Never before and experience the wonder of the Bible coming to life before your eyes to find out how you can experience Israel and to register go to k.f. I.e. Dot com k f a Carmichael Sacramento 7 10 am the word. This is Greg Thornberry of the Kings College in New York City for townhall dot com When President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress this week pundits both on the left and right agreed this was a very fine moment for the new commander in chief the speech was filled with highlights for President Trump but the best ones came when he said things any proud American should love the response of Democrats revealingly They sat silent hands folded like an old Sahara and Sphinx one laugh out loud funny moment came when the president announced a new partnership with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada to help jumpstart the businesses of female entrepreneurs' when the camera panned to Elizabeth Warren she looked confused and muttered but she looked like she wanted to applaud opportunities in new capital markets for women but just couldn't bring herself to do it that offered response shows the dilemma of the Democratic Party just saying no to Trump is not enough I'm grateful and bury. The Daily Word on investing with Pastor David Mitchell What exactly do you mean by interesting well we were talking out of the cliches Yes he said for 5 it's a passage of tells people how to deal with money listen weeknights at 6 30 pm to learn methods of trading on Wall Street I mean I say this to people all the time I think I'm crazy but sometimes it makes them want to come hear what I have to say and say How would you like to come and learn how never to work for money again the daily word on investing Monday through Friday evenings at $630.00 on am $710.00 k. At buying. Gas are here for sleep train Metro centers the best is yet to come and it's late train it's arrived early and for the best brands prices and sleep experts during sleep trends best rest sail for a limited time save up to $1000.00 a. 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Alumni are making an impact around the world we invite you to invest in the next generation of students to be equipped and devoted to serving Jesus Christ to purchase tickets or for more information visit f l c s gala dot com Forest Lake Christian school educating Turnitin. They just about time to make a telephone call 844445737 the narrow path of Bible teachers Steve Greg Kevin up at 3 o'clock freedom to choose with the rich and Susan Kahlenberg from the ministry just as I so how you doing today you ready for the weekend Dave Diamond from the crosswalk dot com studio let's get things rolling right now a narrow band with Bible teacher Steve Gregg. 4457. Good afternoon and welcome to the narrow path radio broadcast by going to Steve Greg and we're live for an hour each weekday afternoon taking your phone calls if you have questions about the Bible or about the Christian faith and you want to ask those questions here we'll discuss them if you have a different viewpoint from that of the host you can bring that up when you discuss that here also the number to call is 8444845737 years mean that's a 444845737 our 1st caller see is Ryan from Carmichael California and Michael if I'm remembering Ryan she me if I'm remembering correctly you were last caller yesterday we ran out of time is that correct correct and your x. No. Comment Your make about Matthew 1628 I'm sure you have some standing here which . Yes sort of back on the yes. My point was and as a doctor yesterday that there is a lack of a better term I mean it's become a part of us but there's a dispensation the issue going on there is that the context issues going on there and I think if you look at it in that correct perspective it harmonizes and makes total sense. Please explain which me so when you spoke well when you said that it's not concerning the Mount of Transfiguration That's right and for the reasons you pointed out that doesn't make sense contextually but also in like manner you have to look at the fact that the things about the return of Christ the 2nd return of Christ something happened in between Christ thing this and that future event and that was the apostle Paul and the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began it was hitting God and that pertains things about this time increment regattas putting Israel's program on hold and dealing with a new creation the members of the Body of Christ Jew and Gentile and one new creation so that program of Israel's been put on hold to deal with this new mystery program and that's why you're seeing a difference in what Jesus was saying and what actually happened because God Israel's program on hold the Romans 91011 is talking about Israel and how it went from wait for a moment wait for it you're saying that when Jesus said assuredly I say to you there are some standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Senate coming His Kingdom are you saying that God changed his mind about that when when Saul was converted. I'm saying that God did something different because of free will because of a choice that Israel made to not receive their Messiah. But didn't he didn't Jesus know when he made this prediction that that would happen no he did not because you have to remember that Jesus grew in wisdom instead i know i know i agree with you next to I don't really do that but let me ask you this Are you saying that Jesus made a specific prediction without having information from God about it and therefore made a false prophecy. Not a false prophecy a prophecy that was affected by by human intervention be a human freewill just like wind chill know when to go tell the Ninevites if they're going to be destroyed God is a correct prophecy but then fumin intervention via the Ninevites free will change that and God didn't do it yet but we read in Jonah that exactly that we're told that that's what happened that God saw the repentance so he repented of the evil which is exactly what Jeremiah said God will always do we don't read in this passage anywhere that there's any conditions effect he said assuredly I say to you as if this your way out on this you can count on this. Sure sure and that's true but still when they were there where is the right Mary however it's. The fact is that something happened in free will that change you have to remember and Mark 332 it's stuff like you know concerning the day and hour that the things of them haven't don't known you they're the sun you have to remember that the word temporarily divested himself of his on no no no you don't have to convince me that I know that I agree with you about that but what I'm saying is when Jesus said that he didn't know the day of the hour he didn't make any predictions about the day they are because he said he