WEBVTT - Hour 1: Jesus is the Reason for the Season 0:00:08.270 --> 0:00:12.050 Last night, Netflix released a new biblical epic about the 0:00:12.050 --> 0:00:15.950 life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Of course, it's 0:00:15.950 --> 0:00:20.360 being protested. Some are calling for a boycott of Netflix. 0:00:20.450 --> 0:00:24.590 What's surprising is the reason for the protest. Stay with 0:00:24.590 --> 0:00:28.850 me and we'll talk about that in just a moment. Hello, friends. 0:00:28.850 --> 0:00:32.090 Welcome to Open Line. My name is Michael Riedel. I'm 0:00:32.090 --> 0:00:35.210 the academic dean and professor of Jewish studies and Bible 0:00:35.210 --> 0:00:38.120 at Moody Bible Institute. And now it's time for our 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:41.570 Bible study across America. Here we are sitting around the 0:00:41.570 --> 0:00:46.580 radio kitchen table and we're taking your questions about the Bible, God, 0:00:46.580 --> 0:00:49.790 and the spiritual life. If you have a question and 0:00:49.790 --> 0:00:56.990 you'd like to call, the phone number, here is (877) 548-3675. 0:00:57.020 --> 0:01:05.010 Let me give you that again 775483675. Tricia McMillan is 0:01:05.010 --> 0:01:11.280 producing as is. To hear Haynes and am I saying 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:15.450 it right? I get them all confused. I get all 0:01:15.450 --> 0:01:19.080 these names confused. They're jumping around all at me. And 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:24.690 also Chris Sieghart is is our engineer today. And tiara. 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:31.500 That's why tiara. Tiara. Tiara is answering the phones. Well, again, 0:01:31.530 --> 0:01:38.220 the number (877) 548-3675. Go get yourself a cup of coffee. 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:40.140 Thank you, by the way, for this one, I have 0:01:40.140 --> 0:01:44.520 right here. And open your Bible, because we're about to 0:01:44.550 --> 0:01:52.710 study the scriptures together. This new Netflix biopic about Mary 0:01:52.740 --> 0:01:56.400 was released for streaming just last night. And for the 0:01:56.400 --> 0:02:01.500 sake of authenticity, Director D.J. Caruso selected a young Israeli actress, 0:02:01.530 --> 0:02:07.020 a Jewish actress, Noah Cohen, to play Mary. And that's 0:02:07.020 --> 0:02:10.020 the reason for the internet protests, with calls for a 0:02:10.020 --> 0:02:14.430 boycott of Netflix. According to The Times of Israel, critics 0:02:14.430 --> 0:02:17.700 of the casting choice accused filmmakers of erasing what they 0:02:17.700 --> 0:02:25.530 called the Palestinian identity of Jesus parents. One online protester wrote, 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:31.470 there's something profoundly offensive about having an Israeli actor play Mary, 0:02:31.500 --> 0:02:38.610 the mother of Jesus. How absurd. This anti-Semitic protest is 0:02:38.610 --> 0:02:43.170 rooted in identifying Mary or Miriam, her actual name, as 0:02:43.169 --> 0:02:48.990 a Palestinian, and says she is not Jewish. This is 0:02:48.990 --> 0:02:55.320 just a revivalism, a revival of Marcionism. It's the second 0:02:55.320 --> 0:03:00.940 century Heresy. Marcion sought to remake the scriptures without any Jewishness. 0:03:00.970 --> 0:03:05.169 He dropped the Old Testament, most of the Gospels, most 0:03:05.169 --> 0:03:08.020 of the epistles, and just kept part of Luke and 0:03:08.020 --> 0:03:10.390 the letters of Paul. And that's it. That's it for 0:03:10.389 --> 0:03:15.550 the Bible. Although condemned by the church, Marcion's anti-Semitism did 0:03:15.550 --> 0:03:19.989 influence most of the Church Fathers that followed him. But 0:03:19.990 --> 0:03:26.530 was Mary a Palestinian or was she Jewish? Clearly. Clearly 0:03:26.530 --> 0:03:30.220 in Scripture, Mary was a young Jewish woman. That's evident 0:03:30.220 --> 0:03:33.430 in her genealogy found in Luke three, showing that she 0:03:33.430 --> 0:03:36.610 was a descendant of King David through his son Nathan. 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:40.960 Also in Luke 222 through 24, Mary completes her days 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:44.320 of purification, goes to the temple, and offers two turtle 0:03:44.350 --> 0:03:50.110 doves as prescribed for Israelite women in Leviticus 12. Not 0:03:50.110 --> 0:03:54.100 only that, but the Christmas story celebrates Mary giving birth 0:03:54.100 --> 0:03:57.320 to the Jewish Messiah Jesus called the Son of David. 0:03:57.350 --> 0:04:02.690 He was circumcised in Jerusalem in Luke 221. It records that. 0:04:02.690 --> 0:04:07.160 And when Simeon saw him, he called the Lord Jesus, 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:12.410 the baby Jesus, the glory of your people Israel. That's 0:04:12.410 --> 0:04:16.160 why Paul says the Lord Jesus is physically descended from 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:21.500 the Jewish people in Romans nine five. All these birth 0:04:21.500 --> 0:04:25.190 events of the Messiah happened in places like Bethlehem in 0:04:25.190 --> 0:04:30.170 Judea and Jerusalem in Judea. In fact, the New Testament 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:34.219 never names these places as Palestine. Palestine was a word 0:04:34.220 --> 0:04:36.980 coined by the Romans and applied to Judea in the 0:04:36.980 --> 0:04:41.270 second century AD, to try to erase the Jewishness of 0:04:41.270 --> 0:04:44.630 the land, and the birth of the Jewish Messiah through 0:04:44.630 --> 0:04:47.750 a virgin was foretold in the Jewish scriptures. The book 0:04:47.750 --> 0:04:50.810 of the prophet Isaiah predicted that a pregnant virgin would 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:54.500 bear a son who would be God with us. Listen, 0:04:54.500 --> 0:04:59.960 here's my point. Mary, the Jewish mother of the Jewish Messiah. 0:04:59.960 --> 0:05:02.719 Jesus gave birth to him in the Jewish land of 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:09.020 Judea according to the Jewish scriptures. Nothing could be more Jewish. 0:05:09.230 --> 0:05:12.500 So why would these protesters object to the casting of 0:05:12.500 --> 0:05:16.310 a Jewish woman to play Mary? The only explanation is 0:05:16.310 --> 0:05:20.419 the same one given for Marcionism hatred of the Jewish people. 0:05:20.450 --> 0:05:24.050 And just a reminder. Do you know the last group 0:05:24.050 --> 0:05:26.900 that tried to efface the Jewishness of the Bible, of 0:05:26.900 --> 0:05:30.890 Mary and of the Lord Jesus? That would be the 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:34.400 Nazis who tried to replace the Bible with Mein Kampf, 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:38.089 while claiming that both the Lord Jesus and Mary were 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:42.770 actually Aryan. We need to be on our guard, not 0:05:42.770 --> 0:05:46.460 just to oppose this wicked hatred of Jewish people, but 0:05:46.460 --> 0:05:50.990 also to always take our stand for the truth of 0:05:50.990 --> 0:06:03.390 God's Word. Well, I hope you. I haven't checked out the, uh, the, uh, 0:06:03.390 --> 0:06:06.630 movie Mary, but I will, and I'll let you know 0:06:06.630 --> 0:06:09.300 what I think of it if it's accurate. Not accurate. 