WEBVTT - What It's Like to Be an Archaeologist 0:00:07.970 --> 0:00:11.270 With so many excavations over so many years in the 0:00:11.270 --> 0:00:14.330 Holy Land, you'd think that most or all of the 0:00:14.330 --> 0:00:18.500 significant discoveries have pretty much been uncovered, right? Not so. 0:00:18.530 --> 0:00:21.290 In fact, if I can mix metaphors for a moment, 0:00:21.290 --> 0:00:24.410 some would say all the digging up until now is 0:00:24.410 --> 0:00:27.229 just the tip of the iceberg. Well, today we're going 0:00:27.260 --> 0:00:30.650 to talk with a biblical archaeologist. What's it really like 0:00:30.650 --> 0:00:33.890 to dig in ancient lands? Find out as you join 0:00:33.890 --> 0:00:37.040 us now for the land and the book. Our host 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:39.860 and guide is Doctor Charlie Dyer, who's hiking boots are 0:00:39.860 --> 0:00:43.370 always on, who's been to a number of excavations himself. 0:00:43.370 --> 0:00:46.190 He's traveled to Israel more than 100 times. I'm John 0:00:46.190 --> 0:00:49.070 Gager and you know Charlie Israel, of course. So much 0:00:49.100 --> 0:00:51.890 in the news this past year, the Bible jam packed 0:00:51.890 --> 0:00:56.270 with end times prophecies about epic world events, the regathering 0:00:56.300 --> 0:00:58.730 of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, and of course, 0:00:58.730 --> 0:01:02.750 Jesus coming return. It is crucial for us as believers, though, 0:01:02.780 --> 0:01:06.530 to have a proper understanding of Bible prophecy so we 0:01:06.530 --> 0:01:09.229 can have a view of the future that's shaped by Scripture, 0:01:09.260 --> 0:01:11.390 not just today's headlines. Right? 0:01:11.630 --> 0:01:14.360 You're absolutely right, John. And with this in mind, our 0:01:14.360 --> 0:01:17.900 friends at Life and Messiah have published a book titled God, 0:01:17.900 --> 0:01:21.380 Israel and Bible Prophecy, and they're offering it to listeners 0:01:21.380 --> 0:01:23.630 of the land in the book for a limited time. 0:01:23.630 --> 0:01:27.140 This informative book is focused on providing readers with a 0:01:27.140 --> 0:01:31.070 deeper understanding and greater appreciation of what God has in 0:01:31.069 --> 0:01:34.310 store for Israel and the nations by digging into what 0:01:34.310 --> 0:01:37.430 the scriptures say about these issues. Now, if you're interested 0:01:37.430 --> 0:01:40.490 in learning more about what God has in store, visit 0:01:40.490 --> 0:01:43.820 Life in Messiah. Org and click on the Moody Radio 0:01:43.819 --> 0:01:46.730 button to find out how you can receive your copy 0:01:46.730 --> 0:01:52.760 of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org. 0:01:52.940 --> 0:01:55.730 And now a look at current events from the Middle East. 0:01:55.730 --> 0:02:00.230 It's more than three weeks since Ismail Ismael Haniya's assassination. 0:02:00.230 --> 0:02:05.030 And yet Iran's threatened response hasn't yet materialized. Nor has 0:02:05.030 --> 0:02:09.200 Hezbollah's promised attack. Charlie, have the two countries been dissuaded 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:12.800 from responding, or are they just sort of biding their time? 0:02:12.830 --> 0:02:15.560 Well, yeah, they're just biding their time. We need to 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:19.280 remember two concepts when trying to understand what motivates the 0:02:19.280 --> 0:02:22.460 leadership of Iran and Hezbollah are those two concepts are 0:02:22.460 --> 0:02:26.480 shame and honor. They felt shamed when Israel attacked and 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:30.230 killed leaders under their protection. They now feel compelled to 0:02:30.230 --> 0:02:33.980 regain their honor by attacking Israel. Now, at the same time, 0:02:33.980 --> 0:02:37.429 the leadership in both countries are concerned about Israel's ability 0:02:37.430 --> 0:02:41.780 to launch devastating attacks against them, which could potentially cause 0:02:41.780 --> 0:02:45.679 them more shame and even threaten their holds on power. Now, 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:48.800 add to that the military buildup from the United States. 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:51.290 They aren't sure if we're as willing to assist Israel 0:02:51.290 --> 0:02:55.940 in launching retaliatory strikes, but they've brought in sufficient firepower 0:02:55.940 --> 0:02:58.550 that if we choose to do so, we could cause 0:02:58.580 --> 0:03:02.120 major damage. And that's probably the key reason they've held 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:05.930 off responding so long. Now, they publicly tied the delay 0:03:05.930 --> 0:03:10.400 to the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, a successful 0:03:10.400 --> 0:03:14.000 conclusion to those talks, which right now doesn't look that hopeful, 0:03:14.030 --> 0:03:17.000 could be used as an excuse to keep from launching 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:20.690 an attack that would help restore their honor, at least partially. 0:03:20.690 --> 0:03:24.290 But that doesn't mean they won't attack Israel. They will 0:03:24.290 --> 0:03:28.310 continue looking for ways to attack, directly or indirectly. They 0:03:28.310 --> 0:03:30.649 know the US won't keep its forces in the region 0:03:30.650 --> 0:03:33.350 long term, so they might simply wait for us to 0:03:33.380 --> 0:03:37.670 withdraw before launching that direct attack. In the meantime, they're 0:03:37.670 --> 0:03:40.370 looking for other ways to hit back at Israel, including 0:03:40.370 --> 0:03:45.170 supporting Hamas's attempts to send suicide bombers into Israeli towns 0:03:45.170 --> 0:03:48.830 like the one who accidentally blew himself up this past week. 0:03:48.860 --> 0:03:53.270 Police in Argentina recently thwarted a planned terrorist attack on 0:03:53.270 --> 0:03:57.590 the Jewish community there back in 1994, Iran and Hezbollah 0:03:57.620 --> 0:04:01.880 bombed a Jewish community center in Argentina, killing 85. So 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:06.230 they've done this before. And Hezbollah published a video showing 0:04:06.260 --> 0:04:09.680 a vast underground network of tunnels from which it can 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:13.430 launch missiles against Israel. Now, all this to say, Israel 0:04:13.430 --> 0:04:17.719 remains on alert. They were surprised by Hamas on October 7th. 0:04:17.750 --> 0:04:21.680 They won't be surprised by Iran or by Hezbollah this time. 0:04:21.710 --> 0:04:26.120 Story number two the U.S., Egypt and Qatar continue working 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.720 on ways to implement a ceasefire and hostage deal between 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:32.869 Israel and Hamas, in spite of their optimism. Can the 0:04:32.870 --> 0:04:36.320 two sides really come to any final agreement? 0:04:36.350 --> 0:04:39.169 You know, John, for the sake of the hostages still alive, 0:04:39.170 --> 0:04:41.630 I hope a deal can be reached. Even this week, 0:04:41.630 --> 0:04:44.540 we saw information on a hostage that we had heard 0:04:44.540 --> 0:04:47.210 about while we were in Israel before, whose body has 0:04:47.210 --> 0:04:51.050 now been recovered. And that's sad. Israel accepted the bridging 0:04:51.050 --> 0:04:55.200 proposals that the U.S. has made, and unfortunately, Hamas has 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:58.650 rejected them, which isn't a hopeful sign. Now, even if 0:04:58.650 --> 0:05:01.200 a deal were to be reached and that's a big if, 0:05:01.230 --> 0:05:04.680 there's no guarantee it will result in peace or in 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:08.219 the return of all the hostages. Hamas didn't follow through 0:05:08.220 --> 0:05:12.150 completely on the last hostage deal, and the bridging proposal 0:05:12.150 --> 0:05:16.049 requires multiple stages to bring about a permanent cease fire, 0:05:16.050 --> 0:05:19.080 to get all the hostages home and to begin the 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:22.590 process of rebuilding Gaza. And most of the pressure to 0:05:22.620 --> 0:05:26.549 compromise keeps being placed on Israel, not Hamas. I think 0:05:26.550 --> 0:05:29.520 we always need to remember that Hamas started this conflict, 0:05:29.550 --> 0:05:32.640 not Israel, and they're the ones opposing the attempts to 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:36.240 end it. In this most recent round of negotiations, it 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:40.080 seems the US has been overly optimistic, while Israel has 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:44.070 been far more realistic. And unfortunately, Hamas keeps saying that 0:05:44.070 --> 0:05:47.250 any apparent progress is just an illusion and they're looking 0:05:47.250 --> 0:05:50.250 for any excuse to say no. Now I go back 0:05:50.250 --> 0:05:53.520 to the question asked by God in Amos three three. 