didn't know here that's why he here he said he the fact that Ryan right he said he had had to Ryan right he said that something would happen in the lifetime of those standing there and he was wrong so now you say he didn't know that it wouldn't happen so I can grant that but didn't he know that if you're right happen didn't he know that free will could interfere with this well God knew the free will could happen with the Ninevites just Ok that he will destroy him well but but everyone is going to destroy him Ok but every time God says you can destroy a city it says in Jeremiah Chapter 18 whenever God says it about a city that if they repent he will repent of what he said Ok And any time he says he'll build or plaids a nation if they turn from their righteousness to evil he will repent of the good he said to them that's a germ I said God will always do so what happened in Jonah is something very predictable he said he destroys city but they repented and of course according to God's general policy and I don't agree that the word is it's predictable whereas this concerns a mystery the mystery given you you really are as Roman 1625 as the mystery of hidden in well let me ask you this but we didn't write my ashes what is there in the Bible that should make me believe that your scenario is true. The Apostle Paul for example the mystery it's been season for lack of a better term that there's a pen and I'm period that we can't see are those hidden in. The Bible the Bible does not speak ever of an apparent that equal time period doesn't what does it have it has but where does this make of that what does it speak of that you want some verses on that yeah at least one would be good. Parents medical time period the distance ation Chris. This is a restart I'm 17 right he read that to me place where I do this willing for I do the thing willingly I have a reward but if against my will a dispensation of the Gospel is committed against me. Don't you know the Greek word for disposition means that it's a stewardship piece I have and I don't speak Greek I really don't care about become an English speaker Ok then maybe maybe you shouldn't really talk about the Bible means until you find out what the words mean that you're talking about Paul said a dispensation which in the Greek means a stewardship of the gospel has been given to me you know that if I if I speak freely ever and I don't charge or if I do charge doesn't make a difference I have to speak because I've been given a stewardship he said that's what this from station it's a stewardship you can look that up in the Greek and then you'll maybe be talking differently on the subject I know what the word dispensation mean to get a good answer it dispenses something that something different coming you know that's an English that's an English use I'm talking I think you know I know it's an English word Are you aware the Bible is not written in English I mean where the Bible is written in English I'm looking at the Bible right now and to know which I'm sorry it was not written English it was translated into English if you don't know that I don't think we're going to have any intelligent conversation here and the concept of the Greek manuscripts but what I'm saying is that God has His word of bailable in our language and we don't need to learn a 2nd language to understand what God wants us to learn that's not right how do you know that how do you know that because I believe I believe the word when it says that the Word of God is scripture right it is scripture but it doesn't say the English version of scripture. Sure but they're right in the English words Ok you're being silly now thanks for your call Ok Let's talk to Dan from San Diego California next you're listening to the narrow path if you'd like to be on the program we have open lines at 844-484-5737 that's 844-484-5737 Dan welcome to the narrow path thanks for calling so I enjoyed that and doing since I actually went to the trouble of taking classes in New Testament Greek so that I could actually get beyond the English and really find the deeper meaning what and why did it and why don't you just what interest go to Webster dictionary so you could just understand the model that way. Actually you know I really like the Blue Letter Bible I saw it or was it held on line very very helpful and constantly dive back into the Greek and I find it just very enriching but that's not why I call Ok. The reason I called was in Matthew. I liked the hard sayings of Jesus. Because they really challenge me and and one of them of course has to do with and it was with Matthew. 5 where he talks about whoever slaps you're in the right turn the other to him also and. That always I heard that early on in my life as an excuse for a pacifist mentality and of course that didn't ring true to me at all and I read in one resource which I don't have available to me right now that in fact because Jesus was talking to a Jewish audience at the time that what that really harkened to them and made them understand as many of the things in the New Testament do is that in the in the in the practices of the temple if if if you indicated that you were a Christian you were in big trouble and you would be excommunicated from the Jewish community the practice of their communication as I read this said that they would course they would you know denounce you and whatever else but they would slap you across the cheek and that that would Jesus was saying to them is when they do take you out of the temple like that or out of the communion turn your other cheek a lot of the other cheek as well and are sure are you sure he didn't mean your butt cheeks turn your butt cheeks I'm. Only Only if you're under age so I was curious if you had if you had actually run across that that interpretation because so much of what happens in the New Testament is really written for and about the the the Jewish audience which would understand all of those cultural aphorism. Well 1st of all you're right that their cultural setting has got to be understood after all earlier in the chapter Jesus said If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that someone has something against you start about bringing an animal to this and to the temple Right exactly and he also talks about if someone compels you to go one mile go to he's talked about the fact that the Romans could by law compel a Jewish man to go a mile and carry his things for him but not right more than that so I mean you know there is no go the extra mile and sure I don't know your well there's definitely cultural there's definitely cultural setting that that informs it. I don't know if Jesus' disciples at this point in time would have understood the slapping on the cheek to be a reference to excommunication though of course later in the book of Acts I'm sure they were