You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers

The following is a pre-recorded program. You've got some great questions today. We've got answers for you right here on The Line of Fire. 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.

Hey friends, welcome to the special broadcast on The Line of Fire. If you are listening live, would you lift up a prayer for me right now as you're listening to this broadcast, watching this broadcast? I am in Poland, ministering there for the first time. Some nationwide meetings with a church for God to move in that country and got an intense schedule through the weekend.

So if you could remember to pray, that would be awesome. Obviously, because I'm in Poland right now, at the moment that you're listening to this, I can't be taking your calls. But I solicited questions a few days ago on Twitter. All right. Got a bunch of really interesting questions and I'm going to get to as many as possible.

So sit back, enjoy the broadcast. I believe you will be blessed. All right. Let's start with identity in Christ. If Jesus is praying for us, the saved, as stated in the Bible, is it possible for there to be people who he didn't pray for who aren't prayed for by a single person? If so, it should motivate us and encourage us to pray for those who aren't saved. Of course, there are people who pray for the entire world.

All right. So the fact that Jesus prays for believers in John 17 does not mean that he is not actively seeking to draw all people to himself. And I believe that he is. In John 12 32, Jesus says, if I be lifted up, so meaning both on the cross and then as we lift him up, he said, I will draw all men to me. So I believe on a daily basis, on a moment-by-moment basis, based on scripture, around the world, God is drawing people to his son. And it says in 1 Timothy 2 that he wants all men to be saved.

I don't simply take that to mean all categories, as my Calvinist friends do, but based on many other verses that speak of God's desire for everyone to repent and believe. I believe he desires all people to come to his son and because he works with us, that many times when he wants to work in someone's life, he lays it on our hearts to pray for them. Sometimes we take the initiative out of a burden. Sometimes God takes the initiative. The ultimate initiative, though, is always taken by God because he starts the outreach before we even care. So yes, our prayers make a difference. But don't think that, well, Jesus prays for this one and that one got left out. I better pray for them.

No, just pray as you feel led, pray as you have burdens, pray as you meet people that need the Lord. All right. This is a statement from Wayne TV. I'm going to read it, even though it's not a question, but it contains typical anti-Semitic tropes, typical anti-Semitic stereotypes.

I'm going to read it to expose it for that reason. He said Jewish families own the central banks and majority of Global 1000. They're the globalist puppeteers. You don't know this because they control the media.

Read Creature of Jekyll Island. It's all a matter of public record and not conspiracy theory, though they've programed that association in you. Now, Wayne, the fact of the matter is I've studied these issues for decades and through the centuries, different lies have been raised against the Jewish people. When Jewish people were powerless in country after country and cast out of country after country. In fact, we're sometimes the only real jobs they could get were lending money.

That's how they got into banks because they couldn't do other work. They were still being lied about. This is just the latest lie. The fact is, if Jews controlled world media, there would not be such world hatred of Jewish people, but world adoration of Jewish people. If Jewish people could just pull the strings of what's happening globally, then Israel would not still be so hated and Jewish people around the world would not be so persecuted.

Let us grow up to reality and cast out these conspiracy theories, which are just that. Do Jews in America have a disproportionate influence based on their numbers? Yes. So do gays based on their numbers.

What is that? Is there a worldwide gay conspiracy? There's a time with the Jewish gays.

I mean, how far are you going to go with this? And when you look, say, the sexual revolution in America, that was fueled by Zionists. You know, it's interesting, but Alfred Kinsey and Hugh Hefner, the fathers of the sexual revolution in America, were both raised in gentile Christian homes, actually strict homes. And they rebelled against that. But enough with this nonsense. OK, Josh. Billy Graham said something about evil Jewish people owning the banks and media.

Where do people get this from and why do they believe it's interesting? These things were posted about an hour apart. Billy Graham made some comments that he regretted to Richard Nixon and apologized for them.

I forget the exact nature of them, but he did apologize categorically many, many years ago. But Jewish people through the years, because of a calling by God on our lives to be world changers and world impactors, if we get things right, we do a lot of good. Think of the prophets of Israel. Think of Moses. Think of Paul.

Think of Peter. And of course, the Messiah himself was sentimentally Jewish people. And we get things wrong. They go really wrong. Like Karl Marx and communism, where George Soros today funded these ultra leftist groups and organizations and individuals. So we have a disproportionate influence, I believe, because of calling either for good or for bad. So then it gets exaggerated. And look, there are all kinds of of Hollywood producers and Hollywood directors and Hollywood leaders behind the scenes who are not Jewish.

