S1: Do you ever wonder why God didn't keep the serpent
S1: out of the Garden of Eden? And were Adam and
S1: Eve somehow to blame for Cain's failure? Coming up, you'll
S1: meet the characters of creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel,
S1: the serpent, and more. Plus, Charlie Dyer's devotional will help
S1: you understand the Jewish festival known as Sukkot. And of course,
S1: we'll leave plenty of time to answer your questions about
S1: the Bible, Israel, and more. It's a lively conversation straight
S1: ahead on today's edition of The Land and the book. Welcome.
S1: I'm John Gager. Our host is author and Israel expert
S1: doctor Charlie Dyer. Boy, lots of news coming out of
S1: the Middle East today. Charlie. Oh, John. There is it's amazing.
S2: Just trying to keep up with it all. But that
S2: gives me a great thing to do every morning.
S1: That's right. And of course, Israel has been in the
S1: news so much this past year, Israel being focused on
S1: in the Bible, where it's jam packed with end times
S1: prophecies about epic world events, the regathering of the Jewish
S1: people to their ancient homeland. That, of course, Jesus return.
S1: So crucial, though, for us as believers to have a
S1: proper understanding of Bible prophecy. Why? So our view of
S1: the future is shaped by Scripture and not just today's headlines. Right, Charlie.
S2: That's absolutely right, John. And with that in mind, our
S2: friends at Life and Messiah have published a book titled God,
S2: Israel and Bible Prophecy that they're offering to listeners of
S2: the land in the book for a limited time. This
S2: informative book is focused on providing readers with a deeper
S2: understanding and greater appreciation of what God has in store
S2: for Israel and the nations by digging into what the
S2: scriptures say about these issues. Now, if you're interested in
S2: learning more about what God has in store, visit Life
S2: in Messiah. Org and click on the Moody Radio button
S2: to find out how you can receive your copy of God,
S2: Israel and Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org.
S1: And now a look at the stories coming out of
S1: the Middle East this past week. Since October the 1st,
S1: the world has been waiting to see how Israel would
S1: respond to the barrage of missiles fired against them by Iran.
S1: What do we know right now about this attack?
S2: Well, we know it's not a question of if Israel
S2: is going to respond, but how and when. And right now,
S2: we're still waiting for those answers. The expectation is that
S2: a key part of the response will be a strike
S2: by Israel's air force. And apparently Israel has already decided
S2: on the targets to be hit in addition to its
S2: air force. Israel also has its own arsenal of ballistic missiles,
S2: though it's unclear if they will use them in the attack.
S2: Israel's defense minister said Israel's response would be precise, painful
S2: and surprising, possibly alluding to more than just an aerial attack.
S2: For example, it could include cyber attacks, assassinations of key
S2: leaders and sabotaged equipment. They've used all of those in
S2: the past against Hezbollah and Hamas. Most Israelis see this
S2: as the ideal opportunity to strike Iran's nuclear program, which
S2: Israel views as an existential threat. But President Biden has
S2: said the U.S. opposes any attack on Iran's nuclear facilities
S2: or its oil production facilities, and with the U.S. providing
S2: both offensive weapons and defensive support, Israel is taking his
S2: warning very seriously. In addition, because of an apparent shortage
S2: of interceptor missiles, Israel and the U.S. are working to
S2: counter Iran's expected response. The U.S. sent an advanced Thad,
S2: or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to Israel to
S2: add an additional layer of protection for the country, while
S2: Iran's nuclear sites and oil production facilities might be off
S2: the table. Israel could still hit military bases, missile and
S2: drone production sites, and Iran's power grid. Now, as we're
S2: recording this program, the attack hasn't yet happened, but it
S2: could take place at any time. In fact, even between
S2: now and when the programme is aired. One thing though,
S2: is for sure when Israel finally responds, it will send
S2: a clear message to Iran that Israel is serious about
S2: defending itself against all foreign threats. In the past, Iran's
S2: three biggest threats against Israel were Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran's missiles.
S2: Now they'll experience what Israel is capable of doing.
S1: Well, in a meeting last week with Iran's president, Russian
S1: President Putin called for a new world order. Who does
S1: he envision being part of this new order, and what
S1: impact might it all have on Israel and the U.S.?
S2: Well, Putin's New world order definitely involves Russia and Iran,
S2: but it also includes other allies of the two countries
S2: that he wants to bring together to counter the power
S2: and influence of the West. Some of the other countries
S2: that attended the conference included the heads of Central Asian
S2: nations like Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. I guess
S2: you had to be a Stan stun to be included there.
S2: In fact, he also wanted to include Turkmenistan and other
S2: countries like China and a number of African nations. These
S2: strengthening ties include both economic and military cooperation. Russia's increased
S2: ties with Iran are the model for what Putin would
S2: like to develop elsewhere. Recently, Iran sent two satellites to
S2: Russia to be launched into orbit. One is a high
S2: resolution imaging satellite, the other a smaller communications satellite. Iran
S2: says the imaging satellite will be used for agriculture, environmental monitoring,
S2: disaster management and communication, but it could also be used
S2: to identify targets in Israel. In terms of the impact
S2: this might have on the US and the West, well,
S2: Putin is definitely trying to carve out an alliance that
S2: could help these countries bypass sanctions imposed by the West.
S2: He's also hoping to replace the West's influence in the
S2: Middle East and Africa with this new alliance. This complements
S2: the influence Russia has already been trying to carve out
S2: for itself in different countries in Africa, and it also
S2: aligns with Iran's attempts to expand its influence in the
S2: same region. From a biblical perspective, it parallels the alliance
S2: described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 that will someday form
S2: against Israel as part of the end times. Not all
S2: the countries listed there are currently part of this budding alliance,
S2: but the parallels are striking. Russia, Iran, Libya and Sudan
S2: are listed in those chapters, and they're currently aligning with
S2: or under the influence of this new axis. Boy, that's.
