August 28, 2025 • 28 mins
On today’s Bible Answer Man broadcast (08/28/25), Hank brings up a question that he addresses in his book Afterlife: What You Need to Know about Heaven, the Hereafter and Near-Death Experiences, the question being, “Will everyone ultimately wind up in heaven?”
Hank also answers the following questions:
How do Mormons explain the origin of the universe? Victor - Midland, TX (5:48)
My son is a pastor and is teaching that same-sex marriage is okay. Can you help me with this? Daniel - Memphis, TN (15:13)
Is the Islamic Mahdi related to the beast of Revelation 13? Malik - Columbus, OH (17:50)
Does the New Testament forbid premarital sex? Tracy - Argenta, IL (23:02)
Hank also answers the following questions:
How do Mormons explain the origin of the universe? Victor - Midland, TX (5:48)
My son is a pastor and is teaching that same-sex marriage is okay. Can you help me with this? Daniel - Memphis, TN (15:13)
Is the Islamic Mahdi related to the beast of Revelation 13? Malik - Columbus, OH (17:50)
Does the New Testament forbid premarital sex? Tracy - Argenta, IL (23:02)
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 Canigraph.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Thank you, Mitch Randy. We'll go to our callers in
just a few moments. Do want to point your attention
to a question that I deal with in my book
After Life? Will everyone ultimately wind up in Heaven? Well?
In a bestseller titled Love Wins, popular Christian writer, speaker,
(01:17):
and pastor Rob Bell says this, a staggering number of
people have been taught that a select few Christians will
spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while
the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment
in hell, with no chance for anything better. It's been
(01:42):
clearly communicated to many that this belief is the central
truth of the Christian faith, and that to reject it
is in essence to reject Jesus Christ himself. This is
misguided and toxic, says Rabel. Instead, he suggests that everyone
(02:06):
from Gandhi to God denying atheists will likely end up
in heaven. To believe otherwise, from his perspective, is to
hold to a monstrous God, a being who could never
be trusted, let alone be good, a cruel, mean, vicious
(02:26):
tormentor a god who is loving one moment vicious the next.
Bell's outrage against such a god as palpable. If there
was an earthly father who was like that, we would
call the authorities. If there was an actual human Dad
who was that volatile, we would contact child protection services immediately.
(02:52):
Rob Bel is equally outraged by those who believe in
the concept of eternal separation. He says, if your God
will punish people for all of eternity for sins committed
in a few short years, there is something so drastically wrong,
(03:12):
that no amount of clever marketing or compelling language can
camouflage it. And to correct the wrong well Bell markets
a god perfectly suited for a post Christian, human centered,
self absorbed, feel good secular culture. Quite frankly, C. S.
(03:39):
Lewis had it right. He wrote, I would pay any
price to be able to say truthfully, all will be saved.
But my reason retorts, without their will or with it?
If I say without their will, I at once perceive
a contradiction. How can the supreme voluntary act as self
(04:00):
surrender be involuntary? If I say with their will? My
reason replies, how if they will not give? In? So
as Lewis wisely conceded, there are only two kinds of
people in the end, those who say to God, thy
will be done, and those to whom God says, in
(04:21):
the end, thy will be done. All that are in
hell choose it. And without that self choice there would
be no hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires
joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find to
(04:44):
those who knock the door will be opened. Look, the
bottom line is this, Without choice, heaven would not be heaven.
Heaven would be hell. The righteous would inherit a counterfeit heaven,
and the unrighteous would be incarcerated in Heaven against their wills,
a torment worse than hell. Existence in Hell in fact
(05:11):
respects the intrinsic value and autonomy of human beings. So
in the book After Life I deal with both the
reality of heaven and the reality of Hell, and this
is one of the questions that is addressed. Available right
now for your gift, you can order online at equipped
dot org. When you write me at box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
(05:33):
North Carolina, zip code two eight two seven one, or
as always, when you pick up your telephone and talk
to the resource consultants standing by at triple eight seven
thousand and the letters c R. I let's go right
to the phone lines. First, up to date Victor in Midland,
Texas High Victor, I get to talk to you.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Likewise, how does Mormonism explain the origins of the universe?
