Dr. Brown Answers Your Toughest Questions

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. If you'd like to be with you, this is the day when you can call in, talk about any subject under the sun, ask any question of any kind, as long as it relates in any way to any content we address here on the line of fire. Anything I've ever written, said, by all means, give us a call. 866-344-TRUTH. That's 866-348-7884. Without further ado, we go straight to the phones.

Let's start with Bella in Los Angeles, California. Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, good afternoon Dr. Bell, how are you?

I'm doing very well, thank you. My question is regarding Leviticus 19-28, it says to not cut your bodies for the dead and not mark your skin. My question is, I noticed that Jews don't have markings on or don't get tattoos, or at least I haven't met anyone that is a Jew and has a tattoo, but I wanted to know what is the meaning for you personally, if someone gets a tattoo, or let's say their mother, or someone that passed, or maybe a drawing, does it have a symbolic meaning, and why don't Jews participate in that?

So a few layers to your question, which we'll unpack. A secular Jew would get a tattoo as much as anybody else, but a religious Jew who feels that these words of Torah are sacred and are commands from God, of course they would not get a tattoo, so you'll never see a devout practicing religious Jew with tattoos. Maybe before they were practicing, maybe if they weren't raised like that they got tattoos, but as a religious Jew, of course, you wouldn't see them with tattoos and it would seem very odd and inappropriate. So, because the Torah prohibits it, even though the word used for tattoo is only used here, it's some type of mark that you would cut in yourself and incise in yourself, so tattoo is the closest thing that we have to that. Now, for a Christian, just for someone that loves the Lord and is reading the Bible, they might come to that and say, well hang on, the previous verse, verse 27 says, you shall not round off the side growth on your head, or destroy the side growth on your beard. Does that mean that any man has to let the beard grow? Or earlier in the chapter, it says, for example, that you can't sow two different types of seeds in your field, or you can't wear a garment with mixed fabric.

So, just answered this question a couple days ago, but it's fine to address it again. So, we understand, as followers of Jesus, looking back, that there were laws that God gave to Israel that were based on universal moral principles. In other words, don't murder, don't commit adultery, that's wrong for all people worldwide, that's why God told Israel, you can't do this. Other things, like the food laws, or the laws about wearing a garment with mixed fabric, that was given, not based on universal morality, there's nothing immoral, intrinsically, about wearing a garment with mixed fabrics. But that was just a way of telling Israel, you're separate, you're separate, you're a separate people, you're a holy people to the Lord, inwardly and outwardly.

So, for a traditional Jew to this day, they're interwoven together as one, but for a follower of Jesus saying, that was a command that could have been just a command for Israel to not do what the nations did. Now, because it's there, and because it's tied in with apparently pagan practices, I could not get a tattoo in good conscience. To me, it would be a violation of my own convictions. When we had our ministry school, it's just online now, but for 22 years when we had our physical campuses, then if you came as a student to the school, we asked you not to get any tattoos while you were in the school, just for our conscience, and so we didn't have to deal with what's too much or whatever. But we couldn't say God's telling you not to. That was just like a dress code or a curfew.

That was something that we established. So, if the message itself is not intrinsically evil, let's say someone wants to put a Bible verse or a Bible reference, a tattoo it, or right in the back of their hand, kadosh, holy, in Hebrew, to remind them to be holy. The message is obviously a good message, as to whether they are defiling their bodies in doing that, or simply reminding themselves of something, that's going to be between them and God. So for sure, anything demonic, ugly, dark, would be sinful for a believer to put on their bodies.

For me, any tattoo on my body would be a violation of conscience, but because this is the only verse that addresses it, and it's right after either a mandate about the beards and things like that, you could say this was given to Israel to keep them separate from the nations, but it's not necessarily a universal prohibition on all believers, therefore everyone has to work it out between them and God and come to their conclusions. So hopefully that helps, Bella. Thank you so much, I appreciate it. I hope you come to California one day.

I've been there many a time, but not for a bit, so hopefully we'll get back out there, especially as there's freedom to gather and more and more people are doing that. 866-34-truth. The only colleague of mine, former student with the Lord now, but did a lot of ministry for years, did a lot of ministry helping people that were bound by demons and really had a strong ministry of deliverance. He was utterly convinced that all tattoos were wrong, and he said when you look into the origins of it and the styles of it, he said it's all dark, it's all demonic, it's all wrong.

