The Bible Exalted!

The Bible Exalted! 029 God's Sovereignity!

• eBibleFellowship • Episode 29

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 1:37:10

The Bible Exalted! is a podcast program that seeks to uplift the word of God which is being highly exalted at this time. Each episode explores both sides of a doctrine, examining how one passage of Scripture may seem to teach one truth while another points in a different direction. Through careful study, the program seeks to uncover the harmony of the Bible as a whole, showing which understanding aligns with the full testimony of Scripture.


"...rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

About Panel Speakers:

Chris McCann:
Chris grew up in Philadelphia. Like many of God’s elect, he was first raised in the ways of the world until God drew him to His Word, the Bible. With an earnest desire to study the Scriptures and uncover the mysteries hidden within them, Chris—together with others—founded the ministry of eBibleFellowship. The ministry is dedicated to faithfully proclaiming all that is written in the Word of God and striving to remain true to its teachings.

Bob Grande:
Bob was also raised in the Philadelphia area.  God drew him to be interested in studying the Bible in the early 1990's.  He attended church until 2001 and departed out after learning about the end of the church age. He is currently seeking to grow in the grace of God.


Gary Daniels:
Gary from Philadelphia: Gary grew up listening to both a faithful ministry that at the time declared the truth from the Bible for many years, but also was under the pentecostal church. God led him toward the truth and is thankful for God's mercy showing many truth's from the Bible


Karl von Harringa:
Karl was born and raised in Ohio, just outside of Columbus. From an early age, he was brought up under the hearing of the truth and developed an interest in the Bible. He grew up in a household where the Word of God was central.

SPEAKER_00

Bible Exalted, presented by eBible Fellowship, the Electronic Bible Fellowship. EBible Fellowship is an online Christian ministry teaching faithfully from the Bible using the biblical method of comparing Scripture with Scripture to come to truth. We invite you to visit our website at e-biblefellowship.org where you'll find hundreds of hours of studies. You can email us at info at eBiblefellowship.org or visit our YouTube channel. And now it's time to welcome in our four-man panel and begin our live broadcast of the Bible Exalted Program.

SPEAKER_01

Hello and good evening, everyone. Welcome to eBible Fellowships, the Bible Exalted Program. I'm your host, Gary Daniels, and today we are seeking the Bible's answers to various topics in which the Bible has the final say in the matter. Joining us today are our beloved three panel speakers, Bob Grandy, Chris McCann, and Carl von Heringa. So welcome again, radio listeners and folks watching on Zoom, YouTube, and other platforms. Today's discussion is God's sovereignty. That's God's sovereignty. So welcome. You can join us live online at www.evibelfellowship.org or at a rebroadcast by radio or on YouTube. We'll take your calls at the half hour mark and the number is 888-969-9883. That's 888-969-9883. You're going to hit star 9 to get into the queue, and you might see a prompt or a button to hit the unmute or star six to unmute yourself. This is a one-hour program with a bonus half hour afterward. So those who are watching the live broadcast, you get to have the full one and a half hour program. So let's go to our panel. Today's topic is God's sovereignty. And if you've called last week, we ask that you abstain and wait till the following week. So we're going to alternate weeks for calls. Once again, today's topic is God's sovereignty, and we'll start with you, Bob.

SPEAKER_05

Hey, thanks, Eric. Yeah, um as you may know already, the word sovereign doesn't appear in the Bible, in the King James Version of the Bible, anyhow. But you know, we can understand that it means the the supreme power that only God possesses. And and God is sovereign, or another word for that is omnipotent or all powerful over all of his creations, including this one. Um so getting back to Adam and Eve, when when they obeyed Satan and sinned by eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan became the sort of sub-ruler of this world because God was still sovereign over Satan, uh, who could not do anything that was outside of God's overall plan for this earth. And that is, Satan was always subject to God's authority. And when we think of someone being sovereign, we might picture uh a human king or a dictator ruling over his kingdom or country or empire. And uh we can understand this when we read in in uh Romans 13, verse 1. I'll read that let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God or but from God. The powers that be are ordained of God. But but God is greater than every king or ruler because he controls every king or ruler in the earth. And we read in uh Psalm 47, verse 2 about that. For Jehovah most high is terrible or or awesome, he is a great king over all the earth. Earthly kings and rulers cannot do anything outside of God's permissive will. So getting back to Satan, he was dethroned from his rule when Satan. I'm sorry, Satan was dethroned from his rule when Jesus Christ initiated judgment day on May 21, 2011. We should all know that by now. Ever since then, Jesus has been reigning as King of kings and Lord of Lords, and bringing his wrath on the whole world as the sovereign judge. And here are some verses I'd like to read that that testify to this fact in uh Revelation 17, verse 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful. And Psalm 99, verse 1 Jehovah reigneth, let the people tremble, he sitteth between the cherubims, let the earth be moved. And finally, Revelation 19:6. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God, omnipotent, reigneth. So uh I just wanted to point out there was another there's a close uh synonym to the word sovereign, which is almighty, and that means uh having everlasting or all absolute power, all powerful. And uh here here's a couple of verses that link the word almighty directly to God Himself. In in Genesis 17, verse 1. And when Abram was 99 years, 99 years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram and said to him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect. And then in Job 34, verse 12, Yea, surely God will do will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. Everything occurs according to God's divine sovereign will and purpose, including his salvation plan. God is sovereign regarding salvation and who he saves based on Christ's atoning work at the foundation of the world in eternity past. And I'd like to read uh a long passage from Romans 9, verses 16 to 23 to show God's sovereignty and his power and his authority over salvation, of who he chooses. Uh verse, starting in verse 16, so then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay, but O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the power hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory. And I'd like to follow that up with Isaiah 64, verse 8. But now, O Jehovah, thou art our Father, we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we are all we all are the work of thy hand. And finally, in Ephesians 1, verse 4, God tells us uh about his election program, the people that he chose. Uh in verse 4, according as he hath chosen us, God's elect, in him before the foundation of the world, that we, God's elect, should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us, God's elect, unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. So God is sovereign over who he saves, and he's also sovereign over when he saves. He saved relatively few people during the Old Testament, millions more during the church age from 33 AD until 1988, and then tens of millions more during the latter reign from 1994 until 2011. God shut the spiritual door of heaven himself, ending any new salvation after May 21, 2011, just as God shut the door himself on the ark, and everyone outside the ark drowned. Uh, and the third uh place for God is sovereign as to salvation is the location. In the old it in the uh Old Testament, um God saved mainly in national Israel, although most of the people that were saved in the Old Testament were uh in Nineveh, which is outside of Israel, but um, and then during the church age, God saved most of those millions of people in the in the corporate church. And then during the latter rain, he saved outside of the corporate church people all over the world. And um, so I hope I've I've shown how how God is sovereign and and we'll continue to show that in the next hour and a half.