0:05:53.550 --> 0:05:57.150 Can two walk together except they be agreed? You know, 0:05:57.180 --> 0:06:01.110 there's not much Israel and Hamas can agree on going forward. 0:06:01.110 --> 0:06:04.380 From its very founding, Hamas has been committed to the 0:06:04.380 --> 0:06:08.550 total destruction of Israel. That hasn't changed. Even if a 0:06:08.550 --> 0:06:12.690 ceasefire and hostage deal comes about. There's another issue that 0:06:12.690 --> 0:06:15.659 still has to be addressed. Who will run Gaza the 0:06:15.660 --> 0:06:20.039 day after hostilities cease? Hamas wants to remain in power, 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:23.250 while Israel says they can't. And my point here is 0:06:23.250 --> 0:06:26.190 that even if Israel and Hamas could reach a deal, 0:06:26.190 --> 0:06:29.400 that's just the first step in a long process that 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:32.669 still lies ahead. And that's a realistic assessment of what's 0:06:32.670 --> 0:06:33.810 happening right now. 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:35.609 As you listen to this look at current events, I 0:06:35.610 --> 0:06:38.460 hope you appreciate all of the nuances that Charlie brings 0:06:38.460 --> 0:06:41.550 to our understanding of what's going on so complex, but 0:06:41.550 --> 0:06:44.100 we appreciate your keeping it in plain English. Charlie, we'll 0:06:44.100 --> 0:06:48.390 continue now with a recent report that says archaeologists found 0:06:48.390 --> 0:06:52.469 evidence of a lost temple in Chorazin linked to Jesus 0:06:52.470 --> 0:06:57.270 healing miracles. Charlie, for someone unfamiliar, where is Chorazin and 0:06:57.270 --> 0:06:59.310 how significant is this discovery? 0:06:59.339 --> 0:07:01.230 Yeah, and for those of us who've been there, we go. 0:07:01.260 --> 0:07:03.900 I know where that is. Chorazin is located about two 0:07:03.900 --> 0:07:07.830 miles north of Capernaum and just up the hillside. According 0:07:07.860 --> 0:07:10.380 to Matthew 11, it's one of the three cities where 0:07:10.380 --> 0:07:14.310 Jesus performed most of his miracles. However, none of the 0:07:14.310 --> 0:07:18.210 miracles Jesus did there are actually recorded in the Bible. 0:07:18.330 --> 0:07:21.900 That's not a problem, since John tells us Jesus performed 0:07:21.900 --> 0:07:25.260 many more miracles than what are recorded. Chorazin is a 0:07:25.260 --> 0:07:28.470 great spot to take people to talk about Jesus, and 0:07:28.470 --> 0:07:31.320 it's usually not very crowded. Now here's the problem though 0:07:31.350 --> 0:07:34.230 with this story, John. At least as it was reported, 0:07:34.230 --> 0:07:38.400 it's really not very accurate. In fact, it's rather misleading. First, 0:07:38.430 --> 0:07:42.420 there isn't a lost temple there. There are ruins of 0:07:42.420 --> 0:07:46.860 a Byzantine era synagogue, and recent excavations at the synagogue 0:07:46.860 --> 0:07:49.980 have uncovered what archeologists believe are the remains of the 0:07:49.980 --> 0:07:54.000 first century synagogue on the same spot, and that shouldn't 0:07:54.000 --> 0:07:57.660 be a surprise. The synagogue tourists see at Capernaum is 0:07:57.660 --> 0:08:01.260 also a Byzantine era structure built on the foundation of 0:08:01.260 --> 0:08:04.830 the synagogue there in the first century. The second problem 0:08:04.830 --> 0:08:09.000 with the story is that nothing significant has actually been discovered, 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:13.350 certainly nothing directly connecting that synagogue to Jesus. Now the 0:08:13.350 --> 0:08:16.290 Bible tells us he taught in the synagogues in the region, 0:08:16.290 --> 0:08:19.800 and that he performed miracles in Chorazin. But nothing has 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:24.000 been uncovered in this new excavation linking Jesus to the site. 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:26.670 This is a case where someone, I think, is trying 0:08:26.670 --> 0:08:30.870 to hype an archaeological dig that really hasn't uncovered anything 0:08:30.900 --> 0:08:34.109 of significance, at least not yet. And to me, it's 0:08:34.110 --> 0:08:36.929 a good reminder to read more than just the headlines 0:08:36.929 --> 0:08:40.740 when you come across this type of story. I love Chorazin, 0:08:40.740 --> 0:08:44.040 but the headline for this story was Way Over the Top. 0:08:44.070 --> 0:08:46.890 Yeah, well, I love Chorazin too, and so don't let 0:08:46.890 --> 0:08:49.950 that dissuade you from visiting if you go to Israel. Right, Charlie? 0:08:49.980 --> 0:08:52.770 Oh, absolutely. It's a great spot to visit. Just don't 0:08:52.770 --> 0:08:55.380 look for some kind of a secret temple with Jesus 0:08:55.380 --> 0:08:56.280 name written on it. 0:08:56.309 --> 0:08:59.790 All right, well, artificial intelligence is speeding up the work 0:08:59.790 --> 0:09:05.309 of translating ancient inscriptions, including the Epic of Gilgamesh. What's 0:09:05.309 --> 0:09:08.490 the significance of this ancient work? And how is AI 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:10.560 helping with its translation? Yeah. 0:09:10.590 --> 0:09:12.929 Now, this is the kind of story of advances in 0:09:12.929 --> 0:09:16.050 archaeology that won't always necessarily make the news, but that 0:09:16.050 --> 0:09:20.430 really is fascinating. First, the significance of the Epic of Gilgamesh. 0:09:20.730 --> 0:09:25.710 Back in 1872, an Assyriologist was studying ancient cuneiform tablets, 0:09:25.710 --> 0:09:28.530 and he came across a story that loosely parallels the 0:09:28.530 --> 0:09:32.040 biblical account of Noah and the flood. And the story's 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:34.260 hero was a man named Gilgamesh. And that's where the 0:09:34.260 --> 0:09:38.040 title Epic of Gilgamesh comes from. The Bible preserves the 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:40.680 true account of a worldwide flood, but it's no surprise 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:45.000 that other civilizations preserved parallel accounts of the flood, though 0:09:45.000 --> 0:09:48.210 those other accounts, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, became corrupted 0:09:48.210 --> 0:09:51.480 as they were passed down from generation to generation. But 0:09:51.480 --> 0:09:54.870 now to. This story. Those other accounts are on clay tablets, 0:09:54.870 --> 0:09:57.840 some of which have never been translated. There are as 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:01.110 many as half a million cuneiform tablets in museums around 0:10:01.110 --> 0:10:04.290 the world, and even more tablet fragments. And with so 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:08.010 few experts in cuneiform, many have not even been read 0:10:08.010 --> 0:10:12.420 or published. And that's where the fragmentarium comes in. This 0:10:12.420 --> 0:10:15.449 is an AI project from the University of Munich that 0:10:15.450 --> 0:10:19.800 uses machine learning to piece together digitized tablet fragments at 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:22.650 a much faster rate than what humans can do. The 0:10:22.650 --> 0:10:26.850 project has helped researchers discover new, previously unknown segments of 0:10:26.850 --> 0:10:29.850 the Gilgamesh epic and hundreds of words and lines from 0:10:29.850 --> 0:10:33.449 other works by speeding up the process. This project could 0:10:33.450 --> 0:10:37.260 help advance our understanding of ancient Mesopotamia. But if you 0:10:37.260 --> 0:10:39.510 really want to know what happened during the flood, don't 0:10:39.510 --> 0:10:42.240 go to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Stick with the Bible. 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:44.940 I think I will. Thank you, Charlie. Hey, what's it 0:10:44.940 --> 0:10:48.569 like to be a real Archaeologists digging in the Holy Land. 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:52.470 A look at biblical archaeology up close. Next on the 0:10:52.470 --> 0:11:10.710 land and the book. With so many excavations taking place 0:11:10.710 --> 0:11:13.440 over so many years in the Holy Land, you'd think 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:17.250 most everything significant has been discovered, right? Not so. In fact, 0:11:17.250 --> 0:11:19.650 if I could mix metaphors for a minute here, some 0:11:19.650 --> 0:11:22.500 would say all the digging up until now is just 0:11:22.500 --> 0:11:24.780 kind of the tip of the iceberg. Hey, up next, 0:11:24.809 --> 0:11:28.260 a conversation with with a great biblical archaeologist you need 0:11:28.260 --> 0:11:31.080 to meet. Welcome to segment two of The Land and 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:33.660 the book. And as you're putting on your sunscreen for 0:11:33.660 --> 0:11:36.929 today's exploration, let's pause for this insight on how to 0:11:36.960 --> 0:11:40.350 share your faith with a Jewish friend or relative or coworker. 0:11:40.380 --> 0:11:43.260 Maybe it's an next door neighbor. So you want to 0:11:43.260 --> 0:11:45.960 reach out to your Jewish friends, and you're starting by 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:50.970 asking what sort of not so effective, maybe what's marginally effective. 