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S1: It's one thing to read about Bible history, but it's

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S1: another to live it. How do you do that? Coming up,

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S1: we'll take a tour of the Biblical History Center. You'll

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S1: stand in a tent made of goat and camel hair

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S1: and find out why that is entirely waterproof. Examine a

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S1: coin with Pontius Pilate's name on it and walk through

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S1: a home like biblical characters lived in. Hint it's mighty small.

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S1: Scripture comes alive when you join us. Now for the

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S1: land and the book. Hey, it's good to have you back.

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S1: And it's good to connect with our host, doctor Charlie Dyer. Charlie,

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S1: you got a pretty busy travel schedule ahead. Oh, I do. John.

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S1: It's amazing. You know, we have a Life in.

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S2: Messiah prophecy conference coming up in Dyer, Indiana, of all

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S2: the places. So Dyer is heading to Dyer for that

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S2: first weekend in October. Then I come back. But then

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S2: early November, I head to Pennsylvania, actually to the church

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S2: where I grew up for a prophecy conference. I get

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S2: back from that on a Wednesday and turn around Friday

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S2: and fly to Israel. So up until almost Thanksgiving, I'm

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S2: going to be on the road again, as Willie Nelson

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S2: would sing.

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S1: All right, well, much to pray about for safety in

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S1: your travels and effectiveness as well. Thank you for that update. Uh,

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S1: here's an update. As believers, there's a great need for

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S1: us to share the gospel with the Jewish people. In fact,

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S1: many of our listeners faithfully pray and partner with ministries

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S1: that are doing just that. But what if you could

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S1: personally take part in bringing the gospel to Jewish people?

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S2: Well, our friends at Life and Messiah love the opportunity

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S2: to get believers involved in Jewish ministry. They regularly organize

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S2: outreach teams to Brooklyn, South Florida, and even to Israel

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S2: outside times of conflict. These ministry trips will equip you

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S2: to understand how to share the gospel with Jewish people,

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S2: give you the opportunity to share your faith, and provide

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S2: tools and resources you can take home with you. If

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S2: you want to get hands on training and practical experience

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S2: in Jewish evangelism, you can learn more by visiting Life

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S2: in Messiah Org and clicking on the Moody Radio button.

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S2: That's life in Messiah.

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S1: Time now for a look at current events stories based

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S1: in the Middle East that have unfolded this past week.

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S1: Rosh Hashanah begins this coming Monday at sundown, signaling the

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S1: start of the Jewish New Year. How are two years

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S1: of war impacting Israel's celebration this year, and what do

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S1: we need to know about the day itself?

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S2: Well, last year, the celebration of Rosh Hashanah was buoyed

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S2: somewhat by the dramatic defeat of Hezbollah. The exploding electronic

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S2: pagers and walkie talkies. Happened on September 17th and 18,

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S2: and then Nasrallah was killed in an attack on the 27th.

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S2: The hostages were still being held in Gaza, but it

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S2: felt as if the momentum of the war was shifting. However,

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S2: the day before Rosh Hashanah, Iran fired hundreds of missiles

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S2: and drones at Israel. Thankfully, most were shot down, but

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S2: it was a reminder that the war wasn't over. But

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S2: Israel was still somewhat optimistic. Now, though, a year later,

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S2: Israel is struggling emotionally. The war in Gaza continues to

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S2: drag on, and the remaining hostages have been held now

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S2: for over 700 days, and over 900 soldiers have died

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S2: during the war. The nation is collectively struggling with grief, anxiety, trauma,

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S2: loss and quite a bit of anger. Some are angry

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S2: at the current government, and others are angry at protesters

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S2: whose demand for a ceasefire seems to actually encourage Israel's enemies.

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S2: And virtually all Israelis feel abandoned by most Western allies

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S2: and by the UN, which seems to be siding with

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S2: the terrorists. Now, in light of all that, Rosh Hashanah

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S2: this year is expected to be an emotional rollercoaster. Even

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S2: during normal times. The day is a mixture of hope

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S2: and introspection. Hope for a better new year, but mixed

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S2: with self reflection at the start of the ten days

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S2: of awe that culminate in the Day of Atonement. Some

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S2: of the introspection this year will still be personal, but

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S2: a great deal will also be national. As people ask

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S2: how the nation got to where it is right now

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S2: and what changes it should make going forward. There will

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S2: also be a heightened emphasis on security, especially after the

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S2: terrorist attack at a bus stop about two weeks ago.

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S2: This includes security for those in Israel and for Israelis

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S2: who are planning to travel abroad during the holidays. Now,

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S2: I'll share more details about Rosh Hashanah today in the devotional,

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S2: but for now, this is a good time to be praying,

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S2: especially for the people of Israel. Ask for God's protection

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S2: and ask him to open their eyes to recognize the

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S2: Savior and Messiah who loves them. Who came the first

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S2: time to pay the penalty for their sin, and who's

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S2: coming back again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

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S2: And if you have a Jewish friend or neighbor or

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S2: a colleague at work, take some time Monday or Tuesday

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S2: to wish them Shana Tova, which is Happy New Year

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S2: in Hebrew.

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S1: Thank you Charlie. President Trump's proposal to end the Gaza

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S1: conflict took a hit when Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.

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S1: What impact has that attack had on the conflict and

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S1: on prospects for peace.

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S2: Well, everyone has tried to put their own spin on

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S2: the events, but here's what we know. There was internal

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S2: debate within Israel's leadership prior to the attack. Prime Minister

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S2: Netanyahu and the military saw an opportunity to take out

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S2: all of Hamas's leadership, and wanted to take advantage of it. Mossad,

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S2: Israel's equivalent of the CIA, were opposed not because it

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S2: involved going after the leadership, but because they didn't feel

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S2: the circumstances or the timing were right. It required attacking

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S2: a Gulf state for the first time, and doing so

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S2: while Hamas's leadership was gathered to discuss the peace proposal

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S2: from President Trump, Israel's main supporter. The military felt a

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S2: successful attack was possible using the Air Force, and they

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S2: were given the green light to attack. The logistics of

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S2: it all were flawless. The planes hit the target and

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S2: returned home without incident, but the attack itself apparently failed

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S2: because the individuals targeted weren't in the room that was hit.

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S2: Since then, Israel has been dealing with fallout from the incident.

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S2: President Trump called the attack not wise, and the US

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S2: joined with the UN Security Council in conveying solidarity with

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S2: Qatar and deep concern over the incident, though not directly

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S2: connected with the attack. The UN General Assembly then overwhelmingly

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S2: voted to approve a resolution supporting the advancement of an

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S2: irreversible path to a Palestinian state. Now the vote was symbolic,

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S2: but it was approved by 142 countries, with only ten

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S2: opposing and 12 abstaining. The US voted against the proposal,

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S2: calling it an ill timed publicity stunt. But it does

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S2: suggest that right now Israel has few friends in the

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S2: international community. Then on Monday, Arab leaders met in Doha

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S2: and called on member states to review diplomatic and economic

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S2: relations with Israel and to take legal proceedings against it. Meanwhile,

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S2: the ground war in Gaza has now begun, and the

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S2: possible hostage deal to end the war seems to be

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S2: at least temporarily missing in action.

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S1: Charlie, is Israel gaining the upper hand or are they

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S1: losing the upper hand with regard to negotiations and the

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S1: future of those hostages? Your take.

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S2: Well, I started this way in terms of the battle

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S2: there gaining the upper hand. They can take Gaza. It'll

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S2: probably take a couple of months, but they will do it.

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S2: But in terms of the PR war, in terms of, uh,

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S2: getting Hamas to agree to release the hostages, uh, they

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S2: seem to be losing the public relations is turning against Israel,

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S2: and that's a war that's almost impossible to fight and

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S2: win right now. For them.

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S1: This is the land and the book from Moody Radio.

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S1: Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is a noted Old Testament scholar,

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S1: Middle East expert. I'm John Gager, and we're looking at

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S1: current events from the region. Egypt has been moving forward

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S1: with plans to transform Mount Sinai into a major tourist destination.

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S1: What exactly do they have planned and what impact will

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S1: that have on the region?