SPEAKER_04

No, I think we can end the program here because you covered everything.

SPEAKER_01

You buttoned it up, you buttoned it up really nice, Bob. And um if I if I may say when when I was when I was younger, out the window, forget it. I I would watch a a lot of um I would watch a I didn't save anything for you, Chris.

SPEAKER_04

So much.

SPEAKER_01

I would I would watch a lot of media and there would be a villain or or very um nasty villain or ruler who would subjugate the people and they would cry out. And as a young person, I would say, get them, you know, get them. And then there would be like an older person and say, Don't you worry, you know, it's all gonna work out. And for me, when I would see crime or injustice, I would always see the authorities, they don't wait. You know, when you see a crime taking place, an officer doesn't let the guy finish and intervene. And so I had a very hard time understanding the nature of God's sovereignty in terms of uh uh allowing sin to fully form and justice be served in a God-glorifying way. Because when I was younger, as soon as you did something wrong, you'd get justice. And uh I I would I would like to know, you know, for me personally, as I started to read the Bible, especially in Exodus, because they cried out and and God told Abraham for 400 years they would be in bondage. So as I got older and I understood the Bible more, I understand that God has a timetable in which he sets up activities for his glory and his purpose. And to me, when I when I heard about sovereignty, it's like watching injustice and God act and acting on it at a time when he chooses. Not on impulse. Because for me, because I'm in the flesh, you know, that Bible verse that says we we chasten our children after our own pleasure, but but God to our own benefit. There's a big difference when you see a child do something wrong and you bring justice. Is it for my own pleasure? Because when God does it, he does it perfectly for our benefit. So that's just one thing that I really wanted to touch base on in terms of God's sovereignty and how God lays out his justice, not based on man's ways, but but in his sovereign will, he does it for our benefit.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, the a verse that would tie in with that is Ecclesiastes eight about um when a sentence is uh when judgment isn't executed speedily. Right. That's Ecclesiastes eight, verse eleven. It says because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. And so that would just kind of tie into how God has an appointed time to begin judging and bringing uh things to justice.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah, and and then uh uh I think a corollary to that would be uh Second Peter 3 verse 9. You know, where we read, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long suffering to usward. Right? He's like he see he's allowing everything to play out, even the sin that you're talking about here, uh not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And and and of course, we've learned that uh not any should perish is talking about any of the elect, that all of the elect should come to repentance, right? And uh and this is another this shows another aspect of God's sovereignty, uh, his election program. And I I remember um years ago talking with somebody who was uh in the church, and she brought up this verse and you know, saying, Well, you know, the old uh story that God's a gentleman and he will not, you know, force people to get you know to come to him and you know um he's long suffering, and uh, but that's that's just uh a way of uh the free will gospel trying to steal God's sovereignty and give it to mankind.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. Uh concerning the idea, it is a good point that if God's sovereign, then why do men rebel? And if he's sovereign, why doesn't he stop them from rebelling? And so it must be that it is according to his will, but we know God's not the author of sin, so we have to be careful that it he's not willing people to sin, but man in his sinful condition will sin as a result, and God permits it. And we we also know at the time of the end that God um the the language of the Bible would would show the will of God concerning what's going on in in the world out there in Romans 1, where it says in verse 24, wherefore God also gave them up, and the word the Greek word um gave up is translated as delivered, like for judgment in other places. God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever, amen. For this cause, God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature, and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, and then verse 28 and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over, same word, to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient, and then a list of terrible sins. I think there's 23 sins listed, so it's according to the permissive will of God. God is not responsible for these sins, men who commit them are responsible, but God allowed it, and especially at the time of the end, he um well this gets into another matter of his sovereignty, how he controlled the desperate wickedness and sinfulness of mankind all through history with his spirit, with the law written upon their heart. At the time of the end, his spirit that restrained sin in the lives of people was lifted up to allow what came natural to them. Uh, and and I think this uh this is in view with Romans 9 that Bob read with Pharaoh, where uh it said, Uh, it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee, that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. And um, where did where did it say he had he gave him like a hard heart? Uh in verse 18, therefore hath he mercy on whom he will, have mercy on whom he will, he hardeneth. He hardeneth. And and historically with Pharaoh, Pharaoh is a sinner, and every sinner has a heart, deceitful, desperately wicked, and and so God it uh often uh restrains that desperate wickedness, but in Pharaoh's case, God just simply allowed the stubborn, rebellious nature of the sinner Pharaoh to show itself, and and and man says, you know, always fighting against God. No, I will not, I will not um obey your God, I will not hearken to your God, I will not let the people go. And that accomplished God's purpose to destroy Egypt, and and ultimately Pharaoh and the army of Egypt brought to their knees uh in the Red Sea. They were they were killed. Likewise, at the time of the end, God has let man uh go after his sin in a similar way to get himself glory at the final end and final destruction of mankind that have rebelled against him all through history, and and so the the permissive will of God to allow it to happen will finally glorify him greatly, and I guess we could say has been glorifying him, and will ultimately glorify him uh with the destruction. And that's what it said here also in Romans 9. What if God, verse 22, willing, willing, that that's where he exercises his will, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, fitted to destruction. Uh the word fitted is translated as um prepared, Hebrews 10 5, a body that was prepared me. It's translated framed, the worlds were were framed, Hebrews eleven three, and and so um God has prepared the world for this final end. Uh and and the the um lifting of his hand of restraint off the hearts of men, and the result of abounding iniquity, multiplication of iniquity is part of the preparation.

SPEAKER_03

There's another really good uh passage that kind of ties in with Romans 9. That's uh Jeremiah 18. I'll just read the first six verses. It says, The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah saying, Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels, and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. So he made it so he made it again another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of Jehovah came to me saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter, saith Jehovah. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel. So again, it just goes to show God's sovereignty with he can create a vessel that's fitted for destruction, like it says in Romans. You know, they serve a purpose like Pharaoh, for this cause it raises up raised thee up, or he can create a vessel for mercy, one whom he chose to save.

SPEAKER_01

You know what's interesting? Uh when I was younger, I thought about John the Baptist. When Jesus came to him, he said, I have need of bapti I'm I'm paraphrasing here. And he says, I have need to be cleansed and you're coming to me. And Jesus said, you know, suffer it to be for now. And that word suffer, I was wondering in the old English, you know, the translators allow this word suffer in in terms of allow it. As if it's suffering. And I looked at that word and it's also used in a very special way. It's translated also as let be, but it's also translated in one of the most favorite uh uh verses. Uh forgive us of our debts. That that word suffer or let it be, it's actually used. I mean I think it's Matthew chapter 6, verse 12. Let me go there. It says and forgive us of our debts. That word forgive is the word suffer or suffer it to be so. And so we see that God in in this way, it's like he's saying, you know, let be our debts. You know, allow it to be, or or suffer it to be so for now, or or to to put away that sin in that in that kind of way. I just thought that was really interesting um that that word was in relation to our sin, our death for the elect. Um that this this allowance or permitting because God has taken on all the spiritual payment for that sin, and we're sinning in the flesh.

