Bible Answers Radio Programs

Join Dr. Couch for the Bible Answers radio program for the weeks of November 2, November 9, November 16, November 23, and November 30.

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, Balaam is mentioned often in the NT. What can we learn about the story of him from the OT?   ANSWER:  The story of Balaam is long and complicated as an OT event. The details are given in Numbers 22-31. Israel was on the journey from Egypt going towards the promised land when they came to the country of Moab. Balaam was a hired evil prophet and false teacher. The teaching of Balaam refers to his teaching the king, Balak, to corrupt the Jewish people whom he could not curse.     Three things are said of Balaam in the NT. There is (1) the way of Balaam (2 Pet. 2:15); (2) the error of Balaam (Jude 11); and (3) the doctrine of Balaam (Rev. 2:14). It could be said of him that he was virtually a warlock, used of Satan to trip up the morals of Israel. The "ways" would refer to his deceptive patterns.     Peter writes about the Jews who in the wilderness sojourn "indulged" the flesh when tempted by Balaam. Many today are (1) "forsaking the right way, having gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Pet. 2:15).     The (2) "error" of Balaam is a reference to those who live absolutely contrary to what is right. Their sins are outright errors that disdain the righteous directives of the Lord. "Woe to them! They rush headlong into the error of Balaam" (Jude 11).     Finally, (3) there is a whole pattern of evil doctrinal teaching that is just the opposite of what God demands. In the church at Pergamum, there were those who "held the teaching (doctrine) of Balaam, who kept teaching (king) Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality" (Rev. 2:14).     Satan uses the evil intensions of such men and works his strategies against human beings. His patterns can destroy both the lost and the righteous.   Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, what is the shortest chapter in the Bible?   ANSWER:  I think it would be Psalm 117. There are only two verses in this Psalm and they speak about the nations of the earth praising God in the millennial reign of Christ. They read:   Praise the Lord, all nations; laud Him, all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the truth   of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!   Unger has it right on:   "This psalm is prophetic of the Kingdom age, when all nations and races will praise the Lord for His redemptive grace, and through Israel, He will bring salvation to the entire world. This psalm cannot be applied to any period of the Old Testament or the New Testament church period and will only be realized when Christ returns to the earth and sets up His Kingdom over Israel and (then) 'the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9).'   "It is Israel's call to the whole millennial earth. It confirms the promises given to the patriarchs and makes possible the salvation of the Gentiles not only in the church period, but as in this psalm, in the Kingdom age. After Israel has been regathered, converted and established in the Kingdom blessing, she—with missionary zeal—can offer all nations the same salvation that God worked in her, for it is the salvation of the world. Thus, the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman will be fulfilled, 'Salvation is of the Jews' (John 4:22)."   Great question! Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, what is happening in Hebrews 6:1-9, the old "It is impossible to renew them again to repentance" passage?   ANSWER:  There are many interpretations of this passage but I believe, along with Dr. Kenneth Weist (one of the greatest Greek scholars of the last century), that I have it right. The prominent flow of Hebrews is a warning to the Jews who have not as yet trusted their own Messiah as Savior, though it is clear that the book, as indicated in the last chapter, was handed over to the church as an apologetic or as a polemic to be used in witnessing to the Jews.     With all of the testimony to the Jews about Christ, those who hardened their hearts against all of the evidence, would be cut off. This explains the "warning passages" throughout the book. And, this explains the book of Acts. The first part of Acts was about the testimony to Israel while the last half mainly was the witness to the Gentiles. There is a transition going on in the book! The last of Acts shows God's judgment against the Jews and how the Lord turned to the Gentiles and rejected Israel.     This would explain why Peter's two epistles were written to the believing Jewish community, but also gives warnings to the Jews who would be rejecting the testimony about their own Messiah. Peter says that, temporarily the disbelieving Jews escaped the defilement of the world "by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," but they again were entangled in sin and rejection of Christ. Their last state would be worse than their first state. "For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them" (2 Pet. 2:20-21).     It would take too much explanation here to fully explain Hebrews 6 in print but I do just that in my CD commentary series on the book you can purchase here from this website. The set is an eye-opener!   Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, who or what is the morning star that will arise in the hearts of believers in 2 Peter 1:19?   ANSWER:  This is a clear reference to the shining of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of the believers when all sin is vanquished and He has full control of His universe. The verse reads "We have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day down and the morning star arises in your hearts."     For now, in this dark world, we only see darkness and evil, but we also have the promises of prophecy that the day will arrive when Christ will bring gladness, as the early morning star, to shine in our hearts. That Christ is the morning star is made clear in what He says in Revelation 22:16: "I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." This idea is also spoken of in Revelation 2:28: "I will give to the believing overcomer 'the morning star.'"     Christ is the true morning star, the bright One from God the Father who will illumine all creation with His Son. However, temporarily, Satan appears to the world as the "shining one," or Lucifer, "the son of the morning" as seen at the time of his fall in Isaiah 14:12. The name "shining one" is translated as Lucifer in the Latin Vulgate.     The idea of the morning brightness of the Messiah is seen in the prophecy of the father of John the Baptist, about the advent of his son as the herald of the Messiah. He said that by the tender mercies of God, "the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death" (Luke 1:78-79; Malachi 4:2). Thus, Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4, 5; 8:12; 9:5), the One who would bring light to the Gentiles (Isa. 42:6; Acts 13:47).    Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch

