February 12, 2026 • 28 mins
On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/12/26), Hank answers the following questions:
Can you address Abraham’s bosom, the resurrection, and the saints raised in Matthew 27? Sal - Cleveland, OH (2:44)
How to respond to a skeptic who asks, “If predestination in Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:45 is true, what is the purpose of going to church?” Robbie - Paintsville, KY (15:12)
What is the age of the Earth? Dennis - CO (19:34)
My neighbor shot his wife, then committed suicide. Will he go to heaven or hell? Marion - Cambridge, MA (21:38)
Can you address Abraham’s bosom, the resurrection, and the saints raised in Matthew 27? Sal - Cleveland, OH (2:44)
How to respond to a skeptic who asks, “If predestination in Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:45 is true, what is the purpose of going to church?” Robbie - Paintsville, KY (15:12)
What is the age of the Earth? Dennis - CO (19:34)
My neighbor shot his wife, then committed suicide. Will he go to heaven or hell? Marion - Cambridge, MA (21:38)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to the Bible answer Man Broadcast with the President
of the Christian Research Institute, Hank Canigraph. Our mission is
to equip you with answers to share the hope that
you have within you because life and truth matter. Why
because being armed with truth will equip you to counter
the corrosive worldviews at work in our world today, while
(00:30):
experiencing the authentic Christian life will make you a winsome
witness of the purpose of life, which is to experience
union with God and Christ, both for today and for
all eternity. For more information about CRII and the Bible
answer Man Broadcast, our phone number is eight eight eight
seven thousand CROI. You can find us online at equip
(00:53):
dot org. The following program was pre recorded and now
here's Hank Hannah.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Thank very much. Randy will go right to our phone
callers in just a moment. Want to read a letter
before I do, says, I just wanted to say how
much I enjoyed the Bible answer Man Broadcast. I don't
get the Bible answer Man broadcast anymore in the Portland,
Oregon area. The program really inspired me to live and
share my faith with others. When Hank answers a question.
(01:23):
It's like someone ringing that bell at the fair with
a sledgehammer. He usually is right on. Continue in the
good work you're all doing. God bless you, your brother
in Christ. Wesley want to mention that those of you
that are not getting the Bible answer Man broadcast via
the radio and are listening to me now on the
(01:45):
web at equipped dot org, pray that God will provide
the resources so that we can go on in places
like Portland, Oregon, which we would very much like to do.
It's all a matter of resources. We ask people to
stand with this ministry for that very reason. We're not
asking you to give to us, but through us, so
(02:06):
that we can reach people in Portland, Oregon and all
around the world. So you can give and become a
member of the support Team and make a difference for
time and for eternity right now. When you do join
the Support Team. Is my way of saying thank you.
I will send you a personalized copy of the Complete
(02:27):
Bible answer Book Collector's Edition. Check it out on the
web at equipped dot org or call me at Triple
eight seven thousand cry or you can write me as
always at Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte, North, Carolinas.
If code two eight two seven one, A lot of
you hanging on, We'll go right to the phone. Call
sal first up in Cleveland, Ohio. Hi, sal Hello, Hi, Hi,
(02:51):
how you doing good? Thank you, thank you for your call.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
I just had a question on the resurre and you know,
well I believe for our church. Does it the resurrection?
We don't go to heaven. Now when we're resurrected, then
we go to heaven. Right now, your soul goes to
like Abraham's bosom, and when you die now as a
(03:16):
holding place. But now like in Matthew and is it
twenty seven fifty one, I think they talk when Jesus
after he was you know, raised. It talks about when
the temple, the veil of the temple was torn and
(03:38):
the earthquake, the rocks were split, and the graves are open,
and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep
were raised and they came out of the graves after
his resurrection. Now, now was this this resurrection? Did those
saints that were raised that they did? Did they go
to heaven?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Well, this actually took place at the time that Jesus
Christ died, so it was before he was resurrected from
the dead. The language here, of course, points forward to
the resurrection, which is itself an inauguration of the Esketon.
The Esketon is our hope, the consummation of all things,
including our own resurrection. What will happen with respect to
(04:21):
the judgment and the absolute righteousness of Jesus Christ as
being enhanced and underscored. He is the king of righteousness
who will rise from the dead as the earnest of
all of those who will rise. But here's the point, specifically,
with respect to your question, what happens when you die
(04:41):
is absent from the body, present with the Lord. That's
what Abraham's bosom or paradise represents. It is to be
in the presence of God when Jesus Christ returns at
the end of time. At that time, heaven will not
just be a RelA relationship, It will be a location.
