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I'm ready. Let's do it. You've got questions. We've got answers. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr.

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

Michael Brown.

Well, I am all ready to go. I hope you are too. You've got questions. We've got answers. Anything under the sun you want to ask me about, talk to me about, as long as I have some.

Expertise in it or some ability to answer you, give me a call 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. If you've read one of my recent articles or watched one of my recent videos and have further questions or want to challenge me on something I've said or bring up what a guest talked about on the air, it is open season. Let's do it again. 866-34TRUTH is the number to call. Before we get to your calls, Some very disturbing news from the Middle East.

World Vision, of course, a fine Christian charity helping impoverished children, starving children, needy men and women around the world for decades now. They are very careful with disbursement of funds. They have various checks and balances to make sure that funds are used appropriately.

Well, reports are that Israel has arrested and detained a World Vision employee working in Gaza. And after weeks of detention and questioning, they have said that he has admitted to funneling millions of dollars of World Vision money directly into Hamas. Hamas terrorism. Yes, I mean, obviously, what this underscores, if accurate, what this underscores is how evil Hamas is. And according to the reports, this man has been with Hamas for many years, but became known to World Vision as someone helping with the poor and the needy.

And there are many, of course, in Gaza, in particular because of Hamas policies. World Vision, terribly disturbed by this news. I've been directly in touch with them. In fact, they were about to reach out to me to communicate with me about this when I reached out to them. Right now, they do point out that these are still allegations, that they have no evidence of this being accurate, but Obviously, they're deeply, deeply concerned, especially with all of the checks and balances that they have in place.

This underscores again how evil Hamas is, if accurate, taking money that was given by Christians around the world to help poor children, hurting needy children, and instead to funnel that money towards terrorist attacks to create. Orphans in Israel, or families whose own kids are killed in Israel, Hamas's murderous, diabolical acts.

Now, whether this is accurate or not, and I am reading another report from Sharat Hadin, this is an Israeli Legal Association. They said they've warned World Vision about this for several years. They said that they notified the Australian government about this back in 2012. They were convinced that this was happening. This is the Tel Aviv-based civil rights center, Sharad Hadin.

Again, innocent until proven guilty, but there seems to be strong evidence that this was happening. Regardless of whether or not this was happening, we know for a fact that Hamas channels millions and millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars that come to it to rebuild the infrastructure, to rebuild houses and hospitals and schools and apartment buildings. Instead, the money is used to build terror tunnels, the money is used to stockpile weapons.

So, this is what Hamas does. And in terms of refugees, the Palestinian refugees are the only ones where, after generations, they are still categorized as refugees. They are not assimilated back into the culture around them. They are not assimilated into like-minded Arabic-speaking Muslim-believing culture in the surrounding nations. They're left as an open soar against Israel.

And if I'm correct, they get more money per capita than any other, quote, refugees in the world. If my men are not. memory is correct on that, and yet much of the money never reaches them. It goes to corrupt leaders like Yasser Arafat, who died, what, a billionaire? Where'd he get that money from?

And it goes. goes into stockpiling weapons, building terror tunnels, and the like. We'll be right back with your questions. You've got questions, we've got answers. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUT. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks so much for joining us today on the line of fire. I'm here to answer your questions. Anything you've been wondering about? What does the Bible say on this?

Some doctrinal dispute. Maybe something came up in your church. You don't need to mention the church name or anything like that, but just say, hey, this question came up or I'm wondering about it. We can address moral issues, cultural issues, political issues, spiritual issues. 866-34Truth.

Going to go to the phones in one moment. Check out my latest article at askdrbrown.org, where I talk about the sovereignty of God in these elections. What is God doing? Obviously, we will vote, we'll cast our votes, and in that sense, we will elect a president, but God is at work as well. What would a Hillary Clinton presidency or a Donald Trump presidency mean?

What would God be saying in that? Could it be that God raised up Donald Trump to defeat Republican candidates that could have defeated Hillary Clinton so that Hillary Clinton will win and it's further judgment on a sleeping church in America? Questions I raise in the article. Also, I've got a great new video where I interact with an old Andy Griffith show. And talk about the entitlement mentality.

We've also got a video addressing the whole gender fluid, gender unicorn, pick your gender mentality. It's an eye-opener. And another new video on how can we be sure that the New Testament is historically accurate and reliable.

So check out latest videos, latest articles at askdrbrown.org. To the phones, we go. Michael in Fort Lee, New Jersey, thanks for calling the line of fire. Good afternoon, Dr. Brown.

My question involves the meaning of the Greek word apostasy. See you. Yeah. Red and 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 3. Is this where means departing departure Departing or departure as defined by the first seven English Bible 1611, or does the word mean falling away as translated in the King James Version?

Of 1611 and later translated to a publication. Apostasy. Yeah. In modern English versions, those who believe in a prejudice. Preach rib right.

which I don't always This chapter and verse as a reference, I would appreciate your opinion. Yeah, absolutely. There is virtually no linguistic evidence in any solid way that would interpret this in terms of a departure as in a rapture. Apostasia, the Greek word there consistently used for rebellion. For example, in Greek in the Septuagint, Joshua 22, 22, it refers to rebellion.

2 Chronicles 29, 19, the same way it refers there to transgression. Jeremiah chapter 2, verse 19, it refers to backsliding. There's no question. In Acts 21, 21, it refers to forsaking the law. And in 2 Thessalonians 2.3, it's definitely speaking of a rebellion.

So if you look at just a multitude of translations, King James falling away, New King James falling away. HCSB, apostasy, ESV, rebellion, NIV, rebellion, NET, rebellion, NLT, great rebellion. The ancient Syriac translated with rebellion.

So there's really no question that that's what it means. It's a real, real weak Argument to try to say that Paul is saying, look, first this rapture has to happen, then the man of sin is going to be revealed. Why would he even say the man of sin is going to be revealed unless people are going to be there to see it?

So there will be an end-time rebellion apostasy. And in conjunction with that, the revealing of the Antichrist. And Paul saying, don't let anybody... Get you upset or worried that you've missed the day of the Lord because these things have to happen first before that final day. Just one thing to that audio.

I don't know if you can answer, but The reason why the Whitecliff Tyndale Geneva Bibles before like 1610, why they used the word departing and departure. the reference in that sentence. Yeah, I would have to look at them, but my assumption would be that was just the old English way of referring to falling away or apostasy. Number one. Yeah, number one, Michael, they certainly didn't believe in a pre-true rapture.

We know that for a fact. They never would have heard of a doctrine of a pre-true rapture, and it was absolutely not their theology. But just like, for example, the King James, 2 Timothy 2:15, study to shoe thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Well, um. Study there in Old English simply meant do your best, strive, do your best. It was not a mistranslation because the Greek says do your best, make your best effort to To be a workman that doesn't need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of God. But the word study in Old English had the meaning also of strive, do your best.

So, for example, in 1 Thessalonians, where the King James says, study to be quiet. That doesn't mean buy a book that teaches you how to be quiet and study it. It means do your best. Study to show thyself approved unto God is Old English. That's why I say use a modern translation as opposed to the King James, because you don't know that the meaning of certain words has changed.

So people say, I believe in studying the word. It says study to show thyself approved to God. No, no, it's not what study means there. It means do your best. So my assumption would be: if you look at the older English meaning of the words for departure, there, it's talking about a departure from the faith, hence apostasy.

Hey, thank you for the call. I appreciate it. Very good questions. 866-34TRUTH. We go to Mark in North Carolina.

Thanks for calling the line of fire. Yes. Hello, doctor Michael Brown. This is Mark Howell. You spoke my name over the radio a couple of years back.

You were receiving and donations from me from Butner, North Carolina. But since then I've moved on and um I'm living in Shalot and I just got Back on the grid, so I can listen to your broadcast live. And I just want to say what an honor it is to speak to you. I just admire you, and I salute you as a warrior for Christ and just one that I try to imitate and just try to learn from. You're just an amazing person, you're apologetics.

It's just a real honor. I know time is short. I just want to say thank you for all you do. And down here in Shalot, North Carolina, we're listening to you, and I want to become. A torch bearer, again, there's a lapse in the coverage, long story, but I just want to say hey, and I love you, Dr.

