S1: It's the world's first visual and interactive Bible. IE Bible
S1: presents the entire biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation as
S1: one cohesive story. The goal to animate the Bible and
S1: deliver it for free to the global missions community. Amazingly,
S1: the Bible is already making a difference in the Middle East,
S1: where Bibles are often restricted. Get the whole story when
S1: you join us next for the land and the book.
S1: Thanks for connecting with us today. I'm John Gager and
S1: it's always an honor to hang out with our host,
S1: Middle East expert Doctor Charlie Dyer. Are you doing okay today? Charlie? John, I'm.
S2: Doing great, and it's always good to be with you.
S1: Well, you know, some people wonder, how do you share
S1: the gospel with a Jewish person because of a cultural,
S1: historical and religious difference that might pop up? It's sometimes
S1: challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with someone from a
S1: Jewish background. You ever wondered, though, how the quote professionals
S1: do it.
S2: And answered this question? Our friends at Life in Messiah
S2: want to mail you samples of the tracks their staff
S2: use as they share the gospel. This will serve a
S2: dual purpose. It will equip you with methods of presenting
S2: the gospel, and also supply you with tracks you can
S2: share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's
S2: Prayer is that these tracks will help further the spread
S2: of the gospel among the Jewish people. Now, to receive
S2: this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do
S2: is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the
S2: Moody Radio button for more information. That's Life in messiah.org.
S2: Don't miss out on this great opportunity!
S1: If you're new to the program, we've got four segments
S1: all lined up for you. All action packed, the first
S1: being a look at current events, topics, stories from the
S1: Middle East all unfolding this week. Conflicting reports continue to
S1: circulate over Israel's war with Hamas. Is an invasion of
S1: Rafah imminent, or is it being blocked by the United States?
S1: Is a deal to release the hostages imminent, or is
S1: Hamas simply stalling for time? Where do things now stand?
S1: And finally, was a mass grave found outside a Gaza
S1: hospital following the withdrawal there of Israeli troops? Charlie. Your thoughts? Yeah.
S2: John, let me start with that last one. The report
S2: about the mass graves. Al Jazeera reported that Palestinian paramedics
S2: retrieved 300 bodies from a mass grave in the area
S2: of a hospital after Israeli forces departed, the UN rights
S2: chief reported. He was horrified by the report. US officials
S2: said they were deeply disturbed by the reports. The implication,
S2: of course, is that Israel had committed a war crime
S2: and then tried to hide it by burying these bodies,
S2: all of which is not true. The truth which finally
S2: emerged is that the bodies were of people who had
S2: died at the hospital during the fighting in Gaza. Some
S2: were likely Hamas fighters, others were patients who had died.
S2: The bodies couldn't be taken out for normal burial because
S2: of all the fighting in the general area around the hospital.
S2: Hospital staff then buried the bodies in the courtyard. A
S2: videos posted on social media showed the burials taking place
S2: before Israel ever arrived at the hospital. Now, in regard
S2: to those other issues, Israel has said the invasion of
S2: Rafah is imminent. They've apparently been constructing a tent city
S2: to house the civilians they plan on removing prior to
S2: their attack on Hamas. Now, unfortunately, it appears that the
S2: US is threatening to restrict arms sales to Israel if
S2: they do enter Rafah. Hamas knows the US's reluctance to
S2: allow Israel to move forward, and that's enabled them to
S2: harden their position on the hostages. The original deal, which
S2: Hamas rejected, would have released 80 hostages for a six
S2: week ceasefire. A revised proposal lowered the hostage number to
S2: 40 hostages. A Hamas rejected that the deal currently being
S2: offered would provide for the release of somewhere between 20
S2: and 33 hostages for a limited truce. That's the number
S2: of female, elderly and sick hostages that they still believe
S2: are alive. Out of a total of 133 being held.
S2: The fate of the remaining 100? Well, it isn't known,
S2: though many of them are thought to be dead now,
S2: at some point in the not too distant future, Israel
S2: will need to decide whether to cave in to US
S2: pressure and look for an exit strategy from Gaza, or
S2: to move into Rafah to eliminate Hamas and then head
S2: north to face Hezbollah.
S1: Story number two anti-Israel Pro-hamas protests are sweeping many college campuses.
S1: Is this simply a relatively small group of college students
S1: exercising their First Amendment right to assemble peaceably to protest?
S1: Or are there more troubling issues at play? And how
S1: should we respond as Christians?
S2: Yeah, well, it's still a relatively small group of students,
S2: but the number of schools where they're active is growing.
S2: And several disturbing reports suggest the protests are being funded
S2: by outside groups. Now, our Constitution does permit individuals and
S2: groups to peaceably assemble and protest. Our right to freedom
S2: of speech. And freedom of assembly is important. You know,
S2: a government that could take away the rights of these
S2: protesters is the same government that could take away your
S2: right to gather. In support of Israel or your freedom
S2: to gather and worship. So we need to be careful here.
