Dr. Brown Answers Your Questions Lives from Escondido, CA

Hey friends, I'm coming your way live from Escondido, California. 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.

Welcome, welcome friends to the line of fire. This is Michael Brown. coming away with joy from old Maybe an hour or so outside of San Diego, maybe a little less than that, Escondido, California, for a special conference. I was in El Paso yesterday. I spoke there yesterday and then flew out to California afterwards and just spoke this morning.

In fact, in this conference, I was asked to speak first on gay Christianity and to present the arguments for it.

So I told everyone in advance: just want to warn you: everything I say from here on in, I don't agree with. And when I close at the end, it'll be back to me.

So I presented it as passionately and clearly as I could. I doubt that if there was a quote-gay Christian there in attendance. or an ally, I doubt that they would have said, I don't understand the issues, and they didn't present them with passion. And then tomorrow, I refute all of the points.

So we were hoping if folks walked in a little late that they wouldn't get confused. All right, it's Friday, which means you've got questions. We've got answers. any question of any kind as long as it's appropriate for public Christian radio. My ears are open, the phone lines are open, and I want to get your calls.

866-348-7884.

Something very interesting. We have known for some time that. Colleges, universities in America, secular colleges, universities have been getting increasingly liberal. And you'll see it in terms of donations, where professors donate, or where schools stand on issues, or who they have in for commencement addresses, or the content of classes. And this has been documented many times over.

From many different angles. A few months back, I had Professor Joe Jancy on with me, who, in an academic way with a colleague, has documented this on campuses after massive study. But Washington Times had an article yesterday, headline said liberal professors outnumber conservatives nearly 12 to 1. Study finds. Twelve.

to one A new study confirms what even the most casual observer of higher education has long known, that conservative professors are vastly outnumbered by liberal ones, but it also shows that the problem is getting worse. And in some fields, it's as high as. a thirty three to one, re remarkably.

So i what makes this all the more ironic is the fact that uh many of the universities, top universities in America, were founded as Christian schools. And we're found that By godly leaders, and the presidents of those schools were ministers. This went on for more than a century, two centuries in some cases.

So it's ironic to see how liberal and, in certain ways, how anti-God, anti-faith many of these universities are. And to me, it means there are two things that we need to do as we want to continue to. Make an impact for the gospel in every aspect of society. One is we need to continue to raise up. fine Christian colleges and universities.

that will be academically sound, intellectually Uh full of integrity. And with that, based on biblical worldview and biblical truth, as the ultimate. place to start in terms of intellectual integrity and academic excellence. And we also need godly professors to invade the universities and for secular universities and to have a presence there. Aren't there people to be influenced there?

Aren't there believers that need encouragement? Aren't there sinners that need salvation? Aren't there those who need their own views challenged?

So, it's a big issue. By God's grace, we'll address it. All right, we'll be right back with your calls: 866-348-7884. Oh God of burning, cleansing flames. Send the fire.

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. I have been speaking a lot, but I haven't been shouting or...

Anything like that. My voice sounds a little hoarse, but all should be well. 866. 348-7884. You've got questions, we've got answers, anything.

You want to talk to me about any clarification you need, any issue that comes up that we could be of help? Love to take your calls. Going to answer some emails as well. We'll start with our friend Isaac in Hollywood, Florida. Thanks for calling the line of fire today.

Hey, Dr. Brown, thanks for taking my call, and great to speak with you again. Thank you. This past week, I was in my local conservative shoal for Rosh Hashanah. in which uh Rabbi Michael Gold whom you debated with.

Yes, what a nice guy. Yes, uh-huh. He gave a sermon and mentioned That contrary to religions such as Christianity. Judaism focuses on this world and sees all the action taking place here, whereas Christians love to dwell on the topic of heaven and how they would rather be there than here on earth. This is a beautiful concept, and is this also prevalent in your view and in Messianic Judaism?

Well, first it's it's an overstatement on his part. The Mishnah states that this world is a vestibule to the world to come.

So while it is true that Judaism puts more emphasis on on this age. Uh the fact of the matter is There is the recognition that this age is the preparation for the age to come. That's the first thing. The second thing is that no one is engaged in good works, humanitarian works, feeding the poor, caring for the needy. No one is engaged with that more than Christians around the world.

For example, if you have uh uh A disaster. a hurricane right now in Florida. Hurricane in Haiti. Who's going to be down there? You're not going to find large groups of ultra-Orthodox Jews breaking away from Talmud study to go and help the people in Haiti, but you're going to see Samaritan's Purse and Operation Blessing and various Christian groups that are going to be there.

You'll find that hospitals in many outlying parts of the world have been built by Christians. You'll find that many schools have been founded by Christians because they're reaching out in a holistic way to human beings.

So, you know, groups like World Vision and World Relief and Compassion International, Adopting Needy Children, and on and on. You go on almost endlessly. Who's doing those? Who's leading those? Overwhelmingly.

Overwhelmingly Christians.

Now, what's interesting is Israel as a nation is very active in these things, but it's not so much the religious Jews, it's just Israel on a larger basis is very active. Number one, it's a caricatured view. In that Judaism recognizes this world is the vestibule for the world to come, and that Christians are tremendously active in humanitarian ways throughout the world and have been from the earliest centuries, fighting against social injustices and caring for the outcast and the needy.

So overwhelmingly, Christians have excelled at that. And the New Testament repeatedly speaks of a pattern of good works that we are called to. That being said, What makes sense? What makes more sense when you have a situation where we are here for a lifetime, but in the world to come forever and ever and ever and ever? Does it make sense that we should be thinking about that?

If Hurricane Matthew was going to last for six hours, but there was another hurricane that was going to last for 6,000 hours, which one should get more attention? Or conversely, if there was going to be a way to enjoy God's blessing and smile, for fifty years or for five trillion years Where should the emphasis be put? The holistic way to look at it, Isaac, is this. That's what happens in this world is very important because A, it is where we're living, and people have real needs in this world. And B What happens in this world is going to have eternal implications.

So is both and and I would say that the what Rabbi Gold presented was a bit of a caricature based on perhaps an extreme uh reading of things. Thank you. And do I have time for one more quick question? Yeah, yeah, go ahead, sure.

Okay. as Yom Kippur is coming up, and I'm going back to that shul, are there any traditional prayers in the prayer book that I should be omitting? And should I be concluding every prayer with in Jesus' name, amen? Or should I not do that? What's the appropriate thing to do?

Yeah, when it comes to praying in the synagogue, the the prayers of Yon Kippur. What I found sometimes when I've done it in a messianic congregation or just reading through the prayer book. that would be used in a traditional service. There is a constant praying for forgiveness that we already have. There is, if you just, the siddur in general in Judaism, it is longing for and praying for certain things that we already have the foretaste of, we already have the first fruits of.

And therefore On Yom Kippur, I spend my intercession time praying for my fellow Jews. To recognize their need for forgiveness in the Messiah and thanking God for forgiveness I've received. And as for just examining my own life. To be sure that there's nothing that I'm letting in. I mean, that happens on a regular basis anyway.

And you know, there could be more soul-searching, but what I'm conscious of on Yom Kippur is the forgiveness of sins that I enjoy, how the guilt is gone. How I have a new nature because of which I want to serve God with all my heart, and I spend that time praying for others.

So that's for you to sort out. I have Messianic Jewish friends that feel fine praying through the whole Sidura and Yom Kippur. and identifying with Israel and searching their own hearts. And uh I have other friends that wouldn't pray any of it because it seems to be Going backwards in light of the Messiah's coming, but whatever works in your own relationship with God. Or whatever works in your relationship with God, where you are just standing in solidarity with our people Israel.

And then just do it relationally. As you're praying a certain prayer, if it seems appropriate to say, God, open my people's eyes. That they can see and know you as the Messiah, that they can recognize that forgiveness of sins has been granted. You just do that relationally. When you feel it's important to pray in Yeshua's name, you do that.

But don't do it in a remote way. Do it in a relational way as it feels in your own heart, okay? Yeah, thank you so much, Dr. Brown. I really appreciate it.