0:11:50.970 --> 0:11:54.060 That's a question for Eva Rydell, who serves on staff 0:11:54.059 --> 0:11:57.959 with Chosen People Ministries in Chicago. What's what's only so-so 0:11:57.990 --> 0:12:00.150 with effectiveness, or maybe not working at all with Jewish 0:12:00.150 --> 0:12:01.020 people these days? 0:12:01.050 --> 0:12:04.410 I think one of the the roadblocks to communication is 0:12:04.410 --> 0:12:07.620 to tell a Jewish person, you need to become a Christian. Now, 0:12:07.620 --> 0:12:11.130 for us who understand the New Testament and what Jesus said, 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:13.380 to become a Christian is a very positive thing for 0:12:13.380 --> 0:12:16.620 a Jewish person to say, let's call him Bob. Bob, 0:12:16.620 --> 0:12:19.020 I would really like for you to become a Christian. 0:12:19.050 --> 0:12:21.960 And when Bob, your Jewish friend, hears that what he's 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:24.450 hearing you say is, Bob, I want you to stop 0:12:24.450 --> 0:12:27.989 being Jewish and start being a Gentile, because in the 0:12:27.990 --> 0:12:30.930 Jewish mind, Christian and Gentile are parallel. And here's a 0:12:30.929 --> 0:12:34.770 sad corollary to that. And the Jewish mind, so often 0:12:34.770 --> 0:12:39.540 Christian and anti-Semite are corollary. So to invite a person 0:12:39.540 --> 0:12:43.530 to leave their Jewish identity and all their heritage and 0:12:43.530 --> 0:12:47.790 become a member of a group which has historically persecuted 0:12:47.790 --> 0:12:50.010 Jewish people. This is not a step that a Jewish 0:12:50.010 --> 0:12:52.860 person wants to take. So I think the opening gambit 0:12:52.890 --> 0:12:55.200 of don't you want to be a Christian is the 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.270 wrong move to make. In its. 0:12:57.270 --> 0:12:58.679 Place, we ought to invite them. 0:12:58.679 --> 0:12:59.670 To have. 0:12:59.670 --> 0:13:03.120 Faith in Messiah Jesus, to understand that they can have 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:05.760 a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:09.300 Jacob through the personal Messiah he sent the Lord Jesus. 0:13:09.330 --> 0:13:12.089 Eva Radulovic talks to us today and she serves on 0:13:12.090 --> 0:13:15.660 staff with Chosen People Ministries. Thanks for the encouragement. All right. 0:13:16.890 --> 0:13:20.220 Stephen Collins is a biblical archaeologist who has logged more 0:13:20.220 --> 0:13:24.720 than 25 excavation seasons in Israel and Jordan. He's director 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:28.680 of the School of Archaeology at Veritas International University, and 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:32.220 serves as consulting research professor in the College of Archaeology 0:13:32.250 --> 0:13:36.720 for Trinity Southwest University. Doctor Collins teaches Old and New 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:42.929 Testament history, biblical languages, biblical interpretation, and Christian evidential apologetics. 0:13:42.990 --> 0:13:45.570 A welcome to the land and the book. Steven. 0:13:45.870 --> 0:13:47.219 Great to be with you, John. 0:13:47.580 --> 0:13:49.800 Well, I have to say right off the bat, this 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:53.099 book of yours, the Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands, is 0:13:53.130 --> 0:13:56.430 absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for your work on it. 0:13:56.460 --> 0:14:00.449 Well, I appreciate that. That was something we got into 0:14:00.450 --> 0:14:02.640 that we had always wanted to do, kind of bring 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:07.080 folks up to the latest archaeological discoveries and, and thoughts and, 0:14:07.110 --> 0:14:09.030 you know, ways to connect the ancient Near East with 0:14:09.030 --> 0:14:11.520 the Bible. And we hope people enjoy it. 0:14:11.550 --> 0:14:13.890 Well, this is obviously not the first book attempting to 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:17.070 showcase the findings of biblical archaeology. So what made you 0:14:17.100 --> 0:14:18.000 guys want to do it? 0:14:18.420 --> 0:14:21.480 It allowed us to take what we've been working on 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:25.530 for 35, 40 years, and to incorporate it into a 0:14:25.530 --> 0:14:28.620 single volume that could be helpful to people, and placing 0:14:28.620 --> 0:14:31.920 the Bible within its ancient Near Eastern context and understanding 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:32.760 it in that way. 0:14:32.790 --> 0:14:35.910 Well, we're all familiar with Indiana Jones, of course, for 0:14:35.910 --> 0:14:38.310 good or bad. But why don't you share what a 0:14:38.310 --> 0:14:42.280 typical day is actually like for a real Archaeologist. 0:14:42.310 --> 0:14:44.620 Well, I suppose if you compare it to the movie, 0:14:44.620 --> 0:14:48.910 the real daily life of an archaeologist is pretty boring. 0:14:48.940 --> 0:14:52.000 Although I usually tell people say, well, you know, what's 0:14:52.030 --> 0:14:56.140 what's archaeology like? And sometimes I, I kind of jokingly 0:14:56.140 --> 0:14:58.480 tell them, well, you know, Indiana Jones, our life is 0:14:58.510 --> 0:15:03.400 way more exciting than that. But not, you know, archeology 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:10.150 is a slow, meticulous, grinding process. It's expensive. It takes 0:15:10.150 --> 0:15:14.020 a lot of planning and logistics and, you know, you're working. 0:15:14.050 --> 0:15:19.330 You're working with trowels and dustpans and brushes and, you know, 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:23.260 an occasional pick. But, you know, you're removing things very, 0:15:23.260 --> 0:15:27.370 very slowly and it takes years. Our, our excavations at 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:31.420 Tal Hamam just wrapped up after after almost 20 years. 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:35.560 So it's a it's a slow, slow process. And then 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:37.570 it takes you 8 or 10 years to publish all 0:15:37.570 --> 0:15:40.970 your findings. So when you get involved in a big project, 0:15:40.970 --> 0:15:42.800 sometimes it can eat your life up. 0:15:42.950 --> 0:15:45.710 Sounds like you have to really have a vision for 0:15:45.710 --> 0:15:48.770 what you hope is there, and a tenacity to go 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:50.630 with that vision. Fair enough. 0:15:50.660 --> 0:15:54.650 Oh, absolutely. And of course, in our particular case with talisman, 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:58.160 it was working with the geography of the biblical text 0:15:58.190 --> 0:16:00.230 that brought us to that site to start with. So 0:16:00.230 --> 0:16:04.220 we had we had biblical expectations, you might say, going in. Yeah. 0:16:04.250 --> 0:16:08.450 Biblical archaeology. That's our focus today on the land and 0:16:08.450 --> 0:16:11.420 the book. I'm John Gager. Our guest, Stephen Collins, who 0:16:11.420 --> 0:16:14.870 has logged more than 25 excavation seasons. How long is 0:16:14.870 --> 0:16:15.950 a season? Stephen? 0:16:15.950 --> 0:16:19.370 Well, typically in a lot of sites that we've worked on, 0:16:19.370 --> 0:16:21.800 four weeks would be a season. So you have you 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:24.980 have several days to ramp up, a few days to 0:16:25.010 --> 0:16:27.920 shut down at the end. So usually 4 to 5 0:16:27.920 --> 0:16:31.010 weeks is about right. The seasons at our site in 0:16:31.010 --> 0:16:34.609 Jordan tall el-hammam were a little bit longer. They were 0:16:34.610 --> 0:16:38.300 typically 6 to 7 weeks long, and since we lost 0:16:38.300 --> 0:16:40.300 two years to Covid. Last year. We did a ten 0:16:40.330 --> 0:16:42.940 week season sort of double up and make up for 0:16:42.940 --> 0:16:46.570 lost time. But, um, you can only work in the 0:16:46.570 --> 0:16:49.000 field for so long. I mean, we have day jobs. We, 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:52.720 you know, we teach, we write, and so you have 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:55.510 to get back to what you're actually getting paid for. 0:16:55.750 --> 0:16:58.510 So being in the field is where we like to be. 0:16:58.540 --> 0:17:01.000 So this brings up another question. Who all pays for 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:03.220 this then? You know you got a plane ticket, you 0:17:03.220 --> 0:17:05.800 got housing, you got food while you're there. How does 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:06.370 that work? 