S1: Christians throughout the Middle East are persecuted for their faith.
S1: But now, for the first time, a Christian organization is
S1: tracking all of it with a database. What does that
S1: mean for our persecuted brothers and sisters? How can average
S1: people like you and me use it to raise awareness?
S1: That's our focus this week. Welcome to the land in
S1: the book, where we're about to give you an update
S1: on all the top headlines from the Middle East. Our
S1: host is noted Israel scholar Doctor Charlie Dyer, and I'm
S1: John Yeager, along with our wives. We have just returned
S1: from Israel. Charlie, what an experience to meet with folks
S1: who have gone through so much and hear all those
S1: firsthand accounts.
S2: I agree, John, it's a sobering experience, but also encouraging
S2: to see what Israel has been doing and where things
S2: seem to be going for the future.
S1: Well, speaking of the future, those many conversations that we
S1: recorded are going to be part of an upcoming one
S1: hour special. You'll hear more about. All right. Passover will
S1: soon be upon us, and one of the traditional Passover
S1: questions is, what makes this night different from all others?
S1: Passover is an important biblical holiday that has great meaning
S1: for both Jewish people and believers in Jesus. So I
S1: think this is an important question to ask Charlie.
S2: It is John, and if you want to learn more
S2: about what makes Passover so special, well, our friends at
S2: Life and Messiah are offering to mail you a free
S2: copy of their Messianic Passover Haggadah. The booklet will lead
S2: you through the celebration of Passover to see the rich
S2: connections to Jesus, our Messiah, and to the Last Supper.
S2: You'll also receive a link for an interactive Passover Seder
S2: video with the Haggadah and video. You can celebrate Passover
S2: this year with your family and friends. Now to get
S2: this free offer, just go to Life in Messiah org
S2: and click on the Moody Radio button to find out
S2: more and request your copy. That's life in messiah.org.
S1: And now a look at current events stories based in
S1: the Middle East that have been unfolding all week long.
S1: This coming week is the start of Ramadan, which often
S1: signals a time of heightened tension between Israel and the Palestinians.
S1: What can Israel do to help calm the situation?
S2: You know, if you listen to most of the world,
S2: they would say, all Israel needs to do is end
S2: the war with Hamas, get out of Gaza, lower tensions
S2: with Hezbollah. And that would calm everything. Sadly, that's not
S2: supported by recent history. There have been conflicts at Ramadan,
S2: long before the current war in Gaza. In 2021, an
S2: 11 day conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out over
S2: an Israeli raid on the Temple Mount following a disturbance
S2: up there during Ramadan in 2023. Just a year ago,
S2: Ramadan coincided with Passover and there were conflicts on successive
S2: days as stones were thrown from the Temple Mount down
S2: on the Western Wall Plaza where Jews had gathered to pray.
S2: There's always tension during Ramadan, especially following Friday prayers. So
S2: what can Israel do to help de-escalate the situation? Well,
S2: two approaches have been suggested, and they're mutually exclusive. The
S2: first is that of the national security minister Ben-Gvir, who
S2: suggested limiting Arab-Israeli access to the site to worshippers over
S2: the age of 70. The other approach, proposed by the
S2: head of Israel's security services is to not limit access
S2: to the site. He believes limiting access will turn the
S2: Gaza war into a Jewish Muslim fight, rather than an
S2: Israeli Hamas conflict. And that just plays into the hands
S2: of Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu asked different cabinet members to
S2: provide options for age criteria or other quotas for Israeli citizens.
S2: The real problem is that Ramadan and the Temple Mount
S2: are religious issues. It's no accident that Hamas named their
S2: October 7th attack the Al-Aqsa flood, a recent UN report
S2: said al-Qaida is changing its messaging since October 7th to
S2: focus on the so-called sanctity of the Al-Aqsa mosque as
S2: a way to help restore its credibility. Watch for Israel
S2: to look for a way to limit the size of
S2: the crowds, especially young males, while still trying to maintain
S2: a low profile. Also watch to see what they can
S2: do to restrain the more extreme right wing Jewish element.
S2: Who would like to use the time to push for
S2: greater Israeli control over the area. This next month will
S2: be a sensitive time. Just pray that the leadership there
S2: has great wisdom and that cooler heads prevail.
S1: Well, speaking of the Temple Mount, a recent archaeological discovery
S1: hints at a Christian presence at the site prior to
S1: the building of the dome of the Rock and the
S1: Al-Aqsa mosque. Tell us about this discovery.
S2: Yeah, this is fascinating. It's somewhat unexpected. Find most assume
S2: the Temple Mount remained an unoccupied ruin between its destruction
S2: by the Romans in AD 70 and the building of
S2: the dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque about 600
S2: years later. But two recently discovered Byzantine era weights suggest
S2: there was a Christian presence on the Temple Mount sometime
S2: during that period. The Temple Mount Sifting Project, which for
S2: the past 20 years has been sifting dirt discarded from
S2: the Mount when the Muslims built an underground mosque, are
S2: the ones who made this discovery. The two small objects
S2: each way. Just. Two hundredths of an ounce. That's half
S2: the weight of a paperclip. So these are small discoveries.
S2: One was made of glass, the other was made of brass.
S2: They're likely official imperial weights that were required to be
S2: present in major churches. These and other objects discovered suggest
S2: a Byzantine church might have stood on the site prior
S2: to the Islamic invasion. Now, since no excavation is allowed
S2: up on the site, we can't know for sure. But
S2: this fine, small as it is, does raise that intriguing possibility.
