October 23, 2025 • 28 mins
On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (10/23/25), Hank shares on the meaning of Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
Hank also answers the following questions:
Since Jesus’ resurrected body is physical, does that require a location with respect to where He ascended to in heaven? Ron - Austin, TX (3:19)
In Ezekiel 1:4-14, is Ezekiel seeing a UFO? Jerry - Calgary, AB (8:12)
How should I respond to Christians who are judgmental? Didn’t Jesus say that we should not judge? Angie - St. Claire, MO (15:11)
Will Christians who smoke go to hell? Angie - St. Claire, MO (16:29)
Is it bad to stop going to church and worship at home instead to avoid judgmental people? Angie - St. Claire, MO (19:51)
Hank also answers the following questions:
Since Jesus’ resurrected body is physical, does that require a location with respect to where He ascended to in heaven? Ron - Austin, TX (3:19)
In Ezekiel 1:4-14, is Ezekiel seeing a UFO? Jerry - Calgary, AB (8:12)
How should I respond to Christians who are judgmental? Didn’t Jesus say that we should not judge? Angie - St. Claire, MO (15:11)
Will Christians who smoke go to hell? Angie - St. Claire, MO (16:29)
Is it bad to stop going to church and worship at home instead to avoid judgmental people? Angie - St. Claire, MO (19:51)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're just in time for the Bible answer Man broadcast
with Hank Canagraph, the radio outreach of the Christian Research Institute.
Our purpose here at CRII is to equip Christians to
provide Biblical answers to life's most important questions, to read
the Bible for all it's worth, and counter the teachings
of cults and world religions that deviate from the plumb
(00:30):
line of God's Word, because life and truth matter. For
more information, to order resources or donate, call eight eight
eight seven thousand CROI, or go online to equip dot org.
That's equip dot org. The following program was pre recorded.
(00:50):
Now here's the President of the Christian Research Institute, Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Thank you for what Randy is. Believers, we celebrate the life,
the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, which raises the question, a question
that I address in the Complete Bible answer Book Collector's Edition,
what does it mean to say that Jesus ascended into heaven?
(01:17):
That over the years I have heard more than one
skeptic ridicule the notion that Jesus ascended into heaven before
their very eyes. The eyes of the disciples, because in
their view, even if Jesus were traveling at the speed
of light, he would not yet have escaped the confines
of our little universe, and not only that, he must
(01:38):
surely be struggling with oxygen deprivation by now. In response,
I point out that to say Jesus ascended into Heaven
does not imply that he's traveling through space, but rather that,
as the God Man, he transcended time and space. Put
(01:58):
another way, Heaven is not located in time and space.
It exists in another dimension. Furthermore, the physical universe does
not exhaust reality. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand
that an effect like the universe must have a cause
equal to or greater than itself, and this is self
(02:20):
evident not only to those who are philosophically sophisticated, but
to thinking people everywhere. Thus the notion that the creator
of the universe transcended his universe should pose no problem.
And finally, I should note that God often uses physical
examples to point to spiritual realities. Thus the physical fact
(02:42):
of christ ascension points to the greater truth that he
is now glorified in the presence of God and that
our glorification is divinely guaranteed as well. Again, these types
of questions answered in the Complete Bible answer Book Collector's
edition of it through the ministry of the Christian Research Institute.
(03:02):
You can order online at equipped dot org. When you
write me at Post office box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
North Carolina, zip code two eight two seven one. Well,
when you pick up the telephone, talk to our resource
consultants triple eight seven thousand, and the letters CRI. Let's
get right to the phone lines. First step Ron listening
in Austin, Texas on the web.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Hi Run, Hi Hank, Thanks for what you do and
everyone there at CRI. I've really learned a lot. But
I think you just kind of touched on what my
question was in your opening statement. I didn't hear all
of what you said, so I'll pose the question. Okay,
So my question comes from questions that I've heard you
answer a lot, and that is when we die, you know,
where are we? And the answer I think that you'd
(03:45):
say is it's not locational. It's relational in relationship, you know.