New Audio Files - 2 Thessalonians

Dr. Mal Couch, pastor at Clifton Bible Church, teaches through 2 Thessalonians Introduction and Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapters 2 and 3, and the conclusion of Chapter 3.

New Audio Files - The Gospel of John

Listen along as Dr. Mal Couch, pastor at Clifton Bible Church, teaches through John 13 and John 14.

RETRACTION

A few weeks back we reported about the issue of Dr. John MacArthur, the eternal Sonship of Christ, the IFCA, and the Middletown Bible Church. We understand this was old information and that there was some positive movement on that issue that followed. We rarely make such goofs so we apologize for it. However we are very serious when it comes to doctrinal error and are zealous to strengthen the clear teaching of the Word of God. The Middletown Bible Church, as we reported, stands strong on upholding the integrity of the Scriptures. Thank the Lord that not all have bowed the knee to Baal! –Dr. Mal Couch

New Audio Files - 1 Corinthians

Join Dr. Mal Couch, pastor at Clifton Bible Church, as he teaches through
1 Corinthians 7, 1 Corinthians 8, and 1 Corinthians 9.

Guest Teacher, Jeffrey Gutterman

Listen as guest teacher Jeffrey Gutterman teaches through
John 13 at the Clifton Bible Church.

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, what is the bottom line about what happened in the recent election? ANSWER:  The bottom line is that we now have a younger generation who has come up through the ranks of the government school system, and up through the ranks of the very liberal university system. They are driven by psychology, liberalism, socialism, and amoral thinking. To be amoral means that morality has nothing to do with their decisions. Everything should be determined simply on the basis of politics, pragmatism, economics, but certainly not be biblical right and wrong! The younger generation has repudiated biblical morality, experience and wisdom. They do not look for those who have had experience. They want someone who has "TV" charisma and who can turn a nifty phrase or two.    The Bible speaks loud and clear about their ignorance. The story of Rehoboam is a classic example of what I mean. Rehoboam took over the Southern Kingdom of Judah after the death of his father, Solomon. Even though Rehoboam would be a terrible sinner, it was God's sovereignty that was at work behind the scenes in all of the intrigue that was going on. Jeroboam took over the Northern Kingdom. The Lord said to him "Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes" (I Kings 11:31). The reason: the people had forsaken the Lord, and were worshipping Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon. "And they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as [Solomon's] father David did" (v. 33).    As the young crowd in America, Rehoboam did not want the wisdom of the elders, those with experience. The young American voters have jettisoned experience. Experience and wisdom are not part of the criteria for leadership. Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had advised his father Solomon and said: "How do you counsel me to answer this people?" (I Kings12:6). They answered that he must speak good words to them (v. 7). "But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted WITH THE YOUNG MEN WHO GREW UP WITH HIM AND SERVED HIM" (v. 8).    Rehoboam took their advice and added to the burden of the people. He said, "Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions" (v. 11).    Rehoboam began to reign at about the same age as Barack Obama, age 41. Rehoboam reigned for seventeen years and died at 58! (14:21).    The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the lack of practical wisdom and experience. For example, "The honor of old men is their gray hair" (20:29). And, "A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead" (21:16).    Also, "My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given TO CHANGE" (24:21).    Question: Why did Obama meet three times with the homosexual New Hampshire Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson? What is he planning to put in place in regard to homosexual rights? We will all probably find out soon!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, what will be the nationality of the antichrist? There seems to be some confusion on this issue.