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:09.609 All of those expenses of staff expenses and hotel rooms 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:11.740 and all those things have to be covered. It would 0:17:11.740 --> 0:17:15.040 typically cost us a quarter of $1 million per season. Wow. 0:17:15.070 --> 0:17:19.600 And so it's expensive. And in our case, we didn't 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:24.580 get institutional money. But we have donors that are just 0:17:24.580 --> 0:17:26.950 part of what we do. And they've been with us 0:17:26.950 --> 0:17:29.560 for a long time and they fund us. So we're 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.070 funded by private donations, mostly from Christian people. All right. 0:17:33.070 --> 0:17:36.790 What's the oldest archaeological item you've ever held in your 0:17:36.790 --> 0:17:38.800 hands or touched while digging. 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:41.619 Oh, we have a lot of things we hold in 0:17:41.619 --> 0:17:44.230 our hands from our sight, because our sight is is 0:17:44.230 --> 0:17:46.930 a massive Bronze Age site. It's the largest Bronze Age 0:17:46.930 --> 0:17:51.160 site in the southern Levant. So we're typically holding items 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:54.460 that are, you know, 5000, 6000 years old on a 0:17:54.460 --> 0:17:55.480 daily basis. 0:17:55.630 --> 0:17:59.830 How about the most amazing archaeological item that you've ever encountered? 0:17:59.830 --> 0:18:01.570 What would that be for you? We've talked about the oldest, 0:18:01.570 --> 0:18:04.450 but what about you went wow, wow, wow. 0:18:04.450 --> 0:18:06.490 Well, there's always a lot of that because I'm a 0:18:06.490 --> 0:18:09.370 pottery guy. I'm, you know, ceramics is one of my 0:18:09.369 --> 0:18:11.950 areas of expertise. And I love the pottery. I love 0:18:11.950 --> 0:18:15.460 the the painted pottery, all the finely made decorated stuff. 0:18:15.490 --> 0:18:19.300 And that's all wonderful. But but also, I love the architecture. 0:18:19.300 --> 0:18:23.410 I love big buildings, I love fortifications. And so when 0:18:23.410 --> 0:18:27.340 we find fortification ramparts that are 50ft at the base 0:18:27.340 --> 0:18:31.570 and and eight feet at the top and 100ft high, 0:18:31.570 --> 0:18:36.340 and walls that are palace walls at 2 or 3m thick, 0:18:36.350 --> 0:18:39.530 which is almost ten feet thick. So when you see 0:18:39.530 --> 0:18:44.600 the massive buildings, it's just incredible. It really helps you 0:18:44.600 --> 0:18:49.010 understand that these ancient people were highly technical builders. They 0:18:49.010 --> 0:18:52.340 understood what they wanted to do and how to do it, 0:18:52.340 --> 0:18:56.180 and their lives were not small. Many of these Canaanite 0:18:56.180 --> 0:18:59.090 kings lived lived life on a pretty big scale. 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:01.250 Today, on the land and the book, we're talking with 0:19:01.250 --> 0:19:05.540 archaeologist Steven Collins. How is your own faith been bolstered 0:19:05.540 --> 0:19:08.479 not just by your own discoveries, but but those of 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:09.980 other archaeologists? 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:14.149 For me personally, I wouldn't say archaeology is a faith 0:19:14.180 --> 0:19:17.989 bolstering thing because, you know, my faith and trust in 0:19:17.990 --> 0:19:20.510 Jesus and belief that he he is God in the 0:19:20.510 --> 0:19:23.240 flesh and who he claims to be, comes from his 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:28.609 historical physical demonstration of his resurrection from the dead. I mean, 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.820 for me, that all focuses on on who he is 0:19:31.850 --> 0:19:35.380 and and what he accomplished through his resurrection, which is 0:19:35.410 --> 0:19:40.810 a provable historical event. But I like the illuminating power 0:19:40.810 --> 0:19:44.919 of archaeology to give us insight into how people lived. 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:48.490 So when you talk about, for example, Abraham lit a lamp, 0:19:48.490 --> 0:19:51.760 or David lit a lamp, or Jesus talks about lamps, 0:19:51.760 --> 0:19:55.090 what are those lamps look like? What does that world 0:19:55.090 --> 0:19:57.699 look like? If they ate a meal, what does that 0:19:57.700 --> 0:19:59.980 plate or bowl look like? And so these are the 0:19:59.980 --> 0:20:04.240 simple things that I like that just show how people lived. 0:20:04.240 --> 0:20:06.909 And of course, we dig up what they ate and 0:20:06.940 --> 0:20:10.030 how they cooked it and what kind of ovens they had. 0:20:10.030 --> 0:20:13.869 So it's really a comprehensive look at what kind of 0:20:13.869 --> 0:20:15.010 world they lived in. 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:17.830 Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. You know, before going 0:20:17.859 --> 0:20:21.100 to Israel, my idea of an oil lamp, as in, 0:20:21.130 --> 0:20:23.920 you know, you had the ten virgins or whatever, you know, these, 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:25.899 these oil lamps in Scripture. I thought of it as 0:20:25.900 --> 0:20:29.470 something like, uh, you know, an Aladdin's lamp, something maybe 0:20:29.470 --> 0:20:32.740 the size of a football. But these oil lamps typically 0:20:32.740 --> 0:20:35.439 are very small, just a few inches long. That kind 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:36.399 of blew my mind. 0:20:36.430 --> 0:20:38.679 Yeah, they are very small and in each period they 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:42.070 look very different. So the the lamp when King David said, 0:20:42.070 --> 0:20:44.889 thy word is a lamp unto my feet. That lamp 0:20:44.890 --> 0:20:48.010 doesn't look anything about, like the lamp that Jesus was 0:20:48.010 --> 0:20:50.230 talking about when he talked about, don't hide your lamp 0:20:50.260 --> 0:20:51.460 under a basket. 0:20:51.490 --> 0:20:53.590 Then what are the differences? How are they different? 0:20:53.619 --> 0:20:57.429 Well, earlier lamps going all the way back to Abraham's time. 0:20:57.430 --> 0:21:00.700 They're simply bowls. They're small bowls that they would hang 0:21:00.730 --> 0:21:03.250 a flax wick over the side of and have olive 0:21:03.250 --> 0:21:06.190 oil in it. And a tablespoon of olive oil gets 0:21:06.190 --> 0:21:09.370 you about 7 or 8 hours of light. And so 0:21:09.369 --> 0:21:11.500 they worked really well. And then they eventually kind of 0:21:11.530 --> 0:21:13.840 began to squeeze that bowl a little bit on one 0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:16.900 side and make a spout out of it. And those 0:21:16.900 --> 0:21:20.170 became the spouted bowl lamps that are common in King 0:21:20.170 --> 0:21:23.500 David's time. And those kind of lamps go all the 0:21:23.500 --> 0:21:26.890 way down until the conquering of the area by Alexander 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:30.190 the Great. And then you get the Greek style lamp introduced, 0:21:30.190 --> 0:21:32.740 which was very similar to what the Romans eventually did 0:21:32.740 --> 0:21:35.440 in the time of Jesus. So the Herodian lamp, that 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:38.439 New Testament period lamp that Jesus would have used, and 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:41.500 all the Jewish communities would have used, is very small 0:21:41.500 --> 0:21:45.550 and very simple and very unlike what King David, that 0:21:45.550 --> 0:21:49.060 open bowl that King David used because Jesus's time, the 0:21:49.060 --> 0:21:52.900 lamps are closed so they don't spill as easy, let's say. 0:21:52.900 --> 0:21:56.020 When excavating in Israel, you're working in a region that 0:21:56.020 --> 0:21:59.740 has plenty of enthusiasm for Old Testament discoveries, but maybe 0:21:59.740 --> 0:22:02.410 not so much interest in the New Testament. How does 0:22:02.410 --> 0:22:07.119 that manifest itself in getting access to these sites in 0:22:07.119 --> 0:22:10.570 paperwork and clearances, or is that a non-factor? 0:22:10.810 --> 0:22:13.780 It's really kind of a non-factor. All of us in 0:22:13.780 --> 0:22:17.679 archaeology more or less specialize, you know, either in the 0:22:17.680 --> 0:22:21.700 classical period, say, Roman times, you know, Greco-Roman times, or 0:22:21.700 --> 0:22:25.210 in my case, the Bronze Age. I mean, I love 0:22:25.210 --> 0:22:27.399 the Bronze Age. I like being back there in the 0:22:27.430 --> 0:22:31.060 Torah times, times of Moses and Joshua, and even before that, 0:22:31.060 --> 0:22:35.380 with the patriarchs. That's my my love. But everybody has 0:22:35.380 --> 0:22:39.310 their favorite period. And I think for me, that's that's 0:22:39.310 --> 0:22:40.780 got to be the Bronze Age. 0:22:40.810 --> 0:22:44.680 Stephen Collins has co-authored the Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands, 0:22:44.710 --> 0:22:48.550 a large format, beautiful, lots of full color pictures in it. 0:22:48.550 --> 0:22:51.040 Encourage you to check it out. You know, in many places, 0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:55.600 politics plays a role, often hindering the work of biblical archaeologists. 