S1: An interesting development. This is the land and the book
S1: from Moody Radio. If you've joined us midstream, our host,
S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer, is working us through a list of
S1: current events stories from the week. Archaeologists claim to have
S1: uncovered evidence detailing how Assyrian King Sennacherib's invasion of Judah
S1: impacted Judah's economy in the days of King Hezekiah. What
S1: exactly did they uncover, and how valid are the connections
S1: they're apparently making?
S2: Well, this report shows both the significance and the limitations
S2: of archaeology. Archaeologists discovered the remains of two royal administrative
S2: centers about halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The first was
S2: completely destroyed, with the second built directly on top of
S2: its ruins. Inside the ruins, 180 jar handles with seal
S2: impressions were found. The original building had a mixture of
S2: handles with private names and handles that were stamped belonging
S2: to the king, or in Hebrew, la melek. In the
S2: rebuilt center, only handles stamped with Elimelech belonging to the
S2: king were found. Both sites date to the end of
S2: the eighth century BC, around the time of King Hezekiah
S2: and the Assyrian invasion of Judah. As we know from
S2: the Bible and from Assyrian sources, that Assyria invaded Judah
S2: and devastated the land, but weren't able to conquer Jerusalem
S2: or remove Hezekiah from the throne. The archaeologists are suggesting
S2: the Assyrians destroyed the first structure and then built the
S2: second on top of it to collect taxes from Judah
S2: after re-establishing control over the country. In their view, the
S2: lamella seals represented the collection of taxes in oil and
S2: grain to be paid to the Assyrians. However, the Bible
S2: actually offers a different understanding of the events. In 701 BC.
S2: Second Kings 18 and 19 begin with a summary of
S2: what happened. Hezekiah rebelled. Assyria attacked, and when it was
S2: all over, Hezekiah remained on the throne, though being forced
S2: to pay a heavy financial penalty that included a large
S2: payment of both gold and silver. Jerusalem itself was spared
S2: by divine intervention. When the Angel of the Lord killed
S2: 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, forcing Sennacherib to withdraw. However, Judah was devastated,
S2: with both cities, towns and fields destroyed. Likely, the first
S2: building was destroyed by the Assyrians. If it was a
S2: royal storage facility, the Assyrians would have looted the oil
S2: and grain for their army and to try to starve
S2: out the country. But the Hebrew lamella handles in the
S2: rebuilt structure would seem to point to control of the
S2: facility by Judah, not the Assyrians. Lamella seals like this
S2: have been found at other sites, and suggest a place
S2: where produce was collected as taxes. In two Kings 19,
S2: Isaiah tells Hezekiah, this year you'll eat what grows by itself,
S2: and the second year what springs from that. But in
S2: the third year, sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat
S2: their fruit. Now that suggests that Judah would experience a
S2: prolonged food shortage following the Assyrian attack. And perhaps that's
S2: why the new building was constructed, and a system to
S2: store and distribute grain and oil was reestablished. Not to
S2: pay taxes to the Assyrians, but to provide food for
S2: those left in the land. The archaeology provides some pieces,
S2: but in this case we need to look to the
S2: biblical text for the larger picture.
S1: Smart aid, an Israeli non-governmental organization or NGO, has sent
S1: power and communication equipment to hurricane stricken areas in the US.
S1: Tell us about this humanitarian organization from Amazing Israel.
S2: Yeah, we're used to hearing about US aid groups traveling
S2: around the world to help in times of need. You know,
S2: Samaritan's Purse is one of those organizations that comes to mind,
S2: but Israel also has groups that do the same thing.
S2: And we've talked in the past about rescue workers and
S2: doctors and portable hospitals they send. But this story is
S2: about another organization, this smart aid group that sends solar
S2: power units and communication systems to hard hit areas in
S2: the wake of Hurricane Helene. They immediately shipped two units
S2: to Asheville, North Carolina, to provide electrical and communications support
S2: to first responders, local charities, and the communities at large,
S2: and more mobile trailers are on the way. Each trailer
S2: is staffed by five people and uses solar panels to
S2: provide electricity to shelters and clinics without power. They also
S2: provide a place where emergency responders can charge their cell phones,
S2: and they help keep communications systems operational. In addition, each
S2: unit also has solar powered water pumps and atmospheric water
S2: generators to provide fresh water literally out of thin air.
S2: When a disaster strikes, no group can do everything, but
S2: a group like this from Amazing Israel has focused on
S2: this one area where they can do something to make
S2: a positive impact. And all I want to say is
S2: a hearty thank you to Smart Aid and their volunteers
S2: from Amazing Israel.
S1: Great story to wrap up our opening segment. Thank you Charlie.
S1: I'm looking forward, though, to this conversation about the characters
S1: of creation that's next on the land and the book.
S1: We call this program The Land and the book. But
S1: if you don't properly understand that book, the Bible, well,
S1: it can lead to all kinds of trouble. That's why
S1: it's so important that we begin at the beginning. This
S1: is the land and the book. I'm John Gager and
S1: you're about to meet the characters of creation. First, though,
S1: let's give some thought to a fresh idea on loving
S1: our Jewish friends and neighbors for Christ. If you're interested
S1: in your Jewish friend, you better be interested in their holidays.
S1: Like the Feast of Tabernacles. Roy Schwartz is with Chosen
S1: People Ministries. How can we seize this holiday to spice
S1: a conversation up for Jesus?
S3: Well, you can say, I am so grateful for the
S3: Feast of Tabernacles because it reminds me that I'm just
S3: passing through, that I'm just dwelling in a sukkah, that
S3: my body is a tabernacle, is a sukkah, a dwelling place.
