October 11, 2025 • 28 mins
On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast, Hank answers the following questions:
I have heard that Darwin originally believed in a Creator. Is this true? Jake - Grand Island, NE (0:48)
What is your view of the age of the Earth? Jake - Grand Island, NE (4:11)
Is there any historical evidence of Jesus outside of the Bible? Fred - St. Louis, MO (7:08)
My brother-in-law claims to hear from God but has been wrong many times. How should we handle this? Janice - Baltimore, MD (15:11)
I am a new Christian. Can you explain the rapture? Shane - Penticton, BC (19:14)
Who is Melchizedek? Joel - St. Louis, MO (21:59)
I have heard that Darwin originally believed in a Creator. Is this true? Jake - Grand Island, NE (0:48)
What is your view of the age of the Earth? Jake - Grand Island, NE (4:11)
Is there any historical evidence of Jesus outside of the Bible? Fred - St. Louis, MO (7:08)
My brother-in-law claims to hear from God but has been wrong many times. How should we handle this? Janice - Baltimore, MD (15:11)
I am a new Christian. Can you explain the rapture? Shane - Penticton, BC (19:14)
Who is Melchizedek? Joel - St. Louis, MO (21:59)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Broadcasting across the United States, Canada, and around the world.
This is the best of the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
Your host for the program is Hank Canagraph, president of
the Christian Research Institute. We're on the air because life
and truth matter. For more information resources or to donate
(00:28):
to cr I, call eight eight eight seven thousand CRI,
or go online to equip dot org. That's equip dot org.
The following program was pre recorded to start today's Bible
answer Man Broadcast. Here's your host, Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Thank you much, Randy. Let's go right to the phone lines.
First step Jake listening in Grand Island, Nebraska, by Jake Dang.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
How are you good?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
How are you?
Speaker 4 (00:57):
I'm not too bad. I got two things. I got
a like, a comment, and then a question. I guess.
The first one is about the Darwin's theory. And I'm
a Christian. The people that believe in Darwin's theory. His
first couple of research papers that he had written, and
I don't know if you know this or it has
not a lot or not really common knowledge, but in
(01:19):
his first couple research papers that he had written, he
had mentioned that whether in his theory we came from
a single cell organism or there was multi single cell organisms.
He gave credits that there was a creator and no
matter how small it was, that there was a creator
that made those organisms. And I let a lot of
(01:40):
people know that. And and the reason I know that
is because the guy that knows my brother's church has
an original copy of that. And and since free of
those people that believe in that in his theory, it
all comes back to even he said there was a creator,
and that has been taken out because just like h nowadays,
when we don't like things, we change him. If we
(02:02):
don't like how marriage is, we change the definition of marriage,
and so on and so forth. And so people his
fellow researches after him have changed that and have taken
that out of there.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Well, first of all, there's no question whatsoever that Darwin
at one point in his life said he was an
Orthodox believer. In fact, I have a quote in one
of my books whereby Charles Darwin says, whilst on board
the Beagle, I was quite Orthodox, and I remember being
hardly laughed at by several of the officers, though themselves orthodox,
(02:37):
for quoting the Bible as an unanswerable authority. On some
point of morality. But Darwin also said this an origin
of species by means of natural selection, which is his
magnum opus. When it was first said that the Son
stood still and the world turned round, the common sense
(02:58):
of humankind declared the doctrine false. But the old saying
voice of the people, voice of God, as every philosopher knows,
cannot be trusted in science. And ultimately Darwin opted not
for orthodox Christianity, but for the notion that everything could
(03:20):
be explained through the process of natural selection working by
random processes. So Darwin, whilst he said he started out
an orthodox believer, his belief was shattered as a result
of embracing the evolutionary paradigm. And when I'm talking about
evolution here, I'm not talking about microevolution. I'm talking about
(03:42):
macro evolution, the idea that kinds evolve into different kinds.
And I've said this on the broadcast before, but the
Cambrian explosion has uprooted Darwin's tree of life and demonstrate
beyond a peradventure of a doubt, that Darwin's theory of
evolution is no longer tenable in an age of scientific enlightenment.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Yeah, that's very well put, and so I guess that
covers that that comments last question, I guess, uh, the
second one real quick. I've heard you talk before about
the age of the Earth, and I believe in a
young Earth has been you know, roughly six thousand years.
And if I'm wrong, they then pleaded, just tell me.
(04:27):
But from my understanding, you believe maybe in a little
bit of an odor of an earth may be measured
in millions and billions of years. And I've heard you
use the illustration of of of light years, how long
the light years take to get from the Sun to
the Earth. And if you look in the sky, had
not you could see a star in its infancy and
see a star that's the brid to to tie and burnout,
(04:49):
and that takes millions of years for those things to happen.
