The Narrow Path 9/22

Good afternoon and welcome to the narrow path radio broadcast Steve Dragon will live for an hour each week afternoon taking phone calls.

If you have questions about the Bible or the Christian faith that you'd like to bring up for conversation. We will converse about the and if you have a difference of opinion from the holes that you like to converse about. We can converse about that also. So our good shape. If you'd like to talk about anything related to the Bible or Christian concerns. The number to call is 844-484-5737 that's 844-484-5737 our first color to be is Richard Holcomb from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Richard welcome to the narrow pathway for calling good thanks that we hold the same opinion I believe I that when it comes to logic, yet never know what it is usually well, God already… Just how can you just wouldn't that be unjust for God to do what you would add to that.

Okay. Thank you for your call when there's a couple ways to look at this one is not God has dealt out justice to Christ, and so those who are in Christ have already justice has been served because our identity is in him where his body so he has experienced the punishment and anyone who is in him also does and that can be anybody because you know his his pardon is a general part but if people do not accept the pardon then they have not had justice served on their part, because the justice only applies to Christ and those who are in him. Now the Calvinists of course who believe in limited atonement would say that this is not only applies to those who are in Christ and they are a predetermined number that God ordained before the foundation of the world and this number cannot be added to or subtracted from, and therefore he only died for this limited number of people. But while it is true that there are limited number people. Perhaps, who immediately benefit from his from his atonement.

Anyone could because the department is general the boxes. Whosoever will may come, whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

It's it's as if the president were to issue a general pardon to everybody on death row in the United States just like anyone who is on death row and I'm sending a pardon for them well.

Some of those people might take him up on it. But there might be just so many people in prison who hate the president of this Anglican I wanted favors from him.

I don't mean I don't anything from him and I don't like him and therefore they might just stay put in their cells, and they might reject the pardon. Not enough I can really be done or if anyone really would do that in real life.

But if you can imagine the scenario that a general pardon is been given out but the persons on death row will remain on death row and you and I if they don't accept the terms of the parking and likewise with the atonement of Christ that he died for all the sins of the world but but the condition for benefiting from that death is that you must come to be in him and in him you experience that forgiveness shows that judgment was placed upon him, and therefore if you are in him that it has been placed upon you. But it's of course already been served.

When he died. So your judgment has transferred to him.

But if you refuse to come into Christ, then then it does not know it doesn't benefit you. It's not as if it's not there to benefit you, but it doesn't say there's still a choice that we have to make so this is how I differ from a Calvinist on this now. Calvinists believe that whoever Jesus died for. They are saved and therefore, since not all people are saved.

Then Jesus didn't die for all people, but that's to say that that is the case that all people he died for our automatically saved is to read into some passage of Scripture implications that are not there.

And since the Bible does suggest that not everyone is going to be saved, at least not in this life, then you know and it does say that he died for all, then we have to assume that there are some for whom Christ died.

Who will not be saved. In fact, Paul in first prescriptive chapter 8 referred to what he made this interesting statement. He says in verse contains eight 1011 for if anyone sees you, who have knowledge eating and I in an idol's temple, will he not will not the conscience of him who is weak, be emboldened to eat of those things offered to idols and because of your knowledge shall the week brother perish, for whom Christ died by saying you might by eating an idol's temple lead a weaker brother back into idolatry and you perish, which is the term for not being saved. But he says he'll perish. Although he's one for whom Christ died so appalled, acknowledges that there are people for whom Christ died, who will nonetheless perish. So you can't really biblically say that all people for whom Christ died will will be saved effective second Peter chapter 2 and verse will begin at verse one, second Peter two, he says, but there were false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Now the Lord who bought them, suggest that Jesus paid for them. His atonement was for them but they deny him and they bring destruction upon themselves so neither Peter nor Paul believe that everybody, for whom Christ died is going to be saved and so yeah I believe in universal atonement.

That is, that the Jesus died for everybody, but not necessarily universal salvation, and so people can reject what Jesus did, it would seem at least that is how I would understand those two concepts that seem to be intention okay Tim from the Fort Worth, Texas. Welcome to the neuropathic for calling Steve to to honor your time. I wrote them a question. Thank you. Question I'm struggling with the way some Christians seem so sure of their salvation is almost as if they have turned from the look at the struggle for and attend to be stuck on corporate Matthew for the gate is narrow and the way is hard to leave the life and those who find it are few.