Yes, God bless you, Isaac. Good talking with you. 866-348-7884.

Let's go to Cole in Des Moines, Iowa. Welcome to the line of fire. Hey, thank you for having me on. You're very welcome. I just haven't I've been reading I just uh read uh 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

And um it like refreshed this id um thought in my mind about It's talking about the gift of miracles and the gift of tongues and prophecy and And so on. And I've been a Christian since 2012, and I've heard many things regarding this since then. I've heard You know, that was only the Apostles or? you know, it's still existing today and I've met many people who Um I believe have falsely claimed to be going around town and healing people's bones and s you know, different things and I I know there's a lot of false teachers and fraudulent, uh healing's out there, people trying to get money.

So I'm just I'm not sure what to think on this matter. Because I know the Bible's good and true and uh I just I don't know how To look at this passage here. Yeah, sure. What you have to do, Cole, is look at what the word says, period. In other words, If People were getting healed left and right in a genuine way.

They were getting genuinely healed, okay? And uh but you didn't see it in scripture, you still have to put a question mark next to it. If there were a bunch of charlatans all around you, that doesn't mean what Scripture says is untrue.

So when you're looking at 1 Corinthians 12, without question, you are not looking at something that was just for the apostles. Without question, I can say that unequivocally. And Paul is just talking about the manifestation of the Spirit given through the body. Not just through apostles or prophets. And notice at the end of the chapter.

Those who say, well, apostles and prophets, that was just for the early church, and miracles, that was just for the early church. Look at this. Verse 27.

Now you are the body of Christ. and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets. Third teachers.

So we all agree, teachers is for today, right? What's next? Then miracles.

Well, hang on. If you're going to say miracles is not for today, then They have to say the same with teachers. If it's just going in an order, like the first two was just for the early church, apostles, prophets.

Now, the 12 apostles, of course, they were unique and only them. But those functioning in apostolic ministry or prophetic ministry, I believe, that's continued until this day in the church. But in any case, let's keep going. Third teachers.

Then miracles Thank so the miracles and the gifts of healing. Those are not just for apostles and prophets. That's for others in the body. Right now notice You say, well, then maybe apostles, prophets, teachers, they were only for first century. Because then it says miracles gifts of healing.

What about next? Helping. administrating was that just the apostles prophets no Is that for today? Yes. Then what's after that?

And various kinds of tongues.

So, there's no possible way that you can read this in a fair exegetical way and separate. Apostles, prophets, From the re if you just want to separate those, then you can separate miracles, healing. And tongues, because that's all interwoven with teachers helping and administrating, which we all say remain for this day. And now I'm going to answer more on the other side of the break. And I would not be so skeptical when you say there are a lot of alleged healings.

What makes you so sure? They're not really happening. We'll be right back. 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. Scholars, because of the rationalistic Western mindset, are detached from talking about these things and tend either not to see them or tend to try and play them down or are not sure what to do with them. What Unseen Realm does is help people understand that the world of Scripture is a real world, and it can give us a way to bring these together under the Rubric of a God who's created a spiritual realm as well as a physical realm.

Those are the words of Professors Daryl Bach and Jerry Breschers talking about Dr. Michael Heisner's book, The Unseen Realm, a fascinating Eye-opening read, it's this week's special resource offer. But we decided to put together a special package, as we always try to do, to be a blessing to our listeners.

So it's packaged together with my twelve-hour series. angels, demons, and deliverance. I'm talking about practical, what the Bible actually says about these subjects, how we relate to them today. And then my one-hour interview with Dr. Heiser, which many of you enjoyed on the radio, we replayed it yesterday.

It was otherwise aired last week.

So, all that packaged together at a great price. Order by going to. Thelineoffire.org. Theline of Fire.org.

Okay. 866-34Truth number to call so coal. Just uh getting back to you. There are charlatans for sure. And there are people claiming healings.

That aren't real. and there are people abusing a gift God has given them. But around the world, on a very regular basis, people are being healed and touched, and it's not in the limelight, and it's not on TV. And it's mainly through people whose names we never heard of. And Uh when I was in India.

Last year. I visited the world's fastest growing church from what we know. Went from 35 people to 120,000 in 10 years. And I was there to see. firsthand what was going on, the reality of it.

And it's interesting, the pastor believes in divine healing. but he does not want the attention to be put on him as if he's some kind of miracle worker.

So in each service, the multiple services they have On the phone, excuse me, on every Sunday. Uh When it's time to pray for the sick, you know, is there anyone sick, etc.? What, what, um, What they'll do is say, All right, if anyone is sick, just look around you, you know, raise their hand. And he has the people in the church pray so that when healing comes, they'll know it's Jesus doing it, not the pastor. Craig Keener's book, Miracles, deals with the philosophical underpinnings that say that miracles have ceased.

And then in his estimation There have to be at least 200 million healings that have taken place around the world in recent years. That you would have to deny to say that God's not healing. But in short, these are things that God does according to His will and plan. He gives these gifts according to his plan. And although any of us can pray and ask God to heal the sick, those with these particular gifts would would see a greater number of people healed.

Still doesn't say that it's perfect or 100% of the time, but that they would see a greater manifestation of God's healing power on a more consistent level as I understand it. And 1 Corinthians 13 makes it plain that the gifts continue until Jesus returns.

So, to me, a plain reading of 1 Corinthians 12 indicates this is not just for apostles and prophets. These things are part of the body right up until the end of the age. And they're for the common good and for the glory of the Lord. Remember, the gifts are not primarily for us, as one charismatic leader has pointed out, they're for others.

So this is an expression of God's love. Towards a hurting world, and a further indication that Jesus, who died, also rose and sent His Spirit. Hey, thank you for the call. I do appreciate it. 866-34-TRUTH.

Let's go to Poughkeepsie, New York. Jonathan, welcome to the line of fire. How you doing, Michael Brown? Thank you very much for your work. You're very welcome.

My question is about Genesis in the account after God created everything. He said everything was very good.

So my question is, God made everything good, which I believe he did, very good. How did the pride come about in Satan's heart to say, I want to be God. Yeah, the accounts that seem to point us back. Behind the scenes or In Isaiah 14. And Ezekiel twenty eight.

Both of those, one of them speaking of the king of Babylon, the other of the king of Tyre. Seem to go back behind the scenes and equate the pride in their hearts with the pride that was in Satan's heart when he fell. And this to me would be the mystery of free will. It's very easy, Jonathan. If um if we said Well, God Simply Ordained for this person to do this or that, or for Satan to be this or that.

Or God made him evil or made her evil. I mean, it might be hard for us to follow, but theoretically, that's not a problem. Free will is a bit more mysterious because what we're saying is God did not make you evil, but you had the capacity to choose evil. God did not make you proud, but you had the capacity to choose pride. And in that sense, that's the mystery of free will, that Satan.

had perfect freedom, That Adam and Eve had perfect freedom. No human beings since then have had freedom as they had it. But They could say yes or they could say no. And by saying no, that would then actuate pride, actuate evil. actuate disobedience.

That's the best way that I can explain it.

So, Satan, before he would have been called Satan, the adversary, the accuser, was a highly exalted angelic being. And in his free will, chose to exalt himself rather than God, which then led to rebellion and led to his his His being cast out of heaven and his tormenting the earth ever since. Does that answer your question? Is that what you were asking? It does, but you know, it's still like a mystery because, you know, if God, like He did, He made everything perfect.

Where where did Satan even have the inclination to disobey God? To want to be Yeah. Right, right.

Well, that's the point: that that is the mystery of it, but that is required to have real freedom. In other words, if the only direction that someone's going to go is the wrong direction. It's impossible to go any other direction. then they don't really have freedom in that regard. You know, Martin Luther said man has a free will like a rock does.

If you pick it up, it goes up. If you let it go on its own, it goes down. Obviously, he meant that there's not real freedom. He spoke of the bondage of the will. Yeah.

If again, that's why I said it's easy to understand. If God made someone to crash, that's the only thing you could do is crash and burn, then it's inevitable. There's no free will in it. For example, if I jump off a 10-story building, right, there's no power that I have to reverse that fall, to stop that fall. But I do have the choice whether I jump out the building or not.