And I get that, and I get.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
That, and you understand why.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Well, no, go ahead and tell me. But that's not
the question. The question is. And I think you just
touched on it minute to go into opening. But you know,
we believe that Jesus rose bodily and has a physical body. Now,
so I was always wondering, you know, does that demand
locational or not. I mean, I don't have a.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
View on it.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I would just kind of your other answer always brings
that question to my mind.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, And the reason that I answer the first question
the way I do is that the body is physical
and therefore locational the metaphysical aspect. If humanity is not
physical and therefore it is not locational, it doesn't have
extension in space. That's why we say absent from the body,
(04:41):
present with the Lord is not a locational statement, but
a relational statement. So you're in fellowship with God. It's
not awareness, but it is awareness. So it's not awareness
but awareness. Again, Now, Jesus Christ did and will forever
have a physical body. Oh, Jesus is forever theanthropist, the
(05:02):
god Man. He is forever in flesh. And again that's
why we say when he ascends into Heaven, it's a
matter of communicating that he transcends this time space continuum
but in saying that, there's a lot of unanswered or
unresolved questions, and that should be that way. I mean,
(05:23):
there's a lot we can't explain today. But what is
interesting is that we can say that though we do
not understand physicality in all of its properties, we do
know that Jesus Christ is forever in flesh and that
as the God Man, he has the capability of transcending
(05:44):
time and space. And that's why we have to leave it.
There are a lot of questions I simply can't answer.
For example, if you ask me how the mind can
cause the physical synapses of the brain to fire, I
can't answer that question. I don't know anybody that can.
We know that the mind does cause the physical synapses
of the brain to fire, but we really don't know,
(06:05):
even in an age of scientific enlightenment, exactly how that happens, right, And.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I can accept that, And I just didn't know if
there was something more, because you know, and Jesus also says,
you know, I go to a place. You know, I'm
going to prepare a place for you, and that I
guess is probably future tense. Then with what you just
said in.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Mind, well, yeah, and that's why it's important to understand
that heaven for my dad, who died in nineteen ninety seven,
is absent from the body, present with the Lord. So
it's a relationship with God. But heaven also in biblical vernacular,
will be in the future a physical place. Christians are
not platonic. They're very physical. We believe in a physical
(06:43):
resurrection of Christ. We believe that we will be physically resurrected.
We believe that the universe that now groans and travail
will be liberated from its bondage to decay. So we
believe that will be real physical people living in a
real physical universe, communing with a real phsyical Christ. So
in that sense, in the future, heaven will be locatable.
(07:06):
We're not going to be like Casper the ghost, strumming
a harp on a cloud. We will be in a
real physical universe with a real physical Christ. In fact,
Revelation twenty one says that God himself will be with us,
which is to say, in the New Jerusalem, God himself
will live with men, as God walked with Adam and
Eve in the cool of the day in Genesis.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
So do you think that this particular earth will be
the new Earth after it's been transformed.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Absolutely. God doesn't scrap things, he redeems them. So just
as there's continuity between your body as it is now
in your body that will be in the future, so
too there's a continuity between this universe and the universe
that will be your body, as Paul says in First
Corinthians fifteen, will be resurrected, immortal, imperishable, incorruptible. So the
(07:55):
DNA that makes you you is the DNA that will
make you you for all eternal, but it will flourish
in a Christine universe in which there's no death, morning,
crying or pain.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Right, very good, All right, well, I appreciate that very much.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
You got to appreciate your call. God bless you. And
back to the phone lines. We'll talk next to Jerry
and Alberta, Canada. Hi, Jerry Tither, I.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
I tells you going good her you I'm fine here, yep.
I got a wild question here of Exekuel. This page
has been blowing my mind here. I think Execuels have
enough time explaining what he's actually seen here. But what
I can see here to me there too that he
must be looking at a UFO of some sort and
an alien's coming out of it. Is this correct?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
There? No, it's not correct at all. This is not
a UFO. But it's clearly in context a vision. It's
a vision of the likeness and the glory of God,
which is precisely what Ezekiel says in Ezekiel Chapter one.
Visions are symbolic, and thus they should not be taken
in a wooden literal fashion. And not only that, but
(09:01):
the living creatures that are described are identified as cherubim,
not as UFOs. So we know from the context that
this is not a UFO.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Oh, I see, man, it just doesn't seem to explain
it that way to me there, but I see that. Yeah,
it is visions of God there, soul. I guess God
is with them at that time, and I guess there anyways,
And yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
The message was from God to Ezekiel, not from a
ufo to Ezekiel. And the messages of UFOs are typically
a cultic in context. So this is definitely a vision,
but it is not a UFO.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Well, so why has he seen his vision here of
like four heads and stuff like that?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Now, the symbolism of an ox or a cherub may
well point to the servanthood of Christ is portrayed in
the Gospel of Mark. Christ's lordship would be symbolized by
the lion, his humanity by the face of a man,
his deity by an angel, and so forth. It is
also possible that the faces represent all the higher forms
(10:08):
of creature life on earth, beased, cattle, fowl, mankind. And
that makes sense and light of the fact that the
theme of Ezekiel one is God's sovereignty overall creation. So
visions like the vision that Ezekiel is receiving take a
lot of contextualization. Also, as I point out, and there's
a long section on this in my book Has God Spoken,
(10:30):
you have to understand exactly what's going on in terms
of the historical context in which Ezekiel he is giving
his vision. Remember that he is now in exile, He's
in a refugee camp. He's in the south of Babylon
near the river Keybar, and he's looking with great anticipation
(10:51):
to God's liberation and a return to the land and
a rebuilding of the temple, which ultimately will take place
under the rubbable under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah.