S3: And it's a reminder that I'm in the wilderness and
S3: Tabernacles is an annual reminder that I am just passing through,
S3: and that God provided for me, just like he provided
S3: for the Jewish people. Water in the wilderness, his presence
S3: by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud
S3: by day. And he tabernacled in the midst of us,
S3: he tabernacled among us. And that's what God has done
S3: in the Messiah and Feast of Tabernacles. Reminds me of
S3: all of that.
S1: Great thoughts from Roy Schwartz of Chosen People Ministries. Daniel
S1: Darling is an author, pastor, and leader. He was recently
S1: appointed as the director of the Land Center for Cultural
S1: Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dan is a best
S1: selling author of several books, including his newest Moody Publishers release,
S1: The Characters of Creation The Men, women, Creatures, and Serpent
S1: Present at the beginning of the world. He and his
S1: wife Angela have four children. It's really good to have
S1: you back on the land and the book, Dan.
S4: Well, thank you, and I'm so grateful to be on
S4: here and grateful to be on Moody Radio again. We're
S4: so many good things happen. Yeah.
S1: Well, you know, when you come to that creation story,
S1: there is no character greater or more central to the
S1: story than God Himself. He is the story. But what
S1: do we sometimes overlook? Do you think about his role
S1: in creation?
S4: Well, I think we overlook the fact that the Bible
S4: opens with this really bold declaration that God is like
S4: in the beginning, God. And, you know, it really is
S4: counter to a lot of the ways that people think
S4: about God, whether they're contemporary ideas about, you know, how
S4: the world came to be or even ancient myths that,
S4: you know, the world came to be as a clash
S4: of deities or all these things? And the Bible says, no,
S4: God always was. As theologians call it, the pre-existence of God.
S4: And that the world, you see is created by a
S4: loving father who created things for his glory. He created
S4: us in his image. And I think Moses is trying
S4: to set the tone to say all that comes after.
S4: All the things that you see stem from the fact
S4: that God is. And if God is and he is
S4: who he says he is, then everything else follows from that.
S1: Adam and Eve, Our first parents may not have been
S1: the best parents. Is it possible that the godless path
S1: Cain took is at least somewhat rooted in a failure
S1: of Adam and Eve to pass on their faith? Or
S1: am I being too harsh here? I mean, adult children.
S1: They do make their own choices. What do you think?
S4: Well, I mean, I think at the very least we
S4: clearly see that, you know, when James says in the
S4: book of James, when sin conceives, it brings forth death.
S4: It's really true that sin is not something to be
S4: trifled with. When Adam and Eve first abandoned the way
S4: of the father, they listened to the voice of the serpent.
S4: They sought to live life on their own and dabble
S4: with sin. That the serpent was wrong, that you will
S4: surely die, that sin as it shows itself in marvels
S4: its way into the human heart. It brings forth death.
S4: And already in the first generation you have a brother
S4: murdering another brother. And so this is the problem with sin.
S4: This is the Bible's opening passages and saying, you know,
S4: this is what's wrong with the human heart. There's something
S4: fundamentally corrupt about it. And so, yeah, I think in
S4: some ways, you know, Adam, you imagine the grief him
S4: and Eve felt knowing that they did once walk with
S4: God in the cool of the day, they lost that
S4: through their sin with the serpent. And then they had
S4: to see that play out in their own generation, their
S4: own family. How that must have been just grievous for them. Yeah.
S1: Daniel Darling is an author, pastor and leader. We're talking
S1: with him today about his newest Moody publishers release, The
S1: Characters of Creation. Well, the question that so many have
S1: asked through the centuries, Dan, is why not just bar
S1: the serpent from even entering the Garden of Eden? Your thoughts?
S4: That's a great question. And, you know, theologians have wrestled
S4: with that for all of human history. But, you know,
S4: it's hard for us to understand the mind of God.
S4: But God was not surprised, obviously, by the serpent and
S4: even uses Satan's deceptions and lies and destruction toward his
S4: glory and toward his end that God has even. It's
S4: hard for us to understand this, but God is even
S4: using those things for his own glory. As Joseph said,
S4: you know what others intend for evil? God intends for good.
S4: And so, buried in the awful tragedy of the garden
S4: is this beautiful story of God's redemption, his sending of Jesus,
S4: his rescuing of the human race, and rescuing of the planet.
S1: Which character in the creation story? As you look at
S1: the whole collection, do you think we least understand?
S4: That's a great question. I mean, I think, you know,
S4: I think it's interesting. We do spend a lot of
S4: time on Adam and Eve. But I do think what's
S4: interesting about Adam is that even though Eve was the
S4: first one who was deceived, you know, it's God who
S4: judges Adam first. It's Paul who uses Adam to typify humans,
S4: deal with the devil. And, you know, the first Adam,
S4: and then Jesus is the second Adam. I think in
S4: a weird way, we don't really understand Adam. And just
S4: imagine what it must have been like to be him,
S4: to be on both sides of the fall and to
S4: see his sin play out. I mean, all of us,
S4: in some respect, see our sinful choices play out before us.
S4: For fathers, we see, even as we do our best
S4: to raise our children, we see our choices play out
S4: some negative ways. We see that traits picked up by
S4: our kids. Adam had that in real living color. And
S4: yet we see in the garden one of my most
S4: favorite passages, when God comes searching for Adam and he
S4: asks Adam, where are you? And it's not God saying,
S4: you know that he lost Adam, but that he was
S4: searching and going after Adam and in his worst moment
S4: in his sin. And that's the kind of God we have,
S4: that he comes after us and searches after us, and
S4: he finds us even when we're in the midst of
S4: our worst moments. You know, the Bible says, when when
S4: we were sinners in the midst of our sin, Christ
S4: died for us.