Uh that as this can read now, I firmly believe
that if God wants there to be light from the
Sun to the Earth, which would take millions of light years,
because he wants that to happen in one second, he
can have that happen in one second. I feel that
if we say those things about the stars and the sun,
(05:12):
that we might be limiting God on his power and
say that he has a wait for those things to
come around. I don't know what your thoughts are on that.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I guess well, first of all, I don't disagree with
your premise. I mean, God can in fact do that.
The question is did he? And I think that's really
how we have modern science to begin with. It came
as a result of thinkers like Augustine who believed that
we could, in fact read the Book of Nature. Not
(05:41):
only could, but should with the same diligence that we
apply to reading the Bible. And therefore we need to
be students of the Book of Nature. And the Book
of Nature, like the Bible, is not full of lies
or full of deception. It's a textbook that we can trust.
(06:04):
That's really what gave birth to Christian universities, It's what
gave birth to the whole mechanism of science to begin with.
It is men of science, men of God learning to
think God's thoughts after him. So whether the universe is
old or young is a function of learning to read
(06:25):
God's Book of Nature. And of course Psalms talks about
both the Book of Nature and the Bible, one being
special revelation, the other being general revelation. And again I
think that if you read the Book of Nature correctly,
it points to an old universe, not to a young earth.
If you look at the Bible, the Bible doesn't really
(06:46):
weigh in on the issue. The Bible doesn't give us
a chronology of creation. It gives us a hierarchy of creation,
culminating in the crowning jewels of God's creation humankind.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Sure, yeah, that's some good stuff some of my questions
in my comments and my thoughts and stuff. So I
appreciate your broadcast and for taking my call.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Well, thank you so much for your call. Jake. Let's
go right back to the phone lines. Next step as Fred.
He's listening in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Hi, Fred, I think thinking what taking my call. I
really appreciate your ministry and God bless you.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
I have a just a quick question. It's flated to
what is claimed as the absence of any historical evidence
of or mention of Jesus in the Roman history. It
was basically something I picked up online somebody who was
answering a question for somebody else, and he mentioned that
(07:41):
there is no mention of Jesus in anything related to
the Roman history. So that's why he doesn't believe in
Jesus or the Bible. So, not knowing anything about that,
I thought I would kind of run that by you.
Is that true? There is no mention of Jesus in
the history books, mainly the Roman history.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
No, it's completely false. In fact, you can piece together
highlights of the life of Jesus Christ wholly apart from
the Bible on the basis of Roman history. When we're
speaking about Roman history, I would first of all mention
Flavius Josephus, who was a Jew writing to please the Romans.
(08:26):
He very clearly mentions Jesus Christ and the earthly ministry
of Jesus Christ in graphic detail. And then, of course
there are people like the Roman Tacitus, who was the
greatest first century historian of the ancient Roman Empire, and
he chronicles the death of Christ, who he says, suffered
(08:48):
the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the
hands of one of our procreators, Pontius Pilot Sweetonius, who
was a contemporary of Tacitus. He was best known for
the Twelve Caesars. He's also well known for gathering historical
data from eyewitnesses, and he clearly talks about Jesus Christ
(09:11):
as well. Plenty's the Younger. Another historian, a contemporary of
Sweetonius and Tacitus, wrote about Jesus Christ. So there's ample
evidence about Jesus Christ as a historical figure in the
writings of Roman historians.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Thank you very much. I'm just how surprised that can
people that you know, we can perish from the lack
of knowledge, and that's why I appreciate your ministry providing
the information. Everybody really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
You know what might be helpful to you if you
hang on, I can send you out a flip chart
that I put together that's called maps, And what this
does is it gives you, in a flip chart format
most of this information, and it also chronicles the evidence
for this information so that you know that it comes
from reliable sources.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
You're welcome. Thank you so much for your call. As
we go to break a reminder once again that this
is a ministry supported by listeners just like you. The
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hope that you'll be one of those that does just that.
If you can give Cliff generously and again. You can
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(10:24):
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head box eighty five hundred Charlotte, North Carolina, zip code
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right back in just a few moments with more answers
to your questions right here on the Bible answer Man broadcast.
So please don't touch that dial.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
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(15:07):
now here's Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Thank von't your Indian. We go right back to our
phone callers. Next up is Jennie. She's listening in Baltimore, Maryland. Hi. Jennis, Hello, Hi,
I want to.