0:06:09.300 --> 0:06:12.750 I never find that these films are all that accurate, 0:06:12.750 --> 0:06:16.080 but I'm still glad that they made a movie about 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:19.169 her and what a godly young woman. I love reading 0:06:19.170 --> 0:06:21.360 about her in the book of Luke. Well, we're going 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:24.090 to go to the phones right now and talk with 0:06:24.089 --> 0:06:29.580 Charlene in Laurel, Mississippi, listening on WMU. Welcome to Open Line. Charlene. 0:06:29.580 --> 0:06:30.990 How can I help you today? 0:06:31.020 --> 0:06:34.349 Oh. Thank you. I want to grow in my worship 0:06:34.350 --> 0:06:37.529 and praise of God. And we know God is love 0:06:37.529 --> 0:06:41.010 and and perfect in all his ways. And I want 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:43.830 to know what is the purpose of his creation of 0:06:43.830 --> 0:06:46.350 the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? 0:06:48.450 --> 0:06:51.179 Well, what did you think the purpose was? Do you 0:06:51.180 --> 0:06:52.400 have any idea? 0:06:52.580 --> 0:06:54.200 Well, I knew you were going to ask me, so 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:58.849 I thought that very, very carefully. I know he's perfect, 0:06:58.850 --> 0:07:02.900 and I. I know that he created it for good. 0:07:02.930 --> 0:07:06.020 It's just to me, it seemed like Eve was trying 0:07:06.050 --> 0:07:10.430 to know something she wasn't prepared to know. And I 0:07:10.430 --> 0:07:14.120 think my perception might be wrong, but I know that 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:17.270 she was asking something too soon. God would have revealed 0:07:17.270 --> 0:07:19.940 that to her in his own time, and we should 0:07:19.940 --> 0:07:24.050 always wait for his sovereignty and his time in revealing purposes. 0:07:25.220 --> 0:07:31.310 Well, the first thing I think that there we say, oh, 0:07:31.310 --> 0:07:34.520 she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't prepared for it. God 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:39.260 made her with untested, creaturely holiness. He gave her the direction, 0:07:39.260 --> 0:07:41.090 told her not to eat from the tree of the 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:43.940 knowledge of good and evil. Told Adam the same thing. 0:07:44.030 --> 0:07:47.420 They knew what was what, and they could have chosen 0:07:47.420 --> 0:07:48.320 not to. 0:07:48.620 --> 0:07:49.040 Okay. 0:07:49.070 --> 0:07:52.660 And so to say that they weren't ready is a mistake. 0:07:52.870 --> 0:07:58.270 God's creation made them ready. Secondly, I think that he 0:07:58.270 --> 0:08:02.110 had to put, I don't know, had to be a tree. 0:08:02.140 --> 0:08:06.910 You know, C.S. Lewis, in his novel Perelandra, uses a 0:08:06.940 --> 0:08:10.300 different kind of thing on the Venus New World with 0:08:10.300 --> 0:08:13.900 the first woman and first man there. Uh, about the 0:08:13.900 --> 0:08:16.870 island and the and the different things that go on 0:08:16.870 --> 0:08:20.650 in Perelandra. I think it's rather arbitrary, whether it's fruit 0:08:20.650 --> 0:08:24.220 or something else. The point is, God had to put 0:08:24.220 --> 0:08:29.440 something out there so that they could choose because they 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:34.660 had untested, creaturely holiness. If God made it impossible for 0:08:34.660 --> 0:08:38.950 them to choose good and impossible for them to choose evil, 0:08:38.950 --> 0:08:43.210 just then they would have just been computers. They would 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:48.640 have been programmed automatons. That's it. And so to have 0:08:48.679 --> 0:08:57.560 an actual relationship. Um, well, that needs, uh, that needs choice. 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:00.620 For God to engage in a relationship with humanity, we 0:09:00.620 --> 0:09:03.740 have to choose. Now, I know a lot of people think, well, 0:09:03.740 --> 0:09:06.740 we don't have free will any longer, but somehow God 0:09:06.740 --> 0:09:11.750 gives us responsibility to choose today, to trust in Jesus. Uh, 0:09:12.050 --> 0:09:15.199 just seems to me that even though Adam and Eve 0:09:15.230 --> 0:09:19.370 had not yet sinned, were not fallen, they still had 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:23.930 the imperative to choose to obey God. And and that's 0:09:23.929 --> 0:09:28.459 what they failed to do. So I think the ultimate 0:09:28.460 --> 0:09:33.890 design was not to teach, not to teach them something, 0:09:33.890 --> 0:09:37.790 but to give them an opportunity to obey God. Uh, 0:09:37.790 --> 0:09:42.680 that would be the the test of their their willingness 0:09:42.710 --> 0:09:44.840 to engage in a relationship with him. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.300 Then what would be the purpose of evil in the world. 0:09:48.300 --> 0:09:50.099 And why would God allow it? 0:09:50.940 --> 0:09:57.210 Again, without evil, there are many. The issue becomes this 0:09:57.300 --> 0:10:01.020 that without evil the world isn't as good as it 0:10:01.020 --> 0:10:05.790 could be. God is perfect. The best of all possible 0:10:05.790 --> 0:10:07.980 worlds is not a world in which there was no evil, 0:10:07.980 --> 0:10:10.679 but a world in which evil has been overcome. So for, 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:18.480 for example, is our world better with certain virtues that 0:10:18.630 --> 0:10:22.920 wouldn't exist without evil? I'll give you an example. Uh, 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:27.150 a soldier that leaps onto a grenade to save his 0:10:27.150 --> 0:10:30.600 platoon and gives his life and sacrifice. The Bible says 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:33.480 greater love has no man that, but that he give 0:10:33.510 --> 0:10:38.340 his life for his friends, right? Yes. So their love 0:10:38.370 --> 0:10:42.780 could have existed. But without evil, that greatest love couldn't exist. 0:10:43.020 --> 0:10:45.330 And so what God did. 0:10:45.370 --> 0:10:45.970 Is. 0:10:45.970 --> 0:10:49.600 He created a world in which there was evil, so 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:54.850 that the best of all possible worlds could be a 0:10:54.850 --> 0:10:57.820 world in which evil has been overcome, because there are 0:10:57.820 --> 0:11:01.300 so many virtues that are only becoming evident because evil 0:11:01.300 --> 0:11:04.480 has existed. Does that does that help? 