Music playing Greetings and welcome to Christian Answers. I'm Larry Wessels, director of Christian Answers, and thank you for being with us today. Today we're doing a very special series of programs on Bible doctrines that are deemed to be unpopular. Now, joining me in this unpopular Bible doctrine series is my very special guest and director of Pilgrim Publications, Bob L. Ross. Bob, great to have you here, brother. Thank you, Larry. Bob L. Ross is one of the world's leading publishers of the works of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the famous prince of preachers from the 19th century. Now, Bob, for our audience, could you tell us a little bit about Charles Haddon Spurgeon and some of the works you have there with you? Well, Larry, probably most of the people listening to this program may be acquainted with Spurgeon because they would have an interest in Christian things, and Spurgeon has been around a long time. But our interest in Spurgeon, of course, is in his sermons and works that were published in the 1800s, reprinting those and making them available. They're on the Internet now more and more. They're being added to the Internet, even many of his books, and of course, their own CD-ROM. And in many ways, they're getting used in the world. And one of the ways is this book here that we just recently did, not too long ago anyway. It's Spanish sermons, Spurgeon in Spanish, and there is a website now. A gentleman in Mexico City, a good friend of ours, is translating and putting Spurgeon sermons on the internet in Spanish. And this is one of the first books that's been done, 36 sermons by Spurgeon on the gospel. And this is the Spanish language edition of it. So we're trying to get Spurgeon known not only to the English-speaking world of our generation, But to other languages and in the United States where we have a great population of Spanish-speaking people, we think this book will make a great contribution to helping spread the gospel. Then we have another book, and this is an unusual book. A gentleman read through the entire 3,563 sermons, I think, of Spurgeon's sermons. It took him about seven years to do it, and he collected these quotations, over 5,000 illustrations and quotations from Spurgeon on a variety of subjects. A lot of times people say, I wonder what Spurgeon thought of that, what his idea was about this particular thing. Well you can go in here and he's got it indexed, he's got all the quotations referenced. Sometimes you pick up a book of quotations from Spurgeon And they're not referenced. You don't know where it came from. It could have come from John Doe and you'd never know. But this man has it all referenced where you can find it in the context of the sermons themselves. And trace it down if you want to read it in context to see if that indeed was what it sounded like when you read the excerpt. So it's called Exploring the Mind and Heart of the Prince of Preachers, C. H. Spurgeon, put together by Cary Allen, Cary J. Allen, a Baptist pastor from up in Illinois, and this is one of our latest publications here that we are helping. We didn't actually publish this one, but we're helping to distribute this book. So that's a little bit of information about Spurgeon. All right, Bob, and for our audience, anyone that's interested in more on this subject, particularly the works and sermons of Charles H. Spurgeon, just call or write our ministry. You'll see those phone numbers and our address will be popping up at the end of the program. So feel free to call or write. Also, if you'd like to get on our free newsletter mailing list, you can call or write to our ministry, Christian Answers, And you will receive a free subscription to the Christian Answers newsletter whenever it comes out. So that is there for your... yours for the asking, basically. Well, with that, we'll begin our program. Let's go to unpopular Bible Doctrine 46. The man who never hears of the Christian gospel, or even hears about Jesus, is still condemned by God to the lake of fire for all eternity. And I don't know how many times I've heard this over the years. You know that that guy in the darkest part of the Congo in Africa who's never heard of Jesus. He's never heard the gospel. And because he's never heard the gospel or heard of Jesus, how can he be condemned by God? He never had a chance. to hear the gospel of Christ. So it would be cruel and mean for God to send a person like that to hell. And when we look at our scriptures here to justify this statement, that the man who never hears of the Christian gospel or even hears about Jesus is still condemned by God to the lake of fire for all eternity, we see in Romans chapter 1 verses 18 through 32 that They are still liable to God because of the creation. Creation itself testifies that there is a God. And so that man, whether he never heard of the gospel or not, he still knows there's a God out there. His own conscience testifies of the righteousness of this God. So God will still hold him accountable. We look in Ezekiel chapter 33, verses 1 through 20, particularly verses 8 and 9 in this passage about the watchman, how the watchman's supposed to warn the people in case trouble's coming. And if they get killed, And the watchman