Question and Answer with Advent HOPE Sabbath School. 

<p>Question and Answer with Advent HOPE Sabbath School.</p> <div></div>

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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Doug Batchelor

Q&A Session

Loving Lord, we thank you for your blessings and even for this technology that makes it possible for us to Network and study with others and ask that you just take charge of this time with your spirit May we be drawn closer to you?

We pray in Jesus name Amen Yeah, I've been you know, everyone in this watching what's going on in the world today with this pandemic and, and regardless of what a person's views might be, I don't think anyone can deny it has kind of turned the world into a yard sale as far as what we normally expect.

And, you know, a lot of people believe, well, this is a sign that Jesus is coming soon.

And I believe that this is 1 of the signs that Jesus is coming soon that we're kind of entering a new chapter we've seen how quickly the world can change the economy almost overnight can go from boom to bust and you know people's lives be turned upside down and leaders of the world all of a sudden just come together.

What I'm a little more concerned about is, and I've seen a great interest in spiritual things.

We've just noticed that our Bible school at Amazing Facts has quite literally doubled the interest people signing up for Bible lessons or for you know online Bible studies and The viewers at our different websites.

We've just seen a real surge of spiritual interest.

That is wonderful My concern is I do think eventually they're gonna you know Loosen the restrictions people are gonna start coming back out life will return to some Never be Exactly the same.

I don't think but I think that it'll start resuming some normalcy, but Then if God's servants say oh, I guess Wow, we made it through that 1.

I guess we're okay and My fear is that if people have had a renewed interest in spiritual things, if restrictions start lifting and we get back to work as normal, are we going to lose our spiritual interest?

And you know, I think Jesus warns us in his word that we need to be careful not to put off the coming of the Lord.

Of course, Christ said this 2000 years ago because our lives are short.

And I think 1 of the devil's most successful plans is procrastination.

We think, well, when I see the incoming, then I'm gonna start getting ready.

And the Lord wants us to live in a state of full surrender and preparation so that we can be reaching others.

And the reason I see this, I'll just share what Jesus said, Is at the end of matthew 24 where he talks about signs of his return He says if that servant that evil servant says in his part my master delays is coming Notice the word delay And that almost sounds like when Moses went up the mountain to get the 10 commandments, the people were being tested by the delay.

They didn't know how long he was gonna be gone.

They thought he's just gonna go up there and get the 10 commandments and come back in a day or 2 and 40 days went by and basically they were being tested and during that test they made a golden calf and they got discouraged and everything changed so It's like Jesus is warning us there may be a delay.

And then right after he says this in Matthew 24, you go to Matthew 25, and he tells the parable of the 10 virgins, and it says, while the bridegroom tarried, uses the same word.

It's like the Lord is trying to say, you know, there could be a time of testing, an apparent delay before the second coming.

And over and over, speaking of his coming, he says, he that endures to the end, Keep watching, don't get discouraged.

And when he went to resurrect Lazarus, the sisters, Mary and Martha said, why are you so late?

And he said, well, for the glory of God, it may look like I'm late, but I'm actually right on time.

When Saul was told by Samuel the prophet, says you're gonna fight against the Philistines, I want you to wait for me.

But then it says Samuel was delayed And during that delay saw was being tested Now he did come the seventh day.

It was later in the seventh day than he thought But saw he lost his patience and then in turn he lost the kingdom because he didn't hold on That's why Jesus tells us we need to endure to the end.

That's gonna hold on I think is a Russian proverb that says God is never late, but he seldom seems to be on time.

And then you have the promise in Habakkuk, chapter 2, verse 3, says the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak and not lie.

Though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

He says, he who is coming will come and will not tarry.

So just all through the Bible, I see a number of stories.

Matter of fact, even in Revelation 10, the angel lifts up his hand to heaven and earth and says that there should be delay no longer.

Why would the angel say there's gonna be delay no longer unless there was at least the appearance of delay.

And so I think there's going to be a time of testing for God's people at the end.

