October 2023

Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul – October 2023 Teacher: Pastor Paul LeBoutillier Calvary Chapel Ontario Pastor Paul: Hi, everybody, and welcome to our end of October, Bible Q&A. I'm Pastor Paul, from Calvary Chapel Ontario. And I'm here with my wife as usual, Sue, who is going to be chatting with us as well and reading some of the questions that you've been sending in through our website, through our YouTube channel, and through other sources as well, from time to time. Sue: Are you ready? Pastor Paul: I think I am. Sue: All right. I think this first one I'm going say this handle reads @mrktarheel31 says, “How do you walk in the Spirit? I'm getting frustrated and confused, walking in the flesh.” Pastor Paul: Yeah, walking in the flesh is frustrating and confusing, I think for all of us, and walking in the Spirit is challenging. I don't ever want to convey to anybody, the idea that walking in the Spirit is an easy thing. It is not natural. The natural thing for us is to walk in the flesh and to make decisions according to our own understanding and how we feel about things, beginning to change all that and make decisions based on our biblical worldview and the leading of the Lord, and the wisdom that He gives. Those are very, very challenging things. So to the question, how do you walk in the Spirit? It is, I believe, a matter of, first of all, feeding on the Word of God. And second of all, just praying and saying, Lord, I want to learn, I want to grow in this area. I want to resist responding to life and problems and things in my natural self. And I want to begin to allow the ministry of your Holy Spirit, to express Himself through me in the day to day, but just to admit to the Lord, this frustration and confusion to come to the Lord and say, I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to constantly be showing people the natural me, I want to show them, Christ in me. And just to begin to really pray and I think the fact that this person is even asked this question shows that there's a readiness to be different, to walk differently, to desire a different way to live and he's halfway there. Now, it's just come to the Lord, admit your weakness in the area, and trust that the Lord is going to give you the strength to begin to walk in the Spirit. Sue: And even in his question, he used the word walk two times, I think that's really a key, and use the word beginning. It's not just like either a switch on or off. It is a journey. It is a walk, and we learn. Our sanctification grows over time. Pastor Paul: We spend, literally, the entirety of our Christian lives on this earth learning to walk in the Spirit. Sue: Right. Right. Okay. Linda says, “In Genesis 16:9, it speaks of the angel of the Lord. Why would it say the angel of the Lord, if it is God Himself? Pastor Paul: People forget sometimes that the word angel means messenger. And it's a very simple word. So really, when it's saying the angel of the Lord, it's saying, the Messenger of the Lord, the one who is bringing the Lord's message, and sometimes He does it himself. And we understand that from the way He speaks, when He speaks in the first person, I. I will bless you. I will deliver you from your enemies. I will give you the strength. We know that we're dealing with the Lord Himself as an angelic messenger, and we also believe that is Jesus. We believe that's a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. And the reason we believe that is because in the New Testament, we are told that no one has ever seen God, but God, the only son, or God, the one and only who is at his side, has revealed Him. And so the angel of the Lord is many times the Lord Himself. Sometimes it is just an angel. And usually, it's the context that helps us to understand which is which. Sue: Alright. Another YouTube listener asked, “How do you know if you've been given over to sin or hardness of heart? This scares me because I'm trying and want to repent. I keep screwing up.” Pastor Paul: I think that last part of that question is very key. I keep screwing up. And the implication there is because I keep screwing up, I'm afraid that I'm going to stumble into this place of a hardness of heart where I either can no longer hear the voice of the Lord, or I just give into sin so much, and so frequently, that I'm afraid that I'm going that direction. We're never going to be free from the sinful nature on this earth and from its influence in our lives. The issue is not how much we mess up the issue of making sure that our hearts do not become calloused, which is how the apostle Paul describes it is, to continually bring our sin before the Lord. Confessing our sin keeps us from any sort of hardness of heart. Because confession of sin implies recognition of sin. Obviously, I'm not going to confess something I don't recognize. So as I continue to confess my sin and recognize my sin for what it is, that keeps that softening process, and staying in the Word and being responsive to the Word keeps your heart from becoming hard as well. I would tell this person, be very careful about fear along these lines. I understand a good healthy fear. But the enemy can also really jump on this area of fear and exploited in the heart of a believer. And I think as long as we just keep our hearts recognizing sin, confessing our sin, as Jesus taught us to do, forgiving others, when they sinned against us, and so forth, we're going to be just fine. Sue: And when you say confessing sin that naturally brings it into the light, rather than keeping it in the darkness. We can admit our sin to ourselves, but conceal it in the darkness. Pastor Paul: And that's one of the reasons why we're told to confess our sins to one another, that we may be healed. There's a great healing that takes place just like you say, bringing sin into the light. Sue: So this user has a scripture as handle as @romans1229 says, “I came across your YouTube channel months ago have learned so much you've helped me immensely. Number one, when we are raptured, will the non-believers see us in the cloud?” Pastor Paul: Well, the Bible doesn't say, the Bible just doesn't tell us at all. Sue: So then, “How will the people left behind come to Christ if all the pastors and teachers