S1: Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick Moody Radio's Bible Study
S1: Across America. We're talking about your questions about the Bible,
S1: God and the spiritual life. My name is Michael Ray Dolnick.
S1: I am the academic dean and a professor of Jewish
S1: Studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. We're live today
S1: sitting around the radio kitchen table taking your questions. So
S1: give me a call. The phone number (877) 548-3675. If you
S1: can't call, you can always go to our web page. Uh,
S1: the website is open Line radio.org. And you click on
S1: that and ask the place where it says Ask Michael
S1: a question. You can post your question there and Trish
S1: will put it put it in the mailbag in upcoming weeks.
S1: I hope you have your Bibles open, and I hope
S1: you have a second cup of coffee, because we're ready
S1: to study the scriptures. But I have to tell you,
S1: I am so excited about our brand new resource. It's
S1: a new month, we've got a new resource, and I
S1: just think it's a terrific resource, and I can't wait
S1: to tell you about it. It is about the Bible.
S1: Have you ever wondered how we got the Bible we
S1: read today? How ancient manuscripts became the book you read? Well,
S1: Carl Laney's book, The Story of the Bible takes you
S1: on a journey from God's superintending human authors, writing the
S1: original manuscripts to transmission to modern translations. It leads us
S1: from beginning to end of how we got the Bible,
S1: the question of canonicity, which books were chosen and how
S1: they were put in the Bible. Doctor Laney reveals how
S1: God worked through these human authors to how God used
S1: scribes to copy the text, how God used translators to
S1: give us a Bible that we can read and understand.
S1: If there's any book that you'll ever read that will
S1: give you greater confidence in the Word of God, this
S1: is the book for you. It's called The story of
S1: the Bible, and it's yours when you give a gift
S1: of any size to open line. I'm so grateful for
S1: this resource. I love Carlini, I love his work. He
S1: taught for many, many years at Western Seminary in Portland
S1: and the you know, he's retired now, but he still
S1: runs ten K's all the time and stuff like that.
S1: So he is active writing and this is a book
S1: that that I got a copy of because I was
S1: interested and seeing if this would be a great book
S1: for the Open Line audience. I think it is a terrific, uh,
S1: just a terrific resource for you. And I get a
S1: lot of questions about how he got the Bible. So
S1: I thought, well, this is it. Uh, when you give
S1: a gift of any size, we'd like to say thank
S1: you by sending you a copy. Just go to our website,
S1: openline radio.org, or call (888) 644-7122. Don't miss out and make
S1: sure to ask for the story of the Bible when
S1: you give. Uh, we're going to talk to Amaya in Gurnee, Illinois,
S1: listening on Wmbi. Welcome to Open Line. Amaya, how can
S1: I help you?
S2: Hi. Good morning. Thank you so much for taking my call.
S2: I'm reading in the book of Samuel. And in first Samuel.
S2: Hannah prays for a son, and she's crying with a
S2: lot of anguish. So my question is, did she feel
S2: the Holy Spirit?
S1: Does it say that she felt the Holy Spirit?
S2: It doesn't. But I think that she could have felt
S2: the Holy Spirit. But there's rumor out there that Jesus wasn't.
S2: Since Jesus wasn't there, there wasn't. Um. There's no way
S2: she could have felt the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament.
S2: The Holy Spirit wasn't alive, is what they're saying.
S1: Yeah, well, that's a mistake. Uh, now, I don't know
S1: if she felt the Holy Spirit. When I cry out,
S1: sometimes I feel I sense the Holy Spirit, but sometimes
S1: I don't. Uh, and, uh, but to say that there
S1: was no Holy Spirit operating at that time is a
S1: mistaken inference. It's not right. Uh, it says, for example,
S1: in first Samuel chapter 11. So it's part of the
S1: same book written at the same time, not an event
S1: at the same time, but written at the same time.
S1: It said that when Paul, when Saul, not Paul, when Saul,
S1: the first king of Israel, heard the threats against Jabesh Gilead. Uh,
S1: the Spirit of God suddenly took control of him and
S1: his anger burned furiously. So first Samuel 11 six. There
S1: it is. Uh, Saul certainly felt the Holy Spirit, and
S1: it caused him to be angry at the attack on
S1: Jabesh Gilead. So, uh, was there a Holy Spirit operating
S1: in the Old Testament? You bet. There's a lot of
S1: other places I could show you. But beginning with the
S1: very first verse of the Bible, uh, where it talks
S1: about creation, in the beginning, God created the heavens and
S1: the earth. Uh, and the earth was, I would translate
S1: it a wilderness and a waste. And then it says, uh,
S1: darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the
S1: Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
S1: Was there a Holy Spirit operating then? You bet.
S2: Yeah.
S1: Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Thanks for your call, Amaya. Uh, always.
S1: God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit.