S1: If you're joining us mid-stream, This is the Land and
S1: the book from Moody Radio, a one hour flyover of
S1: the Middle East. In this opening segment, our host, Doctor
S1: Charlie Dyer, noted Israel scholar and author, works us through
S1: a list of current events stories. I'm John Jaeger and Charlie.
S1: Egypt is struggling financially, and apparently they're selling off historical
S1: assets to generate cash as they plunge ever deeper into debt.
S1: What's been happening and why is it so concerning?
S2: Well, Egypt has been experiencing rising inflation. They've taken austerity
S2: measures to help combat the problem. But the impact on
S2: the day to day lives of most Egyptians has been
S2: very difficult. The country is now the second largest detonation
S2: to the International Monetary Fund to generate cash. Egypt has
S2: been selling off some of its most significant properties, especially
S2: its grandest hotels. The Menna House hotel is one of
S2: the properties that's been sold. It sits by the pyramids.
S2: It's hosted guests like Winston Churchill. It's an incredible property.
S2: Another hotel is the old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. I've
S2: stayed there, John. It's one of the most luxurious hotels
S2: I've ever seen. A concerning part of these sales is
S2: that once the funds have been spent, the assets are gone.
S2: Now all isn't doom and gloom for Egypt. There are
S2: some positive investments being made in the country. Recently, the
S2: United Arab Emirates unveiled a major energy pipeline project to
S2: link Egypt to Europe and generate income for Egypt and
S2: a group of Turkish investors are entering the Egyptian spinning,
S2: weaving and clothing sector to take advantage of Egypt's low
S2: cost labor. They hope to provide 70,000 direct jobs and
S2: an additional 100,000 indirect jobs, which would help the Egyptian economy.
S2: Egypt also signed a multibillion dollar deal with Gulf state
S2: investors to build a state of the art city west
S2: of Alexandria. Construction would pump billions into the economy immediately,
S2: with the hope that the new city will then attract
S2: business investment and tourism once it's completed. The real question
S2: now is if Egypt can get some of these projects
S2: up and running before the country runs out of cash
S2: or things to sell to keep its economy afloat?
S1: Wow, that's an interesting conundrum there, for sure. Egypt's economy
S1: might be struggling, but archaeologists there continue to strike it
S1: rich in their search for historical treasures. What's the latest
S1: on the discovery of a tunnel that might lead to
S1: the tomb of Queen Cleopatra? I'm really intrigued here, Charlie.
S2: I am to John and this story is intriguing as
S2: it is left me, though, with just a little bit
S2: of a taste for more at the end, I'll explain
S2: why here in a second. You know, it's just when
S2: you think most major archaeological finds have been made that
S2: a report like this comes along. An archaeologist from the
S2: Dominican Republic excavating in Egypt has come across a tunnel.
S2: It's over 40ft underground now, the tunnels carved into sandstone,
S2: and it's actually over three quarters of a mile long.
S2: The purpose of the tunnel, it's not yet known, and
S2: part of it is still submerged in water because it's
S2: right up north near the Mediterranean. It was discovered in
S2: connection with a temple dedicated to Osiris, the god of death.
S2: Cleopatra tried to identify herself with ISIS, the mythological sister
S2: and wife of Osiris. Sculptures of ISIS, along with coins
S2: depicting the names and likeness of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great,
S2: have been found at the site. Now it's located west
S2: of Alexandria, right by the Mediterranean Sea, as I mentioned.
S2: But the questions that still need to be answered and
S2: that weren't answered so far in this article. Why was
S2: the tunnel built? Where does it lead? And is it
S2: connected somehow to the still undiscovered tomb of Cleopatra? Now,
S2: having raised the issues, they didn't provide the answers that
S2: I was looking for, but hopefully, hopefully those answers will
S2: come to light as the dig progresses.
S1: Christians throughout the Middle East are persecuted for their faith.
S1: But now, for the first time, a Christian organization is
S1: tracking all of it with a database. What does that
S1: mean for our persecuted brothers and sisters? That's a conversation
S1: we're going to be having next on the land and
S1: the book. Charlie, how can listeners support this ministry with
S1: a letter to the station, an email? Why is that
S1: such a big deal?
S2: Well, the stations are constantly being given opportunities for other programs,
S2: new opportunities, and they need to look and say what
S2: programs are meeting the needs of our listeners. And so
S2: if they don't hear from somebody they don't know, but
S2: if a listener writes to the station and says, yes,
S2: I'm listening to this program, I love this program. That's
S2: a a data point for the station to say, yeah,
S2: we should keep this program up and running.
S1: All of that to say, if you've never taken the
S1: opportunity to let this station know how you appreciate this program,
S1: would you think about doing that today? A quick email,
S1: a phone call, a text, a postcard, anything you got
S1: that would make a statement that says, hey, we appreciate
S1: your carving out airtime for the land and the book. Boy,
S1: we'd sure be grateful. A conversation about a persecution database
S1: is next here on the land and the book. Discrimination
S1: and violence is nothing new for Christians around the world,
S1: as believers were promised troubles in this life. But is
S1: persecution a static thing, or are some areas kind of
S1: stepping up their hatred toward Christians? One organization has begun
S1: a database to keep track of it all, and we'll
S1: let you take a look at that next. Welcome back
S1: to the land and the book from Moody Radio. I'm
S1: John Jaeger here to share a quick idea. First, on
S1: sharing Christ with your Muslim friend or neighbor. Listen to this.
S1: You ever wonder what the Bible is referring to when
S1: it talks about Israel's spiritual blindness? Let's ask Wes Taber,
S1: who's an ambassador with life in Messiah. What do we
S1: mean by that?
