 Welcome to Hard Questions where we gather pastors together to take on your tough questions and answer them right from the Bible. I'm Tom Hollis, the moderator, and today our panelists include Dr. William R. Glaze, Bethany Baptist Church in Pittsburgh. Pastor Buck Schaefer, Grace Life Church, Monroeville and North Hills. Pete Giacalone, South Hills Assembly Guide Church, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. J. Anthony Gilbert, pastor of another level in Mount Washington. Well, pastors, thank you for being with us. And Buck, does it feel like you have to split yourself into two campuses or what? No, you just get to drive and you pray when there's a stealer game and a helicopter shows up or something. All right. Well, thank you all for being with us today on Hard Questions. We're discussing heaven, hell, guardian angels. You know, I like to, we don't always say this, but it's important that you know that these questions, they all come from viewers. Almost everyone of them. Once in a while, I'll pose a question or something, but for the most part, these are your questions. So, Buck, I am going to start with you. So let's ask this, are all sins equal to God? Well, I would give that two answers. First, yes and then no. And then the yes is because I believe sin is the same. It's sin that separates you from God. And if someone's asking that question like, what sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? You know, what sin is unbelief? What sin is the unpardonable sin? Sin separates us from God. And when we realize, according to 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 5, we were born into sin and Adam all died. So it isn't a verb of doing, it's a down. We were born into this place of sin. So in Adam all died. So when we come into this earth, we're born into sin. Before our tainted DNA by sin separates us from God. Therefore, while we were yet in sin, Christ died. So without applying the blood of Jesus to our life, if we are standing before God in our sin, we're destined to hell. But thank God we're not. So, and then the other side of that is, with Jesus Christ as a blood sacrifice, all our sins been remitted, been redeemed, done away with. But then people go, well, if all sins not the same, why does sin have different consequences? So there's different sins that you can do in your heart, in your mind with lust, but then there's sexual sins in your body that actually defile your body and have different consequences. Yeah, I think that's one of the keys, isn't it, Pete? I definitely agree where Buck was headed. I agree with everything that Buck was saying. The consequences of sin, you know, the emphasis there, if we're talking about, now if we're gonna talk about, because I was really struggled with this question. The consequences vary. Again, remember, he who commits sexual sin, sins against something in this, now this temple goes into a state of confusion. Can I use that? Or separation? And that's the reason why, you know, you notice that's the only thing we're told to run from. Flee, get out of there. Don't, Joseph is a, I know you guys love Joseph as that character that you both said that you would want to live like. But Joseph did. He was being tempted every day and he just took off. I think, I personally try to live a life of using the word no, no. I mean, looking right at it and saying no. I remember one time I was in a fast and I'll stop. I was in a fast and I really wanted, I was in the kitchen and I saw this, I think it was fruit that I really want. Oh, I was really. It was close to the eyes. Oh my, it was all over. And I looked right at it and I said, no. Just like that. I mean, no. And Elaine come running in. Who are you talking to? I said that fruit over there. So yeah, Pastor Pete rebuking a bowl of fruit here. Rebuking the temptation is what it was. Pastor Bill. Well, you know, Romans 3.23 says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So you have God's glory as the standard. Now you start out on one side. You may pole vault, but you're still going to come up short. You may have wings and flap, but you're still going to come up short. You may get a good running start and you're still going to come up short. And so the fact of the matter is, is that no matter how grave or how light the sin is, you can't get across. And so all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So like Buck said, the first part he said, yes. You know, we all come short, you know? And then, you know, as they talk, there's gravity to other sins. But the fact of the matter is, is that you can't get in, you know, with sin. That's right. Well, I think that, you know, we're all understanding that we've sinned, that we can only be forgiven through Jesus Christ. But I think this thing of consequences, some people miss this sometimes because it's one thing if somebody's angry with me, it's another thing if they shoot me. Okay, there's different consequences for that. Even though the sin is kind of can equally be forgiven. And that's the hard part because you can take a look at someone that, for example, maybe they went out and had premarital sex or they're using drugs and end up getting