Transcript

American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio

>> Bert Harper: The Bible. It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions.

Exploring the Word features Burt Harper and Alex McFarland

Welcome to Exploring the word. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 15 says, Therefore by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. This is Bert Harper along with Dr. Alex McFarland. And this is Exploring the Word, where we explore the Word, the Bible. We're in the Book of Numbers, but I read from Hebrews the reason I did that, that sacrifice of Praise. In numbers, chapter 15, we have five different offerings, sacrifice offerings, different things that are offered. And the first three are what you would call offerings of praise, sacrifices of praise. And so that's what we want to do today. We want to praise the Lord. Well, again, this is Bertie and Alex. And Alex is on the road, literally on the road between his home and Washington D.C. alex, thank you for joining us. I know it was difficult to get on, but we appreciate all your effort, brother.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Well, it's great to be on with you and you know, I appreciate people bearing with me in the, less than high fidelity, but Bert, my heart is just aglow.

Alex McFarland read from God's word that America reads this morning

I've just left the Bible Museum and, had the great honor this morning, along with David Barton and Tim Barton and many others, of reading from God's word that America reads the Bible this morning. And, it's just very exciting to have been a part of that.

>> Bert Harper: Well, I'm glad you were able to do so. And it has been amazing 250 years we are celebrating our nation. And I remember 200, when we were celebrating in 1976 and it was a great day. But I, we wondered then, will we make it 50 more years? Will we? Well, guess what? We have. We're in 2026 and God's grace is sufficient. Well, Alex, where did you read? I think you said yesterday you was going to be reading from Nehemiah, is that right?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Yes, I read Nehemiah 11 and 12, and there were many, many, many names that I pronounced them correctly. You know, the organizers of this, there are many great people behind it, including the American and many other ministries. But they called me, asked me what I wanted to read and I said, you know what, give me the passage nobody else wants. You know, Everybody Wants John 3 or, you know, Genesis 1 and 2, or Revelation chapter 22. And, so I said, listen, I'll take whatever anybody else won't do. And they call me and they said, well, there's, you know, pages and pages of names. No, nobody will take this. Will you do it? I said, that's what I'll do.

>> Bert Harper: well, you're a gracious guy and I. Let me just share with you. I'd rather you do it than me. I have enough problems just doing the names. But when I look at verse 32, 33, 34, 35 of Nehemiah, chapter 11, name after name after name after name. So, brother, thank you for doing that. And I mean that seriously. Thank you.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: The Lord is so good. The Lord is so good. Last night I was. I was there. And, you know, President Trump read second, ah, Chronicles, chapter seven, which famously includes the, if my people. Now, he was in the Oval Office, he wasn't there in the auditorium, which really. There were thousands of people at the Bible Museum and hundreds in this auditorium. And I understand it would have been a big security thing, but I have to tell you something. Now, the Bible Museum in Washington is six floors, I believe it is. And the exhibits are just amazing. I mean, there's a. There's a. The first draft of the Mayflower Compact, and there's all these manuscripts and, the Dead Sea Scrolls. It's amazing. Bert. I was up there about eight hours yesterday, about six hours today. Nine or ten people stopped me and they said, oh, my goodness, Alex McFarland, we love exploring the Word. Is Bert here? Tell Bert hello. And I have to tell you, it really blessed my heart.

