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S1: Increasingly on social media, you hear comments from Christians that

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S1: go something like this. You know, since Jews reject the

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S1: Jesus as the Messiah, why would I bother supporting Israel? Well,

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S1: today we're going to tackle that very question and much more. Plus,

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S1: we'll cover all the major stories unfolding in the Middle East.

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S1: We'll dive into a great new set of Bible questions

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S1: and take you on your own personal adventure to the

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S1: Holy Land. Welcome to the land and the book. Our host,

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S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer, has been to the Holy Land well

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S1: over a hundred times. He's been to Jordan and Turkey

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S1: many times. It was twice a guest in Iraq, so

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S1: he knows a thing or two about the Middle East.

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S1: I'm John Geiger, and you know, soon, Charlie, we're going

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S1: to be celebrating Good Friday Resurrection Sunday, remembering the words

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S1: from the Last Supper in the same way he took

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S1: the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new

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S1: covenant in my blood. Well, did you know that the

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S1: Last Supper was actually a Passover Seder? And that cup

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S1: is believed to be the third cup in the traditional

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S1: Passover service. There's just so much depth, so much understanding

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S1: to be gained when we view the Last Supper as

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S1: a Passover Seder. Right, Charlie.

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S2: Absolutely. John. And that's why our friends at Life in

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S2: Messiah are offering to mail you a free copy of

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S2: their messianic Passover Haggadah. The booklet will lead you through

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S2: the celebration of Passover to see the rich connections to Jesus,

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S2: our Messiah and Savior. You'll also receive a link for

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S2: an interactive Passover Seder video. Now, with the Haggadah and video,

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S2: you can celebrate Passover this year with your family and friends.

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S2: To get this free offer, just go to Life in

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S2: messiah.org and click on the radio button to find out

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S2: more and to request your copy. That's life in Messiah. Oh.

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S1: And now a look at current events, all based in

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S1: the Middle East. This next week begins with Palm Sunday,

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S1: followed by Passover, which starts Wednesday evening and then Good Friday.

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S1: How will the current Middle East conflict impact the celebration

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S1: of these events in Israel?

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S2: Well, for Christians in the Middle East, Palm Sunday normally

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S2: includes a procession down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem

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S2: that on Good Friday, Christians reenact the events of that

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S2: day as they carry the cross along the Via Dolorosa

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S2: to the church of the Holy Sepulchre. However, this year

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S2: celebrations will be more subdued. The threat of drones and

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S2: missiles still hangs over the country, so there are restrictions

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S2: on the type and size of gatherings. People are reluctant

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S2: to venture out unless they know exactly where the nearest

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S2: bomb shelter is located. Should an alarm sound. The fact

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S2: that pieces of an Iranian missile recently landed on the

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S2: roof of the church of the Holy Sepulchre brought the

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S2: reality of the war home to many Christians, and that

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S2: incident was followed last week by a missile hitting near

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S2: a parking lot in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.

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S2: For the Jews, the Passover holiday normally takes them in

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S2: one of two directions. A number of religious Jews from

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S2: outside Israel travel to the country to celebrate Passover with

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S2: family and friends. At the same time, many secular Jews

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S2: leave Israel for an extended holiday vacation abroad. But this

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S2: year's drastic reduction in the number of available airline flights

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S2: is making it very difficult for people to fly in

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S2: or out of the country because of the religious importance

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S2: of these events. Security within Israel will be tightened even

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S2: more to protect Jews and Christians from terrorist attacks. Security

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S2: officials will also be watching for Jewish religious groups trying

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S2: to sneak onto the Temple Mount to sacrifice a Passover lamb.

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S2: Israel had already closed the Temple Mount to Muslim worshippers

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S2: for the end of Ramadan, which brought condemnation from surrounding

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S2: Muslim countries. If Passover lambs were able to be sacrificed

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S2: in the same area, the rumors that Israel is about

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S2: to turn the Al-Aqsa mosque back into a Jewish temple

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S2: would run rampant. And that's what Israel doesn't want to

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S2: happen in the middle of this war. Israel's security establishment

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S2: will be working overtime to protect all worshippers and to

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S2: not allow any extremists to use it as a way

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S2: to advance their own personal or religious agenda.

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S1: Well, as the war with Iran enters its fifth week,

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S1: how have the US and Israel divided up the war effort?

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S1: And are the reports of divergent goals between the two

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S1: countries accurate, or is that just sort of hearsay?

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S2: Well, the reports have surfaced suggesting cracks are developing between

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S2: the US and Israel in their unified front against Iran.

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S2: And President Trump's announcement early Monday that the US and

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S2: Iran have been holding back channel talks and that he

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S2: was postponing threatened attacks against Iran's power plants. Added to

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S2: that impression, and that's why it helps to look at

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S2: the larger picture. The US joined the coalition to stop

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S2: Iran's nuclear program to halt their proliferation of missiles and

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S2: drones to reduce or eliminate their support for international terrorists

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S2: and to weaken the regime's control over the Iranian people. Now,

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S2: if this leads to regime change, the U.S. would be happy.

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S2: But that wasn't the primary goal. And as the war unfolded,

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S2: another goal did surface. And that was to keep oil

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S2: flowing from the Middle East to reduce price shocks to

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S2: the rest of the world. Israel's goals going into the

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S2: war were very similar, though not identical. They also wanted

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S2: to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and to stop

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S2: them from expanding their stockpile of missiles and drones. They

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S2: would also like a change in regime, and they felt

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S2: they could help hasten that along by trying to decapitate

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S2: Iran's leadership structure. And in fact, on Monday, President Trump

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S2: suggested there has been a de facto regime change because

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S2: so many of those in charge were eliminated. Israel knew

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S2: they would be directly impacted by the war, but felt

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S2: that that was a price they were willing to pay

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S2: to eliminate a growing existential threat for much of the

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S2: past month. Israel has gone after Iran's leadership while also

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S2: striking missile and drone launch sites and the infrastructure producing them.

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S2: The US has also attacked missile and drone sites, and

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S2: has tried to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities and their fleet

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S2: of warships and other vessels they used to harass shipping

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S2: and close down the Strait of Hormuz. The main difference

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S2: between the US and Israel right now seems to be

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S2: on defining what victory needs to look like. The US

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S2: wants to make it impossible for Iran to rebuild its

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S2: military for years or even decades, but they also want

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S2: to open the Strait of Hormuz to get oil and

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S2: natural gas flowing as quickly as possible to reduce prices

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S2: and bring our troops home before the next election cycle

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S2: moves into full swing. Israel really doesn't want to stop

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S2: until Iran's ability to launch attacks has been eliminated, and

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S2: until their funding of other terrorist groups, especially Hezbollah, has

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S2: been cut off. The bottom line in all this. Are

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S2: there differences in how the US and Israel might measure

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S2: success and stop the war? Yes there are. And are

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S2: they critical and could they threaten to break up the coalition? Well,

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S2: right now I think the answer is no.

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S1: Charlie, do you see this war being fought three months

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S1: from now?

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S2: I do not, but here are the main things to

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S2: watch for. What will the US do if Iran doesn't

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S2: agree to stop fighting right now and to open the

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S2: Strait of Hormuz? If we have to put boots on

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S2: the ground to open up the Strait of Hormuz, that

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S2: could extend the time. And if we choose to go

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S2: in and go after the nuclear material that was stored

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S2: underground and bring it out, that will also require boots

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S2: on the ground and that will extend the time.

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S1: This is the land in the book from Moody Radio.

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S1: We're looking at current events in segment one. Well, a

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S1: statement like Christ is King would seem to be just

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S1: a statement of faith, in fact, for most Christians. But

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S1: apparently it's producing a schism with hints of anti-Semitism among

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S1: some Christian groups. I'm confused. What do we need to

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S1: know about this culture war controversy?

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S2: Yeah, if we're not careful, biblical phrases and images that

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S2: have been used for thousands of years can be hijacked

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S2: by individuals and groups for other purposes. You know, we

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S2: all know about the sign of the rainbow that God

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S2: gave in Genesis nine following the flood. It was a

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S2: sign to show God would never again destroy life through

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S2: a flood. But that sign was hijacked by the LGBT movement,

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S2: to the point where displaying a rainbow in a church

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S2: now suggests the church is more pro-gay than pro. God. Now,

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S2: I use that example because the same thing is starting

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S2: to happen again, only this time with the phrase Christ

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S2: is King. That phrase summarizes a key tenet of our faith.

