Join us for an insightful episode of Classic Christianity Radio, where we delve into profound spiritual themes and questions that impact our daily lives. Bob George starts the discussion by exploring various interpretations of millennialism, offering biblical insights and a view towards a pre-tribulation rapture. He emphasizes the importance of living a life of faith and love over getting bogged down by theological debates. Transitioning to practical Christian living, Bob addresses listeners’ queries about understanding God’s plan for our lives. By reflecting on the freedom God gives us, he encourages Christians to make choices while upholding biblical values and
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George. Today we are pleased to present a special radio show featuring call-in listeners from Bob’s original people-to-people daily radio program that was on the air for over 30 years, offering real answers for real-life problems as he addresses common questions as well as the tough issues of today, directing callers to the centrality of Christ in you, your only hope of glory. We want to remind our listeners that Bob George Ministries needs your financial support to continue to have Classic Christianity Radio on the air. Please visit BobGeorge.net to find out how you can help support us financially. Let’s now join Bob as he presents practical biblical insights as he helps people experience a life of faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER 07 :
Little Falls, New York, listening on WKIV. Jim, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 05 :
I wanted to ask you, I’ve been looking up on the web about premillennial, postmillennial, amillennial, and I was wondering which form of millennialism you thought was correct or which was the most scriptures.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, Jim, that’s a subject that people argue all over the place. And Bob and I were just talking about the break. When I read the scripture, and I can read a book by Hal Lindsey or I can read a book by other people who are, you know, Dave Hunt, people who are supposedly authority on prophecies and read those things, and some of it makes sense. But when I read the Scripture on my own, I have to say it is not as clear as what a lot of people make it to be. But one thing I do believe, and that is that I believe from Scripture that the rapture of the saints is going to take place prior to that seven-year period And I don’t believe we’re going to go through that based upon 1 Thessalonians 5, where it says, for God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord. And he did that so that whether we’re awake or asleep, we may live together with him. I don’t think he appointed us to go through the tribulation period. And some people say, oh, no, well, you’re going to go through half of it, or it’s going to happen at half. And I just say, you know, what does it make any difference? Now, some people think, oh, that makes a big difference. I don’t know. I don’t think it makes a big difference. In the first place, most of us, certainly up to this point, are going to be raptured through death before we ever experience the massive rapture that’s going to take place in end times when those of us that are here and remain behind are certainly not going to precede those who died in Christ we’re going to be in heaven when we die absent from the body present with the Lord and but but again that’s the way I see it as I’ve studied that’s what makes the most sense to me but I am not dogmatic on those on those subjects Jim I say you’re going to have to go to people who say specialize in end times teaching and see, you know, you’re going to get all kinds of viewpoints on that. And I just have to say, well, you know, right now, I’ve got a life to live today. And what’s going to happen in the end times is going to happen, whether I believe it’s going to happen the way I believe it’s going to happen or whether it doesn’t, doesn’t make an ounce of difference. It’s going to happen the way the Lord has it planned. If I go through tribulation and I’m here, I’m going to go through with the Lord in my heart. If I don’t go through it, I’m going to go before that occurs. So I really don’t care when it occurs, to be real honest with you. I’ve got a life to live today. It ain’t going to help me get along with my wife today by knowing when the rapture is going to occur. And so I just think that we can get too upset and too involved in what’s going to happen way down the road and absolutely ignore what we’re doing right now in our day-to-day lives. The biggest thing that I have to deal with is what the Bible says. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. And that’s the most difficult thing that I have to deal with is how do I love with the love of Christ Jesus? That’s a lot more important than when the rapture is going to occur.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you. Does that help, brother? Yep. Okay. God bless you, pal. Let’s go to Houston, Texas. Let’s go on KCTA. Jason, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes, sir. I was wondering if you believe that God has specific plans that are laid out for each specific individual, i.e., where you live, what you do for a living, those type of things, very specific things to each individual.