Dr. Brown Answers Your Questions

You've got questions. We've got answers. Let's do it. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution.

Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and president of Fire School of Ministry. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH. That's 866-34TRUT. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

You know, many times I'm going to be interviewed for a program and folks will say, right, we want to send you the questions that we want to cover with you. And I say, that's fine, but I'm happy to just hear them as we go. There's something I enjoy about the spontaneity of the moment and not knowing what's coming and then being able to answer on the spot or seeing what wisdom the Lord gives on the spot. Of course, I love to study and prepare too. But on these broadcasts, you've got questions.

We've got answers. I have no clue what you're going to call in with, what kind of questions you're going to raise. Kind of issues you're going to raise.

So, my joy to take your calls. You've got questions, we've got answers. Here's the number to call: 866-34TRUTH. That's 866-348-7884. The only request I have is ask me a question where I can help you.

If you want to ask me about physics, no, not my field. If you want to ask me about NASA's latest interspace programmer, no, that's not my field. If you want to talk to me about dialects of ancient Etruscan, not my field, but there are plenty of things where I can help you.

So if I can help you, give me a call, 866-348-7884. You've got questions. We've got answers. I want to start with an email question from Angie. She says, I've been listening to you and reading your blog videos.

I'm a believer. What you say resonates in my heart. But I've been asked by a young twenty year old, a twenty one year old, to explain today's social issues and the biblical reasoning, and I can't seem to get it from my heart to my mouth to her ears. Is there a study that can help us through these issues and help me to communicate real truth to her? Help!

Okay. Number one, There is a great study that I'm going to recommend to you in a moment you'll find very, very helpful. But let me store here. You want to understand why you believe what you believe.

So, Talk to yourself about it, meaning. Think through what you believe, write out points, see if you can reduce it to sound bites. In other words, take what you know. take what you agree with, and then think it through. Write it out.

Try it out on others. If you're around other young people that are believers, that's one thing that's very helpful. I try to reduce a lot of what I have to say to sound bites as well, because that's what this generation needs.

So, short ways of saying things. Then I expand from there. You say, well, that's my problem. That's where I'm having a hard time. Oh, okay.

I'll give you more practical advice. But that's something that's just a very helpful exercise. And then it's important to listen. When you're talking to the 21-year-old, Why does this person feel the way they do? What is fueling their fire?

Why do they have these particular issues? Why do they have these different perspectives? Do your best to understand. Their perspective because this will help you to better answer and respond as you understand. Then here's what I'd recommend.

You're reading my articles, watching my videos.

So friends, askdrbrown.org, ASK DRBrown.org. Check out our latest videos, latest articles. We're always addressing culturally relevant issues as well as timeless biblical issues and providing that information. But here's a way to break it down systematically, point for point. Get online and look up Bullseye Challenge.

Bullseye challenge. Look that up. My friend Larry Tomzak has a different subject each day for 30 days, a short Simple teaching video that's free online. And then you buy the book, the e-book or the physical book, Bullseye Challenge. And it'll take you through each of the major social and cultural issues of the day, point by point, in practical terms in book form, all right, one chapter for each one, and in video form.

And maybe 30 minutes a day set aside. to pray about these things, to watch the video, to read the chapters, you'll get things really deeply within you in a practical, practical way.

So that's what I'd recommend. for you. Shake the name. It's time to change the world. Change the world.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUT. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks for joining us today on the line of fire. You've got questions, we've got answers. 866. 348-7884. We go to the phones.

We'll start in Atlanta with Noah. Welcome to the line of fire. Hey, Doctor Brown. Hello? Can you hear me?

Yes, I can.

Okay, yeah. I actually met you after the debate in Atlanta with Rabbi Freitak.

Okay, Kennesaw State University in March. Yes, sir. Yes. I spoke with you afterwards about the Armenian genocide. I actually called last year as well.

And basically, you asked me to call and remind you about it.

So, yeah.

So I'm just you know, fulfilling my word and and giving you a call. With the added uh proviso that usually I speak at the Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Atlanta at the state capital, which will be the actual It'll be the day after this year because the state capital is closed on Monday. And uh you know I'd love to be able to share with them some sort of brief statement from you. I think it would do a lot. For them to hear a especially a believing Jewish brother make a statement about it.

So I want to remind you. My mother. Uh yeah, I'm Armenian from my mother's side. I uh um later in life I by the grace of God I learned to speak, read and write. The major dialects of Armenian and classical Armenian, and now I minister in Armenian.

Uh yeah. My friends are Some of my friends are the head of the Georgia chapter of the Armenian. Uh National Association in Georgia.

So usually I'm one of the presenters at the Capitol. And I think I will be this year. Anyway. Yes. So for the benefit of our listeners who may be completely unaware of this genocide or know very little about it.

First, give us the religious background, the relevant religious background, and then the reality. of what happened. Sure.

Well, it's a long history, but basically, you know, the Armenians had been in the Armenian highland. Since the time of Noah, they trace their their you know, their lineage to him directly. Um Anyway, they've been in the Armenian Highlands in what is now eastern Turkey for Very long time. The kingdom of Cilicia over a thousand years ago was an Armenian kingdom there. Uh First Christian Nation.

And um lived there in their land for a very long time. Starting in the eighteen hundreds, As Some in the Ottoman Empire were not happy with this sort of laissez-faire policy of the Sultans. Extremism started to arise, and there started to be persecution of Christians.

Now, not just Armenians, also any of the Armenians, I mean, any of the Christians. In the Ottoman Empire, it's just the Armenians were the Jews were for Hitler. He didn't just kill Jews, but they were the primary target.

So. Then wants to be the young Turk. a political party gained power. They set about to decide the quote unquote Armenian question. And in nineteen fifteen, they started a campaign which Hitler modeled his campaign after theirs.

Yeah. exterminating the Armenian people now. With the intellectuals, architects, priests, et cetera, poets, and they They rounded them up and took them out of major cities, especially Istanbul. But then, you know, smaller villages like the village from which my family came, they would typically surround it and move in and you know, towards the center and kill and burn anything in their way. The result was that about A million and a half Armenians.

several hundred thousand Greek and Syrian Christians. uh were murdered. And the dis worldwide dispersion results. What was the Armenian population at that point when a million and a half were murdered?

Well, it you know, it's it's hard to say there it there are different estimates. I mean, one million point five is the estimate number killed, right? It could have been up to two million. The pot total population of them could have been around three million.

So I mean, we're we're talking about A half, two-thirds. of the population. And many of the key leaders, intellectuals, and things like that. Right.

So, why do you think, and this was. basically radicalized Islam seeking to wipe out the Armenians who were largely professing Christians, correct? Mm-hmm. Yes. Why do you think we hear so little about this today?

Well I mean sadly A lot of it has to do with intimidation from Turkish interests. And this is not speculation, it's reality. not just in America, but in Europe. Recently, in the past few years, several European nations have officially recognized the genocide, even though you know, historically it's been established for a very long time. But even even they received major pressure.

from Turkish government not to do it. Just like our government, we uh I think it was under George H.W. Bush that there was nearly an uh a resolution passed. But Condoleezza Rice stopped it. Because of the potential problems with Turkey, you know, being that we've had military bases in Turkey.

What's the. The Turkish version of what happened. You know, we know there are Holocaust deniers that say the Holocaust never happened in Europe. Are there Armenian genocide deniers or people who have a different spin on the story? Sure.

It and it basically follows The same pattern as this Holocaust denial that somehow Armenians were. Um either you know We're being provocative or we're s starting skirmishes, starting wars, and that really it was just a an effort to deport them, but in the process some people were accidentally killed in a bad way. And and and there's not a whole lot of there's not a major narrative behind it. It's just an effort to cut to try to Discredit Armenians. I mean, there's some people, I'm sure, that are different, but just like you hear with Jews, the horrible things said about them, about Their ancestry about history.

Same thing with comedians. Right.

Yeah, they're the pariahs and they deserve to be punished. Yeah. Well, Noah, I appreciate you. Raising up a standard and reminding people about this horrific. Event that took place, which obviously scars a nation for generations to come.

And the exact years that this took place, what were they, Noah?

Well, there were smaller events like I mentioned, especially in the late eighteen hundreds. But nineteen fifteen, you know, is is the year of demarcation when you know it really Yeah. Right, so we're talking a little over 100 years, some of this roughly 100 years ago, and hardly known, very little taught.