S3: Well, all non-believers are blinded by Satan. John second Corinthians
S3: four says, but even if our gospel is veiled, it
S3: is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the
S3: God of this age has blinded, but God also judicially blinded,
S3: rebellious Israel. You know, back in Isaiah six six Corinthians
S3: 315 says that there's a veil on their hearts when
S3: the Torah is read. And Paul says in Romans, this
S3: blindness is both partial and temporary.
S1: So in light of this spiritual blindness, what can we
S1: as believers do?
S3: Well, pray. Pray for the veil to be removed and
S3: for God's Spirit to enliven the truth. Paul prays in
S3: Ephesians one, I pray that the eyes of your heart
S3: may be enlightened. Verse 18. What a great.
S1: Prayer. May the eyes of your heart be in light
S1: that's West Tabor with life in Messiah. Doctor David Curry
S1: is CEO of Global Christian Relief, America's leading watchdog organization
S1: focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition
S1: to equipping the Western Church to advocate and pray for
S1: the persecuted, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to
S1: protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith based discrimination and violence.
S1: Doctor Curry currently serves on the United States Commission on
S1: Religious Freedom. And we want to say welcome to the
S1: land of the book, Doctor Curry.
S4: Thank you. I appreciate you having me on, Jon.
S1: Now, some would say, boy, you guys are biting off
S1: a mighty big bite with this database. How do you
S1: intend to keep it all updated?
S4: Well, we're working with the Institute for International Religious Freedom
S4: who have just great researchers. They have, you know, been
S4: in this field for a long time. And, uh, and,
S4: of course, we have massive experience over 50 years as
S4: an organization working in these most contested areas where the
S4: persecuted person of faith is its most intense. And people say, well,
S4: where would that be? North Korea, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, some
S4: of these places that we we hear about in the
S4: news where extremist and or governments are targeting Christians in
S4: their faith. What this index does that's different, however, is
S4: it really measures all violent incidents and incidents of persecution
S4: against any faith. And I tell you why that's important, John,
S4: because for over a decade I've been reporting on violence
S4: against Christians, but there's no context for it to get
S4: questions over and over again. What does that mean compared
S4: to what? And this index will measure all incidents, whether
S4: it's antisemitism against Jews or violence against Christians or others.
S4: So you're going to have a context ability, as the
S4: database grows, to really see religious freedom as a whole.
S4: And I think at that point, people are really going
S4: to understand how massive the persecution and targeting of Christians
S4: has been and is right now.
S1: So how do these reports of persecution actually reach you?
S1: How do you get the information?
S4: Well, this database is of all publicly verified incidents. And
S4: what that means is it's limited in that it will
S4: always be a baseline number. It's not going to be
S4: the complete number. We have lots of information of things
S4: that we believe has happened, but that hasn't been validated.
S4: And that's intentional because when you have publicly validated information,
S4: whether that's in a new source or it's from some
S4: other way, the United Nations or other governments that have
S4: validated these attacks, the data is unassailable. So up until now,
S4: everybody sort of in their own category, somebody's talking about anti-Semitism,
S4: and people could say, oh, that never really happened. Or
S4: people would say, oh, the persecution of Christians isn't as
S4: big as you say in your list that only talks
S4: about Christians. These numbers are unassailable. They have been validated two, three, four,
S4: five different ways. So you could see the volume and
S4: the scale of this problem. For example, in India we've
S4: had over 62,000 Christians and some Muslims who've been displaced
S4: in the last year because extremist Hindus who have a
S4: nationalist agenda, they're tied to this is the the militant
S4: arm of the Indian government has attacked Christian communities in
S4: Manipur and another district called Chhattisgarh and in other regions.
S4: So the Indian government denies it or they don't want
S4: to talk about it. They don't want to say that
S4: they're part of it. But this is unassailable data and
S4: people have to deal with that, and it has political ramifications.
S4: But I also think, John, this is meant to wake
S4: up the church. My heart is, is that the church
S4: stand with persecuted believers, that we rally around them, that
S4: we understand that one of the tactics of the devil
S4: is to use violence to make people flee from their faith.
S4: And it works in some cases. And so if you
S4: want to strengthen the church, you have to start with
S4: serving the persecuted, praying for them, understanding their needs, and
S4: trying to find a way to strengthen the church and
S4: to stand with it.
S1: Thanks for joining us today on the land and the book.
S1: I'm John Jaeger with our guest, Doctor David Curry of
S1: Global Christian Relief. Let's swing our focus toward the Middle East. That's,
S1: of course, our heart here at the land in the book.
S1: Name some hotspots that you're tracking right now in that
S1: region that kind of pop up when you think about
S1: this country or that country.
S4: Well, obviously, the rise of anti-Semitism, or really the revealing
S4: of it from the October attacks is noted in the database,
S4: and there's more data being added all the time on
S4: this subject. One region that I think sort of falls
S4: below the radar for a lot of people is Armenia,
S4: and the ongoing struggle that is happening there between. Azerbaijan
S4: and Armenia. And it's not just a national problem. This
S4: is a Christian country, has been a Christian country. One
S4: of the first, if they they would claim they were
S4: the first Christian country to identify to say we're we
S4: are a Christian country back in, you know, many decades ago,
S4: I think it's 894 or something like that. AD so
S4: they have been a Christian country, people practicing their Christian faith.