some disease and dying, God forgave them. But that still doesn't mean there's not consequences tied to what it's they've done. Now sometimes people get the consequences erased as well, but that's left up to the sovereignty of God. But I also think too, you know, the scripture mentions about one place in that Jesus talked about how it'll be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah. So it lets me know that there is classification in regards when we stand before God, we will be held accountable based upon, even in hell, there are judgments. If there's rewards in heaven, if you wanna use the same word, there's rewards in hell in essence, you know? I mean, there's things that you're gonna get rewarded to you based upon how you lived. And so if Jesus mentioned the difference that it would be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah to, we're gonna go lighter on them than we would with somebody that heard the gospel and experienced him, then that lets me know that he does look at some things based upon what we've received. Well, you know, there's a parable also that says that some will be beaten with many stripes and some will be beaten with few. So that lets you know that there is punishment in degrees for sin. So he brought up the little one, it's better than you offend one of these little ones for a millstone to be hung around your neck. You know? So that kind of leads to consequences too, you know, there's different consequences. So don't be sinning, rebuke that bowl of fruit, you know, do all that stuff and make sure. Oh, sorry Pete, that's okay. But let's move on to our second question. And Pastor Bill, I wanna get your take on this. Do we have guardian angels to see it? And in movies to see how you hear about it, do we have something Biblically that's a guardian angel? Right, well many theologians would believe that there are no clear cut verses to say that we have guardian angels. You know, there are verses that indicate we might have them, you know, Psalm 91 talks about the angels that protect us. You know, as a matter of fact, Satan quoted that to Jesus, you know, he said that your angels will protect you. Jesus spoke of angels that washed over children. Peter, when he was released from prison, they said it was his angel. But the thing, the verse that I like is that it says that God sends angels to minister to the heirs of salvation. And so based on that, you know, I would say that each one of us have guardian angels. That if we're saved, I believe that God dispatches angels to watch over us and protect us. Now, the fact of the matter is, is that God is our protector. You know, he's our ultimate protector. But you know, in his sovereign plan, he uses angels in his plan to watch over us. So, you know, I would say that even though there might not be any clear cut scripture, I would just say that there's strong indication that there are guardian angels. You know, I love, in Psalms, chapter 34, verse seven, says, the angel of the Lord encaps around those who fear him. So we have this encampment of angels, or the angel of the Lord, and delivers them. Of course, being the denomination I was raised with, we believed in guardian angels, you know what I mean? But I like what you said, Doc, that when we know that we're in the palm of our father's hand, and nothing, and no one, no demon, nothing can snatch us out of his hand. Thank God for God. Thank God, which says in Hebrews, that we have entertained angels and not even knowing. And we all have stories of individuals that it was definitely an angel visitation. So. I think about it, I think you alluded to it, Dr. Blaze, is that, why does God even use angels? You think about that. I mean, he's omniscient, all powerful, he's everywhere, but but yet he uses angels. Any take on this? What do you think? Yeah, I think, you know, I tell people, I have two spike and fang. So don't mess with me. So they're always with me wherever I go. Spike and fang, they're in here right now. You know what I mean? That sounds better than Clarence. Yeah, I got spike and fang that are there. But I believe that they are there. And even if they're not there all the time, when we need them, they're there. And so I find great, you know, faith in that. And even in fact, when I pray over my children, I see in my mind's eye and my spirit, whether it's theological or not, even when my kids right now, there's angels watching over them at school. You know, wherever we go, they're there to protect us and watch over us. And I believe that God sends them to be those protecting against those adversarial demonic forces that may even be coming up against us. What does it mean when it talks about, and I'll throw this out as another side note question, that we will judge angels? Yeah, well, I can't get into that right now. We're up against the break, up against the break. I think we're gonna take a break now and I hope that you understand that God has got protection for you in the throne of angels, whether it's you're a side guardian angel or the angels that are there to help you. But coming up in 60 seconds, we ask are there different levels of heaven? Stay tuned. Welcome back to