it has to be the work of God So when we get to the point of regeneration
And this is one of the things that a lot of people don't understand what regenerate what irresistible grace is Irresistible grace is not the position that you cannot ever resist
God's grace. That's not what what that is It means at the point of regeneration That you cannot successfully resist the will of God and the grace of God you will be regenerated.
So Cornelius is just a man who God was working on preparing and at the point of God's calling
Regenerated him. He believes that kind of a thing, you know, and this is one of the thing I'm gonna say this right now really fast
Calvinism doesn't have all the answers. Arminianism does not have all the answers. No theological system has all the answers the one thing that I've been most
Stopped by is this kind of a thing? Molinus don't have They say they have an answer.
They don't have an answer Why does one person behave a certain way in a certain circumstance? Another one does not people say it's a free will
Why does one person free will enable them to do this and able to do that? the other one does not and this is the question that we can go around and round about and What I see in Scripture is this is that the more we preach the more people get saved
So we get God for a day that we preach and predestined they get saved but we keep doing that by our free decision
To go preach the gospel. How does that all work? I don't know. I Just know that's what happens.
And so I believe in God's predestination. I believe in God's election and yet I preach and teach as much as I possibly can in order to get people to know who
Jesus Christ is and That's just it's one of those things. That's just beyond us to understand beyond anybody understand
That's why they gave the gospel the day that that Roman Catholic guy over the thought of the radio today You know more advanced point because I want him to understand what's going on Is this kind of the practical application of John 10 sheep hear my voice they come to me
John 10 27 28 my sheep hear my voice. I know them And they come to me and I look I know
I'm not guessing not look gives an eternal life yeah, it's it's my sheep now who are the sheep and Jesus says in John 10 15,
I think or earlier I forgot where you are not of my sheep and that's why you don't understand
So then we get into the group. Who's the sheep? Who's the goats? Are they goats and sheep by election from eternity?
Yeah, it's another complicated topic But you know, so a second ago you said that it depends on how you define free will you elaborate on that?
Yeah, if you define something one way better than another way it has different reactions Even more even more.
Okay. All right. So what is free will? the ability to make choices Right or the ability to make choices that are not forced on you
Okay, or how about this? Because in those two my cats have free will
Right. So that is that descriptive enough to say it that way to be able to choose X or not choose
X Well, then my cat has free. Well, all right the uncoerced ability to freely exercise a choice
No problem But that's not really descriptive anything it describes unbelievers it describes believers
Describes angels it describes God. There's no real differentiation here. What free will is
Because I like to know what is it? Let me take a step step here See people will say to me prevenient grace
God gives prevenient grace to people. Okay, what is prevenient grace? Is it a cup of prevenient grace on that person?
Is it a spray? Is it a substance like the Catholic system and sacerdotalism?
What is it is a movement of God upon them? What is it? Because I want to know what it is to know its effect, but they don't know what it is.
Grace is unmerited favor So what does that mean? So these kind of questions and I I literally ponder these kind of questions about that and the issue of free will
Because people have been telling me let's say free Will is the ability to be able to do something right or do something wrong without being coerced?
See, that's what free will is. Yeah Well, then that excludes God because God can't choose to do anything bad
So now what you're doing is defining free will in a way that excludes the Creator who should be the standard of what it is
We define things by not sin, of course But if certainly we're made in his image and we have freedom which is a communicable attribute of God He communicated that ability to us in being made in his image
Genesis 126 Then shouldn't we at least include God in the definition of free will
Yeah, but I rarely ever find anybody who likes the free will issue and I ask what it is
They rarely ever define it that encompasses God Because they're starting with man. That to me is humanism
They're using man as a standard man has to be able to choose or not choose He has to be able to accomplish bad or not accomplish bad.
Otherwise, it's not really free Oh, does that apply to God? No because he can't choose to do bad
Then how are you going to redefine free will? Once I was in a discussion with somebody recently just defining free will on the
Christian first thing he did It was he went to an atheist definition. Why are you doing that?
So we can have common grounds of neutral thing so in order for us to discuss
What free will is from a biblical perspective then the revelation of God?
To really understand the issues of what God is saying We need to appeal to an atheist definition and you can see why
I would have a problem with that. I Need defended that position. Well, just trying to be neutral Nobody's neutral and I don't want neutrality.
I want biblical revelation as the source of my understanding so Can God choose to do evil?
No, is God free? Yes, then how do we define free will the ability to make?
Unforced uncoerced choices that are self -generated and that are also consistent with what you are
That makes that's now a second part Consistent with what you are. Of course that makes sense Why would you say that because then that includes
God he's holy. He can only choose holy things a sinner the state of sin, he can only choose sinful things and Definition works for both
So if we're gonna have a definition that excludes God That's not acceptable to me because we are made in the image of God and free will such a critical issue and free will comes from God because he has
It that we better be able to define it in a means that is consistent with his nature in essence as well He says be holy for I'm holy.
Cleveland's 116. It doesn't say be holy if you can try and you really do a lot of push -ups You'll be okay
He said be holy because I'm holy so we need to define free will because it's a standard of God. See ya
That's what has to happen Got a question How do you know
As a new believer and your knowledge is very limited on all this stuff. How do you know when you can start preaching to?
People and people in Colts every preaching as in a sermon or just just Defending the faith is teaching it.
Well in any aspect like teaching teaching somebody whenever the Holy Spirit gives the opportunity With so without any like being able to quote verses like you and trust and you could still it's appropriate to still teach
Even though you don't have you may be erring erring in some errors like or in some ways Chuck is this founded
Calvary Chapel and I used to go to Chuck Smith Church, and he told a story that I never forgot
He said that there was this new convert of a young girl Early 20s late teens range and she's a new convert.
She was excited about Jesus and what she's decided to do is go out to the park and just witness and She would go out there.
I think on a weekly basis. He told the story Got there on a weekly basis and he would just she would just preach the gospel just to people who would listen and this one atheist guy came up and Asked her all kinds of stuff that she did not have an answer to technical stuff
And she just said I don't have an answer. But all I know is Jesus died for sins.
That's what she said for your sins And if you trust in him, you can be saved from damnation.
You just trust in him. He got mad he left So this Incidents between he and she he and her between her he and her occurred for several weeks each week she'd go out there and he would show up and That she's oh, no here.
He comes again another difficult question another difficult question, and she didn't have the answers me
Oh here next one. I Get all the answers to go here. Okay, she didn't have all the answers.
She just preached the gospel Weeks later he comes back and She said oh no here.
He comes again. He walks up and he says what do I do to get saved and Became a
Christian So do you have to have all this knowledge? No, you need this kind of thing
If you're a teacher of stuff like this and you do apologetics on a broad scope
Then you got to have answers to preach the gospel. You just need to know what the gospel is That's all online questions
Okay Now we have an OBS listener Okay, and I asked him to move on from the very first segment to ask this question in this segment
But we have questions that are older than that. Whatever you want to do the
Jewish Matt slick once said I don't see the point of the distinction of natural and free knowledge
My question is would he recognize the distinction of knowing something as possible and something as actual?
of course There's a distinction between a distinction But it's gonna be there's a distinction between what knowing what is actual and possible because one is actual one is possible
When I talk about God's natural knowledge where I understand it is probably a mundanely simplistic view
It just simply means God knows all things that are possible That's what I've understood natural knowledge to be all things that are actual impossible and possible.
