The Narrow Path 7/27

Good afternoon and welcome to Steve Greg and were live for an hour each week afternoon. We have our phones, some of them. So the lines open and you can call in during this hour.

If you have questions about the Bible you like to ask of their questions about the Christian life Christian theology, Christian apologetics, whatever. Or if you're not a Christian and you have the well's article about Christian things you want to bring challenges to the Christian faith, I be glad to talk to to anyone who disagrees with the host is welcome on the program and of course if you just have a question that's that's what I mean format is the number to call is 844-484-5730 7F 844-484-5737 our first caller today is Kevin from looks like Meek will him a Wisconsinite of a pharmacy in the city right welcome to the narrow path yeah I see that yet. Okay. I'll really appreciate your ministry about a month ago you said something pretty perfect bound to me because I just been getting probably like many people really struggling with the racial justice and social justice issues and you had said and it really home to me because I've struggled with stomach and the something issue.

The topics that I like you don't agree with that of all the thing but you had said that yeah you know as Christians we should stand for every sort of justice and against every sort of injustice and that made me think a little more like you know when we have topics or side of something, whether it's in Democrat platform, a Republican platform or a flulike matter.

A black lives matter.

You know where we stand on a platform like that. We know we can be standing on the wrong side of uncertain issues and topics, because black lives matter has not always been right in the pleas of not Ellis acted appropriately in every case. But if we stand injustice and take everything individually will be better off and so my question is are our our church and I've been going there for 24 years and so I'm getting very disheartened with some of the things that are going on because they are taking up some of these topics as social justice topics in you know having people get together and zoom videos and it doesn't take up a lot of time.

It does a little bit from time to time during services, but they mostly stepped to the gospel on their you know what they're teaching and things like that but not like it's not integrated from time to time is again a trouble from ticketed completely one sided popular sided in the media right now.com so I guess I I mean you know they sent out a video after this Longview meeting of bike for 40 people logged in and were talking about certain things that was guided but yet we also had breakout sessions that people were taught would talk about so but again every video you're showing every everything was just simply one sided and I I researched some of the things on my own and I will listen, I'm I'm better off listening to debates like you know. It is inherent with jumping her now just say that I got big.

He was speaking for two and half minutes. I'm not sure your questions going to the general question.

Sorry. So I guess my question is how you know I'm having struggling with how far you know you go down the road with the church before he simply based off of how how if you're getting fed or not, or today.

I still feel like I'm getting fed but yet all the finger permeating church and I'm trying to back in. I can type a thing and like, but let's hear both sides of the topic and the one okay well him to say this, there's there's many reasons why a person might leave the church and going to miniature for 24 years you probably been a tree of some pretty good one, simply because it would be and unless your church life is been very deficient for four years you probably have a lot of important relationships in the church. It's hard to go to church and be very involved without having forming relationships and after both you know to have decades there. I would imagine that most of your important Christian relations so that I could be wrong because some people just attend church on Sunday mornings and most importantly ships are with people who go elsewhere church or from other places and so I don't know. I would say when it comes to leaving the church. You really need to decide how how many and how important the relationships you are that you have art in that church and an and whether something is happening in the church is enough to part company with those people. Of course you can park coming with the church assembly instilled the friends of those people still see them, and so forth. And that might be what you would end up doing.

But if they stay there to have their to be imbibing a lot of the ideas that you're finding difficult church to I think the best thing to do is do what you can to try to communicate with leaders in the church at least until you find out that it does no good if you find out the does no good. Then of course finding a different church is probably to be a good idea but a lot of evangelical pastors are just not very. I want to say it but they just never smart about Christianity.

They they believe that the thing they need to do is take the side that sounds like a good side, and especially one that the younger people are far more likely to hold to because if you take a different side willing to alienate people and and very few pastors want to alienate people from the church and and that word social justice sound so good. I mean, justice is a Christian word justice is a biblical word. Justice is a priority for Christians living justly and standing for the oppressed and suffer these are all very Christian concepts, but I think some pastors don't think very clearly about these things as they don't investigate or think rationally before they decide whether to support the judge. The social justice movement is not a movement for justice.

