S1: Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Ray Moody Radio's Bible Study Across America.
S1: We're talking about your questions about the Bible, God and
S1: the spiritual life. My name is Michael Ray. I'm professor
S1: of Jewish Studies and Bible, as well as the academic
S1: dean at Moody Bible Institute. And we're live today sitting
S1: around the radio kitchen table taking your questions. Now is
S1: the time to give me a call. It's a great
S1: time to call always at the beginning of the hour.
S1: The phone number here is (877) 548-3675. If you didn't get
S1: that down, I'll say it again. (877) 548-3675. If you can't call,
S1: you can always go to our website, online radio.org, and
S1: you'll see a link there that says Ask Michael a question.
S1: You can post your question there and Trish will put
S1: it in the mailbag. That's a great way to get
S1: your question in. If you don't have time to wait
S1: on line, or if you don't have the ability to
S1: make a call, you can just just do that. Well,
S1: I hope you have your Bibles open and the second
S1: cup of coffee, because we're ready to talk about the scriptures.
S1: And I did want to remind you, since I wasn't
S1: here with you live last week, that I really want
S1: to encourage you to read through the scriptures this upcoming 2025.
S1: And I there's a favorite reading program of mine. It's
S1: from Discipleship Journal. And the reason I really like this
S1: reading program. I'll give you my reasons for it. It's
S1: not actually, I'm doing a different one this year, but
S1: just because I'm trying it out. But through the years,
S1: I have found this one to be the most helpful.
S1: Here's what I like about it. First of all, it's
S1: only 25 days a month, 25 days a month. Which
S1: means that if you have, you can skip Sundays if
S1: you want. Or Saturdays or whatever day you go to services. Uh,
S1: the other thing that you could do is if you
S1: just fall behind and don't get a day in, uh,
S1: it's not the end of the world. You don't. You know,
S1: what I find is that people, if they don't read
S1: every day and they miss two days, the next thing
S1: you know, they're so backed up, they drop the program.
S1: This gives you 25 days out of usually 30 or
S1: 31 days in a month. So that's really helpful. Secondly,
S1: it's only about 20 minutes a day. And I think that's,
S1: you know, we we waste 20 minutes every day doing
S1: all sorts of things. This is a good investment of
S1: 20 minutes every day. The other aspect of this discipleship
S1: Journal reading program that I really like is it has
S1: two Old Testament passages and two New Testament passages. And
S1: so every day you're reading both old and new. Uh,
S1: and so you're not just starting in Genesis, because I
S1: find what happens is people who try to read through
S1: the Bible in a In a year they will. Very
S1: often they'll say that they will start in Genesis. Okay.
S1: They get about halfway through Exodus and they are starting
S1: to read the commandments about putting together the tabernacle. And
S1: next thing you know, they're like, oh boy, I'm losing this.
S1: And then they get to when they finally get to Leviticus,
S1: they just throw up their hands and they're gone. But
S1: this way you're reading across the Bible for the whole time.
S1: And so I really want to encourage you. I think
S1: it's one of the best things we can do for
S1: our understanding of Scripture and the transformation of our lives.
S1: So really, any any way you want to read through
S1: the Bible in a year, that's great. But I find
S1: that this Discipleship Journal reading program very, very helpful. And
S1: so we've posted it on our Facebook page. You can
S1: download it and use it. I think it's a great thing,
S1: even if you're a little behind now it's you know,
S1: we're ten days in, but remember, this has only got
S1: 25 days, so you can pick it up, read a
S1: couple of days every day for the next couple of
S1: couple of weeks, and you'll be right on time. It's
S1: a great program. We're going to go back to the
S1: phones now and talk to Tina in Covington, Indiana, listening
S1: on Wfor. Welcome to Open Line, Tina. How can I
S1: help you today?
S2: Hi. Good morning. Thank you for taking my call. Sure.
S2: I have a couple verses in Second Kings that I'm
S2: struggling with. Um, the first one is Second Kings 117.
S2: The next one is second Kings 816. And I'm just
S2: trying to understand the timeline of when these kings came
S2: into place, because it seems a little contradictory.
S1: What's your your problem with what's contradictory?
S2: In Second Kings 117 it says, and please, I'm probably
S2: going to butcher these names. But, um, Jehoram became king
S2: of Israel the second year of Jehoram, king of Judah.
S2: Then in second Kings 816 it says Jehoram reigns in Judah,
S2: the fifth year of Joram, King of Israel. So I'm
S2: not sure which one came first. I'm just trying to
S2: do a timeline so I have a better understanding of
S2: the Kings.
S1: Mhm. Okay. So you do know that they're both they're
S1: two different kings. Yes. Yeah. And they both have the
S1: same name. Yes. Right. And uh, so Jehoram in Judah
S1: reigned from 848 to 841. Okay. For eight years. And, uh, then, uh,
S1: the other Jehoram. Uh, I'm looking for him on my
S1: chart here. Uh, reign from 852 to 841, in the
S1: Northern Kingdom.
