Thru the Bible - Questions & Answers

Guest (Male): Does God change his mind? Should we be involved in politics? And who were the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? Well, these are just a few of the questions that we'll discuss today, so join us.

Welcome to another edition of the question and answer program. Our Bible teacher is Dr. J. Vernon McGee who answered the questions of his many listeners for over 30 years. And thankfully for us, those answers have been preserved for the benefit of generations to come. This is a ministry of the Thru the Bible Radio Network. Today's program covers a lot of ground, and we start off running with our first question, which comes from a listener in Gresham, Oregon. She says, "Would you explain the meaning of Isaiah chapter 66 verse 17?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: You need to put that passage of scripture back in its context and what he's talking about here are the blessings that are going to come to that land. He also describes the condition that it will be in in that day. And verse 17 in chapter 66 deals with that. And let me read it. "They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord."

And what he's saying at his return to the earth that there will be those that will be very hypocritical, living under the Mosaic system. They will be slipping around back of a tree or back somewhere where nobody can see them. They will be eating pork, which God forbade. And the mouse is something else. Now, I wouldn't care for a mouse, but apparently in that day it probably will be some kind of a delicacy.

Today sturgeon's eggs is just considered a rare delicacy. Somebody was telling me that it costs something like $500 a pound. I don't care for it if it was 5 cents a pound, I wouldn't want it. I don't care for it, but it is a delicacy for great many people today. In France, you can order snails if you want to. They're nice, you know, fat and juicy, and a lot of people like them.

I don't care for them, thank you, but in that day, apparently they'll be eating the mouse and that's another thing. I really haven't cultivated a taste for as a mouse, but they'll be doing that. It shows you how far that some will have gotten away from the Mosaic system. I think that's the reason that it's given to us there.

Guest (Male): Now, this San Lorenzo, California listener would like to know how to properly interpret the passage in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 26 through 31.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And it reads, "If we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." And you give it all the way down to verse 31. "Maybe we should read a few more verses. But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.

Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he hath been sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite to the spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said vengeance is mine, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge his people. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Now, he's talking here, those who sin willfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth. Now, they've received the knowledge, that is, they've heard it. Now, what is it to sin willfully? Would be to sin against that knowledge. How could you sin against that knowledge? Well, by rejecting the Christ that is offered to you. If a man has heard the gospel and continues on in sin, his sin then is worse than it was before.

And there's nothing in the world for in the future but that fearful looking forward to the judgment of God. And that if under the Mosaic law men were punished that despised it, then certainly those that despise the Lord Jesus Christ and his offer of salvation, well, there's no more sacrifice for sin. There's nothing for them to do if they've rejected Christ.

There's nothing else, you see, but fiery judgment awaits anyone that has heard the gospel, received the knowledge and then just go willfully on. And the willful sin is to reject, of course, the Lord Jesus. I think that passage is very clear-cut.

Guest (Male): Our next question comes from a listener in San Bruno, California, who returns us to the Old Testament. He says, "Would you please explain if Deuteronomy 14 verse 7 is for the Jews of those days or is it for Christians today as well? Some say we can eat what is clean, but I can't find that in the scriptures."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Well, I'll show you something even clearer than that as far as the Christian is concerned relative to his eating. If you go over to First Corinthians at the 10th chapter, and I'm going to turn there, and it will be the 31st verse. And it says, "Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Now, he says don't give offense to these people. And if you go back and find out what he's talking about, and actually it was meat that was offered to idols.

You see, the best T-bone steaks and the best fillets were offered to the idol, but they only stayed there overnight, and the next day they were removed because the idol was supposed to have partaken of it during the night and got his share, whatever it was, and then this meat is put on sale. And a great many Jewish believers thought it was terrible to buy that meat that had been offered to idols and eat it. Now, Paul says it makes no difference whether you eat meat or whether you don't eat meat.

Doesn't make any difference whether it was offered to an idol or not. Now, he says, for the sake of your brother, if you know that it was offered to an idol and you might cause your brother there to stumble, then you should not eat any meat. But as far as you're concerned, you're in perfect liberty to eat it. And today, if you like pork, you are perfectly welcome to it.

But back to our verse, whether you eat meat or whether you don't eat meat, meat won't commend you to God. It won't keep you from getting to God. Hasn't anything in the world to do except with your digestion and your appetite and with your general health.

Guest (Male): A listener in San Francisco writes with this question: "I know that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned, but will there be rewards other than salvation when we get to heaven?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Yes, you're going to earn them down here. There is a difference between rewards for the work you do as a Christian and for your salvation. There's no work involved in that. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Now, there's one thing that is true of a gift. It's very important, and that is a gift is something that's a gift. You don't pay for it. If you pay for it, then it's no longer a gift, it's something you bought.

Now, you can't give God anything for salvation. It's a gift and God asks you to receive it. And he does not ask you to do anything afterward because he saved you. If you're going to serve him afterward, it's to be because you love him and want to serve him. Never that you're trying to repay him. There is a song, and I think it's frankly an atrocious song. It says, "I gave, I gave my life for thee, what hast thou done for me?" He never asks that question.