(05:03):
It will be this universe restored. On top of that,
our relationship with God enhanced because we will sojourn in
fellowship with the resurrected Christ throughout eternity. That's the hope
of the believer. That's what we look forward to. That's
what we long for. So my dad died nineteen ninety seven,
(05:25):
absent from the body, present with the Lord. But one day,
when Jesus Christ returns and puts all things to right,
my dad's soul will return to his body. His body
will be resurrected, immortal, imperishable, incorruptible, and he will reign
in a restored universe with the Lord. Which is to
say that the universe now groans in travail, awaiting its
(05:49):
liberation from bondage to decay. But then it will no
longer groan, for it will be restored. Paradise lost will
have been turned into paradise, restored.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Paradise restory, which is the New Jerusalem is above, not
on the earth.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
No, it is on the earth. In fact, that's what
you see in Revelation chapter twenty one. Then I saw
a new heaven and a new Earth, for the first
Heaven and the first Earth had passed away, and there
was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City,
the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And
(06:33):
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, now
the dwelling of God is with men, and He will
live with them. They will be as people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God. The
picture here is very similar to what we see in
Genesis when Adam and Eve sojourned or walked with God
(06:58):
in the cool of the day. Paradise lost will be
paradise restored. So the notion that God's going to take
us up to some safe place up there is really
not a biblical notion. The Bible doesn't communicate a platonic
kind of faith, but a very physical faith. God created
a physical universe. He created us with physical bodies, and
(07:18):
we will be in that condition for all eternity. That's
why we bury by the way, because we honor the body.
We believe in the resurrection of the body, not escape
from the body.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
The body will become immortal like Jesus. Angels also have
a spiritual body, and they also have a body which
they can make themselves visible.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Angels are our spiritual beings. So angels do not have bodies,
nor can angels by the way create bodies. But God,
by his own creative powess, can give an angel a
physical appearance for a time and certainly. We see that
in what are called angel oftenies in the Old Old Testament,
(08:00):
where for example, angels appear with the Lord by the
great trees of Mama and visit Abraham.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
The you know worth these Jehoah witnesses, they try to
make a claim that there is no heaven because there's
John the Baptist. Not even John the Baptist went to heaven.
But like I told them, that's because no one goes
to heaven now until Jesus returns.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Unfortunately, Jehovah's witnesses they have a kind of murky view
of what goes on. They have two kinds of people.
They have a heavenly crowd and they have an earthly crowd.
There's a one hundred and they believe in one.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Hundred forty four thousand, but that's deaths of the twelve tribes,
which they don't understand.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Well, I fear that many people do not understand what's
going on with the twelve tribes. To be real honest
with you, I mean, there are a lot of people
that have convoluted notions in this regard.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
They think that anyone that is someone that Jesus picks
into the one hundred forty four thousand. To them, it
doesn't matter whether they're jew or gentile. And they seem
to know themselves who was picked. And I asked them,
I said, well, how do you know who was picked?
Speaker 4 (09:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
And I said, how do you know that one hundred
and forty four thousand aren't already there?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well, this whole idea of a literal one hundred and
forty four thousand must surely stretch the credulity of even
the most literalistic Jehovah's witnesses beyond the breaking point. I mean,
I've said this before, but ten of the twelve tribes
lost their national identity almost three thousand years ago in
the Assyrian exile. The other two, Judah and Benjamin, were
(09:52):
largely decimated two thousand years ago at Roman Hortes. The
pattern of the scriptures to refer to the community of
faith with their you origentile with Jewish designations. And that's
why the one hundred and forty four thousand is a
beautifully symbolic number that points to the full complement of
God's people. I'm gonna have to leave it at that.
(10:13):
I've written about this in the Complete Bible answer Book.
Collectors additional I want to mention is we go to
break how important it is that you stand with the
ministry of the Christian Research Institute prayerfully and financially. Your
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And only from the perspective of eternity will you fully
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(10:34):
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questions in just a few moments.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
The Church of Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning,
is a socially subversive pseudo Christian cult. It follows a
self proclaimed female Christ whose heretical doctrines incite violence, denying
the Trinity and biblical authority. Eastern Lightning uses psychological intimidation,
(11:03):
disrupts families, and has even perpetrated physical assaults. In graphic language,
the counterfeit Christ exhorts followers to abandon their families and
devote themselves to recruiting new converts, branding those who refuse
as worthless. You can read more about the Iron Rod
of this false Almighty God in a special print issue
(11:26):
of the Christian Research Journal. To receive your copy, call
EIGHTA eight seven thousand croi and make a gift to
support the Christian Research Institute's mind shaping, life changing outreaches.
That's eight eight eight seven thousand croi. Or visit us
online at equip dot org. That's equip dot org. Don't
(11:49):
tune out. Hank Hanagraph will be back with more right
after this. Doctor Evan Alexandra's wildly popular near death experience
book Proof of Heaven assures us that no matter what
(12:10):
we do in this life, only unconditional love and joy
await us in the world to come. But our Lord
warned that while the gate to Hell is wide, the
road to it broad, and those who enter through it
are many, the gate is narrow and the way is
hard that leads to life, and those who find it
are few. Your generous support, let's Hank Hanograph and see
(12:31):
Uri speak out against the lies that lead to Hell.