But you have Steven Spielberg and you had Harvey Weinstein. Ah, there's all Jews. So all you need is a few examples. Then it becomes everybody and then it becomes exaggerated.

And then we take the little picture that we have in America and then we exploded all around the world. Go back to American history 100 years ago and see how much power Jews have. Go back 200 years ago, see how much influence Jews have. Go back to country after country around the world where Jews were kicked out of those countries because they wouldn't get baptized to become Christians and see and see how much influence they've had. Again, standard conspiracy theories where these specific ones come from is the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. So look into that.

These are still widely believed as true forgeries by Russian police over 100 years old. But look into that Protocols of the Elders of Zion, because that's where these current myths come from. All right.

In let's see, I'm just trying to get one per person. David, are Christians still under the law of tithing as set forth in the Old Testament, or is it just freely give now what you feel led to do? I actually wrote an article on that, but the Bible really says about tithing on daily wire for subscribers.

So if you happen to be a subscriber there, you can read that. Also, just go to my website, askdrbrown.org, askdrbrown.org. Just check there and search for tithing and you'll see more full teaching I've done on it. In short, I do not believe as New Testament believers that we are under the law of tithing. However, we are called to generosity. We are called to sacrificial giving. We are called to systematic giving.

We are called to give the firstfruits. We are called to give proportionately. So I believe that the tithe is a great practice.

It is a great discipline. It is something that says I take the first 10 percent of what comes in and give it back to God. I believe the principle of honoring him first is important and doing it proportionately is important. So those that make a million dollars a year giving a hundred thousand or more, those that make ten thousand dollars a year giving a thousand or more, it's proportional. But as you go through all the principles and the teaching of Jesus and then in the writings of Paul, you'll see these principles that we are called to give, that we are called to give generously, even sacrificially at times, that we are called to give proportionately, systematically, and the first. But we give even 1 Corinthians 16 as Paul was receiving an offering to help the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem, he said the first of every week put aside money. So this is the first thing you do is put aside money for the gospel.

Aviator, would you vote for Trump if he were to somehow win the GOP nomination for the office of president in 2024? I don't know that this time around I'm even going to share who I'm voting for. I'm going to pray for God's wisdom and whether it's good for me to share that publicly or not.

I've done it quite freely in the past. I'm going to pray about whether I should in the future. Let me simply say this. I believe we can do better this time around, that with all respect to the good Donald Trump did, there is too much baggage with him and too much collateral damage. We have plenty of time to select another candidate. I believe the most important thing is the witness of the church, even more importantly than the candidate in the White House with the man that a woman that sits in the White House. So just to be plain now, I would love us to see a different candidate for the Republicans. And unless the Democrats radically, dramatically, completely change their platform and get rid of all the bad stuff that's in there and the pro-abortion and pro-LGBTQ trans extremism and other things. Let's get rid of those things.

I couldn't even countenance for a split second voting Democrat. All right. Stuart, can a Christian eat blood sausage or black pudding, both of which would have blood in them? Can they? Yes. Should they? No.

Can they? Well, you're not going to go to hell for doing it. That's one thing. Another thing is it won't actually defile you spiritually, because what you eat goes in your mouth and leaves your body, exits out of the disposal system. So what you eat doesn't defile you.

Jesus lays that out in Matthew 15 and Mark 7. However, it's a violation of the sacredness of blood. It is a failure to recognize that the life of the flesh is in the blood and therefore there is sacredness to blood.

Now, I have you ever cut your finger or pierce? It's like, oh, first thing you do is you you suck the blood. We're not going to go to hell for that. And it's not like I said, no, no, don't do that.

Don't do that. But I believe that generally speaking, when it comes to actually eating things, all right, that the blood is sacred because the life is in the blood. And we are to recognize that and therefore not eat it. So should they, in my view? No. And I believe Acts 15 would back that up. Can they? Yes.

All right. Scott, Jews do not believe Jesus is the Messiah. And Jesus said the only way to heaven is through him, believing he is the Messiah. The Jewish people go to heaven. They're God's chosen people. And again, again, they go against this teaching. Is this correct?