SPEAKER_03

You know what a Greek word that is.

SPEAKER_01

A-P-A-E-S and um the Greek the Strong's number is let me just see here. Um Strong's Greek uh eight six three. And it's uh it shows up a hundred and forty-six times in different you know, root words.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I was just thinking it's in First Corinthians, it's not the same word, but it says and labor working with our own hands, being reviled, we bless them being persecuted, we suffer it. Right.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, but it's interesting how God is is allowing his permissive will in terms of saying to John the Baptist, suffer it to be so. You know? Or suffer the little I don't know if that's the same word, but suffer the little children to come unto me. Yeah, we see that word suffer, and I don't know why the translators you know use that word suffer, but it it's it's pretty interesting.

SPEAKER_04

Well, uh I have a couple of verses that um or God's sovereignty that that kind of lay out um how he's sovereign over all. Psalm 103. Psalm 103, verse 19. It says, Jehovah hath prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all. I think Bob mentioned that um in the beginning, and and another verse is in Proverbs 21, verse 1, which I think we're familiar with this one. Proverbs 21:1, the king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah, as the rivers of water, he turneth it, he God, turneth it whithersoever he will. The king's heart is in the hand, and even the hand represents the will. So it's it's telling us that God is sovereign over the life of his people. Really, the Bible presents God sovereign over everything in heaven and on earth, in all existence. He's the creator, the maker, the almighty. And uh so so the um what what Bob was talking about, I I think is um kind of what we we could discuss concerning God and salvation, because that that's really where uh people rebel against the idea that God is sovereign. As Bob pointed out in Romans 9, uh and and uh even the verse um, I think it was verse 15, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy, and I'll have compassion upon whom I will have compassion, that God is God is sovereign in the matter of salvation, but we're we're at a break, so uh come back in.

SPEAKER_01

Excellent, excellent, Chris. I look forward to hearing that. So we're gonna pause here for the program's halfway point. You are listening to the Bible Exalted Program. Today's topic is God's sovereignty. If you have a comment or a question regarding the matter, we'll open up the lines for you to call. But let's finish uh with your your statement, Chris.

SPEAKER_04

Well, yeah, um, so so uh God is sovereign, which which means he's the curr the great king, lord of lords, king of kings. What he says goes, he he is above all governments. Governments um are set up by him and they have legitimacy as long as they obey him. If a government goes contrary to the law of God on a point of of their uh their law, the the government establishes a law that is um against the law of God in the Bible, well, they have rebelled. The government has rebelled who set up that law against God. And uh, for example, you know, a good example would be um abortion and and uh and and killing one's own offspring, killing one's own children, and then the government establishing a law. Well, you can only have two. If you have a third, you must abort. That law is unlawful, unbiblical, unlawful according to the law of God. And for the child of God who desires to obey God because he is sovereign God, we would rebel against the earthly government that established that law that was commanding us to do something unlawful, and we would refuse. We that's what I mean by rebel. We would not that we would take up arms against, we would just simply refuse to do that and suffer the consequences. We see that with Daniel, um, actually with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3, and with Daniel himself in chapter 6 of Daniel, where laws were made, and and the government of that time said, You must do this. In Daniel's case, you must not pray. You must not make petition to any God save the king. And and Daniel was fully aware that law was passed, and then he went into his house with the window open three times in the day and made prayer to the God of Israel, just as before. He blatantly disobeyed the law, just like Moses' mother, when when Pharaoh, who was a legitimate king, set up, and according to Romans 13 or other, uh Daniel 4, I think, where uh God does take responsibility that for the powers that be that he has set them up, and sometimes even the basest of men, but nonetheless, there are legitimate authority and power under God, and Pharaoh made a law that the male Hebrew children were were to be killed. Moses' mother refused, disobeyed, and hid him for three months, and then had to send him uh on the little ark of bull rushes down the aisle. So there we see the child of God is recognizing in in these kinds of instances, the child of God is recognizing God's sovereignty, God's right, because he's the supreme. That's what sovereign means. The supreme ruler, the supreme king, the supreme uh being is God. We, the children of God, bow the knee to him in his sovereignty, you know, right to declare and command us to do what he would have us to do. And on occasion, that means we refuse the earthly government or uh what has been established, the earthly ruler and their law. Um it so that that has to do with sovereignty, and and sometimes you know, earthly governments might, they're probably aware of Romans 13, and they may think, well, God has given this to us. We can, if our Supreme Court makes a law that um that that says this or that, then that is the law, and and you are to obey it, and you are to do it. And they may feel justified, but no, no, they're the the earthly government is never comp totally sovereign. They're only sovereign in their department insofar as they're in agreement with the law of God, and some things God doesn't address, God doesn't care if the speed limit's 55 or 75. You know, the Bible doesn't get into that. The government has full jurisdiction authority. They they can make it with or uh some places the autobond, they can say there's no speed limit. That that's lawful, it doesn't contradict the law of God the Bible. Only when they contradict the law of God the Bible, then uh we we we do not um continue to obey them.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, same thing with taxes. There's uh there's a verse I think that ties in with um well well hold it, hold it.

SPEAKER_01

Hey, I'm a sovereign citizen.

SPEAKER_04

A lot of a lot of uh Christians out there they complain about taxes. So what do you mean? Let's be specific.

SPEAKER_01

You ever see those videos? They they say they're a sovereign citizen, and and the and they'll say, Give me your license, and they'll say, I'm a sovereign citizen, and they wind up getting their door smashed in, and because they they they self-declare that they're sovereign. And I I don't I don't want to you know get political.

SPEAKER_04

Is that uh legal for them to do? I guess not if they get their door bashed in.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's it's a gray area, but uh people this is what I wanted to bring up, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Jesus said to uh render unto Caesar the things which be Caesars and unto God, the things which be God. So it's lawful. Uh it's not against the Bible, so but that's what I wanted to mention.

SPEAKER_04

What if it's what if it's 30%? Yeah, or 40%. Still same answer. It would be the same answer. If Caesar wants 40%, Caesar give 40%, would would be the biblical answer.