In appreciation for your gift, today, we'll rush you Hank's
book After Life What you need to know about Heaven,
the Hereafter and near death experiences, filled with answers to
your questions about life after death. Call eight eight eight
seven thousand CROI or visit equip dot org. Now again,
(12:54):
that's equip dot org. Anyone who's been paying attention 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,
(13:15):
facilitated by a post truth culture and turbocharged by growing
legions of ideological spinductors. Note the real enemies of truth
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
(13:36):
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Speaker 5 (14:01):
Truth Matters, Life Matters More by Hank Hannigraph is essentially
two books in one, because Truth Matters Part one equips
Christians to defend the essential truth of the historic Christian faith.
In Part two, Hank explains why life matters more and
how we can experience the height of human existence union
with God in Christ. Simply put, the map is not
(14:24):
the territory, the menu is not the meal. We cheat
ourselves of authentic union with Christ when we elevate the
message above the Messiah. Truth matters, Life matters more is
a modern classic and the magnum opus of one of
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Life matters more, simply call eight eight eight seven thousand
(14:46):
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Speaker 1 (15:07):
Let's return to your host and cannagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Thank you very much, Brandy, and let's go right back
to our phone callers. Next up as Robbie in Paintsville, Kentucky.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
Hi, Robbie, Hew you did, Hanks, I thank you for
taking my call. I had a question frombout predestination. Me
and another gentleman was talking the other day and it
got brought up in the conversation, and it was referring
to the Romans in the eighth chapter, verses twenty nine
and thirty talking about predestination and people believing. You know
(15:40):
that from taking this bit of scripture, and also in
Ephesians chapter one, verses four and five. But you know,
with what's the purpose of going to church, what's the
purpose of believing? If we're predestined for hell or predestined
for heaven. Then I didn't really know how to approach
that questions, and I was just wondering if you could
help clear that that for me a little bit on
(16:00):
what it's really trying to say. I mean, I have
my belief of what the Bible's tailing us here, but
just like your imput on that.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Well, I think this passage in particular points out that
God calls and humans must respond to that call. So,
as Paul puts it right here in Romans A twenty eight,
we must love him. Now, I do understand that there
is a debate between libertarian freedom and circumstantial freedom. Yeah,
(16:29):
to those who hold to compatibilistic or circumstantial freedom, say
that you can only respond to the call if you
have been regenerated. In other words, you can only respond
to the call if God has taken you and rewired
you such that you are enabled to respond to the call.
(16:51):
And those who have not been enabled to respond to
the call cannot respond to the call anymore than cows can.
But that's not the position of all Christians. That's a
debate amongst Christians. There are those who say, on the
basis of this very passage, that God calls and humans
(17:12):
must respond to that call, and therefore we must love him,
as Paul says in Romans A twenty eight. So the
issue is never a debate about predestination, because all Christians
believe in predestination. The debate is always on what basis
are we predestined? And there are different vantage or viewpoints
(17:36):
on that. To make that clearer for you, we've actually
conducted a debate in the Christian Research Journal so that
you can read the best Calvinist mind that holds to
compatibilistic or circumstantial freedom, and you can listen to the
best non Calvinist mind, as it were, that holds to
(17:59):
a libertarian freedom. Debate this in a written format, and
then you can take the points that are made, check
them out in light a scripture, hold fast to that
which is good. That article is available through the Ministry
of the Christian Research Institute. If you want to hang on,
we can send it out to you, or you can
(18:19):
just check it out on the webit equipped dot org.
Speaker 6 (18:22):
Okay, hang on, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Well, you got it. And of course, a fatalist believes
the future, especially regarding the destiny of individuals, is fixed.
A theistic fatalist believes that a personal God unconditionally determines
where individuals will go when they die, whether that be
heaven or hell. Calvin, of course taught that. Paul teaches
(18:47):
us that the ruin of the wicked is not only
foreseen by the Lord but also ordained by his counsel
and his will. Not only the destruction of the wicked
is foreknown, but that the wicked themselves have been created
for this very end, that they may perish. That non
Calvinist says, I don't agree with that, and again, I
(19:09):
think that this is something that we should learn to
debate vigorously, but ultimately not divide over. I did that
with my dad. I grew up in a Calvinist home,
and my dad and I had many vigorous debates after
I had come to faith in Christ myself and we
went out and had a cup of coffee together. I
believe my father is in heaven and I will spend
(19:30):
an eternity with him, and I disagreed with him on
this point. Next up is Dennis listening in Colorado.