Brown. Mark, that is so kind of you to call and so encouraging to hear that. I appreciate the warm words and glad to have you back on the grid. And thanks for your solidarity and support. May the Lord shine brightly through you.

But thank you for taking the time to call, that means a lot to me. Thank you, Dr. Brown. You have a good day. All right.

You know, I saw Shalot. I'd never heard of that in North Carolina. It's not not aware. Of the existence of there are many places in North Carolina and throughout America that I'm not aware of. 866-34TRUTH.

Before I go back to the phones, just so you can grasp the weight of what This Hamas operative, accused Hamas operative, It has allegedly done taking money from World Vision. Taking money from World Vision and funneling it to terror. According to Israel's Shinbeit Security Service, Mohammed Al-Halabi, so a World Vision employee, but allegedly a Hamas operative, diverted around $7.2 million of World Vision money.

So this is money Christians are giving to help children, to help needy ones, poor, starving, suffering people. All right, his world vision does that in an exemplary way around the world. that he diverted allegedly $7.2 million of World Vision money to Hamas each year. which would be the equivalent of 60% of the charity's total funding, annual funding for Gaza.

So let's say there's about 11 million that was being given to help needy people in Gaza every year. Allegedly, 7.2 million of it was funneled to Hamas. And according to the report, some $1.5 million a year was given in cash. given in cash to Hamas combat units. According to a statement issued by the Shin Beit.

All right, friends. Before we go back to the phones. I Saw a couple of days ago. I mentioned this on the air the other day. Let me mention it again.

Rush Limbaugh. The mighty Rush Limbaugh of Talk radio fame, the most listened-to talk radio host in America with a massive listening audience. He has re-signed a contract to continue on his stations. And the details were not disclosed, but he makes tens of millions of dollars a year being on the radio. And these stations pay for conservative talk radio.

And obviously, he brings in the bucks through advertising and other things like that. I don't begrudge him that at all, whether you like him or not. He's great at what he does and works hard at it. There's a massive difference, though, between what we do and what Rush does, oh, in many, many ways. And of course, his audience is massive.

But we pay to be on the air. He gets paid, said To be on the air. We have to raise money to be on the air. And you know, in some of the key stations where we are in America, like WMCA, WAVA, WEZ, some of our great stations in the Northeast. We have to raise money from other parts of America to pay to be on the radio to serve you there.

Why not do your part and stand with us? Why not become a torchbearer? As Mark, our last caller, said he was going to renew his commitment. Why not join our support team and hold our hands up so not only can we continue on these stations, but expand to many more? Go to Ask Dr.

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Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks so much for joining us on the broadcast 866-34Truth. Number to call you've got questions, anything you want to talk to me about whatsoever, anything you want to ask me about, by all means, give me a call. Let's go to Hollywood, Florida. Isaac, welcome back to the line of fire. Hey, Dr.

Brown, how are you doing today? Very well, thank you.

Okay, so I have heard from numerous Christians. That the Antichrist will be the expected Jewish Messiah. In other words, the traditional Jewish Messiah will appear to the Jewish people and be accepted. But he really is the Antichrist. Have you heard this viewpoint, and do you believe it yourself?

Uh I've I've heard it I'll tell you why it has some plausibility, but I personally question it.

Okay, number one, the Bible does not tell us a lot about this anti-Messiah, antichrist figure. It refers to him as the man of sin. He is obviously epitomized as one doomed to destruction. As the final vessel who is anti-God, anti-Messiah. But in that spirit, 1 John 2 says, there already are many Antichrists because they also deny Jesus as the Messiah.

But in terms of details, some point to the book of Daniel, the book of Revelation, to try to decipher this. I'm just not sure we can decipher it clearly.

So in favor of this view that the expected Jewish Messiah by Jewish tradition will actually be the Antichrist, in favor of it would be that obviously Jews praying for longing for the coming of the Messiah, and they believe he'll be someone here among us and that he will have these exceptional qualities. And little by little, we'll recognize by what he does. Wow, he must be the Messiah. He's taught the ways of the Lord. He's brought Israel into obedience to the Torah.

He is defeating the enemies of Israel. He's regathering the exiles. He's rebuilt the temple. Surely this is. the Messiah And Could he then have sufficient charisma?

to deceive the whole world, it it's it's possible. It's possible. I just don't see that laid out in Scripture. I see Jerusalem coming under great attack at the end of the age, as opposed to all of the world submitting to the leader in Jerusalem. I see great turmoil and calamity out of which God delivers our people and brings us to repentance.

So I don't see other things that would line up in that regard. There's the theory that he would be European, and allegedly that would be supported by verses in Daniel and Revelation. And that, again, the question would be, why would the Muslim world follow him or the Jewish world follow him? But there would have to be some type of world calamity that he now appears as the one who solves the world's problems. More recently, the arguments have been that...

He will be a Muslim because the Muslims are waiting for a mahdi, a redeemer figure of sorts. And when he comes, some have suggested that he could then make some kind of deal. He would make a deal with Israel and with the Muslim world to say, listen, we're going to surrender Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. You can tear them down and you can build your temple. And that's how there would then be the building of the third temple.

Otherwise, it's difficult to see how that would happen. But to be perfectly candid, Isaac, to me, it's all speculation. To me, as things get closer, they'll become clearer and we'll know what we need to know when we need to know it. To be dogmatic about any of this or to make any of these things issues of doctrine or issues that we divide over seems to me very foolish.

So an interesting discussion as you raise it. Yes, an interesting discussion. Beyond that, I would just leave it there.

Okay, thank you. Do I have time for one more quick question? Yeah, go for it.

Okay, I watched the Jews for Judaism video that they uploaded last night. I don't know if you watched it as well. And the rabbi talked about how Messianic Jews tend to, you know, of course, they reject the oral law and the Talmud, yet at the same time, they wear kippot, they wear the talit. And most of those things are found in rabbinic literature. And he's saying how that's a complete contradiction.

They don't know what they're talking about. How would you respond to that? Every Jew does that. In other words, there are aspects of oral law that are interpreted one way by one group. Here, look at Reform Jews.

Look at conservative Jews. Look at Orthodox Jews. Look at ultra-Orthodox Jews. They all keep different customs. And they keep them for different reasons.

So Jesus rejected some oral traditions, but accepted others, like he went to the synagogue.

So not all traditions are considered bad. But they're not considered binding. That's the difference. We don't see the oral law as binding as a traditional Jew would. A Reformed Jew would say the commandments, even what's written in Scripture, they're for guidance, not for governance, and conservative Jews, somewhat in between.

But you'll see, say, left-wing Orthodox, we call them modern Orthodox, and they're often clean-shaven and they don't have the past, they don't have the side curls. And then you'll see ultra-Orthodox Jews with long side curls and untrimmed beards, and they would look at the others and say, you know, you're in violation here.

So there are going to be disagreements. But fundamentally, though. The fundamental difference here is that Messianic Jews do not see the oral traditions as binding.

So if we find something to be of value or helpful, many Messianic Jews will follow the custom of burying a deceased relative within 24 hours and then sitting Sheba, having seven days of mourning. They find that to be a good, helpful tradition. Many will wear a kippah because that identifies them in the eyes of others as a Jew and helps them tell other Jews, hey, I'm still a Jew. And they'll worship in a synagogue. They may have a Torah scroll in it, etc.

So there are certain traditions that we feel fine with, and we have no problem identifying with our people. But we don't find the traditions to be binding for many reasons, especially when they contradict scripture. And that's what Yeshua taught. He said that you make void the word of God with your traditions. In volume five of Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, I lay out quite a few ways where the traditions Blatantly contradict the word.

And you even have a famous Talmudic account where God himself is overruled by the majority of rabbis because the Torah is no longer in heaven, and therefore it's up to people to decide. You can even overrule God's miraculous testimony and even his heavenly voice speaking.

So we are consistent in that regard. If we find the tradition useful, helpful, edifying, it's part of our life and culture as Jews, fine. If we find the tradition unhelpful, if we find it to distract from true spirituality, if we find it to be contrary to a gospel message, then we reject it. And it's really that simple. But the funny thing is, again, even within the different branches of Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism, there's going to be picking and choosing of certain things for various reasons.

Everyone's going to have their reason for it. This is how we work it out.

So very simple answer to that, I would say. Thank you very much, Dr. Brown. Have a great day. You are very welcome.