excommunicated and they may have been slapped across the cheek for that. But but then how they how they would understand at this point pardon would be foreshadowing. Well well he could be but I think he was speaking also in terms of they could understand to begin to practice even right then it may be of course that they were slapped across the face when they were excommunicated but it's not the only setting in which a person might slap you across the face in the Middle East anyone who's insulted or or wants to insult you really can cite here across the face it's clear he has talked about a slap rather than let's say a fist punching because he says If someone strikes shoe on the right cheek presumably if someone's facing you. Their right hand would be toward your left cheek and most people are are right handed so if they're going to punch you they strike you on your left cheek which would be the one accessible to their right hand but if they wanted to strike you're right she could be at the back of the right hand that they'd bring the the back of their hand against you from the right and so striking on the right cheek assuming the assailant is right handed would be assuming the back of the hand receiving the back of the hand rather than a fist so this isn't a situation where a person is in mortal danger or some is going to get beat up it's a situation of sums trying to insult you. You know the face was not supposed to be touched unless you want to dishonor somebody you didn't touch a man's face. You know and and you know you can even spit in a person's face which would be even worse but the face was supposed to be inviolable striking a person on the face was a great insult and a great provocation so I seems to me that whether he's talking about excommunication as the setting or just any other setting where somebody is trying to provoke you and insults you and slaps you across the face that few to remain unprovoked unruffled and to allow them to strike the other cheek would be. You know would be a proper application I think I'm going to continue to dig and wash and try to find the number of friends who can probably help me out with this. But I I can't imagine what the source I was reading made it didn't come out a whole lot and I really think that that would have been more powerful under the circumstances if if it had been in that context somebody would have thought Gosh if I follow you will I be excommunicated and right today it is if you strike in the face and you know at this point in time I don't know that the disciples would be seen themselves as in danger of excommunication because Jesus was still teaching in the temple so he wasn't even excommunicated at this point but but they mean later after Jesus was gone I'm sure they were excommunicated but I don't know that they would have been thinking about that here I think I think they would have simply understood him to mean if someone treats you in such a way is to provide provoke you and slap you across the face which might happen in any number of settings including excommunication well done then turn the other cheek now you know when you say the person you heard it from didn't make it up I'm not saying he made up the idea that people be slapped across the face when they're excommunicate that may be true but it would simply be a matter of opinion whether that's what Jesus is referring to here or or to any other time when a person might be slapped across the face well because the way the coincidence seems to me to be important that that that would be what would happen to someone who left the Orthodox Jewish faith became a Christian right again remember that but remember the Christians didn't do that the followers of Jesus did not leave the Orthodox Jewish faith they remained Jews they kept worshipping at the temple even in the book of Acts so they did not see themselves certainly when they're following Jesus they didn't see him as somebody who was calling them away from the Orthodox faith in fact in that very chapter he said do not think that I came to destroy the law the prophets I didn't come to do it right but to fulfill them so they certainly would have had the impression that he was not there to alienate them from the Jewish faith for all they knew he was the Messiah and might reform the Jewish faith I mean the. For although you know I got it yeah I mean it could very well be at that time they were thinking that the whole Jewish faith was going to come around to his way of seeing things but you know after he was crucified and so forth and of course it became clear that it was going to be tension between the Christian movement of the Jewish movement Well thank you all right brother thanks for your call appreciate your thoughts let's talk next to Dean from Renton Washington welcome to the narrow path thanks for calling Hello thank you very much for you in your ministry I'm sure appreciated sure if you just speak briefly you understand. The 2 witnesses that are mentioned in Scripture Well the 2 witnesses are in Revelation 11 and. The way I understand them will not make sense to anyone unless they know something about the different ways that the whole book of Revelation has been understood I don't know if you're aware there are 4 different views of Revelation yet then and most of the reason that I know that is is from from listening to your program Ok well the Futurist view. In many cases would hold that the 2 it misses are 2 individuals who will arise in the future in the tribulation and be prophesied in Jerusalem for 3 and a half years then they'll be killed and and then they'll rise again to go to heaven Futurists usually believe that one of those is going to be lives of the prophet and that the other one might be Moses or some people think it might be Iraq there's I've heard at least 3 different opinions of what the other witness might be but generally they assume that in that Elijah would be one of them and some other Old Testament hero might be the other one now that's what the Futurist would say I'm not a futurist now a predator is would be trying to locate these 2 witnesses in the early times of the church before that before Jerusalem fell and some predators have suggested that it's. The Apostle James and maybe the apostle Peter or something like that but I don't think that's likely there were a lot more witnesses than James and Peter in Jerusalem in the 1st century church effect all the Apostles were there for a long time and there were other witnesses who weren't Apostles like Stephen and so forth so I don't I don't think that it's I don't tend to see the 2 witnesses as 2 individuals at all. In the Book of Revelation many times. Larger institutions are represented as individuals for example the the body of Christ is represented as a woman to the bride. A large institution which is mystery