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:08.650 It does. Okay. It's wonderful. I praise God for your answer, 0:11:08.650 --> 0:11:09.460 and I thank you. 0:11:09.490 --> 0:11:13.510 Sure. Thank you so much for your call. Uh, call again. And, 0:11:13.540 --> 0:11:15.550 you know, before we go to a break, I do 0:11:15.550 --> 0:11:19.660 want to mention our current resource. Uh, you know, people 0:11:19.660 --> 0:11:22.870 love reading the word, and I am so grateful for it. 0:11:22.870 --> 0:11:28.150 And there are some terrific, uh, uh, resources out there 0:11:28.150 --> 0:11:33.219 to help you understand it. And some books like Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 0:11:33.220 --> 0:11:38.290 Colossians are filled with real great wisdom for us as individuals, 0:11:38.290 --> 0:11:41.650 for for people in the body of, of the congregation 0:11:41.650 --> 0:11:44.920 of the Messiah, the, the church. Sometimes we need a 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:48.520 little help unpacking those books, and I am grateful that 0:11:48.550 --> 0:11:54.910 what Moody has done is they've pulled an excerpt of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 0:11:54.910 --> 0:11:58.090 and Colossians and made a separate little book and is 0:11:58.090 --> 0:12:01.510 making it available to the Open line listeners. And if 0:12:01.540 --> 0:12:04.239 you would give a gift of any size, whatever you'd 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:08.080 like to give, we so appreciate your gift that we 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.780 want to send you a copy of this excerpt from 0:12:10.780 --> 0:12:13.150 the Moody Bible Commentary. I know it'll give you insight 0:12:13.150 --> 0:12:16.240 and help as you read those books and understand them. 0:12:16.540 --> 0:12:18.610 It'll help you really understand them a lot. I know 0:12:18.610 --> 0:12:21.280 it helped me as I read them done by our 0:12:21.309 --> 0:12:26.829 wonderful Bible professor here, Doctor Gerald Peterman. So if you'd 0:12:26.830 --> 0:12:35.650 like to give a gift, call (888) 644-7122 or visit openline radio.org. 0:12:35.650 --> 0:12:37.330 And when you go there, you can give your gift. 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:44.530 Remember to ask for the the Galatians. Ephesians, Philippians and 0:12:44.530 --> 0:12:48.820 Colossians booklet. We're going to be right back with more 0:12:48.820 --> 0:12:54.220 of your questions. (877) 548-3675. Call me. We'll talk about your 0:12:54.220 --> 0:13:10.960 questions in just a moment. Welcome back to Open Line. 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:13.030 I'm Michael Ray Dolnick. So glad to be with you 0:13:13.030 --> 0:13:16.420 this Saturday morning talking about your questions about the Bible, 0:13:16.420 --> 0:13:24.370 God and the spiritual life. The phone number here again, (877) 548-3675. 0:13:24.370 --> 0:13:28.060 And we're going to go right back to the phones 0:13:28.059 --> 0:13:32.290 and speak with Heath in Florida listening on keys. Welcome 0:13:32.290 --> 0:13:34.180 to Open Line. Heath. How can I help you? 0:13:35.050 --> 0:13:38.230 Hey, Michael. Good morning. I'm, uh, I'm being divorced by 0:13:38.230 --> 0:13:40.660 my wife. Um, it's been going on for about a 0:13:40.660 --> 0:13:46.370 year now. There's been no infidelity, nothing. No violence. Uh. 0:13:46.429 --> 0:13:49.730 Something happened. She decided to divorce me. Something with the family. 0:13:49.730 --> 0:13:52.069 I'm wondering, what does the Bible say about a wife 0:13:52.070 --> 0:13:55.910 divorcing her husband? I can't find anything. Only what? What 0:13:55.910 --> 0:13:58.849 it says about a man divorcing his wife. Even though 0:13:58.850 --> 0:14:00.530 it says God hates divorce. 0:14:03.050 --> 0:14:05.839 Well, let me ask you. Let me. I'm going to 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:11.420 just give you a forewarning. Are you in a local church? Yes. Okay. 0:14:13.370 --> 0:14:17.450 If I were your pastor, I wouldn't just take this 0:14:17.450 --> 0:14:20.390 call on the radio. I would need a whole lot 0:14:20.390 --> 0:14:26.150 more information to understand what in the world is going on. Okay. Okay. 0:14:26.180 --> 0:14:30.440 And and so let me just encourage you. Go see 0:14:30.470 --> 0:14:34.190 your your pastor. Okay. This is I'm going to give 0:14:34.190 --> 0:14:42.120 you an answer as best I can. Uh, but nevertheless, um, 0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:47.010 I don't think you should take my answer. Be gotcha. 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:49.650 Because I don't have enough information to really give you 0:14:49.650 --> 0:14:52.410 a good answer. So I can talk about what the 0:14:52.410 --> 0:14:56.730 scriptures say. The scriptures say I command the married, not I, 0:14:56.760 --> 0:15:01.200 but the Lord. A wife is not to leave her husband. 0:15:02.220 --> 0:15:06.900 That's first Corinthians seven, verse ten, but then verse 11, 0:15:06.900 --> 0:15:11.340 but if she does leave, if she does leave, she 0:15:11.370 --> 0:15:15.600 must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:19.380 a husband is not to leave his wife. So, uh, 0:15:19.380 --> 0:15:23.580 those are verses that's not talking about separation like we 0:15:23.580 --> 0:15:26.340 have in our legal system, where there's separation in some 0:15:26.340 --> 0:15:30.390 states and then divorce. That's just talking about divorce right 0:15:30.390 --> 0:15:34.830 there in Scripture. Don't leave your husband. Don't leave your wife. 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:39.900 If you do. Now, that's a general Statement. If you do, 0:15:39.930 --> 0:15:43.230 then stay unmarried and then be reconciled if you can be. 0:15:43.230 --> 0:15:47.820 But that's a general statement. There's much more in Scripture. 0:15:47.820 --> 0:15:54.720 There's the, uh, charge in Matthew 19 where the Lord 0:15:54.720 --> 0:16:00.210 Jesus gives the exemption, uh, of, of uh porneia is 0:16:00.210 --> 0:16:06.030 the word that he uses, uh, except for cause of immorality, uh, 0:16:06.180 --> 0:16:10.050 which is a very broad term. Uh, then there's abandonment 0:16:10.050 --> 0:16:14.310 here in first Corinthians seven by a nonbeliever. That's a 0:16:14.310 --> 0:16:18.930 different issue. I think that breaking of vows indicates that 0:16:18.930 --> 0:16:23.700 there's reasons sometimes that are not even specified. For example, 0:16:23.700 --> 0:16:27.390 it says if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A 0:16:27.390 --> 0:16:31.230 brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. 0:16:31.380 --> 0:16:34.470 What does that mean? It means that there are cases 0:16:34.470 --> 0:16:37.170 like this that maybe are not even specified where a 0:16:37.170 --> 0:16:41.470 vow is broken and that I would put the in 0:16:41.470 --> 0:16:46.450 such cases things of breaking vows like violence that you mentioned. Uh, 0:16:46.450 --> 0:16:55.240 and so for me, uh, I'm a real strong affirmer 0:16:55.270 --> 0:16:58.630 of staying married, working out your problems. You can't force 0:16:58.630 --> 0:17:00.940 your wife to do that, but you can try. And 0:17:00.940 --> 0:17:03.040 it sounds like you are the best thing to do 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:05.770 at this point, in my judgment, is for you to 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:08.860 go talk to your pastor and get pastoral care. It's 0:17:08.859 --> 0:17:12.820 very tough, very tough to go through something like this. 0:17:12.850 --> 0:17:18.699 You need spiritual strengthening and oversight through this. Okay. 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:20.139 Wonderful. 0:17:20.170 --> 0:17:24.760 Thank you. Okay. Thanks, Heath. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Uh, 0:17:25.450 --> 0:17:28.270 we let me just say I need to know my 0:17:28.270 --> 0:17:30.790 limits of things I can answer. I can give you 0:17:30.790 --> 0:17:34.629 a lot of verses about marriage and divorce in the Bible. But, boy, 0:17:34.630 --> 0:17:38.340 every marriage is a story of its own and needs 0:17:38.340 --> 0:17:42.000 to be discussed with with pastoral care. That's why Open 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:45.930 Line is not a substitute for being part of a congregation. 