Okay? well then that means he knows everything and So I just don't have a distinction of necessity with middle knowledge and free knowledge at that point
So what I suspect will happen is that people are going to start saying well Here's the nuances that you would have to understand and that's fine
So I'll admit I've not studied those three issues as much as I'd like to To get into that those nuances, but I don't see much difference or necessity of differentiation yet So there you go next
Well, you're gonna read questions, yeah sure Okay So Jackson How does the
Reformed view of the total sovereignty of God square with conditional covenants or promises by God made towards?
humans throughout the Bible I'm referring to if then statements in which it appears that God is giving man a choice between two options
Which will in turn predict set consequences to come to pass example
Exodus 19 5 or Deuteronomy 7 12 I don't see any problem at all.
I've already answered the question and dealt with that Earlier God's sovereign decrees and sovereign afforded nation is perfectly consistent with if then statements if you do this, then this will happen
That's exactly correct is he saying though if you do this is based upon your libertarian free will
Which I don't know what you're going to choose But if you do this and this and that that's not what's happening in what sense does the if then statements occur if then is an
Actual possibility or potential possibility and either one is known by God and only the actual possibility
It can be foreordained by God. So he does condescend to our levels of speak to us in Anthropomorphism she comes to Adam after the sin in the garden and says to the man, where are you?
Did he know where he was? Of course, he knew where he was. What's he saying? Well, he's saying more than just a question. Where are you?
He's dealing with the issue of of an anthropomorphic kind of a relationship in that God has reduced himself so that we can understand certain things and there are certain
Moral responsibilities that we have if then statements are true if this happens then that is a consequence
Of course, God tells us that we have the ability to operate freely and we do operate freely and God knows the conditions
That'll happen under different circumstances I have no problem with that at all because he says what are you Chorazin?
Where do you tire if you didn't know these things have been happened you would have repented But then we get into this issue right here necessary congruence
That's a phrase I coined to explain something, but we may get into that little bit if I have to time But the issue here is that if certain things happen the
I think it will get into it right now The reason things will happen is because that's the necessity of things happen. Let me explain so We have for example the cross
All right, and we have this is eternity here. And here we have election and Predestination But these can't occur without the reality of this
So they're necessary to that. They're congruent Necessary congruence election and predestination cannot occur without the cross without the cross there can be no election and predestination and so when we are walking around here and We get redeemed here by the our faith in here that can only happen
Okay this election predestination can only happen this a necessary Set of conditions that are congruent.
They necessarily must be in relationship with one another So the same thing with what do you cause and if you had if you had done these things to be necessary congruence?
Not only would you have repented but the reason you would have repented because the other conditions necessary Would have also been in place for that to occur as well
So an if -then statement has a necessary congruence to it if this then that because if God Has the cross he can elect
He can predestine because of this if this then that but if this then that and so there's this necessary congruence
It kind of works both in the if -then statements is how I see it That God can call certain things to occur and say if this happens then that will happen because he knows that's how he would have ordained it in that circumstance and if he did then those other things would have happened because God would not just say this one thing will happen and maybe
Well, it's a bad one. Maybe that'll happen with it. No, there's a necessity of what
God ordains will occur with other things that occur So if this happens is because God ordains it then that will happen because that's what
God ordains He knows and he's telling them what the conditions are at the same time We have the ability of human responsibility and the reason we have human responsibility is because we're free
Well creatures made an image of God we have the ability to make those choices yet God does not force us to make those choices.
He allows us but yet the same time They're foreordained and they are arranged by God to occur yet.
We're free at the same time, right, right? He didn't catch it. It was
I thought was good. It was a good right in there He just like this was a smooth dodge. He went It's kind of a smooth dodge it wasn't like I Said that's not what
John 316 says that doesn't say whosoever. It says pass out the stool own It says the believing ones all believing ones.
It says this here may do this Actually, John 316 actually says in Greek not whosoever
Whosoever is this? Okay, that's whosoever. All right, what it actually says is
Pass His stew on whoops
All right, all the believing ones That's what it says in the
Greek. God's love the world that gave his only begotten son that all the believing ones Would have everlasting life.
Let's say it doesn't say hosts in the Greek, which is who whoever Okay. Oh, you got it.
There you go. Now. He's ready. What next one? By the way,
Jackson said do you remember Jackson from the Parliament of the world religions is he the
Mormon dude, dude How are you, man? Hey, yeah, I remember Yeah, he's the guy who recommended my site to me not knowing it was me
For real and I didn't I didn't read all the literature, but you can't witness and proselytize
I was so doing that and I saw this guy coming up. I go man. He looks like a Mormon Looks like a Mormon really nice guy and we got talking
I'm asking him questions and he said, you know what after about five or ten minutes he goes, you know what? There's a site you ought to check out and I go really what's that?
He said calm And I said really because yeah, he said you're he was actually seriously very polite
He goes you're the kind of guy that would like that kind of site And or something like that, okay, and I was chuckling and I said, oh
I agree with you. I would and I said yeah, cuz son the guy wrote it he goes what and so it was kind of a nice coincidence there
No, but he was a nice guy. Yeah, he was I remember him He wrote me later, too on You want me all right, you want me in oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah. Let me in. Come on here chip From Michael Michael a
Williams, how do you respond? How do you respond to an Armenian who asks if men are totally depraved and can't respond to God on their own?
Can't positively respond to receive Christ on their own Okay, then why would
God have to send a strong delusion on them and speak in parables so that they would not believe?
Okay, strong delusions out of 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and 3 comparables that he won't believe is out of Mark 4 10 through 12
So here's my response to the 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2. The reason he would send a strong delusion is further judgment
God gives judgment not only in the day of judgment, but also in this life as an exercise of his sovereign right that is as shown to be the truth in Romans chapter 1 verses 18 to 31 or the 32
Where it says there he gives them over to the depravity that our hearts in their minds. He's giving them over to He's allowing them to believe
The lie and increase them in their unbelief and being given over to why do that if you're totally depraved?
Total depravity means they cannot freely choose God of their own free will doesn't mean they can't act bad It does mean they act bad and being given over as a judgment means they're gonna act even worse because that's what they desire
They're getting a judgment upon them second Thessalonians to send a strong deluding influence So they believe to the lie for one thing
God does that because that's what he decrees will happen and second That that is his desire that they believe the lie in that sense in the permissive
Well, we're however you want to call it He desires that they believe that lie to accomplish his his will now
King Sihon in Deuteronomy Was delivered over because God desired to put him to death.