Babyland and is referred to as the great city that rules over the kings of the earth is prepared as an as an individual also as a woman as a harlot I believe that the 2 witnesses represent the church and that and that the church is God's witness Now the reason for 2 of them is because under Jewish law if you can have witnesses you have to have confirming witness the witness of 2 is true she's the set of the Old Testament law said in the mouth of 2 or more witnesses every word should be established a statement in Deuteronomy that's quoted I think 4 times in the New Testament so the idea that wanting to get across the idea of the church being a witness for God using the image of one witness would not quite get across the fact that it's a reliable and true witnesses so 2 witnesses to the Jewish mind would be a reliable witness and I think I think they represent the church but there are lots of different views out there that would be much like the correlation that I've heard you draw that the anti-Christ is not a single person. You know political or religious institution right the beast you know the beast would be a larger institution than one person we know that because it has 7 heads and 10 horns and the 7 heads are 10 or 7 teens probably representing serial emperors of Rome and then there's 10 horns that represent 10 King So one man is not this piece is not one man it's made up of at least 17 men kings and probably more than one. Very good that that'll give me a fresh perspective as I'm reading through the Word and I'm sure you've addressed that before but it had not been something that I'd had the chance to listen to so all right reshape your time Ok Well God bless you God bless you too thank you thanks for your call All right our next caller is Tom from Temecula California Tom welcome to the narrow path thanks for calling Thank you very much my question is regarding the the one or 2 incidents I think 2 where Jesus drilled the money changers out of the temple and overturned the tables and do you believe that Jesus really hurt anybody in that or did he just scare him so bad from his his demeanor that they fled. I believe that he only drove the animals out and the people we're following them you know we're we're your treasures your heart will be also and if you're driving people's money and animals out of the out of the marketplace which is what they've made the temple into then the merchants are not going just watch their profits go running off in a chase chase them down and try to recapture them so a Jesus didn't have to hit any persons he used to quip made up of little little you know leather strings. I suppose even if he did hit a person with that it wouldn't hurt very much and and if he is hitting people they would probably start hitting back you know we probably start. Start fighting with him but instead I think he's just driving livestock out and turning over tables of money and while they might have they might have loved to violently oppose him they had you know more pressing matters on their hands like recovering their merchandise so. That's what I think happened oh Ok I appreciate your of your view on that thank you very much Sure thanks for your call by the way Jesus told His disciples to be wise as serpents but harmless as dubs and he always practiced what he preached I think he was harmless I don't think he hurt any people. Physically ever All right let's talk to Billy from Sacramento California Billy welcome to the narrow path. Are you doing good things. So. I don't know something about a lot of things you know I'm done with this time and about. Forgiveness and things like that and I don't care what a question and I'm not even to it I said even if it's the right question asked so basically. You know the the world by powers and principalities and you know things like people who could be in the be laid by dark forces and you know their own wills and things but you know the devil is like at the head of all of this now. In my like angry like say the world situation our 1st story in the things that I know to see and I say if I trace it back to the devil am I the forgive the devil for ruining the world and making it like it is or like not the right question that. I'm not saying it's the wrong question to ask it's the right question to ask if that's what you're wondering I would say we are not supposed to a forgive or love the devil some people say Well Jesus said Love your enemies but he's very clearly talk about people and I mean he's comparing he's amplifying the statement shall love your neighbor as yourself he's pointing out that not all of your neighbors are friendly and you don't only have to love your friendly neighbors you need to realize your hostile neighbors too and so when he says Love your neighbor as yourself as an amplification of his when he said Love your enemies he's amplifying love your neighbor should love yourself in Matthew 5 and so I don't think he's talking about anything other than loving human beings God loves human beings we don't know that he loves the devil we're not told that he does and the reason we should love human beings is because God does. The devil is certainly our enemy but in a very different sort than what Jesus was talking about and you know we are supposed to resist the devil of course you could resist you could resist someone you love For example if somebody is breaking into your house and going to hurt your children you you might love him in the sense that you wish he would repenting go to heaven and you don't want to hurt him but you start to resist him you can't just let him do what he's going to do so you might resist somebody that you love that there's nothing in the buy that suggests at all that we should have any sympathy for the devil to use. A phrase from the Rolling Stones In any case I have no sympathy for the devil he's he's got nothing good about him and he's done an awful lot of harm to people I guess he's done some to me too but i'm are more mindful of what he's done to other people that I love that have been hurt by him I don't see anything in the Bible that says we're supposed to forgive the devil or or have any positive thoughts about the devil at all. Exactly and that's the thing I kept like tormenting you know like I'm wondering like I have like I understand you can't believe that there's going to peace like 5 but yeah there's other people in the world and it's like he's running around left and stuff and I'm like how do I feel without earth will you like without having it be anger. On the inside that. Well I don't I don't know there's anything wrong with being angry at the devil Jesus was angry even at the Pharisees but he didn't he didn't not love them he was he was angered by what they did it says in March after 3 he looked on them with anger when they wanted to prevent him from