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S2: Well, these plans are definitely grandiose. In an effort to

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S2: boost tourism, they plan to transform the area around Mount

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S2: Sinai into another major tourist destination with luxury resorts, shopping

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S2: complexes and a new airport. There are even plans to

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S2: install a cable car to whisk visitors to the top

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S2: of Jebel Musa, the traditional Mount Sinai. The impact on

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S2: the area's already being felt. The traditional Bedouin communities are

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S2: being displaced and the ecotourism camps that they ran are

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S2: being eliminated. I stayed in one of those camps 20

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S2: years ago and took a 3 a.m. camel ride up

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S2: the mountain, followed by a hike to the summit to

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S2: see the sunrise from the top. It was spectacular. Though

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S2: the number of people they could accommodate on that tour

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S2: was relatively small, so one positive in the plan is

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S2: that more people will be able to visit the site.

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S2: Even if people could endure the long camel ride to

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S2: the site in the past, that ride and the walk

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S2: to the top were beyond the ability of many older tourists. However,

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S2: one possible downside to this plan is the stark beauty

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S2: of the site could be marred by cable car pylons

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S2: and eventually large amounts of trash from the thousands of

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S2: daily visitors. The area is a Unesco World Heritage Site,

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S2: and there's a concern that the push to grow tourism

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S2: could come at the expense of the cultural and environmental

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S2: preservation of the site itself. There's already been a clash

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S2: between the government and the monks at Saint Catherine's Monastery

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S2: over control of the monastery at the base of the mountain.

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S2: But let's hope that wiser heads prevail, and that Egypt's

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S2: plans to increase tourism don't destroy the very site they

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S2: want tourists to come and visit.

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S1: Well, one positive result of the fires that impacted Israel

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S1: over the summer was the discovery of ruins along the

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S1: shore of the Sea of Galilee. What was exposed and

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S1: what impact might that have on the debate over the

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S1: location of Bethsaida?

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S2: Well, the blaze forced the cancellation of the dig at Al-araj,

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S2: which was scheduled to begin the day after the fire started.

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S2: The bad news is that the fire destroyed all the

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S2: team's equipment, but it also cleared out the dense vegetation

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S2: in the area, exposing additional ruins. The site directors believe

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S2: it provided them with a greater understanding of the area,

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S2: bolstering their belief that the site is indeed the first

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S2: century town of Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

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S2: They conducted a ground survey and discovered the site was

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S2: larger than it had earlier thought, and they found remains

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S2: of both private houses and larger buildings. The real question, though,

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S2: is whether this provides definitive proof that the site is

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S2: actually Bethsaida. And personally, I'm still not convinced it was

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S2: a first century village along the shore. But Josephus describes

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S2: Bethsaida as having the dignity of a city, both by

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S2: the number of inhabitants it contained and by its grandeur. So,

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S2: at least so far, these remains don't seem to match

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S2: that description. And that's why the larger site, about a

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S2: mile away, still seems to be the better match. However,

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S2: it's possible both sites could be correct. The larger site

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S2: could have been the city itself, while the smaller site

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S2: by the sea could have been a harbor community connected

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S2: to the larger town. And like so much of archaeology,

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S2: we're going to have to wait for more information as

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S2: excavations continue in the coming years.

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S1: Charlie, I'm thinking back a moment ago, your story on

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S1: transforming Mount Sinai into a major tourist destination. Let's talk

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S1: about Egypt in general for a second. Tourism there now

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S1: an okay idea. Or would you say no listeners to

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S1: the land of the book? You better wait for more

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S1: stable times. Your thoughts?

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S2: Well, I would go tomorrow if I had the chance

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S2: and my wife would stay home. She's not happy about Egypt.

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S2: I've never had a problem there.

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S1: All right, well, that's good advice. Thank you. Charlie. Up next,

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S1: the Biblical History Center. We're heading there on the land

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S1: and the book. The Bible commands every believer to make disciples.

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S1: And making disciples begins with people who don't know Christ.

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S1: What do you do when your Jewish friend wants nothing

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S1: to do with Christ. How do you navigate that relationship?

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S1: We'll talk about it next. Hey, nice to have your

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S1: company today. I'm John Gieger and this is the land

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S1: and the book. Welcome to segment two. I'm looking forward

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S1: to our conversation with Levi Hazen a bit more about

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S1: today's guest. Before we officially say welcome back. Levi is

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S1: passionate about the Lord and passionate about His Word. He

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S1: is the host of the podcast, a teaching ministry that

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S1: brings a biblical view of Israel, eschatology, and ministry to

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S1: Jewish people. He and his family love to spend summers

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S1: in Israel leading trips and connecting with Israelis, and he

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S1: maintains an active international traveling schedule. Levi also serves as

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S1: an adjunct professor at Moody Bible Institute, for which he

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S1: gets extra points in my book. He and his wife

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S1: spent one year living in Israel, studying subjects like archaeology,

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S1: modern Hebrew, and biblical geography. Levi loves being a dad,

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S1: playing racquetball. We share something there, brother. Reading. Oh, I'm

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S1: telling you, running, teaching, playing beach volleyball with his wife,

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S1: and watching college football. Hey, welcome back to the land

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S1: and the book, Levi.

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S3: Thank you. Great to be here.

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S1: Well, we've titled this conversation, and it might be just

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S1: difficult for you. We're going to find out how difficult

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S1: what to do when your Jewish friend wants nothing to

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S1: do with Jesus. You know, I have had this happen

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S1: to me. Have you ever had that happen to you?

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S3: Absolutely.

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S1: And what's your initial reaction? Do you have a a

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S1: fixed response or does it kind of go with the moment?

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S3: Uh, it definitely goes with the moment. Uh, depending on

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S3: why my Jewish friend might be hesitant. Right. So no

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S3: matter what, though, one of the main things I do

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S3: is let my Jewish friends know how much I love them.

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S3: That is so meaningful, especially in today's day and age, John, because,

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S3: as you know, anti-Semitism is on the rise for the

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S3: last few years especially. And just hearing that people love

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S3: them means so much this day and age.

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S1: Yeah. JC Ryle once said, if they know that you

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S1: love them, you can say anything.

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S3: That's right.

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S1: And I think that's key what you're touching on there.

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S3: Yeah, that's exactly right. So after you've you've let your

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S3: Jewish friend know that you love them regardless of their

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S3: belief or unbelief, then what we want to do then

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S3: is introduce them to the Messiah in some way. And

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S3: one of the ways that I love to do that

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S3: is with questions, right? Because questions cause us to think

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S3: about things differently than when we hear a statement. So

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S3: I love to ask my Jewish friends, have you ever

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S3: read the New Testament right? Most of our Jewish friends

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S3: believed that the New Testament is either some sort of

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S3: an anti-Semitic book, or it's for Catholics and certainly not

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S3: for them. Okay. But the reality is, is that the

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S3: New Testament is written primarily by Jewish people, and most

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S3: of our Jewish friends today don't know that. So one

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S3: of the things I love to say is, have you

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S3: read the New Testament? And did you know that it

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S3: was written by your people. And then explain to our

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S3: Jewish friends, like, this is one of the main reasons why,

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S3: I believe, is because the New Testament's account of Jesus

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S3: as the Messiah. And if it weren't for Jewish people

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S3: writing these things down, how would I know about it? Yeah.

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S3: And so to really put the ball in their court

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S3: to say, have you read your people's case for Jesus

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S3: being the Messiah? Because without the Jewish people making the

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S3: case for Jesus being the Messiah, perhaps millions upon millions

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S3: of Gentiles would have never heard of him. And so

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S3: it's because of the Jewish people that God used to

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S3: birth the Messiah, to write the scriptures and preserve the

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S3: oracles of God. That's part of the reason why we

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S3: believe today.

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S1: Okay, let me in on a conversation I once had

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S1: with a Jewish friend. Uh, and I'll just go no

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S1: further in revealing identity. I said, you know, listen, Jesus

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S1: is Jewish. Think about that. Jesus is Jewish. And it

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S1: was absolute slam the door didn't even want to look

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S1: at me. I mean, there was that much vehemence, even

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S1: though we're longtime friends. Yeah, it was quite vehement. That

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S1: caught me off guard.

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S3: Sure. Yeah. And so the question is, why is that right? Well,

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S3: first of all, it's a spiritual reaction. So all of us,

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S3: before our hearts are regenerated by placing our faith in Jesus.

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S3: Our hearts don't want anything to do with God. This

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S3: is this is.

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S1: Jewish or non-Jewish.