So somehow. In the freedom with which God created human beings and the angels, there was the potential. to say yes or no. And by saying no, Again, there was the potential to say it without... evil being created in us.

In that sense it is mysterious. I think if you understand it as mysterious, then you're understanding it rightly. But again, that's required for for absolute freedom and when we say no then that is what actuates all of the ugliness that comes along with disobedience but thank you sir for the question remember go to the website thelineoffire.org 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. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm coming away live from Escandido, California.

Truth Exchange conference put together by Dr. Peter Jones, 866-348-7884 is the number to call. And before I go back to the phones, I want to follow up on a question that was asked by a previous caller about Satan, about Satan's fall. I want to take you into a conversation that I had last week with Dr. Michael Heiser.

JJ, please play clip number five. Scholars, because of the rationalistic Western mindset, are detached from talking about these things and tend either not to see them or tend to try and play them down or are not sure what to do with them. What Unseen Realm does is help people understand that the world of Scripture is a real world and it can give us a way to bring these together under the Rubric of a God who's created a spiritual realm as well as a physical realm. Yeah, I think I misplayed a clip there for you. Meant it to be a different one.

All right, we'll. We'll get back to that. But Again, a discussion we had with Michael Heiser and something that comes up a lot in his book, The Unseen Realm. 86634. For truth.

All right, let's go to Cassie and welcome, Marilyn. Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Dr. Brown. I don't know if you remember me, but I've talked to you a couple of times.

A recipient of uh book number one of The Real Kosher Jesus. Ah, all right, Cassie. Yep, I, you know, congratulations, and uh, thanks for reminding me. Yeah, thank you. Uh, the reason why I'm calling is that, um, I've had a thirty year uh full circle moment.

God has put me through uh uh uh with um um Israel and Judaism and many other things. And I'm a historian, I'm a genealogist for my family. And it's been confirmed that I'm actually a a Messianic Jew, although being raised a Christian. And five years ago, the Lord called me to write a book. about Deborah the judge.

And so in studying the lat this last five years, Um I'm sorry if I get a little emotional. I just appreciate what God has done. I have God has a welcome. Through you and what I learned in the real coast of Jesus. And the studying that I've been doing in the Torah and the Talmud and the Midrash and everything that I've um that I've been able to embrace.

Thank you, Archimede. And he's called me to represent myself as we go to a non-denominational church, so I wear my palise. To honor my board. And the reason why I'm calling Because You've become a hero to me. God has used you greatly in my life.

And I've learned so much because of the way you were raised versus the way I was raised. Yeah, I've been able to use the graph Yeah. Um uh the Jewish people, their history, their culture. I had I mean, I had to go back to ancient times to current times. And it's been a such an awesome journey.

And I and you're such an affluent writer, and you represent your people. And I'm trying to do the same. Do you have any advice for me? Sure, I do. But thank you, Cassie, for the very kind words.

The the biggest, biggest thing. Is to always center everything in your relationship with Yeshua. and exalting him and making him known, Many times when there's a discovery of Jewishness That becomes the central thing in discovering the Jewishness of Jesus and the Jewish background to the text, which is wonderful. But ultimately God's heart. is that every knee bows to Yeshua, every tongue confesses him as Lord to the glory of the Father.

If you make exalting him central, then all of the other things will adorn the beauty of our Lord. Hey, thank you for the call. 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. Thanks so much for joining us on the line of fire 866. 348-7884. You've got questions.

We've got answers. Let's go to Joel in Fayetteville. North Carolina, welcome to the line of fire. Good afternoon, doctor Brown. I'm all listening to your show.

I do have a couple of questions Um I wonder how you interpreted the Exodus twenty one ten We say if a man marries another woman, he must not deprive the first woman of her food, clothing and marriage or rights. I also uh the Cthulhu attracted and the town was outlines like the responsibility Oh. of the CTUVA money If a husband has one wife, two wives, three wives. you know, how they were gonna distribute the the state of the of their husband. How do you interpret it that?

And if it's a saying, for a man to have another wife. I'm not talking about Western thoughts. I'm talking about what God say. and if it's a thing or not, based on scripture. Yeah, well under the law a man could have more than one wife and as you say Exodus 21.10 says, If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her fruit, her clothing, or her marital rights.

If he does not do these three things, for her, she shall go out for nothing without payment of money.

So Number one. Uh there were instances of polygamy under the law. Um Deuteronomy 17 says the king could not have many wives, but it didn't say that he couldn't have several wives. And we know that the twelve tribes of Israel are born. out of uh a polygamous relationship and then with concubines as well.

That being said, It is absolutely not. God's ideal. When God created Adam and Eve, He didn't create Adam and Eve and Yvette and Yvonne. That's number one. Number two, we know there were certain things given under the law because of hardness of heart, like divorce, so not everything in the law was a perfect ideal.

Number three, we see polygamy throughout Scripture in a negative light. That almost always when it's mentioned specifically by And with illustration, be it Samuel's wives, be it Jacob's wives, be it David's wives, be it Solomon's wives, inevitably. There are problems that were caused relationally because of it. And in some cases, even apostasy in Solomon's case. When we come to the New Testament, When we come to the New Testament, we find Jesus reinforcing one man, one woman together for life, and he says it twice: the two.

will be one. And then we find Paul teaching that leaders could be the husbands of only one wife, and then he tells the congregants to follow the example. of the leaders. That's why polygamy became very uncommon in Christian countries, and eventually it was banned in Judaism as well, but that was many centuries later. Right.

I was aware of all that. The problem that I have is It looks like the Western thought. I was always hostile to the lifestyle. Because as you say, Jewish people still there was still practice in that all the way to the like The years 1100 and so. And they actually stopped practicing in that part of the world.

uh and in Western Europe because of the pressure of the Christian war, Christodom. 'Cause they're always hostile to that.

So my question is, is is man more righteous than God? Because But hang on hang on, just in in in candor. You said you were aware of what I presented, but what I presented was God's Word. I presented God's Word. I presented the standards of Jesus and His Father.

one man, one woman together for life.

So, that question that was asked to Cheese was a question about divorce. It was never. That was a never social issue during Jesus' time. No, it was. No, it was a social issue.

But here's the thing to mention, and many scholars recognize this, that When when Jesus refers to it, he says there he quotes, the two shall become one flesh. Then he says, So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Those are his words.

So he's emphasizing two. Two people and one flesh. And then, as I said, Paul is saying, for a leader, you had to be married to one woman, and then you had to follow the example of leaders.

So that's why polygamy was quickly eradicated in many parts of the world. If you're looking for Leviticus' mandate for the Levitical priesthood, which is already in the law, that there were not supposed to marry more than one wife. But hang on, no leader. Among the believers, no elder, all right? could have more than one wife.

You agree with that, correct? That's correct. And Paul taught the believers, follow the example of your elders. You mean to tell me that that is not going to be something that people see and think this is something they should follow? Was it just arbitrary that Paul said one man, one woman?

Well The thing is, you got God saying that David is the man of his own heart. And we all know David's history. And we know the blood on David's hands. We know the blood. All right, here, Joel, let me just be honest with you.

If you're trying to make an argument for polygamy, you're going to have to answer to God, not for me, buddy.

Okay? If you're trying to make an argument for polygamy, Or if you're interested in taking on another wife and trying to justify it, your issue is not with Western culture. Your issue is with God, and if you do it, you'll be sinning. If you're just arguing theoretically, I encourage you to bow down before God and ask Him at creation why didn't He give Adam multiple wives if that was His ideal? Why didn't Paul allow multiple wives in leadership?

Why didn't Jesus state things differently instead of re-emphasizing it was two? And yes, David was a man after God's own heart, and was also such a bloody, violent man that God said he can't build the temple. And we see the sin of David then transmitted to his son in a grosser and more extreme way, who then apostatizes because of foreign women. And yet he was the wisest man on the planet.