Speaker 7 (19:37):
Hi, Dennis, thank I appreciate what you and your ministry
you are doing there.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (19:42):
I'm a engineer and looking at the thing that I've
been taught through school and my education, you know, talking
about the age of the year. I think the last
thing that I've read was showing that the age is
right at four and a half billion years old, and
as a born believer, as a Christian, I don't see
that age when I read the Bible and wanted your
(20:05):
comments on that.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Well, I don't think that the Bible gives us a
chronology of creation, and therefore I don't know that on
the basis of the Bible we can know exactly how
old the universe is or how old the earth is.
The Bible gives us a hierarchy of creation, and I
think all too often we try to get out of
(20:28):
the hierarchy a chronology of creation, and I think Also,
we need to recognize that God has given us two books,
has given us the Bible, which is special revelation, but
He's also given us general revelation. The heavens declare the
glories of God. They proclaim the work of his hands,
(20:51):
and day after day they pour forth speech and proclaim knowledge.
We need to adeptly read both the Bible, know how
to read the Bible for all it's worth, or another
way of putting that, we need to know how to
mine the Bible for all its substantial wealth. But we
need to be able to do the same thing with
(21:12):
respect to the earth itself, the world. God's fingerprints are
on that world, and we have to learn to read
that book adeptly as well. And so in doing that
we may be able to come up with some kind
of chronology. But I don't think we want to ask
the wrong book the wrong question.
Speaker 7 (21:33):
That's a good answer. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Well. Bless you, my friend. I appreciate your call. I
want to go back to the phone lines. Let's talk
to Marion. She's listening in Cambridge, Massachusett's.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
I'm Marian, Hi, how are you feeling.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I'm doing well? Thank you.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
I had a question for you tonight. We got the
news last night at our neighbor fatally show his wife
and then took his own life, unfortunately, and some children.
And my question is, well, his soul go to heaven?
I will it go to hell. I don't know that
(22:09):
he was a believer. I know he went to church,
but I don't know that he took Jesus Christ as
his bored and favor.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Yeah, and that's the operative question. All those who want
a relationship with the Lord in this life can have
that relationship. But God does not force himself on anyone
in this life, nor does he force himself on anyone
in the life to come. So those who do not
want a relationship with the Lord in this life, they're
(22:39):
not going to have a relationship with the Lord and
the life to come either. And unfortunately, this is a
choice that people make because they don't love the Lord.
Jesus Christ made that plain himself when he was talking
to Nicodemus. Light came into darkness. Men loved darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. Now respect to
(23:01):
your question, I can say with certainty that suicide is
not the unforgivable sin. On the other hand, we have
to recognize that suicide is murder, and in this case
you have a double murder. You have the murder of
a wife and then the murder of oneself, so you
have a double homicide that took place here. And a
(23:22):
Christian dare not ever think about taking this prerogative upon themselves.
Life and death is the prerogative of God. We can't
take a prerogative of God and exercise that ourselves. So
it's unthinkable for a Christian to do that. Now, it's
certainly possible that someone who really loves the Lord is
(23:45):
in this particular moment of angst and does something they
wouldn't ordinarily do. Well, that doesn't take away their salvation,
but this would be a very extraordinary circumstance. So we
can't say that suicide is the unforgivable sin, but we
can say that no Christian in their right mind would
(24:07):
ever take a prerogative that belongs to God alone. Right,
But pray for this family that is left without a
mother and a father. What an incredible opportunity you have
as a Christian to be a witness and to be
the hands and feet of the Lord in this circumstance.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
Yeah, well, it certainly. Well, I mean, we're going to
do everything we can for this family. But it's such
a tragedy. But that was just a that was a concern,
not knowing if he was a believer or not.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Well, again, the earth is the time that we have
an opportunity while we are alive, to choose the Lord,
and God places everyone in such a position that they
can make that choice. That's the beauty that we read
from the lips of the apostle. Paul in acts access
very clearly that God places people in the exact circumstances
(25:05):
and position that they might find him and have a
relationship with him, says fall from one man. He made
every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth,
and he determined the time set for them and the
exact places where they should live. God did this so
that men should seek him and perhaps reach out for
(25:29):
him and find him, though he is not far from
each one of them. And I think as I read
that passage that God has placed you in the exact
position so that you know about a circumstance, and you
can be the arms and the feet of our Lord.
In a very desperate circumstance, I look forward to talking
(25:51):
to many of you on another edition of the Bible
answer Man Broadcast. Do you remember this is a ministry
supporter by listeners just like you. Without your support, I
simply can I continue doing what we do. Please stint
with us, prayerfully, if possible, financially, Together, we can make
a difference for time and for eternity. Thanks for tuning in.
We'll see you next time right here with more of
(26:12):
the show.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Thank you for joining us today. Our mission at the
Christian Research Institute is to defend the faith, answer Bible
questions and encourage Christians to watch their life and doctrine closely.