Justice according to God is that every man receives what he deserves. That's that's how God's judgment is going to be scared everyone will receive the things done in his body. I want to be judged by his deeds nobody's to be judged by somebody else's deeds are what race he was in or what what what his ancestors did and God's justice, even a son will not be punished for his father's mistakes, much less will generation be punished for deeds of their ancestors several generations back which is what social justice demands to social joke justice ignores personal merit, which is the only thing that real justice considers real justice considers individual merit and investment management colorblind if if a white man commits a crime he is judged a criminal if a black man commits a crime is judge a criminal info Hispanic men commits a crime he stretches a criminal on the other hand, if a black or Hispanic or white man is innocent, then he is not is not punished. In other words, people in a just society in and under God's principle of justice. People are rewarded or punished for what they themselves do not for the group they belong, and social justice is is not justice. It's rather a punishing one group on behalf of some other group. Generally speaking the group. The theme punished has been regarded to be an advantage group and the group that's been vindicated allegedly is a group has been a disadvantage group, but you can't increase the Suncoast of justice by being unjust to half the population you cannot increase justice by increasing injustice. The only way you can increase justice is treat everyone. According to the desert. How that what they've done and that's not what social justice advocate social justice advocates that white people should be punished and either financially or otherwise.

The monument should be torn down.

There buildings and businesses should be destroyed. Why will because the color of their skin is that it's the opposite of justice. Justice is colorblind in in the law of Moses, which was where perfect justice was enunciated for Israel. A person with the judges were told to not skew judgment in favor of the rich and do not skew judgment in favor of the poor. You should be perfectly just in all your dealings so because someone's poor nuts disadvantage. You don't skew justice in their favor. If they don't deserve the favor and if if the people that you're having to punished if the skew justice of error are innocent real justice and Christian should be passionate about this is that we stand for innocent people being protected and guilty people being able to receive what what they with her actions deserve. That's what justice is social justice isn't justice.

It's it's really act it's it's really of you know of Marxist organizations always give themselves names that few people would ever want to disagree with. Who would ever disagree with the expression black lives matter. For example, every decent person knows that black lives matter.

No one has ever doubted, but now you have to almost side with the organization by that name or else you sound like you don't think that black lives matter to ridiculous the organization by that name has nothing to do with black lives matter has to do with advancing a Marxist agenda and destroying the traditional nuclear family and doing other things like that to abolishing police way this has nothing to do with Blacks. This has something to do with the political Marxist agenda and I'm not speaking political and just under St. this is what it is you can see it go to website see what they stand for and so pastors who want to be hip and contemporary there kind of jump in on the social justice train and hoping. I suppose that they will and maybe maybe the church will be burned down, or the windows will be broken if they speak loudly enough for black lives matter, but really churches are small speak loudly for Christ and for righteousness and for justice and for what God stands for, and God does not stand for punishing one race instead of another. In fact, God wouldn't even allow favoritism to be shown to a Jew, and they were his chosen race, his chosen people. He would not allow in the courts favoritism shown to a Jew over a Samaritan over someone else. And hey this, the Jews had a history of slavery just like black people in this country to be Jews had spent hundreds of years in slavery and but but the Jews later in the game on slavery worked in slavery and there is no favoritism supposedly given to them in the courts over the Gentiles.

Even though the Gentiles have a previous generation had persecuted the Jews of the previous generation. You don't suffer for the what was done in previous generations. You suffer or you rewarded for what you do. You as an individual does not skin color.

You have what you do, you should get what you deserve. That's it and that's what justice is so I'm totally totally opposed to pastors not thinking things through, which is apparently what most pastors who are certainly I think all the paddlers who are suffering social justice are in that category does not think it through.

If you can't talk some sense into them, then you may have to find another church but to shame. It's one of those things you know I often have people call anything, you know, I've been going this church for 23 years and now they're moving in the such and such a direction which is some kind of heretical direction and they say you know I don't leave the church will sadly the church left you. You didn't leave it and now you know if you start with someone else's because the church didn't stay where they were supposed to be where they were when you first join them.

I think churches can progress churches can change but they better change in a positive direction, not a negative one now to change to be more like Christ not more like the world is a get more like the world it I think those who want to be like Christ ago probably have to move on to other churches. I appreciate your call. Robert from Carlton taxes. Welcome to the narrow path for calling you doing good talking to you. Make it quick not hang up and listen to your respondents about Joseph in the Bible on the above in chapter 35 it speaks about you know when Jacob points will be. He ended up in Bethel and from Bethel. He moved gone and white ball Rachel.