So I would caution you, especially rejecting scripture and calling it western culture. That to me is dangerous. 866-34-TRUTH All right, our friend Eliana in Clinton, Maryland. How you doing today? Fine.

How are you, Doctor Brown? Doing well, thank you.

So can you hear me okay? Sure.

Okay. Has Eliana gotten her license yet?

Well, she's driving. She's got her permit. I don't know if she got her license yet, but the good news is she's not like super. Into driving, but she does know how to put the pedal to the metal when she does drive. She's not afraid of that.

Listen, I wanted to get the gentleman who called you earlier and he was asking about what Genesis says about how God said everything was good. And then you guys got to talking about Satan's rebellion. I wanted to know what you meant. I mean, not what you meant, but what you Think. of something that I read off of FOIA Goods blog regarding that issue, Satan's rebellion.

She points out in Hebrews one from five, you know, it does it starts out at verse five. you know how the Almighty talked about, you know, to which one of the angels you know, did God ever um you know, say you are my son, et cetera. She points out all those things. Um She she seems To believe that what started the rebellion, she feels that she that the Almighty may have revealed some insight to her. That would start the rebellion was the idea that the Almighty was going to give so much power or so much credence to humans, that it was the humans.

that he was planning, you know, that he had a plan. to make his children. Um you know, and that and that Satan Um Was, you know, I mean, that this really ticked him off, you know, and that's and that's also the reason why. Other angels were willing to go along with the rebellion because the idea of them having to serve mortals was, you know, repugnant to them. What do you think of that?

Yeah, it's not a unique idea in that rabbinic literature even points to it in a little different way. But rabbinic literature has a lot of what's called midrash, this homiletical commentary and illustration.

So it's said, for example, that when God Created Adam and made him a little less than Elohim, which could mean God or angels, but taken to mean God, made him a little less than God, then what happened was. That uh Angels said, Well, how is, you know, why should that be? And it's not right. And then when Adam named all the animals, they said, Okay, he's brilliant. That's all right.

But in any case, it has these different traditions. About what was happening behind the scenes.

So, again, it's not a direct parallel in that it's not explaining a fall of Satan or something like that, as much as saying that there was some angelic jealousy because of the exaltation of man.

So, that's a possibility. The question would still, we don't know, we simply don't know, it's all speculation. But what we can say is this. If there was then envy or jealousy, where did that come from if they didn't have a fallen, sinful nature? And that again is what I was discussing with the previous caller about quote the mystery.

Of free will. That if right, if you don't know the difference. You only want to do what's right. then in that case, there's not freedom to do wrong. But to have freedom to do wrong, you have to be able to say yes or no.

So somehow within that, within that, there is the ability to say yes or no. And then that choice is what actuates all of the evil desires and things like that. But thanks for the interesting question. God of light, hear our cry, send a fire. 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 so much for joining us on the line of fire. Be sure to go to thelineoffire.org, check out my latest article, my latest video.

And when you're there, just click on the digital library and any subject you're wondering about, you're studying, you're thinking about, just search on there. You'll be able to see all of my previous articles or videos on it. And then just go to listen. Uh and there you can click to find out all of my previous Line of fire broadcast.

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Three for truth. Let's go to Joe in Northbrook, Illinois. Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, thank you, Doc. Dr.

Brown, how are you? Doing very well, thank you. Good, good. I had a quick question. I want to tell you my understanding of the Abrahamic covenant, and I want you to interrupt me or correct me if I'm wrong.

Sounds good. Basically, okay.

So God told Abraham, That Your seed will have this promised land forever and ever. Like no matter where they are. what happens to them, they will always have this land that will that they will call theirs. And I believe it's from it runs from the River Nile to the Great River Euphrates, is what the Bible says. Is that correct?

Yeah, I mean, that was the ultimate full promise. They never fully enjoyed all of it. But right that that the only condition that was given was the the covenant of circumcision. And that way, you would still be included among the male descendants of Abraham. But Genesis 15.

where God passes through the covenantal pieces. The slaughtered animals, only God passes through, meaning it was a one-way covenant, an unconditional covenant. And that precedes the Sinai covenant, and that's what God reminds us of in Genesis 3. that the law which is four hundred and thirty years after the promise cannot annul the promise.

Okay, okay.

So basically the Full promise has not been fulfilled yet.

Sooner or later Um God's words will become true. I mean, they are true, but it'll it'll become fulfilled. Correct.

Okay. Why are there Christians that say that Do do these promises apply to Christian? Today? I hear like some Christians say that. Um You know, Christians are now like true Israel, or they've taken their place.

Do you know what they're talking about? Yeah, sure. They would say Galatians 3 ends by saying if you are. Abraham's seed, you're heirs of the promise, right? You know, if you're believers, you're Abraham's seed, you're heirs of the promise.

And they would then say that everything God promised Abraham now belongs to all Christians. What they fail to understand is that Abraham has a physical seed and a spiritual seed. The spiritual seed is all people of faith. Jew and Gentile alike. Abraham believed and promises were given to him before he was circumcised and after he was circumcised.

So he's the father of Jews and Gentiles who are believers. And we are his spiritual heirs. And then he has his physical heirs to whom promises were given, including through that seed the whole world would be blessed. And of course, that's happened through the people of Israel, through the Messiah. And the promise of the land.

And then it was to that physical people that the Sinai covenant was given. And under the Sinai covenant, there were blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, hence the scattering of the Jewish people. But God regathering the Jewish people back to the land in His mercy. despite uh our failings. Um when when The New Testament sometimes takes a promise about the land.

and now applies it spiritually to the whole world, the whole earth. You know, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3, everything is yours. I mean, you're going to inherit the world. Romans 8 says, we're joint heirs of the Messiah. But uh no.

The church does not become spiritual Israel. The church shares many of the characteristics of Israel. We are a priestly people. We are God's sons and daughters. We are set apart to Him.

But when Paul speaks of the Israel of God in Galatians 6:16, the best way to understand that is he's referring to Jewish believers in the Messiah. When Paul says in Romans 9:6, not all who are Israel are Israel, he's saying there's a remnant of Jewish believers within the nation. That is the true Israel. But he does not. Say that the rest of the nation is not Israel as well.

They're not Israel in that deeper spiritual sense. And that's why the rest of Romans 9, 10, and 11, he refers to Israel 10 more times, each time speaking of the nation as a whole.

So the church Over the centuries Because of the similarities and the promises and the parallels, has wrongly said, We are the new Israel, God has displaced the old Israel. And in addition to that, When you look at Romans 11, Paul warns the Gentile believers, he speaks to them as Gentiles. Not wanting them to be arrogant. Not wanting them to think that God has forever cast off Israel. Instead, he wants them to understand.

That branches have been broken off, individual Israelites have been broken off, hardness in part has come to the nation. but that there will be a turning of the nation at the end of the age. Right, right.

There are There are Christians who love the Lord and love the Jewish people. who believe that they are spiritual Israel, who believe that physical Israel today is not fulfillment of prophecy. And they are not anti-Semites.

However, it is indisputable that in church history, this notion that the church has replaced the Jewish people, the church has superseded Israel and God's plan of salvation, that has opened the door wide to anti-Semitism in church history. I document it in my book, Our Hands Are Stained with Blood, and I go through the key biblical texts in that book as well. Yeah, that's The reason I was One of the reasons I was asking was because Recently, Barack Obama went on in front of the UN and he said that he made a really like striking comment. He said that Israel cannot occupy Palestinian lands. forever.

Genesis just like struck me in my head when he said that. And I'm like, this guy's just playing with fire. I don't know if you even heard about that or Yeah, I I mean look I I understand from his perspective there were wars and in the midst of the wars, you know, the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel expanded its territory.

Now Israel's actually given back about ninety percent of all lands that it it took during during wars uh over these uh Over these decades. But that would be in his mind, you go back to the pre-67 borders, which are completely indefensible. And I could understand. That, as a political leader, that he can't say, well, the Bible says, where God made a promise to Abraham. He has to simply deal with things based on Political expediency and what he believes is right and wrong.