ANSWER: I believe the antichrist could be around today but he will not be revealed as to who he is until the seven year tribulation begins. In Daniel 9:27 we read: he is the prince who "will make a firm covenant with the many for one week (a seven year period—the tribulation and wrath). Actually, it best reads "He will confirm (higbir), make a strong agreement (make a covenant to prevail) with many …" Benware writes: "The covenant made between the Roman Prince (Antichrist) and the people of Israel requires that Israel will be at least partially restored to the land."

11:37 says "he will show no regard for the gods (Elohim) of his fathers …" Most translate this as gods but if it should read "God" then there would be an indication that he could be Jewish. I lean this way because he will convince the orthodox Jews that he is the Messiah, and they somehow buy into that, maybe on the evidence that he is Jewish.

No one can say for sure.

You need to get Dr. Paul Benware's commentary on Daniel produced by Scofield Ministries. Send a donation for $11 made out to Scofield Ministries and fire it off to our address. Great commentary!

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

New Audio Files

Enjoy these newly uploaded Audio Files:

• Matthew 6, Proverbs 30, and Ephesians 4
  
• John 10:1-30
  
• John 10:31-42
  
• John 11
  
• 1 Thessalonians 4 (part two)
  
• 1 Thessalonians 5 (part two)
  

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, what happened in the elections?

ANSWER: First of all God is in charge. There were no accidents. He is in command of all of history. And, beside, America, and the entire world, is receiving the judgment due for its gross sins. We are moving rapidly into the apostasy. Now as to what happened from the human level, it is really very simple.

Our nation is divided between, say, (1) those who are thirty and under, and (2) those who are older. The older ones were looking for

A. Wisdom
B. Experience
C. Morality in leadership
D. Conservative and sound principles that can be found in Scripture

The younger crowd was looking for

A. One with charisma
B. One with socialistic and psychological leanings
C. One who would advocate and be for same-sex marriage, abortion, and feminism
D. One who does not understand history and what America is really all about

The younger will dominate. We will never go back to common sense. The younger, three out of four, voted for liberalism and against common sense. There is no turning back! You need my new book that will be out in a few weeks: For The Cause of Zion. Donation: $11.

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, thank you for sharing the fact that Christ's sacrifice was applied back to the sins of those in the OT, as you pointed out in Romans 3:25b. Are there any other verses that would show this same point as well?

ANSWER: Yes, and that would be Hebrews 9:15b. The author of Hebrews writes: Christ "died for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant (the Law), [that] those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."

Kenneth Wuest rightly notes:

The Messiah became the Mediator not only in order that He might pay the penalty of sinners who live since the Cross, but also that He might do so for those who lived before the Cross. Sinners who were saved under the First Covenant were actually saved, not by it or by any sacrifice offered under its jurisdiction, but through the atoning work of Messiah under the New Testament.

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

CAN WE EXPECT MERCY FROM GOD?

Why would God be merciful to America when the ruling party supports:

1. Homosexual (Sodomite) rights
2. Feminism that puts mothers, daughters, wives into harm's way of military combat
3. Abortion, the killing of the unborn, or the slaughter of those who just make it out of the womb (over 3000 abortions per day in '05) God told the evil Jews, "You killed MY children"
4. The coming of euthanasia
5. The rampant use of drugs
6. The explosion of sexual immorality (SIDS)
7. The abandonment of family and children
8. The repudiation of the Word of God
9. The government giveaway that destroys the work ethic

The atheist Bertrand Russell said: "Education should aim at destroying free will so that after pupils are thus schooled they will be incapable of thinking or acting otherwise than as their school masters would have wished."

A judgment is certain!

--Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, what is the Shekinah glory?