doesn't warn them, then their blood will be on that watchman's head. So let's say they never heard, but they still get killed. Well, the watchman is supposed to warn them, and if they don't listen to them and they get killed, then their blood's not on their head. But the point of the matter here is, what if they never heard? The consequences are they still get killed. But the fault would lie at the foot of the watchman, but the consequences are they still got killed even if they didn't hear. Luke chapter 12 verses 47 through 48. The one who did not know his master's will will still get stripes. So there's these two guys. One knows his master's will and the other one doesn't. One gets more stripes than the other, but still the one that didn't know was still held responsible for what he didn't do, even though he didn't know. Psalm 96, verse 5, gods of the nations are idols. So we have all these people that never heard of the gospel, let's say, and they have all these religions, all these pagan religions and idols. But that's still not going to do them any good. They're still going to be held accountable to God's standard, particularly as you find in the Ten Commandments. Psalm 9, verse 17, nations that forget God are turned into hell. And of course, a lot of these polytheistic, animistic religions that are out there in these nations that have forgotten God, forgotten what is Scripture says, I can think of the Egyptians, for instance, at the time of the Jews. They didn't know the true God of the Israelites, but they're still held accountable just the same and judged just the same. We look here in John chapter 4, verse 22. Jesus says that heathen worship, quote, ye know not what, end quote, but salvation is elsewhere. Jesus himself tells the woman at the well that Look, you're out here worshiping something you don't even know what you're worshiping. You don't even have it right. But the salvation is found elsewhere. Acts chapter 4, verse 12. Salvation is in no other name than that name of Jesus. Psalm 2, salvation only in the Son. But as you read in Psalm 2, the nations are against God and His anointed. You're supposed to kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in a moment. 1 Corinthians 2, 15 and 16. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. Ezekiel 33, 8 and 9. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die. If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I requireth thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul." Luke 12, 47 and 48. 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. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. And to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask for more." Psalm 96.5 for all the gods of the nations are idols but the Lord made the heavens Psalm 917 the wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God John 422 you worship you know not what we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Basically, Bob, we have, and I'll let you continue on a discussion of this, because this seems to be the big question. I've been answering, I've been doing live television, live university campus dialogues, for 15 to 20 years now. And this question comes up more often than any other question. What about the, let's say, Aborigine that never heard of Jesus? Why would he still go to hell? Now, I brought up these scriptures, but I'd like you, if you were on that campus or you're doing that live TV show with us and this question comes up, what would you say to that person? Well, that came up in one of my emails at a recent date. And I made a quotation from a sermon by C. H. Spurgeon where he did a little speculation about that and just kind of speculated about whether or not there's a possibility that there's some way whereby God could squeak a message to someone other than through what we call the normal means of things and still get the knowledge of Jesus Christ to him. All I can say is that the Bible talks about general revelation of God, like you quoted here in Romans, and what can be known of God through what we call natural revelation. And then we have the law which was given to the Jews in the Old Testament, the written law, Ten Commandment law, as well as the ceremonial law. And then in the New Testament we have expansion of that revelation to the Gentiles. Basically we have four lights. I like to think of it that way. We have the light of conscience. There are some flickerings in the conscience of even the most depraved. It's because man is made in God's image, so that conscience reflects over that image of God. When we say man is totally prey, we don't mean he's totally out of light. He's not out of light because he's got some light in his conscience. Paul says there are consciences that meanwhile accuse him, they're excusing one another. And then he has a natural revelation in the things that are seen. Paul implies that these are testimonies to God and then of course the Ten Commandment Law and then the Gospel teaching. All those four lines give us knowledge of God. If we approach God with an attitude of faith or an attitude of acceptance, it's impossible to please God without faith or belief. Then we can learn of God. A. H. Strong was a great Baptist theologian and he