To find resources to help equip you, go to equip
dot org. That's equip dot org, or call us at
(26:34):
eight eight eight seven thousand CROI. You can also write
CRII at Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina,
two eight two seven one. The Bible answer Man Broadcast
is supported by listeners like you. We're on the air
because life and truth matter. To doctor Evan Alexandra's wildly
(27:06):
popular near death experience book, Proof of Heaven assures us
that no matter what we do in this life, only
unconditional love and joy await us in the world to come.
But our Lord warned that while the gate to Hell
is wide, the road to it broad, and those who
enter through it are many, the gate is narrow and
the way is hard that leads to life, and those
(27:27):
who find it are few. Your generous support, let's Hank
hanograph and see Uri speak out against the lies that
lead to Hell. In appreciation for your gift, today, we'll
rush you Hank's book After Life What you need to
Know about Heaven, the Hereafter, and near death Experiences filled
with answers to your questions about life after death. Call
(27:48):
eight eight eight seven thousand CROI or visit equip dot org.
Now again, that's equip dot org.
Welcome to the Bible answer Man Broadcast with the President
of the Christian Research Institute, Hank Canigraph. Our mission is
to equip you with answers to share the hope that
you have within you because life and truth matter. Why
because being armed with truth will equip you to counter
the corrosive worldviews at work in our world today, while
(00:30):
experiencing the authentic Christian life will make you a winsome
witness of the purpose of life, which is to experience
union with God and Christ, both for today and for
all eternity. For more information about CRII and the Bible
answer Man Broadcast, our phone number is eight eight eight
seven thousand CROI. You can find us online at equip
(00:53):
dot org. The following program was pre recorded and now
here's Hank Hannah.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Thank very much. Randy will go right to our phone
callers in just a moment. Want to read a letter
before I do, says, I just wanted to say how
much I enjoyed the Bible answer Man Broadcast. I don't
get the Bible answer Man broadcast anymore in the Portland,
Oregon area. The program really inspired me to live and
share my faith with others. When Hank answers a question.
(01:23):
It's like someone ringing that bell at the fair with
a sledgehammer. He usually is right on. Continue in the
good work you're all doing. God bless you, your brother
in Christ. Wesley want to mention that those of you
that are not getting the Bible answer Man broadcast via
the radio and are listening to me now on the
(01:45):
web at equipped dot org, pray that God will provide
the resources so that we can go on in places
like Portland, Oregon, which we would very much like to do.
It's all a matter of resources. We ask people to
stand with this ministry for that very reason. We're not
asking you to give to us, but through us, so
(02:06):
that we can reach people in Portland, Oregon and all
around the world. So you can give and become a
member of the support Team and make a difference for
time and for eternity right now. When you do join
the Support Team. Is my way of saying thank you.
I will send you a personalized copy of the Complete
(02:27):
Bible answer Book Collector's Edition. Check it out on the
web at equipped dot org or call me at Triple
eight seven thousand cry or you can write me as
always at Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte, North, Carolinas.
If code two eight two seven one, A lot of
you hanging on, We'll go right to the phone. Call
sal first up in Cleveland, Ohio. Hi, sal Hello, Hi, Hi,
(02:51):
how you doing good? Thank you, thank you for your call.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
I just had a question on the resurre and you know,
well I believe for our church. Does it the resurrection?
We don't go to heaven. Now when we're resurrected, then
we go to heaven. Right now, your soul goes to
like Abraham's bosom, and when you die now as a
(03:16):
holding place. But now like in Matthew and is it
twenty seven fifty one, I think they talk when Jesus
after he was you know, raised. It talks about when
the temple, the veil of the temple was torn and
(03:38):
the earthquake, the rocks were split, and the graves are open,
and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep
were raised and they came out of the graves after
his resurrection. Now, now was this this resurrection? Did those
saints that were raised that they did? Did they go
to heaven?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Well, this actually took place at the time that Jesus
Christ died, so it was before he was resurrected from
the dead. The language here, of course, points forward to
the resurrection, which is itself an inauguration of the Esketon.
The Esketon is our hope, the consummation of all things,
including our own resurrection. What will happen with respect to
(04:21):
the judgment and the absolute righteousness of Jesus Christ as
being enhanced and underscored. He is the king of righteousness
who will rise from the dead as the earnest of
all of those who will rise. But here's the point, specifically,
with respect to your question, what happens when you die
(04:41):
is absent from the body, present with the Lord. That's
what Abraham's bosom or paradise represents. It is to be
in the presence of God when Jesus Christ returns at
the end of time. At that time, heaven will not
just be a RelA relationship, It will be a location.