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S2: We're looking forward to the day when Jesus returns as

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S2: King of kings and Lord of lords. Unfortunately, some today

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S2: are using that phrase as a code to promote Christian

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S2: nationalism and antisemitism. Their goal is to make the U.S.

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S2: a Christian nation and to oppose those who are not Christians,

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S2: including the Jewish people. Now, I love our country, and

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S2: our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. But let's face it,

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S2: America is not God's promised land, nor is it the

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S2: same as God's kingdom on earth. In Colossians 113, Paul said,

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S2: God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and

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S2: brought us into the kingdom of his beloved son. And

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S2: he wasn't describing America in Philippians 320. We're told that

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S2: our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a

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S2: Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christ is King,

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S2: and someday the kingdoms of this world will become the

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S2: kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Just like

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S2: revelation 1115 says, but we're not bringing in the kingdom.

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S2: Jesus will do that. And in the meantime, he wants

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S2: us to go out into all the world and share

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S2: the gospel. And he also wants us to know that

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S2: when it comes to Jewish people, they're loved by God

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S2: on account of the patriarchs. For God's gifts and his

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S2: call are irrevocable. So don't ever give up proclaiming that

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S2: Christ is King. But do be wise enough to realize

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S2: that some are using that phrase to promote a so-called

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S2: Kingdom gospel that is false and even anti-Semitic.

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S1: Well before computers or correcting Selectric typewriters. If you made

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S1: a mistake, you had to have a bottle of Wite-out.

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S1: I remember that to cover up those typos. Well, apparently

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S1: ancient Egyptians you're saying did the same thing on papyrus

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S1: scrolls 3000 years ago, Charlie?

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S2: Yeah. They did. It seems rather dramatic until you think

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S2: about it. You know, copyists would have made mistakes. Now,

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S2: in this particular case, the mistake took place in the

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S2: drawing of a jackal on a funerary text. The Egyptian

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S2: Book of the dead was intended to guide those who

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S2: had died into the afterlife. While getting ready to display

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S2: this ancient manuscript, researchers noticed a thick white pigment along

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S2: both sides of a Jackal's body. It turns out the

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S2: jackal had originally painted was too fat, so the original

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S2: artist had to mix up a batch of ancient wite-out

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S2: and paint along both sides of that animal to slim

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S2: it down. I can almost hear the individual who made

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S2: that error, saying to the supervisor, you know there the

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S2: problem solved. No one will ever notice the mistake, at

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S2: least for the next 3300 years.

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S1: Well, ancient Wite-out, we've covered it all on this opening segment,

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S1: current events on the Middle East coming up, a conversation

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S1: about why bother supporting Israel. You need to hear this.

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S1: And it's next on Moody Radio's The Land and the book.

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S1: Do you ever feel like the happy ending of your

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S1: story is a million miles away? Well, then you know

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S1: how the Jewish people felt when they returned to their

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S1: wrecked land after exile and began rebuilding the temple. They

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S1: were distracted. They were discouraged and just ready to throw

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S1: in the towel. But the prophet Haggai had just the

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S1: word they needed. Take courage and work because God is

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S1: with you. Hey, what insights can you and I borrow

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S1: from the book of Haggai? After all, it's only two

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S1: chapters long, 38 verses total. But there's more here than

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S1: you might think. Welcome to the land and the book.

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S1: I'm John Gager. Before we get into our study in

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S1: the life of Haggai. Let's pause for a moment on

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S1: another idea on how you and I can share our

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S1: faith with a Jewish friend. So you understand the importance

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S1: of standing with and alongside the nation of Israel. How

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S1: could that possibly be a point of witness to your

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S1: unsaved Jewish friend? Justin Krohn is the founding director of

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S1: the Kesher project. What do you think?

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S3: Yeah, I think a lot of Jewish people are more

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S3: interested in knowing that you care for them before they

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S3: want to know exactly what you believe. Right. And so

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S3: I think it's good to demonstrate that that you genuinely

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S3: care for them. You're there with them regardless of what

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S3: they might think about your faith.

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S1: What does that look like to show that kind of support?

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S3: Yeah. So I really recommend that when instances happen in

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S3: the Jewish world, especially if there's been an attack of

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S3: some kind against Jewish people, that you find a way

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S3: to demonstrate that love and care for Jewish people. Maybe

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S3: it's through just a phone call. If you have a

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S3: Jewish friend, text him whatever, but find a way to

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S3: get in touch with them, to let them know that

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S3: you are thinking of them and praying for them.

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S1: Standing with Israel is a great way to share your

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S1: love for Jesus and for them. Justin Krohn, founding director

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S1: of the Kesher project here on the land and the book.

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S1: Jennifer Rothschild has become a favorite guest on the land

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S1: and the book. We love her because she's able to

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S1: do a deep dive into the Word of God and

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S1: come up with great treasures. But she has a way

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S1: of sharing rather than showing off. She doesn't blast us

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S1: with her. Her knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. Instead, she

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S1: invites us on a journey and she never forgets to

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S1: laugh a little. Jennifer's written too many books to count,

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S1: but before we ever even invited her on our program,

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S1: I bought her book, me, Myself and lies, a great read.

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S1: And here she is today to help us learn more

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S1: about the story of Haggai. Welcome back to the land

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S1: and the book, Jennifer.

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S4: Oh, I love being here with you guys and hanging out. John,

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S4: you and I have got that in common, too. This

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S4: telling ourselves the truth. Because you've written a book too,

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S4: about being truthful with our own souls. So I love

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S4: that we've got that in common, bro.

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S1: Well, let's talk about Haggai. When most of us think

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S1: of Bible books that center around encouragement. The book of

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S1: Haggai is not exactly on the tip of her tongue.

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S1: I never heard somebody say, yo, I could sure use

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S1: a heaping helping of Haggai in my Christian walk right

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S1: about now. What are we missing, Jennifer?

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S4: Coming on. You're right, you're right. And so, uh, people

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S4: overlook Haggai because as you said at the top of this,

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S4: it's only two chapters, 38 verses. And the amount of encouragement, though,

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S4: that it's packed in, it is amazing, John. And here's why.

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S4: Because Haggai shows up at a time in Jewish history

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S4: when the people, the Jewish people, have been in exile

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S4: and decade after decade after decade, they've been in Babylon.

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S4: Will they get to come home? But when they get home,

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S4: it's like, you know, you can imagine they get there like, yes,

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S4: we're home. And what they find is a wreck. The

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S4: temples are wreck. They've got to build their houses. They've

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S4: got to rebuild the temple. They've got to establish, and

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S4: they get so discouraged. And so they also get into

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S4: some other trouble. But the bottom line is, things didn't

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S4: turn out like they thought, and they've got to have perseverance.

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S4: And so that's why Haggai is a book of encouragement,

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S4: because he steps in just at the right time to

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S4: give the Jews a word from the Lord to help

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S4: them take courage and do the work and finish what

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S4: God has started, because he reminds them that the Lord

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S4: is with them.

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S1: Yeah, well, just who was this guy, Haggai, and what

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S1: do we know about him as a person?

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S4: Well, one of the things I love about Haggai, so,

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S4: you know, names and Scripture mean something and his means

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S4: festival or festival. And some scholars think it's because he

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S4: was like, you know, named because he was born on

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S4: a festival. Kind of like if, you know, you had

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S4: a daughter born in July, you named your summer kind

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S4: of that thing. But others believe it is because he

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S4: shows up and he kind of brings joy and jubilance

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S4: and like this new era where he's going to bring encouragement.

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S4: So Haggai likely was one of the exiles. He could

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S4: have been a young man in exile. We don't know

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S4: for sure, but he could have been. So he knew

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S4: what it felt like to be disenfranchised. And then when

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S4: he's back in Judah with the Jews, he's probably and

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S4: I love this John. He's probably an older guy. And

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S4: I think that's important for those of us who are listening,

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S4: who might be, you know, senior adults, to know that

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S4: Haggai was not a young guy in his 20s. When

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S4: he's prophesying, he was likely an older person. No matter

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S4: what age we are, God can use us. God can

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S4: use us as a voice of encouragement to others.