S2: But having said that, there are troubling issues at play
S2: that do need to be addressed first. Many of these
S2: protests aren't peaceful demonstrations when protesters call for the elimination
S2: of the State of Israel and say Zionists don't deserve
S2: to live, they're inciting violence. When Jewish students are harassed
S2: or other anti-Semitic incidents take place that threaten individuals simply
S2: because they're Jewish. That's not free speech, that's terrorism. This
S2: parallels what happened in Germany in the 1920s and 30s
S2: and that led to the Holocaust. So how should we respond? Well, first,
S2: we need to guard against becoming reactionary ourselves. Paul said
S2: in Romans 1221, do not be overcome by evil, but
S2: overcome evil with good. Let your government leaders know you
S2: support the right to peaceable assembly and free speech, but
S2: that you do not support speech that promotes anti-Semitism, or
S2: that calls for the destruction of Israel. Schools should promote
S2: the free expression of ideas from all sides, but they
S2: must never tolerate harassment or intimidation. Students who cross that line,
S2: I think they should be expelled from school and lose
S2: access to financial aid, and international students here on visas
S2: should be deported. And if a particular individual, group or
S2: even nation is funding it all, there should be consequences.
S2: And I believe that will solve the problem.
S1: From Moody Radio. This is the Land and the book
S1: I'm John Jaeger on segment one, a look at current
S1: events from the Middle East. The Technion Israel Institute of
S1: Technology just published a booklet highlighting 33 world changing discoveries
S1: from that school over the past hundred years of its existence.
S1: What are some of the innovations that have come from
S1: the Technion over the past century?
S2: Yeah, John, I got really fascinated by this. The booklets
S2: called the Booklet of Wonders, and it's actually a fundraising
S2: piece from the Technion as part of its 100 year anniversary.
S2: And listeners can get a copy if they're willing to
S2: provide their name and email address to find the online link.
S2: All they need to do is Google Technion booklet of wonders,
S2: and they'll find a link to where they can get it.
S2: The booklet groups those 33 innovations into five major categories,
S2: from combating Covid to transforming the future. The breadth of
S2: discoveries really is amazing. We've covered some of them in
S2: the past in our amazing Israel segments, like the system
S2: that can produce water from the air even in dry
S2: desert regions, generating hydrogen on demand or fuel for rocket engines.
S2: That's safer and performs better than conventional fuels. But I
S2: found the medical innovations, which are over half the items listed,
S2: to be truly remarkable. A postcranial neurosurgery patch made of synthetic,
S2: biodegradable nanofibers that protects from infection, accelerates healing, and prevents
S2: spinal fluid from leaking, or a device that holds heart
S2: valves at their original size while ensuring they close properly,
S2: or personalized antidepressants or 3D printed bionic hands for children
S2: who need a prosthetic hand, complete with their favorite superhero
S2: or cartoon character on it, so that it gives them
S2: some excitement about having to wear this prosthetic device. Uh,
S2: the list is extensive, and people can then Google the
S2: name of that device or invention to find out more
S2: information about it online. This booklet is actually an amazing
S2: Israel segment on steroids.
S1: Well, so many stories and so little time here on
S1: the broadcast. So in the time remaining, could you maybe
S1: bring us up to date on some of the other
S1: stories that we've been following?
S2: Yeah, I'll see how many of these I can get in.
S2: You remember the legendary Old City cable car project? Oh, yeah.
S2: It's still around. Uh, custodians of of the Catholic sites
S2: in the Holy Land have gone to court now to
S2: try to get the project stopped, or at least rerouted.
S2: They're claiming the city broke its promise not to allow
S2: the project to pass over the Franciscan cemetery on Mount Zion. Uh,
S2: for those who have been to Jerusalem, that's the cemetery
S2: where Oskar Schindler is buried. Next, during Passover, police detained
S2: 13 people trying to smuggle goats onto the Temple Mount
S2: to sacrifice the animals for Passover. Now, I don't think
S2: this will come as a surprise, but all the suspects
S2: were between the ages of 13 and 21. Uh, one
S2: goat was hidden in a baby carriage. Another was inside
S2: a shopping bag. Still another story. You know, we've talked
S2: about the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee continues
S2: to rise, though, as the winter rains come to an end,
S2: the rise is slowing to just under two inches a week.
S2: The lake is now 19in below the upper red line,
S2: which is when it is absolutely filled. Now, currently it
S2: looks like the dam at the southern end of the
S2: lake won't need to be opened to release water, unless
S2: of course, a major storm were to dump a large
S2: amount of rain in northern Israel. Some rain is still possible,
S2: but probably not too likely, so the lake is almost.
S2: And right now the water is cold. So even if
S2: you were there, you would not want to be swimming.
S2: The temperature is in the low 60s. It's not a
S2: good time to go swimming, right? And finally, on a
S2: totally different subject, Greece's national statistical agency reported that Greece
S2: is facing a significant population decline, with the possibility of
S2: becoming the first country in the world to experience, as
S2: they call it, population collapse. In 2022, the country reported
S2: one birth for every two deaths. Wow. The problem is
S2: not only impacting Greece, it's going to start impacting the
S2: EU as a whole. Low birth rates are definitely a
S2: problem in that area.
S1: And that's a look at current events. It's the world's
S1: first visual and interactive Bible. We'll talk about the AI
S1: Bible next here on the land and the book from
S1: Moody Radio, our website, the land and the book org.
S1: Every day about 66,000 people die, many having had no
S1: access to the gospel. But what if there was a
S1: visual presentation of the entire story of the Bible? And
S1: what if it was visually stunning and easy to translate
S1: into any known language? And what if it was available
S1: on devices people already own? That's the theory behind AI Bible,
S1: but not just a theory. It's the real deal. It's
S1: happening now in production. We'll talk about it next. Welcome
S1: to the land and the book segment two I'm John Gager.
S1: Before we get into this conversation about the AI Bible,
S1: what about a conversation maybe you might need to have
S1: with your Muslim friend or neighbor or coworker? Listen to this.