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, Jason, I look back at God in the Garden of Eden. And God said to Adam, I’ve planted all these trees in this garden and you’re free to eat from any one of these except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And the day that you decide that you do not need me to determine right from wrong and good from evil, you are going to surely die. In other words, you’re saying I don’t need your guidance. And I will and therefore I’m going to determine right from wrong and good from evil on my own. And on that day, I’m going to depart from you and you’re going to be on your own. And I think the same thing is true with us today. I think God says there’s all kinds of opportunities out there. There’s all kinds of places to live. There’s all kinds of jobs available. There’s all kinds of men and women that you can marry or not marry. And I want you to go make your choice. You say, well, which one is perfect? Delight yourself in the Lord, and I’ll give you the desires of your heart. And there’s a lot of people who think, oh, that’s the only person that I could have married. And then they get divorced, and they say, well, maybe that wasn’t right. And then they get divorced again, and maybe that wasn’t right. So, again, what I’m saying is I believe God has given us a terrific amount of freedom of choice. And we do have a freedom of choice, but we cannot have the freedom of choice in determining right from wrong and good from evil. We must turn to God and hold on tenaciously to what he says is good and what he says is evil. And like it says, woe to him who calls good bad and bad good. But I think on the rest of it, we’ve got a terrific amount of freedom.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. I sure appreciate it. And, uh, I’ve been listening to you for a while, and it’s a blessing, that’s for sure. Thank you all very much.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, thank you so much, Jason. I appreciate your call, my brother. Thanks. God bless you, pal. Bye-bye. Let’s go to Davis, Oklahoma. Ron, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 12 :
Hello, my brother. How are you this time?
SPEAKER 07 :
Fine, Ron.
SPEAKER 12 :
Good. I have one and a half questions.
SPEAKER 07 :
I like the half ones.
SPEAKER 12 :
The first question is in Matthew, the third chapter, and verse 11. The B part of that says that he will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. The fire part is what I’m not understanding.
SPEAKER 07 :
It represents judgment and goes ahead to explain that. And that is judgment. Incidentally, it will take place at the end times, his willowing fork judgment. will be in his hand, he’ll clear the threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. So baptism is identification, so we’re going to be identified with the Holy Spirit that saves, and we’re also going to be identified with the judgment of God.
SPEAKER 12 :
The church will, all the saints will be.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, the saints will be gathered, obviously, into the barn. It says, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff. So there will be a separation between the wheat and the chaff. And that is what takes place in the final judgment.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, where is that scripture found? You were just talking about the burning of the chaff.
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s in verse 12.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, in verse 12. Uh-huh. Well, I guess you should keep reading.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, just keep reading. Yeah, it says his winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear up his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. That’s why it tells us not to judge because God’s going to be the final judge. That’s why he says don’t go out and try to pull up what we think of is the chaff because in so doing we’re going to pull up the wheat. And so when Christians are out there trying to crucify each other and be so self-righteous that we know who’s good and who isn’t and try to destroy each other, he says what you’re going to end up doing is destroying each other. Leave that judgment up to me. And he said that I’m the final judge on that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank the Lord for that. My goodness. The half question, is there any book you can recommend on Gnosticism that can help me out?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I don’t know of a specific book on there, but if you would, I don’t know whether you have a computer or not, but if you did, you could place that into the computer and do a search on that, and you would find probably a lot of literature there. dealing with that. You certainly see Gnosticism taught and corrected in most of the books of the Bible. They are teaching to correct Gnostic teaching. I think that even in some of Josephus’ writings that he mentions the Gnostics.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, the Gnostic doctrine was certainly there. I think they were not probably called Gnostics until the second century, however, but that teaching was certainly there.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah. And so, yeah, I would just go to any bookstore or whatever it might be and get the subjects out there and read. There are, if not whole books have been written on it, there are certainly books where there’s chapters contained in that Gnostic teaching. It was very prevalent. By the time John wrote his Gospels in 95 A.D., they’d had 60 years to penetrate into the Christian church, in which they did with their heretical teaching. But it was common knowledge of Gnostic teaching.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay. I do appreciate your help. I thank God for your ministry. I pray for you daily, and I help as much as I can. And I ask that you would keep me in your prayers and keep on keeping on with what you’re doing.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you, Ron. We appreciate that very much, brother, and appreciate your help in the ministry too, brother.
SPEAKER 12 :
I hate I had to leave Dallas area to come to Oklahoma where we are void of George. Bob George or the other two Georges. So I have to just get you when I can. So when I sneak back to Dallas, I sort of try to find you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, that’s great, Ron. Will you come and see us?