speculated somewhat on the possibility or probability that Socrates the philosopher found out God through the medium of revelation that he had and all this kind of speculation could go on and on and on and on and really we never have authoritative truth because it's just not revealed in the Bible that if there is, if there is another way of redemption, knowledge of redemption, that men can have redemption through Christ or even some other way. We don't have a revelation of it. It's one of those things in Deuteronomy 29.29, the secret things belong to the Lord. The things that are revealed belong to us. Now, we don't have to sit around trying to figure out If a man that dies in darkest Africa or heathendom is going to be damned or saved some other way, we are to be determining on how to get the message to him of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Don't waste our time trying to think about some other way. Let's be thinking, using our time, using our energies to see how we can get the gospel to every creature on the earth. And I get the impression, basically, that with the Bible, if they don't learn of Christ in some way, whether it's by the normal mediums that we have of reading and hearing God's Word, or if they get a message some other way, uh... it's still going to have to be a message of jesus christ and for them because that's exactly what the scripture says there's no other name given under heaven and if god has another plan of salvation he untold us about it and this is not our responsibility to try to dig it up There is no other plan of salvation because that would be a different gospel as we know in Galatians chapter 1. So the only gospel is through Jesus Christ as you just stated. And we also have to think the Deuteronomy 29 thing that you brought up is very important here because when we think of passages such as Matthew chapter 11 where Jesus is condemning, woe to you, Corazon, and Bethsaida. I think it was Bethsaida, but there in Matthew 11, he's talking to these cities, and there was great unbelief, great unbelief among these people about Jesus. And he says, woe unto you, because if the miracles that were done here that Jesus was performing had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, it would still be here to this day, because they would have repented. And then you kind of think to yourself, well, Jesus says that. I mean, then why didn't God send somebody to do some miracles in Sodom and Gomorrah? Because Jesus is telling us there with divine authority that they would have repented. If anybody had gone to Sodom and Gomorrah and done some miracles, they would have repented. But God never sent anybody there. Instead, he just sent those angels to get Lot and his family out of there. And then he destroyed the place. So you have to think about these types of things. God and his sovereignty has determined that some people just, you know, they're just not going to make it. And I base that on places like that, or Matthew 11, where Jesus said it himself. If someone had done these kinds of miracles there, they would have repented. Well, then you think, why didn't God send somebody to do those miracles there? Then those towns could have been saved instead of destroyed. But that was not in the providence of God. We have to look at it. You don't think of some other way. God's general revelation, as Bob said, is there. Men know in their conscience what's right. But as Paul elaborates on in Romans chapter 1, 2, and 3, that these Gentiles, these other people that aren't Jews, they have laws of themselves, but even the laws they make up, they don't keep them. So they don't even live up to their own standards. So even a guy who never hears of Jesus Christ, he doesn't live up to the standards he does know about. And like it says in the book of James, one sin is all it takes to undo you before a righteous and holy God. So yeah, God can reach people by maybe some other means where he gets the gospel of Jesus Christ to somebody. But the bottom line is you must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. So that man in the deepest, darkest Africa that never heard that gospel, well, he'll be condemned by God for the sins he committed in his flesh. He didn't have Jesus to save him because he didn't believe him. He never heard of him. He may have believed in that tree with the animism that his spirit ancestors were in that he worshipped, but still he's going to have to pay for the sins he committed and he'll be called accounted for that by God on the last day. So the answer to that question is that. And a lot of people don't like it, but that's the way the Scripture presents it. And we have to go with what God has revealed. Because the minute you say there's another way and you don't need Jesus to be saved, Well, there goes the gospel. There goes this record. We don't need it. Just come up with anything you want. And then L. Ron Hubbard would be right, a Scientology, you know, where you just need to get your science fiction religion and run with it. OK, with that said, let's move to our next unpopular Bible doctrine. And that unpopular Bible doctrine is number 47. God makes people blind, deaf, deformed, etc. for his purposes. Okay, now this will run against