So the person that did the deepest dive into that came to that conclusion, but based on scripture alone, I can't be that dogmatic. Alright, let's go over to Jonathan in Centralia, Washington. Welcome to the line of fire. Hey Dr. Brown, can you hear me okay? Yes, very loudly and clearly.

Alright, cool. So I have this question on a teaching that Steve Ault has that I'm sure you're familiar with, on when there's a move of God in a particular denomination or in the church. God blesses the people who are working in that move more if they do not willingly leave that particular denomination. Like, for example, God blessed Martin Luther and John Wesley, but they did not leave the Catholic Church or the Anglican Church, respectively.

They were kicked out, right? And so then we got the Holiness movement in the 20th century and in the late 19th century. Those of them that left the Methodist Church, they did not end up becoming Pentecostal, but those who held out, even though they were no longer welcome in the Methodist Church, and they were eventually kicked out, they become Pentecostals.

So God blessed them more because they did not leave their denomination. So my question is, does that apply to me if I have a church that I'm a part of and I have a lot of issues with that church and I just am not sure that I want to bring new converts to that church and different issues like that, does that apply to me then? First, I do not believe that that was the intent of Steve Hall's teaching.

Steve, a colleague of mine for about 25 years and one of the key teachers in our ministry school for many, many years, those that want to take his amazing classes can still do it online, fireschoolofministry.com. So let's step back and look at the larger issue. If people really love the body that they're part of, respect the leaders, want to see positive change come within the system, but ultimately it cannot come so they are pushed out. Well, what may be behind the blessing that follows them is their attitude. In other words, they wanted to honor, they wanted to help, they wanted to build within their own heritage but were not allowed to. So they weren't rebels by nature, they were not trying to tear some structure down and do damage to it. Rather, when they were unable to bring about change, when the systemic corruption or sin or doctrinal error or strongholds, when those were too deep, they were then pushed out.

So part of the reason for Steve Hall's argument here could simply be the attitude of the heart, right, that they weren't rebels, that they weren't out to hurt, that their goal was to build up, not tear down. But when the system said no to them, now they were pushed out, and then once they're out, then there was much more freedom to be who God called them to be and do what God called them to do. So that's very different than just being a member of a congregation. You are not there to change that local church, otherwise you'd be put in leadership.

You'd be the ones leading the way. Just like the child is not called to lead the parents, well, what if the parents make a mistake? Well, then it doesn't mean everything the parents do is perfect. The same way with church leaders. It doesn't mean everything church leaders do is right or perfect. So what if you're there and you have a lot of issues with what's being taught and these are core values of the church?

In other words, it's not like, hey, we're on a journey, we're studying this together, we're praying, we're looking for insight, let's go on the journey together. No, if these are things they teach, they preach core values, and you differ with them to the point that you would not want to bring a new believer there, then by all means, that's not the right place for you. And you might meet with leaders one time and say, hey, I have got differences on A, B, C, D, E, and I'm uncomfortable here. Are these core values to you? Are these things you really feel are important to teach and preach and that this is the direction of the church? If they say yes, then with respect to them, you don't want to be the dissident fighting, you don't want to be the one that's always trying to push against them. The right thing to do to honor them and to get nourishment for yourself and to find a place where you can effectively serve is to go among others that believe as you believe.

This way there's not contention, this way you're not frustrated every Sunday, this way the leaders don't have to wonder, are you for us or against us? So it's different when there's a battle for the direction of a movement and you're trying to help your church, your denomination, your heritage, and then ultimately people say no to it, then you have to move on. It's another thing being a member within the body, I would strongly encourage you, if you could not bring a new believer there, unless God's trying to tell you there are things that are in your own life that need to change, right, then I would definitely, with all respect to the leaders, honor them, bless them, seek to be released with blessing, if not, just move on to another fellowship, a place where you can serve with all your heart, where you can bring new believers, and a place where you can get built up, strengthened.

By all means, the right, righteous, godly, submissive, honoring thing to do is move over to another church where you can plant your roots down and be a blessing to that fellowship. Thanks for the call and the question. 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. Friends, it's my joy to be here with you five days a week serving as your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. It's our goal to infuse you every day with faith and truth and courage, helping you stand strong for the Lord. That's why we're here. So take advantage of our presence. Use us however we can so that we can be a blessing in your life.