SPEAKER_01

I remember when people would look at their pay stuff and they'll say, Who's FICA? Or all these little acronyms uh of people taking just a little bit here, a little bit there, and then they just see that they don't have much left. Someone writes um, they they get heavily taxed. But isn't it interesting how when when someone writes a decree, there's an amendment? Or it can be uh revoked or abolished, but God's word, it's settled in heaven. It's like the the means and the purges cannot be altered. But in but in man's laws, these these laws that we have, even our very foundation, they can become trouble, and and then people can rebel. And if the political expediency demands it, they'll just throw it out the window and say, okay, all right, all right, because they want to stay in power, they will they will they will make an amendment and say, all right, we'll do away with it. Uh obviously the people don't like this law and they'll just change it. They don't enforce it.

SPEAKER_04

It's changeable, the man's ways are movable.

SPEAKER_01

That's right.

SPEAKER_04

And and uh they don't have a love for the law, like the child of God loves the law, and and so if you love it, it's not a little thing to say, bow the knee. I I command, I've made this image, I command you bow the knee, and all Babylon bows the knee, and and you know uh the Israelites among them, the Jews among them were probably thinking, well, I'll just do it for now, of course. When I get out of this place, I won't bow the knee. And and that's that's how a professed Christian, uh uh, if enough pressure is put to bear, would respond. Because they don't really have a love for the truth of the word, but God's word is uh eternal and it cannot be altered, and every point is um precious, I guess we could say. Every every word uh is important, and and so um that's why we get into discussions on fine details, fine points of doctrine. We want to do it God's way.

SPEAKER_03

Go ahead. I was just gonna say the Israelites were blessed for keeping God's commandment regarding um not killing the firstborn or the the male, the males that would come out of the womb.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, the the um uh what do you call those women?

SPEAKER_03

The handmaids, um not handmaids, um the uh the midwives, midwives, midwives, yeah, yeah, midwives. The midwives, yeah. They were blessed for obeying God over obeying Pharaoh, and and God built them houses. And so that was a good example of how you obey um God over government.

SPEAKER_01

Well, yeah, because God's law supersedes every other law. So even if so, you know, just like how when God said you hearkened unto the voice of your wife, you know, that unfortunately, I'm sure there's a spiritual connotation to that, but when Adam hearkened to the voice of his wife, he unfortunately did not obey God's ultimate sovereign command not to touch the fruit, not to eat of it, and Eve as well. She uh was deceived.

SPEAKER_03

And I know there's there's more spiritual connotation to that, but I'm example of a woman who God told to hearken unto, like remember Abraham and Sarah. He he said, uh hearken unto Sarah, you know, and because it was according to the Hall of Hurry's. Because it was according to God's will, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Right, right. And um there's a verse that I wanted to read, Ecclesiastes chapter 8, and I'll read from 2 to 4. And it says, I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment and that in regard of the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight, stand not in an evil thing, for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word of a king is, there is power. And who may say unto him, What doest thou? And I really like that verse in verse 4. I put that on my Gmail email account as my signature. God as a king can do whatever he wants. And after May 21, now that verse really stood out. Because when we when we thought May 21, 2011 was it, you know, all the verses that we thought that God was pointing to, that was it. You know, there wasn't a plan B. But then we saw God's sovereignty in his salvation program that the five months we spiritually didn't understand. And so we saw God's will being performed right before our very eyes, but we didn't have spiritual understanding to understand that yes, this is part of God's plan. We were just so distraught and discouraged. We didn't say, oh, God has more in store for us. We were just so distraught, and it took us time to understand that.

SPEAKER_04

And that fits in with what uh Bob said in the beginning about God being well, he said God is sovereign regarding whom he saves, Romans 9, and God is sovereign regarding when he saves. And uh I find it interesting that uh there are a lot of former family radio listeners, e Bible fellowship listeners, and they understand God's sovereignty when it comes to uh saving whom he, you know, the people he wants to save, the elect. They understand they they seem to get that anyway, they seem to understand that. But when it comes to God making another sovereign determination of shutting the door on May 21, 2011, they argue against it. And and if if you could look at say the uh free will people who argue against election, they they think it's unjust, they think it's not fair, um, and and many many of their arguments you you could just um replace or or you could go like that and you wouldn't know which was which with people who speak against um God shutting the door, ending his salvation program, and bringing judgment day to pass while time continues on earth. It's not fair, it's not just my and I don't know if they say this, but it basically they're saying my God would not do that. My God um would give people a chance, which which is what the free will people are saying, that my God would give people a chance to accept Christ. You you can't you can't say that God has made determination before the foundation of the world in predestination to save all uh the people he will save and nobody else. That's not fair. My God would give people a chance, and you can't say God shut the door on May 21, 2011, brought judgment day to this world while people are still being born, and and you're not giving them a chance. You're you're not giving them opportunity to be saved. It's the same thing, it's the identical argument, and and and there uh people who should know better that salvation is according to God's election program, and that he has so willed to save certain ones, and and if he uh come if he accomplished that, if he saved everyone he intended. To save, then there are no other people to save. And he could justly bring it to a close. And that that is what happened. And he, you know, he gets everybody on board the ark, gets all the animals, get the he gets the eight souls. He told Noah yet seven days historically. And so Noah had seven days. And that that's you know a sovereign decree. I'm gonna destroy the world in seven days. So there's uh God being sovereign regarding time. Time you have to get into the ark before I shut the door. And if you do not, then you'll perish in the flood. And that's what happened to, you know, overwhelmingly most people on earth.

SPEAKER_03

And also a lot of people will say, um, of course, they'll label us Calvinists for saying free will is against the Bible.

SPEAKER_04

But always now, Carl, I told the guy earlier today we never talk about Calvin, and and there you go, bringing them up.

SPEAKER_03

They give us that label, but I was I was thinking about they also say it's such a horrible doctrine, right? The whole idea of of how God chooses someone. You know, what if what do people who don't like the no more salvation doctrine they say the same thing? Oh, that's the most horrible thing possible, you know. How could you say such a thing?

SPEAKER_04

Well, well, well, people who speak about Calvin, they're they're taking it away from the Bible, yeah, you know, because they can't really argue or justify their position from the Bible, but if you kind of run down some man and and and you know, uh, I'm sure Calvin did some things that that were sinful, and it and if you can focus on the man, and and and that's what they tend to do. Now, now we talk about Ephesians 1, 3 through 6, got where it clearly says God predestinated, God elected, Romans 9, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy, and and it is not according to him that willeth John 1, which were born not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And so the Bible's very clear. That's why you have to get away from the Bible. You have to get away from the Bible. If people are bringing up Bible verses like uh that that, and there's many of them that teach election, then let me just refer to some theologian of the past who uh maybe has often been vilified, and and that's sufficient. You know, that look, they're Calvinists, and and we think this about Calvin, and and so they um have labeled you with uh with they think, you know, this moniker, that this um negative, and and yet they've evaded they've evaded the Bible. They are not conducting themselves as Bereans, searching the scriptures to see if something is so it's a tactic, it's a worldly tactic.