S1: Just the revelation, the clarity of the Trinity develops over time.
S1: But there always was a spirit of God operating. Uh,
S1: Garrett in Lake Worth, Florida, listening on RGM. Welcome to
S1: Open Line. How can I help you? And how is
S1: it in beautiful, sunny Florida? That's what I want to know.
S3: Good morning, Doctor Radonich. And greetings to to your wife. Uh,
S3: I have a question. Uh, uh, it's, uh, two questions
S3: in one. Uh, thank you for taking my call. Uh,
S3: when did the mother of Jesus die? And where and
S3: how old were they? My her and, uh, Joseph, my grandson, 11,
S3: asked me this question.
S1: Well, you got to tell your grandson there are a
S1: lot of things we just don't know. And we do.
S1: It does appear that by the time we see the
S1: Lord Jesus as an adult in his adult ministry, Joseph
S1: seems to have passed from the scene. He probably has
S1: died by this point. And the mother of the Lord
S1: Jesus is a widow. It does appear that way, although
S1: it never states it categorically. It's just that Joseph isn't around. Uh.
S1: Where and when and where she's buried. How, Mary? The
S1: Bible doesn't tell us. Uh. It just doesn't say. And
S1: so I'm sure there are traditions in other churches and
S1: places like that, but according to Scripture, there's no word
S1: of it. And so it's just something that God knows
S1: and we don't. Okay.
S3: I searched the scriptures myself and I couldn't find any.
S1: No, there's nothing about it. So. Okay. Garrett, thanks for
S1: your call. Appreciate it. Uh. We're, uh. Are we in
S1: the window? No. We're not. Okay. Uh, we're going to
S1: talk to Nicole in Cleveland, Ohio, listening on wtxf. Welcome
S1: to Open Line, Nicole. How can I help you?
S4: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. It's so great to
S4: hear from you. And my question is, um, if you do,
S4: you have to be a pastor or a minister, you know,
S4: somebody of that status to be able to baptize someone
S4: or can a person that is a Christian baptize a
S4: person that is a new believer?
S1: I don't see anything in Scripture that says it has
S1: to be someone who is a pastor. I just don't
S1: see it. Uh, Nevertheless, some local churches might say that,
S1: and I would respect what decisions a local church has
S1: about that. So okay.
S4: Because my son is has a friend that's going that
S4: goes to a church that they do that. And um,
S4: that's why I wanted to get your opinion to know
S4: if that.
S1: Yeah, I would, I would respect I would respect the
S1: authority of a local church if that's what they want.
S1: That's what I would do. Uh, although I don't see
S1: anything in Scripture that compels me to say it must
S1: be the pastor or an elder or someone from that
S1: church that does it. Uh, but uh uh, so, for example,
S1: when when I go to Israel, there are always people
S1: that want me to baptize them, uh, in the, the Jordan.
S1: And I always say, well, I baptize in the wider Jordan,
S1: which is the the Sea of Galilee. It's the same water.
S1: It's just it's a little easier to get in it.
S1: And then, uh, the other thing that I say is
S1: I have some limits. I really encourage people not to
S1: be rebaptized. The first baptism counted, you know, in terms
S1: of if you became a believer and then you were baptized,
S1: you being in the water in Israel doesn't make any difference.
S1: And then the other thing I say is, if you
S1: were baptized as a baby and you want to be
S1: baptized for real as a follower of Jesus, uh, that
S1: I'm okay with that. But is the church you're attending
S1: going to be okay with that? I don't want to
S1: baptize someone if I'm not their pastor, and their church
S1: would say no, you must be baptized by the the pastor.
S1: And so that's the limitation I put on it. I
S1: don't want to I don't want to disrespect the local church. Okay, okay.
S4: Thank you so much.
S1: Yeah. Okay. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Uh, Angie. Uh,
S1: I don't know where you're calling from. Where are you
S1: calling from?
S5: Uh, Chattanooga, Tennessee. WNBA.
S1: Hey. That's great, I could tell. You know what? If
S1: you had just talked, I would have been able to
S1: guess that.
S5: You would have known I was southern. Thank you for
S5: taking my call. Yeah, um, I just lost my daddy
S5: December 31st. I'm 56. He was 82. I'm sorry. I'm
S5: an only child. That was a daddy's girl. Thank you. It's, uh. I'm.
S5: We're Christians. We're believers. But this this is this has
S5: taken me down a dark road. Mhm. I'll need to know,
S5: does my daddy remember me in heaven?
S1: In my opinion, uh, when we go to heaven, there's
S1: nothing in Scripture that says that God has some divine
S1: neuralyzer where he makes us forget. Uh, do you remember
S1: the Neuralyzer and Men in Black? You know where they were? Yeah. Yeah,
S1: that doesn't happen. I do think God brings his special
S1: comfort for the pain that we have, the sorrows that
S1: we've had. I don't I think that God. Because he'll
S1: wipe away every tear. So that means he comforts us.