So the historical context of which his vision is given
helps to explain the content of the vision as well.
And again I've written about that in my book Has
(11:11):
God Spoken?
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Be right back to find out more about the materials
mentioned on the show, call a CRII resource consultant toll
free at eight eight eight seven thousand CRI that's eight
eight eight seven thousand CRII. Our website is also an
excellent reference destination to help you. Just go to equip
(11:33):
dot org and find articles by Hank, books, CDs and DVDs. Again,
that's equip dot org. Or write CRII PO Box eighty
five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina, ZIP two eight two seven one.
The Bible answer Man will continue in just a moment.
(12:01):
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(13:05):
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 Henagraph's monumental book Has God
Spoken answers what is surely the most important question facing
(13:26):
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Ordered Has God Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by
(13:50):
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(14:13):
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(14:37):
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Speaker 2 (15:09):
Thank you very much for Randy. Let's go right back
to our phone callers. Next up is Angie listening in
Saint Clare, Missouri.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
High Angie, Hi, how are you doing.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I'm good. Nice talking to you you too.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Actually, my question for you is I wanted to get
your opinion on hanging around other Christians that are very judgmental,
and how you should react to that situation if you should,
you know, not be around people like that, or I mean,
because as far as I know from the Bible that
Jesus says you are not supposed to judge.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Well, no, Jesus doesn't say you're not supposed to judge.
What Jesus says is that you're not supposed to judge
self righteously or hypocritically. Right, So when you judge, you
have to judge by a right standard, Jesus points out
in John chapter seven. So you don't want to judge pharisaically.
You want to judge by a right standard. And the
ultimate standard by which we test or judge all things
(16:02):
is the Word of God.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Okay, now, what would you do if you were in
a situation with Because I've been a Christian for since
I've been fourteen and I'm thirty one now, and it
seems some of the people that I've been hanging around
with their Christians, and you know, we believe in a
lot of the same things, but they seem to judge
a lot of thames that I don't agree with.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
And give me an example, say, for.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Instance, smoking. Do you believe that you're going to go
to Hell if you're a smoker, Well, if.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
You are saved and you smoke, you may get to
Heaven quicker.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
But true.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
The point is that as a believer, we need to
be stewards of the body that God gave us. We
know that smoking is hazardous to our health. There's ample
scientific evidence for that, and therefore, as Christians we should
refrain from smoking. But let's imagine someone as an addiction
to nicotine. That's a very hard addiction to break, and
(17:05):
some people simply can't break the addiction. So if that's
the case, I certainly would not say that person is
not saved, but I would try to do all in
my power to help that person overcome the addiction. Sometimes
that happens supernaturally. Jesus Christ can break that addiction with
no problem whatsoever, but he doesn't always. Sometimes we continue
(17:27):
with the addictions, the vices, the kinds of things we
struggle with is besetting sins in this life. But remember
that the Christian Church is not for perfect people, is
for people who admit their imperfection. The entrance requirements into
the Kingdom of God are that you realize that you're
a sinner, and that you always will remain in your
(17:49):
sin nature. So when you're saved, you're covered by the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is a righteousness not of
our own that comes from the law, but that which
is through faith and Christ. And Paul makes this very
clear here. He's an exemplar for us. He's the Apostle
of the Gentiles. He wrote two thirds a New Testament epistles.
He says, I know that nothing good lives in me,
(18:12):
that is in my sinful nature. For I have the
desire to do what is good, but I cannot cure
it out. For what I do is not the good
I want to do. Know the evil I don't want
to do, this I keep on doing. Now if I
do what I do not want to do, it is
no longer I who do it. But it is sin
(18:32):
living in me that does it. And again, this is
not a statement that is meant to escape moral responsibility,
but it is a statement regarding the powerful lure of
the sin nature, which still abides within us as human beings,
and will always abide within us until that day that
we're glorified. And therefore we can hang a sign around
(18:52):
our neck that says be patient with me. God's not
done with it yet.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Right, And I believe that, you know, I'm not going
to not let me go to heaven or not love
me anymore than what he does, even if I do smoke,
or if I do make a mistake, because that is
you know, the grace of God. He forgives you for
your sins, and you know nobody knows your relationship with
God besides you.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
So right, But remember, because you are a Christian, you
cannot just sin in a cavalier fashion, because there are
consequences that attend sin, and those consequences follow just as
night Fellow's day. They're inexorable. And therefore, if you smoke,
there's a consequence. It has a direct physical consequence in
(19:36):
your body. And we are called again to be stewards
of the body or the temple which God gave us,
and not only the physical body, but also the metaphysical
aspect of humanity. That's why we could have a glass
of wine, but we can't become wine bibbers or gluttons exactly.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Now, is it bad to just kind of like not
hang with those people that brain you down? Because I
find it hard to find a really good, true and
I find it easier for me to worship God in
my own home with my Christian music, and that way
I seem to have a closer relationship with Him. Big
mistake than being with other Christians sometimes because I feel
(20:14):
like some of them bring me down, and I can
angiate God better when I'm by myself.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
And your big mistake. When you were called as a believer,
you are not called as a lone ranger Christian. You
are called to be part of a body of believers.
