Dr. Brown Answers Your Best Questions

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Phone lines are open wide. It's time for the Line of Fire with your host, biblical scholar and cultural commentator, Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. Call 866-34-TRUTH to get on the Line of Fire. And now here's your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

And welcome, welcome to the Line of Fire broadcast. Michael Brown, delighted to be with you here, friends, to infuse you with faith and truth and courage. All right. I had announced yesterday that I would be joined today by Dr. Mark Stengler and he'd be back to answer your medical questions.

Well, something came up he had to cancel out. It's yours truly, but I'm not here for medical questions. All right.

So if you're ready to call in, sorry to disappoint genuinely. But I can help with questions about biblical healing. Anyway, any question I can help you with, anything you want to talk to me about, anything you want to take issue with spiritual, moral, biblical, theological, political, cultural, anything at all that ties in in any way with anything we dealt on the Line of Fire or you're one of those that likes to get on with our videos and disagree here, disagree there.

Great. You're welcome to. But when I call in so we can go back and forth and separate fact from fiction, 866-348-7884. With that, we go to the phones and we'll start in New York with Steven.

Welcome to the Line of Fire. Hi, Dr. Brown, it's it's great to talk to you again. Great.

Thank you. I have a question. Since King David and King Solomon had concubines, wouldn't they be guilty in God's eyes of committing the sin of fornication throughout their lives? No, because in that culture, concubines were accepted. Sometimes it was the only way that someone could continue their line.

Right. So that someone would the wife was unable to conceive, so there would be a concubine for the purpose of reproduction and it was understood that the king would have concubines. So, no, it was not in that culture and not under ancient Israelite law. That was completely different.

This you find some gal you're not married to and you want to go to bed with her or something like that. So, no, it wouldn't have been both culturally as as well as as well as even under the law, it wouldn't have been explicitly forbidden. OK, thank you.

Yep, you are you are welcome. Look, there there are certainly things in the Hebrew Bible that are not presented as ideal. Right. Polygamy, for example, is not presented as ideal. It was accepted under the law. The king was not to have too many wives, according to Deuteronomy 17. But every example of polygamy where it gets into any detail, it's always wrong. There's some kind of conflict, there's some kind of issue, a jealousy between the wives or conflicts between the kids or other things like that, then it just goes up more and more and more, it gets more and more extreme. And then we know the model, the plan was one man, one woman together for life. But the same way divorce was not ideal, that you have it legislated in Deuteronomy 24, it was because of human sin and weakness. Jesus says that it was given Matthew 19 because the hardness of heart.

So not everything reflects the ideal. 866-348-7884, we've got a couple of lines open now. So if you want to get on now, perfect time to do it. And we can get to your earlier call. The better chance we have of getting to your calls.

All right. Let us go over to Luke in Texas. Welcome to the line of fire.

Hey, Dr. Brown, thanks for taking my call. I have two questions, the time allows. But my first question, so I'm in seminary right now and we're studying the doctrine of the atonement. And the book we are reading is by Calvin. And he makes an argument for limited atonement by saying that if Christ died for everyone's sins, then those who go to hell are suffering a punishment that Christ already suffered for. Essentially, he's arguing that God would be unjust, cause someone to suffer for the crime that has already been paid for.

So how would you respond to that? They're suffering for rejecting that the price was paid. They're suffering for rejecting what Messiah did on their behalf. And just like in ancient Israel, the Day of Atonement, the priest made atonement for everyone in Israel without exception, Leviticus 16.

But if someone would not humble themselves on that day, read Leviticus 16, Leviticus 23, that they would be cut off. So even though the atonement was made and the substitution was provided, the substitute was provided, they suffered because they rejected it. So, yeah, very simply, the word is quite clear on it, that if we reject the gospel, that we will pay the penalty for it. So God offers forgiveness, the price has been paid. We refuse, we refuse that.

Then we suffer the consequences. So it's perfectly just. What would be unjust is God calling someone to believe someone, something that is false, and God calling to believe something that they don't have the power to believe.

That would be unjust. So what do I mean? Well, according to a Calvinist, Jesus did not die for the sins of the whole world, but only for the elect. Right. So if you tell a sinner, believe in the Lord Jesus and you'll be saved and that person is not elect, if they had the power to believe it, it wouldn't be true because he didn't die for them.