S4: In the last few months, you've had 120,000 Armenian Christians
S4: who have been forcibly removed from their homes by the
S4: Azerbaijan government and the Christian heritage. There, again, centuries old,
S4: has been deleted, destroying churches, destroying Christian landmarks in order
S4: to sort of prove in their mind that this has
S4: always been Muslim territory and to force people into that faith.
S4: And it's tragic and it's not on anybody's radar. 120,000
S4: Christians removed from their homes, and now they're stateless because
S4: technically they were Azerbaijan's citizens, but now they've been forced
S4: into Armenia and they've been welcomed by Armenia, but they're
S4: not Armenian citizens. So, I mean, there's just a lot
S4: going on there. And this is the targeting of Christians
S4: in the Middle East. Armenia is just above Iran. It
S4: should be a partner with Israel, but they haven't been
S4: welcomed there yet either. So there's a lot going on there.
S4: This is the sort of thing that's revealed in the
S4: data that you could see compared to what else is
S4: going on. That is a major story that most people
S4: don't know about.
S1: Doctor David Curry is CEO of Global Christian Relief, a
S1: watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide.
S1: He joins us today on The Land and the book.
S1: I'm John Jaeger saying thanks for your company. All right.
S1: What are some common forms of persecution that believers experience
S1: in the Middle East? What are we talking about here?
S4: Well, I think first of all, we have to understand
S4: the index that we released in January is a violence index.
S4: In the spring around Easter, we're going to release index
S4: that measures other factors. When we measure persecution. What we're
S4: looking at is just the government doing the persecution is
S4: the persecution within the family. When you're talking about in
S4: the Middle East, a lot of people who are coming
S4: to faith from a muslim background. And within that structure,
S4: some extremists interpret Muslim theology to say that anybody who
S4: leaves and not even extremists, many people across it would
S4: say anybody who leaves the Muslim faith is an infidel extremist,
S4: would say that gives them the right to kill them,
S4: to rape them, to beat them. And sometimes that happens
S4: where people come to faith from a muslim background and
S4: they're disassociated from their family. They can lose their job.
S4: And you see this amongst Palestinian Christians who are really
S4: struggling because they're denied, you know, a kind of understanding
S4: from the Muslim community in Palestine. And they don't fit
S4: within the the Israeli context. And so they just feel
S4: left out of place. But they're believers in Jesus. That
S4: redeeming story, the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus that transformed
S4: their life. But they come from a muslim background and
S4: it's really hard for them. So that's a church within
S4: the Middle East, Muslim background, believers that most people don't realize.
S4: Millions of people now who have come to Christ many times, miraculously,
S4: who are living there within the Middle East, and they
S4: face every kind of persecution, including martyrdom.
S1: So the obvious question is, why do so many of
S1: these stories? And there are, as you say, so many
S1: of them, why do they fail to make it into
S1: our media coverage in the West?
S4: Well, I thank God for programs like yours and others
S4: that do talk about it. I think we have so
S4: many distractions here. Your social media feed is going to
S4: be filled with stories of pain and so we can
S4: become overwhelmed. It can become fatigue. What I think we
S4: have to understand is that this is a biblical calling
S4: that's talked about in Hebrews and elsewhere, where we're to
S4: care for and pray for those who are in chains.
S4: It says, for the name of Jesus, as if it
S4: were your own family, as if it were yourself. And
S4: this is the key. That's the sentence. It is your family.
S4: And so I think we lack an understanding. Part of
S4: my calling is to wake up the church and say,
S4: this gentleman here, whose name may be Mohammed, he may
S4: have come from a muslim background, but he is a
S4: follower of Jesus. Therefore he is your brother. We need
S4: to care. It seems like we believe somehow, maybe not intentionally,
S4: that there's a distance between where they're at and where
S4: we're at. But here's the challenge, John, and I think
S4: you know this. I hope your listeners know this persecution and.
S4: Intolerance of Christians is growing here too, and the spiritual
S4: lessons that these people go through because they're strong and
S4: even in the midst of it, joyful in many cases,
S4: is the lessons we have to learn. How do you
S4: practice your faith? How does it become violent when it
S4: is opposed? When you're discriminated, when you lose everything? Is
S4: he still enough? And these are key spiritual questions. And
S4: that's part of why. One of my key elements is
S4: to post stories on our website Global Christian Relief. Org
S4: videos stories of transformation, of inspiration, and yes, in difficult circumstances.
S4: But it's still powerful and in an odd way that
S4: only happens in the spirit. Really, it is inspiring.
S1: You know, I think listeners are saying back to this
S1: database of religious violence, who has access to that? Is
S1: it restricted to members of the media? How would we
S1: get to that database?
S4: You can go on there and you say, what's happening?
S4: Azerbaijan attacks against Christians. You can select the faith that
S4: you want to target as far as understanding what's going on.
S4: Here's a great question that you can punch in. There's
S4: fields that you fill out and say closed churches. How
S4: many churches were closed last year? Where were the most
S4: churches closed? And I would just ask that of your listeners,
S4: do you know what country closed the most churches? The
S4: answer Nicaragua wouldn't have thought of that. No 179 churches
S4: were closed. And that's because Daniel Ortega and his administration
S4: is targeting Catholic and evangelical churches, that he sees them
S4: as a threat to his power. He's a communist and
S4: every communist country, there's some form of targeting of Christians.
S4: And they have been closing churches, arresting priests, arresting pastors
S4: who stand up to the government. They just released 18
S4: priests yesterday, sent them back to Rome, but they had
S4: been held in detention, including a major bishop, Alvarez, for
S4: many months. And all they were doing is practicing their faith.
