S1: Do you have a question about the Bible? Do you
S1: ever wonder what we can know and understand about God?
S1: Or maybe you're struggling with an issue in your walk
S1: with the Lord. Would like some biblical guidance. Well, that's
S1: why we're here. You're in the right place. We want
S1: to help you understand God's Word, understand the God that
S1: we love and serve. Hello, friends. It's open line time
S1: with Doctor Michael Riddell. Nick Moody, radio's Bible study all
S1: the way across America. The phone number this morning to
S1: get involved in the program is (877) 548-3675. Write it down (877) 548-3675.
S1: And if you say doctor Ray, Nick sounds funny this morning,
S1: that's because I am not Michael Riddell. Nick I am
S1: Mike Fabares sitting in today for Michael Redlick. And I'm
S1: coming to you live in the windy City of Chicago,
S1: which happens to be very windy this morning. Many stations
S1: here carrying the program across Moody Radio were sitting around
S1: as Doctor Riddell likes to say, in the kitchen table,
S1: talking about the Bible, talking about God, talking about your
S1: Christian life. I'm the pastor of the Compass Bible Church
S1: in Aliso Viejo, California. Also happened to be a graduate
S1: of Moody Bible Institute, just like Michael Ray Melnick. And
S1: if you've heard my voice before, it may be because
S1: you've listened to Focal Point right here on Moody Radio.
S1: Authored a number of books, some for Moody Publishing, which
S1: I hope they're happy about. We're we're we're actually talking
S1: about a new book. I won't I will just tease
S1: you with that. We're talking about a new book right
S1: now with Moody Publishing, and we're excited about the possibility there. Anyway,
S1: I'm here today and Doctor Riddell is on stage. He's
S1: about to get up on stage to pass out diplomas
S1: and degrees at Moody Bible Institute's graduation, and so I
S1: am happy to sit in for him today as he's
S1: doing very important things. Our phone number again, if you
S1: have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, something
S1: on your mind that I can be helpful to get
S1: you to think through it biblically? You've got to call me.
S1: So right now we got a couple lines still open (877) 548-3675.
S1: Get it again. 877. That's a toll free area. Code 5483675.
S1: Or if you want to, you can send your questions
S1: through our open line website. That's open line radio.org. No spaces,
S1: no dashes, just open line radio.org. And you can fill
S1: out that little section that says Ask Michael a question.
S1: And if you do that, it'll come to us. We'll
S1: put it in our mailbag, and Trish McMillan will haul
S1: it in here in just a little bit, and we'll
S1: answer it on the air. We got Omar, uh, working
S1: on our engineering. Karen is here answering the phone. So
S1: that's the sweet voice you'll hear if you call us.
S1: And that number again, if you want to talk to
S1: her and then talk to me, it's (877) 548-3675. So I
S1: hope you got your coffee, your tea. Or if you're,
S1: you know, who knows what you're drinking this morning, Something's
S1: going to make you think clearly. Uh, get your Bible out.
S1: Pull your phones out. Get ready to study the scriptures together.
S1: We're excited to do this today. And I love sitting
S1: in for doctor Ray Melnick. And I love doing the
S1: show here. And whenever he's out, he's not out very often.
S1: This guy stays healthy. He's he's here like like old
S1: faithful doing his work and we love him. But today,
S1: just a little curveball we're throwing you. Mike Faber is
S1: sitting in for doctor Ray. Let's get going. We might
S1: as well do. Let's talk to Robert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
S1: You're on the air with pastor Mike. How can I help? Robert,
S1: are you there? Okay, let's go to Lorraine in Carmel, Indiana. Lorraine,
S1: you're on the air with pastor Mike. How can I help?
S2: Nice to talk to you today. Hey, my question is,
S2: can you hear me?
S1: I can hear you just fine. Lorraine.
S2: Yes. Um, a couple weeks ago, we attended a funeral
S2: for my sister in law, And, um, I am not
S2: sure that the rest of the family is ready to
S2: join her in heaven. So how is the best way
S2: for me to share with my nephews, um, how they
S2: could get to heaven without offending and causing a rift?
S1: Well, I don't know that that is possible. And Jesus
S1: told us that it's going to be hard to share
S1: the truth of the gospel with people. So, number one,
S1: I take that off the priority. What we want to
S1: focus on is sharing the gospel with respect and gentleness,
S1: which sounds like Lorraine. That should be no problem for you.
S1: And I would just say to them, listen, I got
S1: to tell you, it is very important that we get
S1: ready for the next life. And you may think it's
S1: just grandma or your great aunt or whatever, just trying
S1: to give you old fashioned information. This is not old fashioned.
S1: This is as relevant as every funeral that is conducted
S1: in our county today, and that is that you're ready
S1: to meet your maker. And I want to make sure
S1: you spend eternity with them and with me. And I
S1: want to I want to tell you the good news
S1: that your sins have been paid for by Christ. So
S1: you want to approach it that way. Just give them
S1: the sense that you care about them. Make sure they
S1: don't put it in a category of this is just
S1: old fashioned grandma's stuff. Make sure that they understand this
S1: is something true for every human being, and the only
S1: reason you've got to share with them is because you
S1: care about where they're going to spend eternity. And if
S1: you start with that, and then you get them in
S1: a context where maybe you're eating a meal or you're
S1: just they're on a couch, you know, sitting next to
S1: each other talking. I think that's the best we can
S1: do because Jesus said, right, he's going to he's going
S1: to divide families up if we're faithful to share his message.
S1: And it's not the good news part that they struggle with, right?
S1: If you say, I got to guarantee that you'll go
S1: to heaven, they love that part. It's that you have
S1: to share the bad news before we get to the
S1: good news. And that's the part that's. It's like saying, hey,
S1: I want to tell someone they're dressed all wrong for
S1: this event. How do I say that without offending them. Well,
S1: sometimes you can't do it. You know, you're going to
S1: say you're not dressed, right? And that's the parable Jesus
S1: told someone at a wedding reception, not dressed properly. You
S1: got to leave or, you know, you got to change.
S1: And this is the problem. People don't like that change.
