WEBVTT - With Paul in Prison at Caesarea Maritima 0:00:08.170 --> 0:00:11.320 Prison. The very word feels like a bucket of ice 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:14.860 dumped down your back. But believers throughout the ages have 0:00:14.860 --> 0:00:17.890 known what it means to spend time in prison. Just 0:00:17.890 --> 0:00:21.160 ask the apostle Paul. Actually, we're about to do better 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:24.310 than that. Just ahead, we'll be leaving our studios, and 0:00:24.310 --> 0:00:28.120 we'll bring you the sights and sounds of Caesarea maritime, 0:00:28.150 --> 0:00:31.780 a prison excavation. Welcome to the land. And the book 0:00:31.780 --> 0:00:35.890 with noted Israel expert doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger. 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:37.659 You know, Charlie, a lot of people ask, how do 0:00:37.659 --> 0:00:40.000 I share the gospel with my Jewish friend? And that's 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:43.510 a good question. And that question recognizes the need, I think, 0:00:43.510 --> 0:00:46.870 for a sensitive approach to sharing with our Jewish friends. 0:00:46.870 --> 0:00:48.790 You know, it does, John. That's why our friends at 0:00:48.790 --> 0:00:51.790 Life in Messiah want to help answer that question. They 0:00:51.790 --> 0:00:54.460 put together a series of helpful articles on how you 0:00:54.460 --> 0:00:57.670 can share the good news with Jewish people around you. 0:00:57.700 --> 0:01:03.610 You'll learn about Jewish cultural sensitivities, how anti-Semitism affects Jewish evangelism, 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:07.960 the importance of messianic prophecy, and more. To access the articles, 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:11.800 visit Life in Messiah. Org. Click on the Moody Radio 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:14.890 logo and sign up. You'll receive the articles to equip 0:01:14.890 --> 0:01:17.650 you with a practical way to share the good news 0:01:17.650 --> 0:01:21.490 with Jewish people around you or online. Again, click on 0:01:21.490 --> 0:01:25.990 the Moody Radio icon at Life in messiah.org. 0:01:26.530 --> 0:01:29.170 Well, let's swing our focus toward current events throughout the 0:01:29.170 --> 0:01:33.459 Middle East region. Serious disagreements between the US and Israel 0:01:33.459 --> 0:01:38.500 are now surfacing over Israel's continuing conflict with Hamas. What's 0:01:38.500 --> 0:01:41.680 causing these fissures and what impact might they have on 0:01:41.680 --> 0:01:43.030 the course of the war? 0:01:43.420 --> 0:01:47.319 Unfortunately, the fissures are being caused by fundamental disagreements between 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:51.160 the white House and Israel. President Biden called Israel's military 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:55.150 campaign against Hamas over the top. When asked for clarification, 0:01:55.150 --> 0:01:58.510 the white House said the president wants Hamas defeated, but 0:01:58.510 --> 0:02:02.170 that Israel must do so while protecting civilians. There's also 0:02:02.170 --> 0:02:05.380 a clear interpersonal tension going on between the president and 0:02:05.380 --> 0:02:08.800 the Prime minister. One reason the tension is escalated is 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:14.080 Israel's impending attack against Hamas's last remaining stronghold of Rafah. 0:02:14.110 --> 0:02:18.100 Because of the previous fighting, about 1.4 million of Gaza's 0:02:18.100 --> 0:02:22.720 2.3 million people are now packed into this relatively small area, 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:25.330 and the US and other Western leaders are concerned about 0:02:25.330 --> 0:02:28.940 the impact of fighting on those civilians. In a 45 0:02:28.940 --> 0:02:32.919 minute call last Sunday, President Biden bluntly told Netanyahu not 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.400 to press into Rafah without a credible plan for civilians. 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:40.060 Prime Minister Netanyahu countered that to defeat Hamas, Israel must 0:02:40.060 --> 0:02:44.500 operate in Rafah for battalions of Hamas fighters remain in Rafah. 0:02:44.500 --> 0:02:48.880 In addition to Hamas's leadership and the hostages, Netanyahu has 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:50.920 ordered a plan to be developed that allows for the 0:02:50.919 --> 0:02:54.640 evacuation of civilians while still pushing forward with the war 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:58.090 against Hamas. One option being explored is to set up 0:02:58.090 --> 0:03:01.570 15 tent cities along the coast of Gaza, each with 0:03:01.570 --> 0:03:04.750 25,000 tents. But let me go back to the reason 0:03:04.750 --> 0:03:07.930 for these fissures widening. Two other factors appear to be 0:03:07.930 --> 0:03:10.570 in play. The first is the way both countries view 0:03:10.570 --> 0:03:14.140 the war. As one Israeli pundit put it, the US 0:03:14.169 --> 0:03:17.470 is still stuck in October 6th. It assumes the solution 0:03:17.470 --> 0:03:19.630 to all the problems in the Middle East is the 0:03:19.630 --> 0:03:24.700 establishment of a Palestinian state, forgetting that Hamas attack was unprovoked, 0:03:24.700 --> 0:03:26.980 and that Hamas has said it will never accept the 0:03:26.980 --> 0:03:30.880 existence of a Jewish state of Israel. Israel sees Hamas 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:35.020 and its ideology as a deadly cancer, threatening their very lives, 0:03:35.020 --> 0:03:38.020 and they won't stop until the cancer is removed. The 0:03:38.020 --> 0:03:41.320 US is more willing to let a weakened Hamas remain. 0:03:41.530 --> 0:03:45.430 The other factor at play is our upcoming presidential election. 0:03:45.430 --> 0:03:49.690 Progressives and Muslims are sharply critical of President Biden's support 0:03:49.690 --> 0:03:53.170 for Israel in the war against Hamas, and he appears 0:03:53.170 --> 0:03:56.200 to be pushing Israel to wind down the war to 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:59.770 satisfy those voters. A memorandum issued by the white House 0:03:59.770 --> 0:04:04.270 last week requires countries receiving U.S. military funding to prove 0:04:04.270 --> 0:04:09.070 their following international humanitarian and human rights laws. Most countries 0:04:09.070 --> 0:04:12.520 have 180 days to comply, but Israel was only given 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:15.640 45 days. This is the kind of pressure the US 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:18.220 is placing on Israel to try to force them to 0:04:18.220 --> 0:04:21.700 pull back and stop short of total victory, or risk 0:04:21.700 --> 0:04:24.670 losing U.S. support and future military aid. 0:04:25.029 --> 0:04:27.430 Well, why is so much pressure being placed on Israel 0:04:27.430 --> 0:04:30.219 from the US, the UN and Europe to reach a 0:04:30.220 --> 0:04:34.030 ceasefire and end the conflict? Is the concern for both 0:04:34.029 --> 0:04:37.570 the hostages and the civilians in Gaza truly legitimate? 0:04:38.020 --> 0:04:40.570 The concern for the hostages and the civilians in Gaza 0:04:40.570 --> 0:04:44.200 is indeed legitimate. The problem is that those saying this 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:47.589 most loudly also seem to be implying that Israel isn't 0:04:47.589 --> 0:04:51.190 concerned about them, and that's just not the case. The 0:04:51.190 --> 0:04:54.400 chair of the Urban warfare studies at West Point posted 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:57.010 a week ago, and said Israel has done more to 0:04:57.010 --> 0:05:01.180 minimize civilian casualties than any other military in the history 0:05:01.180 --> 0:05:04.690 of war. He gave examples such as calling or texting 0:05:04.690 --> 0:05:07.860 ahead of a strike to warn civilians. The so-called roof 0:05:07.860 --> 0:05:10.800 knocking to let residents know the building's about to be bombed. 0:05:10.830 --> 0:05:15.720 Evacuating urban areas before the full air and ground attack begin. Now, 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:18.540 on the other side of the equation, it's Hamas that 0:05:18.540 --> 0:05:23.880 deliberately embedded themselves within civilian population centers, used hospitals, mosques, 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:27.599 schools and even UN buildings as shields as they built 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:31.260 their control centers underneath them. Hamas, not Israel, is the 0:05:31.260 --> 0:05:35.430 one who attack civilians and took civilians as hostages. Family 0:05:35.430 --> 0:05:38.100 of the hostages have actually filed a war crime complaint 0:05:38.100 --> 0:05:41.339 against Hamas in The Hague. The West does want to 0:05:41.339 --> 0:05:45.330 help civilians and hostages, but they're also motivated by unrest 0:05:45.330 --> 0:05:48.960 within their own growing Muslim population. The question now is 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:52.530 what will happen next? If Israel goes after Hamas and Rafah, 0:05:52.529 --> 0:05:55.830 they'll be condemned by the world. It's possible the current 0:05:55.830 --> 0:06:00.540 talks could force Hamas to accept a more reasonable hostage deal, 0:06:00.750 --> 0:06:03.900 perhaps allowing the hostages to go in exchange for allowing 0:06:03.900 --> 0:06:06.960 Hamas leadership and and some fighters to go into exile. 