I forgot the exact references. I want to say 243 I don't know if that's right or not just came in my head. So I don't think that's right 2443 whatever
I could see almost see it just kind of weird but So when he says that he sends a strong deluding influence, it's not because they're going to believe the gospel
That's not what the implication is there but because it's even more of the deception upon them for the purposes of Allowing other things to come into fruition that God has ordained as far as Mark 4 10 through 12
Why would Jesus need to speak in parables? This is my answer Jesus is God in flesh if he commands it it's going to occur because that's the nature of God if he were to speak a command to people for them to repent
They got to repent So if the non elect are there he speaks in parables so that they will not come to that place of repentance because he says he
Speaks in parables so they will not be forgiven. That's what he says in Mark 4 10 through 12
That means it's God's choice that they not be forgiven So why would he do that? because this is my explanation because his word is so powerful and so strong and so sure that if he were to command that they
Believe they're going to but they're not elect which is why they don't he speaks in parables So they won't like it or not.
That's my position Next what's that?
I'm preaching when I Mean I mentioned it Okay, so I'm preaching at Calvary Chapel Eagle 10 o 'clock the service starts in which is
April 2nd, I think it is 2017 here for later whatever things so I'll be preaching on get this
I'm gonna knock this to give the whole message But the basic thing is the inter -trinitarian communion with the eternal decree and the eternal sonship
Must start off with that and I'm going to bring it down to the communion you hold in your hand Because we're having communion that day and I have to give communion and I'm intimidated by giving communion every single time because I am
NOT worthy, so Anybody wants to go you're invited
I'll have slides I'm gonna go click next slide. Now.
Look at this and now see this and I'm going to show something out of the encampment of Israel And some stuff anyway
Yeah, I go to Calvary Chapel even though I'm a five -pointer and they're not I'm all mill they're not if a baptism they're not
Post -trib rapture, they're not but I go to that church and he left me preach
I've preached five or six times now and because I don't preach or push Calvinism, I don't care and just a good example of what it means to have people who can
Fellowship with differences of opinions and then a week after that. I'll be preaching here literally upstairs at four o 'clock on Sunday This church right here
Oh at 1400 North Cole Road in Boise, Idaho You know next to the
Albertsons just yeah, so pastor Chad asked me if I'd preach on the resurrection So I'll be preaching on that and that'll be a covenant issue to a little bit the resurrection and some stuff
What? Next question is from Tammy blue. She says
Tammy blue. Yeah Yeah, a little I don't have any disagreement with what you have said
Matt My question is that when God creates people who have a purpose to glorify him
Pharaoh Adolf Hitler, etc Is it difficult to reconcile or it is difficult to reconcile that they are created and destined for damnation because of their hearts
He does not create evil. Yes Why is this so?
He creates all things According to his will there's all things up to the corner of his will
Ephesians 1 11 It makes all things even the wicked for the day of destruction
Proverbs 16 for in Isaiah 43 7 it says that were created for his glory
Those who are damned can glorify him as well as those who are saved those who are saved can glorify him There is an interaction of some sort that God does not reveal on how we are with him throughout history and his eternal decrees
I Believe this is way beyond us and I don't believe anybody should even venture into trying to solve these issues
Because the scriptures simply don't declare them We know for example, and I think it's a second
Samuel 24 1 That God the got the anger of God incited
David to number Israel, but as I can say about 24 10 David said he's one who sinned by doing that So God is in control
God influences, but people are culpable people are responsible So Hitler for example, no one forced him to be evil
No one forced him to do that. A lot of people don't know this incidentally But he was a low -level corporal in World War one who got involved in the occult and Very few people know about this and when he got involved in the occult in astrology
And if you know anything about Hitler and you've done any research and documentaries on him you'll know that at the end of the war he was appealing to astrologers constantly and They had some hunts for longinus spear the spirit appears to decide and some other things and some spiritual artifacts
He was involved in the occult. Some people some Christians think that that's what fueled his rise to power and then the spiritual connection with the hatred of the
Jews in Germany, I personally believe that if Christians had been in place of the
Jews and the Christians would have been the ones who've been assaulted and No, Hitler wasn't a Christian even though he said he was a
Christian. He said for political reasons He could lie and do what he wanted So he was involved in the occult.
No one forced him to get involved with the occult No one forced him to do these things yet in God's sovereign plan.
He's like Pontius Pilate. He's like Herod Predestined for these things to occur and in God's in God's sovereignty
We don't know why God would allow it. I have a theory though. Let me just jump into the theory. Sheesh Genesis 2 17
God says to most to Adam the day that you eat of this fruit. You're gonna die I believe he was talking not only to Adam but to everybody ever lived and Jesus says
I think it's Matthew 24 22 He says if those days be not cut short or not be cut short.
There'd be no flesh. No life left. I believe that the prophecy of Genesis 2 17 the day that you eat of the fruit you're going to die they're referring to all who are in that in Adam 1st
Corinthians 15 22 and Romans 5 12 that in Sin and the world in all sin and that it's going to bring us to the place of damnation
Excuse me of bring earth to the place of self -destruction. I'm a pessimist when it comes to our our future
I believe that things are gonna get so bad as as to be apostasy wars rumors of wars pestilence famine
There's going to be the rise of the Antichrist. There's going to be the killing of Christians. There's going to be blasphemies of all sorts
People's hearts will go cold There's going to be hatred people are gonna turn each other in it's gonna be bad
And then Jesus says if those days be not cut short, no flesh will be left So that's what
I believe. I believe it's a gigantic. I told you so When he's going to come back and stop the destruction of the world, that's my view
I know it's not very optimistic. That's just my view because I see scripture and that's what I interpret scripture to teach ultimately so Hitler Stalin Mao Tse Tung are all those who are in God's sovereign plan
To help bring them bring the world to its fruition and to allow the world to come to its fruit fruition of death
Whenever anybody rises in power who's not a Christian Death not whenever but a lot of times death as a result if you were to look at atheistic regimes and Those who openly were against Christianity in the 1900s over 100 million people were killed by Non -christians, you can go to my website and look up religion number one cause of war see the documentation a documentation clearly says that The unbelievers are the ones who were doing all the killing and only six point nine eight percent of all wars
Recorded wars are religious and half of those are by Muslims, but anyway so Hitler and all these bad guys
Did God make him do that? No, did he ordain that he would do it? Yes It says he predestined
Pontius Pilate Herod the Jews and Gentiles in Acts 4 27 28 to do whatever God's purpose predestined to occur
Yet according to Acts 2 23, they were also responsible God foreordains what shepherds shall come to pass because he works all things after the counsel of his will
Ephesians 1 11 But they're also responsible. I Hope that it's a long answer for short question, but That was your sister -in -law.
Oh, hey, how you doing? What's her name? Hey, Timmy He is ugly he's like just it's bad,
I mean one day he came in here with where's all hey How you doing Cameron it was and that was that was
Nathan and Nathan's pretty pretty hard -hearted when it comes up ugly stuff You know hang around me. I guess you could say and He's used to it.