S1: So Lorraine, gentleness, respect and honesty and make sure you
S1: tell them this isn't an old person thing. This is
S1: not a traditional thing. This is not yesteryear religion. This
S1: is as relevant as today. Every human being needs to
S1: get right with their maker. Does that help?
S2: That sounds. It helps immensely. I wrote written notes. What?
S2: You're suggesting we talk to them rather than write them
S2: a letter?
S1: Yeah, I would, I mean, if it's possible, if you're
S1: separated by distance, you know, that's different. Yes. And listen,
S1: I wouldn't mind you writing out some things that relate
S1: to the gospel, right? God is holy. He's creator. He's just.
S1: He's loving. We have a sin problem. Jesus came to
S1: solve it. You can write all that and leave it
S1: with them. But I'd certainly start with a with a
S1: face to face conversation and tell them it's because I
S1: care about you. It's because I love you, and I
S1: care about where you're going to be a thousand years
S1: from now. So I think that's the way to start. Okay.
S2: Oh thank you Mike. I really appreciate.
S1: It. All right. Lorraine, I love the fact that you
S1: called in today with such an important question to lead
S1: off the program. Thank you so much. All right. Many
S1: of our listeners will pray for you in that conversation.
S1: Let's try Robert again. Line one, Fort Lauderdale, you're on
S1: the air with pastor Mike. How can I help?
S3: Yeah. Can you hear me this time?
S1: I can hear you this time.
S3: Okay. Uh, the cross, the ornament that they have in
S3: the sanctuary, ranging anywhere from 4ft to 20ft. Uh, on
S3: some sanctuaries, the cross will have on the cross beam
S3: a white cloth draped over it. You know what I'm
S3: talking about, I do. Where did that tradition come from?
S3: And what is the name of that cloth?
S1: Well, I'd have to look up the name of the cloth,
S1: but it came as a tradition. A white cloth on
S1: a cross that was given as a as a symbol
S1: of the resurrection centuries ago, where people have said here
S1: the cloth is representing a conquering the grave. Now, sometimes
S1: churches who had Good Friday services will put a red
S1: cloth over the cross, and then on Sunday they would
S1: bring a white cloth, and they would adorn the cross
S1: with that white cloth to show that he dies. The red,
S1: of course, representing his death and his blood, and the
S1: white representing the fact that he accomplished our righteousness and
S1: has risen from the dead and conquered the grave. So
S1: that's why that dramatic change in a service that's only
S1: three days apart. That was the tradition, and I'd have
S1: to look up the name for it. I don't I
S1: don't even remember that there was a name for it.
S1: I'm sure there is. But that's where that came from.
S1: Now a lot of people will adorn their crosses only
S1: for Easter and Good Friday. And the rest of the time,
S1: if it's a Protestant church, they just take take that
S1: down and some of them may leave it up for
S1: a while. And if it's up year round, well, that
S1: would be unique. I have not seen that in at
S1: least the churches that I've been in.
S3: All right.
S1: That help?
S3: Well, when are you going to find the name of it,
S3: or do I have to call one again?
S1: Well, you know what? Uh, you know what? Hold on.
S3: I do listen to you during the weekdays. Okay. I mean,
S3: if you throw it out there during the weekdays, I'll
S3: catch it.
S1: You know what? During the break, I will look this
S1: up and I'll tell you what. Uh, I'll make sure
S1: and mention it right after the break. How's that? Okay.
S1: Keep listening today, Robert. Okay. Let's go to line four. Morris,
S1: you're on the air with pastor Mike Faber is sitting
S1: in for Doctor Melnick. How can I help?
S4: Yes, I'd like to know. You know, according to the Bible,
S4: if we put anything ahead of God, it's almost like
S4: worshiping a false idol.
S1: Correct.
S4: And I'm understand. Can sports be considered an idol by
S4: the way we go for sports ahead of everything?
S1: Yes, absolutely. Sports. Uh, computers, uh, art, uh, riding bicycles, uh,
S1: anything can become a greater priority. And, uh, you know,
S1: you've said it, and I think we set people up.
S1: And let me just let me get on my soapbox
S1: now that you brought it up. Okay. I think parents
S1: set up the next generation when they're willing to tell
S1: their kids, hey, I know soccer. You know, it's just
S1: soccer season. But it's okay. We can miss church. We
S1: can miss, you know, the kids program or Awana or whatever. Just.
S1: We're just going to do this. And they learn that
S1: sports is more important than God or worshiping or assembling
S1: for a sermon. So I think parents need to help
S1: the next generation understand gathering together is more important than
S1: forsaking it for other things. Right. And of course, every
S1: now and then we have to take a vacation or
S1: traveling across the country or whatever. But even then, I
S1: remember raising our kids and saying, I don't care where
S1: we're at, we're going to find a church and go
S1: to church. But I'll tell you what we need to
S1: show that God, the assembling of the people together, the
S1: worship of Jesus Christ, the preaching of the word, way
S1: more important than anything else. So yes, it can be
S1: a problem. I remember reading old sermons from Chrysostom way
S1: back in the day, and he was preaching there in
S1: what is modern day Turkey. And he used to talk
S1: about how the chariot races, uh, in the, uh, this
S1: Byzantine Empire had become too important to his congregation and
S1: that they were willing to put all their energy and
S1: effort into the chariot races. And I think that is
S1: as relevant, even though it may be, you know, 16
S1: or 1700 years old. It's as relevant as us sitting
S1: here today where people are more excited about a football
S1: game or a baseball game than they are about Jesus Christ.
S1: So I have no problem saying that's exactly, uh, one
S1: idol that's very popular in our day. You've seen that,
S1: haven't you?
S4: So, you know, when you go to these sporting events,
S4: you see all these people in the stands standing in
S4: long lines, and they can't find nobody in church hardly
S4: anymore these.
S1: Days, I hear you, I hear you, and this is
S1: happening slowly. And we've seen that. So, Maurice, you keep
S1: preaching that message and tell people Jesus is more important
S1: than any sport. It's more important than any hobby. It's
S1: more important than walking the dog and going and getting
S1: your coffee in the morning. It's more important than anything else.