SPEAKER_01

It's a slur. It's a slur.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I I personally I think Calvin was you know uh pretty um uh knowledgeable for his time concerning election, but uh yeah, they're they're they're just trying to get it away from the Bible, move the discussion away from scripture because they can't just can't prove they'll go as far as to I saw an image online where somebody had like somebody wearing a shirt instead of saying John 316, it says Calvin 316.

SPEAKER_01

And so they they basically say, see, look, you're you know, they label it like that to show interestingly enough, they don't seem to worry about folks who cast lots like casinos and scratch-offs and lotteries, and they're like, Oh, you never know. You see the you see the billboards, they don't have no problem casting the lot. But when they hear that salvation is up to God, and the fortune or the gift of God, the eternal life is he gives it to whomever he will. That's when it's a problem. But you have people casting lots left and right, and they they don't say a word about that. And here is the Bible speaking of God's sovereignty, of choosing not based on works or efforts, but God's determinate counsel. The lot is cast in the lab, and the dispersing thereof is of Jehovah, and there's a problem with that. Interesting.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I think it's the word disposing, disposing, wouldn't mean his determination.

SPEAKER_03

That's right. Thank you. I guess I guess the more modern term for us would have been camping nights.

SPEAKER_04

Well, I was called a camping eye once. That's the same idea. Or uh when they when people find out, oh, you have a date 2033, you know, much biblical evidence pointing to the end. Well, you know, uh back um Jehovah's Witnesses in the 19th century, they they set a date, and this group over here set a date. And there's no comparison. There's no comparison. Um, it's kind of like comparing um you know, someone who early early attempts to fly, and and he he glued some bird feathers on his arms and he got up on his barn and jumped off to the Wright brothers. Now, the Wright Brothers made a serious um uh attempt at flight. They studied it, they they worked at it, they developed the craft, but it's all lumped together, or could be, it could all be lumped together as failed attempts at flight. And so the lump Mr. Camping, who did serious deep Bible study, um digging into the scriptures like you don't see hardly anyone do, and and they'll lump it together with with some false religion that denies the deity of Christ. And uh if they're wrong on that point, they they have no truth whatsoever. So of course they're not going to understand time and judgment.

SPEAKER_01

We do have a caller. Um but uh teacher Alex writes, one of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 5.22. Fear ye not me, saith Jehovah. Will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it? And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail? Though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? All right, uh Butterhope, please uh go ahead. I I don't have the ability to unmute uh Carl, so just FYI.

SPEAKER_02

Hello everyone. Um, I think I'll alternate with Miss Miriam Kirros. You know, like uh if she calls one week, then I'll call the next week. And I remember she called last Friday, I didn't.

SPEAKER_01

So um so if she doesn't call, you won't call.

SPEAKER_02

If she doesn't call no, if if I already call, I think I'm gonna send but anyway, anyway, let's get to business. Um yeah uh I heard Chris mentioned about the author of sin. I have a few questions, okay.

SPEAKER_04

The one of the questions let's stick to one if you don't mind.

SPEAKER_02

You mentioned the author of sin. Okay, and God uh isn't we know he's not the author of sin because sin is rebellion, sin is a anti-God. So my perspective of him creating the good angel and allowing as a matter of fact, how did okay the question is how did Satan turn against God if God creates God is good and he initially creates everything good, wouldn't he have to turn him against himself for him to become an anti-God spirit and then at the end ended him like annihilate him? So sin and author of author, the author of sin, which is Satan, is is just temporal uh for his purpose in this creation, this workshop that is temporary, while he is creating a perfect elect people for himself. So um that's how I understand he assigns me.

SPEAKER_04

All we know and all we know is that uh Satan was created good, he was an angel, all the angels were created good, everything God created was good, and yet um he he sinned, uh, and again, it would require God to lift his hand of restraint off of Satan and and the other angels who fell. Now we you know there's a lot of angels that never fell, and and God kept them. So so according to God's sovereign will, in a similar way, you know, um mankind fell and and God chose, well, I'll save these, I'll not save those. Same thing with the angels, where a number of them fell, and uh the rest God kept, and uh they never sinned. So that the fact that God kept a number of them reveals to us that he could have kept them all. He could have kept them all, uh, but it wasn't according to his perfect will, and we know why. This is how God has um planned for things to work out for the gospel in this world. There there uh needed to be this foe, this enemy that would become ruler of of sinful men. Uh and and and so that's the reason why.

SPEAKER_02

Can someone read Isaiah 57, 15?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, we've just come to uh uh a certain point in our program. I just would like to thank you, uh Butterhope. We're gonna continue this program a little bit later, but uh, we'd like to say goodbye to our current uh radio listeners.

SPEAKER_00

Thanks for joining eBible Fellowship for this segment of the Bible Exalted Program. We hope this program has been a blessing to you. We encourage you to visit our website at eBiblefellowship.org for hundreds of hours of faithful Bible studies, and also visit our YouTube channel. Until next week at this same time, Lord willing, we'll see you for our next Bible Exalted program.

SPEAKER_01

Welcome back to the Bible Exalted Program. This is our bonus half an hour. Today's topic is God's sovereignty, and we have our beloved three speakers, Bob Grandy, Chris McCann, and Carl von Heringa. We just had uh Louisa with her question and she's making a comment. So, Louisa, please go ahead.

SPEAKER_02

Hello?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, please go ahead.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, can you hear me?

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so so what I'm saying is Isaiah 57, 15. Can someone read it?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I'll read it. I'll read it. I'm right there. For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, so um God is self-existent, he is all good, and uh whatever he wants, he is bringing to eternity for foreverlasting is gonna be all good. Therefore, he's not bringing evil and Satan there and the fallen angels, he's gonna annihilate them with the uh fallen man mankind, the unsaved, the non-elect, that he will never turn them, even the elected to be turned. I think somewhere in the scripture it says, turn us, turn us, and we'll be turned. And I think he turned okay, so that will mean he turned men into or made in the image of God. He turned them around, he turned them whatever way he wills. Like I think Brother Chris, you just read about uh the heart of the Proverbs 21. In his hand, and here Satan is not even made in his the fallen angels were not made in his image, so why could he not have turned them as he wills, and he kept the good ones, which he never turned them to bad for his purpose?