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S3: Jewish or non-Jewish. Right? Listen, there are way more obstinate

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S3: Gentiles out there than there are Jewish people. Let's keep

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S3: that in mind. Right. So, yeah. Why is that? Why

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S3: is it that sometimes people, and especially our Jewish friends,

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S3: have a reaction of no way, not Jesus? I'm never

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S3: believing in that man. And the reason for that is

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S3: primarily because of the history of our two communities. There

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S3: is not a good track record of Christians loving the

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S3: Jewish people. So when I was taught church history at

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S3: Taylor University, it was a wonderful course. I learned all

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S3: the great things that the church did over the years,

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S3: and certainly I'm thankful for those who have gone before me. Right.

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S3: But what I didn't learn about was the Crusades and

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S3: how that impacted the Jewish community. I didn't learn about

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S3: the Christ killer charge from Christians and how that impacted

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S3: the Jewish community. I did not learn about all of

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S3: the persecutions that were done in the name of Jesus

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S3: to our Jewish friends. And so when a Jewish person

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S3: thinks about Christian Jewish history, they have a much different

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S3: narrative than the typical evangelical Christian does. And so we

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S3: want to be aware that Jewish history is written in

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S3: blood and tears, and then it helps us better understand

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S3: why our Jewish friends might have an emotional reaction like

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S3: that when they hear that we want to talk about Jesus.

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S1: What to do when your Jewish friend wants nothing to

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S1: do with Jesus? Levi Hazen has some ideas. He's with

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S1: life in Messiah. You touched on anti-Semitism and the climate

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S1: that exists in this country and really around the world

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S1: these days. What are some ways we could turn a

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S1: conversation about anti-Semitism into a mention of Jesus Christ, or

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S1: is that even a good idea?

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S3: No, I think it's a great idea. That's ultimately where

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S3: we want to go. And one of the ways we

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S3: can do that again is just by telling our friends, listen,

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S3: I know there's a lot of hatred going on right now.

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S3: I want you to know I am standing against this.

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S3: Me and my Christian friends do not agree with this.

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S3: We know that not all Jewish people fit in one category.

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S3: We know that all the anti-Semitic slander being lobbed, the

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S3: libels being lobbed at the Jewish people is not true.

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S3: And so just telling them we love you and we're

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S3: standing with you goes a long way. So here's something

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S3: that my local church did recently is our pastor, because

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S3: he has a love for the Jewish people. He sent

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S3: a letter to the local Jewish community saying how much

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S3: we are standing with them. We love them in the

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S3: name of Jesus and we stand against anti-Semitism with them.

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S3: This Jewish community responded so favorably, and their letter in

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S3: return was bittersweet because it said how grateful they were,

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S3: and at the same time it said, you're the only

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S3: church that's reached out, out of out of all the

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S3: different churches around. And so if you're a local pastor

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S3: out there or even just a believer, would you pray

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S3: about writing a letter to the local Jewish Federation or

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S3: a local synagogue in your area, or a Jewish community

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S3: center or something like that, and just expressing your love

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S3: for the Jewish people, your love for the Jewish Messiah,

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S3: and how much you stand against antisemitism. That'll go a

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S3: long way, John.

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S1: Well, what about when my Jewish friend does try and

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S1: slam the door and, you know, it's obvious they want

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S1: nothing to hear about Jesus. Or maybe they even say that.

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S1: Does this mean I should never, ever, ever, as in

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S1: five years from now, ever bring up the name of

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S1: Jesus with them?

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S3: No, not necessarily my first response. If I have someone

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S3: who is vehemently opposed to the gospel, whether it's a

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S3: Gentile or a Jewish friend, is to pray because the

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S3: Holy Spirit will do so much work on a person's

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S3: heart to soften them, to even entertain a conversation. So

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S3: we need the Spirit's work. And so don't try to

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S3: force Jesus upon somebody. We're not going to beat them

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S3: into submission. We're not going to argue them into submission

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S3: or belief. Pray. And then, as the Holy Spirit prompts you,

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S3: ask a question at a later time, you know, are

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S3: you still in a position where you don't want to

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S3: talk about Jesus, or would you want to talk about him?

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S3: Something like that.

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S1: When your Jewish friend wants nothing to do with Jesus,

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S1: that's our conversation today on the land and the book.

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S1: Levi Hazen is our guest, executive director of Life in Messiah.

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S1: Help me think through what are some other helpful and

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S1: effective ways that I can reach a Jewish friend who

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S1: wants nothing to do with Jesus? Anything else come to mind?

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S3: Yeah, I mean, let's just take a look at some

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S3: examples that life in Messiah has carried out over the

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S3: last few years. You know, the Jewish holidays are a

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S3: big part of Jewish culture and community. And even if

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S3: you're not religious, if you're in the Jewish community, you're

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S3: aware of the holidays. Typically you celebrate them. So let's

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S3: take one of the Jewish holidays, let's say Rosh Hashanah,

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S3: for example, which happens in the fall. Okay. It's the

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S3: head of the new year. It is customary to send

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S3: out gift baskets of apples and honey and other gifts

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S3: and things like that. So why not put together a

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S3: gift basket around Rosh Hashanah and send it to a

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S3: Jewish friend? Fill it with apples and honey, and maybe

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S3: a Bible verse about how the word of the Lord

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S3: is is sweet, like honey. Same thing with Hanukkah. Why

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S3: not send a gift basket to your Jewish friends? That

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S3: includes the Bible. That includes a note. So those are

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S3: just some ideas of what you could do to display

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S3: love for your Jewish friends.

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S1: Levi, I suspect this conversation we're having right now, and

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S1: many more like it, are part of an upcoming conference

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S1: that you're having at Life in Messiah. Your all star

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S1: lineup of speakers includes our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, along

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S1: with our great friend Doctor Michael Ridelink, among others. What

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S1: kinds of subjects will you be exploring?

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S3: Yeah, we are having our sixth annual Bible Prophecy Conference

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S3: on Friday evening, October 3rd, and then into Saturday morning,

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S3: October 4th. And we're going to be talking about God's

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S3: heart for the Jewish people at this conference, but specifically

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S3: through the lens of Bible prophecy. As you know, John,

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S3: Israel is a major part of Bible prophecy. Sure. And

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S3: it is oftentimes neglected when it comes to teaching the Bible.

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S3: But this is our sixth annual conference. We're going to

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S3: teach the Word of God faithfully. We're going to teach

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S3: the Word of God not based on today's headlines or

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S3: fantastical ideas, but rather exegetically sound hermeneutics right from the

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S3: Word of God. And so everyone is invited to come

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S3: to this conference.

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S1: And neither Charlie nor Michael Riedel, nor your other guests

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S1: are anywhere near boring. These guys are just brilliant and

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S1: I love the way they put the cookies on the

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S1: lower shelf. For somebody like me who doesn't understand all

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S1: these nuances.

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S3: Yeah. That's right. And so if folks want to learn

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S3: more about that conference, they can just visit Life and

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S3: Messiah's website, Life in Messiah. Org. And there is a

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S3: scrolling announcement bar at the top of our page. You

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S3: can just click on that gives you all the information,

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S3: including how to register right there.

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S1: So even though we're in September, it's not too late

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S1: to consider going.

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S3: Not at all.

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S1: Okay. Life in Messiah org. You don't want to miss this.

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S1: Levi Hazen is a great friend of the land and

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S1: the book he's with life in Messiah. It's always great

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S1: to have him on the program. What else should we

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S1: know about this conference? I understand that another headline at

445
00:23:07,540 --> 00:23:10,380
S1: your event there is a new film. Give us some background.