S1: You're walking down the street and a muslim woman coming
S1: the other way is going to pass right by you.
S1: Do you look her in the eye? Do you say
S1: good morning or should you not? Stephan. Affair is with
S1: call of Hope. What's the right thing to do here?
S3: Well, we are in America. And if an American comes
S3: and looks at me, I greet him. I would do
S3: the same thing with a muslim woman to here. I
S3: would never try to shake her hands. I mean, that's
S3: an insult, but, uh, to greet her. Yes, that's a
S3: matter of respect. This is how we show respect in America,
S3: isn't it? And, um, I think they would even feel it.
S3: I mean, I wouldn't do that in Saudi Arabia. Get
S3: me right here. But here in Chicago, on the street,
S3: of course. Yes.
S1: Okay. But you said even in America you wouldn't shake
S1: her hand. Elaborate?
S3: No, no, because I don't know if she is really
S3: a religious woman. She would never touch another man than
S3: her family. So, no, I would never do that. That
S3: could be a very strange thing to do. Sounds like
S3: we're going.
S1: Overboard to make sure we're extremely respectful.
S3: Exactly. Just show respect as you show respect as Jesus would.
S3: You are very right. And they know that your culture
S3: is not their culture. They are aware of it.
S1: Yeah, well great thoughts, very practical. Thank you Stefano Fair.
S1: And we urge you to check out call of Hope us.
S1: Andrea Wilson is vice president for Revelation Media, an organization
S1: that is creating a compelling case for I. Bible. It's
S1: the world's first visual and interactive Bible for a visual
S1: and connected world. Andrea's history here has been in consultation
S1: with businesses. She's been in the Christian publishing industry right now,
S1: has her hands full, producing an app, working on translations
S1: and a whole lot more for this thing called AI Bible. Andrea,
S1: for somebody who's new, what exactly is AI Bible?
S4: Well, I Bible started about seven years ago. Our founder,
S4: Steve Cleary, he had a dream which he jokes, He's Anglican.
S4: So I don't know that they're allowed to have dreams.
S4: But God really pressed on him. The need to bring
S4: the whole story of the Bible to the whole world.
S4: And so in that had found this really was his
S4: call to give the story of the Bible in chronological
S4: order to the world. Well, it's.
S1: One thing to have a dream, as this Anglican brother did,
S1: but quite another to see feet to that dream, to
S1: see it begin to take reality. What next? How did
S1: it happen, and where are we at right now?
S4: Well, we released The Pilgrim's Progress back in 2019, the
S4: animated film. So that was our first film. And then
S4: we started asking the question, what would it look like
S4: to animate the whole Bible, the entire story of the Bible.
S4: I can tell you at that point in time, we
S4: were all looking at each other and saying, is this
S4: even possible? And as we looked at it, we all
S4: knew very, very quickly that it wasn't. And so day
S4: by day and step by step, we just started on
S4: the way. And God has blessed the project. It is
S4: funded by a whole bunch of individuals, moms, grandmothers, teachers
S4: that want to bring Scripture to a generation that here
S4: in the Western world has essentially given up on reading.
S4: While they all have access to Scripture, they choose not
S4: to read it. But that does not mean that our
S4: children don't need to be reached, and they don't need
S4: the story of the Bible.
S1: Okay, so obviously here in the United States, it's having
S1: an impact. You're hearing stories. What kind of stories are
S1: you hearing?
S4: Oh, this is the best part is when grandmothers call
S4: in and they tell us how how their kids love
S4: AI Bible or they're actually reading AI Bible. But I
S4: can tell you myself, I have a 21 year old
S4: and an 18 year old. They fit into that lovely
S4: millennial category that we all talk about trying to reach
S4: that feels so far from us, and they don't quite
S4: love all of the work that I do. But they,
S4: you know, cheesy is often the term that comes out
S4: of them, but they love AI Bible and they'll actually
S4: sit and watch the episodes and not just watch the episodes,
S4: but they're then asking questions. They're wondering, well, what is this?
S4: What does this mean? Why did God allow the serpent
S4: to even tempt Eve? They're coming with questions that show
S4: that they're interested, that they want the stories of Scripture.
S1: Andrea Wilson is vice president for Revelation Media. We're talking
S1: today about AI Bible. You say this is a fascinating conversation.
S1: How do I get a hold of this AI Bible
S1: for my kids? And then, John, why are we having
S1: the conversation here on the land in the book? We're
S1: going to get there. We're going to get to the
S1: Middle East. But for somebody who is interested right now,
S1: how do they access today?
S4: You can go look at AI Bible. All of our
S4: episodes are available on YouTube for free. Uh, this big
S4: initiative is funded first in the Western world, and then
S4: it's given away free to everyone around the world. So
S4: you can go to ai.bible.com to see more information. There
S4: is an app coming that showcases all of the episodes
S4: that are released, in addition to a whole suite of
S4: resources for families to talk. For small groups to talk,
S4: there are quizzes to engage children. The purpose is to
S4: give people the tools to really dive into Scripture, not
S4: just to watch an episode and then move on, but
S4: to then take it in and grow closer to Christ
S4: through that.
S1: Well, I love the fact that this is not just
S1: for us in America. You guys clearly have a vision
S1: that is world centered. God so loved the world. And
S1: so there are translations in progress, many that have already
S1: been done talk about that aspect.