Thinking being chosen also means having greater responsibility. Amos three one. God says to Israel, You only have I known out of all the families of the earth. Therefore, I will visit you. I'll punish you more severely for your iniquities. Jewish people go to heaven the same as anyone else through faith in the Messiah, through repentance, through the mercy of God. Now, God is the judge of every individual. God is the judge of a traditional Jewish person who never once heard the true message of the gospel and who only saw the ugly side of Christianity and who never knew who Jesus really was. God is their judge. But I will tell every Jewish person today who is alive and listening that unless you are right with God through the Messiah, you are under his judgment. You will not inherit eternal life. And I don't say that lightly or goodly.

In fact, it's heartbreak. 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 for joining us, friends, on The Line of Fire on this special edition of the broadcast. This has been pre-recorded because right now, as you are listening and watching, I should be ministering in Poland.

In fact, the only reason you'll be listening to this broadcast today is because I am in Poland and not broadcasting live. So really pray for the fire of God to fall. Really pray that believers there would be deeply and dramatically impacted. The evangelical church in Poland is very small compared to the population and compared to the number of Catholics. And many of the Catholics are leaving the faith, especially younger ones, and many others are caught up in a very traditional faith that has not really connected them to God. In any case, it's a place that is ripe for the gospel in Protestant, Catholic, and non-religious circles.

So pray for the fire to fall. Also, I'd love to stay in touch with you. I'd love to let you know if I'm speaking in your area or when a new resource has been released or when my latest articles are out or latest videos. And the simplest way is by email.

This way you don't have to check every day. Is there a new article out, a new video out? Every week you'll get an update with latest articles, latest videos, any special resources we have for you. As soon as we launch our trip to Israel, you would have been the first to know. So go to my website.

Take a moment. Ask Dr. Brown. askdrbrown.org. Askdrbrown.org. Go there.

Sign up for the emails. We'll put you in our welcome tour. Share more about my testimony from LSD to PhD. Talk about the three R's of our ministry and how we can serve you. Friends, we are here to infuse you with faith and truth and courage.

That's why we're here, so you can stand strong for the Lord. So it's our joy to equip you. So go to the website. Ask Dr. Brown. askdrbrown.org.

And sign up for our emails. All right. Let's answer mystery apologists. Please address the objection that the Passover lamb doesn't take away sins. Rabbi Tovias Singer likes to bring that one up. And why we should accept the way the New Testament quotes or uses the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. Tovias seems to think that an interpretation is invalid if it's taken out of its context.

That's not entirely untrue. So why do we listen when Jesus or the apostles do it? For those who have been troubled by videos by counter missionary Tovias Singer, who has become increasingly aggressive in recent years and increasingly overtly attacking the faith of Christians. We have a series of videos. We're continuing to put out more rebutting him. All you need to do is watch one or two where we expose his faulty methodology and demolish a shocking almost every one of his videos that I've looked at. I haven't looked at if he's got a thousand out, maybe I looked at 20 or 30.

All right. But every single one I've looked at or the dozens that people have asked me about, they have this unbelievable misstatement. I'm like, I'm watching. How could you say that? So all you need to do is watch a few of ours rebutting his and demolishing the falsehoods.

And you'll know, hey, I don't need to worry about what he's putting out. And you go back to feeling secure in the word of God and in your faith. So as for the Passover lamb, this was the lamb by which God passed over Israel and did not judge and which brought them liberation from Egypt.

Otherwise they would have died in Egypt. So because of its liberating role, because of its role that the blood of the lamb then caused the angel of death to pass over. That's why Yeshua is referred to as the Passover lamb. Also elsewhere in scripture, like Isaiah 53, the Messiah is pictured as a lamb without blemish or as a lamb, excuse me, that that goes to the slaughter quietly. So in that way, the lamb image, the lamb picture fits. But Messiah fulfills the entire sacrificial system.

That's just part of it. He said he didn't come to abolish the law of the prophets, but to fulfill. So he brings all these things to their fullness. When it comes to why we should take the New Testament seriously, it's because it rightly interprets it in light of Messiah. Messiah did come into the world. He did die for our sins. He did rise from the dead. The authors of the New Testament were eyewitnesses to that.

Yeshua came from the Father himself into this world and perfectly understood the word. So they can point back to everywhere where he is foreshadowed. Sometimes it's a direct and explicit prophecy.

Boom. There it is that we all went astray. The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. Direct prophecy. There it is.

We're being born in Bethlehem. Direct prophecy. Others are foreshadowings.

Others are typological. But what you have to understand is once he came into the world, died, rose from the dead, they all saw his reality. Now he goes back and opens their eyes. There it is.

