Best of BAM Q&A: The Sovereignty of God, Mentoring New Christians, and Rending of the Veil

You're just in time for the best of the Bible Answer Man broadcast with Hank Hanegraaff, the radio outreach of the Christian Research Institute. Our purpose here at CRI is to equip Christians to pursue sound doctrine, to discern truth and error, and to become faithful disciples of Christ because life and truth matter. For more information, to order resources or donate, call 888-7000-CRI. or go online to equip.org. That's equip.org.

The following program was pre-recorded. Now, here's the president of the Christian Research Institute, Hank Hanegraaff.

Thank you very much, Randy. Let's go to the phone lines. First up today, Joe. He's listening in El Paso, Texas. Hi, Joe.

Hey, Hank. Thanks very much for your ministry. I've been walking with Christ about 26 years. In the past, there was something in the news about a child that was abducted while he was asking this guy for directions. He was abducted, later killed, and then mutilated to cover up his deed. I was wondering, just kind of a two-part question, if there's any scriptural reference in terms of the sovereignty of God in situations like these. And the second part is, we as Christians, in addition to praying and fasting, what else can we do?

Yeah, well, the first part of the question is a reality check, and that reality check is biblical in saying that the Christian life has never called for a panacea on earth. In this time-space continuum, the wheat will flourish along with the tares. So we're going to live in difficult situations. If God took all evil out of the world right now, he'd take all of us out of the world right now. But God has designed for a time in which evil will be eradicated, a time in which there'll be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. Behold, all things will become new. That is the new order of things. This is the old order of things. So in the meantime, we live in a veil of tears,

quite literally, in a very difficult, circumstance. Again, God sovereignly could change things, but if he did, we'd all be eradicated because we are all tainted by evil in a fallen world. From the standpoint of how we as Christians deal with such difficult circumstances, we are called to be the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ wherever we can be. In other words, we have the the commission to share the gospel, but the cultural mandate as well to make a difference in our world while we have opportunities. And we will be held accountable for that in that there are degrees of reward in heaven and degrees of punishment in hell. Let's go back to the phone lines, talk to Bill. Bill is listening in Sumter,

South Carolina.

Hi, Bill.

Hey, how you doing? My question is, I've got some questions about the description of the King of Tyre and how he describes Lucifer. And I'm trying to figure out why is it that he described the King of Tyre as Lucifer? And if he is talking about Lucifer, then why is the King of Tyre picked Lucifer? as the person to start that description with.

Yeah, well, because there's a mirror image here between what happened with the fall of the king of Tyre and what originally happened with the fall of Satan. So there are parallels, and you see this not only from Isaiah 14, but passages like Ezekiel chapter 28. The term Lucifer, however... In Isaiah chapter 14 is not from the original Hebrew, but rather from the translation of Jerome's Vulgate, a Latin translation.

Acceptable translations in Isaiah 14 would involve monikers like shining one, morning star, star of the morning. All of those would be acceptable translations of the Hebrew text there.

Okay. Well, I mean, why was it the king of Tyre? Because that's a vivid description of the fallen one, let's just say. And I'm just thinking, why is, I mean, people use that description a lot when they're talking about, whenever they talk about, refer to Satan or Lucifer. At that time, I guess he was more familiar with Lucifer.

But why is the king of Tyre? Why not somebody else?

Well, because this is a description of the king of Tyre. This is the fall of a wicked king, which parallels the fall of Satan. In both cases, the besetting sin is the same. The besetting sin is pride. The language used, of course, is poetic. Obviously, he was not literally in Eden. He was not an anointed cherub. He was not on the holy mount of God. So again, poetic language is being used to make the parallel, but again, the parallel ultimately underscores the besetting sin of pride. And if you look at Ezekiel, Ezekiel was described in the King of Tyre as a human type personifying Satan as a satanic human ruler. He was motivated by the same sins as those imbued by Satan, and he would ultimately suffer the

same judgment. And this then becomes, in type and antitype, a warning for each one of us against the besetting sin of pride.

What chapter is that, in Ezekiel?

Ezekiel 28.

Okay.

Okay, so it was the spirit he had, pretty much, so the kingdom tower pretty much had the spirit, the prideful spirit of Lucifer.

Yeah, exactly. There are parallels in the sense of type and antitype, and if you want further explanation on how typology works... I've written about that in my book, Has God Spoken? Proof of the Bible's Divine Inspiration, which is available through the ongoing work of the Christian Research Institute.