SPEAKER_04

Consider um what God said about Pharaoh, he hardened his heart, yes, hardened his heart, and and all God had to do was um because again, in time past the Lord impressed upon men who had the law written upon their heart, uh on their conscience, and and uh there was um a reaction of keeping the law, the basic moral code. Yes, lifts his hand of restraint, and now the desperate evil in man's heart shows itself. Man's heart is naturally it's a heart of stone. You don't have to harden a heart of stone, right? It's already hard, but by lifting the hand of restraint, that stony heart is evident, and and and and uh pharaoh's a type in picture of Satan, of Satan. So um, yeah, it was it was God's plan to to let Satan become as evil as he was. But we I the question we're gonna try and go uh continue our discussion on God's sovereignty. There's a lot of points to cover, but thank you for for calling.

SPEAKER_02

Chris? Yeah, that's interesting. The question is, did well hold it, hold it.

SPEAKER_04

Remember, I said one question?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, needed.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, remember uh one question, but thank you again for calling.

SPEAKER_05

I was just gonna comment on on uh uh another aspect of sovereignty. Um in Matthew 24, 35, it says, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. And in in uh Psalm 138, verse 2, I will worship toward thy holy temple and praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth, for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. So, you know, the program this program is called the Bible Exalted, and you know, God's word is is magnified magnified magnified above God's name. And you know, we've we've learned that you know God has to obey his word, you know. He can't like like uh somebody was mentioning before, God can't sin against his own word, he can't uh transgress his own word. So it's interesting that you know the Bible is sovereign, God's word is sovereign, and you know, Jesus is the word of God. And so we can read about Jesus' sovereignty in uh a lot of places. I'll read, I'll read one uh in Colossians one, verses 16 and 17. For by him were all things created by Christ that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Time keeps going on, the sun is still there because you know, Christ wants it to be there until the end of the world, and uh you know uh every blade of grass God is aware of that that shoots out of the ground, but everything consists because of him, and uh, and and not only that, not only the the the word is sovereign and Christ is sovereign, but uh in Luke 22, 41 and 42, we read, and he was withdrawn from them, this is Christ, about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. So here we see that the Father is sovereign over you know Christ. And I I forgot to look look for um a verse to show that the that the Holy Spirit is sovereign. I don't know if anybody else has uh uh something um that would show that, but of course, um everybody all three of the persons of the Godhead would be sovereign and um eternal.

SPEAKER_03

I mean he did say let there be light when he was hovering over the it's in the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, but I don't know if that shows his but it does show his power. Was that Elohim? Um I'm not sure. Just in Genesis it says the spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, I think it's Elohim. I think it is Elohim.

SPEAKER_03

There is another verse that would tie in with the ver the Proverbs verse, Chris, that you brought up earlier. Is as far as uh God moves in the hearts of kings. And uh a good example was Genesis 26, when he uh it's Abimelech, yep, yeah, it was Abimelech, where he uh restrained him from sinning against them. And this is a wicked, you know, unsaved person. And it says verse six, and God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart. What chapter called Chapter 20, verses six. Chapter twelve okay Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart, for I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. I know there's people out there that teach uh that God kind of just threw mankind you know upon the earth and just lets them do whatever they want, and he he doesn't he stays out of it, but that doesn't agree with the Bible because you have verses like this, you have verses like um the one in Psalms 50, I think, says uh these things hast thou done, and I kept silent. Thou thoughtest I was altogether such as one as thyself, but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes. And I believe that's again showing that uh you know God watches uh watches over things. Um he doesn't allow evil to he doesn't permit evil. He you know, for a while he may but eventually he will bring justice, and so he doesn't just leave mankind to do whatever they want.

SPEAKER_01

There's a there's a verse, um Colossians 3 15 and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. That word ruling, the peace of Christ, I'm sorry, the peace of God ruling in your hearts.

SPEAKER_04

Uh there's a verse in Isaiah that has to do with the the end of the world and God's sovereignty. Uh, it says in Isaiah forty six uh I'll start in verse nine. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning. Beginning and from ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. So God has declared the end from the beginning, and um the Bible's the book of declarations, so we we read about that end in the Bible and uh his declaration of it, and he has also set the bounds of their habitation in Deuteronomy 32 verse um in verse 8 when the most high divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. So God has established the bound of the sons of Adam, the the um history of the world. There uh Acts 17 tells us there's an appointed time for the judgment, and Christ is the judge, and and that would be according to God's sovereign decree, and that's how we can learn about it, because he's written about it and he reveals it to us, and it is um something that is settled, it it is established. Um it is as good as done, uh, of course, you know, from our perspective, we try to learn when that is. Now, some people say you can't know, no man knows, but we we we realize, you know, there's a lot of scripture where God indicates he reveals his secret things to his servants, like he revealed to Noah the timeline, a sovereign timeline, yet seven days, or when God sent Jonah to Nineveh and had him preach yet 40 days, and Nineveh will be destroyed, or Nineveh will be overthrown. Again, uh a timeline and definitely full of sovereign decrees that that this will be the end of Nineveh. This will be the end of the people in Nineveh, but it also had in it uh implication of mercy.

SPEAKER_03

The other um account I don't think we addressed this was in Exodus 32. This this is like the original passage that's being referred to in Romans 9 about um Moses asking for himself for his name to be blotted out. And in verse uh we'll start with verse 32 or maybe verse 31. And Moses returned unto Jehovah and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin, and if not blot me, I pray, I pray thee out of thy book, which thou hast written. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. And then if you go to the following chapter in verse chapter 33, in verse 19, Christ says, And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. So again, it's going back to salvation, it's not in it was never in our hands, it's always been in God's hands whom uh He shows mercy to and whom whom He does not.