0:17:45.930 --> 0:17:49.680 It's not a substitute for being part of a small group. 0:17:50.340 --> 0:17:53.609 It's you need. We all need to be in community 0:17:53.609 --> 0:17:58.020 in our congregations. So that's that's really important. Okay. Let's 0:17:58.020 --> 0:18:03.000 talk to Charles in Springfield, Illinois. Oh, we just I 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:07.409 just just just lost him. Uh, Anne in Illinois, listening 0:18:07.410 --> 0:18:10.230 on wmbi. Welcome to Open Line, Anne. How can I 0:18:10.260 --> 0:18:11.010 help you? 0:18:11.340 --> 0:18:15.720 Hi, Michael. Thanks so much for taking my call. I 0:18:16.170 --> 0:18:21.810 have two scriptures in conflict by Paul. First Timothy, he 0:18:21.810 --> 0:18:28.169 says women are saved through childbearing. And in Ephesians two 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:32.610 eight and nine he says, for by grace are you 0:18:32.609 --> 0:18:36.590 saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It's a 0:18:36.619 --> 0:18:40.490 gift of God, not through works, lest anyone should boast. 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:42.320 Is there a difference? 0:18:42.350 --> 0:18:46.760 Yeah, there's a big difference. They're talking about two completely 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:53.000 different things. In first explained. Sure, sure. Ephesians two Paul 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:57.830 is talking about eternal salvation. It's through the kindness, undeserved, 0:18:57.859 --> 0:19:02.869 unmerited kindness from God. Uh, by. And how to how 0:19:02.900 --> 0:19:08.240 is it activated faith? Uh, for by grace or God's 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:12.859 undeserved kindness through faith, trusting in what he has provided 0:19:12.859 --> 0:19:15.679 the gospel, the Lord Jesus, that he died for us 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:17.660 and rose again. That's how we're saved. And by the way, 0:19:17.660 --> 0:19:21.229 if you're listening and have never made that decision, you 0:19:21.230 --> 0:19:23.240 think I'm kind of intrigued by the Bible. And that's 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:25.760 why I listened to this program. But or I'm just 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:30.740 driving along in my car and I'm listening. The best 0:19:30.740 --> 0:19:33.440 gift is out there. Right there. Don't wait for Christmas. 0:19:33.450 --> 0:19:35.850 It's right now. You can receive. 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:38.130 It changed my life forever. 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:38.970 Exactly. 0:19:39.270 --> 0:19:43.260 That's why this is confusing at first Timothy. 0:19:43.290 --> 0:19:47.550 Yeah. So God's indescribable gift is the Lord Jesus. And 0:19:47.700 --> 0:19:52.350 if you're listening, that's a free gift of forgiveness forever. 0:19:52.380 --> 0:19:56.100 An eternal relationship. We become his child if we trust 0:19:56.100 --> 0:19:57.810 in Jesus. All we have to do is say, I 0:19:57.810 --> 0:20:01.440 know I've done things wrong. I'm putting my trust in 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:03.959 the fact that Jesus died as a substitution for me 0:20:03.960 --> 0:20:07.350 and was raised again, proving He's God. Now I'm just 0:20:07.350 --> 0:20:11.040 trusting in him and and you. We will all, if 0:20:11.040 --> 0:20:13.080 we trust in him, enter into that relationship. I want 0:20:13.080 --> 0:20:15.480 to challenge you to do that. But an you've got 0:20:15.480 --> 0:20:20.160 a really good question. Uh, what is first Timothy 215 mean? 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:24.330 It says she will be saved through childbearing. What? What 0:20:24.330 --> 0:20:28.350 about I mean, what about women who can't have children? 0:20:28.380 --> 0:20:31.770 Does that mean they can't be saved? Well, what about 0:20:31.780 --> 0:20:35.530 single women? They can't be saved. Obviously. Let me just 0:20:35.530 --> 0:20:39.430 say that the word sozo in Greek has a wide 0:20:39.430 --> 0:20:44.500 sense and based on context is what we get it, 0:20:44.770 --> 0:20:50.200 how we understand it. The word sozo can mean delivered 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:54.310 physical deliverance. But there are godly women that have died 0:20:54.310 --> 0:20:59.920 in childbearing. So it doesn't just mean physically delivered through childbearing. Uh, 0:21:00.130 --> 0:21:03.129 here's what I think. Let's put it in context. That's 0:21:03.130 --> 0:21:08.110 always the best way to understand a verse. And the 0:21:08.109 --> 0:21:13.810 context here is Paul says women should not pursue being 0:21:13.810 --> 0:21:20.560 an elder to, uh, to teach or exercise a authority 0:21:20.560 --> 0:21:24.280 over men. Now, he's not saying that women can't teach 0:21:24.280 --> 0:21:26.620 small groups, or they can't teach children, or they can't 0:21:26.619 --> 0:21:30.100 teach other women, or they can't teach men in a 0:21:30.100 --> 0:21:34.690 Sunday school class. He's talking about the authoritative proclamation of 0:21:34.690 --> 0:21:38.170 the Word of God. When the community gathers together, that's 0:21:38.170 --> 0:21:41.530 what elders do. They exercise authority with that kind of teaching. 0:21:41.530 --> 0:21:44.380 And he says, women shouldn't don't look to make your 0:21:44.380 --> 0:21:49.689 mark as an elder. You can have a far greater influence, 0:21:49.690 --> 0:21:52.960 is what he is saying a far greater ministry. And 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:55.960 then he says he gives the two reasons why. But 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:59.080 then he says, but she will. And if I would 0:21:59.080 --> 0:22:02.770 take the word save her life, find her meaning, find 0:22:02.770 --> 0:22:09.730 her deliverance, find her significance through childbearing. If in my 0:22:09.730 --> 0:22:12.850 version says she, but it literally is they. If they 0:22:12.850 --> 0:22:18.610 continue the the children continue in faith, love and holiness. 0:22:18.640 --> 0:22:22.900 In other words, what Paul is saying is and this 0:22:22.900 --> 0:22:25.900 is just a general statement, it's not true for every woman, 0:22:25.900 --> 0:22:29.660 but a woman will find her significance not by being 0:22:29.660 --> 0:22:33.230 an elder, but by being a mom, and she will 0:22:33.230 --> 0:22:38.330 have far greater influence on other people through winning her 0:22:38.330 --> 0:22:42.109 children to the love of the Lord and following the Lord. 0:22:42.109 --> 0:22:45.290 That's what he's saying. She will find her significance be 0:22:45.290 --> 0:22:50.540 delivered in meaning and significance when she raises children. Now, 0:22:50.540 --> 0:22:54.590 what do you do with women who first of all, couldn't, uh, 0:22:54.590 --> 0:22:57.980 can't have children? Well, or they're not married? That doesn't 0:22:57.980 --> 0:23:00.800 mean that they can't have ministry in the lives of 0:23:00.800 --> 0:23:03.950 young people. Uh, just a couple of weeks ago, a 0:23:03.950 --> 0:23:06.440 dear friend of mine went to be with the Lord 0:23:06.440 --> 0:23:11.930 at 88 years old. She she her husband. When I 0:23:11.960 --> 0:23:14.659 when I came to faith, my dad disowned me. Her 0:23:14.660 --> 0:23:18.740 husband took me sort of as an adopted son, and 0:23:18.740 --> 0:23:22.430 she was always there and built into my life and 0:23:22.430 --> 0:23:26.840 also into the lives of many other teens through the years. 