It's crystal clear. Have you ever watched a movie, maybe a suspense thriller, one of those whodunit movies from decades ago? And you're watching and you say, oh, no, it's the butler. No, it's the maid. No, it's the visitor. No, it's this one.

No, no, it's that. And then at the end, it's revealed who it is. The next time you watch, it's like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I see it.

I see it now much more clearly. That's what happened with the disciples. They were eyewitnesses to the Messiah's death, resurrection. They saw the miracles that he worked. They saw him open blind eyes and raise the dead. They saw him draw all attention to his Heavenly Father.

They and then ultimately prophecies he spoke like destruction of the temple and other things. So those come to pass. So now they go back and look, there it is. It's all laid out in the Hebrew Bible. And ultimately, things are taken in right and proper context when fully understood. All right, let's see here.

Reverse the rot. Does the Lord give politicians and magistrates authority to put asunder whom the Lord has made one flesh is custody code for kidnapping? OK, we are under the laws of the land unless those laws contradict God's laws. So if we get married and we are married by the state, we are legally married by the state and also in God's sight, if we have divorce laws in our state, then we can be divorced. Now, it may be sinful in God's sight and maybe no fault and no reason for it, but it may be valid in the eyes of the law.

It may be valid in the eyes of man. In that case, the divorce has its legal implications. Now, if a judge unjustly, sinfully gives custody to someone who will be abusing those children, then that must be fought legally every way possible to take them oneself would be wrong. But you've got to do everything you can legally to get those kids out of there. That being said, if you knew that their lives were in danger, then you do have to do to deal with it. But if if you don't believe someone should have custody and the courts give them custody, is that kidnapping may feel like that to you.

Legally, it's just going with the court system and that's how it has to be fought. And then, of course, if you're a believer with much prayer. Frank, why was the Bible character David allowed to go to heaven after having hundreds of wives and sex slaves, but any type of repentance for those sins? I think you're talking about Solomon. And we don't know how Solomon died. We know that there was judgment because he worshiped idols, among other things.

That was the height of his sin. So I think you're thinking of Solomon with 300 wives and 700 concubines. In that sense, though, they wouldn't have been sex slaves. These would have been women who would have considered it to be a high honor in most cases to be part of his harem and would have been treated royally in different ways. David did sin. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and he did repent. As to having a number of wives, he was allowed to. The Torah warned about having too many wives, and you might have said that he did, but he didn't have hundreds of wives and sex slaves.

That was not the case. Solomon had hundreds of wives and concubines, worshiped idols and came under divine judgment. David committed adultery with a woman he wasn't married to and repented, and God forgave him. But there were consequences to his sins. All right, Clay.

Hi, Dr. Brown. Thankful for your work in the Lord. Question. What is the strongest argument against post-millennialism and strongest argument in favor of historic pre-millennialism? I'm post-mill, but I sincerely want to learn, grow and be challenged.

OK, so first let me explain these systems for those that may not be familiar. A post-millennialist believes that there will be a thousand year reign of Jesus over the earth, where the whole earth will come to know the Lord through the gospel. And the millennial reign, the reign of Jesus over the earth with righteousness and justice for all, and the knowledge of the glory of the Lord filling of the earth as the waters cover the seas, that that will happen before Jesus returns and then we enter into eternity. The pre-millennial view says that Jesus will return and establish his kingdom on the earth where he will rule and reign for a thousand years.

The strongest arguments against post-millennialism are that throughout scripture, over and over and over and over, the end of the age is one of parallel extremes. That you have the righteous and the wicked, the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13, right up until the Lord's return. You have the harvest is the end of the age, right up to the Lord's return.

And in the harvest, the giant net, it catches good fish and bad. That the Book of Revelation, if you read that as speaking of future times, it has time of great judgment and darkness along with God moving. When you get to the end of Revelation, the sequence is clear. The Lord's return in chapter 19, the Millennial Kingdom, a thousand years, mentioned six times in chapter 20, and then the eternal age, chapter 21-22. Verse after verse in the Bible, though, speaks about evil times in the last days, which is from the death of Jesus to the end of this age, and also great outpouring in the last days, from the death and resurrection of Jesus to the end of the age.