S1: It doesn't mean he removes the memory. Uh, okay. And, uh,
S1: so I'm absolutely convinced that we will recognize and remember
S1: each other. And we remember each other even before we
S1: recognize each other, because obviously you're not there yet. Uh,
S1: the other the one thing that sometimes people think, and I,
S1: I differ with my friend Mike Vanlandingham. I don't believe
S1: that your daddy can see what you're doing right now. Uh,
S1: I don't think your father does that. Uh, I think
S1: that he is taken up with what's going on. We
S1: don't become divine little mini beings that have omniscience. Heaven
S1: is an utterly different, uh, place. And God can see
S1: what's going on on earth. I don't believe that we
S1: do when we die, but his memory is intact, maybe
S1: even stronger of all the details of his loving relationship
S1: with you. And I think that that is something that
S1: that he celebrates while he's there in heaven. And he
S1: looks forward to you being there with him someday. Uh,
S1: so that's what I would say. Uh, however, he's not
S1: watching you now. You know who's watching you? Someone even better.
S1: The Lord Jesus is never going to leave us or
S1: forsake us. So the Lord Jesus is watching out for
S1: you now. Okay. Does that help? Angie up? Seemed to
S1: have lost Angie, but I hope that she heard that. Uh,
S1: so we're going to take a break here. When we
S1: come back, uh, we'll talk with you about your questions
S1: about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. You're listening
S1: to Open Line with Michael Ray Dolnick, and we're going
S1: to be taking many more questions. So stay with us
S1: right here on Moody Radio. And we're back. Hey, I
S1: was at National Religious Broadcasters this past week, and I
S1: actually met some people from different stations and one, you know,
S1: they were they were like the exact team from different
S1: stations and so forth. And one of the coolest things
S1: was this it wasn't a moody, uh, owned and operated station,
S1: but rather one of the many affiliates that take programming
S1: from Moody Radio. And they we met and they said
S1: one of the people on the team said, I'm a
S1: kitchen table partner. And I was so pleased, uh, to
S1: see someone who actually is running a radio station and
S1: wants to be a kitchen table partner. It just shows
S1: to shows me how wide a team we have and
S1: how grateful I am for everyone on that team. It's
S1: not just the team that I see here. Like Omar
S1: shaking his head right now, uh, or to hear her,
S1: but also the team of people who wanted to bring
S1: Moody Radio onto their station open line on their station.
S1: But in addition, they're there helping by giving monthly so
S1: that I can be on the air weekly. And I
S1: am so grateful that they're doing that. And I was
S1: hoping that some of you who are listening, you may
S1: have given one time or you give whenever there's a
S1: new resource because you want to get the resource, but
S1: you haven't really determined that you want to give monthly.
S1: I hope maybe you'll consider that becoming a kitchen kitchen
S1: table partner. You'll still get the resource that we offer,
S1: but this would give us a great confidence. And, and, uh,
S1: the certainty of when we were making budgets and things
S1: like that. Uh, it'll keep us on the air, and
S1: we so appreciate it if you'll consider it. Uh, if
S1: you if you will, uh, then all you have to
S1: do is go to Openline radio.org. Uh, you can also, uh,
S1: call 877. I'm sorry, not eight. 77 ah, I keep
S1: I keep getting that that number confused with our call
S1: in number. Uh, if you want to, you can call (888) 644-7122.
S1: That's (888) 644-7122. If you'd like to become a kitchen table partner,
S1: if you do, we'll send you an audio Bible study
S1: every other week. In your email, you get to listen
S1: to it. I hope you'll enjoy that. Uh, we're going
S1: to talk now with Mark in Florida listening on WLKY's.
S1: Welcome to Open Line. Mark, how can I help you.
S6: Yeah. Thank you so much for taking my call I
S6: appreciate it.
S1: Sure.
S6: Okay. My question is in reference on, uh, Daniel nine
S6: where it talks about the seven years, the time, time,
S6: time and a half, which is seven years. And I'm
S6: trying to.
S1: Know the time times and the half time times and
S1: time and a half. That one. That's the the times.
S1: Time and time and a half. Time. That's it. Yeah.
S1: That's three and a half years, not seven.
S6: Okay.
S1: And it's the second that refers to the second half
S1: of the tribulation period, which is a seven year period.
S6: Okay. That was my question. Was that the second half
S6: of the tribulation. Yeah. And another thing was the four
S6: horsemen was that in the second half or the the
S6: beginning part of it?
S1: The four horsemen of the apocalypse.
S6: Off the apocalypse in revelation.