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:10.200 But right now, Europe and the US, for their own 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:14.370 political reasons, are war weary. While Israel's pushing for victory 0:06:14.370 --> 0:06:18.360 over Hamas, Hamas is hoping these other nations will force 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:21.570 Israel to stop before it's too late for them. They 0:06:21.570 --> 0:06:24.660 don't care about civilians or hostages, except to use them 0:06:24.660 --> 0:06:27.000 as bargaining chips to remain in power. 0:06:27.029 --> 0:06:29.760 From Moody Radio, this is the land and the book 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:33.659 with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, noted Israel expert. I'm 0:06:33.660 --> 0:06:36.060 John Hager. Charlie, let's turn for a moment from the 0:06:36.060 --> 0:06:38.400 conflict in the Middle East to take a look at 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:42.419 the archaeological news from the Euphrates to the Nile. A 0:06:42.420 --> 0:06:45.840 recent study focused on dating the Ishtar Gate in Babylon 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:50.670 using archaea magnetism. What is archaea magnetism, and what did 0:06:50.670 --> 0:06:53.010 the researchers discover about that gate? 0:06:53.250 --> 0:06:56.820 Archaeal magnetism is the study of geomagnetic data, in this 0:06:56.820 --> 0:07:00.719 case taken from samples in the bricks of Babylon's Ishtar 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.780 Gate to help date when it was built, some of 0:07:03.779 --> 0:07:05.820 the bricks in the Ishtar Gate were inscribed with the 0:07:05.820 --> 0:07:08.849 name of King Nebuchadnezzar, so they had a clear general 0:07:08.850 --> 0:07:12.000 idea of when it was built. Slight changes in the 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:14.820 magnetic field of the bricks from which samples were taken 0:07:14.820 --> 0:07:17.910 show that the building process took place in phases over 0:07:17.910 --> 0:07:22.290 several years, apparently after other nearby building projects caused the 0:07:22.290 --> 0:07:26.160 street to be raised. The original unglazed Ishtar Gate that's 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:28.560 still in Babylon. I've walked on it, but you need 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:30.600 to go down a flight of stairs to reach it. 0:07:30.600 --> 0:07:33.720 Nebuchadnezzar covered that gate and replaced it with one made 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.240 of glazed brick. And that gate is the one that's 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:39.240 now in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. Well, what the 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:42.630 archaeologists discovered was that the construction on this revised Ishtar 0:07:42.630 --> 0:07:47.070 Gate didn't begin until about 583 BC. That's three years 0:07:47.070 --> 0:07:51.030 after the destruction of Jerusalem, and the construction continued for 0:07:51.030 --> 0:07:54.690 several years. This study reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar's words in 0:07:54.690 --> 0:07:57.270 Daniel 430. You know, that's when he boasted, is this 0:07:57.270 --> 0:08:00.390 not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built? Well, 0:08:00.390 --> 0:08:03.540 he might have even been looking at the remodeled Ishtar Gate, 0:08:03.540 --> 0:08:06.270 rising right next to his palace on which he was 0:08:06.270 --> 0:08:09.240 standing when he made those words in any case, this 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:13.770 new study simply reminds us that Nebuchadnezzar's prideful statement was true. 0:08:13.770 --> 0:08:18.240 He was constantly remodeling, improving, and beautifying his city, which 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:20.820 he saw as a monument to his greatness. 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.660 Moving from the Euphrates to the Nile, Egypt announced its 0:08:24.660 --> 0:08:28.050 project of the century to fully restore one of the 0:08:28.050 --> 0:08:31.080 three main pyramids in Giza. What do they hope to 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:34.230 accomplish here, Charlie? And how is that plan being received? 0:08:34.260 --> 0:08:37.740 Well, this story takes us into the realm of the bizarre. Initially, 0:08:37.740 --> 0:08:41.490 Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities announced a project to restore 0:08:41.490 --> 0:08:44.970 the smallest of the three main pyramids in Giza by 0:08:44.970 --> 0:08:47.700 refinancing it with granite so that it would look exactly 0:08:47.700 --> 0:08:51.300 like it did when it was initially built 4500 years ago. 0:08:51.510 --> 0:08:54.120 The problem is that this would fundamentally change the look 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:56.940 of the pyramid and make it garishly stand out from 0:08:56.940 --> 0:09:00.270 the other two larger pyramids nearby. Needless to say, the 0:09:00.270 --> 0:09:03.750 project has come under fire from historians and archaeologists who 0:09:03.750 --> 0:09:06.870 see it almost as a desecration. It would be like 0:09:06.870 --> 0:09:09.990 rebuilding the Colosseum in Rome or adding a roof back 0:09:09.990 --> 0:09:13.230 on the Acropolis in Athens. In light of the uproar, 0:09:13.260 --> 0:09:16.800 the Minister of Tourism issued a decree forming a committee 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:20.970 to review the restoration project and issue its recommendations. No 0:09:20.970 --> 0:09:23.459 time frame was announced, and I'm kind of hoping that 0:09:23.460 --> 0:09:26.400 this project dies a quiet death in committee. 0:09:26.670 --> 0:09:30.480 Okay, well, as the war in Gaza continues, Israel's high 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:34.920 tech community is using innovation and technology to save lives 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:38.130 and bring closure to those who have lost loved ones. 0:09:38.130 --> 0:09:42.450 Tell us about these war inspired innovations from amazing Israel. 0:09:42.450 --> 0:09:45.780 Yeah, both of them involve artificial intelligence, and the first 0:09:45.780 --> 0:09:49.320 is the use of artificial intelligence to review scans and 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:53.160 send alerts to doctors. One woman was shot by Hamas 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.310 and rushed to the hospital and underwent a variety of scans. 0:09:56.309 --> 0:10:00.090 The scans were then pushed through the AI platform, designed 0:10:00.090 --> 0:10:04.050 to detect different pathologies, and it detected a lethal tiny 0:10:04.050 --> 0:10:07.990 aneurysm in her brain and immediately notified. The appropriate staff 0:10:07.990 --> 0:10:11.950 via text in mass casualty events like that of October 7th. 0:10:11.980 --> 0:10:16.330 The program can help triage and prioritize care for patients. 0:10:16.660 --> 0:10:20.080 The other AI program developed allows for more rapid and 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:24.910 accurate identification of victims in mass casualty events. Israel suddenly 0:10:24.910 --> 0:10:28.030 had to deal with thousands of bodies, some that appeared 0:10:28.030 --> 0:10:31.840 to be burned or mutilated, almost beyond recognition. They first 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.750 performed CT scans on all the bodies, looking for any 0:10:34.750 --> 0:10:39.580 identifiable markers like pacemakers, surgery scars, hip replacements, things like that. 0:10:39.790 --> 0:10:43.600 Some bodies, though, were virtually disintegrated, with only small bone 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:47.200 fragments remaining. They then gathered all the medical records of 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:50.709 anybody reported missing, and the AI program then performed an 0:10:50.710 --> 0:10:55.179 automatic comparison of up to 117 skeletal parts to try 0:10:55.179 --> 0:10:59.080 to match the remains with any available evidence using the program, 0:10:59.080 --> 0:11:03.040 which also included DNA evidence, fingerprints, dental records. When available, 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:05.829 the pathologists were able to identify many of those who'd 0:11:05.830 --> 0:11:09.550 been killed, providing some closure to grieving families. The truly 0:11:09.550 --> 0:11:12.070 amazing aspect of all this is that both of these 0:11:12.070 --> 0:11:15.490 AI programs were developed in a matter of weeks, under 0:11:15.490 --> 0:11:18.910 some of the most difficult circumstances, highlighting the impact of 0:11:18.910 --> 0:11:23.500 these dedicated scientists, doctors and researchers in amazing Israel. 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:27.160 Well, so much going on in the Middle East right now, Charlie. 