(05:03):
It will be this universe restored. On top of that,
our relationship with God enhanced because we will sojourn in
fellowship with the resurrected Christ throughout eternity. That's the hope
of the believer. That's what we look forward to. That's
what we long for. So my dad died nineteen ninety seven,
(05:25):
absent from the body, present with the Lord. But one day,
when Jesus Christ returns and puts all things to right,
my dad's soul will return to his body. His body
will be resurrected, immortal, imperishable, incorruptible, and he will reign
in a restored universe with the Lord. Which is to
say that the universe now groans in travail, awaiting its
(05:49):
liberation from bondage to decay. But then it will no
longer groan, for it will be restored. Paradise lost will
have been turned into paradise, restored.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Paradise restory, which is the New Jerusalem is above, not
on the earth.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
No, it is on the earth. In fact, that's what
you see in Revelation chapter twenty one. Then I saw
a new heaven and a new Earth, for the first
Heaven and the first Earth had passed away, and there
was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City,
the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And
(06:33):
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, now
the dwelling of God is with men, and He will
live with them. They will be as people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God. The
picture here is very similar to what we see in
Genesis when Adam and Eve sojourned or walked with God
(06:58):
in the cool of the day. Paradise lost will be
paradise restored. So the notion that God's going to take
us up to some safe place up there is really
not a biblical notion. The Bible doesn't communicate a platonic
kind of faith, but a very physical faith. God created
a physical universe. He created us with physical bodies, and
(07:18):
we will be in that condition for all eternity. That's
why we bury by the way, because we honor the body.
We believe in the resurrection of the body, not escape
from the body.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
The body will become immortal like Jesus. Angels also have
a spiritual body, and they also have a body which
they can make themselves visible.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Angels are our spiritual beings. So angels do not have bodies,
nor can angels by the way create bodies. But God,
by his own creative powess, can give an angel a
physical appearance for a time and certainly. We see that
in what are called angel oftenies in the Old Old Testament,
(08:00):
where for example, angels appear with the Lord by the
great trees of Mama and visit Abraham.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
The you know worth these Jehoah witnesses, they try to
make a claim that there is no heaven because there's
John the Baptist. Not even John the Baptist went to heaven.
But like I told them, that's because no one goes
to heaven now until Jesus returns.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Unfortunately, Jehovah's witnesses they have a kind of murky view
of what goes on. They have two kinds of people.
They have a heavenly crowd and they have an earthly crowd.
There's a one hundred and they believe in one.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Hundred forty four thousand, but that's deaths of the twelve tribes,
which they don't understand.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Well, I fear that many people do not understand what's
going on with the twelve tribes. To be real honest
with you, I mean, there are a lot of people
that have convoluted notions in this regard.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
They think that anyone that is someone that Jesus picks
into the one hundred forty four thousand. To them, it
doesn't matter whether they're jew or gentile. And they seem
to know themselves who was picked. And I asked them,
I said, well, how do you know who was picked?
Speaker 4 (09:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
And I said, how do you know that one hundred
and forty four thousand aren't already there?
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well, this whole idea of a literal one hundred and
forty four thousand must surely stretch the credulity of even
the most literalistic Jehovah's witnesses beyond the breaking point. I mean,
I've said this before, but ten of the twelve tribes
lost their national identity almost three thousand years ago in
the Assyrian exile. The other two, Judah and Benjamin, were
(09:52):
largely decimated two thousand years ago at Roman Hortes. The
pattern of the scriptures to refer to the community of
faith with their you origentile with Jewish designations. And that's
why the one hundred and forty four thousand is a
beautifully symbolic number that points to the full complement of
God's people. I'm gonna have to leave it at that.
(10:13):
I've written about this in the Complete Bible answer Book.
Collectors additional I want to mention is we go to
break how important it is that you stand with the
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And only from the perspective of eternity will you fully
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(10:34):
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Speaker 1 (10:43):
The Church of Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning,
is a socially subversive pseudo Christian cult. It follows a
self proclaimed female Christ whose heretical doctrines incite violence, denying
the Trinity and biblical authority. Eastern Lightning uses psychological intimidation,
(11:03):
disrupts families, and has even perpetrated physical assaults. In graphic language,
the counterfeit Christ exhorts followers to abandon their families and
devote themselves to recruiting new converts, branding those who refuse
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of this false Almighty God in a special print issue
(11:26):
of the Christian Research Journal. To receive your copy, call
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(11:49):
tune out. Hank Hanagraph will be back with more right
after this. Doctor Evan Alexandra's wildly popular near death experience
book Proof of Heaven assures us that no matter what
(12:10):
we do in this life, only unconditional love and joy
await us in the world to come. But our Lord
warned that while the gate to Hell is wide, the
road to it broad, and those who enter through it
are many, the gate is narrow and the way is
hard that leads to life, and those who find it
are few. Your generous support, let's Hank Hanograph and see
(12:31):
Uri speak out against the lies that lead to Hell.