the grain of a lot of people because they don't like to think that God would actually make somebody blind, deaf, deformed, etc. for his purpose. I got a deaf guy at work that asked me this question because he's deaf and he He wanted to know why God made him this way, and I had my Bible on me, and I didn't do it on company time. I did it after work. Because when we're on the job, we're supposed to be doing our job for an employer. But I showed him from John chapter 9, and you see it on your chart there. John chapter 9, verses 1 through 41. The man born blind so that God could display His power in him. So it wasn't because of the sins of his parents or sins he committed. God had him born blind so that at some point in time Jesus would come in the providence of God and heal him of that blindness so that the glory could go to God. So his blindness was for the glory of God. John 9, verses 1-41. God has different reasons for putting people in these disabling states. One reason for the miracles of Jesus to be performed in healing. You look in Matthew 8, verses 2-17. The leper is healed. Centurion's paralyzed servant is healed. Peter's mother-in-law is healed. The demon-possessed man is healed. And the sick and ill are healed. Matthew 9, verses 1-8, 18-38. Jesus heals a paralytic, raises the dead daughter of a synagogue official, Heals a woman suffering with a hemorrhage for 12 years, casts out more demons, heals all with diseases and sicknesses. These examples are repeated throughout the four Gospels, such as Mark chapter 2 verses 1 through Mark 3, verses 1-5, Luke 5, verses 12-26, Luke 7, verses 1-17, John 5, verses 1-17, and many more. Another reason that God does these things, has people born blind or deaf or deformed, to demonstrate His power, and we already mentioned that with John 9, but also Isaiah 45, verse 7, quote, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these, end quote. Exodus chapter 4, verse 11, quote, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" Why he does it, in all cases we do not know. And that goes back to the secret things of God that we've already mentioned before, Deuteronomy 29 and 29. Some maladies are allowed for divine demonstration. We have Job in chapter 2, verses 1 through 13, where he suffers the sore boils from the crown of his head to the bottom of his foot. And also in Job 42.11, it clearly says that all this evil came from the Lord. It doesn't give the blame to Satan, per se. It says that all this evil came on Job from the Lord. Okay, other reasons can be the judgment of God for these maladies, these physical maladies. Genesis chapter 19 verse 11. Sometimes sodomites are struck with blindness when they're trying to break into Lot's house. 2 Kings 6, verse 18, soldiers struck with blindness by Elijah's prayer. 2 Chronicles 26, verses 19-21, King Uzzah struck with leprosy when he tried to go into the temple of the Lord when he wasn't supposed to be in there. 2 Samuel 12, verses 15-23, Lord kills David and Bathsheba's illegitimate son through sickness. Acts chapter 12, verses 20 through 23, God strikes King Herod with worms. And from the result of being struck with this malady of worms, Herod dies. Acts chapter 13, verse 11, Elemas, the magician, is struck with blindness after Paul curses him. In all we go. So there's different reasons people are born blind, deaf, or deformed. John 9, 1-3. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Isaiah 45, 7. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Exodus 411 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or Who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Job 42.11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house. And they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. Every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. And you know, Bob, when I told that deaf guy that John chapter 9 passage about how the man was born blind and Jesus healed him, He understood that and he appreciated that, actually. But then he asked me, well, why doesn't God heal me? The way he talks, he always uses sign language, too. He can't really speak, but he can use that sign language and I could understand. Why doesn't God heal me? You know, I gave him Deuteronomy 29, and there's things we don't understand or why God does everything. And he seemed to be content with that, but he still wishes he could hear, obviously. But now, what is your take on this? Well, in my own mind, I'm thinking if I have a choice of believing that something just happened to me by chance or fortune, or I can believe that God did it for a purpose, has some reason for it and some ultimate use for it, I'm going to take the latter, because it's more comforting to my mind to think that I'm special enough to God that He would put this upon me to bear. And I've seen a lot of people that have had various and sundry burdens and afflictions to bear, and a lot of Christian people, and they have a very bright positive, sparkling testimony. I have a dear woman that comes in my bookstore and she has this problem of knots all over her skin. I'm not sure what the technical specification of it is. Just, you know, bumps as big as your thumb. Just all over her face and everything. But you know that woman, She