Has God Spoken? is the third in the trilogy of great apologetic issues. How one answers this question makes all the difference in the world. What is your authority? Can we be absolutely certain that the Bible is the infallible repository of redemptive revelation, that these are the words of God and not merely the words of men? That question answered emphatically in the book, Has God Spoken? And I should add, answered in memorable fashion. Check it out, again, on the web in a safe, secure fashion at equip.org.

Let's go back to the phone lines, talk to Joyce. Joyce is listening on the web in Spokane, Washington. Hi, Joyce.

Hi, Hank. How did Mary conceive Jesus without passing on the sin nature?

Well, remember that the conception was miraculous. It was not a normal conception. The Mormons want to think that the father had literal sex with Mary, and as a result of that she bore Jesus, but that's not the biblical concept. The biblical concept is that Jesus was virgin-born. This was a miracle, and in the Christian worldview we suppose the supernatural God spoke and the universe leapt into existence. That invokes the supernatural at the very beginning. So a Christian worldview embraces the supernatural, and we put the conception of Jesus Christ in the category of supernatural. And therefore, Mary did not conceive Jesus in the way that all other people conceive their children. This was, again, a supernatural act.

Could the Holy Spirit have put a fertilized egg within her that was not of Mary?

She was his mother, and Jesus bore the DNA of Mary, not the DNA of Joseph.

That helps, but I'm still wondering. There's no Bible verse that really says for sure what the Holy Spirit did other than cause her to be pregnant.

Well, again, this is communicated in Scripture as a supernatural, extraordinary, unusual, unnormative act. So, you know, ultimately it is what I said. It is a miracle. And miracles are not only possible, they're necessary in order to make sense of the universe in which we live. According to modern science, the universe not only had a beginning, It's unfathomably fine-tuned to support life.

Not only so, the origin of life, information in the genetic code and the like, pose intractable difficulties for merely natural explanations, and therefore reason forces us to look beyond the natural world to a supernatural designer who intervenes in the affairs of his created handiwork. And that is precisely what we're saying the virgin conception of Jesus was. If we are willing to believe that God created the heavens and the earth, we should have no problem accepting the virgin birth. And I would say... this as well, we're compelled by reason and evidence to acknowledge that the Bible is divine rather than merely human in origin, and therefore we accept what the Bible teaches us, that this is

a supernatural, miraculous act. It doesn't have correspondence in any other conception that we find anywhere at any time. So it is a completely unique act. It is not normative. It is a miracle. I've written about the virgin birth in the complete Bible answer book collector's edition, which is available through the ministry of the Christian Research Institute. You can order online at equip.org. You can write me at post office box 8500 Charlotte, North Carolina, zip code 28271.

As always, resource consultants are standing by. You can contact them via the phone at 888-7000. And the letters CRI will be right back with more answers to your questions in just a moment.

Every Bible Answer Man broadcast, such as the one you're listening to right now, is made possible through the financial support of friends like you. Each month, we depend entirely on God's provision through His people to bring you more of the broadcast, podcast, and other resources you rely on If you want a sound proclamation and defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ to continue to be heard through the outreaches of the Christian Research Institute, become a member of CRI's support team today. Call 888-7000-CRI and stand with CRI daily in the battle for life and truth. That's 888-7000-CRI.

Or visit our website at equip.org We'll return shortly with more from Hank Hanegraaff.

Hank Hanegraaff has dedicated his life to defending truth because truth matters. However, his life and ministry were radically transformed by another three-word phrase, Life Matters More. Truth matters because Christianity is rooted in history and evidence. Life matters more because it is the experience of union with God. The goal of Christian life is union with God. All attempts to understand Christianity from a solely rational perspective put us in danger of devolving into a transactional rather than transformational relationship with God. Truth Matters, Life Matters More will equip you to move beyond intellectually knowing about God to experientially knowing Him in Christ. To receive your copy of Truth Matters,

Life Matters More, call 888-7000-CRI and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's life-changing outreaches. 888-7000-CRI or visit us online at equip.org.

Has God spoken? Are the words of Scripture merely human in origin, or are they in fact the very words of God Himself? Three years in the making and based on two decades of research and reflection, Hank Hanegraaff's monumental book, Has God Spoken?, answers what is surely the most important question facing our world. In Has God Spoken? Memorable Proofs of the Bible's Divine Inspiration, Hank counters the contentions of the Bible attackers and clearly shows that belief in the Holy Scriptures is not a guess or wishful thinking. It is the only logical conclusion after an honest examination of overwhelming evidence. Order Has God Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by calling 888-7000-CRI or go online to equip.org, equip.org.