0:11:27.190 --> 0:11:29.770 We're told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Would 0:11:29.770 --> 0:11:31.780 you lead us in a brief prayer even now? 0:11:31.809 --> 0:11:34.270 Yeah, I will, John. Father, we do pray for the 0:11:34.270 --> 0:11:36.340 peace of Jerusalem. We ask that you would help the 0:11:36.340 --> 0:11:39.580 fighting to stop, give the leadership wisdom and knowing the 0:11:39.580 --> 0:11:43.059 best decisions to be made, and then protect those, especially 0:11:43.059 --> 0:11:44.650 those who are trying to protect the rest of the 0:11:44.650 --> 0:11:47.470 land of Israel. Give them safety and we pray for 0:11:47.470 --> 0:11:49.570 that peace in Jesus name. Amen. 0:11:49.900 --> 0:11:51.970 And we invite you to be praying for the peace 0:11:51.970 --> 0:11:55.209 of Jerusalem as well throughout the day. Up next, here 0:11:55.210 --> 0:11:56.829 on the land in the book, it's a visit to 0:11:56.830 --> 0:12:00.459 a prison excavation. Not just any prison. It's where Paul 0:12:00.460 --> 0:12:03.699 was held right on the Mediterranean coast. Hope you'll stick 0:12:03.700 --> 0:12:06.580 around for more here on Moody Radio's The Land and 0:12:06.580 --> 0:12:24.080 the book. Prison. Boy, the very word feels like a 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:27.079 bucket of ice dumped down your back, doesn't it? But 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:30.260 believers throughout the ages have known what it means to 0:12:30.260 --> 0:12:34.459 spend time in prison. Just ask the Apostle Paul. Actually, 0:12:34.460 --> 0:12:37.130 we're about to do better than that. Hey, welcome back 0:12:37.130 --> 0:12:39.140 to the land in the book. It's our second segment 0:12:39.140 --> 0:12:42.410 on the program. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, spent many 0:12:42.410 --> 0:12:46.189 years as a licensed Israeli tour guide. I'm John Geiger, 0:12:46.190 --> 0:12:49.400 always hungry to learn something new, especially when we're traveling 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:52.610 together with our wives in Israel. It's a privilege to 0:12:52.610 --> 0:12:53.569 be here, Charlie, isn't it? 0:12:53.660 --> 0:12:56.750 It is John. Absolutely. What a great place to study 0:12:56.750 --> 0:12:57.559 God's word. 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.439 Okay, people are picking up a little bit of background sound. Exactly. 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:01.370 Where are we, Charlie? 0:13:01.370 --> 0:13:05.329 We are in sensory. Actually, we're in Caesarea maritime. That 0:13:05.330 --> 0:13:09.650 is Caesarea by the sea, which distinguishes it from Caesarea Philippi, 0:13:09.650 --> 0:13:12.290 which is back up by Mount Hermon. Now, this city 0:13:12.290 --> 0:13:15.080 was built by Herod the Great. It actually extends onto 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:18.770 the Mediterranean. And we're about 30 miles north of Israel's 0:13:18.770 --> 0:13:20.840 old city port of Joppa. 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.900 So we are just feet away from the edges of 0:13:23.900 --> 0:13:26.120 the shoreline here, the waves coming in real nice as 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:27.170 we record today. 0:13:27.320 --> 0:13:28.730 It's a beautiful day. All right. 0:13:28.730 --> 0:13:30.740 The significance of this place is what, Charlie? 0:13:30.740 --> 0:13:32.990 Well, in New Testament times, it was Herod the Great's 0:13:32.990 --> 0:13:36.709 lifeline to Rome. The empire is the Romans. They kept 0:13:36.710 --> 0:13:39.380 him in power. In fact, Herod literally had this city 0:13:39.380 --> 0:13:41.929 rise out of the sand. Now, there was no good 0:13:41.929 --> 0:13:44.900 port in this area. There's no dependable water supply. There's 0:13:44.900 --> 0:13:48.200 no significant road links. In short, there was no strategic 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:51.170 advantage to this place. But Herod needed a connection to 0:13:51.170 --> 0:13:54.559 Rome that was not connected to the Jewish people, even 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:57.199 though he was king of the Jews. And for his security, 0:13:57.410 --> 0:14:00.260 building a new port out of nothing gave him that 0:14:00.260 --> 0:14:03.590 strategic link. Until he built this, ships had to dock 0:14:03.590 --> 0:14:05.330 out at sea on their way from door in the 0:14:05.330 --> 0:14:08.210 north to Joppa in the south. And so Herod needed 0:14:08.210 --> 0:14:09.470 this strategic port. 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:12.680 Well, the waves of the Mediterranean in the background. And 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.350 what a sight it is. Paul, of course, was arrested 0:14:15.350 --> 0:14:19.370 in Jerusalem and taken by a Roman guard to Caesarea, 0:14:19.370 --> 0:14:22.370 where we are now. How big might that party have 0:14:22.370 --> 0:14:25.790 been accompanying Paul, and how long might the trip have taken? 0:14:25.940 --> 0:14:28.100 Yeah, we tend to skip over those details, but it's 0:14:28.100 --> 0:14:31.040 a major operation. 40 Jewish zealots are taking an oath 0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:33.500 saying that they weren't going to drink or eat anything 0:14:33.500 --> 0:14:35.840 until they could ambush and kill Paul. So when the 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:38.360 commander of the fortress heard that he put together a 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:41.210 major force to take Paul from Jerusalem necessary. In fact, 0:14:41.210 --> 0:14:45.380 acts 23 says that they had 200 foot soldiers and 0:14:45.380 --> 0:14:49.040 70 horsemen, and then they also had an additional 200 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:53.480 spearmen or archers, depending on the translation there. That's 470 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:56.120 Romans in a force. And they left the barracks. It 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:59.000 makes note at 9 p.m., which is about the time 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:01.609 everything would shut down for the night in Jerusalem. So 0:15:01.610 --> 0:15:04.880 they're slipping away in the dark. And they marched all 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:08.750 night to Antipater, which is a 30 mile hike. Now again, 0:15:08.750 --> 0:15:11.330 400 of those guys are not on horses. They're marching 0:15:11.330 --> 0:15:14.750 on foot. That would take a good seven hours to 0:15:14.750 --> 0:15:17.210 hike that far, that at that point they let the 0:15:17.210 --> 0:15:20.330 400 soldiers head back. The 70 horsemen with Paul on 0:15:20.330 --> 0:15:23.330 a horse, then made the additional 30 mile journey from 0:15:23.330 --> 0:15:26.270 there to Caesarea. So it was a two day journey 0:15:26.270 --> 0:15:29.119 to get Paul up here and a major force. 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.370 And I think about the water that would have been required, 0:15:31.370 --> 0:15:33.140 not just for the people to drink, but the animals 0:15:33.140 --> 0:15:34.490 as well, the food they would have had to eat 0:15:34.490 --> 0:15:35.210 in on the journey. 0:15:35.210 --> 0:15:38.270 Oh yeah, they had. Now the Romans were good at logistics, 0:15:38.270 --> 0:15:41.060 but you had to get all those logistics ready that fast. 0:15:41.060 --> 0:15:42.740 Had to be a major operation. 0:15:42.740 --> 0:15:46.010 Okay, so when they arrived at this place with Paul, 0:15:46.010 --> 0:15:47.780 how do we know that this place where we now 0:15:47.780 --> 0:15:49.910 stand is likely the place? 0:15:49.910 --> 0:15:52.670 Well, there's actually several clues that let us know. The 0:15:52.670 --> 0:15:55.370 last verse in acts 23 says, Paul was kept in 0:15:55.370 --> 0:15:59.930 Herod's praetorium. The praetorium was the palace or headquarters, which 0:15:59.930 --> 0:16:03.140 places Paul at the the guard barracks for Herod the 0:16:03.140 --> 0:16:06.980 Great originally. And that's where the Roman governors then lived afterward. 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:09.680 But the word in that context has the idea of 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:12.230 a soldiers barracks or headquarters. So as we were walking 0:16:12.230 --> 0:16:15.620 through the site, they're actually excavating right now, that spot 0:16:15.620 --> 0:16:18.890 underground where the barracks was, and likely that's where Paul 0:16:18.890 --> 0:16:21.230 was kept. So putting it all together, it looks like 0:16:21.230 --> 0:16:24.890 the palace complexes where Paul was and specifically underground in 0:16:24.890 --> 0:16:26.360 that palace complex. Okay, you. 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:27.950 Have touched on the very next question I want to 0:16:27.950 --> 0:16:31.310 ask underground, what might those prison conditions have been like 0:16:31.310 --> 0:16:32.330 during Paul's day? 0:16:32.330 --> 0:16:34.970 Well, okay, I'll start with some good news. He probably 0:16:34.970 --> 0:16:38.690 wasn't kept in stocks. He wasn't kept in solitary confinement. 0:16:38.900 --> 0:16:41.180 He was allowed to have visitors. We know, but the 0:16:41.180 --> 0:16:44.600 prison complex was underground. And it's likely that Paul wouldn't 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:46.970 have gotten the fresh air break that we give modern 0:16:46.970 --> 0:16:50.480 prisoners today out in the yard. So he was stuck 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:54.320 underground underneath the atrium or garden area of Herod's Palace. 0:16:54.530 --> 0:16:56.240 It would have been dark. I suspect it would have 0:16:56.240 --> 0:16:59.180 been smelly, probably damp in there. Right? Being right here 0:16:59.180 --> 0:17:01.700 as we are right next to the ocean. Uh, likely 0:17:01.700 --> 0:17:04.610 he got normal food rations, probably the same rations fed 0:17:04.609 --> 0:17:06.800 to the soldiers, but it would not have been a 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:07.850 pleasant place. 0:17:07.850 --> 0:17:10.340 That's Doctor Charlie Dyer, host of the land in the book, 0:17:10.340 --> 0:17:13.550 who is leading a tour in Israel. We've tagged along 0:17:13.550 --> 0:17:15.770 with our microphones here with the broadcast to kind of 0:17:15.770 --> 0:17:20.300 tap into his expertise on today's program. Well, describe a best. 