S4: Well, we knew very early on that our children here
S4: in the Western world and people around the world that
S4: need scripture really speak the same language. And today it's
S4: a language of pixels. So they'll watch content on their
S4: cell phones. I've been in India, in a village far
S4: from most things, and saw a sheep farmer that was
S4: out there in the middle of absolutely nowhere standing there.
S4: Should have been watching his sheep, I'm sure, uh, on
S4: his cell phone. Uh, so you can go in just
S4: about any place, and they have a smart device. And
S4: it just really became clear with the number of devices
S4: that are out there, we can deliver the entire story
S4: of the Bible to the entire world. So we've already
S4: released in multiple languages. We have. English, Hindi, Spanish, Farsi, Bulgarian.
S4: We have 42 a ie languages that will also be
S4: releasing at that time. And then we'll also be going
S4: back and releasing all of those once again with human translation.
S4: So we want to get the whole story of Scripture
S4: to the whole world as quickly as possible. But our
S4: scripts and everything about AI Bible first and foremost must
S4: be accurate to Scripture. I think the best compliment I've
S4: heard from AI Bible as they read the scripts is
S4: it's just the Bible, and that is the point. We're
S4: not starting with the New Testament. We started with Genesis.
S4: It really is part of our mission to give the
S4: the whole world, the whole story of Scripture.
S1: I hold in my hand a small format book here
S1: called The Real Story of Jesus AI Bible. How does
S1: that connect with the nation of Iran and things that
S1: are happening there that you've heard about?
S5: Yeah.
S4: So the real story of Jesus tells Jesus story from
S4: creation through his second coming. It is built with over
S4: 300 Bible verses telling the entire story of Jesus. We
S4: printed a small format book.
S6: About 100.
S1: Pages. I see here.
S4: About 100 pages. That's correct. Beautiful. Full color. It is. Book.
S4: What you're reading there is the story of salvation. So
S4: we printed those and delivered them to a partner that's
S4: on the ground in Iran and Turkey. And they handed
S4: these kits out to families in Iran. And they had
S4: this book. They had a coloring book that matches, along
S4: with some coloring crayons, also a sticker that directs folks
S4: to those episodes of AI Bible, to this and to
S4: the ones that have been completed so that they can
S4: access the story of Scripture. And it was a bit
S4: of an underground initiative. We weren't able to talk and
S4: share about that. As you know, the persecution of Christians
S4: and the risk of sharing the gospel in that country
S4: is it's incredibly high. And they absolutely loved this initiative.
S4: We had house churches throughout the country that were able
S4: to share the story of Jesus at that time.
S1: How cool is.
S6: That? Yeah. Wow.
S1: Well, I'm intrigued because all of these languages that you've discussed,
S1: you also have a heart for Arabic speakers. And, oh,
S1: there's not just one Arabic language.
S4: That is true. There are many different languages within the
S4: Arab world and also many dialects within those languages. So
S4: it is our heart to reach all of those. There
S4: are actually 7500. Is the estimate at least over 7000
S4: living languages in the world today? And one thing unique
S4: about the Bible is that we are not only giving
S4: it away free to the world, we really are trying
S4: to partner with others on the ground that are doing work.
S4: We have teams that are working with Wycliffe that are
S4: consulting and helping in different parts of the world. We
S4: want to empower people to translate this and to get
S4: it out into the world.
S1: Andrea Wilson is our guest today on The Land and
S1: the book we're talking about, AI Bible. If you haven't
S1: picked up on that, a remarkable, beautiful animated series. So
S1: of interest to our listeners, we are Middle East focused
S1: would be a story you might have based in Iran.
S1: Talk about that.
S4: We do have a team on the ground in Iran currently,
S4: Turkey as well. And we started with an episode of
S4: AI Bible that we titled The Real Story of Jesus.
S4: And as we looked at that, we first began and said, okay,
S4: if we take all of the scriptures throughout the Bible
S4: that talk about Jesus, what are those? And came up
S4: with over 300 verses in the Bible that reference Jesus,
S4: starting with creation, of course. Then we go into the
S4: fall and then throughout Scripture. And as the team reviewed
S4: those and we started to look at them, we said, oh,
S4: this is a script. This is the entire story of salvation.
S4: So we believe that the story of Jesus does not
S4: start with Christmas and end at Easter. It actually starts
S4: with creation. That's right. So we created an episode nine
S4: minutes long. And what came from that was absolutely beautiful.
S4: So we have 110 languages have been funded for the
S4: translation of that. They're currently underway right now. We've released
S4: the first eight. The Story of Jesus is also released
S4: in our app, so you can watch it there. It
S4: also includes a prayer that encourages people to turn from
S4: the life they walk now and turn towards Christ and
S4: live for him, and encourages them to pray and ask
S4: for forgiveness and salvation, and then continue on to walk
S4: with Christ. As part of that, we have a button
S4: on the page that says, I have prayed for salvation
S4: today just to help us see, is this making the
S4: impact that we want? Because ultimately the heart is to
S4: draw all people in closer relationship to Christ and within
S4: the first nine. 90 days of releasing that we have.
S4: Over 1.1 million people have visited that page, and over
S4: 73,000 people had already raised their hand and said, I've
S4: prayed for salvation. We have using technology, of course, which
S4: is what we're trying to do is bring the Bible
S4: to the world. We have tracking pixels in place, and
S4: we're able to then retarget those individuals with AI Bible
S4: episodes and then begin to deliver to them the whole
S4: story of the Bible. So it starts with Jesus, but
S4: all people need the whole story.
S1: Now, Andrea, you mentioned that this is a multi year project.