has such a bright, sparkling testimony that you just forget all about it. You just forget all about that distraction and think what a nice, wonderful person. And I've met several people like that. There's a little girl. She's a dwarf. She's probably about that tall. Wow. And she's right now about 14, 15 years old. She's 14 or 15 and only about that tall? And she's in the family of one of our church members. And that little girl, you just can't outdo her for talking about the Lord and praising the Lord and singing for the Lord and all kinds of things like that. God just seems to give with that, if people have a mind to accept it, He just gives some kind of a special unction a special inside anointing to them of some sort to make them just testimonies to the grace and glory of God. Of course we know the story of a lot of celebrity people like Johnny Erickson who was paralyzed early on and she's become a great testimony to the Lord by drawing with her teeth an artist and also a writer with her teeth and a great testimony there And then there are, I know a deaf man, friend of mine, very close friend of mine, he lost his hearing when he was 16 years old. And that man has just got a remarkable love for the word of God and for Jesus Christ and you just can't outdo him for Christian character and things of that sort. So I have no explanation as to why God would choose to do it that way with some. We don't have a stereotypical God. He's just not a cookie cutter God that makes everything just alike. There are different kinds of animals. There are different kinds of trees. There are different kinds of fish. There are different kinds of human beings. We have different colors. We have different languages. We have different sizes and shapes, etc., etc., etc. And I think the one great rule is we need to learn to accept ourselves as God has placed us in this earth. If He's made us a woman, be a good Christian woman. If He's made us a man, Be a good Christian man. If he's made us abnormal some way, be a good abnormal servant of God. And if he's made us half-animal and half-man, well, be a good half-animal and half-man. It's just learning to accept the will of God and adjusting our lives to it that's what makes us happy. I don't thank God. Like Jesus said, who did this sin, they asked. This man or his parents? He said, nobody sinned. But this is for the glory of God. This particular instance here is for the glory of God. And that's what we have to adjust to and live with. That we are what we are for the glory of God. Amen. And you know, I was Watching a television show a while back, it was a Christian show on creation science against the theory of evolution, and this PhD scientist, he's very articulate, very erudite, and he'd just rattle off all this great scientific data, very impressive, you know, talking about God and how this is a created universe. Scientifically speaking, he went into all this quick data that just sounded very very impressive. And at the end, he concluded all his data with, well, you know, God is obvious from the statistical data that we have out there. He went into all these highfalutin terms. He's a mathematician, you know, and we got all the scientific data about blah, blah, blah. And so God is a scientist. And we know from the aesthetic beauty of the universe and the variety of the animals and all the scientific stuff about flora and all the technical terms of what we see in nature, you say, well, God is an artist. So God is a mathematician, God is a scientist, God is an artist. I was impressed by that, and he said a few other things, I can't remember it all at the moment, but it kind of reminded me of what you were saying there about that little 14-year-old girl and some of the other things you were saying, that God has his purposes. He is so diverse in what He's made in this universe. He's so far above us. We can't understand everything, obviously, because we're finite and He's infinite. But because God is so diverse in all those things, He has His purposes and the glory He has, like you're saying, involved in what His plans are for Him through what He has created. That little girl brings Him glory. Did that bring him glory? I was talking to a guy that called us, I think it was three or four weeks ago, Bob. He was listening to our show, one of our other shows that's already on cable access. He was a blind man. He calls up and says, look, I'm blind, but I love to listen to your shows. Please send me a copy of this show and that show that's on audio cassette so I can listen to it. for my sake. And yet he doesn't let his blindness stop him from hearing the Word of God, being in love with the Lord, and living his life. His life is not lived without hope. It's lived with hope in Jesus Christ. Things that you mentioned excited me, and I think they tie into this. People just need to understand that God is everything that I mentioned before. He's a scientist. He's a mathematician. He's an artist. He's a loving Father, a heavenly Father. He wants a relationship with us, and we can have that relationship through His Son, Jesus Christ, who came and died on the cross to save us from our sins. It's all these things put together so vast and so infinite, we can't even begin to put it all