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:24.480 Case scenario for archaeologists working at this site, what would 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:27.810 their highest hopes look like or have looked like? You know, 0:17:27.810 --> 0:17:28.260 I think. 0:17:28.260 --> 0:17:30.420 They'd love to be able to reconstruct what it was 0:17:30.420 --> 0:17:33.930 like in the that first century era, the New Testament era, 0:17:33.930 --> 0:17:35.429 we would say, and what it was like in the 0:17:35.430 --> 0:17:38.070 days of the second Jewish revolt against Rome. They did 0:17:38.070 --> 0:17:41.820 discover an inscription made by some female prisoner in that 0:17:41.820 --> 0:17:45.660 prison that asked the Lord Jesus to help Procopius, someone 0:17:45.660 --> 0:17:48.420 from the first century, very likely someone who was a 0:17:48.420 --> 0:17:52.740 imprisoned in that prison. In AD 135, Jewish Rabbi Akiva 0:17:52.740 --> 0:17:55.830 was imprisoned in Caesarea, probably in that same prison as well. 0:17:55.830 --> 0:17:57.870 And we know from history he was taken out then 0:17:57.869 --> 0:17:58.800 and executed. 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:01.410 Well, what kind of a time frame would you guess 0:18:01.410 --> 0:18:05.399 would be required for a thorough excavation and the cataloguing 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:09.420 of all the contents here? Is it years from now, 510, 0:18:09.420 --> 0:18:10.530 or is it mostly done? 0:18:10.530 --> 0:18:12.570 You know, it's two months ago I saw that excavation 0:18:12.570 --> 0:18:15.540 for the first time. So last year it didn't exist. 0:18:15.540 --> 0:18:18.210 Two months ago was there? Today it's a lot even 0:18:18.210 --> 0:18:21.270 more expanded. And when you see somebody with a jackhammer inside, 0:18:21.270 --> 0:18:23.669 you know that they're not doing it in a slow, 0:18:23.670 --> 0:18:27.090 methodical fashion. They are really trying to reconstruct this area 0:18:27.090 --> 0:18:28.889 and doing it as quickly as possible. 0:18:29.100 --> 0:18:32.730 Well, if Paul were to revisit this site today, right 0:18:32.730 --> 0:18:35.429 where we are now standing, would he recognize it at 0:18:35.430 --> 0:18:37.830 all for the place it was in his day? Why 0:18:37.830 --> 0:18:38.580 or why not? 0:18:38.609 --> 0:18:41.040 Well, I think he would somewhat recognize it, though he'd 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:43.560 be a bit confused at first. The the ocean has 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:45.450 carved away some of the areas that would have been 0:18:45.450 --> 0:18:47.520 familiar to him, and yet he would have seen this 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:51.600 palace complex, would have at least known those foundations that existed. 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:54.990 The prison would have been familiar to him by by 0:18:54.990 --> 0:18:57.929 all means. And certainly the theater was there. Now. He 0:18:57.930 --> 0:19:01.500 wouldn't have seen all that beautiful aluminum girding and modern 0:19:01.500 --> 0:19:03.899 equipment in that theater. But but otherwise I think he 0:19:03.900 --> 0:19:06.360 would have understood it and and said, yeah, I've been here. 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:10.140 We're on the very shores of the Mediterranean Ocean, Herod's 0:19:10.140 --> 0:19:13.740 palace built out over the Mediterranean, a helicopter flying by. 0:19:13.740 --> 0:19:17.460 We're having a great time talking about Paul's rather uncomfortable. 0:19:17.460 --> 0:19:20.760 Stay here in the underground prison. Take us to a 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:25.110 place in Scripture that welds this place to the passage. Okay? 0:19:25.230 --> 0:19:28.230 Even as that helicopter flies overhead on the passage, I 0:19:28.230 --> 0:19:31.169 would think of as acts 23 and 24, you know, 0:19:31.170 --> 0:19:34.500 we can mentally travel with Paul from Jerusalem to Caesarea. 0:19:34.650 --> 0:19:37.110 We can watch as he's delivered to the prison. The 0:19:37.109 --> 0:19:39.870 conditions look abysmal to us. But Paul might have said 0:19:39.869 --> 0:19:43.350 at least the place was relatively clean and comfortable. Uh, 0:19:43.350 --> 0:19:45.689 the food was good and it wasn't going to be 0:19:45.690 --> 0:19:48.060 mistreated here. Certainly wasn't anybody here who's going to try 0:19:48.060 --> 0:19:50.669 and put him to death at that point. Uh, but remember, 0:19:50.670 --> 0:19:52.470 this is a guy who said he learned all things 0:19:52.470 --> 0:19:54.720 through all things. He's going to be content. So I 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:56.310 think Paul would have said, yeah, it looks fine. 0:19:56.609 --> 0:20:00.540 Why did this prison cease being a prison? What factors 0:20:00.540 --> 0:20:03.899 might have contributed to Caesarea itself fading from prominence? 0:20:03.900 --> 0:20:07.680 Well over time? The harbor sank beneath the Mediterranean. It 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:09.810 could have been destroyed by a massive storm or by 0:20:09.810 --> 0:20:12.630 an earthquake. We don't know the exact date or cause, 0:20:12.630 --> 0:20:14.700 but what we do know is that eventually it ceased 0:20:14.700 --> 0:20:17.609 being used as a major harbor. They constructed a much 0:20:17.609 --> 0:20:21.119 smaller harbor there, but it really kind of sank into obscurity, 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:25.260 if you will. So the aqueducts shifted. The part of 0:20:25.260 --> 0:20:27.419 them were washed away by a storm. So there was 0:20:27.420 --> 0:20:31.080 water supply ceased being here that was supplying it with 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:34.139 everything it needed. So eventually this place just seemed to 0:20:34.140 --> 0:20:36.930 settle back into the backwater that it was before Herod 0:20:36.930 --> 0:20:38.010 the Great came along. 0:20:38.010 --> 0:20:39.930 One thing that struck me as you were speaking with 0:20:39.930 --> 0:20:42.899 our tour group, Charlie, is we're pointing out the luxury 0:20:42.900 --> 0:20:46.350 that Herod enjoyed in his palace, a swimming pool that 0:20:46.350 --> 0:20:49.500 was out over the Mediterranean itself. But the placement of 0:20:49.500 --> 0:20:52.830 this prison where Paul was, is so close. Why would 0:20:52.830 --> 0:20:55.200 you build it so close? And then why not get 0:20:55.200 --> 0:20:58.980 the the low life further away from the the hoity toity. 0:20:58.980 --> 0:21:01.949 Ah, because the praetorium was the the guards. They were the, 0:21:02.220 --> 0:21:05.640 the Secret service, if you will, guarding Herod. And so 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:07.320 Paul would have been kept with the Secret Service, and 0:21:07.320 --> 0:21:10.860 the Secret Service were near where the king was, uh, underground, 0:21:10.859 --> 0:21:14.100 out of sight. Uh, you know, it wasn't like something 0:21:14.100 --> 0:21:16.860 that stuck out at him, but indeed, uh, he wanted 0:21:16.859 --> 0:21:19.710 them close by because Herod valued security. 0:21:19.859 --> 0:21:23.220 So we passed a really important stone or a mock 0:21:23.220 --> 0:21:25.890 up or a recreation of a stone on the way, 0:21:25.890 --> 0:21:27.959 and talk about that stone and the character that we 0:21:27.960 --> 0:21:29.220 read in biblical history. Yeah. 0:21:29.220 --> 0:21:32.970 Fascinating Stone, because it's it's a description, actually, the theater 0:21:32.970 --> 0:21:34.679 that was built by Herod the Great had to be 0:21:34.680 --> 0:21:37.320 remodeled probably a hundred years later, some of the seats 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:41.040 needed to be replaced. And, uh, some enterprising construction worker decided, 0:21:41.040 --> 0:21:43.679 I'll just rip this old sign off this dilapidated building, 0:21:43.680 --> 0:21:46.080 flip it on its end, and slide it in as 0:21:46.080 --> 0:21:48.660 a new seat. And underneath that theater, when the when 0:21:48.660 --> 0:21:51.629 the excavated it by archaeologists, they, they found on it, 0:21:51.630 --> 0:21:54.330 it mentioned, uh, the the sign was for a building 0:21:54.330 --> 0:21:57.240 called the Tiberium Tiberius Caesar and had been built by 0:21:57.240 --> 0:21:59.609 Pontius Pilate, the prefect of Judah. 0:21:59.850 --> 0:22:01.770 What does that say? By way of tongue in cheek 0:22:01.770 --> 0:22:06.000 humor about the the Bible's impression of of these people? Yeah. 0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:07.380 Well, you know, I look at it two ways, because 0:22:07.380 --> 0:22:09.780 there were people who said Pontius Pilate didn't even exist. 