ANSWER: The Hebrew word Shekinah means the presence, as in the presence of God in His glory with His people Israel. It is described in Ezekiel as the abiding presence of God with the Jews. Chapters 10-11 described the presence of God by the Jewish Rabbis as the merkavah, or the presence of God in His "chariot." The Israelis have manufactured their own military tank and have named it "the chariot," the Merkavah.

The Shekinah, or the glory of God (His presence), is seen at the threshold of the temple in 10:4. Then, the glory of God departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the angels, the cherubim (v. 18). Then His glory hovered over the entrance of the east gate of the Lord's house (v. 19). The presence of God is seen as leaving the temple area because of the sins of the people.

As the presence of God is leaving Jerusalem, the Lord God says the Jewish people will be scattered throughout the nations, but in that scattering, God will be a sanctuary for them in that scattering, in that "dispersion" or in the Diaspora. "Though I will remove them far away among the nations, and though I will scatter them among the countries, yet I will be a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they have gone" (11:16). But, "I shall gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I shall give you the land of Israel" (v. 17).

How foolish of the amil guys to say that God will not restore the Jewish people back to their own land. When their King comes and restores them to the Holy Land, the New Covenant will be applied to their hearts and they will be converted. "I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh" (v. 19).

As the narration goes on in Ezekiel 11, the presence and the glory of the Lord continues to depart from the city of Jerusalem. "And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood over the mountain which is east of the city" (v. 23).

The Lord's Shekinah will return to the temple in the Kingdom period. Ezekiel witnessed this. "And the glory of the Lord came into the house by way of the gate facing toward the east" (43:4), and "the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house" (v. 5). The Lord here is the Messiah who prophetically says, "This is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name …" (v. 7).

Matthew 17:1-7, and the transfiguration of Christ, is a dress rehearsal of the Lord's messianic glory and His coming to reign and rule in Jerusalem. "He was transfigured before [His disciples—Peter, James, John]; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light" (v. 2).

In his Ezekiel commentary, my old Hebrew professor, Charles Feinberg wrote, "The Jewish commentary, the Midrash reads, 'Rabbi Jonathan said, Three years and a half the Shekinah stayed upon the Mount of Olives, in the hope that Israel would do penance, but they did none.' All readers of the New Testament know this was the length of the earthly ministry of our Lord to the lost sheep of Israel. Sadly enough, they did not repent and He did depart from them (cf. Hosea 5:15 with Matt. 23:37-39). The rabbis have enumerated ten stages whereby the Shekinah withdrew. … Before He departed, however, He set forth the consoling promise of restoration for the remnant …"

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

READ THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL

In this troubling hour, every believer needs to read the book of Ezekiel. It is full of future prophecy and it tells how the Lord is going to spiritually restore the people of Israel, return them to their own land, and also judge the nations. But too, there is much in the book that is applicable to our day. The west, and our own dear country, is moving rapidly away from the Lord. This is bringing us into the prophesied apostasy when the world will grow darker spiritually, and the church will depart from THE FAITH, and THE TRUTH!

Ezekiel talks about the women, the feminists of his day, who deceive the people with their false words. They "disheartened the righteous with falsehood" and idolatry (13:19-25). The elders "have set up their idols in their hearts, and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity" (14:3).

One cannot help but think of abortion when God said that the people "took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you sacrificed them to idols to be devoured" (16:20). But more, "You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire" (v. 21). Notice, they killed the children who belong to God. Our children are not our own; they are His!

Our nation will surely be judged because "With great light comes great responsibility!"

--Dr. Mal Couch

A BEAUTIFUL SONG BLASPHEMED

After the California citizens voted down same-sex marriages, thousands of homosexuals marched in the streets of LA protesting. They are sore losers and cannot take the fact that they lost!

But what was worse was that they gathered in the streets and sang an old beautiful spiritual, applying its words somehow to their agenda. They sang "I Shall Not Be Moved."

The words go like this:

Glory hallelujah, I shall not be moved.
Anchored in Jehovah, Tho all hell assail me,
In Him confiding.
Jesus will not be failing.
Like a tree planted by the water,
I shall not be moved!