She gave birth.

But she dies right they and then the court then they moved on and going to chapters 37. She had Joseph Warner sound within the Joseph what the dreamer 37 verse nine because I wanted to scream when he said that I had climbed up on the 11 stars were buying down to me and then you know moving forward when Joseph went into each job came second under barrel and one brother scanned a bout donning train.

My question is is the official greening mentions something with the sun, the moon, and $11 right motives. Rachel fit in that because she got on the path along hang up and can explain why you the moon Rachel for United referred to Rachel or somebody out because the like. She bellowed all hang up now right.

She was okay.

Thank you for your call Robert. Yeah, for those who don't understand the problem.

When Joseph had his dream when he was 17 years old. His mother had died 17 years earlier when he was born. At birth shoes.

She died in birth, so she'd been dead for 17 years and had a dream in which he said the sun and the moon and the 11 stars bow down to him and his father. Understanding the meaning of that symbolism said what shall your father shall your mother and I and your 11 brothers bow down to you.

Now, obviously, his mother was gone was debt and so there's no problem, no possibility I should say that she would bow down to him.

Not in this world anyway and they didn't really have much of an idea about the next life, and certainly the dream pertain to this life pertain not to the next life, but to the fact that when Joseph was made grin visitor in Egypt that his brothers did come and bow down to him.

I don't remember if his father bow down to him or not. He may have. But the with, but his mother certainly didn't, but I think that instead of being literal about that. I think what Jacob is recognizing is simply that Joseph's dream was implying that Joseph would rule the family and you also. Joseph didn't have his natural mother living. He must've been mothered by somebody.

There were or he would if there were three other women in the family who were wives of Jacob and and they retain your baby so he probably had a surrogate mother, Ari a a safe foster mother or something like that. In any case, he was not without a female in his life, and I think the thing is that whoever was serving as his surrogate mother.

At that point whoever had raised him. He was indebted to them just like he was his own father, and I think Jacob was suggesting what your parents, the people who are above few people that you're indebted to just a child with her to bow down to you and I don't know that I don't think that Jacob Nessa had Rachel in mind. If he was speak of Rachel Libby simply made his way of saying this is never to happen because the moon would represent your mom is she dead massacre happened. I don't think he was thinking that way and just thinking he was recognizing the dream. The imagery of the 11 stars in the sun and moon represent Joseph's whole family and to take them.

The moon is literally referring to Rachel would seemingly be impossible though of course when you read the story wonder about that. I mean I have many times that I think that I think we have to assume that is just taking that whole imagery collectively is referring to his family, not Nestlé specifically to Rachel as that is the moon and in the picture. Appreciate your call.

I lets talk to Rich from Everett, Washington rich, welcome to the narrow path fix for calling hasty think. I appreciate you taking the time to talk, the question I you know it: the passing of a specific bursar or oral passage that the subject or topic will come to question him even more specifically about a book ever forensically trusted him recommended the book to me that I never heard from an author never heard of and was just wondering if perhaps you had maybe ask your question more broadly on the subject. The book is called the unseen realm by Michael Heitner Heitner Kaiser yeah if you read that book are you familiar with digital I have yes I read it I mean everybody's reading is kind of the thing is kind thing to read his comments like yeah and I one time it was in no purpose driven life ever had to read that book or something but it seems like not it not everybody's reading Michael Heiser, but that I think a lot of the people, especially young people who are theologically oriented. I mean it's kind of heavy book. It's a book for people who are thinking he's a Bible scholar is a Hebrew scholar and a very competent one and down it's it's in encouraging. In one sense that so many Christians are taking an interest in rather sophisticated theological conceptions. Not that those things save us or make us more spiritual.

We just be it just shows that people have an interest in understanding the Bible or which is not always been the case itself, but I'm not entirely in agreement with Michael Heiser.

I am not aware of anything.

He teaches I find dangerous, like as I did.

I listened to the book on audiobook and I also have an I've read portions of the earlier before listenable book, so I've been through the book and I've also heard him give some lectures a few times on YouTube and so forth. But he make some assumptions.

I don't, but they are assumptions that cannot be ruled out. So in other words, he's not saying things that are clearly wrong.

