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S1: No Place in the world embodies both historical and prophetic significance.

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S1: Like the Land of Israel and as the land of

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S1: the Bible, no place is more significant to Jews and Christians.

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S1: This week we're going to explore a unique book with

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S1: contributions from many believers, all pointing to Israel the Miracle.

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S1: And our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, takes us to Psalm

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S1: 122 for a devotional I think you're going to love.

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S1: Welcome to the land and the book. As I say,

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S1: our host is Doctor Charlie Dyer. Glad you've connected today.

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S1: I'm John Geiger, and you know, Charlie, people wonder, how

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S1: do you share the gospel with a Jewish person because

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S1: of cultural, historical, and religious differences? Sometimes it can be

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S1: challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a

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S1: Jewish background. You ever wondered, though, how the professionals do it?

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S2: That's right, John, and to answer that question, our friends

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S2: at Life in Messiah want to mail you samples of

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S2: the tracks their staff use as they share the gospel.

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S2: This will serve a dual purpose of equipping you with

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S2: methods of presenting the gospel, and also supplying you with

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S2: tracks you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors.

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S2: Life in Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help

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S2: further the spread of the gospel among the Jewish people. Now,

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S2: to receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need

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S2: to do is visit Life in Messiah org and click

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S2: on the Moody Radio button for more information. That's Life

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S2: in messiah.org. Now don't miss out on this great opportunity, and.

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S1: Let's swing our focus now toward current events, beginning with

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S1: a look at the current war going on between Hamas

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S1: and Israel. One of the main headlines. There has been

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S1: a fire in Rafah, and there's certainly some confusion there.

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S1: What do we need to know, Charlie?

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S2: You know, John, all I kept thinking is I read

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S2: these stories. Is the quote attributed to Mark Twain. It

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S2: said a lie can travel halfway around the world while

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S2: the truth is putting on its shoes. And we're not

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S2: even sure Mark Twain said that, uh, Jonathan Swift actually

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S2: said it first. He said falsehood flies and the truth

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S2: comes limping after it. And that's the best description of this.

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S2: You know, the incident, 45 people killed in Rafah. And

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S2: if you read the headlines, it sounds like Israel indiscriminately

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S2: dropped a bomb on a group of tents that caught

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S2: fire that spread through the camp. The reality is that

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S2: Israel attacked two Hamas operatives that were hundreds of feet

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S2: from the nearest tents, almost a mile from the location

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S2: of the actual fire. Apparently, the site that they bombed

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S2: also contained munitions being stored by Hamas that caused secondary

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S2: explosions sent flaming shrapnel flying. Some of that hit a

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S2: gas canister in the shelter area, causing it to explode.

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S2: Not to me. The question should be why was Hamas

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S2: storing weapons and ammunition near the refugee shelter? And why

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S2: did the press accept Hamas's version without taking time to

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S2: verify what had actually happened? It was a sad and

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S2: tragic event, but the reality is that Israel was attacking Hamas.

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S2: It was the weapons store by Hamas that ultimately caused

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S2: all of the damage.

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S1: Any other summary statement you'd make about the war and

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S1: its progress, its impact in that region?

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S2: Yeah. Israel is fighting on two fronts. They're fighting against Hamas,

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S2: and they're making progress heading through Rafah. But they're also

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S2: fighting the world press. And the world press. And the

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S2: other countries of the world are stacked against Israel. And

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S2: that's a major battle. And Israel is not being as

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S2: successful there.

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S1: Story number two, from Palestinian President Abbas to some modern

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S1: day false messiahs, claims are being made that Ashkenazi Jews

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S1: aren't really Jewish. What's the basis for these claims? How

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S1: valid are they and what are the implications?

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S2: Yeah, at first you hear these statements. They sound bizarre

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S2: and they really are. But if you repeat them often,

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S2: enough people start to believe them. And that's what's happening

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S2: with this claim. The claim is that Ashkenazi or European

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S2: Jews have no genetic relationship to Jewish antiquity. In the

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S2: Land of Israel, they would say that they were Khazars

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S2: from the Caucasus region who converted to Judaism in the

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S2: early Middle Ages. A genetic study that was done in

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S2: 2012 is often cited as proof for this. Now, the

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S2: problem is that most of us know very little about DNA,

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S2: though we assume it must be true. You know, DNA

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S2: matches are what police use to connect evidence with suspects,

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S2: but the reality in this case is more complex. There

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S2: is no group of Khazars today to which Ashkenazi DNA

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S2: can be compared. So the author of that 2012 study

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S2: compared the genetic signature of Ashkenazi Jews with those of

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S2: modern day Armenians and Georgians, which he used as a

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S2: stand in for the Khazars. But other geneticists described that

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S2: as an unrealistic premise because Armenians have also, well, they

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S2: have Middle Eastern roots as well, which is why they

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S2: appear to be genetically similar. An international group of 30

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S2: geneticists wrote to debunk that theory. By using sophisticated molecular tools,

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S2: they found that Jews worldwide are genetically homogeneous no matter

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S2: where they live. Those scientists say the Jews are genetically

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S2: more similar to each other than to their non-Jewish neighbors,

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S2: and that they share a middle eastern ancestry. And that

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S2: leads to the second major point here. Ashkenazi Jews account

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S2: for just under half of all Jews. The others are

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S2: Sephardic Jews. Came from Spain and Portugal. Mizrachi Jews from

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S2: the Middle East, and those arguing that the Jews have

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S2: no connection to the land. Tend to leave out those

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S2: Jews who make up more than half of all the

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S2: Jewish population. So what are the implications of all this? Well,

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S2: many who claim the Ashkenazi Jews aren't really Jewish. Well,

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S2: they're doing so to try to deny their historical connection

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S2: to the land of Israel. But if they are Jewish,

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S2: they do have that connection. And one final detail, how

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S2: do we account for some traces of other DNA in

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S2: these studies? Well, actually, the answer is kind of easy.

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S2: You think back through Israel's history, Rahab was a Canaanite

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S2: who came into the people of Israel. Uh, Ruth was

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S2: a moabitess who ended up not only in Israel, but

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S2: in the line of David and Jesus. Uh, the argument

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S2: that Jews, especially Ashkenazi Jews, aren't really Jewish. It's just false.

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S2: It's dangerous, and it needs to be debunked.

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S1: An Iranian lawmaker said Iran now possesses nuclear weapons. Is

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S1: his statement true? It also leads to a second question

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S1: how serious of a threat is Iran's nuclear program?

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S2: Iran probably doesn't yet have nuclear weapons, in spite of

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S2: what that member of parliament claimed. It seems suspicious that

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S2: a regular parliament member, you know, rather than someone representing

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S2: the ayatollah or the military, is the one making that claim.

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S2: But it's virtually certain that Iran is working to develop

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S2: nuclear weapons and the means to put them on missiles,

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S2: and they're close to having a sufficient supply of enriched

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S2: uranium to take the final step. The International Atomic Energy

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S2: Agency estimates that Iran currently has sufficient uranium enriched to 60%

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S2: purity to take the next small step, and it would

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S2: give them enough to make three nuclear bombs. The real

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S2: question is, what would Iran do with nuclear weapons if

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S2: they were to possess them? Now, some believe even if

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S2: Iran were to possess them, it wouldn't be a major

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S2: problem since no rational leader would ever use them. The

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S2: inevitable retaliation would destroy the country. But the flaw in

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S2: that argument is that Iran's leaders are motivated by religious beliefs,

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S2: and they don't necessarily operate by the same rules of logic.

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S2: Iran's eschatology, its understanding of the future, is that there

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S2: is going to be a worldwide conflagration preceding the arrival

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S2: of the Mahdi, their Messiah. And that final war includes

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S2: the destruction of the Jews. If the Ayatollah had nuclear

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S2: weapons and was convinced God had selected him to hasten

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S2: the arrival of the Mahdi, what might seem totally illogical

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S2: to us could seem perfectly rational to him. Uh, European

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S2: powers have wanted to present a resolution against Iran at

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S2: the next IAEA meeting. But it's actually interesting. The United

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S2: States is the one opposing. Our leaders really need to

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S2: pay close attention to what Iran is doing, or they

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S2: could be faced with a major problem down the road

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S2: from Moody Radio.

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S1: This is the land and the book where we're looking

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S1: at current events from the week based in the Middle East.

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S1: Proverbs 2120 says the wise store up choice food and

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S1: olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. Well, Israel has

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S1: been taking this to heart with a program to store

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S1: energy reserves in a secret location in the Negev. What's

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S1: behind this program? To store up energy reserves?

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S2: Yeah. Let me start by talking about our own strategic

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S2: petroleum reserve. You know, we have had that since 1973.