SPEAKER 12 :
All righty. We’ll do that.
SPEAKER 07 :
All right, brother. Bye-bye. God bless you, pal. Bless you. Bye-bye now. Little Rock, Arkansas, listening on KKSP. Corey, you’re on the air. I think you’re our first call from Little Rock. Yeah, welcome.
SPEAKER 11 :
Hi, thanks. I was just going to find out. I just tuned in, so I don’t know if anyone’s asked this question yet.
SPEAKER 07 :
We’ve been on the air for about 25 years, and we’re there in a question we haven’t been asked, Corey.
SPEAKER 11 :
In the scripture, it says Jesus came to… Not to replace the law, but it said to, oh, I’m trying to think of the exact word.
SPEAKER 07 :
He said to fulfill the law.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Now, in the Old Testament, it says things like, if your eye sins against you, you gouge it out, you know, it’s better to go into heaven without an eye or whatnot.
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s in the New Testament. That’s in the New Testament, Cora. That’s Jesus teaching.
SPEAKER 11 :
Okay. Now, does that apply to us?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, it would if there wasn’t such a thing as a new covenant, Corey, and I want you to keep listening. We’re not going to have a lot of time to talk today, but I want you to keep listening because the more you will, the more you’ll understand about the new covenant that Christ ushered in at the death of Christ. You see, Jesus didn’t teach under the new covenant. He taught under the old. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the new. The old wasn’t here yet. A covenant is like a will. And it says in the book of Hebrews that a will does not go into effect until the one who made it dies. It never goes into effect while the one who made it is living. And so you know that is a will today. If you have a will, it will not go into effect until your death. And it will only be the last one that you made. You may make a number of wills, but the last one that you made is the one that goes into effect at your death. Now, this new covenant is where he says there are sins and lawless acts. I will remember no more. And where there is no more forgiveness of sins and there is no more sacrifice for sins. To the Jew, he would have been saying, put aside your day of atonement. Today, he would be saying, what are you doing going to a confession booth to get your sins forgiven? Jesus took them away. To the evangelical who’s been 1 John 1-9-ing as a Christian bar of soap, all of those are the same. You are trying to keep yourself forgiven when the fact is you already are forgiven. All of your sins were taken away at the cross of Christ Jesus. And the only sin that’s attributable to man is the sin of the rejection of the work of Christ Jesus. All the sins of the world have been taken away. Nobody will ever go to hell because of his sins. Only the sin of the rejection of the completed work of Christ Jesus. And so all of that came in at the new covenant. But before he could usher in a new covenant, he had to fulfill the old. That was the law. And Jesus walked in perfect love, and perfect love is the fulfillment of the law. And having fulfilled the law, because we can’t, we never could. No one ever was able to do so except him. He fulfilled the law, thus enabling him to usher in the new covenant, and that’s the covenant of grace in which we now stand. Corey, keep listening and appreciate your call and your interest. And we love you guys, and we’re interested in hearing back from you. Okay, pal?
SPEAKER 01 :
Are you looking for encouragement and deeper understanding of God’s Word? Head over to BobGeorge.net where you’ll find books, CDs, and study guides created to help you grow in your faith. And when you order or donate, you’re also helping Bob George Ministries continue sharing the good news with listeners across the country. Your donation, large or small, makes a lasting impact. Visit BobGeorge.net today to explore helpful resources and partner with us in spreading God’s truth. That’s BobGeorge.net. Together, let’s keep this ministry moving forward.
SPEAKER 07 :
We’re going to go to Lincoln, Illinois, listening on WAUR. Gary, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 09 :
Hi, Bob. You’re a wise man. I enjoy listening to you. A previous program on this radio station that I’m listening to came very close to suggesting, and I’m sure it was, at least I hope it was inadvertent on the part of the minister, but the suggestion was that certain sins deserve the penalty of death, homosexuality, adultery, that sort of thing. That’s superseded by the coming of Christ in the New Testament, isn’t it? Can you make that clear to your listeners?