So here's what I would like to say, Noah, and feel free to communicate this, that with the rise of radical Islam worldwide. and the genocide of Christians in the Middle East. it's all the more important to remember The Armenian genocide.

So again, with the rise of radical Islam. worldwide and with the genocide of Christians in the Middle East. it's all the more important to remember the Armenian genocide. I can also say with the radicalizing of Turkey. it's all the more important to remember The Armenian genocide.

Noah, may a new generation wake up with a greater consciousness. May God continue to restore what was taken. from the Armenian people. May they turn to Jesus in a fresh and living way where it's just become dead tradition. May there be a true turning to the Lord.

And may it be the turning of the Muslim world in Turkey. May there be a recognition that the ways of radical Islam do not work. May there be a turning to the Lord in repentance and faith and salvation. Hey, thank you, sir. For sharing that with us and reminding some and educating others afresh.

About a major event in world history that is largely swept under the rug. Thank you, sir. 866-348-7884. Uh Here's a question. Here's a question.

This is from Ty.

So in January 2017, I spent two and a half hours with a well-known pastor in Singapore, Joseph Prince.

Well, known for his message of grace, but we've had differences about: is it hyper-grace? Does it go too far? But we agree to speak out against counterfeit grace. Grace as brothers in the Lord. We spent two and a half hours together discussing issues.

And Ty asks: Did you discuss homosexuality with Joseph Prince? If so did you agree with him? What are your thoughts on how to deal with this as a modern day Christian? Yes, we did discuss it. We both agree that according to Scripture, homosexual practice is sinful.

We both agree that according to Scripture that you cannot practice homosexuality and follow Jesus as a true disciple at the same time. And we both agree that ultimate liberty As found in Jesus, and that the truth of God's transforming grace and God's transforming love is a wonderful starting point for all. And interestingly, Pastor Prince told me that he gets regular testimonies hearing from folks who have come out of sexual immorality. in particular, come out of homosexual practice by embracing the grace of God, which forgives them. and then transforms them, empowers them where human tradition, empowers them where commandments alone can't.

God's grace working in us turns our hearts and sets us free from sin.

So yes, we talked about it and we were in harmony. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks for being part of the broadcast. You've got questions. We've got answers. Hey. Have you received my free e-book?

an eye-opening read, Seven Secrets of the Real Messiah. It takes years and years of research and study and interaction with the Jewish community. And breaks it down into seven eye-opening points. It's a free e-book. You can get it when you go to my website.

Ask Dr. Brown, A-S-K-D-R-Brown.org, and just sign up for our e-newsletter. This way you'll also know the latest videos, articles that we put out every week, special resources that we have available for you.

So go to my website, askdrbrown.org, and sign up for our emails. And when you do, we'll send you a free eye-opening e-book. 866-348-7884. Let's go to the phones and we'll go over to Oklahoma. Zack, welcome to the line of fire.

Hello, Dr. Brown, can you? Hear me already? Yeah, go ahead. My question is about Leviticus chapter twenty and uh those death sentences by stoning for the adultery and those other sexual uh uh sins.

I'd like to know why why were they necessary uh for that time? Mm-hmm. Let let me ask this sec. Do you feel that the death penalty has ever merited? I suppose sometimes, yeah.

So you might have a situation where you would accept it. Let's just say. There was a man, willful, in his right mind, who goes on a serial killing spree and and kills 20 innocent people. and is found guilty. that perhaps a situ like situation like that might merit a death penalty.

Yes. Oh, okay. And again, others have a different view on that. I just wanted to know yours.

Well, the first thing is to understand that other cultures look at America. Because we do have the death penalty for certain crimes and we enforce it. And they look at us as being barbaric. They look at us as being completely out of touch, out of date. But we feel that in certain cases it's merited.

In the ancient world, the ancient Israelite world, the death penalty was much more common and existed for more crimes. If you lived in ancient Babylon, for example, or ancient Egypt, there were various crimes for which there was a death penalty. And it was considered to be right and fair and just.

So, different societies, different time periods have different perspectives on these kinds of issues.

So, that's one thing. But we go from God's perspective. God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt by his own hand. The whole nation. Saw God move and act.

He spoke to them from Mount Sinai so the whole nation could hear them. He demonstrated his power in a way that no other generation at any time has seen all together at once. And he gave them his commands, and he wanted them to be a separate and holy people. And his whole plan was through that people to bring the Messiah as the Savior of the world. And Israel is always tilting towards idolatry.

Always tilting towards the flesh, always tilting towards immorality and sin, and because of it, is being judged, judged, judged.

So these very strong penalties for serious issues. be it sexual sin like adultery. be it worshiping other idols. Be it rejecting something as fundamental as the Sabbath, it may seem extreme to us. But these were parameters that God put in place as strong warnings to Israel, because this nation had to be preserved as a separate and holy nation.

And then through this separate and holy nation, God was going to send the Messiah, through whom the world would now find God, through whom billions of people would find salvation. These were necessary, strong precautions. These were necessary barriers put up so that people would know how ugly and destructive and terrible sin is, and would also recognize their need for a savior and would also be preserved from the nations. We see that without stern measures Israel would have apostasized very quickly without God acting sternly and quickly after the golden calf incident, without God having to judge that whole first generation that came out of Egypt that then fell into unbelief and outright rebellion. Without God doing that, we wouldn't even be here.

The Messiah never would have come. None of us would have been saved.

So, number one, in the culture of the day, these punishments were not unusual. In fact, biblical law, in most cases, is more merciful than the law in the surrounding countries. But in the culture of the day, it was more normal, just like to Americans. We accept the death penalty, most of us, in certain circumstances.

So, that was the mindset, the worldview then. Number one, number two, this was a theocracy. God took his people out of Egypt and demonstrated his power for the whole world to see they were under one king, the Lord. Number three, it was essential for them to be preserved as a nation so the Messiah could come through them and there would be a people that would recognize him and make him known to the rest of the world. And number four, Israel is always going in the wrong direction, hence the need to have these very, very strong fences and barriers up to keep Israel from completely falling away.

Otherwise, there would have been complete destruction. Israel would have been wiped out, and the Messiah would not have come for our salvation.

So the stakes in that sense are very high. Hey, Zach, I hope that clarifies things for you, and I do appreciate the question. And for all of us reading Leviticus 20. We recognize how seriously God took these things in dealing with Israel.

Some of them may have been specific for Israel, but when I read a book like Leviticus, even for things, I'm Jewish, of course, but even for things that I knew were specific for ancient Israel. And that are not necessarily for all followers of Jesus today, they sober me. The accounts sober me. When I see how ugly sin is, when I see the penalty and price of sin. When I see how destructive it is, these things sober me and in turn help me to say, Lord, I want to please you with all my heart.

In fact, Zach, let me point out one other thing. When you are reading the requirements for the priesthood, In the book of Leviticus and the chapters that follow immediately after this, They can have no defect. The high priest could have no defect. And he couldn't be hunchback. He couldn't have just down to small bodily issues, couldn't have a defect here or there.

That's unfair.

Well, I understand it could seem like that. But the point God was saying is, if you are going to serve as a priest before me, just like a sacrificial animal had to be without blemish, You too have to be without blemish. Obviously, the condition of the heart is the biggest thing. But this is God's way of saying. Be holy.

I am holy. And the closer you get to me, the more you need to be consecrated to me. I think of the end of 2 Corinthians 6, beginning in verse 14, telling us to come out of the world and be separate, which leads into 2 Corinthians 7, 1, as God has promised to be our Father. It then says this, having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. And that's what Leviticus is teaching us today.

Hey, thank you, sir, for the call. All right, remember, check out askdrbrown.org. Check out my latest videos and articles. I can be your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. While you're there, sign up for our e-newsletter and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

And let's keep digging and seeking together. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks for joining us today on the line of fire. You've got questions. We've got answers.

Any question of any kind in any area of expertise I have. Yes. Give me a call, 866-348-7884. And if you differ with me on something or if you need clarification, give me a call. I'd love to speak with you.

Often talking back and forth, that's the way that we can best interact and best learn from one another.

So give me a call, 866-348-7884. Here's a question I often get, and I want to start here. Here's the first question.