>> Bert Harper: Amen.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: The number of total strangers at the Bible Museum that stopped me and expressed so much appreciation for American family and exploring the Word.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Well, let me tell you an experience I had. I had a funeral earlier for a saint, that went on to be of the Lord. A godly woman, a good woman, had suffered from dementia the last few years, difficult and hard. But there was a man there, and he came up, he recognized me, and he said, I want to tell you something if you got a minute. I said, sure. And he said, just the other day, he and his son, he had picked his son up from school, and, he had it on afr. And exploring the Word was on. And he started to turn it. And his young son said, you turning it from Exploring the Word? I'm listening to that. Yeah. His name was Wyatt. And Wyatt, if you're listening today, thank you, man. And we appreciate. We've got a lot of back seat Listeners by that I mean children that are picked up at school and the grandparents and the parents have it on Exploring the Word. And they get to hear Exploring the Word each day. And we thank God for that, Alex. We do, don't we?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: We do. I've gotta tell you something. About a month ago I was down on the coast at Emerald Isle Chapel by the Sea. Pastor Robert Carnegie and just great folks. And we did a Saturday night event at a local event center. And I was asked to speak on Revelation and prophecy. And it was packed, it was great. And anyway, a young family came up. A ah, young mother and a couple of toddlers. And the husband, she said, you don't know me, she said, but I grew up listening, to you and Bert. She said I would always be in the backseat of my parents car. She said I was about like 13, 14 years old. And she said my parents would pick me up every day, would be exploring the Word. And now Mary got, got a couple of little ones and she said at the time I didn't appreciate it, but I was listening and she said, I just want to thank you now that I'm a mom and married, what you and Bert were saying all those years ago is very important. And listen, we give God the glory.

>> Bert Harper: We do.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: We give God the glory.

>> Bert Harper: Amen.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Time to be Christian, isn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It is. God could use, well, he can use bush, you remember that. But he has chosen to use us here on Exploring the Word. And all we do is say thank be, thank be. I'm thankful for, for this Lord. And we want to do and make much of Jesus.

Numbers 15 in Hebrews describe volunteer offerings to the Lord

And that's what we want to do Here in numbers 15. It's a group of offerings that are offered. The first three, Alex, it says they are a sweet aroma, to the Lord. It, that's in verse three, that's in verse seven, that's in verse 10, verse 13 and verse 14. That's five times. And these are what we would call volunteer offerings. They're offerings of the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering. And it represents a person desiring to worship the Lord and give an offering of devotion, of dedication and thanksgiving. I couldn't help but read Hebrews about that. 13, 15, a sacrifice of praise. And these were sacrificial, sacrificial offerings given to the Lord saying, lord, thank you, we're devoted to you, we want to serve you and we thank you for what you've done. there's a time for thanksgiving, dedication and devotion. Isn't There, Alex.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think it's, every day of our life, if you go through numbers 15, you'll see, you know, there are some, parameters and ground rules about bringing in the offerings, observing the appointed feasts, like you say, repeatedly. It's called a sweet aroma to the Lord. And, you know, it's very precise. You know, one fourth a hen of oil, one fourth a hen h I n hin of wine, a drink offering, and then a, grain offering, two tenths of an ephah, fine flour mixed with a third a hin of all. This is a unit of measurement. And, Bert, you know, whenever I read in the Old Testament about the minutia of the Mosaic law, I think about how blessed we are to be under the fact that Jesus paid the law in its entirety. All we need to do is put our faith in Jesus, and his keeping of the law is accredited to us. why would anybody want law over grace or works over simple faith?

>> Bert Harper: praise the Lord for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who tore that veil so we could have access and. Father. What? Thank you, Father. Alex, One more thing about these. This goes through verse 21, and then in verse 22, it changes to a sin offering, a trespass offering. But these are again, like I say, free will offerings, thanksgiving to God. They were precise. But it was somebody that was desiring to show their love and care for the Lord. And notice what it is. It was true. verses 13 and 14. I'll just read it, and it'll explain it better than I could try to by not reading it. And all who are native born shall do these things in this manner, in presenting an offering made by fire as sweet aroma to the Lord. And if a stranger sojourns with you or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, sweet aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so shall he do. Alex, again, I love the missional purpose. I know, if I find it, I usually say something about it. And here it is. God's interested in all of humanity. Yes. He was going to take care of those Amalekites, those Amorites, and those. All those ites that were there in the land because they had rejected God generation after generation, and they would continue to. And God says, I'm going to move in, and I'm going to displace the power and mercy of God. And he does that. But here it is, the stranger that desired to do so. Worship the Lord. They could do so. I. That blessed me as well.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Alex, well, amen. Amen.