Because from me understand, they believe that God is with
once a human and is God now. So it kind
of seems like it's an infinite series you know, regression.
I mean, how do they is there does it gets
to that there's one true God or how does that work.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, well, first of all, let me say this that
Mormons do not believe that God created everything out of nothing.
In fact, leading Mormons overtly contend that matter has coexisted
eternally with God. Of course, the opening statement in the Bible,
in the beginning, God created the heavens of the earth,
(06:41):
points to the truth that God did create everything out
of nothing. And by the way, only three options exist,
and only one of them corresponds to reality. And let
me delineate that very quickly and then go right to
what Mormonism contends in fact. You know, as you were talking,
I'm opening a book called Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkey,
(07:04):
and I'll read you a couple of excerpts out of that.
But the three options. First is the view that in
the beginning nothing existed, neither mass, nor energy, nor the
almighty nothing, nothing, simply nothing. Logic, however, screams that from
nothing comes nothing, or nothing comes from nothing. Furthermore, there's
(07:33):
the untenable notion that something existed, but that something was
an impersonal potentiality out of which every potentiality from protein,
molecules to personal mind emerged. That idea however, hardly advances
the proverbial ball, as common sense tells us, every effect
(07:53):
must have a cause equal to or greater than itself.
And then there's a third option, and it's the scriptural contention,
and it alone makes sense. The universe was created by
an uncaused first cause greater than itself. So time, space,
and the universe have not always existed, but God has
always existed, and God's existence is the cause for the
(08:14):
existence of all else that exists. So did God create
everything out of nothing? Absolutely? But what a Mormons contend, Well,
here's the doctrinal hatchetman of Mormonism, Bruce McConkie. Here's what
he says. It is an utterly false and uninspired notion
to believe that the world or any other thing was
(08:36):
created out of nothing. So instead, he says, we infer
that God had materials to organize the world out of
chaos chaotic matter, which is element and in which dwells
all the glory. Element had an existence from the time
(09:01):
He had, or God had. They had no beginning and
can have no end. Then later he talks about who
is involved in this creative process or creative enterprises. He
talks about it and he says involved are Michael, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter, James,
(09:22):
and John and Joseph Smith. And then he says many
other noble and great ones played a part in the
great creative enterprise. This earth was not the first of
the Lord's creations. An infinite number of worlds have come
rolling into existence at his command. Wow, that is a
(09:48):
far different proposition, as you can imagine, from what is
contended in the Bible. And that, by the way, is
why the Mormons say the Book of Mormon is the
most correct of any book on earth and the keystone
to their religion, but not the Bible. They only hold
to the Bible, which they think is a mutilated document
with all kinds of errors. They only hold to its
(10:11):
truth insofar that they believe things may have been correctly translated.
So a lot of it isn't, but some of it is.
And they say, we'll give some lip service to that
which may have been correctly translated. Right.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Well, I appreciate that, Yeah, And I see the problem
they have though, is how do they explain all that matter?
How did that come to existence?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
You know?
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Yeah, I guess, I guess they don't have an explanation
for that. They just say it's always been there, right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
And that's the problem. They do not believe in creation
excena helo. They believe rather in an organization of chaotic
matter already in existence spirit matter.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Okay, well, I appreciate it. Hank, thank you for all
you do.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
You got to thank you so much for your call.
Be right back with more answers to your questions.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
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(12:10):
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(12:52):
Once again, that's equip dot org. The Complete Bible answer
Book Collector's Edition is the comprehensive collection of the most
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decades as host of the Bible answer Man broadcast. With
(13:13):
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newly revised and expanded Collector's Edition helped seekers and skeptics
alike sort through the truth on topics such as reliability
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Revised and expanded, call eight eight eight seven thousand CROI
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(14:07):
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(14:32):
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From the Christian Research Institute by calling eighty eight seven
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(14:56):
dot org. Now back to the Bible answer Man Broadcast
and your host and canagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Thanks very much, Randy, and let's go right back to
our phone callers. Next up is Daniel. He's listening in Memphis, Tennessee.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
Hi, Daniel, Hi, you are the answer to my questions
about the Bible. And I've learned more from you than
any of the pastors I've had in my past sixty
odd years.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
My question is my child, My son is a minister
who proposes and practices same sex marriages and homosexuality. And
when I told him that was an abomination. Now the God,
he had his flip and answer about so is shellfish.