curing a man whose hand was withered on the Sabbath day and Jesus was disgusted by that he was angry he was probably angry in the stories we just mentioned to the previous caller also about him driving the money changers out of the temple he certainly seemed angry so being angry is $1.00 thing but the most is be angry and do not sin to not let the sun go down on your wrath so it seems to me that you can be angry at what is a worthy object of anger but you don't necessarily send unless you let the sun go down your wrath is you know you don't walk around nursing an attitude of anger in you all the time but certain things that people do or even the devilish should make you angry but forgiveness is not an issue with the devil I don't believe that we're talking about humans in this news given listening to the narrow path and some of our stations are going to be leaving our network right now we're going to go on for another half hour you can hear the rest the program in our website the narrow path dot com Some of you will not be able to hear it because your station will not be carrying it we are listeners supported you can donate from our website if you wish to the narrow path dot com and the rest of you please stay tuned for 30 seconds we'll be right back. You were listening to the narrow band was Steve Gregg the narrow path is listener supported radio after the show we invite you to visit the narrow path dot com to learn more there are topical audio teachings and blog articles and verse by verse teachings and the radio archives of all our shows so when the show is over come on over to the narrow path dot com learn study enjoy We thank you for your support and we thank you for listening each day to the narrow path We now return you to the narrow path with Steve Gregg. All right welcome back to the narrow path a radio broadcast. My name is Steve Greg if you're just picking up the program at this point this is our 2nd half hour the whole program can be heard live and in archives later at our website the narrow path dot com You can also get the app either for i Phone or for Android go to our website the narrow path dot com and find out how to download the free app so that you can listen to the program and all the resources from the website from your phone all right our number to call if you want to talk to me about things you have to discuss about the Bible is 844-484-5737 that's 844-484-5737 our next caller is Kevin from Burbank California Kevin welcome to the narrow path thanks for calling. Number the c. Thinks your program. Just announced tuning in at the brother called back about x. 9 he did been called he was the 1st caller today so if you go into the archives you hear that call Ok Ok that's good and the other thing is that regarding distance ational Christian I was debating some of them and there's a verse in Deuteronomy that says that God only God can choose the proper place for his people to worship and they were saying there is another verse in the Old Testament that says that he chooses Jerusalem for ever since he chooses Jews of them forever how can the millennia Christians say Jerusalem is no longer the earthly Jerusalem is no longer the proper place. That's relatively Yeah that's relatively easy to answer for one thing the word forever only in Hebrew it means for a very very long time it doesn't nestling endlessly and many things in the Old Testament are said to be along or forever which simply aren't like. The Temple in Jerusalem. God told Solomon I will dwell in this house forever Well it's been gone for a very long time in fact it was destroyed in 506 b.c. And Solomon's Temple hasn't been there ever since a temple was rebuilt in 520 b.c. Through 16 but it was destroyed in 7080 so it's been gone for 2000 years so when God said he'll do well in that temple forever he must not he either must mean just a long time as the word generally will being. Or it might be that is conditional because there are many things that are conditional The Sabbath was to be kept for ever. The the land was given to Israel for ever. You know that the priests of Aaron's line were to sit and were to stand before God forever however there we have a really interesting a modification in 1st Samuel chapter 2 in verse 30 where God says to the priests I said Indeed your father's house will stand before me forever but now Far be it from me for he that honors me I will honor and he that despises me will be lightly esteem so it's obvious that God makes statements about forever but they are conditional everything is conditional there's no unconditional promises in the Bible everything is conditional and that's what God says in the passage that I was talking to the x. Men dispensation was about Jeremiah Chapter 18 verses 7 through 10 God says every promise and every threat is conditional if people change he'll change and so you know to say that true some will be his. Home forever and the place where we'll be worshipped forever that in itself would not prove that that means endlessly since the word forever olam does not mean what our English word forever means on the other hand if we have to either go by what Deuteronomy says or by what Jesus says I'll always go with Jesus and it seems like the dispensation should too because they would recognize that Jesus is bringing in or introducing a new dispensation and Jesus was asked by the woman in some area in John chapter 4 who where they should worship and she pointed out you Jews always say we should worship in Jerusalem but my people the Samaritans say that Mount charism in this temple here is where we're supposed to worship there's a conflict now Jesus has had well that's easy I God said Jerusalem is the place where he'll be worshipped forever but instead Jesus said to her in verse 21 John 421 woman Believe me the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father he's predicting the fact that in 7080 the Romans would destroy the shrine on not terrorism and destroy the temple in Jerusalem no one who worship in either place anymore that's he's predicting he said the hours coming when you will not worship the Father in this town in this mountain or in Jerusalem sobbing that in itself proves that it's not forever and then he said in verse 23 the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the father 6 such to worship Him Now God is not seeking people to worship Him in Jerusalem or not there's him he's looking for people to worship Him in spirit and in truth he says that's what true worshippers do it with doesn't matter whether you're Garry's them Jerusalem or any other place on the planet what God is looking for is people who worship in spirit and in truth . That's a great point one of the things I was telling the distances from Christians that Abraham look forward to a city whose daughter makers' daughter was gone and