0:23:26.840 --> 0:23:29.670 And dear Arlene Rigney is now with the Lord. She 0:23:29.670 --> 0:23:32.040 never had kids, she was never able to have kids, 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:36.810 but she really cared for young people and ministered in 0:23:36.810 --> 0:23:39.240 our lives. She was a second mom to so many. 0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:42.689 So even though that this is first of all written 0:23:42.690 --> 0:23:49.050 to about actual child rearing, bearing and rearing, uh, it's uh, 0:23:49.050 --> 0:23:52.440 it's also for other women who can have that kind 0:23:52.440 --> 0:23:54.149 of ministry in the lives of others. I think of 0:23:54.150 --> 0:23:58.170 my missions prof. Here at Moody, she had never married, 0:23:58.170 --> 0:24:02.159 but she had a wonderful has. Well, uh, Rosemary Turner 0:24:02.160 --> 0:24:05.970 now with the Lord. But her her adopted daughter Carrie 0:24:06.000 --> 0:24:10.139 still walking with the Lord, having a great impact in life. 0:24:10.140 --> 0:24:14.490 So it doesn't it doesn't just apply to people who 0:24:14.490 --> 0:24:16.590 are married and have children. It can apply to married 0:24:16.590 --> 0:24:20.040 people who can't have children. It can apply to, uh, 0:24:20.040 --> 0:24:23.520 single women who who have this kind of impact in 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:27.300 an adopted child. Uh, it is it is important that 0:24:27.300 --> 0:24:32.430 we see that a woman's significance, her deliverance, is going 0:24:32.430 --> 0:24:36.660 to be found in the children, that she impacts even 0:24:36.660 --> 0:24:39.540 more than she would as she as an elder or 0:24:39.570 --> 0:24:44.520 a pastor of a congregation. But again, that limitation doesn't 0:24:44.520 --> 0:24:46.530 mean women can't minister in the church. It doesn't mean 0:24:46.530 --> 0:24:50.640 women can't minister to other women. There are all sorts 0:24:50.640 --> 0:24:54.420 of great opportunities. It's just referring to being an elder. 0:24:54.450 --> 0:24:56.399 Does that help you at all, Ann? 0:24:56.430 --> 0:25:00.690 Yes, but the key is that salvation is by grace 0:25:00.690 --> 0:25:01.889 through faith, right? 0:25:01.920 --> 0:25:03.780 That's that's what I was trying to emphasize. That's what 0:25:03.810 --> 0:25:06.600 Ephesians two eight and nine. Yeah. And this is talking 0:25:06.600 --> 0:25:09.210 about a different kind of salvation. This is deliverance of 0:25:09.210 --> 0:25:11.639 significance and meaning. Okay. 0:25:11.670 --> 0:25:15.930 Thanks so much for for that answer. I appreciate your help. Yeah. 0:25:15.960 --> 0:25:20.370 Michael, I appreciate you calling so much. Well, uh, let's 0:25:20.369 --> 0:25:24.480 see how much time have we got here? Okay. Let 0:25:24.480 --> 0:25:28.119 me just tell you, I so appreciate those of you 0:25:28.150 --> 0:25:30.850 who have become kitchen table partners, and I know some 0:25:30.850 --> 0:25:33.160 of you are thinking about it. I want to encourage 0:25:33.160 --> 0:25:35.860 you to maybe consider becoming part of the team. If 0:25:35.859 --> 0:25:41.830 you do, call (888) 644-7122 or go to open line radio.org 0:25:41.830 --> 0:25:43.510 ran out of time. I'll talk about this a little 0:25:43.540 --> 0:25:46.660 bit more when Tara comes in with the mailbag. So 0:25:46.660 --> 0:26:07.359 stay with me. We'll be right back. Welcome back to 0:26:07.390 --> 0:26:09.910 Open Line. I'm Michael Radonich. So glad to be with 0:26:09.910 --> 0:26:12.250 you again. I'm glad to be back. You know, a 0:26:12.250 --> 0:26:16.450 couple of weeks ago, I was in California and did 0:26:16.450 --> 0:26:20.560 the program with pastor Mike Fabares from Compass Bible Church. 0:26:20.590 --> 0:26:24.550 Focal Point Radio had a great time with him sitting 0:26:24.550 --> 0:26:29.680 in his little midsize office, I would say with with 0:26:29.680 --> 0:26:31.900 the sound equipment there, he had it all set up. 0:26:31.900 --> 0:26:34.090 It was great. We had a great time together. And 0:26:34.090 --> 0:26:38.530 I think of of Mike, he's a regular backup. I 0:26:38.530 --> 0:26:40.390 think it was really the first time we did the program, 0:26:40.390 --> 0:26:43.060 just taking questions together. I've had him on when he's 0:26:43.060 --> 0:26:46.030 written books and we've talked about his books, but the 0:26:46.030 --> 0:26:47.860 first time we just took questions together and we had 0:26:47.859 --> 0:26:49.810 so much fun doing that. He's part of the team. 0:26:49.810 --> 0:26:52.960 He's regular. When I'm not here. He's the he's our 0:26:52.960 --> 0:26:55.659 go to guy to see if he could be on 0:26:55.660 --> 0:26:58.810 the program. And also Trish is part of the team 0:26:58.810 --> 0:27:01.210 always making sure that I'm here on time and getting 0:27:01.210 --> 0:27:03.190 ready to do what I'm supposed to do and getting 0:27:03.190 --> 0:27:07.060 everything ready. That's team member and to to hear you're 0:27:07.060 --> 0:27:10.300 here every week now it seems like, uh, whether Trish 0:27:10.300 --> 0:27:12.310 is here or not. And I am so glad you're 0:27:12.310 --> 0:27:15.340 here today. So to hear as part of the team, 0:27:15.340 --> 0:27:18.760 here's my point. Uh, open line doesn't just happen with 0:27:18.790 --> 0:27:22.239 me showing up. There's a team that that works it 0:27:22.240 --> 0:27:25.190 all together. And part of that team are our kitchen 0:27:25.190 --> 0:27:28.820 table partners, people who give monthly so we can be 0:27:28.820 --> 0:27:31.280 on the air weekly. They pray for us, they care 0:27:31.280 --> 0:27:36.680 about us. And I appreciate our kitchen table partners so much. Uh, 0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:40.340 some of you are thinking about becoming a kitchen table partner. 0:27:40.340 --> 0:27:42.680 One of the things we do for kitchen table partners 0:27:42.710 --> 0:27:45.350 is we send out a Bible study moment every other 0:27:45.350 --> 0:27:50.540 week via email. And, uh, and it's just a brief 0:27:50.540 --> 0:27:53.869 Bible study prepared exclusively for our kitchen table partners. You 0:27:53.869 --> 0:27:56.810 might enjoy receiving that. If you'd like to become a 0:27:56.810 --> 0:27:59.480 kitchen table partner, all you have to do is call 0:27:59.480 --> 0:28:07.730 (888) 644-7122 or go to open Line radio.org. Really, really appreciate 0:28:07.730 --> 0:28:10.580 all of you. Whether you become a kitchen table, kitchen 0:28:10.580 --> 0:28:13.940 table partner or not. We really do appreciate you listening 0:28:13.970 --> 0:28:18.200 to Open Line. And here is Takehiro with the big 0:28:18.200 --> 0:28:20.870 mailbag that Tricia produced. Right. 0:28:20.869 --> 0:28:23.070 That is correct. And thank you. I'm happy to be here. 0:28:23.100 --> 0:28:24.240 Thank you. Michael, I'm really. 0:28:24.240 --> 0:28:27.780 Glad you're here. Now, you know, to hear this is. 0:28:27.810 --> 0:28:29.940 Have you seen miracle on 34th Street? 