In Luke and he said to them God to enter through the narrow gate or door for many until you seek to enter and will not be able to in Peter if it hard for the right to life is to be saved. What will become of the ungodly and the center, and finally the one speaking to me the most overwhelming feeling to happen to me and the magic of many will clear to me in the day, Lord, Lord, have we not, because in your name and in my name have cast the devil in the name done many wonderful works is, then I will profess to them. I never know you depart from me hello there weighing on me. I just come across some people who think that is so public you're good to go no occur factor to be saved. I just feel like it's for me is not the case in the book how to speak to me to hear your okay well I certainly think there are people who have assurance of salvation who it's a false assurance, and the gun obeyed no basis for that last passage, especially brings that outward Jesus that I never knew you even though they said, Lord, Lord, we did all these things in your name. Of course he does not say that simply because these people had a false assurance that there is no grounds for true assurance because just before those verses. He says not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven many parts of the many who think they're Satan or not, but he did say who will be saved. So the question is am I one of those who's doing the will of the father in heaven and I can know that, whether it's true or not, I can know what I'm seeking my will and doing my will when I'm seeking and doing God's will.

That's the whole point of being a disciple. She said if anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me well when you're done, deny yourself, you're giving up your own agendas your own dreams, your own will. As the guide of your life and your taking up the cross, which means you're embracing God's will, even though it means dying to your own plans so you can know your saved. Unfortunately, many people have not been taught by their pastors or by whoever evangelize them. They've not been taught what it is to really be a Christian and therefore they have an assurance of salvation that is not real if there is a narrow gate and a narrow road as to those passages that you brought up mentioned but one can know whether they're on it or not, Jesus should strive to enter into the narrow gate so he didn't indicate it's the easiest thing in the world, but he didn't say it something that you could be that you be uncertain about.

I mean how can you strive to end up in a certain destination if you don't know where that destination is or what the road is against their obviously we are supposed to know that and that those who are in Christ our Savior were supposed to know exactly how it is that we come to be in Christ remain in Christ. This is taught in the Bible of course it has to do with recognizing him as our Lord and our king and being subject to him. That's what the coming into the kingdom needs so there are a lot of people who have what appears to be assurance of salvation as you say, and maybe even an arrogance about it maybe was so much so that they think they consent.

I've known people say well you know I can do what I'm doing here even a sinful because I'm saved by grace, which is a bit of an arrogant and foolish thing to say because they are suggesting that they can be saved without doing the will of the father and the verse you read lasted not what not everyone will who says Lord Lord will enter the cave God but those who do the will of my father. So the real question is not, you know, is it impossible to know your saved. Rather, it is possible to be mistaken about your salvation you can. If you think your saved on a certain basis and it's not the biblical basis you can in fact find yourself to be unsaved at the day of judgment when you thought your site out if this sounds hard it can be for some people mean, if somebody has come to Christ on his terms from the beginning. And they've laid down their will is it's no longer I Christ, not my will but his B.that's my whole orientation. I turned around and I'm no longer even interested in following my own agendas. His agendas the whole definition of my being out.

People do do that many people do that I've done that but it's true that a lot of people have never considered doing that their pastors never indicated to them that it requires that they just told to say a simple prayer and then no one thinks of simple prayer.

There given assurance that they're going to heaven and there's nothing in the Bible it would encourage that approach. It's a great way to build a big church because you know you don't have to wait for people to be genuinely converted, you can just tell them there converted them and you by dangling a carrot on a stick before them. Say we go to heaven when you die and just say this little these words and and so get a whole bunch people to do that but a lot of those people are to be the ones that Jesus said many will say, Lord, Lord, but they didn't do the will of fun event never occurred to them to do it because they were told to some pastors.

I think in these cases will often be held responsible by God. Not that the people themselves won't be but really remember teachers have the stricter judgment.

James said I think pastors that give people the impression that you just have to make a real painless transition by saying a prayer and then you're in for good. They're not pretending the Bible says and and they seem to be preaching the kind of message that is in fact going to get people to have a rude awakening. On the day of judgment and I would want to be those preachers because they have a stricter judgment than the average person because they are misleading people and lots of people going to be lost because of that, preaching so but we don't have to preach that way we don't have to believe that way we can we can actually believe what Jesus said what the Bible teaches. And then we can know if we have salvation. I personally have assurance of my salvation, but there's not any kind of arrogance in it because I don't see myself I'm a I'm a helpless beggar with a handout receiving a gift.