S1: Yeah. Unlike a student of mine who called them the
S1: Four horsemen of the Acropolis. Uh, the the the four
S1: horsemen of the apocalypse are, uh, in revelation six and
S1: it says, I looked and saw a white horse, and
S1: the horseman on it had a bow. A crown was
S1: given to him, and he went out as a victor
S1: to conquer the word for crown. There is not the
S1: normal crown that's used for the crown of the Lord Jesus,
S1: and this is referring to a different king that will
S1: have authority in the tribulation period. That's the beast. This
S1: has to do with the authority of the beast. And then, uh,
S1: the second horse is red fiery red horse, and that
S1: refers to war. Uh, the third horse is a black horse.
S1: And the horseman on it had a set of scales
S1: in his hand. And it has to do with inflation,
S1: believe it or not, because a quart of wheat for
S1: a denarius, a full day of pay just to get
S1: a bag of wheat. And then the fourth seal is death, uh,
S1: a pale green horse, and it causes a plague for
S1: a fourth of the earth. Okay, those are the Four
S1: horsemen of the apocalypse, and they take place in the
S1: first half of the tribulation. They are part of the
S1: seal judgments. Uh, the first, second, third and fourth seal,
S1: the six first six seal judgments take place in the
S1: first half of the tribulation. And then the seventh seal
S1: opens the trumpet judgments. And those are the second half
S1: of the tribulation. Okay.
S6: So much I appreciate it.
S1: Yeah. Thanks for your call. Really appreciate it. We're going
S1: to talk to Fred in Minnesota listening on 102.7 the word.
S1: Hey Fred, how can I help you today.
S7: Thank you. Mike, uh, I got a question that's been
S7: zooming around this area in my head as well. And
S7: does the Bible support flat earth or round global Earth?
S1: Well, uh, do you think the Bible would support something
S1: that's absolutely untrue?
S7: Absolutely, I do not.
S1: Okay. I don't think so either. So, uh, the Bible
S1: really doesn't talk about, uh, the atmosphere in that way, but, uh,
S1: it does have a verse in Isaiah that, uh, talks
S1: about the sphericity of the earth. It's Isaiah 40 and
S1: I believe verse 22, uh, and there it talks about
S1: God sitting over the circle of the earth. And the circle, uh,
S1: could be translated easily as the sphere, the, the, the roundness,
S1: the sphericity. God sits on this over the sphere of
S1: the earth. God is enthroned above the sphere of the earth. Now,
S1: most versions say circle, but it's talking about a sphere.
S1: And so it does appear there that it's talking about
S1: the earth being round. Now, what is important to remember is,
S1: you know, it talks about the four corners of the
S1: earth and things like that. Well, just because of using
S1: figures of speech like that doesn't mean the Bible is
S1: saying the Bible that the earth is flat any more
S1: than the weatherman who talks about, you know, I, I
S1: listen to local news and they have the weather and
S1: they'll talk about sunup is certain. You know, sunrise is
S1: a certain certain time doesn't mean that they really believe
S1: the sun rises. It just is common expression. Uh, common
S1: way of speaking to talk about sunrise. But it doesn't
S1: mean that they believe that the sun is rotating around
S1: the Earth, right? So. Okay. Okay. Yes. Yeah. So, no,
S1: the Bible does not support a flat earth. It does
S1: support the idea of a sphere of an Earth. Okay.
S7: Okay.
S1: Good. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. We're going to
S1: talk to, uh, Gary also listening on 102.7 the word wow.
S1: Two in a row. Uh, welcome to Open Line, Gary.
S1: How can I help you?
S6: Thank you. Thank you for taking my call. But, um,
S6: I have been studying the Bible, and I was wondering
S6: if you could explain to me in the Bible what
S6: is what is the purpose of baptism?
S1: The purpose of baptism is to be a public identification
S1: for our faith. Uh, identifying with the Lord Jesus publicly. Uh,
S1: I think you see that.
S8: Hey, what verse in the Bible says that?
S1: Give me a second. I'll get there. Uh. And, uh,
S1: we're going to look at acts uh, eight. It's where, uh,
S1: Philip said, uh, to the Ethiopian. He said he ordered
S1: the chariot. Wait. Wait a second. Philip proceeded to tell
S1: the Ethiopian official the good news about Jesus beginning from
S1: the scriptures, and obviously he believed. And the official said, look,
S1: there's water. What would keep me from being baptized? And
S1: Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may.
S1: And he replied, I believe that Jesus Christ is the
S1: Son of God. And he ordered the chariot to stop,
S1: and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water.
S1: So obviously, uh, more of an immersion. And he baptized him,
S1: immersed him. Uh, and that's, that's, uh, I think a
S1: good example that the eunuch, the Ethiopian official, wanted to
S1: publicly identify with his faith. Another purpose of baptism is
S1: to identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus. You
S1: can read about that in Romans six, that we died
S1: with him and were raised to new life. That's that's
S1: a pretty clear explanation of a purpose. Uh, and so
S1: that's what I would say the purpose is. Here's the thing.