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S1: That's Jennifer Rothschild, who's written the Bible study, Haggai take courage.

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S1: At the age of 15, if you didn't know, Jennifer

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S1: was diagnosed with a rare degenerative eye disease that would

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S1: eventually steal her sight. But that wasn't the end of

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S1: her story, really. It was kind of the beginning. And

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S1: she's written the LifeWay Bible study, Take Courage, a study

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S1: of Haggai and many other books. You write that one

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S1: of your goals is for those who go through this

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S1: Bible study. And we should mention your target audience is

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S1: definitely women, is to, in your words, start seeing yourself

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S1: in this little book of Haggai. Elaborate just a bit further.

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S4: Yeah, yeah, the Lord's called me to teach women in

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S4: this Bible study is mostly for women. But I will

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S4: say like that old deodorant commercial, it may be made

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S4: for women, but it is strong enough for a man

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S4: because it's God's word. Um, but I do want us

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S4: to see ourselves in the book of Haggai, and here's why,

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S4: because we've all been in situations where when we look

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S4: around the landscape of our life, it feels like it's

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S4: in ruins or the big hopes we had suddenly just

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S4: seem puny, or our efforts like the Jews rebuilding the temple.

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S4: Our efforts just seem like they're not amounting to much.

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S4: Or perhaps when we've got something that God has called

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S4: us to do, we get really discouraged and want to quit.

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S4: Or we get distracted and we start building our own

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S4: kingdom instead. And so it's important for us to see

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S4: the book of Haggai in its historical context, within the

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S4: canon of Scripture, and see exactly what God was talking

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S4: to his Jewish people about during that time. But we

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S4: can also see how all of those principles and all

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S4: of those lessons apply to us, because we get into

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S4: situations where we're distracted and discouraged, and we need encouragement, too.

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S1: So listeners can get a feel for your refreshingly honest style.

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S1: Let me read an excerpt from the study. Well, hey there,

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S1: pull up a chair. I'll open with a confession. I've

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S1: got a pretty conflicted relationship with food. There, I've said

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S1: it sometimes, like me, with eating issues and the Jews

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S1: with their paneled houses, we have misplaced priorities. So, Jennifer,

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S1: if I could just dump us right into the middle

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S1: of the story here. unfairly, probably. What are these paneled

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S1: houses and why are they a misplaced priority?

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S4: So the Jews, when they started rebuilding the temple here,

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S4: they've got all this nice, you know, wood and all

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S4: the things they need to build their own houses. And

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S4: they're like, well, wait a minute. They got to start

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S4: building their own houses. So they stop the work of

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S4: the Lord and they start building their own houses. That's

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S4: when Haggai shows up and reminds them to consider their ways. Well,

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S4: when I consider my ways, I look at the things

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S4: that I get distracted by. And yes, I mentioned food

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S4: because I have a very conflicted relationship. I'm either extremely

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S4: disciplined or highly indulgent. And so it becomes for me,

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S4: this distraction, this thing that just pulls me away from

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S4: the work that God has called me to. From the focus,

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S4: that's what happened to the Jews. And so one of

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S4: the beautiful parts of Haggai is Haggai saying to the

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S4: people of God, hey, consider your ways. You're investing all

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S4: this time, all this effort, all this energy that could

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S4: be put into what you're calling is you're putting it

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S4: into your own paneled houses. John, we've all got paneled houses.

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S4: There are other things that we build and invest in

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S4: that keep us from investing in what God has called

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S4: us to. Now, it doesn't mean that paneled houses are

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S4: a bad thing. We need a place to live. We

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S4: need things that bring us security and pleasure, etc. but

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S4: when they become a substitute for that which God has

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S4: called us to invest in, that's when it becomes something

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S4: we need to really consider our ways.

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S1: Our guest, Jennifer Rothschild, has appeared on some rather obscure

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S1: media programs like O The Today Show, Doctor Phil, Good

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S1: Morning America, Billy Graham, TV special, and all kinds of

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S1: other national television and radio programs. She joins us today

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S1: on the land and the book. I have to ask,

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S1: what was your biggest. Wow. I never thought about that

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S1: moment as you researched the life and message of Haggai.

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S4: Oh, John, I love this. I love it so much.

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S4: So here's the Jews. They finally get their act together.

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S4: Because Zachariah has encouraged them also. And so they're getting

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S4: their act together. They have built the foundation. They have

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S4: built the altar. And then they gather around and they

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S4: are celebrating because, look, they've accomplished something. But in the celebration,

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S4: you hear some people cheering, but you hear some people weeping.

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S4: And I thought, why are they weeping? They did what

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S4: God had called them to do. They built this foundation,

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S4: an altar there on the right track. Why are they weeping? Well,

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S4: the reason that some were weeping, likely they were the

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S4: older Jews, and likely they were weeping because they had

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S4: seen Solomon's Temple. They knew the grandeur. And they're looking

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S4: at this puny foundation in front of them, and they're thinking,

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S4: this is nothing. Look at this effort. This is nothing.

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S4: It's no big deal. And they're so discouraged because they

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S4: compared it to what had been. And then what I

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S4: realized as I continue to study is it is that

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S4: very foundation that those weeping Jews thought was a small thing.

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S4: That very foundation of the temple, that about 600 years later,

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S4: Jesus Christ, the King of kings, the Lord of lords,

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S4: his feet walked upon that structure. Wow. They didn't realize

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S4: that what they thought was a small thing was the

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S4: very place where Jesus Himself would walk. That was the

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S4: foundation they had built. Yeah, that blew me away. And

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S4: it reminded me of what Zechariah even said. Do not

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S4: despise the day of small things. Because really, John, there's

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S4: no small thing when we're following the Lord.

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S1: Oh for sure. Hey, if your fellow Bible students walk

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S1: away with just one thing from this study of Haggai,

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S1: what would it be?

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S4: It's what I learned from the Jews. And it is

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S4: this you build more than you see. Just like those

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S4: Jewish people who were obedient to their calling. Even though

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S4: it felt small, they built more than they see. And

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S4: that's what I would say to anyone listening right now.

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S4: Your obedience Is your success? Sometimes we measure success by

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S4: big things. But oh my sisters and brothers, faithfulness to

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S4: God is success. Obedience is success. And you may not

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S4: see the fruit of your labor now, but just like

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S4: those Jews in Haggai, you build far more than you see.

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S4: So you stay encouraged. You take courage from the Lord,

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S4: and you keep with the work of God.

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S1: This word courage keeps popping up as it should. It's

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S1: the subtitle of your of your Bible study. Let me

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S1: ask you, according to Haggai, what does it take to

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S1: be a courageous believer?

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S4: Well, in the book of Haggai, when it says take courage,

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S4: Hebrew people would say, Hebrew scholars would say that isn't

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S4: what they call a passive imperfect. In other words, it's

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S4: a command. It's something you do, but it's the very

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S4: same time. It's something that is done to you. So

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S4: in other words, John, if I'm going to take courage

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S4: from the Lord, it doesn't just mean I'm going to

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S4: show strength. I'm going to pull myself up by my Bootstraps.

441
00:23:30,090 --> 00:23:32,050
S4: What it means is I'm also going to raise a

442
00:23:32,050 --> 00:23:34,290
S4: hand to the Lord and say, I'm going to receive

443
00:23:34,290 --> 00:23:38,730
S4: courage from you. It's like when Joshua was commanded, be strong.

444
00:23:39,010 --> 00:23:42,570
S4: Same thing. It's like the Lord is saying to Joshua,

445
00:23:42,850 --> 00:23:45,609
S4: you agree with the strength that I'm giving you. You

446
00:23:45,650 --> 00:23:50,410
S4: be strengthened by my presence, by my people, by my promises.

447
00:23:50,690 --> 00:23:54,130
S4: So courage is something we do, but it's also something

448
00:23:54,130 --> 00:23:57,169
S4: we receive from the Lord because he is with us.