See I'm just jumping in on these guys already See ya Bye They come on in this study anytime
Tammy you see around see it around are they around here Anytime you're coming in you can just come on into the study
Mean glad you can fire questions at me and what'll happen is you'll say I don't like liking him. He's a nice guy
That's what happens. I'm a nice guy and I'm humble They're smiling
Okay, good question though, it was a good question Passability is how can
God be affected and passability has to do with the issue of is got affected by our decisions and is he affected emotionally and I would say in one sense.
Yes in another sense. No So does God know what we're gonna do? Yes Do I is
I look at it as an analogy my wife and I said, let's have kids we have kids But before we had kids do we know that they're going to irritate us?
Yes Do we know that they're gonna say things? Yes, they're gonna shoot. We don't want them to do are they gonna make messes?
Oh, they're gonna make messes. They're gonna cost me everything. Yes Okay, let's have kids and so am
I affected even though I knew exactly what was going to happen Yes, and so in that sense
God can certainly be affected because he's rational and he's he has emotions He reveals them to us and so he can be affected by us and he could be saddened by us.
But at the same time He's not surprised by any of it because he knows all of it. So how can that work with God?
That's when philosophers get in and say well the possibility of God if he's already known this thing then why would he be surprised because the affections being that he knew and that's why he's upset or and then
I Just look at it as this way God knew all things from eternity to treat what would over come to pass and yet he's also affected by what we do
Because that's he's by nature a God that is expressive and he cares about us and we have fellowship with him
First Corinthians 1 9 we have intimacy with them. We can relate with them We can do that and so that's why we'll see
God say it has saddened him and he's grieved in his heart and things like That for a sin just as I know that my children are going to do something.
I don't want them to do And I expect them to I know they're going to I'm still grieved even though There it is
Hope that helps more questions
Is it permissive will an unnecessary category because if God allows something does he not decree it that way?
Depends on how you define decree and permit permissive. We tend to define them. Some theologians don't see any necessity differentiation between decretive prescriptive and permissive.
Well, and I like those definitions because as Molinists like to say his free middle and or his a natural free natural middle and free knowledge
They like to define things in order to get different aspects of an understanding out and that's that's fair to do
That's what they want to do. So in one sense if all knowledge of God and his decrees are set
Then there's no real need to have a permissive will definition in one sense. That's true another sense.
It's not Because we know that God has prescribed certain things don't lie don't steal but he certainly permits them
So when we see his prescription, we call it as prescriptive Well, we see you permit the contrary prescription will prescriptive will we call it the permissive will and it just serves us
Well in theological circles to be able to say things like that. Was it something I said, is that why you're leaving now?
It was okay. Good. You're listening. Okay. I thought you'd like really insulted by something
I said I See ya something to walk her out when you guys want to walk her out
All right All right, Rob There's something maybe he's out there.
Just make sure all right But you care the ladies would you take care of ladies you go through our purse later.
Yes Okay Is there any emotion that God has that is can be viewed
Will not sin because you can't sin so how do some of that we attach emotion with you know, like pure hate
We don't think of God as having We don't think of God as having Is that He does not have any sinful emotions but God does hate and Hate is not sinful because God can hate
Psalm 5 5 Psalm 11 5 God hates all who do iniquity so I Like to say that God's emotions are perfectly expressed and ours are filtered through our sinfulness
And we all know that very well We all know that we will react in a way we should not react
Emotionally even knowing we're gonna do something wrong never happens with God But he loves perfectly.
He hates Perfectly. He is is gracious and kind and merciful perfectly, and so he's the expression of all these things at the most perfect way and I like to tell people
This is I'm glad you asked that because a lot of times I didn't perceive myself in answering questions.
It's just being intellectual But I like to talk about the emotions of God too.
I don't get to do that very often But he cares about us and he loves us and he desires our fellowship and it's not because he's lacking and yet He's very
Compassionate. He's very long -suffering and he will weep with us and he will grieve with us
When my wife and I lost our son Jacob Well, if my wife were here
I could just spring it on her and say hun Do you remember the presence of the Lord and his comfort?
She'd say yes and In the middle of all of it He was there and I was aware of his tenderness as aware of his compassion and his suffering along with it
I don't know how we know it just was all I know and Unfortunately what
I do for a living Doesn't let me get into that realm very often because I have to battle the atheist battle the
Mormon Battle the Jehovah's Witness battle the Muslim and it's all here Not all but it's 98 % here.
And so I don't get to Demonstrate those issues of Compassion feeling emotion as much as I'd like to that's something
I'm working on personally because of my Asperger's I have to really make an effort at it But it reflects on the issue of God because I don't want to present
God as as an uncaring simply dictatorial sovereign being who decrees
It's just you know, and and to be honest, this is one of the areas. I think all the all theologians just fail at We Calvinists the
Armenians Lutherans there just comes these certain places when you get to the issue of God and his
Greatness and his sovereignty. How is it that he suffers with us? How is it that he loves us in a way that he's so different?
How could he do that and We can only understand it by analogy our own experiences which are filtered through sin
And so we sometimes Relate God to being something like that.
For example, we would hate when we hate we tend to do it a very negative way But there's a righteous hatred.
I hate rape. I hate child molesting I hate these things, you know murder.
I hate these things and there's nothing wrong with that. It's righteous hatred Well, God says he
Bible said the psalmist says Psalm 5 5 Psalm 11 5 he hates all who do iniquity That's a righteous hatred because of their unholiness their rebellion their desire for evil so we can hate them, too
But on the other hand God loves them Matthew 5 43 through 48 He has a generic love for everybody and as a sovereign love that it's there so our thing as Christians Is to learn how to exemplify both of those now for me to be perfectly honest
It's more difficult than most people because I've asked burgers people who don't know what that is it is a an autism spectrum disorder where we don't connect socially and Generally, we don't need as much social interaction and because of that also we don't need as much emotional continuity emotional
Connection as as as many I only need My wife I'm satisfied with with that and I have one friend basically one good friend, you know
And I'm that's all my need. That's it. A lot of people they need a lot more.
I Don't need that. So that's a disadvantage for me because when it's just discussing and studying the issue
Of God's compassion. I'm in a little bit of a disadvantage that way and so I have to work all the more on it
But that's just what it is God uses broken vessels and then there are people who are very good emotionally and not so good not to knock them
Intellectually, and so they don't understand some of the deeper things of God that would need to be said That's why I think the body of Christ needs people like me a broken vessel with Asperger's who's more intellectual and other people who are not
Broken vessels but far more compassionate and can bring out those aspects of God that I wouldn't necessarily focus on but as far as Is that with God and emotions?
God likes him he has them and he gave them to us and we need to use them in a
Glorious way of God glorifying way and even pray not only for our minds But are for emotions to be given over to him and use for him as well
I've actually wanted to teach on this about what emotions are what they're supposed to be with how they reflect out of God in our image what their purpose is and That what we're to do with them.