He saying things based on certain verses that are capable be interpreted more than one way and that the way he interprets on those verses isn't Nestlé same way I do, but the other kind of verses upon which anything very important hangs. I mean, I don't really know of any practical issue in my Christian life that would be that that would change in any way if I adopted all of Michael Heiser's views but I don't hold is so so another reason. My position is I will first of all there's a lot of things in the Bible that are of lesser importance and because of less importance. God didn't really give a lot of clear teaching on and what we do have may be in in terms of hints of on those things are verses that are sufficiently ambiguous that that they could be taken more than one way because it's not that important for us to know Frank.

I personally think that's God's reason you know if it was in everything that's important. Personnel is pretty clear, but some things are not as important for snow and there are allusions, perhaps to such things in certain verses in the Old Testament.

Psalms Psalm 82, of course, in, and Deuteronomy. He uses those verse quite a bit. I don't I don't see any. I just say I never understood those verses the way he does. Although I was always familiar with them and have taught through them so I've been in other words, his interpretation is not a necessary one, but it's not it's not a heretical one. Okay, so as I was reading Heiser goes, I would say I would never ever never discourage it. I think he's got he's got a lot of fun insights of the Old Testament. He sees a good evangelical scholar of the Old Testament, but he happens to have sort of a I deny I almost 2nd of the hobbyhorse about what he calls the divine counsel that God consults with you knowing who and what their role is in all that I don't see anything about that information which if he is correct would make any difference to me.I happy he happens to base it on interpreting certain passages assert way which I in most cases would interpret differently so that this is a vendor's website and listen to some of his lectures and found it very interesting you know something that maybe I wasn't aware of an unwanted and ask your opinion on this ministers broader in his book he talked about the term Elohim, which I really felt was a specific term to God. He says will Elohim is really a term of the class of being spiritual beings of which the Almighty is the most high Elohim and the other spiritual beings Dean Daniels and such are also considered Elohim in the Internet is in the world that is that is his opinion, it's not impossible that is not impossible for that to be case because the word Elohim is a plural word and anytime in the Old Testament where you find the word God's plural. It's the word Elohim a Lola's daughter Al is a short form of God in Hebrew that Elohim with the IMA at the end make Sapporo so Elohim means God's, and it is commonly used in the New Testament in the Old Testament to refer to the gods of the pagans, the gods, it is also word that is used for God himself, even though it's a plural word. Sometimes it appears in sentences where the grammatical structure has a verb requiring a singular subject, but Elohim is the subject so that is like the sentences treating this plural word as if it's a singular and when you find that in in the Bible. It's translated God as in Genesis 11 in the beginning God created that's Elohim that it should be translated God's because the word created in the Hebrews in a form that requires a singular subject and Elohim is subject, so it is kind of mysterious Elohim can mean God's moral are coming God.

If you choose a certain grammatical way now to say that angels are God's. Or that you have the divine counsel our group of gods or whatever is going beyond anything the Bible specifically says, but it it is agreeable with Heiser's interpretation of Psalm 82, six.

I said you are gods or God sits in the counsel of the gods that Psalms is now of the Elohim.

The thing is Elohim is sometimes used.

I believe, to speak of the judges and the rulers of Israel, there is at least three places in Exodus, in my opinion were the word Elohim is referring to judges.

In fact, for the traditional translation translates it as judges and so the Elohim sometimes refers to the judges and the rebuke of the Elohim in Psalm 82 I consider to be a reproach to the judges of Israel for their injustice is not not refer to actual divine beings, but when I listen Heiser. I wasn't sure at first as he saying there's a lot of real gods, but now he says there there created beings to. He's basically just using this divine counsel thing is just basically what he calls them gods are Elohim is the time of the same thing we would call angels so whether the Bible uses of that way is another story, but that's how he's understanding all pagan cultures demons that are worship well will write all the all the pagan gods are called L gods and both Deuteronomy and first Corinthians 1020 tell us of God's worship. Even our demons so so, whether the gods refer to the demons behind the idols or simply to the idols themselves would be a matter of controversy in my I need take a break. I hope that that Stella subject 40 is great thank you appreciated okay risk on the were not done with another half-hour coming up and were not going away, but I'm getting a break here and let you know that the narrow path is a listener supported ministry we buy radio time. That's why you can listen to his everyday because were paying a lot of money to radio stations and most most programs to them that they might charge or they may have underwriters they might have sponsors. We don't do that.