449
00:23:57,650 --> 00:24:00,210
S1: You know, when you think about it, while biblical courage

450
00:24:00,210 --> 00:24:02,969
S1: does take a bit of risk sometimes, seems to me

451
00:24:02,970 --> 00:24:06,930
S1: there's a lot more risk in not engaging this lifestyle

452
00:24:06,930 --> 00:24:09,690
S1: that Haggai points us to in not, uh, you know,

453
00:24:09,730 --> 00:24:12,410
S1: following the command to take courage. Your thoughts.

454
00:24:12,970 --> 00:24:16,730
S4: Can you imagine, John, if those people had not received

455
00:24:16,730 --> 00:24:19,410
S4: courage from the Lord and done the next right thing?

456
00:24:19,450 --> 00:24:22,130
S4: Who knows how our story might be different? And can

457
00:24:22,130 --> 00:24:26,210
S4: you imagine settling for building a paneled house in this life?

458
00:24:26,210 --> 00:24:30,879
S4: Because you know, that's not risky. That's fun. Rather than

459
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:34,000
S4: building the kingdom of God where there is risk. I

460
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:39,080
S4: would rather take courage and fail and flounder and mess

461
00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,880
S4: up and try again. By doing what God's called me

462
00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:43,719
S4: to do, than to play it safe and live in

463
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,120
S4: my paneled house for the rest of my life. And

464
00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:48,760
S4: I think that's the life God has called us to, John.

465
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,080
S4: To just take the risk. Live big because in Christ,

466
00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,200
S4: because he is faithful. There is no risk in walking

467
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:56,040
S4: by faith.

468
00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:58,520
S1: Real quick, before our time runs out, I want to

469
00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:01,639
S1: mention there's a powerful video component to this Bible study.

470
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:02,520
S1: Tell us about it.

471
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:04,920
S4: Well, one of the things I love doing is going

472
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,000
S4: through the scripture and just with the reader, we go

473
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,720
S4: through it together. But then I show up on video

474
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,240
S4: after a few days of study so that they can

475
00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,000
S4: watch a teaching where I help guide them through. And

476
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,360
S4: there's a lot of humor and stories in that, so

477
00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:22,080
S4: that especially women can just relate to what God is

478
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,800
S4: doing and how we can apply this completely to ourselves,

479
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,990
S4: because God's Word is living and active, and that means

480
00:25:28,990 --> 00:25:30,990
S4: it can be alive in our lives right now, and

481
00:25:30,990 --> 00:25:35,030
S4: we can see how it is activated in our daily life, accessible, practical,

482
00:25:35,030 --> 00:25:37,430
S4: and it can not just change us, but God can

483
00:25:37,430 --> 00:25:39,470
S4: use His Word to change the world around us.

484
00:25:39,950 --> 00:25:42,670
S1: Well, the study is called Take Courage A Study of Haggai.

485
00:25:42,950 --> 00:25:44,669
S1: We recommend it. We've got a link to it at

486
00:25:44,670 --> 00:25:49,670
S1: our website, the land and the book.org. Jennifer, please come

487
00:25:49,670 --> 00:25:50,870
S1: back again and soon.

488
00:25:51,190 --> 00:25:51,990
S4: Thanks, John.

489
00:25:52,470 --> 00:25:55,550
S1: Gerald Petermann is next here on the land and the book.

490
00:26:06,869 --> 00:26:10,110
S1: You want to get people stirred up these days, troubled,

491
00:26:10,109 --> 00:26:12,909
S1: maybe at each other. Well, you can't come to a

492
00:26:12,910 --> 00:26:16,590
S1: better idea than a discussion about the tithe. That's right.

493
00:26:16,590 --> 00:26:19,630
S1: People have strong opinions, not all of them biblical. We're

494
00:26:19,630 --> 00:26:21,750
S1: going to sort it all out in a special edition

495
00:26:21,750 --> 00:26:25,150
S1: of Questions and Answers here on the land and the book.

496
00:26:25,150 --> 00:26:28,460
S1: Welcome to segment three. I'm John Gieger. Before we let

497
00:26:28,460 --> 00:26:30,859
S1: the fur fly, we're going to point out the fact

498
00:26:30,859 --> 00:26:34,620
S1: that soon we're celebrating Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday and

499
00:26:34,619 --> 00:26:37,340
S1: remembering the words from the Last Supper. In the same

500
00:26:37,340 --> 00:26:41,060
S1: way Jesus took the cup after supper, saying, this cup

501
00:26:41,060 --> 00:26:43,459
S1: is the new covenant in my blood. Hey, did you

502
00:26:43,460 --> 00:26:46,940
S1: know that the Last Supper was actually a Passover Seder?

503
00:26:46,940 --> 00:26:49,619
S1: And that cup is believed to be the third cup

504
00:26:49,619 --> 00:26:53,859
S1: in the traditional Passover service? Well, there is so much depth,

505
00:26:53,859 --> 00:26:56,619
S1: so much understanding to be gained when you and I

506
00:26:56,619 --> 00:26:59,860
S1: view the Last Supper as a Passover Seder. And that's

507
00:26:59,859 --> 00:27:02,859
S1: why our friends at Life in Messiah are offering to

508
00:27:02,900 --> 00:27:06,700
S1: mail you a free copy of their messianic Passover Haggadah.

509
00:27:06,740 --> 00:27:08,500
S1: You say, what in the world is that? It's a

510
00:27:08,500 --> 00:27:11,940
S1: booklet that will lead you through the celebration of Passover.

511
00:27:12,180 --> 00:27:16,139
S1: To see the rich connections to Jesus, our Messiah and Savior.

512
00:27:16,140 --> 00:27:17,860
S1: And you're also going to receive a link for an

513
00:27:17,859 --> 00:27:22,220
S1: interactive Passover Seder video. How cool is that? So with

514
00:27:22,220 --> 00:27:26,210
S1: this Haggadah with the video, then you celebrate Passover this

515
00:27:26,210 --> 00:27:29,250
S1: year with your family, with your friends. To get this

516
00:27:29,250 --> 00:27:33,330
S1: free offer, head to Life in messiah.org and click on

517
00:27:33,330 --> 00:27:36,010
S1: the Moody Radio button. You'll find there to find out

518
00:27:36,010 --> 00:27:39,770
S1: more and request your copy. That's life in Messiah. Dot.

519
00:27:40,730 --> 00:27:44,050
S1: Are you ready, gentlemen? Start your engines or something like that.

520
00:27:44,609 --> 00:27:45,810
S1: We're off to a race here.

521
00:27:45,810 --> 00:27:48,050
S5: On the subject of tithing, I'm ready, but I'm afraid

522
00:27:48,050 --> 00:27:50,450
S5: we might only cover 10% of the material.

523
00:27:50,490 --> 00:27:53,169
S1: Ooh! Are you ready? Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to

524
00:27:53,170 --> 00:27:55,770
S1: fire up our engines and get to this subject of

525
00:27:55,770 --> 00:27:59,490
S1: the tithe. Answering our questions is Doctor Gerald Peterson of

526
00:27:59,490 --> 00:28:02,330
S1: the Moody Bible Institute. Always a pleasure to sit across

527
00:28:02,330 --> 00:28:04,609
S1: from you. And, uh, are you ready to dig in

528
00:28:04,609 --> 00:28:04,890
S1: on this?

529
00:28:04,930 --> 00:28:06,050
S5: Likewise. I'm ready.

530
00:28:06,090 --> 00:28:09,090
S1: All right. Let's start off with what is a tithe.

531
00:28:09,450 --> 00:28:13,090
S5: Great. This is a great question. A tithe is 10%

532
00:28:13,090 --> 00:28:16,209
S5: of something. We should ask this question. I've known a

533
00:28:16,210 --> 00:28:21,210
S5: dear brother in church. Wonderful guy, generous, loving. But a

534
00:28:21,210 --> 00:28:23,450
S5: couple of times he said to me, you know, this

535
00:28:23,510 --> 00:28:27,949
S5: year I tithed 2%. And I typically don't say anything

536
00:28:27,950 --> 00:28:30,189
S5: because I don't want to come across as somebody ornery

537
00:28:30,190 --> 00:28:34,230
S5: and disrespectful. But okay, a tithe is 10% of something

538
00:28:34,270 --> 00:28:38,350
S5: by definition. By definition. And this means that you can't

539
00:28:38,390 --> 00:28:41,710
S5: tithe on what you can't measure. You have to be

540
00:28:41,710 --> 00:28:44,350
S5: able to look at your paycheck, look at those numbers, right?