Speaker 5 (15:18):
Thank you very much for your ministry. I have a
comment in a question. As a young Christian, my sister
married her husband. He was very extreme and still is
with what he believes. He's someone who believes that people die,
I mean, they don't die, they go to heaven and
visit and come back and that sort of thing. He
(15:39):
believed that God speaks to him personally. Over the years,
they were married for thirty eight years. Over the years,
he was wrong about many things, and she supported him
all along. And what happened was a couple of months
ago she came down leukemia, and he told her that
God told him that she was not going to die,
(16:02):
that she would live, and so they did not have
she did not have treatment, and she died eleven weeks later.
And we are all very devastated out a Christian family,
But none of us believe the same way that said
he does. And what I want to know is what
do we say to him? I mean, I'm mixed between
(16:26):
I'm so angry and I have compassion. Is he really
a Christian? Can a real Christian go on year after
year believing these things that are so undifficult?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Well, he certainly can't be deluded. And I think what's
important is to be equipped, always ready to give an answer,
a reason for the hope that lies within you, with
gentleness and with respect. You can't change anybody's heart, but
you can be prepared with a well reasoned answer. Now,
you can't force feed him. You can only hope that
(16:59):
he will be open into instruction. And you need to
be available as well, so that people do not fall
into the dangerous trap of believing these subjective anecdotes that
can lead to real destruction, as you've found out in
a very tangible way. And I've had so many examples
(17:20):
of that given to me anecdotally on the Bible answer
Man broadcast over the years of ministry, where people will
stop taking medication because someone gets a subjective word from
the Lord saying that they're going to be healed, or
saying that if they had the kind of faith that
biblical characters had, that they wouldn't have to take their medicine.
(17:42):
And that kind of thinking is always a function of
people who do not correspond to reality in the circumstances
of a real, tangible world. So it's a very dangerous proposition.
It's one of the reasons I wrote Christianity christis twenty
first century.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Yeah, okay, so all right, I.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Mean I think the important thing is to be equipped.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
So I mean this does not mean that I mean
I shouldn't look at him and assume that he's not
a Christian, or mean, is it just something that I
won't know whether he really is or not? Is he
just deceieve? Is he not really a Christian?
Speaker 1 (18:22):
I don't understand.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I think you're right in saying that you cannot make
that call. We look at the outward appearance. God looks
at the heart. If you would have been around at
the time of Judas, you would have said, Wow, I
want to be like Judas. He performed miracles, he was
in christ inner circle. You would have wanted to be
just like Judas. But Jesus saw beyond the externalities and
saw the heart of Jesus and recognized that he was
a devil. And so again, I think that underscore is
(18:48):
the reality that we can't make that judgment call. But
what we can do is always be ready to give
an answer. I've often said that the real issue is
never evangelism, it's equipping for evangelism. If you're prepared, God
can use your well reasoned answer as a springboard or
an opportunity to make a difference.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Yes, okay, thank you, you got it.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Thank you. Jenis appreciate your call. Back to the phone lines.
We'll talk next to Shane listening in British Columbia, Canada. Hi, Shane, Hey,
hen how you doing good? How are you good?
Speaker 6 (19:21):
My question is I'm a new Christian. I was just baptized,
like probably six months ago. And I'm reading the Bible
and I'm trying to grasp the, uh like, the details
of the rapture. I'm just like, you know, there's different
references that I've picked up, but you know, I talked
to various other Christians, and it seems to be a
(19:41):
belief where it's going to be post apocalyptic or pre apocalyptic,
you know what I mean. I just you seem really
intelligent when it comes to these facts. So I just
want in your opinion on it.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Well, the whole idea of a pre tribulational rapture is
a rather novel or new idea in Christian history. Now,
the fact that it's new does not mean it's not true,
but I think it does warrant examining it carefully in
light a scripture than holding fast to that which is good.
What you'll find when you look at the Bible is
(20:14):
that there is no indication whatsoever in all of scripture
that there's going to be a secret coming of Jesus
Christ followed by a second coming of Jesus Christ, the
two separated by a seven year tribulation period. I think
that's something that is imposed on the text of scripture
(20:35):
as opposed to taken from the text of scripture. For example,
the principal passage one Thessalonians chapter four, in reality, when
you read it carefully, is a great and glorious passage
on resurrection. In fact, it's a passage in which Paul
tells believers that he does not want them to grieve
like the rest of people who have no hope, because
(20:57):
Jesus died and rose again, and therefore we can assured
that we too will rise, immortal, imperishable, incorruptible. But that
passage oftentimes has been used as a pretext for a
pretribulational rapture, whereas in reality there's no basis for that whatsoever.
So I think the real issue is examining scripture to
(21:18):
see if these things are true. And that's as important
for a new believer as it is for someone that's
been in the faith for a long period of time.
The Word of God is the final court of arbitration
by which all things must be tested. If you want
to get a good grasp on this, I've written a book.