Right. And they don't have the power to believe because you have to be born again to believe, according to Calvinism. That's unjust for God to call someone to do what they cannot do, to believe something that wouldn't be true, even if they could believe it. And then to do what they were eternally destined to do and have no power not to do, that hold them responsible for that. If you want to make an argument about injustice, then it flies right in the face of Calvinism.

With all respect to my Calvinist friends. All right. OK, gotcha. Yeah, I like that.

Yep. And then my other question, I was reading an article today, and in this article, the guy's talking about the Old Testament regarding the seventh year of rest, and he's basing his argument off the Hebrew wording, and he says that just as the land was given rest for one year, but then work, you know, began again after that rest. So to the debt that were, they weren't really forgiven.

They just didn't have to pay for that one year. But that was false. That's completely false. OK. Deuteronomy 15 is explicit and Jewish law is quite explicit. No, it's that's that's not accurate. And the land, there's not a debt thing. It's just the Sabbath rest principle. OK, so it's not that that you owe the land or there's the picture of a debt. So the analogy is not there at all. And what's the whole thing Deuteronomy 15 that you're going to calculate and say, well, I'm not going to be able to get my money back?

Or it's the year of Jubilee, the 50th year. I'm not going to be able to do it. It's just do it. Give. Be generous. Don't make that calculation. So, no, absolutely false.

And nothing in the Hebrew would point in that direction whatsoever. OK, gotcha. Appreciate it. All right. You got the God bless you. Eight, six, six, three, four truth. Let us go over to Christian in Toledo, Ohio.

Welcome to the line of fire. Yes, how you doing, Dr. Brown? Very well, thank you. I have two questions, but we can't get to it.

That's OK. But my first question is on the Trinity. I'm a Trinitarian and I always been confused about this. So, you know, I believe Jesus Christ is eternal, obviously, along with the Father and Holy Spirit. But how can he be called the Son from all eternity? If he always existed with the Father, wouldn't they be more like I feel like that's not a proper word to call the Son or eternal call the Son. Right.

He's always with the Father. Right. So this is a an ancient debate and a big question.

All right. So there are different ways of looking at it. One is that in the nature of God, that God has always existed as Father, Son, Spirit, and that the Son has always been equal but subordinate to the Father. So equal, but for the purposes of salvation or just by operation, subordinate to the Father.

There's debate about this. Others would say he's eternally begotten. He proceeds from the Father in eternity past and is called the Son. But what does it mean to be eternally begotten?

I mean, to me, that's a fair question, because if it's eternal, then it always was. The other way of looking at it is that God is three in one and for the purposes of redemption reveals himself to us as Father, Son and Spirit. And that in eternity past, from the beginning, that God did not always exist as Father, Son and Spirit, but as three in one now manifest to us as Father, Son and Spirit.

Those would be different ways that people would look at this. What I find very interesting, though, Christian, is that in 1 Corinthians 15, it says that at the end, the Son will submit to the Father that God may be all in all. And then when you get to Revelation 22, it says it speaks of God and the Lamb. His servants will see his face and serve him. So the ultimate emphasis of scripture, so that there's one God and one God only, and that's what's going to be the great, great revelation.

So it's honestly debatable. We know that when Jesus comes into the world, he's now Son of God because he's born into this world. And so God is his father and Miriam as his mother. We know that it is resurrection he's proclaimed Son of God.

So that's like the royal coronation is king. But eternity past, that to me is a more debatable issue. And I have no dogmatic answer. There are systematic theologians who have a more dogmatic answer. To me, it's a question mark. As far back as we know, God has been Father, Son and Spirit.

And, of course, always three in one. But did the Son proceed forth from the Father at a certain point in time? And at that point, take on the identity of Son? That's what's debated.

And anyway, that's where I have to leave it. Others are more dogmatic. I can't be based on scripture.

I hold that position as well. You know, obviously, like you said, it's debatable because we can never really know until that time has come, you know, to the end of days come, that we finally stand before him, but, OK, I'd like to answer. And I have one more. So, yeah, real quick, go ahead. Yeah. OK, back to chapter 15 and verse 26, 27, 28, with Jesus Christ talking to the woman who came in. And it seemed like he calls her a dog or something like crumbs, something like that. And I was wondering, could you kind of give more light to that or exactly what he was trying to say to her? Yeah, so obviously this is recorded in scripture.

The people who recorded it believe that Jesus is sinless. He didn't lose his temper. He wasn't just talking, you dog. And in the Greek, it's like the household pet dogs.