0:22:09.780 --> 0:22:12.179 And it's embarrassing to have an inscription to someone that 0:22:12.180 --> 0:22:15.000 these critics didn't think was around. But on the other side, 0:22:15.000 --> 0:22:17.010 it's like they thought they were so important building these 0:22:17.010 --> 0:22:19.850 inscriptions and putting their names out there. And. Finally got 0:22:20.150 --> 0:22:22.280 someone's tush. Can can sit on it. And that's that's 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:23.180 good enough for me. 0:22:23.210 --> 0:22:25.760 That's doctor Charlie dire. I'm John Jaeger. This is the 0:22:25.760 --> 0:22:28.070 land in the book, a special edition. As we join 0:22:28.070 --> 0:22:31.160 you today from Israel. We're in the north. We're by 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:33.680 the Mediterranean Ocean. Man. It's so close. Charlie, I feel 0:22:33.680 --> 0:22:36.230 like I got to get my feet wet. Well, you. 0:22:36.230 --> 0:22:37.520 Have the opportunity, John. 0:22:37.520 --> 0:22:40.399 All right. In addition to that stone, other archaeological evidence 0:22:40.400 --> 0:22:44.090 here impacting our understanding of the New Testament, talk about 0:22:44.090 --> 0:22:48.710 that which has been discovered and that which is being discovered, likely. Well, 0:22:48.710 --> 0:22:49.040 you know. 0:22:49.160 --> 0:22:51.109 Caesarea, we usually have it as our first stop, because 0:22:51.109 --> 0:22:53.870 there is so much here that pulls people into this 0:22:53.869 --> 0:22:56.239 time of the Bible. Uh, the characteristics, I would say 0:22:56.240 --> 0:23:00.080 of Herod the Great, uh, of, uh, his massive building projects, 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:02.120 the inscription, you know, that we just talked about found 0:23:02.119 --> 0:23:05.090 on the underside of that seat, mentioning Pontius Pilate, prefect 0:23:05.090 --> 0:23:07.310 of Judah. Uh, but Paul likely gave his message. And 0:23:07.310 --> 0:23:08.810 that's what we just talked about with the group at 0:23:08.810 --> 0:23:12.080 the end, uh, to Festus and Agrippa and the prison 0:23:12.080 --> 0:23:13.580 where Paul spent years of his life. You know, those 0:23:13.580 --> 0:23:16.609 are real people. They were real events in the Bible. 0:23:16.609 --> 0:23:18.230 And I think this is one of those places where 0:23:18.230 --> 0:23:21.649 you stand and suddenly say, wow, it did happen right here. 0:23:22.040 --> 0:23:24.560 All right. How about your best guess as Paul sat 0:23:24.560 --> 0:23:28.010 there in prison, likely underground, as you've pointed out, did 0:23:28.010 --> 0:23:31.970 he hope and even expect that he might someday return 0:23:31.970 --> 0:23:35.030 from Rome as a freed person? Or do you think 0:23:35.030 --> 0:23:38.000 he probably understood that this was, quite frankly, a one 0:23:38.000 --> 0:23:39.440 way trip? You know, in this. 0:23:39.440 --> 0:23:41.929 Time in his life, I really think Paul expected to 0:23:41.930 --> 0:23:44.030 gain his freedom. And here's why I say that in 0:23:44.030 --> 0:23:46.429 in Romans, which he he was writing before he had 0:23:46.430 --> 0:23:49.340 ever gone to Rome. Paul said he was, uh, taking 0:23:49.340 --> 0:23:51.500 a collection in Greece at that time, going back to 0:23:51.500 --> 0:23:53.659 the church here in Jerusalem to bring it. And then 0:23:53.660 --> 0:23:55.640 his plan was to travel to Rome, he says, on 0:23:55.640 --> 0:23:58.760 his way to Spain. And God changed the timing for 0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:00.439 his trip. God changed the way he was going to 0:24:00.440 --> 0:24:02.450 get to Rome for that trip. But I think Paul 0:24:02.450 --> 0:24:03.979 had it all planned. He said, God's going to take 0:24:03.980 --> 0:24:05.960 me to Rome, I'm going to go to Spain. And 0:24:05.960 --> 0:24:08.240 I really do think that's what Paul expected to happen. 0:24:08.750 --> 0:24:10.700 All right. What about some lessons that we can take 0:24:10.700 --> 0:24:14.510 from Paul and his stay at this ancient prison location 0:24:14.510 --> 0:24:15.530 on the Mediterranean? You know. 0:24:15.530 --> 0:24:17.600 Philippians is what comes to mind. You stand over there 0:24:17.600 --> 0:24:20.510 and look down into that prison, and then you remember 0:24:20.510 --> 0:24:22.670 what Paul said in Philippians four, you know, in verses 0:24:22.670 --> 0:24:25.939 11 and 13, which he wrote after spending years in 0:24:25.940 --> 0:24:28.820 Caesarea and during the shipwreck and everything, he said, I've 0:24:28.820 --> 0:24:32.270 learned to be content in whatever circumstances I'm in. And 0:24:32.270 --> 0:24:34.160 then two verses later he said, I can do all 0:24:34.160 --> 0:24:37.430 things through him who gives me strength. Well, that involved 0:24:37.550 --> 0:24:39.650 I can be in a prison, I can endure the shipwreck, 0:24:39.650 --> 0:24:41.390 I can endure all of that because God is there 0:24:41.390 --> 0:24:44.540 with me. So can we learn to be content like that? 0:24:44.540 --> 0:24:46.879 And can we remember that God can give us the 0:24:46.880 --> 0:24:49.280 strength we need for all of our details? Those are 0:24:49.280 --> 0:24:52.580 great lessons from Paul right here at Caesarea. 0:24:52.580 --> 0:24:55.640 You know, I can read that scripture passage and I 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:58.340 can see these remains. And yet I still think if 0:24:58.340 --> 0:25:01.220 it were me, I'd probably win, complain and be Eeyore, 0:25:01.220 --> 0:25:03.620 and who knows how many other negative folks we do. 0:25:03.619 --> 0:25:06.139 And that's because we all are struggling. But it's amazing 0:25:06.170 --> 0:25:08.120 to me what Paul says there. In fact, he says, 0:25:08.119 --> 0:25:10.550 I learned to be content, which tells me he wasn't 0:25:10.550 --> 0:25:13.550 always the most content person, but God used those experiences 0:25:13.550 --> 0:25:15.980 to bring that depth and maturity in his life. And 0:25:15.980 --> 0:25:17.720 God can do that in our lives as well. 0:25:18.050 --> 0:25:21.980 Well, terrific lessons from the Mediterranean here, where Paul was 0:25:21.980 --> 0:25:24.650 in prison for a time. Great to connect with you, Charlie, 0:25:24.650 --> 0:25:26.720 and we're looking forward to being back in the studio. 0:25:26.720 --> 0:25:30.170 Questions and answers. That's next. You pumped? I am ready, John. 0:25:30.290 --> 0:25:33.290 You're always ready. And we're looking forward to seeing what's 0:25:33.290 --> 0:25:35.510 puzzling you, what things are on your heart as you 0:25:35.510 --> 0:25:38.780 read through Scripture, or maybe read something online, an article 0:25:38.780 --> 0:25:42.260 about Israel or prophecy. It's always welcome. Our email address 0:25:42.260 --> 0:25:47.869 is the land and the book@moody.edu. That's the land and 0:25:47.869 --> 0:25:52.550 the book at Moody. Edu. Don't go away. Questions and answers. 0:25:52.550 --> 0:25:55.760 Next here on Moody Radio's The Land and the book. 0:26:06.890 --> 0:26:08.810 Hope you're having a good day. This is the land 0:26:08.810 --> 0:26:11.419 in the book. I'm John Jaeger, seated across from Doctor 0:26:11.420 --> 0:26:15.380 Charlie Dyer, whose Bible is open, whose pulse is at 0:26:15.380 --> 0:26:17.900 a rest rate. I mean, the guy just doesn't sweat 0:26:17.900 --> 0:26:21.020 it when you ask him questions and I say questions. 0:26:21.020 --> 0:26:24.080 Those are questions about the Bible prophecy and our own 0:26:24.080 --> 0:26:27.169 Christian walk. They're always welcome at the land and the 0:26:27.170 --> 0:26:31.160 book at Moody, Edu and Charlie, because our stack is 0:26:31.160 --> 0:26:33.109 thick with questions. I'll get out of the way and 0:26:33.109 --> 0:26:37.250 we'll dig into two questions based on John chapter five. 0:26:37.250 --> 0:26:40.220 We'll start with Judy. She says in John five four. 0:26:40.220 --> 0:26:43.399 Why do some translations only have the number for verse 0:26:43.400 --> 0:26:46.040 four in brackets, while the verse itself is at the 0:26:46.040 --> 0:26:48.770 bottom of the page? Who is an angel of the 0:26:48.770 --> 0:26:51.800 Lord who stirred the waters at the pool? And does 0:26:51.800 --> 0:26:54.380 this pool still exist today? And was it filled by 0:26:54.380 --> 0:26:58.070 an underground source? Along those same lines, Mark wants to 0:26:58.070 --> 0:27:00.410 know about John five. Apparently this was a place known 0:27:00.410 --> 0:27:03.229 for healing. It happened when an angel went down and 0:27:03.230 --> 0:27:05.480 stirred up the water. The first one in the water 0:27:05.480 --> 0:27:09.230 was healed. Do we know if this was tradition, superstition, 0:27:09.230 --> 0:27:11.449 or the real deal? And do we know what the 0:27:11.450 --> 0:27:14.240 religious leaders attitude was? Would they have been upset if 0:27:14.240 --> 0:27:17.900 the angel healed on the Sabbath? Why didn't they prohibit 0:27:17.900 --> 0:27:20.780 people from coming to the pool on the Sabbath? Faith 0:27:20.780 --> 0:27:23.750 played a central role in Jesus other healings, but the 0:27:23.750 --> 0:27:27.230 lame man in John five didn't even know who Jesus was, 0:27:27.230 --> 0:27:29.600 let alone demonstrate faith in him. There's got to be 0:27:29.600 --> 0:27:32.690 a lesson here I'm missing. All right, Charlie, we've scrambled 0:27:32.690 --> 0:27:34.370 it all up. We'll look to you to make sense 0:27:34.369 --> 0:27:35.450 of it all. Okay? 0:27:35.450 --> 0:27:37.790 And this is for those who are going. What? John five. 0:27:37.790 --> 0:27:40.790 That's the miracle of the healing at the pool of Bethesda. Now, 0:27:40.790 --> 0:27:42.919 there's the first. I'll start with that textual issue. There 0:27:42.920 --> 0:27:44.480 is an issue as to whether or not the last 0:27:44.480 --> 0:27:46.820 part of verse three, and all of verse four should 0:27:46.820 --> 0:27:49.159 be part of the original text. Or if those verses 0:27:49.160 --> 0:27:51.530 were added later and they don't occur in a number 0:27:51.530 --> 0:27:55.100 of manuscripts that are considered significant. That's why many translators 0:27:55.100 --> 0:27:58.160 don't think they're original. Not my personal feeling. I think 0:27:58.160 --> 0:28:00.530 the verses ought to be included. I believe they were 0:28:00.530 --> 0:28:03.410 left out of some manuscripts because the early copyists saw 0:28:03.410 --> 0:28:07.730 them as problematic. But one principle of textual criticism of 0:28:07.730 --> 0:28:09.709 figuring out what the original text is, is that the 0:28:09.710 --> 0:28:12.919 more difficult reading is often the original, since that's the 0:28:12.920 --> 0:28:15.109 one most copyist would tend to leave out or gloss 0:28:15.109 --> 0:28:18.320 over the angel that's mentioned in those verses. It sounds 0:28:18.320 --> 0:28:21.469 like the product of American theology rather than biblical theology. 