Join us as Dr. McGee addresses some of the most perplexing questions raised by our listeners. From the theological implications of Saul’s torment to the great debate about the Great Tribulation, we cover a variety of rich topics. We also discuss the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, which sheds light on the broader theme of faith and acceptance in spiritual life. This episode is a thought-provoking journey through scripture, designed to strengthen your faith and understanding.
In one brief moment, Melchizedek stepped onto the pages of Scripture, and in the next moment, he stepped off of them. Do you know who he was and where he came from? Why is he so important that we have to be concerned with his life? Well, these are just a few of the questions that we’ll be dealing with today, so stay with us.
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The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word. What more can he say than,
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This is Steve Schwetz for the Through the Bible Radio Network, and you’re listening to the Question and Answer program with our Bible teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, who for over 30 years answered the many questions of his listeners. Our first question comes to us from a confused listener in Charleston, West Virginia. He writes, How is it that the evil spirit which tormented Saul could be sent from God?
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Well, may I say to you that God has infinite power and power over the demon world. Therefore, he could permit an evil spirit. And you will notice that it was not until after the spirit of God was removed from Samuel. I’ll turn to several of these scriptures you’ve given and just read them. 1 Samuel 16, 14 says, And it reads as follows, But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, the Spirit of God left him, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him, that is, disturbed him, and God permitted this because of his rejection of being led by the Holy Spirit of God. This again in the Old Testament is different than the New Testament. The child of God today indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We can grieve the Holy Spirit, but you can never grieve him away because we’re told we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. until the day of redemption. But he prefaced that by saying, grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby you are sealed until the day of redemption. But in the Old Testament, the Spirit came and went, and even David prayed, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. The very fact the Holy Spirit left this man is actually the big thing that is sheer, then God permitted an evil spirit. He’d do the same thing today, not with one of his own. Now, in 1623, we have this statement. It came to pass when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul that David took a harp and played with his hand, so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. So you can see that the evil spirit came and went also. Then another reference is to 1 Samuel 18.10, and we’ll turn over to that one. And it reads, And it came to pass on the morrow that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house, and David played with his harp as at other times, and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. Yes, and there was murder in his heart also, the evil spirit. that God permitted. In other words, a man would not be guided and led of the Lord, and God took his spirit from him, and then an evil spirit took over this man. I think the important thing is that the Holy Spirit could be taken from him, which is not characteristic of this age in which we live at all.
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According to this next listener, her Sunday school teacher has explained that there are several contrary opinions concerning the person of Michael the Archangel. He says that scripture teaches that Michael is not a created being like Lucifer or Gabriel, but is a name for Jesus Christ before his incarnation. She says, would you please provide your interpretation of who Michael the Archangel is and how it is possible to come to the conclusion that Michael is just another name for Jesus?
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Now, I am going to answer your question, and I do want to say that there are several that hold the position that your teacher holds, and they feel that Michael is in a class to himself. And by the way, he is. He is called the archangel. Now, there’s only one archangel, and that’s Michael. Gabriel is not an archangel. Now, I know some of us today. I’ve done it right here on the radio program. I’ve called Gabriel the archangel, but actually Gabriel, with all of his authority, was actually God’s messenger to man. And Michael seems to occupy an altogether different place. And we find, first of all, that Michael is mentioned in the 10th chapter of the book of Daniel, and in the most unusual way. In other words, Daniel prayed a prayer didn’t get the answer as quickly as he thought he should have. And that means Daniel got answers to his prayers. And finally, the angel that came to answer him said, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and 20 days. But lo, Michal, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the king of Persia.” He’s just one of the chief princes. I don’t think that the Lord Jesus would be put in that class of just one of the chief princes. And actually, Michal had to come and move this angel out of the way so the angel could come and answer Daniel’s prayer. In other words, Michael had an authority greater than that of Satan. The fact of the matter is we see that later on. Michael is given a peculiar position in the book of Daniel. He’s called in the 12th chapter, And at that time shall Micah stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people. And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time. And at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Now, Michael apparently, at least one of his duties, is that he is the prince that looks over and after the children of Israel. That is, I would think, a very important ministry. And here is another statement and answers that he’s not the Lord Jesus Christ in any way. Over in the book of Jude, we are told, Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, defile dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation but said, the Lord rebuked thee. Even Michael did not assume a strident position in relation to Satan. And the Lord Jesus Christ ordered Satan around, even at the temptation, you remember, get thee behind me, Satan. Get going, boy. And that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus said to him. He exercised his authority over him. Now there is coming a day when even Michael will be able to put the devil out of heaven. And I turn to Revelation 12, verse 7. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought in his angels and prevailed not. Neither was their place floundered anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceived the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and angels were cast out with him.” May I say to you that is, I think, another evidence that Michael is an unusual angel, by the way. He is the archangel, and called the archangel, as you see, and the only one that is. But that does not mean that he is the Lord Jesus Christ.