S1: God expects believers to be baptized. There's no such thing
S1: as an unbaptized believer in the Bible. Uh, when someone
S1: comes to faith, they are baptized. Now, there are today
S1: there are some people who baptize babies. I would say
S1: that that's not something I would agree with. It's not
S1: something I want to go to war about, but it's
S1: not something I agree with. I think believers are the
S1: ones who are baptized. And then there are some churches
S1: that believe in adult or believer baptism. Not necessarily adult,
S1: but believer baptism. And what they do is they want
S1: to make sure you're on the track to discipleship. I'm
S1: not sure I agree with that either. I think we
S1: should be baptized really, as soon as we come to
S1: faith in Jesus. Uh, however, uh, you know, I would
S1: respect that as well. I don't want to go to
S1: war over that. That's that's what I would say. Thanks
S1: for your call. Really appreciate it. Gary. Uh, we're going
S1: to come back with the mailbag in just a moment,
S1: so stay with us. You're listening to Open Line with
S1: Michael Wright on Moody Radio. We'll be right back. Welcome
S1: back to Open Line. My name is Michael Melnick. I
S1: am so glad to be with you. It's time for
S1: the FBC mailbag. I'm really grateful for Far Eastern Broadcasting
S1: Company for their ministry, which brings the gospel to people
S1: all around the globe, through media and through personal engagement.
S1: I'm also grateful that they partnered to bring you the
S1: Febc mailbag, and I really recommend check out their website febc.
S1: Org and also click on the link to their podcast.
S1: Until all have heard, it will give you great encouragement
S1: about the work that they're doing about bringing the gospel
S1: to the world. And joining me right now is Tara
S1: Haynes for the Febc mailbag. Hey, to hear it. So
S1: you look at all the questions. I know Trish puts
S1: the mailbag together, but you look at the questions, do
S1: you like, think, oh, I want that one answered. I
S1: want that one. Or do you just say whatever. Whatever's
S1: there we'll go with the next one. What do you think?
S9: There's a little bit of reviewing the questions, but for
S9: the most part, we want to get to as many
S9: of the questions as possible that our listeners give us.
S9: So we try to go through all of them except.
S1: For the hard ones. Right.
S9: You're okay with the hard ones too, Michael? You can
S9: do it.
S1: There are times I'm thinking, oh, man, I wish Eva
S1: were here. So that's a hard one. I want to
S1: be able to answer that one. So anyway, uh, well, let's, let's,
S1: let's see what we can do with these.
S9: Excellent, excellent. We will start with Jeff, who wrote to
S9: us on Facebook, if you had to explain the Last
S9: Supper to someone who just read it for the first time,
S9: how would you go about doing that?
S1: Well, it's it's really important to recognize that the Last
S1: Supper really should be called the last Seder. Uh, the
S1: order of the Passover. It was a Passover meal. I
S1: think that's significant because the scriptures seem to point to
S1: the Passover lamb as sort of a foreshadowing of what
S1: the Messiah would do. Uh, you know, John the Baptist
S1: and John one, he sees the Lord Jesus coming to
S1: be baptized. And what does he say? Behold the Lamb
S1: of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
S1: And then also in first Peter chapter one, looking backwards
S1: at at the atonement of the Messiah, the the death
S1: and resurrection. Here's what it says in first Peter 118
S1: for you know that you were redeemed from your empty
S1: way of life, inherited from the fathers, not with perishable
S1: things like silver or gold. But now verse 19 says,
S1: but with the precious blood of the Messiah, like that
S1: of a lamb without defect or blemish. And so there
S1: it describes the Lord Jesus as a Passover lamb. And
S1: so the Last Supper was sort of like the the
S1: ultimate foreshadowing of what the Messiah was about to do.
S1: When he would be betrayed, he would die as are,
S1: without spot or blemish, perfect lamb, and he would be
S1: raised again. And so that's it should be viewed as
S1: a Passover Seder. And one of the things I've done
S1: for like the last 50 years since I was a teenager.
S1: I started doing this. Believe it or not, when I
S1: was a teenager is I would go to churches and
S1: explain what a Jewish Passover meal was like and how
S1: the Lord Jesus fulfills that. And it's something that I've
S1: enjoyed doing in many, many, many churches to help them
S1: understand the Last Supper as a Passover Seder. Okay. Well, thank.
S9: You for helping us understand it as well. Thank you.
S9: And you did just ask about the order of the questions.
S9: We actually have another question about the Last Supper. This
S9: one is from Joyce on Facebook. She says she is
S9: working on a painting of Jesus's Last Supper. Um, with
S9: the seating, the table setting and the actual foods. She
S9: wanted to know what type of foods are there? Was
S9: there unleavened bread? Was there wine? Were there olives? That's
S9: the gist of her. Were there.