The Complete Bible Answer Book Collector's Edition is the comprehensive collection of the most often asked questions Hank Hanegraaff has received throughout his four decades as host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast. With more than half a million copies already in print, this newly revised and expanded Collector's Edition Help seekers and skeptics alike sort through the truth on topics such as reliability of the Bible, religions and cults, the resurrection and afterlife, and many more issues vital to a better understanding of God in Christ and our relationship to Him. To receive your copy of the complete Bible answer book, Collector's Edition, revised and expanded, call 888-7000-CRI today.

and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's life-changing outreaches, 888-7000-CRI, or visit us at equip.org. And now. Here's Hank Hanegraaff.

Thank you very much, Randy. And we return to our phone caller. Let's talk to Zach, listening from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Hi, Zach.

Hi, Hank.

How are you doing?

I'm well, thank you.

Okay, so my girlfriend just accepted Christ, and she's been going to church pretty much her whole life. And I guess some of the hypocrisy kind of turned her off to everything, but I mean, speaking from experience, leading by example is obviously one of the best ways to lead people to Christ. And I just wanted to know what's the next best step to help her on this journey.

Yeah, I think it's important for her to know that, you know, the church in essence is a hospital for sick people spiritually, which is to say when you come to faith in Christ, you're not saying I've got it all together. What you're saying is that I am hopelessly lost in sins. and therefore I need a Savior. And when Jesus Christ gives you his righteousness, it does not mean that suddenly you become perfect. You don't. You continue to struggle with besetting sins, and you recognize that the Lord who justifies you is also the Lord who daily conforms you to his image, but it's an ongoing process.

And if she understands that, she might have some sympathy for the people that are struggling with their own difficult issues, even as they walk the Christian life. But then, specifically with respect to your question in terms of growth for a new believer, the issue always gets down to these basics. You want to make sure that you have some kind of a Bible reading plan so that you can get into the Word of God and get the Word of God into you. It's also critical that you learn how to develop a relationship with the lover of your soul through prayer. And then, of course, as you've already noted, you have to be connected to a healthy, well-balanced church where you can learn the Christian disciplines. Christians need disciplines

because those disciplines can change you from within. They can radically alter your life. They're the very disciplines that Jesus Christ modeled during his earthly sojourn. And then, of course, you learn to live with eternity in mind. You have your eyes not fixated on earthly vanities, but rather on eternal verities. I've laid this out in a number of different places, but one of the places I think might be most helpful for her is a book that I wrote called The Prayer of Jesus. And this book will really help her with The Principles of Discipleship and Growth as a New Believer.

Okay. All right.

Well, thanks, Hank. I really liked your book, Has God Spoken? I do recommend it to anybody listening out there. It's a really great read. Really informative.

Oh, thank you, Zach.

Thanks for the advice, Hank.

You got it, Zach. And God bless you, particularly as you mentor and as you help others grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Back to the phone lines. Jim listening on Bakersfield.com. California. Hi, Jim.

Hey, Hank, how you doing?

Good, thank you.

Good, thanks for taking my call. I really appreciate your ministry, and whenever my finances permit, I always get resources from you that have been very helpful in building up my apologetics, and I really appreciate what you do.

You got it. Thank you so much, Jim, for the encouragement.

Okay. My question is this, and I'm going to ask you the question, and I'm going to get off the phone and let you answer it. But in regards to when the Bible, particularly when Jesus is given direct commands and we have a conversation with the disciples, how do we know, how do we discern when Jesus is speaking directly to the disciples that were there, and when he's speaking to us as disciples, because, for instance, where the faith people will take what Jesus said to the disciples and they'll apply it to themselves. Like, for instance, they'll say that Jesus said that greater works will you do because I go to the Father, and they'll take that to mean, well, we're going to do greater works than

Jesus did because we're disciples. How do you square that.

With Scripture?

Well, I think, first of all, it's important for us to recognize as we read through the Bible that the Bible was not written to us. The Bible was written for us. So the Bible applies to us in every single sense. It is useful in every aspect to teach us and to equip us and to encourage us and to edify us and to correct us when we're wrong.

But again, the Bible is not written to us. It is written to people within a particular historical context and for a particular reason. And certainly the disciples are going to do great miracles and through those great miracles they are going to be authenticated as disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And what they did we cannot duplicate because there are not super apostles and prophets amongst us today. But greater than feeding 5,000 with some loaves and fishes is the fact that we are able to feed the world the very bread of life. So there is an application to us that is significant. That application does not say that we are going to do the very works that Jesus Christ did, because those works authenticated

who Jesus Christ is. We now have the authenticating barometer for all truth, and that is the Word of God. Again, not written to us, but certainly written for us. Let's go back to the phone lines. We'll talk next to Wayne listening in Virginia.