You know there's no pride in that but I know what I got the gift, and I know who it is they gave it to me and so that I can know that I'm not a nonmarket die. You could just really quick. You look good in mind Matthew to the full post guys who knew him walking with him and were doing the work in his name. Clearly this has them insight and you they still did not know him. According to Jesus, so that if the mining near that level in my mind thought they're getting Wonderful fair why think we Jesus is getting across. There is of these drugs. A Lord we did mighty works in your name we prophesy in your name we cast out demons the 90s as well. That's not what I'm looking for. I think the point is here.

You can do many religious and spiritual, and maybe even seemingly supernatural things and not be the least surrendered to God. It's not those who do such things. It's those who do the will of the father and doing the will of father doesn't mean that it's never the will of the father, to do those things casting out demons, prophesying, working language that might very well be the will of the father. For some, but doing the will of the father is a habit of life. It's a whole orientation. It's a whole it.

It's just it's just the way you think I need to do the will of the father.

I mean if he wants me to cast out demons will do it but America to go out and figure that by casting out demons, I'm going to get getting to heaven or something because lack of relationship then it more.

Based on that is lacking within the work honestly right will prophecies and miracles can all be faked. Remember, it says in second Thessalonians 2 that even the man of sin comes and and does many signs and lying wonders in the power of Satan, the false prophet in Revelation 13. Signs and wonders in the power of the of Satan. So there are false miracles and counterfeit things like that but but but that's when I can be judged by those things.

Fortunately now for walking with Jesus. If we have the gifts for what we might in fact prophesy or or work miracles.

I don't I don't have those gifts but as some people do. According to Paul, however, even somebody who does those kinds of sensational things, may do so without really having surrendered to Christ. I mean let's face it, they could be just the kind of people you find in some kinds of Pentecostal churches. They were speaking in tongues and prophesied that there there no more converted than the person who's not converted in any other kind of church most churches don't do these kinds of things miracles and such.

But Pentecostals do, but the point is, even if every church had people doing those things. We know that in the churches.

People often learn how to just do the things that are expected in the church how to how to do the things that are respected and and that given status and so people can fake prophecies, they can fake even miracles. But there could even be true. Miracles done in anything other than the power of God and Jesus is saying that there's, you know that that happens a lot of the time Paul said in first with his 13 if I could speak in the tongues of men and angels if I could work miracles and had enough faith to move mountains, but I don't have love, I'm nothing.

So it's sort of the same teaching you could be prophesying, you could be speaking in tongues you can be working miracles.

But if you don't have the fruit of the spirit. If you're not living in love and agape love toward everyone around you and forgot one thing you don't have anything that resembles Christianity and Jesus never Jesus said by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for another. So that's how we we know, for Satan not is is if we love the brethren. It says in first John says. By this we know that we have passed from death into life, because we love the brethren. I think that's in first John three verse number but yet we know that we fastened her for like because we love the brethren so love is the is the issue not not just once in a while but consistent love not just pretending that we love because that's what Christians are supposed to but really loving that in your heart when you're all alone known by God sees your heart, your heart is broken for the suffering of the people you are eager to make sacrifices and and I lay your life down for other people.

That's a way of life. That's a whole commitment of your whole being.

If that's true then you are filled with the Holy Spirit and that is the measure of being doing the will of the father so again lots, people may have a false assurance, but that doesn't mean we can't have true shirts.Gary, can I sure Tim, thank you for your call. By the way, there is a lecture series at my website. The narrow path.com and for those who don't know these are audio lectures that are free you know pay for me just listen or download them. That's up to you getting get on your phone on on our the narrow path app, but the website is the narrow path.com and there's a series there is thousands actually over thousand lectures, but there's one series called, how can I know that I'm really saved and it goes through the book of first John applying the tests of genuine salvation that he gives there, and you may want to have fun want to check that out. How can I know that I'm really saved series of topical lectures at my website.