What I would like you to do is read Romans
chapter twelve very carefully, and as you do, recognize that
you were never called as a singularity. You were called
(20:42):
to a plurality, to a body. And when you're baptized,
that is, in essence the first act of obedience where
you say publicly, I am identifying visibly with my brothers
and sisters as living stone owns in a temple, and
(21:02):
Christ is the head of that temple. So we are
the body. He is the head, and each member of
the body is important. The Church cannot do without you,
and you cannot do without the Church. Listen to these words.
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
(21:25):
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance
with the measure of faith God has given you. And
then these words by Paul, Just as each of us
has one body with many members, and these members do
not all have the same functions. So in Christ, we
who are many, form one body. And then Paul says,
(21:47):
and each member belongs to all the others. We have
different gifts according to the grace given us. If your
gift is prophesying, use it in proportion to your faith.
If it's serving, serve, teaching, teach, encouraging, encourage, contributing to
the needs of others. Give generously, leadership governed diligently, showing mercy,
(22:12):
do so cheerfully. We are all necessary. If a body
misses an ear, it is missing something important. If it
misses a toe, it hobbles around unnecessarily. Each part of
the body is important. So you have a gift that
(22:33):
other people within the body need, and they have gifts
that you need. So you can't worship God only in isolation.
You can worship God in isolation, but not only in isolation.
And Hebrew says that you should not neglect the gathering
of yourselves together as is the custom of some, So
(22:55):
make certain that you find a healthy, well balanced church.
That doesn't mean you're going to find a perfect church,
but you can find a healthy, well balanced church, a
church in which you can serve God as the visible
expression of his body with other members of the body.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Okay, now that was Romans chapter twelve. You told me
to read.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Yes, it's a critically important chapter.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
Okay, well, I will definitely do that. And if you
could pray that I can find a good church where
I can use what my calling is and hopefully that
will help me.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Let me do it right now, Father, thank you for Angie,
for the sincerity of her faith, for her desire to
know you, Lord, I pray that she might find a healthy,
well balanced church where she can not only appreciate the
gifts of others, but use the gifting you have given
(23:51):
her for the edification of the body. Lord. In the
early Christian Church, you assembled a body such that the
world look on and said, see how they love one another,
and the love of Christ constrained them to come. I
pray Father that as Angie becomes part of a healthy,
(24:11):
well balanced body, that she might find her fulfillment the
very gifts you have given her so that collectively we
might yet show the expression of your son to a
lost and searching world. We pray this not by might
nor by power, but by your spirit in Christ's name. Amen.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
Amen, Thank you very.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Much, Angie. Thank you so much for your call. And
I would commend all, just like Angie, to read Romans
chapter twelve to meditate upon it. It's such a wonderful passage.
Love must be sincere, says Paul. Hate what is evil,
cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another
(24:56):
in brotherly love. Honor one another of yourselves. Never be
lacking in zeal. Keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
(25:21):
Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud,
but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited, and do not repay anyone evil
for evil, But be careful to do what is right
(25:42):
in the eyes of everybody, And if it is possible,
as far as it depends on you. Live at peace
with everyone. Do not take revenge, leave room for God's wrath,
For it is written it is mine to avenge. I
will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, if your
enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him
(26:03):
something to drink. And in doing that, you're gonna keep
burning coals in his head. So don't be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good. Thanks for tuning into this
edition of the Bible Instament Broadcast. Look forward to seeing
you right here next time with more of the show.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
You've been listening to the Bible answer Man Broadcast with
Hank Hannagraph. Our mailing address is PO box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
North Carolina, zip code two eight two seven one. To
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To equip you to talk to a resource consultant. Call
(26:39):
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(27:02):
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You're just in time for the Bible answer Man broadcast
with Hank Canagraph, the radio outreach of the Christian Research Institute.