0:28:21.470 --> 0:28:23.930 And here's what I mean. We tend to think God 0:28:23.930 --> 0:28:27.440 helps those who help themselves. That's not a biblical concept, 0:28:27.440 --> 0:28:29.810 but it says when the angel stirred up the pool, 0:28:29.810 --> 0:28:31.850 you know, the first to step in would be healed. Well, 0:28:31.850 --> 0:28:33.800 the most likely first one to step in would be 0:28:33.800 --> 0:28:37.010 the healthiest. The one most in need, like this man was, 0:28:37.010 --> 0:28:39.410 could never seem to get into the water in time. 0:28:39.410 --> 0:28:41.690 So in light of that, I think the issue is 0:28:41.690 --> 0:28:43.430 the who the angel was. I don't think the angel 0:28:43.430 --> 0:28:45.620 was a good angel, but a fallen angel. You know, 0:28:45.620 --> 0:28:48.110 all angels were created by God. But a third of 0:28:48.110 --> 0:28:51.680 the angelic host followed Satan in his rebellion against God. 0:28:51.860 --> 0:28:55.520 This event has all the hallmarks of satanic deception written 0:28:55.520 --> 0:28:58.760 over it. People were held hostage to the sight, hoping 0:28:58.760 --> 0:29:00.470 against Hope to be the first one to win that 0:29:00.470 --> 0:29:03.260 healing lottery and get in. And if the angel wasn't 0:29:03.260 --> 0:29:06.140 sent from God, then the problem with the verse disappears 0:29:06.140 --> 0:29:09.200 and we see the hopeless position these people were in. Now, 0:29:09.200 --> 0:29:11.720 the remains of this pool, it has been uncovered. It's 0:29:11.720 --> 0:29:14.030 just to the north of the Temple Mount. There's no 0:29:14.030 --> 0:29:16.490 water in it today, and we're not even sure how 0:29:16.490 --> 0:29:18.800 the pools were filled in the past. Some think it 0:29:18.800 --> 0:29:20.959 was with rain water. Others believe, and I tend to 0:29:20.960 --> 0:29:23.300 go with them, that it may have been a conduit 0:29:23.300 --> 0:29:25.940 or an aqueduct that brought in water from a spring. 0:29:26.030 --> 0:29:28.430 An earlier version of this aqueduct, actually, I think it's 0:29:28.430 --> 0:29:31.700 mentioned in Isaiah seven. Now, there's archaeological evidence that the 0:29:31.700 --> 0:29:35.180 site was a pagan healing center known as an Asclepius, 0:29:35.300 --> 0:29:38.360 a pagan healing site. The man who was healed had 0:29:38.360 --> 0:29:41.060 no idea who Jesus was, so he wasn't healed by faith. 0:29:41.060 --> 0:29:43.610 In fact, when Jesus met up with him later, he 0:29:43.610 --> 0:29:46.610 focused on the man's needs to stop sinning or something 0:29:46.610 --> 0:29:49.250 worse will happen to you. And the name of the place, 0:29:49.250 --> 0:29:52.760 Beit Hassid or Bethesda, means House of mercy or House 0:29:52.760 --> 0:29:55.340 of unmerited favor. And that's what Jesus did demonstrate to 0:29:55.340 --> 0:29:58.190 the man. And in terms of asking what lessons I see, well, 0:29:58.190 --> 0:30:00.680 I see at least one other lesson in this passage. 0:30:00.680 --> 0:30:03.680 It's the danger of legalism. Here's a site with pagan 0:30:03.680 --> 0:30:06.410 influence just north of the temple. But the main issue 0:30:06.410 --> 0:30:08.360 the religious Jews had was the fact that the man 0:30:08.360 --> 0:30:11.510 was carrying his pallet on the Sabbath. They apparently weren't 0:30:11.510 --> 0:30:14.570 as concerned about the pagan influence or the miraculous healing 0:30:14.570 --> 0:30:17.360 that had taken place. And legalism often ends up with 0:30:17.360 --> 0:30:20.030 people majoring on the minors, which is a lesson I 0:30:20.030 --> 0:30:22.640 really see us needing to take away from that event. 0:30:22.850 --> 0:30:26.060 Johnny's question. In our recent Bible study, a question was 0:30:26.060 --> 0:30:30.500 raised regarding the terms Israel or Israelite and Jew. A 0:30:30.500 --> 0:30:33.920 follow up question are all Jews, Israelites, and the other 0:30:33.920 --> 0:30:34.730 way around? 0:30:34.880 --> 0:30:37.640 Well, okay, I'll trace the history of this. Abraham was 0:30:37.640 --> 0:30:40.670 first called a Hebrew, and that's back in Genesis 14, 0:30:40.670 --> 0:30:43.130 and it was used to describe his descendants. Then several 0:30:43.130 --> 0:30:46.790 times the term Israel and Israelite came about originally when 0:30:46.790 --> 0:30:51.020 God changed Jacob's name to Israel in Genesis 32, that 0:30:51.020 --> 0:30:53.000 became the name for the nation at the time of 0:30:53.000 --> 0:30:55.700 the Exodus, and continued to describe the nation all the 0:30:55.700 --> 0:30:58.610 way up through the reigns of David and Solomon. Now, 0:30:58.610 --> 0:31:02.600 following Solomon's death, the kingdom split into the northern Kingdom. 0:31:02.600 --> 0:31:06.180 It kept the name Israel. The southern kingdom became known as. Judah, 0:31:06.180 --> 0:31:09.240 since that's the tribe that their king came from. After 0:31:09.240 --> 0:31:12.810 the destruction of the northern Kingdom in 722 BC, the 0:31:12.810 --> 0:31:16.110 remaining kingdom was still called Judah, but refugees from the 0:31:16.110 --> 0:31:19.290 northern Kingdom of Israel fled there and became citizens of Judah, 0:31:19.290 --> 0:31:21.840 and as a result they were known as Jews, even 0:31:21.840 --> 0:31:23.940 though they weren't from the tribe of Judah. Now a 0:31:23.940 --> 0:31:27.510 good example of this Esther two five were introduced to 0:31:27.510 --> 0:31:31.080 a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai. Now 0:31:31.140 --> 0:31:33.120 get to the other part of the question. All Jewish 0:31:33.120 --> 0:31:37.020 people are physical descendants of Jacob or Israel, so technically 0:31:37.020 --> 0:31:40.620 they're all Israelites. However, once the kingdom divided, the term 0:31:40.620 --> 0:31:43.530 Israel was more commonly used to identify those from the 0:31:43.530 --> 0:31:46.590 northern kingdom, while the term Judah was used for the 0:31:46.590 --> 0:31:50.190 southern kingdom. So once the northern kingdom disappeared, Judah or 0:31:50.190 --> 0:31:54.270 Jew became the more common designation for Abraham's descendants, since 0:31:54.270 --> 0:31:56.100 Judah was the remaining kingdom. 0:31:56.220 --> 0:31:59.040 You're listening to the land in the book from Moody Radio. 0:31:59.070 --> 0:32:02.280 We welcome your questions anytime at the land and the 0:32:02.280 --> 0:32:06.570 book at Moody Edu. Mark says we're from the Chicago area, 0:32:06.570 --> 0:32:09.360 but moved to East Tennessee about eight years ago and 0:32:09.360 --> 0:32:13.530 listen via podcast. If you're not taking advantage of that podcast, 0:32:13.530 --> 0:32:15.750 by the way, it's at our website, The Land and 0:32:15.750 --> 0:32:19.650 the book.org. Mark says, my wife and I lead a 0:32:19.650 --> 0:32:21.720 couple's small group and we want to do a study 0:32:21.720 --> 0:32:25.080 of revelation. However, one member of the group is very 0:32:25.080 --> 0:32:28.410 much opposed to what he believes a narrow perspective on 0:32:28.410 --> 0:32:30.120 the book, and would like to do a book that 0:32:30.120 --> 0:32:35.190 includes all possible theories with regard to the rapture, Millennial Kingdom, etc.. 0:32:35.190 --> 0:32:38.070 Do you know of such a book, i.e. Bible study 0:32:38.070 --> 0:32:42.479 on revelation that deals with all possible interpretations of revelation? 0:32:42.480 --> 0:32:45.660 I'm concerned such a book might just be confusing. 0:32:46.320 --> 0:32:48.690 Confusing is a good word. There is one book I 0:32:48.690 --> 0:32:50.670 know of. There's probably many, but the one I know 0:32:50.670 --> 0:32:53.850 of is called for views on the Book of Revelation, 0:32:53.850 --> 0:32:57.300 edited by Marvin Pate. Uh, it does what this member 0:32:57.300 --> 0:32:59.940 of the Bible study wants. It has four authors, each 0:32:59.940 --> 0:33:01.740 of whom try to make a case for one of 0:33:01.740 --> 0:33:04.530 the four different approaches to the book. Now, my problem 0:33:04.530 --> 0:33:06.870 with this type of book, especially for a Bible study, 0:33:06.870 --> 0:33:09.420 is that it would usually create more problems and confusion, 0:33:09.420 --> 0:33:12.450 and it solves. It's appealing to our postmodern approach to 0:33:12.450 --> 0:33:14.970 life where you have your truth. I have my truth, 0:33:14.970 --> 0:33:18.420 but in the end it usually either confirms someone's prejudice 0:33:18.420 --> 0:33:21.180 or else convinces someone it's hopeless to study a book 0:33:21.180 --> 0:33:24.540 with so many possible interpretations. Now, having said that, the 0:33:24.750 --> 0:33:27.690 book rises above many in that those arguing the case 0:33:27.690 --> 0:33:30.719 do so in a scholarly fashion. But what I would suggest, though, 0:33:30.720 --> 0:33:33.930 is say to your friend, maybe you and he or 0:33:33.930 --> 0:33:36.719 she could do a study on these four views, but 0:33:36.720 --> 0:33:38.580 using it as a basis for a Bible study with 0:33:38.580 --> 0:33:41.490 a whole group will generate more heat than light, and 0:33:41.490 --> 0:33:44.430 probably lead more people to be afraid to study a 0:33:44.430 --> 0:33:47.520 book that promises a blessing for reading and heeding its message. 