I've never taught on that. I thought about that. Maybe I'll do that sometime Yeah, how about that have a robot teach about emotions that's kind of like that right
Have mr. Data teach about emotions. That's right. Mr. Spock Yeah Yeah, I turned on the emotion chip actually when
I was younger believe it or not I Was so compassionate as a child
That I would suffer when I see other people suffer I would truly suffer and it took me years to turn that off because it was almost incapacitating and I don't talk about it very often
But that's what it was I could and to this day I can never I Can't watch two people get in a fistfight people yell and scream and to hit him hit him
It causes me pain and suffering to see that just to watch it. I don't I don't like it and You know, so that's an issue of compassion and Things happen to you and you turn it off.
Oh, he's mocking me You're demented because you like to see that yeah
I know why I stopped watching it, but you did I did Yeah, we didn't really count there weren't people but it
I liked it because I did I liked it because of the Characters development and I enjoyed how that was developed
I tell people it's not about the zombie just about the people and then when they did the last when they did the season opening
That's it. I'm done. It was too gross Too much. All right
There's only aliens now so I need yeah, sorry, Danny Richardson I see your question wouldn't election as taught in Calvinism simply make us pawns in God's great chess game question one
That those who aren't elected by God Sorry for you. You can never repent
My suggestion will be to read Romans chapter 9 verses 9 through 23 and Just deal with the issue there
If you don't like it, I would also suggest you go to a you know, just a normal Stationery store get a magic marker and you can just mark out those verses
Romans 9 9 to 23 If you don't like them The Bible says he works all things after the counsel of his will
Ephesians 1 11 another verse you can get rid of and it says It does not depend upon the man who wills or the man who runs but upon God who has mercy
Romans 9 14 or 16 I forgot which So that's what the Bible says It's not
Calvinism. It's scripture That's the issue. What does the
Bible say? The reason I'm a Calvinist is because I believe what the scripture says and I see this word
Calvinism aligned with it So I say well, that's what I'm I affirm It's not I don't
I don't have a Calvinist lens. I look the scriptures at I don't do that People think
I do but I don't that's why I quote scripture all the time. That's what it says here It's what it says here.
It's what it says here. They call that total depravity. I agree with that So does God predestine?
Yes, why Ephesians 1 4 and 5 he predestines Okay, does he elect? Absolutely Ephesians 1 4 and 5
You go to all kind of verse about election and choosing of individuals for acts 9 15
Romans 16 33 I think is one of them. I've been a while. So I've done that one and we're God It does that with individuals.
So I believe it now people say well then why do you make me like this? That's Romans 9. We've robots upon who you know, why
God answers the question. His answer is none of your business That's what he says
Romans 9 9 to 23. So we talked about right thought about earlier tonight Start not trying to be dismissive it's just That's what it says.
It's not Calvinism. It's what it says That's that's all that's important to me
Yeah Chose anybody to be saved And we're no we're not pawns.
That just means like an inanimate object mismoved around at whim. It's not like that Okay, we have our sovereign so to speak rights and wills, but that sovereignty is like this
It's a goldfish bowl and the goldfish is sovereign in his little domain, but I can move it where I want it to go and So I can even tell it
I can bang this side and moves over here I can do what I want, but yet it's in sovereign in its little realm
We have this little realm of our freedom, but God moves us where he wants us to go That's what
Proverbs 21 one says God moves the heart of the king where he wishes it to go And there's no chance like I said, you know the lots cast but the decision is out of God's in God's hands
That's Proverbs 16 33 so It says
Request to do this Bible study in the Trinity why I mean I will I have no problem that good next week I'll just respond to what people want, but why in the
Trinity just curious any particular reason is it a Mormon? I mean, I've no problem.
If it's a Mormon I can cater it to that Responding that way if it's somebody just wants to know more about it.
I can do it that way What's the underlying kind of reason I can I can kind of shift it a little bit towards something?
I'll do the Trinity next week. How about that? Okay, just cuz someone asked do what?
Emotions next week He might take me two weeks to prep on emotions though I have to kind of I got to kind of bring him up again.
Okay. What was that like to feel compassion? Okay, what was that again? What was that again? That's right. Hey, honey.
Yeah, can you tell what a compassion is? Okay, you know, oh you're just gonna mad at me again for not for asking it again, what do you good, you know compassion
Another quick question. Do you consider Orthodox Christians the Greek and the Coptics your fellow brothers in Christ?
No Do I consider the Greek Orthodox and Coptic Christians to be our brothers in Christ?
No Let me hold off on the Coptic one But what I understand of the
Coptic they are similar to the Greek in that they believe in a form of idol worship
I can't agree. I mean, I am not a you like this. I am NOT a icon a duo.
I'm on a kind of classed A kind of duo is someone who likes icons a kind of class to someone who does not
Basically, so I do not approve of icons I believe it's a form of idolatry and from what
I understand in both of those realms you must Salvation can be lost
Easily by not maintaining proper relationship with the church and proper relationship with the ordinations
Not as in an ordained minister, but the requirements. Let me say that those respective churches
Obligate you to follow in order to be and maintain yourself as a Christian So they're just variations of Catholicism with a little bit of Protestantism sprinkled in kind of a thing
I've done almost no research on Coptic Christians but I've done a fair amount of research on Orthodox Christians and In Twin Falls two hours to our east.
I met a cat a Greek Orthodox priest and we had a discussion and I offended him because he
I said what's your name? And he said father so -and -so And I said well,
I'm not trying to be offensive, but I can't call you father I don't believe it's biblical to do that. And I said
I can call you. I don't mind calling you pastor I don't agree with you, but you know, I just say that part, but I can call you that he goes.
Don't call me father And I just explained to him That it would be
I don't believe it's biblical. I'm not going to go against what I believe against Scripture I said no, you don't understand. I can't do that.
He goes to call me father. I said I said look dude. What's your first name? Oh He did not like that and because I just I got his face.
I go look You know, I you're asking me to violate my conscience. I'm not gonna do that.
You know, it just got me mad that's a little bit mad and He did not like it
Yeah, go chalk him and so I have a friend this is part of the story get this
I have a good friend I've known for 35 years and He's the guy who got me involved in apologetics by reading the quote from Joseph Smith where Joseph Smith boasted
He did more than Jesus to keep a church together history the church volume 6 page 408 409
Read me that quote got me started in apologetics. That's his name's Charlie his son
Chuck broke his neck body surfing in Southern, California and is one of 12 or 15 walking quadriplegics in the world and And He walks, you know, like he's drunk like that and highly intelligent guy.
He had a national ranking in chess Last time I played him I beat him He was nine and I barely beat him and I mean
I lost 40 IQ points that day because I was fizzling sounds Trying to stay ahead of him when he made a one bad mistake was just stupid mistake and that was the only reason
I beat him and It took everything I had for that to beat him and so he called me uncle
Matt still he's like 45 and 40 something like that and he goes to be gonna play chess again. I go.