S1: Olives? Okay, well, there were olives on the Mount of Olives,
S1: I will tell you that. But they probably weren't ripe
S1: at that season quite yet. Uh, what was on the table?
S1: First of all, there was unleavened bread, and they ate it.
S1: The Lord Jesus, when he said, this is my body.
S1: He was taking a piece of unleavened bread, uh, and said,
S1: this is a symbol. Well, this is my body is
S1: what he says, but I think he clearly is talking
S1: about a symbol. And the reason why is, yes, there
S1: was horseradish, uh, on the table. Likely there was salt
S1: water as well, because at a, at a Jewish Passover meal,
S1: you took, uh, green greens like parsley. So that would
S1: have been on the table and you dipped it in
S1: salt water. The green represents life. The salt water represents tears.
S1: And it says, when we were slaves in Egypt, our
S1: lives were dipped or immersed in tears. And so there
S1: was salt water to represent tears. There was the the
S1: green Vegetable to represent our lives. There is horseradish or
S1: a bitter herb ground up. The sop that the New
S1: Testament talks about that was ground up horseradish that indicates
S1: our lives were filled with bitterness. This was bitterness. And
S1: so there were a variety of things like that. So yes,
S1: there was horseradish, there was parsley, kind of green vegetable.
S1: There was salt water, all those elements. There was the
S1: lamb that they offered. So they ate lamb. Uh, whether
S1: they're olives, I don't know. But all that and they
S1: all now what I think is significant about all these
S1: items and this is I know a lot of my
S1: friends want to find some, uh, spiritual presence of the
S1: Lord Jesus in these items. And they say, look, he said,
S1: this is my body when he held up the matzo. Well, he.
S1: Everything at the Seder table was symbolic. When you point
S1: at the salt water, these are our tears. When you
S1: point at the horseradish, this is our bitterness. So when
S1: the Lord Jesus held up the matzo and said, this
S1: is my the unleavened bread, the matzo. When he held
S1: it up and said, this is my body. No one
S1: at that table would have said, oh, he's talking about
S1: his spiritual presence within the body. They would have said, aha!
S1: This is a symbol of his body, just as the
S1: horseradish is a symbol of our bitterness, as the salt
S1: water is a symbol of our tears. And so that's
S1: what would have been on the table. And olives, I
S1: don't know. There's nothing significant about olives, so I don't know.
S9: Thank you. Michael. Okay, Joyce, we wish you the best
S9: with that painting. We also have a question from Judith
S9: in Illinois, listening through WNYC. Where did the where did
S9: Old Testament saints like Abraham go when they died?
S1: Uh, Bethlehem. No. Uh.
S9: Thank you. Michael.
S1: Yeah, they just left town. They're out of here. A
S1: lot of people think, you know, there's a place in
S1: the Bible called Sheol, and it's the abode of the dead.
S1: And a lot of people think, oh, uh, Old Testament
S1: saints like Abraham were locked there. And then at some point,
S1: usually at the resurrection, somehow it's said that the Lord Jesus, uh,
S1: allowed them into heaven, and they weren't there at that
S1: time yet. But when the Lord Jesus spoke the parable
S1: of Lazarus and the rich man, obviously Abraham was there
S1: in what I would say, the presence of God in
S1: the abode of God. And that's why he's comforting Lazarus.
S1: That makes sense. It does? Yeah. So, uh, so I,
S1: you know, I would say that we, we get a
S1: little too technical in saying, oh, there's this place. This place,
S1: as far as we know, the abode of the dead
S1: for for the believer, it was a place of comfort
S1: in heaven. Uh, just like today.
S9: Okay.
S1: And the abode of the dead also had a second
S1: area that was a place of suffering. Like where the
S1: rich man went. Uh, just as there is today. Uh,
S1: and the Lord Jesus today is the one that would,
S1: I think, be the one bringing comfort to someone that
S1: dies today. But, yeah, I think Abraham was in heaven. Okay.
S9: Thank you.
S1: Yeah. And the resurrection. They will indeed be resurrected. Uh,
S1: and Daniel 12, it talks about at the return of
S1: the Lord. Uh, at the Second coming at the end
S1: of the tribulation period. The dead in the Old Testament,
S1: the the faithful of the Old Testament will be resurrected.
S1: Thank you. Well, thanks for that. To hear Haynes bringing
S1: the questions from the mailbag. My name is Michael Riedel.
S1: We'll be right back with more of your questions right
S1: here on Open Line. And we're back. I am so
S1: glad to see all the people that are calling and
S1: asking questions about the scriptures. You know what that tells me?
S1: It tells me that you're reading the Bible and you're
S1: having questions, and I so appreciate it. Uh, one question
S1: I get frequently is how important is it to reach
S1: Jewish people with the good news? And that's a question
S1: often asked of those serving with Chosen People ministries as well.