It's called The Apocalypse Code. Find out what the Bible
(21:41):
really says about the end times and why it matters today.
Speaker 6 (21:45):
The Apocalypse Code where can I get that.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
If you hang on, we can get a copy out
to you, or you can just go to the webit
equipped dot org equip dot org.
Speaker 6 (21:53):
Okay, well, I appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (21:54):
Thank you know what I'll do that.
Speaker 6 (21:55):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Thanks, Hey, you got it. Thank you so much for
your call. I want to go back to the phone lines.
Start to Joel Saint Louis, Missouri. Hi, Joel, Hello.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
Sir, thank you for taking my call. I'll make it quick.
I keep hearing reference to Melchizedek, and I don't know
what that term is. I was wondering if you could
elaborate and kind of explain what that is.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Well. Melchizedek is described in the text of Scripture as
someone who is without father or mother, without genealogy, without
beginning of days or end of life. Now that in
itself should be a bit of a clue. But Scripture
further goes on to say that he did not trace
(22:39):
his descent from Levi, and yet he collected a tenth
from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And
without doubt, the lesser person is blessed by the greater person.
In the one case, the tenth is collected by men
who die, but in the other case by him who
is declared to be the living. That phrase, again, declared
(23:02):
to be the living, ought to be another clue, because
in contrast to men who die, Melchizedek is declared to
be the living. When you look at the whole corpus
of scripture, what you find is that Melchizedek is a
pre incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. And you see that
(23:24):
in graphic detail when you look at the account of Abraham,
who was king of Salem or Jerusalem, the very region
where God gave him victory in the battle of the kings,
and the very region in which God called him to
establish a righteous nation of kings and priests. So from
(23:45):
the perspective of Heaven, in this scene, it is Melchizedek
who is the king of Salem and remains a priest forever,
as opposed to Abraham. And as such, Melchizedek appears as
a human king and priest, yet is without beginning of
days or end of life, a priest who offers bread
and wine from the Jerusalem that is above, the Jerusalem
(24:07):
that's free and is our mother. So Scripture not only
designates Melchizedic King of Righteousness and King of Peace, but
overtly tells us that again he's without father or mother,
without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life,
and that like the Son of God, who remains a
priest forever. So in total, what we have is a
picture of a christophany, which means a pre incarnate appearance
(24:32):
of Jesus Christ. I've actually written about this in a
lot of detail in my book has God spoken memorable
proofs for the divine inspiration of scripture, And one of
the proofs that points in this direction with more clarity
is what has been found in Cave eleven of the
Dead Sea Scrolls, the Melchizedic stroll. It sheds further light
(24:53):
in answer.
Speaker 7 (24:54):
The question you had, Well, thank you so much, and
I'll definitely pick up your book. I've been meaning to,
so I appreciate it, you got it.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Thank you so much for your call, and we are
at a time for this edition of the Bible Inchmen broadcast.
We'll be right back here tomorrow with more answers to
your questions. In the meantime, pray for us, and please,
if you can, if the Lord has given you some
of his resources financially, please invest them in the ministry
of the Christian Research Institute. We need you now more
than ever. You can do so in a say secure
(25:21):
fashion on the web equipped dot org. You can also
write and enclose a check at Post Office box eighty
five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina. Is a God two eight
two seven one, or just pick up the telephone talk
to one of our resource consultants at number triple eight
seven thousand, and the letters CRI. Look forward to being
with you tomorrow with more.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Thank you for joining us for the Bible answer Man
broadcast in today's post truth culture of confusion. The Christian
Research Institute exists to equip listeners like you with answers
to communicate the Gospel of Hope to a world in
desperate need of life and truth. Because life and truth
(26:01):
matter in addition to truth, we want to equip you
with life, not simply to know about God, but truly
to know Him. Experiencing union with Christ enables us to
live life not merely by our own energy, but with
the energy of the Lord Jesus working powerfully through us.
For more information, call eight eight eight seven thousand, CRII
(26:25):
that's eight eight eight seven thousand CRII. You can also
write CRII at Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
North Carolina, two eight two seven one, or just visit
us online at equip dot org. That's equip dot org.
(26:46):
The Bible answer Man Broadcast is funded by listeners like you.
We're on the air because life and truth matter. The
Complete Bible answer Book Collector's Edition is the comprehensive collection
of the most often asked questions Hank Hannigraph has received
(27:09):
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 helped
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
(27:32):
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 eight eight eight seven
thousand CRII and make a gift to support the Christian
Research Institute's life changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CRII,
(27:54):
or visit us at equip dot org.
Broadcasting across the United States, Canada, and around the world.