S2: Okay. And that's Israel, right? Yeah. Okay.
S1: So there you have it. Those are the. By the way,
S1: I keep this chart on the kings of Israel that
S1: I photocopied, I think, from the the Ryrie Study Bible.
S1: I just I just photocopied it and I stuck it
S1: in my Bible. So I don't get so confused because
S1: I can't remember all these dates. I'm pretty good at dates,
S1: but all these kings dates, I just can't. I can't
S1: figure it out. So it's got Judah and his. I
S1: was wondering.
S2: Where you got those dates because I didn't know where
S2: to find them.
S1: Yeah, yeah. Again, you know, a book I mentioned in
S1: the first hour that's a really helpful book is called
S1: A History of Israel by Leon Wood. And it has
S1: it has all these kinds of things in it. Another
S1: thing there is a book by Thiele. Uh, t h
S1: I e l e that was his last name. I
S1: don't remember his first name. called the mysterious numbers of
S1: the Hebrew kings or the Israelite kings or something like that.
S1: And it it's sort of a harmony and explanation of,
S1: you know, where there were, uh, you know, sometimes a
S1: king would make his son king and there'd be a
S1: dual monarchy at the same time. There was overlap this
S1: way in their kingships. And so he harmonizes all the
S1: the numbers of the Hebrew kings in the, in the
S1: Hebrew Bible. Uh, Thiel. The mysterious numbers of the Hebrew kings.
S1: I think it is so.
S2: Okay. Thank you.
S1: Okay, sure. Uh, well, thanks for your call, Tina. We're
S1: going to talk to Mary Lynn in Seville, Ohio, listening
S1: on the app. Welcome to Open Line. Mary Lynn. How
S1: can I help you today?
S3: Good morning. Thank you for taking my call. And I
S3: am reading through the Bible, and I have a couple
S3: of questions from the beginning. Um, why is not Why isn't, um,
S3: Eve credited with the first sin since she's the one
S3: that ate the fruit?
S1: Ah, well, there's a couple reasons, but I think, simply put,
S1: Adam was considered the head of the household, and they
S1: ate the fruit together. And so, uh, Adam was there
S1: with her. It says it right in the text. He
S1: was there. He was there right with her. What Adam
S1: was able to do is say, hey, cut this out.
S1: Don't talk to this snake. Uh, and, uh, I'm he
S1: was the spiritual head of this situation, and he acquiesced
S1: instead of stopping it. And so he was responsible.
S3: Okay. Okay. And then the fact that she misquoted what
S3: God had said, that you can't even touch the tree
S3: of life. Why wouldn't that be the first sin?
S1: Uh, I think it's because the command that God gave was.
S1: Don't eat of this tree. And that was the first.
S1: The first sin was breaking the direct command of God. Okay, okay.
S1: All right.
S3: Good. Okay.
S1: So is that so.
S3: Important that I just had wondered about it?
S1: Yeah. You know, and it talks about you know, I
S1: want to be really clear in Romans five, there was
S1: a there was once a theologian who said his name
S1: was Hodge said that you could tell if someone's a
S1: real theologian is if when you look at their Bible
S1: or their Greek New Testament, it just opens immediately to
S1: Romans five, which I think is funny, like if you
S1: held it and now mine doesn't do that. So we
S1: can tell I am not a real theologian or scholar,
S1: but nevertheless it is an important passage because it talks
S1: about that everyone sinned in Adam and it says because
S1: of that death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over
S1: those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression.
S1: But then it talks about the gift is not like
S1: the trespass. For by if by one man's trespass the
S1: many died. How much more have the grace and gift
S1: overflowed to the many? By the grace of the one man,
S1: Jesus the Messiah. That's Romans 515. Uh, and what it's
S1: saying is that that through one trespass, there is no
S1: condemnation as as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone.
S1: So also through one righteous act, there's life giving justification,
S1: if we will trust that Jesus died for our sins
S1: and rose again. If we trust in the perfect one,
S1: then what will happen is that, uh, we can experience
S1: God's grace, his forgiveness. So I know it's often that
S1: we want to think about Adam and Eve and their
S1: their failure. We want to think about, uh, you know,
S1: how we all became sinners because of that. But let's
S1: not forget the opportunity for all to put their trust
S1: in Jesus. And if we'll put our trust in Jesus,
S1: the second Adam who died for us and rose again,
S1: that's the that's the great opportunity for forgiveness and restoration
S1: to God. I think that's that's pretty cool to remember.
S1: That's what Paul was emphasizing in Romans five. Hey, thanks
S1: for your call, Marilyn, and thank you. We're going to
S1: come back in a moment with more of your questions
S1: right here on Open Line. The phone number is (877) 548-3675.
S1: You can call us with your question about the Bible,
S1: God or the spiritual life. Uh, glad to talk about it.
S1: We're having a great time on our Bible study across America.