0:22:55.630 --> 0:22:58.450 You see, the playing field is fairly level these days. 0:22:58.450 --> 0:23:02.620 Or will archaeologists have an increasingly difficult time accessing sites 0:23:02.619 --> 0:23:03.460 in days ahead? 0:23:03.490 --> 0:23:07.840 That's a great question. Um. It fluctuates. Even though we 0:23:07.840 --> 0:23:12.940 would think that the Israeli archaeologists are more respective of 0:23:12.940 --> 0:23:17.889 the biblical historicity. Um, that's not always true. In fact, 0:23:17.890 --> 0:23:20.590 so many of the Israeli archaeologists that we know and 0:23:20.590 --> 0:23:24.280 work with don't really believe that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, 0:23:24.280 --> 0:23:28.119 Moses and Joshua were real people. And so it's very secular. 0:23:28.119 --> 0:23:34.010 It's a very secular liberal, often atheistic, discipline. And what 0:23:34.010 --> 0:23:37.190 was interesting about that is working in Jordan as long 0:23:37.190 --> 0:23:40.669 as I have, I always tell my Jordanian colleagues, you 0:23:40.700 --> 0:23:43.580 guys are more biblically conservative than the Israelis on the 0:23:43.580 --> 0:23:47.270 other side of the river. And that's generally true because, 0:23:47.300 --> 0:23:51.020 you know, they have everybody from Abraham to Jesus as 0:23:51.020 --> 0:23:54.050 one of their own prophets. So you just can't categorically 0:23:54.050 --> 0:23:58.160 dismiss all of that history. And so believing the Bible 0:23:58.160 --> 0:24:02.540 and working with biblical texts and finding biblical sites is 0:24:02.540 --> 0:24:06.379 pretty comfortable thing to do in Jordan, simply because there 0:24:06.380 --> 0:24:10.580 is a lot of respect amongst the Jordanians about these 0:24:10.580 --> 0:24:14.300 biblical characters that are also shared by the Islamic tradition. 0:24:14.330 --> 0:24:16.909 What about the future? Do we have enough interest in 0:24:16.910 --> 0:24:18.860 archaeology to the point that there are going to be 0:24:18.859 --> 0:24:20.630 trained people to do the work? 0:24:21.050 --> 0:24:24.890 Well, at Veritas International University School of Archaeology, we have 0:24:24.890 --> 0:24:30.500 the largest stable of master's Masters and doctoral students in archaeology. 0:24:30.530 --> 0:24:32.600 We have a stable of over 50. If you add 0:24:32.630 --> 0:24:34.790 Tsu in that we work with a stable of over 0:24:34.820 --> 0:24:39.020 100 students. And so these are 100 people that are training. 0:24:39.020 --> 0:24:42.140 These are the future of archaeology and the Bible. 0:24:42.560 --> 0:24:44.690 So in a sentence or two, how would you have 0:24:44.690 --> 0:24:50.510 people utilize the Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands for maximum effectiveness? 0:24:51.170 --> 0:24:54.260 Well, I would say read the chapter that has to 0:24:54.260 --> 0:24:57.890 do with the period that the Bible book you're reading 0:24:57.890 --> 0:24:59.869 belongs to. If I'm going to read the book of Genesis, 0:24:59.869 --> 0:25:01.970 I would look at that chapter on the patriarchs. If 0:25:01.970 --> 0:25:04.580 I was going to read something about the time of 0:25:04.580 --> 0:25:08.210 of Moses and Joshua, I would go to the Harvest 0:25:08.240 --> 0:25:10.280 Handbook and read that chapter. That has to do with 0:25:10.280 --> 0:25:13.040 the Late Bronze Age. And through the book it's introduced 0:25:13.040 --> 0:25:15.380 like that. These are the this is the late Bronze Age, 0:25:15.380 --> 0:25:17.390 but this is the time of Moses and Joshua. This 0:25:17.390 --> 0:25:19.310 is the Iron Age two period. This is the time 0:25:19.310 --> 0:25:21.949 of King David and Solomon. And go back and read 0:25:21.950 --> 0:25:24.109 those chapters and review that. So you get a sense 0:25:24.109 --> 0:25:26.330 of the culture. What did the weapons look like? What 0:25:26.330 --> 0:25:28.910 did the houses look like? What is this world that 0:25:28.910 --> 0:25:32.510 they live in? Because each period is different, the times 0:25:32.510 --> 0:25:35.419 of Moses are very different from the later times of 0:25:35.420 --> 0:25:36.560 the Israelite kings. 0:25:36.590 --> 0:25:39.440 Well, we look forward to more great stories from your 0:25:39.470 --> 0:25:42.290 archaeological work in the days ahead. Stephen, thank you for 0:25:42.290 --> 0:25:43.160 joining us. 0:25:43.190 --> 0:25:44.930 John, I appreciate you having me on. 0:25:44.930 --> 0:25:47.090 And we'll have a link to the Harvest Handbook of 0:25:47.090 --> 0:25:51.500 Bible Lands at our website. The land and the book. Org. 0:25:51.650 --> 0:25:55.640 Charlie's back. Your questions next on the land and the book. 0:26:06.770 --> 0:26:09.440 It's the land and the book from Moody Radio. Our host, 0:26:09.440 --> 0:26:12.860 doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Yeager. We love this segment 0:26:12.859 --> 0:26:16.640 because it involves things that are puzzling you and everybody. 0:26:16.640 --> 0:26:19.010 Let's be honest. When you read through, Scripture comes to 0:26:19.040 --> 0:26:20.929 something that makes you kind of scratch your head. And 0:26:20.930 --> 0:26:22.610 this is the place to not just scratch your head, 0:26:22.609 --> 0:26:25.909 but fill it with some answers. So welcome. Well, you know, 0:26:25.970 --> 0:26:28.160 Israel has been in the news quite a bit over 0:26:28.160 --> 0:26:30.140 the past year. And as we know, the Bible is 0:26:30.140 --> 0:26:34.340 jam packed with end times prophecies about epic world events, 0:26:34.340 --> 0:26:37.310 the regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland. And 0:26:37.340 --> 0:26:40.909 of course, Jesus returned. It is crucial for us as believers, though, 0:26:40.910 --> 0:26:44.389 to have a proper understanding of Bible prophecy. Otherwise, our 0:26:44.390 --> 0:26:48.379 future is shaped by headlines in the news rather than Scripture. Right, Charlie? 0:26:48.410 --> 0:26:50.720 That's right. John. And in fact, with this in mind, 0:26:50.750 --> 0:26:53.180 our friends at Life and Messiah have published a book 0:26:53.210 --> 0:26:57.560 titled God, Israel and Bible Prophecy, and they're offering it 0:26:57.560 --> 0:26:59.540 free to listeners of the land in the book for 0:26:59.540 --> 0:27:02.990 a limited time. This informative book is focused on providing 0:27:02.990 --> 0:27:06.920 readers with a deeper understanding and greater appreciation of what 0:27:06.950 --> 0:27:10.070 God has in store for Israel and the nations by 0:27:10.070 --> 0:27:13.100 digging into what the scriptures say about these issues. Now, 0:27:13.100 --> 0:27:16.040 if you're interested in learning more about what God has 0:27:16.040 --> 0:27:20.330 in store, visit Life in messiah.org and click on the 0:27:20.330 --> 0:27:22.880 Moody Radio button there to find out how you can 0:27:22.880 --> 0:27:27.350 receive your copy of God, Israel and Bible prophecy. That's 0:27:27.350 --> 0:27:30.320 life in messiah.org. All right. 0:27:30.320 --> 0:27:32.960 Our questions for the day, starting with Terry, who says 0:27:32.960 --> 0:27:35.929 a friend and I are finishing up the Gospel of Matthew. 0:27:35.960 --> 0:27:38.720 A great study, and we noted when starting a review 0:27:38.750 --> 0:27:41.210 that the Christ child was likely one and a half 0:27:41.210 --> 0:27:43.129 to two years old at the time of the wise 0:27:43.130 --> 0:27:46.130 man's visit. Do you have any idea, though, how or 0:27:46.130 --> 0:27:49.399 why this tradition evolved that they appeared on the scene 0:27:49.400 --> 0:27:52.430 at the stable at the time of his birth, along 0:27:52.430 --> 0:27:54.860 with the shepherds, and we're also wondering why this has 0:27:54.859 --> 0:27:56.990 been carried along by the church when it's quite clear 0:27:56.990 --> 0:27:59.870 that this image is incorrect. Your thoughts? 0:27:59.900 --> 0:28:02.990 Yeah, I've not come across any specific reason that the 0:28:02.990 --> 0:28:05.629 church pictures the visit of the wise men taking place 0:28:05.630 --> 0:28:08.690 right at the time of Jesus's birth. I suspect it's 0:28:08.690 --> 0:28:11.899 because both Matthew two and Luke two describe the different 0:28:11.900 --> 0:28:15.830 events connected to Jesus's birth in Bethlehem, and people just 0:28:15.830 --> 0:28:18.590 assumed they took place at exactly the same time. But 0:28:18.590 --> 0:28:21.020 I do have one other thought. I personally don't believe 0:28:21.020 --> 0:28:23.480 the events in Matthew two had to take place a 0:28:23.480 --> 0:28:26.270 year and a half to two years later. We sometimes 0:28:26.270 --> 0:28:29.780 assume this because in Matthew 216 it says Herod ordered 0:28:29.780 --> 0:28:33.080 the soldiers to kill the babies two years old and under. 