This is the best of the Bible answer Man Broadcast.
Your host for the program is Hank Canagraph, president of
the Christian Research Institute. We're on the air because life
and truth matter. For more information resources or to donate
(00:28):
to cr I, call eight eight eight seven thousand CRI,
or go online to equip dot org. That's equip dot org.
The following program was pre recorded to start today's Bible
answer Man Broadcast. Here's your host, Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Thank you much, Randy. Let's go right to the phone lines.
First step Jake listening in Grand Island, Nebraska, by Jake Dang.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
How are you good?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
How are you?
Speaker 4 (00:57):
I'm not too bad. I got two things. I got
a like, a comment, and then a question. I guess.
The first one is about the Darwin's theory. And I'm
a Christian. The people that believe in Darwin's theory. His
first couple of research papers that he had written, and
I don't know if you know this or it has
not a lot or not really common knowledge, but in
(01:19):
his first couple research papers that he had written, he
had mentioned that whether in his theory we came from
a single cell organism or there was multi single cell organisms.
He gave credits that there was a creator and no
matter how small it was, that there was a creator
that made those organisms. And I let a lot of
(01:40):
people know that. And and the reason I know that
is because the guy that knows my brother's church has
an original copy of that. And and since free of
those people that believe in that in his theory, it
all comes back to even he said there was a creator,
and that has been taken out because just like h nowadays,
when we don't like things, we change him. If we
(02:02):
don't like how marriage is, we change the definition of marriage,
and so on and so forth. And so people his
fellow researches after him have changed that and have taken
that out of there.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Well, first of all, there's no question whatsoever that Darwin
at one point in his life said he was an
Orthodox believer. In fact, I have a quote in one
of my books whereby Charles Darwin says, whilst on board
the Beagle, I was quite Orthodox, and I remember being
hardly laughed at by several of the officers, though themselves orthodox,
(02:37):
for quoting the Bible as an unanswerable authority. On some
point of morality. But Darwin also said this an origin
of species by means of natural selection, which is his
magnum opus. When it was first said that the Son
stood still and the world turned round, the common sense
(02:58):
of humankind declared the doctrine false. But the old saying
voice of the people, voice of God, as every philosopher knows,
cannot be trusted in science. And ultimately Darwin opted not
for orthodox Christianity, but for the notion that everything could
(03:20):
be explained through the process of natural selection working by
random processes. So Darwin, whilst he said he started out
an orthodox believer, his belief was shattered as a result
of embracing the evolutionary paradigm. And when I'm talking about
evolution here, I'm not talking about microevolution. I'm talking about
(03:42):
macro evolution, the idea that kinds evolve into different kinds.
And I've said this on the broadcast before, but the
Cambrian explosion has uprooted Darwin's tree of life and demonstrate
beyond a peradventure of a doubt, that Darwin's theory of
evolution is no longer tenable in an age of scientific enlightenment.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Yeah, that's very well put, and so I guess that
covers that that comments last question, I guess, uh, the
second one real quick. I've heard you talk before about
the age of the Earth, and I believe in a
young Earth has been you know, roughly six thousand years.
And if I'm wrong, they then pleaded, just tell me.
(04:27):
But from my understanding, you believe maybe in a little
bit of an odor of an earth may be measured
in millions and billions of years. And I've heard you
use the illustration of of of light years, how long
the light years take to get from the Sun to
the Earth. And if you look in the sky, had
not you could see a star in its infancy and
see a star that's the brid to to tie and burnout,
(04:49):
and that takes millions of years for those things to happen.
Uh that as this can read now, I firmly believe
that if God wants there to be light from the
Sun to the Earth, which would take millions of light years,
because he wants that to happen in one second, he
can have that happen in one second. I feel that
if we say those things about the stars and the sun,
(05:12):
that we might be limiting God on his power and
say that he has a wait for those things to
come around. I don't know what your thoughts are on that.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I guess well, first of all, I don't disagree with
your premise. I mean, God can in fact do that.
The question is did he? And I think that's really
how we have modern science to begin with. It came
as a result of thinkers like Augustine who believed that
we could, in fact read the Book of Nature. Not
(05:41):
only could, but should with the same diligence that we
apply to reading the Bible. And therefore we need to
be students of the Book of Nature. And the Book
of Nature, like the Bible, is not full of lies
or full of deception. It's a textbook that we can trust.
(06:04):
That's really what gave birth to Christian universities, It's what
gave birth to the whole mechanism of science to begin with.
It is men of science, men of God learning to
think God's thoughts after him. So whether the universe is
old or young is a function of learning to read
(06:25):
God's Book of Nature. And of course Psalms talks about
both the Book of Nature and the Bible, one being
special revelation, the other being general revelation. And again I
think that if you read the Book of Nature correctly,
it points to an old universe, not to a young earth.