I didn't understand that.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Well, the reason he's saying that is that's precisely what
has popularized. What your son is repeating is simply false.
Eating shellfish is not an Obama shellfish in terms of
its prohibitions were part of civil and ceremonial laws. They
(16:08):
pointed forward to something that something or more correctly stated
that someone is Jesus Christ, and he abrogated the law.
And the reason he did is because, as he points out,
it's not what goes into a man's mouth and out
through his body that defiles him. It's that which proceeds
(16:29):
from the heart. And Mark says that in saying that
Jesus declared all foods clean, So eating shellfish is not
an abomination. It is a civil and ceremonial law that
was abrogated. But not so homosexuality. Homosexuality is something that
not only is found detestable in the Old Testament, and
(16:52):
Jesus ratified every jot and tittle of the Old Testament,
but is likewise something that is found detestable in the
New Testament. And there are ample passages in the New
Testament that make that plane. And the reason this is
not abrogated in some sense is that God places parameters
(17:12):
around our lives so that our joy might in fact
be complete. So the notion that homosexuality is somehow or other,
something that was prohibited the Old Testament not in the
news simply doesn't correspond to reality. However, the notion that
shellfish was part of civil and ceremonial laws or dietary
(17:33):
laws that you find in an Old Testament Theocratic context,
but abrogated New Testament is of course justifiable and true.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Thank You're such a blessing in my life here and
I continue to support your ministry. Thank you so much
for speaking with me.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
If you're welcome, Daniel, let's go right back to the
phone lines. Talk to Melik in Columbus, Ohio.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
Hi, Melik, Hi, how you doing, Hank good? Thank you,
Thank you to take all now. I listen to your
program often when I'm getting off work, and I just
thank God for the work that you do for the
body of Christ, and really a blessing.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
My question was about reading a book called A While
Left Jihad by While These shoe Back, who like was
an ex terrorist against against the Jews and ended up
and a challenge to his uh to his wife. He
started doing a deep study on Christianity and ended up
(18:31):
being converted. Now in his in his book, he talks
about that in the Islamic mad who I believe is
is like like and like their savior. Correct yep, okay.
He talks about this a direct connection between the Islamic
(18:51):
my d and the biblical ANTICHRISTI of Revelation thirteen. So
I just wanted to see what your insight was on
that and what you thought about that compared.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Well, it's ridiculous, you know. Certainly the Islamic belief of
a coming Messiah is wrong. Messiah has already come and
he will come again, and that Messiah is Jesus Christ.
And of course they denounce Jesus Christ's divinity because they
think that that is assigning partners to God, and they
call it the unforgivable sin of shirk. So they're certainly wrong.
(19:24):
And anyone that denies that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is Antichrist. So in that sense we can
call this anti Christ. And it is true whether it
applies to an institution like Islam or to an individual.
But what's going on in Revelation chapter thirteen is pretty clear.
The apostle John says, if anyone has insight, let him
(19:45):
calculate the number of the beast for its man's number.