So before I go to the phones or answer your emails, I get this question asked a lot. And it is simply this. Should Christians get involved with social issues? Should Christians get involved with cultural issues? Doesn't that take us away?

Doesn't that take us away from the gospel? Doesn't that take us away from winning the lost? Doesn't that take us away from the great commission? A friend of mine, a former student, was talking to a man. They were going into some event.

They were online. He was sharing the gospel with him. And then the man asked him, who did you vote for as president? And he said, Well, I voted for Donald Trump. The guy wouldn't talk to him about Jesus anymore.

Now, it could have been. He could have said, I voted for Hillary Clinton. The guy wouldn't talk for him. The bottom line is, the moment politics came up, at that moment, At that moment, the men didn't want to talk anymore.

Now it's one thing to get caught up in p in politics. and to be primarily known for our political affiliation, and to identify as Republican or Democrat or Libertarian more than we identify as followers of Jesus, that's not healthy. That's divisive and that's secondary.

However, I'd like to raise the question, should Christians get involved in moral issues? And the answer is, of course. Of course. Isn't that a major calling throughout the Bible for God's people to care for the needy, to stand up against injustice, to help those that are helpless? Isn't that a major calling of the gospel?

I look at it like this. What does light do? What does light do? If you put a light in a dark place, it is going to shine. If you put a believer in a dark place, that believer should make a difference.

If you put a believer in a dark place, that believer should shine. That believer should illuminate what's hidden in darkness. That believer should see a need and address that need. I mean, think of it like this. We go back always to the question of slavery.

Was it right for Christians in America to sit back idly and do nothing during the slave trade, to not speak up, to not act? I thought Proverbs 24 says to rescue those who are perishing. I thought the whole prophetic witness is to seek justice and stand up for what is right. I thought Jesus is. Always going about his father's business, and that is often helping those in need.

And Jesus even uses that in the great parable in Matthew 25, verses 31 to 46, to separate sheep from the goats. Who helped those in need? Who helped the people of God in need and suffering and pain?

So I don't look at it as primarily social issues when we're talking about abortion, when we're talking about redefining marriage, when we're talking about human trafficking, when we're talking about what our kids are taught with some sex ed curriculum in school. I don't look at this as some separate social issue and it's outside of the purview of the gospel. Rather, I look at this as part of our calling to be the salt of the earth, which part of that means being the conscience, the conscience of the nation. I look at this as part of our calling to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and as natural as a light shining. Yes, the great commission is to go.

make disciples, but the question is, how did disciples live? What did disciples do once they are in this world? That's what I want to ask. How does it affect your marriage? How does it affect your family?

How does it affect your business? How does it affect what you do in society? Light shines. Disciples live changed lives. Of course, we get involved with the moral issues of our day.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks, friends, for joining us on the line of fire. This is Michael Brown, 866. 348-7885. Four, you've got questions, we've got answers. Let's go straight to the phones and we'll go to New York.

Damien, welcome to the line of fire. Hi, thank you, Dr. Brown. I have two questions. Yeah.

I was just wondering before I asked a question, I was wondering if you could keep my son. In your prayers, he has leukemia. And uh he's just three years old and uh Pray for him. Yeah. Remember him because we have a big news on Monday, so if we can.

Pray for a good report. I would greatly appreciate that. Yeah, you bet. Friends listening, watching, let's lift up Damien's son. Yeah, I can't imagine going through that with a little child.

Nicholas, all right, sure thing. Yes, sir. Thank you very much. I have a question, two questions about the Old Testament. My first question is about Genesis 18 and the.

where Abraham meets the three visitors. Um and he addresses those three men. As Lord. And he actually uses Lord in singular. Uh in the singular uh and I was wondering Is that representative of the Trinity And my second question is Uh out how uh i it seems like Jewish people do not believe in original sin.

So I'm not sure how they view when Adam sinned. Um, why Christians believe in original sin, but Jews don't. Yeah. So Genesis 18. The best way to understand that it is is the Lord Yahweh.

the Lord appearing with two angels. And one of them is addressed as Yahweh, as Lord, in the interaction. Abraham and Sarah have direct interaction, speaking back and forth. It is what you call a theophany, a divine appearance.

Now, there were some Christian teachers that looked at this as Trinitarian and said it represents Father, Son, and Spirit. But as I understand Scripture, the Father remains hidden in his glory. John 1: No man has seen God at any time. 1 Timothy 6, He dwells in unapproachable light, which no one can see. Yet the Son makes him known, and the Spirit does his work invisibly in the earth.

So I understand this theophany, this divine appearance, to be the Son of God making God known as opposed to Father, Son, and Spirit appearing. But one of the three is addressed as Lord, or specifically as Yahweh, the divine name in the Hebrew. He interacts directly with Abraham and Sarah, and then... It says that they leave and Abraham has an extended conversation with the Lord. They interact, they go back and forth over a period of time about Sodom.

And Abraham intercedes for Sodom. And when they're done, it says, then the Lord went on his way.

So, I mean, there he is physically in the flesh with Abraham, and he walks away. And then we get to the very next verse, Genesis 19, and it says, and the two angels came to Sodom.

So it's identifying the other two as angels, and it's saying that the Lord had gone on his way before that.

So it is the Lord appearing with two angels. Definitely the best way to read that text.

So read through all of Genesis 18 into the beginning of 19. I think that'll be clear. As to Jews in original sin, your average secular Jew doesn't believe in an Adam and Eve and is not as sin-conscience as a religious Jew. But a traditional Jew believes that there was a cataclysmic fall with Adam. A traditional Jew believes that he was glorious and giant and could stride the earth in a few strides.

I mean, some actually take these pictures literally, but certainly he was glorious as God's first creation. And the fall did bring terrible disaster. The fall did bring a terrible diminishing of things on this earth and the human race. But Judaism believes that human beings have an evil. Evil inclination and a good inclination, the Yetzer Hera, the evil inclination, the Yetzer Hatov, the good inclination, so that every human being is in a battle and that they have to find a way to overcome the evil inclination with the good inclination, and obviously with God's help as well.

But they would look at it as a lifelong battle. There are even religious Jews, when they'll go to pray at special occasions, they will tie a belt around their waist, and it's to symbolize the lower half as if that was the animal half, has to be subdued by the upper half, which is the more sublime half.

So it's not a totally Different view than a Christian would have. But a Christian would basically say that the Yetzeharah, the evil inclination, has dominated. And without God's supernatural intervention, that the image of God within us cannot overcome that sinful nature. We would refer to it as the flesh or the sinful nature. And we would say, even though we're created in the image of God, we're fallen.

So it's like a rock that's falling and is going to keep falling unless there's divine intervention to pick it up and turn it around. And that's what we look to Jesus for.

So we would have a greater consciousness of a need of a Savior than a Jewish person have. They would believe in the importance of repentance. They would recognize the lifelong battle with the evil inclination. But they would not look at the sin of Adam as being imputed in the same way to future generations. They would recognize our guilt and our need for repentance.

So it's not a total difference. It's a difference of. On one side of the bridge to the other with similarities as opposed to being completely poles apart.

So I hope that helps. And Lord, we ask you to be gracious to Nicholas. We ask you to be gracious and show your mercy. and goodness, and give them long life and health. Hey, Damien, thank you for calling.

May God's grace be yours and your families. 866-348-788. Eight eight four. Let me just say one other thing. We're happy.

to pray And if you send us prayer needs, our team is happy to pray at our ministry.

So that's askdrbrown.org. And this is an exceptional case. And of course, we were glad to pray for Nicholas. But just to remind you in calling in, the purpose of the show is to answer your questions and to equip you and help you and get into the word together as opposed to a show for prayer. All right.

So there are prayer hotlines with other ministries and you can watch a TV show and I've got a prayer hotline and their prayer council is ready to call.

So that's not what we're doing here. But by all means, by all means, send us urgent prayer needs, prayer requests. We have a prayer team and they are more than happy to be praying and certain things will come to my attention so I can join with you in faith and prayer as well. 866-34TRUTH. Let me answer an e-question here.

Uh it is from no name. It's an email address, but I'm not going to give that out on the air. Hello, I'll try I'll make a long story short. I'm a Christian messianic. For years I tried to obey God, felt that if I didn't obey God, I would lose my salvation and go to hell.