S4: But they didn't go along with the communist dogma that
S4: said that that was preeminent. That's the challenge within communism,
S4: that that system has to be preeminent. Nothing else can
S4: stand up to it. Not Jesus, not anybody. That's the
S4: same problem that China has with Christianity, that they don't
S4: want any theology idea person above their communist ideology. And
S4: so Nicaragua's closing a lot of churches right now. You
S4: can just go in and select these fields and say,
S4: you know, where were the most people arrested? Where were
S4: the most people abducted for their faith? And again, these
S4: are baseline numbers. You will see, for example, in Nigeria,
S4: over 5800 people were abducted because they were Christians. And
S4: just all kinds of interesting tidbits. Anybody can access it.
S4: Our website, Global Christian Relief, is a portal to go
S4: see what's happening there. And and researchers. I'm hoping we'll
S4: go and policymakers and really dig into it.
S1: We'll link to your website, Global Christian Relief, when you
S1: visit our website, the land and the book. Org, our
S1: time is gone. But we really appreciate Doctor Curry. You're
S1: opening our eyes to all of this persecution worldwide and
S1: persecution in particular in the Middle East. Thank you for
S1: your expertise and for your devotion to this cause.
S4: Thank you John, I appreciate your show.
S1: Up next on the land of the book, it's Bible
S1: Questions and Answers with Doctor Charlie Dyer, our host.
UU: He's back right after this.
S1: You know, let's face it, you have so many choices
S1: in what you listen to these days and how you listen.
S1: The fact that you're with us, man, we count that
S1: an honor. And we want to say thank you for
S1: being a part of the land. In the book, I'm
S1: John Geiger. Seated across from me is Charlie Dyer, and
S1: right at his side is his Bible, which he's going
S1: to need because your questions are fast and furious and
S1: they're always about the Bible. I'm looking forward to those
S1: first though, Passover soon going to be upon us. And
S1: one of the traditional Passover questions is what makes this
S1: night different from all others? Could you answer that? Passover
S1: is an important biblical holiday that has great meaning for
S1: both Jewish people and believers in Jesus. So I'm thinking
S1: this is a great question to ask Charlie.
S2: It is a great question. And if you want to
S2: learn more about what makes Passover so special, our friends
S2: at Life and Messiah are offering to mail you a
S2: free copy of their Messianic Passover Haggadah. The booklet will
S2: lead you through the celebration of Passover to see the
S2: rich connections to Jesus, our Messiah, and the Last Supper.
S2: You'll also receive a link for an interactive Passover Seder
S2: video with the Haggadah and video. You can celebrate Passover
S2: this year with your family and friends. To get this
S2: free offer, just go to Life in Messiah org and
S2: click on the Moody Radio button to find out more
S2: and request your copy. That's life in Messiah.
S1: Org questions and answers. That's now on the land and
S1: the book, starting with Terry, who asks, how would you
S1: define Christ's kingdom? As it's mentioned in Matthew 610, the
S1: traditional Lord's Prayer?
S2: Well, I believe the kingdom being described by Christ is
S2: the Millennial Kingdom or the messianic Kingdom predicted in the
S2: Old Testament. The prophets described the coming kingdom era, when
S2: the Messiah would come to rule over the world from Jerusalem.
S2: In that model prayer Jesus gave in Matthew six, I
S2: see two phrases there used side by side to help
S2: provide the explanation. The first is the phrase thy kingdom come.
S2: But then Jesus explains what he means in the next
S2: phrase thy will be done on earth as it is
S2: in heaven. When the kingdom arrives, God's rule over the
S2: earth will match his rule in heaven, and ultimately that
S2: awaits the arrival of Jesus back to earth. As King
S2: of Kings and Lord of Lords.
S1: Nikki asks, how do we explain how so many pastors
S1: fall into scandal, especially sexual sin? I'm looking for scripture
S1: that explains how Satan manifests himself in our lives when
S1: we're weak or double minded. What do you think?
S2: Well, I think there's several passages. In fact, I would
S2: like to focus not only on the problem, but the
S2: solution and the passage. I go to Ephesians six, verses
S2: 10 to 18. You know, Paul there describes the armor
S2: of God, and he tells us to put it on
S2: so we can take our stand against the devil's schemes.
S2: It's interesting Satan has more schemes than when I grew up,
S2: they would say. Then Carter has pills. So rather than
S2: focusing on his schemes, let's focus on what God's armor is.
S2: And the first part of it's defensive in nature. He
S2: starts with godly character. It's the first defense where to
S2: wear the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness
S2: and be ready to share the gospel. God's good news
S2: about Jesus. We're also to carry the shield of faith,
S2: our conscious choice decision to believe what God has said
S2: in spite of Satan trying to sow seeds of doubt
S2: in our mind and the helmet of salvation. That's God's
S2: protection over us. No matter what, God has guaranteed the
S2: salvation of those who've placed their trust in him. But
S2: I love it. Paul ends with two offensive weapons we
S2: have to defeat Satan, the sword of the spirit, which
S2: is the Word of God, and prayer. When Jesus was
S2: tempted in the wilderness, he used the Word of God
S2: to defeat Satan's attacks. And in the Garden of Gethsemane,
S2: he told the disciples to watch and pray that you
S2: enter not into temptation. So I believe the confession of
S2: sin is an important part, but the Word of God
S2: and the power of the spirit in prayer are the
S2: two big things. Now, one final item, uh, we're called
S2: on to resist the devil in Ephesians six and also
S2: in James four, and we do it primarily through prayer
S2: in the Word of God. But there is one other
S2: exception when it comes to sexual temptation, which you also mentioned,
S2: we're told to flee rather than to try and stand
S2: and oppose it on our own. You know, Paul told
S2: the people in Corinth to flee immorality. He told Timothy
S2: to flee youthful lusts, and we should more like Joseph.