His number is six hundred sixty and six. So what
John is doing is telling a first century audience that
with wisdom and understanding, they can calculate the number of
the beast and the number of his name. Now, obviously,
if the beast is a twenty first century beast, then
(20:05):
he is torturing his audience because there's no way that
his audience would be able to calculate the number of
a twenty first century beast. So he's talking about a
beast in the epicenter of the Caesar cult in a
first century context that is warring against the Lamb. And
that is the essence of what you have in seven
(20:27):
letters to seven churches in the epicenter of a Caesar
cult that are being commanded to say Caesar's Lord, when
in fact Christ is Lord. And that is what the
Christians are saying, and they're going to be persecuted, and
John is saying, be faithful and fruitful. You're going to
suffer for a short time. Your vindication is going to
be an eternal vindication. So far from suggesting that this
(20:50):
has to do with a twenty first century Antichrist, he's
talking about a beast or an anti Christ in the
first century context. But having said that, John and his
epistles and explain that Antichrist will not only be evident
in a first century context, but will be evident in
(21:11):
every context and every generation up until the time that
the genuine Christ returns to put all things to write.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Okay, so are you familiar with that book or familiar with.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I am vaguely familiar with that book. I haven't spent
a lot of time with it, but I can tell
you the time that I have spent with it demonstrates
that it is replete with sophistry, sloppy journalism, and also
some very significant script torture. In other words, the bad,
bad version of interpreting scripture.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Gotcha.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Okay, I appreciate you taking my call, and thank you
again for aw.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
It as you do well. Thank you. Sorry I didn't
have better news on the book.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
It wasn't that I necessarily believe that. I just was
curious about it because I'm like, I never heard this
before in my life, like and everything, you know, I'm
vaguely I'm vaguely familiar with with the doctrine about them
id just because I grew up but I wasn't deep
(22:15):
into the faith. But I got converted to Christianity when
I was eighteen years old, and so and so I'm
kind of vague vaguely familiar with it. But I had
never heard that connection because he talked about in there
that the my d one of the things that he's
supposed to do is established a seven year period of
peace and everything, which it sounded very similar to different
(22:37):
things that I've read in the Bible and everything. So
I was just like, Okay, I mean, I could see
the connection there, but I didn't know if it was
a direct connection or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
So well, thank you for your call. And I spent
a lot of time talking to Muslims at the University
of Tran on that very subject during my trip to Iran,
speaking not only the University of Tron but also all
imbout to Betabah, their association university interer on let's go
back to the phone lines. We'll talk next to Tracy
in Illinois. Hi.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
Tracy, Hi, thank I really appreciate your ministry, and I'm
especially thankful for your Apocalypse codebook. Back about ten years ago,
I was starting to question the prophecy peddler's version of
the rapture and revelation and you really helped it in
perspective that I was leaning for. So I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 6 (23:29):
Well. The question I have today was I found a
website that's taught me kind of confused. I'm using your
version of how to interpret scripture now by having it
in its context and in a type of writing that
it is legal writings or poetry or property, whatever the reason.
(23:51):
But I found a website that got me a little confused.
I'm concerning fornication and a ultry. I know the Bible adultery,
but this website said that fornication is never defined in
a New Testament. I said, I really didn't find any
definition either, And it said that Leviticas eighteen is the
best definition of fornication, and it never lists in that
(24:15):
list to consenting adults. The male and female who aren't
married has been prohibited from having sex. So I was
curious to view comment on that.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Yeah, well, the word prenea is translated fornication, and it's
used of illicit sexual intercourse, and although in certain contexts
it refers to adultery, elsewhere it is distinguished from adultery,
such as in Mark chapter seven. So obviously, if fornication
(24:46):
and adultery can be listed as distinct sinful behaviors, then
fornication must refer to sexual sin other than adultery, namely
any extramarital sexual relationship. And furthermore, Hebrews thirteen plainly teaches
marriage is to be held in honor among all, and
(25:08):
the marriage bed is to be undefiled for fornicators and adulterers.
God will judge one final point in the law of Moses,
if a man has sex with a woman who is
not engaged to someone else, he must marry her, which
further shows that sexual intercourse belongs within marriage. I think
(25:31):
those points together would give you a basis for further
research on this very important subject. Was the next time
with more of the show.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Thank you for joining us for the Bible answer Man
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Research Institute exists to equip listeners like you with answers
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(26:01):
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(26:46):
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equip dot org. Once again, that's equip dot org.