Our purpose here at CRII is to equip Christians to
provide Biblical answers to life's most important questions, to read
the Bible for all it's worth, and counter the teachings
of cults and world religions that deviate from the plumb
(00:30):
line of God's Word, because life and truth matter. For
more information, to order resources or donate, call eight eight
eight seven thousand CROI, or go online to equip dot org.
That's equip dot org. The following program was pre recorded.
(00:50):
Now here's the President of the Christian Research Institute, Hank Canagraph.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Thank you for what Randy is. Believers, we celebrate the life,
the death, the resurrection, and the ascension of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, which raises the question, a question
that I address in the Complete Bible answer Book Collector's Edition,
what does it mean to say that Jesus ascended into heaven?
(01:17):
That over the years I have heard more than one
skeptic ridicule the notion that Jesus ascended into heaven before
their very eyes. The eyes of the disciples, because in
their view, even if Jesus were traveling at the speed
of light, he would not yet have escaped the confines
of our little universe, and not only that, he must
(01:38):
surely be struggling with oxygen deprivation by now. In response,
I point out that to say Jesus ascended into Heaven
does not imply that he's traveling through space, but rather that,
as the God Man, he transcended time and space. Put
(01:58):
another way, Heaven is not located in time and space.
It exists in another dimension. Furthermore, the physical universe does
not exhaust reality. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand
that an effect like the universe must have a cause
equal to or greater than itself, and this is self
(02:20):
evident not only to those who are philosophically sophisticated, but
to thinking people everywhere. Thus the notion that the creator
of the universe transcended his universe should pose no problem.
And finally, I should note that God often uses physical
examples to point to spiritual realities. Thus the physical fact
(02:42):
of christ ascension points to the greater truth that he
is now glorified in the presence of God and that
our glorification is divinely guaranteed as well. Again, these types
of questions answered in the Complete Bible answer Book Collector's
edition of it through the ministry of the Christian Research Institute.
(03:02):
You can order online at equipped dot org. When you
write me at Post office box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
North Carolina, zip code two eight two seven one. Well,
when you pick up the telephone, talk to our resource
consultants triple eight seven thousand, and the letters CRI. Let's
get right to the phone lines. First step Ron listening
in Austin, Texas on the web.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Hi Run, Hi Hank, Thanks for what you do and
everyone there at CRI. I've really learned a lot. But
I think you just kind of touched on what my
question was in your opening statement. I didn't hear all
of what you said, so I'll pose the question. Okay,
So my question comes from questions that I've heard you
answer a lot, and that is when we die, you know,
where are we? And the answer I think that you'd
(03:45):
say is it's not locational. It's relational in relationship, you know.
And I get that, and I get.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
That, and you understand why.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Well, no, go ahead and tell me. But that's not
the question. The question is. And I think you just
touched on it minute to go into opening. But you know,
we believe that Jesus rose bodily and has a physical body. Now,
so I was always wondering, you know, does that demand
locational or not. I mean, I don't have a.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
View on it.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I would just kind of your other answer always brings
that question to my mind.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, And the reason that I answer the first question
the way I do is that the body is physical
and therefore locational the metaphysical aspect. If humanity is not
physical and therefore it is not locational, it doesn't have
extension in space. That's why we say absent from the body,
(04:41):
present with the Lord is not a locational statement, but
a relational statement. So you're in fellowship with God. It's
not awareness, but it is awareness. So it's not awareness
but awareness. Again, Now, Jesus Christ did and will forever
have a physical body. Oh, Jesus is forever theanthropist, the
(05:02):
god Man. He is forever in flesh. And again that's
why we say when he ascends into Heaven, it's a
matter of communicating that he transcends this time space continuum
but in saying that, there's a lot of unanswered or
unresolved questions, and that should be that way. I mean,
(05:23):
there's a lot we can't explain today. But what is
interesting is that we can say that though we do
not understand physicality in all of its properties, we do
know that Jesus Christ is forever in flesh and that
as the God Man, he has the capability of transcending
(05:44):
time and space. And that's why we have to leave it.
There are a lot of questions I simply can't answer.
For example, if you ask me how the mind can
cause the physical synapses of the brain to fire, I
can't answer that question. I don't know anybody that can.
We know that the mind does cause the physical synapses
of the brain to fire, but we really don't know,
(06:05):
even in an age of scientific enlightenment, exactly how that happens, right, And.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I can accept that, And I just didn't know if
there was something more, because you know, and Jesus also says,
you know, I go to a place. You know, I'm
going to prepare a place for you, and that I
guess is probably future tense. Then with what you just
said in.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Mind, well, yeah, and that's why it's important to understand
that heaven for my dad, who died in nineteen ninety seven,
is absent from the body, present with the Lord. So
it's a relationship with God. But heaven also in biblical vernacular,
will be in the future a physical place. Christians are
not platonic. They're very physical. We believe in a physical
(06:43):
resurrection of Christ. We believe that we will be physically resurrected.