Eve you said and you come to Mount Zion the heavenly Jerusalem so I was telling the disinflation Christian perhaps Jerusalem is forever but it's the heavenly Jerusalem that's well that's not even your right you are right and that's true of virtually all the things in the Old Testament that were said to be forever what was the part that was not forever was the ritual the part that is forever is the spiritual so circumcision according to Genesis 17 would be required for ever but in the New Testament it isn't. But spiritual circumcision is circumcision of the heart. You know the the temple was to be forever but it's not but the spiritual temple is. The priesthood was to be forever but it wasn't but the spiritual priesthood is Jerusalem is to be forever but as you pointed out there's according to Hebrews suffered 12 verse $22.00 we have come to Mount Zion the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem whom he describes as the general assembly and church of the firstborn So the church is the spiritual Jerusalem and therefore you see the promises of God made that would be forever they were temporary in their ritual or ceremonial mode but they are permanent and eternal in their spiritual mode so I mean that we see that in the New Testament is enough human behavior I'd answer yeah you get right answer I think Ok Kevin x. Here thanks your call good talking to you. See Peter from Indiana is next Peter welcome to the narrow path thanks for calling. Thank you for taking my call I would like to ask a question about Calvinism and one of the arguments made in favor of Calvinism is that it is God who gives a person face and the faith isn't something produced enough himself there are several New Testament passages that might suggest that for example Romans $123.00 would be among them and what I'd like to ask is if you could give how you might respond to that objection. So that I might understand and I'm Calvinist interpretation of that one passage Sure well the Bible does talk about God granting faith to people and Romans 123 talked about how God has. Granted or dealt to each one a measure of faith in I think it's a flip in chapter one it talks about how it's been granted to you not only to believe but also other suffer for Christ's name sake they also like to use that scripture that's Philippians $129.00 it's granted on behalf of Christ if you not only to believe which suggest it is granted you to believe but also to suffer for His sake they also use efficiency to 8 and 9 which says For by grace you're safe through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God Not of works lest any man should boast so they like they like verses like that sounds like faith as a gift Well in a sense everything is a gift every breath we have is a gift in fact if I leave and says that and so we have many gifts. But we are expected to steward those gifts I mean God gives me breaths but if I hold my breath long enough I'll die and I won't have any more breaths I mean I'm I'm supposed to keep breathing God gives us faith we are all people of faith all human beings have faith they trust in something they don't all trusting God Some people have faith in their money some have faith in their parents or in their government or in the military or in their good looks or in their wits or their you know various Everyone has faith in human beings are creatures of faith in God has given us that that's part of our human nature that's been a gift from God But we we are required to place our faith in Christ that is the Bible says well one who puts his trust in man but bless it is he who puts his trust in the Lord it says injure my 17 and so we can put our trust in the Lord or we can put our trust in man or in something else. It is a guarantee that we will put our trust in something because we trust we are trusting creatures we have faith that's a gift from God Each one has been given faith but not everyone has been given faith in Christ no one has been given faith in Christ but some of the being given the opportunity have faith across faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God So some people have had the opportunity to hear the word and some of not those who have heard that of course have the opportunity to believe and to be saved those who have not heard well that opportunity has not come to them yet so those of us who believe can certainly say thank God by His grace I've been enabled to believe in Him 1st he's made me a creature like all human beings a creature of faith that I can believe in something and secondly he's given me the word of God so that I can have something to put my faith in other than myself for something you know failing. You know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and I have been very fortunate to be among those who have heard the word of God and been able to have faith so I can see my believing as as a true gift from God but I don't believe that that faith is an imposition made upon me by God and this is what Calvinism would really teach if they use the right words for their beliefs their beliefs are that before you are regenerated you don't believe and you don't want to believe you can't believe because you are a hater of God You will not seek God You hate God you are in rebellion against God and believing in repenting is the last thing that you'd ever want to do Ok then they believe that some people who are in this condition God has unilaterally chosen to force them to believe they didn't want to but he regenerates them and makes them want to he makes them believe they wouldn't have if it was left to themselves. But he's decided that they will and he imposes that upon them against their wishes now the council I say wants not against their wishes because he makes them wish it well it's against their wishes until he forces them to wish it you know if I mean I've had countless objects to use a cell straight to my mind it's not a bad one if if a man says to a woman will you marry me and she says no and then he slips or. A date rape drug and then she's all compliant he says now will you marry me and she says Yes Well Ok so he changed her will he made her willing to do it but it was against her will to be changed it's an imposition Now some people things are not a good illustration but this is exactly what Calvinism teaches that God has done he's taken people who did not want him who would not want him who hated him and he's overrode their will and made them want him he regenerated them against their wishes and then made them believe and repent that's that's what regeneration does and according to Calvinism So in other words I wouldn't call that a gift I would call that an imposition if I don't want to believe in God makes me believe what kind of gift is that that's that's him forcing himself upon me the word gift is something that