But still, it was derogatory. She knew her status as a Gentile was like a dog at Israel's table. And he's telling her, you're an outsider. Now, remember, in context, he's just declared that what you eat won't defile you, breaking down the food laws.

The Jew Gentile separation is about to be taken down so that we can be one in Messiah. He then travels like 30 miles out of his way just to be with this Gentile woman to heal her child and then leaves. He is drawing faith out of her. He's talking to her in a way that emphasizes that she's an outsider of the covenant promises to draw faith out of her so we can heal. That's his whole mission. That's why he goes there out of his way to heal.

But he's drawing faith out of her to take hold of the coveted promises that belong to Israel. Hey, thanks for the questions. We'll be right back. Eight, six, six, three, four, truth. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, get on the line of fire by calling eight, six, six, three, four, truth.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us on the line of fire. Remember, we've got limited seating on our trip to Israel next year. We're May twenty twenty three after being out for a few years. We cannot wait to get back.

So if you're planning on going, wanting to go. Now's the time to get your deposit in. It's all on our Web site. Ask Dr. Brown, ask your Brown dot org.

Hey, everyone listening in our great station in Iowa. We are scheduled to be in Des Moines, Iowa, for two special meetings tomorrow night, Saturday night and Sunday morning. All the info's on my Web site.

Ask Dr. Brown dot org, ask your Brown dot org. Check out the itinerary. All right, check it out. And if you can be there and you're one of our great listeners in Iowa, please come up and say hi if you're able to at the service. All right.

Let us go to go over to California. John, welcome to the line of fire. Hey, Dr. Brown, how's it going? Doing very well, thank you. I just first want to say I appreciate so much what you do. You really helped kind of help me this last year since I've been watching you just with the word of God and with mainly with my pride and putting my pride where it needs to go, thinking that I know everything. My question today was I wanted to know your opinion on who has the ultimate authority on the word of God, because there's the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, there's Pentecostal churches, there's Baptist churches.

And it's a question I've really been struggling with for about a year. Right. So when you look at scripture, you often see that our traditions get in the way.

Right. If you look, for example, in Mark seven, Matthew 15, I was just referring to those before the break. Jesus is rebuking some of the religious leaders of his day saying that that you have a fine way of exalting your traditions over the word.

So there's always a danger in doing that, which means that the word ultimately has to speak for itself. The Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church would say that we have scripture and church tradition, and it's by tradition that ultimately we can understand scripture. A traditional Jews would say you cannot rightly understand the Torah without Jewish tradition. If you're a Jehovah's Witness, you believe that Jehovah's Witnesses have the key tools to understanding scripture, you can't interpret it without them.

But obviously Mormons would say the same. What I say is the word of God has to be its ultimate authority itself. There is we have to get on our knees with the Bible and say, God, give me understanding.

Speak to me. Now, we are part of a body. We are part of a church with other believers around the world. God knows those who are truly his. And there are fundamental things that we hold to and that we believe in. And these to us are all abundantly clear in scripture. But ultimately, whether I'm in a Catholic church or a Protestant church, I have to look at the Bible and test everything by the word of God, because human traditions can get in the way. And when I see a tradition, let's say I'm part of a particular church and there's a really important doctrine that they teach.

Right. And when I examine the scripture as best as I can examine it, it clearly goes against that tradition that I have to go with the word against that tradition, and if that makes me question the larger teaching of that group, well, then that's fine, because the word of God is going to stand forever. Jesus says in Matthew twenty four thirty five, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will last forever. Book of Isaiah, the fourth chapter, verses seven and eight, that the grass is going to wither and flowers are going to fade, but the word of God is going to stand forever. When you go back to the to the Torah and someone comes, a prophet, miracle worker, dreamer of dreams, and they work a miracle or give a prophecy that comes to pass and say, follow the gods, don't do it because you've got to test everything by the prior revelation that came. So the ultimate authority of the word of God is the word of God. No human teacher, no denomination, but the word of God itself and everything must be in harmony with scripture. Second Peter one, Peter talks about the unshakable foundation, foundation of prophecy, what's written in the word. That's our ultimate proof of the Messiah ship of Jesus.

So that's got to be the ultimate test. And again, it doesn't mean that we're doing this independently. We're doing this as part of a body. But even there, can we support the absolute fundamentals of what we believe scripturally? Great.