541
00:28:44,390 --> 00:28:48,110
S5: And then take a 10th of that. So tithing is 10%.

542
00:28:48,470 --> 00:28:51,350
S1: So are we supposed to tithe yet today or am

543
00:28:51,350 --> 00:28:53,190
S1: I getting ahead of schedule here on these questions?

544
00:28:53,230 --> 00:28:55,950
S5: No, that is a great question. Are we required to tithe?

545
00:28:55,990 --> 00:28:58,790
S5: I take it the answer is no, because I don't

546
00:28:58,790 --> 00:29:04,190
S5: believe that a Christian is required to obey mosaic legislation

547
00:29:04,190 --> 00:29:08,070
S5: unless that legislation is repeated in the New Testament. And many,

548
00:29:08,230 --> 00:29:11,550
S5: many laws of the Old Testament are repeated in the

549
00:29:11,550 --> 00:29:14,270
S5: New Testament in various sorts of ways. But the tithing

550
00:29:14,270 --> 00:29:18,790
S5: law is not repeated. We could go, say to Second

551
00:29:18,790 --> 00:29:21,750
S5: Corinthians chapters eight and nine, where Paul is talking to

552
00:29:21,750 --> 00:29:25,820
S5: the Corinthians about giving and talking about them, how much

553
00:29:25,820 --> 00:29:29,060
S5: they might give and motivations for giving. And he says

554
00:29:29,060 --> 00:29:32,740
S5: nothing about the tithe. And I think that absence screams

555
00:29:32,740 --> 00:29:35,620
S5: pretty loud. I think the answer is we're not required

556
00:29:35,620 --> 00:29:36,140
S5: to tithe.

557
00:29:36,180 --> 00:29:38,580
S1: Okay, well, where then does that leave us with a

558
00:29:38,580 --> 00:29:42,220
S1: biblical framework of giving, if not 10%, something we can

559
00:29:42,220 --> 00:29:45,260
S1: know and feel and and feel good about? Uh, where

560
00:29:45,300 --> 00:29:45,820
S1: are we at?

561
00:29:46,220 --> 00:29:49,540
S5: Well, I appreciate that. I would go to maybe some

562
00:29:49,540 --> 00:29:51,700
S5: portion of the New Testament. Let me give you an example.

563
00:29:51,780 --> 00:29:57,540
S5: So in first Corinthians nine, Paul talks about his right

564
00:29:57,540 --> 00:30:00,460
S5: to be supported. That's a very unusual conversation for Paul.

565
00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:02,380
S5: He doesn't talk about his rights very often, but he

566
00:30:02,380 --> 00:30:06,180
S5: talks about his right to be economically supported and his

567
00:30:06,180 --> 00:30:10,020
S5: right to be economically supported depends upon his work, depends

568
00:30:10,020 --> 00:30:12,860
S5: upon him, as he says, sowing the seeds of the

569
00:30:12,900 --> 00:30:15,900
S5: gospel and then reaping a material benefit. So now let's

570
00:30:15,900 --> 00:30:18,940
S5: think about workers in our congregation. Let's think about missionaries

571
00:30:18,940 --> 00:30:22,930
S5: we send out. They are doing work and they have

572
00:30:22,930 --> 00:30:25,610
S5: the right to be supported. Yes. And so my conclusion

573
00:30:25,610 --> 00:30:30,770
S5: is when someone else has a right, I have a responsibility. Oh,

574
00:30:31,450 --> 00:30:33,650
S5: now I should think about where I can fit into

575
00:30:33,650 --> 00:30:37,370
S5: the responsibility of making sure they get fully supported.

576
00:30:37,410 --> 00:30:39,690
S1: Yeah. Okay. We're off roading here as we continue on

577
00:30:39,690 --> 00:30:42,130
S1: our subject of tithing on the land in the book,

578
00:30:42,170 --> 00:30:44,530
S1: it seems to me like an awful lot of people

579
00:30:44,530 --> 00:30:46,570
S1: are going to hear what you just shared. No, we

580
00:30:46,610 --> 00:30:50,250
S1: are not required to tithe. And they say, yahoo, uh,

581
00:30:50,290 --> 00:30:53,650
S1: we're freed from that. Meaning I can give less is

582
00:30:53,650 --> 00:30:58,010
S1: the unstated but implied. I don't think that's where Jesus

583
00:30:58,010 --> 00:30:59,010
S1: would be coming from.

584
00:30:59,010 --> 00:31:02,450
S5: Well, because he praised the widow who gave the might,

585
00:31:02,810 --> 00:31:05,770
S5: which was more than she could afford. Yeah. But he

586
00:31:05,770 --> 00:31:09,810
S5: praised her for her generosity. I'm thinking also, he praised

587
00:31:09,810 --> 00:31:14,330
S5: her for her trust in God. Paul does something very

588
00:31:14,330 --> 00:31:17,130
S5: similar when he's talking to the Corinthians. He does something

589
00:31:17,130 --> 00:31:21,680
S5: very similar about the Macedonians. He says the Macedonians were poor.

590
00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:26,720
S5: They were hard off, but they pleaded with me that

591
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,560
S5: I would let them make a contribution to this collection

592
00:31:30,560 --> 00:31:33,720
S5: I'm taking for Jerusalem. And then Paul doesn't say they

593
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:38,800
S5: shouldn't have given. He praises them for giving sacrificially. So

594
00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,760
S5: what do we want God to think or feel toward us?

595
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:43,640
S5: Does he want us to look at us and say,

596
00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:46,480
S5: you're not generous? Do you want them to look and say, wow,

597
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:49,360
S5: you are sacrificial. You are generous? I think the second

598
00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:50,280
S5: is what I want.

599
00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:52,480
S1: Today in the land. In the book, a special edition

600
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,680
S1: of our Question and answer segment, all questions are themed

601
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,120
S1: around the subject of tithing. And your question, by the way,

602
00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,360
S1: is also welcome. Maybe it is about tithing, maybe it isn't.

603
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:04,960
S1: It could be about anything you've read in Scripture. Why

604
00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:09,920
S1: not email us at the land and the book@moody.edu, the

605
00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,760
S1: land and the book@moody.edu. We're going to go to the

606
00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:16,320
S1: Old Testament, but not until I ask one more question

607
00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:20,150
S1: about the New Testament era, our era. If the tithe

608
00:32:20,150 --> 00:32:22,950
S1: is no longer required, why do we hear so much

609
00:32:22,950 --> 00:32:26,310
S1: about it expressed in so many, many pulpits across the

610
00:32:26,310 --> 00:32:27,230
S1: country today?

611
00:32:27,470 --> 00:32:29,910
S5: Yes, we hear a lot about tithing because it's simple

612
00:32:30,110 --> 00:32:33,390
S5: and it's straightforward and it's easy. And I don't mean

613
00:32:33,390 --> 00:32:36,430
S5: those three words to be demeaning in any way whatsoever, right?

614
00:32:36,470 --> 00:32:40,910
S5: It's a helpful, simple, straightforward guideline. And if a person

615
00:32:40,910 --> 00:32:44,150
S5: is being courageous, then I think a person can get

616
00:32:44,150 --> 00:32:47,550
S5: to 10% and it's found in the Old Testament. So

617
00:32:47,710 --> 00:32:49,910
S5: I think it's I think it's a natural encouragement.

618
00:32:49,950 --> 00:32:52,310
S1: Okay, let's go to the Old Testament. What did ancient

619
00:32:52,310 --> 00:32:53,630
S1: Israel tithe on?

620
00:32:53,630 --> 00:32:58,390
S5: What's the product they tithe on? They tithe on agricultural products.

621
00:32:58,390 --> 00:33:02,350
S5: What does Leviticus say? Every tithe of the land, whether

622
00:33:02,350 --> 00:33:04,670
S5: seed of the land or fruit of the trees, is

623
00:33:04,670 --> 00:33:08,030
S5: the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord. Every 10th,

624
00:33:08,070 --> 00:33:11,630
S5: every tithe of the herds and flocks, every 10th animal

625
00:33:11,870 --> 00:33:14,910
S5: is holy to the Lord. So the tithe is only

626
00:33:14,910 --> 00:33:18,540
S5: on agricultural products. And why do I say that twice?