This made me feel very bitter and feel hatred. anger, sickness, depression, etc. I tried getting deliverance. I tried for years asking God to change my heart and change me. I tried therapy, medication, and so many other things, but none of them worked to get rid of my feelings of hatred, bitterness, etc.

But I recently began to believe that I cannot lose my salvation no matter what I do or don't do, that it's okay to sin. But God would prefer it if I don't sin. This belief has caused me to have a better walk with God, taking away my bitterness, depression, hatred, and has given me a desire to want to obey God. But I recently heard you say that it is a heresy to believe that.

So, my question is: Can I lose my salvation if I believe that I cannot lose my salvation no matter what I do or don't do, and that it's okay to sin, but God would prefer it. if I don't sin.

Okay. First thing. You must realize that sin is always bad and wrong. Can we agree on that? Sin is deadly, and Sin is destructive.

And you never want to make an excuse for sin in your life.

Well, you know, I sin sometimes, and, you know, not every day I watch pornography, or not every day I cheat on my wife, or not every day I steal from work, but most days I do, and God understands. He understands, and He sent His Son to die for that, and He calls us to repent. and those who love him will turn away from sin. It is a calling, it is a requirement. No, we'll always fall short in this world, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us and washes us as we turn to God.

But we don't want to trivialize sin.

So don't think of it it's okay to sin. Maybe the reason you're feeling better is because you're just not. caring that much about sin. On the flip side, it seems that you have a real issue with your security in God.

So let me make this simple. If you want to serve the Lord. God has promised to keep you, and you've got nothing to worry about. He has promised to keep you, and nobody can pluck you out of his hand. Nothing can pluck you out of his hand.

You could say, I don't want God. I do believe that you can say to God, I don't want you, I don't want to serve you, I'm leaving you, I'm walking away from you. He will not force you to stay in his family. But if you desire to be in his family, he has promised to keep you no matter what. Therefore, you have no reason to fear.

If you blow up one day, that doesn't mean you lose your salvation. If you think a wrong thought, you haven't lost your salvation.

So rest. and your security in God and then from that vantage point, work with Him against sin. Oh God of burning, cleansing flame. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thank you so much for joining us on the line of fire. You know, some questions come our way, they're abstract, they're theological.

Some questions come our way, they're personal, they're life and death, and we care about every one of your questions, and it's my joy to answer your questions here: 866-348-780. 884. Number to call, have you signed up for my e-blast, for my e-newsletter? No?

Well, every week we write numerous new articles, put out new videos.

Sometimes there can be seven, eight, nine, ten new resources a week. They're dealing with cutting-edge cultural issues. They're dealing with major questions folks ask. And they're all high-quality in writing or video or audio form. And this way, every week, we'll let you know: hey, here are our latest videos, here are our latest articles with a summary of each.

This way, you can not miss anything. You can share it with your friends. We articulate a lot of the things. You're frustrated. Oh, I get the news is not reporting it.

Yeah, well, we'll get the word out the right way and you can share it with others. That's how we can be your voice of moral sanity and spiritual clarity. When you sign up to get our e-blast, I want to send you a free e-book, Seven Secrets of the Real Messiah, eye-opening e-book free when you sign up to get our e-blast. 866-34Truth. Number to call askdrbrown.org, the website to go to.

We go to Ames, Iowa. Robert, welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Michael. I have my wife about a month ago served me with divorce papers. And I Iowa no fault state and Um I I I'm not saying I'm totally basically I've I will I will admit and confess that I have been rather harsh with her and verbally abusive to her, which I have, you know, repented and thought forgiveness from, but I think there's just been so much hurt.

My question is, like Um we have a mandatory uh counseling appointment that's court ordered this Wednesday. Um what what happens like 'cause I want to do whatever it takes with you know relying on God's grace and the Holy Spirit doing miracles to Reconcile and heal this marriage, and I'm working on myself, you know. I'm And But uh sometimes I just feeling hopeless like nothing that I do Is good enough for her, where it could be good enough for God because Allah here. From her is like, I don't believe you're remorseful that you're doing Robert. How long have you been married?

It will it would be year may fourteenth.

Okay, got it. And your wife is a professing Christian? Yeah. All right.

Well, here's what you have to do. You want to take full responsibility, right, as you're doing. Whatever her guilt is, whatever her responsibility is right now, it's between her and God. You want to take absolutely full responsibility. to the point of saying, I understand why you don't believe me.

I understand that you feel I haven't proven myself, but remember. You got married for a reason. She saw something in you that that she loved. And she wanted to spend the rest of her life with you when you got married. That was the plan, that was the intent.

I mean, it's not like she married you to get your money or something like that, from what you know, right? The two of you. We're serious about each other. You got married. And as she's saying that your issues, your behavioral issues have pushed her away.

What you need to do is first go to God like you've never gone to God before, sir. Pray like you've never prayed. If you've never fast, even skip a few meals and say, God, I'm putting this aside to cry out to you for help. And then if you are not getting serious counseling from a Christian leader or a counselor to help get to the root of your issues and help you find complete repentance and complete freedom from these so that they never raise their head again. I'd strongly recommend that you do that.

And what I would do is I would humble myself. Before my wife, no matter what buttons get pushed, I would not respond. I would say I fully understand, and here's what I'll also do. I'd I'd write from the heart the very best letter I knew how to write. I'd bring it with me and I'd ask if I could read it.

Otherwise, I would give it to her. And I would take full responsibility. I would say, I fully understand why you're divorcing me. I fully understand why you don't want to be with me anymore. But I believe God brought us together.

We did get married in His sight. and I'm committed to doing whatever it takes. to be the man you need me to be. Because remember the calling as husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. If you'll truly do that from your heart, I believe God can intervene, we all know that, I believe that there's an excellent possibility he will intervene.

Obviously, we can't control your wife's behavior. And in my view, that even if you were verbally abusive, that's not grounds for a divorce. But right now, we have to leave her to God. I would appeal to We got married in the sight of God. We made a commitment in the sight of God.

I know I failed you, but I'm committed. To be the man you want me to be. And ask God. to give you the words.

so that when you communicate to her, she knows it's real. that that and that's why you may wa really want to pray and get something to her in writing and say, please read this. It's from the heart. It's how I feel. the reason that I want to keep our marriage together.

is because I love you. and because I care about you. And I And I believe I can be the husband. You need me to be pray, sir, for the right words and that. Through those words, that her heart will be softened.

and pray for her, God, soften her heart.

Soften her heart towards me and cry out to God like you never have, Lord, save our marriage. Save our marriage. It's sacred in God's sight. God hates divorce, and no-fault divorce is a terribly destructive thing in our land today. No-fault divorce in the church has done more to undermine marriage than all gay activists combined, in my opinion.

So I stand with you in standing against this. Let's pray for divine intervention. And then you put all the focus on you. Whatever happens in counseling, if she rejects you, pushes you away, if she falsely accuses you. Don't respond the way you've responded in the past in the flesh.

And if you humble yourself, God gives grace to the humble. And, sir, You too. can have a wonderful marriage. The two of you can be blessed. I know families where there was multiple adultery committed.

You think there's no way this marriage will go on. And it's gone on and been stronger in the years ahead. than it ever was in the years before. And most of all, God wants you, Robert, to be like Jesus. and he'll give you the grace to overcome.

I used to have a horrific temper. And I was terribly verbally abusive with friends when I'd lose my temper before I was a believer. And and if you you talk to my family now, You talk to my kids and grandkids, you talk to Nancy, what they'll tell you is, I'm very patient. and and loving and not easily provoked and caring and gracious, it's a testimony to the life-changing grace and power of God.

So may God's grace be yours to help you, sir, in the days ahead. Hey friends, remember, we are your voice of moral, cultural, spiritual revolution. Take advantage of our many resources on the website, ask. drbrown.org. Let's stand together and make a difference.

You've got questions? We've got answers. Let's do it. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution.

Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and president of Fire School of Ministry. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH. That's 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

You know, different days of the week require different preparation for radio.

Sometimes we'll have a stack of news items we want to get to.

Sometimes there's a major subject. I want to focus on just one subject.

Sometimes we've got special guests, and we're going to prepare for our interviews with those guests.