0:28:30.210 --> 0:28:32.400 I have, it's been a while, but I have, you know. 0:28:32.430 --> 0:28:34.260 At the end, when they bring in all those mail 0:28:34.290 --> 0:28:37.830 bags from the New York City postal system made out 0:28:37.859 --> 0:28:41.130 to Santa Claus, and they deliver them. That's what I 0:28:41.130 --> 0:28:43.860 envision every week when Tricia comes in with the mail bag, 0:28:43.860 --> 0:28:46.590 with those bags coming out one after another and pouring 0:28:46.590 --> 0:28:49.800 them on the judge's desk there on the bench. And 0:28:49.800 --> 0:28:52.860 so that's it doesn't look quite that full today. But 0:28:52.860 --> 0:28:55.110 we've got a lot of questions we do. 0:28:55.110 --> 0:28:59.400 And that is great imagery, especially for this Christmas season. So. Exactly. Yes. 0:28:59.430 --> 0:29:01.320 Theater of the mind. Just make something up in your 0:29:01.320 --> 0:29:03.150 head there and listen. That's what radio is. 0:29:03.180 --> 0:29:03.810 I like it. 0:29:03.840 --> 0:29:06.690 Yeah. Okay. Let's go ahead with some questions. 0:29:06.720 --> 0:29:10.140 Absolutely. Our first question is from Ginny and Georgia, and 0:29:10.140 --> 0:29:16.200 she listens through Wmw. If Christmas has pagan origins, why, 0:29:16.230 --> 0:29:19.469 as followers of Christ, are we participating? She says this 0:29:19.470 --> 0:29:23.250 is something that she struggled with for years, and she's 0:29:23.250 --> 0:29:25.560 referencing Deuteronomy 12. 0:29:25.830 --> 0:29:30.180 Well, you know, it's hard to say that that Christmas 0:29:30.210 --> 0:29:35.160 is pagan. Here's what it was. Many pagans came to 0:29:35.190 --> 0:29:41.250 faith in Jesus, and the result was that the church 0:29:41.250 --> 0:29:44.850 wanted to make sure that they didn't stay in the. 0:29:44.880 --> 0:29:50.340 There were always these seasonal pagan celebrations around December 25th, 0:29:50.340 --> 0:29:55.860 and the church didn't want them to say, well, we're 0:29:55.860 --> 0:29:59.430 followers of Jesus now, but we're going to still keep 0:29:59.430 --> 0:30:03.090 these pagan festivals. So they said, let's make this pagan 0:30:03.090 --> 0:30:06.840 festival into a Christian festival. And what they did is 0:30:06.870 --> 0:30:09.360 they made it a celebration of the birth of Jesus. 0:30:09.390 --> 0:30:12.300 Is it the birth of Jesus? We don't know when 0:30:12.510 --> 0:30:16.020 the Lord Jesus was born, but that's what they did. 0:30:16.020 --> 0:30:19.330 And they and so that was the point of it 0:30:19.330 --> 0:30:23.860 to to Christianize a pagan festival. People say, well, you 0:30:23.860 --> 0:30:26.170 shouldn't do that. You have to tear it down. Well, actually, 0:30:26.170 --> 0:30:29.200 that's not exactly true. When someone asked me once about 0:30:29.200 --> 0:30:33.070 Christmas trees and all the stuff that I don't even 0:30:33.070 --> 0:30:35.140 have a Christmas tree, you know, I like them, but 0:30:35.140 --> 0:30:37.660 I don't have one. I'm Jewish, you know, we. I 0:30:37.660 --> 0:30:40.000 was raised without Christmas trees. I don't want my neighbors 0:30:40.000 --> 0:30:42.910 to think that I only follow Jesus now so I 0:30:42.910 --> 0:30:46.780 can have a Christmas tree. So I've never I don't 0:30:46.780 --> 0:30:50.800 have a Christmas tree. But someone asked me about it, 0:30:50.800 --> 0:30:53.740 and I said, it's okay. And they said, what do 0:30:53.740 --> 0:30:56.020 you mean, it's pagan? I said, well, I'm not sure 0:30:56.020 --> 0:30:58.900 that verse in Jeremiah is really talking about Christmas trees, 0:30:58.900 --> 0:31:05.080 but even if it were, uh, it's just meat sacrifice 0:31:05.080 --> 0:31:08.260 to idols. That's what I said. And what I mean 0:31:08.260 --> 0:31:11.770 by that. You look at first Corinthians eight and there 0:31:11.770 --> 0:31:15.340 there's the issue of, can you go and buy meat 0:31:15.340 --> 0:31:20.270 at the pagan Markets and and buy that and eat it. Now, 0:31:20.270 --> 0:31:24.500 some Christians didn't have conscience for it. Others did. And 0:31:24.500 --> 0:31:30.980 Paul says it's without moral significance. And what what I 0:31:30.980 --> 0:31:35.870 mean by that is it's neither right nor wrong. And 0:31:35.870 --> 0:31:39.170 so you don't have to have a Christmas tree or, 0:31:39.200 --> 0:31:43.160 or even celebrate Christmas. But if someone wants to, it's 0:31:43.190 --> 0:31:45.890 without it's sort of like, you can go to Zeus's market. 0:31:45.890 --> 0:31:49.190 You can, you can, you know, or Zeus's butcher shop, 0:31:49.190 --> 0:31:51.830 get a Zeus burger. It was no problem. Paul said, 0:31:51.830 --> 0:31:54.530 if your conscience could bear it, if your conscience can't, 0:31:54.560 --> 0:31:58.400 then don't do it. That's what I would say about Christmas. It's, uh, 0:31:58.520 --> 0:32:03.830 just like those sacrifices had a pagan origin. Mhm. Still 0:32:03.830 --> 0:32:06.740 they were, you know, you weren't using them for paganism. 0:32:06.740 --> 0:32:10.640 So if you, if your conscience is okay with it, 0:32:10.670 --> 0:32:14.840 celebrate Christmas. Go ahead celebrate Christmas. Uh that's what I 0:32:14.840 --> 0:32:17.640 would say. And so not to worry about it. But Jenny, 0:32:17.640 --> 0:32:23.520 if it bothers you, don't celebrate Christmas. It's no big deal. So. 0:32:23.550 --> 0:32:26.250 Well, thank you so much for that context and for 0:32:26.280 --> 0:32:29.700 that clarity. And thank you, Jenny, for that question. Another 0:32:29.700 --> 0:32:33.990 question is also Christmas related is how many kings were there? 0:32:33.990 --> 0:32:36.300 And this is from Carol on Facebook. 0:32:36.330 --> 0:32:40.320 I'm going to tell you big important answer. Ready. There 0:32:40.320 --> 0:32:45.600 were no kings that that the problem I love Christmas 0:32:45.600 --> 0:32:50.700 songs but we three kings of Orient are. I mean really, 0:32:51.060 --> 0:32:57.660 you know, I think we we. Uh, what what we 0:32:57.660 --> 0:33:02.040 need to do is remember that. That it says that 0:33:02.070 --> 0:33:07.560 wise men from the East, Magi probably from Persia or. Yeah, 0:33:07.590 --> 0:33:13.290 probably Persia. Where, where where Daniel the prophet had been. Mhm. Uh, 0:33:13.290 --> 0:33:15.480 he was one of the wise men. He left the 0:33:15.480 --> 0:33:19.140 legacy of Scripture there. They were probably informed by Scripture. 0:33:19.170 --> 0:33:23.460 These were wise men who looked at the stars. Astrology. 0:33:23.460 --> 0:33:28.710 Not astrologers, but astronomers. And they saw a sign, and 0:33:28.710 --> 0:33:30.930 they put it together with what they had read from 0:33:30.930 --> 0:33:34.710 the scriptures. And they knew that the Messiah had been born, 0:33:34.710 --> 0:33:39.750 and they were wise men, and they brought gifts of frankincense, gold, 0:33:39.750 --> 0:33:46.290 and myrrh. Right? Yes. Uh, so frankincense, some people say, 0:33:46.290 --> 0:33:49.830 because incense is offered to God. That was a symbol 0:33:49.830 --> 0:33:56.160 of the Messiah's deity, the gold, uh, of his royalty. Uh, 0:33:56.160 --> 0:34:02.010 a very expensive gift and myrrh being a spice used 0:34:02.010 --> 0:34:05.250 for burial. So even at his birth, it was anticipated 0:34:05.250 --> 0:34:08.069 that he would die for us. Uh, and then, of course, 0:34:08.100 --> 0:34:10.620 be raised again. Whether that's true, I don't know, but 0:34:10.620 --> 0:34:13.150 there were three gifts. Does that mean there were only 0:34:13.150 --> 0:34:14.319 three wise men? 0:34:14.350 --> 0:34:15.400 We don't know. 0:34:15.430 --> 0:34:19.509 Don't know? No clue. So, uh, could have been two 