of the word are gone?” Pastor Paul: Well, there's going to be a lot of Bibles, there's going to be a lot of videos, think about how many videos are online right now. God has prepared for this, even through technology. There's going to be recorded messages, written books of sermons and messages and evangelistic services and so forth, that are going to be available to people, and the Holy Spirit will not be taken from the earth at this time during the Great Tribulation. So there's not going to be any problem with people coming to Christ. The Word of God, even if there weren't any videos, all the Bible's left behind would be enough. Sue: Well, how many people do you think in that moment are going to say, he was right? Pastor Paul: They've heard the gospel. They know the gospel. They just never responded to it. They will respond to it, and then they're going to share it with others for sure. Sue: Barbara says, “Will the sound of the trumpet at the rapture be heard by only believers or will unbelievers also hear it?” Pastor Paul: Again, we don't know, the Bible does not specifically say. Sue: She says, “I'm assuming it won't be very long since it will happen in the twinkling of an eye. Will unbelievers actually witness Jesus in the clouds and our ascension to Him or will we just simply disappear leaving those left behind to wonder where we are?” Pastor Paul: Yeah, the twinkling of an eye reference is to how we're going to be changed, not to the length of time that the trumpet sounds. Paul says we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, transformed. And when he says “we” he means those who are still alive on the earth when Jesus returns. So there's just a whole lot that we don't know about the specifics of how that's all going to take place. Sue: Samuel says, “My wife and I love your YouTube videos! I wanted to hear your thoughts on beasts. Do you believe that mythological creatures such as Minotaurs may have actually existed? Looking back in Genesis, it said that the fallen angels came down and did many unholy things to people and animals on earth, creating the Nephilim. I know that the Bible's purpose is to teach the gospel but it leaves some clues on other mysteries from long ago.” Pastor Paul: And he says he's specifically asking about beasts. I think there needs to be a correction here. There is no reference that I'm aware of in the Bible that says of anything about fallen angels doing unholy things to animals. So Minotaurs, no, I think they're mythological. I think there's a lot of mythological animals that man has come up with over the years, and there's nothing in the Bible that would suggest that half man, half animal ever has existed. There's nothing in the fossil record to suggest that. So, no, I personally don't believe in such creatures. Sue: Alright. Janet has a follow up question to September's Q&A. She said, “I was taught that when we die, we are present with the Lord, but you said that we're some kind of spirit as we wait for our resurrection. Could you please clarify this?” Pastor Paul: Well, what the Bible says is that if we pass away before the Lord's return, we're not going to have our forever bodies. We're not going to have our incorruptible spiritual new bodies yet. Paul refers to us as being unclothed. That's the term he uses. I don't necessarily think that means we're going to be just this the ethereal spirit that's like a mist floating in the air. I think God is going to give us some kind of form while we're waiting for our new physical bodies, or while we're waiting for the Lord to return. And this again, is after we pass away, but that doesn't none of that means that we won't be with the Lord. We will be with the Lord. Paul makes that abundantly clear to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord. Now, in what form are we with the Lord? Are we unclothed? Or are we clothed? It doesn't really matter because we're with the Lord. So there's a lot here we don't know. But there's no contradiction between waiting for our physical body and being with the Lord. We're going to be with the Lord either way. Sue: Gotcha. Cameron says, “Hi Pastor Paul, can you explain the baptism of the Holy Spirit? I know neither Holy Spirit Baptism nor water baptism are required for salvation. And it seems the Spiritual Gifts don't fully become available to a person until after receiving the Holy Spirit baptism, but I don't know how to explain what it is and why it is important.” Pastor Paul: Well, the best thing to do to start understanding the baptism of the Holy Spirit, is to look at and study the words of Jesus himself in Acts chapter one. This is a post resurrection appearance to the disciples where he tells them to stay in Jerusalem, and await this baptism. And then he tells them what it's for. He says, and you will receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes on or upon you. So that in itself is a condensed answer of what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is all about? It's all about power. It's not about salvation. He did not say stay in Jerusalem until you're saved. They were already saved, they already had the Holy Spirit living within them in the sense of regeneration, but they needed power from on high. And so when we're explaining to people, what is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? We're simply explaining that it's a work of the Holy Spirit to empower the believer supernaturally with the gifts. And I believe that Cameron has correctly understood that many of spiritual gifts don't fully manifest until someone has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. That is true. That's what we see in the Word. It doesn't mean that person is less saved, that hasn't received the baptism. And it doesn't mean that they have more of the Holy Spirit than someone else. That's another question that comes up related to this many times. It is a different work of the Holy Spirit. It's being open to a new functional work of the Spirit to empower the believer for service. Sue: Excellent. Denzil is from Nottingham, England. He says, “Hi Pastor Paul and Sue. I've been watching your YouTube lessons for a long time and still learning. Thank you both for being consistent and teaching us the word of truth