S1: My name is Michael Ray. Dominic and I will be
S1: right back. Sometimes Bible reading can feel like looking at
S1: a bunch of puzzle pieces, not quite sure how they
S1: fit together. That's where Paul Benna's survey of the New
S1: Testament comes in. This comprehensive guide helps you understand how
S1: each book fits into God's perfect plan. Connecting the dots
S1: from the Gospels to Revelation. It's yours. When you give
S1: a gift of any size to open line, call (888) 644-7122
S1: or visit open line radio.org. We're back. This is open
S1: line with Michael Ray. I'm so glad to be studying
S1: the scriptures with you this morning and I really appreciate it.
S1: You know, I'm I'm amazed When I go out and
S1: I meet with people who are at different moody events.
S1: For example, I went last month to Candlelight Carols, which
S1: was a big event, and I just stood in the
S1: Commons one evening and there were so many people there,
S1: and they kept coming up to me and saying, I'm
S1: a kitchen table partner and I appreciate it so much.
S1: The reason is it says that they appreciate and value
S1: what we're trying to do here, to bring a greater
S1: understanding of the scriptures, and walking with the Lord to
S1: people through studying the scriptures together, understanding God better, understanding
S1: His word better, and most importantly, having our lives transformed.
S1: One of the things about Open Line is I really believe.
S1: I don't think I'll get the quote exactly right, but
S1: one of the things that D.L. Moody said is the
S1: Bible wasn't given to inform us, but to transform us.
S1: And that's what I really believe about our time together.
S1: I together. I don't want just to improve our knowledge,
S1: but to actually transform all of our application of of
S1: that knowledge and our obedience to the scriptures and people
S1: who become kitchen table partners are saying, yeah, I agree
S1: with that goal, and I'm going to give monthly so
S1: that I can make sure that this keeps happening right
S1: here on Moody Radio. And if you're one of those
S1: people that feels that way, maybe you'd like to become
S1: a kitchen table partner and give monthly. One of the
S1: things that I do is every other week I'll send
S1: out a Bible study moment. It'll come in your email.
S1: You click on it. It's a Bible study designed exclusively
S1: for our kitchen table partners. If you'd like to become
S1: a kitchen table partner, we'd appreciate it so much. Just
S1: call (800) 864-4712 two. That's 86447122. Or potentially you can go
S1: to our website. If that's the way you'd prefer to
S1: do it. You can go to Open Line radio.org and
S1: click on the link there about Kitchen Table Partners and
S1: we'll appreciate it so much. And we're going to talk
S1: about uh, Delia. And we're going to talk to Delia
S1: in Palm Beach, Florida listening on RMB. Welcome to Open Line. Delia.
S1: How can I help you? Is it Dalia or Dalia?
S4: Dalia. Dalia. Dalia. You know, they wrote.
S1: They wrote it out phonetically for me as Dalia. And
S1: I'm like.
S4: Huh, okay, I.
S1: Think it's Dalia, but. Okay.
S4: So God bless. Yeah. God bless you for taking my call.
S4: I have a question, and I was corrected how to
S4: phrase it. I told so often that, um, angels and
S4: humans had relations, and they're where they are on the giants.
S4: The Netherlands came in, so I wanted to find out.
S4: What is your understanding? I know you are knowledgeable and
S4: you will tell me just what I need to know.
S1: Well, I'll do my best to give you. Now, there
S1: are a lot of people who believe what you're saying,
S1: but I don't. I don't agree with that. In Genesis six,
S1: where it says mankind began to multiply on the earth
S1: and daughters were born to them, the sons of God.
S1: Some people say that those are fallen angels. The sons
S1: of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful,
S1: and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.
S1: And so that's what they're talking about now. I, the
S1: sons of God, uh, can, uh, refer to angels they
S1: do in job 38. I think it is. Uh, it's
S1: there's no question that it's a possibility that Sons of
S1: God can mean that. However, it also can refer to
S1: something else. And the reason I think it's not angels
S1: is that in Matthew 2230, when the Lord Jesus talked
S1: about us in our resurrected state, he said that we
S1: will be like the angels and not marry or be
S1: given in marriage. And so how is it that the
S1: sons of God, if there are angels here, take wives
S1: for themselves? That doesn't make any sense. So because angels
S1: don't take wives. And so I would say that it's
S1: probably something else. And what you have here is, uh,
S1: Genesis chapter four, you've got the line of Cain from
S1: verse 17 to about 24. Uh, Genesis 417 through 24
S1: is the line of Cain, the ungodly line. And then
S1: you've got the godly line of Seth from Genesis 425
S1: all the way to the end of chapter five. What's significant?
S1: That's the context. And so I think the sons of
S1: God refers to the ungodly. I'm sorry. The, uh, the
S1: daughters of mankind were the ungodly line of Cain. The
S1: sons of God is the godly line of Seth. And
S1: so the sons of Seth, the godly ones, take daughters
S1: of mankind. The daughters of of Cain. And the two lines, uh, merge.
S1: And as a result, uh, and they chose anyone that
S1: they wanted, is what it said. Instead of being careful
S1: to marry godly women, they were choosing, choosing the ungodly line.