is offered. But of course obviously it's something that the recipient has some control over whether they receive it what they do with it and so forth. But I mean a gift is a generous grant that is offered to somebody I've had people offer me like my grandmother offered to pay my tuition to go to a certain college I didn't choose to go that college so I didn't take the grant that she was offering me it was a wonderful generous offer that she made but I didn't take advantage of it you know it could be said that she granted it to me but I didn't receive it and likewise you know God has given us all a measure of faith and we put that faith in something but he give some of us the opportunity to hear the gospel so we can believe that and some of us take advantage of that opportunity some don't so I mean there's the whole question is does God expect our participation or doesn't that's really the question in Calvinism God is the only will that is really making any decisions about things he has ordained everything before we were born we're playing out a role we feel like we're making decisions but everything we decide is already been preordained and sovereignly. Made to happen providentially made to happen by God's sovereignty. According to biblical theology which is different in Calvinism God actually interacts with people and appeals to them he's happy with some decisions that some make he's unhappy with the decisions other people he gets angry enough to punish for some decisions it's clear he's not making all the decisions he's very much against some of the decisions that people make the Bible does not present a picture of God making all the decisions we make it definitely presents a picture from Old Testament to new of God appealing to people wanting them to repent having no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather that they would turn for the record and live though they don't. You know wishing to draw to himself the people of Jerusalem like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but they would not this is how the this how God is depicted is relation with man in the Bible it's in God makes the overtures he grants generous grants of opportunity and ability and then we are to steward what he has granted us and we commonly stored it wrongly and do not take him up on what he's designed for so to think comments on that they have no coming back to Romans 123 I just have a nother question on how you might understand the cause there or it describes God giving a measure of safety each person now early in your reply you were mentioning that God gives the ability to have faith in one thing trusting in things which are not Christ's. But also the ability to trust in Him Do you think the context of Romans 123 would be about specifically faith in Christ and not just a generic face and in general and then 2nd when it says that God gives a measure of faith to each person does that mean that some people receive more and then what another person does well in what way does that. Get implemented. Well I believe that the measure of faith you talk about in this context is that which is associate with the particular gift a person has it says of our 6 having been gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us God has given us differing amounts of grace and different manifestations of grace in the various gifts and this grace is received by faith the grace that we receive by faith. Brings to us differing gifts and he even says for example if it's prophecy that's prophecy in proportion to our faith in others he sees the exercise of the gifts as something that is exercised by faith and in the context of God's giving everyone a measure of faith he also says he's distributed is divided. The various graces the gifts of grace I think he's just talking about the distinction between one person's calling and another's through faith one person prophesies through another through faith another person leads to another he shows one shows mercy and one teaches and so forth I believe that he's talking about a life of faith which draws on these graces and that each Grace is is different I mean the grace God gives one person in the form of a gift is different than the grace it gives to another informed if I think that that's Paul's equating the measure of faith with what he calls about the differing according to the grace that's given to us it's it's Paul's Paul's language here seems to use the word faith and grace in a specialized sense with reference to the gifts as he does in other places even Peter does that when he talks about the gifts he talks about you know in 1st Peter for 10 as if one has received the gift so minister to one another as good stewards of the grace the manifold grace that's been given to us. The gifts of grace which are brought which are exercised through faith are different from one person to the next and I think he's talking about that especially as I say he gives the example of prophets prophesied according to the measure of your faith in the gifts of the spirit in 1st Corinthians 12 Paul actually mentions a gift of faith but he's actually not talking of the gift of faith that that brings some of the Christ because he says among Christians to one is given the word of knowledge to another the gift of wisdom to another faith to another the works. The miracles itself and so he says the gift of faith here in that case as distinct from other gifts that some people might have whatever Paul's thinking with reference to faith there and there's differences of opinion even what the gift of faith is but whatever Paul's thinking he's distinguishing faith in connection with the gifts from the ordinary faith that all Christians have in salvation so I don't think he is describing God giving the faith that brings salvation he's talking about faith operating through individual gifts in my opinion don't agree or come on that all right I appreciate your call. Thanks for joining us. I'm sorry I thought he was done and I hung up but he sounds like he started to say some things too late Sandra from Austin Texas welcome to the narrow path thanks for calling Thanks Steve I listen to you Monday through Friday so I like this name because you have a balance of knowledge wisdom and discernment and I really appreciate it just kind of wondering about what happens when those of us who are believers and say the transition to heaven and is there anything in the Bible that refer to family members or people even know who won't be there i just trying to get a understanding of our state of being in perfection and well we know family members or people who won't be there who didn't make it and what happened and does that matter in other words I believe we will be experiencing grief because who won't be there yes or can I just take up and I'll take your answer over the