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Tell them to tune into the narrow path on this radio station narrow path.com where they will find topical audio teachings blog articles and diverse teachings and other kinds of radio shows you know listener supported Nero With Steve Greg share which you now back to the narrow path radio broadcast. My name is Steve Greg and relies for another half-hour taking your calls are lines or full but if you take on this number you can call in later and there might be a line open for you the number is 844-484-5737 that's 844-484-5737 our next caller is Amy calling from Corvallis, Oregon hi Amy, looking to the narrow path, thanks for telling my question about people walking away from it has been, and I think her main problem at this point is being shut down. She hadn't rejected God but she didn't feel. I keep hearing from him really have that feeling of being connected to God. Nine looking for verses that I can use to encourage her. I know that regardless of what happened with her marriage that she needs to be turning to God and not giving up on him and not looking away from him or her own thing for her kids sake. I am like to other relationships in my life where people are also in the middle of their marriage is falling apart, and get a maniacal child of divorce added my husband I want to make sure I'm pointing people to God and not just advising them based on my own personal experience. That's good.

Good desire.

Let me ask you what is her complaint against her husband not sexually ready, but it is a situation which she didn't feel she could continue to live forever. Well, nobody's good live forever for spouse death is not far off. What is the problem here. I mean that that the problem on his part as well.

As like verbal abuse it's never nice needs.

Talk to him. Okay, so they been the Council about this. I think in the Council apparently through our church. We didn't realize until we found out three weeks ago that they felt let down by the church that no one persisted with them and so she felt her only choice with him about well you asked if using. You can help with the problem here is we have way too many people who call themselves Christians who want to be Christians and obey God as long as they feel like it is.

As long as it's easy as long as they don't have to sacrifice much as long as you don't have to obey hard commands and in other words, there is very serious question about whether they are Christians because becoming a Christian means that you surrender all that you give up all that you have for you.

You lay your life down you take up your cross.

I mean if you don't do that you become a Christian you and when you have done that. You're not worried about hard decisions or or sacrifices you've given up your you've given up your rights to Christ and in your all you care about is pleasing him that she's not in that place you said and and I'm not saying that all Christians feel that equally strongly at all times, because obviously we have temptations and we have heist spots remote and low spots emotionally, but nobody who who has ever known Christ and who has a brain cell functioning in their head wants to wants to leave Christ leave Christ there. Their brains are malfunctioning, I can't imagine how anyone who's ever really known God whatever site you know I don't mind being on his bedside.

You know, I don't mind if I from my nose at him.

This was supported by him that I need to obey him. People like that like that even Arthur Brandes turned on or they never knew God in the first place. Now some Christians don't have their brains turned on all the time and they need to, but she needs to realize that there's nothing more important, including her happiness and peace of mind error her piece in a marriage there's there's nothing more important than being in the center of God's will and when I hear in these days are people leaving their husbands are leaving Christ because frankly you swore where to God when you get married that you stay that's what you promised to God and to your spouse and to all the witnesses who were in the room when you promised that the promise you made in the presence of God and in the and swore in the name of God and in the father-son Holy Spirit. That's what Christian marriages include so that means that a person says okay. Swore to God is still my life that you know you know I can cares you know because what was promised. I gotta say I got just have no respect for someone who will who take a step that direction. I understand it's hard believe me I know because I've been a hard marriage myself on a wonderful marriage. Now I've been in been in a torturous marriage in the past and I know how hard it is to stay in. My wife was sleeping with other men even and I didn't I wouldn't leave because I made promises not I think I could've left. If you sleep with her and she was but I still felt that I said for better or for worse or not. It's not a matter of what can I get out of but what will.

How can I best honor God and my integrity and keep the promises are made.

That's 100 and I joke with our house church leaders that we should hand everyone to come to our house turned into a pistol and date of your way out of your marriage and how you that's not right that should be the only way out now. As far as that goes. I'm sure that your counselor you told with the Scripture says about things. I guess the Scriptures you could use but you probably have used ones. I would suggest you mostly is not the ones about marriage, but things that I can give her about staying true to God regardless of your feelings. Don't rely on on your feelings to tell you whether or not God is true or whether or not God is talking to you, or whether or not he hears that you like it.

I think she let herself become so shut down by the pain of her marriage that she can't feel anything anymore and I want to encourage her to God anyway and not rely on her feeling well.