The narrow path.com. Another Dallas area caller Michael from Dallas. Welcome to the narrow path lexicon stated the doctor again. I have questions about two books that have been recommended by the Christian Brothers wanted by French author: Shawn Dion and there's a couple different titles that it marketed under but the latest one is experiencing the death of Jesus Christ. The amount of game and yeah and then a second one is the classic imitation of Christ by, the well. Mme. Gail was a holy caller quietest thing longer than she were friends and they were very spiritual people, spiritual giants, I would say I I don't know the quiet schism is the norm for the Christian life of these two particularly were very godly people and she her book expressing the depths of Jesus Christ talks about the inner Christian expense of Christ. I would say when you read somebody like that that you realize that their calling might be different than yours, these might be people who are in full time prayer for full-time religious religious life for Milan and Mme. Gail both were spiritual counselors to people in in her case she was unmarried.

I think she was now.

Come to think she might have mercy. She had a I think she did get married and have a happy marriage of Federico, been a while since I remember about biography by semester.

They married because you invite Natalie, though yeah and and she she had been scarred up, I think by some kind of disease, I forget which disease yeah she's actually been a very beautiful woman and very proud and arrogant and then she goes smallpox or something like that scarred her face up so much that it very humble and made her humble header, seek God and she found a very deep relationship with God and I believe she was married by thinkers unhappy unhappy marriage. I don't think she had much of a relationship with her husband but yeah she's got a lot of good things to say I wouldn't just say ever needs to be like her, but it I like to read people's inner experiences. Some of them I think God works differently with different people and it may be that some will resonate with that of the other ones of the imitation of Christ by Thomas a campus that's a book I I really love Christine is back in the 1300s and that he was a monk and a Roman Catholic so he had Roman Catholic outlook about things, but most of the book is not Roman Catholic, and particularly it's just a book about who you are walking with Jesus, or which is something that I think more Roman Catholics ought to read and work processes to frankly it's a tremendous book I've read it over 10 times through since I was young and it's it's just excellent. You can get it on audiobook or read it now. I will say this of the imitation of Christ is broken up into sections. I forget if there's five or six sections.

Several sections of the book. The last section in the book is all about the Eucharist and it's strictly Roman Catholic doctrine and remain it's coming directly from the Roman Catholic idea of transubstantiation, self-worth, which means that that section of the book. I don't recommend there's other books like that I think are very excellent books right up to a certain point and then I savor that chapter, but but Thomas a campus of wonderful spiritual guide and so yeah I highly recommend that book but I would say when she gets a part of the unreceptive Eucharist. I don't put my endorsement that another book of the same kind is called the practice of the presence of God by have the name Brother Lawrence also monk and that's a very powerful book to a for those in, you know, just wanting to have a closer interior walk with Christ.

All those books I think very good one. A premise that Mme. Dion operates off of the verse that says the kingdom of God is within you and Tom's midnight opponent.

I know that there's an alternate reading. Yeah, I would disagree with her but I disagree with your interpretation that there's this verse is Luke 1721, where in the King James in the King James version, which she did not read tissue French, but apparently the old French version also rendered it. The kingdom of God is within you, and a lot of mystical riders. A lot of devotional writers have taken that statement to try to apply that to the inner life, but in fact almost all Greek scholars now in all new translations recognize that the word within didn't mean inside a person, but in the midst of a group of people. It's among it's in the kingdom of God is among you or in your midst, so the kingdom of God is not inside of a person, the kingdom of God is a phenomenon, a community, society of followers of Christ which you can be in but it's not something that's new though does have interior ramifications the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, but the kingdom is the Bible taught primarily is the Society of Jesus followers.

Anyway, yes I guess some differences with all those authors on one thing or another but use discernment when you read those kinds of books and their mostly good. Thank you Michael were not done.

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All right, let's talk to anonymous calling from Duluth. I'm sorry… And I was actually Luther's numbers of Luther in Los Angeles, California Luther, what if the narrow path high is moving stories like Josephus and finally the other close. The holy Bible liquid all Josephus's story of what was well worth the writings in the Bible while they were not inspired writers, Philo and Josephus both lived long after the Old Testament is completed they lived they were contemporaries with the apostle Paul, which show live 400 years after the closing of the Old Testament so they wouldn't be included in the Old Testament part because they were not inspired writers there just Philo was sort of a philosophical religious writer and and Josephus was a historian both of them were Jewish, but there's a lot of Jewish writers whose works don't belong in the Bible because they're not profits, new Old Testament written by prophets who are inspired by God and other writings of the Jews that are not written by prophets, many of them still exist from ancient times, but they aren't Bible books to movies like good rule of fiction. Those are fiction.