Then that can be part of the family for us. And together we started the scriptures. But ultimate authority is the word itself. Thank you so much, Dr. Yeah, and John, one last thing. Get in the habit of of asking the Lord for insight and wisdom as you read. Father, open my eyes. Psalm 119, verse 18, Gali and I have a beat in the flow of me to our tech. I was left to quote that in Hebrews, uncover my eyes that I behold wonders from your teaching, from your law or give me insight, give me wisdom, help me to understand, Lord, don't let me be led astray by my own folly or fleshly desires, and he's near to the brokenhearted. Hey, thank you, John, for the good word. Appreciate it.

866-34-TRUTH. Let us go to William in Torrance, California. Welcome to the line of fire.

Hey, Dr. Brown. First, I want to recognize your staff, your team. I sent out an email and immediately got a good response with a lot of materials, just good things as a resource. I really appreciate the team that supports you in that. Wonderful question.

Yeah, thanks. So my my my question really is, it's around, you know, God's timing and you know, God's timing being, you know, perfect in every way and all the time. And so the the it was really around that. Is it a choice really to observe? You know, sort of that one calendar versus another calendar, meaning the sun, the moon, the Jewish calendar versus the Gregorian calendar. I understand that not for not for to be saved, but more for I guess I being a Christian, I really do find a lot of value in in the feast.

And, you know, Rosh Hashanah is coming up and a lot of the things that are found in the in the Jewish calendar. Right. Well, again, it's not a matter of salvation. It is secondary. And it's a matter of what is going to strengthen our walk with the Lord and what is going to point to Yeshua more, to Jesus more and cause us to to grow and to be more fruitful.

That's what matters. It's absolutely wonderful for a gentile Christian to appreciate the biblical calendar. Don't look at it as the Jewish calendar as much as the biblical calendar.

Although if you're speaking of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, then you're already thinking in terms of Jewish tradition. But it's wonderful to remember the past history. It's wonderful to see how things point to the Messiah.

That's a building and excellent. But if it becomes something ritualistic or legalistic or now you're going to judge others by their failure to keep these things, then that's when it becomes dangerous or or think that I'm not in right relationship with God unless I'm doing these things. But for many Christians, the the traditions that have grown up over the years have been helpful. Those traditions, as I said a moment ago, that violate scripture, we reject. But for many that have grown up with with a Christian calendar and it's been very meaningful to them and part of their cycle of life and part of their devotional life. Wonderful.

Neither is required. But to the extent that we don't cast off biblical Jewish roots, great. To the extent we see the fullness of the coming of Jesus, great. To the extent these things enhance or spiritualize that are not bondage in a ritual way, great. Hey, God bless and thanks for the good word. We do have an amazing team here, a wonderful, hardworking, devoted team.

That is just a pleasure to be with. Let's go to Paul. We weren't going to. I was going to go to Paul.

And he went to those pets go to heaven. I've answered that a bunch of times already. Anyway, all right. Our buddy Eddie in Connecticut, welcome to the line of fire. Dr. Brown, how are you doing today? I'm great, man.

Thank you. Well, we had a great argument this week and here's what happened. They said, well, you got to call Dr. Brown on this one. I said or no, they said, can the gospel be preached anywhere in the world? So everyone's saying, of course. So then I said, I don't know if it could. So they said, what are you talking about?

I said, I'm going to tell you why. In the New Testament, Jesus says, look at the lilies of the field. They're not spinning. They're not doing nothing. But yet God clothes them.

And then he said, look at the fall of the air. They don't reap or sow, but God feeds them. I said, now, how are we going to go preach that in Ethiopia?

People are starving and burying their children. I'm going to preach that message. They're going to say, buddy, you know what?

You're telling me God's feeding birds and clothing flowers over here dying. So they so basically they said, well, you've got a point there. I said, and it's hard questions to ask, I said.

But let me ask Dr. Brown that question. So here's the simple answer. The gospel message is not about birds and flowers. The gospel message is about human beings in sin in need of a savior in God's great love by sending a savior. So first thing is the people living in agrarian societies, like would be more common in much of Africa than in America. They'll be the first to tell you about the cycle of life there. Even during famine and things like that.

They're quite aware of the fact that the birds get fed and the flowers grow and all that. And that's all Jesus is talking about is the general cycle of life, right? There were famines in the ancient world there, too.