As for specific versus I would recommend that you have her listen to my series called incense of suffering because that's what she's going through and that marriage is suffering and in the series talks about in his scores versus maybe hundreds of verses in series about suffering, about staying faithful itself, and so forth. I can't just pick out one or two that would be better than all the rest, but I would suggest that that serious, and it may be that you listen to it for her sake and able to communicate with her. The main thing that she needs to know now is that to go with your feelings at a time like this instead of with your character is is to court disaster disaster for you between yourself and God disaster for your children. If you have children. If you're thinking about writing up your marriage mean it's just all is there is nothing good there's nothing good about leaving a marriage that you promise to stay in, especially when there's no grounds for divorce.

Now if he was being physically violent and she was in danger. My counsel to get out of the house. Stay you know somewhere safe with friends or family and and pray for him to repent. Pray that you know by your by your getting out he'll begin to take things seriously and that he'll go to rehab or he'll go to counseling are held repent of something so that the marriage can be restored. I'm not against a woman putting a safe distance between herself and her abusive husband. If he's truly hurting her, but I am I am saying the week we give up on marriage too quickly. Americans give up even Christians give up on managed much too quickly without any warrant and you know when you give up on your marriage you're really making life difficult, because if you don't have grounds for given up any Richie get married again, you commit adultery and you your put yourself in a huge peril spiritually so I mean I just think people need to need to think more since seriously about what it means to be committed to God and to put him first in your life is if if God is first in your life. That means that you don't sleep with your neighbor even when you feel like doing it, it means that you don't you don't chew out your wife. Even when you feel like it. It means that you don't.

You ran into somebody on the freeway who cut into even if you feel like you don't go by your feelings. You go by your character you go by what you know is right. If you don't do that, you'll never make it as a Christian I don't think you been think people will make it to the end will enter to the end.

If they haven't learned to go with truth goes integrity go with what's right, go with what pleases God and not even give a thought to how it makes you feel and I it's awfully hard for some people to not think about how they feel. You know I I one of my most listen to lectures is called a refuse to be offended and frankly that's when she could listen to, but in it.

I I teach that you can refuse to be offended and you should, you know, because offense brings a wedge in relationships and God wants his readerships not to have wedges and he wants him to be reconciled so you need not be offended well I have on him that many people say it's the best lecture ever heard and change their life and after listen over and over limit. A few people said they don't like the lecture and frankly it's always been women are not saying there aren't any men who find it difficult the fellows I hear from her women and they say you know what I was mostly machines are we supposed to be like robots that don't have emotions know you're not supposed be like someone who has no emotions. God has emotions. Russ would have emotions but worse. Not supposed to let our emotions make decisions for us in our our character, our convictions have to make the decisions and sometimes of our motions make it hard to make those decisions will that's where our faithfulness to God or simply under test but emotions change your convictions shouldn't change very often. They should get corrected about something you're wrong about that but emotions change all the time so to make life decisions based on how you're feeling. It's just it's just the biggest folly. I can imagine anywhere.

I think that she should listen to their making sense out of suffering lectures of the website or core service for either, and also under the topical articles I don't know if you're where there's a article I wrote on divorce and remarriage which she may be a candidate for reading that I think everybody on your website and thank you for being honest about your unmarried think a lot of Christian work to hide details because they want on but I appreciate hearing your right wherever you shared a yes and and and the spouse, the spouse that was is now an atheist, and she wouldn't she would not be ashamed about me saying that she had had affairs because she doesn't think it's wrong but anyway I think I have appreciate your call and you buy okay John from Murrieta, California between longtime welcome hi Steve, early in my Christian life I worked with United Pentecostal bunch of guys and they used to use your Berkshire from Matthew 713 and 14 because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there's few who find it. I maintain the witness Sheila said so. Based on this verse. How do you reconcile Revelation 79, where he says after this I looked in there was before me, a great multitude that no one could collect from every nation, tribe, people in language, standing before the throne and the Lamb.

How do you reconcile few that find it.

With the great multitude before the throne. Sure well for so Jesus never predicted that there be few that would be saved. He told his disciples that there were few finding the right way. As you speak easy use the present tense is telling us is given counsel to his disciples about which way to go Samuel. Many people are on the wrong way and give the path to destruction is widened. Many people are traveling that way and that the path to life is so narrow and very few people are traveling race is more of a social commentary on the religious world of his time that you're not very many people were going to write way. Not many were following him compared to the number that run the wrong way. He does not make any predictions about the end of the world.