S2: You remember when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife. The
S2: best way to avoid sexual sin is to put as
S2: much distance between you and it as possible.
S1: That's Charlie Dyer, I'm John Jaeger, this is the land
S1: and the book. Questions and answers, David says while visiting
S1: a Greek Orthodox church, the bishop there said that Joseph
S1: never had sexual relations with Mary. I know that Jesus
S1: brothers and sisters are mentioned by name in the book
S1: of Matthew. Our nephew, who was of this denomination, said.
S1: The tradition states that Joseph was old and already had
S1: children from a previous marriage when Jesus was born. This
S1: is like the Catholic belief that Mary was a perpetual virgin.
S1: I believe that she was a virgin before Jesus birth,
S1: but afterwards had a natural sexual relationship. What do you think?
S2: Well, there's nothing in the Bible which states or suggests
S2: that Mary remained a perpetual virgin. That is later church tradition.
S2: There's also no biblical evidence to suggest Joseph. Was substantially
S2: older than Mary, or that he had children from a
S2: previous marriage. Those are all attempts to protect the chastity
S2: of Mary. While trying to explain why, the Bible also
S2: says Jesus had brothers and sisters. So I believe Matthew
S2: 125 strongly suggests Mary and Joseph had sexual relations following
S2: Jesus birth. It literally says Joseph did not know her.
S2: That is in a sexual sense until she gave birth
S2: to a son. The implication is that Joseph did begin
S2: having sexual relations with his wife following Jesus birth.
S1: Another question from David, who says, the pastor at this
S1: Greek Orthodox Church said that the church of Jacob's well,
S1: where Jesus met the Samaritan woman mentioned in John four,
S1: had a caretaker who had been murdered by Zionists. He
S1: said that now there's another caretaker at the site. What
S1: is the truth though? How? How can this use of
S1: the word Zionist refer to anti-Semitism?
S2: Well, the event to which the priest is referring isn't
S2: something recent. It actually took place back in 1979. That's
S2: 45 years ago. Uh, the priesthood, Jacob's well wasn't murdered
S2: by Zionists. He was murdered by a mentally unbalanced Jewish man.
S2: The same man also killed a Jewish gynecologist in Tel
S2: Aviv and a family and load. And he attacked a
S2: nun at Jacob's well at a later date. But all
S2: those attacks were by a single individual against both Jewish
S2: and Christian Arab victims. It wasn't a Zionist plot against
S2: Christians or Palestinians. Now the cleric who replaced the one
S2: who was murdered and who eventually helped capture the assailant,
S2: he verified the assailant was one individual whom he identified
S2: as a madman. I think what makes this story anti-Semitic
S2: is that it's been expanded and embellished over time, so
S2: that that one mentally disturbed man became a group of
S2: fanatical Zionists who supposedly used a hatchet to display the
S2: sign of the cross on the priest's body and plucked
S2: out his eyes and chopped off three fingers to make
S2: him renounces Orthodox faith. Now, those added details parallel some
S2: of the medieval charges made against Jews, and were designed
S2: to inflame Christians into seeking retribution. And that's why I
S2: believe the inclusion of those details is what crosses over
S2: the line into anti-Semitism. A best defense against something like
S2: that is online ability. Now go back and try and
S2: find the original factual accounts of what happened, and then
S2: see what was altered to vilify a specific group that
S2: had no real connection to the event itself. And that's
S2: what happened in the later accounts of this event, which
S2: really did happen back in 1979.
S1: A question from Brian. The Bible teaches us that God
S1: formed us in the womb. This seems to indicate that
S1: abortion would be homicide. At the same time, I wonder
S1: if God would allow any exceptions, such as in the
S1: case of rape or incest, or to save the mother's life.
S2: Your thoughts? Yeah, and I'm going to wait in here
S2: and probably be hit on all sides, so that's okay.
S2: But I do appreciate, Brian, your stand on protecting the
S2: lives of the unborn. And I understand the concerns when
S2: it comes to sensitivity toward those possible exceptions. Uh, here's
S2: what I would say. I still see the issue in
S2: it all being the life of the unborn child. Though
S2: a horrible deed was committed, it doesn't seem right to
S2: me to impose the death penalty on the child in
S2: the womb for something that he or she didn't do.
S2: Those guilty of the crime ought to be punished, but
S2: that unborn child is still precious in God's eyes. Now,
S2: the issue of requiring an abortion to preserve the life
S2: of the mother is slightly different. But what I suspect
S2: is that the number of times where this might actually
S2: be the case are extremely rare. Uh, Doctor John Wolford
S2: was president of Dallas Seminary for years, and he told
S2: the story of how his mother was told she needed
S2: to have an abortion to save her life. She refused,
S2: and both mother and child lived, and he was that
S2: unborn child. There are many options now available to help
S2: protect the lives of both the mother and the unborn child,
S2: and I suspect this is used more as a theoretical
S2: excuse than an actual life and death situation. If the
S2: mother is committed to giving birth to the child, I
S2: believe that in most every case her desire can be accomplished.
S2: The bottom line for me is that an unborn child
S2: is a human life, and if we accept that premise,
S2: then it changes how we approach these exceptional situations. We
S2: would no more kill an unborn child who was born
S2: as the result of rape or incest, than we would
S2: kill a child already born who was the result of
S2: rape or incest. So I still think the child's life
S2: is the most precious.