S1: And then they're the the product of their marriage were
S1: the Nephilim. Uh, some people think Nephilim means giants. But really,
S1: what Nephilim means are fallen ones. That's what the Hebrew
S1: word means. And so what happened is the descendants of the.
S1: The merged lines are people who are corrupted, fallen, and, uh,
S1: these fallen people became powerful on the Earth. Uh, had
S1: a powerful full negative influence, which leads to the flood.
S1: And that's why the flood has to come as a judgment.
S1: Because God says he regretted making mankind because they had
S1: become so corrupt. So I think that's what we have
S1: happening in Genesis four five and six. I hope that
S1: helps you, Dalia, and thanks for your call. We're going
S1: to talk to Kathy in Brookfield, Illinois, listening on our
S1: flagship station, Wmbi. Welcome to Open Line. How can I help?
S1: And by the way, I have to ask you, uh,
S1: we're just going to limit ourselves to one question. So
S1: I see that it says you have two questions. Let's
S1: stick to one question. Okay. Choose well. Choose the one
S1: you want. Okay.
S5: Well, I have a I have a new international version
S5: of the Bible. And it starts out at one, um,
S5: Luke 126. In the sixth month, God sent, uh, Gabriel
S5: Old an angel, Gabriel to Nazareth in the town of Galilee. Galilee.
S5: What is the sixth month in the Jewish calendar?
S1: It's not talking about the calendar. It says after. Look
S1: at verse 24. It says after. These days. His wife
S1: Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months.
S1: The Lord has done this for me. He has looked down,
S1: looked with favor in these days. Take away my disgrace
S1: among the people. In the sixth month, the angel was
S1: sent by God to a town in Galilee. So what
S1: it's saying in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy.
S5: Okay, okay, okay. That was okay. Yes.
S1: Context. Context. Context. Okay. Okay.
S5: I didn't I didn't go back because in another version,
S5: which was more a devotional version, it starts out at
S5: 126 saying in Elizabeth's Of pregnancy. And so it was confusing.
S1: Yeah, yeah. Well, the one the second one was reading
S1: it in context and trying to clarify it for you.
S1: That's good. So. Okay.
S5: Okay. I just wasn't sure. And I know I can
S5: only ask one question, but.
S1: Yeah, but you call back another time with the second question.
S1: We're happy to do that. So. Yeah. Okay. Thanks so
S1: much for your call, Kathy. Really appreciate it. Okay. Bye bye.
S1: We're going to talk to Colleen in Caledonia, Illinois. Listen
S1: on Wmbi. Welcome to Open Line. Colleen. How can I
S1: help you?
S2: Thanks, doctor. I wanted to say I appreciate your wise,
S2: your wise, whatever, and your peaceful voice.
S1: So my question is, um.
S2: You're welcome.
S6: So Proverbs ten um, three says, the Lord will not
S6: allow the righteous to hunger. And when I look at
S6: the world and see how many people are hungry, I'm wondering,
S6: how is that? How does that.
S1: Work? Well, I actually mentioned that in passing, in my
S1: opening word in the first hour. Oh, I was sleeping. Oh, okay. Well,
S1: you know, I'll set your alarm next week. Okay, good. No,
S1: I'm just joking. You. Okay. The, uh. What? Well, the
S1: opening word today was about, uh, Matthew 633. Seek first
S1: his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things, all
S1: these material, uh, gifts of clothing and food will be
S1: added to you. And, of course, I said there are
S1: some cases where the righteous are not, uh, will go
S1: hungry or be subject to exposure or not have enough clothes.
S1: That happens. And I would say that the rule in
S1: Matthew 633 and also here in, uh, Proverbs ten three
S1: is the Lord will not let the righteous go hungry.
S1: As a general rule, that's what the Book of Proverbs are,
S1: general rules. But there are exceptions. And the exception is
S1: this that there are times where God, for his glory
S1: and our good, he allows us to do without. Sometimes
S1: it brings greater glory to God to see someone faithful
S1: who is struggling and suffering in a situation without food.
S1: And what God does in those circumstances is he provides
S1: the spiritual enablement for them so that they can endure
S1: suffering with joy and with with, uh, with dependence on
S1: him through that. Uh, I think that that's the exception
S1: rather than the rule. The rule is that God provides
S1: our material needs. But when it does happen, uh, in
S1: places in the world where there are believers who are
S1: suffering hunger, it's, uh, God is making a special, uh,
S1: enablement for them to them to endure it well. Okay.
S6: Okay. And not believers is just. If they're not believers
S6: and they're they're hungry. Um, how do I respond to
S6: that as a Christian? But that might be a second question.
S1: No, no, that's that's a good follow up on that one. Uh,
S1: there's something that theologians called common grace. It's where it
S1: says that the Lord makes the sun to shine on
S1: both the just and the unjust, and he makes the
S1: rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.
S1: You know, and so there are people who are not
S1: believers who, you know, the whole farming system works. And, uh,
S1: God provides for everyone. That's called common grace. God is
S1: gracious to everyone and allows that to happen. However, the
S1: promise of provision in this verse in Proverbs ten three
S1: is that the Lord will not let the righteous go hungry.