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S2: Back in the original energy crisis in 2009, we had

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S2: 727 million barrels of oil stored in that reserve. Now,

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S2: that sounds like a lot, except we currently use 20

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S2: million barrels of oil a day, so to speak. We'd

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S2: stored up enough oil to keep our country running at

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S2: full steam for 36 days. Unfortunately, since 2020, we've drawn

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S2: down our reserves to a 40 year low of about

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S2: 350 million barrels, just enough for 17 days. Now, Israel

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S2: needs less oil, but they're also far more dependent on

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S2: outside supplies. As a result, they've developed and filled a

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S2: secret underground fuel reserve in the Negev. That's one of

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S2: the largest such facilities in the Middle East. It's capable

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S2: of providing fuel to any part of the country within

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S2: a few hours, should it be needed. Israel assumes that

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S2: in any war with Hezbollah, their offshore gas fields would

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S2: be shut down and all electrical plants would need to

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S2: switch back to coal and oil. And much of that

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S2: oil in this secret reserve would be used to supply

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S2: the country with electricity. It would also be used to

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S2: provide fuel for the Army and for other infrastructure like

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S2: airports and fuel stations. So Israel's continuing to store up

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S2: energy reserves to be as prepared as possible to face

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S2: any threat that may come their way. And I think

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S2: Solomon would commend them for being very wise for doing so.

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S2: And unlike the US, they don't draw down their supplies

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S2: for political reasons like trying to lower the price of gasoline,

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S2: which in Israel right now is just under $8 a gallon. Wow.

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S1: An Israeli university and a rehab hospital have partnered together

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S1: to develop new technologies to improve post-stroke rehabilitation. Tell us

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S1: about these developments coming out of Amazing Israel.

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S2: Yeah, my mom suffered two strokes toward the end of

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S2: her life. So this story really had significance to me.

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S2: Those who worked to help stroke victims recover are simply amazing. Unfortunately,

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S2: facilities and techniques look pretty much the same today as

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S2: they did 50 years ago, and as a result, the

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S2: recovery rates stayed about the same. Now, what intrigued these

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S2: researchers is. Post-stroke recovery is so much faster in animals.

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S2: A monkeys, for example, regained full use of their limbs

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S2: after only a few weeks, so combining observations like these

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S2: with the latest technology led them to some significant discoveries.

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S2: They found that just 40 extra hours of post-stroke treatment

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S2: can improve upper limb function. Unfortunately, hospitals tend not to

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S2: have enough physical and occupational therapies to deliver the hours,

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S2: so these researchers have now developed technologies to help deliver

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S2: additional treatment. They're using highly engaging computer simulations to help

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S2: increase repetition and intensity. There's no one magic bullet that

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S2: can help someone who's had a stroke resume a normal life.

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S2: But these researchers and amazing Israel are pioneering new care

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S2: protocols that will help those who've had a stroke recover

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S2: more completely.

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S1: Thank you Charlie. And because you love Israel and the

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S1: Jewish people, you should probably know just a bit more

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S1: about Moody Bible Institute's Jewish Studies. Major Doctor Michael Redlich

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S1: joins the conversation now, and he guides this exciting program

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S1: at Moody. Michael, where does the major take students biblically

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S1: and scholastically?

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S3: Well, we help our students understand God's plan for the

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S3: Jewish people and for Israel. We help them understand the

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S3: covenants and also the history and destiny of the Jewish people.

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S1: So what are some experiences that would be unique to

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S1: the Jewish Studies major at Moody Bible Institute?

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S3: Well, many of our students study in Israel. Many of

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S3: them do their internships in Israel. Also, they get to

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S3: engage in cross-cultural ministry right here in the United States.

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S3: I always consider Jewish people to be the most unreached

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S3: people right in our midst.

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S1: Parents and prospective students might be wondering, what about after

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S1: I graduate? What does a Jewish Studies major from Moody

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S1: prepare me to do?

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S3: Obviously, it prepares you for Jewish ministry, whether vocationally or

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S3: by vocationally. You know, we have some students that serve

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S3: with Jewish organizations, if you can believe it, uh, non-believing

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S3: Jewish organizations, they serve there and they have a testimony

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S3: in those kinds of settings. Uh, we have others that

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S3: have served, actually, for the Israeli consulate. So there's a

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S3: wide opportunity for people to show their concern and their

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S3: care for the Jewish people.

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S1: And a listener could learn more about the Jewish studies major, how.

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S4: Just go to moody.edu.

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S3: And click on the Jewish Studies program. It has all

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S3: sorts of information for you there. So go to moody.edu.

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S1: That's Michael Riedel with a bit more about the Jewish

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S1: Studies major on the land and the book. No Place

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S1: in the world embodies both historical and prophetic significance as

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S1: the Land of Israel, as the land of the Bible,

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S1: no place is more significance to Jews and Christians. What

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S1: if there was a book, though, that somehow compiled the

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S1: thoughts of many, many Christians about the significance of the

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S1: land of Israel? All between two covers with spectacular photos? Well,

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S1: that's what we're about to talk about here on the

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S1: land and the book Israel the Miracle. I'm John Gager.

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S1: Our guest is Jonathan Feldstein, and he is the president

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S1: of the Genesis 123 Foundation, building bridges between Jews and

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S1: Christians in ways that are new, unique, and meaningful. Welcome

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S1: to the land in the book.

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S5: Wow, what a delight. And you know what? I love

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S5: that setup because you talked about it being between the

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S5: covers of a book and talking about the land. And

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S5: here I am on the land in the book. I mean, wow,

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S5: this is powerful.

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S1: Thank you. Well, talk about this issue, first of building

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S1: bridges between Jews and Christians. What does that look like? Practically? Sure.

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S5: So what it means, first of all, is relationships, not

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S5: transactional experiences. There are a lot of people who are

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S5: looking for transactional relationships. I knew early on in my

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S5: calling to be a bridge between Jews and Christians that

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S5: it can't be about monetizing relationships, but in fact building deep,

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S5: lasting relationships. So we do things that are involving prayer

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S5: and blessing Israel, but also even because the name of

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S5: the organization, Genesis 123 comes from Genesis 12 three, most

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S5: people remember, I will bless those who bless you. I

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S5: will curse those who curse you. Most people don't pay

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S5: attention to the third third of that verse, which is,

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S5: the families of the world will be blessed through you.

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S5: And we don't have time now. But I do that,

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S5: and we do that in so many ways. So if

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S5: you remember back in the US in 22, there was

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S5: a shortage of baby formula. I didn't have that shortage

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S5: going on in Israel. And my trip in June of 22,

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S5: I brought £200 of baby formula to two churches in

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S5: Texas with Hebrew writing on it, and gave it out

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S5: to families there for us to be a blessing because

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S5: we could. So that's what we embody, to try to

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S5: do things that are different out of the box and

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S5: much more than transactional.

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S1: How was that received? I mean, different people from different

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S1: perspectives on life. Are they at all suspicious? Do they?

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S1: Are they warmly welcoming? What's your reaction?

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S5: They're warmly welcoming of the sentiment. They're warmly welcoming that

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S5: I am a foil to many people who simply just

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S5: want people to write a check or swipe their credit card,

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S5: or something of that nature to take an offering. Those

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S5: are important things, and that's a solid way to bless Israel.

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S5: But it's not the only way. When I brought the

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S5: baby formula to Texas, just as a continuation of that example,

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S5: the person who was my host said no. All the

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S5: times that she has hosted guests from Israel, no one

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S5: ever came bearing gifts for people in America. That's pretty powerful.

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S5: So it's very, very well received, and it's refreshing because

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S5: the other side of it is, as an Orthodox Jew,

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S5: I have also a responsibility to help Jews understand that, yes,

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S5: some Christians have different agendas, and we can speak about

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S5: that openly but genuinely. Christian love and support for Israel

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S5: and the Jewish people is pure. And my Jewish friends

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S5: who don't understand that or are suspicious of it. It's

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S5: also my job to make sure that Jews understand, no,

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S5: we're in a we're in a really historic period, and

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S5: we need to embrace that back.

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S1: We're going to get to this book, I assure you,

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S1: in a minute. But I want to talk for just

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S1: a little bit more about this misunderstanding. You know, I,

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S1: I came to a quote when I was down at

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S1: the Everlasting Nation Museum in Chattanooga from Adolf Hitler. That

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S1: absolutely blew me away. Obviously, nobody argues how evil he was.

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S1: But listen, this is an actual quote from Mein Kampf.

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S1: He says, I am now convinced that I am acting

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S1: as an agent of our creator by fighting off the Jews.

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S1: I am doing the Lord's work. Well, no wonder there

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S1: are Jewish people who are suspicious of Christians. You know,

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S1: these are the things again though, that I have had

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S1: to learn in my ignorance.