Sometimes we come in like Friday. I've got a stack of emails, and I look through those and decide which would be best for radio. But then we open the phone lines for your questions, whatever they might be.

So, Friday requires the least. Preparation for the day, but it requires the most life preparation because your questions we want to have good, solid answers for.

So here we go. Michael Brown, welcome to the broadcast: 866-348-787. 884 is the number to call. Any question of any kind in any area of expertise I have, by all means, give me a call. If you have a difference with me on something and you want to probe that difference, you believe I'm wrong on something and want to set me right.

Phone lines are open. 866-34 Truth. We will start in Quinton, Virginia. Terry, welcome to the line of fire. Thank you, sir.

I have a question. It's it's about When you were talking to the gentleman earlier, Nicholas, about Genesis eighteen and the two angels and the and died there. Uh I guess it was um My question is, did Jesus Christ Come to the earth before he was born. Color. The father Um, no man will ever see him because spirit and uh the sun comes to the earth, I guess, to, um He spoke with Adam.

makes the Father known. For example, John 1.18, no one has seen God At any time, the one and only Son is in the bosom of the Father. He has made him known. It would be technically incorrect. to say Jesus Christ Before Before his incarnation, because the incarnation is when the Son of God.

takes on human flesh and is born through Miriam's womb, Mary's womb, and is given the name Jesus and is called the Messiah. But if we ask the question, has the Son of God come to earth before The incarnation. Oh, yeah, absolutely. In other words, has the Son of God come to earth before He came to earth in the person of Jesus? Absolutely.

I believe the caller was Damien, his son was Nicholas. I think that's what you're referring to. But Genesis 18 is a clear example of a theophany, a divine appearance. God Coming to earth, and you inform who comes to earth? The Son, because the Father remains hidden in his glory.

We even have John 12 telling us this explicitly. John 12 brings together Isaiah 6. where the prophet sees the Lord high and lifted up. Isaiah 53, the suffering Messiah. And it says that Isaiah spoke this of the suffering Messiah when he saw his glory.

In Isaiah 6.

So when Isaiah sees the Lord high and lifted up in Isaiah 6 and his train fills the temple, who is he seeing? He's seeing the Son of God there. In Exodus 24, where it says that Moses and Aaron and Nadav and Avihu and the 70 elders saw the God of Israel and they ate and drank and lived. He didn't strike them. Then the question is, who are we referring to there?

Obviously, to the Son of God, because no one has seen the Father. And although the Spirit can be manifest in a cloud or something like that, our general understanding is the Spirit is doing his work invisibly. And you can look at it like the physical sun. The core of the sun is too bright. We can't actually see that.

We see the rays. or the light that shines forth from it, and then the rays of the sun working invisibly on the earth. That's a physical picture of Father, Son, Spirit in that regard. The Father hidden in his glory, the Son revealing him, the Spirit working invisibly among us. Ain't the world It's fire we want, for fire we Please excel the fire.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUT. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Welcome to the Line of Fire, 866-348-732. Eight, eight, four. You've got questions? We've got... Answers.

If you only tune in on Fridays, Thursday is our thoroughly Jewish Thursday broadcast. We focus on Jewish-related issues. We had some fascinating calls yesterday, one from an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, another from a woman who converted from Christianity to Judaism. Had some extended discussions. You can listen to them.

Go to thelineoffire.org. Just click on listen. And you can also subscribe to our podcast when you go there. Uh Wednesday. Tuesday, well, going backwards through the week, let's say Monday, we're often catching up with what's happened around the world, key news that's taken place, but often special guests, and we'll weigh in on things.

And Tuesday, often have a theological bent, Wednesday, often a worldview bent. But every day, different. And Friday, you've got questions. We've got answers. 866-348-7884.

Let's go to Fort Myers, Florida. Welcome to the line of fire. Jason, thanks for calling us. Hey, how are you? Michael.

I helped lead the Rashidure Christi Apologetics chapter on campus. And next week, I will be presenting on Jehovah's Witnesses. And last week, actually, we had Lynn Wilder present for us on Mormonism. I know you know her. Yeah.

So yeah, it went really well. We had a big turnout. And so I'm going to be presenting on Jehovah's Witnesses. And I just wanted your advice on what's the key to witnessing to a Jehovah's Witness and maybe a key passage you would point me to. Sure thing.

Well, a good resource for the major errors. of Jehovah's Witnesses is carm.org C-A-R-M It's a great apologetics website. and they will systematically break down the major errors of Jehovah's Witness teaching. the history of the movement. and the clear refutation to false doctrines among Jehovah's Witnesses.

So that's a great resource. I'd go through that and make sure I understand that. That's one thing. The second thing is the approach I would use with a Jehovah's Witness is to ask them to share their testimony. Because basically they don't have one.

they do not have a testimony of being wonderfully born again. of passing from death to life, of coming to that point of knowing that they know that they know. That their sins are forgiven. They. They don't have that assurance.

They are working hard with the hope of being faithful workers in a millennial kingdom and somehow earning salvation in conjunction with the cross, but they do not have the assurance of being born again salvation.

So I would often ask, hey, share your testimony. Tell me about how you became a Jehovah's Witness, and tell me about your relationship with God. and then say, hey, can I share mine with you? And that's where you want to talk about what it means to be a child of God, what it means to have your sins forgiven, what it means to be born again, what it means to be loved by God. What it means to be in fellowship with God, all the things that they don't relate to or experience.

Their faith is a real legalistic faith. It's also fear-based. There's also pressure to be out on the streets a certain amount of time through the organization. You know, this is a major emphasis as well. And I would be practical.

In that regard.

Now, if they're coming normally in twos to speak with someone. I would also say that So first point, go to a website like carm.org and get a lot of the basic information. Make sure that's clear to you. Secondly, on a practical level, ask them to share how they became Jehovah's Witnesses, tell you about their relationship with God, and then you share from your heart about how you came to know the Lord. And you don't want to give all the proofs of why you believe God is the Creator, why you believe the Bible is infallible.

That's not the issue with them. The issue is they're not truly children of God.

So you want to share your testimony, share what it means to have fellowship with God and know your sins are forgiven and be loved by God. And then. Then uh If they're going to have two people, unless you really know the issues well, they don't know the whole Bible well, but most of them are trained to know several key points and verses well, and that's what they're going to major on.

So, if you're not really strong in versed, then you want to sit with someone else that's solid in the word. or knows how to answer Jehovah's Witnesses, so that you have a more equal situation. That's always recommended. Many times they'll intimidate someone because they're schooled in a few passages and your average Christian is somewhat ignorant of those. And there are many possible things to major on.

Obviously, they deny the deity of Jesus. And they would they would translate John 1 1. Not that the word was God, but the word was a God. I would then ask them the question, well, how many gods do you have? I thought there was only one God.

Are you telling me that Jesus was also a God? Do you worship multiple gods? I mean, I might press that point with them. But on a practical level, I'm not going to get into a big battle with them about is hell eternal or is hell annihilation because that's not as life and death an issue as the other issues are. And I might just go to a passage like 1 John.

It's really easy to go on a million tangents and they'll get you barking up one tree and another and another and another. But I I might just go. to uh first John. and and start reading from the fifth chapter. And you get to verse 13: I write these things to you who believe.

in the name of the Son of God. That you may know that you have eternal life. And you can look this person in the eye, Jason, and you can say, I know. that I have eternal life because of what Jesus did. Do you know that you have eternal life?

And the standard answer will be no, that was only for the 144,000. for this mythical 144,000 chosen ones, and that was basically in New Testament times and a few people here and there afterwards. But no, they're just faithful workers. They can't know that and say, well, no, this is in the Bible. Doesn't say it's written to 144,000, doesn't give any hint of that.

This is everyone reading this. And who is it addressed to? Whoever believes in the sun, whoever has the sun. And I would press that and say, you are supposed to know that you have eternal life.

So any of those verses that speak of assurance, they're going to have to create this whole bogus thing that it was just for this 144,000. And by the way, I never verified this, but a former Jehovah's Witness told me. that the origin of the 144,000 doctrine came at a Jehovah's Witness meeting. I believe Judge Rutherford was the leader then.

So this is in the early days of JWs. Again, as a former Jehovah's Witness told me, and I never got it verified. But that he said, How many of you have the assurance of eternal life? Assuming that They all would say they did. and only a tiny handful said they did.