S1: And that's why Chosen People Ministries is offering a booklet
S1: called To the Jew First and the 21st century. was
S1: written by Doctor Al Mohler, who is the president of
S1: Southern Baptist Seminary, and it reaffirms God's love for the
S1: Jewish people, but shows why believers must also continue to
S1: present the good news of the Messiah, Jesus, to the
S1: Jewish people. Doctor Mohler says Jewish evangelism is the clearest
S1: test case for faithfulness to the gospel in this generation.
S1: For your free copy of To the Jew First in
S1: the 21st century, just go to our website openline. radio.org.
S1: Scroll down. You'll see a link that says A free
S1: gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and you'll
S1: be taken to a page where you can sign up
S1: for your very own copy of To the Jew First
S1: in the New Millennium. Well, we're going to go right
S1: back to the phones now. Uh, Bruce in Mount Prospect, Illinois,
S1: listening on Wmbi. Welcome to Open Line. Bruce. How can
S1: I help you?
S10: Yes. Thank you for your show. I really appreciate it. Thanks.
S10: So a two part question. I lead a Bible study,
S10: and from time to time, from the guys. I get
S10: the two questions about children. One has to do with
S10: a baby that's born stillborn or a born baby, and
S10: they die. And I have a perspective on it, whether
S10: they go to heaven or not. But I wanted to
S10: hear yours. And then I have a second question, but
S10: I'll let you answer the first, if that's okay.
S1: No, we only do one question. Oh, okay. Unless it's
S1: related a follow up. Well.
S10: It is. And that the question is, do children that
S10: have professed Christ, they go to heaven and we reunite
S10: with them. Will they still be children or they will
S10: be something different?
S1: Okay. Well, first of all, the Bible really doesn't speak
S1: directly to the issue of whether or not children who
S1: are babies go to be with the Lord. But there's
S1: a hint in second. Samuel. Stillborn. Yeah. Uh, A second
S1: Samuel 12, where David says of his child that dies
S1: his baby. He said, I'll go to him, but he
S1: will never return to me. And so it does appear
S1: that David has hope of seeing that child, uh, in,
S1: in the afterlife. And so after the earthly life. And
S1: so it does appear, I think that and there's some
S1: arguments that theologians make, but it seems to me that
S1: a child, one way of thinking about this is that
S1: sin nature doesn't set us apart from God. It doesn't
S1: separate us from God. But sinful actions and babies have
S1: not reached an age of accountability yet where they have
S1: committed moral failure. And and therefore. And if someone says, well,
S1: my toddler, if you could see how misbehaving. Yeah, they're
S1: a toddler is a toddler. They're not doing it because
S1: they're rebelling against God. They're doing it because they're a toddler.
S1: So that's right. Right. Uh, okay. And what age they
S1: will be. Your guess is as good as mine. Uh,
S1: the I believe will be timeless in eternity, so I
S1: don't know. Uh, I hope I'm not the age I
S1: am now in eternity because my knees really hurt and, uh. Yeah. Okay, so.
S1: And I, I used to have hair a long time ago.
S1: I was hoping in my resurrected body to have hair again, but. So. Right. Okay, Bruce,
S1: we'll get new bodies.
S10: But I guess my question was a child that dies at, say, 12.
S10: They profess Christ. Would they still be still be 12?
S10: Or do they get entirely new bodies at some form?
S1: If only I knew. Oh, no. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay.
S1: Thank you. I don't want to be my age, so
S1: maybe he doesn't want to be 12. I don't know, so.
S11: Yeah. Okay.
S1: Thank you. Okay.
S12: Yeah.
S1: You know, I think if that once again, I keep
S1: saying the Bible doesn't satisfy our curiosity. It only gives
S1: us the truth that we need to know. So we're
S1: going to talk with Barbara in Plymouth, New Hampshire, listening online.
S1: Welcome to Open Line. How can I help you, Barbara?
S13: Hi. Um, quick question in first, I mean, I'm sorry,
S13: in John, uh, where it speaks about right in the beginning, um,
S13: that the word was God. The word was with God.
S13: I looked in the Moody Bible Commentary, and it had
S13: a really good excerpt on this, and it pretty much
S13: whet my appetite for more. And I didn't know if
S13: you had any resources that somebody has actually written on
S13: this topic of the word being God and with. Yeah,
S13: with God. And.
S1: Uh, well, there's a book, uh, and if I could
S1: find it, Uh, I would tell you what it is. Uh,
S1: I read I have it on my shelf in my library. Um. Uh,
S1: I can't think of the name of it or the author,
S1: but I'll tell you what it's about. It's about the
S1: Hebrew concept. It's a it's a scholarly book. I'm not
S1: sure it's something that you would want. It's, uh. Uh,
S1: it's about the memra. That's the Hebrew concept of the
S1: word as God. Uh, in in, uh uh, wow. Uh,
S1: the memorized the word of God. The word became flesh
S1: as deity. Uh, and so, you know what, Barbara? How
S1: about this? Why don't you listen next week and I'll.