This issue, along with raw feminism, and the killing of unborn children, will bring judgment upon the west, and upon America. The issues that will soon bring judgment are not about the economy, or even about personal freedom. The main issues have to do with biblical morality, what is right and what is wrong. These issues supersede and go before personal freedom. Personal freedom has to do with being responsibly right, biblically correct. By these issues a nation is judged. –Dr. Mal Couch

A NEW DAY FOR CHRISTIANS!

I am afraid that for sometime now the theology of Christians has been all fouled up! We really thought that we could somehow cling to this world, its comforts, and all that it offers. And, if we just put into office the right man as president, then everything will be alright. Of course this is not true. Dispensationalists really knew better but we were seduced by the goodness we have lived with for so long in this nation. Dispensationalists have had it right theologically but our practice in living out the Christian life has been bent! "Just give us a soft pillow, Lord, and we will be content!" Yet, this is not what He has promised in this cruel and sinful world!

The Bible tells us this age is not the age of the millennial kingdom. The dispensation of the church will end in apostasy, and for some reason, we just didn't want to believe it. Only when Christ returns and establishes His Davidic reign over the entire world will there be peace and blessings. And even then He must rule with a scepter of iron because of sin that will not be finally eradicated and destroyed until eternity begins.

Here is what the Bible has to say: (1) there will be a final apostasy that will blanket the world. Paul tells us "in later times some will fall away (apostatize) from the Faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1), and "in the last days difficult times will come. For men (the world) will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, … disobedient to parents, … unloving, … lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God …" (2 Tim. 3:1-on). "The time will come when [men] will not endure sound doctrine, but they will be wanting to have their ears tickled with lies …" (4:3). "There will be false teachers among you …" (2 Pet. 2:1).

Then (2) the rapture will take place to remove believers from the world that is going to go under the wrath of God. We will at that time be resurrected from the dead, or if we are still alive, be raptured out of here as the wrath falls upon the entire earth. At the end of the seven year period of wrath (3) we return with Christ to reign with Him during His earthly kingdom rule.

Physical and spiritual peace and contentment will only come about during His kingdom reign that extends worldwide from the Holy Land. Not until then will this world be okay. The church, and believers, cannot fix the ills of humanity! We are light and salt but we cannot bring in final and lasting peace! Only the Lord Jesus Christ will solve the world's problems.

With the elections in America, a new day has dawned, in which believers can say, "Yes, we knew this was coming!" America's enemies are happy and we can now brace ourselves for the greatest period of liberalism and socialism this nation has ever seen. So what must we do? All we can do is hold fast to what we have always known correctly from Scripture! This does not mean that we go passive in living for the truth, but we should not be surprised when we see the direction the world is ultimately going.

Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians for their stance in the persecutions and afflictions they were enduring and suffering (2 Thess. 1:4-5). But he promises that God has a righteous judgment coming when the kingdom of God is established on earth (v. 5). Only then will we find rest (relief) when Christ comes, revealed from heaven, with His mighty angels in flaming fire (v. 7). Christ said the same thing to His disciples: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him …" (Matt. 25:31-32).
Why do we seek perfection from this life? Why do we think we are now receiving the kingdom blessings when only Christ, when He comes and reigns, can bring in that glorious day?

Who do we think we are?

The apostle Paul goes on in 2 Thessalonians and reminds us that peace will not arrive until the Lord returns to reign and rule!

He will come "dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified …" (vv. 7-10).

If we look just at this hour, we can see a dark day on the horizon, but if we look at what the Lord says about eternity, we are at peace. We should be content in our souls, share the gospel, and look for the final day when God will make all things right! In light of the troubles of the Thessalonian believers, Paul closes his second letter with these words:

The Son and the Father have loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, and may we be comforted and strengthened in our hearts in every good work and word (2:16-17).

--Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, I have been told that the covenant guys hold strongly to the fact that God is glorified by salvation, and that dispensationalists do not hold to such a position. What do you say?

ANSWER:  You've been listening to the wrong crowd. Dispensationalists certainly believe that the Lord is glorified in His salvation work for lost humanity. But dispensationalists are more biblical in that we believe that all things bring glory to the Father, not simply the work of salvation.