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S5: And where are people who who celebrate our history? Every

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S5: year we celebrate again the exodus from Egypt as if

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S5: we were there and part of that experience. And so,

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S5: of course, we're going to remember persecution of the church

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S5: from 1000 years ago or from 500 years ago, or

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S5: from Hitler, who obscenely adopted theology into his hateful, uh, positions.

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S1: Jonathan Feldstein is president of Genesis 123, uh, building bridges

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S1: between Jews and Christians. It's an honor to have him

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S1: on the land. And the book. Let's talk about the

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S1: book that you brought, small B it's not the Bible Israel,

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S1: the miracle encounters with the land and people God loves.

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S1: Describe this gorgeous book and what's between the two covers.

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S5: So God gave me this vision in October of 2022,

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S5: and I had been speaking with the publisher, Higher Life

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S5: Christian Publisher out of Orlando, about a different book entirely.

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S5: And I sent an email to David and I said, hey,

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S5: what do you think about the idea of putting together

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S5: a book of 75 essays by Christian leaders from all

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S5: over the world, writing Why Israel's Significant in celebration of

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S5: Israel's 75th anniversary. Now remember, this is October. Israel's 75th

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S5: anniversary was the following year in 23. In May. And

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S5: he said, yes, great. And he then he improved upon

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S5: it and said, I don't see it as a book

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S5: of texts that people will read and be inspired by

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S5: and put on a shelf. But a coffee table book? Yes.

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00:18:04,609 --> 00:18:07,580
S5: And it has beautiful images. So you interact. And that's

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S5: what the book is. It's an experience. So we move

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S5: forward with this. And I said to you, as we

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S5: were before we began recording, if, if I had known

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S5: what an incredible work this would have been and how

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S5: many obstacles and impediments, I probably would have run away,

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S5: I probably would not have done this. It was conceived

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S5: in October. It was delivered to the printer in August

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S5: the following year, nine months. It came off the press

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S5: in September this past year, just two weeks before the

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S5: war began. And that delayed everything. But honestly, that makes

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S5: the book even all the more significant.

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S1: Yeah, so contributions are from names that many of our

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S1: listeners will know. Kay Arthur is in this book. Anne

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S1: Graham Lotz, Steve Brown, the preacher with the big voice, uh,

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S1: Ben Carson, uh, Joel Rosenberg, a guest many times on

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S1: the land in the book, uh, Don Sweeting, son of

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S1: former Moody Bible Institute president George Sweeting. Jim Showers, we've

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S1: had him on the land in the book, so many

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S1: and many more that you may not be familiar with

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S1: all across a broad spectrum of Christianity, all contributing. Is

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S1: there a single theme that you picked up on as

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S1: these things all came in?

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S5: Excellent question. The single theme is that there isn't a

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S5: single theme. I was really afraid that every other person

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S5: was going to write about blessing Israel and being blessed,

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S5: or for such a time as this, or being a

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S5: watchman on the wall, or praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

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S5: We don't have that. There wasn't that redundancy. If you

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S5: read it as I've done. I'm now one of a

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00:19:32,630 --> 00:19:35,659
S5: few people who've read the book entirely. Uh, but you

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S5: see a common thread, and that thread is love, and

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S5: it's not lineal because the book is published, except for

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S5: Pat Robertson at the outset, alphabetically. So it's not published thematically,

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00:19:45,650 --> 00:19:49,580
S5: it's just straight alphabet. But if you pay attention and

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00:19:49,580 --> 00:19:53,810
S5: digest the words of these incredible authors and then absorb

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S5: the pictures, you actually begin to see the themes, the

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S5: threads that run throughout. And that's the beauty of this book,

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00:20:01,190 --> 00:20:04,040
S5: is because this is what we wanted to represent, the

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S5: depth and the breadth of Christian support for Israel and

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S5: the Jewish people from all over the world.

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S1: What kind of a response are you getting to the book? Uh,

384
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S1: in particular, what are people saying?

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S5: Even the fact that I wasn't able to come on

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S5: a press and book launch tour until now, the book came,

387
00:20:19,250 --> 00:20:21,859
S5: was supposed to be in November and December because of

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S5: the war and my son and serving in Gaza and

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S5: my son in law serving in Gaza. So we deferred

390
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S5: it until now to the spring. We've just now ordered

391
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S5: our second printing. Wow. Coming from a print shop in

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S5: one of the communities that was devastated by the terrorist

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00:20:36,260 --> 00:20:39,379
S5: attack on October 7th. So the proceeds go back to

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00:20:39,380 --> 00:20:43,220
S5: blessing Israel. But we're actually investing in a print shop

395
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S5: in one of the communities that needs the rehabilitation. Um,

396
00:20:46,730 --> 00:20:50,270
S5: the response has been overwhelming, and I just pray that

397
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S5: I ordered enough copies because once conversations like this get out,

398
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S5: it still takes a few weeks to print and then

399
00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:57,139
S5: ship them over.

400
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S1: Jonathan Feldstein is president of the Genesis 123 Foundation. You know,

401
00:21:02,060 --> 00:21:04,310
S1: the timing on this, as you pointed out, is interesting

402
00:21:04,310 --> 00:21:07,730
S1: with this recent war. It seems to me now more

403
00:21:07,730 --> 00:21:13,250
S1: than ever, the relationships are hugely important as we see

404
00:21:13,250 --> 00:21:16,280
S1: mainstream media in much of the United States sort of

405
00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:20,600
S1: turning its coverage toward Israel. Uh, not very favorable. What

406
00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:21,830
S1: are your concerns there, or thoughts?

407
00:21:21,830 --> 00:21:25,250
S5: Their concerns is that there's not enough understanding that we need,

408
00:21:25,250 --> 00:21:29,720
S5: that Christians are hard wired, by and large, to love

409
00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,150
S5: and support Israel. And you just shared your own growing

410
00:21:32,150 --> 00:21:35,780
S5: up but don't know details, don't know how to stand

411
00:21:35,780 --> 00:21:38,389
S5: up and be part of blessing Israel. That's what, by

412
00:21:38,390 --> 00:21:40,669
S5: the way, that's what makes this book spectacular. Because of

413
00:21:40,670 --> 00:21:43,550
S5: the pictures, you can sit with a child and grandchild

414
00:21:43,550 --> 00:21:48,260
S5: and educate your next generations about Israel. In 1000 words.

415
00:21:48,260 --> 00:21:49,940
S5: It's not. You don't have to read a whole book

416
00:21:49,940 --> 00:21:53,150
S5: of things or chapter at a time, but we need

417
00:21:53,150 --> 00:21:55,190
S5: to come together more. We need to stand together more

418
00:21:55,190 --> 00:21:58,370
S5: because the evil that we are currently fighting is an

419
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S5: evil that's a common enemy of Jews and Christians.

420
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S1: So what's your hope for people as they flip through

421
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,720
S1: this book? Um, they're going to get it and spend

422
00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:09,050
S1: time with it because they are interested in Israel. But

423
00:22:09,050 --> 00:22:11,630
S1: what do you want them to do differently? Be differently,

424
00:22:11,630 --> 00:22:13,490
S1: having invested time in this book.

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S5: So first of all, I want people to get the

426
00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,750
S5: book at Israel The miracle.com. And when you check out,

427
00:22:17,750 --> 00:22:20,300
S5: I'd like to give your listeners a gift from me

428
00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:23,689
S5: and use the code Jonathan ten and get 10% off,

429
00:22:23,690 --> 00:22:26,450
S5: because my goal is to have this in Christian hands

430
00:22:26,450 --> 00:22:29,330
S5: and Christian homes, that it will be a blessing. And

431
00:22:29,330 --> 00:22:32,060
S5: I say this, and I don't say it rhetorically. I

432
00:22:32,060 --> 00:22:34,040
S5: believe that someone in their 50s who will buy the

433
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,250
S5: book now and share it with their children and grandchildren

434
00:22:37,250 --> 00:22:39,560
S5: will love this and cherish this. And it's going to

435
00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:41,239
S5: be a book that's going to be a centerpiece in

436
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:44,600
S5: their home. And when that person dies, this is going

437
00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:46,250
S5: to be one of those heirlooms that people are going

438
00:22:46,250 --> 00:22:50,689
S5: to differ about who gets to own afterward. And. Because

439
00:22:50,690 --> 00:22:51,230
S5: it's that you say.

440
00:22:51,230 --> 00:22:52,670
S1: You want to cause a fight, Jonathan.

441
00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,949
S5: Know. Then buy, then buy, then buy copies for all

442
00:22:54,950 --> 00:22:55,730
S5: of your children.