If you look at the Bible, the Bible doesn't really
(06:46):
weigh in on the issue. The Bible doesn't give us
a chronology of creation. It gives us a hierarchy of creation,
culminating in the crowning jewels of God's creation humankind.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Sure, yeah, that's some good stuff some of my questions
in my comments and my thoughts and stuff. So I
appreciate your broadcast and for taking my call.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Well, thank you so much for your call. Jake. Let's
go right back to the phone lines. Next step as Fred.
He's listening in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Hi, Fred, I think thinking what taking my call. I
really appreciate your ministry and God bless you.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
I have a just a quick question. It's flated to
what is claimed as the absence of any historical evidence
of or mention of Jesus in the Roman history. It
was basically something I picked up online somebody who was
answering a question for somebody else, and he mentioned that
(07:41):
there is no mention of Jesus in anything related to
the Roman history. So that's why he doesn't believe in
Jesus or the Bible. So, not knowing anything about that,
I thought I would kind of run that by you.
Is that true? There is no mention of Jesus in
the history books, mainly the Roman history.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
No, it's completely false. In fact, you can piece together
highlights of the life of Jesus Christ wholly apart from
the Bible on the basis of Roman history. When we're
speaking about Roman history, I would first of all mention
Flavius Josephus, who was a Jew writing to please the Romans.
(08:26):
He very clearly mentions Jesus Christ and the earthly ministry
of Jesus Christ in graphic detail. And then, of course
there are people like the Roman Tacitus, who was the
greatest first century historian of the ancient Roman Empire, and
he chronicles the death of Christ, who he says, suffered
(08:48):
the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the
hands of one of our procreators, Pontius Pilot Sweetonius, who
was a contemporary of Tacitus. He was best known for
the Twelve Caesars. He's also well known for gathering historical
data from eyewitnesses, and he clearly talks about Jesus Christ
(09:11):
as well. Plenty's the Younger. Another historian, a contemporary of
Sweetonius and Tacitus, wrote about Jesus Christ. So there's ample
evidence about Jesus Christ as a historical figure in the
writings of Roman historians.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Thank you very much. I'm just how surprised that can
people that you know, we can perish from the lack
of knowledge, and that's why I appreciate your ministry providing
the information. Everybody really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
You know what might be helpful to you if you
hang on, I can send you out a flip chart
that I put together that's called maps, And what this
does is it gives you, in a flip chart format
most of this information, and it also chronicles the evidence
for this information so that you know that it comes
from reliable sources.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
You're welcome. Thank you so much for your call. As
we go to break a reminder once again that this
is a ministry supported by listeners just like you. The
Gospels free. Someone has to put in the plumbing. We
hope that you'll be one of those that does just that.
If you can give Cliff generously and again. You can
do that in a safe, secure fashion on the webit
(10:24):
equipped dot Org. You can do it via the male
head box eighty five hundred Charlotte, North Carolina, zip code
two eight two seven one, or via the phone the
number once again triple eight seven thousand, Sierra. Oh, You're
right back in just a few moments with more answers
to your questions right here on the Bible answer Man broadcast.
So please don't touch that dial.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
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The counterfeit Christ exhorts followers to abandon their families and
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That's eight eight eight seven thousand CROI, or visit us
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(11:49):
tune out. Hank Hanagraph will be back with more right
after this. The Complete Bible answer Book Collector's Edition is
the comprehensive collection of the most often asked questions Hank
Hannigraph has received throughout his four decades as host of
(12:11):
the Bible answer Man broadcast. With more than half a
million copies already in print, this newly revised and expanded
Collector's Edition helped 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
(12:31):
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
eight eight eight seven thousand CRII and make a gift
to support the Christian Research Institute's Life Changing outreaches eight
(12:51):
eight eight seven thousand crii or visit us at equip
dot org. Has God Spoken? Are the words of Scripture
merely human in origin? Or are they, in fact the
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very words of God himself? Three years in the making
and based on two decades of research and reflection, Hank
Henigraph'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
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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 ordered Has God Spoken? From the Christian
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number of wolves surrounding the Christian flock is growing, and
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The assaults on Biblical Christianity are growing dangerously, but Christian
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(15:07):
now here's Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Thank von't your Indian. We go right back to our
phone callers. Next up is Jennie. She's listening in Baltimore, Maryland. Hi. Jennis, Hello, Hi,
I want to.