You cannot construe the Bible to defend lawlessness and open borders

And let me just say about the wording there that the, the Hebrew word in this is numbers 1514. the, the stranger. It is not someone here illegally. you know, it talks about a sojourner. Well, a sojourner, passes through to keep on going. And what's interesting is that like in Exodus 12:48, there's the reference, to a sojourner celebrating Passover. and obviously if someone is a visitor, they should not be exploited or mistreated. Hebrew word is ger g e r. But for one thing, Numbers 15:14 is a great example of how a non Jew can get right before God, even in Old and NewSong Testament. But in no way. And the reason I belabor this point, folks, just be careful. Don't allow anybody to try to tell you that, the Bible or Christian love would mandate open borders and illegals or felons not being held to the rule of law. You, can't legitimately construe the Bible to defend lawlessness and open borders.

>> Bert Harper: You cannot. And at the same time, you know, here they had. The Hebrews had a responsibility to demonstrate God's love for those sojourners, not to take advantage of them. That's the advantage of having those borders where they are controlled. because, hey, if, if that were true, an invaded army would be considered a sojourner. so we're going to continue. Now, next few verses is going to deal with sin, but there's one that says there's no offering for intentional sin. You want to remain and listen to this. It's some great teaching concerning what we choose as followers of Christ.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: The AFR app is a powerful tool,

>> Bert Harper: but it does have limitations.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains.

>> Bert Harper: It won't walk the dog, won't pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: through the app on your phone, smart device, or Roku.

>> Bert Harper: Just go to your app store or visit afr.net listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and

>> Bert Harper: evil of every kind.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: James 3, 1516. My faith, don't flinch at your rap. Never gonna get off of my shoulder. You thought you had the last laugh. You Thought this song was over. You ain't my king though.

>> Bert Harper: Whoa.

Burt Harper: God made provision for the sojourner

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Welcome back to Exploring the word. Alex, McFarland, Bert Harper. So honored you're listening. We are in the Old Testament book of numbers, numbers 15. And before we closed out first segment, we were talking about, you know, how God made provision for the sojourner passing through to participate in the things of the Lord. up to verse 21, God tells them about, when they come into the land and you've grown the grain, made the bread, eaten the bread, offer up a heave offering to the Lord. You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering. And Bert, you know, heave ho. H E A V e. It's like they were to throw it in the air. And let me just say, you know, the, the ground meal, you know, I remember when we, we had, you know, corn and we would grow field corn, which was really hard. I remember all of us kids, we would, you know, we had a hopper with probably a 15 yard, space that could have held hundreds and hundreds of pounds of cracked corn that some of which we sold, some of which we made into chicken feed. Because feeding 35,000 hens all day every day, you need corn. Here's my point. I've thrown corn into the air as a kid and it goes and scatters everywhere. And I used to wonder what this heave offering was about. And I guess to throw something in the air and let the wind carry it around in my heart. You feel free to disagree, but it signifies how, there should be showers of blessings, you know, showers of blessings. We need mercy drops around us are falling. But for the showers we plead. this heave offering of the grain, no doubt it's scattered everywhere, but God's blessings are every direction you look, aren't they?

>> Bert Harper: They really are. And again, it's offered unto the Lord. It's his anyway. And listen, it's up to him. And we are blessed in more ways then that funeral service I said, today, I read from Psalm 103 where it says forget not all his benefits. And he lists several there after that. And again, Psalm 103. And the benefits of what God has blessed us with is amazing. Count them one by one. Listen, you'd be amazed at what God has done. And so what you want to do in, in offering this is God, what you've done for us, has it all been easy? No, it's not easy. But I thank God that I'm Alive, like you said. The breath that we breathe. And, Alec, several times I've heard you say that. So many things. And so, be that GR. Christian that is filled, not just working it up, but be filled with gratitude that what God has done.

Alex: Verse 22 says unintentional sin is punishable by death

Well, Alex, in verse 22, I want to read that, and we'll get this started. This is really interesting, and I know it's offering when you say, oh, how can that be interesting? Well, listen to this. And if you sin unintentionally and do not observe all these commandments which the Lord has spoken to Moses, all that the Lord has commanded you by the hand of Moses from the day the Lord gave commandment and onward throughout your generations, then it will be. If it is unintentionally committed without the knowledge of the congregation, and the whole congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma to the Lord with its grain offering and its drink offering according to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation. Now, again, it goes on. But the word, you see, is unintentional for the unintended sin. In verse 25, verse 26, it says unintentional. Verse 27, if a person sins unintentionally. Now, again, before I stop, I want to share with you. When you get to verse 30, all of a sudden it changes from unintentional sin to, I would say, intentional or presumptuously presumptuous sin. Alex. And guess what? There's an offering for an unintentional sin. What do you think about those that have an intentional sin? Guess what offering you have? None.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: None?