So I understand that. But yes, I'm with you, Joe, in that it's God who scattered the Jewish people, it's God who brought the people back and established them in the land, and therefore we have to deal with God about that. Erry, thank you for the call, sir. We're out of time, but I do appreciate it. If you're holding, stay right there on the line, and I'll get to you shortly on the other side of the break.

Remember to visit thelineoffire.org. By the way, if you're planning on going with us to Israel, you've got to let us know now. The sooner the better. The trip is February 25th to March 6th, so it's around the corner. My bottom line today When you study the scripture, when you look at the word, look at what's overwhelmingly clear and stake your life on that.

Hey, friends, I'm coming your way live from Escondido, California. 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 866-34TRUTH. That's 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Well, thanks for joining us on the line of fire. I am in. Sunny California. It's not really hot though. Beautiful weather is you often have Near San Diego.

Here were the special truth exchange conference with Dr. Peter Jones. Spoke this morning, speaking in tomorrow morning, then head home, God willing, on Sunday. A lot of travel, but a lot of fruit. The word of God always bearing fruit.

It's my delight to be with you. Any question you have of any kind. As long as it's appropriate for Christian radio. Phone lines are open, 866-348. Seven.

Eight, eight, four. Let's go right to the phone starting with Lisa in Boston. Welcome to the line of fire. Thank you for having me, Doctor Brown. How are you?

I'm doing well, thanks.

So I have a more of a concern than a question.

So I was in a romantic relationship with a woman for six years. But I found God in my life and I broke up with her because of God's truth about homosexuality. But I still live with this woman. We do sleep in separate beds and I am in the process of moving out.

So, I don't necessarily have this bin of homosexuality anymore because I know God's truth. I'm not engaging with her sexually. But I am really mean to her. And I feel like the reason why I'm mean to her is because. You know, I don't want to be turned on by her.

I kind of caused fights to You know, create tension between us, and I know that acting that way is not representing God either. And I I just don't know how to get over that and to just represent God in everything I do even while still living with this woman. Yeah. God, rightly while living with her, what you need to do is not live with her. I know you're in the process of it.

But The Bible says flee. Sexual immorality or flee. youthful lus Or if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, throw it away. In other words, deal with it. ruthlessly Not deal with the person ruthlessly, but deal with the sin ruthlessly.

So, Lisa. It's commendable that you've broken up. It's commendable that you're not physically involved. It's commendable that you've had the Dedication to the Lord and the willpower. to be in the same house and have the easy ability to sin.

and refuse to, but in that sense you're you're playing with fire. And and you are, as you said, acting in an inappropriate way. Because if you're too friendly or too nice, that could draw you back in.

So you've just got to get out. as soon as possible. And you have to sit down and say, listen, I'm sorry I've been mean, but I know it's a relationship sinful. I can't open the door to it. And then when you put some distance between you, I would encourage you to have other friends of yours, other girlfriends, sisters in the Lord, I mean, reach out to her.

Let others lead her to Jesus. You don't want to be the one primarily involved because it's too easy to get drawn back in. I'd give you the exact same counsel if you were in. An adulterous relationship, or just sleeping with someone out of wedlock that you knew you weren't to marry, and it was all heterosexual. I give you the exact same counsel.

Get out as soon as you can for your own soul's sake and for your ex-partner's soul's sake, and then apologize to her. You can do it in a written form if that helps. Apologize to her for treating her in a wrong way, and then let others be the ones that lead her to the Lord. Don't be the one that you are the primary influence, because again, it could make it too easy to open the door in a wrong way.

So get out as soon as you can. Apologize from the heart for the way you've acted. Explain why, and then see if some of your other friends will reach out to her and let it be their responsibility. You move forward with the rest of your life. May God give you strength and fill your life to overflowing.

Oh God of burning, cleansing flames. Send the fire. 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. I like to think of it this way. If we had an ancient Israelite sitting with us here in the room, And we asked each other and we asked that fellow, what does this or that passage mean? How do you read it?

What goes off in your head when you read these words? His answer is going to be a lot different. Than what our answer would be, especially. When we're in some text that we think is either really strange or odd or just plain weird or even scary. because of the supernatural presuppositions behind it.

That's what I want readers to get. If you were listening yesterday in the same hour, you heard my interview with Dr. Michael Heiser. That is the man himself speaking. Get his book, The Unseen Realm, with my 12-hour teaching.

Practical, opening up, especially the New Testament, all the references to angels, demons, what that has to do with us today. What about deliverance? Get into it. And the whole interview with Dr. Heiser, all packaged together at a great reduced price.

By the way, get it for the holidays. Get some extra copies for the holidays. Not too soon to think of that now. All at thelineoffire.org. 866-348-7884.

Let's go to Ron in Indianapolis. Welcome to the line of fire. Hello, Dr. Brown. Thank you for taking my call.

You're welcome. I hear myself as an echo. Is that supposed to happen? Um we're uh they'll they'll adjust it. Uh do you have the radio on?

No, I don't.

Okay. Yeah, we'll we'll get it right, but we're okay. Go ahead.

Okay. Um Well I said thank you for taking the call, I think. Yeah. I uh Sent an email in three weeks ago About the progressive sanctification question? Mm-hmm.

And and I don't know if you remember, it's been a while ago now, but But question I had is I'm looking at the term sanctification and don't see anywhere where it speaks to Changing from or becoming less sinful over time or more holy over time. Um And you responded to it and I looked at the scriptures you referred to and I'm really not convinced and wanted to talk to you more about it. Sure, okay. I know what verses I would have used, so one of them would be 2 Corinthians 7:1.

So I'm not sure how you don't see growing in holiness there, Since we have these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, so there's an ongoing cleansing, putting away things that are wrong. He's writing to believers. bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. Other translations say perfecting holiness in the fear of God or completing. Our sanctification in the fear of God.

Um so I don't know how you could have said it any more clearly than that verse. I look at that and I think It would say gradually over time cleanse yourself of Um Was to cleanse ourselves of all defilement of flesh and spirit and come closer all the time to. Perfecting holiness. when he says um He just says cleanse yourself of. To me, that doesn't have the the uh context in it of do it gradually is just a statement of do it.

All right, but who's he writing to? Who's he writing to? Believers, correct? Yeah. All right, so the moment they were saved, were they set apart as holy to God?

Were they perfectly holy? Not in practice.

Alright, so what's he calling for? Perfect holiness.

So that that's the that's the point that we are to to grow. Yeah, I'm saying I don't see the word drill there. He's just saying be holy.

So you're saying that you can one time Perfect holiness. No, I'm just saying that's the standard. It's like when Peter says, Be holy, for I am holy. He doesn't say become holy more holy over time. He just says be holy.

I think it's just a commandment to be holy. All right, but but I guess I don't understand the issue then. It could be all semantics, but But help me understand when I read that word today, right? I'm at a certain place in God. Certain understanding of who he is.

Peter says, grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, right?

So as I grow in grace and knowledge, I'm not going to see other areas of my life that need attention. And I'm going to read that verse, be holy, and it's going to apply freshly to my life today. And when I read it ten years from now, It's going to apply freshly to my life 10 years from now, and all the more 2 Corinthians 3, we're changing from glory to glory. That would suggest growing in the image of Jesus, growing in the knowledge of God, growing in the expression of holiness in our lives. And that's what's meant by progressive sanctification.

And that continues until the day we stand before the Lord fully like Him. Yeah, I think it is mainly a matter of semantics because I just don't see the term itself referring to that growth. When Second Corinthians three says we're moving from glory to glory. Um is he using he doesn't use the term sanctification for that, Right, but as long as the semantics are meaningless to me if we agree on the reality, which is. that we will grow and become more and more like Jesus.

More Christ-like, more compassionate, more pure. in our relationship with God and our relationship with others. over the years. Otherwise we're either stagnating or going backwards. Yeah, I think that's That's mainly true, but I think there's also a mindset among believers in general of It's okay if I'm making improvement.

rather than I just need to walk above sin. Yeah, so I appreciate it. Yeah, I appreciate that. That's never in my mind for a split second. In other words, I'm not even thinking about that or relating to it, and no one that I've ever heard teach progressive sanctification teaches that.