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 Canigraph.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Thank you, Mitch Randy. We'll go to our callers in
just a few moments. Do want to point your attention
to a question that I deal with in my book
After Life? Will everyone ultimately wind up in Heaven? Well?
In a bestseller titled Love Wins, popular Christian writer, speaker,
(01:17):
and pastor Rob Bell says this, a staggering number of
people have been taught that a select few Christians will
spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while
the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment
in hell, with no chance for anything better. It's been
(01:42):
clearly communicated to many that this belief is the central
truth of the Christian faith, and that to reject it
is in essence to reject Jesus Christ himself. This is
misguided and toxic, says Rabel. Instead, he suggests that everyone
(02:06):
from Gandhi to God denying atheists will likely end up
in heaven. To believe otherwise, from his perspective, is to
hold to a monstrous God, a being who could never
be trusted, let alone be good, a cruel, mean, vicious
(02:26):
tormentor a god who is loving one moment vicious the next.
Bell's outrage against such a god as palpable. If there
was an earthly father who was like that, we would
call the authorities. If there was an actual human Dad
who was that volatile, we would contact child protection services immediately.
(02:52):
Rob Bel is equally outraged by those who believe in
the concept of eternal separation. He says, if your God
will punish people for all of eternity for sins committed
in a few short years, there is something so drastically wrong,
(03:12):
that no amount of clever marketing or compelling language can
camouflage it. And to correct the wrong well Bell markets
a god perfectly suited for a post Christian, human centered,
self absorbed, feel good secular culture. Quite frankly, C. S.
(03:39):
Lewis had it right. He wrote, I would pay any
price to be able to say truthfully, all will be saved.
But my reason retorts, without their will or with it?
If I say without their will, I at once perceive
a contradiction. How can the supreme voluntary act as self
(04:00):
surrender be involuntary? If I say with their will? My
reason replies, how if they will not give? In? So
as Lewis wisely conceded, there are only two kinds of
people in the end, those who say to God, thy
will be done, and those to whom God says, in
(04:21):
the end, thy will be done. All that are in
hell choose it. And without that self choice there would
be no hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires
joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find to
(04:44):
those who knock the door will be opened. Look, the
bottom line is this, Without choice, heaven would not be heaven.
Heaven would be hell. The righteous would inherit a counterfeit heaven,
and the unrighteous would be incarcerated in Heaven against their wills,
a torment worse than hell. Existence in Hell in fact
(05:11):
respects the intrinsic value and autonomy of human beings. So
in the book After Life I deal with both the
reality of heaven and the reality of Hell, and this
is one of the questions that is addressed. Available right
now for your gift, you can order online at equipped
dot org. When you write me at box eighty five hundred, Charlotte,
(05:33):
North Carolina, zip code two eight two seven one, or
as always, when you pick up your telephone and talk
to the resource consultants standing by at triple eight seven
thousand and the letters c R. I let's go right
to the phone lines. First, up to date Victor in Midland,
Texas High Victor, I get to talk to you.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Likewise, how does Mormonism explain the origins of the universe?
Because from me understand, they believe that God is with
once a human and is God now. So it kind
of seems like it's an infinite series you know, regression.
I mean, how do they is there does it gets
to that there's one true God or how does that work.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, well, first of all, let me say this that
Mormons do not believe that God created everything out of nothing.
In fact, leading Mormons overtly contend that matter has coexisted
eternally with God. Of course, the opening statement in the Bible,
in the beginning, God created the heavens of the earth,
(06:41):
points to the truth that God did create everything out
of nothing. And by the way, only three options exist,
and only one of them corresponds to reality. And let
me delineate that very quickly and then go right to
what Mormonism contends in fact. You know, as you were talking,
I'm opening a book called Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkey,
(07:04):
and I'll read you a couple of excerpts out of that.
But the three options. First is the view that in
the beginning nothing existed, neither mass, nor energy, nor the
almighty nothing, nothing, simply nothing. Logic, however, screams that from
nothing comes nothing, or nothing comes from nothing. Furthermore, there's
(07:33):
the untenable notion that something existed, but that something was
an impersonal potentiality out of which every potentiality from protein,
molecules to personal mind emerged. That idea however, hardly advances
the proverbial ball, as common sense tells us, every effect
(07:53):
must have a cause equal to or greater than itself.