And it was out of that that they developed this doctrine that it was only a handful that are of the 144,000 have assurance of eternal life, that everybody else is just some faithful worker trying to prove themselves worthy and make it into the millennial kingdom.

So it's a really hopeless. uh religion uh in that regard as well. And last practical point: stay on focus. Don't go from here to there to there. Just stay on a point.

And stay there until you get resolution on it. And then pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal their bankruptcy so that they would come to know true faith in Jesus and have their lives changed. Thanks, Bob. You are very, very welcome. May the Lord be with you as you give your presentation.

866-566666666666 3-4-Truth. Hey, friends.

Next week.

Next week, check out my itinerary at sdrbrown.org.

Next week on Wednesday, so five days from now. The 26th of April. Yeah, I'm scheduled to speak at a community college in Hickory, North Carolina. And there was a presentation given about homosexuality is innate and immutable. You know, homosexuality is inborn and unchangeable.

And I'm going to be giving a presentation. I'm amazed that the door is open for it. I'm pleased that it hasn't been shut down. It's going to be a noon presentation when students are not in school. They feel it's the best time to do it.

And I'm going to lay out that homosexuality is not innate and immutable. I'm going to lay out scientifically and practically why we say that. We recognize that homosexual desires are often very, very deep. And trace back to the person's earliest consciousness about sexual and romantic attraction. We understand that.

We're not saying that someone just wakes up one day and says, you know, I think I'm going to be gay. No, I think I'm going to be straight.

Now, they may choose to act on certain things, but it's not like they just wake up and just make the choice. uh salad for lunch today. No, you know what? Instead I I'm going to skip lunch or you know what, I'm going to wear this coat. No, I'm not no, it's not no one's thinking that that's how it is with sexual attraction or romantic attraction or sexual desire.

These things can be very, very deep seated. And it's not to say that you just snap your fingers and change. But it is to say there is no scientific evidence. Reputable scientific evidence that homosexuality is innate or immutable, so inborn and unchangeable.

So, we'll give that presentation, God willing, next week and hopefully give you a report soon after it happens. Maybe even get some audio or video footage that we can post as well. We come back straight to your calls. Shake me. It's time to change the world.

Change the world. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Welcome, welcome to the line of fire. You've got questions, we've got answers, 866. 348-7884, that's 8663. for truth we go right back to the phones in seagrove north carolina todd welcome to the line of fire Thank you, Dr. Brown.

My question is coming from first Samuel chapter 20. It's a conversation between a King Saul and Jonathan. And King Saul says something which has always kind of perplexed me. I'm coming at it from the King James Burgham. He says that They're a sentence with the Oh.

don't I know that you have chosen David to your confusion and to the confusion of your mother's nakedness? And I'll just I figure that's a Hebrew idiom of some sort, but I just wanted to get a sort of a clearance about that with you. Yeah, of course. This is one of the verses that gay activists will use to say. That yeah, this is, you know, this is um...

Uh Saul recognizing that David and Jonathan are in a homosexual relationship. And the specific verse you're talking about in 1 Samuel chapter 20. Yes. Okay. And what I want to do is I just want to grab the verse in front of me in multiple versions.

Um yeah, let's just go down here. Right.

And uh Saul is furious. Here we go.

So verse 30, then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, So ESV, you son of a perverse, rebellious woman, Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? Of course, that's a literal reading of the Hebrew. The HCSB says, To your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother. And that's what the Hebrew idiom is, your mother's nakedness, meaning you're disgracing your mother. The NLT, which is a mild paraphrase, says, you stupid son of a whore.

He swore to him, do you think I don't know you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother?

So, number one, shaming your mother's nakedness is simply saying, ultimately shaming her. It's the absolute shame to him. And it's not that Jonathan was in love with David, okay? That's not the accusation, but rather that Jonathan thought that David should really be the heir to the throne. And this was shaming him and shaming the mother that bore him.

And it's just in very, very strong and graphic language. And. Let's just do a little test here. I keep on my desk the NIV Cultural Background Bible. And every so often there's a verse, and we'll look it up to see how that's explained.

Not all of them get explained. And this verse, 1 Samuel chapter 20, verse 30. Does not. have an explanation here just just checking to see if we did a little little test sometimes it will sometimes it won't um but yeah when when you read the whole account they they are deeply in love as brothers We know, of course, that Jonathan is married with children. We know that David gets in trouble because of his heterosexual lusts.

We know he falls into sin.

Well, he has multiple wives, and then he falls into sin because of Bathsheba, lusting after her, which is not something that a gay guy does, is get in trouble because of heterosexual lust. In 2 Samuel 1, he says, to Jonathan, your love was greater than the love of women. But there's nothing sexual in it. There's not a sexual word that's used in terms of their relationship. Rather, they had a wonderful, close, covenantal friendship and a loyalty that was greater than anything David experienced with any of his wives, and hence his mourning for Jonathan.

But. It was Jonathan's allegiance to David, which was shameful to the kingdom, as if David should be the heir. And notice also that Saul's anger, he lashes out. and his wife. He lashes out at Jonathan's mother, right?

Right.

And that's the way of lashing out at him.

So again, it's not that suddenly he's insulting the mother as much as saying you are one messed up kid, coming from a messed up lineage and shaming everybody with your behavior. And that's what the idiom would mean.

Well, I'd say, because I know I'd heard the the same deal that you heard several years ago about trying to make a case for that being a kind of a homosexual relationship between David and Jonathan. I just knew that wasn't right.

So forth, but I just wanted to get your clear statement about it, so I appreciate that. And here's the other thing: you have to remember that ancient Israelite culture. Very strongly condemned homosexual practice. There's no ambiguity about that.

So, the idea that the biblical writers would be celebrating a gay relationship. You know, it's not going to happen. That's one thing. The other thing is that there are idioms like a woman's skirt being pulled up. Again, the ultimate picture of humiliation and exposure and hence shame.

And these are just very, very graphic ways. Of expressing it.

So I could understand why a gay activist would read it a certain way, but in the context of the whole scripture and the context of David's relationship with Jonathan, of course, that's impossible. Hey, good question. I appreciate it. 866-34Truth. Todd always has good questions when he calls in.

All right.

Let's see. Do I have time? Yeah, let's let's go to San Francisco. Patrick, welcome to the line of fire. Hello.

Hello? Yes, but I have a question about Genesis twelve, three. And when it speaks of those that would curse Israel, is it referring to derogatory language or accusation or perhaps even treatment? Versus um That they hope to invoke some sort of supernatural effect. Uh upon Israel.

Yeah, the the Uh The Hebrew word that's used for curse there does not specifically mean to execrate meaning to pronounce a curse on someone. It certainly could include that. like Balaam trying to curse Israel and God tells Balaam in Numbers 22, don't try to curse them because they're blessed. And of course, Balaam ends up siding with Balak and ends up dying for it. But it is.

all inclusive as I understand it, those that mistreat the descendants of Abraham. Willfully and in an ugly way. Those that treat them in a disparaging way. those that literally seek to curse them. God Himself will curse and judge.

And we see countries that have tremendously mistreated Israel over the years. Babylon and Assyria, they they are no more. God judged them. and we we see the the the terrible consequences for Germany. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, I mean, so many German casualties, and then the dividing of the nation for many years into East and West, and a lot of pain and suffering for the nation.

That would be the kind of thing that we would ultimately expect for those that try to destroy Israel. But no, the Hebrew does not. explicitly require Just trying to pronounce a curse on. It's included, but the Hebrew would be broader than that, as I understand it. Hey, thank you, Patrick, for the call.

And I do believe. That still applies, as you could see from my answer about the Holocaust. I believe that still applies to this day. And it doesn't mean that Israel is guiltless. It does mean that there is a calling and purpose on Israel.

And those that will seek to bless them will be blessed by God. And whether there's a need for justice for Palestinians or others, we stand for justice, period. But to the extent we can bless Israel, bless the Jewish people, I believe there is divine blessing with it. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown.

Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. You know, this really is cool.

Doing live radio really is special, really is neat. I've done preaching, teaching on radio. I do preaching teaching on TV. And those shows air and they have their place. And some of the greatest shows on radio and TV are pre-recorded.