S1: I want to go back to Cain for a moment.
S1: Here in the book, you make the comment, you wonder
S1: how Cain got this way. Was it a slow journey
S1: of rebellion? Well, I wonder that too. What's your best guess, Dan?
S4: You know, the Bible doesn't give you a lot of
S4: that narrative, but clearly when you have the the story
S4: of him and Abel, you know, they're clearly older. We
S4: don't know how old they are, but, you know, sin
S4: doesn't sort of just happen over, you know, these big
S4: egregious sins like murder don't happen overnight. In fact, the
S4: the Lord warned him earlier and said, hey, sin crouches
S4: at your door when God rejected his offering and he
S4: didn't repent. He said, this little seed of sin that
S4: you're nurturing, this resentment, this anger, this rebellion, is going
S4: to manifest into something bigger that you can't control. And
S4: that's really a lesson for us. There's an old song
S4: that says, I think it's an old gospel song that says,
S4: sin will take you farther than you want to go.
S4: And that's really what happened with Cain. And I do wonder,
S4: does it nurture over time this, this rivalry with his brother? Clearly,
S4: when he brought his sacrifice, he knew that he was
S4: making a rebellious statement. You know, they clearly knew what
S4: was expected. You know, Abel knew what was expected in
S4: the sacrifice. So here Cain tries to go his own way.
S4: He tries to do his own thing and is rejected
S4: by God. And that slowly, over time, sin manifests. That's
S4: what happens when we nurture sin in our hearts. Whether
S4: it's anger, whether it's lust, whether it's pride, if we
S4: don't deal with it. As John Owens says, we don't
S4: be killing sin. It will kill us.
S1: You're listening to The Land and the book. I'm John Gager,
S1: talking today with Moody Publishers author Daniel Darling, who's recently
S1: released The Characters of Creation. A major character in the
S1: story of Creation, of course, is the deceiver in the
S1: Garden of Eden. He takes on the form of a serpent.
S1: In the book, you comment. The serpent's appeals, so crafty
S1: and surgical, are repeated by the enemy every day since
S1: that fateful day in the garden. Give me an example
S1: or two.
S4: Well, I think we sometimes view Satan as this big, lumbering, angry,
S4: fiery red guy with horns. And in some ways he is.
S4: He's right. He's looking about whom he may devour, but
S4: he's crafty. The Bible says he's the craftiest and wisest
S4: and most cunning member of the animal kingdom, and Satan
S4: custom designs temptations specifically for each of us, and so
S4: we have to be careful about pride in thinking, okay,
S4: we watched somebody sin and we say, I could never
S4: do that. Well, you may never do that, but Satan
S4: is a custom designed temptation for you. And I think
S4: we're foolish if we think we can resist Satan with
S4: our own strength. This is why we need to pray
S4: the Lord's Prayer. Lead me not into temptation. We need
S4: the Holy Spirit's power to resist the wiles of Satan.
S4: He will tempt us in ways that we don't see coming.
S4: He will tempt us with influences that we don't see coming.
S4: Sometimes he'll prey on our gifts, the things we're most
S4: gifted at and and use that as a way to
S4: bring about our downfall. You know, most of temptation doesn't
S4: come in obvious ways. It comes through the back door. And,
S4: you know, I think Satan is good at that. But
S4: if we know Christ and through the power of the spirit,
S4: we can overcome temptation and we can resist the devil,
S4: and he will flee from us.
S1: If there was a third seat in this conversation, a
S1: chair and a microphone. And joining us were the Almighty himself.
S1: And I mean no disrespect here. What do you think
S1: he would respond if we were to ask him about
S1: his thoughts that awful day when Adam and Eve succumbed
S1: to temptation? Obviously, he had foreknowledge. Maybe we're talking more
S1: about his heart, what he was feeling. What do you
S1: think he was processing as that drama of deception unfolded?
S4: Well, obviously you have to say that the heart of
S4: God was grieved. You know, he does grieve at sin,
S4: but you take a step backward and look just what
S4: Adam and Eve were deciding in that moment. They were
S4: looking around at this beautiful world that their loving father
S4: created for them, full of beauty and goodness and light.
S4: And they were given all the raw materials so that
S4: they could be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth.
S4: They can create in the image of their loving creator.
S4: They were walking with God in the cool of the day,
S4: and to listen to the voice of the serpent who
S4: comes along and what he says is basically he doubts
S4: God's goodness. He gets Adam and Eve to think, well,
S4: maybe the Heavenly Father who created us in his image,
S4: who sculpted us with his hands from the dust of
S4: the ground, who breathed into us the breath of life,
S4: who crafted us with care and precision and and attention.
S4: Maybe he's holding out on us. Maybe there's something we
S4: don't know. Maybe we can live this life on our
S4: own without him. And what a rejection that was at
S4: the heart of it was ingratitude to say the father,
S4: he's not a good father, and I need to order
S4: my own life instead of letting the Heavenly Father order
S4: it for me. And so that grieves the heart of God.
S4: Sin grieves the heart of God. Yes. Yet he also
S4: is a God of mercy who pursued Adam and Eve
S4: and immediately offered that glimpse of a promise to renew
S4: and restore the human race.
S1: You have twice now referenced that verse in the Genesis account,
S1: referring to Adam and Eve walking with God in the
S1: cool of the day. I don't want to be out
S1: of bounds here, but I'd like to go for a
S1: morning walk when we're out at our camper. It is
S1: so beautiful. So many trees are lining, arching over the
S1: roads that I often stop from trying to memorize my
S1: little scripture packet and just talk to God. And it
S1: is such a lovely experience, and I keep going back
S1: to the notion this had to be a little bit
S1: what it was like to talk with God in the
S1: cool of the day. Am I reaching too far?
S4: I don't think so. I mean, obviously they were innocent.