weekly. He has three questions. First of all, “Jonah, was he dead or alive in the belly of the fish?” Pastor Paul: He was very much alive because we have his recorded prayer while he was there. Sue: That makes sense. Number two, “Do we have a guardian angel protecting us as well? I know the Holy Spirit plays the main role in us.” Pastor Paul: The Bible tells us that angels are given or sent to minister to those who are being saved. And so we know that angels are active in our lives. The Bible tells us so we've seen it in other passages in the Bible. The Bible never specifically comes out and says, here's your assigned guardian angel and his name is Frank. Sue: It's not a one on one like football teams have man on man. Maybe, but it just we don't know. And third, “Was Jesus naked on the cross?” Pastor Paul: Yes, the Romans stripped people naked to increase their humiliation. Sue: Gary says, “I read an article where it was said that the Apostle John would be baffled if he were to return today and see just how we are so confused about the book of Revelation. The article said that John use symbols that the people the time would have had no problem understanding. What are your thoughts on this?” Pastor Paul: Well, there's a certain amount of that I would agree with. When a writing has been around for 2000 years, we recognize how cultures change over that period of time, and that many times things are said in such a way as to be very difficult to interpret or translate to a modern day culture. We get that, but that has nothing to do with really the book of Revelation, that could be anything. That could be a parable that Jesus told, that is dealing with agricultural life of the day. Most of those things we know quite a bit about. But there's always things that are going to be lost in the translation just because of time. I don't think, revelation wise, and I'm not talking about the book, I'm talking about things that have been revealed, I don't think that we have less revelation than the people of John's day. So in another sense, I would disagree with this statement. And I would say, no, I don't think so. In fact, I think there's a lot of things that we have greater revelation on, just because in John's day, they didn't necessarily all have the books of that Paul wrote, and Peter, those things were gathered and later codified. Some people did, but not everybody. So I think we even have more revelation. And I think there's just a lot of things in the book of Revelation that are just very challenging to understand. And not because we know less, but because it's just not a fully revealed thing. Sue: Sure. Like we say sometimes, the Lord had to give us something to talk about. Virginia says, “Pastor Paul, I've been a Christian for over 40 years, and I was asked a question by family member which I could not answer. The question was, when a believer dies, does his spirit go to be with God in paradise? If so, why does the Apostle Paul say that at the rapture, everyone who died with salvation will rise first, I thought they were in paradise already.” Pastor Paul: Again, Virginia, we're mixing up the whole idea of the body and the spirit. When people hear that Paul saying that they're going to be raised to be with the Lord. They think, well, I thought they were with the Lord. He's saying their body will be raised. They're already with the Lord in spirit, but their body will be raised. And there'll be given their new incorruptible body at the time of the resurrection, which is when Jesus returns for the church, when we're caught up to meet him in the air. So, again, it's just the issue between understanding the difference between the body and the spirit. At death, the body and the spirit are separated. The body dies, the spirit goes to be with the Lord. There is coming a day when the body will be raised, but the Spirit will be joined with the new body, the Spirit who is with the Lord will be joined with the body, and then we will be with the Lord with that new body. Sue: I think one of the reasons this is very challenging for us is because we all have heard things repeated over and over very well-meaning things we want to comfort one another. And we'll say things like, well, grandpa's dancing up in heaven now. And these things that we say to comfort one another, they sort of conjure up certain ideas. Pastor Paul: It creates theology. Sue: It creates a theology in our mind, it doesn't have to be true, it just has to be repeated. And so then when we read these things in the Word, and we're starting to sew together, what we learn, there's some rewriting. Pastor Paul: And grandpa is probably dancing in the presence of the Lord, but not with a body. That will be raised, his incorruptible body is raised, when Christ returns. Sue: Good. Shoba says, “I find it difficult to understand the following scripture verse from Matthew12:31, which says, anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this age or in the age to come. We know that the Holy Spirit and Son of Man (who is Jesus) is one. Could you please explain this verse?” Pastor Paul: Well, the Holy Spirit and Jesus are one but they are also separate persons with at the time separate functions. And when we're talking about this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is what it's referred to as, and we're told in the scripture that Jesus said what he said, specifically because the religious leaders were telling the people that the way that Jesus was able to cast out demons was because he was working in cahoots with Satan. So Jesus gave this warning about their inability to simply recognize a true work of the Holy Spirit when they saw it. In other words, someone being set free from demonic possession. And he uttered these words about the fact that those who speak against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this age or the age to come. And again, it is because of what he was doing through the Spirit, and what they were saying, as the leaders of Israel. That's what we know. And again, I would say to this individual, remember, the Holy Spirit and God the Son are two separate persons who make up the one God along with the Father. So when we understand it that way, we're still dealing with the Trinity either way and we're