   God the Father of course receives glory (1) for our salvation, as well as the Son (John 13:31). "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him" (vv. 31-32). The context has to do with the work of salvation Christ is about to initiate for the world.

   It is also true that (2) "the heavens declare the glory of God" (Psa. 19:1). (3) Christ as the messianic King will also receive the glory due Him (Psa. 24:7-10), as well as (3) the Kingdom itself is seen as glorious (Psa. 145:11-13). And with the destruction of Gog and Magog, (4) the Lord will receive glory among all the nations (Ezek. 39:21).  

   I could go on and on demonstrating that God receives glory in so many things, not simply in salvation.

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, someone told me recently that the Holy Spirit does not work in conviction except through a believer. Is this biblically accurate?

ANSWER:  I do not know of a passage of Scripture that would verify that view. I did a run through the NT and could not find a passage that would confirm that. Many passages simply mention the work of the Spirit but do not refer to a believer standing by who becomes a kind of "agent" for His convicting work.

   I personally think that such a view is an overstatement. There is no doubt that the Spirit of God uses means such as the Bible, and of course often the witness of a believer. But to say that He never works without a child of God present cannot be confirmed by Scripture.

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, what's going on with women in the church? They seem to be buying into the feminist culture.

ANSWER:  You have it right! That is exactly what they are doing. Peter and Paul's injunctions about the blessedness of women and the important roles of woman has not changed. And, Paul's orders are not simply given in a cultural context. Paul argues for the importance and the limitations of woman from a doctrinal position not from simply a cultural position that was only applicable to his day.

   What is amazing to me is that many older Evangelical women in our churches have been infected by the culture and have joined their feminist sisters in trying to resist what the Bible is saying to them. What Peter and Paul have said is authoritative and is part of the Word of God. If Christian women are resisting, they are resisting the Lord's injunctions not simply the words of their husbands or of a pastor. On Jeremiah 44:19, Dr. Unger makes this statement about the sinful women of Israel: "When women lead, the day of doom is near."

   How much more clear can you get with 1 Peter 3:1-7 where Peter says, "Wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives" (v. 1). He calls women "the weaker vessels" which they are (v. 7), even though the cop-er-ettes and soldier-ettes think they can beat up the bad guys on the streets, or be soldiers in the trenches, which they cannot! But how dare the men who allow women and mothers in hazardous situations or combat roles just because that is what they want! My counselor wife, Dr. Lacy Couch, says the problem is that women want the authority they see men having. And, they do not like themselves as women! (Sounds something like Eve to me!)

   Husbands are to be kind to their wives "and grant them honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life" (v. 7b). They are to protect their wives. They are not to mistreat their wives, or any other believer, and "not return evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing" (v. 8). Paul wants women to dress modestly and "wear" before others good works, "as befits women making a claim to godliness" (1 Tim. 2:9-11) and receive "instruction with entire submissiveness" (v. 11). He bans women from teaching or exercising authority over men and, they are to remain in quietness (v. 12). The reason: Adam has the primacy and Eve was very much deceived though Adam was not, as described in the temptation account in Genesis. Adam is the greatest sinner but Eve was emotionally deceived, thus Paul does not want women to be in a leadership position! (vv. 13-14).

   Period, period, period! There is nothing more to say!

   Believers can be seduced by the world; they can buy into the culture, and be fooled into being politically correct. (I need to make a correction on that statement.) Women are not fooled as with blindness. Their will is captured by the culture and they know exactly what they are doing. They want what they want when they want it!

   Women today are ruling in many of their churches by the yak, yak, through their elder or deacon husbands at home. And the men come to church and make decisions based on what their wives want. "Yes, dear, yes dear!"

   For a woman to obey her husband as Sarah did (1 Pet. 3:6), is not slavery, it actually is protection! And it is following the instructions of the Lord not her husband! This entire subject is a spiritual issue not simply doing something because this is what the husband wants! On the flip side, men are also to be kind and loving to their wives. They are to lift them up and be honoring. A cruel or thoughtless husband brings woe upon his family! Men are to be leaders and not wimps at home, at church, and elsewhere.