We believe that the universe that now groans and travail
will be liberated from its bondage to decay. So we
believe that will be real physical people living in a
real physical universe, communing with a real phsyical Christ. So
in that sense, in the future, heaven will be locatable.
(07:06):
We're not going to be like Casper the ghost, strumming
a harp on a cloud. We will be in a
real physical universe with a real physical Christ. In fact,
Revelation twenty one says that God himself will be with us,
which is to say, in the New Jerusalem, God himself
will live with men, as God walked with Adam and
Eve in the cool of the day in Genesis.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
So do you think that this particular earth will be
the new Earth after it's been transformed.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Absolutely. God doesn't scrap things, he redeems them. So just
as there's continuity between your body as it is now
in your body that will be in the future, so
too there's a continuity between this universe and the universe
that will be your body, as Paul says in First
Corinthians fifteen, will be resurrected, immortal, imperishable, incorruptible. So the
(07:55):
DNA that makes you you is the DNA that will
make you you for all eternal, but it will flourish
in a Christine universe in which there's no death, morning,
crying or pain.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Right, very good, All right, well, I appreciate that very much.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
You got to appreciate your call. God bless you. And
back to the phone lines. We'll talk next to Jerry
and Alberta, Canada. Hi, Jerry Tither, I.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
I tells you going good her you I'm fine here, yep.
I got a wild question here of Exekuel. This page
has been blowing my mind here. I think Execuels have
enough time explaining what he's actually seen here. But what
I can see here to me there too that he
must be looking at a UFO of some sort and
an alien's coming out of it. Is this correct?
Speaker 2 (08:39):
There? No, it's not correct at all. This is not
a UFO. But it's clearly in context a vision. It's
a vision of the likeness and the glory of God,
which is precisely what Ezekiel says in Ezekiel Chapter one.
Visions are symbolic, and thus they should not be taken
in a wooden literal fashion. And not only that, but
(09:01):
the living creatures that are described are identified as cherubim,
not as UFOs. So we know from the context that
this is not a UFO.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Oh, I see, man, it just doesn't seem to explain
it that way to me there, but I see that. Yeah,
it is visions of God there, soul. I guess God
is with them at that time, and I guess there anyways,
And yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
The message was from God to Ezekiel, not from a
ufo to Ezekiel. And the messages of UFOs are typically
a cultic in context. So this is definitely a vision,
but it is not a UFO.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Well, so why has he seen his vision here of
like four heads and stuff like that?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Now, the symbolism of an ox or a cherub may
well point to the servanthood of Christ is portrayed in
the Gospel of Mark. Christ's lordship would be symbolized by
the lion, his humanity by the face of a man,
his deity by an angel, and so forth. It is
also possible that the faces represent all the higher forms
(10:08):
of creature life on earth, beased, cattle, fowl, mankind. And
that makes sense and light of the fact that the
theme of Ezekiel one is God's sovereignty overall creation. So
visions like the vision that Ezekiel is receiving take a
lot of contextualization. Also, as I point out, and there's
a long section on this in my book Has God Spoken,
(10:30):
you have to understand exactly what's going on in terms
of the historical context in which Ezekiel he is giving
his vision. Remember that he is now in exile, He's
in a refugee camp. He's in the south of Babylon
near the river Keybar, and he's looking with great anticipation
(10:51):
to God's liberation and a return to the land and
a rebuilding of the temple, which ultimately will take place
under the rubbable under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah.
So the historical context of which his vision is given
helps to explain the content of the vision as well.
And again I've written about that in my book Has
(11:11):
God Spoken?
Speaker 1 (11:12):
Be right back to find out more about the materials
mentioned on the show, call a CRII resource consultant toll
free at eight eight eight seven thousand CRI that's eight
eight eight seven thousand CRII. Our website is also an
excellent reference destination to help you. Just go to equip
(11:33):
dot org and find articles by Hank, books, CDs and DVDs. Again,
that's equip dot org. Or write CRII PO Box eighty
five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina, ZIP two eight two seven one.
The Bible answer Man will continue in just a moment.
(12:01):
Bertrand Russell famously said most people would rather die than think,
and many of them do not so with CRI Support
Team members. Support Team members are not only serious thinkers,
but their membership and CRI's Support team helps to equip
hundreds of thousands of fellow believers around the globe each
(12:22):
and every month. Are you not a member, then you're
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(12:45):
life and truth. Check out the benefits of membership at
equip dot org. Once again, that's equip dot org. Has
(13:05):
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 Henagraph's monumental book Has God
Spoken answers what is surely the most important question facing
(13:26):
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.