Yeah, that's my pledge. I beat you I don't need to worry about it Never gonna happen again But anyway, he is
Greek Orthodox and he tells me this stuff and I say Charlie his name Chuckie. I call him Chuckie See Chuckie, dude
You were too smart for this and he believes it's the only true church and I need to come to salvation in the true church
Oh, yeah, because all the system next
Hear that crack we have a question from Jackson Washburn I Would like to ask
Matt if his perspective or understanding of his own initial born -again Experience when he first came to Christ has changed over time if now looking back
He sees various events that were taking place in a different light if he can see the hand of the
Lord more holistically now yeah, I do see the hand of the Lord more holistically and One of the things
I will say is I'm more convinced of the error and the lie and the deception of Mormonism Because of it my conversion experience.
I don't know you can ask him or I can ask you to reply Has he read my conversion experience? because if he has
Talking about it sometimes difficult because it's like hey look at me Experience But my experience
I guarantee he has read it, okay, I Guarantee that if he'd had this same experience
I had he would never ever ever have become a Mormon and See, here's the thing.
I had this experience of Jesus. Some people might don't know what that experience is now I gotta tell you I've already mentioned
I lost my son. You can imagine what it was like to carry His little coffin in your hands
Okay about this big and lay his body in the coffin down by the hole in the cold dirt and open it up and see his face
See death and you put your love letter saying goodbye into his Grave it was coffin and close the lid
You look up and everybody the entire place is watching the father do this and you can imagine how horrifying that would be and how much weeping and Tearing of the soul and the heart would occur at that And that's what happened that day for me
Tearing grief ripping and clawing at my heart and the pain that I suffered was incredible Now I say that because when
I was 17, I went to a church That trick in the walking up front to receive Jesus, whatever
I thought about just leaving I saw it remember some member the exit sign And I'm gonna skip details, but I'm gonna tell you
But I went down on my knees just okay, cuz everybody else is doing that but I don't follow the leader just whatever.
I Said if Jesus is real, I might as well. Give him a try So I started praying and asked Jesus to forgive me the power of the
Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit himself overshadowed me bang
I dropped my face to the ground threw my face to the ground in that church and yelled out my agonizing tears of shameful sinfulness and the presence of incredible holiness
I Wept harder that day than the day. I buried my son. I Was from my soul
Because the deepest part of me was touched Not only the day I buried my son that grieving part
The fatherly part was ripped and torn and shredded But the complete totality of Unholiness in my own self in all my parts was revealed
By the presence of incredible holiness and all I could do was yell moan
Weep groan my agonizing tears in the presence of incredible purity and This went on for about a minute and all
I could do was convulse in agony Not because the
Holy Spirit was trying to harm me. He was letting me experience his purity and the contrast between him and me was too vast too great for me to fathom and to take and Then Jesus was next to me just right here
Two feet to my left two feet behind me. I don't know how I knew just knew he was there I remember his presence.
I remember his looking down at me couldn't see him or touch him It wasn't like that. I remember his awareness of me.
I remember being aware of him. I remember His concern I remember his attention. I still remember it.
I Just knew he was looking at me. He was examining me. He was considering me And I was waiting in the midst of my wailing agony.
I remember it very clearly And I waited what's he going to do? But I needed him.
I wanted him and he stepped into me and my sin left
And I was born again That's what happened to me my salvation and my life was radically changed
And I could tell you details about that Two years later, I'm at a
Bible study Chuck Spine my friend had just mentioned whose son broke his neck Read me this quote and all these affidavits and all these indictments.
That is all the devil all corruption You false swears all hell boil over you burning mountains roll down your lava for I will come out on the top at last
I have more to boast of than ever any man had I've done more to keep it sure together to the days of Adam I boast no man's ever done such a work as I need to John Paul Peter Nor Jesus has ever done it the followers of Jesus ran away from him with the
Latter -day Saints I've never run away from me yet history the church volume six page 408 409 when
I met quote was read to me I didn't know who Charlie was. I just met him right there I snatched that paper out of his hand crumpled it and I looked at it.
I was angry and I said who said this? Because that man had just boasted whoever it was had just boasted that he had done more than Jesus to keep it sure together
Why do I react so negatively? Why do I react so not violently, but so violently? Why do
I react so powerfully against this with such anger because I knew who Jesus really was
And I knew that anybody would countered him would never ever say anything like that you just would not it was not possible and Then my friend
Charlie said that's Joseph Smith and I said, who's that? He said that's the founder of Mormons Mormonism.
And I said, well Mormons are Christians, but he's not And my friend said no
Mormons are not Christians. I said, yes, they are And he said no, they're not and I said, what do you mean?
They're not He started explaining to me what Mormonism teaches God's another planet a goddess wife.
I went what? you gotta be kidding me and So that's what started me studying and all my apologetics that's what happened
My experience with Jesus my testimony is extremely powerful not to hey my testimony is better than yours
No, Mormon I've ever encountered has ever matched that powerful testimony And I know for a fact anybody who encounters that testimony the real and true and living
God Cannot be a Mormon cannot be a Roman Catholic cannot be a Muslim cannot be a
Jehovah's Witness Because it's the truth of who God really is in his presence and you cannot follow anyone else after that So have
I seen things more holistically? Oh, yeah Mormonism is all the greater of deception
It's a great deception and all who die in Mormonism are going to eternal damnation.
I don't want that I want them to abandon their feelings and their so -called testimony, which
I can destroy the scripture and their own resources And I can tell you Joseph Smith is no true teacher.
He was involved in the occult and He got his information from occult sources
And you Mormons don't know because your history has been polished. You started doing some real research. You'd be surprised what you find
And what you're doing is you're denying the truth of God's Word and believing a lie for the sake of your testimony and your feelings
So that you can you be justified in the arrogance of either potential becoming a god That's a very powerful thing
That's a very powerful thing to Control you and how do you resist it by becoming born again by throwing yourself at the mercy of the true and living
God Not the brother of Satan begotten through sexual intercourse between God and his goddess wife who came from another planet
Which is what Mormonism teaches you don't need four secret handshakes for secret hugs and each secret underwear
To get into the temple ceremony to shake hands with God in the celestial hand heaven the third level of celestial heaven
Which is the Church of the firstborn and you don't need that in order to Be with God Here's a question.
I'm gonna ask the Mormons and they can deal with this later and Matthew in Matthew 27 Been a while 43 53.
I can't remember the tail the tail the veil the temple is rent Now the veil which is about this thick about 6 to 8 inches 4 to 8 inches some people think for some people think 8 in between very thick veil and when they went to the
Holy of Holies there was the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat and inside the Ark of the Covenant was a Ten Commandments the
Jar of manna and the and Aaron's rod The high priest would go around that curtain once a year in Yom Kippur and offer sacrifice by sprinkling the blood on the mercy seat and he'd come back out and the holy place
This is the Holy of Holies the Holy The division between them was by the veil the Holy of Holies the presence of God in the holy place
You know you could be there, but you enter in here you better have blood That's what the high priest had to go through ceremonial cleansing and everything when
Jesus was crucified God himself tore that veil apart When Jesus was crucified in the blood of God the blood of the
Lamb Was shed that veil was torn from top to bottom In the very presence of God God got rid of it.