443
00:22:55,730 --> 00:22:56,240
S6: There you go.

444
00:22:57,380 --> 00:22:59,210
S5: No, we can do that. No, I don't I want

445
00:22:59,210 --> 00:23:00,859
S5: this to be a blessing. And I want this to

446
00:23:00,859 --> 00:23:04,460
S5: be a way for people to engage through the words,

447
00:23:04,460 --> 00:23:08,300
S5: through the pictures, in the vision of these 75 leaders

448
00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:12,080
S5: from all over the world, just to open their eyes more. Yeah.

449
00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,840
S5: And engage. And as I said at the outset, I'm

450
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:18,139
S5: about building relationships. I would be so blessed if people

451
00:23:18,140 --> 00:23:19,939
S5: not only ordered the book, but let me know what

452
00:23:19,940 --> 00:23:20,900
S5: they think of the book.

453
00:23:20,900 --> 00:23:24,620
S1: What's next for Genesis 123 Foundation? What's the next bridge

454
00:23:24,619 --> 00:23:26,720
S1: you're working on? The next vision you've got?

455
00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:29,480
S5: So the book that was originally discussed two years ago

456
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:32,240
S5: at the NRB convention that was pushed off, is a

457
00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,910
S5: different book that I hope to put back on the agenda.

458
00:23:34,910 --> 00:23:37,040
S5: Now that I know a little bit about publishing and

459
00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,409
S5: I have a great publisher to work that. But what

460
00:23:39,410 --> 00:23:42,290
S5: I'm hoping for is the first program that we launched

461
00:23:42,290 --> 00:23:46,429
S5: in 2017 is called run for Zion. It's the first

462
00:23:46,430 --> 00:23:50,000
S5: Christian program around the Jerusalem Marathon. So anyone listening who's

463
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,760
S5: a runner or knows a runner full marathon down to

464
00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,760
S5: five K once in a while for just for fitness.

465
00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,100
S5: I want them to put March of 25 on their

466
00:23:58,100 --> 00:24:00,290
S5: calendar and be in touch with me, because we've got

467
00:24:00,290 --> 00:24:03,320
S5: a great connection to bring people for what's one of

468
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:07,580
S5: Israel's biggest family experiences. And I want to bring Christians

469
00:24:07,580 --> 00:24:10,160
S5: to make it a fabulous Christian experience, because if you

470
00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,730
S5: are a runner, even only 5 or 10 K, Jerusalem

471
00:24:13,730 --> 00:24:15,980
S5: is the most significant place that you'll run.

472
00:24:15,980 --> 00:24:18,320
S1: All right, obviously, this book is huge and we've talked

473
00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:22,370
S1: about its impact in supporting, but what's something simple that

474
00:24:22,369 --> 00:24:24,590
S1: every listener to the land in the book could do

475
00:24:24,619 --> 00:24:27,770
S1: right now? To build a bridge with the Jewish friend

476
00:24:27,770 --> 00:24:29,600
S1: or neighbor or coworker. What could we do?

477
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,209
S5: Reach out and tell people they heard this conversation, and

478
00:24:32,210 --> 00:24:35,960
S5: how important it is just to show love and have dialogue?

479
00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:38,150
S5: There are a lot of things that we don't agree upon,

480
00:24:38,150 --> 00:24:39,679
S5: and we can. That's fine. We can. Those can be

481
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:41,689
S5: the elephant in the room that we don't need to

482
00:24:41,690 --> 00:24:45,320
S5: discuss up front. I do, but not everyone's comfortable doing that.

483
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,980
S5: But just learn about one another. Jews and Christians know

484
00:24:48,980 --> 00:24:51,919
S5: we exist and know we come. How? The metaphor is

485
00:24:51,950 --> 00:24:54,800
S5: a great metaphor grafted into the same to the root.

486
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:56,840
S5: And that root of the root we're talking about is

487
00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,240
S5: an olive tree. And this book is abundant with pictures

488
00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:03,980
S5: of olive trees appropriately, because that's the metaphor that we're celebrating.

489
00:25:03,980 --> 00:25:08,660
S5: But especially now when American Jews are suffering anti-Semitism at

490
00:25:08,660 --> 00:25:12,109
S5: levels that are frightening and they're concerned for Israel. And

491
00:25:12,109 --> 00:25:14,690
S5: American Jews need to hear from Christians who are no

492
00:25:14,690 --> 00:25:17,960
S5: less anguished about what's going on and to say, hey,

493
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,570
S5: I don't know how you're feeling, but I'm standing with

494
00:25:20,570 --> 00:25:22,880
S5: you and just and to reach out. And if someone

495
00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:25,550
S5: doesn't know a Jewish person, they can be in touch

496
00:25:25,550 --> 00:25:28,730
S5: with me and I'll connect them to Jewish people or myself.

497
00:25:28,940 --> 00:25:33,320
S1: Jonathan Feldstein is president of the Genesis 123 Foundation. There's

498
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,200
S1: a link to his website at ours, The Land and

499
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,439
S1: the book org. We'll get you connected with everything you

500
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,000
S1: need to know. Thank you so much for the.

501
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:41,690
S5: Time, John. What a.

502
00:25:41,690 --> 00:25:44,120
S1: Blessing. Hey, we're looking forward to Charlie Dyer getting back

503
00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:46,760
S1: into the studio here with a fresh set of Bible questions.

504
00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,210
S1: Always something curious that you're wondering about, and I'm wondering

505
00:25:50,210 --> 00:25:52,850
S1: about it too. So let's wonder together, as we hear

506
00:25:52,850 --> 00:25:55,670
S1: from Charlie next here on the land and the book.

507
00:26:06,770 --> 00:26:09,260
S1: Thanks for listening to The Land and the book from

508
00:26:09,260 --> 00:26:12,980
S1: Moody Radio. I'm John Gager, looking forward to wow, Charlie.

509
00:26:12,980 --> 00:26:15,290
S1: Big stack of questions I see at your side there.

510
00:26:15,290 --> 00:26:17,659
S1: I trust you've got some answers for us today.

511
00:26:17,690 --> 00:26:20,000
S2: Ah, it's like the old saying, you got questions, we

512
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:21,410
S2: got answers, I love it.

513
00:26:21,410 --> 00:26:23,600
S1: We're going to turn to the Bible for those answers,

514
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,760
S1: as we always do. First, though, a question I'd like

515
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:27,709
S1: to ask how do you share the gospel with a

516
00:26:27,710 --> 00:26:32,090
S1: Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical and religious differences, it's

517
00:26:32,090 --> 00:26:36,320
S1: sometimes challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from

518
00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,169
S1: a Jewish background. That's been my experience, Charlie, but have

519
00:26:39,170 --> 00:26:42,020
S1: you ever wondered how the quote professionals do it? Yeah.

520
00:26:42,020 --> 00:26:43,939
S2: And to answer that question, our friends at Life and

521
00:26:43,940 --> 00:26:46,699
S2: Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their

522
00:26:46,700 --> 00:26:49,609
S2: staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve

523
00:26:49,609 --> 00:26:51,889
S2: as a dual purpose of equipping you with methods of

524
00:26:51,890 --> 00:26:55,580
S2: presenting the gospel, and also supplying you with tracks you

525
00:26:55,580 --> 00:26:58,220
S2: can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in

526
00:26:58,220 --> 00:27:01,070
S2: Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further the

527
00:27:01,070 --> 00:27:04,310
S2: spread of the gospel among the Jewish people. To receive

528
00:27:04,310 --> 00:27:06,890
S2: this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do

529
00:27:06,890 --> 00:27:09,859
S2: is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the

530
00:27:09,859 --> 00:27:14,929
S2: Moody Radio button for more information. That's Life in messiah.org

531
00:27:14,930 --> 00:27:17,419
S2: and don't miss out on this great opportunity.

532
00:27:17,420 --> 00:27:19,280
S1: All right, let's take a look at our questions for

533
00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:22,550
S1: the day from listeners like Mark, who admits, I'm completely

534
00:27:22,550 --> 00:27:26,870
S1: confused by First Corinthians 15 verse 29. I get that way,

535
00:27:26,869 --> 00:27:28,970
S1: he says at the end of Paul's discourse about the

536
00:27:28,970 --> 00:27:32,030
S1: resurrection of the dead, he argues against those who claim

537
00:27:32,030 --> 00:27:34,550
S1: that there is no resurrection of the dead. And he says, now,

538
00:27:34,550 --> 00:27:37,400
S1: if there is no resurrection, what will those do who

539
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,010
S1: are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not

540
00:27:40,010 --> 00:27:42,889
S1: raised at all, why are the people baptized for them?