>> Bert Harper: None. That's pretty powerful, if you ask me about obedience to the Lord. What about you?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Absolutely. And you know the word there, like in verse 29 and others about, unintentional sin, it, you know, it really means, like, not premeditated. You know, one of the. One of the big problems in the Middle Ages that really led to the Protestant Reformation was that people would buy what were called indulgences because they were planning to sin and they felt like they could buy, like, a free pass just to get over it. But verse 30 says this. The person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native born or stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he shall be cut off from among his people because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment that this person should be completely cut off and his Guilt shall be upon him. That's just frightening.

>> Bert Harper: And then it gives an example of how that's to be operated, Alex. And it's not pleasant. is it all right if I go ahead and read that in verse 32?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Yeah, do that.

>> Bert Harper: Now, while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought in to Moses and Eryn. And to all the congregation. They put him under guard because it had not been explained what should be done to a man, to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, the man shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp. So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones. And he died. Now, again, I say, wow, what? Gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. But, Alex, again, intentional, presumptuous and rebellious. And this was in the beginning. Have you noticed several times in the Bible when something was just started and somebody went against it and did it intentionally, how severe that punishment was? Let me go to the NewSong Testament and I'll throw it to you after I do this. Ananias and Sapphira after, you know, church just started. And here they were. They were going to give an offering because they saw how good they treated Barnabas because of that. But when they got their, hands on that money, they said, this is a lot of money. Nobody knows what we've sold it for, so let's just give part of it and keep part of it. But let them think that we're giving all of it. What did God do to those two guys? Or two people, a man and a woman? I shouldn't say guys. God kind of had severe judgment on them as well, didn't he?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Well, they left this world prematurely, didn't they?

>> Bert Harper: They really did. And there's something about headed in the right direction. If you start out and you're just, headed toward a, place that's 500 miles away, and you're flying and you're off just a little bit, you will miss your target a lot. So it's important to start. Start right, isn't it?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Well, it really is. And, you know, to our modern ears, this might sound really severe. But let's remember what God was doing. He was raising up Israel through whom to bring forth the Savior. And, you know, the Bible says God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But what would be worse for, an unrepentant pagan to die or for the human Race not to have a savior. And that's why, you know, incrementally, little by little, step by step, people, churches, nations fall away. You know, so many of our schools have gone woke. But it started a century ago with Darwinism and relativism, then progressivism and, you know, God. God was very clear to Israel. They are not to water it down, deviate, or take sin lightly because they were the custodians of God's revelation to the human race. And that's a serious call.

>> Bert Harper: It is. And again, this, he was. This is important. And we're going to get to some more people. It's going to rebel. It's not over with yet. But in verses 37 through 41, God wants them. It shows the love of God. We want you to remember how important this is. So they give them instructions about tassels on their clothes with a blue cord and to remind them of. They're separate. They're to be holy, for God is holy. verse 40 says that you may remember and do all my commandments and be holy for your God.