S1: We need to put Jesus Christ first. Thanks for that reminder, Maurice.
S1: We got to move on. Here. Take a quick break.
S1: I'm sitting in for Doctor Michael Ray Melnick. You're listening
S1: to Moody Open Line on Moody Radio. The phone number (877) 548-3675.
S1: And I'd love to get you on the next segment.
S1: So call that number (877) 548-3675. We've got some important things
S1: to tell you about opportunities coming up. Coming up.
S5: Biblical literacy is essential for spiritual growth. Many of us
S5: struggle with unfamiliar terms and titles in Scripture. The Ultimate
S5: Bible Dictionary bridges that gap with clear definitions of hundreds
S5: of biblical people, places, and objects. When you give a
S5: gift of any size to open line, we want to
S5: say thanks by sending you the ultimate Bible Dictionary. Call
S5: 886447122 or visit openline. Radio org.
S1: Well, welcome back to Open Line with Doctor Michael Riedel.
S1: My name is Mike Fabares, and we were just before
S1: the break talking to Robert at least a couple calls ago,
S1: talking about the name of the cloth that is draped
S1: over the cross during, uh, as I've looked it up
S1: during lent, also in the liturgical churches and, uh, Good
S1: Friday and on Resurrection Sunday. Well, he asked when it started. Well,
S1: let's just talk about the name of it. Sometimes it's
S1: just called the Resurrection Cloth. Uh, if it is, uh,
S1: in a high church, sometimes it's called the liturgical cross. Um,
S1: that's what it's called. And usually now they will say
S1: either a crimson or a purple is what they dress
S1: it in during Passion Week. And then a black cloth
S1: is sometimes used for Good Friday. And then a white
S1: cloth is displayed on Easter Sunday. Now, when did it start?
S1: Early church didn't even use the cross as a symbol
S1: for the first 400 years or so. But the medieval period,
S1: they started to veil their crosses in different ways. And
S1: during the Reformation 500 years ago, of course, they got
S1: rid of a lot of the symbolism, which was fine
S1: with me. I'm a bit of an iconoclast myself. That's
S1: the word they use for saying, let's just minimize the
S1: symbolism in worship. And the modern practice. You'll see purple
S1: during Lent and Palm Sunday, black in some churches, or
S1: red on Good Friday and white on Easter Sunday. So, Robert,
S1: that's what they call it. You want to know the
S1: name liturgical cloth, sometimes the altar veil or the resurrection
S1: cloth or victory cloth. Some call it. And I hope
S1: that helps you. All right, let's go back to the phones.
S1: Let's talk to coy in Cleveland, line five, you're on
S1: the air with pastor Mike Faber. How can I help?
S6: Hello.
S1: Yes, yes I can. What's your question today?
S6: Uh, I have a question about on the book of Genesis.
S6: So when it talks about even the snake, me and
S6: my buddy were talking about it and we couldn't find
S6: where it was, talking about where God talked to Eve
S6: and Adam, we could only find where it was like
S6: talking to Adam. I was wondering if you could break
S6: that down for me.
S1: Yeah, well, let's go back to the text itself. Um, certainly.
S1: God did talk to Eve directly in Genesis three during, uh,
S1: what is called the curse. But let me open up
S1: here in Genesis and, uh, all of the commands not
S1: to eat this clearly directed for both Adam and Eve.
S1: So if that's the concern, you know, it was something
S1: that Adam was supposed to do to make sure that
S1: he and his wife did not eat of this, but
S1: to minimize her sin. Because if I'm trying to follow
S1: your logic here, you might think, well, if God didn't
S1: directly tell Eve, maybe the command wasn't as clear. Please
S1: remember everything about the marriage in the garden before the
S1: fall was perfect. And in that sense, there's no gaming,
S1: there's no half truths. There's no misunderstandings. I mean, everyone
S1: understood everything. If God says, uh, don't eat from the tree, right?
S1: I mean, then that certainly is the command that Adam
S1: and Eve would both understand came with all the authority
S1: of heaven. So, um. Yeah, as I look through the
S1: text here in Genesis one and two, uh, all the
S1: direction here, of course, applies to both of them. And, um,
S1: you know, I just think that is something we have
S1: to say. Didn't come with any confusion or didn't come
S1: with any kind of, um, you know, of mitigation of
S1: of the story. Right? They were told they can't eat
S1: from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
S1: And that was clear. And God commanded, even though it
S1: does say in Genesis 216 to the man, you may
S1: surely eat of the tree of the garden, right? Um,
S1: but you can't eat from the tree of the knowledge
S1: of good and evil. It applies to both the man
S1: and the woman. It's an interesting thing you bring up,
S1: and I'm going to go back through this on my
S1: own and consider all of that. But still, I know
S1: that because of the perfection of the garden, this command
S1: came with full authority, clarity, and that, you know, Eve,
S1: clearly in the New Testament, is described as sinning and
S1: diving into transgression because she was deceived, knew what was right,
S1: and did what was wrong instead. So where did you
S1: go with that? Coy, because it's interesting that you make
S1: this observation. What what was the implication of making that observation?
S6: Well, we were looking at it and we were confused
S6: and we started talking about it. And he brought up
S6: the fact, you know, as you said, he talked to
S6: the man and we didn't think of it as a
S6: perfect place at the time. Yeah, it's an interesting point
S6: of view. And now that I think of it like that,
S6: it makes a lot more sense. But we were thinking
S6: maybe like Adam being a man didn't really talk too
S6: much to Eve about it.
S1: Oh, I get it now. Yeah. Right. Right. And that's
S1: exactly what I tried to say. We can't project the
S1: way that we might talk to our wives or fail
S1: to talk to our wives, uh, in the perfect setting
S1: of the garden. And I'm looking at Genesis three when
S1: Eve comes up, uh, here. And Satan is tempting her. Right?
S1: He says, Did God actually say. And and the woman
S1: repeats the command. Yeah. She said, yeah. God said, you
S1: shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that's
S1: in the midst of the garden. Neither shall you touch it,
S1: lest you die. Now that is intensifying what God actually says, right?