In appreciation for your gift, today, we'll rush you Hank's
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(12:54):
that's equip dot org. Anyone who's been paying attention 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,
(13:15):
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(13:36):
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Speaker 5 (14:01):
Truth Matters, Life Matters More by Hank Hannigraph is essentially
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In Part two, Hank explains why life matters more and
how we can experience the height of human existence union
with God in Christ. Simply put, the map is not
(14:24):
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(14:46):
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Speaker 1 (15:07):
Let's return to your host and cannagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Thank you very much, Brandy, and let's go right back
to our phone callers. Next up as Robbie in Paintsville, Kentucky.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
Hi, Robbie, Hew you did, Hanks, I thank you for
taking my call. I had a question frombout predestination. Me
and another gentleman was talking the other day and it
got brought up in the conversation, and it was referring
to the Romans in the eighth chapter, verses twenty nine
and thirty talking about predestination and people believing. You know
(15:40):
that from taking this bit of scripture, and also in
Ephesians chapter one, verses four and five. But you know,
with what's the purpose of going to church, what's the
purpose of believing? If we're predestined for hell or predestined
for heaven. Then I didn't really know how to approach
that questions, and I was just wondering if you could
help clear that that for me a little bit on
(16:00):
what it's really trying to say. I mean, I have
my belief of what the Bible's tailing us here, but
just like your imput on that.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Well, I think this passage in particular points out that
God calls and humans must respond to that call. So,
as Paul puts it right here in Romans A twenty eight,
we must love him. Now, I do understand that there
is a debate between libertarian freedom and circumstantial freedom. Yeah,
(16:29):
to those who hold to compatibilistic or circumstantial freedom, say
that you can only respond to the call if you
have been regenerated. In other words, you can only respond
to the call if God has taken you and rewired
you such that you are enabled to respond to the call.
(16:51):
And those who have not been enabled to respond to
the call cannot respond to the call anymore than cows can.
But that's not the position of all Christians. That's a
debate amongst Christians. There are those who say, on the
basis of this very passage, that God calls and humans
(17:12):
must respond to that call, and therefore we must love him,
as Paul says in Romans A twenty eight. So the
issue is never a debate about predestination, because all Christians
believe in predestination. The debate is always on what basis
are we predestined? And there are different vantage or viewpoints
(17:36):
on that. To make that clearer for you, we've actually
conducted a debate in the Christian Research Journal so that
you can read the best Calvinist mind that holds to
compatibilistic or circumstantial freedom, and you can listen to the
best non Calvinist mind, as it were, that holds to
(17:59):
a libertarian freedom. Debate this in a written format, and
then you can take the points that are made, check
them out in light a scripture, hold fast to that
which is good. That article is available through the Ministry
of the Christian Research Institute. If you want to hang on,
we can send it out to you, or you can
(18:19):
just check it out on the webit equipped dot org.
Speaker 6 (18:22):
Okay, hang on, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Well, you got it. And of course, a fatalist believes
the future, especially regarding the destiny of individuals, is fixed.
A theistic fatalist believes that a personal God unconditionally determines
where individuals will go when they die, whether that be
heaven or hell. Calvin, of course taught that. Paul teaches
(18:47):
us that the ruin of the wicked is not only
foreseen by the Lord but also ordained by his counsel
and his will. Not only the destruction of the wicked
is foreknown, but that the wicked themselves have been created
for this very end, that they may perish. That non
Calvinist says, I don't agree with that, and again, I
(19:09):
think that this is something that we should learn to
debate vigorously, but ultimately not divide over. I did that
with my dad. I grew up in a Calvinist home,
and my dad and I had many vigorous debates after
I had come to faith in Christ myself and we
went out and had a cup of coffee together. I
believe my father is in heaven and I will spend
(19:30):
an eternity with him, and I disagreed with him on
this point. Next up is Dennis listening in Colorado.
Speaker 7 (19:37):
Hi, Dennis, thank I appreciate what you and your ministry
you are doing there.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (19:42):
I'm a engineer and looking at the thing that I've
been taught through school and my education, you know, talking
about the age of the year. I think the last
thing that I've read was showing that the age is
right at four and a half billion years old, and
as a born believer, as a Christian, I don't see
that age when I read the Bible and wanted your
(20:05):
comments on that.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Well, I don't think that the Bible gives us a
chronology of creation, and therefore I don't know that on
the basis of the Bible we can know exactly how
old the universe is or how old the earth is.
The Bible gives us a hierarchy of creation, and I
think all too often we try to get out of
(20:28):
the hierarchy a chronology of creation, and I think Also,
we need to recognize that God has given us two books,
has given us the Bible, which is special revelation, but
He's also given us general revelation. The heavens declare the
glories of God. They proclaim the work of his hands,
(20:51):
and day after day they pour forth speech and proclaim knowledge.