God destroyed it. So here's the question for the Mormons Why do you put back? What God destroyed and you call it sacred and God got rid of it if you have the true temple
Why is it that your veil is still there a thin thing with little slots that happen to match the exact same thing?
of the Masons and their symbols on your underwear your undergarments and It's supposed to be sacred and Yet, it's not what was on the veil in the temple
There's no Jew would ever say that was the case And these little symbols on them that you put here and here and there and there and that like that with slots
He's it cans through That separation was there was permanent until the blood of Christ was shed and then it was destroyed by God and you guys put it back
You still have the separation between you and God You still run to that law and the law will condemn you the law will kill you the law will destroy you
And when you die, you're gonna face a rude awakening and you're gonna discover that the God of Mormonism There's no
God at all was a demonic manifestation perpetrated upon you and upon other unsuspecting
Mormons who've relied on their feelings and doubted the Word of God and believe a lie and All because Joseph Smith said he saw the father which first Timothy 616 says no man can see the father
He dwells an unapproachable light whom no man has seen nor can see. Oh, yes. They saw God in the Old Testament You're gonna come back with yeah, that's right.
Genesis 17 1 Genesis 18 1 X is 24 9 to 11 Exodus 6 2 and 3 number 12 6 through 8
You give me these verses where God is seen and Jesus says in John 6 46 Not that any man has seen the father except the one talking about himself.
The one has seen the father They never saw God the father in the Old Testament. He cannot be seen
Paul the Apostle says so Jesus says he's not been seen and yet Joseph Smith said he saw
God the father that proves right there Mormonism is false It proves Joseph Smith lied But what you're gonna do is a
Mormon you're gonna continue to believe what you want to believe and your feelings over the Word of God God's gonna allow you to do that and part of the judgment upon you will be out of Romans 1 18 through 31
That you will be given over to the lie To believe that lie and promote that lie to others as you serve a false
God That's what Mormonism is guilty of My heart's desire is that all
Mormons leave the Mormon Church and come to faith in the true and living God You can't get to heaven by keeping celestial law
Joseph Smith was not a true prophet. You need to come to Christ the real Christ. You need to repent next
Andrew wants me to stand in front of the camera. I'm going to stand in front of the camera for Andrew. Andrew Rappaport is forcing her to go in front of the camera.
Talking about apostasy. Only for Andrew. Andrew. Incidentally, Andrew Rappaport, he runs strivingforeternity .org
I tease Andrew, but he's a great guy. He's a good apologist and a good man of God. So I tease him, love him, don't want to admit it too much publicly, but I just did, didn't
I? Oops, dang it. Why are you asking to see my wife and not me, Andrew? There's obvious reasons for that.
Okay. Okay, first of all, Noah's Ark 1962 responded that he has run into some
Christians that believe that the Trinity isn't in the Old Testament. And that's why he requested that I would study on the
Old Testament. Because of that, next week I'll do a study on the Trinity and I'll show it to you in the Old Testament as well as the New. But it is in the
Old Testament and I'll just get it all together. More better next week.
Okay, thanks. Okay, the question is, what are your thoughts on theosis, the
Orthodox, not the Mormons? I'm not sure exactly what the Orthodox position of theosis is, even though I've read it.
But theosis means becoming God -like -ish. But there's a hint of divinity inside of you, but not just in the indwelling, but a change in your essence and your nature in God -ness -like.
But when I repeat that to them, they go, that's not what it is. Well, then tell me what it is.
Well, it's like God living in you, but there's more than just being in you, but you're kind of changed in your essence to divine.
That's what I just said. No, it's not. And so I've had this kind of discussion with them. And so they tell me it's not what it is.
When I read the material, I repeat it back to them. They don't seem to agree. But then I read it again, they agree, and I'm confused.
But theosis is basically the doctrine, basically the idea of becoming God, not
THE God, and becoming divine. But there's a hint of divinity in with us, not just by indwelling.
And it's like an infusion of God into us and a change of our nature. That kind of thing.
It's weird. When I ask them about details, I don't get many details.
I just get told I don't know what I'm talking about again. I don't think they know what they're talking about.
Any more questions? Thanks for the water, man. So here's a question from Adam.
In Genesis chapter 18, it seems as Abraham is reasoning with God, asking him not to destroy the city if there be any righteousness.
And God seems to change his mind mercifully, answering Abraham's cry. Can you please explain this situation for me?
Sure. James 5 .16, the prayers of a righteous man avail much with God. I believe that's what it is. We can influence
God because God has ordained that we influence Him. Now this gets into the tough stuff.
How can God ordain that we influence Him? I don't know. He knows all things from eternity.
So He knows we're going to ask Him? Yeah. How? Because He's ordained that we're going to ask
Him, which is what He wants. So can you do that?
Yep. Genesis 18, we see God working with Abraham on Abraham's level.
Abraham is allowed to in the freedom of his own redemptive state because he was justified before God.
Romans 4 .1 -5 talks about that. Abraham was already justified. And so if he's in that state of a good place with God, well, then he has influence with God, yet God ordained it.
This is really tough stuff. We can't solve these issues. And we shouldn't try. It's just what the scriptures teach.
And so what I like to draw out of those things is I can ask God to do things.
And I'm freely asking Him, and there's an influence on Him. But how does it work? I don't know how it works.
He's ordained that it works. He works all things out of the counsel of His will. Even my desiring something of Him, which
He will accomplish because I desired it. Which He ordained that I desire.
Okay? That's when we need Kramer to go, you know, one of those Kramer things.
You know, his brain goes, you just blew my mind. You know, something like that. He said that once. I remember that.
Yeah. We're done? No. A couple quick ones. Jackson wants to know your thoughts on the
Parliament of World Religions high and low points. Well, for me, it's all high. The Parliament of World Religions, which met in Salt Lake City a year or two ago when
I went, thoroughly enjoyed it because I like heresy. And I had a wonderful time at the
Disneyland of heresies. This ride, that ride. Get in this line for that heresy.
Go over here. Buy an e -ticket for that heresy. It was just, for me, it was a wonderful time. I was just like, hey, look. Here's over here.
Ecken car. Let's go over here like that. You teach what? Yeah, I teach that the ethereal presence of the essence can be found while you're showering.
Okay. That's cool. And so you can find anything and everything you want. I actually know a guy who said that.
Yeah. He was my old algebra teacher from Orange County. And when
I was assistant pastor at a church in San Diego, I saw him walking someplace. I said, hey, you taught me algebra and trigonometry.
He goes, oh, I remember you from 25 years earlier, 30 years earlier. And he told me how he got revelations from God in his shower.
And he's starting a new religion. Yeah. And I said, was the water really hot or really cold?
Because that can affect your mental faculties and stuff. So I really enjoyed the
Parliament of World Religions because, for me, it was just a heresy fest. And for someone like me, that's great.
It's like a football guy going to the Football Hall of Fame. Whoa. That's what it was like for me.
Yeah. The heresy fest. People walking around with dots and things like this. And, oh, one of the things, get the old picture someplace, people were, oh, couldn't believe it.