446
00:23:10,380 --> 00:23:12,939
S3: That's right. So over the last 2 or 3 years, John,

447
00:23:12,940 --> 00:23:17,419
S3: Life in Messiah has basically filmed and were on the

448
00:23:17,420 --> 00:23:21,340
S3: final editing stages of a brand new documentary, and it's

449
00:23:21,340 --> 00:23:26,940
S3: called Shadows of October Israel Under Siege. And so the

450
00:23:26,980 --> 00:23:30,450
S3: narrative arc of this film is, you know, we were there, John,

451
00:23:30,450 --> 00:23:33,729
S3: at the Columbia University protests. We were there at New

452
00:23:33,770 --> 00:23:38,930
S3: York University when pro-hamas mobs were chanting for the downfall

453
00:23:38,930 --> 00:23:41,770
S3: of Israel. And so then we we flew to Israel

454
00:23:41,770 --> 00:23:43,530
S3: and we said, you know what? Let's see what's really

455
00:23:43,530 --> 00:23:45,889
S3: going on there. We talked to Israeli soldiers. We talked

456
00:23:45,890 --> 00:23:48,850
S3: to folks that were previously part of the students for

457
00:23:48,850 --> 00:23:51,689
S3: Justice in Palestine movement. We talked to survivors of the

458
00:23:51,730 --> 00:23:56,250
S3: Nova music Festival. And so after Doctor Dyer presents on

459
00:23:56,250 --> 00:23:58,929
S3: Friday evening, this is going to be the world premiere

460
00:23:58,930 --> 00:24:01,730
S3: of Shadows of October. And so I want to encourage

461
00:24:01,730 --> 00:24:04,810
S3: everybody to come to the conference and watch this film

462
00:24:04,810 --> 00:24:07,970
S3: in person. But if not, the film is also going

463
00:24:07,970 --> 00:24:10,609
S3: to be available on video on demand. So you think

464
00:24:10,650 --> 00:24:13,330
S3: you know Prime Video, we're going to submit it for

465
00:24:13,330 --> 00:24:15,609
S3: Apple TV and so forth. And so be on the

466
00:24:15,609 --> 00:24:17,810
S3: lookout for Shadows of October. Mm.

467
00:24:18,250 --> 00:24:20,490
S1: What were some of the challenges in creating this film, Levi.

468
00:24:20,530 --> 00:24:22,129
S1: It had to have been, you know, more than just

469
00:24:22,130 --> 00:24:24,010
S1: grab a plane and grab some shots.

470
00:24:24,410 --> 00:24:27,450
S3: Yeah. Well, I mean, stringing everything together, right? So you

471
00:24:27,450 --> 00:24:29,840
S3: have all of these different interviews. You have all of

472
00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:33,560
S3: this different footage between the campus protests in New York

473
00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,960
S3: and footage in Israel. And so how do you string

474
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,600
S3: everything together? What do you cut out? Right. But the

475
00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:43,160
S3: other part that was really difficult is just the emotional

476
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:47,000
S3: toll that it takes. Interviewing people who have survived a

477
00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:51,000
S3: massacre is difficult and just kind of like I returned

478
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,679
S3: from Israel after these interviews, and I felt like I

479
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,600
S3: had a certain degree of recovery, of just taking all

480
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,240
S3: this in. So those things were especially difficult.

481
00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:04,040
S1: That's Shadows of October, the new documentary from Life in Messiah,

482
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:06,959
S1: part of the conference as well. But again, also, as

483
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,879
S1: Levi has said, available for streaming afterward. And again, I'm

484
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:11,960
S1: sure you'll have details at the website, which is.

485
00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:16,119
S3: Yeah, Life and Messiah. Org. We've got a scrolling banner

486
00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:17,760
S3: at the top of the page, and once you click

487
00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,119
S3: on that, it gives you information on both the conference

488
00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:21,000
S3: and the film.

489
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,840
S1: Now, earlier in our conversation, we were talking about reaching

490
00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,000
S1: out to a Jewish friend who wants nothing to do

491
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,550
S1: with Jesus. And you've got some tools as well at

492
00:25:28,550 --> 00:25:29,950
S1: the website for folks to check out.

493
00:25:29,990 --> 00:25:31,950
S3: Yeah, that's right. We have you know, let's just say

494
00:25:31,950 --> 00:25:34,229
S3: you're looking at how to use the feasts of Israel

495
00:25:34,230 --> 00:25:35,949
S3: as a connection to your Jewish friends. We've got a

496
00:25:35,950 --> 00:25:39,190
S3: whole page on the feasts. We've got ebooks that are

497
00:25:39,190 --> 00:25:42,629
S3: written specifically to reach your Jewish friends with the gospel.

498
00:25:42,630 --> 00:25:43,350
S3: So check it out.

499
00:25:43,390 --> 00:25:46,510
S1: Life in Messiah. Org. Levi, always a great visit with you.

500
00:25:46,510 --> 00:25:47,550
S1: Thanks for stopping by.

501
00:25:47,590 --> 00:25:48,430
S3: Thank you John.

502
00:25:48,430 --> 00:25:50,750
S1: And Doctor Gerald Peterman is standing by to join us

503
00:25:50,750 --> 00:25:53,470
S1: with some more Bible questions. One of them yours, maybe

504
00:25:53,510 --> 00:26:07,350
S1: next on the land and the book. Hope you're having

505
00:26:07,350 --> 00:26:09,390
S1: a good day. And whether it's a good day or

506
00:26:09,390 --> 00:26:12,429
S1: just an okay day, it's about to get better. How

507
00:26:12,430 --> 00:26:16,030
S1: do I know? Well, there's something very satisfying about getting

508
00:26:16,030 --> 00:26:19,270
S1: answers to questions that have puzzled you or puzzled others.

509
00:26:19,510 --> 00:26:22,150
S1: We're all fellow puzzlers as we journey through Scripture. I'm

510
00:26:22,150 --> 00:26:24,909
S1: John Gager across from me, Doctor Gerald Peterman of the

511
00:26:24,910 --> 00:26:27,500
S1: Moody Bible Institute faculty. He's chuckling at me because he

512
00:26:27,500 --> 00:26:28,419
S1: knows it's true, right?

513
00:26:28,460 --> 00:26:31,619
S4: Oh, I'm happy to be one of these fellow puzzlers. Yes.

514
00:26:32,420 --> 00:26:34,300
S1: We've got a lot of them lined up. But before

515
00:26:34,300 --> 00:26:36,180
S1: we get to our first question from Chris, a quick

516
00:26:36,180 --> 00:26:38,900
S1: reminder that as believers, there's a great need for us

517
00:26:38,900 --> 00:26:41,460
S1: to share the gospel with the Jewish people. In fact,

518
00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:45,460
S1: many of our listeners faithfully pray and partner with ministries

519
00:26:45,460 --> 00:26:49,340
S1: that are doing just that. But what if what if

520
00:26:49,380 --> 00:26:52,100
S1: you could personally take part in bringing the gospel to

521
00:26:52,140 --> 00:26:55,260
S1: Jewish people? Our friends at Life in Messiah love the

522
00:26:55,260 --> 00:26:59,060
S1: opportunity to get believers involved in Jewish ministry, and they

523
00:26:59,060 --> 00:27:03,260
S1: regularly organize outreach teams to Brooklyn, New York, South Florida,

524
00:27:03,619 --> 00:27:07,140
S1: even to Israel outside of times of conflict. And these

525
00:27:07,140 --> 00:27:09,900
S1: ministry trips will equip you to understand how to share

526
00:27:09,900 --> 00:27:13,100
S1: the gospel with Jewish people, give you the opportunity to

527
00:27:13,140 --> 00:27:16,940
S1: actively share your faith, and provide tools and resources that

528
00:27:16,940 --> 00:27:18,739
S1: you can take home with you. If you want to

529
00:27:18,740 --> 00:27:22,740
S1: get hands on training and practical experience in Jewish evangelism,

530
00:27:23,020 --> 00:27:25,969
S1: you can learn more by visiting Life in Messiah org

531
00:27:26,770 --> 00:27:29,650
S1: and clicking on the Moody Radio button. That's life in

532
00:27:29,650 --> 00:27:34,169
S1: Messiah org. Well, here we are, deeply into September. How

533
00:27:34,210 --> 00:27:36,090
S1: are things going with the students, Doctor Peterman?

534
00:27:36,290 --> 00:27:38,490
S4: Seems to me pretty well. I talked to some students

535
00:27:38,490 --> 00:27:40,090
S4: today and they're excited. Yeah.

536
00:27:40,130 --> 00:27:42,330
S1: Okay. And I know you are, too. All right, let's

537
00:27:42,330 --> 00:27:45,410
S1: get to our first question from Chris. He says, I've

538
00:27:45,410 --> 00:27:49,330
S1: been watching a series on Prime Video entitled Birth of Christianity.

539
00:27:49,810 --> 00:27:53,170
S1: Episode seven, entitled Days of Wrath, focused on the notion

540
00:27:53,170 --> 00:27:57,010
S1: that the apostle Paul was an anti-Semite according to first

541
00:27:57,010 --> 00:28:00,450
S1: Thessalonians 214 through 16, and this came as a complete

542
00:28:00,450 --> 00:28:02,690
S1: shock to me. So I was wondering if you could

543
00:28:02,730 --> 00:28:05,889
S1: offer any insight into this notion and these verses.