And then there's a third option, and it's the scriptural contention,
and it alone makes sense. The universe was created by
an uncaused first cause greater than itself. So time, space,
and the universe have not always existed, but God has
always existed, and God's existence is the cause for the
(08:14):
existence of all else that exists. So did God create
everything out of nothing? Absolutely? But what a Mormons contend, Well,
here's the doctrinal hatchetman of Mormonism, Bruce McConkie. Here's what
he says. It is an utterly false and uninspired notion
to believe that the world or any other thing was
(08:36):
created out of nothing. So instead, he says, we infer
that God had materials to organize the world out of
chaos chaotic matter, which is element and in which dwells
all the glory. Element had an existence from the time
(09:01):
He had, or God had. They had no beginning and
can have no end. Then later he talks about who
is involved in this creative process or creative enterprises. He
talks about it and he says involved are Michael, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter, James,
(09:22):
and John and Joseph Smith. And then he says many
other noble and great ones played a part in the
great creative enterprise. This earth was not the first of
the Lord's creations. An infinite number of worlds have come
rolling into existence at his command. Wow, that is a
(09:48):
far different proposition, as you can imagine, from what is
contended in the Bible. And that, by the way, is
why the Mormons say the Book of Mormon is the
most correct of any book on earth and the keystone
to their religion, but not the Bible. They only hold
to the Bible, which they think is a mutilated document
with all kinds of errors. They only hold to its
(10:11):
truth insofar that they believe things may have been correctly translated.
So a lot of it isn't, but some of it is.
And they say, we'll give some lip service to that
which may have been correctly translated. Right.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Well, I appreciate that, Yeah, And I see the problem
they have though, is how do they explain all that matter?
How did that come to existence?
Speaker 2 (10:34):
You know?
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Yeah, I guess, I guess they don't have an explanation
for that. They just say it's always been there, right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
And that's the problem. They do not believe in creation
excena helo. They believe rather in an organization of chaotic
matter already in existence spirit matter.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Okay, well, I appreciate it. Hank, thank you for all
you do.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
You got to thank you so much for your call.
Be right back with more answers to your questions.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Every Bible answer Man broadcast, such as the one you're
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(11:23):
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Or visit our website at equip dot org. We'll return
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surrounding the Christian flock is growing, and they relish nothing
more than docile's sheep, utterly incapable of defending themselves from
(12:10):
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on Biblical Christianity are growing dangerously, but Christian Research Institutes
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(12:32):
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are just our way of saying thanks. To learn more
about the benefits of membership, simply visit equip dot org.
(12:52):
Once again, that's 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
(13:13):
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
(13:37):
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Revised and expanded, call eight eight eight seven thousand CROI
and make a gift to support the Christian Research Institute's
life changing outreaches eight eight eight seven thousand CROI or
visit us at equip dot org. Has God Spoken? Are
(14:07):
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 our world.
In Has God Spoken? Memorable proofs of the Bible's Divine inspiration,
(14:32):
Hank counters the contentions of the Bible attackers and clearly
shows that belief in the Holy Scriptures is not a
guess or wishful thinking. It is the only logical conclusion
after an honest examination of overwhelming evidence. Order has God spoken?
From the Christian Research Institute by calling eighty eight seven
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(14:56):
dot org. Now back to the Bible answer Man Broadcast
and your host and canagraph.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Thanks very much, Randy, and let's go right back to
our phone callers. Next up is Daniel. He's listening in Memphis, Tennessee.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
Hi, Daniel, Hi, you are the answer to my questions
about the Bible. And I've learned more from you than
any of the pastors I've had in my past sixty
odd years.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
My question is my child, My son is a minister
who proposes and practices same sex marriages and homosexuality. And
when I told him that was an abomination. Now the God,
he had his flip and answer about so is shellfish.