S1: So it's specifically talking not about common grace there. It's
S1: talking about provision for the righteous. Okay.
S6: Thank you doctor.
S1: Oh, sure. Thanks so much for your call. I really
S1: appreciate it. Uh, and, uh, you know, I was going
S1: to talk to, uh, Jeanette, but we're going to have
S1: to wait on that. Jeanette. I hope you'll be able
S1: to hang on through. What's upcoming is our, uh, febc
S1: mailbag in the next segment. Uh, but, uh, we just
S1: don't have time to go to the phones in this
S1: time right now. But if you do want to put
S1: your question into the mailbag, what you can do is
S1: you can go to Openline radio.org and there's a link there.
S1: This is the best way to get your questions in.
S1: I notice that people sometimes will ask, how do I
S1: get my question into the mailbag so that Tricia will
S1: will read it on the air? Well, the, uh, the
S1: way to do that is to click on Ask Michael
S1: a question. And when you click on Ask Michael a question, uh, then, uh, the, uh,
S1: it goes right on there. There's a form you fill
S1: out and you get to put it there. And, uh, so, uh,
S1: that's the way I really encourage you. So, Jeanette, please
S1: stick around for the not just this next segment, but
S1: the one after. And I'll be sure to take your question. Uh, and, uh,
S1: you're listening to Open Line with Michael Melnick. Uh, Tricia
S1: McMillan is going to be in with the Febc mailbag, uh,
S1: coming up. So stay with us. You might hear the
S1: question you sent in. Stay with us. This is open
S1: Line with Michael Melnick. And we're back. This program is
S1: called Open Line. My name is Michael Ray Melnick, and
S1: I am so grateful that the Far Eastern Broadcasting Company
S1: partners with Open Line to bring you the weekly Febc mailbag.
S1: Febc is a terrific organization that brings the good news
S1: to people via media, and I'm very impressed that they
S1: have so much personal engagement with people who respond to
S1: their media and they meet real, live people and learn
S1: about the gospel that way. It's it's a terrific group.
S1: Check out the Febc podcast. It's called Until all I've heard.
S1: All you have to do is go to the Febc
S1: Febc website and you can find the podcast there, and
S1: many other really helpful things to find out about this
S1: really terrific organization. Really grateful for them. And joining me
S1: right now for the Febc mailbag, running into the studio,
S1: grabbing her sheet of paper. I'm I'm calling it like
S1: a sportscaster jumping up into her chair. Thank you. Is
S1: Tricia McMillan the star of the show? Yes. There we go.
S7: No, not the star of the show. I am not
S7: the star of the show.
S1: Without you, there's no open line. Nine. Grateful that you're here. Well,
S1: I guess you were talking to people online there. Is that.
S7: What? Well, I was working on. Yes. It's been a
S7: little crazier than normal today, so I was working on
S7: getting the website up and the links up and all
S7: the things. So anyway.
S1: I'm glad you're here with us. So we're going to
S1: go to the mailbag and see what people are asking.
S7: Yes. Well, we actually have had a couple people who
S7: were not able to stay on. And so I'm asking
S7: their questions. Our first question is from Penelope in Indiana,
S7: listens to WNBA and she was looking at Isaiah 19,
S7: verse 25. Um, major prophets.
S1: I got it right here. I'll read.
S7: It. Okay.
S1: It says, uh, I'm going to go to verse 24.
S1: On that day, Israel will form a triple alliance with
S1: Egypt and Assyria, a blessing within the land of Egypt.
S1: The Lord of hosts will bless them, saying, Egypt, my people,
S1: Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance are blessed. So
S1: that's the verse.
S7: Okay. She wants to know, has that prophecy been fulfilled?
S1: Ah, well, Syria basically is up by part of Iraq. Uh,
S1: there are Assyrian Christians up there in Iraq. Uh, there
S1: are also, uh, Kurds in that area. That's a Kurdish area.
S1: So that's basically where Assyria is, uh, in today. And
S1: there is no peace agreement between Israel and Syria. There
S1: is a peace agreement with Egypt, but it's a cold peace.
S1: It's not really. And, uh, Egypt has not turned to
S1: the Lord. So I believe this is in context, context
S1: of a, uh, a prophecy of the messianic kingdom, the
S1: period when Jesus is reigning in Jerusalem. It says in
S1: verse 20. He will send them a Savior and a leader,
S1: and he will rescue them. Who is that? That's the Messiah.
S1: The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt
S1: will know the Lord on that day, and they will
S1: even offer sacrifices and offerings. I believe in the millennial temple.
S1: They will return to the Lord, and he will hear
S1: their prayers and heal them. And on that day he will.
S1: There will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. So
S1: we're talking about two ancient enemies of Israel. You have Egypt,
S1: the original oppressor, and Assyria up north of Israel. And
S1: they will worship together. They will worship the Lord. So
S1: that's talking about in the messianic kingdom. There will be this.