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch

Ask Dr. Couch

Dr. Couch, I'm convinced. From much that you've been writing I see the error of amillennialism and covenant theology. Where can I read more on how all that heresy began?   ANSWER:  I suggest three sources, or study the teaching of three individuals in church history. (1) Philo, (2) Origen, and (3) Augustine. They are the ones who influenced the church the most by their writings on allegorical interpretation.     The sources would be Bernard Ramm in his book Protestant Biblical Interpretation. Read pages 24-38. Read also on Catholic Allegorism (pp. 38-45). Also study the section on the Syrian School of Antioch (pp. 48-50). Antioch was most influenced by the early prophets and probably Paul as mentioned in the book of Acts. They maintained and taught the literal approach to Scripture for generations. Ramm writes "The result of these principles [developed in Antioch] was some of the finest exegetical literature of ancient times." And the literal interpretative school at Antioch, especially in "The commentary of Theodore [of Mopsuestia] on the minor epistles of Paul is the first and almost the last exegetical work produced in the ancient Church which will bear any comparison with modern commentaries."     Check out the three names of the men mentioned above in my Dictionary of Premillennial Theology (Kregel). I also wrote a chapter on the Antiochian School as well.     Read also what I wrote on these men in my interpretation book Classical Evangelical Hermeneutics (Kregel). The allegory and destructive hermeneutics of these men greatly influenced Catholic and then Reformation thinking in their spiritualizing especially biblical prophecy. I really do not think most allegory and amillennial guys know the origin of their own system. They are great quoters but terrible interpreters. They are unable to think textually and biblically.     I quote Trigg who shows the foolishness of Origen in his interpretation on Matthew 24 and the issue of the return of Christ. Trigg points out that Origen, on the two men laboring in the field, believes this "represents good and bad influences on a person's will." How dumb! And I quote on Origen the great church historian and Lutheran amillennialist, Philip Schaff, when he has to admit that "His allegorical interpretation is ingenious, but often runs far away from the text and degenerates into the merest caprice." I conclude in my book, "amillennialists continue to utilize a system of interpretation that is textually and historically at odds with the normal reading [even] understood by the early church."

Bible Answers - October 19 and 26, 2008

Join Dr. Couch for the October 19th and October 26th, 2008 editions of Bible Answers.

IT'S GETTING WORSE NOT BETTER!

As reported by The Good News (Nov/Dec, 08), world events are moving even faster towards the abyss than we ever dreamed. By 2020 the Chinese Nuclear Sub Navy will be stronger or at least equal to our American Sub service. And, tension will soon be building between China and India who share a 2,100 mile border. In a sense, India blocks China from moving her naval forces west.

   Growing Immorality in America. In a survey one of the most stunning outcomes is the growing immoral patterns of young adults under the age of 25. The younger generation was more than twice as likely as all other adults to engage in behaviors considered morally inappropriate by traditional standards.

   For example, almost two in three in this group had used profanity publicly, almost two in five had lied or engaged in sex outside of marriage, a third had viewed pornography, and one in four had gotten drunk.

   Not surprising, adults who described themselves as liberal on sociopolitical issues were twice as likely as those who described themselves as conservative to engage in these activities. Atheists and agnostics were about five times more likely to participate in these behaviors than those who identified themselves as evangelical Christians.

   As Americans depend less and less on the Bible for their source of moral judgment, they become their own independent judges of what is right and wrong. George Barna believes that "it is not likely that America will return to a more traditional moral code until the nation experiences significant pain from its moral choices."

   With all due respect to Barna, I do not believe there can be a return. We are already into the apostasy described by the apostle Paul. Europe, the home of the Reformation, has never returned, in fact, it is growing worse morally every day! And, the Bible must be at the base of any evangelism or revival, but also, the Word of God has been cut out of our social fabric and culture. There is no return!

   CALLING ALL CONCERNED PASTORS. Join us January 18-20 (Sun. evening through Tue. noon) for a CHURCH Conference at Scofield Ministries in Clifton, TX, with Dr. Robert Lightner, Dr. Tom McCall, Andy Woods, Jeff Gutterman, and others. This will be a strategy session and a look at the Scriptures as to what we are to do in light of what is coming upon us today! – Dr. Mal Couch