Those are fictionalized stories of Oxley Jesus is a feature of all of them and they are based roughly on the facts of Jesus crucifixion but in his life by. The characters in them.

Well, especially Ben Hur, Ben Hur is a fictional character, the whole story. Ben Hur is fictional, though, he cometh crosses paths with Jesus and its quo vadis is based I think on Peter's alleged traditional martyrdom. Quo vadis means where you going, and Latin.

There's a tradition that Peter was fleeing from persecution in Rome when Nero's persecution of Christians. Aaron and he actually met Jesus on the road going toward Rome as he was fleeing from road and she said quo vadis nerves were norms are Peter's equivalents were you going and Angie Sandra back to Rome to be crucified again and so Peter according to the tradition went back to Romans was crucified.

Also upside down. This tradition is not found in the Bible, and therefore we can't really say it historically true, and the role the other characters in the Robe are not arming the course.

Jesus dies in the early part of it, but the main characters in the stories that are not in the Bible truth okay thank you call it by all right to Morty in Spokane Washington. Welcome to the narrow path item Morty.

Steve thinks on the subject of church discipline. When I bring up you know the allowance of opening for gate casein in congregations whether heterosexual or homosexual.

Whatever I'm getting this response from individuals within the ministry. Well, we can look at the congregation and the sanctuary for Satan the same door a hospital for sinners. Comment. You gotta make a choice to make a decision about that in the Bible. It's a congregation of the saved.

The apostles never considered the church to be an evangelistic outreach.

The church was the Fellowship of the body of Christ. Evangelistic outreach took place outside the church in places like synagogues and on the streets and in the marketplace and hillsides and so forth arming many churches today do regard themselves as evangelistic outreach centers, in which case they cannot very easily discipline misbehavior in their churches as the Bible commands us to do because of course they're hoping to reach these centers so they want sinners in the church so that they can preach the gospel to them at the apostles never wanted sinners in the church.

Paul indicated that if there is a man in the church.

For example, in Corinth, who is living in fornication that they had to kick them out factors quite a few places in the New Testament to talk about exercising church discipline. So it's obvious that the church was not supposed to be a gathering of unbelievers or hospital for the spiritually sick. That's what it has become a thing became that largely because after the conversion of Constantine, almost everyone in the Roman Empire became part of the church where there were converted or not. In fact, Romans people under the Catholic Church tended to be baptized as babies, so everybody was a baptized Christian.

So you have all kinds of unconverted people in churches, so the church got used to the idea of not being a congregation of saints, but just the collection of everybody in town who happened to be a baptized person at birth, usually and that was pre-much everybody except for maybe the Jews are the Muslims who were around them so Muslims were there yet but they later were the idea is that the church deviated very far from what the church is supposed to be and the modern churches have to decide which would they like to follow the medieval plan of video. Everybody's invited the church and recognizes members on 11 baptized and that hasn't committed a mortal sin in the past week or whatever or should it be with them.

But Jesus set up. I'd like II dropped from second.

I think churches should be with Jesus of which is a gathering of his disciples to be instructed in the way of walking with him to exercise their gifts to edify one another in them to worship jointly and of course only real believers are welcome to worship God correctly because if worship in the spirit and only the believers have the spirit of God thesis with the New Testament says a lot of churches don't believe these things anymore, obviously. But that's what the Bible says still a believer in the Bible so I think the church discipline because the Bible commands it. Jesus commanded in Matthew 18 verses 15 through 17. Paul commanded it a number of places you know I think you're supposed discipline needs to be conducted so that the church remains a congregation of saints. But you're right, some pastors right now.

This is a hospital for the sick, well then it's not the church. Of course you can call it a church if you want to, but is not church it's a hospital, you know have a house right if it resembled a spiritual center. Okay, so it's a spiritual hospital is not the church. The church is for people who are walking with Jesus people were disciples of Jesus. People who are learning how to be how to observe everything Jesus commanded.