Bert Anderson: Worshiping on Sunday is a reminder of accountability to God

Alex. we can go into detail over that, but I want to make a general statement, and then you take it away. We, do need reminders. Worshiping, on Sunday is a reminder, okay, of the resurrection, but also of our accountability to God. The tithe, the 10th is a reminder that God owns it all and we give it in faith. So these reminders are set in our patterns. Holy days. God had several holy days all through his calendar. In our churches, we have special days. Easter, Christmas. We have other days that we recognize. Mother's Day is coming up. And I know that's, quote, secular, but in a church, man, we need to make it that, hey, this is God's idea. This is God's plan. So we have these reminders all through life of how we should live as obedient followers of Christ, don't we?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, if you're a disciple, you're supposed to be a part of a local church. That's. That's Hebrews 10:25. That's 2,000 years of church history. And, you know, America, was at her best when we really had a high ethic of family and high ethic of church. And let me just encourage everybody listening. Bert. I'll be on my soapbox one second. I'll talk back to you. During COVID everybody began to do everything online, work online, go to school online. And I know that's a big, industry, distance education, but Rather than get up and go to church, a lot of people just watch online. And if you're home laid up sick, I mean, that's one thing. But I believe that the. The disciple is supposed to be in church and supposed to be a part of a church. And I know it's not as convenient, and I know it takes effort and getting the kids dressed and breakfast and then going to Sunday school, you know, it's. It's a sacrifice, maybe, but Jesus dying on the cross was a sacrifice and just for our nation and for the spiritual awakening that we so desperately need. I just want to encourage everybody, if you're a Christian, be in church on Sunday. And, Bert, this is not legalism. This is just the life of a disciple. I would say.

>> Bert Harper: I would agree. Let me ask you this. Is it a testimony to others for you to stay home and watch online? Or is it a testimony to others when your neighbors watch you get in your car, back out of the driveway and. And you're headed to church? Which one might have the impact on those? Because it says, they'll see our good works. And you say, well, that's not works.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: That's what.

>> Bert Harper: But they're seeing it. They're observing. I think there's a testimony about getting up and going.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Alex, it will. It really is. It really is. And, all right, I'm old school. Y' all can, push back if you want. We weren't allowed to crank the lawnmower on Sunday. And you, know, I. And I am not a legalist, but I just think there's. Sunday is the Lord's day. it's not Sabbath. Saturday is the Sabbath. That's different. But I just think that it is a testimony where people know that, you know, rain, sleet, snow, doesn't matter. on Sunday morning, about 8:45, we're pulling out of the driveway to go to the house of the Lord. And I know you believe that too, and I do believe that. And it's vitally, vitally important to ingrain this in the lives of our children.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. And again, we're. We're thankful for, you know, live streaming. We have it right here. We're being live streamed right now. And, it's amazing what technology has and it's been able to expand the ministry of people. But when you're able and you make that testimony of, say, hey, I get up and I go, I need to be a part of a group, of worshipers worshiping the Lord. Not just observing, but participating. listen, I. I love to go to the ball games. This past weekend, we got to go see two of our grandsons play basketball, and it was fun watching them. And. And hey, I have to admit, I get involved in it. I'm not one of these passive guys. I'm go and doing. But being involved. And when you can physically make that a priority, that's what it says. God is a priority in my life. And I want to not only be fed, I want to encourage others. And I just. Let me give this. We're not going to have time to get to chapter 16 today, so we'll do that and do that later. But let me share with you. I personally have been encouraged on a Sunday by watching somebody who had been ill or sick or gone away and had difficulty. And they came back to that church on that Sunday morning, and I saw them. It put a little extra iron in my spiritual blood, Alex, as they encouraged me by their presence. and we would love to encourage others by our presence, would we not?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Amen. Amen.

Preborn needs you to help speak the truth about life, dignity

Let me read verse 39, because it's talking about, the tassels on the corners of the garments. And it says, you shall have the tassel that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord to do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined to, and remember all my commandments and be holy for your God. Now, Bert, I looked up the word there, remember, and it really means an external stimuli that prompts an internal response, and that response being obedience. We see things, we remember, we hear things, we remember, remember, touch things. The tassels on the priestly garments. And it warns us to do these habits of holiness because our heart and the world itself is inclined toward evil.

>> Bert Harper: Right now, the voices in our culture are loud. But truth is often silent, and today, preborn needs you to help speak that truth. Women facing unplanned pregnancies are often pressured to act quickly, before they have time to pause, breathe, or hear the truth about life, dignity, and hope. But I refuse to be silent, and I'm asking you to join me. At preborn network clinics, a woman is welcomed with compassion and given a free ultrasound. She sees the life growing inside her, often for the first time. And in that sacred moment, fear gives way to clarity. And she's offered something the abortion industry will never provide. The hope of Jesus Christ. This April, our goal is to have 11,000 gospel conversations in preborn network clinics, trusting God to bring the increase as we remain faithful to speak, you can help make that possible by sponsoring ultrasounds. Just $28 provides one ultrasound. $140 sponsors five ultrasounds for mothers in crisis. Every dollar helps save babies and share the good news of Jesus Christ. To donate, dial £250 and say the keyword baby. That's £250, baby. Or visit preborn.comhost that's preborn.host.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: praise him for friends and family, for the very air we breathe, for having everything we need. Won't somebody come praise the Lord with me?