What animals would die and crops wouldn't be produced. But that's just a generalization that he's making there. And that does work all around the world. But you're not going to quote every verse in every setting. You know, when when I'm in a village in India and literally the people, if they're lucky, they've got one thing of clothes to wear. And maybe we're working out in the field all day for for a dollar a day or something like that, just with the hope of getting enough enough food in their mouth to make it through the day or so their kids won't starve. I'm not there talking about the evils of big tech and the allure of social media.

And don't spend all your time on Facebook. No, I'm talking about God's love for them and the truth of the gospel. So, yes, the simple gospel message can be preached everywhere in the world.

And that's the amazing thing. You're in some village in India where you've got zero in common, it seems, with the people, but when you talk about sin and being right with God and forgiveness, they understand, they understand. Hey, thank you for the call, as always. We'll be right back. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get on the line of fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Welcome, welcome to the line of fire broadcast. Hey, friends, have you read my political seduction book maybe you ordered early and you've read it? If so, can I ask you to do two things? First, tell your friends about it. Get on social media, hold up a picture of the book. Tell friends if you feel the book's important. One of my colleagues read it and said he can't think of a more important book to read, how can we get it to the hands literally of millions of people and we get it to the hands of every leader we know.

And that's how convicted he was about the book. So that's one thing. Tell others about it. Get the word out and then take a moment to post a review on Amazon.

You don't have to buy it on Amazon to post a review there and just let others know about it. I know it's an urgently important message, especially as we come into the 2022 and 2024 election. So help get the word out.

I'd really appreciate it. 866-348-7884. Let us go over to Sarah in Orlando, Florida.

Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Dr. Brown. How are you? Doing very well. Thank you.

Great. Well, first I want to say I saw that video or the documentary in his image and it was such a great documentary. So I wanted to applaud you with that very thought provoking.

Yeah, let me just say it was a privilege to to participate in that American Family Studios did an amazing job. Friends, if you've got a friend or loved one, same sex attracted gender identity confusion, check it out in his image on YouTube or in his image movie. OK, thanks, Sarah. So back to you. Great. So I just had a question.

I always was wondering about it. And so I just thought this was a great opportunity to ask you for your opinion. In Matthew Chapter 11, verses 13 to 15, the Lord Jesus was saying that for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you're willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. The same thing is also spoken in Matthew Chapter 17 after the transfiguration on the dead side. They're asking, you know, who's first to come? And he also reaffirmed that Elijah already has come, but they didn't recognize them. And the disciples knew that he was talking about John the Baptist. So going back to John Chapter one, verse 19, when the Jews sent the priest and the Levites to ask him, you know, if he's not the Christ, he denied that, obviously, and then they ask if he was Elijah. And he said, no, I'm not. And then are you the prophet?

And he answered no again. He just identified that, you know, being the one who is a voice crying out in the wilderness, you know, to make straightaway the Lord. So I just wanted to know your opinion. Why do you think that John the Baptist kind of just stuck with, you know, I'm just the voice crying out, not really wanting to be recognized as a prophet or even Elijah who is to come?

And because he didn't know that, you know, the Lord Jesus, he obviously saw him and he was there as a witness when the heavens opened. So I just wanted to know your opinion. I just always wondered about that. Yeah, great question.

And many have wondered the same way. I'd say it's practical and factual. It's practical in that if John said, I am Elijah, I am that one, then it would have shifted everything immediately. It would have put a focus on Jesus right from the outset that it would have been impractical. There would have been all types of wrong expectations with it. That's why that's why Jesus didn't let people say that he was the Messiah, just because he had a mission first before that full revelation came.

That's part of it. The other is there were probably misconceptions about who Elijah would be, what he would do. Is it literally Elijah reincarnate? Well, that was not the case. But that would be viewed or a literal Elijah that would come.

You know, many traditional Jews believe that will happen. What his function would be. So it could also be what you think Elijah is, what you think he's going to do. That's not me. I've got a very, very different role.

So I think it's both of those factors, the practical and the factual, and that explains it. But Jesus is saying, look, he did come in the spirit power of Elijah. He is the forerunner.

If you can get that and then you'll you'll more fully understand who I am. But it doesn't it doesn't mean that he wasn't going to the cross or any of that. Or it doesn't mean that there won't be an Elijah in the future either, just as there was a first and second coming.

But that's that's how I understand it, both practically and factually. All right. Yeah, definitely makes perfect sense. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. You are very welcome. Eight, six, six, three, four, truth. All right.