S4: They did not have sin, so there was no barrier
S4: between them and God. Now, what's interesting about Adam and Eve?
S4: They were innocent, but they were not necessarily righteous, right?
S4: Jesus proved by his life that he was both innocent
S4: and righteous. And one day we will be made fully righteous.
S4: But they did have a relationship with God that was
S4: uninhibited by sin. And of course, after the fall we
S4: have sin. And so, you know, you look through the
S4: narrative of the Old Testament that in order to meet God,
S4: we have to have to be mediated, you know, through
S4: the tabernacle, through the temple. But now in the new covenant,
S4: because of Jesus death and resurrection, because he defeated sin
S4: and death in the grave and the veil has been torn.
S4: The Bible does say we can come boldly to the
S4: throne of grace. We can have a relationship with God
S4: through Christ. It may not be quite what Adam and
S4: Eve had, but we can experience the fullness of a
S4: relationship with God. We can talk to him. He can
S4: be our friend. He can be our father, and he
S4: listens to us and we hear from him. And so
S4: I do think what you're describing is something that we
S4: can have. And that's what's unique about Christianity, by the way,
S4: that Christianity says that you can have a personal relationship
S4: with the God of the universe. You can know and
S4: be known by the God of the universe through Jesus,
S4: because God has come among us and made a way.
S4: And so, no, it's a beautiful thing. And I think
S4: that's something that, um, you know, shameful in many ways
S4: for many of us is we have access to God
S4: through Christ, and we often don't take advantage of that.
S4: And we don't have those conversations like we should, and
S4: we don't walk with God like we can, like we're
S4: invited to.
S1: Well, you thought you understood the characters of creation, and
S1: I'm sure you've got the basic facts, but if it's
S1: been a while since you've dug a little deeper. This book,
S1: easy to read, fascinating to digest, will put you in
S1: touch in a fresh, new way. I recommend it from
S1: Moody Publishers and today's guest, Daniel Darling. The Characters of
S1: creation a link at our web site. The land and
S1: the book.org. Dan, thanks so much for your time. Always
S1: a great conversation.
S5: John, thank you and thank you for your great thoughts.
S5: I loved having this conversation with.
S1: You, and we're looking forward to rejoining with Charlie Dyer
S1: after the other side of this break here on the
S1: land and the book. We're. So glad you've stuck with
S1: us here at the Land and the book for segment three,
S1: John Jaeger here with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. Questions
S1: and answers coming your way. But of course, you know,
S1: Charlie Israel has been in the news a lot over
S1: the past year. And as we know, the Bible is
S1: jam packed with end times prophecies about epic world events,
S1: the regathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland.
S1: And of course, Jesus returned. It is so crucial, I think,
S1: for us as believers to have a proper understanding of
S1: Bible prophecy. So our view of the future is shaped
S1: by Scripture, not just whatever we're seeing online in the news. Right?
S2: That's absolutely correct. And with that in mind, our friends
S2: at Life and Messiah have published a book titled God,
S2: Israel and Bible Prophecy, and they're offering it to listeners
S2: of the land and the book for a limited time.
S2: This informative book is focused on providing readers with a
S2: deeper understanding and greater appreciation of what God has in
S2: store for Israel and the nations by digging into what
S2: the scriptures say about these issues. Now, if you're interested
S2: in learning more about what God has in store, visit
S2: Life in Messiah. Org and click on the Moody Radio
S2: button there to find out how you can receive your
S2: copy of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org.
S1: All right, let's go to question number one from George.
S1: Has any secular or archaeological history been found that collaborates
S1: Israel's exodus from Egypt or Joseph's place in Egypt's history.
S1: So many other historical events have been confirmed by the
S1: Bible and other sources, yet I haven't seen anything concerning
S1: these two events.
S2: I need to answer this a couple of ways. First,
S2: on the whole, there isn't a great deal of historical
S2: evidence found in Egypt for Joseph or the Exodus, but
S2: that's really not a problem for several reasons. Chronologically, Joseph
S2: coincides with the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt's history following
S2: the collapse of the Middle Kingdom, and there's really not
S2: much information from that period. And while the Exodus took
S2: place in the New Kingdom era, that was a time
S2: of power and influence. But Egypt placed virtually no emphasis
S2: in any of its monuments on its failures. Instead, it
S2: always focused on glorifying its success and tended to leave
S2: out the other stuff. But also there's some discoveries that
S2: do help support the Bible. One is called the Dream
S2: Stela of Thutmose. The fourth was found at the base
S2: of the Sphinx, and it basically says the Pharaoh was there,
S2: had a dream. And the God said to him, if
S2: you clean away the sand from the Sphinx, I'll make
S2: you Pharaoh. And of course, the question would be is
S2: if he was the oldest son or the firstborn son,
S2: he would become Pharaoh. So it suggests that he may
S2: have had an older brother who died, and that would
S2: have been right at the time of the exodus. Now, finally,
S2: there's a scholar who's trying to find more direct and
S2: credible links. I'm not professionally qualified to evaluate his arguments,
S2: but I found the book interesting. His name is Douglas Petrovich.
S2: It's Petrovich, and he's written a book titled origins of
S2: the Hebrews New Evidence of Israelites in Egypt from Joseph
S2: to the Exodus. And I'd encourage you to take a
S2: look at that book and see what you think of that.
S1: All right. Thank you for that question. Here's one from Bill.
S1: He says, I have a Jewish friend to whom I
S1: have tried to present Jesus in word and deed. She's
S1: divorced in a horrible custody battle. The judge gave custody
S1: to the ex-husband. And under his care, their son died.
S1: She's devastated, doesn't want to live, feels life is meaningless.