0:34:19.510 --> 0:34:21.939 wise men with three gifts. Could have been ten wise 0:34:21.940 --> 0:34:25.990 men with three gifts. We just don't know. So, uh. 0:34:25.989 --> 0:34:28.300 So that's. That's what I would say. 0:34:28.330 --> 0:34:31.720 Thank you for that. Thank you. And then we also 0:34:31.719 --> 0:34:34.930 have a question from Judy in Florida who listens through 0:34:34.960 --> 0:34:38.440 w r m b. She says, I love your program 0:34:38.440 --> 0:34:42.460 in Genesis 315. What would be the understanding of your 0:34:42.460 --> 0:34:46.420 offspring or seed in the original language as it pertains 0:34:46.420 --> 0:34:50.500 to the serpent? And Genesis 315 reads, I will put 0:34:50.530 --> 0:34:53.979 hostility between you and the woman and between your seed 0:34:53.980 --> 0:34:57.010 and her seed. He will strike your head, and you 0:34:57.010 --> 0:34:58.480 will strike his heel. 0:34:59.200 --> 0:35:02.080 There's a lot more to that verse than, you know, 0:35:02.110 --> 0:35:06.850 than we can just superficially go over. But this is 0:35:06.850 --> 0:35:12.670 the curse on the the serpent. It begins in verse 14. 0:35:12.969 --> 0:35:16.240 And this is how I understand it, that the serpent 0:35:16.239 --> 0:35:20.740 will have to continue to crawl on its stomach to, 0:35:20.770 --> 0:35:26.560 to be and eat dust, meaning symbols of, of eternal, uh, 0:35:27.280 --> 0:35:33.100 oppression or defeat. Okay. Okay. But then in verse 15, 0:35:33.100 --> 0:35:36.819 God doesn't speak to snakes. He's speaking to the power 0:35:36.820 --> 0:35:40.750 behind the snake. This was not an ordinary snake. Uh, 0:35:40.750 --> 0:35:45.220 because just so you know, this snake could talk. And 0:35:45.219 --> 0:35:49.390 even in Genesis three, it was not Narnia. That was 0:35:49.390 --> 0:35:53.320 very unusual for a snake. God didn't make animals. Only 0:35:53.320 --> 0:35:57.280 supernaturally can snakes talk, and and or any animal can talk. 0:35:57.310 --> 0:36:00.760 And numbers 22. A donkey talks because God opened its mouth. 0:36:00.790 --> 0:36:05.800 Genesis three. Someone else supernaturally opened its mouth. The reason 0:36:05.800 --> 0:36:08.890 we know is because the snake was tempting to evil. 0:36:09.010 --> 0:36:11.570 So that couldn't have been God that opened its mouth 0:36:11.570 --> 0:36:15.680 so we know it was the enemy. And, uh. And 0:36:15.680 --> 0:36:18.500 so God speaks to the enemy, the power behind the 0:36:18.500 --> 0:36:22.189 serpent and the word seed that's used there can mean 0:36:22.190 --> 0:36:28.070 physical offspring, and also it can mean followers. It's used 0:36:28.070 --> 0:36:31.760 in a variety of places in Scripture. Uh, like offspring 0:36:31.790 --> 0:36:35.090 of wickedness in the book of Isaiah. That doesn't mean 0:36:35.090 --> 0:36:41.570 that wickedness gave birth to to wickedness. Uh, it means 0:36:41.570 --> 0:36:47.060 followers of wickedness. Okay, so what it's saying there is 0:36:47.060 --> 0:36:50.030 I will put hostility between you and the woman, between 0:36:50.030 --> 0:36:55.430 the enemy or Satan and the woman, between your followers. 0:36:55.430 --> 0:36:59.569 That would be the demons that fell and her physical descendants. 0:36:59.930 --> 0:37:04.190 And he will strike you one of her physical descendants. 0:37:04.190 --> 0:37:09.480 An individual one will strike your head. That's the Messiah, 0:37:09.510 --> 0:37:12.569 the descendant of the seed of the woman who crushed 0:37:12.570 --> 0:37:15.240 the head of the serpent. And you will strike his 0:37:15.239 --> 0:37:18.719 heel in death, just as a serpent bites a person 0:37:18.719 --> 0:37:21.690 on the heel with a deadly blow. A nahash is 0:37:21.690 --> 0:37:24.210 the word for a serpent, so this one will strike 0:37:24.210 --> 0:37:27.000 him on the heel. Just as in the crucifixion, when 0:37:27.000 --> 0:37:31.530 the Lord Jesus had a nail put through his his, uh, 0:37:31.530 --> 0:37:32.940 his ankle. So. 0:37:32.940 --> 0:37:33.960 Thank you. Yeah. 0:37:33.989 --> 0:37:37.200 That's it. It's the first that's the first messianic prophecy, 0:37:37.200 --> 0:37:40.620 by the way. The protoevangelium. That's what it's called, the 0:37:40.620 --> 0:37:41.580 first gospel. 0:37:41.610 --> 0:37:42.780 Thank you. Yeah. 0:37:42.810 --> 0:37:44.850 So we're going to come back. Thank you to hearer 0:37:44.850 --> 0:37:47.100 for those questions. And we're going to come right back 0:37:47.100 --> 0:37:50.250 with more questions coming up straight ahead. 0:38:18.750 --> 0:38:27.210 O come, O come, Emmanuel. 0:38:27.900 --> 0:38:33.240 Well, since we're talking about Christmas and Genesis 315, the 0:38:33.239 --> 0:38:38.009 first gospel, that was why there was an anticipation of 0:38:38.010 --> 0:38:41.190 the Messiah coming because of the predictions in the Hebrew Bible. 0:38:41.219 --> 0:38:45.450 We're going to do a very special Christmas pre-record about 0:38:45.450 --> 0:38:49.350 many of these prophecies in the Hebrew Bible. Uh, as 0:38:49.350 --> 0:38:51.540 a special Christmas program that's coming up in a couple 0:38:51.570 --> 0:38:57.719 of weeks. But, uh, nevertheless, uh, Genesis 315 and others, 0:38:57.960 --> 0:39:02.279 the we, the three Kings of Orient. Right? Or the 0:39:02.280 --> 0:39:05.850 wise men from the East came so it's appropriate to 0:39:05.900 --> 0:39:10.370 have a song like that. O come, O come, Emmanuel. 0:39:10.370 --> 0:39:13.850 And you know, it's also appropriate for me to remind 0:39:13.850 --> 0:39:18.380 you that many people think that Paul is the one 0:39:18.380 --> 0:39:23.960 that turned the Bible. The message of Jesus into something 0:39:23.960 --> 0:39:28.100 for Gentiles, uh, that that God was finished with the 0:39:28.100 --> 0:39:31.940 Jewish people, according to Paul, that there's nothing further from 0:39:31.940 --> 0:39:36.919 the truth. And most important is to understand Romans nine 0:39:36.950 --> 0:39:40.160 through 11, what Paul's great heart for the Jewish people was. 0:39:40.160 --> 0:39:44.630 And so there's a book called The Heart of the Apostle, 0:39:44.630 --> 0:39:48.410 and Chosen People Ministries is offering it for free to 0:39:48.440 --> 0:39:51.800 Open line listeners. If you'd like a copy of this book, 0:39:51.830 --> 0:39:55.790 The Heart of the Apostle, that shows Paul's great love 0:39:55.790 --> 0:39:58.790 and concern for his own Jewish people. Uh, that's the 0:39:58.790 --> 0:40:00.170 book for you. What you have to do is go 0:40:00.170 --> 0:40:04.610 to Open Line radio.org. Scroll down all the way to 0:40:04.630 --> 0:40:07.989 the bottom. That's our website Openline radio.org. Scroll to the 0:40:08.020 --> 0:40:10.390 bottom and as you scroll down, you'll see a link 0:40:10.390 --> 0:40:13.450 that says A Free gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click 0:40:13.450 --> 0:40:15.640 on that and you'll be taken to a page where 0:40:15.640 --> 0:40:17.920 you can sign up for your own free copy of 0:40:17.920 --> 0:40:22.149 The Heart of the Apostle. So I'd like to speak 0:40:22.150 --> 0:40:29.560 with Robin in Idaho, listening on 107.9 FM. Welcome to 0:40:29.590 --> 0:40:32.170 Open Line. Robin. How can I help you today? 