0:28:33.080 --> 0:28:36.080 But since there weren't any birth certificates issued at birth, 0:28:36.080 --> 0:28:39.050 how would the soldiers know the child's age? The wise 0:28:39.050 --> 0:28:42.290 men might have been somewhat imprecise in their calculations, but 0:28:42.320 --> 0:28:45.710 Herod was nothing if not thorough. If the child were 0:28:45.710 --> 0:28:49.130 several months or more old by his reckoning, how could 0:28:49.130 --> 0:28:51.230 he be sure to kill the right baby? Well, two 0:28:51.230 --> 0:28:54.140 years old is about when children start to speak. Any 0:28:54.140 --> 0:28:57.410 child who couldn't yet talk was to be killed, and 0:28:57.410 --> 0:28:59.480 the baby was said to be born in Bethlehem. But 0:28:59.510 --> 0:29:02.480 Herod decided to kill all the male children, it says, 0:29:02.480 --> 0:29:06.650 in Bethlehem and its vicinity. So how old was Jesus 0:29:06.650 --> 0:29:09.230 at the time of the wise men visiting? Well, depending 0:29:09.230 --> 0:29:11.090 on the length of the journey of the wise men, 0:29:11.120 --> 0:29:14.720 I suspect it was likely several months, or perhaps even 0:29:14.720 --> 0:29:17.780 as much as a year. The event did take place 0:29:17.780 --> 0:29:21.230 sometime after Jesus was born, since the families now living 0:29:21.230 --> 0:29:23.719 in a house. but the decision to kill all the 0:29:23.720 --> 0:29:26.540 boys two and under is more a reflection, I think, 0:29:26.540 --> 0:29:30.110 of Herod's paranoia than it is of Jesus's actual age 0:29:30.110 --> 0:29:30.860 at the time. 0:29:30.860 --> 0:29:35.120 René wonders, did or could God know what physical pain 0:29:35.120 --> 0:29:39.560 is like without experiencing it? God is spirit. He cannot bleed. 0:29:39.560 --> 0:29:42.380 And prior to the incarnation, he had no body. What 0:29:42.380 --> 0:29:43.160 do you think? 0:29:43.190 --> 0:29:45.920 Well, I'm not sure I can provide a fully satisfying 0:29:45.950 --> 0:29:48.830 answer here, since I don't see it being directly addressed 0:29:48.830 --> 0:29:51.380 in the Bible, but I do believe we can answer 0:29:51.380 --> 0:29:54.560 it in another way in two parts. First, God in 0:29:54.560 --> 0:29:58.340 his very essence, is incorporeal. That is, prior to the incarnation, 0:29:58.340 --> 0:30:02.060 God did not possess a physical body with nerve endings, etc. 0:30:02.060 --> 0:30:06.200 that would allow him to experience physical pain. But second, 0:30:06.200 --> 0:30:09.980 God is also omniscient, which means he did fully know 0:30:09.980 --> 0:30:12.590 and understand what pain would be like. Now, I don't 0:30:12.590 --> 0:30:16.880 believe anything, including an understanding of pain, could exist outside 0:30:16.880 --> 0:30:20.270 God's knowledge. He fully understood the impact that it would 0:30:20.270 --> 0:30:24.470 have on individual humans. In the incarnation, God became flesh 0:30:24.470 --> 0:30:27.620 in the person of Jesus, and as God man, he 0:30:27.620 --> 0:30:31.460 fully experienced pain. At revelation 13 eight says, Jesus was 0:30:31.460 --> 0:30:34.700 the lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. 0:30:34.730 --> 0:30:36.469 And I take that to mean even prior to the 0:30:36.470 --> 0:30:39.860 beginning of the universe, God's plan included the suffering of 0:30:39.860 --> 0:30:42.380 his own son. Putting all that together, I think God 0:30:42.380 --> 0:30:45.860 fully knew what physical pain would be like in his creation, 0:30:45.860 --> 0:30:48.080 and that his Son would experience it as part of 0:30:48.080 --> 0:30:51.800 the plan necessary to purchase our redemption. And and then, 0:30:51.800 --> 0:30:54.470 in the unfolding of time, what he knew because of 0:30:54.470 --> 0:30:59.180 his omniscience became known experientially through Jesus. And I think 0:30:59.210 --> 0:31:03.620 actually Isaiah 53 graphically describes that 700 years before it 0:31:03.620 --> 0:31:04.520 ever came to be. 0:31:04.550 --> 0:31:08.060 A.D. takes us to Matthew 12, verses 36 and 37, 0:31:08.060 --> 0:31:10.550 which speak of us having to give an account of 0:31:10.550 --> 0:31:14.660 all careless words spoken during our lifetime. Is there a 0:31:14.660 --> 0:31:18.290 special judgment based on our words? Since Jesus blood covers 0:31:18.290 --> 0:31:21.230 all of our sins, Why is there a separate judgment 0:31:21.230 --> 0:31:22.490 for our words? 0:31:22.520 --> 0:31:24.950 Well, it's true that Christ's atoning death on the cross 0:31:24.950 --> 0:31:27.320 is sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins. So 0:31:27.320 --> 0:31:30.950 a believer's eternal destiny is secure. However, the Bible does 0:31:30.950 --> 0:31:34.370 speak about the Bema Seat judgment, where believers will appear 0:31:34.370 --> 0:31:37.489 before Christ to have our works examined. And this would 0:31:37.490 --> 0:31:41.030 include what we have said and done since becoming believers. 0:31:41.180 --> 0:31:44.780 In first Corinthians 310 to 15, Paul talks about there 0:31:44.780 --> 0:31:46.640 by the grace God has given me, I laid a 0:31:46.640 --> 0:31:50.030 foundation as an expert builder and someone else is building 0:31:50.030 --> 0:31:52.160 on it. But then he says everyone should be careful 0:31:52.160 --> 0:31:54.350 how he builds. In fact, he talks there about if 0:31:54.350 --> 0:31:58.190 any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, 0:31:58.220 --> 0:32:00.830 hay or straw, his work will be shown for what 0:32:00.830 --> 0:32:02.960 it is because the day will bring it to light. 0:32:02.990 --> 0:32:06.110 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 0:32:06.110 --> 0:32:08.420 If it is burned up, he'll suffer loss. He himself 0:32:08.420 --> 0:32:11.870 will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 0:32:11.900 --> 0:32:15.590 Then later in two Corinthians five, Paul wrote, we must 0:32:15.590 --> 0:32:18.320 all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each 0:32:18.320 --> 0:32:20.630 1st May receive what is due him for the things 0:32:20.630 --> 0:32:23.270 done in the body, whether good or bad. So I 0:32:23.270 --> 0:32:26.810 think our eternal destiny is secure through the work of Christ. 0:32:26.810 --> 0:32:29.480 But as children of God, we're responsible to continue to 0:32:29.510 --> 0:32:33.110 grow and mature in Christ likeness. And one aspect comes 0:32:33.110 --> 0:32:35.060 through not only what we do, but what we say. 0:32:35.090 --> 0:32:37.460 And I'll close with a portion of what James said 0:32:37.460 --> 0:32:40.160 in James three two. We all stumble in many ways. 0:32:40.160 --> 0:32:43.340 If anyone is never at fault in what he says, 0:32:43.340 --> 0:32:45.650 he's a perfect man, able to keep his whole body 0:32:45.650 --> 0:32:47.810 in check. And the word for perfect. There has the 0:32:47.810 --> 0:32:50.570 idea of mature or complete. You know, our speech is 0:32:50.570 --> 0:32:53.630 an x ray that helps reveal how spiritually mature we 0:32:53.630 --> 0:32:55.010 really are inside. 0:32:55.010 --> 0:32:57.080 And you're listening to The Land in the book from 0:32:57.110 --> 0:33:00.830 Moody Radio doctor Charlie Dyer, our host, addressing questions that 0:33:00.830 --> 0:33:03.740 have come to us via email. This one from Todd. 0:33:03.740 --> 0:33:07.790 Can you contrast second Samuel 22 with the Book of Job? 0:33:07.790 --> 0:33:12.020 For me, the formula obedience brings blessing seemed to kind 0:33:12.050 --> 0:33:14.690 of work for David, but not for job. 0:33:14.720 --> 0:33:17.610 Yeah, I see that second Samuel 22 passage. And in fact, 0:33:17.610 --> 0:33:20.640 it's also parallel in Psalm 18, in the light of 0:33:20.640 --> 0:33:24.000 the wisdom literature that is in general, God does reward 0:33:24.000 --> 0:33:27.060 and bless the righteous. David did sin in his life, 0:33:27.060 --> 0:33:29.850 and we see consequences in the last half of second Samuel. 0:33:29.850 --> 0:33:32.520 But as he looks over his life, he sees that 0:33:32.520 --> 0:33:35.310 when he was threatened, God came to his rescue because 0:33:35.310 --> 0:33:37.560 of his righteousness. He says, God parted the heavens and 0:33:37.560 --> 0:33:41.490 came down, showed himself faithful to those who were faithful. 0:33:41.520 --> 0:33:44.070 Now that's how life generally works. But the Book of 0:33:44.070 --> 0:33:47.100 Job reminds us that there are exceptions. In job's case, 0:33:47.100 --> 0:33:50.520 it was due to a cosmic conflict, totally unknown to job. 0:33:50.520 --> 0:33:53.190 But even in the book of job, his earlier life 0:33:53.190 --> 0:33:57.090 in the first chapter shows the same general pattern, that is, 0:33:57.090 --> 0:33:59.880 that God was blessing him because of his faithfulness. And 0:33:59.880 --> 0:34:01.860 in the end of the book, the same thing is true. 0:34:01.860 --> 0:34:04.020 So I see this as a reminder that this is 0:34:04.020 --> 0:34:07.020 how life generally works. But I'm also reminded there are 0:34:07.020 --> 0:34:10.530 times in life when we do see apparent exceptions, and 0:34:10.530 --> 0:34:12.630 in those times we just need to walk by faith 0:34:12.630 --> 0:34:13.980 and not by sight. 0:34:14.070 --> 0:34:18.450 Aaron comments in Genesis 18. Abraham intercedes for the righteous 0:34:18.480 --> 0:34:21.270 in Sodom, and it reminds me of the bartering that 0:34:21.270 --> 0:34:24.239 takes place in the Old City of Jerusalem today. I 0:34:24.239 --> 0:34:26.130 wondered what you thought about that comparison. 