S1: I'm guessing now is not the time to be preaching
S1: Jesus to her, even though that I know that that's
S1: her only path to peace and comfort. How would you
S1: handle this situation? Yeah, I'd.
S2: Take a slightly different approach, I think, in responding here.
S2: We're not told much in the Bible on things like
S2: the age of accountability and others, so I wouldn't go there.
S2: What I'd suggest is first, assure her of your concern
S2: and your prayer reminder of verses in the Bible like
S2: Psalm 3418, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and
S2: saves those who are crushed in spirit. I share other
S2: verses with her, including some from the New Testament. I
S2: think of Jesus's words in Matthew 11 come to me,
S2: all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
S2: give you rest. But use God's Word to share its
S2: message of comfort and hope. And then when the time
S2: might seem appropriate, and you'll have to just trust God's
S2: leading in this, I would suggest you try to explain
S2: as simply as possible the gospel message. Tell her God
S2: understands what it means to lose a son, since he
S2: gave his one and only son to pay for our sin.
S2: If you can, let her know that even in her Bible,
S2: the Tanakh, it talks about God sending the Messiah to
S2: die to pay the penalty for our sin. See if
S2: you can have a read Isaiah 5213 through 53. 12
S2: now you definitely want to display care, concern and great tact,
S2: but the message of God's love and salvation are the
S2: message of hope that can make an eternal impact on
S2: her life. So ask God to give you that wisdom
S2: and also ask him to prepare her heart to respond.
S1: This is the land in the book from Moody Radio.
S1: Questions and answers the segment title with our host, Charlie Dyer.
S1: Pat says in acts 16, when Paul and Silas are
S1: in prison in Philippi and an earthquake opens the cells,
S1: why do you suppose the other prisoners stayed there and
S1: didn't try to escape, since it appears their chains fell
S1: off as well and their prison doors were also opened.
S1: That's always baffled me a little. What are your thoughts?
S2: Yeah, and we're not told specifically in that text. So
S2: you got to take what I'm going to say with
S2: a grain of salt. But in verse 23, after having
S2: them severely beaten, the magistrates commanded the jailer to guard
S2: them securely or carefully. But the Greek word that's used
S2: there is the same one Judas used in his instructions
S2: to the guards. When he went to Jesus, he said,
S2: whomever I kiss, he's the one. Seize him and lead
S2: him away under guard. That's the word that's used there.
S2: And the point is, they were to make sure he
S2: didn't get away. So the Philippian jailer was under orders.
S2: Make sure these prisoners are kept under strict security. But
S2: the second thing I notice is the jailer apparently was
S2: at the jail all night when it says he woke
S2: up and saw the doors open. I take that to
S2: mean he was right there in the prison. I suspect
S2: the rumbling woke him up. You know, perhaps from a
S2: deep sleep. And when he looked through the dust and
S2: the darkness, he saw that all the doors were open
S2: and simply assumed everyone had fled. And that's why he
S2: was going to kill himself. But that leads to my
S2: final observation, I suspect. The shaking, the rumbling, the rocks falling,
S2: dust flying, chain snapping, doors flying open and banging against
S2: the walls shocked and frightened the prisoners as much as
S2: it did the jailer. When someone's paralyzed by fear, we
S2: talk about him being like a deer in the headlights.
S2: A natural reaction is just to freeze in place. Add
S2: to that the fact that the prison was pitch dark,
S2: since the jailer has to call for lights before rushing inside.
S2: I think the prisoners were shocked by the earthquake, blinded
S2: by the darkness and dust, and momentarily stunned, and he
S2: rushed in before they could even think about any other options.
S1: Jim says, I heard a reformed theology professor essentially state
S1: that regeneration comes before faith because a dead man cannot choose.
S1: What's your opinion on this?
S2: Well, and Jim also quoted from Robert Soucy, and my
S2: answer is I like what Robert Soucy said. The problem
S2: with a pure reformed view is that if you take
S2: it to its logical conclusion, it removes the incentive to witness.
S2: Why bother to witness to a spiritual corpse? It also
S2: ignores all the passages that talk about extending an invitation
S2: to someone to exercise their will and come to faith.
S2: You know, we just talked about the Philippian jailer in
S2: that previous question. And when he said, what do I
S2: need to do to be saved? Paul tells him to
S2: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But how could Paul
S2: tell him to do that, if indeed the reality is
S2: that he could do nothing? So I personally think reconciling
S2: individual faith and regeneration is a mystery. On the one hand,
S2: we are called to exercise faith for salvation. On the other,
S2: regeneration is a work of God. So I'll let God
S2: handle the details of fitting those together. My role is
S2: to encourage someone to exercise faith in Christ and to
S2: call on him for salvation.
S1: Brian says a lot of believers unfortunately backslide and fall
S1: into deep sin. I heard someone else recently say, the
S1: Bible teaches that God does not see sin in the
S1: believer because we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ
S1: the Son. I'm not excusing sin. I would like to
S1: know the best way for us to understand this whole issue. Yeah,
S1: and in.
S2: First, John, I need to add a few details at
S2: the beginning, just to give a larger context for my answer.
S2: In all of John's writings, I see him speaking in
S2: black and white terms. That is, John is looking at
S2: spiritual matters in terms of absolutes. Light versus darkness, Life
S2: versus death, sin versus righteousness. It's just his style in writing. Second,
S2: I believe John is internally consistent, so you need to
S2: interpret one part of what he says in light of
S2: the rest of the book. So here's why I think
S2: that's important. In chapter three, when John says, no one
S2: who abides in him sins, or no one who's born
S2: of God sins, we need to understand what he said
S2: in a way that harmonizes what he'd already said in
S2: chapter one. There he wrote, if we say we have
S2: no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is
S2: not in us. If we say we have not sinned,
S2: we make him a liar and His word is not
S2: in us. So I don't believe we can say that
S2: the verses in chapter three mean God doesn't see sin.