S1: But think of think about it. She knew what was said,
S1: and clearly it was communicated to her. And I just
S1: think because we're looking at a narrative synopsis like a
S1: truncated short narrative of what happened, I don't think there's
S1: any doubt that that God made this clear to her
S1: as well. Um.
S6: All right.
S1: Yeah, but I get it, I get it. And I
S1: know I'm I'm imagining and filling in the blanks, but
S1: I do know she's able to repeat the command and
S1: even intensify it in Genesis chapter three. So. Ah. Yeah. Yep.
S1: It's not. It's not like our marriages where we fail
S1: to tell our wives many things. Because I know what
S1: that's about. Thanks for that call. That's very thoughtful and
S1: interesting and helpful for us to all think about. Let's
S1: go to line 6th June right here in Chicago. You're
S1: on the air with pastor Mike Fabares. How can I help?
S7: Thank you. Pastor. Yes, I've been reading in acts 14
S7: about Paul being stoned, and I see some similarity between
S7: him and Stephen. Was Paul actually dead? And the God
S7: revived him, and did he go to the third heaven
S7: at that time?
S1: I don't think so. And I remember preaching through this
S1: passage and thinking about this. As a matter of fact,
S1: strangely enough, I watched a video that I received from
S1: somebody about an actual stoning in the modern era. And
S1: I do know this. It is such a horrific way
S1: to die. And of course, there's throwing stones of all
S1: different sizes, maybe as large as a baseball. If this
S1: is painful and you can see that a man might
S1: be left for dead, but not truly been dead, I
S1: think Paul, when he was caught up, as it says
S1: in Second Corinthians 12, uh, he was not because he
S1: was in an injury or in a coma or in
S1: some kind of, uh, health crisis. I think this is
S1: about God making clear to him some things. And I
S1: just don't imagine, as I read both those passages in
S1: very close detail, that it was something that came out
S1: of a medical crisis. So I wouldn't go there and
S1: try and insert those two passages together. Uh, and I
S1: do think they dragged him out. Supposing he was dead.
S1: That's what it says in acts 1419. So I don't
S1: think he died. I don't think his spirit left his body,
S1: because that is the definition of death. When the spirit
S1: leaves the body and, uh, we see that all the
S1: way back to Genesis. But no, I don't think he
S1: was dead. I think, as the text is careful to say.
S1: And remember Luke, who is writing this traveling companion of Paul,
S1: he's a doctor, and he uses that word. Uh, supposing
S1: he was dead. So I don't think he was. Does
S1: that help, June?
S7: Well, it does help me. Do you have time for
S7: another question?
S1: Yeah. Lay it on me.
S7: Well, in acts, it talks a lot about the Holy
S7: Spirit giving direction to the apostles and the Christians. And
S7: it seems like he talked to them, um, you know,
S7: out loud. Is that true? Well, how did he communicate?
S7: And then they fasted and prayed. And the spirit. It
S7: seems like his voice told them what to do, where
S7: to go.
S1: Yeah. And that's that goes back to the title of
S1: the book, The Acts of the apostles. Even this from
S1: the very beginning, this record of the early church. Think
S1: about it now, without a written New Testament revelation was
S1: supposed to give us a very special window into the
S1: founding of the church and God miraculously working through the apostles. Now,
S1: even by the second century, the early church would talk
S1: about the times of the apostles and, you know, the
S1: miracles of the apostles Apostolic age. And so this was
S1: a very unique period of time. And God was doing
S1: unique things, including the way that God would, um, communicate
S1: with his church. Now, I read some of the later chapters,
S1: and I remember preaching through this book and thinking, okay,
S1: now it says the Lord guided him here or guided
S1: him there. Sometimes it's clear, like the Macedonian call when
S1: he's in Troas, it's obvious he gets a vision and
S1: he calls it that. Or like Peter getting that vision
S1: there in acts chapter ten. Those things are clear. But
S1: when it comes to like the Lord directed him here
S1: or there, it leaves me shrugging my shoulders, but thinking,
S1: probably because we have a very special group of people
S1: like Elijah and Elisha who are getting very special revelation
S1: from God, direct revelation, and then leading the school of
S1: the prophets who would later write the Bible. And now
S1: we can all look to the Bible, which the Bible
S1: says is God's breathed word, and it is the direction
S1: you read Psalm 119 and realize we go to the Bible,
S1: the written word for his voice, for his direction. But
S1: in those days they hadn't written the New Testament yet.
S1: These are the early days of the church. So I
S1: do think we've got a lot of special things going
S1: on in the book of acts. We shouldn't think that's normative.
S1: I shouldn't sit around and say, well, I want to
S1: be an apostle. I'd like to hear from God the
S1: way they did. I think we're more like we see
S1: in Second Corinthians chapter two, when Paul says he was
S1: uneasy in his spirit because he couldn't find Titus. So
S1: even though there was an open door of ministry again
S1: in Troas, he didn't go through it. And I think
S1: we all have that experience. The spirit can give us
S1: a sense of this isn't the right thing. And that's
S1: so subtle and it's so deep within our hearts, and
S1: we've got to check it against the Word of God.
S1: But that's very different than what we're reading about usually
S1: in the book of acts. So I think it was
S1: I will leave room for that. The voice of God,
S1: sometimes audible, sometimes in clear ways. It's hard for me
S1: to explain, but not something I should teach the church
S1: to expect in our Christian life because we have the
S1: light of God's Word. 27 books of the New Testament
S1: guiding us every day. We should memorize it. We should
S1: meditate on it. And it's going to give us the
S1: voice of God as we as we read it and
S1: study it. Does that help, June?
S7: Oh, yes. Thank you so much. Bless you.
S1: Thank you June. Bless you too. And from June to Jane,
S1: let's go to Jane. Line seven, you're on the air
S1: with pastor Mike Fabares. How can I help?
S8: Hey, I found you. Yay!
S1: Yay!
S8: Um. Hey, uh, after these questions, this one might. If
S8: you say nothing, no questions. Too stupid. So here we go.