We lost Paul, but we've got you back in Twin Cities, Minnesota. Welcome to the line of fire. Hey, Dr. Brown, bless you, brother, hope you're doing well today. Yes, it is.

Thanks. So I'm calling about that question you answered, I believe it was last Friday, where you talked about whether pets go to heaven as they are, as opposed to maybe like a perfected reincarnation of a pet or something like that. And I have my own ideas about it. And I know you're a really scriptural guy.

And one thing I did hear a lot of is just some of the scriptural foundation behind your beliefs, and I was just curious of what some of that is. Yes. So thanks for asking. So the question was perennially asked, do pets go to heaven? And, you know, it's a sentimental thing. Maybe it's pets been very precious to your family and little Dodo dies. You know, Dodo, the dog dies. That will we see Dodo again? And how could heaven be heaven without Dodo?

And I'm saying it the silly way. But look, we've all been attached to pets very, very much. So my answer was, as best as I understand it, because an animal does not have a an inner being like we do when it dies, it dies.

That's the end of it. So you could say, OK, OK, why couldn't it be resurrected? Well, theoretically, it could be, in other words, it didn't have a soul.

Then it won't have a soul in the future, but it could be resurrected. But there's not a stitch of a scripture anywhere about the resurrection of an animal. So there's nothing to quote.

There's nothing to point to. Everything that's spoken of in the Bible is about our resurrection and what to look for in the future in terms of how we'll be resurrected. First Corinthians 15, dealing with that. So I could go through Daniel 12. I could go through John five. I could go through First Corinthians 15. I go through Revelation the 20th chapter. I could go through these various verses that speak about a future resurrection, but it's always about human beings. That's it. And that will be judged and some will receive eternal life and some eternal damnation. So that's all that's spoken of. And then Ecclesiastes raises the question, you know, in a painful, cynical way about this earth, like who knows the difference between a human spirit that goes up and an animal spirit that goes down.

I mean, it just looks like everybody dies. But in fact, there is a difference. So I can give you more scripture because there's nothing that speaks of pets in heaven or animals in heaven.

All kinds of creatures. Yes. So is it possible God, his goodness would surprise us?

Yeah. I mean, people say he's going to surprise us with all kinds of things. That being said, I believe his presence alone will be so beautiful that whether those pets are there or not, it won't matter to us.

But all the scripture I can give you only speaks of resurrection of human beings. Hey, thank you for following up, Paul. I appreciate it. Let us go to Glenn in the Bronx, New York. Welcome to the line of fire. Hello. Hello. I just have a hello. Yes.

Thank you for the show. I have a question about the Old Testament law of keeping the Sabbath the seventh day. I know. So basically, I know many Christians don't practice the seventh-day Sabbath. So how do we reconcile this? Are we keeping the Sabbath? Jesus says that the law won't be passed until the end of the world.

The law won't be passed away. Yeah. So, yeah. So, Glenn, just a quick question.

And this this comes up always. It's a very, very fair question, Glenn. A totally fair question to ask. It's part of the Ten Commandments. Why isn't it captor who moved it to Sunday? Totally fair question to ask.

Let me ask you something. Why is it that we don't offer animal sacrifices today? Because Jesus has led some sacrifices, the ultimate sacrifices. Right. Perfect.

Exactly right. So some would say, so Jesus says that nothing in the law will pass away until it's fulfilled, so all the blood sacrifices and all that he fulfilled. So many would say that Jesus says to us in Matthew 11, 28, come to me, you who labor, heavy, heavily burdened, and I'll give you rest. So that the Sabbath was pointing to him coming and giving us rest. The Colossians, the second chapter says that the shadow, the Sabbath is the shadow, but the substance is found in the Messiah. So some would argue that the Messiah gives us rest and we find that rest in him. Therefore, we don't have to set a specific day aside. And they would say Romans 14 reinforces that. And nowhere does the New Testament command the seventh day Sabbath for all Christians.

That was a sign that God gave to Israel. That being said, sir, the question deserves more discussion. But because this came up so many times over the air, I haven't stopped taking calls on it for a while and just referred people to our website, so I want to take this call today, but go to my website. Askdartyoubrown.org. Askdartyoubrown.org. Go over there and just type in Sabbath and you'll get a lot more information there in terms of why I hold to what I hold to.

All right. So askdartyoubrown.org, click on Sabbath. But the biggest thing I would say is that nowhere does the New Testament enjoin this on Gentile Christians. So just even put it aside of Jewish believers.