dealing with things that are beyond our comprehension. But that gives us at least a little bit more of a handle on that. And I'll even go further to say that I have my very strong doubts that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can even be committed today, the way it is described in Matthew, because that was a unique situation, where the leaders of Israel knew prophetically what the Messiah was to do to come and accomplish. They saw it, and they denied it, not only denying it, but they blaspheme against the Holy Spirit saying, this isn't God's power. This is Satan's power. And this is something that was unique to the people of Israel, and specifically the leaders of Israel at that time. And so I have my strong doubts that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can even be committed today. Sue: Well, those insights would come for a lot of people, because you get that question asked a lot. Pastor Paul: I do. Sue: Larissa says, “In Pastor Paul's 2017 study through Leviticus, he taught about the rigid instructions for an importance of priests being clean at all times (because their cleanliness is a symbol to Jesus as OUR sinless high priest). I know the previous chapters covered not touching the dead bodies of unclean animals. So how did the dead animals being sacrificed then not defile the priest as well?” Pastor Paul: Well, it's because this was part of what God told them to do. There are others, this isn't the only thing. The Bible even brings out the fact that Jewish male children were circumcised on the eighth day, even if that day landed on the Sabbath. So God told them not to work but there were exceptions. So you see, there are these various exceptions in the Word. Circumcision happened at times on the Sabbath, and the priests were given the position of handling these dead animals in the sacrificial system, because that was part of God's cleansing process. And so there were exceptions there. These weren't hard and fast rules for all time, these were things that God gave them as pictures of a greater reality. Sue: Ann says, “My daughter, and I listened to your preaching after our dinner. We're so blessed to have a few questions. Number one, what is the age of accountability?” Pastor Paul: The Bible doesn't say. The closest we have to that is when we read through the Scripture in Exodus, actually, and I'm not positive this is even in Exodus. It might be in Leviticus, I'm not sure, I didn't look this up ahead of time. But when God gives an age, for those who will not die in the wilderness, but will in fact, enter into the Promised Land, all of the people under a certain age were exempted from the sin. They were not held liable, I guess, for the sin of unbelief when they first attempted to go into the land, after Moses sent spies into the land. So that's the closest we get the other than that the Bible does not give us an age of accountability. Sue: And then she says, “Does the resurrection of Jesus Christ have something to do with our salvation?” Pastor Paul: I think there's another question in here. Sue: Yes. There's another question, “How do we know that a child dies at 3-4 years old and goes to heaven?” Pastor Paul: The character of God. Sue: Oh, that's good. Pastor Paul: Knowing the character of God. And then to the last question, does the resurrection of Jesus says something to do with our salvation? I love these kinds of questions. It has everything to do with our salvation. Paul says, if Christ has not been raised, we are lost. We are dead in our sins, and there's no hope. So, yeah, everything when we come to Resurrection Sunday, and celebrate that, that's really the biggest celebration that we should be having as the body of Christ because everything hinges on the empty tomb. Sue: Michelle sent us a note, “Hi, Pastor Paul, should Halloween be celebrated by believers of Christ? And it is okay when the church decides to celebrate it and call it a Harvest Festival?” Pastor Paul: I don't think when churches call when they celebrate a harvest festival, I don't think they're celebrating Halloween. They're celebrating harvest, and there's nothing wrong with that. God had his people, Israel, celebrate harvest. And there were things and it was a joyous time when the abundance of the land brought forth the continuation of life for these people. So there is absolutely nothing wrong with a church celebrating harvest. Now, if they're calling it a Harvest Festival, and kids are trick or treating, now that's a compromise in the sense of what they're calling a harvest festival. Because a harvest festival should be a celebration of God's abundance through the Earth, the harvest of the earth, the harvest of crops. That's what a Harvest Festival is. That's what it should be. Now, as far as believers celebrating Halloween, Halloween has its origins in pagan celebration. It has been taken over by cute little kids and princess costumes getting candy, and that's not a celebration of a pagan festival. That's the thing that so many Christians just don't get in their heart. If the pagans started something, and Christians decided to take it over on that day, and not celebrate the evil, and they simply go out and have fun, and again, it's like kids going from door to door, dressed up as a princess or as Captain America, and they get a candy bar, people that's not pagan. That's not celebrating a pagan festival. That's kids being weird and just getting candy because they're cute. That's all that is. Now, I'm not saying that as a Christian you should be involved in that. If you don't want to be involved in kids come into your door, turn your lights off, and just don't do it. But don't accuse a four year old who comes to your door dressed up as Captain America as doing what pagans do. That is absolutely ridiculous, and Christians need to grow up. Sue: For my part, I give the cute little kid Snickers bars. So that's how I handle it. Pastor Paul: I will say for all to hear when we were raising our kids, we didn't participate in Halloween. We just didn't do it. We found other things for them to do. We had a movie night. We went out sometimes and had dinner somewhere. Sometimes we stayed home and we handed out candy and our kids were involved and they thought it was kind of fun. They