627
00:33:18,540 --> 00:33:21,780
S5: I say that twice because it is known that some

628
00:33:21,780 --> 00:33:26,180
S5: Israelites worked for wages. The law says if somebody is

629
00:33:26,180 --> 00:33:28,740
S5: working for you, you must pay them at night. You

630
00:33:28,740 --> 00:33:30,219
S5: can't wait till the next day. You pay them in

631
00:33:30,220 --> 00:33:33,580
S5: the evening. But there's nothing said about tithing on wages

632
00:33:33,580 --> 00:33:37,380
S5: in the Old Testament. It's a tithe on agricultural products.

633
00:33:37,620 --> 00:33:40,580
S1: Well, you know, we have gone pretty deep here without

634
00:33:40,580 --> 00:33:44,580
S1: asking the more fundamental question why was a tithe given?

635
00:33:44,580 --> 00:33:45,740
S1: What was its purpose?

636
00:33:45,860 --> 00:33:49,420
S5: Well, there are three purposes. And this is going to

637
00:33:49,460 --> 00:33:51,060
S5: take me a little bit of time to get this out.

638
00:33:51,060 --> 00:33:54,500
S5: There are three purposes. First, the tithe is for the Levites.

639
00:33:54,540 --> 00:33:57,820
S5: What do the Levites do? The Levites are like the

640
00:33:57,820 --> 00:34:01,260
S5: priests that the nation of Israel pays for, to pray

641
00:34:01,260 --> 00:34:04,260
S5: for them, to light incense, for them, to offer sacrifices

642
00:34:04,260 --> 00:34:07,420
S5: for them. So the Levites don't have their own territory.

643
00:34:07,740 --> 00:34:11,060
S5: So you tithe so the Levites can live and eat.

644
00:34:11,420 --> 00:34:14,540
S5: And then there's a second tithe which is stored up

645
00:34:14,700 --> 00:34:18,690
S5: in your towns. So Deuteronomy 12 says, you store it

646
00:34:18,690 --> 00:34:21,569
S5: up in the storehouses of your towns. And why? Why

647
00:34:21,570 --> 00:34:23,850
S5: do that? Well, you do that so that the poor

648
00:34:23,850 --> 00:34:26,049
S5: people in your town have something to eat. It is

649
00:34:26,050 --> 00:34:31,090
S5: a food pantry. But wait, there's a third type. No, seriously. Yes.

650
00:34:31,450 --> 00:34:35,730
S5: Deuteronomy 14. You shall tithe all the yield of your seed.

651
00:34:35,850 --> 00:34:38,089
S5: Year by year, and before the Lord your God, in

652
00:34:38,090 --> 00:34:40,610
S5: the place that he will choose to have his name dwell.

653
00:34:40,650 --> 00:34:44,129
S5: You shall eat the tithe of your grain or your wine,

654
00:34:44,130 --> 00:34:46,850
S5: or your oil, or your firstborn. That is, you go

655
00:34:46,850 --> 00:34:49,569
S5: to Jerusalem, you take your tithe with you, and then

656
00:34:49,570 --> 00:34:52,450
S5: you have a big party. Wait, this has got to

657
00:34:52,450 --> 00:34:54,770
S5: be three different tithes because what is a tithe? A

658
00:34:54,770 --> 00:34:58,410
S5: tithe is 10% of something. I'm afraid the Levites can't

659
00:34:58,410 --> 00:34:59,650
S5: measure what's in your stomach.

660
00:35:00,489 --> 00:35:00,930
S1: Right?

661
00:35:01,210 --> 00:35:04,489
S5: So there are three different types for three different purposes.

662
00:35:04,770 --> 00:35:07,049
S5: This is wonderful stuff. One of the purposes is to

663
00:35:07,050 --> 00:35:07,770
S5: support ministry.

664
00:35:07,810 --> 00:35:08,690
S1: Yeah. Practical.

665
00:35:08,690 --> 00:35:11,210
S5: One of the purposes is to support the poor. And

666
00:35:11,210 --> 00:35:15,310
S5: one of the purposes is to support community Celebration. I

667
00:35:15,310 --> 00:35:18,270
S5: think we need to think about why was there tithing

668
00:35:18,310 --> 00:35:21,750
S5: and how can we imitate this kind of giving in

669
00:35:21,750 --> 00:35:22,710
S5: our current churches?

670
00:35:22,870 --> 00:35:25,430
S1: You hear a lot of conversation today. People asking, were

671
00:35:25,430 --> 00:35:28,150
S1: the were the tithes given on the gross or the net?

672
00:35:28,150 --> 00:35:30,950
S1: And in a modern context, when you hear that being asked,

673
00:35:30,950 --> 00:35:34,350
S1: to me, it usually stems from and this is me

674
00:35:34,390 --> 00:35:37,270
S1: judging people. I confess the idea of hoping to be

675
00:35:37,310 --> 00:35:41,630
S1: able to give less than more, right? Right. My judgment aside,

676
00:35:41,670 --> 00:35:43,870
S1: take us back to the ancients tithe given on the

677
00:35:43,870 --> 00:35:44,710
S1: gross or the net.

678
00:35:44,750 --> 00:35:50,390
S5: Okay, here's my conclusion. Israel was required to tithe on

679
00:35:50,390 --> 00:35:54,830
S5: the net because that meant giving away more, not less.

680
00:35:55,110 --> 00:35:59,390
S5: How does that work? It works this way. Leviticus 19 says,

681
00:35:59,630 --> 00:36:02,990
S5: when you reap your field or when you reap what's

682
00:36:02,989 --> 00:36:07,310
S5: in your orchard, or whenever you go into harvest or olives,

683
00:36:07,310 --> 00:36:10,509
S5: you're not allowed to bring them all in. You're required

684
00:36:10,510 --> 00:36:13,109
S5: to leave olives on the tree. You're required to leave

685
00:36:13,219 --> 00:36:17,620
S5: Grange standing at the edges of your field. Why? Because

686
00:36:17,620 --> 00:36:20,980
S5: you are giving that to poor people like Ruth. Read

687
00:36:20,980 --> 00:36:23,140
S5: the book of Ruth. It's wonderful. Who will come along

688
00:36:23,140 --> 00:36:27,140
S5: and harvest that? Now remember, a tithe is 10% of

689
00:36:27,140 --> 00:36:29,219
S5: something and you can't tie them what you can't measure.

690
00:36:29,420 --> 00:36:31,700
S5: So if you leave grain in the field, you can't

691
00:36:31,700 --> 00:36:35,060
S5: measure it. You give it away. Suppose you leave 10%

692
00:36:35,060 --> 00:36:37,620
S5: of your grain in the field. You bring in 90%

693
00:36:37,620 --> 00:36:40,779
S5: of your grain and then you tithe. You've given away 19%,

694
00:36:41,060 --> 00:36:44,740
S5: not 10%. In other words, you actually give away more.

695
00:36:44,780 --> 00:36:47,100
S5: You're going to give away. You're going to give away

696
00:36:47,100 --> 00:36:50,500
S5: the firstborn of your flock. Yeah. Every week, a week

697
00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:52,420
S5: after it's born, it's given away, and then you're going

698
00:36:52,420 --> 00:36:54,899
S5: to tithe on your whole herd. So in both cases,

699
00:36:55,219 --> 00:36:58,900
S5: we're finding tithing on the net means giving away more,

700
00:36:59,700 --> 00:37:00,820
S5: not less.

701
00:37:01,460 --> 00:37:05,060
S1: Boy, this has been a very, very interesting conversation. And again,

702
00:37:05,100 --> 00:37:08,340
S1: you're welcome to join that conversation with your Bible question.