866-34-TRUTH. Let's go to Isaac in Westville, Oklahoma. Welcome to The Line of Fire. Hey, Brother Brown. I've been trying to get a hold of you. Well, here we are. Yeah, I was going to ask you about your car extended warranty. It's just a joke.

Yep, yep, go ahead. Okay, so according to Galatians 5, it says that if we are by the law, referring to the law of Moses, then we're sinning. So is tithing technically a sin because that's a Mosaic law, or do we do it by charity, like this required promise in the New Testament? Right, so what Galatians is dealing with is not saying you can't do anything that's written in the law of Moses, but if you say that in order to be saved, you have to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses.

In order to be saved, then you're preaching another gospel and have departed from grace. But that's a separate question from does the New Testament mandate tithing? I do not believe the New Testament mandates tithing or requires it, but for sure the New Testament calls for systematic giving, the New Testament calls for generosity, the New Testament even calls for sacrificial giving, and at the very least proportional giving, which basically says a tithe is a great place to start. So I do not believe that by law, here, for example, even though we are not under the law of Moses, it is a sin to commit adultery, it is a sin to steal, it is a sin to bear false witness.

We are violating God's standards and commandments by doing it. Is it a sin if we don't tithe? Well, if God's convicted us to and we don't do it, then it would be a sin, but the New Testament does not command us to tithe. However, as I said, it encourages regular giving, proportional giving, generosity, sacrificial giving. So I strongly encourage tithing as a lifestyle because the New Testament also encourages us to seek God first and put him first. So giving from the first fruits and honoring the Lord is a great faith principle and a great reminder of what we have, everything we have belongs to God. And tithing is mentioned in Genesis 14 and Genesis 28, which is before the law was given. And it's in books like Proverbs, you know, the principle of giving from the first fruits and honoring the Lord with our generosity. So I strongly encourage it as an act of faith, as a way to support the local body so that we can then work together to care for the poor, the needy, to support missionaries, to do other joint work.

And the churches that I know that have people that tithe regularly tend to have a great amount of health in terms of they're able to do a lot to help others and minister to other needs in the community, and it seems God pours back in. So is it a New Testament law? No.

Is it an excellent biblical principle? Yes. Okay. Awesome, brother. Thank you. You are very, very welcome.

I appreciate it. 866-348-7884. Just want to alert you as I'm looking at my screen. We've got a couple of lines open. Great time to call. I know they don't say that during the show, but Friday we alert you because often we have no lines open for the entire show. So great time to call now.

Let us go to Isaiah in Ocala, Florida. You are now on the line of fire. Hi, Dr. Brown. Hey. I have a question. So C.S.

Lewis once said, I think it was C.S. Lewis, he said that the doors of hell are locked in from the inside, and based on God's supreme goodness, His love, His grace, His mercy, and all that, I was wondering, what do you think about, like, is there a chance for salvation after death, particularly on Judgment Day, where people who are not currently saved have a chance of salvation to the point where, like, the only people who are not saved are the ones who utterly reject God? Like, even, for example, even people like agnostics who are, like, they don't believe in God, they're not sure, or atheists, they're not sure, but they wouldn't resist God if they knew. So, like, do you think there's a chance of salvation after death?

No, I don't. I would love for there to be something like that, just in the natural, you know, as a human being. I would love for there to be many, many chances, or for teachings of universalism to be true that eventually everybody gets in, which is not what you're saying, but I would love for it to be true. I see nothing in scripture about it.

Even what C.S. Lewis said, if you're quoting that accurately, was not to say that people have the ability to change once they are damned, but rather that they are confirming their damnation. That as people who chose darkness, they don't want to be in the light, and there's nothing in their environment which is going to change them or enable them to pursue the light. So, everything I see in scripture, there's final judgment, and that's it. And as related to Hebrews 9, 27, which is often quoted, that as it's appointed to men wants to die, and after this, the judgment, and it goes on from there. You know, Luke 16, the picture that's painted there, there's an immediate separation at the time of death. Jesus speaks about the future resurrection from the dead, and some will be resurrected to everlasting life, echoing Daniel 12, 2, and some will be resurrected to everlasting damnation. You know, for example, John 5 reiterates that. On the judgment day as laid out in Revelation 20, verses 11 to 15, there's the final judgment, and that's it. There's no redemption after that. So, I trust God to be fair.