God bless you. All right, friends, I'm going to be taking calls for another 90 minutes.

So get on the phone now. Even if you can't listen on radio, get on the phone 866-348-7884. And remember, check out the latest articles and videos on the Ask Dr. Brown website. Trust me, you, along with multiplied hundreds of thousands of others, will be blessed and helped and edified and strengthened.

Together, we are, I'll say it again, we are making a difference. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown.

Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRU. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Welcome back to the line of fire. 866-342. Ah! Phone lines opened up right after the break there. We lost a few people.

So now's a great time to call again. 866-348-7884. Let's go to some email questions. Uh Ralph. Hi, Dr.

Brown. I love your ministry and books. They've been a great help to me. I have a question for you as I'm studying 1 Corinthians 13, 8 through 12. I'm trying to really understand what the word perfect in 1 Corinthians 13.10 is referring to.

I do not I believe it refers to completion of the New Testament canon at the end of the apostolic age. Good for you, Ralph. Absolutely. positively not what Paul was talking about. In context, it seems to be referring to the second coming of Christ.

But as I've studied the text, I came across Dr. Ricky Roberts' book, Just When Did Spiritual Gifts Cease. He writes about the word perfect in 1 Corinthians 13, 10. Quote: The idea of the Greek adjective teleos is far more powerful in thought than many understand. It expresses complete and imperfection.

It is all-inclusive and refers to such a flawless state that it cannot be described by what occurs at the rapture, the resurrection, and the second advent, the completion of the New Testament canon, the maturity of the church in the millennium. All these things show incompleteness and imperfection because sin and bondage continue. The state of perfection will only exist when sin and bondage are abolished. The same Greek adjective is used in the neuter gender. This eliminates Christ from being the perfection referred to here.

Then it means the perfect state that occurs after the millennium. The very use of the neuter gender demands that the Greek adjective must be translated perfection. This is a future and eternal state of achievement for creation without sin and evil that has yet to take place. Can you help me understand the meaning of the word perfect? I appreciate your time.

Okay. Ricky Roberts, of course, would hereby be completely reinforcing the fact that this is not talking about. when quote the New Testament canon is completed. All right. So the question is, since Paul is saying The tongue's prophecy will continue until a certain point.

We know historically they've continued through church history. We know historically that there were prophecies and healings and miracles through the centuries, that they've never stopped, that at times they have led up in certain parts of the church, but they've never stopped, and they're taking place around the world today in abundance.

So no question about that.

However, does Ricky Roberts believe that there'll be tongues and prophecy saved during the millennial kingdom. That would be somewhat unique concept. In my view, in my opinion. based on this word. based on how related words are used, say, in Hebrews.

In my view, he's overstating things. Because for us as believers, when Jesus returns, we are resurrected and we will be with him forever. When Jesus returns, we'll be resurrected or will be glorified if we're living at that time. We'll be with him forever, and there is no sin that we'll ever deal with again. There is no bondage that we'll ever deal with again.

Yes, if you believe as I do, that there'll be a millennial kingdom on the earth, others will be dealing with things in this world. But we, as believers, will never deal with sin, never deal with bondage. We will not walk by faith anymore. We will see him face to face. We will know as we are known.

So, even with the full sense of what Dr. Roberts is speaking of here, based on this quote that you've supplied me, it seems To absolutely apply to when Jesus returns. Because at his return, for us, for the believers, that's what he's talking about. That's why there's tongues, prophecy, these other things now. That's why we have knowledge, but it's limited now.

When Jesus returns for us, that's the end of needing tongues, needing prophecy, needing teachers, having partial knowledge, because then we'll know as we are known. We see through a glass darkly now or in a mirror reflection dimly, but then it will be face to face. I see no reason not to interpret this in terms of the second coming.

So I fully agree with you, and I think what Dr. Roberts writes actually reinforces that view rather than takes away from it.

Okay, as soon as we come back, I'm heading straight to the phones: 866-34-TRUTH. Shake the name. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown.

Welcome back to the line of fire. Straight to the phones. We go 866-348. 7884 Edgewater, Maryland, Ken, welcome to the line of fire. Hi, how are you?

Doing well, thank you. Um I wasn't sure whether to call in. not um My question is um if you in the New Testament, if you want to repent Uh Is there Is there I mean, is there all Does God always allow us to repent? Defeased. Shown us our wrong, even if we've failed over and over again.

Yes, certainly God's heart is to forgive. Jesus teaches us. If someone sins against us to forgive them, even 70 times 7. The whole story of the prodigal son is there to tell us that the father is eagerly waiting for our repentance so that he can welcome us back.

So, without a doubt, God desires our repentance. God calls us to repent. He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. James, Jacob, the fifth chapter, says if you see a brother that's turned away from the faith and you can bring him back, you've saved his soul from death and covered a multitude of sins.

Earlier in that same chapter, if someone is sick and the sickness is due to sin, when the elders come and pray for them, they're healed of their sickness. And if they've committed sins, they're forgiven.

So that is God's desire. There can be discipline and chastisement. Our sin can be costly in many ways, but God's heart, God's desire, is absolutely to forgive. Jesus paid for our sins. That was the expression of God's love.

And if I willingly... Choose to disobey him and refuse him and deny him as Lord, and say, I'm going to do what I'm going to do, God won't stop me from committing spiritual suicide. But if I cry out to him for mercy, Recognize my sin and ask for His mercy, He will forgive and He will cleanse. Ken, what makes you wonder if he'd be inclined to do that? Um I I just heard about, you know, like, um, Ugh.

Yeah, like the I I mean, I I didn't read the book, but the nine harbingers and stuff and Um I guess um I mean, I I believe what the Lord's been trying to tell me is Micah six eight, I believe. Yeah. He he doesn't require anything. He just He he's just asking accept To I may be paraphrasing, do justly love mercy and walk humbly before Right, that's that's what he calls us yeah, that's what he calls us to do. And he does require obedience, but because we fall short, he does forgive.

So he calls us to walk worthy. He calls us to turn away from sin. and with his help perfect holiness in his sight. He calls us to deny ourselves and take up the cross, but he gives us the help to do it, and where we fall short. He cleanses us, he forgives us, and he doesn't condemn.

Jonathan Kahn's book about the Harbinger is talking about signs of judgment on America as a nation. And there are There are consequences to our sin as a nation. And there are times when God will bring judgment on a nation. And there will be times when it's too late. We get to that point of no return.

But aside as a nation, but as individuals, God desires our repentance. God helps us to repent. God is drawing us back. And what we need to do is not fall into either extreme. One extreme says you're worthless, you're hopeless, you've messed up, God's had it with you, goodbye.

The other extreme says, Hey, don't worry about anything. God doesn't care about your sin. Jesus already died for it. One leads to carnality, depression, hopelessness, the other carnality, complacency. The right understanding is sin is ugly, sin is destructive.

God calls us to walk in obedience, but he's quick to forgive. He's long-suffering. He's merciful. Look at it the same way if you had kids. You tell your little kid to make sure to make up their bed in the morning, make their bed and brush their teeth and take out the garbage, whatever their chores are, and they forget to do it.

You don't kick them out of the house. You don't say, you're no longer my child. You say, okay, I forgive you, but if you keep doing that, you won't get your allowance this week. You know, I forgive you. I still love you just the same, but you're going to have to be more responsible.

God is going to deal with us the same way.

So, Ken, I appreciate the call. Thank you for it. 866-34TRUTH. Let's go to Janet in Wilmington, North Carolina. You're on the line of fire.

Hi, Doctor Brown. Hey. I'm calling. I have a question. I've called you before about the transgender baptism thing a couple of months ago, so this is the second time I've called.

We love you. We love your ministry. We thank you for what you're doing. I just want to put that out there. And also we've got, you know, quite a few of your books collected here.

I'm trying to read through them.

So God bless you for reading them. Um, I had stated before when I called that my husband is half Jewish. And he's been studying this Hebrew roots.

Now we don't observe any of the taken holidays. We do Passover. We do things like that.

Well, he got a Mazusa, and our neighbors upstairs Her husband is marri I mean, her son is married to a Jewish woman And she said, you cannot put that mazooza on your door, we put it on our front door and back door, without a priest. And my husband put it up.