703
00:37:08,340 --> 00:37:11,969
S1: Email us at the land and the book at Moody's

704
00:37:12,090 --> 00:37:16,210
S1: dot edu. That's the land and the book at Moody's

705
00:37:16,330 --> 00:37:19,810
S1: dot edu. No need to rush away. Our host doctor

706
00:37:19,810 --> 00:37:22,129
S1: Charlie Dyer, is back with his devotional coming up next

707
00:37:22,170 --> 00:37:37,689
S1: on the Land and the book. Thanks for staying with

708
00:37:37,690 --> 00:37:40,290
S1: us here on the land and the book. I'm John

709
00:37:40,290 --> 00:37:42,770
S1: Geiger with our host, Charlie Dyer. And when you travel

710
00:37:42,770 --> 00:37:46,609
S1: to Israel and finally spend some time praying under the

711
00:37:46,610 --> 00:37:50,450
S1: olive trees in the garden the Bible calls Gethsemane. It's

712
00:37:50,450 --> 00:37:54,010
S1: a powerful moment. Little else is more moving. But Charlie,

713
00:37:54,010 --> 00:37:58,090
S1: your devotional today talks about the three Gethsemane. Sounds intriguing.

714
00:37:58,090 --> 00:37:58,850
S1: Where are we headed?

715
00:37:59,250 --> 00:38:02,930
S2: We're heading to the three Gethsemane, and I'll explain it

716
00:38:02,930 --> 00:38:03,730
S2: in the devotional.

717
00:38:03,770 --> 00:38:05,609
S1: All right. I'll look forward to that. First, though, a

718
00:38:05,610 --> 00:38:08,170
S1: testimony that we need to hear from someone who's traveled

719
00:38:08,170 --> 00:38:09,210
S1: to Israel as well.

720
00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:16,600
S6: I'm just remembering back when I was so blessed and

721
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:20,360
S6: privileged to be able to go to Israel with my son,

722
00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:23,960
S6: but the memories that I have seem like they were

723
00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:28,279
S6: just yesterday. Probably the most memorable moment was where I

724
00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:33,000
S6: stood by the Garden of Gethsemane. My daddy's favorite song

725
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,839
S6: was In the Garden, and it brought me back to

726
00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:40,719
S6: thinking of him, who passed away in 1993. But he

727
00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:44,520
S6: loved that hymn. And as I stood there, even though

728
00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:47,640
S6: he's long gone. I thought of my daddy. And then

729
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:52,000
S6: my father in heaven. It was just such a memorable time.

730
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,839
S6: I just can't say enough anyone that I've ever talked to.

731
00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:59,600
S6: I say go to Israel. You will never, ever be

732
00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,960
S6: the same. And that's the way I feel about it.

733
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:03,720
S6: Thank you.

734
00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,759
S1: All right. Thank you very much. And with that, we're

735
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:09,670
S1: going to turn things over to our host, Charlie Dyer

736
00:39:09,670 --> 00:39:11,790
S1: for a look at the three Gethsemane.

737
00:39:12,469 --> 00:39:15,390
S2: Thanks, John. Well, today's journey does take us to Gethsemane,

738
00:39:15,390 --> 00:39:19,790
S2: or more precisely, to the three locations for Gethsemane. And no,

739
00:39:19,790 --> 00:39:22,790
S2: this isn't a case of different religious groups, each claiming

740
00:39:22,830 --> 00:39:26,270
S2: to know the exact spot of Gethsemane. Rather, it's an

741
00:39:26,270 --> 00:39:30,270
S2: opportunity for us to explore three separate locations that merge

742
00:39:30,270 --> 00:39:33,910
S2: together the night Jesus was betrayed. Now, our first stop

743
00:39:33,910 --> 00:39:35,910
S2: is at the very bottom of the Mount of Olives.

744
00:39:36,110 --> 00:39:38,350
S2: And watch yourself as we cross the street and head

745
00:39:38,350 --> 00:39:41,630
S2: down this flight of stairs. You see that narrow alleyway

746
00:39:41,630 --> 00:39:44,549
S2: on the right? Turn down there and follow me to

747
00:39:44,590 --> 00:39:48,310
S2: the doorway at the end. We're now at Gethsemane. As

748
00:39:48,310 --> 00:39:51,549
S2: you step inside, look carefully at the walls and the ceiling.

749
00:39:51,670 --> 00:39:54,910
S2: Take away the lights, the seats, the. The other modern additions.

750
00:39:54,910 --> 00:39:57,430
S2: And it's not too hard to recognize that we're in

751
00:39:57,430 --> 00:40:01,350
S2: a cave. But what's Gethsemane have to do with the cave? Well,

752
00:40:01,350 --> 00:40:04,510
S2: the name Gethsemane is actually a combination of two Hebrew

753
00:40:04,550 --> 00:40:09,020
S2: words Gath or gat, which refers to a press and shaman,

754
00:40:09,020 --> 00:40:11,819
S2: which is the word for olive oil. When Jesus went

755
00:40:11,820 --> 00:40:15,420
S2: with his disciples to Gethsemane, he was literally going to

756
00:40:15,460 --> 00:40:19,259
S2: get shemen the olive oil press. But why are we

757
00:40:19,260 --> 00:40:22,100
S2: standing in a cave while olives are harvested at the

758
00:40:22,100 --> 00:40:24,739
S2: very end of summer, just as the rainy season is

759
00:40:24,739 --> 00:40:28,180
S2: about to begin? As a result, presses were often placed

760
00:40:28,180 --> 00:40:31,180
S2: in some type of enclosure, like a building or a cave.

761
00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:34,060
S2: Here on the Mount of Olives, this natural cave was

762
00:40:34,060 --> 00:40:36,900
S2: the perfect location for an olive press. And during the

763
00:40:36,900 --> 00:40:39,779
S2: rest of the year, it served as a convenient shelter

764
00:40:39,780 --> 00:40:43,940
S2: or gathering point for those visiting Jerusalem. Very likely, Jesus

765
00:40:43,940 --> 00:40:47,980
S2: and his disciples used this cave for shelter numerous times.

766
00:40:48,260 --> 00:40:51,819
S2: On the night of his betrayal, Luke says, Jesus proceeded,

767
00:40:51,820 --> 00:40:54,259
S2: as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and

768
00:40:54,260 --> 00:40:59,180
S2: with his disciples arrived at the place. The group, minus Judas,

769
00:40:59,180 --> 00:41:01,980
S2: came to the cave with its olive oil press. No

770
00:41:01,980 --> 00:41:04,299
S2: doubt the disciples assumed this is where they were going

771
00:41:04,300 --> 00:41:06,580
S2: to bed down for the evening, as they had in

772
00:41:06,580 --> 00:41:09,810
S2: the past. Rather than make the late night journey two

773
00:41:09,810 --> 00:41:11,850
S2: miles away, over the Mount of Olives to the home

774
00:41:11,850 --> 00:41:14,930
S2: of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Now I know we'd all

775
00:41:14,930 --> 00:41:16,969
S2: like to pause here for a while, but we need

776
00:41:16,969 --> 00:41:19,490
S2: to keep moving. We're on our way to the second

777
00:41:19,489 --> 00:41:22,450
S2: stop on today's tour. If you've been to Israel before,

778
00:41:22,450 --> 00:41:25,810
S2: it's likely you've visited the Garden of Gethsemane, and that's

779
00:41:25,810 --> 00:41:29,050
S2: our next stop. Certainly, if there's an olive oil press,

780
00:41:29,050 --> 00:41:31,969
S2: we can assume there must have been an olive grove nearby.

781
00:41:32,370 --> 00:41:34,570
S2: And since we're standing at the base of the Mount

782
00:41:34,570 --> 00:41:37,969
S2: of Olives, we should expect to find olive trees. At

783
00:41:37,969 --> 00:41:40,890
S2: the time of Jesus, a garden would have referred to

784
00:41:40,930 --> 00:41:45,569
S2: a cultivated area, a working agricultural farm, not a flower garden.