541
00:27:42,890 --> 00:27:44,960
S1: He says, I was raised in a tradition of people

542
00:27:44,990 --> 00:27:47,780
S1: being encouraged to pray for the dead, for which I

543
00:27:47,780 --> 00:27:50,780
S1: know of no scriptural support, so I'm surprised that Paul

544
00:27:50,780 --> 00:27:53,600
S1: mentions what appears to be a common practice of baptism

545
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:55,640
S1: for the dead. What am I missing?

546
00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:58,100
S2: Yeah, and let me give you the best explanation I've

547
00:27:58,100 --> 00:27:59,870
S2: ever heard from this. It's from a friend of mine,

548
00:27:59,869 --> 00:28:03,110
S2: David Lowery. He was a fellow faculty member at Dallas Seminary.

549
00:28:03,109 --> 00:28:04,909
S2: And and here's what he wrote in part. He said

550
00:28:04,910 --> 00:28:07,969
S2: there's up to 200 explanations that have been given of

551
00:28:07,970 --> 00:28:11,000
S2: this verse. So it's clear from the context, though Paul

552
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,959
S2: was distinguishing what his practice was and the teaching that

553
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,659
S2: he's then describing here. Now, how did the false teachers

554
00:28:17,660 --> 00:28:20,150
S2: come up with a view? We may never know. But

555
00:28:20,150 --> 00:28:22,400
S2: north of Corinth there was a place where there was

556
00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:26,150
S2: a center of a wildly popular ancient mystery religion that's

557
00:28:26,150 --> 00:28:28,310
S2: even mentioned by Homer. Part of the rites of the

558
00:28:28,310 --> 00:28:32,030
S2: initiation were washings of purification in the sea, without which

559
00:28:32,030 --> 00:28:34,610
S2: they said, no one could hope to experience bliss in

560
00:28:34,609 --> 00:28:38,540
S2: the life hereafter. It's likely that some in Corinth, possibly

561
00:28:38,540 --> 00:28:41,840
S2: influenced by that mystery religion, were pushing a false view

562
00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:44,390
S2: of baptism, which Paul took up and used as an

563
00:28:44,390 --> 00:28:48,230
S2: argument against those who denied the resurrection. And then here's

564
00:28:48,230 --> 00:28:51,230
S2: what David adds. He says no interpretation of this text

565
00:28:51,230 --> 00:28:55,070
S2: is entirely satisfactory, but this view has as its chief

566
00:28:55,070 --> 00:28:58,580
S2: strength the natural reading of the Greek verse, an asset

567
00:28:58,580 --> 00:29:02,510
S2: regularly lacking in other explanations. It's also noteworthy that Paul

568
00:29:02,510 --> 00:29:05,720
S2: referred to those who are baptizing for the dead, not

569
00:29:05,750 --> 00:29:08,810
S2: we who are baptizing for the dead. So his whole

570
00:29:08,810 --> 00:29:11,750
S2: point is, I think Paul's actually describing something that was

571
00:29:11,750 --> 00:29:15,740
S2: happening in Corinth because of this local mystery religion that

572
00:29:15,740 --> 00:29:18,590
S2: was happening there. But it's also important. Perhaps the most

573
00:29:18,590 --> 00:29:21,830
S2: important part is that Paul did not include himself among

574
00:29:21,830 --> 00:29:24,440
S2: those who were doing this practice. In fact, he says

575
00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:27,470
S2: it's them and in essence saying not us. And he

576
00:29:27,470 --> 00:29:30,530
S2: uses it only as an illustration. So he's definitely not

577
00:29:30,530 --> 00:29:32,810
S2: endorsing whatever was taking place.

578
00:29:32,810 --> 00:29:35,900
S1: All right. Thank you. Roger says, I've been reading about heaven,

579
00:29:35,900 --> 00:29:38,240
S1: and I wonder whether or not we would have memories

580
00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:41,030
S1: of earth in heaven. We're often told that there would

581
00:29:41,030 --> 00:29:43,670
S1: be no memories of earth, since that might bring sadness

582
00:29:43,670 --> 00:29:45,950
S1: and there is no sadness in heaven. But we are

583
00:29:45,950 --> 00:29:48,770
S1: coming back to earth to rule with Christ. So wouldn't

584
00:29:48,770 --> 00:29:51,080
S1: we have some kind of memory? Any thoughts?

585
00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:53,780
S2: Yeah, well, I don't know of any direct statement on

586
00:29:53,780 --> 00:29:56,570
S2: the subject, but that makes me want to tread carefully here.

587
00:29:56,570 --> 00:29:59,060
S2: My answer. But it does seem to me that Jesus's

588
00:29:59,060 --> 00:30:02,180
S2: story of the rich man and Lazarus provides some insight.

589
00:30:02,180 --> 00:30:04,670
S2: You know, it's a story in Luke 16 that's likely

590
00:30:04,670 --> 00:30:08,060
S2: a parable, but the information Jesus gives, I think, corresponds

591
00:30:08,060 --> 00:30:11,180
S2: to reality, because I can't imagine him sharing details. That

592
00:30:11,180 --> 00:30:14,209
S2: wouldn't be true. But in that story, Jesus shares the

593
00:30:14,210 --> 00:30:16,489
S2: fact that both the rich man and Lazarus have a

594
00:30:16,490 --> 00:30:19,820
S2: conscious existence after death. And more than that, the rich

595
00:30:19,820 --> 00:30:22,070
S2: man knows he has five brothers who are still alive

596
00:30:22,070 --> 00:30:24,440
S2: who are going to experience the same fate he's now

597
00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:28,010
S2: experiencing unless they change their ways. So at least in

598
00:30:28,010 --> 00:30:30,410
S2: that instance, it seems the individual did have a memory

599
00:30:30,410 --> 00:30:32,990
S2: of his life on earth prior to his death. Now again,

600
00:30:32,990 --> 00:30:35,870
S2: it's a story being told by Jesus, but it suggests

601
00:30:35,870 --> 00:30:38,810
S2: that those who have died do possess memories of their

602
00:30:38,810 --> 00:30:39,950
S2: life before death.

603
00:30:39,950 --> 00:30:43,010
S1: If you're just connecting, that's Doctor Charlie Dyer, host of

604
00:30:43,010 --> 00:30:45,560
S1: The Land in the book. I'm John Geiger, his sidekick,

605
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:47,900
S1: and we get a kick out of your questions here

606
00:30:47,900 --> 00:30:49,670
S1: at the land in the book. And you can email them,

607
00:30:49,670 --> 00:30:54,980
S1: by the way, anytime to the land and the book@moody.edu,

608
00:30:54,980 --> 00:30:58,130
S1: Bob says there's a tradition in the Russian Orthodox Church

609
00:30:58,130 --> 00:31:01,790
S1: that after Constantinople, the second Rome fell to the Turks

610
00:31:01,790 --> 00:31:05,930
S1: in 1453, Moscow became its successor as the third Rome.

611
00:31:06,050 --> 00:31:06,710
S7: Rome.

612
00:31:06,710 --> 00:31:09,350
S1: Daniel seems to be clear that the prince to come

613
00:31:09,350 --> 00:31:11,390
S1: will be from the people who destroyed the temple in

614
00:31:11,390 --> 00:31:14,420
S1: 70 A.D.. With all of that as background, do you

615
00:31:14,420 --> 00:31:18,350
S1: think Gog and the Antichrist are two separate individuals?

616
00:31:18,380 --> 00:31:18,770
S7: Yeah.

617
00:31:18,770 --> 00:31:21,800
S2: And I think that the verse you're quoting there, Daniel 926,

618
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,830
S2: is the key for identifying the location from where the

619
00:31:24,830 --> 00:31:27,890
S2: Antichrist comes from. It says he's the prince who's to come,

620
00:31:27,890 --> 00:31:31,100
S2: and it's his people who destroyed Jerusalem following the cutting

621
00:31:31,100 --> 00:31:33,440
S2: off of the Anointed One that is Jesus. Now, I

622
00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:36,470
S2: think it also matches Daniel two and seven, which connect

623
00:31:36,530 --> 00:31:39,739
S2: a fourth Empire to arise Rome with the. You know,

624
00:31:39,740 --> 00:31:41,720
S2: the Rome was there when Jesus came the first time,

625
00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:44,240
S2: and a revived Roman Empire will be around when he

626
00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:48,110
S2: comes again. So the real question then is, could Russia

627
00:31:48,110 --> 00:31:51,530
S2: be that empire? And I don't find that that believable.

628
00:31:51,530 --> 00:31:53,840
S2: I see Gog from the land of Magog. That's the

629
00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:58,490
S2: Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecy being different than the Antichrist.