I trust God to do what's right for every human being. The proverbial question went about those who never heard, or the only knowledge they had of Christianity was of a bad, corrupt Christianity, etc. That's for God to deal with and to sort out and to act with justice on that day. But to have some hope, maybe they didn't hear the gospel clearly in this world, they'll get another chance after. I see no evidence in scripture whatsoever about redemption after death being a possibility. And that's all the more reason that, for those that we have access to, and the ability to share the gospel with, that we really take it as a sacred responsibility.

Right, thank you. Yeah, I was thinking, I was like, the un-evangelized, you know, I don't know. I don't know what's happened after death, so we just gotta trust God on that one, I guess.

Yeah, we have to. And look, Isaiah, what helps me is how merciful is God to us in our own lives. How long suffering, how compassionate, how full of grace, and then the full revelation of God is seen on the cross. So that's the same God that's gonna sit in judgment.

Therefore, I absolutely trust his perfect justice, his perfect mercy on that day. Hey, thank you for the call. 866-348-7884.

Let's go to Ralph in Richmond, Virginia. Welcome to the line of fire. Hey, Dr. Brown, it's good to talk to you today.

Good to talk to you. The question really comes, I always kind of believe that, not kind of, I always believe that, you know, when you pass away, you know, it's either heaven or hell, but I had the, like immediately, immediately when you pass away, but then I had the question brought to me actually a couple times, and it's basically, well, doesn't that happen at the resurrection? You know, after we die, you know, the resurrection of the body isn't that when judgment is.

So are you really asleep? And I guess the scripture that was quoted on that one is when Lazarus was dead and Jesus said, you know, he's not dead, he's asleep. So it's like, are we asleep until the resurrection, or are we immediately with God when we die? Right.

And I just couldn't answer that intelligently, and I thought maybe you could shed some light on it. It's a question that comes up a lot, and in terms of our own experience, those who believe in what we call soul sleep, that you die, you open your eyes next year with the Lord, right? If you've had surgery, you go under, and next thing, you're sitting up talking to people, and they're telling you how the surgery went. So in terms of your own experience, you close your eyes, and the next thing you know, you're with Jesus, right? So in effect, it would be similar, but Jesus telling the thief on the cross, today you'll be with me in paradise, right, in Luke's Gospel, the 23rd chapter. Paul saying in Philippians 1 about dying, I desire to depart and be with Jesus.

The fact you have those who've been martyred in Revelation 6, I know it's a book of imagery and mystical symbol, but they're under the throne of God crying out how long before you avenge us. The fact that you have Luke 16, immediate upon death is separation, the righteous from the wicked in a conscious way. The fact you have 2 Corinthians 5, Paul speaking about being absent from the body is present with the Lord, but what we really want is not just to be present with the Lord, but clothed with our new bodies. Clothed, so the ultimate hope is the resurrection, but my understanding of scripture is the moment we die, we're immediately in the presence of the Lord, or separated from him. And then on the final judgment, then those, it says in scripture that hell will be cast into the lake of fire. Those who have died separated from God will be cast into the lake of fire. And those of us who have been redeemed as righteous will live with him now forever in our resurrected bodies. So as best as I understand scripture, yes, the moment we die, we go to be in the presence of the Lord if we are believers.

Look back at some of the verses I mentioned and see if they bring further clarity to you. Okay, we'll be right back on the other side of the break, but a reminder, don't miss my updates. Don't miss my updates. Sign up for our email so you won't miss a single special announcement, a single new video, a single new article, a single new resource, or information when I'm coming to your area to speak.

Go to AskDrBrown.org, askdearbrown.org. Sign up today. 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 broadcast, friends. Michael Brown delighted to be with you. You've got questions, we've got answers.

866-348-7884. Let's go over to Jonathan in Wilmington, North Carolina. Welcome to the line of fire.