SPEAKER_04

And and also Um we talked about whom and when, but there's also where uh that that Bob brought up, and Deuteronomy 16 lays out the location uh in it in an interesting way. Deuteronomy 16 says in verse 2, Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto Jehovah thy God, of the flock and the herd in the place which Jehovah shall choose to place his name there. And then down in verse uh nine, seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee. Uh verse 10 tells us it's the feast of weeks. And then we read in verse 11, and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow that are among you in the place which Jehovah thy God has chosen to place his name there. So the statements made concerning Passover and the statements made, same statement concerning Pentecost, and then in verse 13, thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, uh, and and verse 15 seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah shall choose, because Jehovah thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase and in all the works of thine hands. Therefore thou shalt surely rejoice three times in a year, shall all the males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose, in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and the feast of tabernacles, and they shall not appear before Jehovah empty. So the three main feasts, God says he will choose the place, and we know for Passover the spiritual fulfillment was uh Christ hanging on the cross outside the gates of Jerusalem. So Jerusalem or Israel was the place. For Pentecost, it was also Jerusalem with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, and and it says when Pentecost was fully come, the spiritual meaning of that was finally fulfilled. But there Jerusalem would be a picture of the corporate church because the the Pentecostal harvest took place over the church age. The first fruits were all those saved in congregations, so uh with Christ being the Lamb for the Passover, Israel, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the church, and then the final feast, tabernacles in the place where God will choose. We we identify the Feast of Tabernacles with uh beginning in 1994, the Jubilee year, the end of the church age, and the beginning of um what appears to be 40 years leading up to 2033, and the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness dwelling in booths. So 1994, the beginning of the spiritual fulfillment of tabernacles outside the churches and congregations, because the church age is over, in the place where God chooses, and again, he's sovereign. He's sovereign. God determined for almost 2,000 years to operate within Israel, and uh outside of um the Ninevites and you know a few individuals like Rahab and Neiman the Syrian and Ruth Moabitus, mainly salvation was taking place in Israel. Then he chose to operate in the midst of the churches, Christ in the midst of the candlesticks, and salvation of the 144,000 firstfruits. Then finally, he chose to send the gospel to the nations outside of the churches to save the great multitude in the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of ingathering is uh held in conjunction with tabernacles, and so the great multitude is part of that feast of ingathering, and God is sovereign, and and and people still fight, they still dispute against each one of those things. We find people today who think Israel's still the people of God, Christian people. We find people today who think those in the churches and congregations are still the people of God, and we find people today who um they they they deny that a great multitude was saved outside the churches. So there's um always wherever God makes a sovereign decree, people tend to fight against it, whether salvation of the soul and and the way God saves, the time for it, the duration, God's program of times and seasons. And if he shuts the door, they say, No, the door is not shut, or the location, the location. Some some even will say, well, it doesn't matter where you're at, you could be in the church, out of the church. You you can't limit God's salvation. You can't you can't uh say that God won't save someone because of where their position, where they're located, because someone is in a church building, and and someone outside, you're saying God will save the person outside in the latter rain, but he won't save the person inside in the church. And and it's foolishness to them because they don't understand God here saying the place where I will choose, the place, the location I will choose. And it is very important to be inside the ark rather than outside the ark. You're inside the ark, that's the place God has chosen to deliver. Outside the ark, there is no place of deliverance. It's very important, so important that God uh went to Sodom himself in the form of those two two messengers to warn Lot. You have to get out of this place, you can't stay in this place, and Lot interceded for Zoar. Um, can I can I go here? And God permitted it. So the the location is important. When God was judging Judea, and um and and uh he uh he told them you have to go into captivity, and they resisted. They resisted, we're not we're not going to leave. We're we're the people of God, we're the Jews. This is Jerusalem, this is our land. God has given us this land, we're not going anywhere. They were the rebels. They were the rebel, they they were the ones fighting against the will of God, whereas um the the elect, the ones humbled in heart, submitted to the will of God as declared through Jeremiah the prophet, you have to go out and and go into Babylon to be captive. So, yes, God does um concern himself with location, and his decrees concern location for the spiritual fulfillment of the three main feasts and where people are to be. But but again, it it's very predictable that if there is a statement like God shut the door, you will have all kinds of people that will fight against it and and deny it. And of course, it's not us who are simply, you know, we're we're we're just um weak, fallible people that God is using. He has to use somebody. It's it's not coming from us, it's coming from the word of God, the Bible. That's what they're fighting against. They're fighting against, we didn't shut any door. Uh, you know, who among us can shut the door of heaven? And the door in the ark, Noah didn't shut. None of the eight souls shut that door. God shut him in, and God shut the door on May 21, 2011, and the the uh fighting against it and and insisting, coming to the door, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, open, open unto me. And it says in Luke 13, depart from me. Um, does it say ye workers? I don't know if it says workers of iniquity, but it says, I know not whence ye are. Uh because location, location, time and location, great multitude outside the church, great multitude. Um, as it says in Revelation 7, the questions asked, from whence came they? Same word whence, as in Luke 13, from whence came they? These are they that came out of great tribulation. So God knows whence they are, but after that, it's judgment day and and coming to the door for entrance, God doesn't know from whence anyone approaching the door knocking is coming from because he has no more rain, no more salvation program. It's all completed.

SPEAKER_05

Location God is God is sovereign, uh, of course. Uh you know, I wanted to mention, Chris, we what you covered there just now about about uh the spiritual judgment and and the location, and I believe that's covered in our uh previous track, right? Uh uh spirit on our website, spiritual judgment.

SPEAKER_04

Um I don't know if that specifically is covered. I mean, it talks about spiritual judgment beginning on May 21, 2011. I don't know if it gets into location.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, okay. Well, I wanted to point out another verse that that that um really really settles the the case as far as uh God's sovereignty and salvation um in Matthew 19, 24 through 26. And again, I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceeding exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, with men, this is impossible. So that wipes out the free will doctrine gospel right there. With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. All things have to having to do with who gets saved, when they get saved, what at what point and the location that you were just going over?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Interestingly, uh Satan likes to impersonate a king or a ruler and tries to uh show forth rulership, like Nebuchadnezzar, as Chris was mentioning earlier. If you don't bow down, you know, at the at this very hour you'll be thrown into a fiery furnace. And also when Satan was tempting Christ, he used this verse in Luke 4, verse 6. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee in the glory of them. For that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it. And it's like he's he's saying, I'll give you power. And he's trying to, or or even Haman. And uh one of the verses that I love when I really listen to uh Haman's story, King Ah in Esther chapter 7, verse 5. Then the king then the king of Hajjaris answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he and where is he that durst presume in his heart to do so? And that presumptuousness, that the presumption and and that and that pride is just the the rebellion or the rebellious heart of unsaved man and Satan, where they presume, you know, and they they take on not not the hu the the humble state, but that presumption and and that verse kind of just just stands out to me there.

SPEAKER_05

You know, what uh Chris a long time ago mentioned uh uh Nebuchadnezzar putting up the uh the statue and asking telling everybody to bow down. Um and uh it's kind of it it kind of reminded me uh of the final uh attack on God's uh the word of God was the the um statement where God in Genesis, I think it's Genesis 126, God made male and female. Right? And uh you know the world is is throwing up this this uh idol that we have to bow down to where you know people can change their sex. And uh you know, look at look at the turmoil it's it's making in the world. And um it's it's it's really never something like that has never really happened before. And uh, you know, there's even though most people don't want to do it, it's still it's still hanging on out there. It's still they're still trying to push it. You know, uh teaching it in schools and um you know, in the media. It's um it's something that they want us to bow down to.

SPEAKER_01

Well some well some do. Thankfully there's a there's a a back and forth of wills, you know.

SPEAKER_05

There is another side that that that's troubled by it, you know, like like Congressman, you know, talking about that was very troubling, you know, that it's even a it's only a a small you know minority of the of people that want to push this, but it's it's it it gained a lot of traction and during judgment day. You know, and I mean I'm sure this is being done by the permissive will of God to you know to trouble cause division. Yeah, trouble.