785
00:41:45,850 --> 00:41:48,450
S2: So somewhere near the press, we ought to find an

786
00:41:48,450 --> 00:41:52,009
S2: olive grove. How near? Luke tells us that Jesus went

787
00:41:52,010 --> 00:41:55,529
S2: about a stone's throw away from the other disciples. How

788
00:41:55,530 --> 00:41:58,250
S2: far is it from Gethsemane? The olive oil press in

789
00:41:58,250 --> 00:42:02,089
S2: the cave to the traditional Garden of Gethsemane? Depending on

790
00:42:02,090 --> 00:42:04,250
S2: how good an arm you have, I'd say it's about

791
00:42:04,250 --> 00:42:07,400
S2: a stone's throw away. As we enter the garden to

792
00:42:07,440 --> 00:42:10,960
S2: look at the gnarled olive trees, realize we're somewhere near

793
00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:13,520
S2: the spot where Jesus must have separated from the rest

794
00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:17,520
S2: of the disciples, taking with him Peter, James, and John.

795
00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:20,919
S2: It's easy to picture Jesus standing among these trees with

796
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,880
S2: the three disciples who formed his inner circle. And what

797
00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:27,279
S2: were his instructions to them? Watch and pray that you

798
00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:30,520
S2: enter not into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the

799
00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:34,600
S2: flesh is weak. And what was their response? They fell

800
00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:39,360
S2: asleep three times. I can almost picture Peter propped against

801
00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:43,080
S2: a tree in this area, snoring softly. But don't be

802
00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:46,040
S2: too hard on these disciples. It was late at night.

803
00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:48,960
S2: It was dark, and they had just finished eating the

804
00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:52,680
S2: Passover Seder. Next to this small grove of olive trees

805
00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:55,440
S2: is a modern church called the Church of All Nations,

806
00:42:55,440 --> 00:42:58,719
S2: or the Basilica of the agony. It has a number

807
00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:02,240
S2: of wonderful architectural highlights, but for today, let's just focus

808
00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:06,460
S2: on two. First, the windows are made from translucent alabaster.

809
00:43:06,620 --> 00:43:09,460
S2: They allow some light to enter, but block enough to

810
00:43:09,500 --> 00:43:13,420
S2: make the interior seem dark and foreboding. Second, at the

811
00:43:13,420 --> 00:43:15,940
S2: front of the church is an area where the bedrock

812
00:43:15,940 --> 00:43:19,540
S2: is exposed. This is the third location on our tour

813
00:43:19,540 --> 00:43:22,859
S2: of Gethsemane. The church marks the spot where Jesus went

814
00:43:22,860 --> 00:43:26,180
S2: by himself to pray. The gospel of Mark says that

815
00:43:26,180 --> 00:43:29,740
S2: Jesus went a little beyond the three disciples before falling

816
00:43:29,739 --> 00:43:33,180
S2: on the ground to pray. Somewhere in this area, perhaps

817
00:43:33,180 --> 00:43:35,259
S2: at the very spot we see at the front of

818
00:43:35,260 --> 00:43:38,339
S2: the church, is the location where Jesus wrestled with the

819
00:43:38,340 --> 00:43:42,100
S2: reality of the coming horror of his crucifixion as he

820
00:43:42,100 --> 00:43:45,180
S2: agonized in prayer. Luke records that his sweat became like

821
00:43:45,180 --> 00:43:49,420
S2: drops of blood, an indication of the deep emotional trauma

822
00:43:49,460 --> 00:43:54,660
S2: Jesus was experiencing. Father, if you're willing, remove this cup

823
00:43:54,660 --> 00:43:58,779
S2: from me. Yet not my will, but yours be done. Now,

824
00:43:58,780 --> 00:44:01,140
S2: I'm not allowed to guide in here, but here's what

825
00:44:01,140 --> 00:44:03,490
S2: I would like you to do. Take a seat and

826
00:44:03,489 --> 00:44:06,730
S2: pause to think about the emotions Jesus felt that night.

827
00:44:06,930 --> 00:44:10,049
S2: For all eternity. God the Father and God the Son

828
00:44:10,050 --> 00:44:13,450
S2: had been in perfect unity, but Jesus was now about

829
00:44:13,450 --> 00:44:15,890
S2: to be crucified, and as he hung on the cross,

830
00:44:15,890 --> 00:44:19,489
S2: he would cry, My God, my God, why have you

831
00:44:19,489 --> 00:44:23,330
S2: forsaken me? Jesus knew the moment he took on himself

832
00:44:23,330 --> 00:44:25,890
S2: the sin of the world, he would experience not just

833
00:44:25,890 --> 00:44:30,250
S2: the horrific pain of crucifixion. He would also experience all

834
00:44:30,250 --> 00:44:35,890
S2: the separation, judgment, and punishment required for our sin. Is

835
00:44:35,890 --> 00:44:37,690
S2: it any wonder that as he prayed that night, he

836
00:44:37,690 --> 00:44:41,250
S2: was in agony? As we pause here, try to imagine

837
00:44:41,250 --> 00:44:45,210
S2: those emotions and then realize that in the end, Jesus

838
00:44:45,210 --> 00:44:47,930
S2: was willing to submit to it all because of his

839
00:44:47,930 --> 00:44:52,250
S2: love for you. Okay, now, heading back outside into the

840
00:44:52,250 --> 00:44:55,569
S2: bright sunlight, I think we all sense the immense significance

841
00:44:55,570 --> 00:44:59,250
S2: of this site. This is where Jesus agonized in prayer

842
00:44:59,250 --> 00:45:02,799
S2: over the personal cost required of him to pay for

843
00:45:02,800 --> 00:45:05,799
S2: our sin. As we walked past the olive trees in

844
00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:09,760
S2: the garden, picture Jesus waking up his slumbering disciples and

845
00:45:09,760 --> 00:45:12,080
S2: rousing them a final time to go back to the

846
00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:15,480
S2: olive oil press, where he would meet Judas and the

847
00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:18,080
S2: mob and begin the sequence of events that would lead

848
00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,360
S2: to the cross. But before we leave this hallowed spot,

849
00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:25,279
S2: can I ask you life's most important question? Have you

850
00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:29,759
S2: placed your trust in Jesus as your personal Savior? He

851
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,440
S2: died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin,

852
00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:35,720
S2: and he did so willingly because of his love for you.

853
00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:38,759
S2: You can receive him today by praying to God and

854
00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:41,919
S2: saying something as simple as this. Dear God, I know

855
00:45:41,920 --> 00:45:45,120
S2: I've done wrong. I believe Jesus died on the cross

856
00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:47,879
S2: to pay the penalty for my sin, and I now

857
00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:51,440
S2: want to open my heart and receive him as my Savior.

858
00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:55,040
S2: Please forgive my sin and have Jesus take control of

859
00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:58,480
S2: my life. If you made that decision today, drop us

860
00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:00,830
S2: a line to let us know. We would love to

861
00:46:00,830 --> 00:46:03,870
S2: help you understand more about this new life that you

862
00:46:03,870 --> 00:46:04,989
S2: just began.

863
00:46:05,469 --> 00:46:07,350
S1: Thank you Charlie. And if you'd like to have a

864
00:46:07,350 --> 00:46:09,790
S1: conversation with somebody right now about what it means to

865
00:46:09,830 --> 00:46:13,469
S1: know Jesus, finally and forever to know him personally as

866
00:46:13,469 --> 00:46:17,190
S1: your Savior, the leader of your life. Just call eight, eight, eight.

867
00:46:17,270 --> 00:46:20,149
S1: Need him. A volunteer is happy to talk with you,

868
00:46:20,150 --> 00:46:23,430
S1: pray with you. Answer your questions about knowing Jesus again.

869
00:46:23,430 --> 00:46:27,029
S1: Call 888. Need him. Nobody will pressure you to buy

870
00:46:27,030 --> 00:46:31,910
S1: anything because there's nothing to sell. Eight. Eight. Eight. Need him. Well,

871
00:46:31,910 --> 00:46:34,109
S1: a full program today and we appreciate you hanging out

872
00:46:34,110 --> 00:46:36,070
S1: with us. If you'd like to hear it all again,

873
00:46:36,070 --> 00:46:38,430
S1: you can do that at our website. The land and

874
00:46:38,469 --> 00:46:42,469
S1: the book.org. Speaking of books, you'll find books there that

875
00:46:42,469 --> 00:46:44,589
S1: Charlie and I have written as well. Just look for

876
00:46:44,590 --> 00:46:48,790
S1: the books tab at the land and the book.org. Thanks

877
00:46:48,790 --> 00:46:51,109
S1: for your company today. The land and the book is

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S1: a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.