didn't go out trick-or-treating. We just decided to not do it because it's not a Christian holiday. Sue: Well as I remember, we didn't want, there was things when we were raising our kids that we just didn't want to emphasize. As this is part of and there were certain things that went along with the Christmas holidays, we totally did Christmas, but there were certain aspects of it that we just didn't want to emphasize in their hearts and minds. Pastor Paul: And there are evil things that happen on Halloween. Some people will take advantage of this as a time of darkness. Well, you obviously aren't going to be involved in that, ever. And your children aren't involved in it if you do decide to let them go house to house and get candy. Anyway. Sue: Enough huh? Brielle says, “Hi Pastor Paul, I'm a new believer. I'm just curious, did Jesus always have the Holy Spirit or only after he was baptized did he receive it from heaven?” Pastor Paul: Well, first of all, you can't, you got to be careful of your language. Whenever you're talking about the Holy Spirit, you cannot say, did he receive it? Because the Holy Spirit is not in it, he is a he. He's a person. That's the first thing and I don't mean to be nitpicky about that, but it's important that we have a biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit. Now, Jesus was born, the Son of God. That's what the angels told the shepherds. He is the Messiah. He is the Son of God. He is the second person of the Trinity. He always was always and will be. In that sense, he always was connected through the triunity of the Godhead to the Father and the Spirit. There couldn’t have been a disconnect. Now, we know that when John baptized Jesus in the Jordan, which of course was Jesus's identification with sinfulness, we know that the Holy Spirit came upon him visually to be assigned to John. And once again for Jesus to identify with us of our need of the Holy Spirit as we go forth in ministry. So he came in and that happened as a picture for us. But I don't think that Jesus was ever devoid of the Holy Spirit, ever. Because he is and always has been God. Sue: Okay we have some questions that are all follow up to the September Q&A from YouTube. First of all, “What does it mean to intercede?” Pastor Paul: It means to pray for someone or something to come to the Lord on behalf of someone or a group of people and to pray for God's will. Sue: You must have talked about the draining of blood, because this person says, “Is the draining of the blood out of the animal still required to be done today?” Pastor Paul: Not in the sense that it was an issue related to Israel and a prohibition. God was teaching Israel at the time to respect the blood because it was used in sacrifice. Now, I think that we still have a respect. In fact, we have a greater understanding of the function of the blood today than we did back then. We know all the things the blood is an incredible thing that God has put in us, there's a deep respect, and we do drain the blood out of animals when they are killed for eating. So it's done as a practice of just proper preparation of meat. But it's not done for religious reasons anymore and that's the difference. Sue: And then also someone asked, “I don't know where this is found in the Bible. but I heard my former pastor preach that, “you should not go to God's house empty handed.” He was referring to an offering. This made me uncomfortable to go to church when I have nothing financial to offer. Please clarify.” Pastor Paul: Well, I can't clarify other than the fact that there's nothing in the Bible that says you should not go to God's house empty handed. I personally consider that a form of religious manipulation. And if I were counseling this person directly, I would say, maybe you should go find another church where they have a little more respect for God's Word, and they're not pressuring people to give financially. Sue: All right. Countrychick says, “If a person appears to not be free of demons, who still has not given the Lord control and lordship of their lives, is it possible that they were not sincerely born again? I guess I'm asking, can someone “fake” that type of conversion or surrender?” Pastor Paul: Absolutely. Jesus said, many who said to me, Lord, He will say, I never knew you. So, yes, of course, people can fake being a believer. They can fake even a prayer of salvation. The prayer of salvation itself, which is what we call it, confession and stuff, that can be done insincerely. Somebody could just repeat words. Sue: Or through pressure of what else is going on in the event. Pastor Paul: Sure, like a bunch of youth together in the room and, okay, we're all going to pray this prayer. Well, if somebody's heart's not right, it's not going to result in salvation. Salvation is a matter of the heart, always a matter of the heart. So if you're seeing somebody who has claimed to be a believer, and it appears that they have some demonic control going on in their lives, yeah, it's very possible that they are not yet born again. Sue: And in those situations, we have a responsibility to really continue to sharpen our discernment, so that we can understand what is happening, what's going on around. Pastor Paul: Absolutely. Sue: Paul Bryant says, “Pastor Paul, please explain the concept of Paradise and Hades again. I'm a bit confused. When a person (believer or non-believer) dies today, where do they go? I understand that the believer avoids judgment, but what about the non-believer? I love your teaching. Thanks!” Pastor Paul: Jesus told a story about a rich man and a beggar by the name of Lazarus, and it's recorded for us in the book of Luke, and I would encourage this individual to go and find that story because that explains. Now in this story, heaven had not yet been opened. For those who died in faith, they went to a place of comfort, which is referred to there as the bosom of Abraham. And now that heaven has been opened through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I believe that has been vacated. And people, as Paul says now, when they're absent from the body are present with the Lord. But we have no reason to believe that anything has changed for unbelievers that they still, as it tells us in Luke, and by the