S1: Yes, I have said that many times. Go ahead, go ahead.
S8: You have.
S1: I have.
S8: But after the. After this morning. This doesn't sound too smart. Um.
S8: One Samuel, one Samuel 25. The last two verses I
S8: was reading that I've been reading through Samuel. And, um.
S8: Since when? I don't remember anybody. Just taking a wife
S8: away and giving her to somebody else. David was married
S8: to my my Mike McCall. How to pronounce.
S1: Your name right.
S8: Michael married these other two women, and then all of
S8: a sudden, uh, um, what's his name? His father in law. Uh, Saul.
S8: Saul took her away. Yeah. Yeah. Took her away. How
S8: did that happen?
S1: Yeah. There's a lot about.
S8: Married her to somebody.
S1: Else. Yeah. That's right. Well, if you remember, she wasn't
S1: a fantastic wife to start with. She was barren and, uh,
S1: critical of David. And, uh, God had disciplined her. And
S1: that's what it says. The drama of it. We'd love
S1: to see in a soap opera one day, but, uh, yeah,
S1: a lot of strange things happening in marriage, even in
S1: David's life. I'll give you a little bit more on
S1: that right after our break, Jane. So hang on. If
S1: you want to talk after the break, we'll do it. Definitely.
S1: I'm doctor Mike Fabares, sitting in for Doctor Michael Rydell.
S1: Our producer, Tricia McMillan, will bring the mailbag in just
S1: a few minutes. You're listening to Open Line on Moody Radio.
S1: We'll be right back.
S5: Ministry isn't a solo effort. You know my voice. But
S5: if you could see inside our studio, you'd see a
S5: team behind the scenes putting open line on the air.
S5: Look a little further, and you'd see into the homes
S5: of listeners like you who give monthly to make this
S5: ministry possible. And when you join our team of Kitchen
S5: Table Partners, I'll send you a Bible study moment email
S5: every other week with tips and encouragement. Become a kitchen
S5: table partner today by calling 888644712 or go to Openline Radio.com.
S5: We're so glad that Febc partners with Openline, with Doctor
S5: Michael Melnick bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn how
S5: Far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the world
S5: at febc. Org. On their weekly podcast. Until all I've
S5: heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives changed
S5: by Messiah all across the globe. Again, you can hear
S5: the podcast when you visit febc. Because that's febc.
S1: To open line. I'm doctor Mike Fabares filling in today
S1: for Doctor Michael Riedel. And it's the mailbag segment. And
S1: that's when Trish flexes her big biceps and comes in
S1: here with the mailbag. How are you feeling? Are you
S1: strong enough for this duty today?
S9: I am feeling strong. Look at those.
S1: Guns on this girl. Amazing. All right, Trish is here,
S1: and you got the mailbag. And I just said to
S1: you just before we came on the air, like, let's go.
S1: Let's get the ones that are oldest like that have
S1: been here. So what do you have that hadn't been
S1: answered this week? You've got to have a couple.
S9: I do, I do. Rachel in Michigan listens to Wgme.
S9: And I think this is such a practical question. Um,
S9: she said, I know that the I know the Bible
S9: well and understand the hope of heaven. And I believe
S9: in God's strength, in our weakness, like Paul talks about.
S9: But Paul's perseverance seems focused on spreading the gospel and
S9: not the daily issues that we're dealing with today like
S9: emotional exhaustion, relational conflict, ongoing burdens like that because we're
S9: told not to worry about what we eat or drink
S9: or what we're going to wear. But those aren't really
S9: the things that a lot of people are struggling with.
S9: And so sometimes it feels like the Bible's comfort is
S9: mostly future focused point to heaven. But in the meantime,
S9: just endure and get through it. Okay, so is there
S9: more real practical hope for the big struggles that we're facing?
S1: I can help you in two ways with this. I think,
S1: number one, we need to separate. It's a lot like anger,
S1: the doctrine of what do we do with anger? You know,
S1: we think, oh, anger is bad. We shouldn't be angry. But,
S1: you know, clearly Jesus was angry. And there's a godly anger, concern, burden, weight, anxiety.
S1: You know, we often go to Matthew six and say, well,
S1: we shouldn't we shouldn't feel that. And you're right, we
S1: shouldn't feel that about trivial things. But Paul often confesses
S1: with the same words comes from this this Greek word
S1: to to be, to be torn and weighed down and burdened. Um,
S1: he's torn and burdened about a lot of things. He
S1: had the pressure of the churches. Now I understand his
S1: burdens are the church, but it's also the people. I
S1: think about his relationship with Titus. He's so concerned about Titus,
S1: and he's on the Roman roads traveling. He's concerned about
S1: what's going to happen to him. Now, here's the thing.
S1: If we think that the promises of peace are supposed
S1: to mean that I never feel that feeling, then we're
S1: wrong because we have, you know, he has spiritual children,
S1: we have real children. We have family members. We have
S1: people we care for. We have burdens in our lives.
S1: So we're going to feel certain feelings that we may think,
S1: because we've read some passages one dimensionally, that we should
S1: never feel that way. We're going to feel that we're
S1: in a fallen world. There's a lot of things here
S1: in this sin laden world that we're going to be
S1: concerned about. So, number one, don't feel unrighteous if you
S1: feel burdened, if it's about the right thing, if it's
S1: a burden about, you know, am I have enough money
S1: to pay the rent that may be like, not the
S1: kind of burden we should carry. We should know that
S1: God's going to take care of his kids. But we
S1: care about people's souls. We care about people's lives. Number two.
S1: I mean, you brought up the issue of of strength
S1: and weakness. I will say, even though a lot of
S1: the pressure points in Paul's lives were because he was
S1: a missionary, he says in Second Corinthians one, I think
S1: about that passage that he was so burdened beyond, like
S1: thinking he could live any longer so that he could
S1: rely on God who raises the dead. Here's the strength
S1: that we have. It's not that we feel like we
S1: don't have any problems, or that we're not burdened by problems,
S1: but that we are strong enough to see that God
S1: is a God that I'm leaning on. I think about Nehemiah.