S1: A question from Nancy about Queen Esther's banquet in the Bible.
S1: It states the banquet was of wine. Can you please
S1: clarify for me? Was it just wine or was it
S1: with food also? Thank you.
S2: Yeah, I'll start with this. The Persians were known for
S2: banquets that included a lot of drinking, even using elaborate
S2: wine goblets. But I believe the feasts that are there
S2: included food. And I say that for several reasons. First,
S2: 12 times in the book it uses the word banquet.
S2: And while that included the focus on drinking, it would
S2: also include exotic foods. In Esther one 3 to 5.
S2: The length of the first banquet was 180 days, followed
S2: immediately by another seven day banquet. That suggests to me
S2: that they were doing more than just drinking wine, you know,
S2: half a year of just wine and no food. That's
S2: hard to believe. So I think the food was there.
S2: And then also in one nine, the original Queen Vashti.
S2: He gave a banquet for the women in the palace,
S2: which doesn't mention wine. So anyway, because of the use
S2: of the term banquet, I believe there's eating and drinking
S2: wine at these different events. The wine was used because
S2: it indicated extravagance. In the event, it'd be kind of like,
S2: pardon the expression on us. We'd be like someone at
S2: a modern wedding reception saying it's going to feature an
S2: open bar, so there's food, but lots of drink. And
S2: that's what was being said there and what the King
S2: was doing.
S1: Boy, it's been great. Getting all these questions in yours
S1: is welcome anytime with an email to the Land and
S1: the book at Moody's Edu. Charlie Dyer's devotional is next
S1: right here on the land and the book. So last Christmas,
S1: somebody gave me an emergency kit that featured, among other things,
S1: a light, a knife and a fire starting piece of flint.
S1: I have yet to try that Flint. Hi, I'm John Jaeger.
S1: This is the land in the book where Doctor Charlie Dyer,
S1: our host, is continuing his devotional series. Objects on my shelf. Now, Charlie,
S1: I've seen that shelf of yours. You've got plenty of
S1: material for devotionals, but among those objects, apparently a piece
S1: of flint.
S2: Uh, multiple pieces of flint.
S1: Okay. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with
S1: that in your devotional right after this Holy Land experience. Testimony.
S5: I'm Heather, and one of the many things that I've
S5: been struck by is Charlie has not wasted one inch
S5: of real estate in this entire country. We have learned
S5: so much about the history of Israel, the people of Israel.
S5: He has taken the content of Scripture, put it into
S5: the context of the cultures. He's helped us understand the
S5: cultures and has brought us into the modern day problems.
S5: And I think what it's done for me is it's
S5: changed me dramatically, but it has also given me a
S5: resolve to be the kind of believer I need to
S5: be for Israel.
S1: All right, Charlie, I know nothing about Flint other than
S1: that I own a piece of it. I'm looking forward
S1: to your devotional.
S2: Oh. Thanks, John. Well, everybody, welcome back to my office.
S2: I hope you're enjoying this three week series focusing on
S2: objects I keep on display here on one of my
S2: office shelves. Today, I want to show you six relatively
S2: small stones that I keep next to that piece of
S2: salt I showed you last week, and know these aren't
S2: stones from the L.A. Valley where David fought Goliath. I
S2: also have a rock that I picked up there. The
S2: rocks I want to show you today come from the
S2: Judean wilderness, which happens to be my favorite spot in Israel.
S2: These rocks aren't the typical limestone or chalk or even
S2: basalt rocks that one normally sees in Israel. These six
S2: all have something of a glossy sheen and relatively straight edges,
S2: and their colors a mixture of black, brown, and gray.
S2: The three larger pieces have a thin layer of chalky
S2: limestone attached. I must be hungry because one of them
S2: reminds me of a brownie, a very thin brownie with
S2: a light tan marshmallow like topping on top. The smaller
S2: pieces have jagged, almost razor sharp edges. One even looks
S2: like it would make an excellent arrowhead. So what are
S2: these rocks? Well, depending on who you talk to, they're
S2: referred to as flint or chert. Flint is a variety
S2: of chert flints, usually black or dark gray, while chert
S2: can come in a combination of shades. Of the six
S2: pieces on my shelf, one definitely appears to be flint,
S2: while the other five might be classified as chert, but
S2: it really doesn't matter since apart from color, the stones
S2: share the same basic properties. Both flint and shirt are
S2: a type of quartz, which is why these rocks appear
S2: somewhat glossy, and when they're split, these rocks form edges
S2: similar in appearance to broken glass. Flint and chert are
S2: both hard enough to incise scratches on a glass bottle,
S2: and they can be found embedded in limestone and chalk.
S2: As those rocks weathered down, the flint remains and ends
S2: up scattered along the top of the ground. I picked
S2: up all these pieces while walking in the Judean wilderness.
S2: Now that I've shown you the rocks, let's head to
S2: the area in the wilderness where I found them. As
S2: our bus stops, follow me up the hillside just to
S2: our left. It's a bit of a walk, so take
S2: your time and pace yourself. A good way to do
S2: that is to look down at the rocks along the pathway.
S2: There are many pieces of white limestone or chalk, but
S2: look for the dark rocks scattered among them. Some are
S2: quite large, but focus on the smaller pieces. You know,
S2: the ones that will fit into your suitcase without putting
S2: you over that £50 limit for your flight home. Now
S2: we've reached the top and we're looking into the Wadi quilt.