Hard Questions. We have a very important question that I think a lot of Christians ask themselves. How can I overcome sin in my Christian life? I think that's a struggle many Christians have. So Pete, what would you say to that? Well, first of all, in Romans chapter six and verse 12, it says, therefore do not let sin rain. Doesn't mean we won't sin. Therefore don't let sin rain in your mortal body that you should obey in its lust. That's an interesting word, right? So that would be like having sin as king in your life. Remember that, it was a chick track years ago that you had to get yourself out of the center of your heart. Oh, that was the four spiritual laws. That's right, that's right. Everyone carried that four spiritual law. So there's a difference between a believer's no longer in the habitual act of sinning. Will we sin? Yes, come on, we're told what in the book of James, if we say, or John, that if we say we don't sin, we're a liar. So we do have this confrontation, we do have this battle with sin. But the question is how do we overcome sin? What's it in Revelation? It says, and they overcame him. Who? The chief of sinners, they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives under death. So how do we overcome sin? I believe one important way of overcoming sin is by completely submitting ourselves to God, as we're told in James, submit yourself to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. So that's the beginning process. Now, will we ever come to the place of total perfection? Get that out of your head, it's not gonna happen. I think in Galatians five where it says, if you walk in the spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So I think like the walking in the spirit, having the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, according to whatever is born of God and first John overcomes the world, this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. So I think if we live by faith as the just, we learn to walk in the spirit and then we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh, but that's kind of like a battle. You got your carnal nature, your old sinful nature that's always pulling against, Paul said these two are against each other. So I don't always do what I think I should do, and I don't, and so there's this war going on. So I have to say, pray in the spirit, yield to the spirit, walk in the spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. You don't live in the spirit, you're gonna have issues. Man, that don't go in sin nature. Seriously, I've heard some schools with theology that say, oh well, we don't have that anymore. Well, it seems like we have it. Pastor Clay. Well, there's a poem that I remember and I always quote, two natures beat within my breast. One is foul and one is blessed. One I love and one I hate, the one I feed will dominate. And, you know, going back to what Buck said, I think he hit the nail on the head with the spirit. If you're feeding the spirit, if you're doing those things that you said, feeding the spirit, then I believe that you can have victory over sin. But if you're feeding the flesh, then you're gonna continuously walk in defeat and discouragement. Yeah, boy, that's a good and important way to remember to walk. Pastor Jay. And I agree with everything everybody's saying, and I think it goes, I'll give more of a practical side to what they're saying about dominating the flesh. And I think that's where Jesus talked about, take up your cross daily. And that's something that we don't hear about. Preachers don't talk about the cross anymore because that drives people out of your churches because they want to live a carnal life but claim all the blessings. And Jesus said, every day, you're gonna have to deny yourself, take up your cross, which means you have to crucify, which leads me to another point, the prayer life. How crucial is that? How many believers do not have a true prayer life? If you are not praying, you ain't staying. As they always say, you pray so you can stay, you fast so you can last. You've got to have both of those in your life as a believer. That's just part of it. And then if you go to the other side, practicality with being accountable for the sins that are in your life, having people that are in your world, if you're struggling with something, make sure you have that accountability, being practical, if there are things in your life that you know you're struggling with, if that fruit is bothering you, don't have it in your home. You know, that's real simple. Just don't go on the prototype. That's why the Bible says if your hand offends you, cut it off. If your eye offends you, pluck it out. And then the last thing, or actually I already said that, but it's the crucifying of the flesh as well. So it's using all of those parameters and whatever ways that they fit you by submitting to God that gives us that ability to overcome sin. You know, when you go back to what we're saying here is without this, let me hold it up. Without this, we won't conquer a thing. And without people having a daily devotion, without people meditating in the Word, saints, please believe me. This is the number one thing