0:34:26.160 --> 0:34:28.110 You know, I do see comparisons to actually what we 0:34:28.110 --> 0:34:30.900 observe in bargaining in the Middle East. The difference is 0:34:30.900 --> 0:34:34.560 that in typical bargaining situations, you have offers and counteroffers 0:34:34.560 --> 0:34:37.800 being made. Now, in Genesis 18, Abraham makes a request. 0:34:37.830 --> 0:34:40.860 He hopes the Lord will find acceptable. And once God 0:34:40.860 --> 0:34:43.170 says yes, he then tries to push the envelope, so 0:34:43.170 --> 0:34:45.810 to speak, to have the Lord lower the threshold until 0:34:45.810 --> 0:34:49.080 he reaches a number that Abraham hopes will reflect reality. 0:34:49.080 --> 0:34:52.410 But to answer the question, this does make perfect sense 0:34:52.410 --> 0:34:53.430 in that culture. 0:34:53.460 --> 0:34:56.850 All right. Todd wants to know why was Solomon David's 0:34:56.850 --> 0:34:59.970 successor instead of an earlier born child? 0:35:00.090 --> 0:35:02.219 That's a little bit complex, because we don't know the 0:35:02.219 --> 0:35:04.620 order of birth for all David's children. But in first 0:35:04.620 --> 0:35:07.680 Chronicles three, we're given the names of all David's sons. 0:35:07.680 --> 0:35:11.190 And four of them it says were by Bathsheba. In fact, 0:35:11.190 --> 0:35:13.680 Solomon is listed fourth. So we know that the order 0:35:13.680 --> 0:35:15.750 there isn't the order in which all the children were 0:35:15.780 --> 0:35:18.390 actually given birth. Having said that, here's my best guess 0:35:18.390 --> 0:35:21.660 in the order. It does say Amnon was the firstborn there, 0:35:21.660 --> 0:35:24.509 which presumably would put him first in line, but he 0:35:24.510 --> 0:35:27.960 was killed by Absalom following his rape of Tamar. Now 0:35:27.960 --> 0:35:30.630 we're not told anything about the second son listed. His 0:35:30.630 --> 0:35:34.350 name is Daniel, which suggests maybe he died before reaching adulthood. 0:35:34.380 --> 0:35:37.740 The next child, listed as Absalom, who led a failed 0:35:37.739 --> 0:35:40.350 coup against David and died in battle, and the next 0:35:40.350 --> 0:35:43.050 son listed as Adonijah, who tried to usurp the throne 0:35:43.050 --> 0:35:45.930 at the time of David's death, he failed. He was 0:35:45.930 --> 0:35:48.960 later put to death for again trying to manipulate events 0:35:48.960 --> 0:35:51.690 to replace Solomon. Now, we don't know much about the 0:35:51.690 --> 0:35:54.569 other male heirs, though I think it's probable that Solomon 0:35:54.570 --> 0:35:56.760 could legitimately have been the next in line. So he 0:35:56.760 --> 0:35:59.760 was the first legitimate heir to be able to take 0:35:59.760 --> 0:36:00.390 the throne. 0:36:00.420 --> 0:36:02.910 Well, thank you for your questions today, Charlie. Thank you 0:36:02.910 --> 0:36:06.210 for those great answers. Powerful insights, helpful stuff for sure. 0:36:06.210 --> 0:36:09.030 And we welcome your question. Any time when you email 0:36:09.030 --> 0:36:13.800 us at The Land and the book@moody.edu. We also welcome 0:36:13.800 --> 0:36:16.049 you to visit our website, where you'll find links to 0:36:16.080 --> 0:36:19.650 today's guest, information about past and future programs, and a 0:36:19.650 --> 0:36:23.880 whole lot more. That's the land and the books.org. Don't 0:36:23.880 --> 0:36:27.270 go away. One more segment to come. Charlie's devotional next. 0:36:27.300 --> 0:36:42.390 Right here. Have you ever come to a passage in 0:36:42.390 --> 0:36:44.939 Scripture and you say, I should memorize that verse? And 0:36:44.940 --> 0:36:46.799 maybe you memorize the verse and then you see the 0:36:46.800 --> 0:36:49.560 one surrounding and you go, I should memorize those two 0:36:49.560 --> 0:36:53.219 and maybe the whole chapter for me. Colossians chapter three 0:36:53.219 --> 0:36:56.489 is one of those chapters. I'm John Gager. This is 0:36:56.489 --> 0:36:59.190 the land and the book. But, Charlie, you've singled out 0:36:59.190 --> 0:37:01.230 a special verse today that we're going to look at 0:37:01.230 --> 0:37:02.700 in your devotional. Tell us about it. 0:37:02.730 --> 0:37:05.759 Yeah, it's going to be Colossians 316, and we're going 0:37:05.790 --> 0:37:07.680 to look at a little bit around it as well, John. 0:37:07.710 --> 0:37:10.230 All right. I'm looking forward to that after we pause 0:37:10.260 --> 0:37:12.580 for this Holy Land experience. 0:37:16.420 --> 0:37:19.480 I guess my trip could be summed up in tears. 0:37:19.719 --> 0:37:22.210 Number one was tears. To be able to be in 0:37:22.210 --> 0:37:25.330 the land, to walk in the places and touch the 0:37:25.330 --> 0:37:30.700 sites where Jesus had been. Particularly Peter's house in Capernaum. 0:37:31.030 --> 0:37:33.490 I guess my second set of tears were for the 0:37:33.489 --> 0:37:37.390 people to know that Israel is such a small area, 0:37:37.390 --> 0:37:40.719 but it has such a big God. To know that 0:37:40.750 --> 0:37:44.020 enemies within and enemies without the father, God's hand is 0:37:44.020 --> 0:37:47.680 on that land and that he is protecting, he is providing. 0:37:47.710 --> 0:37:50.469 To see the ingenuity that he has given the people 0:37:50.469 --> 0:37:53.260 to work the land and to make it produce for them. 0:37:53.530 --> 0:37:56.140 And I guess my last set of tears were for 0:37:56.140 --> 0:37:59.469 the fact that I could not give up my citizenship 0:37:59.469 --> 0:38:02.230 here in America and just move and live there in 0:38:02.230 --> 0:38:05.320 the land, and to be there when Jesus returned. 0:38:06.880 --> 0:38:10.239 Colossians chapter three. What a great, great chapter. I love 0:38:10.239 --> 0:38:13.200 the book of Colossians. I'm looking forward to your devotional. 0:38:13.290 --> 0:38:15.780 I think you'll like this, John. This is week four 0:38:15.810 --> 0:38:19.589 of my five week series on famous 3/16 of the Bible, 0:38:19.590 --> 0:38:22.920 and today finds us in the interior of Western Turkey. 0:38:23.040 --> 0:38:26.310 We're about 100 miles east of ancient Ephesus and just 0:38:26.310 --> 0:38:30.180 nine miles southeast of Laodicea. The ruins of Ephesus and 0:38:30.180 --> 0:38:34.800 Laodicea are impressive, but we're visiting a far less imposing location. 0:38:34.800 --> 0:38:36.630 The hill in front of us is the site of 0:38:36.630 --> 0:38:39.690 the ancient city of Colossae. To the south of the city, 0:38:39.719 --> 0:38:44.040 Mount Cadmus rises up, forming a majestic background. And next 0:38:44.040 --> 0:38:47.009 to where we're standing, the Lycus River rushes down from 0:38:47.010 --> 0:38:50.700 the hills and out onto the plain. About four centuries 0:38:50.700 --> 0:38:53.910 before the time of Jesus, Colossae was a populous and 0:38:53.910 --> 0:38:57.420 prosperous town known for its wool trade. It had also 0:38:57.420 --> 0:39:01.500 gained something of a geographical and religious notoriety in volume 0:39:01.500 --> 0:39:05.640 two of his history. Fifth century BC writer Herodotus described 0:39:05.640 --> 0:39:08.910 Colossae as a great city of Phrygia, where the river 0:39:08.910 --> 0:39:11.710 Lycus falls into an opening in the earth and disappears 0:39:11.710 --> 0:39:15.339 from view, and then, after an interval of about five furlongs, 0:39:15.340 --> 0:39:19.060 that's about 3300ft. It comes up to view again before 0:39:19.090 --> 0:39:23.860 eventually flowing into the Maeander River. This geographical anomaly became 0:39:23.860 --> 0:39:28.090 connected to a mixture of pagan and Jewish mysticism, and 0:39:28.090 --> 0:39:33.850 even as the town declined economically, religious speculation continued unabated 0:39:33.850 --> 0:39:37.509 with its mixture of pagans, Jews and then Christians. The 0:39:37.510 --> 0:39:41.530 inhabitants of Colossae were influenced by a syncretistic blend of 0:39:41.530 --> 0:39:44.589 different beliefs. One aspect of this has been called a 0:39:44.590 --> 0:39:48.490 Jewish cult of angels. F.F. Bruce described it this way 0:39:48.520 --> 0:39:52.030 there were powerful forces at work. Chief among those were 0:39:52.030 --> 0:39:55.750 those tendencies which in a few decades blossomed forth in 0:39:55.750 --> 0:39:59.350 the elaborate system of the various schools of Gnosticism. One 0:39:59.350 --> 0:40:03.610 form of incipient Gnosticism is the Syncretistic angel cult of 0:40:03.610 --> 0:40:08.400 nonconformist Jewish foundation and pagan superstructure. So how did the 0:40:08.400 --> 0:40:12.870 disappearing and reappearing Lycus River connect to an angel cult? Well, 0:40:12.870 --> 0:40:16.830 this unorthodox cult venerated the Archangel Michael, who is said 0:40:16.830 --> 0:40:19.529 to have caused a curative spring to gush from a 0:40:19.530 --> 0:40:22.560 fissure in the earth. The reappearance of the river, combined 0:40:22.590 --> 0:40:25.860 with this mixture of Jewish and pagan beliefs, could be 0:40:25.890 --> 0:40:28.020 what Paul had in mind when he wrote in his 0:40:28.020 --> 0:40:31.080 letter to the church at Colossae to warn them against 0:40:31.080 --> 0:40:35.730 anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels. Now, 0:40:35.730 --> 0:40:38.129 as far as we know, Paul never visited the city 0:40:38.130 --> 0:40:41.730 of Colossae, and yet he cared deeply for the believers there. 