So, to me, it's overwhelmingly clear the post-millennial position cannot be true for these reasons. As to why the pre-mill position is true, well, Peter says it in Acts 3, that Jesus must remain in heaven and to the time spoken by the prophets for the restoration of all things. That word, restoration, commonly used with the return of the Jewish people to the land. It's similar to what Jesus says in Matthew 19, when the 12 tribes of Israel will be governed by the 12 apostles during this time of renewal of all things. So, everything the prophet spoke has to happen with Israel at the center, with Messiah reigning out of Jerusalem. He will remain in heaven until that time, and then he will return and bring it to pass. All right, we will be right back. Welcome back, friends, to a special edition of The Line of Fire, taking you with questions that have been posted a few days back on Twitter, not taking any calls today. Have you signed up for an Israel trip yet?

Maybe you're praying, looking at funds, and being sure you can do it, bring a few extra family members. We still do have seats, but seating is limited. It's May 2023, and, you know, it's an uncanny thing that when you just walk the streets of some of these cities where biblical events unfolded, and see the ancient buildings. I was talking to someone who had been in England recently, and I said, you know how old Oxford University is? You know, we have schools in America that are 200 years old, or Harvard is over 300 years old.

Wow, that's incredible. Oxford was founded in 1099. Oxford is over 1,000 years old, all right, or almost 1,000 years old, remarkably. But then you go to sites in Israel, and some of these are 2,000 years old, and some are 3,000 years old.

There's just something about it. So I'd love to join you there in Israel. Go to the website, my website, AskDrBrown.org, AskDrBrown.org.

You'll see it right on the home page. Get your reservation in. Can't wait to be with you there. I want to go back to a question that was asked about premillennial views and why I hold to them so strongly. Romans 11 clearly says that Israel will be saved. There will be a future turning of Israel, the Jewish people, to the Lord. And this will be on the heels of the fullness of the Gentiles coming in, Romans 11, 25, and 26. And clearly, in context there, it's talking about the Jewish people turning to the Lord at the end of the age. You go back to the Hebrew Bible and you see these many prophecies about it, and they do refer to this millennial kingdom, but it's always after the coming of the Lord, after his return. When you look at passages like Zechariah 12 and 14, which speak of all the nations coming up against Jerusalem in war, well, that's obviously a final battle, right? That's going to happen, coming up against Jerusalem, and then the Messiah coming and the Jewish people looking to him, and then his kingdom being established in Jerusalem, and the nations, the survivors of the nations that attacked Jerusalem, coming there to worship the Lord of hosts, that's the millennial kingdom. That's after the Messiah comes. So I take the promises literally, and the New Testament reinforces them literally, and throughout the Bible, I mean, through many Old Testament texts and New Testament texts, the closer we get to the end, the more intense the times, good and bad. Outpouring of spirit, great harvest, also great apostasy, falling away, wickedness.

These things are going to happen side by side, right until the end. All right, let us go to Autistic seminarian. What other Old Testament scholars do you recommend the works of on the topic of the Pentateuch in its ancient Near Eastern context? Any good academic commentary that you get on the Old Testament is going to give you ancient Near Eastern backgrounds, some more than others. There is the IVP Bible background commentary edited by John Walton and others. That goes along with the IVP Bible background commentary to the New Testament, the Herculean work of one person, my friend Craig Keener. So I use that often, IVP Bible background commentary, simply because a lot of great information is compiled there by specialists. Ancient Near Eastern specialists, New Testament, Greek or Roman specialists, depending on which volume.

So that's a quick reference guide. Zondervan has one with more pictures for Old and New Testament. Zondervan also has the Cultural Studies Bible. So that, the Cultural Background Bible with John Walton, Craig Keener editing that for Old Testament, New Testament. Otherwise, John Walton is probably the evangelical who has published most in this. John Oswald, another top Old Testament scholar, has some excellent work on the Bible. Is it just one book among other books of myths or is it something that stands out?

John Oswald. Going back a little bit further, Kenneth Kitchen, the great Egyptologist, had some great books on this Ancient Orient and Old Testament, on the reliability of the Old Testament, other works like that. And then there are great compilations, beginning with the famous work by, edited by J.B. Pritchard for Princeton University, decades back, Ancient Near Eastern texts and pictures relating to the Old Testament, two volumes, and then many other volumes updating that since, Scripture in Context being the most recent.

So there are a lot of resources out there, some will break it down for you, some you've got to do the digging through them. Dana, what's the most effective way we can help the people we're close with, who become fixated on predicting end-time prophecy from current headlines, who become captured by a Christian nationalist vision? Regarding the second question, try to get them to read my book, The Political Seduction of the Church, How Millions of American Christians Have Confused Politics with the Gospel. See if you can get them to read it, it'll be eye-opening, it could change their perspective dramatically.