S1: The Israel will be in the center between the north
S1: and the south, between Syria and Egypt. And the three
S1: there will be a tripartite alliance of people who worship
S1: the Lord.
S7: Okay.
S1: Wow.
S7: Yeah, that'd be cool.
S1: Yeah. That's it.
S7: All right.
S1: That's messianic kingdom days.
S7: Okay. Yeah. Um. Next question. Actually, with that, it's more
S7: Millennial Kingdom. But, um, Michael in Illinois listens to WNBA.
S7: I wanted to know what the purpose of the millennium
S7: that's mentioned in revelation 20 is. And when I was
S7: looking at this, um, it talks about, well, the specific
S7: verse he's asking about says, blessed and holy is the
S7: one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death
S7: has no power over them, but they will be priests
S7: of God and of the Messiah, and they will reign
S7: with him 1000 years. And so it talks about the, um,
S7: Satan will be thrown, cast.
S1: Into, cast.
S7: Into the abyss, the abyss for a thousand years. And
S7: then those who have been, uh, it sounded like it
S7: was those who have been martyred will reign, and others
S7: will will have that authority to judge as well, for
S7: a thousand years. And those are the ones who were
S7: in the first resurrection. In that resurrection. And then, uh,
S7: and then this verse. Yeah.
S1: Um, yeah, I got it. So. Okay. So who will
S1: participate in the Millennial Kingdom? Yeah. First there will be
S1: resurrected believers from this era because I believe the resurrection
S1: of and translation of church saints, people who like us
S1: in this era, will either be resurrected before the rapture,
S1: I mean before the tribulation, at the rapture. Okay? Or
S1: will be translated. You know, if we're alive at the rapture,
S1: we'll be translated into the glorified body that we have.
S1: We won't die. We'll just be translated in the twinkling
S1: of an eye. And so but we'll return with the
S1: Lord and enter the kingdom. Remember, it says he descends
S1: with the holy ones after the marriage supper of the
S1: Lamb in Revelation 19. So that will be some of
S1: the resurrected people. Then the Old Testament saints will be
S1: resurrected when the Lord returns to establish his kingdom. That's
S1: in Daniel 12 two and three. Uh, it talks about
S1: the Old Testament saints, all those saints who went to
S1: be with him when they died. David, Abraham, all those guys,
S1: they get to be resurrected and enter the kingdom.
S7: So? So is that the same? So there's the the
S7: new heavens and new earth, which are that's different.
S1: That's that's the eternal state.
S7: This this is the millennial kingdom. Yeah.
S1: The 1000 years.
S7: The 1000 years. Okay.
S1: So you've got the the church resurrected before the tribulation.
S1: You've got the Old Testament saints being resurrected after the tribulation,
S1: and also those who died in the tribulation, the martyrs
S1: during the tribulation, those who are preaching the gospel and martyred.
S1: They will be resurrected and enter the kingdom, the messianic kingdom,
S1: the millennium that.
S7: Would include all martyrs, right? Like anyone before this, I
S7: mean like no, no, no, no.
S1: Only the martyrs of the tribulation, because the the martyrs
S1: before the rapture, they're resurrected, they're church martyrs. They'll be resurrected.
S1: If there was an Old Testament martyr, he'll be resurrected
S1: at the start of the kingdom. And and then, uh,
S1: also at this time, the martyrs of the tribulation will
S1: be resurrected. Okay. Okay. So all martyrs will have been
S1: resurrected by then.
S7: But but they're you're.
S1: Just distinguishing.
S7: Between the categories. Okay. But they will all be there
S7: reigning for this millennial kingdom with Christ.
S1: Yes. And then, uh, but the purpose of the millennium
S1: is to fulfill its. I would say there's two main purposes. One,
S1: to fulfill the promises that God made to Israel, to
S1: inherit the land, to have a righteous kingdom, to be
S1: a kingdom of priests, to bring knowledge of God to everyone. Uh,
S1: all those promises that Israel has never fully experienced will
S1: be fulfilled in the kingdom and that thousand year reign.
S1: A second one is that. Think about it. There will
S1: also be people who are believers at the return of
S1: the Lord who have not been resurrected. They will also
S1: enter the kingdom.
S7: Okay, but in resurrected bodies.
S1: Yeah. And mortal bodies. And they will marry and have children.
S1: And those children in that thousand year reign. Those children, grandchildren,
S1: those they will have to come to know the Lord.
S1: They will have to trust in Jesus. And you would
S1: think that they all would, because he's reigning right there
S1: in Jerusalem. But they don't. And, uh, in the end,
S1: they rebel, even though Satan has been bound. They still
S1: don't believe. Even though Satan's been bound, they don't become believers.