0:40:41.730 --> 0:40:44.460 As he penned his letter to this church, he wrote 0:40:44.460 --> 0:40:46.920 in chapter two. I want you to know how much 0:40:46.920 --> 0:40:49.860 I am struggling for you, and for those at Laodicea, 0:40:49.860 --> 0:40:52.950 and for all who have not met me personally. The 0:40:52.950 --> 0:40:56.460 phrase out of sight, out of mind didn't describe Paul 0:40:56.460 --> 0:40:59.910 or his genuine care for the believers in this town, 0:40:59.940 --> 0:41:03.089 but right about now you might be asking yourself, so 0:41:03.090 --> 0:41:05.489 why are we standing here at the site of ancient Colossae? 0:41:05.730 --> 0:41:08.580 After all, the town has vanished. The mound in front 0:41:08.580 --> 0:41:11.970 of us has never been excavated. The site's relatively small, 0:41:11.969 --> 0:41:14.940 and the city likely only had a few thousand inhabitants. 0:41:14.940 --> 0:41:17.460 By the time Paul wrote to them, it had been 0:41:17.460 --> 0:41:21.930 eclipsed by the nearby cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. From 0:41:21.930 --> 0:41:24.720 the tiny letter of Philemon, we do know Paul hoped 0:41:24.719 --> 0:41:27.780 to visit here after his release from prison, but were 0:41:27.780 --> 0:41:30.360 never told whether he made it or not. So what 0:41:30.360 --> 0:41:34.320 makes this place so important? And what's the famous 316 0:41:34.350 --> 0:41:38.670 in Paul's letter here that can transform our lives? I'm 0:41:38.670 --> 0:41:42.719 glad you asked Paul's answer to a church struggling theologically, 0:41:42.750 --> 0:41:46.020 to a church that he'd never visited personally, was to 0:41:46.050 --> 0:41:49.859 point them to Jesus. The best way to spot a counterfeit, 0:41:49.860 --> 0:41:54.120 any counterfeit is to become intimately acquainted with the original. 0:41:54.120 --> 0:41:57.930 From counterfeit money to forged paintings. The more you know 0:41:57.930 --> 0:42:01.470 all the subtle details and characteristics of the original, the 0:42:01.500 --> 0:42:05.370 better prepared you are to spot any fakes. So what's 0:42:05.370 --> 0:42:09.089 the original Paul holds up for them to study? Simply put, 0:42:09.090 --> 0:42:13.740 it's Jesus. In chapter one, verses 15 and 16, Jesus 0:42:13.770 --> 0:42:16.080 is the image of the invisible God and the one 0:42:16.080 --> 0:42:19.950 who created all things in 117. He's the one who 0:42:19.950 --> 0:42:23.670 holds all things together in one. 18 to 19 Jesus 0:42:23.700 --> 0:42:25.680 is the head of the church. He's the one who 0:42:25.680 --> 0:42:28.410 rose from the dead and who's supreme over all. He's 0:42:28.410 --> 0:42:30.330 the one who died on the cross and shed his 0:42:30.330 --> 0:42:33.990 own blood to reconcile us to God. In chapter two, 0:42:34.020 --> 0:42:36.690 verse three, Jesus is the one in whom are hidden 0:42:36.690 --> 0:42:39.930 all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In chapter two, 0:42:39.960 --> 0:42:43.469 verse eight, Paul says that any so-called truth, apart from 0:42:43.469 --> 0:42:48.030 the truth found in Jesus, is just hollow and deceptive philosophy. 0:42:48.239 --> 0:42:51.060 In two nine, Jesus is the one in whom all 0:42:51.060 --> 0:42:54.600 the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form. Jesus 0:42:54.630 --> 0:42:57.450 is the head over every power and authority. The Old 0:42:57.480 --> 0:43:01.469 Testament dietary laws and religious festivals were a foreshadowing of 0:43:01.469 --> 0:43:04.480 the reality that was to come. But Paul says in 0:43:04.480 --> 0:43:08.050 verse 17, the reality is found in Christ. You get 0:43:08.050 --> 0:43:11.920 the picture. To avoid getting sucked into false teaching, whatever 0:43:11.920 --> 0:43:15.250 its source, the solution is to come to know everything 0:43:15.250 --> 0:43:18.580 you can about Jesus in his fullness as God's Son 0:43:18.580 --> 0:43:22.360 and our Savior. And then Paul comes to chapter three, 0:43:22.360 --> 0:43:26.200 where he explores the practical outworking of our focus on Jesus. 0:43:26.230 --> 0:43:28.509 He begins in verses one and two by telling us 0:43:28.510 --> 0:43:31.450 to set your hearts on things above, where Christ is 0:43:31.450 --> 0:43:34.330 seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind 0:43:34.330 --> 0:43:37.960 on things above, not on earthly things. Move your mental 0:43:37.960 --> 0:43:41.080 zip code from earth to heaven, and concentrate on the 0:43:41.080 --> 0:43:44.859 one with whom you will be spending eternity. People sometimes say, 0:43:44.860 --> 0:43:47.920 you can be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good, 0:43:47.920 --> 0:43:51.730 but Paul would disagree. In fact, he gets very practical 0:43:51.730 --> 0:43:54.910 as he moves through the chapter. Since Christ is all 0:43:54.910 --> 0:43:57.700 and is in all, our connection with him should show 0:43:57.700 --> 0:44:00.459 up in all we do in life. Listen to his 0:44:00.460 --> 0:44:05.649 list of practical commands. Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, 0:44:05.680 --> 0:44:09.640 gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever 0:44:09.640 --> 0:44:13.180 grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the 0:44:13.180 --> 0:44:16.569 Lord forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love, 0:44:16.570 --> 0:44:20.080 which binds them all together in perfect unity. Setting your 0:44:20.080 --> 0:44:22.630 heart on things above with Jesus will show up in 0:44:22.630 --> 0:44:24.969 your day to day walk as you look forward to 0:44:25.000 --> 0:44:28.690 being with him in eternity. And then we come to 0:44:28.719 --> 0:44:33.580 Paul's 316 moment. Well, actually, his 316 is set like 0:44:33.580 --> 0:44:37.000 a jewel in a three jewel crown. Where to? Where? 0:44:37.030 --> 0:44:41.080 Verse 15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. 0:44:41.110 --> 0:44:44.560 Verse 16, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. 0:44:44.590 --> 0:44:47.890 Verse 17. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, 0:44:47.920 --> 0:44:50.440 do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving 0:44:50.440 --> 0:44:55.060 thanks to God the Father through him. Experience Jesus's peace. 0:44:55.090 --> 0:45:01.299 Take in Jesus's Word and represent Jesus well in your actions. Cults. 0:45:01.300 --> 0:45:05.710 false religions and syncretistic forms of worship. Focus on your duties, 0:45:05.710 --> 0:45:08.770 what you must do to win favor with God. They 0:45:08.770 --> 0:45:10.750 can sound good, but in the end, it's all about 0:45:10.750 --> 0:45:13.420 your effort, and there's a sense of pride that comes 0:45:13.420 --> 0:45:15.850 with the feeling that you're on the inside track, that 0:45:15.850 --> 0:45:18.730 you mastered the secret recipe that you're working your way 0:45:18.730 --> 0:45:21.580 into God's favor through your own efforts, and the way 0:45:21.580 --> 0:45:24.250 to avoid getting sucked into such a trap is to 0:45:24.280 --> 0:45:30.580 focus on the genuine article. Jesus. Get to know him deeply, personally, intimately. 0:45:30.580 --> 0:45:34.810 And Colossians 316 provides the key. Let the Word of 0:45:34.810 --> 0:45:38.320 Christ dwell in you richly. If you want to know Jesus, 0:45:38.350 --> 0:45:42.220 get to know His word. Paul then explains how later 0:45:42.219 --> 0:45:46.300 in the verse, teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. 0:45:46.330 --> 0:45:49.570 Go to church, attend Bible studies, listen online or read 0:45:49.570 --> 0:45:52.900 for yourself, but connect to God's Word. Take it in. 0:45:52.900 --> 0:45:54.969 Let it become part of the very fabric of your 0:45:54.969 --> 0:45:58.630 being so you can begin to think God's thoughts. And 0:45:58.630 --> 0:46:02.770 when you do, you'll find yourself experiencing God's supernatural peace 0:46:02.770 --> 0:46:05.680 with a thankful heart. Now, as we say goodbye to 0:46:05.710 --> 0:46:08.649 Colossae and head home, what practical lessons can you take 0:46:08.680 --> 0:46:11.859 along with you? Let me suggest this. This next week 0:46:11.890 --> 0:46:14.530 take time to read through the book of Colossians. It's 0:46:14.530 --> 0:46:18.640 only four chapters and highlight or underline everything Paul says 0:46:18.640 --> 0:46:21.550 about Jesus, what he's done for you and what he 0:46:21.550 --> 0:46:23.860 now calls on you to do as you wait to 0:46:23.890 --> 0:46:26.259 meet him, and then see if you don't find yourself 0:46:26.260 --> 0:46:29.770 thinking more clearly and living more. Thankfully, as you allow 0:46:29.770 --> 0:46:32.650 His Word to dwell richly in you. 0:46:32.710 --> 0:46:35.650 Thank you Charlie. I'm still parked at that phrase of yours. 0:46:35.650 --> 0:46:39.819 Move your mental zipcode from earth to heaven. Beloved, you 0:46:39.820 --> 0:46:42.550 can hear today's devotional or the entire program again, as 0:46:42.550 --> 0:46:47.410 always at the land and the books.org. Thanks for listening today. 0:46:47.440 --> 0:46:50.410 I'm John Gager for our host, Charlie Dyer. The land 0:46:50.410 --> 0:46:52.960 and the book is a production of Moody Radio, a 0:46:52.960 --> 0:46:55.120 ministry of Moody Bible Institute.