way, that's not a parable, it's a story. It's a real event. We have no reason to believe that anything has changed with that people go to a place of torment awaiting judgment if they are unsaved. Sue: All right. John says, “Does God pick the spouse he wants for you? I want his choice for me.” That's very sweet. Pastor Paul: It is very sweet. We have biblical examples of God choosing a spouse. We recently went through a study in our study of Genesis of the choice that God had made for Isaac in the person of Rebecca. So we see these things in the Bible. We also know that God honors our choices. The Bible doesn't come out and specifically say, I've got it. I've got a woman for every man and a man for every woman. And what you got to do is just wait on me, and I'll eventually show you who the right person is. What the Bible does is it gives us guidelines. For example, 2 Corinthians, don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Well, we can apply that to marriage like we can any other sort of connection between a believer and an unbeliever. So there's something. Paul also mentions, I believe it's Timothy, it might be Titus, but talks about widows who want to remarry, and he says, they're free to do so. But he says, they must marry in the Lord. So we have these guidelines. We’re to marry in the Lord. We’re to marry in a way that we're not unequally yoked. I think there's things that we look for in a woman. There's things that women should look for in a man, those elements of godliness, and a serious approach to the scripture, and so forth. And I believe that if we follow those guidelines, if we want what God wants, it's not as much about the actual specific, there's the one, but this is a person that all these things come together as being the fitting with God's word. And I'm going to commit myself to this marriage, to this individual, for the rest of my life. That's what's important, is the commitment that we make, not that I believe you're the only one I could have ever lived with. But for better or for worse, you are now my spouse, and I commit myself to you, and to the entirety of what this marriage stands for. Sue: Sure. Malligajames says, “Why do 95% of churches never talk about end times at all?” Pastor Paul: You'd have to ask 95% of churches. I mean, I'm guessing like anybody else. I think a lot of churches, ignore and times because a lot of the times information we get is from the book of Revelation. And I think a lot of churches avoid the book of Revelation like the plague just because it is a challenging book to go through and to study, admittedly so. It's a wonderful book to go through but it's challenging. And it's scary to some people. I know, people who told me, I don't go there, because it frightens me. And I think that could be part of it too. I think there's also the possibility that things like this are going to cause division and controversy because people hold very differing views on the subject. And some churches, they just want to avoid that. We don't want to bring any controversy into the mix. So we're just going to avoid anything that's controversial. And it's too bad because I believe, as you well know, and everybody who's followed us for any period of time, that the only way to study the Bible is to study the whole Bible, Genesis to Revelation. And you're missing if you don't study the whole Bible, you're missing out on part of what God's given to us in the word. But part of what has been given to us in the word is challenging. And we have to be willing to say, I'm okay being challenged. Sue: Thewolvamp asks, “I come from a household where the Bible was never discussed. All six of our family (apart from mum who's dead) are born again now, including my father who joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses not long ago. The other day I mentioned the Apostle Paul, and his response was that the Apostle has misled people with some of his Bible writings. How do you think he came about this idea?” Pastor Paul: Well, you came about this idea through the teachings of the Jehovah's Witness. And the Jehovah's Witnesses who I believe are a non-Christian cult. And I'm just going to say that out straight. The Jehovah's Witnesses have their own Bible. It has been altered to fit their preconceived beliefs. They really don't study the Bible. They study the Watchtower magazine, and they don't know really what the true Bible says. I would question the salvation of anyone who says they are Jehovah's Witness. I would question them because Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is God and one with the Father. They believe he is A God. And they do not believe that his work on the cross is the final word of our salvation. They believe that works is also involved. That's why they're going door to door and knocking on your door and handing out tracks and that sort of thing. They're earning their way. And there's a lot of other beliefs, I would encourage this individual who sounds like they're from Britain or Australia, if they call mom mum. I would encourage this person to do some online research from a valid Christian organization on the subject of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, better known as the Jehovah's Witnesses to understand the difference between what they teach what they believe, and biblical Christianity. So keep praying for your dad to come out of that belief system and to embrace the real Jesus that is revealed in the real Bible. Sue: So about 20 years ago, I learned that firsthand. I remember I was unloading groceries from the car, couple Jehovah Witnesses came in, I was feeling particularly spiritual. Like, I felt like I had the mantle that day, so I thought, I'm going to start sharing with them. So I asked, I said, I'd like to show you what I was reading this morning in scripture and I went to Ephesians 2 in their Bible. That showed my ignorance. So I said, let me let me take your Bible, I want to show you something. And so I'm looking at this, I'm like, this is no help at all, I'm not going to be able to make my point. And so I had to learn firsthand about their differences and their indoctrination. Don’t grab their Bible and think you're going to get the same. Pastor Paul: That's right. Now, there might