S1: He was in the middle of a difficult time worrying
S1: about Israel. Jerusalem was in shambles and he took the king.
S1: Artaxerxes talks to him and he prays to God. He's
S1: right there leaning on God. He has this constant awareness
S1: that I got to trust God for this. And I
S1: do think that's the strength of a Christian that doesn't
S1: look like strength from worldly standards. And I would say
S1: to you, Rachel, if you're continuing to shift more of
S1: your focus on I need God to get me through this,
S1: or I need God to deal with this, then that
S1: is the definition of strength. You're holding on to one
S1: who is the king of the universe. But if you
S1: think that's going to feel peaceful and tranquil and, you know,
S1: hills of of grass and daisies, it's just not going
S1: to feel that way. This life is laden with trouble.
S1: In this world you'll have tribulation. Jesus said, but take heart.
S1: That's the part where there's strength. Can you take heart
S1: in the midst of the difficulties and a lot of
S1: the difficulties, right, of being burdened, they're appropriate. That's what
S1: godly people should feel a burden for things that matter,
S1: not a burden for things that don't matter. Whether or
S1: not we can have a larger house or a great
S1: vacation on a cruise ship, that doesn't matter. What matters
S1: is the things that matter to God, and we're going
S1: to be burdened with those. And if you say you
S1: know the word, well, then I'm assuming your burdens are
S1: probably in the right place, even though you think, well,
S1: I'm not a missionary traveling through Asia minor, I get that.
S1: But the same thing is true. Second Corinthians chapter one,
S1: I would say, is a good place to go, Rachel,
S1: and I hope that may bring some help and perspective.
S9: And how how would, um, as we process this? Like
S9: she even references like he seems focused on the gospel,
S9: but the gospel speaks to these things. Um, how how
S9: do you see how does it do that? Maybe it's
S9: a better way to say that. Like we'll say, oh,
S9: Jesus can fix it all, you know, or maybe not
S9: fix it, but, you know, just go to Jesus. It's fine.
S9: And and I think it has become like a cliche, almost.
S9: It's like, well, how's Jesus going to help me out here?
S1: Yeah. Yeah. I guess it'd be like you having a
S1: camper that you're living in while you're building this beautiful house,
S1: and you're sleeping in the camper outside in the driveway
S1: of the house that's in construction, and you think I
S1: want to have the peace the Bible keeps talking about? Well,
S1: the Bible keeps talking about a peace that's in the
S1: house once it's finished. Not about the peace in the camper.
S1: So the good news of the gospel is saying, this
S1: isn't all there is. I'm an alien and stranger in
S1: this world. I should expect pain and disease and sickness
S1: and death and trials and trouble and apostasy and problems
S1: and betrayals and judases. So I'm going to trust in
S1: God to look beyond this. And like Romans 818, my, my.
S1: I'm going to see that all the troubles of this
S1: world are not worth comparing to the glory that will
S1: be revealed to us. It's. Can I look beyond this?
S1: It's like a kid doing his homework who's looking toward
S1: graduation while he does his homework. This is the trial.
S1: This is the trouble. So the good news of the
S1: gospel is this isn't all there is. We're not going
S1: to stay here. This is not our home. And that's
S1: not where most Christians want to live. They want a
S1: little bit of Jesus to make the camper livable, and
S1: the camper is going to be a hard place to live.
S1: And we're living in the camper. We're going to be
S1: in the house. It'll be finished one day. And when
S1: it is, God's going to take us into that house.
S1: But right now, we're going to do the best we
S1: can to be positive, focused, forward thinking, eternally minded. And
S1: that's going to strengthen us to say, it's okay, I
S1: don't have everything I want. It's okay that the guy
S1: across the street has a bigger camper. It doesn't matter.
S1: What matters is the eternal thing. So worry about the.
S1: Here's what Jesus said about worry, right? He says, seek
S1: first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So decipher that.
S1: Call that out. Bring out, tease that out and say,
S1: here are the things I should I should concern myself
S1: with today. And I think that can give us hope.
S1: As Paul said, I want to lean on the one
S1: who has the power to raise the dead because he
S1: is going to die. He said I was despairing even
S1: of life itself, but I'm going to focus on him
S1: and I'm going to say, I can get through this.
S1: In this world you'll have tribulation. So I think, I mean,
S1: it's very nuanced. You picked a hard question here, Trish.
S1: You really did. But but Rachel, you know, I hope
S1: that gives you some sense of mental strength, spiritual strength.
S1: Even though the storm doesn't stop and the camper is
S1: still the camper and the mattress is still lumpy, or
S1: you're sleeping in a in a sleeping bag on the
S1: floor of the camper, you're going to make it. We're
S1: going to make it.
S9: And I think sometimes there are words that other people
S9: have written, um, like prayers that they have written or
S9: even prayers in the Bible, but um, or or listening to, um,
S9: like I heard Corrie ten boom on a little video
S9: clip this week and, and these believers who are older,
S9: who have been through those things, when you hear them
S9: talk about it, can be so encouraging and almost inspirational. Um,
S9: to help you put words to as you process like,
S9: how what does this look like in someone's life to
S9: see those people who are doing it? Um, that you
S9: can say, oh, that's what that looks like. Excellent. Okay.
S1: That's excellent Trish. And that's where I would say, Rachel,
S1: go to some biographies because we learn these people who
S1: have these wonderful statements we always love to quote. But
S1: between the wonderful quotes are all the real things Corrie
S1: ten boom went through and the life that she lived
S1: and the trials that she had and the struggles she had.
S1: And I think that's helpful. And I read Christian biographies.
S1: I like to read Christian biographies of pastors because that's
S1: what I do. And I realize, man, it's hard for them.
S1: But they say things that help me say, okay, we'll
S1: get through this. We're going to make it.
S9: Yeah, that.
S1: Was one question.
S9: It was one question. Thank you. Rachel.
S1: Good one. Rachel.
S9: Thank you.
S1: All right. Well that's good. We got more. We got
S1: a board full of questions here and we're going to
S1: get to those, but we're going to take a quick
S1: break before we do it. My number again (877) 548-3675. This
S1: is open line on Moody Radio. Thanks, Trish for bringing
S1: in the mailbag. We'll be back in just a minute.