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, all sin had the punishment of death. The wages of sin is death, and all of us were born in death. It said when Adam sinned, when Adam died, we all died. Hold on a minute. Let me answer your question. So the consequence of all sin, it doesn’t make a difference. There isn’t such a thing as big sin and little sin. The consequence of sin was death, and that had to be cured first. And the only cure for death is life, and the only life available to us is the life of Christ Jesus. Exactly. Yeah, and so to say that if you keep doing this sin, you’re going to die is nonsense because, number one, that’s not true. You’re already dead spiritually if you don’t have the life of Christ living in you. And if you don’t have the life of Christ living in you, that’s what you need. And therefore, when you come to Christ for resurrected life and Christ comes to live within you, now he’s in a process of the beginning of the renewing of your mind and teaching you truth and set you free. So all of us come with a lot of baggage and barnacles on us as a Christian if we came to Christ in later life. I was 36 when I came to Christ and I had a ton of baggage and barnacles hanging on me and some of them are still on there. But the process is that God has got to begin that process of teaching us truth and setting us free. And as he teaches us truth and we learn how to abide in him, it says that when we are walking in the spirit, we will not be fulfilling the desires of the flesh. Now, what are some of the desires of the flesh? Well, homosexuality is a desire of the flesh. Adultery is a desire of the flesh. Anger and fear is a desire of the flesh. Worry is a desire of the flesh. All of those things are desires of the flesh. And he says the only solution to that is not to clean up your flesh and you’ll be spiritual, but to walk in the spirit. And there’s a byproduct of walking in the spirit, and it is you will not be fulfilling the desires of the flesh. He didn’t say the desires of the flesh would go away. He didn’t say clean up the flesh and you’ll be spiritual. He said the only solution to not fulfilling the desires of the flesh is learning how to walk in perfect love. And that’s what it means to walk in the spirit.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, we live in a violent world, and you and I have both heard stories of misguided believers who have decided to exercise violence in order to cure somebody else’s sin. I just wanted to make clear to your listeners that that’s definitely going down the wrong path, and it doesn’t have much to do with the gospel.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with the gospel. In fact, it’s being done by a bunch of self-righteous nitwits, as far as I’m concerned, because the issue is if they’re going to do that, they ought to turn around and kill themselves because they’re as sinful… That’s like people going out and bombing and killing people in abortion clinics in order to stop abortion. Well, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. They say, well, come on. Where’s your mind? And so the issue is that you change society by influence, not by going out and knocking people off.
SPEAKER 09 :
I totally agree. Thanks very much.
SPEAKER 07 :
You’re sure welcome, brother. Bye-bye. God bless you now. Bye-bye. Well, let’s go to New Orleans, Louisiana, listening on WLNO. Bob, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hey, Bob.
SPEAKER 07 :
How you doing, pal?
SPEAKER 06 :
Good. I’ve been with you since 88, and I get around to calling you about every five years. Whether we need it or not, huh? Whether you need it or not. And I want to tell you, I want to read a little passage from praise that pleases God if you’d let me. Just a little short, two or three sentences. From page 188. It says, In Christ you are a child of God, and you have as righteousness as your own. You can’t make yourself… more holy than he has already made you. You can’t make yourself more obedient by trying to keep the law, but you can respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit who lives in you and will never leave you nor forsake you. You know, I hear so many people call you, Bob, and I know how they feel because I was one of them. So one time who are hurting and who are pain, and I can’t tell you what it’s meant to me to lay my burdens on the Lord. and live a life that I finally, after years and years, and it didn’t happen overnight, finally gave my burden to the Lord. You know, he says his yoke is light and to cast our burdens on him. And you are one of and responsible for really teaching me this truth, that once you realize it, it’s all over the Bible. The Bible makes sense. The New Testament makes sense. and what Christ was telling us. So another praise call. I just wanted to praise you and Bob and Bob Davis and the wonderful ministry you have there. And thank you so much.