S1: You guys are looking at a long curve here. Talk
S1: about the numbers that you're looking at here.
S5: Absolutely.
S4: So we've been at this for about seven years. Currently
S4: our path looks at to be seven more. So seven
S4: is a beautiful number. And and God is blessing us
S4: with that. And that is the goal to have all
S4: of the AI Bible episodes. There will be around 300
S4: episodes in total telling the entire story of Scripture. Our
S4: goal for completion is 2033, where followers of Christ around
S4: the world will recognize and celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of
S4: the resurrection of Jesus.
S6: That's exciting.
S1: How long are the individual episodes?
S4: Each episode ranges from 3 to 7 minutes long. So
S4: short format. As you know, we're in a culture that
S4: likes to consume quickly.
S1: The would be missionary inside me says people travel on
S1: businesses and then they make friendships, and others have been
S1: on missions trips. But this is the kind of thing
S1: that you could reach out in an email or on
S1: a WhatsApp text to anybody in the world and send
S1: them a link.
S4: I love that you're saying that because the reason that
S4: Revelation Media exists is to give content free to the
S4: mission field. So there are roughly 800 movies that are
S4: released every year in the United States, Christian movies. And
S4: they're very, very good Christian movies, uh, many of them
S4: about football teams. And the next, you know, hit song
S4: that has been here, that has touched Christians. Those don't
S4: always translate to the mission field. And our desire is
S4: to give missionaries around the world the tools to share
S4: Scripture and to tell the story of the Bible, and
S4: to make it in a way that they can actually
S4: get that for free to do what God has asked
S4: of them.
S1: Andrea, we are excited for all that God is doing.
S1: Thank you for stopping by making yourself and your ministry
S1: available and we'll look forward to connecting again.
S5: Thank you so much, John.
S1: Coming up on the land of the book, Charlie Dyer
S1: is back. He's got a look at some questions. Stay
S1: with us here on the land and the book. Aren't
S1: you glad we've reached the month of May? I am
S1: John Gager here. Welcome to segment three at the land
S1: of the book, where Charlie Dyer's Bible is open. And why, Charlie?
S2: Uh, because we got questions in and we've got answers
S2: for them.
S1: I'm looking forward to those. First, this question, how do
S1: you share the gospel with a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical,
S1: and religious differences, it's sometimes challenging to navigate a gospel
S1: conversation with someone from a Jewish background. That's certainly been
S1: my experience. But have you ever wondered how the professionals
S1: do it?
S2: Well, to answer this question, our friends at Life in
S2: Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their
S2: staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve
S2: a dual purpose. It will equip you with a method
S2: of presenting the gospel, and also supply you with tracks
S2: you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life
S2: in Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further
S2: the spread of the gospel among the Jewish people. To
S2: receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to
S2: do is visit Life in Messiah org and click on
S2: the Moody Radio button for more information. That's Life in messiah.org.
S2: Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
S1: As always, no shortage of Bible questions. Let's start with Leah's.
S1: She's teaching a homeschool class, Charlie, about biblical archaeology, and
S1: she says our course gives a definitive site for biblical Gilgal,
S1: citing the shape of a foot slash sandal and the
S1: round altar as proof. However, on my trip to Israel,
S1: we didn't visit or talk about any site for Gilgal,
S1: and other research I found says the site is disputed.
S1: Any thoughts here?
S2: Yeah, I've seen the articles claiming to have discovered Gilgal,
S2: and my problem is the site usually suggested is too
S2: far north to have been the Gilgal to which Joshua
S2: brought the children of Israel. You know, Joshua 419 specifically
S2: says that Gilgal was near Jericho. In fact, it says, quote,
S2: on the eastern border of Jericho that would place it
S2: in the general area of Jericho, somewhere between the town
S2: and the Jordan River. And the site that's often suggested
S2: is way far north. Now, in the Bible, it does
S2: seem like there may have been several sites named Gilgal, uh,
S2: but certainly the one mentioned by Joshua is not the
S2: one that's often talked about in these articles.
S1: Linnie writes in a recent Bible study, we discussed Mark
S1: four and five, where the demons entered the 2000 pigs
S1: and drowned. Uh, try to wrap your brain around 2000
S1: hogs drowning at once in the Sea of Galilee. That
S1: must have been a horrific sight to see and hear.
S1: But her question is, did the demons go to eternal destruction?
S1: Their spirits did not die. But were they then sent
S1: to their eternal destiny?
S2: Well, the pigs definitely died. The demons did not. Just
S2: as they left the man to go into the pigs.
S2: I think they left the pigs and went in search
S2: of others to indwell at that point. Now, two details
S2: lead me to that conclusion. The first is Mark 410,
S2: where the demons begged Jesus not to send them out
S2: of the area or country, depending on the translation. At
S2: first it sounds like they thought Jesus was going to
S2: send them to a different geographical area in the region,
S2: but Luke eight three provides a more detailed explanation. They
S2: were begging Jesus not to quote, command them to go
S2: away into the abyss. The abyss is apparently the equivalent
S2: of a supermax security prison for demons. It's mentioned in
S2: revelation nine, where demons are confined in the abyss until
S2: they're released during the tribulation period, and in revelation 20,
S2: Satan is seized and thrown into the abyss during the
S2: thousand year Millennial Kingdom. And though the term isn't used,
S2: I suspect Jude six is describing the same place when
S2: he talks about angels who didn't keep their position of
S2: authority but abandoned them, were put into eternal bonds under
S2: darkness for the judgment of the great day. Anyway, I
S2: think the angels went into the pigs, forced them to
S2: rush down the steep bank to their death, and then
S2: quickly left looking for other victims to possess and torment.