Ordered Has God Spoken from the Christian Research Institute by
(13:50):
calling eighty eight seven thousand CRII or go online to
equip dot org. Equip dot Org. 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 the Bible answer Man broadcast. With
(14:13):
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 better understanding of
God in Christ and our relationship to Him. To receive
(14:37):
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 or
visit us at EQUIP dot org. And now here's Hank Cantagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Thank you very much for Randy. Let's go right back
to our phone callers. Next up is Angie listening in
Saint Clare, Missouri.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
High Angie, Hi, how are you doing.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
I'm good. Nice talking to you you too.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Actually, my question for you is I wanted to get
your opinion on hanging around other Christians that are very judgmental,
and how you should react to that situation if you should,
you know, not be around people like that, or I mean,
because as far as I know from the Bible that
Jesus says you are not supposed to judge.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Well, no, Jesus doesn't say you're not supposed to judge.
What Jesus says is that you're not supposed to judge
self righteously or hypocritically. Right, So when you judge, you
have to judge by a right standard, Jesus points out
in John chapter seven. So you don't want to judge pharisaically.
You want to judge by a right standard. And the
ultimate standard by which we test or judge all things
(16:02):
is the Word of God.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Okay, now, what would you do if you were in
a situation with Because I've been a Christian for since
I've been fourteen and I'm thirty one now, and it
seems some of the people that I've been hanging around
with their Christians, and you know, we believe in a
lot of the same things, but they seem to judge
a lot of thames that I don't agree with.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
And give me an example, say, for.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Instance, smoking. Do you believe that you're going to go
to Hell if you're a smoker, Well, if.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
You are saved and you smoke, you may get to
Heaven quicker.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
But true.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
The point is that as a believer, we need to
be stewards of the body that God gave us. We
know that smoking is hazardous to our health. There's ample
scientific evidence for that, and therefore, as Christians we should
refrain from smoking. But let's imagine someone as an addiction
to nicotine. That's a very hard addiction to break, and
(17:05):
some people simply can't break the addiction. So if that's
the case, I certainly would not say that person is
not saved, but I would try to do all in
my power to help that person overcome the addiction. Sometimes
that happens supernaturally. Jesus Christ can break that addiction with
no problem whatsoever, but he doesn't always. Sometimes we continue
(17:27):
with the addictions, the vices, the kinds of things we
struggle with is besetting sins in this life. But remember
that the Christian Church is not for perfect people, is
for people who admit their imperfection. The entrance requirements into
the Kingdom of God are that you realize that you're
a sinner, and that you always will remain in your
(17:49):
sin nature. So when you're saved, you're covered by the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is a righteousness not of
our own that comes from the law, but that which
is through faith and Christ. And Paul makes this very
clear here. He's an exemplar for us. He's the Apostle
of the Gentiles. He wrote two thirds a New Testament epistles.
He says, I know that nothing good lives in me,
(18:12):
that is in my sinful nature. For I have the
desire to do what is good, but I cannot cure
it out. For what I do is not the good
I want to do. Know the evil I don't want
to do, this I keep on doing. Now if I
do what I do not want to do, it is
no longer I who do it. But it is sin
(18:32):
living in me that does it. And again, this is
not a statement that is meant to escape moral responsibility,
but it is a statement regarding the powerful lure of
the sin nature, which still abides within us as human beings,
and will always abide within us until that day that
we're glorified. And therefore we can hang a sign around
(18:52):
our neck that says be patient with me. God's not
done with it yet.
Speaker 5 (18:57):
Right, And I believe that, you know, I'm not going
to not let me go to heaven or not love
me anymore than what he does, even if I do smoke,
or if I do make a mistake, because that is
you know, the grace of God. He forgives you for
your sins, and you know nobody knows your relationship with
God besides you.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
So right, But remember, because you are a Christian, you
cannot just sin in a cavalier fashion, because there are
consequences that attend sin, and those consequences follow just as
night Fellow's day. They're inexorable. And therefore, if you smoke,
there's a consequence. It has a direct physical consequence in
(19:36):
your body. And we are called again to be stewards
of the body or the temple which God gave us,
and not only the physical body, but also the metaphysical
aspect of humanity. That's why we could have a glass
of wine, but we can't become wine bibbers or gluttons exactly.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Now, is it bad to just kind of like not
hang with those people that brain you down? Because I
find it hard to find a really good, true and
I find it easier for me to worship God in
my own home with my Christian music, and that way
I seem to have a closer relationship with Him. Big
mistake than being with other Christians sometimes because I feel
(20:14):
like some of them bring me down, and I can
angiate God better when I'm by myself.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
And your big mistake. When you were called as a believer,
you are not called as a lone ranger Christian. You
are called to be part of a body of believers.