S1: I'll check out the, uh, the my library and come
S1: up with that book for you. Is that okay?
S13: That's fine. Yeah.
S1: Uh, I'd have to go to my bookshelf and find
S1: that book. And, uh, it's it's it's a deep dive.
S1: I think it was a doctoral dissertation at one time. Uh,
S1: but that's that's it. There are some people who think
S1: that it's not based on the word, the Hebrew word memra,
S1: which is translated logos. Some people think it's related to Philo,
S1: who was a Jewish philosopher of the first century BC.
S1: And he wrote a lot about the logos, but I
S1: don't think so. I think it's about the memra. Okay. Okay.
S13: Yeah.
S1: Okay, great. Yeah. I'm glad. Thanks. Thanks for your call.
S1: Appreciate it. And we're going to speak with Leon in Florida.
S1: Welcome to Open Line, Leon. How can I help you?
S14: Her question is, in one place in the Bible, it
S14: says that Judas took the money back to the priest
S14: and threw it to him. And in another policy, he
S14: bought a field and fell headlong. So can you explain
S14: that to me?
S1: Yeah. Uh, in Matthew 27, uh, it speaks about the
S1: death of, uh, Judas. And that's what it says there. Uh,
S1: so after Judas, I think it's. Yeah, it says, uh,
S1: it says that he threw silver into the sanctuary and departed,
S1: and he went and hanged himself. The chief priest took
S1: the silver and said, it's not lawful to put it
S1: into the temple treasury, since it's blood money. This is
S1: verse six five and six. So they conferred together and
S1: bought the potter's field with it as a place of
S1: foreign for foreigners. Therefore, the field has been called blood
S1: field to this day to fulfill what was spoken through
S1: the prophet Jeremiah. Uh, I think that in the one
S1: place it says that he tossed it to them. Uh,
S1: clearly he did. He threw the silver into the sanctuary. Uh,
S1: but they didn't want to just accept it back. And
S1: so what they did is in the name of Judas, they, uh,
S1: they they bought that field. They didn't buy it in
S1: the name of the Sanhedrin. They bought it in the
S1: name of Judas. They took the money. They wouldn't receive
S1: it back. They said here. And so in in a sense,
S1: Judas bought it, even though they were the ones that
S1: handled the money because they didn't want to accept it back.
S1: So they took it and bought it in Judas name.
S1: So that's why another passage might say Judas bought a field.
S1: It wasn't technically, uh, it was technically he who bought it,
S1: even though it was done through the Sanhedrin, who took
S1: the money back in that way, they wouldn't accept it back. Uh,
S1: they didn't want to have blood money on their hands,
S1: so they used it to buy a field of blood. So. Okay,
S1: I hope that helps. Uh, Leon, uh, let's see if
S1: we can get one more question in, Uh, uh, let's
S1: talk to Linda in, uh, on line four and, uh, Waterloo, Iowa. Hey, Linda.
S1: How can I help you today?
S15: Oh, I'm so glad to talk to you.
S1: We're way down in time, so just go ahead with
S1: your question.
S15: You betcha. I want to know what the Bible specifically
S15: says about the church getting involved in politics.
S1: I think that, uh, this is a real quick answer.
S1: Did you ever hear me talking about politics on Open Line? No, no.
S1: Do you know why I want to? I want to
S1: advance the kingdom of God. Uh, and certainly we have
S1: to be good citizens. And as good citizens, we can
S1: take political positions as individuals. But as a church, uh,
S1: I think we can take political positions, but we don't
S1: advance any political party. We advance the kingdom. Kingdom of God.
S1: That's my opinion. So.
S15: So. so the people that the preachers that are preaching
S15: politics from the pulpit, you would say that you would not.
S1: Let me just say it's not something I would do
S1: when I was a pastor, I would I would preach morality,
S1: I would preach preach holiness. Uh, and I would even
S1: say there are political positions. Like, I was always very
S1: outspokenly pro-life, uh, which some people think is political, but
S1: I think is moral. That's what I would say. Anyway,
S1: that's the program for the week. Thanks for your call, Linda.
S1: Thanks for listening to everyone else. And thanks for the
S1: Open Line team, Tricia, for putting the questions together to
S1: here for producing today. Omar, uh, for being our engineer
S1: and Lisa for taking care of everything. Check out our
S1: web page, Open Line radio.org. There's even a link to
S1: my personal web page. There you can see what's coming up.
S1: Keep reading the Bible. We'll talk about it next week.
S1: Open line with Doctor Michael Dolnick is a production of
S1: Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.