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Let's praise the Lord. I hope you're praising the Lord for all he has done. And, listen, he is. He is worthy of all praise. This is burden, Alex. And the phone number that we're wanting you to call to ask Your Bible question is 8885-8984-0888-8589, 8840. And, we've got people who have called in, but we have lines that are open. So if you have your Bible question, we would love to hear it today. So, Alex, we're first going to Mississippi, and we're going to talk to Charlene. Charlene, thank you for calling.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Well, thank you.

Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin, says John

in Hebrews 9:22, it says, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. My question is, what is the power in the chemistry of the blood that causes the remission of sin and satisfies the wrath of God?

>> Bert Harper: Okay, Alex, was it wa crystal that are. John, somebody wrote that about the mystery of the blood. Do you remember that book?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: That would have been Mr. De Hahn. Mr. DeHaan, by the way, was a medical doctor and a minister, and he wrote a book called the Chemistry of the Blood. And let me say that, Hebrews 9:22, it says almost all things are purified with blood according to the law. And apart from the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. And what's interesting is the word remission is the word aphaestus A P H E S I s Now, in other words, guilt. And what's the, the negation of guilt? It's forgiveness. What a beautiful thing. I would say this about the blood of Jesus. Here's the thing. God is a God of order, and God is a holy God. And as such, God cannot just sweep sin under the rug. And so the infinite righteousness of Christ was able to atone for the finite unrighteousness of the human race. And really, the blood of Bulls and goats and sacrifices was a temporary covering. The blood of Jesus was a permanent eradication. I would say it balanced out the scales, but it was more than that. It wasn't mere innocence, but the positive impartation of Christ's righteousness. And, you know, Bert, I'll say this. I'll throw it back to you. You know, God doesn't have to explain himself to any of us. and yet God acted consistently with his own nature, even though it cost him the death of his only son.

>> Bert Harper: Let me give you a scripture that I think just backs this up so much. It's in Leviticus, chapter 17, verse 11. For the life of the flesh is in the blood. And I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Now, look at that. The life of the flesh is in the blood. Our life blood. The life in the blood and all the. The chemistry of it. And in our physical bodies. Jesus Christ, the blood that he shed. There's power in the blood. We sing about it. We ought to sing about it. I hope we haven't taken that kind of message away from us. Singing and praising God for the power that Jesus Christ demonstrated on the cross by. By pouring his blood, shedding his blood. But life is in the blood. The new life is from the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ. It. Who it's who it is, whose it is. Like you said, the goats and the bulls, that was a picture of what was coming. But the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin because of whose blood it is. anything you'd add to that or go. You ready, Alex?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Yeah. Growing up, did you ever break something and have to make it right?

>> Bert Harper: I did many times. I hate to say it. I was kind of a. I wasn't a mean kid, but I was an active kid. And a lot of things broke.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: You know, and forgive me, I often reference, you know, growing up, but I learned a lot of things. And I thank God for a pretty strict mom and dad, but once I, threw a baseball, and it broke a window. And my dad said, son, you need to make this right. And we went down to Pleasant Garden Hardware, and I forget the amount, but we had to buy a pane of glass. And it was about $5 or more. And, you know, when I was about 10 years old, I mean, I didn't. I didn't know there was that much money in the world. But, my dad, he could have fixed it. But he said, you broke it. You need to make it right. Which I did. Now, here's why Jesus had to shed his blood. if. If you've got to replace a pane of glass and you don't have it, you got to go to the hardware store and get it. But the sin against God, we. There's nothing in ourselves or on earth that we could do to make that right. We, as a human race, had sinned against God. How do you atone for a sin against God if it's, absolutely impossible for you to make, it right? Well, it would take God himself to square things up, and that's what God did. He so loved the world that he came down here. And that's. It's not all, but that's at least part of the reason one songwriter said this. He paid a debt he didn't owe because I owed a debt I couldn't pay.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Charlene, thank you for that question. And it is. It is something to contemplate.