S2: And you're right about the event in Mark four. It
S2: must have been a horrific scene to see and hear
S2: and in fact, eventually to smell that took place right there. Wow.
S1: Never thought about the smell. You're right though, uh, Jim
S1: says as I read the book of acts and study it,
S1: I find that both Jews and Gentiles or Greeks were
S1: in the synagogue. I thought only Jews were allowed in
S1: the synagogue. Were Gentiles also allowed in?
S2: Yeah. And there are a number of passages that pictured
S2: Gentiles attending the synagogue services. I see two distinct groups
S2: of people. Some were God fearers, that is, Gentiles who
S2: believed in the God of Israel, and who might have
S2: been following some of the commands of the Mosaic Law
S2: as a result, others were proselytes, that is, Gentiles who
S2: were actually in the process of converting to Judaism. And
S2: I suspect the first group was by far the larger group,
S2: though apparently both were allowed to attend synagogue services. Uh,
S2: some of the places these are found, if you look
S2: from acts ten through acts 18, uh, they're mentioned Gentiles
S2: or Greeks in the synagogue at, at Pisidian, Antioch and
S2: Iconium and Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea and Corinth. So
S2: it does seem like it was a common practice for
S2: Gentiles attracted to the God of Israel, to be present
S2: in the synagogue services throughout the Roman world.
S1: This is the land in the book from Moody Radio.
S1: Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is always open to your questions. Email.
S1: Mail them to us at the Land and the book
S1: at Moody. Edu. Todd asks, how was the Hebrew canon determined,
S1: and why do you think the Book of Enoch was
S1: excluded from it?
S2: I believe people recognized the unique nature of the Old
S2: Testament writings from the very moment I think they were written.
S2: The entire Old Testament canon was completed shortly after the
S2: writing of the Book of Malachi, probably no later than
S2: 400 BC. The clearest record we have on the acceptance
S2: of the canon actually comes from Josephus. In a book
S2: called Contra Apion, he wrote Against Apion, he said, in
S2: how firmly we have given credit to those books of
S2: our own nation, is evident by what we do for
S2: during so many ages, as have already passed. No one
S2: has been so bold as either to add anything to
S2: them or take anything from them. Now he also identifies
S2: the books of Scripture, and they correspond to the 39
S2: books of the Bible in our current Old Testament. Now,
S2: even before Josephus, the New Testament seems to agree with
S2: that basis. In fact, Jesus talks about the law and
S2: the prophets and the writings, and that's the threefold division
S2: of the Old Testament. Now, in terms of why the
S2: Book of Enoch was excluded, I suspect it was because
S2: of two reasons. First, it was written in the Intertestamental period,
S2: after the recognized books of the Old Testament had already
S2: been collected. And second, and my memory is going back
S2: on this. 40 years ago, I wrote a paper on
S2: all these books for a doctoral studies class I had,
S2: but it appears that neither the compilers of the Old
S2: Testament or the compilers of the New Testament, or the
S2: early Church Fathers saw it rising to the level of
S2: authenticity that caused them to see it on the same
S2: level as the other books of the canon. Now, that
S2: doesn't mean that the book doesn't contain some truth or
S2: some accuracy. You know, Jude appears to cite the Book
S2: of Enoch, and the book also contains a reference to
S2: the thousand year reign of the Messiah, which roughly parallels
S2: the message in revelation 20. But the books claim to
S2: be from the hands of Enoch, when it was actually
S2: written centuries later is likely the main reason it was rejected.
S1: Nancy points to numbers 34, where we find the borders
S1: of the Promised Land, as well as the leader of
S1: each tribe, who would determine their allotted land. And we
S1: also read of some men who were called chief. She
S1: wants to know, was this an elected popularity post or
S1: an appointed position? I guess the question is who chose
S1: the tribes chief and what was their job? Yeah, I.
S2: Believe the individuals were appointed, and I believe it was
S2: God who ultimately made that appointment. Now, I say that
S2: because in verses 16 to 19, God tells Moses the
S2: names of the two men who were to assign the land.
S2: He says, Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of nun.
S2: God then tells Moses to appoint one leader or chief
S2: from each tribe to help assign the land within each
S2: tribal allotment. And then in verse 16, God says about
S2: those tribal leaders, these are their names. Now, I take
S2: it from that phrase, that God's the one who's actually
S2: choosing the individuals to serve as these chiefs or leaders,
S2: and that their job was to help with the division
S2: of the larger tribal allotments among the individual families. The
S2: first individual in the list is Caleb. He, along with Joshua,
S2: were the two spies who stood against the whole nation
S2: many years earlier. And that also suggests to me that
S2: the individuals God then names had proven themselves as strong,
S2: godly leaders. Which is why then the people accepted their
S2: appointment from Lenny.
S1: This question Mark six details the miracle of the feeding
S1: of the 5000. And there's so much to this story,
S1: but I'm stuck on geography. After the feeding, Jesus tells
S1: the disciples to get into the boat and go to
S1: the other side, but to Bethsaida. And then we have
S1: the miracle of Jesus walking on the water when he
S1: notices the disciples are in a storm on Galilee, the
S1: disciples and Jesus land in Gennesaret, south of Bethsaida and Capernaum.
S1: So that's the end of Mark six. Can you please
S1: help me here? Yeah.