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After reading the Genesis account of Cain and Abel, this listener in Danville, Kentucky says, When Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices to the Lord, it doesn’t explain why one was accepted and the other rejected. Could you please provide an explanation of this event?
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And may I say to you, this is the difficulty of just knowing one particular passage of Scripture and not know another passage of Scripture that might explain this. The fact of the matter is, it is explained in the 11th chapter of Hebrews. We are told there that by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Now, there’s the answer there. Abel, we’re told, believed God. Well, how does faith come? Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So if Abel brought that little offering by faith, It was because God had commanded it, you see. He couldn’t have come by faith on any other basis. And therefore, God had told, obviously, these boys, they’re in the same family, they had the same knowledge, and one brought an offering according to the command of God. He believed God. Cain did not, and he was rejected. Now, this part says, it seems to me that of the several different churches I’ve studied with, their interpretation of this scripture influences their belief on how a man can be saved. And may I say you’re exactly right there, because God put down at the very beginning that salvation is by the shedding of blood. The sin must be judged. It must be punished. And your sin and my sin deserves the wrath of God to be eternally lost. But someone paid the penalty for our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ did. And we are told the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, just keeps on cleansing us from all sin. Now, this part, it says the entire Bible. I believe this to be very important and wish you would discuss it on your Saturday program. Well, may I say to you that I trust that we’ve made this clear because this is actually one of the most important passages of Scripture.
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A worried listener in Tustin, California, heard a speaker say that Matthew 10, verse 24, indicates that all born-again believers will go through the Great Tribulation. He said, what’s your opinion on this matter?
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I know nothing about the association at all that you’re referring to, but I would like to point out that Matthew is the gospel of the kingdom. And in any place in Scripture, you need to know the background. You need to know why a certain verse is given. It must be interpreted in the context that is around it, and certainly in the book in which it occurs. Now, Matthew is the gospel of the kingdom. The Lord Jesus is presented as the king. And in this particular passage here, he has sent out his disciples to go just to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, not to anyone else. Actually, it only refers to them. When you read back in Matthew 10, verses 5, he says, These 12 Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, Go not to the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans, enter ye not. So that this was not for the Gentiles, it wasn’t for you and me at all. Matthew 10, 28 here, it says, “…and fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear them which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” That is spoken by these men at that time to the children of Israel. and it must be interpreted in that light. That’s not the gospel given to us today at all. I trust that you recognize that. Matthew is the gospel of the kingdom and today there are so many young preachers that have seized on it and they’ve written books on it and they’ve missed it a mile. It’s unfortunate that these books are abroad and this teaching is abroad today because it gives such a wrong conception of the Gospel of Matthew.
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A Pacifica, California listener has a brief but important question. She says, How do you deal with the problem of accepting Christ in the mind but not truly believing in the heart?
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Well, I think that Romans 10 verse 9 is the answer to that. I’ll not read all of this. Let me just read verse 9. That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus. Now, that’s the mind. and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Now, the heart and the mind have to be in agreement here. And you put your finger here on what I believe is the reason that our churches are filled today with cosmetic Christians. They actually nod their head and with their minds say they believe in Jesus. But they have not down deep in their heart. They’ve never really trusted him. They don’t really know him as Savior. And they, therefore, are not saved. I think that there are many people that are like you’ve described here, that believe with their mind but doubt with their heart. I think our churches are filled with them, people that are like that. They’ve really never experienced salvation by trusting the Lord Jesus Christ and Him only as their Savior. It’s because we’re having preached to us today this gospel of self-esteem, psychological gospel that actually is no gospel at all. I think it’s the worst device the devil has ever voiced on the church is what is being given today. And I keep lifting my voice on this, and I’m thankful that other men have. And there are several books that are coming out now that are making this distinction and making it very clear that the church today is filled with people who are not actually born again at all. They do not know what it is to trust Christ. I find that today in the conversions that we’re getting, a great many of them are church members. One man said, I’ve been a deacon for For 23 years, I taught a Sunday school class, but I was not saved. I’d never really trusted Christ. Of course, in his mind, he had said that. And I think you’ve touched on the most vital thing today that’s in our churches.
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The same listener has a second brief question. Will there be degrees of punishment in hell?
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But the Scripture makes it clear that there are degrees. The Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gospel of Luke, He gave a parable, and in that parable, why there were many stripes. Let me just read that to you. In verse 47 of chapter 12, it says, And that servant which knew his Lord’s will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. May I say to you, That’s a difference in punishment, you see. Just as there’ll be different degrees, actually, that is in rewards in heaven, that some will receive great rewards, some will not receive any reward at all. Paul makes that clear. Well, in hell, it’ll be the same way. There’ll be degrees of punishment, by the way. And that, I think, is the teaching of Scripture, by the way.