So if that's the issue, it's best to put that on the table and say, How do we address that? Because the Bible doesn't say... Do better today than you did yesterday. You know, you lost your temper 11 times yesterday, lose it six times today. You committed fornication four times last month, only do it twice this month.

Of course. What it says is subdue and rule your temper and quit committing fornication, et cetera.

So if you had phrased it in that way, I would have said yes, the command is to be holy, the command is to turn away from sin, the command is to deny oneself, take up the cross, follow Jesus, and God by His grace and power working in us will enable us to do those things. But the term progressive sanctification is calling for that very thing. It is the full surrender of your entire life to God today. And a year from now, if you keep following the Lord, that full surrender will have even more meaning. And even more consequences in your life, hence progressive sanctification, that it's an ongoing process, just like our knowledge of God is ongoing and our being changed from glory to glory is ongoing.

But yes, the call to be holy is always absolute, complete, entire, as opposed to get a little holier today, and then you'll work on the other sins tomorrow. Of course, that's not the way the Bible's going to address it.

So, in that, I agree with you, okay?

Well, yeah, I I think we're we're in in agreement there. I'm think thinking the other passage you mentioned of And 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, when Paul says this is the will of God. your sanctification that you abstain from sexual immorality No, I'm not saying you think this way, you've made that very clear, but If you think of sanctification as a process, Are you thinking you could think of Abstaining from sexual immorality is a process. Oh, I need to give up sexual immorality a little bit at a time. Yeah, yeah.

I I understand.

So quit sleeping around, but still. Yeah, yeah. So what I was seeing is interesting, Ron, is that what I'm responding to is the hyper-grace teaching that sanctification takes place 100% the moment you're saved. And that you don't grow in holiness or progress in sanctification, that they claim that that's a spiritually murderous lie, that it's received by faith the same as justification the moment you're saved. That leads to all types of anarchy.

Hence, I use these verses to reply to that. As far as replying to your point, no, I agree with you. I agree with you that they are commands to just do it, period. And I think you agree with me that over the course of our lives in the Lord. We keep growing, we keep moving forward.

So, to anyone that's heard that, the issue that Ron is dealing with, that says, hey, sanctification is progressive.

So, okay, so tell you what. Let's work on this sin now.

Okay, you're really mean to your wife and kids. And you're an alcoholic and you're addicted to pornography. I'll tell you what, let's start with being mean to your wife and kids while you keep getting drunk and using pornography. And we'll work little by little, and then we'll fix that. No, obviously, the call is repent, and God will give you the grace to repent, and now let's help you.

Many times, though, of course, we're not aware. When I came to faith, God dealt with me about the needle shooting heroin and other drugs. And I renounced that. And then a couple of days after that, he made clear to me I shouldn't get high at all. And then the lay after that he started dealing with me about my horrific temper.

And then profanity, and then one sin after another. And then to this day, I'm still growing and seeking to be conformed more and more to the image of Jesus. But Ron, thank you for following through and clarifying it. And I agree that The little by little I'll get a little holier teaching. No, that's not the goal, but...

We grow in holiness by complete surrender today and then tomorrow and then the next week. We'll be right back. Change the world fire we want, oh fire we 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. Joining us on the line of fire 866. 348-7884. The number to call.

You've got questions. We've got answers coming away live from California, but same as ever. You've got questions, we've got answers. Let's go to Winston-Salem. Kim, welcome to the line of fire.

Thank you, Dr. Brown. Uh my question Discovered from Three scriptures. Um Colossians 3.18. First Peter 3.1.

in Ephesians five twenty four, where you see the phrase own husband. Could you explain what that would mean in these verses? I mean, it will seem to be self-explanatory, but it seems to be an emphasis. Awning. Owen husband.

So, what does that mean? All right, so let's start first, excuse me, Colossians 3:18. Wives submit to your husbands, and you're saying. In your translation, it says submit to your own husbands, right?

So that you have in the King James and the New King James. And Yeah, I'm just... I'm just looking at the Greek. In terms of Yeah, why it says your own husband's there. And um you said 1 Peter 3.1, correct?

Correct.

First Peter Three, one. Right again, King James, New King James says, your own husbands here. ESV, NIV, they all say your own husbands. It's interesting they, right. In this case, the word own is definitely there in the Greek.

And what was your third one? Ephesians 524. Right, Ephesians 5, 24. By the way, I don't think I've ever asked that question before as to why it said own there.

So it's interesting. that you asked this. The The only explanation that and I could be wrong on this But the the um The the word for for husband in Greek is also the word for from man. And um the word for for woman is also the word for wife.

Okay, so this much is common knowledge.

So it It could be just as simple as Paul saying, if he said, women submit. to your man. What exactly would that mean? If you say women submit to your own men, then you understand, oh, he doesn't mean women submit to your own men, he means wives, submit to your own husband.

So that to me is the most... Logical answer. It's just the ambiguity in Greek that woman can also mean wife, and man can also mean husband. And therefore, it's specifically saying, hey, I'm talking about your own husband, not just men in general. That would be the most logical answer to that.

as far as I can tell just you know looking at the the simplicity of the Greek.

Okay, well, thank you, Dr. Vaughn. Yep, you're welcome. Yeah, if if there's something I'm missing, I don't think so. I I think it's just again The potential ambiguity of the Greek.

866-348-7884.

You've got questions, we've got answers. Let's go to Mount Holly in North Carolina. Sylvia, welcome to the line of fire. Thank you, Dr. Brown.

I have uh called into your show before and usually it's asking questions on a certain topic, and I don't mean to run it into the ground, but I have been watching, um not too long ago on the History Two channel Where There were folks who went back in history and looked through old newspaper accounts in the uh early uh nineteen hundreds, eighteen hundreds and they found accounts Of where when they were digging to put railroads in and uh infrastructure in the city that they would come across Huge skeletons. And there was a write-up in the newspaper. They would send the bones to the Smithsonian Institution. And that was the last that was ever heard in each incident. And these uh fellas on the E History Tube uh series, uh went to these places Looked up the old account.

Uh there The newspaper stories. and talk to people. and that they actually had found these things and some of them were quite large They were not just uh, you know, like seven feet or they were huge. And um they tried to find out that if there had ever been Giant. living in North America because of all of these different newspaper accounts.

And um When Jesus was talking about Goliath, He mentioned that Goliath had four brothers. Could that be like a a sort of a veil? Uh statement that Jesus would have made because He was telling us that This had happened all over the earth because These large skeletons have been found. According to what I've seen on black YouTube, they've been found in other countries. Yeah.

Yeah, so to respond, Sylvia. Look, I've I've seen some of the YouTube videos also. And I have no way of verifying things. I know you say, look, there's an actual skeleton, or there's an actual footprint. But one thing I learned in scholarship and in all of my studies in grad school and beyond is you really have to verify things for yourself that many times things are not as they seem to be.

And what I wonder about is. Uh how You could so easily hide giants. In other words, that if these giants existed, so you're talking about, you know, like someone may be 10 feet tall when everybody else is, you know, a little bit over five feet, these would be the kind of things that everybody would know about, that there'd be constant legend and folklore and reports, not something just hidden here and hidden there. And I know you're following up on my conversation with Dr. Heiser about giants, the Niphilim, and Anakim and Rephaim and things like that.

And did they exist after the flood or were they totally wiped out? You know, there's the mention of the killing of Goliath's brothers as well in the Old Testament.

So listen, if. Let me just say this, Sylvia. I don't believe Jesus was addressing it personally. I don't believe he's addressing it at all in what he's saying. That's number one.

But number two, If There were still these massive beings existing, these giants. And that's the case, well, then fine. In other words, it doesn't throw my faith. It doesn't. Mess with my understanding of God and His Word.

I have no axe to grind. I don't have to prove that there are no massive giants in the world to prove that the Bible is true or anything. No, no, no, no, no. It's a total non-issue to me. But I just don't see sufficient evidence.

This is not the kind of thing you hide. And again, if it's all just. Uh Here's a footprint or there's a bone. Then, where were these people? Where were all the other civilizations and societies that really aren't documenting them?