544
00:28:05,930 --> 00:28:07,850
S4: Yeah, I'm sure, Chris, that you're not the only one

545
00:28:07,850 --> 00:28:11,690
S4: who's wondered about this. So in part, the verses we're

546
00:28:11,690 --> 00:28:15,730
S4: talking about, say, the Jews killed both the Lord Jesus

547
00:28:15,730 --> 00:28:20,050
S4: and the prophets and drove us out and displeased God

548
00:28:20,050 --> 00:28:23,530
S4: and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to

549
00:28:23,670 --> 00:28:26,790
S4: the Gentiles so they might be saved. So they always

550
00:28:26,790 --> 00:28:29,030
S4: fill up the measure of their sins. I know that

551
00:28:29,030 --> 00:28:33,909
S4: sounds very harsh, but is Paul being anti-Semitic? Short answer no.

552
00:28:34,270 --> 00:28:36,230
S4: But let me give a longer answer. Let me throw

553
00:28:36,230 --> 00:28:38,990
S4: in 3 or 4 more things. There's a long history

554
00:28:39,190 --> 00:28:43,350
S4: in the Old Testament, readers or listeners or Old Testaments

555
00:28:43,350 --> 00:28:45,910
S4: full of really good stuff. There's a long history in

556
00:28:45,910 --> 00:28:49,230
S4: the Old Testament of prophets being very harsh with God's

557
00:28:49,230 --> 00:28:52,150
S4: people because they were blessed so much, and yet they

558
00:28:52,150 --> 00:28:55,990
S4: were so disobedient. I'm thinking about Jeremiah 52, but several

559
00:28:55,990 --> 00:29:00,350
S4: other places in Jeremiah. Secondly, Jesus did the same sort

560
00:29:00,350 --> 00:29:04,230
S4: of thing. We come to Luke 13, Luke 13, verses

561
00:29:04,270 --> 00:29:08,990
S4: 34 and 35. Jesus says, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who stone

562
00:29:09,030 --> 00:29:13,310
S4: the prophets and kill those sent to you. How often

563
00:29:13,350 --> 00:29:15,390
S4: I wanted to bring you together under my wings like

564
00:29:15,390 --> 00:29:18,590
S4: a mother bird does, but you wouldn't have it. And

565
00:29:18,590 --> 00:29:21,830
S4: so that is a harsh rebuke. And Paul just falls

566
00:29:21,830 --> 00:29:24,380
S4: right in line with that very tradition that Jesus brings.

567
00:29:24,380 --> 00:29:27,660
S4: Let me give you one more. No one who is

568
00:29:27,660 --> 00:29:31,580
S4: anti-Semitic can say what Paul says in Romans nine. I'm

569
00:29:31,580 --> 00:29:35,219
S4: speaking the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. My conscience

570
00:29:35,220 --> 00:29:37,340
S4: bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have

571
00:29:37,380 --> 00:29:42,220
S4: great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. I could

572
00:29:42,220 --> 00:29:45,980
S4: wish that I myself were accursed, cut off from Christ

573
00:29:45,980 --> 00:29:50,900
S4: for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen who are Israelites.

574
00:29:50,940 --> 00:29:51,460
S1: Right.

575
00:29:51,740 --> 00:29:54,740
S4: So yes, he had some harsh things to say, and

576
00:29:54,740 --> 00:29:58,260
S4: he had some open hearted, embracing things to say, too.

577
00:29:58,300 --> 00:30:00,580
S1: Yeah. Very powerful. Thank you. You're showing both sides of

578
00:30:00,580 --> 00:30:04,460
S1: the question there from Susan. This thought. She says, where

579
00:30:04,460 --> 00:30:07,580
S1: will we live when we're in heaven? John 14 verse

580
00:30:07,580 --> 00:30:09,980
S1: two says, we will live in God's house. In my

581
00:30:09,980 --> 00:30:12,740
S1: father's house are many rooms. If it were not so,

582
00:30:12,740 --> 00:30:14,460
S1: Jesus said, I would have told you, because I am

583
00:30:14,460 --> 00:30:17,460
S1: going there to prepare a place for you. So here's

584
00:30:17,500 --> 00:30:20,420
S1: Susan's two part question a will all of these rooms

585
00:30:20,460 --> 00:30:23,690
S1: be in the New Jerusalem referred to in revelation 21,

586
00:30:23,690 --> 00:30:27,210
S1: and be. Will we get to travel the entire new earth?

587
00:30:28,010 --> 00:30:30,650
S4: I love that. I've often thought about this question. Let

588
00:30:30,650 --> 00:30:33,370
S4: me go to the second part of the question. Will

589
00:30:33,370 --> 00:30:35,370
S4: we get to travel the new heaven and new earth?

590
00:30:35,410 --> 00:30:38,170
S4: Nothing in Scripture says that, but I suspect the answer

591
00:30:38,170 --> 00:30:41,410
S4: is yes. Here's why I suspect the answer is yes,

592
00:30:41,410 --> 00:30:45,770
S4: because my experience has been you travel and you worship

593
00:30:45,770 --> 00:30:50,690
S4: God because of the beauty you see everywhere in his creation. Now,

594
00:30:50,690 --> 00:30:55,090
S4: what about these houses in John 14 two? My father's

595
00:30:55,090 --> 00:30:59,370
S4: house are many rooms. Our term is Monet. Just any

596
00:30:59,370 --> 00:31:02,610
S4: sort of room within a house. But this term, Monet

597
00:31:02,650 --> 00:31:06,570
S4: could be a whole independent dwelling. So I don't know

598
00:31:06,570 --> 00:31:08,290
S4: if they're all going to be in Jerusalem or going

599
00:31:08,330 --> 00:31:12,810
S4: to be scattered across the world. I suspect scattered again,

600
00:31:12,810 --> 00:31:16,250
S4: because the world is such an incredible place.

601
00:31:16,650 --> 00:31:19,130
S1: This is the land and the book from Moody Radio,

602
00:31:19,130 --> 00:31:23,400
S1: doctor Gerald Peterman, who is likely teaching classes every single

603
00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,440
S1: day of the week at the Moody Campus. And he

604
00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,040
S1: welcomes your question as well at the Land and the

605
00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:32,680
S1: Book at Moody. The land and the book at Moody.

606
00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:36,600
S1: Where else do you get access to a college professor

607
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,400
S1: who's happy to entertain your question? I'm telling you, the

608
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:44,320
S1: land and the book at Moody. Mark wants to know,

609
00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:47,000
S1: do you have any insight as to why translators of

610
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,280
S1: the Gospel of John added he, after the I am,

611
00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:54,120
S1: to me it dilutes Jesus, making it clear that he's

612
00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:56,160
S1: the great I am of Exodus.

613
00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,240
S4: Oh Mark, I am so sorry. I do not know

614
00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:03,120
S4: what motivates translators, I wish I knew. Right. And I

615
00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:04,920
S4: don't know if I've told you this before, folks, but

616
00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,520
S4: I have the spiritual gift of fault finding whenever I'm reading.

617
00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,160
S4: Whenever I'm reading my English. I think the Greek doesn't

618
00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:14,160
S4: say that. But I don't mean to be harsh. Um,

619
00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,640
S4: let's go to the verses in question that Mark is

620
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,350
S4: talking about there in John chapter eight. In John chapter eight,

621
00:32:21,350 --> 00:32:26,310
S4: we find this Jesus is talking to a hostile crowd

622
00:32:26,310 --> 00:32:29,950
S4: who is interrogating him. John 824 Jesus says, I told

623
00:32:29,950 --> 00:32:32,470
S4: you that you would die in your sins, for unless

624
00:32:32,470 --> 00:32:35,989
S4: you believe that I am he, you will die in

625
00:32:35,990 --> 00:32:40,709
S4: your sins. Come later. 828 Jesus said to them, when

626
00:32:40,710 --> 00:32:42,070
S4: you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you

627
00:32:42,070 --> 00:32:45,190
S4: will know that I am he. That I do nothing

628
00:32:45,190 --> 00:32:47,390
S4: for my own authority. Now in both cases, the Greek

629
00:32:47,390 --> 00:32:51,390
S4: just simply has. I am, and Mark has noticed English

630
00:32:51,390 --> 00:32:53,510
S4: goes with I am he. But wait, there's one more.