0:33:47.520 --> 0:33:49.380 As revelation one three says. 0:33:49.650 --> 0:33:53.550 Here's a question about John ten. Since the rededication events 0:33:53.550 --> 0:33:56.550 in John ten took place four centuries after the writing 0:33:56.550 --> 0:33:59.550 of Malachi and the close of the Old Testament and 0:33:59.550 --> 0:34:02.730 Jewish scriptures, how was it? And when was it that 0:34:02.730 --> 0:34:06.450 Hanukkah came to be celebrated as a Jewish holiday? Do 0:34:06.450 --> 0:34:08.700 we know if it grew out of oral tradition, or 0:34:08.700 --> 0:34:10.980 did it come from the book of the Maccabees? How 0:34:10.980 --> 0:34:13.560 do Jewish scholars regard the Maccabees? 0:34:13.830 --> 0:34:16.320 Well? The events grew out of the revolt against Antiochus 0:34:16.320 --> 0:34:19.920 Epiphanes by Marathas and his sons, who were the Maccabees. 0:34:19.920 --> 0:34:22.500 Those events were predicted actually in part of Daniel eight 0:34:22.500 --> 0:34:25.710 and 11, but the Book of first Maccabees is considered 0:34:25.710 --> 0:34:29.160 the best historical summary of the events during that time 0:34:29.160 --> 0:34:32.310 and the establishment of the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah. 0:34:32.580 --> 0:34:35.310 A final confirmation is actually found in the Jewish historian 0:34:35.310 --> 0:34:39.690 Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews. He provides the historical background, 0:34:39.690 --> 0:34:43.080 and it matches quite closely the record in First Maccabees, 0:34:43.080 --> 0:34:45.540 and he explains how it became a Jewish festival. Now, 0:34:45.540 --> 0:34:48.509 most scholars accept the historicity of the Maccabees and the 0:34:48.510 --> 0:34:52.080 revolt against Antiochus Epiphanies, and they see First Maccabees and 0:34:52.080 --> 0:34:55.890 Josephus being historically reliable when it comes to the establishment 0:34:55.890 --> 0:34:58.770 of Hanukkah. By the way, the events took place about 0:34:58.770 --> 0:35:01.980 160 years before the time of Christ in the Inner 0:35:01.980 --> 0:35:03.149 Testament period. 0:35:03.420 --> 0:35:06.839 Brian asks in Proverbs 22 verse six, we're told to 0:35:06.840 --> 0:35:08.880 train up a child in the way he should go, 0:35:08.880 --> 0:35:12.180 and when he's old he will not depart from it. Unfortunately, 0:35:12.180 --> 0:35:15.750 countless young people were raised properly and then did go 0:35:15.750 --> 0:35:18.750 their own way as time passed. I'm not doubting the 0:35:18.750 --> 0:35:21.779 truth of this verse, but exactly how should we interpret it? 0:35:22.050 --> 0:35:25.020 I think the key is understanding its wisdom. Literature and 0:35:25.230 --> 0:35:28.110 proverbs is wisdom literature. It needs to be understood not 0:35:28.110 --> 0:35:31.710 as ironclad promises, but as general principles of how life 0:35:31.710 --> 0:35:33.989 actually works. So in general, if we train up a 0:35:33.989 --> 0:35:36.000 child the way they should go, they'll reach a point 0:35:36.000 --> 0:35:39.030 where they choose to make proper decisions for themselves. But 0:35:39.030 --> 0:35:41.760 that isn't always the case. Now you might say, well, hey, 0:35:41.760 --> 0:35:43.680 you're copying out there, but I think I can give 0:35:43.680 --> 0:35:47.549 you an example of this. Proverbs 26, verses four and five, uh, 0:35:47.550 --> 0:35:49.920 verse four tells us not to answer a fool according 0:35:49.920 --> 0:35:52.379 to his folly, but the very next verse tells us 0:35:52.380 --> 0:35:55.230 to answer a fool according to his folly. And what 0:35:55.230 --> 0:35:56.969 the writer is saying is, there are times when we 0:35:56.969 --> 0:35:59.040 need to make sure we don't descend to the level 0:35:59.040 --> 0:36:01.500 of the fool, so we become like him, but in 0:36:01.500 --> 0:36:03.930 other situations we need to respond in a way the 0:36:03.930 --> 0:36:06.380 fool can understand, lest he. He thinks he's wiser than 0:36:06.380 --> 0:36:10.280 he really is. And wisdom comes knowing which response is appropriate. Anyway, 0:36:10.280 --> 0:36:12.560 the bottom line is that if we understand it's wisdom 0:36:12.560 --> 0:36:15.859 literature that explains how life generally works and how we 0:36:15.860 --> 0:36:18.770 should respond, uh, that makes better sense. And by the way, 0:36:18.770 --> 0:36:21.620 wisdom literature also includes the Book of Job, which is 0:36:21.620 --> 0:36:24.140 a reminder that life doesn't always work the way we 0:36:24.140 --> 0:36:25.040 might expect. 0:36:25.310 --> 0:36:27.020 And that's a look at the questions that have come 0:36:27.020 --> 0:36:30.589 in recently to our broadcast. Yours welcome anytime at the 0:36:30.590 --> 0:36:34.790 Land and the Book at Moody. Edu. Don't go away. 0:36:34.790 --> 0:36:51.090 Charlie's devotional is next. Right here. There is something very 0:36:51.090 --> 0:36:55.230 special about being in church during the advent season. Very 0:36:55.230 --> 0:36:58.590 special sermons that are often shared. What about a sermon 0:36:58.590 --> 0:37:02.069 from a shepherd, though? Charlie, I understand that's the essence 0:37:02.070 --> 0:37:03.540 of where we're headed in your devotional. 0:37:03.750 --> 0:37:05.970 It is. However, it's going to be 700 years before 0:37:05.969 --> 0:37:08.070 the advent. But it is a sermon from a shepherd. 0:37:08.100 --> 0:37:10.740 All right. I'll look forward to that. After we enjoy 0:37:10.739 --> 0:37:14.279 this Holy Land, experience testimony from somebody who's traveled to 0:37:14.280 --> 0:37:16.590 Israel and has an insight for us right now. 0:37:20.780 --> 0:37:24.590 Hello, my name is John Powers. I'm from Cedar Lake, Indiana, 0:37:24.590 --> 0:37:28.670 and came here with Charlie Dyers on this Holy Land trip. 0:37:28.670 --> 0:37:34.400 And I will tell you, the Old Testament has come alive. 0:37:34.730 --> 0:37:37.160 All the stories that we've heard since we were knee 0:37:37.160 --> 0:37:41.060 high to a grasshopper are just fantastic. When you start 0:37:41.060 --> 0:37:44.630 to walk through the land and you realize, here was 0:37:44.630 --> 0:37:49.549 David and Goliath, here was Samson and Delilah, and here 0:37:49.550 --> 0:37:54.440 was David as a shepherd boy. And all these things 0:37:54.440 --> 0:37:58.070 is just fantastic. Then we get to Jerusalem and we 0:37:58.070 --> 0:38:02.540 see where Jesus wrote in on the triumphal entry, and 0:38:02.540 --> 0:38:07.190 he just sobbed over the city because they were lost. 0:38:07.190 --> 0:38:10.880 And then we get to see where Jesus walked and 0:38:10.880 --> 0:38:14.930 where he taught. And it's just a great experience. I'd 0:38:15.020 --> 0:38:19.520 suggest it highly to anyone that is looking for an 0:38:19.520 --> 0:38:22.400 experience to to walk closer with the Lord. 0:38:24.680 --> 0:38:26.870 Well, if you got your Bible open, we're headed to 0:38:26.900 --> 0:38:30.650 Amos chapter three. Charlie, you've titled your devotional sermon from 0:38:30.650 --> 0:38:32.210 a Shepherd. I'm listening. 0:38:32.330 --> 0:38:34.880 All right. Thanks, John. Our journey today takes us to 0:38:34.880 --> 0:38:37.760 the top of the Herodium, the fortress palace built by 0:38:37.760 --> 0:38:40.550 Herod the Great. But we're not here today to admire 0:38:40.550 --> 0:38:44.360 Herod's palace or to focus on his ruthless character. Instead, 0:38:44.360 --> 0:38:46.400 we're here to get a good view of the hometown 0:38:46.400 --> 0:38:49.549 of a remarkable prophet from the Old Testament. So follow 0:38:49.550 --> 0:38:51.709 me around the top of this fortress to a place 0:38:51.710 --> 0:38:53.989 where we can have a good view toward the south. 0:38:54.020 --> 0:38:56.719 See that village perched on the hill about three miles 0:38:56.719 --> 0:39:00.320 to our southwest? That's the modern Arab town of Taqwa. 0:39:00.320 --> 0:39:03.080 It preserves the name of the Jewish town that set 0:39:03.080 --> 0:39:05.839 at the same spot in the Old Testament, the village 0:39:05.840 --> 0:39:09.620 of Tekoa, the hometown of Amos the Prophet. Seeing the 0:39:09.620 --> 0:39:13.430 physical location of Tekoa, helps us understand more about Amos. 0:39:13.640 --> 0:39:16.130 Off to our right we can see Bethlehem about four 0:39:16.130 --> 0:39:20.060 miles to the northwest. But more importantly, Bethlehem is about 0:39:20.060 --> 0:39:24.410 2500ft above sea level. That's about 100ft higher than where 0:39:24.410 --> 0:39:27.560 we are now standing. Tekoa is also on top of 0:39:27.560 --> 0:39:30.710 a hill, but that hill is another 300ft lower than 0:39:30.710 --> 0:39:34.640 where we're standing. Bethlehem is on the spiny ridge that 0:39:34.640 --> 0:39:38.150 runs through the center of ancient Judah. Anyone heading east 0:39:38.150 --> 0:39:41.780 from Bethlehem also begins traveling down in elevation on the 0:39:41.780 --> 0:39:46.010 way toward the Dead Sea. Rainfall begins dropping off dramatically 0:39:46.010 --> 0:39:48.799 to the east of Bethlehem. As we know from the 0:39:48.800 --> 0:39:51.380 Book of Ruth. Wheat and barley grew in the fields 0:39:51.380 --> 0:39:55.220 around Bethlehem, but head east, and the cultivated fields give 0:39:55.219 --> 0:39:58.130 way to the flocks and herds, feeding off the grass 0:39:58.130 --> 0:40:01.969 and shrubs growing there. David tended his father's flocks to 0:40:01.969 --> 0:40:05.480 the east of Bethlehem. It's no wonder that Amos, living 0:40:05.480 --> 0:40:08.840 in Tekoa, described himself as a shepherd and a herdsman, 0:40:08.840 --> 0:40:11.780 rather than a farmer. This is a place for watching 0:40:11.780 --> 0:40:15.830 over sheep and cows, not tilling the soil. Amos also 0:40:15.830 --> 0:40:19.520 describes himself as having one other occupation, saying that he, quote, 0:40:19.520 --> 0:40:23.569 took care of sycamore fig trees. He actually describes himself 0:40:23.570 --> 0:40:27.320 as a quote, nipper of sycamore figs in Hebrew. Sycamore 0:40:27.320 --> 0:40:30.290 figs aren't the same as the sycamore trees or fig trees. 