S2: That just seems to contradict what he's already said in
S2: chapter one. I think the best approach in chapter three,
S2: though not without its own problems, is to see John's
S2: use of the present tense there to describe a present
S2: habitual action. That's why many modern Bible versions like the NIV,
S2: the ESV, translate it as keeps on sinning. Believers can backslide,
S2: we can fall into grievous sin, but God continues to
S2: work in the lives of his children to either bring
S2: them to repentance, as was in the case, say, Peter,
S2: when he denied Christ, or to bring about temporal judgment,
S2: which Paul talks about in first Corinthians five. But as
S2: John makes clear, as believers, we all do sin, but
S2: our lives ought to be characterized by the new life
S2: we've received from God. He patiently works in the lives
S2: of his children to bring about spiritual growth, or to
S2: discipline those who refuse to do so.
S1: All right, let's squeeze one more question in. This one
S1: from Jackie, who says, I've heard so many people say
S1: the current situation in Israel is actually getting ready for
S1: the Gog and Magog war, but Russia is not currently
S1: in the mix. Can you give a ballpark timeline of
S1: when you see the Gog Magog war happening before or
S1: after the rapture?
S2: I see it taking place after the rapture, but in
S2: the very first part of the tribulation period. And I
S2: really do see God setting the stage right now. You know,
S2: Russia is currently occupied in its war with Ukraine, but
S2: they're still interested in the Middle East. They have forces
S2: stationed in Syria, and they're definitely growing closer to both
S2: Iran and Turkey, which are two of Gog's allies mentioned
S2: in Ezekiel 38. That's Persia and Togarmah. There. I don't
S2: believe it will take very long for all these pieces
S2: to come together once the rapture happens, and the Antichrist
S2: confirms that covenant with Israel.
S1: And that's a look at some of the questions that
S1: have come in to our email inbox, and we'd love
S1: to answer your question any old time. You can send
S1: that email to us at The Land and the book@moody.edu.
S1: The land and the book at Moody Dot. Edu. Well,
S1: Charlie Dyer's devotional is next here on the land and
S1: the book. Welcome back to the land and the book.
S1: I'm John Gager with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer at
S1: segment four. Charlie's devotional. Charlie, if we were to survey
S1: every single person listening to us right now about where
S1: they read in the Bible today, I'm guessing not a
S1: whole lot of them would say, ding ding. Leviticus.
S6: Yeah, you're right John.
S1: I'm guessing, though, that's exactly the anchor point for your
S1: devotional today. Tell us more.
S2: It is Leviticus 23 and we're going to be talking
S2: about Sukkot as a many splendored thing.
S1: Before we get to that, this Holy Land experience. Listen.
S7: I'm mahnaz and I think what has overwhelmed me has
S7: been being in the Judean wilderness. I will never, ever
S7: look at the Psalms again, where David says, My God,
S7: who is my rock, my fortress, my stronghold. I'll never
S7: look at that the same again. It is. It just
S7: comes to life. It is overwhelming to think of David
S7: wandering through that At wilderness and trusting God and realizing
S7: that God was going to deliver him, and also thinking
S7: about Naomi and Ruth coming from Moab across the Dead Sea,
S7: and just what they had to overcome to go through
S7: that wilderness, those mountains, to get to Bethlehem. And thinking
S7: about that older Jewish woman who longed for her home
S7: so much, leading the younger Gentile woman. And I just
S7: think that is what you intended, God, for the Jews
S7: to lead the Gentiles to the light of who you are.
S7: And I'll never look at that the same again when
S7: I read the book of Ruth.
S1: All right. Let's get to Leviticus with your devotional today, Charlie.
S2: Thanks, John. Almost 20 years ago, I took my wife
S2: to see Andy Williams in concert for Christmas. Now, I'm
S2: not going to say that was a long time ago,
S2: but Andy Williams is no longer with us, nor is
S2: the concert venue where we went to see him. But
S2: it was a good concert and Kathy enjoyed listening to
S2: him sing. Many of the old classics, including Love Is
S2: a many Splendored Thing from the film by the same name. Now,
S2: for some reason, that song brings to mind the celebration
S2: of Sukkot taking place right now, except the title needs
S2: to be changed to Sukkot is a many Splendored Thing. Now,
S2: to understand why, follow me into the wilderness as Moses
S2: explains the many splendored aspects of that final festival in
S2: Israel's annual cycle. At its inauguration, the festival was designed
S2: to point the children of Israel to the past, the
S2: present and the future. The festival is first introduced in
S2: Exodus 23, even before the plans for the construction of
S2: the tabernacle were given in verses 14 and 17, God
S2: announces to Israel three times a year you are to
S2: celebrate a festival to me three times a year all
S2: the men are to appear before the sovereign Lord. The
S2: last of the three is described in more detail in
S2: verse 16. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end
S2: of the year, when you gather in your crops from
S2: the field. Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, is to mark
S2: the end of the annual harvest cycle for the nation. Remember,
S2: this is before the nation has even reached the Promised Land.
S2: Everyone present at Mount Sinai had grown up in Egypt.
S2: In fact, later in the book of Deuteronomy, God had
S2: to explain the difference between the land of Egypt and
S2: the Promised Land. He said, the land you are entering
S2: to take over is not like the land of Egypt
S2: from which you've come, where you planted your seed and
S2: irrigated it by foot, as in a vegetable garden. This
S2: new land was dependent on the rain of heaven, rain
S2: that God promised to supply if they stayed faithful, and
S2: to help them remember, God ordered them to appear before
S2: him three times a year at the time of the
S2: barley harvest, at the time of the wheat harvest, and
S2: in late summer at the end of the harvest season,
S2: Sukkot was a reminder of God's faithfulness to Israel and
S2: the need for Israel to remain faithful to God. But
S2: like a multi-faceted diamond, Southcote sparkled with another of its
S2: many splendid purposes, which Moses described in Leviticus 23. After
S2: entering the land, Succoth was still to be a time
S2: of celebrating the ingathering of the harvest. But now Succoth
S2: was also to be a reminder of God's past faithfulness
S2: to them during their time in the wilderness. So, beginning
S2: with the 15th day of the seventh month, after you've
S2: gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival of
S2: the Lord for seven days, live in booths for seven days.