631
00:32:53,630 --> 00:32:57,110
S4: And this one is just very important. This is later

632
00:32:57,110 --> 00:33:00,670
S4: in the same chapter. John 858. Truly, truly, I say

633
00:33:00,670 --> 00:33:06,590
S4: to you, before Abraham was, I am. Same expression. Yes. No,

634
00:33:06,590 --> 00:33:09,469
S4: I am he. Now, what does the Jewish audience do

635
00:33:09,510 --> 00:33:12,750
S4: at that point? They pick up stones to stone him

636
00:33:12,750 --> 00:33:16,750
S4: because they know this is a claim to deity. Yes.

637
00:33:16,980 --> 00:33:19,620
S4: So I hope that's helpful. Mark. I'm happy to have

638
00:33:19,620 --> 00:33:20,260
S4: your question.

639
00:33:20,780 --> 00:33:22,860
S1: All right. Here's another one on the land and the

640
00:33:22,860 --> 00:33:26,540
S1: book with our Q&A segment with Doctor Peterman, who executed

641
00:33:26,540 --> 00:33:29,660
S1: the punishments to the person committing the crimes in the

642
00:33:29,660 --> 00:33:33,390
S1: Old Testament Mosaic law. I know from numbers 35, 11

643
00:33:33,390 --> 00:33:36,140
S1: to 28 that in the case of manslaughter, it was

644
00:33:36,140 --> 00:33:38,700
S1: the members of the dead man's family that had to

645
00:33:38,700 --> 00:33:42,180
S1: be visceral, if not, uh, unforgettable to take part in that.

646
00:33:42,220 --> 00:33:45,900
S4: Oh, yes. It takes a lot of courage, I should think, to. Well,

647
00:33:45,940 --> 00:33:48,300
S4: this question has driven me back to the Old Testament,

648
00:33:48,300 --> 00:33:50,660
S4: so thank you so much for that. And I've come

649
00:33:50,660 --> 00:33:54,460
S4: to find out that Israel had a kind of a

650
00:33:54,540 --> 00:33:59,540
S4: governmental structure or a civil law structure, kind of like ours.

651
00:33:59,540 --> 00:34:03,700
S4: They had both local and national civil law. So what

652
00:34:03,700 --> 00:34:08,300
S4: do we find when we get to Deuteronomy 16? You

653
00:34:08,340 --> 00:34:12,620
S4: shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns. There's

654
00:34:12,620 --> 00:34:15,380
S4: the local that the Lord your God is giving you.

655
00:34:15,380 --> 00:34:18,810
S4: According to your tribes. They shall judge the people. But wait, wait, wait.

656
00:34:18,810 --> 00:34:23,130
S4: There's the national level. Deuteronomy 17 says, in any case,

657
00:34:23,410 --> 00:34:28,090
S4: Deuteronomy 17 says, if any case arises requiring decision between

658
00:34:28,090 --> 00:34:30,890
S4: one kind of legal affair and another, and it's too

659
00:34:30,890 --> 00:34:33,610
S4: difficult for you, then you shall arise. Go to the

660
00:34:33,610 --> 00:34:36,370
S4: place that the Lord your God will choose, and the

661
00:34:36,370 --> 00:34:38,890
S4: Levitical priests and the judge who is an office in

662
00:34:38,890 --> 00:34:42,969
S4: those days will declare to you the decision. So the

663
00:34:42,969 --> 00:34:48,250
S4: second one almost certainly is Jerusalem. So that's both local

664
00:34:48,250 --> 00:34:50,410
S4: and national civil law.

665
00:34:51,010 --> 00:34:53,810
S1: You know, I have a question about refuge. We know

666
00:34:53,810 --> 00:34:56,530
S1: about cities of refuge in the Old Testament since we're there.

667
00:34:56,570 --> 00:34:58,450
S1: This is where people would go if they were accused

668
00:34:58,450 --> 00:35:01,290
S1: of murder and and eventually their case would be heard.

669
00:35:01,290 --> 00:35:03,410
S1: And if they were innocent, they would be set free,

670
00:35:03,410 --> 00:35:08,210
S1: if not execution. Does that word refuge come to mind?

671
00:35:08,250 --> 00:35:11,250
S1: Is it intended to come to mind when David, for example,

672
00:35:11,250 --> 00:35:14,250
S1: uses that word several times in his Psalms? Refuge. The

673
00:35:14,250 --> 00:35:16,549
S1: Lord redeems the soul of his servants, and none of

674
00:35:16,550 --> 00:35:20,149
S1: those who take refuge in him will be condemned. Is

675
00:35:20,150 --> 00:35:21,950
S1: that an image that's likely coming to the mind of

676
00:35:21,950 --> 00:35:22,350
S1: his hearers?

677
00:35:22,390 --> 00:35:24,589
S4: That's an image that's likely coming to the minds of

678
00:35:24,590 --> 00:35:28,270
S4: the hearers. In one case, however, it's the town dwellers

679
00:35:28,270 --> 00:35:32,790
S4: themselves that provide this refuge under, of course, the direction

680
00:35:32,790 --> 00:35:36,150
S4: of God. When we're with David in his refuge, he's

681
00:35:36,150 --> 00:35:38,790
S4: finding this kind of like one on one with the Lord.

682
00:35:38,790 --> 00:35:40,069
S4: It's precious stuff. Yeah.

683
00:35:40,110 --> 00:35:42,950
S1: You know, I tend to think of refuge as a big,

684
00:35:42,950 --> 00:35:46,910
S1: strong tower, and that's probably an okay rendering of the word.

685
00:35:47,230 --> 00:35:49,790
S1: But also, we should remember these cities of refuge in

686
00:35:49,790 --> 00:35:51,029
S1: the Old Testament are very much part of.

687
00:35:51,030 --> 00:35:52,190
S4: It, right? Exactly.

688
00:35:52,230 --> 00:35:54,630
S1: Yeah. If you've got a question for Doctor Peterman, you

689
00:35:54,630 --> 00:35:57,270
S1: should know it's welcome any old time. And if you

690
00:35:57,270 --> 00:35:59,109
S1: fire that off to us at an email, you'll get

691
00:35:59,110 --> 00:36:01,629
S1: a reply in a few days. Here's how to connect

692
00:36:01,630 --> 00:36:06,270
S1: the land and the book at Moody's. I'll slow it

693
00:36:06,270 --> 00:36:11,950
S1: down the land and the book at Moody's. Again, give

694
00:36:11,950 --> 00:36:14,180
S1: them a few days up to a week, maybe or so.

695
00:36:14,219 --> 00:36:17,299
S1: He's teaching classes. He's here and there and everywhere. But

696
00:36:17,300 --> 00:36:19,460
S1: he'll get you a reply. And then we'll get your

697
00:36:19,460 --> 00:36:22,380
S1: questions queued up for a future broadcast of the land

698
00:36:22,380 --> 00:36:24,740
S1: and the book. We welcome you to visit our website.

699
00:36:24,739 --> 00:36:27,540
S1: It's the land and the book where you can always

700
00:36:27,540 --> 00:36:30,299
S1: get caught up on who's been on the program last week,

701
00:36:30,300 --> 00:36:33,020
S1: who's coming next week, that sort of thing. Information about

702
00:36:33,020 --> 00:36:35,219
S1: all of our guests, as well as some books that

703
00:36:35,219 --> 00:36:38,259
S1: Charlie Dyer has written, all there at the land and

704
00:36:38,260 --> 00:36:41,420
S1: the bookstores. Love to hear from you with an email

705
00:36:41,420 --> 00:36:43,820
S1: as well. You can connect with us at The Land

706
00:36:43,820 --> 00:36:49,180
S1: and the Book at Moody. Up next, Charlie Dyer's devotional

707
00:36:49,180 --> 00:37:04,979
S1: right here. Hope you're enjoying the land and the book.

708
00:37:04,980 --> 00:37:08,420
S1: I'm John Gager with our host, doctor Charlie Dyer. And Charlie.

709
00:37:08,420 --> 00:37:12,649
S1: People say of me that he's easily confused Used. And, uh,

710
00:37:12,850 --> 00:37:15,410
S1: I think confusion, though, might just be at the heart

711
00:37:15,410 --> 00:37:17,210
S1: of today's devotional. Give us a preview.

712
00:37:17,250 --> 00:37:19,410
S2: Here it is at the heart of the devotional on

713
00:37:19,410 --> 00:37:22,410
S2: Rosh Hashanah. Uh, but when it comes to Rosh Hashanah,

714
00:37:22,450 --> 00:37:23,850
S2: there might be some confusion.