Here's what I want people to do today. Being a Christian is the hardest thing in the world

Well, let's go to Jim in Arkansas. Jim, thank you for calling.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Thank you for taking my call. I'm old. Okay.

>> Bert Harper: Join the crowd, man.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: I'm, Your kid. Being a Christian is the easiest thing in the world. Being a Christian is the hardest thing in the world. Here's what I want people to do today. And. And it's not just them. it's me, too. Let's dedicate our life right now. Now, I've already surrendered to Jesus Christ. He's my savior, and I'm going to heaven because of it. But let's take as many as we can. And the way we do it is to show them that Christian people are Christian people.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Amen.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: That's all we got to do is just do it, show it. Thank you.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Jim, preach at brother Alex. We need to know it and show it, don't we?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Amen. Yeah. All I can say to that sentiment, is, amen. Amen.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Hey, that number, if you want to call, we have some lines that are open, and we probably will have time. No doubt. 8885-8988-4088-8589-8840. And let's go to Mississippi. Talk to Scott. Scott, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Hey, thank you for taking my call.

Scott: Even Jesus didn't go straight to heaven after he was resurrected

I just had a question. My, sister is Jehovah Witness, and we had a discussion today about when you die, your soul going straight to heaven. And she reminded me that, even Jesus didn't go straight to heaven. He spent 40 days on Earth after he was resurrected. So where does it tell us that you do go? Straight to heaven or. And also, why would, God call people up when Jesus returns? Why would he call them up out, of their grave if they've, if they're already in heaven?

>> Bert Harper: Okay, let me see. We're a body, soul and spirit, aren't we, Alex? And that has a lot to do with what happens to us at death, doesn't it?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Yeah. You know, the Bible has a lot to say about resurrection. We think of resurrection in good terms, but there is a resurrection unto condemnation, too. Now, the Bible tells us in second Corinthians 5, 8, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, the non physical part of you. There's your body of flesh, but then there's spirit and soul. Spirit is the part of you that's everlasting the breath of God. Soul or psyche is your mind, your personality, your knowledge, your emotions. So spirit and soul of the believer is immediately with Jesus forever. Now, the reason that there's a trumpet sound and the graves are open is because we're going to get a glorified body. And Paul says this in First Corinthians 15, that this mortal shall put on immortality. Now, the thing about it, though, even the Jehovah's Witnesses, which I categorically reject, Charles T. Russell founded the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society back in the 1800s. And they've been an aberrant non Christian group from day one. But they, they do believe that a literal 144,000 anointed quote unquote individuals will go to rule and reign with Jesus Christ. And they base this on Revelation 7 and Revelation, 14. I'm sorry, 7 and 14. Here's the thing, though. M the Bible and Christians, the word of Jesus, the word of God and the testimony of the church forever has believed that our sins are forgiven through faith in the risen Son of God. And even Christ on the cross told the penitent thief, today you'll be with me in paradise. Now, Bert, all these years, Jesus has been building his church and the family of God has been added to and added to, by whosoever will believe. But one day, the church, the body of Christ, the bride, will be completed and, heaven will be fully populated. So will hell, sadly. But, let me just say this. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and Charles Taze Russell have been thoroughly discredited for 150 years. And, there's no strata of Christendom that has ever viewed them as being biblically orthodox, but quite the opposite, Scott,

>> Bert Harper: we hope that helps. to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Jesus said, you'll be with me in paradise today. yes, his soul. But then the body, remained, but then it rose again, and then it stayed here 40 days, and then he ascended. But again he. He had already said, I'll be. You'll be with me. And that's where he was with the Father. and then his body and spirit would rise again and praise God for what Christ has done. Let's go to Texas. LD Go right ahead, brother.

>> Speaker C: How you doing, guys? I appreciate you taking my call.

>> Bert Harper: You bet, man.