be one or two verses that you can possibly look at that they haven't altered that still can make a point. But their Bible is called the New World Translation and it is not to be trusted. Sue: I don't know, I'm going to butcher this person's name, but someone asked you, “Why does God test us if He can see what's in our heart?” Pastor Paul: Well, the test is not just for, it's for us just as much as anything. God does see in our heart. He knows what's in our heart at all times, but the Bible says He tests us, and He tests us because it's his prerogative. And because the results of the tests are also incredibly important for us. Sue: So that we know what’s in our heart. Pastor Paul: We often don't know until the test has happened. Sue: Alex asked, “Do you think aliens are real, or are they misunderstood for demons, or angels?” Pastor Paul: I think there's a possibility that demonic spirits can try to deceive people into believing in aliens, because anything that's going to get their focus off God, and that sort of thing, is an effective deception for a demonic spirit. I don't know that that happens for sure. I'm saying, I wouldn't be surprised. But, no, I don't think aliens are real in that sense. Sue: Penny says, “I'm a longtime listener and have learned so much from studying the Bible online with Pastor Paul. During the tribulation, I know there's supposed to be a Third Temple which is where sacrifices will be made by the Antichrist. Does that temple get destroyed? And also during the Millennial Kingdom, will Jesus rule from a new temple or does the Bible say?” Pastor Paul: The Bible does not say and doesn't answer either one of those questions. We do know the temple will be rebuilt. Because as she points out, sacrifices will be made. The Antichrist will then demand an end to those sacrifices. And we're told that he will erect his own image in there and demand to be worshipped as God. So we know that the temple will be built, whether it will be destroyed, we don't know. And so whether there will be a new temple when Jesus is ruling and reigning during the Millennial Kingdom, good question. Sue: Mansong says, “Can someone who is a believer but not baptized in water take part in the Lord's Supper?” Pastor Paul: There are no prohibitions in the Bible about the Lord's Supper other than Paul saying that believers should be mindful of other believers. We are to discern the body, the body of Christ. And the reason he made that point is because their communion services, their Lord suppers, were very different from ours. They were often what we call love feasts. And he said some people were over on this side of feasting on food, and they weren't sharing with people who had nothing. So he really rebuked them for taking the Lord's Supper in a way that was not considering the needs of others in the body of Christ. And really, those are the only prohibitions related to the Lord's Supper. Water baptism, it has nothing to say, related to someone's ability, or openness, to receive the Lord's Supper because that's just simply remembering the death of the Lord. And so now, I'm willing to bet there are churches who demand if you have not been baptized in water, you cannot participate in the Lord's Supper. That is entirely unbiblical, and those kinds of demands should not I believe, be made of people in any way, shape or form. That's putting ourselves in an authority position that is not biblically supported. Sue: Roger said, “There's a popular statement that Christians don't need to go to church or listen to any teachings from men. We just need to read the Bible, follow the Holy Spirit. Since any teachings of men can have some mistakes, do we still need to go to church or listen to men's teachings?” Pastor Paul: It's kind of interesting because he says, we just need to read the Bible. Well, who wrote the Bible? It was written by men. Now they were carried along by the Holy Spirit, but they were still men and that sort of thing. So he says, since teachings of men can have mistakes, do we still need to go to church? Yes, the teachings of men can have mistakes and that's why we're told to test everything. We don't go to church because pastors can't possibly make a mistake or can't possibly say something wrong. We can and we do. It is the responsibility of believers to know their Bible to follow along. It's one of the reasons why we not only encourage people to bring their Bible to church, we pass out Bibles to those who for some reason didn't bring it or don't have one, because we want them to follow along. We want them to be reading what we're teaching from, so that they can say, wait a minute, that's not what the Bible says, or that is what the Bible says. So it is up to individual believers, again, pastors are not infallible. And that is no reason to stay away from church. In fact, the Bible specifically says in the book of Hebrews, do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as is the habit of some. And the phrase, assembling of yourselves together means coming together in the name of Jesus, as the body of Christ. It had already become a habitual act for some people, by the time the book of Hebrews was written, and so that author said, don't forsake that, don't ignore, don't reject that coming together as the body. And Paul explains why we need to do it is because we need one another. I can't say to the ear, I don't need you. And various other parts of the body cannot say, I don't need to be with these other parts of the body. We need one another. So we ought to be in church. Sue: Marie asked, “Are soul ties biblical? Also is breaking soul ties biblical? I was taught as a Christian to break them. Another Christian told me that it is unbiblical.” Pastor Paul: That second person is correct. They are unbiblical. There is no such thing as soul ties. And the Bible says nothing about breaking soul ties. I know that in some cultures, Christians are told to do animal sacrifices to break soul ties. I've got notes from people about this. And so there is absolutely nothing in the Bible about soul ties. Ignore that. You trust in the Holy Spirit and the power of God to lead you in the right way. If you need to be led away from an unholy affection or influence in your life, trust the Lord to do it as