together ourselves. But just even thinking of some of it, it starts to just overwhelm me. It almost brings tears to your eyes and things of that nature. When you trust God, you don't look at God as an evil, mean, vicious type person that, oh, he made him blind because he hates him. And he made that person deaf because he just wants to torture him all his life. It's not that at all. And to impugn God's motives for reasons like this just shows that you know nothing of God. But we know plenty about God through knowing His Word. We know that God in the end, you know, has made this creation for himself. It even says that in Colossians chapter one, that all things were made by him and for him and through him all things consist. And that's Jesus Christ. And so the blind are for the glory of God. The deaf are for the glory of God. The deformed are for the glory of God. And many people may not know this, but my own son is severely brain damaged. At the time of this taping, he's 23 years old and he's not much bigger than that 14 or 15 year old girl that you mentioned. I love my son dearly. He's been with us. I've been changing his diapers for 23 years straight. God has given me Him. And I see my son, even though he can't walk, he can't talk, he just has to make noises if he's hungry. But I see my son not as a curse, but as a blessing from God. I have an autistic daughter who's partially mentally retarded. I see her as a blessing from God. And I love my daughter. I love my son. God has ordained that I have children such as this, and I don't say, oh, let me just send them off to a stay-at-home. No. God has given these blessings to me, and I'll watch after those kids as long as I'm physically able to do that by the grace of God. We see this doctrine. It's unpopular, but when we look at the big picture that you so eloquently brought out, Bob, we see a God who in his majesty knows far more than we do and is in control. And the bottom line is we can trust this God. We can trust this God no matter what the circumstance that we see out there. We can trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, now for our next unpopular Bible doctrine. We see on the screen before us, Jesus declared that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Now, the Bible passages that relate to this are there before us. Matthew 10, verse 34. Matthew 21, verses 42 through 46. Jesus is the cornerstone rejected by the builders. Mark chapter 12 verses 1 through 12, the parable of the vine growers. Psalm 2, that's rebellion against the Lord and his anointed. And, of course, the world of unrepentant sinners hates Jesus and his followers. This, of course, would necessitate a non-peaceful situation, such as you would find in Matthew 10, verse 22, Mark 13, verse 13, Luke 21, verse 17, John 15, verse 18, also verses 24 through 25, and also John 17, verse 14. Matthew 10, 34. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. Matthew 21, 42 through 46. Jesus saith unto them, Did you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected the same has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in their eyes. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, and whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken. But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. Mark 13.13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. So basically we have here from these scriptures that are clearly evidence that Jesus did not come on the scene to be someone who's just going to bring peace to the world. In fact, he promised, as he said in his prophecies of the end times in Matthew chapter 24, for instance, that the last days there'll be wars and rumors of wars. There'll be antichrists and false Christs. There'll be deceivers. There'll be false prophets. There'll be evil spirits, the devil, Satan, as you get in Revelation chapter 12, for instance, has been thrown down on this earth and he's going to make war. with those that follow the Lamb of God, which would be Jesus Christ. So we find that Jesus talks about how families will, the father will be against the son, and the daughter will be against the mother, and family members and so forth, friends can turn one over to be killed for the sake of Christ's gospel. So this is anything but peace. Now, as you've already seen from the scriptures, Bob, do you have anything to elaborate on this particular unpopular doctrine? I was thinking, Larry, of the scripture that talks about how that Satan and some of his messengers utilize the word peace. They say peace and safety when there is no peace. And in the day and age in which we live, in the world of politics, for example, the word peace is probably the most used word that you will hear at the United Nations at so-called summit meetings between leaders of world powers when our president gets together with some other leader. Peace will be the word. And I remember, I believe it was 1993, when one of the most significant peace meetings that was ever held. Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin and Bill Clinton, President Bill Clinton met in Washington and they signed this peace agreement. And Larry, what became of that? I mean, where's the peace? We are in more disarray so far as peace in that particular context of nations than we were before the peace agreement was signed. But men will try to utilize peace and the reason it fails is because, of course, people cannot bring peace. They can try. They can be sincere. And they can draw up some good ideas and good plans. But because of the sin problem that's within every man, sooner or later that stuff's going to pop out and you're going to have someone trying to kill another one or trying to take advantage of another one and then that's going to agitate and that's going to foment and that's going to break out and there's going to be war and strife and all this. So when Jesus said, I'm not come to bring peace. In other words, I'm not come here to bring the Romans and the Jews and the Samaritans and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Gentiles and all these. I'm not come to bring peace. I've come to bring a sword. And of course, that sword was the truth. The scripture says the Holy Spirit uses the word of God, which is the sword. And when Jesus came and he brought the sword, he brought the word of Almighty God. Amen. Hebrews 4.12. So, truth is a major factor in causing war and not peace. Because so many people do not want the truth. And when people do not want the truth, there's going to be a conflict there. Well, let's not say that everyone wants the truth. None of us wants the truth. I mean, how many of us can really honestly say we would like the whole truth and nothing but the truth and every bit of the truth to be known about me and you and everybody else. We just don't love the truth quite that much, do we? Right. But we have to face the truth sooner or later. And of course, when we come before the judgment bar of God, We will have all things opened there on that occasion. And that's why it's so important to be right with God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Have all your sins washed away, and you won't have to face the judgment of God against those sins. And Jesus said, I am the truth, the way, and the life. And so if we can come through Him, we will have our sins forgiven, and we'll be covered by the blood, All that would be water under the dam or sin under the dam. That's right. So really, I guess the only real peace is when a man gets born again by the renewing of his mind through the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit. And he's suddenly in communion with the true and living God to where he repents of his evil ways and tries to live in communion with that true and living God. That's the only real peace there is in a world like this. That's exactly right. I preached a funeral for our church caretaker. It will be two weeks this Tuesday. And he dropped dead 51 years old. And in preaching that funeral, very difficult, very emotional. I had a lot of trouble. But I brought down a point in that I knew that our brother wanted to be remembered for what he believed. And what did he believe? He believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He was His Savior. And that's the most important thing in this life, Larry. You can go through this life and be a Bill Gates financially. You could be a George Bush or whoever you want to pick out as a great presidential world power as a leader. You could pick out a great military leader that you might I think it would be nice if you could become that person or some great sports figure. But it all goes down the drain and the only thing that matters in the end is how do I stand with the Lord? Am I a believer and are my sins under the blood? If so, then I have eternal happiness lying ahead of me. I have peace with God. That's the most important thing. Peace with Almighty God. And if you don't have peace with God, then it's just like Jesus said, he's bringing a sword because there's going to be controversy. And the thing about it, when he said, I came not to bring peace with a sword. See, Jesus is going to be the one that judges. You're not just going to stand before God as such. You're going to stand before Jesus Christ and you're going to answer for how you have reacted or responded or related to Him in this life. Have you been a believer? Have you been a lover of the Lord? Have you tried to serve the Lord? What has your life counted for Jesus Christ? That's going to be the great test. And He will be there, seated on the throne, when you come before Him. Okay, with that said, let's move on to our next unpopular doctrine. And we have plenty of them. But this is unpopular doctrine number 49 as you can see on the screen. God can and does kill people on the spot. And we can see many examples here. Genesis chapter 19 verse 26. Right there you have Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt. Leviticus chapter 10 verses 1 and 2. Nadab and Abihu destroyed by fire from God. Numbers 16, 31-35, Korah swallowed up by the earth, and then another 250 of his followers and friends consumed by fire, right on the spot. Numbers 16, 48-50, 14,700 killed by God in a plague in one day. 2 Samuel 6, verses 6-9, God kills Uzzah on the spot for touching the Ark of the Covenant. 2 Samuel 12, verses 15-23, God kills David and Bathsheba's infant son. 2 Kings 10, verses 1-30, Jehu is blessed by God, that's verse 30, for killing all the house of Ahab and the Baha'u'llah worshippers. Jeremiah 28, 13-17, God kills the false prophet Hananiah. 