S1: Bye bye.
S5: So many people have questions about Israel. That's why Chosen
S5: People Ministry is one of our partners. Is offering a
S5: free booklet, Why Israel? This book explores the topic of
S5: Israel through the lens of Scripture, bringing clarity to a
S5: controversial topic. Has the church replaced Israel in the plan
S5: of God? Does ethnic Israel still have a future? What
S5: about Israel today? If you'd like answers to these questions,
S5: just go to our website openline. radio.org. Scroll down to
S5: the link that says Free Gift from Chosen People Ministries.
S5: Click on that and you'll be able to sign up
S5: for your own copy of Why Israel?
S1: Well, welcome back to Open Line. My name is Mike Fabares.
S1: I'm the pastor of Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo, California.
S1: I'm a long way from home in the Windy City. Today.
S1: It's graduation day in Chicago at the Moody Bible Institute.
S1: I remember the day I graduated and I didn't have
S1: the privilege of having Doctor Michael Riedel hand me my degree,
S1: but that's what they're having today, and it's going on
S1: right now. So I'm filling in here. I'm I'm off
S1: the bench today filling in for Doctor Michael Riedel. And
S1: I'm so happy to be here. And we got a
S1: lot of calls. So let's try and get through them
S1: as many as we can. Let's go to line one,
S1: Nancy from Spokane, Washington listening on KMBC. Great station. How
S1: can we help?
S10: Hi. I just first want to say that you're one
S10: of my favorite pastors on Moody. I listen to you regularly.
S1: That's so sweet. Thank you. Who paid you to? I'll
S1: send the check over to to let you know. I'm
S1: thankful for that work of pushing my program. Thank you.
S1: I'm kidding. Of course. I didn't pay you. Did I
S1: know you say that. Okay, good. All right, Nancy.
S10: That comes from my heart.
S1: That's very kind.
S10: Um, but, you know, I believe in the rapture, the
S10: tribulation and the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on earth.
S10: And I mentioned these events in a conversation with another Christian,
S10: and they responded. These events only came on the scene
S10: in the last 200 years. And that you couldn't take
S10: revelation literally, that it was symbolic. And I don't understand
S10: where this view came from. Is this an alternate view
S10: within the Christian community, and if so, how do you
S10: respond to this?
S1: Yeah, well, for those who grew up with a pre-tribulational
S1: rapture view and a literal pre millennial view, which means
S1: we're coming to a time of a thousand year reign,
S1: we're just used to that. But yes, there are plenty
S1: of alternative views about the end times. One is not
S1: only that the book of Revelation is symbolic because of
S1: course it is given to us in images, right? It's
S1: what we call in the genre of the New Testament
S1: apocalyptic literature, which means John is shown a series of
S1: things that he relays to us. It is symbolic in
S1: that sense, but we believe it's future people that believe
S1: it's already past. And that's what this man is saying
S1: or this woman is saying to you. It's called the
S1: preterist view of the Book of Revelation. That means it's
S1: already past. And they say it happened. All those things
S1: were fulfilled in 70 AD when Titus, the Roman general,
S1: came through and destroyed Jerusalem. I don't believe that Michael
S1: Riedel does not believe that the professors here at Moody
S1: Bible Institute don't believe that. We believe this is all
S1: future yet to come, because the book of Revelation was
S1: written in the late 90s, we believe, or mid 90s
S1: at least after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
S1: and all these things he said were still future. Now
S1: they have to argue for an early writing of the
S1: book of Revelation, which I think is just absolutely non supportable.
S1: But the reason they say it's new is because they say, well,
S1: this is what you call dispensational theology. It came through
S1: the Plymouth Brethren, it came through Darby. And this is
S1: all new stuff. Well, number one, even if it were,
S1: which I don't think it is, as a matter of fact,
S1: I came upon a book the other day called The
S1: Recent Pre-Trib Findings in the Early Church Fathers by a
S1: guy named Brainard, and I just happened to pick it up.
S1: I'd never seen it before. And he goes through some
S1: of the early teachings in the Didache and some of
S1: the early Church Fathers, Eusebius, Irenaeus, and and showing the
S1: statements about a pre-trib rapture. And so it's I understand
S1: people say it's all new. Well, the systemising of dispensationalism
S1: may be something new, but it'd be like us in
S1: the fourth century saying, well, this whole one essence and
S1: three persons and stating the Trinity that way. That's all new. Well,
S1: it would have been new because they had gotten to
S1: the place of of describing the Trinity that way. It
S1: doesn't mean it was unbiblical. It is biblical. We've been
S1: affirming it now since the fourth century that way. So
S1: I don't I don't really mind saying, you know, well,
S1: it was popularized later in church history, but the question is,
S1: is it going to happen, number one, to say you
S1: don't believe in the rapture? If they say that, you've
S1: got to look at first Thessalonians 417. It says, we
S1: who are alive will be caught up together to meet
S1: them in the clouds and meet the Lord in the air.
S1: So it's going to happen. The question is, when is
S1: the rapture? And we're saying it's before the time of
S1: Jacob's trouble, before the 70th week of Daniel, before the
S1: Great Tribulation. Jesus talked about in Matthew 24, this time
S1: that's the worst time to ever come upon the world.
S1: And here's one reason I don't think it's 70 A.D.
S1: because he has never been like this, ever. And it
S1: will never be like that again. And there are plenty
S1: of things worse than, than than Titus marching through Jerusalem
S1: in 70 A.D.. I mean, think of the Holocaust is
S1: worse than that. So I don't believe we've come to
S1: the tribulation, yet I believe that's part of God's plan
S1: for Israel. And if Doctor Michael Redlick, he'd be saying
S1: it with with a lot more verve than me. But
S1: I agree it wholeheartedly, full wholeheartedly. This seven year period
S1: is yet to come. I do believe the rapture will
S1: come before that time of tribulation. Just reading through that
S1: book I just came across the other day again, reminds
S1: me that people in the second third century were saying
S1: these same things. Was it in a study Bible? No,
S1: of course not. You know, did we have charts of it? No, no, no.