S2: We're told the story of the feeding of the 5000
S2: took place on a mountainside in a remote area, and
S2: the key to what happens geographically follows the feeding of
S2: the 5000. And that happens to be that mark 645,
S2: where it says, Jesus made the disciples get into the
S2: boat and go on ahead of them to the other side,
S2: to Bethsaida. Now, at first it sounds like they must
S2: be on the west side of the lake, and then
S2: go to the east side to Bethsaida. And that's why
S2: Christian tradition has placed the miracle on the west side
S2: at a place called Tabgha. But that spot isn't correct.
S2: And here's why. Mark uses two different Greek prepositions in
S2: verse 45. The first is to the other side. The
S2: preposition there is ice, which, when used with verbs of motion,
S2: indicates entrance into a place or direction toward a place.
S2: In essence, the first phrase is where Jesus is telling
S2: the disciples their ultimate destination. They're to head to the
S2: other side of the lake. Presumably, I think he's telling
S2: them to head back across the lake from the east
S2: side toward Capernaum. The second Greek phrase Mark uses is
S2: to Bethsaida. Here he uses a different preposition pross. This
S2: has the idea of toward or add, or up to.
S2: In this case, the phrase is denoting direction, not final destination.
S2: They're to head to the other side by way of
S2: or by heading in the direction of Bethsaida. In other words,
S2: Jesus is using his his divine GPS and telling them to.
S2: Hug the northern edge of the lake by rowing toward
S2: Bethsaida as they head to the western side, rather than
S2: trying to take a shortcut right across the lake, and
S2: the wisdom of his instructions becomes apparent when they get
S2: caught in a windstorm that took the boat into the
S2: middle of the lake. So the miracle happened on the
S2: eastern side of the lake on the Golan Heights area.
S2: The storm was as they were trying to go to
S2: the other side to Capernaum.
S1: Well, that's a great set of questions today, and I'm
S1: always challenged as I hear from listeners. Maybe you'd like
S1: to get a question to us. You can email us
S1: at the land and the book@moody.edu. Charlie's devotional is next,
S1: right here on the land and the book. You and
S1: I live in a world where holidays are celebrated, most
S1: of them joyous occasions, but in some instances not so much.
S1: In the Land of Israel, we're approaching Holocaust Remembrance Day.
S1: This is the land in the book. I'm Jon Jaeger.
S1: Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is about to take us
S1: to a devotional based on the Book of Lamentations that
S1: has everything to do with Yom Hashoah. Charlie. I'm looking
S1: forward to that.
S2: Oh, thanks, Jon.
S1: And before we get to it, let me point us
S1: to this quick thought from somebody who has traveled to
S1: the Holy Land and wanted to share this with you
S1: and me.
S7: My family was very blessed to be able to travel
S7: to Israel. People often ask, what was your favorite part
S7: of Israel? What was your favorite place? I think that's
S7: almost an unanswerable question because I would say all of it.
S7: But the thing that probably stood out more than anything
S7: to me was the Jezreel Valley. I grew up on
S7: a multigenerational farm. We still live rurally, so it was
S7: such a blessing to see that beautiful farmland. It truly
S7: was a land flowing with milk and honey. We were
S7: there basically at the grain harvest and other crops were
S7: being planted, and it really made me realize that with water,
S7: the desert can bloom. And also, I liked that area
S7: because of all the history around it. On Mount Carmel
S7: on one side, Mount Tabor, Mount Gilboa, and of course, Megiddo.
S7: So it was very meaningful. Uh, after we've returned, I've
S7: thought about Israel almost every day. It seems like what
S7: I've realized is that it's not just the land that's
S7: so important. It's the person. It's Jesus. That's what made
S7: it so special.
S1: Holocaust Remembrance Day has to be a sobering thing to
S1: be over there at that time. I know you've been there, Charlie,
S1: when it unfolds, but what do you got for us
S1: today from the Book of Lamentations?
S2: Well, John, it is a sobering time, and today's devotional
S2: takes us to a community bordering the Gaza Strip. It's
S2: been seven months since the rampage against those who lived here,
S2: but scars from the horrors of October 7th still mar
S2: the landscape. The physical destruction. The houses, fences and other
S2: buildings are being repaired, but the emotional devastation won't go
S2: away so easily. Memories of loved ones brutally murdered, disturbing
S2: nightmares still haunting those who face such evil up close
S2: and personal. Such horrors can't simply be wished away. As
S2: we stand here, we feel so inadequate. What can we
S2: say or do to bring comfort, peace and hope to
S2: those who experienced such evil? And then we realize that
S2: this is but a small sample of the horror of
S2: the Holocaust, which took place just eight decades ago. Instead
S2: of 1200 people massacred, 6 million were slaughtered there. Crime,
S2: in both cases, simply being Jewish. This coming week is
S2: Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it takes on special
S2: significance in light of the events of last fall. I
S2: need to be careful here. As we look at the
S2: destroyed homes along Gaza's border, it's easy to highlight the
S2: recent tragedy in a way that minimizes the Holocaust itself.
S2: And we must never do that. Yom Hashoah is a
S2: day to remember the horror inflicted on the Jewish people
S2: by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, but I do see
S2: two disturbing comparisons. First, the pure hatred and anti-Semitism displayed
S2: by Hitler is still around. The human heart isn't evolving
S2: in the progress of civilization. It's just as wicked and
S2: depraved as ever. We just try to do a better
S2: job of hiding it until events like we just experienced
S2: come along to remind us that, as Jeremiah wrote, the
S2: heart is more deceitful than all else and desperately sick.