That's what the church is for strategic so I'm not sympathetic with that pastor's idea that you can have either one but you course you can, but if you have anything other than a gathering of the saints. You don't have church you have something else in college church and you get a whole bunch people to come but you can have your be babysitting a bunch of carnal people who don't have a real conversion experience alongside some who do. That's not the church that's just what the church was allowed to become in the centuries after the church became corrupt and a great, thank you so much for clear response.

I'm guessing you have people waiting. So my lines are full yet, but I better let you go there you take care thank you for that quote work.

Thank you Marty S, we have a call from Barcelona Spain which is I think the first time we ever have Huck in Barcelona. Welcome to the neuropathic for calling you take my call. Sure so I have had maybe nine years I've been working with why when and two years ago I got married and then seven months ago I had a child and congratulations, thank you that's great, but I disconcerting to feel whole out why, when and towards the simple life was working a job and and and coming home to see my family display have been more psyched or I have been in psyched on seeing the revival out on this anymore as I am within my family and in the lake with that great choice. I mean not everybody is called to be a missionary. Notwithstanding what some preachers say I mean when something is a everybody's a mission what they mean is, no matter what you're doing, where you have contact with unbelievers. Your witness to them of course will be that if you're at home with family working in a regular job or when you're out on the streets handing out literature preaching in Barcelona, Spain.

Why Wham of course is a ministry that leans very strongly toward getting everybody possible onto the mission field.

But God doesn't essentially do that. I mean II some of the great missionaries I've known in history are and why would an course some great missionaries are not, but but why Wham of course was started with a dream that Lauren Cunningham had of waves like Lycos like ocean waves made up of young people crashing on the shores of every nation in the world and and evangelize it. So this flooding of the world with Christian young missionaries was the vision that Lauren Cunningham had when he started the organization and you'll why when has attracted into it. Almost any young people who have a real strong spiritual desire to follow God because there's the DTS and SPS that is missionary training. There is the discipleship training the biblical training and it's cheap and it doesn't.

You don't have to go through a college course to get a diploma summing, why, when is a very easy way for people who are called to be missionaries to get out on the mission field without having to go through a lot of rigmarole that some organizations require. On the other hand, when Sharon Y went. There's a very strong pull to regard yourself as called to the mission field. What you are not.

I think a lot of people who go to why when DTS is they just want to get close to God. Perhaps and sometimes they do. I think they mostly do but then they go home and that's what they want to do, but the NY one doesn't discourage that while it doesn't discourage people from going home and Dana witness at home, but at least they don't officially but you do get the strong impression that one of the best things you can do is go out in the form field as you are doing right now but dear you're a father now are you going to be a father you're married. This is a transition in your life that God is brought about which doesn't mean you have to leave the mission field. I know some Y members and other missionaries on the field with several children, but that but you know what there's like a saying that it's great. Some great missionaries I know have research over mission field, but we don't have any examples that the Bible we don't have any examples of the apostles or missionaries ever having families. We do we do read that you about 20 or more years after Pentecost, Peter and the other apostles traveled with their wives, but their children. Apparently they probably waited for the children to grow up because it's about 20 years interest restricted but to travel. Children it's not everybody's calling to travel with the wife is not. It was calling to travel is not. It was calling God needs people everywhere. I was a friend with Keith Green and I we were friends, but I thought he was a little bit extreme on some things. I love the man and I love his music, but near his death he was telling people you need to go on the mission field initiative a specific call from God to stay home and that's just not true or make youth was kind of an extreme is usually balanced out but he died too young to pounce on this one and it's not true that Evans called on the mission field. Every place as a mission field.

If everyone is really called to go on the mission field, and when you got to Africa or Spain or somewhere else and make converts. You just send them out on the mission field. Other countries you never have church anywhere if all the Christians are individual traveling around the world.

You have a community of Christians building up in any one place. Most people are not called the mission field and most people are called to work at regular jobs and to represent Chrysler to raise their families if they have them for Christ.

And so I mean if if you're feeling tugged to come back to the states with your family been that could very well be God's pull, and it certainly not a step backward from missionary work, that's goodbye. I know that when I talked going to talk to the people there like, well, there's always alternatives that you can do to continue mission and their right. But I can't really what I feel the strongest and want to take a break from missions right now and live a simple life of my family and I feel like maybe that not enough of a reason or like maybe that's not there.