630
00:31:58,490 --> 00:32:01,070
S2: He's said to be from the far north. His allies

631
00:32:01,070 --> 00:32:04,370
S2: are identified as Persia, which is Iran and Kush south

632
00:32:04,370 --> 00:32:07,310
S2: of Egypt, and put which is Libya, and Togarmah, which

633
00:32:07,310 --> 00:32:10,910
S2: the area of Turkey. I see the Antichrist rising from

634
00:32:10,910 --> 00:32:13,550
S2: the west, confirming a covenant with Israel at the beginning

635
00:32:13,550 --> 00:32:16,910
S2: of the seven year tribulation. And it seems like that's

636
00:32:16,910 --> 00:32:20,240
S2: what then prompts this Gog, this individual from the far

637
00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:23,750
S2: north to launch a one time attack against Israel. So

638
00:32:23,750 --> 00:32:25,969
S2: the Battle of Gog and Magog is a one and

639
00:32:25,970 --> 00:32:29,150
S2: done battle, if you will, that God uses to begin

640
00:32:29,150 --> 00:32:32,030
S2: turning the Jewish people toward himself. And that's why they

641
00:32:32,030 --> 00:32:35,270
S2: then refused to worship the Antichrist when he presents himself

642
00:32:35,270 --> 00:32:37,430
S2: in the temple as God in the middle of the

643
00:32:37,430 --> 00:32:38,990
S2: seven year tribulation period.

644
00:32:38,990 --> 00:32:42,500
S1: Mark's question is about Exodus 34 verses six and seven.

645
00:32:42,500 --> 00:32:46,520
S1: It says, the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God,

646
00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:50,450
S1: slow to anger, forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he

647
00:32:50,450 --> 00:32:54,020
S1: does not leave the guilty unpunished. He punishes the children

648
00:32:54,020 --> 00:32:57,020
S1: and their children for the sins of their fathers to

649
00:32:57,020 --> 00:33:00,290
S1: the third and fourth generation. Mark says this doesn't seem

650
00:33:00,290 --> 00:33:04,040
S1: consistent with the concept of responsibility for one's own sin,

651
00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:08,840
S1: as expressed in Deuteronomy 2416 or Ezekiel 18, verse four.

652
00:33:08,870 --> 00:33:12,320
S1: Are my grandchildren to be punished for my sins? Help

653
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:13,640
S1: me understand. Yeah, and.

654
00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,740
S2: I believe that the two ideas can be reconciled the

655
00:33:15,740 --> 00:33:20,330
S2: following way. In passages like Ezekiel 18, God saying he

656
00:33:20,330 --> 00:33:23,719
S2: doesn't directly punish a person for sins committed by others,

657
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,780
S2: even by someone as close as one's parents. So a

658
00:33:26,780 --> 00:33:30,200
S2: child would not be held guilty or directly punished for

659
00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,720
S2: what his or her parents did. By the way, that's

660
00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:35,450
S2: what the proverb being quoted in Ezekiel 18 actually is

661
00:33:35,450 --> 00:33:38,330
S2: all about. The people were saying, well, if we're being punished,

662
00:33:38,330 --> 00:33:40,910
S2: it's because of what our fathers have done, not because

663
00:33:40,910 --> 00:33:43,550
S2: of what we're doing. And Ezekiel says, no, God's going

664
00:33:43,550 --> 00:33:46,310
S2: to punish you for what you yourself have done. Now,

665
00:33:46,310 --> 00:33:49,610
S2: in that Exodus 34 passage, I believe God is talking

666
00:33:49,610 --> 00:33:52,430
S2: about the effects of sin. He's saying sin's effects are

667
00:33:52,430 --> 00:33:56,000
S2: both serious and long lasting. You know, sin isn't a

668
00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:00,980
S2: victimless crime, so to speak. A child can indeed experience pain, heartache,

669
00:34:00,980 --> 00:34:04,640
S2: and suffering because of actions committed by a parent, a grandparent,

670
00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:07,640
S2: or even a more distant relative. Some examples. If a

671
00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:10,880
S2: parent drives drunk and crashes his or her car, a

672
00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:14,270
S2: child in that car can suffer serious physical injury. They're

673
00:34:14,270 --> 00:34:18,080
S2: experiencing the consequences caused by the sin of their parents.

674
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:20,180
S2: A child can suffer at the hands of an abusive

675
00:34:20,180 --> 00:34:23,600
S2: parent or grandparent. They can grow up in poverty because

676
00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:26,810
S2: of foolish and sinful actions of their ancestors, who squandered

677
00:34:26,810 --> 00:34:30,680
S2: the family's finances. So God doesn't directly punish a child

678
00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,050
S2: for the action of parents. But one thing that makes

679
00:34:33,050 --> 00:34:35,810
S2: sin so horrible is its impact, not only on the

680
00:34:35,810 --> 00:34:39,320
S2: one who commits it, but also on subsequent generations. So

681
00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:43,550
S2: rather than the NIV translation of Punish in Exodus 34 seven,

682
00:34:43,550 --> 00:34:45,500
S2: that's probably where the problem is. I think the new

683
00:34:45,500 --> 00:34:49,310
S2: American standard provides a more nuanced translation of God visiting

684
00:34:49,310 --> 00:34:52,820
S2: the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the grandchildren.

685
00:34:52,820 --> 00:34:55,700
S2: There is an impact of a father's sin on his family,

686
00:34:55,700 --> 00:34:59,720
S2: but it's not through direct divine retribution from God on

687
00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:00,410
S2: the children.

688
00:35:00,410 --> 00:35:02,299
S1: Boy. Either way, though, very sobering. Thank you.

689
00:35:02,420 --> 00:35:03,170
S2: It is.

690
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:07,280
S1: Robin asks, did Jesus experience fear as a human emotion

691
00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,950
S1: while in the garden of Gethsemane? If he understands our

692
00:35:09,950 --> 00:35:13,940
S1: human emotions and can sympathize with us, would that include fear?

693
00:35:13,940 --> 00:35:16,610
S1: I mean, maybe that's why he said fear not because

694
00:35:16,610 --> 00:35:18,680
S1: he knows what fear means. What do you think?

695
00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,590
S2: Well, my initial thought is Jesus did not experience fear

696
00:35:21,590 --> 00:35:23,570
S2: in the Garden of Gethsemane. And I say that for

697
00:35:23,570 --> 00:35:28,010
S2: two reasons. First, in first John 418, we're told there's

698
00:35:28,010 --> 00:35:30,830
S2: no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

699
00:35:30,830 --> 00:35:34,220
S2: And literally minutes before arriving in the garden, Jesus prayed

700
00:35:34,219 --> 00:35:37,160
S2: the prayer we find in John 17, which ends with

701
00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,529
S2: him saying, I have made your name known to them,

702
00:35:39,530 --> 00:35:41,750
S2: and will make it known, so that the love with

703
00:35:41,750 --> 00:35:43,850
S2: which you have loved me may be in them, and

704
00:35:43,850 --> 00:35:46,100
S2: I in them. So Jesus knew he was loved by

705
00:35:46,100 --> 00:35:48,589
S2: the father, and he knew he would be glorified and

706
00:35:48,590 --> 00:35:51,830
S2: vindicated following the crucifixion. So in that sense, he wasn't

707
00:35:51,830 --> 00:35:55,130
S2: afraid of dying when he prayed, father, if it's possible,

708
00:35:55,130 --> 00:35:57,169
S2: let this cup pass from me. I think he was

709
00:35:57,170 --> 00:36:00,770
S2: looking at the time of separation about to take place when,

710
00:36:00,770 --> 00:36:03,830
S2: as Paul described it in Second Corinthians five, for our

711
00:36:03,830 --> 00:36:06,110
S2: sake he made him to be sin. Who? Who knew

712
00:36:06,110 --> 00:36:08,510
S2: no sin, so that in him we might become the

713
00:36:08,510 --> 00:36:11,690
S2: righteousness of God. Jesus was asking if there was any

714
00:36:11,690 --> 00:36:15,020
S2: way the time of separation from the father and punishment

715
00:36:15,020 --> 00:36:17,750
S2: by the father as our sin bearer might be eliminated.

716
00:36:17,750 --> 00:36:20,090
S2: But then he quickly added, not my will, but thine.

717
00:36:20,090 --> 00:36:22,370
S2: And very quickly. The second reason I don't believe Jesus

718
00:36:22,370 --> 00:36:24,680
S2: was fearful in the garden is that the word used

719
00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:28,370
S2: to describe his actual emotion at the time are sorrowful, troubled,

720
00:36:28,370 --> 00:36:31,339
S2: overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. So I'd

721
00:36:31,340 --> 00:36:34,520
S2: say he experienced intense sorrow and sadness, knowing what was

722
00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:37,160
S2: about to happen, but not fear.