Nowhere does that enjoin just a command. And we do find Sabbath rest in Yeshua. Thank you, sir, for the call. Hey, are you one of our team members, one of our torchbearers helping us with a dollar or more per day?

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Why not join today? Ask Dr. Brown, askdrbrown.org, click on Donate Monthly Support. We're going straight back to your questions on the other side of the break. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, get on the line of fire by calling 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

All right, I am going straight back to the phones. And let's start with Christian in North Carolina. Welcome to the line of fire.

Hello, Dr. Brown. I have a question from Luke, chapter 19, verse 4 about you said earlier where Jesus was basically I think you I don't know exactly how you put it, but I think it was ordained to come through to speak to the woman about the scraps from the table, and I was just wondering if you thought that chapter 19, verse 4, if Jesus was basically ordained to come through that way, because he said he had to come past by that way. That's what Luke said. I mean, I don't know how, you know, you know what I'm talking about in verse... Right, right. So it's... I think it depends on which translation is being read.

Let me back up. The case with Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7 and Matthew 15, he went completely out of his way there. In other words, it was miles and miles and miles out of his way to go there. And he just went there ultimately to heal the woman's daughter and then came back in terms of the plan of God. Right. But there were times where he had to, in other words, you're over here, and when we get through, the most likely way or the easiest way or the shortest way is to go through a particular place.

But in... So in Luke 19 with Zacchaeus, it is clearly a divine appointment. In other words, Jesus is just going about his business, doing what he sees the Father do, and he's going through Jericho, and when he spots Zacchaeus, he knows, he knows that this is why I'm here.

So it could be that at the beginning of the day that he saw in the Spirit, I'm going to go to Jericho and I'm going to meet this tax collector named Zacchaeus, and this is the day of salvation for him, right? Or he could just know, this is where we're going today. And then at that moment, boom, this is it.

I'm supposed to be with you. But either way, there was that sense. It wasn't so much that he had to go to Jericho, but this recognition that this is a divinely ordained moment. Have you ever, not to compare us to Jesus in this way, but have you ever been doing something and you didn't quite know why you were doing it, it's like, now I know why I'm here, or now I know it's for you that I'm here or for this situation. So the Son of God was, yeah, was perfectly alert to those things, you know, because of his harmony with his Father and knew moment by moment, these are divine appointments. This is something ordained by the Father.

I'm here for this moment for this person. Does that make sense? It does make sense. But one other real quick question.

Yeah. Speaking of Israel and your trip to Israel, are you planning to, are you planning to go to Jericho and maybe go where Jesus walked past and OK, the story means so much to me. This is where it means so much to me. If you check the website, AskDrBrown.org, click, it should list the itinerary. There is a day of going south to Masada, to Dead Sea, and that would be the day of stopping at Jericho. I, I, I don't remember if it's on the itinerary for this trip, but you can write in, just write, have a specific question about it. I mean, obviously there's so many incredible sites. It takes a long time to see everything.

So we pack in the best, most impacting in the time that we're there. But if it's not listed, you can write in and ask. Hey, thank you for your question, sir. I appreciate it. All right. Let us go to Kenny in Madras, Oregon.

Welcome to the line of fire. I don't know how many people call it Madras, but that's funny. Everybody I talk to calls it Madras.

How is it pronounced? But anyways, Madras. OK, Madras. It's a question that was going to be my next question, because in India, there's Madras, right? We know that.

But where did Madras come from? Is there any connection between them? I don't know at all. All right. Hang on. Hang on. Let's just hang on. Hang on. Hang on.

Kenny from Madras, Oregon. Welcome to the line of fire. There we go. All right. Go ahead. OK, so it's not to catch you off guard or nothing. I do have kind of a Calvinist doctrine. I am kind of a weirdo.

I go to an Assemblies of God Church, too. I don't know. Anyways, I am wondering. So I want to get your I just want to get your point of view on it. So we see in Titus one, two, where there was a promise that there was a promise made before time began. And then we see in Acts two that there was this predetermined and predestined plan. And then we see in Acts four that Christ, the hand of Herod and the Gentiles and the Jews were all predetermined to happen to Christ before the world began.

In first Peter. So adding those together, I'm asking was sin in the plan before the foundation of the world, if Christ was predetermined before the foundation of the world, to go to the cross? Yes, sin was foreknown.

In other words, before the foundation of the... Foreknown or predetermined? Foreknown. Foreknown. Foreknown. All through the Bible.