I didn't understand that.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Well, the reason he's saying that is that's precisely what
has popularized. What your son is repeating is simply false.
Eating shellfish is not an Obama shellfish in terms of
its prohibitions were part of civil and ceremonial laws. They
(16:08):
pointed forward to something that something or more correctly stated
that someone is Jesus Christ, and he abrogated the law.
And the reason he did is because, as he points out,
it's not what goes into a man's mouth and out
through his body that defiles him. It's that which proceeds
(16:29):
from the heart. And Mark says that in saying that
Jesus declared all foods clean, So eating shellfish is not
an abomination. It is a civil and ceremonial law that
was abrogated. But not so homosexuality. Homosexuality is something that
not only is found detestable in the Old Testament, and
(16:52):
Jesus ratified every jot and tittle of the Old Testament,
but is likewise something that is found detestable in the
New Testament. And there are ample passages in the New
Testament that make that plane. And the reason this is
not abrogated in some sense is that God places parameters
(17:12):
around our lives so that our joy might in fact
be complete. So the notion that homosexuality is somehow or other,
something that was prohibited the Old Testament not in the
news simply doesn't correspond to reality. However, the notion that
shellfish was part of civil and ceremonial laws or dietary
(17:33):
laws that you find in an Old Testament Theocratic context,
but abrogated New Testament is of course justifiable and true.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Thank You're such a blessing in my life here and
I continue to support your ministry. Thank you so much
for speaking with me.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
If you're welcome, Daniel, let's go right back to the
phone lines. Talk to Melik in Columbus, Ohio.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
Hi, Melik, Hi, how you doing, Hank good? Thank you,
Thank you to take all now. I listen to your
program often when I'm getting off work, and I just
thank God for the work that you do for the
body of Christ, and really a blessing.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
My question was about reading a book called A While
Left Jihad by While These shoe Back, who like was
an ex terrorist against against the Jews and ended up
and a challenge to his uh to his wife. He
started doing a deep study on Christianity and ended up
(18:31):
being converted. Now in his in his book, he talks
about that in the Islamic mad who I believe is
is like like and like their savior. Correct yep, okay.
He talks about this a direct connection between the Islamic
(18:51):
my d and the biblical ANTICHRISTI of Revelation thirteen. So
I just wanted to see what your insight was on
that and what you thought about that compared.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Well, it's ridiculous, you know. Certainly the Islamic belief of
a coming Messiah is wrong. Messiah has already come and
he will come again, and that Messiah is Jesus Christ.
And of course they denounce Jesus Christ's divinity because they
think that that is assigning partners to God, and they
call it the unforgivable sin of shirk. So they're certainly wrong.
(19:24):
And anyone that denies that Jesus Christ has come in
the flesh is Antichrist. So in that sense we can
call this anti Christ. And it is true whether it
applies to an institution like Islam or to an individual.
But what's going on in Revelation chapter thirteen is pretty clear.
The apostle John says, if anyone has insight, let him
(19:45):
calculate the number of the beast for its man's number.
His number is six hundred sixty and six. So what
John is doing is telling a first century audience that
with wisdom and understanding, they can calculate the number of
the beast and the number of his name. Now, obviously,
if the beast is a twenty first century beast, then
(20:05):
he is torturing his audience because there's no way that
his audience would be able to calculate the number of
a twenty first century beast. So he's talking about a
beast in the epicenter of the Caesar cult in a
first century context that is warring against the Lamb. And
that is the essence of what you have in seven
(20:27):
letters to seven churches in the epicenter of a Caesar
cult that are being commanded to say Caesar's Lord, when
in fact Christ is Lord. And that is what the
Christians are saying, and they're going to be persecuted, and
John is saying, be faithful and fruitful. You're going to
suffer for a short time. Your vindication is going to
be an eternal vindication. So far from suggesting that this
(20:50):
has to do with a twenty first century Antichrist, he's
talking about a beast or an anti Christ in the
first century context. But having said that, John and his
epistles and explain that Antichrist will not only be evident
in a first century context, but will be evident in
(21:11):
every context and every generation up until the time that
the genuine Christ returns to put all things to write.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Okay, so are you familiar with that book or familiar with.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
I am vaguely familiar with that book. I haven't spent
a lot of time with it, but I can tell
you the time that I have spent with it demonstrates
that it is replete with sophistry, sloppy journalism, and also
some very significant script torture. In other words, the bad,
bad version of interpreting scripture.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
Gotcha.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Okay, I appreciate you taking my call, and thank you
again for aw.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
It as you do well. Thank you. Sorry I didn't
have better news on the book.