723
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,680
S1: Boy, a lot of questions we've gotten in today and

724
00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:41,719
S1: they've covered a lot of ground. Thank you, Charlie, for

725
00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:43,730
S1: your hard work on those. Thank you for keeping those

726
00:36:43,730 --> 00:36:46,819
S1: questions coming. Fascinating to hear what you wonder about. Our

727
00:36:46,820 --> 00:36:52,310
S1: email address is the land and the book@moody.edu. I'm looking

728
00:36:52,310 --> 00:36:55,130
S1: forward to Charlie's devotional. It's coming up next here on

729
00:36:55,130 --> 00:37:09,790
S1: the land and the book. You know, when you and

730
00:37:09,790 --> 00:37:12,190
S1: I flip through our Bibles, it's easy to read about

731
00:37:12,190 --> 00:37:14,590
S1: the city of Jerusalem. And and we almost presume it

732
00:37:14,590 --> 00:37:18,460
S1: was always, always the capital city of Jerusalem. And there

733
00:37:18,460 --> 00:37:21,400
S1: was a time when it was not. In fact, Jerusalem

734
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:24,730
S1: Day has everything to do with the celebration of its capturing.

735
00:37:24,730 --> 00:37:28,029
S1: We'll talk about that and more in Charlie's devotional next.

736
00:37:28,030 --> 00:37:30,850
S1: Welcome back, by the way, to this fourth and final segment.

737
00:37:30,850 --> 00:37:33,279
S1: Before we turn things over to Charlie, let's take in

738
00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:35,860
S1: this testimony from someone who's been to Israel and shares

739
00:37:35,860 --> 00:37:37,750
S1: their own experiences with you and me.

740
00:37:41,770 --> 00:37:44,830
S8: I used to be a flight attendant with TWA and

741
00:37:44,830 --> 00:37:50,020
S8: spent many layovers in Israel, and I became a Christian

742
00:37:50,020 --> 00:37:54,160
S8: just at that time also. And I remember staying at

743
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,030
S8: the Hilton Hotel there in Tel Aviv and sitting by

744
00:37:58,030 --> 00:38:01,840
S8: the balcony on the balcony and reading my Bible and

745
00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:05,680
S8: listening to the Mediterranean hit the shore, the waves hitting

746
00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:08,620
S8: the shore. And it just I felt just so special.

747
00:38:08,620 --> 00:38:11,650
S8: And I also did some trips into Egypt, and I

748
00:38:11,650 --> 00:38:14,680
S8: have a pair of sandals that I wore both in

749
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,250
S8: Israel and in Egypt, and they, I think, have little

750
00:38:18,250 --> 00:38:20,830
S8: grains of sand in them, and I've never gone to

751
00:38:20,830 --> 00:38:22,840
S8: give them up until I die. I probably want to

752
00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:25,210
S8: wear them when I when I get put in the grave,

753
00:38:25,210 --> 00:38:28,000
S8: but I just thought I'd mention that. And I really

754
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,029
S8: enjoy your program. It's wonderful. Every Christian should go to

755
00:38:31,030 --> 00:38:34,779
S8: Israel at least once. It's it's a tremendous experience and

756
00:38:34,780 --> 00:38:37,750
S8: it would really open their eyes to what the Bible,

757
00:38:37,750 --> 00:38:40,030
S8: how the Bible speaks to us. Thank you.

758
00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:44,110
S1: All right, Charlie, where are we headed in today's devotional?

759
00:38:44,140 --> 00:38:44,560
S7: Uh, we're.

760
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:46,030
S2: Heading to Jerusalem. John.

761
00:38:46,030 --> 00:38:49,210
S1: Psalm 122 is our focus. I'm looking forward to it.

762
00:38:49,210 --> 00:38:51,430
S1: With that, I'll hand it over to you.

763
00:38:51,670 --> 00:38:52,660
S7: This week is.

764
00:38:52,660 --> 00:38:56,529
S2: Jerusalem Day, Yom Yerushalayim. So follow me into the city

765
00:38:56,530 --> 00:39:00,430
S2: for this rather patriotic celebration. Jerusalem Day marks the day

766
00:39:00,430 --> 00:39:04,750
S2: back in June 1967, when Israel captured East Jerusalem during

767
00:39:04,750 --> 00:39:07,600
S2: the Six Day War to reunite the city under Jewish

768
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:11,380
S2: control for the first time in nearly 2000 years. The

769
00:39:11,380 --> 00:39:13,420
S2: first thing you see as you walk along the streets

770
00:39:13,420 --> 00:39:17,320
S2: are the crowds of people waving Israeli flags. The surging

771
00:39:17,350 --> 00:39:19,870
S2: sea of blue and white pushes its way along the

772
00:39:19,870 --> 00:39:23,500
S2: already packed streets, forcing us to press against the wall

773
00:39:23,530 --> 00:39:26,680
S2: to avoid being carried along by the flood of humanity.

774
00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:30,160
S2: While this is technically a secular holiday, those here today

775
00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:33,460
S2: are mainly religious Zionists. They believe God is fulfilling his

776
00:39:33,460 --> 00:39:37,029
S2: promises to restore and bring back his people. But we're

777
00:39:37,030 --> 00:39:40,690
S2: not here today to argue prophecy or politics. So follow

778
00:39:40,690 --> 00:39:43,840
S2: me away from the mob and into the Davidson Center

779
00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:46,149
S2: at the southern end of the Temple Mount. We're heading

780
00:39:46,150 --> 00:39:48,430
S2: out to the southern steps that led to the temple

781
00:39:48,430 --> 00:39:50,860
S2: at the time of Jesus. And while these steps do

782
00:39:50,860 --> 00:39:53,110
S2: connect us to events in the life of our Lord,

783
00:39:53,140 --> 00:39:55,480
S2: I simply want us to find a quiet place to

784
00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:59,469
S2: sit and focus on Jerusalem, especially on this special day.

785
00:39:59,469 --> 00:40:04,180
S2: Jerusalem Day reminds me of Psalm 122, a Song of

786
00:40:04,180 --> 00:40:07,960
S2: Ascents written by David. Psalm 122 is a psalm that

787
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:11,890
S2: focuses especially on Jerusalem and Mount Moriah, the place where

788
00:40:11,890 --> 00:40:15,280
S2: David erected a tent and where his son eventually constructed

789
00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:18,700
S2: the temple. We're sitting on the slopes of Mount Moriah.

790
00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,910
S2: These steps weren't here in David's day, but somewhere just

791
00:40:21,910 --> 00:40:24,910
S2: above us is the spot where David purchased the threshing

792
00:40:24,910 --> 00:40:27,940
S2: floor of a round of the jebusite in preparation for

793
00:40:27,940 --> 00:40:31,300
S2: that future temple. With all that in mind, let's explore

794
00:40:31,300 --> 00:40:35,350
S2: Psalm 122. David begins by putting himself in the sandals

795
00:40:35,350 --> 00:40:38,350
S2: of those traveling to Jerusalem for one of the three

796
00:40:38,350 --> 00:40:41,800
S2: annual feasts where God called on them to gather. He

797
00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:45,190
S2: describes the sense of excitement and anticipation felt by those

798
00:40:45,190 --> 00:40:49,029
S2: visiting Jerusalem, the city where God dwelt among his people.

799
00:40:49,030 --> 00:40:51,310
S2: I was glad when they said to me, let us

800
00:40:51,310 --> 00:40:53,529
S2: go to the house of the Lord. Our feet are

801
00:40:53,530 --> 00:40:58,000
S2: standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. David's sense of excitement

802
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,569
S2: describes the crowd we just saw surging through the streets,

803
00:41:01,570 --> 00:41:04,750
S2: and as he switches from the singular, I was glad

804
00:41:04,750 --> 00:41:08,470
S2: to the plural. Let us go up. We are standing.

805
00:41:08,469 --> 00:41:11,620
S2: It's as if David was reaching out to embrace every

806
00:41:11,620 --> 00:41:14,800
S2: pilgrim entering through the gates into the city. But having

807
00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:18,220
S2: described this excitement in the first two verses, David quickly

808
00:41:18,219 --> 00:41:21,790
S2: changes the focus of this Jerusalem Day psalm. This isn't

809
00:41:21,790 --> 00:41:25,360
S2: about us, it's about God and the place where he

810
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,900
S2: has chosen to place his name. In the next three verses,

811
00:41:28,900 --> 00:41:34,030
S2: David shifts our attention toward Jerusalem itself and its significance.