Speaker 5 (15:18):
Thank you very much for your ministry. I have a
comment in a question. As a young Christian, my sister
married her husband. He was very extreme and still is
with what he believes. He's someone who believes that people die,
I mean, they don't die, they go to heaven and
visit and come back and that sort of thing. He
(15:39):
believed that God speaks to him personally. Over the years,
they were married for thirty eight years. Over the years,
he was wrong about many things, and she supported him
all along. And what happened was a couple of months
ago she came down leukemia, and he told her that
God told him that she was not going to die,
(16:02):
that she would live, and so they did not have
she did not have treatment, and she died eleven weeks later.
And we are all very devastated out a Christian family,
But none of us believe the same way that said
he does. And what I want to know is what
do we say to him? I mean, I'm mixed between
(16:26):
I'm so angry and I have compassion. Is he really
a Christian? Can a real Christian go on year after
year believing these things that are so undifficult?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Well, he certainly can't be deluded. And I think what's
important is to be equipped, always ready to give an answer,
a reason for the hope that lies within you, with
gentleness and with respect. You can't change anybody's heart, but
you can be prepared with a well reasoned answer. Now,
you can't force feed him. You can only hope that
(16:59):
he will be open into instruction. And you need to
be available as well, so that people do not fall
into the dangerous trap of believing these subjective anecdotes that
can lead to real destruction, as you've found out in
a very tangible way. And I've had so many examples
(17:20):
of that given to me anecdotally on the Bible answer
Man broadcast over the years of ministry, where people will
stop taking medication because someone gets a subjective word from
the Lord saying that they're going to be healed, or
saying that if they had the kind of faith that
biblical characters had, that they wouldn't have to take their medicine.
(17:42):
And that kind of thinking is always a function of
people who do not correspond to reality in the circumstances
of a real, tangible world. So it's a very dangerous proposition.
It's one of the reasons I wrote Christianity christis twenty
first century.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Yeah, okay, so all right, I.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Mean I think the important thing is to be equipped.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
So I mean this does not mean that I mean
I shouldn't look at him and assume that he's not
a Christian, or mean, is it just something that I
won't know whether he really is or not? Is he
just deceieve? Is he not really a Christian?
Speaker 1 (18:22):
I don't understand.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I think you're right in saying that you cannot make
that call. We look at the outward appearance. God looks
at the heart. If you would have been around at
the time of Judas, you would have said, Wow, I
want to be like Judas. He performed miracles, he was
in christ inner circle. You would have wanted to be
just like Judas. But Jesus saw beyond the externalities and
saw the heart of Jesus and recognized that he was
a devil. And so again, I think that underscore is
(18:48):
the reality that we can't make that judgment call. But
what we can do is always be ready to give
an answer. I've often said that the real issue is
never evangelism, it's equipping for evangelism. If you're prepared, God
can use your well reasoned answer as a springboard or
an opportunity to make a difference.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Yes, okay, thank you, you got it.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Thank you. Jenis appreciate your call. Back to the phone lines.
We'll talk next to Shane listening in British Columbia, Canada. Hi, Shane, Hey,
hen how you doing good? How are you good?
Speaker 6 (19:21):
My question is I'm a new Christian. I was just baptized,
like probably six months ago. And I'm reading the Bible
and I'm trying to grasp the, uh like, the details
of the rapture. I'm just like, you know, there's different
references that I've picked up, but you know, I talked
to various other Christians, and it seems to be a
(19:41):
belief where it's going to be post apocalyptic or pre apocalyptic,
you know what I mean. I just you seem really
intelligent when it comes to these facts. So I just
want in your opinion on it.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Well, the whole idea of a pre tribulational rapture is
a rather novel or new idea in Christian history. Now,
the fact that it's new does not mean it's not true,
but I think it does warrant examining it carefully in
light a scripture than holding fast to that which is good.
What you'll find when you look at the Bible is
(20:14):
that there is no indication whatsoever in all of scripture
that there's going to be a secret coming of Jesus
Christ followed by a second coming of Jesus Christ, the
two separated by a seven year tribulation period. I think
that's something that is imposed on the text of scripture
(20:35):
as opposed to taken from the text of scripture. For example,
the principal passage one Thessalonians chapter four, in reality, when
you read it carefully, is a great and glorious passage
on resurrection. In fact, it's a passage in which Paul
tells believers that he does not want them to grieve
like the rest of people who have no hope, because
(20:57):
Jesus died and rose again, and therefore we can assured
that we too will rise, immortal, imperishable, incorruptible. But that
passage oftentimes has been used as a pretext for a
pretribulational rapture, whereas in reality there's no basis for that whatsoever.
So I think the real issue is examining scripture to
(21:18):
see if these things are true. And that's as important
for a new believer as it is for someone that's
been in the faith for a long period of time.