S2: And second, I see a similar level of apathy. No, actually,
S2: animosity might be a better description between the rest of
S2: the world and the Jewish people, both during World War
S2: Two and today. The world could have acted to help
S2: save the Jewish people during the time of Hitler, but
S2: most simply chose not to do so. A thankfully, there
S2: were some noble exceptions, but the number was surprisingly small.
S2: And when Israel rose to defend itself following the October
S2: 7th attack, the rise in anti-Semitism was shocking, and the
S2: number who rose to publicly demonstrate support was far less
S2: than we should have expected. Was it apathy or fear,
S2: or a quiet animosity that kept so many silent? I
S2: quoted earlier from Jeremiah 17, and I seem to be
S2: naturally drawn to this weeping prophet, as I think about
S2: Yom Hashoah and the recent events in Israel. In the
S2: Book of Lamentations, Jeremiah pours out his heart in sorrow
S2: over the destruction the people of Judah experienced in his day.
S2: Three times in Lamentations one, Jeremiah describes a city in
S2: turmoil with no one nearby to provide comfort. He finally
S2: says in verse 16, this is why I weep and
S2: my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to
S2: comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. One chapter later,
S2: Jeremiah again describes his overflowing sorrow. My eyes fail from weeping.
S2: I'm in torment within. My heart is poured out on
S2: the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and
S2: infants faint in the streets of the city. And then,
S2: he adds, as their lives ebb away in their mother's arms,
S2: Jeremiah wept when he thought of the children who died
S2: of starvation during the struggle in his day. Imagine how
S2: he would have felt had he been around during World
S2: War two, when one and a half. Million children were
S2: brutally murdered. How did you feel when you heard the
S2: reports of children beheaded, dismembered and burned almost beyond recognition
S2: just a few months ago? Pause for a second and
S2: look around. This agricultural area bordering the Gaza Strip seems
S2: so peaceful now. Listen carefully and you can hear birds
S2: chirping in the distance, competing with the thump thumping of
S2: a tractor ploughing in a nearby field. In fact, if
S2: we're not careful, we can almost forget the evil that
S2: flooded through this place just a few months ago. And
S2: that brings me back to the message I want us
S2: to focus on as we head home in time to
S2: remember Yom Hashoah. First, how do we keep the memory
S2: of what happened alive without allowing it to overwhelm us emotionally?
S2: And second, what can we do as a result to
S2: find a way to bring good out of such evil?
S2: I turn again to Jeremiah to find the answer to
S2: my first question and Lamentations three. Jeremiah begins by describing
S2: his affliction and bitterness. He feels helpless and hopeless and says,
S2: my soul is downcast within me. But then, in the
S2: midst of the darkness comes a shining beacon of brightness.
S2: Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.
S2: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
S2: for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.
S2: Great is your faithfulness. Just like the manna in the wilderness,
S2: Jeremiah remembered that God's loyal love, his hesed, his compassion
S2: hadn't ceased. There was a fresh supply every morning, and
S2: that's when he blurts out the discovery that kept him going.
S2: Great is your faithfulness. The world around us and the
S2: people in it can prove to be horribly unfaithful. And
S2: to the extent we place our trust in them, we
S2: will experience heartache and disappointment. But God always remains faithful.
S2: It's a matter of where we choose to place our focus.
S2: And that leads to the second question what can we
S2: do to bring good out of such evil? Whether it's
S2: the Holocaust or the events of October 7th, or for
S2: that matter, what can we do to bring good out
S2: of evil when it surfaces in our own community? Let
S2: me end with four practical suggestions to take us up
S2: and out, from despondency to determination, to move us from
S2: words to deeds. First pray up. And by that I
S2: mean the first place to go when confronted by things
S2: that are disturbing and upsetting is to the Lord in prayer.
S2: When Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem's walls were still broken down
S2: and that its people were in great trouble and disgrace,
S2: his response is a good model for us to follow.
S2: I set down and wept. For some days. I mourned
S2: and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah
S2: was emotionally distraught, but he remembered to pray. Second stand up.
S2: Going to God in prayer is the best first step,
S2: but sometimes it needs to be followed by taking a
S2: stand for what is right. When the king asked Nehemiah
S2: why he was troubled, Nehemiah's response is a good model
S2: for us. I was very much afraid. But I said
S2: to the king, and then what follows leads to his
S2: request to be allowed to go and rebuild Jerusalem's walls.
S2: There are times when doing what's right forces us out
S2: of our comfort zone. Don't be afraid to take a stand. Third,
S2: speak out. Let your voice be heard. When it comes
S2: to the growing tide of anti-Semitism, raise your voice in
S2: support of Israel and the Jewish people in our country.
S2: We're blessed with the opportunity to write, call, or email
S2: our local, state, and national leaders to share our concerns.
S2: If you're afraid, first write out what you want to
S2: say and be sure to speak the truth in love,
S2: but with respect. Voice your feelings and concerns and finally,
S2: reach out. Do something practical to demonstrate your love, care
S2: and concern. Attend an event demonstrating your support for Israel
S2: and your opposition to anti-Semitism. Donate to an organization seeking
S2: to make a practical difference in the Middle East. No
S2: one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Just
S2: remember up and out, pray up, stand up, then speak
S2: out and reach out. Do your part to make a difference.
S1: Boy, what a great way to end today's program. Thank
S1: you Charlie, time is gone, but we thank you for
S1: staying with us and hope you'll be back next week
S1: for another edition of The Land and the book, a
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.