812
00:41:34,030 --> 00:41:38,170
S2: Jerusalem's importance didn't come from its physical size, though, when

813
00:41:38,170 --> 00:41:41,620
S2: David describes it as a city that is compact. Together,

814
00:41:41,620 --> 00:41:44,739
S2: he was referring more to its organic unity than its

815
00:41:44,739 --> 00:41:48,220
S2: small size. The word for compact in verse three has

816
00:41:48,219 --> 00:41:51,250
S2: the idea of being bound together. It could picture the

817
00:41:51,250 --> 00:41:54,070
S2: spiritual unity of the people as much as the tight

818
00:41:54,070 --> 00:41:58,570
S2: physical arrangement of the city's houses and walls. Jerusalem was

819
00:41:58,570 --> 00:42:02,530
S2: David's capital city, and yet its true significance was the

820
00:42:02,530 --> 00:42:05,800
S2: importance given to the city by God. God had commanded

821
00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:09,130
S2: Israel to appear before him three times each year at

822
00:42:09,130 --> 00:42:12,640
S2: the place he will choose, and the city ultimately chosen

823
00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:16,479
S2: was Jerusalem. It was this place, David says, to which

824
00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:19,000
S2: the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord.

825
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:22,270
S2: An ordinance for Israel to give thanks to the name

826
00:42:22,270 --> 00:42:25,570
S2: of the Lord. Jerusalem was also the city selected by

827
00:42:25,570 --> 00:42:28,510
S2: God to be the capital of the United Kingdom, the

828
00:42:28,510 --> 00:42:31,690
S2: city from which his chosen king was to reign. It

829
00:42:31,690 --> 00:42:34,030
S2: was the place where, he says, the thrones of the

830
00:42:34,030 --> 00:42:37,540
S2: house of David were set up. Jerusalem became the city

831
00:42:37,540 --> 00:42:41,020
S2: where God visibly dwelt among his people, and the city

832
00:42:41,020 --> 00:42:45,430
S2: where God's anointed ruler led his people. Having explained why

833
00:42:45,430 --> 00:42:48,310
S2: all the people were so joyously streaming into this city,

834
00:42:48,340 --> 00:42:51,609
S2: David ended his short psalm by calling on these visitors

835
00:42:51,610 --> 00:42:55,120
S2: to pray for his holy city. Verses six and seven

836
00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:57,790
S2: explain what they're to pray for, and verses eight and

837
00:42:57,790 --> 00:43:01,900
S2: nine describe why those prayers are so important. The two

838
00:43:01,900 --> 00:43:04,120
S2: items all these visitors were asked to place on their

839
00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:08,259
S2: prayer list were peace and security. Pray for the peace

840
00:43:08,260 --> 00:43:12,130
S2: of Jerusalem. May peace be within your walls. And just

841
00:43:12,130 --> 00:43:15,580
S2: as important as peace is the second item of prayer security.

842
00:43:15,580 --> 00:43:18,520
S2: May those who love you be secure. May there be

843
00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:23,020
S2: security within your citadels and asking God for peace. David

844
00:43:23,020 --> 00:43:25,120
S2: is referring to more than just an absence of war

845
00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:29,469
S2: or violence. Peace. Shalom refers to the health, the wholeness,

846
00:43:29,469 --> 00:43:32,919
S2: the soundness and prosperity of the city. These pilgrims were

847
00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:36,219
S2: to pray that Jerusalem would experience all the blessing that

848
00:43:36,219 --> 00:43:39,490
S2: comes with a right relationship to the God dwelling in

849
00:43:39,489 --> 00:43:43,040
S2: its midst, and one key aspect. That shalom would be

850
00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:47,479
S2: physical security. May you be secure personally and may that

851
00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:52,760
S2: same security dwell within her walls. Physical well-being and physical safety.

852
00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:56,870
S2: Two important items of prayer. David then ended his psalm

853
00:43:56,870 --> 00:44:00,259
S2: with a practical application why should all these pilgrims pray

854
00:44:00,260 --> 00:44:03,740
S2: for the peace of Jerusalem? First? David said, it was

855
00:44:03,739 --> 00:44:07,520
S2: for the sake of my brothers and friends. Peaceful, secure

856
00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:11,450
S2: conditions allowed these visitors to fulfill their obligation to gather

857
00:44:11,450 --> 00:44:15,920
S2: before God. A spiritually healthful and secure climate within the

858
00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:19,700
S2: city also allowed the kings to rule in a righteous way.

859
00:44:19,700 --> 00:44:23,060
S2: But second, David said that this divine peace and security

860
00:44:23,060 --> 00:44:26,299
S2: would also benefit God's program here on earth. For the

861
00:44:26,300 --> 00:44:28,009
S2: sake of the house of the Lord our God, I

862
00:44:28,010 --> 00:44:31,520
S2: will seek your prosperity. The word translated by some as

863
00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:36,259
S2: prosperity is the Hebrew word tov, which means good. It's

864
00:44:36,260 --> 00:44:38,360
S2: often used in the Old Testament to refer to something

865
00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:42,440
S2: that's agreeable or pleasing or pleasant or valuable, or appropriate

866
00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:46,760
S2: or right, as well as having a good benefit or welfare,

867
00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:50,150
S2: because God has chosen to place his dwelling in Jerusalem,

868
00:44:50,150 --> 00:44:53,210
S2: David says that he, and by extension, all of us,

869
00:44:53,210 --> 00:44:56,690
S2: should seek what's best for the safety, security and peace

870
00:44:56,690 --> 00:45:00,050
S2: of Jerusalem because it's the place that God selected in

871
00:45:00,050 --> 00:45:03,530
S2: this special way. In many ways, David's words at the

872
00:45:03,530 --> 00:45:07,820
S2: end of Psalm 122 parallel Paul's words in first Timothy two,

873
00:45:07,820 --> 00:45:10,730
S2: verses 1 to 4. First of all, then I urge

874
00:45:10,730 --> 00:45:14,630
S2: that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on

875
00:45:14,630 --> 00:45:17,180
S2: behalf of all men, for kings and all who are

876
00:45:17,180 --> 00:45:19,880
S2: in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil

877
00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:23,120
S2: and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is

878
00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:26,480
S2: good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

879
00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:29,120
S2: who desires all men to be saved and to come

880
00:45:29,120 --> 00:45:32,960
S2: to the knowledge of the truth. Prayer for peace, for tranquil,

881
00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:36,739
S2: quiet lives is pleasing to God and helps keep his

882
00:45:36,739 --> 00:45:40,070
S2: good news from being hindered. Well, it sounds like the

883
00:45:40,070 --> 00:45:43,310
S2: pulsating parade of waving flags has passed us by so

884
00:45:43,310 --> 00:45:45,860
S2: we can head back out onto the streets of Jerusalem.

885
00:45:45,860 --> 00:45:48,020
S2: But as we get ready to go, what can you

886
00:45:48,050 --> 00:45:52,700
S2: carry along with you from Jerusalem Day and Psalm 122? First,

887
00:45:52,700 --> 00:45:55,880
S2: how about this God wants us to pray for his

888
00:45:55,880 --> 00:45:59,270
S2: peace on this special city. We know that ultimate peace

889
00:45:59,270 --> 00:46:02,840
S2: won't come until the Prince of Peace arrives, so perhaps

890
00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:05,690
S2: our prayer ought to match that of the Apostle John

891
00:46:05,690 --> 00:46:08,330
S2: at the end of the book of Revelation. When Jesus

892
00:46:08,330 --> 00:46:12,500
S2: said he was coming quickly, John responded, Amen. Even so, come,

893
00:46:12,530 --> 00:46:16,280
S2: Lord Jesus. And then second, how about also committing to

894
00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:19,190
S2: pray for Jerusalem and Israel as well as your own

895
00:46:19,190 --> 00:46:22,460
S2: city and state and country? Ask God to help you

896
00:46:22,460 --> 00:46:25,430
S2: be an instrument of his Shalom, his peace to those

897
00:46:25,430 --> 00:46:28,610
S2: around you. As Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount,

898
00:46:28,610 --> 00:46:31,939
S2: blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons

899
00:46:31,940 --> 00:46:32,690
S2: of God.

900
00:46:32,690 --> 00:46:35,930
S1: I like that thought, an instrument of his shalom, his peace.

901
00:46:35,930 --> 00:46:38,359
S1: It's a great way to land this devotional and to

902
00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:42,259
S1: end today's broadcast. Thanks for listening to the land and

903
00:46:42,260 --> 00:46:44,870
S1: the book with our host, Charlie Dyer. For Dan Anderson,

904
00:46:44,870 --> 00:46:47,870
S1: our producer, I'm John Geiger, inviting you to invite a

905
00:46:47,870 --> 00:46:50,359
S1: friend to be with you next time for the Land

906
00:46:50,360 --> 00:46:53,360
S1: and the book, a production of Moody Radio, a ministry

907
00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:54,980
S1: of Moody Bible Institute.