the enemy wants out of your life. When this comes out of your life, sin will reign. When this reigns, sin will go out of your life. Confess your faults one another. Pray for one another. I like what you said about accountability. If you're hiding sin, he who hides his sin is not gonna prosper. But when you make yourself accountable and confess your faults, then you pray for one another, get that out and open, then the healing process begins. And sometimes, if you find yourself that you have continually struggled, sometimes it's good to get professional counsels. Oh yeah, there is just a wisdom and an ability that those folks that do that have to unpack what's going on, because sometimes there's a deeper issue as well. Good answers, all good answers. So Pastor Bill, I wanna ask you, are there different levels in heaven? Okay, well, I would say to get to heaven. Yes. Right, Paul talked about being caught up in the third heaven. Yes. We realize there's three heavens. There's the first heavens where the birds fly. There's a second heavens where the planets, the universes are. And then there's a third heaven, which is the very presence of God. So I think that once you get to the third heaven, where God's presence is, I believe that there is the actual throne of God, where God is seated on a throne and people are worshiping him. And then there may be other areas in heaven where people are fellowshiping, doing other things. So to say that there are levels in heaven, I don't know if I would use the word leveled and maybe these brothers have another perspective. I think that there's heaven, the third heaven, but then there's the throne room of God, where you come at the very throne. Again, God is omnipresent, but you come into the manifested presence of God, the Shekinah presence of God. That's certainly, whatever levels are, that's the place you want to be. Well, I think also, the way I'm reading the question, levels of heaven, not necessarily in. So that's how I was reading the question, how it says in there. So when I think of levels, the Bible says in Genesis one, God created the heavens, plural. So that lets us know there's more than one level. I'm going to use the word level, because I think you explained, when you come about levels, whether it's stratosphere, I'm going to put it. Like I said, where the birds fly, the planets, then the third heaven there. So I mean, however you want to classify it, if it's level, stages, whatever you want to call it. But he said he created the heavens, plural. So that means there's got to be more than just one. That's interesting. I was taking it from the, are there different levels once you get to heaven? Like different levels of rewards. You remember the verse, store of treasures in heaven, you know? So yeah, I mean, you can put a lot in there or a little bit in there. What do you think, Pastor? I would answer that exactly like you did. I mean, seriously, you got the heavens, there's three levels the way I'm reading the question. And you got where the throne room is. I agree with that. Well, let's throw out the second question then, what I was alluding to, are there degrees of reward in heaven? Does somebody get in a crown with, you know, 50 diamonds in it, you know, I might have this little one just got a little ruby in there or something like that. Are there different levels? I mean, it says their works shall follow them. So people will be rewarded according to their works. So I don't think everyone's the same, not at all. Well, Jesus said, store up for yourself. So if you can store up, that means you can store down. You know, I mean, you know, you gotta have both. I mean, it's not like it's automatic. So he's talking about working towards what's gonna be rewarded. So I mean, Paul talked about how there's a reward out in front of me. So that's why believers should be encouraged to want to serve, to want to do, to use their graces and steward them well, because you're gonna get blessed. Now, we don't know what those are necessarily gonna be, but it's gonna be good if we've enjoyed this life and we think about the rewards, we get here for a job well done. Imagine what he has to store for us in perfection. Pay ahead, pay ahead. You know, and the Bible does talk about whether they're literal or figurative crowns that, you know, we receive crowns. And so you go to Revelation four and it says that, you know, we will cast the crowns at his feet. So yeah, I definitely believe that there are levels of rewards. Well, isn't it interesting that, you know, that whole thing of when we're in heaven, no matter what level we're at, it's gonna be perfect, perfect happiness, perfect, you know, unity, perfect love for God, no smoky glass between us and God any longer. Fulness of joy. In the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy. Absolutely. Good answers, good answers. Well, coming up, we ask, is hell truly eternal? Wow, stay tuned. Well, we've been having a great show talking about heaven, hell, guardian angels, rebuking bowls of fruit, all kinds of things we've been talking about here today. And I wanna get your take on one more question. It's about hell, Pastor Jay. Is hell truly