So I've just been curious about that. What are your thoughts on that?

Well, it's perfectly fine to do it if he wants to. If they were saying you can't do it without a rabbi. No, you are not. He's not trying to live as a rabbinic Jew under rabbinic authority and do everything exactly as the rabbis require. It's perfectly fine for him to put it up if he wants to, if it's meaningful, if it gives him a thought about Reminding him of the law of God, but he comes in and out of the house.

That's fine. We're Christians and we observe those kind of traditions. Yeah, as long as you don't do it in a binding way, it's perfectly fine. And by the way, the reason that rabbinic use put it up at an angle is because there was a debate. Should it be straight up?

Should it be which way should it be? And because there is no solution to the debate, they put it up at an angle. But no, just don't worry about it. You're free. You're not under rabbinic authority and nothing to worry about or think twice about.

Okay. Okay, thank you very much. All right, and thank you for the kind words. I do appreciate it. All right.

Let's go back to the phones in Des Moines, Iowa. Kerry, welcome to the line of fire. Hello, how are you doing? Doing well, thank you. Yeah, you just had a question.

Uh you know, you're probably familiar with some of these uh modern or more recent denominations. you know, that claim to have a profit leading their denomination. And I just wondered what your opinion is on them and are do you believe there are modern day profits? Do you mean a group like the the Mormons that claim to be led by apostles and prophets who are receiving new revelation about doctrine? Or just another charismatic or Pentecostal group that believe that they have prophetic leadership?

Uh like yeah, like the Mormons or Adventists or Jehovah's Witnesses. Yeah, those are cults. To the extent that the Seventh-day Adventists follow Ellen White rather than Scripture, that's error. Jehovah's Witnesses don't claim to have prophets. Mormons do.

I do believe that there are prophetic people in the body today, that the gift of prophecy still operates, but it's not for doctrine. It's not for revealing foundations of scripture. It's to edify and to guide and to encourage and to rebuke. But those that claim to be led by groups that are getting new revelation, you know, this is new doctrinal revelation, or the Holy Spirit is now speaking something beyond what the Bible speaks, that's dangerous and that's to be avoided wholeheartedly.

Okay, okay, well thanks. You are very welcome. All right. 86634Truth is the number to call. We go to Boone, Iowa.

Lindsay, thanks for calling the line of fire. Hi, Dr. Michael Brown.

How are you? Doing well, thank you. Thank you for taking my call. I've never called before, but I do enjoy listening to your radio show. And I my question is kind of um well I know that I'm saved now So I'd just like to get your thoughts on this.

I grew up in the Lutheran church, or my grandparents took us to church, and so I knew Jesus and I knew of the story, and um It and I I don't remember a specific time that I accepted him as my savior. But as I got into my teenage years and I started living a different type of lifestyle with drugs and alcohol and I got really deep into my addiction, I would search for God, but now I realized that I had been cutting that off. Um, and I do believe that my using and drinking was Brought in like different like products. Hey, here, Lindsay, hang on one slip second. We got a break.

Finish on the other side of the break. Be right back. Hey, this is Michael Brown. I want to invite you to join me for our second ever trip to Israel, February 25th through March 6th, 2017. This is a great opportunity I get to interact with you, our radio listening audience, and our ministry partners as we experience the land of Israel together and it will be a life changer.

We've got a great price on the trip and if you're one of our monthly supporters or torch bearers, you're eligible to receive a special discount for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Space is limited, and we're accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the trip to secure your spot, go to askdrbrown.org, click on the Israel banner, or call our office at 704-782-3767. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

All right, let's get back to Lindsay in Boone, Iowa. All right, so Lindsay, raised in a Lutheran home, and then as get older, start to go the way of the world.

So, back to you. Yeah. Okay. So and I do feel like um My using alcohol and drugs was a way of cutting me off to the sunlight of the spirit, so to speak. And now as I look at it, I think brought in some demonic forces.

But so I've I've since got sober about five and a half years ago in a 12-step program. Um and started searching for my face again. But I I was kind of like, I would say, a culture Christian or I didn't take it too seriously until about last year when I feel like I was reborn. Um So Looking back, and I'd just like to get your feedback. You may not, it's kind of a silly question, but looking back, I was w wondering.

Would I have been saved before Um, any of that when I was searching for God and searching for Jesus. Um or do you think it happened when I feel like I was reborn and started taking it a lot more seriously? Right, obviously on the one hand it's speculation and it's all the more speculation from me not being inside of your heart and mind over this time. But let's say why it's not just abstract. It's good to be able to know that you knew that you knew that at a certain point in time you passed from death to life.

That a certain point in time, God really became your father, and you knew that you knew that your sins are forgiven.

Now, sometimes people who are raised in the faith can't do that, and that's great. In other words, as far as they remember, they always loved the Lord. As far as they remember, they were raised to believe, they put their trust in the Lord, and they didn't have a distinct Born-again experience, but they weren't in the world and they. That's just the way they grew up in the Lord. Others, as children, say, Yeah, when I was 10, that's when I prayed with my daddy, and that's when I believed my sins were forgiven.

But Only God knows what was happening in your heart. And for me, when I came to faith in late 71, there was a time from November 12th to December 17th of God working deeply in my heart and me coming to know him. But December 17th, certainly the point of surrender. But it could have been a few weeks before that I was saved. And just God taking me deeper.

But certainly before November 12th, I wasn't. In your case, it seems to me as if the seeds were planted when you were a child, but they had not really taken root yet.

So the foundations were being laid, but the house was really not built yet. And that's why you had to search rather than go back to the foundation that had been solidly built up. In other words, there are people who are in your situation, but they really did know the Lord as children, and then they strayed. And the whole time straying, they kind of knew, all right, God's pulling me back, I'm doing the wrong thing. And then when they said, Lord, I'm done with fighting, I'm done with writing, they surrendered.

They went back to the faith of their childhood. But it seemed that when you sought to do that, you had to search and find it because it wasn't really there in substance. And the biggest thing is, though, to know that you know that you have the witness of the Spirit in your heart now and the proof of new life in your heart now. That's the biggest thing. But again, just my speculation based on what you're saying, you had the seeds planted when you were young, but you didn't really come to know the Lord until last year.

The good news is, you know him now. Yeah. So now I'm at a kind of an infant stage, I feel like, in living in a way of sanctification, I think would be the word. Do you have some?

Sometimes I feel like I don't exactly know what I'm doing. I mean, I get in the word and I try and saturate my life with it, but. And I try to obey the things that I hear where which was missing before. But do you have anything to add on trying to live? That sanctified life.

Yeah, I'd like to send you a free copy of my book, Go and Sin No More, A Call to Holiness. That will give further incentive, that will lay out what the word says about holiness, that will show you how to live free from condemnation and empowered by God's grace.

So that's what I'd like to add because rather than take a minute or two, this way I can take a few hundred pages.

So, Lindsay, all right, stay right there. Betsy is going to get your. Your address, and we'll send you a copy of Go and Sin No More as our gift and keep growing in grace. And remembering the same love that saved you is the love that keeps you. All right.

For all of our friends listening in Charlotte, North Carolina, greater Charlotte, North Carolina, I've got a new video I encourage you to watch. It does talk directly about what's happening in the Charlotte schools. As during the summer break, the school board enacted a radical bill in complete violation of statewide HB2. And they claim, well, it's in. correspondence with other federal law, but it is a radical transgender activist bill.

How radical? Teachers can't refer to kids as boys and girls in the school. Yeah, that's how radical. Mm-hmm. And if a 15-year-old boy says he identifies as a girl, then he can be part of the girls' sports team or partake in any of the girls' activities and share the locker room and shower stall.

Madness! This is socio madness. Let's help the kid that's genuinely struggling. but not impose societal madness on the whole. And we'll have Tammy Fitzgerald from North Canada, Carolina Values Coalition, joining us on Monday to give us an update and to talk about an important school board meeting Monday night.

But based on a Supreme Court ruling. That has uh Put on hold a lower court ruling saying that a boy who identified as a girl in a Virginia school could use the girls' room, et cetera. By a 5-3 decision, which is significant with the current makeup of the Supreme Court, presumably it would have been 6-2-3, a 6-3 with Justice Scalia being alive and with nine members of the Supreme Court. But because of that decision, They have said, okay, we're going to. The school board, Superintendent Ann Clark of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.

said, okay, we're going to put this on pause now. because of the Supreme Court ruling. We're gonna put this on pause, so we're not gonna go ahead with all of the transgender activist bill. But there are parts, though, that they're still going ahead with in the name of anti-bullying. You know, gay activists in Australia openly said it's nothing to do with bullying.