SPEAKER 07 :
You’re sure welcome, Bob. God bless you, my friend. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. We’re going to go to Indianapolis, Indiana, listening on WBRI. Frederick, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 08 :
Good evening there to Bob and Bob.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hi, Frederick. Good to hear from you, brother.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I just wanted to call and, and thank you for your ministry there in Dallas. I’ve been a constant listener for a number of years, and I just praise you for letting the light of Christ shine there in Dallas. And as I shine the light of Jesus Christ here in Indianapolis.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, thank you, brother. We appreciate that. And of course, I’m very grateful to be on there in Indianapolis and, uh, be able to talk to some fellow Hoosiers, but, uh, We’re very grateful for that, and we have a good response from our Indianapolis listeners. So we appreciate your calling.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, praise the Lord. Also, I was going to share with you, I’ll be in Dallas on the 19th of June, and not for your conference, but for another conference. And so hopefully, if I get a chance to meet you and meet you in a personal way.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I hope you’ll come by and visit our ministry. We’d love to show you around, Frederic.
SPEAKER 08 :
All right. Well, God bless you, and keep up the good work for the Lord.
SPEAKER 07 :
Thank you, my friend.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yes, sir.
SPEAKER 07 :
Good to talk to you, pal. Bye-bye now. All right. Bye-bye. We’re going to go to Athens, Alabama. Let’s go on to iPod. Phillip, you’re on the air.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hello.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hi, Phillip.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hello. How are you doing? Doing good. Thank you, Phillip. I just want you to know I really appreciate your ministry and what God’s doing through you all. I guess I started to learn about freedom in Christ three years ago, and my question is, I used to pastor. I’ve been a Christian since 1980. And I’ve got a long-term history of drug addiction, opiate addiction. And one time I was clean for about nine years and the second time for about five years. And Bob, to make a long story short, I’m just, you know, I still battle back and forth with it. I’m on, like, legal medication now that’s a partial opiate. And now that I… that I know what it is to be free in Christ as far as all my sins being forgiven and what life is truly about. You know, I sense that now, and I know that. In the years that I was clean, you know, I know I was real legalistic in my preaching and my counseling and all that. I look back on that now, and I see that I guess I was using that as addiction because I never used. I was completely straight. And now that I’m starting to understand what it really means to be free in Christ, it’s like it would really be nice not to be dependent upon anything and enjoy what the gospel truly is.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, I agree with you, Philip. Again, I feel that those addictions, whether it’s alcohol or whether it’s drugs, that Jesus said it’s not what a man puts in his mouth, I would say, or shoots in his veins, that defiles a man, but it’s what proceeds out of his heart. And we don’t have drug problems or alcohol problems. We’ve got heart problems. And the root of our heart problem is that we have a tendency to depend upon something other than Christ Jesus for our meaning and purpose to life. That’s the only reason you’d get hung up on alcohol or drugs is I’m depending on them to do something for me that Christ says I’ll do for you if you let me. So what happens is the more like when you were sober in those times and off of those drugs and legalistic, well, the power of sin is in the law. And so you were there preaching the law and under the power of sin, which dragged you right back into it again. Right. And so I think when you now have gone to an understanding of the totality of the grace of God, Philip, and the recognition that you die to the law so that you can come alive to the living Christ who lives in you, that all the law can do is condemn you to death, it can’t make you righteous, it can’t justify you, it can’t do anything except kill you, that you’re free from that law and now able to walk being led internally by the Spirit of God who lives in you. And so I think that what I would try to do, especially on what you say those treatments are, is I would try to get with your doctor someplace, and I would tell him what you want to do. I say, I want to pull off these things. I think that I want to depend on the Lord and the Lord alone, and I know that I can’t just maybe just go dry cold turkey, but that’s my goal. I want to pull off, and so I want you to help me to do that if that’s in your heart to do. But I would definitely get off of those other things. You don’t need them. You have the Lord.
SPEAKER 04 :
If I think back on those years of not having them, you know, and I just know in my heart now that, you know, knowing what grace truly is, how just, I don’t know, restful it would be to be able to just walk in the fullness of the Lord without depending on something, you know.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah. Well, he wants you to depend. You know, the thing of it is, Phillip, as you know, is God made man to live in dependency. He didn’t make man independent. He made them dependent. he didn’t make an independent man. He said, no, no, I’m not going to make you independent. I made you dependent. I made you to live in dependency upon me. Well, we’re out of time for this edition.
SPEAKER 02 :
We’re glad you’ve joined us, and we hope you’ll do it again with us tomorrow at this same time.
SPEAKER 01 :
Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another, and praise the Lord. Amen.
SPEAKER 08 :
Put Jesus first in your life and turn your life around.