you pray and ask for his will in your life. Sue: Good, I hope that helps Marie. Judy says “When the Bible says ‘heavens,’ does it mean something different depending on where it is used?” Pastor Paul: It does. It does. The word heavens can refer to the atmosphere as it does in some places, other times it can refer to the abode of God, so you do have to watch the context. Sue: Anthony said, “Recently someone told me that Protestants removed books from the Bible to fit their beliefs. I can't find anything to support or disprove this. That same person also told me that the Bible nowhere states that it is the only book that Christians accept (ex. Catechism, Book of Mormon, etc.). Are these true? This has made me feel like what I believe is not entirely true, which is a very sad thing.” Pastor Paul: Anthony, the Protestants haven't removed any books from the Bible. That is categorically false, and that's why you can't find anything to disprove it. As far as the Bible nowhere stating that it is the only book that Christians should accept, you have to kind of approach that statement asking, why would someone make that statement? They obviously are making it because they want to embrace other books, or other revelations, or things that come from other places. The Bible is the only book that we have, that is given to us, that is mentioned or told to us that it is God breathed, and that the writers of the Bible never wrote according to their own will, but they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. That is said of no other book. Jesus quoted no other books, but what are in our Old Testament. And we are told that the New Testament books are God breathed and inspired. That is not said of any other works. So I believe that, Anthony, this person who told you these things is attempting to confuse you, and to compromise on the truth of God's word. And I think you need to find somebody else to talk to. Sue: And apparently with some success, because he says it's made me feel like what I believe isn’t true. So it's been successful. Pastor Paul: Yeah, successful, what they were trying to do. Sue: I think this is our last question. Anissa says, “When loved ones pass away, my understanding is that they are no longer with us and not able to communicate with us. In reference to angels, then, who are the angels? I've heard people say, their angel is a deceased relative, and they believe they can directly talk to them.” Pastor Paul: You talked earlier about things that we make up to give us comfort. When somebody dies in the family, God needed another angel. And we've even had movies where we see people die and they become angels. The angels are separate from human beings. Angels are not humans, humans are not angels. Angels are what the Bible says, Spiritual Messengers, flames of fire sent to minister to those who are being saved. Angels are beings who are immortal, they cannot die. Some fell and became demons, who followed Satan in his rebellion against God. So they are separate. Now, as to the question of loved ones who have passed away. Yes, there's nothing in the Bible that states that we can communicate with them in any way, shape, or form. That was a belief even during biblical times that you could communicate with deceased persons. And you would do that through someone who was referred to as a medium. And that was strictly forbidden by God. In fact, the Jews were to make sure that there were no mediums living in the land. They were to oust them from the land, because God said they would defile the land. So a medium who helps someone supposedly communicate with a departed loved one is forbidden, that action is forbidden by the Lord. We do not communicate with our loved ones, nor do we communicate with those who are referred to as saints. Because, frankly, first of all, every believer is a saint. That's what the Bible says. And there's nothing in the Bible to say that any other person is in any sort of a mediatorial role between us and God. The Bible says, we have one mediator between God and man, that is the man, Jesus Christ. Mary is not a mediator. The saints are not a mediator. Your departed family members cannot mediate between you and God, that only happens through Jesus Christ. Sue: And just as a summary, human beings do not become angels. Pastor Paul: Human beings do not become angels, and it's a good thing because after all is said and done, we're going to be higher than the angels. Right now we were created a little lower, the Bible says, then the angels. But when we are exalted and given our new bodies, we're going to be above the angels. We're moving up, we're going to judge angels, the Bible says. Boom, so there you go! Sue: All right, that's a wrap. Pastor Paul: That is a wrap. That finishes our October questions and answers. There's lots of ways that you can give us a question if you'd like one to be included in our next Q&A. You can email us through our office email address, which is probably one of the best ways office@ccontario.com. When you ask questions on our YouTube channel, that's got to be a little hit and miss. Sue: We might collect some of them. We might not. It's not the best. Pastor Paul: We might not notice them. Sue: We might not. Pastor Paul: I rarely read those comments on YouTube, so the chances of going through YouTube and answering a question there, not only are we maybe not going to see it, but you might get somebody else's response that isn't really biblical. So that's something you have to be careful about too. So I would really encourage you to email us through the office. There are other ways to do it through our website as well, which is ccontario.com. And you can go to our website and find ways to contact us. And while you're there, you might consider also ordering a copy of my book, which is entitled, Pastor, I Have a Question, where many of the questions we go through here are outlined with biblical answers. And you can find a link on our website for that, as well as also find all of our past Q&A's from last April on through of this year. So lots of ways that you can get your questions answered. Anyway, thank you so much for joining us today. And we look forward to seeing you again next time. Until then, God bless you. Bye, bye. Sue: Bye, bye.