radio all right sure. Yes thank you. It does say in Revelation that he'll wipe every tear from their eyes so I don't think that Heaven or the eternal state in the new earth I don't believe that it will be a place where we'll be living with any grief there may be some grief at the beginning but he will wipe the tears from our eyes and therefore we won't be experiencing grief I believe that's what he's suggesting. We might grieve momentarily about those who are not there but it will not be something that is a continual grief to us and why not well there's 2 theories there's actually several possible theories. Let's let's take the theory that those who aren't saved are going to be tormented forever and ever in hell Ok that's the that's the traditional view of hell that view. Those who hold this view have given 2 answers to your question one is that we will see things so much the way God does which we do not now that even though we know our loved ones are in hell will realize how just and how good that is and help propre this and therefore we won't grieve about it will actually in a sense rejoice that justice is finally done now those who say that are not of the same opinion as myself I don't believe that God Himself who thinks exactly like God at the moment I don't think that he has any pleasure in the death of the wicked I don't think he reach oysters at people and Hell I don't think that we will rejoice about people in Hell if we think like he does I don't think that when we go to heaven will be less loving and less compassionate less merciful toward the lost than we are now if anything will be more merciful because we more like God who is mercy and who is love so I don't think that this answer really satisfies and certainly doesn't agree with it. As the Bible doesn't teach it the other view that is sometimes given with reference to the traditional view of hell is that although our loved ones will be tormented forever and ever in hell we will not know it that God in order that heaven might be heaven for us will simply a race for minds I suppose a little bit like the min and black who have that little flash thing that make races people's memories that God will have to do that so that we can enjoy heaven despite the fact that people we love are tormented in hell but this view is not really very satisfying either because it suggests that even when we are perfected and in the fellowship of God He will be allowed to know things that he can't let us know because we wouldn't approve of them in other words the way he really is what he really is doing to his enemies he can't let us in on that because we would think badly we would we would be sorry we wouldn't sympathize so he has to or from our minds now I seriously doubt. That God is going to erase from our minds things about his character and about himself so that we can endure him as far as I'm concerned God is the essence of all beauty and love and wonder and the more we know of him the more we will appreciate him but this view holds that there's going to be things that God is doing in the background behind the curtain that he doesn't want us to find out about because it would ruin our whole day to know that our grandmother is being tormented in hell now these 2 answers are given by different people who who are trying to answer your question from the standpoint of the traditional view of hell there are 2 other views of hell which are held by Evan Jellicoe as one of them is that hell is going to be a place of annihilation that people who go to hell will be annihilated but they won't suffer any more after that they'll be annihilated and be gone they'll be extinct at the wages of sin is death that whosoever believes not in Christ will perish and not have everlasting life and therefore they suggest that though there may be suffering in hell for a period of time for those who deserve it for the amount they deserve yet ultimately they won't be eternally tormented they will be put out of their misery this is if you help by many of them Jellicoe Christians throughout history and now there are many modern Evan circles who hold it you don't hear it as often as the traditional view but there's a great deal in Scripture to encourage such a view even though it's not necessarily a slam dunk that the Scripture teaches us. But if it is true then of course I would be sad to know that any my relatives were an eyelid but I'd be glad to know they're not suffering forever I mean it's terrible it's like when you saw Old Yeller and Old Yeller got rabies you know you love the dog and he had to be put down and you cried when he was but you didn't cry the next day you know I mean he's gone he's Ok You know it's a great tragedy his loss it's a great grief but you get over it because the suffering of the animal in this case of the people is not continuing So if that view of Hell were correct that would give a slightly different answer to your question. And yet there's a 3rd view of hell and that is that Hell is a place that God will eventually use to bring people to repentance this view was the major view of the church in the 4th and 5th centuries it got eliminated by the influence of Augustine in the 5th century but Origen the most influential theologian before Augustine taught this and of course if that's true that changes the whole picture too maybe everyone that we love would be brought to Christ which view of hell is correct I cannot say because there's arguments Biblically for all 3 I did write a book on the 3 views of hell but I don't champion or advocate any one view you can find a reference that our website called all you want to know about Hell and I think that would be the context for answering your question even listening to the narrow path we are a listener supported ministry you can write to us at the narrow path p.o. Box 1730 some act like California 9 to 593. That's the narrow path 1730. 9 to 593 or you can donate to our Web site where everything is free that's the narrow path dot com Thanks for joining us have a great weekend and let's talk again. The narrow path with Steve is sponsored by the narrow path ministries support the ministry with a donation at the narrow path dot com. Hi I'm gong crow this week in the Christian President Donald Trump gives his 1st address to a joint session of Congress to take a closer look with Genevieve Wood president use the language of the often use of the campaign trail simple straightforward we have all been assumed more be sure to join this is week for the Christian outlook. Look Christian outlook every Saturday at 7 pm here on 7 10 am the word. From the big mountain heating air and solar info center traffic from the word Friday afternoon look at Portillo week and we got a bit of a storm activity and rain coming in just in time. 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