People, I watched this, got it on film, too. I'm going to bring this in sometime and show you. Big circle of people, big area, right?
Picture, I don't know, 100, 200 people in a circle. And somebody's in the middle.
I can't remember this best I can. Guy's in the drum. And they're going, hurdy, hurdy, hurdy.
Like this. And they go back, hurdy, hurdy, hurdy. And they were doing this chanting thing and the circle would get big and come back in.
And I'm like, what's this doing? What's it doing? Hurdy, hurdy, hurdy.
We're in harmony together. And I'm like, you've got to be kidding me. And they do do this.
It went on and on and on. And they were like, you know, I remember once at a New Age convention, you know,
I would talk to these people and this is no lie. They didn't do this here, but it's the same kind of thing because New Age is the
Parliament of World Religions on a lower scale. And so here's a chair, right? I remember seeing this once.
This is for real. It's the same kind of thing, okay? So there's a guy sitting in a chair like this, okay?
Just like this. His hands are like this and he's sitting very stiffly. Okay, he's sitting in the chair and there's a woman, this is all public, for $15, blah, blah, blah, you know.
And so there's a woman's on her knees in front of the guy, going like this.
And me, I'm walking by, okay? I'm like, dee, dee, dee, dee, dee, dee. To me, it's like it's the same thing as a
Parliament of World Religions, the same thing. I'm like, and she's going, and he's sitting right there, his knees are right here, he's like, and so I'm watching this for a couple of minutes.
I got to get this in my head. Am I seeing this? I'm watching this. This is really good. I like what I'm seeing right now.
This is really awesome. Okay, I can do that for, I think it was $20, she said she'll do this. And I said, after she was done,
I didn't interrupt, I said, can I ask you, what was it you were doing? She goes, I was blowing away his negative energy.
And I'm like, and I was standing behind him. I was standing behind the guy. What happened?
I got the negative energy, look at this. It explains a lot. And so, who's got a pen?
You got a pen? I need a pen, a bigger pen.
Okay. All right. Well, that's a good throw. So I come around the corner, and I see, pretend this is a candle, lit.
And I see this, the guy's like this on a table, and it's in his ear, okay?
And it's lit, and he's sitting like this. And it was a cone candle, you ready?
All right. Not bad. It was a cone candle, and I just started going, what's going on?
It's cleaning out the earwax. Okay, good enough.
And then there was one thing, this is no lie, I love talking about this. This guy was sitting there in a chair, right, and he had on earphones, speaker earphones, and he had on his glasses.
And you could see the light alternating in the glasses, you know, just on, off, on, off, on, on, on, on, on, like this.
And you listen, you hear this, so it's just a light, right?
And so I'm sitting there going, I just enjoy it. And I took my professor from seminary with me, and he loved it on the way back.
He goes, you are right. That was better than Disneyland. It was awesome. He said it was great.
He was talking about his classes teaching. Matt and I went to this new age thing, and you were great what we saw. And then preaching,
I went there and watched him preach. He goes, yeah, the new age of matter, you sit over there, we tell you, he did really like, yeah, I did, so. And so, and I said to the worker, what's that?
And he goes, well, what's happening is the alternation of the ears, the auditory senses, and the visual senses, by the energy, and then balancing, like that, we're balancing the left and right brain hemispheres.
And what happens is, after about 15 minutes, you get a head rush, and that's when you're balanced. Yeah. And no wonder you're getting, after a while, you're going, you know, hey,
I'm balanced now. It was all kinds of, and one more question after this. Went up to this one big vat of crystals, of different kinds of stones and crystals all mixed in.
It was like $5 each, or $20 each, or something like that. And I remember this, I just did it again,
I just hadn't watched. And this lady would do this, pick up a crystal, pick up another crystal, another crystal.
She went on for like three minutes, and she finally goes, yeah.
And then she puts it into a little thing, and she's, OK. And I said, ma 'am, what are you doing?
Well, I'm trying to find the crystals that I'm in harmony with. I got more stories, but we got questions.
Parliament of World Religions was like that for me. So at the risk of embarrassing my wife one night, she's got that candle stuck in her ear.
And she wants me to do this with her. And I'm like, stick your candle in the fire in my ear.
Did your wife see her? No, she wanted me to put it in my ear. Did your ear not see that? She had it in her ear.
I didn't realize. I didn't realize. It does, though. There's a way to do it. They even had a thing on how to take a buff properly.
There's all kinds of stuff there. Look, if you're going to go to a New Age convention, you've got to go.
What's good? Super Bowl, New Age convention. New Age convention.
There we go. OK, two more questions. Two more. Yes. What are your thoughts on the
Second Temple Judaism? I don't have too many thoughts on the Second Temple Judaism.
I haven't studied it enough to be able to tell you. It's a rare topic. I just don't know enough about it to really comment. There were some definite changes that occurred there and some heresies that crept in.
And there's some revival and some other stuff, but I won't get into it right now. Andrew says your face is hurting him.
That's why you need a better computer with the alchemy filter on it. Imagine being in person.
Yeah. I think this is our last question. Last question? OK, last question is good.
Do you believe that Jesus died for Queen Jezebel? Do I believe that Jesus died for Queen Jezebel?
If she was elect, yes. If not, no. Was she saved? I'd have to go in and see.
I don't have a. I've never been asked that before, a Queen Jezebel. Say, probably not.
So if she's in hell, she wasn't paid for. I believe in limited atonement. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.
He didn't bear the sins of those who were in hell because they couldn't go to hell. Their sins are taken care of and removed.
Without the law, there's no imputation of sin. Romans 5 .13 what? It's all right.
There are different views of the atonement and what's accomplished. I'd like to see some other people come in and talk about what they view it as.
I see it completely as a legal substitutionary atonement. One more question?
That was it? I think we're done. I hope you guys all enjoyed it.
You know what? Before I close up, let me ask this. Those of you who are listening, if you would be so kind, go to the bottom of the
CARM website. On any page, you'll see the contact info at carm .org.
Just email me. We set up for forums and things like that. Sorry, we've got to try to get things organized.
We've got so many. Just let me know. You like this, what you'd like to see covered, what you don't want to see covered, what you enjoyed.
I'd like to just know where you're coming from, as far as your religious background. You don't have to do this.
I'm just curious where you're watching from and things like that. This gives me an idea of what's going on. If you want to give me more information, great.
If you want to give me just a little, that's fine. It doesn't matter. I'm just kind of curious. That's all. We'll see how it's going.
May I add to that? Add to that? Sure. Do I have to include that? I don't know. Can they hear me?
Yes. Okay. While you're there at that page, and we know that you enjoyed this and want it to continue, since you're there to bring a message anyway, you can hit the
I want to donate button and donate some money so that this continues.
Then you have to go to a different page for that. We don't have them located, but it's on the website. You can go to the home page if you want to donate and help support it, which we do need.
I really haven't said how our finances are going, but right now it's not good.
I'll be probably doing a segment pretty soon on what's going on, and then we'll probably make some major changes.