Hey, Dr. Brown. I had a question out of Revelation 21. It says, that I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Now, I've heard there are kind of two interpretations here. The sea is no more. If you look back to Isaiah 17, 12, woe to the multitude of the many people which make a noise like the noise of the seas and the rushing of nations that make the rushing like the rushing of mighty water. And in Revelation 17, verse 15, it says, then he said to him, the waters that you saw where the horse sitting are peoples, crowds, nations, and languages. And in Revelation 13, it says the antichrist comes out of the sea. So, when it says the sea will be no more, is it referring to, because you know this happens after Christ comes back after the tribulation, after the thousand year reign of Christ, right before the scene of 20, death and Hades are casting the lake of fire with everyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life. So, is this referring to no more sea being no more people that are sort of in rebellion against God, striving against God? Or is it that there's no more sea because we won't need the sea because as life-based organisms, or water-based organisms, we'll have God to sustain us and won't need it?

Which do you tend to lean? Choice three, there'll be no more sea because the sea represents wickedness and chaos in the Bible. The Hebrew word for sea, yom, was a Canaanite deity. That's why creation, God causes the seas to come into specific locations, become seas because otherwise things are out of control. A creation in the Book of Job, God stops the proud waters of the sea, you can only go this far. That's why Jesus rebukes the storm at the sea. So, the sea represents the powers of chaos and darkness in Scripture and even in the ancient world. If you read on to chapter 22, outside the gates of the city, it speaks of the ungodly. So, even though it's symbolic, I don't believe they're ungodly people, you know, wicked people immediately outside the gates, but it does speak of their ongoing existence. So, it doesn't mean that the wicked will be no more, but it means that the sea, which symbolizes wickedness or chaos or rebellion or uproar, that will be no more. But you will have a river of life, right? So, you still have water, you'll have a river of life even with trees, with healing leaves that are spoken of in the last two chapters of Revelation. But the sea being no more, I do not believe it's speaking about people, but literally there won't be sea because of what it represents in the Bible. Right, so maybe like those people, like in Isaiah, I'm sure they were just, that was a manifestation of the wickedness and so I get what you're saying. So, it's likened to that, exactly.

Yep, go ahead, go ahead. One more quick thing, this is off topic, but they come up in a conversation the other day, when it says a woman shall be saved through childbirth, what does that mean? Right, it's a very controversial verse in 1 Timothy, the second chapter, and you could think, oh no, we're all under this curse, you know, women, etc., the curse of Eve, because Paul goes back to referencing Eve. So, there are several different interpretations.

One is that they will be kept safe through childbearing. In other words, even though a curse was pronounced on Eve, there's a curse on Adam, a curse on Eve, a curse on the snake, that even though there's a curse, don't worry, God will keep you safe through childbearing. That's one of the interpretations which is given, which is, it's not the most common, but the one I prefer. Another is that they'll be saved through childbearing, that women will somehow earn their salvation by having babies. Obviously, it can't mean that. The other one that's popular is that they'll be saved through the childbearing, namely through Jesus coming into the world as a child is the way that salvation will come.

Which seems a bit redundant, but it's widely accepted as well. But to me, the best understanding is that they'll be saved meaning kept safe through childbirth. Remember how many women in the ancient world and in different parts of the world to this day will die in childbirth. And this is a promise, hey, don't get hung up on the fact that your matriarch Eve fell and came under a curse, you'll be kept safe through it. Hey, thanks for the questions. And, um, interestingly, I just asked Dwayne our call screen, I said, Hey, I'm looking at my screen, it looks like the same question twice, but same chapter, not the same question. So let's go over to Alex in Orlando, Florida.

Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Dr. Brown, I just had a question about Revelation 21 four, which says God's gonna like wipe away every tear, there's not gonna be any more pain or crying. Does that mean like, during eternity, we're not gonna cry at all or just means like, we won't be crying over pain, like influenced by pain anymore because, of course, we're in heaven. So, like, will there be no more crying?

It's my question. Right. So wiping away every tear. It's obviously not tears of joy that get wiped away, right? It's tears of sorrow and pain and mourning.

So those tears will not exist. We will not mourn again, forever and ever. We will not grieve the loss of a loved one again, forever and ever. We will not weep because the pain is so intense, we can't take it. Will there be tears of joy? Could be, there's certainly gonna be incredible rejoicing and many times we've shed tears of joy. The joy is so exquisite, extraordinary and the amazement is such that we cry. So tears themselves are not a bad thing, right? But tears associated with death and mourning and pain, all the tears of the Ukrainian people now over family members slaughtered, those tears for sure will not be there anymore.