>> Speaker C: I was going back to the question you asked a while ago. The lady asked about the power of the blood and the chemistry of the blood, and it goes back to where you were talking about Hebrews, where he said that the blood of bulls and goats, it says it will not cleanse your conscience from dead works. But it says, how much more now shall the blood of Christ cleanse your conscience from dead works? Is the promise. Purpose is that you may serve the living God. And if you think about the blood of Jesus Christ, it was the only pure blood because he had the incorruptible seed of the Father God, and not the corruptible seed of Adam. So his blood was pure. Not any blood could do what he did. And so that's pretty much why I believe that a lot of bulls and ghosts, just a covering and atonement. Jesus Christ is pure blood. How he's. The chemistry of his blood is different than mine.

>> Bert Harper: The atonement was a covering. Jesus was a washing away. And praise God, Alex.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: That's it.

Alex: A million people watching online to hear Nehemiah today

Well, we've got some. We got a call that Brent had and. Brent, you ready to ask that call? answer. It's actually a comment. Okay, go right ahead. Go right ahead. Marian, who listens quite frequently and comments on here, just wanted you to know she. It was really wonderful to hear you read from Nehemiah today. From the Bible, museum.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Alex.

>> Bert Harper: Oh, wow. Way to go.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: To God be the glory.

>> Bert Harper: You must have pronounced all those names correctly, brother. He had to call me first.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: I'm not sure. Yeah. but to God be the glory. What. What a great honor. it's very humbling, I tell you.

>> Bert Harper: Amen.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: And I believe, folks on the website, I've got to say, it's on America reads the Bible Dot com. There's A list of all the readers. And I think tomorrow on Thursday, Walker Wildmon is going to read maybe even more than that from afr. I don't know. But I know Walker is going to read at some point. And if you look on the roster, you might find when that is, it's good.

>> Bert Harper: I know for a fact, I saw the schedule. It's going to be Walker and several others from AFA that read, consecutively within, like, a couple hours or three hours, something like that. Oh, man. Amen. Praise God. This is significant. Praise the Lord. Well, let's go. Yeah, go ahead.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Yeah, there's, like, been as many as a million people watching online, and sometimes it went down to, like, 200,000. But there have been, periods where a million people, and that's the most the server could hold. But all at once, a million people hearing God's word read aloud. That's exciting.

>> Bert Harper: There's power in the word of God.

Well, let's go to Dallas in Kansas. Go ahead, Dallas. I nearly said Dallas in Texas

Well, let's go to Dallas in Kansas. Okay. I, nearly said Dallas in Texas. That's, No, Dallas, is the name, and, Kansas is the state. Go ahead, Dallas.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: All right, guys. Thanks for taking my call.

>> Bert Harper: You bet, man. Go right ahead.

Brent: Was Goliath an actual giant? And if he was a giant

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: My question's about David Goliath. Was Goliath an actual giant? And if he was a giant, were there other giants that are mentioned in the Bible?

>> Bert Harper: Alex don't have a lot of time that I would call somebody right at nine feet, a giant. Go ahead.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: Yeah, I've always heard that, depending on the text, that, he was 8ft 6 and maybe as much as 9ft 9. Ah, so he was gigantic in stature, wasn't he? And, you know, we were just reading in numbers the other day. The sons of Anak were, you know, huge in stature as well, because that's the giants that, the ten spies were so fearful of.

>> Bert Harper: They were. And again, the Goliath had, brothers. Everybody want to know why David had five stones when he'd only have the opportunity with one? Well, he was ready for anybody else that would step up and take Goliath's place, wasn't he, Alex?

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: That's right. David was a wise young man, and, you know, he said God would deliver him. And indeed, God did.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Thank you for. You got something, Brent, real quick, because I checked, and it's going to be Friday from 12 to 1 Eastern standard, when our folks may have a. Will be Friday. Okay. Amen. Thank you, Brent. Alex, we'll be back ready tomorrow. We'll be in numbers chapter 16, and you'll get ready for a rebellion. that did not pay off really, really well, so you don't want to miss it tomorrow as we continue studying in the Book of Numbers.

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: The views and opinions expressed in

>> Bert Harper: this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those

>> Dr. Josh Mulvihill: of the American Family association or American Family Radio.