What I would like you to do is read Romans
chapter twelve very carefully, and as you do, recognize that
you were never called as a singularity. You were called
(20:42):
to a plurality, to a body. And when you're baptized,
that is, in essence the first act of obedience where
you say publicly, I am identifying visibly with my brothers
and sisters as living stone owns in a temple, and
(21:02):
Christ is the head of that temple. So we are
the body. He is the head, and each member of
the body is important. The Church cannot do without you,
and you cannot do without the Church. Listen to these words.
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
(21:25):
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance
with the measure of faith God has given you. And
then these words by Paul, Just as each of us
has one body with many members, and these members do
not all have the same functions. So in Christ, we
who are many, form one body. And then Paul says,
(21:47):
and each member belongs to all the others. We have
different gifts according to the grace given us. If your
gift is prophesying, use it in proportion to your faith.
If it's serving, serve, teaching, teach, encouraging, encourage, contributing to
the needs of others. Give generously, leadership governed diligently, showing mercy,
(22:12):
do so cheerfully. We are all necessary. If a body
misses an ear, it is missing something important. If it
misses a toe, it hobbles around unnecessarily. Each part of
the body is important. So you have a gift that
(22:33):
other people within the body need, and they have gifts
that you need. So you can't worship God only in isolation.
You can worship God in isolation, but not only in isolation.
And Hebrew says that you should not neglect the gathering
of yourselves together as is the custom of some, So
(22:55):
make certain that you find a healthy, well balanced church.
That doesn't mean you're going to find a perfect church,
but you can find a healthy, well balanced church, a
church in which you can serve God as the visible
expression of his body with other members of the body.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Okay, now that was Romans chapter twelve. You told me
to read.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Yes, it's a critically important chapter.
Speaker 5 (23:21):
Okay, well, I will definitely do that. And if you
could pray that I can find a good church where
I can use what my calling is and hopefully that
will help me.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Let me do it right now, Father, thank you for Angie,
for the sincerity of her faith, for her desire to
know you, Lord, I pray that she might find a healthy,
well balanced church where she can not only appreciate the
gifts of others, but use the gifting you have given
(23:51):
her for the edification of the body. Lord. In the
early Christian Church, you assembled a body such that the
world look on and said, see how they love one another,
and the love of Christ constrained them to come. I
pray Father that as Angie becomes part of a healthy,
(24:11):
well balanced body, that she might find her fulfillment the
very gifts you have given her so that collectively we
might yet show the expression of your son to a
lost and searching world. We pray this not by might
nor by power, but by your spirit in Christ's name. Amen.
Speaker 5 (24:34):
Amen, Thank you very.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Much, Angie. Thank you so much for your call. And
I would commend all, just like Angie, to read Romans
chapter twelve to meditate upon it. It's such a wonderful passage.
Love must be sincere, says Paul. Hate what is evil,
cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another
(24:56):
in brotherly love. Honor one another of yourselves. Never be
lacking in zeal. Keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
(25:21):
Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud,
but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited, and do not repay anyone evil
for evil, But be careful to do what is right
(25:42):
in the eyes of everybody, And if it is possible,
as far as it depends on you. Live at peace
with everyone. Do not take revenge, leave room for God's wrath,
For it is written it is mine to avenge. I
will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, if your
enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him
(26:03):
something to drink. And in doing that, you're gonna keep
burning coals in his head. So don't be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good. Thanks for tuning into this
edition of the Bible Instament Broadcast. Look forward to seeing
you right here next time with more of the show.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
You've been listening to the Bible answer Man Broadcast with
Hank Hannagraph. Our mailing address is PO box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
North Carolina, zip code two eight two seven one. To
listen to the broadcast on the internet, visit equip dot org,
where you'll also find a wealth of information and resources.
To equip you to talk to a resource consultant. Call
(26:39):
eight eight eight seven thousand CRII. That's eight eight eight
seven thousand, two seven four. The Bible answer Man Broadcast
is supported by listeners like you. We're on the air
because life and truth matter, anyone who's been paying attention
(27:02):
knows there's a war going on not just on traditional morality, civility,
and decency, but even more fundamentally on historic notions of truth.
And the enemy isn't just the onslaught of fake news,
facilitated by a post truth culture and turbocharged by growing
legions of ideological spinductors. Note the real enemies of truth
(27:23):
range from postmodernist convictions that there is no objective truth
to militant scientism that claims that only science can determine
truth and religion is little more than primitive superstitions. But
CRI Support Team members are not waving a white flag
of surrender. They're holding the fort by undergirding everyone of
Christian Research Institute's mind shaping and life changing outreaches twenty
(27:48):
four to seven. To learn how you can make a
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