Tears of joy, maybe, could be, if that's part of the way our body functions then and it can be an expression of great joy and amazement and wonder and love, I would think it's fine, but the negative tears, they'll never be again. Amen. Thank you. Alright, thanks. You know what, Alex, I don't know that anyone ever asked me that question before, but thank you for it.

I appreciate it. Thanks for all the questions today. 866-34-TRUTH. Let's go to Sam in Jacksonville, Florida.

Welcome to the line of fire. Hey Dr. Brown, thank you so much for taking my call. Sure thing.

For sure, so I'll keep it brief. I am a minister in the New York Pentecostal Church, still love your show, still listen, I know we have to help you theologically, but the one thing I wanted to call in and ask about was specifically baptism. So, in Matthew, when Jesus gives the example of baptism, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he says, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, well, obviously, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not a name, more of a title. And my simple question is this, why fight back so hard on Jesus' name, baptism, when it is the only actual example we are given of baptism in the New Testament? Right, so first, I know that Jesus is not the name of the Father, I know that for a fact, scripturally. Jesus is the name of the Son, and Jesus is not the name of the Holy Spirit. I know that explicitly through an abundance of scripture. So, it cannot mean baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is Jesus.

I know that can't be. I also know that name can be used more broadly, as, for example, in Isaiah 9, 6, or 5 in Hebrew, and his name will be called, and then it's Peleothel Gibor Aviad Sar Shalom, it's this lengthy, wonderful counselor, mighty God, Father forever, right? So, name can be used in this extended way, just the same, so that's perfectly fine. So, say the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Yes, so that's the formula, that's the extended name by which it's done. So, that comes first, at the lips of Jesus. Second, when I get into Acts, I find numerous different formulas in the Greek. I find being baptized into Jesus, into the name of Jesus, upon the name of Jesus.

Why not just use the same formula, the same way? And the answer is, because they have different meanings. There's being baptized into the body of Christ, which Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 12. There's baptized upon the name of Jesus, which probably means the person being baptized is calling out to Jesus for salvation. And then the earliest teaching that we have, outside of the New Testament, that deals with this directly in the Didache, explicitly talks about baptism, and here's what you say, in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

So, that's sufficient for me. I do not say that if you were baptized in the name of Jesus, and that formula was used, that you're not saved. I know there's some that will say, you must be baptized in that formula, or you're not saved.

I would imagine that's not your position. So, I'm not saying you're not saved by being baptized in the name of Jesus. I am saying it's a very serious error to teach that if you're baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and the Spirit, that you're not saved, or that God's not pleased with that.

I would strongly push back against it. Sure, okay, definitely understandable. Last thing, and then I'll let you go. So, for the clarity for baptism, for baptism's sake, obviously it's a critical part of God's plan of salvation. Peter says it in Acts 2, when everyone asks, what must we do to be saved?

He gives them straight up, right? Repent of your sin. Be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sin, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So, do you think that baptism is about repentance or remission?

Do you draw a clear line between those two things? Meaning, when Paul urges the Ephesian believers to be re-baptized into the name of Jesus because they were baptized at John's baptism, which was a baptism of repentance, do you draw a clear difference between repentance and remission as it is laid out from what Peter said? Well, I look at all the exhortations in the New Testament, including in Acts 16, believe in the Lord Jesus and you'll be saved, and then the call to be baptized. Certainly, without repentance, baptism is meaningless, and without faith, baptism is meaningless.

But, as Paul is told, and he relates it later in Acts 22, it is a washing away of sin, and that's what it symbolizes. So, when someone truly puts their trust in the Lord, right, they turn away from sin by God's grace, save me from my sin, forgive me, have mercy on me, and they put their trust in Jesus, save me from my sin. So, repentance and faith being two sides of the same coin, now be baptized. So, at that moment of truly turning to the Lord, that's the moment of justification in his sight. But the sealing of it, the public confessing of it, the now identifying with Jesus in his death for sin, and his resurrection from the dead, so we die to sin and rise, it's all part of the same package.