0:40:30.290 --> 0:40:33.350 We know they're a tall tree that produce fruit that 0:40:33.350 --> 0:40:36.620 look similar to a fig. However, the unripe fruit needs 0:40:36.620 --> 0:40:40.070 to be nipped or scratched open to promote ripening. These 0:40:40.070 --> 0:40:45.050 trees require a lot of water, something lacking in Tekoa. Likely, 0:40:45.080 --> 0:40:47.870 Amos led his flocks through the wilderness to a place 0:40:47.870 --> 0:40:52.190 like Jericho, where sycamore fig trees did grow in exchange 0:40:52.190 --> 0:40:55.130 for allowing his flocks to graze on the grass underneath. 0:40:55.160 --> 0:40:58.040 Amos would climb the tree to nip the figs, helping 0:40:58.040 --> 0:41:01.730 them to ripen long before the time of Zacchaeus. Amos 0:41:01.730 --> 0:41:05.779 likely climbed up in the sycamore tree in Jericho, but 0:41:05.780 --> 0:41:08.300 we're not here today to focus on Toccoa, or sheep 0:41:08.300 --> 0:41:11.450 or even sycamore fig trees. Instead, I want to focus 0:41:11.450 --> 0:41:14.300 on one of the sermons God called on this fig 0:41:14.300 --> 0:41:18.380 nipping shepherd to deliver. Amos traveled from Toccoa to Bethel, 0:41:18.380 --> 0:41:22.670 north of Jerusalem, to share God's message of impending doom 0:41:22.670 --> 0:41:25.549 with the people of the Kingdom of Israel, beginning in 0:41:25.550 --> 0:41:29.390 chapter three. Amos delivered three messages of judgment from the Lord. 0:41:29.390 --> 0:41:33.140 Each one in chapter three, four, and five begins with 0:41:33.140 --> 0:41:36.049 the phrase hear this word, and in the middle of 0:41:36.050 --> 0:41:39.140 each message, Amos then announces the judgment that God is 0:41:39.140 --> 0:41:42.080 about to bring. After stating his overall theme in the 0:41:42.080 --> 0:41:45.080 first two verses of chapter three. Amos then asks a 0:41:45.080 --> 0:41:48.590 series of rhetorical questions, each point to the reality of 0:41:48.590 --> 0:41:52.190 cause and effect. Two people walking along engaged in deep 0:41:52.190 --> 0:41:56.600 conversation probably just didn't happen to chance by a lion 0:41:56.600 --> 0:41:59.959 just doesn't roar for no reason. A bird doesn't just 0:41:59.960 --> 0:42:02.960 walk into a snare and push the trap shut. When 0:42:02.960 --> 0:42:06.860 a warning trumpet, a city's original emergency alarm system, sounds, 0:42:06.860 --> 0:42:10.460 people do stop and tremble at approaching danger. And then 0:42:10.460 --> 0:42:13.730 Amos connects his message and those cause and effect questions 0:42:13.730 --> 0:42:17.630 to God's early warning system. The lion has roared. So 0:42:17.630 --> 0:42:20.900 who will not fear? The sovereign Lord has spoken. Who 0:42:20.900 --> 0:42:24.739 can but prophesy as a shepherd? Amos likely had felt 0:42:24.739 --> 0:42:26.960 a surge of fear rush up his spine when he 0:42:26.960 --> 0:42:29.210 was surprised by the roar of a lion as it 0:42:29.210 --> 0:42:32.089 charged from a thicket toward him and his flock. And 0:42:32.090 --> 0:42:36.320 now heaven's ultimate lion was issuing his divine roar just 0:42:36.320 --> 0:42:39.469 before pouncing on the nation of Israel. The message from 0:42:39.469 --> 0:42:43.100 this heaven sent prophet was direct into the point God 0:42:43.100 --> 0:42:45.770 was about to send an enemy to overrun the land. 0:42:45.770 --> 0:42:50.480 He will pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses. Amos. 0:42:50.480 --> 0:42:53.390 His message of judgment could actually be understood in two ways. 0:42:53.390 --> 0:42:56.299 In chapter one, he reported that he delivered his message 0:42:56.300 --> 0:42:59.660 two years before the earthquake, and in chapter nine, he 0:42:59.660 --> 0:43:04.670 prophetically reports the devastation caused by that earthquake. Archaeologists have 0:43:04.670 --> 0:43:08.150 discovered evidence of a massive earthquake that tore through the 0:43:08.150 --> 0:43:11.960 land around 750 BC from hot sore north of the 0:43:11.989 --> 0:43:15.050 Sea of Galilee, all the way down to Giza and Lachish, 0:43:15.050 --> 0:43:20.930 southwest of Jerusalem. This earthquake devastated the land. 200 years later, 0:43:20.930 --> 0:43:24.760 the prophet Zechariah used this earthquake as a point of. Reference, 0:43:24.760 --> 0:43:27.010 you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in 0:43:27.010 --> 0:43:31.089 the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Zechariah 14 five. 0:43:31.150 --> 0:43:35.350 But Amos message also looks beyond the impending earthquake to 0:43:35.350 --> 0:43:38.920 describe an even greater devastation that would strike the northern 0:43:38.920 --> 0:43:42.340 kingdom of Israel a quarter of a century later. That's 0:43:42.340 --> 0:43:45.969 when the Assyrian army came through to devastate and conquer Israel. 0:43:45.969 --> 0:43:50.170 They quite literally overran the land, pulled down the strongholds 0:43:50.170 --> 0:43:54.190 and plundered all the fortified cities and towns. Recalling his 0:43:54.190 --> 0:43:57.910 experience trying to protect his flock against a marauding lion, 0:43:57.910 --> 0:44:02.080 Amos graphically pictures the outcome of God's judgment as a 0:44:02.080 --> 0:44:04.840 shepherd saves from the lion's mouth only two leg bones 0:44:04.840 --> 0:44:07.690 or the piece of an ear. So will the Israelites 0:44:07.719 --> 0:44:11.860 be saved once God has unleashed his judgment on Israel. 0:44:11.890 --> 0:44:14.980 Amos compares what remains to the scraps of flesh and 0:44:14.980 --> 0:44:18.850 bones left behind after a lion has finished killing and 0:44:18.850 --> 0:44:22.629 devouring a helpless lamb. Even as he spoke those words, 0:44:22.630 --> 0:44:26.170 Amos must have remembered the sickening feeling he felt in 0:44:26.170 --> 0:44:29.200 the pit of his stomach as he surveyed such carnage 0:44:29.200 --> 0:44:32.500 in the past and recognize what God was threatening to 0:44:32.500 --> 0:44:36.160 unleash in the not too distant future. Why was God 0:44:36.160 --> 0:44:40.060 announcing such destruction? Amos shares why in his message, though 0:44:40.060 --> 0:44:42.700 some of it is more difficult for us to understand. 0:44:42.730 --> 0:44:44.950 In verse nine, he says the nation is guilty of 0:44:44.950 --> 0:44:48.790 great unrest and oppression. In the next verse, he explains 0:44:48.790 --> 0:44:51.580 that they do not know how to do right as 0:44:51.580 --> 0:44:55.360 they hoard, plunder and loot in their fortresses. Evidently, the 0:44:55.360 --> 0:44:58.510 rich and powerful were oppressing those who were less fortunate. 0:44:58.510 --> 0:45:01.719 In the very next chapter, Amos describes the wealthy women 0:45:01.719 --> 0:45:04.960 of Samaria who oppressed the poor and crushed the needy. 0:45:04.989 --> 0:45:09.610 They were guilty, he says, of immorality, greed, dishonesty, corruption, 0:45:09.610 --> 0:45:13.150 and idolatry. And now it was time for God to 0:45:13.150 --> 0:45:17.319 settle accounts. Amos wasn't a professional prophet. He was a shepherd, 0:45:17.320 --> 0:45:20.109 just a businessman from that little village you see over 0:45:20.110 --> 0:45:23.230 there in the distance. But God called him to deliver 0:45:23.230 --> 0:45:26.380 a series of profound messages to a nation on the 0:45:26.380 --> 0:45:30.760 brink of national disaster. And yet, did you notice God's grace? 0:45:30.790 --> 0:45:34.330 Amos delivered the message two years before the earthquake, and 0:45:34.330 --> 0:45:38.109 about 25 years before the arrival of the Assyrians, God 0:45:38.110 --> 0:45:41.320 gave the nation time to repent. They chose not to obey, 0:45:41.320 --> 0:45:44.980 but he still gave them that opportunity through Amos. The 0:45:44.980 --> 0:45:48.580 application for us today is twofold. First, our nation seems 0:45:48.580 --> 0:45:51.130 to be running away from God and His Word as 0:45:51.130 --> 0:45:53.890 fast as it can. But as Paul wrote in Galatians 0:45:53.890 --> 0:45:57.550 six seven, do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. 0:45:57.550 --> 0:46:00.520 A man reaps what he sows. And the same is 0:46:00.520 --> 0:46:03.640 true of nations. We need to be praying for revival. 0:46:03.640 --> 0:46:07.060 And that leads to the second application. Revival needs to 0:46:07.060 --> 0:46:10.450 start with us. Are you living for God today? And 0:46:10.450 --> 0:46:12.670 if you are, are you sharing God's message of hope 0:46:12.670 --> 0:46:16.750 and forgiveness with your family, friends, and neighbors? Amos was 0:46:16.750 --> 0:46:19.719 called out of his comfort zone to deliver God's urgent 0:46:19.719 --> 0:46:22.989 message to a needy nation, and God is now calling 0:46:22.989 --> 0:46:24.850 on each of us to do the same. 0:46:25.120 --> 0:46:28.030 Thank you Charlie, I appreciate that sermon from a Shepherd. 0:46:28.060 --> 0:46:30.399 You can hear it again at our website. The land 0:46:30.400 --> 0:46:34.570 and the book, dawg. Hope you enjoyed the program. Our 0:46:34.570 --> 0:46:36.790 time is gone, but we'll be back next week with 0:46:36.790 --> 0:46:41.170 another slate of guests, questions, devotionals, and more. And if 0:46:41.170 --> 0:46:43.120 you'd like to visit our website, we welcome you to 0:46:43.120 --> 0:46:47.830 The Land and the book.org for complete program information. The 0:46:47.830 --> 0:46:51.250 land and the book, or the land of the book 0:46:51.250 --> 0:46:53.860 is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody 0:46:53.860 --> 0:46:54.850 Bible Institute.