I think someday when you appear before him, see whether you're going to get a reward, it's going to come out of what you did for him. Now, let me take the two passages that this party has given to me. One passage is First Corinthians 3:10 to 15. Now, that has to do with the fact that no other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. Now, you can do nothing about the foundation. It's already been laid 1,900 years ago. Your salvation was already worked out.

Christ died and rose again and he offers you eternal life if you trust him. Now, if you do trust him and you get on the foundation, you can start building on the foundation. We're told you can build with gold and silver and precious stones and wood, hay, and stubble. Now, every man's work's going to be tried by fire. In other words, he's going to test what you did. Why did you give that gift to your church? Did you do it to be seen of men or did you really give it for love for the Lord Jesus?

When you sent that gift to the radio, did you do it for self-realization or did you do it for the glory of God because you love him and you want to see the word gotten out? It's a question of motives, you see, that he's talking about here. And then he goes on to say that every man's work is going to be put to fire and what happens to gold and silver and precious stones when the fire's put to them? Well, it purifies them. The dross is drawn off.

And what happens to wood, hay, and stubble when the fire's put to it? Well, it goes up in smoke. And a great many people are going to be saved, but what they do down here will just go up in smoke. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. And I like to say that they're going to be a great many people in heaven that are going to smell like they were bought at a fire sale.

Everything they did, they did it for show and for glow and they got the recognition down here. And so they get nothing up there. They did not do it for his glory. And that's the meaning, I think. Now, Second Corinthians 5:10 that you give to me here also. And that's a very important verse, that entire section is. It says, "We must all appear," and who's "all" here? All Christians.

All Christians are going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Now, they're not there to see whether they're saved or not. They wouldn't be there if they weren't saved. They are saved and they are to be rewarded how? That everyone may receive the things done in the body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. They're going to be a great many of us Christians that are going to be ashamed at his appearing when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

I think that we'd probably emphasize that more and make Christians aware of the fact that their life is being tested, that we'd get a lot of people out of this problem business of always having a problem. They'd be so busy trying to live a life for the glory of God. These things that seem to worry Christians today wouldn't be worrying them then.

Guest (Male): We turn now to a question from a listener in Rochester, Minnesota. She writes: "You once made a statement about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. You said it was two men. Why do you say two men when it doesn't say that? I believe it was a man and his wife. The man was Cleopas according to verse 18, and John 19 verse 25 speaks of Mary, the wife of Clopas. The spelling is not the same, but this is a common occurrence in scripture. Could this then be a man and a wife?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: You are teaching the Bible teacher something. I have gone on back and read that account again and I don't see why you couldn't be right in that. And it seems more normal to think that that would be a man and his wife that went back. And you do have a little scriptural grounds and those of us that say two men, I don't think we have any scriptural grounds at all.

I know that we could talk about the masculine, but the masculine is used often times in a generic way, that is, it means both men and women, so that I don't think we could push that at all. I'm not sure but what you've made a very satisfactory interpretation. I haven't had a chance to test it too much, but I am perfectly willing until we get further word to go along with you. I think you've come up with something that is quite valuable.

Guest (Male): Some time ago, Dr. McGee wrote in our newsletter an article he titled "Paul and Politics." So this Vista, California listener wrote asking, "You began your article by saying that both Paul and Jesus were not involved with politics, even though they were under the oppressive boot of Rome. You then conclude by saying that some ministers today may be called to enter that arena to bring back morals to our nation. I'm confused by your comments. Would you please explain?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Well, I think if you'd read a little bit more carefully than you did, I did not draw the conclusion about Paul and politics that you seem to think that I did. They could not have. And of course the Lord Jesus if he'd asserted his deity and established his kingdom that time he would have entered into the political scene, but he didn't do that then. In fact, he didn't come for that purpose. Therefore being under a subject people, he could not start a revolution.

That was not his purpose. For that reason why they didn't enter into politics. They did the thing that God had called them to do. Now, we live in a little different situation today. That's the point I was making and that men can speak out in the political arena and it can make some difference. And there may be some men that feel called to do that, although I made it very clear that I've never felt called to enter the political arena or never been called to speak on that.

Although in prophetic messages I get very close to it sometimes, but it's not with the thought of trying to clean up our nation because I think that's not what I've been called to do. But I don't want to say that these men that are doing it today haven't been called to do it. And I frankly believe that God could raise them up. And as I indicated, I think it's sad that there haven't been more laymen with courage enough to stand out and demand, as it were, that the moral level of this country be restored because we are becoming a lawless nation.

It makes every red-blooded American want to stand up and demand that something be done today. And some of these ministers have done it and God has blessed them. And the news media, which is against Christianity, it's against the real believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are against these men and they will attempt to wreck their reputations. They'll do everything they can to belittle them. And since they have access to the news media, the television today and the newspaper, why they will drag a man down.