715
00:37:23,890 --> 00:37:26,970
S1: Now, my wife might say questionable rather than questioning, but

716
00:37:26,969 --> 00:37:29,569
S1: I will not belabor the point. Instead, let's listen to

717
00:37:29,610 --> 00:37:32,690
S1: this Holy Land experience somebody who's traveled to Israel and

718
00:37:32,690 --> 00:37:34,530
S1: wants to bring us this reflection.

719
00:37:38,730 --> 00:37:42,170
S5: Hi, my name is Judy, and, um, although all the

720
00:37:42,170 --> 00:37:45,730
S5: experiences I've had on this trip have been really phenomenal,

721
00:37:45,730 --> 00:37:49,730
S5: I couldn't have imagined how exciting they would be. The

722
00:37:49,730 --> 00:37:52,730
S5: one thing that stands out for me so far is

723
00:37:52,890 --> 00:37:55,810
S5: the day that I was baptized in the Jordan River.

724
00:37:56,010 --> 00:37:58,690
S5: And it wasn't a fact of oh, I was baptized

725
00:37:58,690 --> 00:38:02,490
S5: in the Jordan. I felt strongly that coming here, this

726
00:38:02,489 --> 00:38:06,450
S5: was something that God wanted me to make a recommitment

727
00:38:06,450 --> 00:38:10,250
S5: of my faith. You know, I'm not falling away from

728
00:38:10,250 --> 00:38:13,839
S5: the Lord or anything, but I am turning 60. On

729
00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:17,200
S5: this trip we will be in Jerusalem on November 9th,

730
00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:20,640
S5: and I felt strongly that as a husband and a

731
00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:24,440
S5: wife renew their wedding vows, that God wanted me to

732
00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:28,640
S5: make a public declaration of my love for him and

733
00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:31,560
S5: the fact that my life is turned over to him.

734
00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:35,080
S5: And so I had made that decision along with God,

735
00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:38,480
S5: to do that at the River Jordan. I'm very happy

736
00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:39,200
S5: about it.

737
00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:44,040
S1: All right, Charlie, it's time for your devotional. Have at it.

738
00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:47,320
S2: Okay. Well, Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year.

739
00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:50,759
S2: It begins this coming Monday evening. And to get into

740
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:55,080
S2: the spirit, we're driving from Jerusalem, past Jericho and across

741
00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:58,400
S2: the Jordan River at the Allenby Bridge into modern Jordan.

742
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:01,440
S2: Be sure to slather on your suntan lotion, because it

743
00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:04,239
S2: will be sunny and hot when we get off the bus.

744
00:39:04,560 --> 00:39:07,400
S2: Back home, the weather is starting to transition from summer

745
00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:10,390
S2: to fall, but down here in the lower Jordan Valley.

746
00:39:10,390 --> 00:39:14,069
S2: It's still blazing hot. So why have we traveled to

747
00:39:14,110 --> 00:39:17,350
S2: Jordan to focus on a Jewish holiday? That's the first

748
00:39:17,350 --> 00:39:20,190
S2: of several confusing issues I want to focus on during

749
00:39:20,190 --> 00:39:23,430
S2: our time together. We're here because one of the places

750
00:39:23,430 --> 00:39:27,590
S2: where God provided details about this holiday happened while Israel

751
00:39:27,590 --> 00:39:30,910
S2: was camped right here on the plains of Moab, shortly

752
00:39:30,910 --> 00:39:34,590
S2: before entering the Promised Land. God had provided details about

753
00:39:34,590 --> 00:39:38,630
S2: this day before, but he then repeated them in numbers 29,

754
00:39:38,790 --> 00:39:42,430
S2: right where you're now standing. The second confusing issue about

755
00:39:42,430 --> 00:39:45,750
S2: this day is its purpose. Ask any Jewish friend what

756
00:39:45,750 --> 00:39:48,750
S2: the name and purpose is of this festival, and he

757
00:39:48,750 --> 00:39:51,150
S2: or she will likely tell you that it's Rosh Hashanah

758
00:39:51,350 --> 00:39:53,670
S2: and it marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year.

759
00:39:54,030 --> 00:39:57,989
S2: Rosh Hashanah literally means head of the year, suggesting that

760
00:39:57,989 --> 00:40:00,629
S2: it is indeed the beginning of the new year. But

761
00:40:00,630 --> 00:40:04,070
S2: there are two problems. First, this day is never called

762
00:40:04,070 --> 00:40:07,430
S2: Rosh Hashanah in the Bible. In numbers 29 one, it's

763
00:40:07,430 --> 00:40:11,020
S2: called A day for blowing trumpets. And rather than being

764
00:40:11,020 --> 00:40:13,300
S2: the first day of the new Year, the same verse

765
00:40:13,300 --> 00:40:16,140
S2: says it takes place in the seventh month, on the

766
00:40:16,140 --> 00:40:19,060
S2: first day of the month. Now this bit of confusion

767
00:40:19,060 --> 00:40:22,500
S2: can be sorted out by understanding the historical development of

768
00:40:22,500 --> 00:40:25,660
S2: the day. And that starts by realizing that Israel actually

769
00:40:25,660 --> 00:40:28,380
S2: had two New Years, a civil new year, and a

770
00:40:28,380 --> 00:40:32,379
S2: religious one. The religious calendar began in the spring, in

771
00:40:32,380 --> 00:40:35,140
S2: the month of Nisan in Exodus 12, as part of

772
00:40:35,140 --> 00:40:39,180
S2: his instructions for Passover. God said to Moses, this month

773
00:40:39,180 --> 00:40:41,660
S2: is to be for you the first month, the first

774
00:40:41,660 --> 00:40:45,379
S2: month of your year. But later, Israel also developed a

775
00:40:45,380 --> 00:40:48,460
S2: civil calendar that corresponded to the end of the harvest

776
00:40:48,460 --> 00:40:51,779
S2: season and the beginning of the fall rainy season. And

777
00:40:51,780 --> 00:40:54,899
S2: though initially it was the seventh month in the religious calendar,

778
00:40:55,060 --> 00:40:58,460
S2: it eventually became the first month of this alternative calendar,

779
00:40:58,700 --> 00:41:01,500
S2: and the first important gathering in this new month was

780
00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:04,220
S2: the very first day of the month, which is why

781
00:41:04,260 --> 00:41:07,370
S2: the gathering became known as Rosh Hashanah. The head of

782
00:41:07,370 --> 00:41:10,569
S2: the new year. But that doesn't explain why the day

783
00:41:10,570 --> 00:41:14,129
S2: was initially called a day for blowing trumpets. That came

784
00:41:14,130 --> 00:41:17,010
S2: about because God had given Israel a command to sound

785
00:41:17,010 --> 00:41:20,810
S2: a trumpet on that day. In Leviticus 23, God pictured

786
00:41:20,810 --> 00:41:25,930
S2: it as Zichron Teruah, literally a memorial blast. But why

787
00:41:25,969 --> 00:41:28,370
S2: single out this one day to focus on the sounding

788
00:41:28,370 --> 00:41:31,969
S2: of the trumpet? After all, in numbers ten, God said

789
00:41:31,969 --> 00:41:35,290
S2: also at your times of rejoicing, your appointed feasts and

790
00:41:35,290 --> 00:41:38,410
S2: your new moon festivals, your to sound the trumpets over

791
00:41:38,410 --> 00:41:41,850
S2: your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, they will be a

792
00:41:41,850 --> 00:41:45,129
S2: memorial for you before your God. Trumpets were to sound

793
00:41:45,130 --> 00:41:47,569
S2: for the daily burnt offerings and at the beginning of

794
00:41:47,570 --> 00:41:50,969
S2: each new moon. But if that was the general pattern,

795
00:41:50,969 --> 00:41:53,530
S2: then the first day of the seventh month featured trumpet

796
00:41:53,530 --> 00:41:57,210
S2: blasts on steroids. Not only was it an appointed feast

797
00:41:57,210 --> 00:42:00,370
S2: and a new moon, but it featured multiple burnt and

798
00:42:00,370 --> 00:42:03,970
S2: fellowship offerings. Three sets of sacrifices were to be offered

799
00:42:03,969 --> 00:42:08,480
S2: that day the regular daily sacrifices, the new moon sacrifices,

800
00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:12,200
S2: and special sacrifices for the feast day itself. This involved

801
00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:16,080
S2: a total of three bulls, two rams, 16 male lambs,

802
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,160
S2: along with more than a bushel and a half of

803
00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:22,000
S2: fine flour and six gallons each of oil and wine,

804
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,080
S2: and the trumpets were to sound over each of those offerings.