My friend theologian, Messianic theologian, Dan Juster, just finished the book, posted a review on Amazon, a glowing review, and wrote to me privately and said, I can't think of a more important book to read right now than that. So I wrote it with urgency, I strongly encourage you to see if you can get that into their hands, if not at least get them to look at articles I've written about Christian nationalism and the difference between a healthy patriotism and merging American identity with Christian identity. If they become fixated on predicting the end times, show them my article, When Gorbachev Was the Antichrist, just so they can see how many silly predictions have been made, and all these different candidates that have been the Antichrist, or all the different people that set times. Talk to them about 88 Reasons Why Jesus is Coming in in 88, which then the second edition came out, 89 Reasons Why He's Coming in in 89, and even the third edition, 90 Reasons Why He Was Coming in in 90, of course that was the end of that.

Or the failed prophecies of Harold Camping in 1993 was going to be the other approach that's come through this. And then above all, the biggest thing is help them to fixate on Jesus, help them to really get close to the Lord and just get excited about the Word for being the Word and share their faith with others, if they'll do that it'll wean them from some of these other things. Joshua, oh this is a new one, are we sinning against God, no, no, okay, I misread it, sorry. Are we sinning against God to drive above the speed limit? I thought it said drive at the speed limit. Even if it's one mile per hour above the speed limit, that's illegal. The Bible says we are supposed to obey laws in society as followers of Christ, as long as they don't go against the Word, or am I thinking too legalistically? First, I want to encourage you to honor the Lord, and to do what you feel is right in His sight, okay?

So I don't want to quench that, because that is precious and that is beautiful, I don't want to quench that. But, you have to ask how is the law interpreted, right? In other words, we have the law on the books, what is expected? In many cases, if you drive the speed limit, you are more prone to get in an accident because of people not expecting you to be doing that. And now obviously driving super fast is the most dangerous, but okay, statistically I can tell you if you drive the speed limit, that you're more prone to get in an accident because people are not expecting that. But often on the road, you're going to have people buzzing by you because everyone is expecting you to go over the speed limit, so forget my stats or anything like that.

What you want to do is talk to the police, and ask them what is expected. Is there a grace period, or a grace limit? For me, if I see something that says 30 miles an hour, so you're on just smaller roads, then I assume I can go up to 35 without penalty, and I could drive right by a policeman, and he wouldn't bat an eyelash. If I'm on a main road with higher speed limits, if it says 65, I assume I can go up to 75 without penalty, and that's what's understood on the ground.

If it's different, then I'll go differently. In other words, what is a violation that would cause me to get a ticket? That's what I am sensitive to, and I understand the guidelines are there as guidelines, so if it says 60, then obviously if I'm going 80, I'm going to get a ticket. Will I get a ticket going 69? If that's the case, and that's how they're enforcing it, then I'll go more slowly.

But I personally would not think speed limit alone, simply because of the way that it's enforced, and many a time as I'm driving, and there's a car going to speed limit, it slows up everybody behind, especially on a one-lane road, and you end up people trying to pass, and it can even be dangerous in that regard. But you work it out between you and the Lord. And you can't tell the police officer if he pulls you over, well, Dr. Brown said it on his radio show. I'm nobody to them, all right?

That's not going to cut it. All right, Blaine, with all that's going on in our world, how do you think preachers can help? Should they be calling out false statements made by politicians, or should they just stick to the issues that people were dealing with when the Bible was being written? They absolutely need to apply the Bible to situations today.

There are situations that we must interpret from then to now. You know, when God commanded Israel to build a parapet around the rooftops so that people could not fall off as easily, those were flat rooftops. In many of the countries in which we live, or states in which we live, the rooftops are angular, and that's to keep snow from crushing them and things like that. Other parts of the world, the roof's different.

If you build a parapet around the sloped roof, it has no meaning to it. So everything must be interpreted and applied to our day, of course. So the question is, if this politician is hurting your church, or hurting the society, and what they're saying should be called out, then call it out. If a politician is saying things and it's causing division in your church, then ask God for wisdom as to how to address it. If the politician is doing things that are detrimental to the society, and you want to call on your church to do what's right, and to do the opposite of that, then ask for wisdom. Preachers are not to be politicians, or to be primarily politically focused, but because politics intersects with culture, and culture intersects with morality, and all of us are living in this world, we should be practical and holistic. I'm perfectly fine to go to church services and hear messages that never once say a word about politics and are exegeting texts and making practical applications, but when politics is intersecting with the life of the people in that congregation, I would expect some practical wisdom, some practical application. So I'm not looking for a news update from the pulpit, or for political sermon. I am expecting interaction with that which is affecting the flock in a healthy way based on scripture.