We need to adeptly read both the Bible, know how
to read the Bible for all it's worth, or another
way of putting that, we need to know how to
mine the Bible for all its substantial wealth. But we
need to be able to do the same thing with
(21:12):
respect to the earth itself, the world. God's fingerprints are
on that world, and we have to learn to read
that book adeptly as well. And so in doing that
we may be able to come up with some kind
of chronology. But I don't think we want to ask
the wrong book the wrong question.
Speaker 7 (21:33):
That's a good answer. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Well. Bless you, my friend. I appreciate your call. I
want to go back to the phone lines. Let's talk
to Marion. She's listening in Cambridge, Massachusett's.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
I'm Marian, Hi, how are you feeling.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I'm doing well? Thank you.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
I had a question for you tonight. We got the
news last night at our neighbor fatally show his wife
and then took his own life, unfortunately, and some children.
And my question is, well, his soul go to heaven?
I will it go to hell. I don't know that
(22:09):
he was a believer. I know he went to church,
but I don't know that he took Jesus Christ as
his bored and favor.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Yeah, and that's the operative question. All those who want
a relationship with the Lord in this life can have
that relationship. But God does not force himself on anyone
in this life, nor does he force himself on anyone
in the life to come. So those who do not
want a relationship with the Lord in this life, they're
(22:39):
not going to have a relationship with the Lord and
the life to come either. And unfortunately, this is a
choice that people make because they don't love the Lord.
Jesus Christ made that plain himself when he was talking
to Nicodemus. Light came into darkness. Men loved darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. Now respect to
(23:01):
your question, I can say with certainty that suicide is
not the unforgivable sin. On the other hand, we have
to recognize that suicide is murder, and in this case
you have a double murder. You have the murder of
a wife and then the murder of oneself, so you
have a double homicide that took place here. And a
(23:22):
Christian dare not ever think about taking this prerogative upon themselves.
Life and death is the prerogative of God. We can't
take a prerogative of God and exercise that ourselves. So
it's unthinkable for a Christian to do that. Now, it's
certainly possible that someone who really loves the Lord is
(23:45):
in this particular moment of angst and does something they
wouldn't ordinarily do. Well, that doesn't take away their salvation,
but this would be a very extraordinary circumstance. So we
can't say that suicide is the unforgivable sin, but we
can say that no Christian in their right mind would
(24:07):
ever take a prerogative that belongs to God alone. Right,
But pray for this family that is left without a
mother and a father. What an incredible opportunity you have
as a Christian to be a witness and to be
the hands and feet of the Lord in this circumstance.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
Yeah, well, it certainly. Well, I mean, we're going to
do everything we can for this family. But it's such
a tragedy. But that was just a that was a concern,
not knowing if he was a believer or not.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Well, again, the earth is the time that we have
an opportunity while we are alive, to choose the Lord,
and God places everyone in such a position that they
can make that choice. That's the beauty that we read
from the lips of the apostle. Paul in acts access
very clearly that God places people in the exact circumstances
(25:05):
and position that they might find him and have a
relationship with him, says fall from one man. He made
every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth,
and he determined the time set for them and the
exact places where they should live. God did this so
that men should seek him and perhaps reach out for
(25:29):
him and find him, though he is not far from
each one of them. And I think as I read
that passage that God has placed you in the exact
position so that you know about a circumstance, and you
can be the arms and the feet of our Lord.
In a very desperate circumstance, I look forward to talking
(25:51):
to many of you on another edition of the Bible
answer Man Broadcast. Do you remember this is a ministry
supporter by listeners just like you. Without your support, I
simply can I continue doing what we do. Please stint
with us, prayerfully, if possible, financially, Together, we can make
a difference for time and for eternity. Thanks for tuning in.
We'll see you next time right here with more of
(26:12):
the show.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Thank you for joining us today. Our mission at the
Christian Research Institute is to defend the faith, answer Bible
questions and encourage Christians to watch their life and doctrine closely.
To find resources to help equip you, go to equip
dot org. That's equip dot org, or call us at
(26:34):
eight eight eight seven thousand CROI. You can also write
CRII at Post Office Box eighty five hundred, Charlotte, North Carolina,
two eight two seven one. The Bible answer Man Broadcast
is supported by listeners like you. We're on the air
because life and truth matter. To doctor Evan Alexandra's wildly
(27:06):
popular near death experience book, Proof of Heaven assures us
that no matter what we do in this life, only
unconditional love and joy await us in the world to come.
But our Lord warned that while the gate to Hell
is wide, the road to it broad, and those who
enter through it are many, the gate is narrow and
the way is hard that leads to life, and those
(27:27):
who find it are few. Your generous support, let's Hank
hanograph and see Uri speak out against the lies that
lead to Hell. In appreciation for your gift, today, we'll
rush you Hank's book After Life What you need to
Know about Heaven, the Hereafter, and near death Experiences filled
with answers to your questions about life after death. Call
(27:48):
eight eight eight seven thousand CROI or visit equip dot org.
Now again, that's equip dot org.
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