How many people would ever be. There certainly, even if it even if only a minority of people worldwide became Christians that would still be a huge number after 2000 years of harvesting in that minority.

Cumulatively, a very large number of people but I don't even those always give you minority in others.

Nothing in the Bible it says it'll always be a minority of people who believe it may be some data majority will we don't know but but as far as Jesus remarked he did not predict that few people would be saved.

He said that few people were finding that gate and that path as that would be. Would that be like the remnants and knowledge. He always had a remnant, they were always to feel and they were the luncheon found in the majority of the Jewish nation was on the right path is what you're saying. That's exactly what I'm saying NOT understand. Thanks all right. Eric from Port Orchard, Washington. Welcome to the narrow path.

Thanks for calling I great a year at your meeting. I have a quick question. Revelation 20. Do you think that we are at the point where Aiden had been released for a short time and I will take the answer on the radio. All right, you know, Revelation 20 is the chapter about the millennium and I'm in millennialist, probably a great number of our listeners are premillennial and some are post-millennial cells, which we have different ways of looking at the chapter so I think Eric knows my position. Therefore, he's his question makes sense in terms of my position a premillennialists would be able to access the question of all. Could we be in that little season because a premillennialists doesn't believe that the millennium has begun at all and won't until Jesus comes back so we could not, of course. Under that view, the at the end of the millennium when Satan is loosed again for little while but on the premillennial view. Millennial view, which is one held most in church history by most Christians that view holds that the millennium is symbolic for the age of the church and at the end of that there is a little season where Satan is loosed, and things get unprecedentedly bad for the church.

Satan goes on deceives the whole nations for a little while they come as a great army and and they surround the beloved city, which is the image.

Revelation for the church and so the church becomes surrounded, he says it's from a from the whole world from across the whole world understand their numbers like the sand of the seashore.

So here's a huge huge huge number of people globally persecuting the church. I personally believe that that speaks of a time at the very end of the age which is which will be interrupted by the second coming of Christ and for you, Revelation 20 verse nine fire from heaven comes down and destroys the wicked who are committed against the beloved city wildfire from heaven. Paul said in second Thessalonians, 18 that Jesus when he comes, will come in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So all millennialist believe that Revelation 20 and verse nine is the second coming of Christ, which of course is still anticipated, but it comes not just at the end of the thousand years, but at the end of the thousand years plus, this little while, at the end where Satan is loosed, and was making unprecedented trouble for the church and so your question is since I hold that view. Do I believe were in that little while though.

I believe Satan is been loosed. Now I have to say it's not an impossibility. As far as I'm concerned.

I I'm I've never been one in at least the last four decades of my ministry to try to predict the proximity of the end. I don't think we have any unambiguous markers that we can go by that which they were certainly going to see Jesus in this generation or the next for you in the next century. And I don't assume that on the other hand, things that are happening they could well fit that description. I do believe Jesus could come whenever he wants to, and therefore, even though I don't have certainty that he'll come in my generation or my children or grandchildren generation. I will say that is good to come sometime and it could be whatever he wants or could be today, but I think that if I think the loosening of Satan. At the end is going to have to be really, really a bad time for the church and although we are seeing bad times for the church courts the church around the world has had lots of persecution throughout all of history, but I think it's talking in that passage about a global situation.

There's never been a time to my knowledge that the entire church around the globe was suffering intense persecution where there is no part of the world to which Christians can flee. Seems like almost always in severe persecutions has been some other country or something that Christians can flee to, and often they did but if it's global. That would seem to be unprecedented.

Is it were not there yet, and it may not develop to that.

I mean I'm watching me I'm I don't plan to know. I don't plan to really know when this is the case because things could get very very bad in our lifetime without it being that same very very bad time that is spoken of in Revelation. There's been a lot of very very bad times. The world history. So, to tell you the truth your question, I think my answer is it could be it could be, but I would not commit to it. It could be that what's going on right now will reverse itself, there be revival. There will be, you know, a change in the direction of society. Who knows, but there's no promises that that'll happen and and if the present trajectory continues that's going on and just frankly just this year is pretty much on elephant building. At first, for decades, especially in this year.