But baptism is the sign of our repentance, and salvation is through the blood of Jesus, not the water of baptism. In any case, more to talk about, time short. Thank you. 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. Thanks, friends, for joining us. I was trying to see how much I could say right before the break, but just this very quick point. I do not believe in baptismal regeneration, meaning that baptism saves us, but I believe that baptism is an essential part of our salvation and is explicitly commanded as something that would go hand in hand with our profession of faith in the New Testament.

And it needs to be reemphasized in terms of its importance and closeness to our turning from sin and putting our faith in Jesus. 866-34-TRUTH, let's go to Kyle in Fort Collins, Colorado. Welcome to the line of fire. Thanks, Michael Brown. How are you today?

Doing very well, thank you. Yeah, I have a quick question. I know we just went through kind of the season of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, so my family has been studying this, just in light of Jesus being the fulfillment of the law in these days specifically. And my question has to do with First Fruits specifically, where in Leviticus 23, verse 11, right at the end it talks about how the priests would waive the First Fruit on the day after the Sabbath.

And from my research, it seems like there was some disagreement, even back then, whether that meant the weekly Sabbath, so this would be Sunday, the day after, or the day after, I guess what you'd call the festival Sabbath or Nissan 16, just the day after they did this festival. And so I was curious as to the insight from the Hebrew or what you've researched on this topic. Right, so the Hebrew can go either way. The Hebrew is no different than the English.

There's no insight that you get from that. Because the Sabbath within a festival, so if it's the first day of the festival or the last day, whatever, is a Sabbath to the Lord, the same word that's going to be used, same terminology that's used. So, traditional Jews to this day follow the Pharisaic teaching, which is that this was the Sabbath within the festival, and therefore it could be a different day of the week each year, depending on when the festival was held. So the view that most Messianic Jews hold to, that was held to by certain Jewish groups that differed with the Pharisaical traditions, is that it's talking about the Sabbath, meaning the seventh-day Sabbath, and therefore it's always going to be on a Sunday. And we know then, even in terms of that, that Jesus, I mean we know he rises on a Sunday in Scripture, that's clearly said the first day of the week earlier in the morning, but the argument would be that it's confirming this in Leviticus 23, and that's why twice in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul refers to the Messiah as the firstfruits of them who rise from the dead.

So, the most natural way to read it, in my view, is that it is the seventh-day Sabbath, and therefore firstfruits would always be on a Sunday the day after that. However, you can't be absolutely dogmatic about it. Yeah, that was the conclusion I had come to, too, because I was trying to read it the most natural way, but then I saw all the different conversations back and forth, and trying to sort of line this up with how Jesus rose from the dead, and just, I didn't want to be dogmatic either way, but I was really curious, you know, just from your professional research, and I really appreciate you answering the question.

Yeah, sure thing. I appreciate the question and research behind it. And by the way, where I can be dogmatic, I'm dogmatic. In other words, if, to me, the Scripture's black and white on something, and I've studied it and looked at it, I'm convinced, then I'm dogmatic on it, and there's certain hills I'll die on.

And there are others where, you know, there are different interpretations, it's hard to sort out, I lean in this direction, and then there are others you feel more strongly, so I know we always like absolute certainty on all points, but we don't always have absolute certainty on all points in terms of the information that we have, which means that I don't have to have absolute certainty on every one of those points in order to live how God wants me to live and please him. All right, let's go to Joseph in Cucamonga, California. Welcome to the Line of Fire. How are you doing, Dr. Brown?

Very well, thank you. You know, I watched your debate the other day on Isaiah's thing about the rapture, and I also watched that other one, you had that real long one, that guy from England, but I was doing some searching myself, and I came up with these verses in Matthew chapter 13, where he talks about the parable of the fishing net, throwing the fishing net, and then separating the fish, the bad ones from the good ones. And then he talks about the wheat and the tares and separating them. And then also, if you go to Matthew, what is it, 24, I guess it is, where he talks about, you're going to send his angels out to the poor. Now, if there was a rapture, why would he have to do that? Can you use these verses in context of proving the fact that there is no rapture? Are you familiar with those verses? Yeah, yeah, so Matthew 13, that's a passage that's interesting, and I think I mentioned it briefly when I was on Isaiah's show, Isaiah Saldivar's show, that it says there that first, God will remove the wicked, he'll remove the tares, the weeds, right? And they'll be cast into the fire, and then the righteous will rejoice.