The Word of God is the final court of arbitration
by which all things must be tested. If you want
to get a good grasp on this, I've written a book.
It's called The Apocalypse Code. Find out what the Bible
(21:41):
really says about the end times and why it matters today.
Speaker 6 (21:45):
The Apocalypse Code where can I get that.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
If you hang on, we can get a copy out
to you, or you can just go to the webit
equipped dot org equip dot org.
Speaker 6 (21:53):
Okay, well, I appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (21:54):
Thank you know what I'll do that.
Speaker 6 (21:55):
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Thanks, Hey, you got it. Thank you so much for
your call. I want to go back to the phone lines.
Start to Joel Saint Louis, Missouri. Hi, Joel, Hello.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
Sir, thank you for taking my call. I'll make it quick.
I keep hearing reference to Melchizedek, and I don't know
what that term is. I was wondering if you could
elaborate and kind of explain what that is.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Well. Melchizedek is described in the text of Scripture as
someone who is without father or mother, without genealogy, without
beginning of days or end of life. Now that in
itself should be a bit of a clue. But Scripture
further goes on to say that he did not trace
(22:39):
his descent from Levi, and yet he collected a tenth
from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And
without doubt, the lesser person is blessed by the greater person.
In the one case, the tenth is collected by men
who die, but in the other case by him who
is declared to be the living. That phrase, again, declared
(23:02):
to be the living, ought to be another clue, because
in contrast to men who die, Melchizedek is declared to
be the living. When you look at the whole corpus
of scripture, what you find is that Melchizedek is a
pre incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. And you see that
(23:24):
in graphic detail when you look at the account of Abraham,
who was king of Salem or Jerusalem, the very region
where God gave him victory in the battle of the kings,
and the very region in which God called him to
establish a righteous nation of kings and priests. So from
(23:45):
the perspective of Heaven, in this scene, it is Melchizedek
who is the king of Salem and remains a priest forever,
as opposed to Abraham. And as such, Melchizedek appears as
a human king and priest, yet is without beginning of
days or end of life, a priest who offers bread
and wine from the Jerusalem that is above, the Jerusalem
(24:07):
that's free and is our mother. So Scripture not only
designates Melchizedic King of Righteousness and King of Peace, but
overtly tells us that again he's without father or mother,
without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life,
and that like the Son of God, who remains a
priest forever. So in total, what we have is a
picture of a christophany, which means a pre incarnate appearance
(24:32):
of Jesus Christ. I've actually written about this in a
lot of detail in my book has God spoken memorable
proofs for the divine inspiration of scripture, And one of
the proofs that points in this direction with more clarity
is what has been found in Cave eleven of the
Dead Sea Scrolls, the Melchizedic stroll. It sheds further light
(24:53):
in answer.
Speaker 7 (24:54):
The question you had, Well, thank you so much, and
I'll definitely pick up your book. I've been meaning to,
so I appreciate it, you got it.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Thank you so much for your call, and we are
at a time for this edition of the Bible Inchmen broadcast.
We'll be right back here tomorrow with more answers to
your questions. In the meantime, pray for us, and please,
if you can, if the Lord has given you some
of his resources financially, please invest them in the ministry
of the Christian Research Institute. We need you now more
than ever. You can do so in a say secure
(25:21):
fashion on the web equipped dot org. You can also
write and enclose a check at Post Office box eighty
five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina. Is a God two eight
two seven one, or just pick up the telephone talk
to one of our resource consultants at number triple eight
seven thousand, and the letters CRI. Look forward to being
with you tomorrow with more.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Thank you for joining us for the Bible answer Man
broadcast in today's post truth culture of confusion. The Christian
Research Institute exists to equip listeners like you with answers
to communicate the Gospel of Hope to a world in
desperate need of life and truth. Because life and truth
(26:01):
matter in addition to truth, we want to equip you
with life, not simply to know about God, but truly
to know Him. Experiencing union with Christ enables us to
live life not merely by our own energy, but with
the energy of the Lord Jesus working powerfully through us.
For more information, call eight eight eight seven thousand, CRII
(26:25):
that's eight eight eight seven thousand CRII. You can also
write CRII at Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
North Carolina, two eight two seven one, or just visit
us online at equip dot org. That's equip dot org.
(26:46):
The Bible answer Man Broadcast is funded by listeners like you.
We're on the air because life and truth matter. The
Complete Bible answer Book Collector's Edition is the comprehensive collection
of the most often asked questions Hank Hannigraph has received
(27:09):
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 helped
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
(27:32):
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 eight eight eight seven
thousand CRII and make a gift to support the Christian
Research Institute's life changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CRII,
(27:54):
or visit us at equip dot org.
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