Hi, Wayne. Hey, how you doing, Hank? Good. Pleasure to talk to you, and I love your ministry, and you always give me something to think about. And I hope I get to meet you again in Charlotte. Okay. But anyway, my question is, in your Apocalypse Code book, I've enjoyed the book. I'm not quite through it. But anyway, you dealt on the subject of the renting of the veil during Christ's resurrection. Now, I'm not a dispensationalist. I'll put that up front. I lean more to the amillennial. I'm probably about 90% there. But I have enjoyed the book. Now, can you tell me how you came to that conclusion?

Which conclusion is that?

That you said it was not an actual renting of the veil in the temple. It was, I believe you said it was a picture of Christ's burial and actual resurrection, and we can speak directly to God.

Well, there are a couple of things I think that are important here to recognize, and that is the principle here is in a New Testament sense we are all priests. We do not have to go through the priest, but we believe in the priesthood of all believers, and therefore we can go directly, as it were, into the Holy of Holies and commune with God, because the wall of separation has been forever done away with through the finished work of Jesus Christ. But I think it's also important to recognize that we have judgment language going on, whether you're looking at the earthquake that takes place At that time, or the rending of the veil, there's judgment that is going on against apostate Israel. So imbued in that language

is also judgment that takes place for those who are crucifying the sinless Son of God. The judgment language there, I think, is important to highlight, therefore, as well.

Okay. All right. That's what I was... Asking to expound a little bit. So it's not a basis. I know the judgment part, and I know there's more into that than just reading the verse. But do you believe that actually the renting of El was an actual event? Are we speaking from the judgmental view?

Well, it's very difficult language to ascertain, to be quite frank with you. I have struggled with it a lot. Over the years, I have struggled with this language, thinking that it may be apocalyptic language, but I'm not precluding the possibility that that actually happened. One of the things that I've struggled with is, if that did happen, it would have been a severe judgment that would have been noteworthy to Jews like Josephus, who would have historically wrote about an apocalyptic event like this, I would imagine, and other historians as well. So I've struggled with this passage, continue to struggle with this passage. Is this apocalyptic language or is this part of the historical narrative? What you

have in so many books of the Bible is you have a historical narrative that's interlaced with Jewish apocalyptic language or Jewish poetry and so forth, and therefore sometimes it's a struggle to fully understand. And I quite frankly am still struggling with this particular passage?

Well, I likewise, because I'm like you. I also go to other sources of historical writings, like Josephus, and I don't see him writing anything about it, which you just mentioned. And I find it quite interesting. Of course, there are some things that are not in the Bible that Josephus has written about. So it's quite interesting, the book, to say the least. So I recommend that anybody wants to read it. And again, I thank you for your ministry, and thank you for your time, sir.

You got it. Thank you so much for your call. We are at a time for this edition of the Bible Answer Man broadcast. Resources that we talk about on the show is always available to you when you go to the World Wide Web at equip.org. You can always write me as well. Post office box 8500 Charlotte, North Carolina.

Zip code 28271 or pick up the phone and talk to our resource consultants.

888-7000.

And the letters CRI. So long for now. Look forward to seeing you on the next broadcast.

Thank you for joining us today. Our mission at the Christian Research Institute is to defend the faith, answer Bible questions, and encourage Christians to watch their life and doctrine closely. To find resources to help equip you, go to equip.org. That's equip.org. or call us at 888-7000-CRI. You can also write CRI at Post Office Box 8500, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28271.

The Bible Answer Man broadcast is supported by listeners like you. We're on the air because life and truth matter.

Truth Matters, Life Matters More details Hank Hanegraaff's personal pilgrimage from his long defense of truth to his discovery that life matters more. Essentially two books in one, part one equips Christians to defend the essential truths of the historic Christian faith. Part two explains why truth is necessary but hardly sufficient. That the map is not the territory, the menu is not the meal. We are created to experience life to the full through union with God in Christ.

Is there more to the Christian life than what you are experiencing? Truth Matters, Life Matters More unveils the unexpected beauty of an authentic Christian life. To receive Truth Matters, Life Matters More for yourself or as a terrific gift to a friend or loved one, call 888-7000-CRI and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's life-changing outreaches.

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Best of BAM Q&A: The Sovereignty of God, Mentoring New Christians, and Rending of the Veil

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