S1: And so at the end, when he is unbound, there's
S1: one last rebellion against God that's It's called the War
S1: of Gog and Magog in Revelation 20. So I think
S1: what this is showing is that I think what it's
S1: saying is, listen, a lot of people think that the
S1: reason some don't believe is because the devil makes them
S1: do it, you know? But there's here's going to be
S1: a time where the devil isn't doing it. Do you
S1: know what's keeping them from believing their own flesh and
S1: their own rebelliousness and unwillingness? And so what this shows is,
S1: first of all, that God's going to be faithful to
S1: all his promises. That's the first reason. But the second
S1: is to show that people are going to be just
S1: like they always were. And we shouldn't be blaming the enemy.
S1: We shouldn't be blaming the devil like Geraldine did in
S1: the old Flip Wilson comedy The Devil Made Me Do It,
S1: but rather recognize that that we are all fallen. Even
S1: people born in the millennium will be all right.
S7: Thank you for that question, Michael. Yeah. Okay.
S1: Let's go with the last question.
S7: I'll do Ronald in Lake Wales, Florida, listens to what
S7: is meant by the unpardonable or unforgivable sin. Is it
S7: specific things? Can we do it if we are saved,
S7: or does it negate our salvation if we do it
S7: if we can't?
S1: First of all, clearly in Scripture, you cannot lose. We
S1: can't lose our salvation. Romans eight nothing will separate us
S1: from the love of God once we've come to know him.
S1: Another is the Lord. Jesus said, he's always come to
S1: do the father's will. So he's the Messiah. He'll always
S1: do the father's will. And this is the will of
S1: my father, that of all that he has given me,
S1: I lose not one of them. He he can't get
S1: rid of us. He won't. We can't get away from him.
S1: So that's clear in Scripture. So what is the unpardonable sin? Uh,
S1: it's it's the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What is
S1: the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? If you read Matthew 16,
S1: where that's found the context. Matthew 12, where that's found
S1: Matthew 12, it's saying that there. Here it is, the
S1: incarnate Messiah is present among them doing great miracles. And
S1: the leadership there of Israel determined that he was doing
S1: them by the power of Beelzebub, of Satan, not by
S1: the power of the Holy Spirit. And so I don't
S1: think that's a feasible or applicable sin that we can
S1: commit today, because the incarnate Messiah isn't here doing miracles
S1: among us. And so though. But that was a full
S1: and final rejection of Jesus, and they were never going
S1: to change from that. I think people can come to
S1: a place of full and final rejection before they ever
S1: come to know the Lord. They can, but I don't
S1: know where that is. So I'm going to just keep
S1: proclaiming the gospel and see those people who seem to
S1: have rejected him. I've seen people come to know the
S1: Lord that I thought were beyond. Yeah. Beyond. Beyond. You know,
S1: beyond hope. So anyway.
S7: Okay. Thank you.
S1: Good. Well, we're going to take a break here. Yes.
S1: And when we do, we'll come back afterwards and take
S1: some more questions. Try and get as many in as
S1: I can. I promise, Jeanette, I would take her questions,
S1: so she's up first. And thank you. Tricia, for putting
S1: the mailbag together and talking to all these people. Really
S1: appreciate all that you do. That's Tricia McMillan. My name
S1: is Michael Radonich, and Open Line will be right back
S1: with more of your questions. Welcome back to Open Line
S1: with Michael Zelnick. Did you ever feel Christians can't do
S1: anything about the growing anti-Semitism in the world? Well, that's
S1: why Chosen People Ministry is one of our partners, is
S1: offering a free book called Uncommon Allies American Jews and
S1: Christians Uniting Against Hitler. It was written by Alan Shore,
S1: a messianic Jew, and this book shows the importance and
S1: power of Christians standing against anti-Semitism in the past, so
S1: will be motivated to do the same in the present
S1: and the future. Just go to Openline radio.org. Scroll down
S1: and you'll see a link that says A free gift
S1: from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that. You'll be taken
S1: to a page where you can sign up for your
S1: very own free copy of Uncommon Allies. And we're going
S1: to talk with Jeannette right now listening in Monticello, Indiana
S1: on Wmbi online. Welcome to Open Line, Jeannette. How can
S1: I help you? Thank you.
S8: Um, I'm wondering how the Old Testament people, uh, are
S8: in heaven. If Jesus is the only way.
S1: If Jesus is the only way. Okay. So you say
S1: if they can't believe in Jesus in the Old Testament
S1: because he wasn't he didn't come. He didn't die for
S1: our sins. He wasn't raised yet. How can they be saved?
S1: Here's how people have always been saved. Are you ready, Jeanette?
S1: Write this down. I'm ready. Okay. People are always saved
S1: by grace through faith in the revealed will of God. Okay.
S1: By grace. Through faith in the revealed will of God. Now,
S1: what I mean by that is that today we must
S1: have conscious faith in Jesus. Why? Because in Hebrews chapter one,
S1: here's a verse to remember at the beginning of the
S1: book of Hebrews it says, uh, God, long ago God
S1: spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times
S1: and in different ways. In these last days, he has
S1: spoken to us by his Son. Also in John chapter eight,
S1: when the Lord Jesus, uh, becomes revealed as he's, uh,
S1: engaging with people and talking, uh, he says in John 824.