eternal? Yeah, without a doubt, you know, Matthew 25 mentions in verse 46. And it's, you also a bunch of different parables there. And then in the end it said, and these will go away into everlasting punishment. The Bible concept Jesus mentioned about how we're the worm, dieth not, you know. The Bible's full of scriptures that mention how hell is eternal and there is no escape and there's no, you know, and it's hard for our finite minds to gather that, you know, even for me, I'm a preacher, I totally believe the word. I don't want you to think for one minute, I'm heretical, but it's hard to believe like, ever, ever, you know, forever, ever, ever. You know what I mean? Like it never stops. There's no relief. There's no, it's hard for the finite mind to gather it. But that's why we have to have even a renewed body to suffer just how we'll have a renewed body to be in God's presence forever. So however God chooses to do that, that's not for me to figure it out. My stance is that's the word and I'm sticking to it. And you know, Jay, if I can, if we, of course we want to get a glimpse, we want to have a conviction of heaven. But just the opposite of that, if we get a real, who was it who wrote centers in the hands of an angry God? Jonathan Edwards. And that series of messages was to the church. When the church really got ahold of that and saw the destiny, it changed the whole course. You know, the old time preacher said no problem saying that God's gonna cast people into the lake of fire and all that. And we've kind of softened up on that. What is your take on this as hell to the eternal? I think, you know, even to quote that Jonathan Edwards, I think, number one, God's not angry. Jesus fulfilled all the wrath of God that was to come to us in his body on the tree. So the reality is the good news that we're supposed to be preaching is there's a heaven to gain and a hell to miss. Jesus paid the price for you. The reality is, as the word tells us, he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of Christ. So the nature of God is that all come to Christ and experience heaven. But again, God didn't create robots. He created men with a choice, a free will. So isn't it crazy that God put us on the planet to get everybody to heaven and says, I'm not this God, and you know, there's a lot of different doctrines that just lets everything, you know, God elects some and chooses some and doesn't, no, no, he says all to come to Christ. But the reality is some will go to hell. And it is a place where you decide to have a child, the minute we make that decision, that child's an eternal being, correct? So that child comes to the age of accountability, has to hear the gospel be preached, receive Christ, have the blood applied, his sins forgiven, and experience heaven forever. So that person that goes to hell will experience suffering, torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth for ever and ever, separation from God. That's as clear as can be, but people struggle with that doctor. Doctor, that's the best. Well, you know what, I think the Lord that I'm not God. Because if I was God, I just said, I'm like, Jay, I would have a hard time letting somebody go to hell. You know, just thinking about eternal punishment, I would have a hard time, but let me just say this, that the Bible says it, and I tell people all the time, I told it, I quoted, but I didn't wrote it. Well, you know, I have to say, and we just have about a minute left, but Pete, I know, I had a friend, I don't think you didn't know him, but I had a friend who was serving the Lord, and he really struggled so much to the place of walking away from the Lord because of the doctrine of eternal conscious punishment. He just couldn't wrap his mind around that. What do we, do we just need to trust the Lord in this instance? I think without a doubt, we need to trust the Lord, but maybe in that situation, he was doing, maybe, you know, they say sometimes you over-study, and Buck, I just want to say this real quick. I agree with you that God is not angry with the righteous, but he is angry with the sinner every day, the unrighteous. And the scripture says- Well, his judgment will come, won't it? Yeah. And I think that, yeah. I understand that. One name that the scripture says he died for us while we were yet in sin, right? So correct. Yeah. I think, well, I love what you said. God, basically God's not looking for ways to send people to hell. No, no, not for. He's got a way to keep people out of hell. That's right. That's exactly- I mean, there's many people told their kid not to go on the street, but he did, and he ended up dead. And that's horrific, but he disobeyed. Right, right. Wow, powerful stuff. Well, we like to end the program with the scripture. And today we go to Colossians where it says this, set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. Real quick reaction. It says it all. It says it all. I mean, set your mind up above. Yeah. That's it, so. Fantastic. Well, we hope you enjoyed today's program and we want to hear from you. Email us your questions at hardquestions at ctvn.org or call into our hotline at 412-349-4326. We'd love to hear from you.