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Genesis 14 makes mention of Melchizedek, king of Salem, who was a priest of God Most High. So this listener in the Dallas, Oregon area says, who is Melchizedek? Why does the scripture say that he had no mother or father?
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No, may I say to you, he’s one of the strange characters of Scripture. He’s mentioned in the 14th chapter of the book of Genesis. And all that we know about him is, I’m reading verse 18. It says, “…and Melchizedek, king of Salem…” And that, by the way, is of Jerusalem, the city of peace. He brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. Now, that’s a strange statement. Here’s a man that entirely unbeknownst to us was a priest of the Most High God. And he walks out on the page of Scripture from nowhere, and he steps off the page of Scripture into nowhere. We know nothing about his beginning and his ending, and we are wondered why he’s given to us like this. He did something that’s quite unusual. He brought forth bread and wine. These are the elements that are used at the Last Supper and that are used today when we celebrate the communion service. Bread and wine. So that where did he come from? Where did he go? And what is the meaning? Well, I think that you have to go to the epistle to the Hebrews to find out why he’s been given to us like this. That is, we are told now that Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. In what way? Well, he came out of heaven’s glory. to this earth and he returned to heaven’s glory. He had no genealogy down here. The book of Genesis is the book of genealogies. This man Melchizedek had no papa and he had no mama and he had no children according to the record. And the Lord Jesus Christ is a priest like this man and not like Aaron at all. The difference is being made here so that Melchizedek will stand out as the adumbration of the Lord Jesus Christ. in his priesthood. And I think that’s the reason that it’s given to us like that in the book of Genesis, to say that he didn’t have a father and mother. Of course he had a father and mother. He was king of Salem. Of course there came a day when he died and had his funeral. But that’s not in the Word of God at all. As far as the Word of God, he had no beginning or ending of days. The Lord Jesus is a high priest in that connection. By the way, it would be interesting for you to read the passages in Hebrews that refer to Melchizedek.
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Now this listener in Jacksonville, Alabama would like some help with the passage in Psalm 34 verse 20 which says, He guards all his bones, not one of them is broken. She says her husband was in a car accident and broke his hand and wrist. He has been meditating and claiming this verse for himself. She says, can you please help us in correctly interpreting this passage?
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Now, let me say here, this is a messianic psalm. It is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, that none of his bones would be broken. And that was one of the strange things about his crucifixion, because always they broke a bone to determine whether the person on the cross was was dead or not. They pushed a spear into his side, but not a bone of him was broken. And now that’s a prophecy that relates to the Lord Jesus Christ. And I don’t quite think that we today have the right and the prerogative to reach in to the Psalms or to any other portion of Scripture that speaks of somebody else or is a prophecy concerning somebody else and apply it to ourselves. I think that’s one of the dangers that there is today on the part of a great many Christians today. is to turn to the Bible and find a verse. Some of them just open the Bible and put the finger down, and that’s their verse. Well, that isn’t the way you study the Word of God. God didn’t give it to you as being sort of a book in which you can take a chance. It’s not that at all. And therefore, I don’t think that your husband could claim that verse. Evidently, it didn’t work in his behalf anyway that the bone was broken. The thing is for you now to make it a matter of prayer. And ask the friends to pray that your husband’s hand will be healed. And don’t use this psalm here because I’m sure it does not have any reference to you or to me at all. We can’t apply that which is given that applies to someone else. And yet a great many of us have fallen into that habit. I used to do that and I know exactly what you are doing and what you mean by it.
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Do you do the search and claim method of Bible study? Well, that’s to say, do you randomly choose passages and then attempt to apply them to your life without really understanding the passage and how it fits into the whole counsel of God? Well, as Dr. McGee said, this isn’t the way that you study the word of God. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2 verse 15, “‘Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, “‘a worker who does not need to be ashamed, “‘rightly dividing the word of truth.'” You know, there are two ways that we would like to encourage you to continue in your own study of the Scriptures. First, we suggest that you get a copy of our resource catalog, which has numerous books, as well as booklets, CDs, and even a CD-ROM for your computer. All of these items you’ll find useful in the maturing of your faith, and they will greatly increase your understanding of the Word of God. Now, the second way to increase your time in the Scriptures is by joining us on the Through the Bible program that’s heard Monday through Friday on this station. We’ll continue Dr. McGee’s five-year journey through the Word of God book by book and chapter by chapter. To get your copy of the resource catalog or to find out the stations and times that you can hear the daily program, call 1-800-65-BIBLE Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Time or Questions and Answers. For those in the U.S., Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325. London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. To see a listing of our resources in our online bookstore or to view station information for your area, visit our website at ttb.org. And we pray that by God’s grace, He’ll answer all your questions and solve all your problems.
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