And then those that are looking for these. I mean, they'd either be revered as warriors or they'd be worshipped or people would try to exterminate them because they'd be dangerous. But either way, there should be more records.

So I remain skeptical of it, to be honest, Sylvia. But either way, it's not an issue of faith to me. And I don't believe Jesus addresses it or that it should occupy our attention aside from just, isn't this interesting? Hey, thank you for the call. 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.

Well, thank you so much for joining us today on the line of fire. Fridays in particular, you my dear listeners, Make up the bulk of the program as you call in with your questions or write in with your questions.

So, as we love to do on Fridays, you've got questions, we've got answers. I'm coming away live from outside of San Diego, California. We're in Escondido for a truth exchange conference with Dr. Peter Jones. He puts together these tremendous conferences every year.

They are rich, rich in content, and just having a great time being out with Dr. Jones and the team: 866-348-7884. Anything you want to ask me at all that you're wondering about in Scripture? That you're struggling with. Questions that may have come up in the workplace or in school.

If you're a young person getting bombarded with anti-God, anti-Bible, teaching, information, love to be of help to you. If you are not a believer in Jesus but have questions, you may want to challenge me or you may be a seeker with questions, phone lines are open. 866-348-7884 is the number to call. It is our joy to be of help and service to you. You know We work hard every day of the week and then, yeah, every day of the week, literally, to do our best to minister to you.

My team works sacrificially and with real dedication, and things are being sent to me constantly to consider: should I write on this? Should we do a video on this? Should I talk about this on the radio? And then we are putting together resources for you all the time. And for every radio show, just a lot of work goes into it.

Fridays kind of sit back a little and slow down the pace, take your calls, see which way the wind blows in that respect. And it's our joy to do it.

So, hopefully, as we answer your questions, all of you can be educated. We know that many of you look forward to Fridays for this very reason.

So, here we go. 866-348-7884.

Let's go to JD in Durham. Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Dr. Brown. It's a privilege to talk with you.

It really is. And I wanted to share with you. I was listening to the I just, you know, turning radio and I was got into the end of what a brother was saying, a caller was saying about the hypergrades and stuff like that. And my comment is, I n I remember coming into the kingdom Back in the 80s, late 80s, 90s, and I remember the hell I went through. Trying to keep this and trying to keep that, and I was in a ministry that I really feel just.

didn't disciple me like they should, but you know, it's good. But I'm not getting to my point: the main thing is learning to love God, learn to know God. Because, you know, um, as much as we tried to do things in the church and tried to keep this I mean, Christ. Is it, you know? And my goal with calling is to just encourage or just to say that.

I know what it's like to try to break habits and stuff and But then you hear a lot of stuff in church and a lot of stuff on T V. And you know, the bottom line is that word I grew from getting me a Bible. that I bought and I got into the book of John and I stayed there and then with the help of the Holy Spirit, that where I fell in love with God because I didn't have a good foundation a father foundation.

So I was coming from that point of view. And then also I grew up where we went to church but but we never really until we opened the Bible when things were like people were dying or whatever. But as I became an adult, And and and just like I said, with with the ministry I was in, they fail, but that's okay because like I said, the word the main thing is to fall in love with the father. Yeah, and I just mean it like that, but yeah, I just got to jump in because we have a break coming up. But yes, yes, yes.

The most important thing when someone comes to faith Is not to give them a list of everything, don't do this, do this, but to really get them to know God and to really get them to know God's love for them. As they really love God, Lord, I just want to serve you and please you, and they know how much He loves them and what Jesus did for them. Then out of that, it's Oh God of burning, cleanse. Sing flame. Send the fire.

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. We all know of God.

Satan. Angels and demons. But is there more to the unseen realm than that? Scripture alludes to a divine counsel, sons of God. What is the unseen realm?

Could understanding it bring light to confusing passages? Could it clarify some unclear concepts in the Bible? and even help us understand Jesus' mission better. These questions fueled a 15-year journey into researching what the ancient Israelites believed about the unseen realm. Yes, friends, don't forget you've just got a couple more days to take advantage of our special resource offer with Michael Hodger's fascinating book.

the Unseen Realm together with my 12-hour teaching on Angels, Demons, and Deliverance, and then Along with that, the interview you heard yesterday during this very hour with Dr. Michael Heiser. Find out all about that at the website thelineoffire.org. Let's go to Dallas. George, welcome to the line of fire.

Uh all right, can't hear you, George. Are you are you speaking right into the phone? I'm here. Go ahead.

Let's try again. Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, can you hear me? Yeah, I can.

Sorry, you got cut off for a split second, but go ahead.

Okay. Uh I didn't catch yesterday's show. I caught briefly the end of Wednesday show I need to ask you, do you believe that? Genesis six is referring to angels. Fallen angels and human beings, as hard as it is to understand how they had the power to procreate.

Yeah, that's the most natural reading of the text. Many scholars see it that way.

Sons of God and daughters of men seems to be putting a clear contrast between the The first thing that we have done is that the first time So yes, I read that that is fallen angels. and human beings. Are you Are you familiar with Dr. Gleason Archer? Of course.

and his take on Genesis six. How does he read it? Um He ref he thinks it's rabbinic speculation. Uh says that angels are referred to in Genesis six two this curious intrusion of Pagan superstition that has no basis. At all in the rest of Scripture.

There's a fact. that some children of gigantic stature Nephilim. Resulted from these marriages offers no evidence whatever of angelic paternity. No one claims that in terms of Anich. Goliath and his brothers had any angelic forebears.

because of their great stature, nor Is there any reason to suppose that the antediluvian giants had supernatural forebears? Um One of the main reasons he gives also is because Uh If they were if it's referring to Satan's minions It says if they were minions of Satan, that is fallen angels Then they could not have been referred to as sons of God. Demons of hell would never be.

So designated in scripture, nor could they have been angels of God, since God's angels always live in total obedience. to him and have no other yearning or desire to But to do God's will and glorify His name. Yeah, well, thanks for reading that. First, Dr. Gleason Archer was one of the premier Old Testament scholars of the last generation, a champion of the faith, a brilliant man.

and a man who knew ancient Near Eastern scholarship as well. The first thing is to respect that. This is not just somebody who read it on internet somewhere. Secondly, I deduced. And came to my conclusions, I deduced these things simply reading the biblical text.

In other words, it was not a matter of. later literature or what later rabbis said or anything like that. The idea that the sons of God meant the godly line of Seth and that daughters of men meant the ungodly line of Cain to me completely breaks down. And B'nail Ohim simply Is referring to those that are divine beings, that are spirit beings. that are of this other realm.

The contrast is between that realm and the earthly realm. And it has nothing to do with obedience or holiness or anything like that. It has to do with being of the Elohim class, in other words, being of a spiritual class as opposed to a human class. And there's no reason to say. That the Riphaim, the Anachim, Goliath did not have some type of descent that traced back initially to this mixture of fallen angels with human beings, because it says in Genesis 6 that this happened at that time, and then afterwards.

I used to read it thinking that it meant all before the flood, but you could make a good case for it saying this happened after the flood as well. And that's what explains, that's why they're still referred to as Niflim and Anakim and Riphaim. You know, those names are still used. Also, note. That Uh 2 Peter talks about Verse 4: If God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.

And notice they're called angels, but they sinned. What did they do? When did they sin?

So is it referring to them and then after that they were then judged for their sin and cast into hell? And then Jude. Verse 6. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, Yeah. Proper dwelling, he has kept an eternal change under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.

So that would refer to these. Uh these ungodly Actions committed by these angelic beings who then were subsequently punished. Uh because of it. And it says in verse 7, just to Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire. Serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

So it seems to be saying the angels did this, and so also did the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Engage in unnatural desires and pursue sexual immorality.

So, Um Again, the most natural reading of the text to me. Is that these were divine beings that then took on human form and somehow were able to copulate with. with women and produce children. And that these were ultimately monstrosities that God wanted to judge.