I think it's enough that I think the reason I think it's enough of a reason.

Unless there's some kind of motive then you that's questionable like your greedy to make money or your audio afraid of the dangers missionaries or some like that that might might call into question the correctness of your leading but if you're following the Lord and and you just want to do his will and you're feeling this tugged back home that night say there's no reason not to think about is God's calling cool well that's very helpful.

Actually, all right, well, good to hear from you. Thanks for joining us. God bless you Eddie in Connecticut. Welcome to the narrow path. Thanks for calling CW good.

Thanks. My question is the story of Noah and says before the flood. Flood God was repented that he made man. The earth was filled with sin and wickedness, so he destroyed everybody but knows family.

My question is no.

Still have the sin nature, and his children so after Nola the world was the same or maybe worse shape sometimes think what was accomplished by flooding all the inhabitants of the world, and after know you the same thing the other side you have the second vanity. The same wars the same.

It learns the same. It's like wait a minute what happened. It was like all was in Adam no working. It Was like Try to Figure This out Would Do a Study on the Same Question Could Be Asked about Jesus.

Jesus Came and Went and Saw All the Problems during There's Been Adolf Hitler. Since Then There's Been Nero since There's Been No Horrible Crimes Is Been Charles Manson Simpson Not Destroy the People All the Inevitable of Your and Then MEM Detritus. Not That Big a Deal.

Well, You Know, God Has a Very Long History of the World in Mind, It's Already Been 6000 Years or More, and It May Be Some Thousands More Than That.

We Don't Know about. We Have No Idea How Long It Will Be but You Know Once in A While He Has To Press the Reset in the Case of Noah's Day Were Told That the Whole Earth Was Filled with Violence in the Thoughts and Intentions of Every Man's Heart Was Only Evil Continually Meets like Universally Corrupted.

That Hasn't Been the Case Necessarily since the Time of Noah Sugar Scrub People Every Bit As Corrupt As the People before the Flood, but It's Not so Universal I Don't Know That There's Ever a Time after the Flood the Accuser the Earth Is Full of Violence, like There's Nothing Else.

There and That Every Thought of Everyone's Hearts Was Only Evil Continually. I Don't Know That's I Don't Know of Any Time since Then That That Would Be True. So, so It Must've Been Intolerable. It Must've Been so Terrible That God Just Said Okay Good Reset with with a Better Start, Better Group at the Beginning and I Wasn't Here He Was under No Illusions That Noah Was a Perfect Manner That His Sons Were Perfect. It's Just That He He He Needed to Save the World from the Violence That Dominated and so You Reset and Push the Reset Button to Start That over Again like Question Jesus Came, Jesus Came and Brought about a New Creation.

The Bible Says, but It Hasn't Involved Everybody.

Some People Have Never Participated They Can but They Don't. But There Is but Still Because There Is Now a Society of Followers of Jesus in the World and It's Not Diminishing Its Growing There Will Never Be a Time When the Earth Is Quite so Bad Apparently As It Was before the Flood Because Not Had to Wipe Everything out There like to Thank You for Your Answer.

I Was a Good Answer Was Puzzling in the Study, Trying to Figure out When Evil. On One Hand and after Know You Have the Same Evil but Maybe I Can Say Enough, Not in the Not yet Not Quite Universally.

The Okay to Call by Now Okay Stephen in Portland, Oregon. Welcome to the Narrow Path. Speaking of Violence.

Michael Came in with Three-Tiered Grace. Listen to Preachers on the Radio and Watch Them on TV. MAC CBO Weighs about a Rapture with Pre-Created Made Circuit Part of My Question Is Do You Think God Is the United States Buyers Was so Horny and Gracious Is When People Don't Make Have Shown to Fire Their Souls Burnout but Give the State We Leave for Ever and Ever.

All Right, That's Three Questions What Was Your First Rapture. Okay so You Want to Know Something about the Rapture. Yeah Pretrip Okay Okay Okay Yeah All Addresses Questions. I Think I Have Time Have A Few Minutes Left Radio Think You Meant to United States a Warning Roll Stands for Is All Right Start Answering Also Run Out Of Time before Answering.

So I Got the Questions Go Ahead and Bite Okay. God Bless You Steve, Thanks for Call. The Rapture Occurs, Jesus Said on the Last Day the Last Day. He Said in John Chapter 6 and Verse 39.