SPEAKER_01

It's very trouble.

SPEAKER_03

Or concerning the what the verse Bob read about it's impossible for uh a camel to go through the eye of the needle. And this person writes, People will argue it's because it says rich man. How can we explain what that is referring to? So are we to look at it literally as God is referring to little rich men, or is there spiritual understanding to that?

SPEAKER_04

Um Matthew 19 Matthew 19 24. Again, I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Well, the way they they were looking at that, the um and you can see by their reaction, um, the idea was in the minds of Israel that if you are a rich man, you're blessed by God because of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, they were all rich men. And um also Solomon um given wisdom and riches. So the it at least in their mindset, we can gather this from the reaction, the uh rich young ruler going away sorrowful, because Jesus at at the end of their talk said to him, uh, if thou wilt be perfect, verse 21, go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. And but when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus says, Um, a rich that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Gavin, a kingdom of kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? So it's not the same idea we might have today, you know, where people tend to think rich people are corrupt and everything. It the idea at that time was this is someone blessed of God, and the poor or or those with afflictions were not as blessed. Remember the blind man, the blind man brought before the council? They thought that. Um uh there was sin, and that's why he was born blind. That um who who did sin, this man or his parents, and and that was the idea. People with affliction, the poor, and so forth. But they're they're thinking if a rich man can't make it, nobody can make it. That that would be the understanding of that. And uh and and the way they asked the question, who then can be saved? And Jesus confirms that's exactly what he meant. No man, no person can enter into heaven. And uh, we we know that's what he meant because with men this is impossible. What's impossible? The question they asked him who then can be saved? With men, salvation is impossible, but with God, and it's that conjunction but that uh we we find that is really um you know, a beautiful, a beautiful little word, John 1, verse 13, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. It's a God.

SPEAKER_05

Isn't there also the the uh you know a rich if somebody's rich, it's it could be you know um spiritual wisdom, like spiritual, like they think that they're okay with God, the righteous. Like in uh the poor in spirit, you know, it's yeah, like in uh Revelation um three, verse um 17. Because thou sayest I am rich and increase with goods and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, so it it you know it it compares rich with being wretched, right? But you know, um so I that's what I just wanted to mention.

SPEAKER_04

Well well, there's a there's a proverb.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, in Proverbs and Psalms, you know, it talks about the thing.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, the proverb, proverb says um it it it joins the idea of wisdom with with riches. Um it for the rich the rich man in Lazarus from thine own wisdom, and then it makes a statement about riches. So there's a a relationship between wisdom and riches, just like Solomon was wise and rich. And and and so the spiritual meaning would be someone with a reputation in Israel at that time or the church for wisdom or knowledge of God. That this is a holy man or this is a righteous man, and and no, it doesn't matter how holy, how righteous you think you are, right? Uh that that would be the spiritual meaning. And and when when Jesus says it's impossible with men, that has to do with all men, uh, from the so-called holy men and religious men to um, you know, the basist of men.

SPEAKER_03

I was gonna say, I wonder what they thought of Job, but he was given back more riches, but he did lose everything, you know, most of his stuff.

SPEAKER_04

Well, that's why the three friends were blaming him. He had to do something. You had to do something. Before you you were faithful, you were you were rich. And now you lost all your riches, you must have sinned. You must have sinned. That that was in their in their mind.

SPEAKER_03

No, somebody asked the same question. I brought up the the poor in spirit. Doesn't that relate to being spiritually rich versus being poor? And also uh 1 Corinthians 4 8 says, Now you're full, now you're rich.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, well that it's it's back and forth, like the verse um you just read in Revelation, that kind of explains it where it says in verse 17, because thou sayest I am rich and increase with goods that I'm need of nothing. Spiritually, that would be the equivalent of saying, I'm a Christian, I'm a Christian, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. You're not a true Christian, you're not born again, you're in your sins. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich. That is, there is true spiritual riches in Christ. And you're not just thinking Moses truly saved, is rich, like Lazarus, poor in his life, but at the end of the life, he's in Abraham's bosom, he was rich. He was he was really the rich one, and the rich man, rich all of his life, but at his death, he's in he's in hell and torment, so he was really the poor, the poor man.

SPEAKER_03

I was just thinking Moses, he he basically gave up all the riches of Egypt. So you would have maybe thought they would have thought about what about Moses? He chose to suffer affliction and basically give up all that wealth, you know. What wealth did he have in the wilderness.

SPEAKER_04

You mean disciples hearing Jesus?

SPEAKER_03

Right, you would have maybe thought about Moses.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. I'm sure they could have brought up uh few people and said, Well, what about this?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, or the widow, remember in Elisha's day, she was poor. But Moses would be a better example because he was a uh major, major prophet, I guess.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, there's riches in riches in the spirit. Yeah. Well, uh, does anyone have anything else before we uh close the program? I I got one more verse that I found out.

SPEAKER_03

I just thought it was kind of interesting. This one's uh did I lose it in the Psalms. If I can't find it, we'll just we'll close out. Oh yeah. Um Psalms 25-12. It says, What man is he that feareth Jehovah? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. I just thought that was kind of interesting. I don't know what it means, but um is that is that maybe teaching God has various ways of teaching people truth? Different ways.

SPEAKER_01

Interesting.

SPEAKER_04

God's gospel, he chooses, he determines.

SPEAKER_01

And you know, the way it has to do with the Bible in the scriptures, not necessarily like uh an individual route, but the way is the the truth and the light, you know.

SPEAKER_05

I was just gonna mention one more verse real quick. The fact that God, you know, he he he has a timing for revealing truth, which again shows his sovereignty in Daniel 12 verses 9 and 10. And he said, Go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

And and Christ spoke in parables, and you know, so that seeing they would not see, and hearing they would not hear. And uh and so forth.

SPEAKER_04

Given to certain ones, not given to them.

SPEAKER_01

Right. Right, exactly. Well, folks, this was an excellent uh topic, God's sovereignty, and and it really pointed to uh God's salvation and many other things that really was a blessing. And I hope you were also blessed and edified by this topic. This altogether effectively closes our program, The Bible Exalted. Please join us next time, Friday evenings, 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Tell your friends and loved ones about this program. We hope that you can join us next time. And until then, may God keep you as we are living in the day of judgment. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_00

Thanks for joining us for this segment of the Bible Exalted Program, presented by eBible Fellowship, the Electronic Bible Fellowship. Visit our website at eBiblefellowship.org or our YouTube channel. You can also reach us by email at info at eBiblefellowship.org. And until our next Bible Exalted program, may the Lord's perfect will be done.