Such radical changes happen if if that doesn't turn around in a while. Then you probably I'll probably have some suspicions that we could be living at that time but I my suspicions will be nothing for you to go on and it wouldn't really even matter if we know because, frankly, even if it's not that time. It could get is bad for us here, as it will be for anyone at that time knowing some people say why would God let his church go through tribulation traffic. I think my church history, there's people throughout history and even now in eight countries were going to as bad as can be.

Think signing that the torture the horrendous abuse of the killing of them wholesale.

I mean how could an antichrist of future true relation do worse things.

The only thing that would be worse is that if he was doing it it be according to the dispensational view of the worldwide now.

I believe there will be worldwide persecution, but you know the worst that happens to anyone at that time cannot possibly very be very much worse than what's happened to many Christians currently are not history.

So it's and that could happen to us.

I could happen here in this country, even if it's not the end of the world. Remember when the Roman Empire fell to the Romans that seem likely in the world. About 1500 years ago.

If the American nation falls that'll seem just like in the world but it doesn't mean it is coming. That's we are very provincial people and we tend to judge the whole of it was going on the world by what's happening in our in our little backyard but it's not it's not a foolish question to be asking, and it's something that may prove to be true. That's the I guess that's the most I can say in terms of being positive. Chapter 7 that were never one thing) and stated that that learning that are all different banks that died I palpate possibly know that going on here on earth because I'm all God let them know because they do that happen well and blend water. Chapter 15 of Luke yeah yeah likewise I say there there will be joy in the presence of the angels of God over the sinner who repents. I believe that Matthew or Mark has the same statement same all the angels rejoice, it doesn't.

And there's no mention specifically for the departed saints rejoicing, but I mean, so what if it did, I made the Roman Catholics would like to suggest that the departed saints are in a position to be monitoring us listening to us hearing our prayers, if we would pray to them, and so forth. In the Bible nowhere gives the impression that is the case, but if a sinner repents, there could be rejoicing among God and his angels, and if there saints up there. You know, hearing about they can rejoice to. It doesn't mean that they're paying close enough attention to the world to know what kinds of things we may be praying and so that I don't think it gives any support to the Catholic specifically Catholic notions about that.

I appreciate your call. Vinny from Charlton Connecticut. Welcome to the neuropathic for calling me the rules, what is the meal that heals my church, not about stuff and all that and I've been trying to get in my own mind.

I'm totally convinced that overall you have ever you have heard my lectures on the word of faith, except the second half in a lecture I have another day yet the introduction was phenomenal in the sky was phenomenal and I thought for sure you would have heard of that heals what is the communion who calls it that to the word of faith people call it that they I don't remember them calling that back when I used to read the I couldn't find out exactly what the theology number of books on Amazon about the red heels and when I was setting it up is about to enter in another false doctrine, and he was the meal that he was. That's all well I I was taught when I was young, not by word of faith teaches, but by charismatic teachers.

Nonetheless, that when when she said by with Wednesday's Isaiah by his stripes we are healed that when we take the bread of communion and you said my body is broken for you that he's talking about the stripes he received at the whipping post and that they were for healing and so some people have said and I don't agree with that side of the good bit biblical basis for all some of said therefore you're eating the go the bread of the communion is a perhaps a commemoration of not only the death of Jesus, but his whipping and of his will, stripes, healing us and therefore perhaps that as you take it in faith that you can expect to receive healing at that moment… I've heard that teaching years ago. I never heard called the meal that heals, but I when I hear someone talk about the meal that heals, it strikes me as very possibly talking about that concept. If it is like what he was talking about. Okay well I just know I do not agree that I think it supercharges yeah I don't think there's I don't think the Bible teaches that there's any supernatural thing that accompanies the taking of communion not realize Catholics think there is and and many other some some positives do they believe that when you take communion again imparts Grace to you and so forth. But the only thing I read the Bible is faith imparts Grace Grace comes through faith. I don't read anywhere in the Bible that taking communion produces any faith or or are any Grace or frankly any results of any kind. Jesus just to do this in remembrance of me. And so what I did I do it, in remembrance of him.

That doesn't mean there's anything supernatural going on. Anyway, those are my thoughts on. I believe that strictly charismatic word faith kind of teaching, though I again have many books by that name.

That is not the term they used when I was reading the material using the new listening to the narrow path, we are listener supported go to our website. The narrow path.com to see how you might help us down there. That's the narrow path.com.

Let's talk again tomorrow