We're just trying to push our agenda through. We use bullying as basically the Trojan horse to get our agenda in.

So, what do we teach our kids? Be kind to everyone. Be nice to everyone. If you see a kid picked on or marginalized, reach out to that kid and show that kid love. And invite him home, invite him over for lunch one day so we can get to know him and love on that kid.

And if they call the kid a sis, you're this, you stand up for that kid, love on love on them. At the same time, don't turn the world upside down to accommodate a struggling child. My bottom line today. America needs the church to shine brightly, otherwise America will stay in darkness. I'm ready.

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

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

So, as I've been reading through the Old Testament these days, And just looking at the two truths of human responsibility and God's sovereignty. Watching how Israel makes choices and how God judges Israel or blesses Israel according to choices made. than how God works in history to raise up one or put down another. According to his sovereign purposes, then asking myself, okay, what about the sovereignty of God? In the elections today, The fact that we have Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as our primary candidates, what does that mean?

And is God doing something in the midst of that? Or is there a lesson for us in the midst of that?

So I wrote an article about it last night. You can read it at askdrbrown.org, latest articles. And I raise a possibility.

Something to think about. You know, there's been talk about God's raising up Donald Trump and he'll use him as a Cyrus, someone who didn't know the Lord. Even though he didn't know the Lord, God used him to bless the Jewish people, people of Israel. Others say, no, he's being raised up as a Nebuchadnezzar who's going to judge the people of Israel, in this case, meaning the church or the people of God. Then I said, well, how about this possibility?

What if God raised up Donald Trump? to defeat the Republican candidates who could have easily beaten Hillary Clinton, Because it's God's will that Hillary Clinton becomes president as judgment on America because the church is still asleep after eight years of radical pro-abortion, pro-homosexual. Activism and attack on our religious liberties and all the other problems we have in America, the church is still complacent and largely asleep. Could that be? It's something to think about.

It is speculation in that respect. But check out the article. I think you'll find it interesting. I am here to answer your questions today. Any question under the sun you want to ask me?

I'll do my best to answer 866-34TRUTH. That's 866-3487-884. Let's start in Boston, Massachusetts. Skip, welcome to the line of fire. Hello skipped.

Are you there? Skiff is gone. We go to Charlotte, North Carolina. Bernice, welcome to the line of fire. Hello?

Yes, you're on the air, Benice.

Well Hello, uh Dr. Brown. I was listening to your radio show uh one day this week. I don't know if it was Wednesday or Thursday. And I heard this man that called in about the black Jews.

And he was just going on so much I just turned him off. I didn't want to listen to him any more. I'm a black woman myself. But one thing that I know, as I spoke in my church on Sunday. that and let people know this thing about color and nationalities It's really got to go.

It makes absolutely no sense. I feel like this applause is a devil. And I don't care what nationality you are, people are racist or But I know what God said: flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. And from dust we come and dust we do return.

Now, when this then our spirit goes back, it's simply our spirit goes. out of our body and the dust goes back to the dust.

So I don't know what why people the issue about this color thing, especially if you're Christian. See, I don't understand that. Yeah, the whole idea. Of this argument that the original Jews were black and that people like me who'd be Caucasian that were not actually Jews. Obviously, historically, there are implications with that and all kinds of issues, but when it becomes a spiritual battle, Does it matter if Jesus was Asian, if Jesus was black, if Jesus was Hispanic, if Jesus was Native American, if Jesus was Caucasian?

Does that matter? And does it matter for us spiritually if our skin color is different? No, or if ethnicity is different? No, not at all.

So I'm with you 100%. Let's major on the majors. If someone has erroneous teaching and historically erroneous, well, yeah, let's expose it. But come on, let's major on the majors. We've got a dying world out there.

Thank you, Bernice. Give us strength to always do what's right. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown.

Thanks so much for joining us on the line of fire 866-348-7884. I am all for discussing racial injustice. ethnic injustice, inequality, I'm all for that. I'm all for saying, hey, give me your perspective on life in this world. Let me give you my perspective on life in this world.

Because we all have blind spots. I'm all for that. but to make a spiritual argument based on skin color. To make a spiritual argument based on ethnicity is completely misguided. I do believe.

that every race brings something special. As I travel around the world and minister in different countries, being back in Korea last week, I got up to speak on Sunday morning, and before I spoke, The Korean brothers and sisters all just came forward. There were a few hundred people in the meeting, it was a small meeting. They all came forward and they began to sing in Korean, God bless you. I think I may have mentioned this on Monday, but I almost broke down crying.

I mean, I instantly teared up because suddenly I remembered. the many wonderful meetings I've been in in Korea. Where uh we would have I mean, dozen literally several dozen meetings in a week. I would preach day and night and day and night, and we'd pray and we'd cry out together. And it was, it was just, uh, it was Just extraordinary.

The tears we'd shed together, the intercession together, the love they'd expressed towards me, and Any anyway, anyway. All that being said, when they got up to saying, I just was immediately touched, the times in India are so precious and the different nations. I believe there's something precious and unique that each nation brings. And in that sense, when I'm in, say, a black gospel church, there tends to be much more response to the message, the culture that kind of talks back tomorrow. I love that.

I much prefer that to the setting in many white evangelical churches. Each group has its unique qualities and things like that. Yeah, we bring that. It's like the food court at the mall, except all good food, preacher like that, all healthy food, where each ethnicity has what they bring to the mix, and it's special and it's wonderful.

However, However, That is very different from saying, well, I'm going to argue that the Israelites had this skin color or that skin color. Or that Jews have this skin color or that skin color and make that into a spiritual issue. That's not the issue.

Now there's there is a breaking news footage of Cops shooting a black teenager who was reported for stealing a car, and after he shot. They're kicking him in anger and using profanity as their... Calling him names, and then he later dies from his gun wounds.

Now, they've immediately been suspended. By the Chicago police, and this is something that, of course, is going to create outrage and concern about injustice. Is it white on black or black on white? Fine, have those discussions and let the church lead the way in racial reconciliation. That's very different though.

Than someone trying to argue that Jesus was black and Paul was black and Moses is black. And if you don't believe that, you're not, of course, there's no evidence for that. As I said once again, they were Middle Eastern as opposed to Negroid. They weren't Caucasian, they weren't Negroid. But whoever, it's fine.

It doesn't matter if they were Caucasian, if they were Negroid, if they were whatever, that's fine. We relate spiritually, not ethnically. 866-34-TRUTH. Let's try to reconnect with Skip in Boston. Welcome to the line of fire.

Who's skip? Yes, Doctor Brown. How are you? Good, go ahead, sir. Year.

I I want to Talk about uh Yeah. Jesus returning, okay? And uh I think there's a lot of confusion. a lot of turmoil in the world because We're waiting for something that that there's no point in waiting for. the responsibility was given to each of us And you have taken on that responsibility And and done it to the best of your ability.

And until We recognize the fact that we have the ability to do those things those things being love our neighbor, and love ourselves and love God. We're not stepping up to the plate. And everyone is Uh All these preaches all these churches. And I'm not being critical here, first off. Criticism doesn't get us anywhere.

I'm just trying to offer some insight as I see it. You're saying that we put too much emphasis on the return of Jesus rather than doing what we're supposed to do. That we're waiting for him to come and press a magic button, and that's the end of the age, as opposed to us being responsible. Let me say two things in response to that, Skip. And I appreciate what you're saying, and not coming at it from a critical angle.

First, we are to long for his return. In other words, it's a messed up fallen world. And we are only passing through.

So even if we're here for a thousand generations, it's not our eternal home before God changes and renovates everything. And therefore, we long for His return. There's so much human pain, so much suffering that the only. Antidote for the sin and corruption of the world. The final antidote is the return of Jesus, and we want to be with Him.

We want to be with him. We long to be with him face to face.

So we long for that. That's healthy. But we can also speed his return, according to 2 Peter 3, by living holy and godly lives.