That's one thing. Also, Matthew 24, it says after the tribulation of those days, that's when they see the sign of the Son of Man coming. So those who believe in the pre-trib rapture will say, oh, no, no, that's the second coming as opposed to the rapture, but it's the very same language that's used about the rapture, that he comes, that there's a gathering of his people together. For example, 2 Thessalonians 2, 1, Paul uses some of those very same words, the coming of the Lord, right, are being gathered together to him, and then he explicitly puts that coming in the chapter after the revelation of the Antichrist when Jesus comes to destroy the wicked. Something that's useful, Joseph, is to just read through Matthew 24 and say, isn't this talking to believers the whole way through? Isn't it, where does it shift to different groups of people? Well, these are just the Jewish disciples versus the believers. It could be believers at different times, you know, first century and the final century, but you don't have a group where one's taken out, the other's now comes back to this other group, so it really doesn't work like that.

So, yes, I do believe that rightly understanding these verses in context also does argue against a pre-trib rapture. Hey, thank you, sir, for the call. I appreciate it. All right, we've got a little time left.

Let's go to Angela in Alexandria, Virginia. Welcome to the line of fire. Hi, good afternoon, Dr. Brown. Thank you for taking my call.

My joy. Okay, so this question, I guess, would kind of be a follow-on with an earlier caller and being able to explain about the death of a believer, where they go. So this has to do with, of course, King Saul in 1 Samuel 28 with Saul and the media at Endor, and calling up Samuel, who's dead.

So it's like, what is that going on there? Is that actual Samuel? So where was Samuel?

I mean, is he in paradise, or can you like, you know, expound more on that? Yeah, yeah, so it's a really debated passage for good reason, right? I believe it actually was the spirit of Samuel.

Why do I say it? Because the witch was shocked to see it. She didn't think she could really do something like this, and was absolutely shocked to see, oh, no, that's the spirit of Samuel. So I believe it was him. Others say, no, it was just a deception, it was a demonic deception, which is possible. But I think it was really him, so that's the first thing. Second thing, where was he? Well, was he just sleeping in the grave, waiting for the final resurrection, and he was disturbed from his sleep?

It could be, but I don't even see it saying that. You could say, and many have argued this, that before Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, that the righteous were in a holding place. You die in Abraham's bosom, that picture from Luke 16. They're kind of in a holding place, waiting for Jesus to come. When he dies and rises from the dead, he then brings the righteous with him to heaven, which is now opened through his blood.

Others would argue that. Others would say that immediately upon death, Old Testament believers went into the heavenly presence of God, and Samuel's spirit just was sent back for this moment. We don't want to read too much into it, because it's such an unusual account, and it's certainly not the norm. But, to me, I do believe it was Samuel, and it does indicate that the spirit lives on after the body. And that's why the witch was so shocked. We don't want to read too much into the passage, because it's an unusual passage, and it's possible that the whole thing was a demonic deception. She's shocked, maybe she looked like Samuel, but just like in a seance, that voice is speaking and things like that, it's a satanic deception.

Personally, I think it was really Samuel. Okay. Alright, well thank you. Alright, you are very welcome. Hey friends, I wish I had time to get to every call, but remember, if you're able, the earlier in the show that you call, the better chance I have of getting to your call.

I know not everybody's able, but if you are, that's the best shock. You say, ah, I finally got a chance, there's an open line, I called in. Also remember that we do our best weekly to have a YouTube Q&A chat, which we announce if you're a subscriber on YouTube, on our YouTube channel, it's askdrbrown. Then as soon as a new video is posted, or any time we go live, you'll get a notice. So if you're not a subscriber there, just go over to YouTube, askdrbrown, type that in, you get to the channel, hit the subscribe button, and there's a bell, bang, hit that bell button. This way, whenever we put out a new video, wherever I go live, you'll be notified about it, and this way you won't miss anything. All right, friends, let me encourage you, we are in a battle, there really are demons, we live in a wicked world, and we've got this flesh to deal with, but Jesus is Lord, and in him we overcome, and in him, anything that comes against you for evil, as you honor the Lord and love the Lord, God will turn that for your good, to become more and more like his son. Be strong, be encouraged, Jesus is Lord.