Alright, we'll be right back. This is how we rise up. 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 back to the Line of Fire. I've got a bunch more questions I'm going to get to in this last segment. Vorpahl Blade posted this.

This was all solicited on Twitter a few days back. What is the relationship between the fruit of the Spirit and the anointing of the Holy Spirit? I ask because I see popular charismatic preachers behave in ways that don't seem very fruitful, and yet work in signs and wonders.

Thanks for all you do. If it's genuine miracles that are being performed to honor the Lord Jesus, then those are from the Holy Spirit and by the Holy Spirit. But it doesn't mean that the person being used by God is necessarily mature in right relationship with God.

They might have a gift operating in them like Samson did, and Samson ended up destroying his life, but the gift still operated in him unless his hair was cut. Fruit of the Spirit has to do with our growth in God. It has to do with our maturity in God. It has to do with our self-discipline. It has to do with us becoming more like Jesus.

Love, joy, peace, the fruit that the Spirit produces in us, self-control, those things. So the Holy Spirit produces that fruit in us. By the way, when it says self-control, it doesn't mean if the Holy Spirit's upon someone that they might not quake under the power of God.

That makes perfect sense that they might. Self-control is moral discipline. Self-control is watching your eyes and watching your mouth and controlling your appetite and things like that. So when we are judging someone's fitness for ministry, we don't look to see if they are supernaturally anointed by God, have a gift of prophecy, have a gift of working of miracles or something like that. That's not what you judge by. You judge by their soundness in the Word, their soundness in character, their soundness in service, their maturity.

That's what we judge by, alright? So having some type of powerful anointing, that can hurt someone if they're not mature. Because they'll have a lot of open doors and people, whoa, wow, amazing.

Just like someone with an incredible voice, or someone who's an incredible speaker. People might be pulled into that when they're not ready or mature. Let's see. Cedric, does Scripture speak of a third Jewish temple? As best as I understand, yes. First, in this age, it seems that there will be a temple rebuilt before the Messiah returns, based on the fullness of what's written in Matthew 24, based on what would seem to be the meaning of 2 Thessalonians 2. Based on other scriptures, it seems to be the case. And then a millennial temple, it could be the temple in Jerusalem glorify, or it could be yet something more supernatural than that. It seems that that will be there based on passages like Ezekiel 40-48 and Zechariah 14, speaking of sacrifices.

I'm not dogmatic on it, but it seems to be the case. Isaiah 2, verses 1-4, where all the nations of the earth will come streaming to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, the temple of the Lord. That's the millennial temple. So it seems, based on scripture, that's the case.

And if Revelation 11 is speaking of a future temple, it would apply to that as well. David, what can we do to bring revival in our own lives? Revival starts with us, thank you for answering, love what you do. So, number one, we have to realize that God wants to pour out a spirit on us more than we desire. That God wants us to be passionate for him more than we want to be passionate for him.

So we are appealing to God to do something which is important to him. There is the old anecdote with Gypsy Smith, Evangelist Gypsy Smith, when he was asked how to pray for revival. How does he pray for revival? He said, I take out a piece of chalk, I draw a circle on the ground, I stand inside that circle, and I said, Lord, revive everything in this circle. So sometimes it's just getting before God saying, I need a fresh touch, I've grown cold, I'm complacent, the fire's not burning in me like it once did. And you just go before him, start a fresh fire in my life.

What else can you do? Well, obviously, setting aside time to really be with the Lord, setting aside time to really be in his presence, that's key. You're telling God, I'm really, really serious about this, shutting down other things, maybe your favorite show or sports event or habit, hobby or something, and just set it aside because I have to be with God more. Crying out, that's key.

When you get so moved and stirred that you fast, that you need to separate yourself to fast, that's something else. Then reading things in the Bible that stir your heart and ignite something. My book, Revival or We Die, is meant to ignite something in the hearts of people. So listening to messages that stir you, reading past accounts of revival, all these different things can really help spark something afresh within us.