1 Kings 13, 21-26, God kills, with a lion, a disobedient prophet. Acts 5, verses 1-11, as we move into the New Testament here, Hananiah sent Sapphira, dropped dead on the spot for lying to the Holy Spirit. 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 25, the Lord desired to put to death Eli's evil sons. Genesis 19 26, but his wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of salt. Leviticus 10 1 and 2. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." Numbers 16, 31-35 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clayed the sunder that was under them, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses and all the men that appertained to Korah and all their goods. They and all that appertained to them went down alive into the pit. And the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense." Acts 5 verses 4 through 6 and verse 10. While it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.' And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up the ghost, and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose. wound him up and carried him out and buried him. Then fell she down straightway at his feet and yielded up the ghost. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband." So, whether you like it or not, God, who is the creator of all things and the maker of all people, can do with his creation as he likes. And if he wants to punish somebody by killing them right on the spot, he can and will. Bob, any comments along this line? I was just thinking about that verse of Scripture in the Old Testament that speaks to this subject. See now that I, even I, and I'm reading Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 39. Even I am he. There is no God with me. I'm sovereign. I am the only God I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand and I think of Nebuchadnezzar when he walked out in Babylon and looked over his kingdom and he was exuberant He was all pumped up with adrenaline. And he looked out and perhaps put his hands together and perhaps crossed his arms and maybe extended his arms and says, this is great Babylon, which I have built. Boy, what a wonderful fellow I am. And you know, Larry, it wasn't any time until he was out on the pasture like an animal, eating grass. Why? He did not recognize God, and he did not give glory to God, and in effect he tried to assume the role of God. That he was the Great One. And one of the men that you mentioned there in the book of Acts, he took glory and thought he was some kind of a God, and God smote him. Augustus Toplady, he wrote that famous song, Rock of Ages Clept for Me, Let Me Hide Myself in Thee. He said, Every man is immortal until God's through with him. And I've thought about that for years. You're only here because God has ordained that it be so, for as long as you're here. Well, Bob, we're just about out of time for this program. I want to let our viewers know that they can call or write us for free information on this subject or other subjects that we have available through Christian Answers. The phone number and the mailing address are at the end of the program. You'll also see our websites and email address, so you're more than welcome to contact us that way. Bob, I'd like you to Let's take just another quick moment here and mention Pilgrim Publications and the works of Spurgeon that are available through your ministry that people can contact through us if they're interested. Go ahead. Well, Larry, the primary thing I've been involved in in my life for several years now has been the publication and distribution of the works of Spurgeon. I do other things, but this is primarily what I'm engaged in. And if people are interested in the publications we have of Spurgeon, we'll be glad to furnish them a press list of all the various titles that we have available, which would include his sermons and several books and many other publications that we have by or about Spurgeon. Furthermore, we have a video on the life of Spurgeon done by Dr. Kenneth Conley. And he did a very good job in giving us a one hour biography of Spurgeon. He went to England. He filmed all over the place over there where Spurgeon was born and was converted and baptized and pastored and all that. And that's available. And we have Spurgeon on CD-ROM. His sermons and other works are on CD-ROM. And also, not too long ago, we did a story of my trip to England. my pilgrimage to Spurgeon country where we filmed all of these localities that are identified with Spurgeon's life and ministry and what went on in those places, just a brief summary about the life of Spurgeon. Very good, brother. Well, that's it for our program today. Thank you again for joining us in this series of Unpopular Bible Doctrines. We'll be back again for our next program, so join us for that. In the meantime, I'm Larry Wessels with Christian Answers. Bob L. Ross. Bob, thanks for being with us. And we'll see you next time. And remember, Jesus said in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me, Jesus said. So through Jesus Christ is the way of salvation unto the eternal God. Thank you so much. God bless you all. so so