And that's the thing that I hate to see happen. But you may be sure, friends, these men have a perfect right to do that and they feel called of God, I'm not going to be one to say that they're wrong. In fact, the matter is, I find that I'm in agreement with most of what they're attempting to do. I trust God will prosper them. I'd give anything in the world if we could have the moral climate that we had in this country when I started out in the ministry.

The place I live here in Pasadena, we live in fear today. We don't walk on the streets at night. They tell you to stay off the streets of Los Angeles and someone made the statement that Los Angeles is not a walking city anymore either day or night. It's a dangerous place to be. What's happened? The morality is the problem. You can make all the laws you want to. You can take away all the guns that there are and they'll return to bow and arrows and then you'd have to have a law to control bow and arrows.

Because man has that in his heart. That's his fallen nature that's expressing itself. And I tell you, man's broken loose. And there are men loose today that are wolves in sheep's clothing. They'd destroy this country of ours. And I think we ought to pray for any that are trying to restore this nation back to some degree of morality.

Guest (Male): A Washington State listener wrote asking this question: "When Moses prayed for the Israelites after the golden calf incident and God decided not to destroy the Israelites, could it be said that Moses' prayer changed God's mind?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: May I say that I don't like to express it that way because it looks like that's what happened, but actually God never changes his mind. God is a merciful God as well as a God of judgment. He did want to save them. And because of the intervention and intercession of Moses, why he saved these people. It reveals to us today how important that prayer is on behalf of others for their salvation and also for their help in time of an emergency. God uses prayer in that particular way.

Now, this party goes on though to draw another question from this and I'll read now. "You read that God said, I will show mercy to whom I would show mercy, but I can't see the difference. To me, it seems a fact that Moses changed God's mind and if he can do it, maybe others can. Would it be wrong to think this?" Well, again, may I say that if you're using the premise that you're changing God's mind, then I think you're praying in the wrong direction.

We should remember that God is immutable. He never changes his mind because when he read the morning paper, he didn't learn anything new that would cause him to change his program for the day. But God does hear the intercession and prayer of those that are his own. Now, the verse that you're quoting is used in the epistle to the Romans.

Let me say this. God is saying there, "Moses, I'm not hearing you because you are Moses. That is not my basis for acting. It's not because of who you are, but it's because he's a God of mercy." God says that he is the one that makes the decision. And it's never on the basis of the individual. It's on the basis that he's a God of mercy.

Guest (Male): Now, this listener from Cedar Lake, Michigan, brings us to our final questions of the day. His first is, "Who is the beast described in Revelation 13 verses 17 through 18?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, there are two beasts in Revelation 13. The first beast can be clearly identified which of course you probably have done. He comes up out of the sea, out of the nations of the world. This is the one that we call Antichrist, yet he is a political ruler and he comes up out of the nations. Then the second beast is a false prophet. He is like the false prophets they had in the Old Testament. And he is an Antichrist religiously.

So you have two men that would fulfill that office. And you say to me, well, I thought there was just one Antichrist. Well, that is true, but John says there are many Antichrists. So both of these men fill the office of being Antichrist. And I'll be very frank with you, I'm not sure which one is the worst in the 13th chapter of Revelation, but he is a religious ruler, he is the false prophet. He is Antichrist and he does the things that Antichrist was predicted he would do and he certainly takes the place of Christ religiously. The other one takes the place of Christ politically.

Guest (Male): The same listener's second question is, "In Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem to come. Does this have any parallel in our world in the end of time?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Well, again, what do you mean the end of time? The Bible doesn't speak about the end of the time or even the end of the world. It talks about end times. The times of the end. That is, the things that happen at the end of an age. This age in which we're living today. And therefore those things that are predicted are going to come to pass and they do relate to Jerusalem. And I take that quite literally.

And I have a notion you're also thinking of Revelation as well as Matthew 24 since you asked the question. This is the one that is the one that's going to destroy Jerusalem and then the Lord Jesus is going to come to the earth to establish his kingdom after the end of the great tribulation period. Now, the only way in the world and you can relate those things to what's happening today is to say that the Bible predicts these things to happen at the end of time and things are pretty serious today.

We don't know that this is the time that is predicted in scripture that brings an age to an end and brings Christ to the earth to rule. We don't know that, but certainly there's a striking similarity. And I don't think we have a right to go beyond that at all.

Guest (Male): Well, that's all the time that we have today. We hope that you've been stimulated by these questions and Dr. McGee's answers. If you'd like to know more about these issues, why don't you contact one of our service operators for a resource catalog? Each weekday, you can hear the Thru the Bible radio program with Dr. J. Vernon McGee on this station or online.

To help you follow along, we provide notes and outlines. To receive notes, ask for the resource catalog or to be placed on the mailing list, call 1-800-65-BIBLE Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific time. We can also be reached by email when you go to our website at ttb.org. Or write to Questions and Answers, for those in the US, Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1.

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