Speaker 5 (21:55):
It wasn't that I necessarily believe that. I just was
curious about it because I'm like, I never heard this
before in my life, like and everything, you know, I'm
vaguely I'm vaguely familiar with with the doctrine about them
id just because I grew up but I wasn't deep
(22:15):
into the faith. But I got converted to Christianity when
I was eighteen years old, and so and so I'm
kind of vague vaguely familiar with it. But I had
never heard that connection because he talked about in there
that the my d one of the things that he's
supposed to do is established a seven year period of
peace and everything, which it sounded very similar to different
(22:37):
things that I've read in the Bible and everything. So
I was just like, Okay, I mean, I could see
the connection there, but I didn't know if it was
a direct connection or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
So well, thank you for your call. And I spent
a lot of time talking to Muslims at the University
of Tran on that very subject during my trip to Iran,
speaking not only the University of Tron but also all
imbout to Betabah, their association university interer on let's go
back to the phone lines. We'll talk next to Tracy
in Illinois. Hi.
Speaker 6 (23:06):
Tracy, Hi, thank I really appreciate your ministry, and I'm
especially thankful for your Apocalypse codebook. Back about ten years ago,
I was starting to question the prophecy peddler's version of
the rapture and revelation and you really helped it in
perspective that I was leaning for. So I really appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 6 (23:29):
Well. The question I have today was I found a
website that's taught me kind of confused. I'm using your
version of how to interpret scripture now by having it
in its context and in a type of writing that
it is legal writings or poetry or property, whatever the reason.
(23:51):
But I found a website that got me a little confused.
I'm concerning fornication and a ultry. I know the Bible adultery,
but this website said that fornication is never defined in
a New Testament. I said, I really didn't find any
definition either, And it said that Leviticas eighteen is the
best definition of fornication, and it never lists in that
(24:15):
list to consenting adults. The male and female who aren't
married has been prohibited from having sex. So I was
curious to view comment on that.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Yeah, well, the word prenea is translated fornication, and it's
used of illicit sexual intercourse, and although in certain contexts
it refers to adultery, elsewhere it is distinguished from adultery,
such as in Mark chapter seven. So obviously, if fornication
(24:46):
and adultery can be listed as distinct sinful behaviors, then
fornication must refer to sexual sin other than adultery, namely
any extramarital sexual relationship. And furthermore, Hebrews thirteen plainly teaches
marriage is to be held in honor among all, and
(25:08):
the marriage bed is to be undefiled for fornicators and adulterers.
God will judge one final point in the law of Moses,
if a man has sex with a woman who is
not engaged to someone else, he must marry her, which
further shows that sexual intercourse belongs within marriage. I think
(25:31):
those points together would give you a basis for further
research on this very important subject. Was the next time
with more of the show.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Thank you for joining us for the Bible answer Man
broadcast in today's post truth culture of confusion. The Christian
Research Institute exists to equip listeners like you with answers
to communicate the Gospel of Hope to a world in
desperate need of life and truth. Because life and truth
(26:01):
matter in addition to truth, we want to equip you
with life, not simply to know about God, but truly
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live life not merely by our own energy, but with
the energy of the Lord Jesus working powerfully through us.
For more information, call eight eight eight seven thousand CRII.
(26:25):
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us online at equip dot org. That's equip dot org.
(26:46):
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We're on the air because life and truth matter. Bertrand
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(27:06):
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(27:49):
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