So we must, yes, we must give ourselves to the Great Commission. Making the gospel known to all the world. We must give ourselves to loving God and loving our neighbor. We must give ourselves to the salvation of the Jewish people. We must give ourselves to Striving for unity in the faith.

In other words, these are important things for the whole body. We have our responsibilities. As we carry those out with God's help and grace, we can literally speed. Yeah. Of the Lord.

So just waiting as if He's going to come and rescue us. There's a hymn we used to sing in the church where I got saved: Hold the fort, for I am coming. Jesus whispers still. We don't want to hold the fort. We want to advance into the world and touch a dying world.

Hey, Skip, thank you for the call. I appreciate it. 866-34TRUTH. We go to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kim, welcome to the line of fire.

Thank you, Dr. Brown. It's a two-part question. Uh I think it's in James Witch says that Pure religion is taking care of our orphans. and whittles.

And my my question is, why does the church concentrate more so on abortion where it teaches that these children automatically make it to heaven When the devil is we can have it. over orphans that are here. And the second part of the question is, um I heard you speak, uh, maybe A week or two ago about abortion would be considered The killing of innocent blooming. But God allowed and commanded Saul to do the same thing.

So why would that be considered innocent blood? And why does the church concentrate more so On the body and knife the off. Yeah, I love your questions, Kim. Thank you. First, let's recognize that we can do both.

In other words, we should care about widows and orphans. We should be involved with that. And the church historically has been, donates money. In fact, while we talk about abortion a lot, I would dare say that we give more money to help the poor and to help the needy around the world than we give time and energy to combat abortion. We talk about abortion a lot, Kim, but we do very, very little about it, honestly.

So we need to do both. And there is a growing adoption movement. Many in the pro-life camp are strongly pro-adoption, but we need to do both. And As far as abortion, there is the horror of the slaughter of these lives in the womb, and it does create a larger culture of death, and it has many, many other implications and a ripple effect through the society.

Now, in the Old Testament, God hated the shedding of the blood of babies when they were sacrificed to Molech, little children and babies.

Now, those little children and babies, we assume, went to heaven as well, just like an aborted baby, yet God still hated it and judged Judah and Israel for it. As far as the command to Saul, he was called to kill the Amalekites, who were pagan idol worshipers who had been guilty of attacking Israel previously. And because of that, God said they will be judged for it.

So they were enemies of Israel. Enemy combatants, and unfortunately, it made their whole family liable with them. Otherwise, if you look in the Torah, if your enemy's oxen, Wandered over by you, you had to bring it back to him, even if it was your. Enemy. And Proverbs 25 says, If your enemy's hungry, feed him.

If he's thirsty, give him something to drink.

So even within the Old Testament, there was teaching of being kind to one's enemies. But there were times certain people, the only people in the history of the Old Testament after the conquest of Canaan. That God commanded them to be killed. That was the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15, to be wiped out. But that goes back to Exodus 17.

They attacked Israel, and God said, they will be blotted out.

So they were not innocent, they were guilty. Great question, sir. Thank you so much. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thank you for joining us on this Friday broadcast. You've got questions. We've got answers. We go to Seagrove, North Carolina. Todd, welcome to the Line of Fire.

Thank you, Dr. Brown. Um recently on another radio program, I was hearing of quite a bit of discussion Concerning Isaiah 11, 6, concerning where it says, the wolf shall lie down with the lamb. Uh the discussion was alleging that the original Hebrew says it should be the lion instead of the wolf. And they're alleging that the all the different Bible translations Have a changed.

the actual word. And I said, I thought to myself, that doesn't sound right.

So I thought to myself it's well Dr. Brown is the man that I know that I could go to to ask the question.

So which is the right word? Is it wolf or is it lion? It's wolf. I'm only laughing b be because uh what what obviously happened is uh is s somebody just forgot. It was I I once quoted it, the lion will lie down with the lamb many years ago.

And a friend of mine said it's wolf. I thought, oh.

So it's it's a it's a misquote. People misremembered it. But the the Hebrew, there's no question Zaiv is is a wolf. Not a lion is is lion is mentioned a little bit bit later on. uh there's yeah so there there's no question i'm looking at the the syria excuse me the the aramaic and it's the it's the same word it's it's wolf there i'm looking at the uh the greek same word wolf there so the the the original hebrew text The ancient translations into Greek and Aramaic, they all say wolf.

And that's why every translation says, well, so all it is is somebody misremembered. Uh they thought it was lying. And it was actually wolf. They just got it wrong. And it's just one of these popular things that gets quoted enough times, people misquote it.

That's all that happened there.

So 100% false. Your suspicion there was absolutely right, sir. It says wolf. The wolf will lie down with the lamb. Not the lion.

You mean the lion's like a- Hey, maybe there'll be lions that lie down with the lambs too.

Okay, that's not that's not the point. But what the prophet says here is the wolf will lie down. And then it goes on, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together.

Okay. And then it it also says the cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

So lions are mentioned a couple of times, but it's wolf. Wolf. No question. All right. 866-34TRUTH.

Well, let's go to Raleigh, North Carolina. Casey, welcome to the line of fire. Hello, Dr. Browner. Hey, how are you doing today?

I'm blessed. Thank you. Yes, I have a two part question. First of all, let me tell you this. In nineteen ninety, I joined an all black church here in the area in Raleigh, and I stayed there twenty five years.

I'm a white person, a white man. My wife and I both joined. And we did a great work there. We were. accepted by pretty much everybody that that came to church there and we were treated very very m with very much respect and And I don't regret anything that I did in the twenty five years there.

But I'm no longer with that church now. But my two part question is During those years Uh I I had a lot of people to tell me that I might not be Biblically correct when I try to say that. We should all get together and worship God together instead of having the black churches on one side of town and the white churches on the other. And their grounds for that was that in the Bible There's a lot of separation. God even told his people to not have anything to do with.

certain other races on the earth and Uh In the New Testament, Um the Samaritans And the Jews would not get together. They they were Definitely not permitted to Um co you know, co-relate or marry and and that sort of thing. And my second part of the question is, is How do I answer people when they say, well, you know, the Bible says that. You know, there's a separation, and God made a distinction in the races, and we need to leave it alone. Is that true?

We need to leave it like it is. Uh my fear is that those are a sentiments or Are bigoted sentiments, that those very sentiments trying to use the Bible to support the separation of the races, that those sentiments are based on bigotry and racial hatred. The separation is to be between the world and the church. The separation is between believers and unbelievers. When God says to come out and be separate, he doesn't mean be separate races.

He means be separate from sin. He means be separate from the sin of the world. As far as evangelism, we go into the world. As far as sin, we come out of the world.

So those arguments are completely bogus. Moses married a Cushite woman. The best we understand, that would be an Ethiopian woman. You definitely have intermingling. You have Ruth from Moab, who is a Moabitis, joins the people of Israel, and David is descended from her.

I don't mean different color there, but different race, and she joins the people of Israel.

So there's no question whatsoever. That there can be the joining together of any two believers. Black, white, Hispanic. Asian, Native American, doesn't matter as long as we're in Jesus. And in that respect, In that respect, the ethnic barriers disappear.

And even the idea of Jew being superior to Gentile, that disappears. In Jesus, we are all equal. There's no caste system. There's no class system.

Now, it's great for each ethnicity to bring its unique contribution into the body and for those things to be celebrated. But to have biases that divide us, the fact that the Jews and the Samaritans weren't together was a negative thing. That was not a good thing. And that's why Jesus reaches out to a Samaritan woman and breaks down some of those taboos. Peter bringing the gospel to the Gentiles breaks down the taboos.

It doesn't mean that sinful behavior is accepted. Gay activists try to say, yeah, look, Acts 10, the taboo between Jew and Gentile is broken down.

Now it's being broken down between heterosexual and homosexual. No, no, you're talking about conduct. You're talking about behavior. You're talking about holiness in sin when it comes to homosexual practice and living chaste heterosexual lives. But when it comes to the races, there is zero in scripture, not a verse that says that the races must remain separated.

And there are examples of interracial marriage in Scripture and inter-ethnic marriage in Scripture. And our goal, according to Jesus in John 17, the great goal he prayed for was our unity in Jesus.