S2: It's one of those oh wow experiences in Israel. But
S2: before you get distracted, let's look more closely at the
S2: rocks you collected on the way up. Now I see
S2: lots of brown, gray, and even black flint and chert
S2: sums embedded in a layer of chalk, but other pieces
S2: are not. Now turn them over in your hand and
S2: let the sun reflect off them. Notice the sharp edges
S2: and the glossy sheen. You can also see the hardness
S2: of the flint, especially if it's attached to a piece
S2: of limestone or chalk. That side produces a chalky residue
S2: when you rub your fingers over it. But the flint
S2: is hard. It doesn't come off when you rub it
S2: in your fingers. You now have an interesting and absolutely
S2: free souvenir to take home with you to put on
S2: your shelf, but let me add a biblical connection to
S2: make it even more significant. The Bible uses several words
S2: for flint, and it also pictures several uses for this
S2: hard stone. In Exodus four. In Joshua five, knives were
S2: made from flint and were used to circumcise Moses's son
S2: and the children of Israel. Now, depending on the piece
S2: you picked up, you might even be able to imagine
S2: using its sharp edge as a knife. Limestone might seem hard,
S2: but it's not impervious. Water can seep through it, but
S2: flint is impervious to water. When Moses struck the rock
S2: in the wilderness in Exodus 17, I always imagined him
S2: striking a large piece of limestone which broke open to
S2: allow water to flow out. But in Deuteronomy 915, Moses says,
S2: God brought water for you out of the rock of Flint.
S2: And in the last verse of Psalm 114, the psalmist
S2: also said, God turned the rock into a pool of water,
S2: the flint into a fountain of water. Two different words
S2: are used in those verses, but both refer to flint.
S2: Moses split a large flint rock that would normally resist
S2: being split in two by a mere wooden staff, and
S2: God brought water from a rock never associated with natural springs.
S2: But perhaps the greatest use of flint in the Bible,
S2: both for good and for evil, is. It's used to
S2: describe stern, hard determination. In Zechariah seven, God summarized why
S2: the nation of Judah went into captivity. He sent them
S2: into captivity because the people had hardened their hearts and
S2: refused to respond to his message. God says it in
S2: this way. They made their hearts as hard as Flint,
S2: and would not listen to the law or the words
S2: that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit the.
S2: Through the earlier prophets. They hardened their hearts until they
S2: were as impervious to God's Word as a piece of
S2: flint is to water, they became hard and unyielding. But
S2: the hardness of flint is also used in the Bible
S2: as a positive illustration. Isaiah used flint to describe the
S2: resolute decision of the servant of the Lord, a prophetic
S2: picture of Jesus to remain true in spite of opposition.
S2: Listen to what he says in Isaiah 50 verses six
S2: and seven. I offered my back to those who beat me,
S2: my cheek, to those who pulled out my beard. I
S2: did not hide my face from mocking and spitting because
S2: the sovereign Lord helps me. I will not be disgraced.
S2: Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I
S2: know I will not be put to shame. If you
S2: want to know how resolute and determined Jesus was to
S2: endure persecution at the time of his crucifixion, squeeze that
S2: piece of flint. But the same kind of determination and
S2: fortitude that Jesus demonstrated has also been made available by
S2: God to his followers. How do I know this? Listen
S2: to God's promise to Ezekiel when he called him as
S2: a prophet to a rebellious nation about to be judged,
S2: I will make your forehead like the hardest stone harder
S2: than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified
S2: by them, though they are a rebellious house. Whatever opposition
S2: Ezekiel was about to face and he faced much, God
S2: promised to strengthen and protect him, to make him harder
S2: than Flint. It's time to head back from the Judean
S2: wilderness to my office and to say our goodbyes. But
S2: before you go, take one last look at that piece
S2: of flint in your hand and there on my shelf,
S2: and then think about how God used these rocks to
S2: illustrate his truth in the Bible. Water gushing from flint,
S2: struck by a wooden stick. That's definitely a miracle. The
S2: hardness of flint. To illustrate determination, hold a piece of
S2: flint in your hand and that makes perfect sense. It
S2: pictures the determination of the servant Jesus, who willingly suffered
S2: and died to pay the penalty for our sin. Sadly,
S2: it can also picture the determination of those in sin
S2: to continue refusing to listen to God's warning of impending judgment.
S2: And finally, it can serve as a reminder to us
S2: that God will give us the strength and ability to
S2: stand firm for him, even in times of trouble. So
S2: what do you see when you look at that piece
S2: of flint? Hopefully it's not a graphic reminder of a
S2: heart hardened against God. How about an illustration of how
S2: God can cause living water to flow from something as
S2: hard as flint? And he demonstrated that by having his
S2: own son have a flint like determination to suffer and die,
S2: to pay the penalty for our sin so we can
S2: experience God's forgiveness. And finally, if we turn to God,
S2: he'll give us the strength and hardness of flint to
S2: allow us to stand firm for him. Flint. Just one
S2: kind of stone, but with many applications.
S1: Thank you Charlie, and maybe as you listen to today's devotional,
S1: things are finally making sense for you. You realize your
S1: heart has been far from God and and you'd like
S1: to be forgiven. You'd like to be made right with God.
S1: And to know that that you're headed for heaven. Well,
S1: you can begin this relationship with Jesus in a conversation
S1: right now at eight, eight, eight. Need him, 888 need him.
S1: Thanks for listening today to the land in the book,
S1: our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, our producer, Danny Anderson, I'm
S1: John Geiger and we point you to our website as always.
S1: It's the land and the book.org. Join us next time
S1: for another edition of The Land and the book, a
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.