This Is the Will of the Father Who Sent Me That of All That He Is Given Name Is All the People That He's Given Him.

I Should Lose None but Should Raise Him up at the Last Day and Then the Next Verse, and This Is the Will of Him Who Sent Me, That Everyone Who Sees the Son and Believes in Him May Have Everlasting Life, and I Will Raise Him up at the Last Day so Twice There. He Says He's Gonna Raise People on the Last Day Just in Case We Didn't Get It. He Says It Third Time in Verse 44 No One Can Come to Me Unless the Father Who Sent Me Draws Him and I Will Raise Him up on the Last Day and That's Not the Last Time He Says It He Says It Again in Verse 54, Recess, Whoever Eats My Flesh and Drinks My Blood Has Eternal Life, and I Will Raise Him up at the Last Day so It's like There's No Question in Jesus Mind Is When He's Gonna Raise Us up Now Raise Us up Would Refer to the Resurrection and the Rapture Because It Says in First Thessalonians 4 That the Dead in Christ Will Rise First. Then We Who Are Alive and Remain Will Be Caught up Together to Meet Them with the Lord in the Air Now so We're Going to Be Resurrected and Rapture on As Jesus Put the Last Days Gonna Raise up As People. Now This Is Somewhat to My Think. What Does This Mean the Last Day of of the Time before the Tribulation or in the Last Day of This Middle Half of the Tribulation or What. Well, Jesus Has Something Else to Say about the Last Day in John Chapter 12 in John Chapter 12 and Verse 48 He Says He Who Rejects Me, and Does Not Receive My Words. Now These Are Not the Christians Was Reject Christ, That Person Has One Who Judges Him. The Word That I've Spoken Will Judge Him in the Last Day so the Judgment of the Lost of the Wicked Will Be in the Last Day and so Will the Raising up of the Christians.

The Followers of Jesus, so the Rapture Rapidly Happens on the Last Day Now It Is Our Armor Is Just As America under Judgment. I Do Know It Kind of Feels like It, but I Don't Have Any Prophetic Word about That. It Might Not Be but It Seems like That's All I Can Say the Reason You Asked Many People Ask Is Because It Seems so Much like We Don't Have Any Biblical Statements That Would Tell Us That You Americas under Judgment so Would Be Either the Work of a Prophet Who Heard a Word from the Lord about It or Else Not Something We Find in the Bible, but We Don't. I Don't Have Either of Those Available so Just How Can Use Our Instincts and Those Are Not Very Reliable but I Just Tell You My Own Thought Is It's Kind of Seems like We Are under Judgment, but We Could Repent.

There Could Be Revival, and That Could Change Things As Far As What Happens People on the Go to Hell. There's Three Different Views about That. Some People Believe That They Are Tormented Consciously Forever and That Is of Course We Call the Traditional View, the Bible Also Has Some Information If It Leads Some People to Believe That the Torment Is Not Forever. The Torment Is Only Temporary and Then at the End of Having Suffered. People Are Annihilated. We Ceased to Exist As Quite A Few Verses of Scripture That That Sound like They May Imply Something like That. There's Even 1/3 View Which Was Held by Many in the Early Church in the First Four or Five Centuries That Hell Is a Place Where God Uses It to Bring Sinners to Repentance Because He Is Not Willing That Any Should Perish but That All Should Come to Repentance, so That Even If People Die Unrepentant That He Continues to Work on Them, Even in Hell That I View Is Not Very Widely Held throughout Church History, but It Was Held Very Much in the Early Church Very Widely in This Especially Third and Fourth Centuries, and an Integral Unit If You're Interested in Examining Those Three Views in Very Great Detail.

I Wrote a Book about Three Views of Hell If You Go to Amazon.Com and Look at My Name Steve Greg Will Find My Book on How Than It Does Compare the Three Views Side Very Thoroughly and Very Fairly Somewhat of Time. I Can't Go Any Further into This Right Now Though If We Had More Time Listening to the Narrow Path. My Name Is Steve Greg and We Are Listener Supported. If You Want to Write to Us the Address Is the Narrow Path, PO Box 1732 Macula CA 92593. Our Website Is the Narrow Path.com. Let's Talk Again Tomorrow –