Determined in Acts? Yeah, well, hang on. Hang on.

I'll get to it. Remember, remember, I was a staunch Calvinist for five years, so nothing's going to catch me off guard in that regard. Number one, if God ordains you to do a particular thing, God destines you to do a particular thing and chooses you to do a particular thing and sets you on the course.

That's the only thing that you can do. Will God then be grieved that you did it and rebuke you for doing it? Well, I mean, I guess I would go back to the same thing as he doesn't want any of us to be... he doesn't desire any of us to be lost. And yet, in the same sense, he... Oh, what is that verse? He says he doesn't, he doesn't take any, any... Ezekiel 18, Ezekiel 33, he doesn't take any delight in the death of wicked, rather, if they repent. So let me just...

So we have that same kind of contrast. All right, well, but hang on. Let me just... so you're saying then, if God preordains someone, he creates Joe for the purpose of being a wrestler, a vessel of wrath, preordains him to damnation and ordains that he will be the one to betray the Son of God, will God then be grieved that he did that? And will he hold them accountable for doing that and rebuke him for his disobedience?

I think everybody wants this thing and wants to go to hell anyway. Oh, OK. Because the nature hasn't been changed. Well, where did that come from? Where did that... But where did that come from? What do you mean, where did that come from? That human nature, it came from God, according to you, correct? God ordained people to sin. Right, well, we have to look at what James says.

James says that there is a desire, a desire that God doesn't tempt us with. But, but we see that... But you're saying God... we sinned... OK. Yeah, yeah.

I'm only interrupting... So there is a fallen nature, a fallen nature that's not of God. It's not of God. Where did it come from then? Well, I could go back to the same thing, where did evil come from with you? We could go back and fight back and forth. Right, right, very, very easily.

And I'm only interrupting only because I've got like two minutes and we're just trying to draw something out. OK, so in short, sin was not foreordained, sin was foreknown, that's the first thing. That's why God has grieved over human sin. That's why God rebukes us for human sin. That's why God says choose life so that you can live. That's why God says in Deuteronomy 30, Deuteronomy 48, if only you would listen to my commandments, then you would have lived. That's why Jesus says in Matthew 23, how often I long to gather your children together as a hen gathers her tricks under wings, but you were not willing. Luke 16, the Pharisees rejected the will of God for their lives. So on and on, verse after verse, the whole of the Bible, God grieved over the sin of the human race, God regretting the sin of the human race, God holding us responsible and saying, I wanted you to live, I wanted to forgive, I wanted to offer mercy.

That's that's number one. Number two, sin, though, was clearly foreknown before the foundation of the world, because Jesus is first Peter one in Revelation 13 is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world, so God predestines him as the sacrifice for a sin, so foreseeing our sin, the fact that he ordained certain things to happen through certain people, that's his foreknowledge that that God seeing eternity, right, Isaiah 57, 15, he inhabits eternity. So he finds a Herod to do a particular thing. He finds a Pharaoh to do a particular thing. If you'll read through the Exodus account, starting in the third chapter and then reading right through the 14th chapter, you'll see that God first says, Pharaoh will harden his heart, then God says, I'll harden his heart.

And then it's at least five times. Pharaoh hardens his heart before God now in Hebrew, what? L'chazek strengthens it, and then L'chabed makes it heavy before L'chakshot makes it hard. So when God wants to do a particular thing, Proverbs 16 four is best translated, then he uses the wicked for that particular desired outcome. Whereas you take someone like Abimelech, the king in Genesis 20, God doesn't let him sleep with Sarah because God saw the integrity of his heart and therefore didn't let him sin, because as far as Abimelech knew, Abraham, that was his sister, not his wife, so he could take it for himself. But God saw that he did it innocently. So God works through human beings. God preordained the death of Jesus and he preordained how it would happen and through whom, because he foresees. And therefore he, when he's looking for a particular thing to do, finds the right person to do it. When he's looking for a certain evil deed, he finds the right person given over to it and then works out his will through them. He is amazingly sovereign, amazingly wise, and amazingly powerful, and I bow down and worship him.

And everything he does is consistent with his nature. Hey, Kenny, I wish we had more time to interact again. Apologize for having to interrupt.

But I wanted to get the answer in before we were done. Blessings upon your opinion in Des Moines, Iowa this weekend. Come visit us at startyourbrown.org for all the details. Another program powered by the Truth Network.