S2: All native born Israelites are to live in booths, so
S2: your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live
S2: in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I'm
S2: the Lord your God. Why were the Israelites to live
S2: in Sukkot or booths for the seven days of the festival?
S2: It was to remind them of the booths or tents,
S2: or temporary structures the nation had to live in when
S2: God brought them out of Egypt and through the wilderness.
S2: It was a graphic visual history lesson for the nation,
S2: a reminder of how God had taken care of them
S2: at a time when they were totally dependent on him
S2: for both food and shelter. Sometimes visual lessons can bring
S2: history to light in a rather dramatic fashion. When I
S2: was ten, I joined the local Boy Scout troop. The
S2: Scoutmaster had a great summer project for us. Somehow he
S2: had secured old silk parachutes which we were going to
S2: fashion into teepees. We cut and sewed together the chutes
S2: and constructed the wooden poles to which we secured the fabric.
S2: And then we took them down and went for a
S2: weekend camp out at Camp Lavigne. The local Boy Scout camp.
S2: It was going to be a glorious weekend of camping
S2: and cooking out. Unfortunately, it rained Friday night. Let me
S2: rephrase that. The sky opened up and we had an
S2: old fashioned cloudburst Friday night, and we learned a valuable lesson.
S2: There was a reason Indians used buffalo hides and not
S2: silk parachutes for their teepees. Parachutes leaked like a sieve.
S2: We had to break camp and head home Saturday morning
S2: because everything scouts, tents, backpacks, and our food were soaked.
S2: That experience with a modern day tent or sukkah has
S2: stayed with me for many years. God wanted his people
S2: to remember to relive what it was like during the Exodus.
S2: It was a crucial life lesson that they needed to
S2: reenact annually. Sukkot is a many splendored thing. The festival
S2: looked back to the time of the Exodus and the
S2: wilderness wanderings, and it was a present reminder of God's
S2: faithfulness in meeting their needs throughout the entire harvest season.
S2: But there's also a future aspect to this festival. God
S2: intended for it to look forward to their fulfillment of
S2: his plan for all humanity. God had told Abraham that
S2: through him and his descendants, all the world would be blessed,
S2: and Sukkot served as a reminder that God's blessing would
S2: extend through Israel to the nations. Now, the first hint
S2: of this is in Deuteronomy 16, where God once again
S2: describes the purpose for Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. He says,
S2: Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you
S2: have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your
S2: wine presses. Be joyful at your feast. You, your sons,
S2: your daughters, your men's servants and maidservants, and the Levites,
S2: the aliens and the fatherless, and the widows who live
S2: in your towns for seven days. Celebrate the feast of
S2: the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose.
S2: For the Lord your God will bless you in all
S2: your harvest, and all the work of your hands, and
S2: your joy will be complete. Uh, by the way, the
S2: aliens that are mentioned, there aren't extraterrestrial beings. Those are
S2: the Gentiles living in Israel. The feast reached out to
S2: embrace Israelites and Gentiles alike. The prophet Zechariah looks forward
S2: to the Kingdom age when the Messiah will arrive. His
S2: feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, and the
S2: people will look on him whom they have pierced, and
S2: turn in faith and repentance. And then in chapter 14
S2: he describes what will follow. Then the survivors from all
S2: the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year
S2: after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and
S2: to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. There it is Sukkot,
S2: the Feast of Tabernacles, and the ultimate ingathering of the
S2: nations joining with the people of Israel to worship the King,
S2: the Lord Almighty. Sukkot is indeed a many splendored thing.
S2: It helped Israel remember how God had provided for them
S2: in the wilderness. It gave them an opportunity to celebrate
S2: God's continuing favor in meeting their day to day physical needs.
S2: And it looks forward to a day when all nations
S2: will gather together with Israel to worship the King of
S2: all the earth. So what difference can this make in
S2: your life today? Well, I don't think you need to
S2: set up a booth or a tent in your backyard.
S2: I think there's a more practical application for us today.
S2: We're continually bombarded by news articles telling us how awful
S2: things are around us. It can discourage us, even cause
S2: us to be depressed. But this week, stop looking around
S2: and start looking up. Thank God for his blessings to
S2: you and his faithfulness and his love. Make a list
S2: of the ways God has met your needs and answered
S2: your prayers over the past year. Yeah, next month is Thanksgiving.
S2: Why not get an early start on that day by
S2: focusing on all the ways God has shown himself faithful
S2: to you and like Israel. Don't be afraid to include
S2: the physical, emotional, spiritual, or financial wilderness experiences you've gone through.
S2: Just be sure to look for the ways he has
S2: met your needs, comforted you, and surrounded you with his love.
S2: And then be sure to thank him for all he
S2: has done.
S1: Very, very practical as always. Thank you. Charlie, I like
S1: that phrase. Stop looking around and start looking up. You
S1: can hear the whole program again at our website, The
S1: Land and the book org, and we encourage you to
S1: share our podcast with your friends at the land and
S1: the book org. That'll do it for our broadcast today.
S1: Thank you so much for listening. We invite you back
S1: next time for another edition of The Land and the
S1: book from Moody Radio. I'm John Yeager for our host,
S1: Charlie Dyer. See you next time on the land and
S1: the book.