S1: And was that popularized, uh, after Darby? Perhaps it is.
S1: And did they say everything right? No, I don't believe
S1: they do. But I think all the professors here at
S1: Moody Bible Institute would say we believe in a pre-tribulational rapture.
S1: God's got a plan for Israel being turned to their
S1: Messiah in that tribulation period. God's judgment is going to come.
S1: All the things that are written in the mid 90s,
S1: in the first century by John on the island of
S1: Patmos are yet to come, and that there's going to
S1: be a thousand year reign of Christ. He says it
S1: six times in revelation 20. I think it's literal because
S1: it said six times a thousand years. And when is
S1: that going to be in the future? After the tribulation period?
S1: So I think it's all there. It comes down to
S1: how we read the Old Testament promises. You look at
S1: Ezekiel and that temple. Has it ever been built in
S1: those dimensions? Never. Nothing even close to that. So I
S1: think all of that's yet to come in the millennial Kingdom. Now,
S1: good men can disagree. Good women can disagree on this.
S1: But we are saying to say, well it's a Johnny
S1: come lately view. So it's not right. Number one, I
S1: don't buy the premise. And number two, I don't think
S1: it's all that new, at least in its, you know,
S1: rudimentary forms. And, um, you know, I think it's right.
S1: I think it's the most consistent way to read the
S1: Old and New Testaments. And I got a lot of
S1: people in my camp. And certainly you've been taught that way, Nancy,
S1: and to have someone say, well, I dismissed it because
S1: I watched a YouTube video, okay. And there are great
S1: people that have different views, but we're not going to
S1: say they're non-Christians, but we are going to say one
S1: day we'll see how this plays out. And I think
S1: the people who expected a 70th year, 70th week of Daniel,
S1: a time of Jacob's trouble, the worst tribulation ever. And
S1: then a millennial kingdom. I think they're going to be right,
S1: at least from my perspective. So don't be shaken by
S1: this doesn't mean they're not Christians. It just means they
S1: have a different view of the end times. Does that
S1: help Nancy?
S10: Oh, it helps a lot. I just love how in-depth
S10: that you've answered this question. And I'll be listening many
S10: times to this.
S1: Okay. Yeah, I know some people think I talk too fast,
S1: but I feel like I have very little time. I
S1: know Doctor Riddell has such a wonderful voice and such
S1: great pacing, but I only get to host every now
S1: and then, so I want to jam in as much
S1: as I can here.
S10: Yeah, and we can listen to it. Yeah, listen to
S10: it all the time.
S1: That's right. This is just a ploy to get people
S1: to go back and listen to the podcast. See, that's
S1: all I'm doing. I'm just helping Moody here with that. Nancy,
S1: thanks for your kind words.
S10: That you before.
S1: Oh. You hadn't.
S10: Yeah.
S1: Oh, well, no. What a terrible tragedy.
S10: Because I, I've been that's what I've been taught is
S10: about the rapture and the tribulation and the, you know,
S10: and I've been taught that it all is future that we're.
S10: I mean, I pray for that. Come quick. Jesus. Please come.
S1: Yes. And I do think if you read in the Bible,
S1: let me throw one more layer on this. If you
S1: look at the things about the return of Christ, some
S1: things are timed and they're like, you should expect it.
S1: And here are the signs of it all. And some
S1: of the statements are you never know when it's going
S1: to happen. It's gonna happen when you don't expect it.
S1: Two different expectations and one expectation is for the church.
S1: We don't know when Christ is going to come back,
S1: can come back today. And then for Israel. And a
S1: lot of the teaching of Jesus is for Israel. He's saying,
S1: you're going to know the signs are going to be there.
S1: Here's what's going to happen. You see signs in the heavens.
S1: You're going to see the sun not give its light.
S1: You're going to see all these things. The vultures are
S1: going to gather, and you'll know the end is going
S1: to come. So I think we have two different installments
S1: of the coming of Christ for the church to meet
S1: Jesus in the air. And then in Zechariah 14 says,
S1: for Jesus to come and set his feet down on
S1: the Mount of Olives after the battle of of the
S1: battle of Armageddon, to save the remnant Israel and set
S1: up a kingdom for a thousand years. So I think
S1: you're right, Nancy. You're talking to a friendly, uh, voice here.
S1: I agree with your eschatology, and so do the folks
S1: here at Moody, and I'm grateful for them. And we'll see. Uh,
S1: if some of the nuances of our eschatology are a
S1: little off, we'll find out one day. But I think
S1: we're right. And, of course, we wouldn't teach it if
S1: we didn't think we were right. Thanks for the call, Nancy.
S1: Appreciate it so much. Let's squeeze in another quick call
S1: if we can. Let's go to line eight. Brett, you're
S1: on the air with pastor Mike. How can I help?
S11: Morning, pastor Mike, how you doing? Good, good. Hey, um,
S11: quick question. Um, why I, I attend Compass Church in,
S11: in Aliso Viejo. So I'm very thankful for you and
S11: the teaching over, you know, 17 years. So great. Appreciate
S11: it very much. Um, why why don't we baptize babies?
S1: Because baptism is a sign of our regeneration. Uh, we're
S1: supposed to make disciples and baptize them. Having a baby
S1: is not making a disciple. I can address more of
S1: this after the break. I'm sorry I got a hard
S1: break coming up here, Brett. So stay on the line.
S1: We'll talk to you after the break. But we are
S1: so excited to have you listening today, along with so
S1: many others here. This is open line. I'm Mike Faber
S1: is filling in for Doctor Michael Rudnick. We got another
S1: hour of Open line coming up on most of these stations.
S1: At least you can go to Open Line radio.org. Open
S1: line with Doctor Michael Riedel is a production of the
S1: Moody Radio, which is, I say, the Moody Radio. It's
S1: the only one. Moody radio, a ministry of the Moody
S1: Bible Institute. We're so happy to be on the air today.
S1: And if you stick around, we've got another hour coming up.
S1: We're excited to get back to your questions.