So, with all respect to Dr. Archie, Sure. Not at all. when you talk about the Neholim, Uh But the occurrences of Benehalim Referring to men standing in covenant relationship to God are fully as numerous in the Old Testament as those referring to angels. And it gives.

quite a few verses. Um But why is that a challenge? In other words, it doesn't mean that every case that's the first time it occurs, first time B'nai Elohim occurs is there. But you have to understand in Hebrew that sons of Here, for example, B'ne Vi'im, the sons of the prophets, that means the disciples of the prophets. And there's debate here in in Job 1 and 2, Hasatan.

Uh Satan, the adversary, appears with the other B'nai Elohim.

So what's there? They're all these spirit beings, and he's there among them.

So, there's not really a challenge to it. Again, it's just the most natural way to read the text, especially that early in Genesis when there's been so little. theological development laid out, it's quite stark and basic.

Well, that really wasn't my challenge. I was just making a comment re referring to the the word bin Elohim. But my challenge is this. Um You said that It took place after the flood. I don't see that in Genesis 6.

I see that it says. That they existed in those days, and then if it was afterwards, well, the flood took place 120 years afterwards, so they were around for 120 years. But scripture says that only eight souls survived. after the I mean, the flood.

So they would have to. Oh, yeah, no, exactly. Right, what it would have to mean, sir. Is that this same thing happened after the flood? That other angels did this as well after the flood.

That's what it would have to mean. You're 100% right. I would use the exact same argument that they were all wiped out because there were only eight survived, and we know who they were: Noah and his wife, and three sons and their wives.

So, right, it would simply mean that the same thing happened. The Niphilem were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men and they bore children to them.

Now, you could read it your way. Excuse me? You're saying it happened afterward with the descendants of Noah. Right, that would have to be what it would mean, hence the fact that you have Nifilim on after the flood as well. For example, numbers 13.

And there we saw the Niphrilim, the sons of Anach, who came from the Niphrilim, and we seem to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seem to them.

So they're mentioned afterwards in the Old Testament, which would suggest that this then happened later on with the descendants of Noah. And some say those were the very ones that the Israelites were trying to exterminate. Um So that would be how it's read. By the way, I had in the past. looked at it the same way that this happened.

A period of time and afterwards, meaning before. Before the flood.

However, I don't believe that's the most natural way to read it. But either way, the fact that it says that the Nephilim mentions them the same name and they're giants, and it's numbers 13 would suggest that this happened after the flood as well. But either way, George, your questions are literate, they're fair. and nothing I'm going to divide over. I appreciate you raising them and challenging me.

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 back to the line of fire, 866-348-7884. Michael Brown coming away live from Escondido, California, the Truth Exchange Conference with Dr. Peter Jones, 866-348-7884. We'll go back to Dallas again. Maria, welcome to the line of fire.

It's an honor to speak with you, Doctor Brown.

Well, thank you. And I was um I'm a messianic Jew. And I always hear Yeah. We should pray in the spirit, but I wanted to see if you could explain how do you pray in the spirit. Sure.

Appreciate the question. Number one, The term is used several times in the New Testament. And in Ephesians 6, when Paul speaks about praying in the Spirit, notice what he says when he speaks about it. He says. Ephesians 6 18.

Praying at all times in the Spirit. with all prayer and supplication To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to pray the mystery of the gospel.

So, since he's telling us specifically what kinds of things to pray. That means we need to be praying with our understanding.

So, when he's saying praying in the Spirit, he would obviously mean praying. uh as led by the spirit as helped by the spirit uh Focused in The spirit as so, so pray good spiritual prayers led. Directed by the Lord, empowered by the Lord, as opposed to just, you know, say your prayers and repeat meaningless things like that.

So it it doesn't seem to be Talking there about praying in other tongues. But it certainly is prayer where maybe we worship for a period of time, we meditate on Scripture, then when we feel rightly engaged, we begin to pray, and then we ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and show us how to pray.

So that's one dimension of praying in the Spirit. But then in Jude chapter Jude verse 20 Verse 20, Jude writes, But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God. I and many others take that to mean. praying in other tongues.

As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14, That the one who prays in a tongue, so a language given by God but not understood to the person praying, that that person edifies themselves, builds themselves up. and as someone who began praying in tongues January twenty fourth of seventy two, I can say that's been a major part of my prayer life in the decade since. And that often out of that, praying for extended period of time and periods of time in other tongues, that not only do I find myself getting tremendously built up, I'm now able to minister to others much more effectively. And often through that, I'm now directed to intercede with my understanding for specific people or situations, or I can pray with much more sense of unction and purpose and grace. And then Paul mentions in Romans the eighth chapter.

He talks about we don't really know what to pray as we should. It's a suffering, dying world. How do we know exactly how to pray and what to say? And he says this, verse 26 of Romans 8. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit. Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

So My own experience is that sometimes I I'm praying for something and I'm overwhelmingly gripped. With a burden. And I don't know how to pray for it or even what to say, but I literally find myself groaning and weeping and sighing with this tremendous sense that spiritually I'm birthing something. It feels like. Travail in the spirit, as Paul writes about it in Galatians.

4:19, he tells the Galatian believers that he's in the pains of childbirth for them. I take it to mean in prayer, carrying that burden.

So, praying in the Spirit can simply mean being led by God, having spiritually minded prayer for different situations, different people. Praying in the Spirit can also be praying in tongues. And we build ourselves up, and then the Holy Spirit leads us as to how to pray, gives us insight in our understanding. And then, lastly, the Holy Spirit interceding through us and for us with unutterable groans, sometimes just the pain, the sigh, is a prayer going up to God as it's in harmony with Him. I don't just mean as I'm walking around going, oh man, rough day.

No, I mean in the Spirit, carrying that burden, that groan, that that's often a prayer in the Spirit when I'm before the Lord. And many of the most important things in my life-direction for ministry, books to write. Prayers to pray for individuals have come out of a time I began to pray in tongues and got overwhelmed with a burden and began to groan and sigh and cry and travail. And then out of that, I knew exactly what to pray or what to do, and a breakthrough came. I hope that's helpful to you.

And for those listening, where this is very foreign, hey, just keep going to the Lord and say, Lord, I want everything you have for me, only what's in your word, what you have for me. And seek Him, don't seek an experience. And as you walk more deeply with Him, or these are things He works in your life, great. And if it remains foreign to you, hey, You just do what you see clearly laid out in the word and grow in the Lord. Let's see.

I've got time for one more call. Darwin in Greensboro, thanks for calling the line of fire. Um, hello, Mr. Michael Brown. God bless you, sir.

And uh I have a question and uh this is my question, sir. Um I go into a church. This is a good church. But I don't feel that I'm growing spiritually. And I'm very passionate about the war.

I'm very passionate about Israel and Jewish people. and the the we have some, you know, study group that we call Connect. you know, for studying the Bible, but I don't feel that really on growing. And and I don't know if I If I showed you no Yeah. go and find another congregation.

I love this congregation with my heart. Yeah. But uh and I I it's important for me to grow so that way I can bring the word of God. And I do that uh whenever I get the chance. Yeah.

So so listen, I I've just got to jump in. I I'm sure there's more you could say, but but I'm going to be out of time, so I want to make sure I answer. There are plenty of different congregations, fellowships, all over the place. And we don't want to be jumping from here to there to here to there to here to there endlessly. Obviously, we don't want to be doing that.

So You want to get grounded, you want to have relationships, etc. You want to be sitting under leadership. That being said, If you don't feel you're being challenged, you're growing, you're really being equipped. And you don't really feel you can throw yourself in to serve fully, then it's fine to prayerfully consider. Another congregation, you obviously take this seriously, but you always want to look at this aside from evaluating: is it a sound biblical congregation?

If it is, two questions. Number one, Am I able to really grow? And be stretched in the Lord and become more of what He wants me to be. In this congregation? And two, is it a place where I can really throw myself in and serve?

Those are the questions you have to ask. Hey, friends, great being with you. Don't forget, take advantage of the special resource offer while there's still time at thelineoffire.org. My bottom line today, your calling is simple: be a disciple and make disciples.