Now, it's fine if a particular group enjoys meeting together as a group. In other words, let's say you're a Korean church and a lot of the people there like the Korean customs and they like to have Korean meals together and they like to sing certain hymns and not all the people know English fluently, so they meet as a Korean church.

Well, that's fine. I mean, it's fine to do these things, especially when language is an issue. But ultimately, we should have citywide meetings where we all come together. We should have joint prayer meetings where we all come together. And to the extent that the church can reflect the community.

So what does the Church of Raleigh? What does the Church of Raleigh look like?

Well, it's multi-ethnic and it's multiracial. And Jesus were one.

So I pity people who think the way these other folks think.

Alright, we'll be right back. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown.

Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 Truth. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Welcome, welcome to the line of fire. It is my joy to be with you on this Friday, taking questions on any subject you want to ask me about whatsoever. My joy to do my best to give you solid biblical answers.

So, I did a video. We just posted it. Andy Griffith has the answer to the entitlement mentality. I think you will really, really enjoy it. And young people, if you've never seen Andy Griffith, this will really give you a good understanding of what made the show so special and so wholesome.

Compare it to some of TV today, but check out my latest video, AskDr. Brown, A-Sk-D-R-Brown.org. I've got a really interesting one on interacting with a guy who claims to be gender fluid and what this means for our kids' schools. And my latest article, which deals with the question of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton. God's sovereignty, and the presidential elections.

Very interesting. 866-34TRUTH. Let's go to Erica in Bay Area, California. Thanks for calling the line of fire. Hi, Dr.

Brown. How are you? Doing well, thanks. I've been listening to you for a long time, and I know that you're very astute with languages and biblical. in the five bowl and I have a friend.

And she's really concerned because she's afraid that she's blaspheme the Holy Ghost. And I was wondering if you could explain Matthew 12. Um He's done a lot of research, but I think she gets hung up on the passage where Jesus said every idle word And for her, I guess She she made some comment, just an offhand comment. That was I guess. irreverent or something like that.

And so she feels like that's what Jesus meant by that and she's, you know, terrifying. Yeah, boy, I I My heart goes out to folks who struggle in that way. Because sometimes no matter what you tell them, Their conscience is so sensitive, they feel so easily condemned that you might kind of laugh the thing off, and her, it keeps her up at night.

So let's deal with two separate issues, okay? Matthew 12, that We'll have to give account for every idle word that we speak, for by our words will be justified, or by our words will be condemned. And the question of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Obviously, The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not speaking an idle word. That's one of many sins for which Jesus died.

And throughout the New Testament, we're told to turn back to the Lord where there is sin. We know the Corinthians spoke divisively and were guilty of other things.

So Paul's counsel is that they turn in repentance. 1 John 1 is explicit to say if we think we don't have sin, then we're deceived. Rather, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So I'd encourage your friend to really read through 1 John, the first chapter into the beginning of the second chapter in particular. 1 John 2:2. I write these things to you so that you may not sin, but if anyone does sin, We have an advocate with father. Jesus Christ the righteous.

So we're called to the holy lies where we fall short. We ask God to forgive us and cleanse us, and He does. And Jesus even tells Peter: if a person sins against you 490 times a day, and and says I repent, forgive them.

So, the same with us and the Lord. How much more? the Lord.

So yes, we have to be able to do it. Yes, we want to weigh the words that we speak. but every one of us at one time or another has spoken something that we regret, Something that was out of place, something that was not loving, something that may have been irreverent.

Something that may have hurt another person or been foolish, and we ask God to forgive us. And He does. Otherwise, the blood of Jesus has no power. If the blood of Jesus can't forgive idle words that are spoken, What power does it have? Jesus is simply telling us: be careful with what you say, because you'll give account, not account for salvation.

but account for our lives.

Now, what about the blasphemy of the Spirit? We'll come right back and take that up. Join Dr. Michael Brown along with Messianic Jewish pastor Scott Volk for a unique behind-the-scenes tour of Israel, February 25th through March 6th, 2017. Space is limited, so we're accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information on the trip and to secure your spot, please visit our website at askdrbrown.org and click on the Israel Tour banner or call our office at 704-782-3760. Mm-hmm. Oh God of burning, cleansing flames. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

All right, I want to go right back to the phones here on the line of fire. This is Michael Brown. Erica, the question that your friend wondered about, did she blaspheme the Spirit, that's something that we're asked about many times because it's a dreadful thing when Jesus says that every sin that's committed will be forgiven, but not that. It's an eternal sin.

So one has to ask, what could be that great? that major. I mean, could you imagine? Could you imagine that God has given us a roadmap, right? And there's one turn.

If we miss this one turn, we're going to crash and burn. Everyone in the car is going to crash and burn. And this turn you can't even hardly see. I mean, it's barely even marked. And unless you're going like two miles an hour, you're going to drive right past it.

No, no, obviously not. There'd be warning after warning after warning after warning and danger signs.

So the blasphemy of the Spirit is a very severe sin. And what does it mean to blaspheme the Spirit? You are speaking evil of the Holy Spirit. And in a very severe way. And in Mark 3, that's where I prefer to go.

Mark the third chapter, Jesus addresses it, and we have a hint there that tells us exactly what the blasphemy of the Spirit is. Jesus says, Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. For they, the religious leaders, were saying, He has an unclean spirit. In other words, they were knowingly attributing the works of the Holy Spirit. These were Jewish leaders that were fully accountable.

They were knowingly attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil. which meant they were hardening their heart that severely against God, that they were willing to attribute the Holy Spirit's work to the devil, knowingly, not in ignorance, not in unbelief, but knowingly. Because Paul said that he was forgiven for what he did as a Jewish religious leader because he did it ignorantly and in unbelief. He said he was a blasphemer. And yet he was forgiven.

Why? Because it was ignorant and in unbelief, whereas here, The sin is so severe that there's no forgiveness.

So, unless your friend has willingly and knowingly attributed the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan, she has not blasphemed the Spirit. And if she had blasphemed the Spirit, her heart would be so hard, the last thing she would think about is God, the last concern she would have about was being right with God, because her heart would be that hard that she would have fully rejected him.

Well, that's what I try to tell her: is basically, you know, the fact that you are repentant and that you're wanting to seek out the grace of God to cover your sin and to, you know, to be right with Him. I think that that's. Yeah. Yeah, it is. That's why I say that my heart goes out to people who struggle because I assume that you try to help her and she's still struggling.

There's a stronghold in her mind that has to be broken. It's a lie that she's believing has nothing to do with what's written in the Bible. It's nothing to do with what Scripture says. It has to do with a lie that's tormenting her about. what scripture says.

May I suggest That my book, The Grace Controversy, just came out a couple months ago. I deal with 12 common questions about grace, but I lay out in it the extraordinary nature of God's grace, the beauty of God's grace, the forgiveness that we have, while then talking about some errors, kind of the opposite extreme of what your friend is going through. The idea that no matter what we do, no matter how we live, there are no consequences.

So I deal with that error, but in the book, I really lay out the meaning of grace, the forgiveness we experience through grace, the new life we have through grace, and maybe that would help her. But you've got to pray with her that this tormenting lie would be broken because, again, it's a misinterpretation of scripture being used to torment her. And no matter what you're telling her in terms of the right interpretation, she's not seeing it.

So it's a spiritual stronghold that needs to be addressed. Thanks, Dr. Brown. You are very welcome, and thanks for being a longtime listener, Erica. Much appreciate it.

And Lord, I pray for this dear woman that you'd help her. that you deliver her from this torment, that she'd be reassured of your love. For Erica's friend, we pray. In Jesus' name, 866-34Truth. We go to Dallas, Texas.

Nope. Let's go to Mesquite, Nevada. Thomas, welcome to the line of fire. Hello. Hello.

I've got a question about um the end times and how to respond to a person. I haven't studied it a whole lot, but Matthew twenty four and first and second Thessalonians has always been pretty clear to me. And when I mentioned Person asked me about post-trib stuff, and I said I was post-trib, and I showed him second. Thessalonians two And it just seemed to bounce off his head, and he said that that can't be right because if that was right, you would know the day that Jesus is coming from Daniel's prophecy. And I really didn't know how to respond to that.

Yeah. No one knows the day or the hour, but we're supposed to know the times and the seasons, correct? Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5 that the coming of the Lord is like a thief in the night for the world. Because we know the times and the seasons. See, here's where he's getting it wrong.