And then we don't let go until the breakthrough comes. Jacob, I've noticed many of your recent posts are in disagreement with Doug Wilson. I would love to hear you debate him on theonomy, Christian nationalism, etc. Actually, I haven't seen his posts.

To be honest, I have no idea what you're talking about. If he's saying one thing and I seem to be saying another, that just so happens. The only thing I was sent by him, which was by one of my staff members, asked me to look at it. I thought what he said was great. I had a minor difference on one point, but overall I thought what he was saying was great. So if we differ on these things, which could well be, I'm totally unaware. We had a friendly debate about the gifts of the Spirit for today that was hosted by Justin Briley and unbelievable. I think that was a real good interaction, real eye-opening, and of course cordial in spirit.

But debating Christian nationalism or theonomy, sure, glad to do it if we have different views on it. But no, I'm completely unaware. I haven't tweeted anything with regard to what he said, haven't seen his comments, videos, articles, zero. With all respect to Doug Wilson, I have no clue what he's saying on any of these things, haven't seen any of it. So, no, none relate to that at all. I've just been writing what I've been writing. Byronology. Dr. Brown, what are your eschatological beliefs, eschatological beliefs, and if I may ask another, what is your position on full preterism?

So, as someone pointed out, Chad, thank you. You can read the book I co-authored with Professor Craig Keener, Not Afraid of the Antichrist, Why We Don't Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. So we are historic premillennialists. We believe that Jesus will return to this earth. When he is returning, we are caught up to meet him in the air and to escort him back here in our glorified bodies.

Then he establishes his kingdom on the earth. I am not a dispensationalist. I'm a historic premillennialist. Full preterism is absolutely unbiblical.

Absolutely unbiblical, and some would even say heretical. So even though full preterists would, in fact, preach that salvation is only through Jesus, and that he died for our sins and rose from the dead and would be Trinitarian, et cetera, the fact that it denies a future resurrection, that we are already spiritually resurrected and that's it, the fact that it says that we're in the new heavens and the new earth, the fact that it says that Jesus is not returning physically, that he's already returned, those are dangerous, unbiblical doctrines, and there are certainly heretical statements in it. Now, can you be a believer and hold to full preterism? That's a fair debate to have, because you're denying the second coming and denying future resurrection. Those are fundamental doctrines of the faith. So seriously in error, seriously wrong.

I mean, full preterism in its full-blown way. Serious error, seriously wrong. Let's just see here.

I'm going to go quickly. Jeffrey, did Miriam and Aaron have any justification for speaking against Moses' marriage to the Cushite woman? Why did God punish Miriam alone? Why did he punish her? She had a good reason for speaking against it.

They had no justification in speaking against it. That's one thing. There was nothing stopping someone from joining the people of Israel and worshipping the God of Israel. And why Miriam was singled out could have just been what she said, how she said it. It's all speculation.

It's all speculation as to why she would be singled out. Mind trap. Are there any early Jewish philosophers or thinkers that we should read to gain better insight into the Old Testament Jewish concept mindset? Just seems like most of our understanding comes from very Western minds trying to grasp Old Testament and makes us open to projecting. I would suggest you could look at the ancient Jewish philosopher Philo. I mean, if you're looking at Maimonides, he's in the 12th century. You're already looking at a very different system, right, that is later Greek philosophy and then kind of brought into Jewish thinking. But if you want something that's more back in the time of Jesus, then Philo of Alexandria would be worth reading and looking at, and some books that share some of his thought and compare it to New Testament thought.

Any good commentaries that you read now on the New Testament, though, will give you a lot of background into the culture of the day. S.J., who is the woman in Revelation 12? Well, this is massively debated, massively debated to this moment. A Catholic tradition often sees it as Mary because of the woman who gives birth to the son. But the larger account, the images with 12 involved, would suggest it speaks of the people of Israel. Many scholars believe that. Speaking of the people of Israel, either in history, through whom the Messiah comes, and then every persecution and attack comes, or the Messiah coming into the world through the people of Israel and now the Jewish remnant that continues being persecuted.

I think that's the best way to read it, but there is a lot of debate about it. Alright, I'm out of time. I got 30 seconds left. I'm out of time.

I got to as many questions as I could, and maybe I'll get to a few others in some random settings, but we'll post to let you know the link if you missed this live and you're over on Twitter so you can catch all of these. Thanks for being with us. Remember, please pray for God's grace to be on the ministry in Poland this week, and can't wait to be back live with you in the States next week. May the grace, favor, smile of the Lord be yours. Be strong! Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his mind.