I don't think that Jesus' return is going to come at a time when everybody's expecting it.

I think Jesus said in an hour as you think not, the Son of Man comes.

That before the flood they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were buying, they were selling, they were building.

And that's why I think we need to be careful about waiting until there's a crisis and say, maybe I need to get ready now.

Because in reality, none of us knows how long our lives are.

So we need to, if we love the Lord, then love him and be ready and serve him.

Now, if that's the starting point, great.

The Lord will take any time you decide to get serious But I think when this lifts or if it evaporates are we gonna still be as committed to the Lord and you know, that would just be my appeal Ryan is that we've got to make our decision and live by it in the good times in the bad because you know sunshine and rain come for everybody in history and Christians need to be mobilized by love not by current events.

That is something so powerful to remember.

And actually, I think I remember, I think it was you who said this.

We need to live every day like it's our last, but live in preparation like we're going to be here for a while.

I can't remember if you said that or something like that.

But basically, every day you live like it's your last.

I've said it, but it's not original with me.

I think you were the first 1 I heard say it so I said that's a good that's a good way to look at this we need to live every single plan for a thousand years and live like every day could be your last that's what it was that's what it was yeah no absolutely that's a very good reminder thank you pastor duck for sharing that We need to live every day no matter good or bad in preparation for christ coming so Thank you for that reminder Absolutely Okay well, I know a lot of you who are watching are anxiously waiting to see if your question gets answered.

We will try and get through as many questions as we can.

I know that there's quite a few here, so forgive us if we didn't get to your question, but we will do our best.

By the way, if you guys still want to submit questions, the polling is open.

You're also welcome to vote questions up and vote questions down.

So if you do want to see a particular question get answered, if we get to it, please vote it up.

So we just want to remind you that that is still there.

We should have the link there on Facebook.

So at this time, Carissa, I'm going to have you start.

Carissa is going to be our moderator this Sabbath for our questions.

So Carissa, you have some questions already in queue ready to ask, and so we will go ahead and get started.

We've had a lot of really good questions come in, so I'm excited to hear on these questions.

So the first 1 we're looking at is, what do you do if you think that God has spoken to you through an audible voice?

Well, first of all, if the voice says anything that conflicts with the word of God, it's suspect.

God very rarely speaks to people audibly.

I think many of us believe, myself included, I felt like I've had the Lord speak to me, but it was probably just a very powerful impression on my conscience.

And I felt like the voice of the Lord was speaking inside of my head.

But to audibly outside, like other sounds, hear the little voice of the Lord, it does happen.

If it's telling you to do something that is safe to do biblically It might be a good idea to listen I Think that the way, you know that it's the voice of God It's like how did Abraham know that it was God that was telling him to take and to offer his son?

I mean, you wouldn't want to get mixed up on that question, but he was so used to the voice of the Lord that when God did speak to him, he recognized the voice.

Whenever Karen calls me and I pick up the cell phone, I don't have to hear her say a whole sentence to know it's her.

So I think that if God's going to speak to you audibly, you're going to know it's the voice of the Lord.

The importance of the relationship connection to know, to know that it's him.

The next question, how do we truly keep the 10th commandment?

You can choose not to act on it or even to think about it, but how do you choose what you want?

And where is the line between temptation and sin in the 10th commandment?

Okay, of course, the 10th commandment is talking about do not covet.

It's talking about not coveting your neighbor's house his wife or anything.

That's your neighbors and then the bible tells us I think it's first corinthians 14 Covet earnestly the best gifts so coveting in itself is not wrong just like some people say It's a sin to paint a picture because it's an image The Bible doesn't say it's a sin to make an image God commanded the children of Israel to make images of angels in the in the sanctuary He said do not make an image and bow down to it and it's not a sin to covet to desire something You read in Psalm 37.

God says he'll give you the desires of your heart when your way is committed to him so I would just say, you know, if you're now if my neighbors got his car and it's a nice car parked in the front yard And it's got a for sale sign on it.

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