S1: I'm turning to it to read. Uh, for if you
S1: do not believe that I am he and it literally is,
S1: if you do not believe that I am sort of
S1: an indication of deity. If you do not believe that
S1: I am, you will die in your sins. So there needs,
S1: I believe, since the incarnation, to have a conscious faith
S1: in Jesus. He is the revealed will of God. However,
S1: prior to that, here's what God revealed, for example, to Israel.
S1: He revealed that they had to have faith that when
S1: they offered the sacrifices, their sins were covered. They had
S1: to have faith that one day God would bring a messiah,
S1: because you could see that right away from Genesis 315,
S1: that God was promising, uh, the seed of the woman
S1: who would crush the head of the serpent. They didn't
S1: know his name would be Jesus. They didn't know when
S1: he would come, but they knew that there was a
S1: coming Messiah. And so That was the revealed will of
S1: God for them. But since then, since the first century,
S1: now they now people must have a conscious faith in
S1: Jesus because he has been revealed. Does that make sense
S1: to you now?
S8: It does. Okay. Yes it does.
S1: Thank you. Yeah. So it's, uh, here's the words that, uh,
S1: Eva and I in our classes have taught students all
S1: the time about Old Testament salvation. People are saved by grace.
S1: Always through faith. Always, but always in the revealed will
S1: of God. Okay, good.
S8: Very good. Thank you so.
S1: Much. Yeah. Thanks so much. We're going to, uh, speak
S1: with Mark in Stow, Ohio, listening on CRF. Welcome to
S1: Open Line. Mark. How can I help you today?
S9: Hi, doctor. Nick. Um, I was sitting in a class. Um,
S9: the teaching was on the wrath of God, and one
S9: of the emphasis was that God hates sinners and has
S9: always been my understanding that he loves sinners. So the
S9: four scriptures that we used were Psalm five five the
S9: arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who
S9: do wrong. Psalm 11 five. The Lord examines the righteous,
S9: but the wicked who love violence, his soul hates. Um, Jeremiah,
S9: I lost.
S1: My. It doesn't matter. There are verses like that. Okay.
S9: Okay. So, anyway, um, it's always been my understanding that, uh,
S9: you know, God demonstrates his love for us in this.
S9: That while we were still sinners, while we were still enemies,
S9: Christ died for us. And, you know, God so loved
S9: the world. So, um, the whole idea of God, of
S9: loving the sinner but hate the sin is in this teaching, uh,
S9: does not exist. So any light you can shed on
S9: that would be appreciated.
S1: I think it's really clear that God so loved the world. Now,
S1: there are some people who want to limit that love
S1: to the world of the elect.
S9: Yes.
S1: Okay. But I think the word cosmos there clearly refers
S1: to the world of humanity. And then also, uh, Romans
S1: five eight that you just God demonstrates his love towards
S1: us who are elect, that while we were still sinners,
S1: Messiah died for us. So again. But and they actually
S1: I think that's because he uses the word us believers. Uh,
S1: that's probably a more accurate rendering, but not what John
S1: was saying in John 316. Okay. So, uh, God's love
S1: has to do with his compassion, his concern for all people.
S1: That's why he gave his one and only son for
S1: the whole world, right? Uh, yeah. And in first John
S1: chapter two, verses one and two, uh, it says that, uh,
S1: turning pages here first John two one and two that
S1: he is our propitiation, not ours alone, but the propitiation
S1: or satisfaction for sin for the whole world. So the
S1: God's love for everyone is that they have to consciously obey.
S1: They have to obey the command to believe. They must believe.
S1: And that's how it activates the satisfaction for their sins,
S1: the atonement for their sins. Without that, they're not saved.
S1: So it's not a salvation, a love that leads to
S1: salvation necessarily. They have to respond in faith. You agree
S1: with that, don't you, Mark?
S9: Oh, yes. Of course. Yeah.
S1: Okay. But now the question is, a lot of times
S1: in the Hebrew Bible, the word hate, and even sometimes
S1: in the Gospels, the word hate has to be translated
S1: as reject. Like Jacob have I loved chosen, but Esau
S1: have I hated, rejected. And what this is teaching clearly
S1: that those who don't believe, even though God loves the world,
S1: if they reject him, then God will reject them. And
S1: that's what the word hate means in those verses that
S1: you found. Okay.
S10: I appreciate that. Yeah.
S1: Well, thanks for calling, Mark. Appreciate that. I hope you're
S1: not rejecting him. If you're listening. Put your trust in Jesus. Uh,
S1: and and follow him. Uh, and God's love will be
S1: shed abroad in our hearts. That's the program for the week.
S1: We'll be back next week with more questions that you
S1: can listen to and and or give them your own.
S1: Keep in touch with us by going to our website, openline. radio.org.
S1: You'll find all the stuff you're looking for right there.
S1: Keep reading the Bible. We'll talk about it next week.
S1: Open line with Doctor Michael Redlick is a production of
S1: Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. Happy New Year, everyone.