805
00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:28,200
S2: No wonder it became known as the Feast of Trumpets.

806
00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:31,839
S2: Confused yet? It's known as Rosh Hashanah, the start of

807
00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,000
S2: the New year, though it was to take place in

808
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,640
S2: the seventh month. And it's the Feast of Trumpets, though

809
00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:39,359
S2: it's never actually called that in the Bible. Instead, it

810
00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:42,080
S2: was the day for the blowing of trumpets, or the

811
00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:45,760
S2: day for the memorial blast. In fact, it never actually

812
00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:47,680
S2: says the blast was to be done by blowing on

813
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:52,200
S2: a shofar. Neither Leviticus 23 nor numbers 29 use the

814
00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:56,640
S2: Hebrew word shofar. That's assumed, but never actually stated. There

815
00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,839
S2: are some who believe the silver trumpets prepared by Moses

816
00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:02,600
S2: could have been the ones that were used. The sun

817
00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:05,020
S2: is intense here by the Jordan River. And I can

818
00:43:05,020 --> 00:43:07,460
S2: see you're starting to become more interested in finding a

819
00:43:07,500 --> 00:43:10,259
S2: kiosk where you can buy something cold to drink than

820
00:43:10,260 --> 00:43:13,379
S2: you are in getting more confused about Rosh Hashanah. So,

821
00:43:13,420 --> 00:43:15,900
S2: as one friend of mine would say, it's now time

822
00:43:15,900 --> 00:43:18,299
S2: to land the plane. Let me bring order out of

823
00:43:18,300 --> 00:43:21,419
S2: this confusion and then tell you why this is significant

824
00:43:21,420 --> 00:43:25,180
S2: for your life today. Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets,

825
00:43:25,180 --> 00:43:28,540
S2: is important because God instituted it as part of his

826
00:43:28,540 --> 00:43:32,460
S2: annual holy convocations for Israel, and it's the first of

827
00:43:32,460 --> 00:43:36,900
S2: the fall festivals. Prophetically, the Spring festivals pointed toward Christ's

828
00:43:36,900 --> 00:43:40,739
S2: first coming, while the fall festivals point toward his second coming.

829
00:43:40,980 --> 00:43:44,140
S2: This festival points to the next event on God's prophetic

830
00:43:44,140 --> 00:43:48,740
S2: calendar for his people, Israel. Technically, this begins the so-called

831
00:43:48,739 --> 00:43:51,700
S2: Days of Awe for Israel, that time when God will

832
00:43:51,700 --> 00:43:55,020
S2: again resume his program for his chosen nation in a

833
00:43:55,020 --> 00:43:58,219
S2: unique and special way. It kicks off the sequence of

834
00:43:58,219 --> 00:44:01,780
S2: events that will end with the return of Israel's Messiah

835
00:44:01,780 --> 00:44:04,450
S2: to the Mount of Olives to assume his role as

836
00:44:04,450 --> 00:44:07,810
S2: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Just as the

837
00:44:07,810 --> 00:44:10,489
S2: last of the spring feasts related to the outpouring of

838
00:44:10,489 --> 00:44:13,890
S2: the Holy Spirit, while also signaling the birth of the church.

839
00:44:14,090 --> 00:44:16,770
S2: So the Feast of Trumpets will signal the resumption of

840
00:44:16,770 --> 00:44:20,209
S2: God's unique work for Israel, while also removing the church

841
00:44:20,210 --> 00:44:23,569
S2: from earth. As one program draws to a sudden close,

842
00:44:23,610 --> 00:44:26,569
S2: the other resumes. I don't believe it's an accident that

843
00:44:26,570 --> 00:44:30,170
S2: Paul describes the dramatic ending of God's program for his church,

844
00:44:30,170 --> 00:44:32,649
S2: by comparing it to the sounding of a trumpet. In

845
00:44:32,650 --> 00:44:35,770
S2: one Thessalonians four, he wrote, for the Lord himself will

846
00:44:35,770 --> 00:44:38,410
S2: come down from heaven with a loud command, with the

847
00:44:38,410 --> 00:44:41,170
S2: voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of

848
00:44:41,170 --> 00:44:44,610
S2: God and the dead in Christ will rise first. After

849
00:44:44,610 --> 00:44:46,810
S2: that we who are still alive and are left will

850
00:44:46,810 --> 00:44:49,130
S2: be caught up together with them in the clouds to

851
00:44:49,170 --> 00:44:51,450
S2: meet the Lord in the air. And then in one

852
00:44:51,570 --> 00:44:54,850
S2: Corinthians 15 he added, listen, I tell you a mystery.

853
00:44:54,890 --> 00:44:56,770
S2: We will not all sleep, but we will all be

854
00:44:56,770 --> 00:44:59,770
S2: changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye,

855
00:44:59,810 --> 00:45:02,839
S2: at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and

856
00:45:02,840 --> 00:45:06,200
S2: the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

857
00:45:06,600 --> 00:45:09,560
S2: I need to quickly add that this doesn't necessarily mean

858
00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:12,520
S2: the rapture has to take place on Rosh Hashanah, but

859
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:16,000
S2: I do believe the feast points toward both Christ's ingathering

860
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:18,719
S2: of his church to heaven and the resumption of his

861
00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:22,400
S2: prophetic program for Israel that will ultimately result in Christ's

862
00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:25,600
S2: return to earth. If you're a follower of Jesus, that

863
00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:29,080
S2: memorial blast, the sounding of the trumpet will signal a

864
00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:31,719
S2: dramatic end to your life here on Earth and the

865
00:45:31,719 --> 00:45:34,600
S2: beginning of a new life with Jesus in heaven. It

866
00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:37,279
S2: will also begin a time of great trouble and difficulty

867
00:45:37,280 --> 00:45:39,720
S2: here on earth, but a time when God will also

868
00:45:39,719 --> 00:45:43,319
S2: draw the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob back to

869
00:45:43,360 --> 00:45:46,680
S2: himself in a new and dramatic way, ultimately fulfilling the

870
00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:49,600
S2: words of the prophet Zechariah and I will pour out

871
00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:52,200
S2: on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem

872
00:45:52,239 --> 00:45:55,439
S2: a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me,

873
00:45:55,440 --> 00:45:57,279
S2: the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for

874
00:45:57,280 --> 00:45:59,719
S2: him as one mourns for an only child. On that

875
00:45:59,719 --> 00:46:01,589
S2: day a fountain will be opened to the house of

876
00:46:01,590 --> 00:46:04,830
S2: David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from

877
00:46:04,830 --> 00:46:08,710
S2: sin and impurity. And the application for you, my friend,

878
00:46:08,870 --> 00:46:12,189
S2: depends on your relationship to Jesus today. Have you placed

879
00:46:12,190 --> 00:46:15,629
S2: your trust in Jesus as your Savior? If not, then

880
00:46:15,630 --> 00:46:19,870
S2: why not make this most significant decision of life today? Literally,

881
00:46:19,870 --> 00:46:24,109
S2: this decision has eternal consequences and you never know when

882
00:46:24,110 --> 00:46:25,870
S2: that trumpet might sound.

883
00:46:26,590 --> 00:46:28,790
S1: If you'd like to have a conversation right now with

884
00:46:28,790 --> 00:46:30,910
S1: someone who would love to listen to you, answer your

885
00:46:30,910 --> 00:46:34,030
S1: questions about knowing Jesus and pray with you to begin

886
00:46:34,030 --> 00:46:37,870
S1: this journey, you can call right now 888 need him

887
00:46:38,350 --> 00:46:41,790
S1: eight need him. Well, our time has gone too quickly,

888
00:46:41,790 --> 00:46:44,270
S1: but we're grateful for your company. And Charlie, thanks for

889
00:46:44,270 --> 00:46:47,030
S1: all you did and brought to the program today. Thanks

890
00:46:47,030 --> 00:46:50,310
S1: to our producer, Dan Anderson, I'm John Geiger. The land

891
00:46:50,310 --> 00:46:52,589
S1: and the book is a production of Moody Radio, a

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00:46:52,590 --> 00:46:54,870
S1: ministry of Moody Bible Institute.