I'm talking about Christian shows, ministry shows. But live radio, it's cool. I mean, here I am sitting in my studio, and you're driving in your car. or you're sitting in your home with a computer on or wherever and you're listening live and you pick up the phone and call me to have a conversation. And I've done this around the world.

I've done this at odd hours of the night, early in the morning, so we could be live overseas with our portable radio unit. And as long as we get the right hookups and we can do it from anywhere in the world, and I found it so cool. I remember I was broadcasting live from Jerusalem. And a caller called from Jerusalem. But The radio show was being linked back to the United States and different satellite connections there.

And then the call went back to the United States and back, but we were talking as if we were sitting next to each other. We were in the same city. All right.

Well, here we go. You've got questions. We've got answers. Michael Brown, delighted to be with you on this Friday broadcast, 866-348-668. Seven 884 is the number to call, and I am going straight to the phone starting in Tawington, Connecticut.

Steve, welcome to the line of fire. Hey, Doctor Brown. Thank you for taking my call. Um I'm searching for a tone on dealing with error, whether it's doctrinal or behavioral. And I I saw a message recently titled something like meeting error with condemnation.

Not conversation. And that gave me some some pause to think, you know, the points of that message. I'm trying to figure out when dealing both with The lost and the saved. When you meet their doctrinal or behavioral error, like for instance with the saved, and say this is wrong enough to the point where there's going to have to be action, there's going to have to be separation. And when you meet it with a more conversational approach And let it go.

And the same with the lost. When you say, you know, let's have a conversation, let's let's be together. or when you say what you're doing is condemnatory, And it's against God, and and so on.

So I'm really looking for a tone and a time to know. when you have one Or or when you have condemnation, when you have conversation, when you have both. Got it. A lot of it has to do with the level of culpability level of knowledge, level of willfulness. level of understanding.

Everything we do, we want to do with love. Everything we do we want to do with kindness. Even if we're rebuking, we want our rebuke to be based in love. If we're rebuking, we want our rebuke to demonstrate that we care about that person and that's why we're rebuking as opposed to we're just angry or we're self-righteous.

So in that respect, even when we give warnings, they should be with tears. But Paul says in 1 Timothy 1 that he received mercy despite what he did. because he acted ignorantly and in unbelief.

Now God did apprehend him strongly. but he received mercy. A lot of people are blind. They're lost and blind and utterly clueless. They have.

No idea that things that they're doing are morally wrong in the sight of a holy God.

Some don't even believe that God exists. And some of them have so hardened their hearts or are so distant from God that it's just normal lifestyle for them. They think they're not as bad as someone else.

So that's where we have to start. How culpable is that person? Too much is given, much is required. And how much interaction have we had with them? How much right do we have to speak in their life?

It's one thing talking to a total stranger. I might need to befriend that person first and really get involved in their lives before I can talk more deeply. That's another subject talking to my own blood brother or sister over a period of years. Stay right there. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks so much for joining us on the line of fire.

You've got questions, we've got answers 866-348. 7884 is the number to call.

So, Steve in Connecticut, just back to the question of condemnation versus conversation. Even with a brother or sister who's fallen into sin, Galatians 6:1. says this, brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, You who are spiritual, Should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. keeping watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. We don't want to come across as self-righteous.

We don't want to come across as the morally superior police. And in that sense, condemning others. We want to say, hey. You need help. Hey, you're in sin.

Hey, you need to turn from this sin. I want to help you. If the person is at a point of hardening their heart, If the person's at a point of rejecting the loving outreach, then often it's time for strong rebuke. I remember Many years ago, this has happened many times, but many years ago.

Some friends asked us to speak to Another man. Uh they asked me if I would speak to him. He was a good friend of theirs and after many years of marriage he was divorcing his wife.

So I got on the phone. He professed to be a follower of Jesus. He said his wife was a follower of Jesus. She didn't want the divorce. He did.

And I said to him, who's the other woman? He said, there is no other woman. I said, you are divorcing your wife because there's another woman. He said, there is no other woman. I said, listen, you're not playing games here.

Something's going on. You're divorcing your wife so you could marry another woman.

Well, I mean, I'm friendly with another woman, but I'm not planning to marry her. I said, is it worth going to hell for? He said what? I said, is it worth going to hell for? Having sex with this other woman, is it worth going to hell for?

At that point he had hardened his heart. At that point, he had rejected loving counsel, the loving counsel of his friends and probably the pastor in his church. He was dead set on leaving his wife so ultimately he could marry another woman or have sex with another woman and call it legal. And I felt it was time to warn him. But you have to cross certain lines for that to happen.

If it's with a total stranger, It would be very rare that there would be a warning that strong unless God had been preparing them. I remember flying one time and the guy next to me was having a lot of drinks and we were talking and he talked to me that he was, you know, he was raised in the faith and so on and he was away from God, but he really wants God. And I said, I feel this verse is for you. Colossians chapter 4 which is tell archippus. to complete the work that he started.

And I said, I feel this verse is for you. And he looked at me stunned. He goes, That's my name, Archie, short for Archifis.

Well, that's a pretty strong word from the Lord right then, but God knew how to reach him.

So I always want to start with compassion. With empathy, was trying to meet the person where they are. but depending on their culpability depending on the degree of hardness, sometimes we need to warn.

Sometimes we step away because it's it's seed falling on infertile soil or on hard ground, and we need to just back away and pray. Other times we need to warn there's a sense of urgency.

So if we walk in love and really care about others and are prayerful, I believe we'll have the right sense of when to speak the right way. Um Well Let me get a little bit more specific if I can have the time. Yeah, go ahead. What about um doctrinal movement? not outside of orthodoxy.

little old orthodoxy, the deity of Christ and substitutionary atonement and so on. But if someone, say, in your assembly that you attended. Which I assume probably most of the people there believed certain things. Decided that they were going to move in a direction. Maybe it was Calvinism, maybe it was.

Um you know, cessationism Maybe it was just different things like that. And you saw them moving, and you thought. You know, I think that's wrong. doctrinally. They're not they're not looking like they're gonna leave orthodoxy.

But I I'm concerned that they're going doctrinally a way. what do you and then you went to them and you said, look, um, I don't think you're right about, you know, cessationism or I don't think you're right about how you're bi you know, No, this is the same thing. If it's within the faith. If it's differences within the faith, let's remember that the person is a cessationist. would think I'm in error because I'm charismatic.

or the person who's a Calvinist would think I'm in error because I'm an Armenian. I would simply appeal to that person to reconsider as a brother, as a sister, to reconsider what they believe. I'm not going to, if I saw... that they were heading in a wrong direction. In other words, that the steps they were taking were steps they were taking because they were falling away from God and this was part of the path.

They were getting into a hyper-intellectualism and no longer relating to God in a relational way and were on some dangerous path. That would concern me more. And if I knew them well enough and saw that, I'd say, I'd say, prayer, look at this, really. You're leaving your first love, man. Can you see it?

Where's that passion? Hey, can we spend some time praying together? Can we go out witnessing together? And see how they respond. But even then, it's not condemnation.

There'd be condemnation unless they actually. Departed from the Lord, it would just be warning. But for the most part, within the body, you share why you have concerns, you lay that out, unless it's part of a larger issue. Of turning away from the truth and turning away from the faith, I would not give a warning as much as I'd say, hey, would you consider the other side? Have you read this?

Have you looked at this? And then always try to point them back to intimacy with God. Hey, can we pray together? Why don't we pray together and share the gospel with some folks and see if you can rekindle some of the spark? Because that's ultimately the biggest issue, I believe.

Hey, thank you for the call. I appreciate it. 866-348-787. We go to Charlotte, North Carolina. Jason, welcome to the line of fire.

Say Thanks, Dr. Brown. Appreciate your show. Thank you. Um Question has got to do with Jesus once he was on the cross.

I felt like I asked the Lord from my heart, you know, to explain to me, um, you know, when he said, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? I was younger in my Christian block. Because I was like, Lord, why did you ask that question? Didn't you know why you came to Earth?

So I really felt like he said the answers in the question. And then I felt how, um, you know, the scripture says that You know, he that knew no sin became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God.

So I had peace about that. It showed the degree that he actually was forsaken that he actually said, Where are you? And that it kind of showed the. that God did have to turn his back on him.