0:40:33.550 --> 0:40:37.900 Hi, Michael. Hi. I am just calling and never heard 0:40:37.900 --> 0:40:39.310 your show today, but. 0:40:40.030 --> 0:40:50.560 This is your first time. Robin. Did we lose Robin? Oh, Robin, 0:40:50.560 --> 0:40:54.640 I can't hear you. Okay, we're going to we're going 0:40:54.670 --> 0:40:58.239 to put you on hold. Robin. Maybe come back to you. Uh, 0:40:58.420 --> 0:41:05.719 Steven in Pennsylvania listening on 107.5 WCAU. Welcome to Open Line. Stephen, 0:41:05.719 --> 0:41:06.710 how can I help you? 0:41:08.030 --> 0:41:13.160 Oh. Hi, Michael. I have a question for you. And 0:41:13.160 --> 0:41:17.210 what it is, is, uh, I know that in the tribulation, 0:41:17.210 --> 0:41:23.630 there's going to be 144,000 witnesses. And they're from all 0:41:23.630 --> 0:41:30.020 from the nation of Israel. And I was wondering how 0:41:30.050 --> 0:41:35.990 how they could come about, like through the years. It's 0:41:35.989 --> 0:41:40.549 been a long time since there were 12 tribes. I 0:41:40.550 --> 0:41:44.600 think from what my studying has shown, that there was 0:41:44.600 --> 0:41:49.130 12 areas that from the 12 sons of Jacob that 0:41:49.160 --> 0:41:50.210 lived in Israel. 0:41:50.239 --> 0:41:54.590 Yeah. Stephen, we know about the tribes. So let me 0:41:54.590 --> 0:41:57.230 ask you, what is your question? Okay. 0:41:57.230 --> 0:42:01.920 Well, it's this is what it is. It's that. Do you? 0:42:02.070 --> 0:42:08.730 Do you think that these people that that they are 0:42:08.760 --> 0:42:15.210 actually from that tribe, that it remains to this day 0:42:15.210 --> 0:42:17.100 that that people are. 0:42:17.130 --> 0:42:20.190 Are Jewish people still descendants of the 12 tribes? That's 0:42:20.190 --> 0:42:21.120 your question. 0:42:22.380 --> 0:42:26.880 Well, that that in the tribulation that they would represent 0:42:26.880 --> 0:42:28.560 that that it's pure and true. 0:42:28.590 --> 0:42:33.150 Okay. So the 144,000, are they these Jewish people who 0:42:33.150 --> 0:42:36.660 are from the 140 or who are the 144,000 from 0:42:36.660 --> 0:42:41.219 the 12 tribes? Are they actually descended from the 12 tribes? 0:42:41.340 --> 0:42:45.989 So I would say, first of all, today, uh, Jewish 0:42:45.989 --> 0:42:50.520 people are actually descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel. Now, 0:42:50.520 --> 0:42:52.739 we don't know who what tribe. There's only one tribe 0:42:52.739 --> 0:42:55.830 that we actually have kept up to know which tribe 0:42:55.830 --> 0:43:00.540 we're from. And that's the tribe of Levi. Because, uh, 0:43:00.540 --> 0:43:03.719 There was always the anticipation that the temple would be restored, 0:43:03.719 --> 0:43:08.670 so father to son would always relate. Whether you're a priest, 0:43:08.670 --> 0:43:14.370 which is from the tribe of Levi, a Levite, or 0:43:14.400 --> 0:43:19.800 a or an Israelite, meaning a just one of the 0:43:19.800 --> 0:43:24.000 lay people of Israel. So we've always maintained knowledge of 0:43:24.000 --> 0:43:26.610 whether a person is a Levite, whether a priest or 0:43:26.640 --> 0:43:29.790 a Levite. So that's one thing I like. That's how 0:43:29.790 --> 0:43:31.650 I know I'm a Levite, because my dad was a Levite, 0:43:31.680 --> 0:43:33.390 his dad was a Levite, and so forth and so 0:43:33.390 --> 0:43:37.980 forth and so forth. So that's that's right, right at 0:43:37.980 --> 0:43:40.620 the outset. We do know some things. The other thing 0:43:40.620 --> 0:43:44.220 is Jewish people have maintained their distinctive Jewish identity. There 0:43:44.219 --> 0:43:46.410 may have been some intermarriage in the different countries of 0:43:46.410 --> 0:43:49.590 the diaspora, but truth to tell, Jewish people were dispersed 0:43:49.590 --> 0:43:54.630 among the Christians and among the Muslim world. And it 0:43:54.630 --> 0:43:58.680 was very rare in the 2000 years since the close 0:43:58.680 --> 0:44:02.620 of the New Testament 2000 years, almost since the destruction 0:44:02.620 --> 0:44:05.830 of the temple where the records were kept. Uh, in 0:44:05.860 --> 0:44:09.130 in that time, Jewish people did not intermarry in the 0:44:09.130 --> 0:44:12.279 places where they were, because they were forbidden to. The 0:44:12.280 --> 0:44:17.710 church wouldn't allow Christians to marry Jewish people, and the 0:44:17.710 --> 0:44:23.830 the mullahs wouldn't allow Muslims to marry Muslim women to 0:44:23.860 --> 0:44:28.779 marry Jewish men. Uh, a Jewish woman could marry a muslim, 0:44:28.780 --> 0:44:31.419 but then they would have to convert to Islam and 0:44:31.420 --> 0:44:34.600 they would be lost to the Jewish community. So for 0:44:34.630 --> 0:44:38.140 that reason, there was just not a whole lot of intermarriage. 0:44:38.170 --> 0:44:42.640 Up until modern times. And so Jewish people have preserved their, uh, 0:44:42.640 --> 0:44:47.800 ethnicity through all these years. And the the end result 0:44:47.800 --> 0:44:51.190 will be in the tribulation period. Yes. God knows that 0:44:51.190 --> 0:44:54.609 there are what tribe people are from, and he will 0:44:54.640 --> 0:44:57.640 he keeps good records in heaven there, and he's going 0:44:57.640 --> 0:45:02.239 to distinguish who it is that that is the one that, uh, 0:45:03.200 --> 0:45:07.310 that that is really Jewish. I, I hope that helps. Uh, 0:45:07.310 --> 0:45:09.739 I'm going to quick take a call with Robin. Robin, 0:45:09.739 --> 0:45:11.509 just go ahead and ask your question. 0:45:12.590 --> 0:45:17.630 Hi. Did I hear you say that God created evil? No, no. 0:45:17.660 --> 0:45:21.290 It's contrast to good. It sure sounded like it. No. 0:45:21.320 --> 0:45:24.860 The person was asking, why did God allow evil? 0:45:25.640 --> 0:45:26.210 Okay. 0:45:26.239 --> 0:45:27.919 God is not the author of evil. 0:45:28.880 --> 0:45:30.080 Okay. Uh. 0:45:30.320 --> 0:45:34.970 And listen, ultimately, you know God. God is sovereign. There 0:45:34.969 --> 0:45:37.010 would be no tree of knowledge of good and evil 0:45:37.010 --> 0:45:39.200 if he didn't put it there. What I said was 0:45:39.200 --> 0:45:45.740 that God created humanity with, uh, untested creaturely. Holiness gave 0:45:45.739 --> 0:45:49.609 him the opportunity to obey because, first of all, uh, 0:45:49.610 --> 0:45:53.180 so that we wouldn't be automatons. We have to. We. 0:45:53.210 --> 0:45:55.940 He didn't want us to be computers or machines. He 0:45:55.940 --> 0:45:59.060 wanted us to have choice. And then secondly, and this 0:45:59.060 --> 0:46:02.360 is important, why did God allow evil to enter the world? 0:46:02.390 --> 0:46:06.560 Because the best of all possible worlds is a world 0:46:06.560 --> 0:46:09.680 in which evil has been overcome. That's what I understood. 0:46:09.710 --> 0:46:14.270 Okay. Okay. That part I did. But you're leaving out 0:46:14.270 --> 0:46:18.439 something very important, I think. Yeah. Where evil originated in 0:46:18.469 --> 0:46:20.390 Ezekiel 3815. 0:46:20.690 --> 0:46:23.810 Evil originated with the enemy. But why did God allow it? 0:46:23.810 --> 0:46:27.230 That's another story. Thanks for your call, Robin. Appreciate it. 0:46:27.230 --> 0:46:29.900 Thanks for listening, everyone. That's the first hour. Second hour 0:46:29.930 --> 0:46:32.390 is coming up straight ahead, so don't miss it. Check 0:46:32.420 --> 0:46:37.250 out our our website open Line radio.org. During the break 0:46:37.280 --> 0:46:40.460 our Bible study across America will continue in the second hour, 0:46:40.460 --> 0:46:43.460 so stay with us. Open line with Doctor Michael Melnick 0:46:43.489 --> 0:46:47.510 is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody 0:46:47.510 --> 0:46:48.890 Bible Institute.