He's thinking that. That you'll be able to say, okay, if the Antichrist is revealed or the tribulation has begun, that boom, we, okay, here it is: this day, therefore we count seven years, exactly. Or this day, we count three and a half years. That's what he's getting wrong. In other words, you're not going to be able to know exactly, okay, well, the tribulation started, well.

Today, no, I think it started five years ago. I don't think it started yet. It's not going to be some precise thing, and then you count from that to the exact hour and day, but you certainly should know the times and the seasons. In other words, Paul's telling the Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians 1, he's telling them that they will receive rest when? At what point?

When Jesus comes in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who don't know God.

So they will receive rest when Jesus returns in judgment, not at some secret rapture event where we're allegedly caught out and disappear. We're waiting for his appearing. We're waiting for his revealing. We're waiting for his coming. All of those refer to when he literally returns to this earth in a public way.

That's when everyone sees him. We are caught up to meet him and we escort him back to earth as he comes down in the clouds with his literal coming. But again, the simple answer is: number one, there's no evidence that we'll be able to say, okay, well, he was revealed on this day, this hour. Therefore, we count exactly from there, seven years or three and a half years, and that's when we know Jesus is returning. No, you could argue.

Thank you. There could be an argument about years either way.

So That's the first thing. The second thing is. There are verses that point to a seven-year period or a three-and-a-half-year period, but those could also be symbolic. They're in symbolic visionary passages like the book of Revelation. Therefore, I don't know that there is a specific seven-year tribulation period at the end of the age.

I know that Jesus said, in this world you'll have tribulation. I know that John, writing from Patmos, said, I'm your brother in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. Many scholars say the period of tribulation is from the cross and resurrection until the end of the age.

So his argument is based on a few... Wrong assumptions, but the biggest wrong assumption is the idea that you'll be able to say, on this day, the Antichrist was revealed, that we have exactly this many days until the second coming, so we can figure it out exactly. Trust me, it's not going to happen like that. And prophecy almost never unfolds in that kind of way where you can label it. Here, even in Daniel 9.

So, we're looking back at what happened in history from the going forth of the word, the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Scholars have all kinds of debates about when that date is.

Some putting it in the 500s BC, and some putting it in the mid-400s BC. There's a lot of debate. That happened in history, and there's still the debate on exactly when it begins. But what's clear is the overall sense of something is going to happen, which did happen, and this is the end point, and the end point is also clear.

So I appreciate the argument, but Doesn't stand. Awesome. Awesome. I'll try to relay that too. Did do you see Revelations twenty verse four and five as pretty good evidence of a post trib I mean, it talks about people not receiving the mark.

But they're they're resurrected then, you know? Yeah, it could certainly Be used to argue that they've been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, the word of God had not worshipped the beast.

So that's saying they were here. These believers were here right through tribulation. The only thing is, someone might argue, yeah, well, that's just specifically about those who got saved. During the tribulation, but it doesn't say they got saved then as much as they didn't yield.

So it leans in that direction for sure. It supports it, doesn't necessarily prove it, but it does support it.

So I agree with you. I really like verse 5 where it says that this is the first resurrection. Yes, exactly.

So, the first resurrection, unless you're going to spread it out between rapture and post-tribulation resurrection of beheaded saints. Yeah, good point. I agree with you, sir. We'll be right back. Angel World It's fire we want for fire we It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUT. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown.

Thanks for joining us on this Friday broadcast. You've got questions, we've got answers. Hey, I mentioned this the other day. Do you mind if I repeat this for a moment? Because I want you to hear so that you can be involved.

You can have the reward of being involved with us. You can receive some of the blessing that we receive, not just in this world, but in the world to come. I was Look at the news. couple days ago and saw Rush Limbaugh Resigned contract. That he actually toyed with doing something else with Life Now, but said now he's going to go on with radio broadcasting.

And of course, he's got a massive audience, and he makes literally tens of millions of dollars each year through his radio broadcast. And I don't begrudge that. It works hard. He's gifted at what he does, whether you like him or not. He obviously does what he does well, and the stations benefit from it.

But on conservative talk radio, if you hear, say, Dennis Prager, if you hear Michael Medved, if you hear any of the other Bill Bennett or you or any of these folks, if you hear them, They are paid to be on the air. They work hard, but they are paid. By these stations to be on the air. On Christian radio, we pay for airtime.

So Rush, with his massive audience, makes tens of millions of dollars. We literally, over the years, have had to raise millions of dollars to be on the radio.

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If you do it today, That would be awesome. Thank you so much. We appreciate your generosity. And your help. All right, I want to go back to the phones in Redwood Valley, California.

Chris, welcome to the line of fire. Hey, thank you, doctor Brown. Thank you for your ministry. Um I was listening a couple of minutes ago to a lady describe her friend's challenge with thinking that she is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. And I had gone through similar difficulty and in fact, had gotten to the point of trying to take my own life because I couldn't find an answer and know for certain that I was secure in Christ.

And went back and forth to various different pastors and different people trying to find an answer that was conclusive. And It kind of told me, well, can you name the date that you accepted the Lord? And so I looked back and tried to stand on that, but The whole question of whether it was just an emotional time or whether it was real or whether I'd really made a decision to follow the Lord. You know, it didn't really answer the question. It didn't really solve the problem for me.

And, um So ultimately, you know, I had to uh Get to the place where I dealt with first John chapter two, where it says that it's by this that we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. And um whether salvation is eternally secure or whether it's not. you know, um, whether I blasphemed the Holy Spirit or whether I didn't. You know, my faith, my enduring faith. You know, it needs to be.

there needs to be an example of uh of action in my fate. And if I don't see you know, my faith working itself out. If I don't see um They're being fruit from the you know, from my supposed faith. you know, then there's something to question. You know, with with a A reasonable understanding of the fact that I'm also human, and that I struggle.

I struggle the same way that Paul did as described in Romans 7.

So, Chris, let me just ask you this. This is very important. How long were you tormented with thoughts that you had blasphemed the spirit? Um Years. Mm.

Bad boy. Probably 10 years. Oh, boy. And you're saying that People would talk about the promises of God and forgiveness, and somehow it didn't help you. What helped you Was saying, okay, this is the confidence we have that we know the Lord, that we keep his commandments.

And you were able to work that through. To say, okay, that doesn't mean perfection. I may fall short, but my lifestyle is characterized by Keeping his commandments. I'm seeking to do his will.

So, what's for first? I'm so glad to hear that you're on the other side of that because I know people that have struggled for years and I've spoken the word to them and it just doesn't seem to get in because of that stronghold in their mind.

So, we've only got about a minute and a half, but. Many people would feel all the more condemned because they say, I don't perfectly keep his commandments. How was it you were able to recognize, okay, I'm not perfect, but My life is different, and I am seeking to follow the Lord. Therefore, I belong to Him and have not blasphemed the Spirit. How were you able to receive that where you just couldn't receive forgiveness for anywhere that you fell short?

I think ultimately, I had to determine what it actually meant for me to be keeping the commandments of Christ and what. How Paul struggled, what he went through in Romans chapter seven, you know, he obviously was not doing it all perfectly. He obviously was not walking in a way that he never felt, but there was a You know, it said, you know, in his, I forget the exact wording, but it talks about, you know, in his inner man. See? he kept the commandments of Christ.

He was desiring to do what God wanted. It was important to him. And you had mentioned or someone had mentioned by the example of or by the fact that it's important, by the fact that it bothers you, You know, there's something going on. Yes. You know, if it didn't matter to you, if it didn't matter to you, Then I think that would be more of a concern.

Yeah, but the tragic thing is that somehow that reality. Didn't help you, you know, because it did matter to you those 10 years that you were tormented. But thank God you're on the other side of this. And listen, friends, maybe that's you. And you're going through that torment.

It's a lie. Chris is here to tell you it's a lie. Because it does matter to you. That's the very proof that you haven't rejected God and He hasn't rejected you. Hey, Chris, keep walking in the liberty of the Spirit.

Friends, check out the latest videos, the Andy Griffith video and entitlement mentality at askdrbrown.org. My bottom line today. When Jesus sets us free, he sets us free indeed. He wants us to enjoy liberty in him. Yeah.