So You know, I felt peace about that. And then I also started looking at scripture, you know, where Jesus was wondering where did Jesus go for three days after he was on the cross? Because. you know, and that's leads up to my question is uh um The specific question is to what degree did Jesus pay the full price for our sin? And what I mean by that is, you know, he said that as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth And then Psalms.

1610 says that Um, that God would not allow his holy one to stay in hell or his body to see decay.

So being that Jesus took on the full price, had to pay. You know, he had to be the murderer, the rapist, the thief, everything on the cross. And, you know, he didn't have to prove that he was Lord of Lord, but he did it for our sake. That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, not in the future, but in this life, because he was the innocent one that died for that. But from my perspective, he also had to pay the full price as if he did it.

So, did he, right? Did he suffer? Did he suffer in hell? Right.

Yes, that's a good question. Right.

So number one, number one, if you want to say he paid the full price the way a human being did, would he have suffered forever? in hell.

So obviously he did not literally suffer in hell. for all eternity. Obviously he did not literally take all of our physical sicknesses on himself, all of our diseases and all of our sins, so that that he died multiplied billions of deaths. but he absolutely fully paid for our sins. die on the cross.

He did not suffer in hell. For our sins. Hell in Psalm 16 is just Hades, the place of the dead. And the emphasis there is that his body would not stay there. The pangs of death could not hold him.

But remember what he says on the cross: it is finished. It is finished. He did everything that needed to be done because he was the perfect Son of God. And because the wages of sin is death, He took that penalty. Hell is the consequence in terms of that's what ends up happening to us.

The penalty of sin. death paid for on the cross. Jesus then descends into the netherworld, 1 Peter 3, and declares his victory over the fallen spirits of previous ages. I believe he ascends to heaven spiritually. This is all during this time of three days and three nights while his body lays in the earth, so to say, when his body is buried.

But no, I do not believe that he suffered in hell. He descended to hell victoriously. He suffered on the cross. Give us strict to always do what's right. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. So on the cross, the guilt... of the entire human race, the sin.

that the entire human race has put on the perfect Son of God and he dies for us. Isaiah 53 makes it very plain, he takes our place on the cross. His body, his life, becomes a sacrifice of atonement. And with that, our sins are paid for. It is the blood of God.

of Jesus that cleanses us from sin. And then he descends into the netherworld, declares his victory. Preaches, 1 Peter 3 says, doesn't say preaches the gospel, makes declaration. to the spirits in prison, the angelic spirits and those that had fallen in the past. I am he.

It is over.

So to say, this is what is declared. Victory sealed forever the fate of the lost in the dark, fallen ones sealed for ever And then I believe he ascends spiritually to the Spiritual realm. to the heavenly place and then ultimately is physically resurrected. We could debate some of the timing of that. But no, I don't believe that Jesus physically suffered.

inhale or spiritually suffered. in hell.

What hell he endured, he endured on the cross. 866-34-TRUTH. Let's go to Hannah in Littletown, Pennsylvania. Thanks for calling the line of fire. Thanks so much, Dr.

Brown. I appreciate having me. And my husband and I are often mentored by your program. And even my six-year-old enjoys listening to you. Awesome.

Your six-year-old boy or girl? Boy, his name is Silas. Yep. Silas? All right.

Hey, shout out, Silas, man. Thanks for being a regular listener. And see if you can repeat it. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. That's me.

Hey, thanks for listening, buddy. Yes. Yes, absolutely. My question for you today, sir, has to do about divorce. We have.

Some friends of ours, and my husband's really good friends with the husband. I'm really good friends with the wife. He's been struggling with a porn addiction and really has been going to the church and asking for accountability and really desiring to break free from that. Um but his wife uh has been Feeling justified, I feel like this is kind of the reason that she, you know, kind of the reason she's holding, she's been kind of really disinseen herself a lot. Um so I really kind of gently Tried to speak to her and was like, Hey, I really think you need to fight for your marriage and I really think this is what would be best honoring to God and best for your family.

And she said, Well, he's been committing adultery against me a thousand times over, so this gives me reason. And in kind of my understanding, that actually is not true. Um that you know he's not actually having the physical act, just like if you hate someone, you're not actually being you know physically tried for murder. Um but I just wanted to have your advice and clarification on that so I can um respond to her accurately from a biblical biblical perspective. First, your stance is the exact right stance in in urging her to to work to save her marriage.

And as much as she feels sinned against by her husband, And again, I can't imagine what it would feel like for that to be happening to me, right? If my wife had a porn issue or something like that, it's hard to relate to something like this, but in reality, it has nothing to do with her. In other words, He's got an issue with the flesh. And it's got nothing to do with her. It doesn't matter who he's married to.

It's a fleshly thing, and he's sinning against her for sure. But it's a whole different animal to have an adulterous affair. It's a completely different animal to have an adulterous affair. There is an emotional attachment. There are other things going on.

There is a conscious joining physically together with someone else.

So the two become one. through the sexual act. He has not had a sexual act with another woman, and therefore the two have not become one. And if you want to say, well, just lusting your heart is grounds for adultery, then probably every married woman on the planet. has grounds uh excuse me grounds for divorce than probably every married woman on the planet.

has grounds for divorce because their husband probably at one time or another Has entertained lustful thoughts about another woman. It's probably happened somewhere along the line. And if that was the case, then every woman could just say, I could get a divorce. No, it is not grounds. It is the physical union together that breaks that covenant.

So here you have the commitment before the Lord and the physical union together, the two become one.

Now, if that person is joined, say, with a prostitute. or if that person is joined with another man's wife, That man has now joined himself with someone else, and there is a fundamental breaking of that covenant, hence the grounds for divorce. But here's where you have to be really careful. Um I was involved in a situation years ago where a couple that I had married was. Getting divorced, the wife was leaving the husband.

And from what I understand now, There were multiple adulteries for years. There were a lot of things going on, and she did have grounds for divorce. I didn't know it then. I simply urged them to get counsel and so on and I I didn't want to see the marriage fall apart. I was very close with the mom and dad on both sides and I I pushed really hard, just slow down, slow down, and I ended up alienating people that I loved.

So, you have to really have wisdom as to how far you can go. If she's not listening, then you and your husband really pray for her. God softened her heart, and for the husband, that he'll really get low, that he'll really do what he can to save the marriage. But it's such an emotional thing. Hannah, it's so difficult.

You care about people. You don't want to see the marriage torn apart. You realize the pain she's experiencing because of her husband's sin. And it's very real, so I think she needs to know how deeply you care about her. And and then Really pray for her.

If she's not hearing you, really pray and just say, Are you open? Are you open to hearing this from another level? Yes, he's sinned against her. Yes, he's betrayed her. Yes, it's ugly.

But can Jesus forgive that? Can she forgive that? How has God forgiven her? What about sin of a different kind in her own life? Has God forgiven her?

See if you can reach her on those lines. And if it really gets testy, If it really gets difficult. You have to step back and pray because sometimes it drives the person even further away. And of course, there's great hope for redemption. Of course, change can come.

Of course, there are many couples who've worked through these things. But whatever you can get her to do to slow down. to convince her that scripturally there has to be the physical act. And sure, in 1 Corinthians 6, it's the one that joins himself physically with another, that the two become one. That's what Paul says, whether you're going to take the members of Christ and join them to a prostitute.

The thought life is wrong, the thought life is sinful, and he's You know, whatever he's doing with pornography is disgraceful, but it's so pervasive. It's so available. and it's such a stronghold that we need to come with great mercy. in the midst of this. And so your approach is right.

I know this is another question which I probably don't have time for, but do you feel like the the actual adultery is justification for divorce? Like the physical act of adultery. I I jupin it Part of her frustration, yeah. But still the goal is reconciliation. In other words, I would always urge a couple to do their best to work through.

We know folks that have had adultery in the relationship and they've had a wonderful marriage afterwards.

So I do believe Matthew 5 and Matthew 19, I do believe that adultery is grounds for divorce, but we shouldn't look for grounds for divorce. We should look for ways to reconcile. And then the question of remarriage is a whole other question. Ways to reconcile. What if your friend could not marry if she divorced?

She couldn't marry if her husband was alive. Would she be so quick to divorce?

So may God give grace and wisdom. Hey friends, be sure to go to my website, askdrbrown.org. Sign up for my emails. We've got a free e-book for you.